Firm Hand by Nora Phoenix

Author:Nora Phoenix [Phoenix, Nora]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-05-15T18:30:00+00:00

Needless to say, this was not how Rhys had planned for things to go. Out of all the things he had anticipated, Cornell breaking down like this had not been one of them. And yet, somehow, it seemed inevitable at the same time, as if it had been coming for a long time. Rhys held him, first loosely, but as Cornell crawled into his arms, as tight as he could manage on the couch.

When it became clear that this was not a simple crying fit, but something much deeper, Brendan signaled him that he'd taken the lasagna out of the oven. Rhys nodded, sending him a grateful look as his two friends quietly left. He didn't even feel guilty, knowing that as much as he and Cornell needed privacy right now, Raf could use it as well.

Cornell never even seemed to notice them leaving, his face buried against Rhys's chest. Did he even realize he was completely on top of Rhys, their bodies pressing against each other everywhere? It wasn't even sexual. Sure, it excited Rhys, but the emotional impact far outweighed that.

When Cornell finally calmed down, it was almost half an hour later. His body had gone slack on top of Rhys's, his breathing slowed down to a soft trickle now, no longer the desperate sobs. Rhys had held him, alternating between holding him tight and softly rubbing his back, his head, even his ass. He wanted him to feel his touch, to let Cornell know he was not alone.

He could pinpoint the exact moment Cornell became aware of what had happened. One second, his body had been completely relaxed, the next, tension filled it, and he shifted. Rhys heard him take a breath. "If the next words out of your mouth are in any way an apology, I don't want to hear them," he told Cornell softly but firmly.

As he had expected, Cornell closed his mouth again.

"You have absolutely nothing to apologize for, and if you try to anyway, I will find a way to punish you that you will find distinctly unpleasant."

He wasn't even sure why he took this approach with Cornell, this firm tone. Call it instincts, but something told him this was what he needed to hear right now.

Cornell's quiet "Yes, Sir" told him he'd done the right thing.

"Did they leave?" Cornell asked maybe a minute later.

"Yes. But again, not something to feel guilty about. My guess is that if the dinner hadn't been set up to meet you, they would've canceled, what with how Raf was feeling."

"I didn't notice anything off with him," Cornell said. "Is he okay?"

"Like you, he's good at pretending. Good thing he has a Daddy who sees straight through his bullshit."

Cornell was quiet at that for a bit. "I wasn't aware I was pretending," he said finally. "I really thought I was past this stage of grief."

Rhys held him tight, his fingers slipping under Cornell's button-down and finding some tense points in his muscles to knead. "It's not a linear process, grief.

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