Soulmate: Feel My Heart Beat Book 1

by Delmire Hart

It surprised him that William didn’t comment further and just closed his eyes. He fell asleep within minutes. That was the second time that day he expected some kind of argument or protest that never came. Daniel had been expecting William to try to go to work, he had mentally prepared for the stubborn denial he would have normally faced, but the other man agreed to time off immediately.

  William seemed so tired, though. The kind of bone deep exhaustion that left you barely functioning. But he had talked. Daniel wasn’t sure how long they lay there while William let his soul spill open but it had to have been measured in hours, surely. For all that he had been told what happened from Ken, Daniel still didn’t expect how deep the pain ran. And now that he had let it all out, William didn’t seem to know quite what to do. More than once he caught the older man looking a little lost as though he was confused about what he was supposed to be doing or feeling. It was only the quickest flash of emotion across the man’s face and he probably would have missed it if he hadn’t been paying such close attention to his soulmate.

  Daniel was so incredibly relieved that everything was out in the open now. William could start the healing process and he felt so much closer to the man. They were soulmates, they were supposed to be close, but he hadn’t realised just how much he didn’t know until today. It’s not like they had that long to get to know each other but he felt almost complete now. There were still things he didn’t know, particularly concerning his current business, but that could wait for now.

  It was almost funny looking back at their beginning. How Daniel protested any money being spent on him, even for food. His knee jerk reaction to deal with the sheer difference in their worlds. How William sat and listened and watched him with that mask on before it quickly slipped off in his presence. Not that Daniel knew what it was at that point. William refusing to take no for an answer and purchasing the camera that was now his most treasured possession.

  He remembered the date at Annisa and the sudden whirlwind of passionate kisses and wandering hands. The confusion and hesitation over the whole relationship. Too fast, too soon, and he was so torn up over it. The silly trip down to his parents where William was so relaxed and himself and Daniel just didn’t know him well enough at that point to realise. The trip back and the stupid drama he had over the wardrobe. Those clothes were now part in the penthouse and part at his own apartment, fully becoming part of his everyday wear.

  He hadn’t realised that was the way William was used to showing affection. His relationships had been physical things, almost a trade of services after Amelia and until himself. He remembered running from his guards and the trouble he got into for that. It was probably around that time that Daniel had started to get a little more clued into William and how the man worked. Figuring out the mask and accepting the differences in their worlds. Realising the different meanings for different things.

  From there he had embraced William’s side more. He was still cautious with the man’s money and tried to avoid using it but he did use the credit card to buy groceries for their joint meals more than once. William had also seemed to understand Daniel more. He didn’t foist purchased gifts onto him anymore, except for food, but that was one of the photographer’s biggest weaknesses, and in general spent more time just being with him. He came home early every night for the week to spend time with Daniel while he stayed at the penthouse.

  It had only been a few months but it felt like they had come so far. Especially today. Daniel smiled down at William’s peaceful sleeping face again. They still probably had a long way to go but he was glad that William had let him in. Now he could finally heal and that thought alone made Daniel incredibly happy.

  Chapter Twenty-four: Practise

  The finishing touches done on his hair, Stefan smiled into the mirror, memorising the exact angle to tilt his head at for maximum effect. He looked good if he did say so himself. He had on his favourite grey suit that did amazing things for his figure; it was custom made and the tailoring was excellent. It matched perfectly with the pale blue tie and brought out his eyes. Well, the contact coloured version of his eyes. He had always hated the dark hair and eyes he was born with, too dull and common. So, he switched over to a far more attractive blond hair, blue-eyed look and maintained it ever since. There were few people that would remember how he looked before his transformation. Shame it matched that damn hussy. Although perhaps it was a good thing, since once he was out of the picture Stefan would be left to take over William’s attention and he would already suit his preferences.

  Happy with the result of his effort, Stefan quickly tidied up his office and prepared for William’s impending arrival. He came once a month to visit the club in person and assess how things were going. Usually it was a quick trip, a few hours at most, to make his presence known while he inspected the premises. As if anyone could forget such an imposing figure. He shivered at the thought of that gaze on him directly, boring into his skin and flaying him open from the inside out. It was always like he could tear you open and see inside your mind with one calculated stare.

  So thrilling.

  Stefan took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He shouldn’t get too excited before the man was even in front of him. He needed to show that he could be perfectly composed regardless of how he felt on the inside. A perfect match for the imposing figure of William. Not like the tramp who seemed to show every emotion across his face for the world to see. Pathetic. How could such a person claim to be able to stand side by side with a cold, dominating figure? So mismatched and ill-suited. Clearly soulmates can be inaccurate.

  A knock at the door interrupted him from his musings and Stefan smoothed his hands down his sides, confirming there were no wrinkles and drawing strength from the feeling of the fabric under his fingertips. He strode to the door and slipped out. Anya stood outside and bowed her head demurely as she spoke.

  “There is a car pulling up outside.”

  “Everything ready?”

  Anya nodded and fell in step behind him as they made their way to the entrance of the club. “Yes. The girls know of Mr Hunt’s arrival and inspection. Everything is perfect.”

  “Good. Make sure it stays that way.”

  The woman nodded then turned away to move through the crowds back to the VIP section where she made her rounds looking after the preferred customers. He was lucky to have found such a resourceful and loyal follower. Even better, she hadn’t cost that much to buy and required far less money for upkeep than the other girls. And so eager to please. A number of very high profile and high spending young men came in regularly for her specials services. She seemed over the moon when he recently rewarded her efforts. If only he had more lost souls like her under his wing. Still, he had to be careful as it wasn’t something approved by the higher ups. That would be something he would bring to William’s attention later, so much opportunity lay in ‘liberating’ the lost souls caught up in human trafficking.

  He reached the main entrance just as William’s secretary and bodyguard were being let in. They always used the front entrance for inspections to gauge the popularity and atmosphere of the club. He was surprised when no one followed after. Where were the smouldering golden eyes of his daydreams?

  “Ken, welcome.” He gave a small bow of his head in greeting. Even that felt like a stretch, as the bespectacled man irked him no end. He ignored the dark, hulking behemoth behind him; good bodyguards were seen and not heard. “Is Mr Hunt not in attendance tonight?”

  “No.”

  Stefan froze. He had been looking forward to this evening. Each monthly visit was a highly anticipated event. He kept his expression neutral, trying to keep the disappointment from his face, he wasn’t about to lose his composure. No, he had to prove he could keep his head regardless of what he felt inside. But what if the man was hurt? He was a big believer in regularly seeing his businesses for himself and rarely skipped out on the appointed meetings. Stefan squashed down the alarm rising through him.

  “I hope everything
is okay?”

  Ken seemed to be inspecting him. Was he fishing for a reaction? Perhaps he was nervous filling in William’s shoes. It was a big task after, one that no one could fill other than the man himself. The secretary pushed up his glasses before answering. “Yes. Mr Hunt is on a much-deserved vacation with his soulmate for a few days.”

  Soulmate. Of course, the tramp was behind it all. The little hussy had ruined his plans for the evening. Well, it was only one more thing to add to the list. He would get revenge soon enough and then the delicious prize would be all his own; William’s sole focus on himself. He suppressed a little shiver of anticipation. The waiting would only make the reward all the sweeter.

  Stefan realised that he was still being observed. He mentally scolded himself before giving his best smile. “Well, then. We’ll just have to make do. If you would follow me, the club is ready for inspection.”

  Only a little time left to wait.

  Everything was already set in motion.

  ***

  It had been a surprisingly pleasant few days. Daniel endeavoured to get as much of the week off as possible so they could spend their time together. There were only a few shoots that couldn’t be cancelled but William used those times to work from home, making calls and sorting through the most urgent things that needed his attention. Although honestly there wasn’t much that Ken couldn’t handle on his own. He was exceedingly competent but disliked being a leader. There was that added bit of pressure being the one to make the final decisions, he supposed. Also dealing with people who were often demanding and irritating, Ken always had preferred paperwork over people. William didn’t blame him.

  He had more or less viewed people as things before Daniel. After he closed off that part of himself, people were only tools to be used. He saw his empire in his mind’s eye as a puzzle. A giant, intricate puzzle of people motivated by greed, ambition, loyalty. How they moved and formed together depended on offering them what they wanted and rewarding them for performing well.

  Until Daniel.

  He very much threw a spanner in the works because he had nothing to do with his empire. Separate from everything he knew and was comfortable with, so William had been unsure how to react to him initially. Yet now here they were, enjoying another evening on the couch after Daniel cooked dinner. He was a rather unique person in that he got far more reward and satisfaction from doing things for other people, giving in some way, rather than receiving. It was an interesting concept, one that William had trouble viewing outside the conceptual. Luckily Daniel seemed keen to give him hands-on experience in that department. Although with the way he looked after William, it seemed he was rather well-suited to the housewife title. He wasn’t about to risk saying that to him in person though—his little wildcat could be rather feisty.

  He had been carefully looking after him in the last few days. He seemed to be trying to be subtle about it but it wasn’t his strong suit. Still, William appreciated the efforts. He felt more relaxed than he had in a long time. What he really wasn’t looking forward to was Daniel going back to his own apartment. He looked over at Daniel, who sat curled up against his side and gently brushed his hand through the soft blond strands. The photographer shifted around to glance up at him in question.

  “Move in with me.”

  His soulmate froze and his eyes flew wide. It surprised William how startled Daniel was at the suggestion. Considering how much time he spent here, it made sense. Surely, he must have thought about it before; his mother brought it up every time they talked on the phone, driving him crazy. If he had expected any reaction, it would have been an eye roll and a grumble about not taking things too quickly.

  “Can I think about it?” William raised his eyebrows at the tentative question. “What’s that look for? It’s a big thing, I don’t want to rush it.”

  “I’m just surprised you haven’t thought about it already considering how often you complain that your mother brought it up again.”

  “Ugh, Mom needs to mind her own business,” Daniel said with a groan. “But I never thought about it seriously before because we never talked about it. So, I’ll think about it okay?”

  “That’s fine.”

  It was a start at least. Who knows, maybe a few days back on his own at his own apartment might make Daniel miss this. He doubted it would be that easy to get the free-spirited young man to tie himself closer, however.

  The young man in question moved and climbed over to plonk himself in William’s lap. Well, this was a turn of events he could thoroughly get behind. Daniel had been a little more forward and self-assured recently and William was more than happy to encourage it. The kiss he placed on his lips was cut short and William moved to pull Daniel back in but stopped as his soulmate slid backwards off his lap to sink onto his knees. One small hand moved forward and tentatively palmed at his groin through his bathrobe.

  “Can I…?”

  “Do as you wish.”

  Daniel, once he set his mind on something, was extremely determined. He would have found such sheer determination rather adorable considering he was attempting to deep throat him, but it had proven to be a tortuous exercise in control for William. He asked one day, completely out of blue, how to do it ‘properly’. William could only assume it had been an instance where Daniel blurted out what was on his mind because he immediately went several interesting shades of red and started stammering. After working out what he meant by properly, William reminded Daniel there wasn’t a proper way to do sex, it was all down to preference as long as consent was provided, and his little soulmate had been determined to practise.

  Herein lay the problem.

  It was a problem William didn’t mind having. It’s just that he failed to realise how hard it would be to let Daniel figure it out at his own pace and not shift his hips to fuck up into that wonderful wet heat. It really was quite a sight to see. Looking down on Daniel, face flushed and wet pink lips wrapped around the head of his cock. Blue eyes stared up at him filled with equal parts lust and fiery determination. An exceedingly erotic spectacle and all he could do was sit there and take what was given.

  His inner desires strained to be released and take the reins back but that would be counterproductive in the end. Still, it was difficult to sit and take it, so William had taken to carding one hand through the blond strands in encouragement. Which was how they both discovered that Daniel liked having his hair pulled. Which made it even more difficult to hold back as his face took on that fully aroused fucked-out look.

  William took a deep breath and let it out heavily through his nose. Daniel paused having undone his robe and was leaning forward with William’s rapidly hardening cock in hand. The young man raised his eyebrows in question.

  “It’s fine.”

  The photographer stared at him as though trying to discern the truth of the matter. He had agreed to speak more openly with Daniel although he wasn’t sure if that counted for bedroom matters. Still...

  “I was just remembering how good you look with your lips wrapped around my cock and how hard it is to not flip you over and fuck you until you’re wrecked.” He watched as Daniel's pupils visibly dilated with arousal and the faint blush across his cheeks spread.

  Daniel shifted forward, moving his hand to stroke his length as he replied, “I figured. You get this look on your face. It’s hot.” He stopped to clear his throat in embarrassment. “It’s part of the reason I wanted to do this. Well, partially because I know how good it feels. But mainly ‘cause I like to see that I can make you feel good too?”

  He ducked his head down and flicked his tongue over the head of the cock in his hand as though trying to stop himself from saying anything more. William was more than happy to sit back and let him go about his self-appointed task unimpeded by talking.

  It wasn’t long before his control was straining, however. Daniel was learning far too quickly what he liked. He thought it had something to do with the hand resting on his thigh, Daniel moved it occasionally
but otherwise it stayed in roughly the same position. The other hand was used to assist in his task of manoeuvring his cock how he wanted. He must be able to feel the play of muscles under his fingers as they tensed and flexed in reaction to his ministrations and used that to work out what to do. Surely that was how he picked things up so quickly. Clever little minx.

  Daniel then moved forward to once again attempt to take the entire thing down his throat. He nearly succeeded a few times already but had to back off lest he choke. William made it clear to Daniel not to force himself, the last thing he wanted was his soulmate vomiting all over his cock. That was not sexy at all. He slid forward slowly but smoothly this time and William felt the difference from previous attempts. He watched with lidded eyes as Daniel took the entire thing down his throat and his nose buried itself in the fine hair at the base. It felt amazing. The pressure coiled low in his belly with the sheer pleasure brought on by Daniel’s ministrations. He wasn’t sure how long he could hold back. All he wanted to do was fuck those divine pink lips and chase his satisfaction. It was then that Daniel opened his eyes and looked right up into his own. Fuck. If that wasn’t one of the most erotic things he had ever seen.

  Then he swallowed.

  William’s mind blanked out at the feeling. He heard a muffled moan and realised his hand had tightened into a fist in Daniel’s hair automatically. Then his soulmate was swallowing around him again, the walls of his throat tightening and working around him. Then again. And again. It didn’t take much for his orgasm to take him, bearing down with incredible force. He barely remembered to release his grip so Daniel could move back and not choke. He watched as his soulmate did indeed move back and took most of the load onto his face. William sat, staring down at him while he came down from his high. Daniel looked exceedingly pleased with himself and was wiggling in excitement.

  His little pink tongue darted out to lap up some of the cum from the corner of his mouth and William’s control finally snapped. He bodily picked Daniel off the ground, eliciting a squeak of surprise, before dumping him in his lap and pulling down his briefs. He was thankful that he had been relaxing in his briefs and a t-shirt before this, less material to remove. He reached his hand out and wrapped his fist around the other's already hard and leaking cock. Daniel moaned as he sat up, wrapping his arms around William’s neck to hold on. It didn’t take long for him to stroke his lover to his own completion and he came with his name on his lips.