by Nikki McCoy
Stacking the papers onto the dresser and slipping on a pair of socks, he padded out to the living room where he saw Amanda leaning close to Lucas, whispering quietly. A sense of foreboding went through him as he took in the grim expression on Lucas’ face. The moment Amanda caught sight of him, though, she smiled widely and rushed over to squeeze him in a tight hug. Lucas darkened and took a step forwards.
“It’s okay. I’m fine.”
The big man hesitated but backed off. Kyle decided the pain of her embrace was definitely worth the knowledge that Lucas wanted to protect him, even from friends. Amanda stood back and looked him over, touching his face and hair as a mother would a child who had been away for too long.
“Oh, you’re looking so much better. Have you gained weight? And there’s actually colour in your cheeks! My, my, my, what have you two been doing up here away from everyone?” At Kyle’s deep flush, she laughed and gave him another hug. “I’m just kidding. I had to bring over more spreadsheets and thought I’d see what you were up to.” She glanced at Lucas who apparently took that as a cue.
“I need to go out back and check on my firewood supply. There’s supposed to be a cold front coming in soon.” After setting the stack of papers in his hand onto a side table, he walked to the sliding glass doors that led outside. “Call if you two need anything.” With that, he was gone. Kyle frowned at Amanda but she paid it no mind, leading him to the couch to sit next to her.
“So how have you really been doing? You don’t have to tell me anything specific, I’m just worried about you. Jay told me you were here but not why.”
He smiled at her roundabout way of getting information. For all her nosiness, she truly did care about others and never pushed a person’s boundaries. Admittedly, she did gossip, but only to her husband who was about as grumpy and antisocial as any old man could get.
“I’m doing good. Lucas is helping me through some…problems.”
“Oh honey,” she said, her look of sympathy matching the consoling touch of her hand on his cheek. “I’m so proud of you. Everyone needs a little help at some point in their lives, and I’m sure this is what you need right now. You look so much happier than before.”
It was easy to be around Amanda. She was a no-nonsense woman of the earth—a lot like his mother had been—but he couldn’t talk about his reasons for being here. Not yet at least. She seemed to sense that and let the subject drop.
Her face grew serious and Kyle’s foreboding returned. “There’s another reason why I came here. Your brother stopped by the store yesterday asking about you.” And the topic went from bad to worse. “Demanding, actually. He came in raising all kinds of hell. I told him that you quit a week ago and I haven’t seen you since, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer. I had to resort to threatening him with calling the cops if he didn’t leave.”
The slight tremor in his hands spread throughout his body like wildfire. He’d known Craig and Jake would search for him, but the confirmation of it terrified him more than he’d expected. Despite the stress of his newfound connection with Lucas, staying here with the man had lulled him into a false sense of security.
He’d been deluding himself. They would find him. It was only a matter of time before Craig figured out that he was living with his boss, if he hadn’t already. He barely registered the slamming of the door before Lucas was kneeling at his feet, taking his shaking body into his arms and rocking back and forth.
“They will not get you. I won’t allow it!”
Amazingly, the vehemence in Lucas’ mental voice calmed him a degree. Wetness smeared his face as he slid it along the fabric of the man’s shirt and burrowed deeper, ashamed of the tears he hadn’t known were there.
“You are mine, and I will kill anyone who tries to hurt you again. Do you hear me?”
He shuddered once then melted into the solidity of Lucas’ body and emotions. They were fierce and rife with savage certainty, but they also gave him strength. When he eventually pulled back, Lucas was reluctant to let go, which brought an unexpected grin to his lips. His feral, protective hero.
“I’m good now. It just took me by surprise.”
Lucas framed his head with both hands and stared into his eyes. Using both thumbs, he brushed away the tracks of Kyle’s tears then leaned in to press their lips together lightly. “Never again. I won’t let it happen. Not for as long as you live.”
In a quavering voice, Kyle asked, “You’ll find me no matter what, huh?”
Lucas grinned. “I have my wicked ways, remember?”
Laughter bubbled up in Kyle’s chest and he let it out, grateful for the relief of tension. “Really, I’m all right.” When Lucas refused to budge, he switched tactics. “Steak dinners in front of a cosy fire?” The man seemed to finally take the hint and left them alone again. When Kyle thought he was ready to bear the disapproval in Amanda’s eyes, he looked up at her, but there was no censure there.
The robust woman merely smiled with a contemplative expression. “I had a friend once who was being abused by her husband. For years she hid it from everyone. Told me she had occasional bouts of depression and wouldn’t leave the house for days because of it. One day, I went to visit her and she was gone. She and her husband had moved without a forwarding address or notice to their landlord.
“It wasn’t until I talked to her neighbours that I found out about the abuse. By the time they were done telling me of the numerous times they’d felt compelled to call the cops for fear her life was in danger, I felt like the worst friend in the world. HoHHkrlifghretlksdjfHGHlk;djfklaufs;lfdjgHow could I not have seen the signs? She was such a sweet little thing when I met her. Atrociously happy all the time.”
Her eyes welled with tears but she blinked them back. “I’ve been searching for her for more than two years now. Granted, it’s partly because of my guilt. Never once did I suspect… Well, it makes me wonder what might have happened if someone had offered her a permanent way out. My husband is forever reminding me that abuse happens all the time, but for that one person that it’s happening to, there’s nothing common about it. And there shouldn’t be.”
Kyle fidgeted, wringing his hands together, not sure how to respond.
“Do you know I have never seen or heard of that man having a significant other, or even going out a date, since I’ve known him?” Following her gaze to the glass doors, he saw the bare-chested form of Lucas hefting an axe high above his head and bringing it down in a graceful arc. “Not in the four years I’ve been working for him.” She snorted. “Come to think of it, he hardly socialised with any of his employees until you came along. Guess that makes you special indeed, doesn’t it?”
Flushing at her innuendo, he said, “We’re not dating. He’s only…”
“Helping you through some problems,” she threw back at him. “Well, whatever his reasons, I’m glad for the both of you. Just remember, people show their loneliness in different ways. Some clam up, others go about their lives as though nothing is wrong until someone comes along and turns their perfectly ordered world upside down.”
She glanced out the window again, compassion glowing in her eyes. “Anyway,” she said, patting him on the leg, “I have to go unglue my kids from their X-Box so they can do their chores. I swear, whoever invented those things should be dragged out into the street and shot. And don’t worry about your brother, dear. Lucas gave me permission to call the cops immediately if he ever sets foot on store property again.”
She stood, then leaned over to place a hand on his cheek. “You’re a sweetie. I don’t blame Lucas in the slightest. Tell him I said ‘bye, will you?”
He frowned at her cryptic words but nodded. “Sure, Amanda. Thanks for the warning.” He walked her to the front door then returned to the couch to mull over their conversation. Lucas’ lean, heavily muscled build drew his gaze outside and he began to wonder what other secrets lay behind the man’s normally cool façade.
He would never have suspected his boss of being insecur
e, and yet he felt it every time Lucas checked in on him. Then there was the secret of his race and abilities. Lucas had also divulged that it took both partners to create the kind of bond they had, which meant that he must have cared for Kyle as much as Kyle had him during their brief moment of passion. Or had it been all along like Amanda suggested? Several people had witnessed Craig hurting him, yet none of them had raised their voice in opposition, let alone taken action against it as Lucas had.
The idea that such a large, confident man was lonely struck him as a little unbelievable, but then, he’d gone for years without anyone suspecting the same of him. Suddenly, his reasons for shutting Lucas out seemed selfish. Amanda was absolutely right about one thing. Lucas had turned his life upside down to help him while asking for nothing in return. The least Kyle owed him was an explanation for his reticence towards him.
Kyle slipped on his sneakers, went out back and slowly approached Lucas. Long, sleek lines covered in a light sheen of sweat gleamed in the sunlight. Form-fitting jeans rode just below his tapered waist and hugged his rounded ass nicely. There was a stylised, circular tattoo between his shoulder blades that drew attention to the sinuous muscles that flexed and bunched along his back.
Pausing to admire the sight, Kyle felt his heart skip at the realisation that this gorgeous man wanted him. Maybe not for a relationship, but the fact of their bond had to count for something.
Lucas turned then, as though sensing him, and Kyle’s eyes roamed as if of their own accord over the planes and angles of his body. Scars he hadn’t noticed before stood out in pale contrast to his tanned flesh. They were faded and appeared to have been made by weapons, which only added to his rugged appeal.
Kyle’s mouth went dry and blood pooled to his groin, pushing his engorged cock painfully against the teeth of his zipper. When his eyes rose to meet Lucas’, the lust he saw in them fuelled his own, burning him with its intensity. What gave him the courage to act on his arousal, however, was the hesitancy he felt in the man’s emotions.
Lucas would never hurt or rush him. He knew it then without a single doubt in his mind or heart. Memories of Craig’s cruel abuse vanished in the face of that knowledge. Kyle nodded, giving Lucas the permission he was waiting for.
The axe hit the ground and Lucas strode forwards. Kyle shivered, expecting the man to be rough in his eagerness, but he was met with the softest kiss, like the brush of wings along his lips, and hands that threaded tenderly through his hair. The uncertainty was still there and Kyle wanted nothing more than to remove it—to show the man that he was ready. Taking the initiative, he deepened the kiss, melding their bodies together so that his cock rubbed along a thick thigh.
Growling, Lucas circled his arms around Kyle and bent him backwards, taking control and ravaging his mouth with abandon. It was so easy to let go completely. Lucas’ presence permeated his entire being, filling his senses and devouring him until nothing else existed but the heat and desire that flamed between them.
When they finally broke apart, both were breathing heavily. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. Yes, I’m sure. Now shut up and kiss me again.”
Lucas chuckled and gave him what he wanted. Kyle was lifted by his ass and instinctively wrapped his legs around the man’s waist without breaking their kiss. So absorbed was he in the feel of the powerful body holding him that he didn’t recognise their changing surroundings until Lucas laid him down on the bed. When he sat up and tried to pursue the man’s retreating form, a firm hand pushed him back down.
“Get undressed for me. I’m not going anywhere.”
Kyle scrambled to get his clothes off, watching Lucas’ movements with rapt attention. Lucas stripped down quickly then walked over to his dresser. From the top drawer, he pulled out several items and placed them on the side of the bed. Once Kyle could see each piece clearly, panic shot through him and he glanced questioningly at the large man.
“I know that you desire pain and fear it at the same time. I want to show you that you have nothing to be ashamed or afraid of here. Do you trust me to do that?”
His gaze travelled back to the instruments. They were essentially harmless compared to the ones Craig had used to inflict serious pain. He gave himself a mental shake to banish thoughts of his former boyfriend from his mind. The bastard had stolen five years of his life. Allowing Craig to influence his recaptured freedom only put him in a different kind of prison. One with no walls and still no hope.
“I trust you,” he said, looking up in time to see an approving smile.
Lucas picked up two pairs of black, leather cuffs and guided Kyle to lie on his back in the middle of the bed. He snapped one cuff of each pair to the bars on either side of the headboard then began stretching Kyle’s arms to attach the other ends of the cuffs to his wrists. Kyle’s breathing came rapidly and sweat dampened his brow.
“Shhh, baby. Try to relax your muscles and concentrate on what I’m feeling. I’m right here with you.”
A wave of warmth and excitement rushed into him at that same moment Lucas possessed his mouth, drawing a moan from him. Sure hands explored every inch of his chest and sides, squeezing in some places and feathering over others. By the time Lucas ran his tongue down the curve of his neck and sucked one nipple into his hot mouth, the cuffs were all but forgotten.
Lucas alternated between biting and sucking, then moved on to the other nipple. The combination had his cock begging for attention but he knew he couldn’t ask for it. He wanted to experience true submission and trusted this man to know what he needed. Lucas sat up and reached over for the pair of nipple clamps.
“For now, we’ll use ‘stop’ as your safe word. Even though I can sense your emotions, verbal communication is important. At any time you feel overwhelmed, I want you to say ‘stop’, is that clear?”
Kyle nodded but kept his eyes trained on the clamps.
“Look at me, sweetness. Focus only on me.”
It was difficult to tear his gaze from the devices, but once those blue eyes caught his, he was held transfixed. Lucas pinched one nipple then latched a clamp to it. Kyle sucked in a breath and held it as the man repeated the process on the other side. His breath was swallowed in an even more commanding kiss than the last until the pain ebbed.
Lucas then took the last of the items from the edge of the bed and used a lighter to light the small, white candle. This was something new to Kyle, though he’d heard of it before. Setting the candle in a holder on the nightstand, Lucas poured a good portion of lube onto three fingers then retrieved the candle.
“Pull your legs up.”
Kyle obeyed instantly, a mixture of curiosity and apprehension causing a tremor to race through him. Angling an arm in between his raised thighs, Lucas circled a finger around his sensitive entrance then eased it inside. When he felt his muscles relax around the intrusion, another finger was added.
Just as he was beginning to adapt to the stretching, Lucas hooked his fingers and grazed his prostate, pouring a small stream of wax onto his chest at the same time. Pain and pleasure shot through him and he shouted, arching his body involuntarily.
“Hold still, baby.”
That was easier said than done. Kyle panted with the effort it took to comply. Each trail of fire on his skin was matched by a stroke along his gland, the combined torture too much and not enough. When the third finger was inserted, he couldn’t contain himself any longer. Whimpers and pleas flew from his mouth, though whether he was begging for more pain or pleasure, he wasn’t sure. Grabbing onto the bars holding his wrists in place, he used the leverage and slid down to push Lucas’ fingers in deeper, desperate to increase the pressure. Tears coated his lashes and overflowed at the physical and emotional onslaught.
In a blur too fast for Kyle to follow, Lucas set the candle aside and replaced his fingers with the tip of his thick cock, forcing Kyle’s legs further apart to accommodate his large build. In one swift move, the man plunged in and they both cried out. The intensity of their conjoined e
motions swept through him like a tidal wave and it took every ounce of his willpower to keep from coming.
This time Lucas didn’t pause for him to adjust to the invasion. He slammed his cock to the root in deep lunges, punishing Kyle’s hole in vigorous thrusts. Kyle was beyond words. Every nerve in his body was alight and it felt as though he would fly apart if not for the crushing grip on his thighs. Lucas continued to pummel into him, showing no mercy. Not that he would have asked for it.
Not that he could have.
Just when he thought he couldn’t take any more without bursting, Lucas grasped the chain linking the clamps together and yanked them free.
“Come with me!”
Pain and ecstasy charged through him and he exploded, spurting ribbons of cum onto his chest and belly. Lucas slammed into him one last time and roared out his own orgasm. It seemed to last forever, heightening Kyle’s pleasure until he thought he might pass out. Finally, Lucas released his legs and eased himself out. The cuffs came next, then Kyle was carried into the bathroom for a shower.
He had just enough strength to stand on his own while Lucas took his time washing the wax and sweat from their bodies. It was so nice to be pampered by someone for a change. No, not just someone. Lucas. There was so much about the man that still remained a mystery. That alone fed his fears. It was time he grabbed his freedom by the balls and took back control.
Or gave it to the gorgeous man doing everything within his power to prove himself.
The idea made his cock stir to life again but he held his arousal in check. As he was being dried off, the irony that sex had now become preferable over talking hit him and he laughed out loud. At Lucas’ raised eyebrow, Kyle merely giggled and shook his head.
“Come here, you little imp.”
He shrieked as Lucas swept him up and threw him onto the bed then swooped down, tickling and nibbling. Kyle squirmed and shouted in between bursts of laughter. There was no way he could match the man’s strength but he didn’t necessarily need to. When Lucas had him pinned, Kyle lifted his hips and brought their cocks together, undulating against him. It had the desired effect. As soon as Lucas’ eyes glazed, he flipped the big man over and sat on his chest, holding both wrists down in his much smaller hands.