by Leah Blake
Marcus stifled a moan, palming his hard cock and fighting to focus on Trevor. He was sorely disappointed, maybe even a little angry, that Trevor gave up his role so soon. Sitting here with him so close, a sense of relief came over him. He’d have to play out their nameless roles until Sunday. Since he’d forbidden Trevor from rendezvousing with anyone on the island while he owned the man, that forbade Marcus from instigating anything outside of his private room on Midnight.
Trevor set himself free, and in the process, set Marcus free.
His ex-lover laid the canvas on the rocky ground beside him, stood up, and stretched his muscled arms over his head. He packed up his paints and covered his brushes before flicking off the flashlight and the candles and stuffing them in a duffle bag that Marcus hadn’t notice previously. Marcus stretched to his feet as Trevor slung the bag over his shoulder, picked up the painting, and turned.
“Oh fuck!” Trevor jumped back, nearly tumbling over the edge of the rock, his eyes wide. Marcus lunged for him, grabbing his arm and steadying him before he toppled into the water. “Damn, you scared the shit out of me.”
“Sorry. I should’ve made my presence known.” Marcus didn’t take his hand away from Trevor, enjoying the feel of hard man beneath his fingers. He shrugged. “I didn’t want to disturb you though.”
Trevor glanced at Marcus’s hand. “What are you doing here? I would’ve thought you’d be at the club.”
“I was, for a short time. Wasn’t in the mood for the crowd tonight.” He released Trevor’s arm and pointed to the painting. “Still at it.”
“Never gave it up, and since I’ll probably never get back here in this lifetime, might as well take the opportunity I have to capture this place.” He shifted, glancing over his shoulder. “Quite a place.”
“You like it?”
Trevor laughed. “What kind of question is that? How could anyone not like this? It’s privately owned. No airport. No vehicles, except for those ATVs and golf carts I’ve seen. Just a lot of untouched beauty with some manmade decorations.” His smile dimmed and he fidgeted with the strap of his duffle bag. “This is what money buys. Sin and serenity.”
“It bought you a ticket,” Marcus reminded. Trevor scoffed, kicking at a loose rock.
“Marcus, don’t get any ideas. I couldn’t afford this trip and I won’t be coming back.”
Marcus cocked his head, folding his arms over his chest. “You came here looking for me. You paid a hefty price to find a lover you walked out on five years ago.”
Trevor met his gaze. No depth of nighttime darkness could hide the stark regret that glowed in his eyes. “And every fucking day since then has been a living hell for me, Marc. I’ve been drowning in my own self-pity over leaving you because there is no one else I could ever see myself with. I needed to come and tell you that I did not walk out on you because I didn’t care. I walked out because I was scared.”
“Scared? You?”
Trevor sighed. “Me. Scared of everything you were and I would never be. Scared to shame you around your rich friends when I could barely get myself on my own two feet. Scared that one day, you’d realize how much I would hold you back and leave me.”
“So you left me first.” Marcus scowled. Trevor’s head dropped and Marcus realized there was something more. “What aren’t you telling me, Trev?”
“I don’t think this is the place to discuss any of this.”
“Why not?” Marcus stepped up to him and leaned down to force the man to look at him. “Isn’t that why you came here? To purge your conscience?”
Trevor lifted those dark eyes to him, a coolness falling over his expression. Okay, maybe he took that a step too far, but the truth was coming out after all this time, all his pain and suffering and heartache. He wanted all of the truth, not some half-ass story to pacify him.
“Yeah.” Trevor shouldered past him. He groused, “And I purged.”
“Hey.” Marcus spun around and grabbed Trevor’s biceps, forcing the man to stop. “Don’t you fucking walk away from me again, Trev. I’ve been hurting long enough over you, and evidently you have, too.”
“I’m in over my head.” Trevor gave his arm a subtle tug, but Marcus refused to let him go. Oh hell no. Not now. “Marcus, I’m owned, remember?”
“You broke our agreement.” That earned Trevor’s full attention. Marcus came to stand in front of him. “Remember?”
He eased the canvas from Trevor’s fingers, careful not to touch the wet paint. He chanced another touch, this time, tracing the strong line of Trevor’s jaw with his thumb. The man’s lips parted with a soft sigh. Temptation boiled, a long, patient wait for this moment, leading Marcus closer, closer, until his lips brushed over Trevor’s.
The connection shocked him straight through to the bone. His legs weakened and his cock jerked. Desires that had been suppressed since he returned to an empty condo, unraveled.
Marcus leaned back without progressing the kiss beyond that airy caress. “Come with me.”
Trevor didn’t argue. He fell in step behind Marcus, following him back to the ATV. Marcus motioned for him to climb on as he secured the painting on the rack on the rear of the vehicle. Marcus slid onto the seat in front of Trevor, delighting in the tight squeeze of the smaller seat.
“Hold on,” Marcus said, twisting the throttle. Trevor wrapped his arms around Marcus’s waist, fitting his crotch to Marcus’s ass. A warm shiver slid down to his balls, testing the fires that licked up into his cock.
“You know how to drive one of these things?” Trevor asked. Marcus chuckled, shifting gears and starting back to his apartment.
Marcus took the most direct path, his cock aching as it wedged between his zipper and the ATV. Trevor pressed the side of his face to Marcus’s shoulder, the motion catapulting Marcus into arousal overload. The hot, steely strength that enveloped him made him dizzy with want without a care for control.
By the time he pulled the ATV alongside the single-story sprawling complex that he and his brothers divided into three separate apartments, he was high strung and ready to break.
Not yet.
Trevor cl off only after Marcus was unhooking the painting from the rack. His expression of cautious awe struck Marcus deep in the chest. He would give Trevor all of this to have him back in his life.
“Saw these pulling into the dock,” Trevor said, pointing to the balcony off the back. “They reminded me of a crystal glass, all the windows and white curtains with the sunlight cutting through.” A disheartened grin crossed his lips as he looked over at Marcus. “You were always one for the best.”
“Why do you think I fell in love with you?” Marcus asked, holding his gaze. The unspoken weight of his comment reflected in Trevor’s eyes. Marcus dug out his key and led Trevor to his apartment.
Once inside, Marcus placed the painting on the kitchen table and waved a hand to his open floor-plan. “Put your stuff down and make yourself comfortable. Drink?”
Trevor lowered his duffle bag to the tile by the front door. He removed his sneakers and socks, drinking in the white-and-beige color scheme. Marcus perched his ass on the edge of the counter and enjoyed the view.
“Wow. This place is nice.” Trevor flashed a smile. “I’ll have water, thanks.”
“Water it is.”
Marcus filled two glasses with water and met Trevor in the area he designated as a sitting area. The apartment itself, a large, rectangular shape with the only wall enclosing the bathroom, was open from sitting room to bedroom. Floor to ceiling windows lined the east wall, three sets of French doors leading out onto the balcony looking over the waters. Sheer white curtains hung over the windows, with heavier curtains pulled back. He never had a need for their use, but tonight might be different.
“Take a seat,” Marcus said, handing Trevor a glass. The man glanced at the white sectional, then his jeans. Marcus shrugged, keeping his own leather pants and white button-down shirt on and taking a seat. “You can take your clothes off and sit if that�
��ll make you more comfortable.”
Trevor lowered himself to the plush cushion, but his reluctance to sit closer than half a sofa away jabbed at Marcus’s heart.
“Why don’t you tell me what you wouldn’t tell me at the swimming hole. Let’s get everything out in the open,” Marcus said, cutting through pretty preludes. He wanted the blatant truth and nothing less. He wanted to do whatever it took to keep Trevor in his life, forever, but it had to start on a clean slate. “Was there another lover?”
Trevor’s dark eyes shot up to his, aghast. “Hell no. There was never another lover.”
“Then what was so terrible that ran you off?”
Trevor sipped his water, resting an elbow on his knee. His sandy waves brushed over his eyes, and Marcus had the urge to brush them aside.
“Let me ask you this. Do you still want me?” Marcus asked.
Trevor nodded. “Yes.” He frowned. “I’ve always wanted you, Marc. I’ve dreamed about you every night, wishing for one opportunity to see you and tell you how much I still love you.”
“Then tell me why you ran off so we can put the past behind us and move forward from this point.” He kept his voice tempered and cajoling, using a tone he remembered once gave Trevor confidence when his man was faced with a tenuous situation.
“Your father,” Trevor said.
Marcus narrowed his eyes, even as a swell of unease stirred in his gut. Bastard. I should’ve guessed he had something to do with it. “My father died of a heart attack over four years ago.”
“Oh, Marcus. I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “I didn’t know.”
“What did he do, Trevor?” He edged closer to his man, closing the gap in hopes of giving Trevor an air of support.
“He paid me a visit the morning I left. He discovered what was going on between us and told me it would be in my best interest to cease contact with you and move away. Offered me a hundred grand to get out of town before nightfall. He had two of his body guards with him to drive his advice home.”
Trevor placed his water on the table. Marcus’s mind reeled at the news, not sure what to make of it. His father was a controlling ass with a firm standing on expected sexual preferences. Marcus had always been careful to hide his relationship with Trevor behind the façade of roommates knowing damn well his father would disapprove. He figured the old man would cut him out of the will or ban him from the family. But bribe and threaten his lover?
Look what he did to Julian. He was capable of anything.
Then again, it would explain his father’s cold demeanor prior to Trevor’s leave, only to have the man warm up shortly afterward.
“You took the money and left without telling me what happened?” Marcus asked, his voice soft. The very idea of Trevor leaving and not speaking with him first tore open a few of his sutured wounds in his chest.
“I would never take money, especially under the circumstances your father presented to me. And those guards made sure I packed and left without contacting you. When I was on the road, I had you pulled up on my cell, but after thinking it through, I figured it was for the best. I wasn’t in your league, would never be, and I didn’t want to drag you down.”
Marcus stood up and went to the kitchen, not saying a word. The entire walk, he felt the penetrating stare at his back, the silent questions and regret. What’s done is done. Can’t go back and fix the past. He poured himself a shot of Scotch and threw it back, trying to calm his misfiring nerves.
“You should’ve called me, Trevor. You should’ve told me something. I would’ve dealt with my father.”
He placed the glass in the sink and turned back to find Trevor standing, a frown tugging at his full lips. His dark, soulful eyes were filled with remorse and longing, both so potent it tore into the pit of his soul.
Everything he cared about stood in his apartment, having returned to him. To hell with all of this talk about the past. His cock throbbed with an intensity that could put some damn good Scotch to shame. He wanted to claim back his lover.
Fuck now. Talk later.
Chapter Seven
Despite the raw shame that pummeled him, Trevor forced himself to hold Marcus’s gaze. That shame melted away as he watched Marcus’s expression transform from pain and confusion to one of basic primal hunger. Oh, how he loved when Marcus turned that feral desire on him. It was hot, fierce, and exciting, igniting his disrupted arousal into a full-body ache.
The man moved out from behind the kitchen counter with a grace and pose Trevor always related to a lion. Shoulders straight, chin high, that wild burn in his eyes. His hair was loose, long strands of thick, rich brown caressing his angular cheeks and strong jaw.
“Why did you relinquish your agreement as a sub?” Marcus asked, his fingers playing over the dimmer switches on the wall. He glanced up at the lights as he lowered them to his liking. Moonlight filtered through the sheer curtains, silver dappling across the white carpet. Inspiration struck him, and that gut-clenching need to create focused solely on Marcus.
Tonight, he hoped to create a promise of a new beginning. He pictured it, experienced it, everything that would come with a reunion. His body thrummed, his senses heightened to the slightest shift in the air that touched his skin.
“I told you I came here looking for you. I thought, from our past, that I would find you in the dungeon. Unfortunately, after earlier today, if I didn’t know for certain you were my Master, I couldn’t continue being a sub for a stranger,” Trevor admitted. Marcus glanced back at him from what would be considered a bedroom. The man’s heated gaze slid over him from face to foot, scorching his flesh. His dick pulsed, juice seeping from his slit and wetting the inside of his jeans.
Marcus opened a door, peeling his attention from Trevor. “You were damn sure I was your Master this morning.”
Trevor couldn’t take it anymore. He tugged off his T-shirt and tossed it onto the sofa, not giving a shit that the windows were uncovered to curious onlookers below.
“And you confirmed my assumption at the waterfall.” He yanked open his belt, unfastened his button, and jerked open the zipper. The musky scent of his arousal filled his nose and stirred his gut into a tight mess. A portion of Marcus’s hard, muscled legs encapsulated in that supple leather were visible from behind the door, flowing perfectly up to a hard, round ass.
A shiver struck him and he almost lost his balance removing his jeans. Those joined the T-shirt in a haphazard pile.
“Possibly.”
Trevor pressed his lips together, lowering himself to his knees. He bowed his head and folded his arms behind his back. God, if Marcus wouldn’t take him, he’d explode. His bulbous head shimmered against the moonlight, slick with arousal. A fine bead of semen sat at the tip of his slit. His sac grew heavy with each beat of his heart, his cock twitching with heady anticipation.
“Would you consider taking me back?” Trevor tipped his head just enough to catch Marcus leaning back from behind the door. “Master?”
The man closed the door, his eyes searing straight through the layers of flesh and muscle in his path. Trevor couldn’t miss the bulge in his pants before he squared his sinful figure to his compliant sub. He held a simple black flogger in one hand, petting the tails with the other.
“That depends.”
Yes, that voice. My Master. My love.
“What will you have me do, Master?” He was itching to move and touch Marcus. The man’s body screamed for his attention beneath the calm façade he wore with minimal effort. Trevor, on the other hand, couldn’t smooth the crease in his brow. His cock jutted, swollen and in desperate need of relief. “Name anything. I’m owned by you.”
Marcus stepped up to Trevor, his booted feet coming within Trevor’s line of vision. His mouth dried. So close, love. So damn close and yet so far away. The ends of the leather tails trailed down his spine, tickling his skin and making his muscles jerk. The simple touch honed in his senses, dulling everything except for the intimacy of Marcus’s nearness and the
anticipation of punishment.
“What would you expect me to do to a disobedient sub?” Marcus asked, his voice deep and husky. Each word was a toxic concoction of sexually charged excitement and control. It rolled over his mind like sap, filling gaps and crevices, igniting him on fire. “Stand.”
Trevor obeyed, pressing to his feet on weakened legs. Marcus rounded him, the electrically charged air between them pummeling at his back. Trevor tried to even out his breaths, but each time he tried, he succeeded in making himself lightheaded.
Marcus nudged open his feet, spreading his legs wide. “You deserve a crop, not a flogger after your rogue stint.”
“I enjoy the crop, Master.”
Marcus chuckled, the sound stealing his breath. “Of course you do.”
Marcus’s hand came around his waist, his fingers combing through the coarse patch of dark hair at the base of Trevor’s cock. His lover’s soft silk shirt caressed his back. He stiffened and closed his eyes, forcing down the clenching desire to sink back into his steely body.
“Are you nervous?” Marcus asked. His fingers crept closer to his shaft. Marcus leaned his face close to his ear, his breath splaying along his cheek. “Or are you fighting to be a good sub so I can reward you?”
“I’m fighting, Master.”
“Good.” Two fingers wrapped around the base of his cock. Trevor sucked in a sharp breath, tremors skating down his legs. Marcus’s touch after so many years filled him with a dizzying sense of completion. No other could touch him so simply and elicit such a violent reaction.
Then Marcus splayed a palm over his ass and rubbed a wide circle along his flesh.
“To the bed, pet. Bend over the edge and rest your body on the mattress.”
Trevor maintained a steady gait despite how badly he trembled. Marcus’s hand dragged over his hip as he stepped away, his nails scraping gently along his hipbone. He crossed the apartment, one step, two steps, trying to focus on the huge white bed that came up at a fast pace. He tried to recall the times from years ago when Marcus would play out a scene before it turned into a fully engaged erotic encounter. He loved every moment, from the demands to the spanking, and finally the greatest reward Trevor could ever ask for.