You Don't Know What Love Is

by Tymber Dalton

  Rom reached up and laid his hands over Colton’s, gently squeezing. “And who says Masters can’t learn from their boys?”

  Chapter Two

  Earlier, when Rom had first returned home from work, he’d promised Colton at least two rounds of fun that night, and maybe a third.

  Now, Rom felt determined to make good on that promise. Except he’d already scened with Colton and didn’t want to add any more marks to his ass tonight.

  This was pure sex—

  No. Make that love.

  Making love.

  Something which had been lacking in Rom’s life most of his adult life.

  He backed toward the bed, leading Colton by the hands. The love and trust in his boy’s sweet brown gaze finished hardening Rom’s cock again. He sat on the edge of the bed and released Colton’s hands so he could skim them up and down Colton’s sides. Leaning in, he trailed kisses along those perfect six-pack abs, over the light happy trail heading south to where Colton’s rigid cock jutted from his well-trimmed blond bush.

  Rom flicked his tongue over the tip of Colton’s cock, the other man’s sharp inhale making Rom’s cock twitch in counterpoint.

  This always felt perfect between them. Even from their first night at the party at Kent’s house, where the man had introduced the two of them.

  Colton’s hands settled on Rom’s shoulders, fingers gently kneading, pleading, trying to coax him deeper, begging without words or being pushy.

  Another familiar and fun thing between them.

  Rom loved that Colton was needy for and vulnerable to him. Willingly submitted to him.

  He slowly wrapped his lips around the tip of Colton’s cock, tasting tangy pre-cum already pearling and flowing for him. Rom’s hands slid lower, his left molded around Colton’s hip and the right cupping his sac. Colton sucked in another breath, his needy moan not far behind.

  Rom knew what Colton wanted to do and yet couldn’t bring himself to—he wanted to cup Rom’s head and fuck his mouth, spill down his throat, feel Rom’s tongue and lips along his shaft all the way to the root.

  Still, he held himself back, in check, Rom’s snuggle puppy and guard dog all rolled into one. Colton didn’t like to take charge between them unless ordered to by Rom. Like during their first round in bed tonight, Rom had ridden Colton’s cock because he’d learned Colton wasn’t comfortable being on top with him.

  Colton had even admitted he’d never had those qualms with other partners, either, even while in bottom mode.

  It was just…different with Rom.

  Rom knew he’d never felt comfortable letting another partner have a top role in bed before, either. Not like this.

  Infinite trust flowed between them, ever deepening.

  After a few minutes, with Colton’s fingers anxiously flexing on Rom’s shoulders while Rom went down on his cock, Rom finally sat up with a smile. “What’s my boy want?”

  “You know what I want, Sir.” Colton’s tight jaw also betrayed the struggle playing out within him. “I want you.”

  * * * *

  When Rom arched an eyebrow at him, Colton struggled not to drop to his knees.

  But that wasn’t what Rom had told him to do.

  So Colton stood there, forcing himself to behave, to be his Sir’s good boy and not move. It was a common game between them now. Rom would do all sorts of sexy, delicious, and frequently painful things to Colton while Colton struggled not to move from whatever position Rom had last put him in, even if Rom hadn’t specifically ordered him not to move.

  Because he knew Rom loved watching him struggle like that.

  Early on, Rom had told him he expected Colton not to need to be told to do things over and over again. Discovering that this particular thing—watching Colton’s struggles—hardened Rom’s cock, of course Colton had determined he’d do whatever possible to obey.

  A self-perpetuating cycle, a sexy harmony that played on to infinity between them.

  Did he want to nut? Fuck yeah, of course he did. But what he needed was to hear those two little words from Rom.

  Good boy.

  He needed to see the way Rom’s gaze narrowed when he smiled over watching Colton’s struggles.

  He needed to please his Sir.

  Because in these moments nothing else mattered to Colton but pleasing Rom.

  Rom’s sadism wasn’t solely rooted in doling out pain, either. His sadism played out in ways big and small—from the pain of a cane all the way down to making Colton figure out the exact phrase to use to beg for his orgasm that particular night.

  Or even ordering Colton to free-ball it while working downstairs in the studio, meaning he had to wear jeans—or risk a tent forming in his shorts—and sweat his balls off in the process.

  Rom scooted back and stretched out in the middle of the bed, smiling as he patted the mattress next to him. Colton dove onto the bed, making Rom laugh as he rolled to his side to face him.

  And that was Colton’s second-favorite thing in the world, to make his guy smile and laugh. To know he was the reason for it.

  Rom reached up and hooked a hand around the back of Colton’s neck and pulled him in for a deep, slow kiss that once again had Colton whimpering with need.

  More sadism on Rom’s part, that despite his own hard cock rubbing against Colton’s, he seemed perfectly content to lie there and simply…kiss.

  Made even more torturous when Rom hooked a leg around Colton’s and slowly started grinding against him.

  Colton reached around Rom and grabbed his ass for leverage to grind back against him, knowing he’d done the absolute right thing when he was rewarded with a low growl from Rom, and his fingers threaded into Colton’s hair, where they drew into a tight fist.

  Thisss…

  When subspace started spinning Colton into its depths he happily jumped, soaring into the sensations and knowing this was where he was meant to be.

  And the man he was meant to be with.

  Rom nipped and sucked Colton’s lips, keeping control of their kiss even as he slowly rolled Colton onto his back while grinding against him. With the full length of Rom’s body pressed along his, Colton let his mind shut down as his body processed every sensation, the warmth of Rom’s flesh, the angles and planes of his muscles and limbs, the way Rom’s short beard and mustache felt against his face.

  Everything about the man quieted Colton’s soul and drew him into a safe, sweet place. Rom sat up and smiled when Colton tried to sit up and follow him. Rom planted a hand in the middle of his chest and blew him a kiss.

  Leaning over, Rom grabbed lube and a condom from where he’d left them on the nightstand. “I promised you two rounds and a possible third.” His smile widened. “Might need to use a toy to give you the third, so we’ll play it by ear. Hands over your head.”

  Colton complied immediately. He suspected what was coming next, especially once Rom grabbed him behind the knees and hauled his legs up and back, opening him to Rom.

  Rom took his time playing with Colton’s ass with his lubed fingers, holding Colton’s gaze as Rom teased and stretched his hole. Only once Rom was satisfied Colton was ready did he wipe his hands on a towel, roll a condom down his own cock, and slather it with lube.

  After lining up his cock with Colton’s hole, he slowly pressed forward. Sweet pressure as Rom’s cock stretched him and slowly possessed him. It took Colton every ounce of self-control he had not to move, to not grab Rom’s arms or rock his hips to urge him to go faster. That made Rom’s smile widen.

  “You’re just dying to move, aren’t you, baby?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Once Rom was balls-deep inside Colton, he took a deep breath and slowly stroked his hands up and down Colton’s thighs. Between them, Colton’s hard cock twitched and leaked a growing puddle of pre-cum onto his abs.

  Rom leaned in, reaching up with one hand and pinning Colton’s cuffed wrists to the mattress. As their gazes locked, Colton felt the fall start again—into the deepest levels of sub
space, into love, into eternity.

  Rom was his future, his Higher Power, and his fate.

  It made all the emotional pain he’d endured and survived in his life worth it.

  Every second of it.

  It also proved Grammy right—that one day, he’d find the perfect man for him, who’d love him no matter what.

  Rom tipped his head to nip the inside of Colton’s right ankle. “Tell me what you want, baby.”

  Hitting the good kind of bottom meant achieving a sweet peace he’d never known before. “I want to make you happy, Sir.”

  * * * *

  Just when Rom thought Colton couldn’t be any more perfect than he already was, he managed to come up with another level of perfection that took Rom’s breath away.

  Rom nuzzled Colton’s ankle. “You do make me happy.” He reached between them with his other hand and gave Colton’s cock a long, gentle squeeze. “You also make me proud.”

  Slowly pulling out until only the head of his cock remained inside Colton, he took his time pressing forward again. The sweet, tight heat of Colton’s ass gripped his cock, even through the condom. He leaned down and nipped Colton’s lower lip before sitting up again, releasing Colton’s wrists so Rom could use that arm to brace himself.

  “Hold me, baby. Hold me while I fuck you.”

  It suddenly felt like Colton’s hands roamed everywhere at once, stroking Rom’s arms, his chest, thumbs brushing across his nipples and sending an intense frisson of pleasure through his body and straight to his cock.

  As Rom started fucking him, he cupped Colton’s cock again with his free hand and began stroking. “Come for me, boy. You’ve earned it.”

  Not that he would deny Colton anything.

  Okay, maybe he might edge him from time to time, for fun, but that was fun for both of them, in different ways.

  No way he’d punish his boy by forbidding him from coming for long periods at a time. That kind of punishment held no place in their dynamic. Rom wanted everything between them focused on love and respect at its core.

  Because he might be Colton’s Sir, but he respected Colton.

  He only hoped he could live up to Colton’s respect and love for him.

  With his thumb, Rom slicked Colton’s pre-cum along his shaft and slowly built him up, deliberately not matching the strokes with his hand with his rhythm as he fucked Colton’s ass. He wanted his boy kept off-kilter, unable to think, forced to do nothing but process the pleasure and focus on that alone.

  Watching Colton’s gaze, he spotted it the moment Colton hit the point of no return, even before his ass began clenching around Rom’s cock, even before his cock hardened and erupted, spilling ropes of hot cum into Rom’s hand and all over both of them.

  “Good boy.” He sped up his pace, now able to let go and focus on his own pleasure, on catching up and falling over. Rom groaned when his orgasm hit and after several last thrusts fell still inside Colton.

  He leaned in for a kiss while catching his breath. “Love you so much, baby,” he whispered against Colton’s lips.

  He smiled. “Love you, too, Sir.”

  Despite Rom having promised Colton a round three, after they cleaned up his boy started dozing off in Rom’s arms. He rolled to face Rom, his head tucked against Rom’s chest. “Can I take a rain check on round three, Sir?” He let out a sleepy yawn.

  Rom nuzzled his nose against Colton’s. “I think we can arrange that.” And like that, sweet, perfect sleep settled over both of them.

  Chapter Three

  Rom barely processed it when Colton’s alarm went off at 5:30 Wednesday morning and he gently extricated himself from Rom’s arms to get out of bed. By the time Rom’s alarm went off thirty minutes later, Colton had already left for the gym…after leaving Rom’s coffee in a thermal mug next to the bed.

  He felt so comfortable snuggled in bed that part of him wanted to skip his morning run, until he realized he hadn’t gone on a morning run since the week before.

  I need to get back into my usual routine.

  He took care of business in the bathroom, and that’s where he spotted the gold band now encircling his left ring finger.

  He smiled.

  My boy.

  Yes, Colton had shown him how he felt. Rom had no doubts about his boy’s love for him.

  Before dressing, he deeply drank from his coffee, which had reached the perfect temperature. He’d keep today’s jog short, maybe half the length of his usual run. It was hard to believe just one day in the hospital would take so much energy out of him, but it had. That near-miss had scared him, too.

  In fact…

  He dug his spare EpiPen out of the bag he took to work and put it in the small waist pack he wore when jogging. It also carried his ID, his key, and his cell phone, which played music to his Bluetooth earbuds.

  After another long swallow from his coffee, he headed out onto the streets of Venice.

  Running on Venice Island was, admittedly, better than his previous route around the neighborhood where his apartment was located. The tree-lined streets and high-end houses and condos along the Gulf of Mexico made for a prettier journey, that was for sure. Plus the traffic was slower, restricted due to the residential neighborhoods, making it a safer run, too.

  And cooler. The breeze blowing in off the Gulf, even though the day was warm and muggy, helped cool him and make the run less intense than it might otherwise have been.

  As he ran, he thought about last night, about Colton.

  About…everything. His gorgeous love god trusted him. Wanted him.

  Loved him.

  There was something addicting about Colton. In a good way. Like Rom could finally let down his guard and snuggle in close and not worry about anything because his big cuddle puppy would protect him.

  When he returned to their apartment less than thirty minutes later, Rom felt more awake and like he was finally shifting his mind and soul back onto an even keel.

  Life is good.

  Once he had his shower, had dressed for work, and grabbed a quick bite to eat—and refilled his coffee mug—he jumped in the car and headed toward the bank he worked at. With his phone in hands-free mode, he called his brother, Chad.

  “What’s up, Rommy?”

  Rom smiled. “I hope you meant it when you said you liked Colton.”

  “Why?”

  “Because we’re getting married. He proposed last night.”

  “Congratulations! When? Because you know Ina’s going to ask me.”

  “We haven’t gotten that far yet. We haven’t even told his aunt yet. I’m sure once we do that the grannies are going to want to take over and plan everything. That’s why I wanted to give you a heads-up, so you can tell Ina and she’ll be ready to jump in and help.”

  “Oh, lord.” He laughed. “She still feels a little irritated at Colton for not calling us sooner on Saturday.”

  “She’ll just have to get over it. I told you, it wasn’t his fault. He wasn’t even there when it happened. And, yes, Sherry still feels horrified over it, bless her heart.”

  Chad was fifteen years older than Rom, and Ina was twelve years older. She and Chad had gotten married when Rom was only ten, and she was like a mom to him. Considering Chad had raised Rom since Rom was five, they were both more like parents than siblings, Rom’s two nephews more like little brothers.

  “That’s easier said than done, Rommy. She’s a momma bear, and you damn well know it.”

  Yes, he did. One time when Rom was in school, after Ina found out a kid had tried bullying him, she’d descended on the teacher and principal like some rabid Valkyrie with severe anger issues and a thirst for viscera.

  The bullying student was transferred to a class on the other end of the building the next day.

  “Try to talk her down for me, huh?” Rom asked. “He loves me, bro. And I love him.”

  “I’ll do my best. She doesn’t not like him, she just wants to make him sweat a little. Keep in mind, we are happy for you.
Any grief she tries to give you is because she loves you and worries about you.”

  “I know.”

  Once Rom ended the conversation with Chad, he turned up his radio for the remainder of his drive to work.

  How’d I get so lucky?

  Colton’s parents had disowned him when he’d come out to them at twelve.

  Twelve.

  Chad and Ina had lovingly supported him when he’d come out to them at fifteen.

  Colton hadn’t seen or spoken to his parents since he was twelve. Twenty years. Colton didn’t even know where they were, for sure. When Colton’s grandmother had died four years earlier, his Aunt Roberta had reached out to them but had been rebuffed.

  I’m blessed.

  It made him look at his life thus far and appreciate just how lucky he really was despite his rocky start in life. A great set of “parents,” and now a great guy, and a great extended family of friends via that same great guy, who had all embraced them.

  It was even enough for him to finally shove his old “what can go wrong now?” paranoia far to the back of his mind so he could enjoy the rest of his morning drive.

  * * * *

  Wednesday morning, Colton wasn’t even thinking about the ring on his left hand. No one apparently noticed it at the gym, when he was working with his regular morning clients. After he finished with his clients, and his own workout, he took a shower there at the gym. Then he returned to his apartment, dumped his stuff, and headed back downstairs to the ceramics shop. He was teaching a small class later that afternoon and wanted to work on an art piece that morning.

  Aunt Roberta was behind the counter, chatting with one of her friends, Lucy, who was also a regular customer and class student.

  Both of them turned at his entrance, and Aunt Roberta’s eyes immediately narrowed, drawing him up short.