[In Distress 01.0] In Distress

by Caethes Faron

  “Awww.” Stu’s disappointment drifted from the pool.

  “Since when do we get personal messages about whether he’s going to be there or not?”

  Syrus stirred. “Since Malcolm decided to. There’s no pleasing you, is there? You hate it when he doesn’t show up, and you hate it when he gives you a bit of warning. The man’s not here for your personal entertainment. More like it’s the other way around. Be grateful for the courtesy.”

  Will wanted to hug Syrus for taking the attention off of him. After that, no one bothered to wonder, at least not out loud, why it had been Will alone who had received the message.

  26

  Twenty-Six

  Malcolm removed his tie and suit coat, hanging them in the closet. His stomach growled at his missed breakfast and now lunch. Kaleana had stuck some kind of pastry in his hand before the first meeting. She’d be up with lunch soon enough, but all he could think about was seeing Will. His plans the previous night had been curtailed, and today had rushed by without a moment to spare. Deciding he was done with work for the day, he went ahead and changed into something more casual.

  It had been a busy day to follow a busy night. An accident at one of his production lines had taken the hand of a worker. Malcolm had gone to the onsite medical facility to see him. It was more like a private hospital. The surgeons had been able to reattach the hand. In time, it’d be back in perfect working order. With the latest technology, it hadn’t even appeared difficult. From there, he’d gone to the plant to see what had caused the problem in the first place.

  With the renewed unrest among the Betas, Malcolm feared sabotage. After consulting with Trent and the shift manager, he’d determined that nothing more nefarious than human error was to blame. Malcolm had ordered an extensive investigation even though he didn’t really expect it to turn up anything. He’d only insisted on it because of the slim chance something had been missed. If that were the case and more people were injured as a result, he’d never forgive himself.

  By the time he had made it to bed and quieted his thoughts enough for sleep, it had been nearly morning.

  The bedroom door opened, and the clattering of dishes on a tray called Malcolm out of the closet to help. Kaleana usually didn’t have any problems. But it wasn’t Kaleana struggling with the tray.

  “Will.”

  “Hey. I ran into Kaleana and offered to bring this to you.”

  Malcolm took the tray and placed it on the coffee table. Will hadn’t been having as much trouble as he thought. His limp just made the dishes rattle. “Really?”

  “Well, no. I was stalking the kitchen after lunch, knowing you had to eat sometime. Once she confirmed that you weren’t avoiding me and were indeed busy all morning, I forcibly removed the tray from her hands. She’s scrappy, but I took her.”

  Despite the troubles of the last day, Malcolm chuckled.

  “You know, your smile used to scare me.”

  Malcolm lifted his eyebrows. “Really?”

  “Yeah. It’s so rare. You look dangerous all the time, so before I got to know you, I thought you only smiled when there was real trouble. I like it now though. It’s soft, barely noticeable. Subtle. Some people rest in more of a smile than that, but it suits you. It’s reassuring, like you have everything around you under control even when you’re enjoying yourself.”

  “All that from a smile?”

  “I’ve had a lot of time to think about you today. After your message last night and finding out from Kaleana this morning that you’d gotten in too late to wake up for breakfast, I was concerned.”

  “You needn’t be.”

  “Too bad. If you’re going to ask me to be the person to strike you, I’m damned well going to be concerned about you.”

  “I don’t recall asking.”

  “You’re right. If I come storming into your life in a rage only to find out that I actually like you and want to spend every moment with you, you better believe I’m going to be concerned about your well-being.”

  “Fair enough. Did you have a good day yesterday?”

  “We can talk about that after you’ve eaten. Sit.”

  In the fun of talking with Will, Malcolm had completely forgotten his grumbling stomach. “I have a better idea. Let’s take it upstairs.”

  Will’s face lit at the suggestion, and he grabbed the tray.

  “No, let me take it.”

  “I can—”

  “I know you can, but so can I. You get the doors.”

  Situated in the middle of the floor of the secret loft, Malcolm listened to Will talk about his day as he ate his turkey sandwich and macaroni salad. “So the hot tub helped your leg?”

  “I think it was more Tony’s massage. It didn’t loosen up like that the last time.”

  “You should take him up on his offer. He doesn’t mind. Tony’s never more at home than when he has someone or something to take care of. That’s where the garden came from. The others got tired of him doting on them and insisted he start doting on plants instead. You could use a little doting.”

  “I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t nice, but I don’t know what I can do for him in return.”

  “Let him. It’s a crime that man can’t have children. He’d have made an excellent father.” Malcolm had thought it often enough, but he hadn’t meant to draw attention to the negative. Not today. Before Will could say anything or either of them could start brooding on the unfairness of life, Malcolm pushed the tray away. “I don’t know why Marcy’s under the impression that I can eat twice as much as any human being should.”

  “The result of a big heart, a constant stream of scraggly new Zeds, and an Alpha who gives her an unlimited budget.”

  “My fault, then. I’ve been meaning to talk to you about your scraggliness. Are you not eating enough? You’re still thin as a rail.”

  “I’ve always been skinny.”

  “You mean half-starved by men who should be strung up.”

  “That too, but I just don’t put on weight easily. Carson had to stop me from eating myself to death when I first got here.”

  “That’s a common enough response.”

  “Now that I know the food’s always going to be here, I never eat more than I need. But if you’d like me with a little more bulk, I can try to eat more.” Will curled his legs up to his chest as if trying to hide himself.

  “Eat as much as you like. I just want you healthy. You’re right about me giving an unlimited budget to Marcy, so don’t ever feel like you’re taking too much. In fact, I can order her to make extras, and then it will be wasteful if you don’t eat more.”

  “I’m fine, but I’ll try to put on some weight. I don’t think my leg will ever get any more muscle though.”

  Will clearly didn’t understand that Malcolm’s concern had nothing to do with his looks. Without thinking too much about what he wanted to do, he lunged forward and grabbed Will’s right ankle, pulling until Will lay flat on the ground with Malcolm hovering over him. There was a twinkle of excited fear in Will’s green eyes. Malcolm was used to men fearing him, but this was different. It was open with anticipation of what would come. Leaning down, he placed a kiss right behind Will’s earlobe, making a trail down to his clavicle, ignoring the collar, kissing where the bone protruded underneath the skin.

  “I need you healthy, Will. I can’t have you getting sick. And if you do get sick, I need you strong enough to fight it. Do you understand?” The thought of losing Will devastated Malcolm. The idea that, simply by loving him, Malcolm endangered Will’s life was too deep. It was an irrational fear, but that didn’t lessen its potency. He didn’t think it’d ever quite go away, no matter how long they were together. If it kept Malcolm vigilant in his duty to protect Will, then it wasn’t all bad.

  “Yeah. Nothing’s going to happen to me, Malcolm. I promise.”

  They locked eyes. Malcolm saw reassurance there that Will would be with him for the foreseeable future. “I’ll hold you to it. Now, I was thinking
about getting some more work done today, but something’s come up.” He leaned back, sitting up straight on his knees that straddled Will’s hips. Just as Malcolm hoped he would, Will moved to get up, sitting up and sliding from between Malcolm’s legs. As soon as his back was off the ground, Malcolm took hold of the bottom of Will’s shirt and pulled it off him. Leaning forward once again, he forced Will back to the floor.

  “I thought I could wait, but I can’t. One more minute of having to imagine what’s beneath your clothes without being able to explore it myself will drive me crazy. Or is that what you want? Do you keep me from making love to you so I’ll go crazy, and you can keep me locked up here while you take over my compound? You seem capable of something so cunning.”

  Will chuckled. “You already are crazy. You can afford any Zed you want. There’s a whole front room of them at Emporium that’d make any man’s cock jump.”

  “Hmm.” Malcolm sucked a bit of flesh on Will’s chest into his mouth, enjoying the way Will arched into it, seemingly without thought. “Is that what you want? Do you want me to buy you a nice, pretty Zed to play with? Someone who turns you on?”

  “No, you idiot. You should have yourself a nice little harem of pretty Zed boys fawning over you like every other Alpha.”

  “I have all the Zeds I can handle.”

  “I’m the only one you sleep with.”

  “Precisely.” Malcolm ran his hands up and down Will’s chest, his ribs, his back, as if to claim him, pulling him closer. Having a man he loved under his hands was a purely intoxicating experience. Malcolm took Will’s hands in his and pinned them above his head. Feeling Will’s slender fingers curl around his only made him want to see them, so he moved his body, supporting his weight on his forearms above Will’s head.

  “Not fair. You still have your shirt on.”

  Malcolm looked down to see Will’s face positioned at his chest. Releasing Will’s hands, he sat up, threw off his shirt, and resumed his position. Immediately, Will’s warm breath against the skin of his chest sent a bolt of desire through him. Breath was quickly replaced by tongue and lips. As much as Malcolm wanted to surrender to Will’s attention, he wanted to discover everything about his lover’s body even more. He kissed each long finger and both his palms. Perfect hands for piano playing. He’d have to see if Will was interested in learning.

  The delicate skin on the inside of Will’s wrists provided a nice place to nibble—doubly so because every time Malcolm pulled the skin between his lips, Will’s pelvis thrust against Malcolm’s thigh, hard warmth making its presence known even through their pants. Malcolm tried it multiple times with each wrist, and sure enough, each time Will lifted his hips from the ground, as if pulled by a string. Oh, they were going to have fun with that.

  Moving further down, he kissed the underside of Will’s arm, all the way down to the soft hair of his armpit. With one hand, he raked his nails down the inside of Will’s opposite arm while he used his other hand on Will’s back, pushing him closer. He wanted to be surrounded by Will, to consume him and be consumed by him. Will’s mouth on his neck sent his already rampant desire into an uncontrollable spin. Anything other than the touch of skin was no longer acceptable.

  Malcolm reached down and undid Will’s pants, pushing them as far down Will’s legs as his arm could reach. Then he dropped his and sighed as the silky skin of Will’s cock caressed his own. Malcolm couldn’t remember if he’d ever felt this good, if his cock had ever made any contact it liked better. It didn’t seem likely.

  The need to see what was driving him crazy overshadowed everything else. He stood and pulled Will’s pants the rest of the way off and disposed of his own. He settled on his stomach between Will’s legs with his hands on his thighs, careful to not put too much weight on Will’s left leg. Will’s upper body was certainly appetizing, but he and anyone else could see it at the pool or beach. This right here, though, this bit of Will that strained away from his body—this was just for Malcolm.

  He kissed the base of Will’s shaft, feeling the smooth heat of his cock against his face, the curly hair against his nose. This was bliss. His tongue extended down, in search of the velvety ball sack he’d only glimpsed. Lightly he sucked, taking each one into his mouth at a time. Instead of taking the obvious route up Will’s shaft and to the leaking head, Malcolm veered off course and kissed his inner thigh instead.

  He had no idea how much difference there was in feeling between the twisted left and the perfect right leg. He needed to learn. He ran his hands down Will’s legs and alternated kisses between each, gauging his reactions. Will seemed to enjoy lighter kisses on his left and firmer on his right, but a firm caress on both. There were valleys and peaks on his left leg formed by the twisted bone and muscle. Malcolm needed to kiss all of them, assuring himself that Will could experience pleasure there. When he got down to Will’s feet, he brushed his lips against one of his soles—and got kicked in the nose for his pleasure.

  “Sorry.”

  Malcolm grinned. Will was ticklish. Good to know. “Nothing to be sorry for, unless you’re apologizing for not letting me do this sooner, in which case, you’re forgiven.”

  Malcolm made his way back to Will’s cock, salivating. It had begun to droop at the lack of attention, but that was easily remedied with a long lick to the underside and a nibble beneath the head. He had faith in his ability to arouse it. The groans Will emitted at the slightest touch were encouraging. He put his weight on his knees to free up his arms. One finger slithered behind Will’s balls, stroking the sensitive skin there, while the other hand gripped his shaft. In one fluid motion, he took Will’s cock into his mouth. He’d not had much practice in sucking off another man, but there wasn’t a force on earth powerful enough to keep him from tasting Will.

  Smell, touch, taste. It was a sensory overload, made more powerful by the fact that it was Will—that he was in some small way giving Will a fraction of the pleasure he’d already brought to his life. His tongue swirled around the head, tickling the bit just below his slit. Will’s hips bucked wildly. Malcolm didn’t know Will well enough to know how much time he had left. He kept a firm grip at the base of Will’s cock and pulled away. He didn’t want it to end this way. Taking the finger that had been playing behind Will’s balls into his mouth, he wetted it and reached behind himself as he went back to sucking Will’s cock. He tried to generate as much saliva as he could while he stretched himself.

  Satisfied that he’d at least be able to get himself seated without tearing, he positioned Will’s cock at the entrance to his ass and slowly descended.

  Will’s hands flew to Malcolm’s stomach, attempting to push him off. “You need lube.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”

  “You’ll be hurt.”

  Malcolm smirked. “That’s not a problem. The only problem is that it’ll make me come sooner.” He kept eye contact with Will, convincing him that he’d be all right. Will’s hands eventually fell away, and Malcolm resumed his slow descent. He was a fan of controlled, expected pain. He wasn’t stupid enough to do anything that would harm or damage him, if for no other reason than he knew it’d be next to impossible to get Will to let him do it again. Once the ring of muscle was breached, it didn’t take long to settle all the way down. And once Will was all the way in, it was easy to find that sweet spot of pleasure. It’d only take a little while to adjust to the welcome intrusion. “Ahh. Give me a moment.”

  Will nodded and went completely still. Malcolm almost laughed at the serious look on Will’s face as he controlled himself. Once he was comfortable, he clamped down just to tease him a little bit. Will hissed as he fought the temptation to thrust. Malcolm leaned down to his ear. “You’re the absolute nicest thing I’ve ever had inside me.” He squeezed his muscles again. “Go on.”

  Will didn’t need any more encouragement. He thrust wildly, whimpering and keening in a most attractive manner. Malcolm matched his rhythm, and as he adjusted further to Will’s cock, he increased
the pace, forcing longer, more forceful strokes. Will’s hands gripped Malcolm’s thighs. His nails dug into the skin, no doubt unintentionally causing slight, sharp pain that pushed Malcolm to the edge. His hand flew to his cock only to be batted away.

  Those long, slender fingers Malcolm had admired earlier masterfully manipulated his cock. Just the feel of another person handling the most intimate part of him sent a shudder down his spine. Will’s hips stilled as he focused completely on Malcolm. One, two, three more strokes were all it took. Malcolm went over the edge, coming all over Will’s chest. As soon as he was done, Will’s hand released him, and he resumed thrusting. A few more minutes and he arched as he came inside Malcolm. Malcolm coaxed a few shudders out of him.

  “Stop. You’re going to kill me.”

  Malcolm smiled as he lifted himself off of Will. He grabbed his shirt and used it to clean off Will’s chest and wipe away some of the come dripping down his thigh. “We’ll have to wash before dinner.”

  “Mmm. All right. You carry me and put me in the bath, then.”

  “We have time.” Malcolm settled next to Will on the floor, laying his head on one of the cushions and pulling Will to him until his head rested on his shoulder.

  “Sorry I didn’t come sooner. I know anal’s a bitch once you’ve come.”

  Malcolm assumed by the way Will had focused on making him orgasm that he wasn’t used to coming with an Alpha, at least not without an order. “Don’t worry about it. I like it, even after I come.”

  Will’s eyes rose to meet Malcolm’s. “You’re odd.” He closed his eyes. “I like odd.”

  “Good, because I’m pretty sure you’re stuck with me.”

  A few minutes later, after he’d recovered some, Malcolm half-walked, half-crawled to the wall where he could sit with his back supported. “Come here.”

  Will joined him, sitting by his side.

  “No, lie down and put your left leg on my lap.”