by A. R. Barley
He’d lost that chance when he walked away from David.
But Kelly was still lying across his bed with his lips tipped up in a jaunty smile and his eyes hooded, dark with lust.
Ian swallowed back his nerves. “I want to take you on a date.”
“We’re going to Ale Mary’s next Friday.”
“A real date before then with cloth napkins and candles.” Ian didn’t just want a one-night stand. He wanted a relationship. He slipped off his shirt and shoved his jeans down over his hips. His erection thrust upward against his silky red boxers. He sat down on the edge of the bed, spreading his legs apart slightly. “Say yes.”
“Make me.”
“You’re going to need a safe word for this. Pick one, something memorable.”
“Like Rum Tum Tugger.”
“If you think you can get it out while I’m paddling your ass.”
“How about bluebird?” He wriggled across the bed, sprawling out over Ian’s knees. His cock was hard and bouncing.
“Like the coffee shop?”
“If I can think about my cousin, I’m not feeling sexy.”
“Bluebird works.” Ian committed the word to memory. He ran a hand over the silky skin he’d been fantasizing about for days, his callused fingers rough against the slight divot at the small of his back. “Next time you’re going to leave your clothes on. I’m going to take pleasure in tearing them off.”
His thumb ran down Kelly’s crack, scraping against his hole and making him squirm in delight. His hand lifted before coming down in his first love tap. It was just a taste. Nothing hard. Nothing surprising. But it still made Kelly jerk in surprise.
“Ripping them to shreds.” Another spank, harder this time. Color bloomed fierce underneath his hand, warming Kelly’s bottom.
“More,” he groaned. “Now.”
“You’re not a very good submissive. You’re bossy and bratty.” Ian massaged the supple flesh, admiring the way Kelly writhed underneath his hand. “You don’t know your own limits and you love to push.” This time when he brought his hand down, the smack was loud and jarring. “Of course, those are some of the things I like most about you.”
Ian put some real muscle into it. Once, twice, three times in rapid succession until Kelly’s ass looked like it was on fire. His body bucked. He let out a desperate moan as his hips wriggled, seeking the next swing.
Could he really come this way? He’d said as much the first time they’d met, but Ian had thought it was just a smart-ass comment. Now—with Kelly’s cock leaking against his thigh—it didn’t seem so hard to believe.
How would he react to a paddle?
The whip?
Ian’s cock throbbed eagerly at the thought. His heart was beating faster. Bells were ringing in his head. He wanted to push Kelly down onto the ground and thrust his way inside, taking him in one easy motion. No prep. No lube. Fuck, he’d be tight.
Kelly would probably like the sting, but Ian didn’t want to do any lasting damage. He had long-term plans.
Of course, he could still tease. His hand massaged Kelly’s ass, stroking and squeezing, making him squeak as his fingers splayed over flesh he’d been spanking only a few seconds earlier. His hand dropped between Kelly’s legs and he pressed a single finger into the tight hole.
“Fuck,” Kelly yelped, shoving backward, trying to take him deeper. “More.”
Ian pulled his hand away, snagging the bottle from where it was waiting on the nightstand and spilling lube onto his hand. He slicked his fingers before slipping two inside Kelly and scissoring them apart. He wanted him prepped and ready. Begging.
“More,” Kelly repeated. “Deeper. Harder.”
Good enough. Ian pulled away a second time, leaving Kelly gaping and empty. This time when he brought his hand down he didn’t stop. He spanked his ass with a single-minded fervor, paying equal attention to each cheek before laying a single smack down upon the line between.
“Fuck.” Kelly bounced on his lap, his hips bucking as he struggled to find the friction that would let him come.
“Don’t even think about it,” Ian ordered grimly. His hand landed two more quick blows. “Trust me, you don’t want to come without my permission.”
“Please.” There was a sharp gasp followed by a desperate whimper as one last stroke hit him, lower this time, on his upper thigh. The rest of the strokes would blend together by morning, but this one would leave a handprint on his skin like Ian had signed his work.
“Oh, God.” Kelly shuddered, his entire body relaxing as he lost himself in the sensation.
Ian rolled Kelly onto his back and arranged him carefully on the king-size mattress. Ass up would give Ian more access to fresh bruises. It would allow him to admire his work and add a few quick love taps to keep Kelly focused and panting.
They’d do that sometime soon.
Tonight, he wanted to look into Kelly’s face and the slight crinkles around his eyes. He grabbed a condom from the nightstand, rolling it on quickly and adding another squeeze of lube. He rolled into position on top of his lover, his fingers easing the way as he pushed inside him.
Ocean-deep eyes were lost in wave after wave of pure pleasure as Ian’s hips began to move in time to his heartbeat. He bent down to drag one succulent lip into his mouth, nipping gently. Kelly tasted like garlic and pepper, like dinner at his family’s and the spicy heat of Kentucky bourbon.
Ian deepened the kiss, enjoying the little gasps and groans of contentment he was drawing from his partner. Up and down, he moved harder, faster, until he was standing on the precipice so close to coming he could barely think. He jerked his head up, separating their mouths just long enough to utter two rough words: “Come now.”
And then Ian thrust deep until his balls were tight against Kelly’s ass. Heat rolled through his body and they both came in a series of shudders and groans. If it wasn’t simultaneous it was the next best thing.
Ian rolled to the side to dispose of the condom in the wastebasket beside his bed. When he straightened out, he tugged Kelly up against him, enjoying the contrast between his dark skin and miles of skin tainted red with heat and friction. His gut clenched. He should have been more careful. “I’ve got some lotion in the bathroom—”
“I like the sting.” Kelly snuggled in even closer. “What do you say? Did I earn my waffles?”
“Absolutely.”
Chapter Fourteen
The puppy was cute, brown and impossible. Kelly rubbed his temples, sure he was seeing things, but when he opened his eyes it was still there. Barely large enough to be away from its mother, it whimpered quietly in a corner of the second-floor lounge. It had wiry hair, brown eyes like molten chocolate, and a heart-shaped nose that twitched curiously every time he moved. The housing director was going to be pissed. Halston University’s pet policy was very, very clear.
No pets.
Not even goldfish.
Definitely not puppies who could make a mess on the carpets and keep the students up at night.
Still, it was kind of cute.
Kelly bent over and wriggled his fingers in the animal’s direction. The movement was enough to make his jeans pull tight over his ass. It had been two days since the spanking at Ian’s house and he still couldn’t walk without feeling those long fingers splayed out against his skin.
Fuck. It had felt good. Every ache. Every throb. They were all reminders of the careful pains Ian had taken to give him exactly what he needed, allowing him to forget his troubles and really soar.
For the first time in months he’d slept the entire night through, waking up well rested and calm in an apartment full of waffles and maple syrup.
He glanced down, checking the time on his watch. Ian was supposed to be picking him up in twenty min—
Now.
/> Ian was supposed to be picking him up for his date right now.
But he couldn’t leave the puppy.
“Hey, sweetie,” he said. “You got a name?”
It wasn’t wearing a collar. Had it wandered in from the streets? Kelly laughed. “Yeah, you just waltzed through a locked door, up a flight of stairs and into the student lounge.” He sat on the ground, biting back an oath when his bruises connected with the ground.
His phone buzzed.
It was probably Ian wondering where he was. He considered pulling the device out, but the tiny dog was finally peering in his direction. It took a tentative step forward, legs shaking.
The hair around his head stood up in a ruff, the beginnings of a mane. He opened his mouth to let out a sleepy yawn, revealing the pinkest tongue Kelly had ever seen.
“I bet all the boys are crazy about you.”
The puppy started moving again, taking a few steps forward and then retreating. Kelly held perfectly still, watching it repeat the process until it got close enough to sniff the cuff of his jeans.
“What are you going to do if he pisses on you?” Ian asked from the open doorway behind him. The sneaky bastard.
“Change my pants.” Kelly wiggled his fingers again, not caring when it had no effect on the puppy. “How’d you get in?”
“Nick swiped me through the door.” Ian crept forward slowly until he was crouched at Kelly’s side. “A guy going the other way said you were up here talking to yourself.”
“Nope, just chatting with Leo.”
Ian groaned. “Don’t name the puppy. I’m sure his owner’s looking for him.”
“Whatever.” The animal had made its way up to Kelly’s knees now. Its nose twitched every time it took a sip. Its little paws were covered in fur. “I think he looks like the cowardly lion.”
“His owner—”
“Fuck, you know who it is.” Kelly swore as he scooped Leo up into his arms. The puppy was a compact bundle of muscle and fuzz. It wriggled into a more comfortable position, flashing its unmentionables in the process. Definitely female. Not a Leo then...but she could be a Lola. “Don’t tell me.”
“Why not?”
“If I don’t know, the housing director can’t waterboard it out of me.” He bent down to nuzzle his face against soft brown fur. The little girl smelled like root beer and beef jerky. She definitely belonged to a college student.
Of course, telling Ian he didn’t want to know who the dog’s owner was didn’t stop a bunch of dorm residents from crowding around him when he left the lounge with the puppy tucked under his arm.
“You found Spike,” said Maya Richards, the dance major Kelly had turned in twice for excessive partying. She must have come straight from practice because she was wearing a pair of yoga pants underneath her parka. Her dark hair was slicked back in a tight ponytail. She reached out for the bundle of fur.
The puppy definitely did not look like a Spike.
Kelly drew himself up to his full six feet. His spine hardened. His gaze narrowed. “I know this isn’t your puppy.”
“Excuse me—”
“She can’t be your puppy.” His head was pounding. His ears were ringing. Maya already thought he was a hard ass, but he’d been hoping to hide that fact from Ian for a little longer. “Because if she was your puppy, I’d have to fill out a report with the housing director—and she’d have to call your parents to let them know you’d been suspended right before graduation.”
“Oh.” Maya wilted a little bit.
“If she was your puppy, you’d have to take care of her for the rest of the semester, walking her multiple times a day and spending your allowance on dog food. Real dog food. Not jerky.”
“I’m sure she’s well taken care of,” Ian tried to interject.
Kelly ignored his date. “If she was your puppy, you’d have to take her home at the end of the semester, flying her all the way back to Seattle. Didn’t you say your mother’s allergic to dogs?”
“Right.” Her lips drooped even further. “She is.”
“And if she was your puppy, I wouldn’t be able to find her a new home, somewhere in town with a big fenced-in backyard, a warm kitchen for her to nap in, and children next door to feed her crackers.” It sounded like a nice freaking life. “So, I’m going to ask you, is this your dog?”
Maya shook her head. Her cheeks were pink with embarrassment. Her bottom lip was wobbling. “Of course she’s not my dog. I’ve never seen her before.”
“Do you have any idea whose puppy she might be?”
“Not a clue.”
“I guess I’ll have to find somewhere else for her to live.” Kelly turned on his heels and started down the stairs, ignoring the sniffling coed behind him.
Ian caught up with him in the first-floor hallway. His jaw was tight. His gaze was harsh. Clearly he didn’t approve. “You going to steal candy from a baby next?”
“I don’t exactly have a choice.” He fumbled with his key, unlocking the door to his room and waving Ian inside.
Everything inside was exactly as he’d left it, neat, tidy and dog hair free. He frowned. If he let the puppy go she could scramble out of reach under the bed. He could put her on the bed, but then she might fall off.
Finally, he dumped his dirty clothes out on the floor and put the pup in his laundry basket. The sides were too high and too slick for the four-pawed bandit to escape.
“Sorry I screwed up our date,” he said.
“It’s been entertaining so far.” Ian leaned back against the far wall, crossing his arms.
Damn, he’d dressed up for their date in a pair of crisp black slacks and a blue button-down under his wool pea coat. A sapphire scarf was wrapped around his throat, the rich color contrasting against his steel-gray eyes.
Kelly glanced down at his black T-shirt and faded jeans. Up until a few minutes earlier he’d thought his clothes looked good. Now, the best thing he could say was that the shirt was clean and the jeans didn’t have any holes in them.
“I need to change.”
“Nothing wrong with what you’re wearing.”
“Uh-huh.” He slammed open his wardrobe and rummaged around inside, pulling out the black pants he’d worn to his mother’s funeral and the forest-green sweater Aunt Emma had given him the previous Christmas. He could change in the restroom, but Ian had already seen everything there was to see. He tugged the sweater on over his head then dropped his jeans.
Ian’s intake of air was audible. “Does it hurt?”
“When I’m lucky.” Kelly raised his head proudly, swinging his hips to give Ian a show. He’d spent a while the previous day doing contortions to get a view of the marks in his bathroom’s tiny mirror. There was a red blur across his ass where all the bruises had blended together and then a clear handprint on the back of his thigh.
Of course, none of that could compare to the bite mark on the back of his neck and the dull throbbing pain he could still feel when he applied the right pressure. The soft reminder provided by pulsing water against his bruise made him rock hard and he’d spent the past few days jacking off in the shower.
His cock throbbed at the memory, the motion clearly visible under his blue boxer briefs.
“Want any help with that?” Ian asked, his voice like dark velvet.
“Thanks for the offer, but weren’t you the one who wanted to go out on a real date?”
“Maybe I changed my mind.”
“Too late.” Kelly dragged on the slacks, letting out a deep breath as the soft fabric skimmed his thighs. He did up the fly then looked around for his jacket. It was hanging on the hook beside the door, exactly where he’d left it. He pulled the coat on, then checked the puppy.
She’d fallen asleep in the laundry basket, clearly exhausted by the day’s adventur
es.
“Do we need to drop her off someplace?” Ian asked.
It was probably a good idea, but Kelly shook his head. He wanted to think about what to do with the little fuzz ball next. She was starting to grow on him. Like mold.
“I’ll find someone to take her in the morning.” He’d always wanted a dog, but it had been out of the question with his mother’s allergies. He took the pillowcase off his bed and tucked it in around the puppy. He glanced up. “You ready to go?”
“Yeah.” Ian smiled, the expression softening his hard features. His eyes were dark with...lust? Affection? Either way it sent a burst of heat through the small room. He stepped forward and tugged Kelly up onto his feet, kissing him gently on the mouth. “I’m ready.”
Chapter Fifteen
Their first official date—with fancy clothes and dinner reservations—was getting off to a rocky start. Ian frowned as he escorted Kelly out to the parking lot and held the car door for him. Neither of them said anything on the way to the restaurant.
Kelly kept shifting in his seat like he couldn’t get comfortable.
With the rainbow Ian had seen on his ass that was probably true. He bit back a smile. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about Kelly stealing the damn dog, or the easy way he’d done it.
“I made reservations, but we can go someplace else if you want,” he finally said as he pulled into the parking lot at Valentino’s. The restaurant was small with romantic lighting and intimate booths. When he’d asked Sinclair for a recommendation, the professor had called it “panty dropping.”
“And miss out on the cannoli?”
“You’ve been here before.”
“It’s a small town. I’ve been everywhere.” Kelly’s hand reached over to skim across his thigh. “Are we okay?”
Ian’s breath caught in his throat. He wanted to answer immediately, rushing to get the words out and reassure his nervous date, but there had been a hard edge to his voice. A question that serious deserved a real answer.