“Huh. Okay, sure.”
After drawing a deep breath then letting it go, Cruella held his gaze. “The reason I’m no longer friends with my drag queen friend is that Tucker wouldn’t allow it. I couldn’t have any gay friends or be around anything he considered too gay, because you see, he isn’t gay.” Cruella rolled their eyes. “Which made the fact that he was in love with me and that I have a dick a tad awkward.”
“You mean he was bi?”
Cruella nudged him with their elbow. “That’s two questions. But I’ll answer anyway since we hadn’t officially started playing yet, so the first one didn’t count.” Cruella winked. “No. Not bi, not closeted. A hundred percent straight, according to him. He would ignore my cock as if it wasn’t there. If I wanted to get off, I’d have to take care of it myself while he was fucking me.”
“Holy…” Ray’s stomach clenched even as his fury rose.
“Now you’re up. Truth or dare?”
Ray couldn’t even imagine what sort of dare Cruella might give him, but he was more interested in keeping the sharing going anyway. “Truth.”
Cruella narrowed their eyes. “When’s the last time you had a serious relationship?”
It was a fair question. Still didn’t keep it from being a difficult subject to bring up. “Three years ago.”
A pause, along with quirk of their eyebrow and a tilt of their head, made Ray realize he hadn’t been anywhere near as forthcoming with his answer as Cruella had been with theirs.
“His name was Gianni, and he kind of played me.” Ray reached for his wine, taking a bigger drink this time. “Okay, yeah. He played me pretty hard. He knew how hot I was for him, that all he had to do was bat his long eyelashes at me, wear something sexy, tell me I was the best he’d ever had, and I’d overlook all kinds of shit. Who else he was fucking, the money missing from my account, the drugs he was taking.” Fuck. “So embarrassing.” Ray shook his head in derision. “What a fool I was.”
Cruella leaned over and laid their hand on his knee. “Like I said. We all have stories. I wanted to kick myself for taking so long to get away from him—a controlling, abusive asshole—but I did it. I did. I’m the one who had the courage to walk away even though I had nothing with me.”
Ray lifted his gaze. “Truth or dare?”
Cruella removed their hand, nodding. “Truth.”
“When you say you left with nothing, does that mean ‘on the streets, only the clothes on my back’ type of nothing?”
Cruella gave a one-shouldered shrug. “Sort of. I wasn’t going to let him reduce me to that. But, yeah. I couldn’t afford my own place, so while he was passed out drunk one night—which I helped encourage—I filled up four bags of clothes, a bag of shoes and my makeup case. I called a cab with the money I’d made that day by selling something to my favorite vintage shop. Just enough to take a cab to Big Boy’s place. Tucker would demand I give him every cent I made with the exception of a small allowance. I worked for his brother, who thought I was a chick, so he could keep track of my earnings. The tats, makeup and clothes were paid for with the little cash he allowed me to have.” Cruella gave a disgusted chuckle. “God forbid his brother or parents discover I wasn’t a woman.”
Ray fought to keep his composure, to force the anger that demanded he go find Tucker and beat him senseless, from overtaking him and bringing their night to an abrupt stop.
They already said they handled it. It’s over and done with.
But he still wanted to make Tucker pay.
“Don’t look so forlorn, baby. I’m going to be honest with you, but please don’t let Liam find out. He doesn’t know about a lot of this, and he especially doesn’t know that I stay on Big Boy’s floor, or that I had some nights where I had nowhere at all to go, okay?”
Ray was about to lose it. “Stay? As in staying right now? On his damn floor?”
Dial it back, dude.
Cruella arched their eyebrows. “My turn. Truth or dare?”
“Sorry.” Ray scrubbed his face with one hand. “Um, truth.”
Cruella fixed him with their gaze, the look intent but not entirely serious. “Would you be ashamed to introduce me to any of your friends or family? Other than Neal and Liam, of course.”
Ray sucked in a sharp breath. “No. Not ever.”
Cruella arched their eyebrows. “There’s no one you know who would make you pause? Make you think twice before saying, I don’t know, that we’re together on a date or something?”
Ray was still trying to work out how he could find this Tucker guy and rip him a new one. “I’d take you to meet my mom tomorrow. We’d have to fly to Sacramento to meet my dad, but he’s such an asshole, I doubt you’d find it worth your time. I have some other buddies besides Neal, too. You’ve probably seen them before. Ricky comes by the shop once in a while, so I’m sure you know him already. But would I be ashamed of being seen with you? Not in the slightest.”
The smile Cruella radiated back at him seemed filled with relief. “I’ve always known you’re a good guy, hon. I really have. I hope I didn’t insult you with that question.”
“After what that asshat did to you?” Ray made a low growl. “Not at all.”
“Thank you, baby. Your turn.”
He wanted to know so much, wanted everything Cruella was willing to give. But being too nosy, too soon didn’t feel right. As more of Cruella’s past was revealed to him, it became more important to him that he could be that someone who Cruella didn’t feel judged by, or who was trying to make them into something they weren’t.
“Truth or dare?”
Cruella laughed. “I see we’re on a roll here, but that’s great. Truth.”
Ray formed the words in his mind, hopeful that he was saying the right thing. “Is there anything you need me to know about being with you, anything that…” It had made sense in his mind, but now that the words were being spoken, he wasn’t so sure. “I don’t think I’m saying this right.” He let out a huff. “I like you a lot, I’m very attracted to you and think you’re one of the most wonderful people I’ve ever met. I have no interest in changing anything about you. I only want to be part of your world, if you’ll let me. And I want to do that in the best, most respectful way I can. What can I do to be the best guy for you that I can?”
Cruella scooted closer then took his hand. “You’re the sweetest. Hon, be whoever you are too. I don’t want to do to you what’s been done to me. I have no demands. I love what I see and want more of it.” They sighed, stroking the back of his hand with their thumb. “Look, my birth certificate says I’m male and I have an ex who insisted I be female. I’m neither of those things. I’m just me, okay? I love my dick. I want people to touch it. But it doesn’t define who I am, the same way a pair of heels and lipstick doesn’t make me a certain gender. I refuse to obey those restrictions and it’s no one’s fucking business how I choose to identify.”
Ray twined his fingers with Cruella’s, smiling at them, impressed that regardless of what they’d been through over the years, they had such a strong sense of self. He could probably learn a thing or two from them.
Ray stared down at their joined hands, entranced as he watched Cruella slowly lace and unlace their fingers together. The move was driving Ray mad with want. “Go ahead. Ask.”
Cruella peered up at him. “Truth or dare?”
Ray stood at the edge of a precipice, ready to jump in and hope that he survived the fall. “Dare.”
Silence stretched between them as Cruella held his gaze. They licked their lips, moistening the scarlet red that clung to their skin in a perfect outline, accentuating a decadent mouth that had haunted Ray’s dreams from the moment he’d met them.
At last, Cruella spoke. “I dare you to kiss me.”
Chapter Eight
Cruella watched in fascination as the tension left Ray’s body, the anger he’d clearly held back while Cruella had shared stories of their life changing to something else. Something closer to happiness. His fe
atures brightened and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
Much better.
They hadn’t planned on things getting so heavy, but at the same time, they’d wanted to test the waters with Ray. Assuming someone was a good guy until they started backhanding you across the face wasn’t how Cruella rolled anymore.
That’s not fair. You’ve known Ray for over a year. You knew Tucker for less than a week before he was moving you in. But, once bitten…
“Really?”
Cruella chuckled. “A dare’s a dare, baby.”
Ray leaned in, but didn’t press their mouths together right away. He reached up and brushed Cruella’s hair back from one side of their face, caressing their cheek, locking eyes with them as if they were the most precious thing alive. Cruella’s heart fluttered and they held their breath. The moment had the essence of one they would remember and remain special for always.
Still cradling Cruella’s cheek, Ray stroked his thumb across their bottom lip, his eyes tracking the movement. Cruella wasn’t sure they’d be able to breathe at all. Ray was masculine perfection to them—always had been. While his tats, piercings and muscles, his square chin and closely trimmed moustache and beard gave him an edgy look, the softness of his brown eyes and the sweetness of his smile made Cruella melt every time he was near.
Cruella finally inhaled as Ray drew closer, tilting his head to capture Cruella’s lips for the first time. The scent of him, which had only been hinted at before, filled Cruella’s senses as they allowed Ray to control the kiss. He kept his exploration gentle, careful—as if he could hurt Cruella somehow with the tentative touches.
But Cruella had lusted after Ray for too long, had wanted to not only touch, but taste him, to know what it was like to be his lover, to be the one who made him crazy with want.
Cruella dug their fingers into Ray’s hair, curling them tight and holding him in place as they pushed past the seam of Ray’s lips. The moment he opened up, they took what they’d wanted for so long, what they had ached to experience. Cruella slid their tongues together, battled Ray for dominance as the kiss heated. They hardened with each desperate swipe through Ray’s mouth, the sensitive tip of their cock rubbing against the soft fabric of the sweats as they pushed him down onto the cushions.
Cruella ground against Ray, leaking more and more as they both clutched at each other, Ray responding with equal vigor. Cruella worked a hand between them and shoved it down his sweats, delighted to discover they wouldn’t have to battle with any pesky underwear. Ray groaned into their mouth the moment Cruella’s fingers wrapped around his stiff flesh and bucked harder.
Fuck this clothing bullshit.
Still straddling Ray, Cruella broke the kiss and straightened, untying then yanking the T-shirt over their head before tossing it aside. The moment the cool air touched their skin, Ray’s palms flattened against their chest, then moved in slow caresses, exploring their torso and teasing their nipples with his thumbs.
“You too, baby.”
Cruella went up on their knees and tugged their sweats down while pulling at the waistband of Ray’s. They fumbled together, banging knees and elbows, laughing as they struggled to get the rest of their clothing off without being separated from each other too much.
Cruella settled on their heels as they drank in the expanse of Ray’s naked flesh below them. The solid wall of ink that began at the base of his throat continued downward, almost every spot of skin decorated with various icons, symbols and sayings. Cruella’s attention was briefly grabbed by an intricate rendition of two gargoyles on a gothic church before their gaze locked on what they’d been fantasizing about for ages.
Ray’s hard cock curved up from a neatly trimmed nest of hair, the tip full and red with a bead of pre-cum gathered at the slit. He was a nice length, cut and thick, the big vein running beneath his shaft pulsing noticeably. Cruella swiped a finger across the end, the edge of their fingernail giving Ray’s cockhead a light scrape. Ray hissed through his teeth from the contact, his dick twitching in response.
Cruella sucked the digit in, savoring their first taste of Ray’s seed. “Mmm, baby. You’re so good.”
“I-I want to touch you. Taste you too.” Ray stared up at them with parted lips, his eyes wide and fingers resting lightly on Cruella’s waist.
They leaned down and pressed their mouth against Ray’s before straightening. “Then do it.”
Ray blinked a few times before a slow grin spread across his face. He cupped the back of Cruella’s neck then brought their lips together again, the kiss deeper and more intense, the frantic edge from earlier taken off. Cruella lay down on top of Ray, relishing the press of their naked flesh, the sweet agony of their hard cocks sliding together, teasing, yet without nearly enough friction to get either of them where they wanted to go.
But Cruella wasn’t in any hurry.
They had wondered for so long what being with Ray would be like that drawing the experience out was perfect. Even more if I tied his hands. Maybe it was too late and—at the moment—inappropriate to start actually practicing for the class, but one little knot couldn’t hurt, could it?
Cruella rubbed harder against Ray, eliciting small whimpers and sighs from him. They broke the kiss to whisper against his ear, “Touch me as much as you want right now. You won’t be able to next time.”
Ray tensed and stilled his movements. “Did I do something wrong?”
Cruella scraped their teeth on Ray’s bottom lip. “No, baby. You’re perfect. Just something I wanna do.” They winked at him. “Unless you say ‘red’.”
They held in a snort of laughter as Ray’s eyes bugged and his jaw went slack. “S-sure. Whatever you want.”
Cruella placed a finger across Ray’s lips. “Whatever we both want. I meant it about you saying ‘red’ if you have to.”
“Is that what I’m supposed to say?” Ray’s eyes were still wide with wonder. “Like, a safeword?”
Cruella gave a one-shouldered shrug. “Not that I’ve ever done anything like this before, but yeah. I’ve been learning the basics in my class, since we’ll all have partners to truss up. Besides, I don’t want Neal to come after me.”
At last, Ray seemed to relax and he chuckled. “True. He follows the rules to the letter.”
Cruella leaned down and dragged their tongue up the side of Ray’s neck, enjoying the scrape of his late-day stubble. “But tonight? Tonight, I want your hands on me, baby.”
Ray groaned, circling his hips and grabbing Cruella’s ass cheeks, pressing their erections together.
“Yessss…” Cruella bit Ray’s shoulder and thrust back, searching for a more intense friction. “Come on, baby. Both of us together.”
Cruella lifted their body a tad, allowing just enough space to work their hand between them. Ray picked up the cue and did the same. Cruella wrapped their fingers around both their cocks at the base and Ray followed suit by placing his hand above Cruella’s.
“Come on. Help me get us off.”
Cruella descended on Ray’s mouth again, vigorously jacking them with Ray’s help. They clutched Ray’s hair with their other hand, moaning and growling into the kiss as Ray bucked and groaned.
Ray broke from the kiss and grabbed Cruella’s ass right as he let out a strangled cry. Warm bursts of cum pulsed over Cruella’s hand and they tumbled into ecstasy with Ray. After jerking out a few last drops of seed, Cruella collapsed on Ray, careful to keep one foot on the ground so they wouldn’t crush him. Ray wrapped an arm around their waist and caressed their back while his frantic breathing slowed.
Cruella allowed themself a few minutes to bask in the afterglow with Ray. Anticipating being with Ray for so long had held the potential for disappointment once they’d finally gotten together. Instead, it had turned out even better than they’d hoped. For Cruella, Ray smelled, tasted and felt the way they wanted their man to be. The chemistry was clear. Whether they could take things beyond lust-filled interludes was the mystery that remained.
Maybe it’s not such a big mystery after all.
Ray unlocked his apartment door as quietly as he could, then closed it behind him with the same amount of care. He wasn’t familiar with Cruella’s sleeping habits and hadn’t wanted to wake them when he’d crawled out of bed at six-thirty to get a session in at the gym before he had to be at work. He would’ve normally slept later and done his workout on the way in, but he’d wanted to leave open the possibility of sharing breakfast—or perhaps something more intimate—with Cruella before he had to head to the shop.
As he passed the kitchen, Ray glanced at the digital clock on the stove and saw that it was still only eight-forty-five. I hope they haven’t left already. That would give them at least a couple hours before Ray would have to officially start his day. God, last night was so… He’d had a helluva time keeping himself from popping wood every five minutes at the gym. Whenever he’d let his mind drift to them writhing on the couch together, the feel of Cruella’s soft skin under his fingers and the brush of their hair when it would tease his flesh as they brought each other to completion—the thought alone was enough to send him over the edge again.
Ray kept his steps quiet as he entered the bedroom. The light from the gray morning trying to push its way past Ray’s blinds illuminated little more than a vague silhouette of Cruella under Ray’s bunched-up, navy-blue comforter. He’d been careful to tuck it around them before he’d left—not wanting to leave, but not wanting to wake them either. A sticky note explaining where he’d gone remained propped up against the nightstand clock and appeared untouched.
Ray quickly got undressed then climbed onto the mattress, doing his best not to jiggle it too much. He also plucked a throw blanket from the bottom of the bed to cover himself so he wouldn’t bother Cruella by trying to disentangle the comforter from around them. Ray curled on his side and moved as close to them as he dared. The faintest tinge of the vanilla jasmine lotion that Cruella always wore could be detected but the scent of them, their own natural fragrance, was what Ray sought. Cruella had remained near him while they’d slept, had stayed tucked to Ray’s side, never losing contact with him throughout the night.
Kink Aware (Kiss of Leather Book 9) Page 6