Angel Without

by Rhiannon Ayers

  Where the hell did he get lube? Riley had enough time to wonder, right before his mind went blank. The feel of Maddox’s thick fingers penetrating his willing ass quickly took over every thought process in his head. That first screech of pain was enough to make him suck in a sharp breath, but it was over almost before it began, followed by such an intense wave of pleasure, Riley couldn’t help a moan of pure bliss. He found himself rocking backward, impaling himself on Maddox’s fingers, trying to steal as much of that intoxicating touch as he could get.

  “You’re not hurting from last night, are you?” Maddox queried, even as he added a second finger and started scissoring them, making Riley shout incoherently. “I don’t want to hurt you, Riley.”

  Riley dropped his head, panting, trying to figure out how to speak through the lust clogging his throat. He settled for shaking his head violently, letting loose a guttural groan as Maddox’s magical fingers swept over his sweet spot, very nearly setting him off right then.

  “Good,” Maddox rumbled, sounding satisfied. He withdrew his fingers, making Riley whimper in protest. He looked down between his own legs and realized he could see Maddox smoothing a condom over his turgid length. Riley groaned again, watching, mesmerized, as his lover coated his cock with yet more lube, making him nice and slippery for Riley’s near-virgin ass. The care, the consideration, brought a lump of emotion that had nothing to do with lust to Riley’s throat.

  But before he could articulate his feelings, Maddox was there, taking a strong grip on Riley’s hips with both hands. Riley felt the other man’s latex-covered glans kiss the striated muscle guarding his chute and forced himself to breathe deeply. He relaxed all the muscles in and around his ass as best he could, hoping to make things easier for Maddox—and himself. And it seemed to work, because his body collapsed almost instantly with only the barest hint of pain, as if welcoming Maddox’s cock. Riley cried out as he felt that gloriously thick shaft sink deeper and deeper inside him, stroking him deliciously the whole way.

  When Maddox was buried balls-deep, he pressed one palm into the center of Riley’s back, pushing downward until Riley settled with his elbows on top of the tool chest that provided them with a convenient prop. The angle changed, allowing Maddox to glide in and out with long, smooth strokes, taking things slow. Riley grunted every time he felt the other man’s hard abdomen hit his ass cheeks, let out a shuddering moan every time he pulled almost all the way out. Little fireballs of pleasure starting ping-ponging around his body, radiating outward from the point of penetration until they were zinging through every part of him, lighting up every nerve-ending they passed.

  It went on forever, yet Riley never wanted it to end. He lost himself in the feel of that heavenly cock stroking his inner walls, lost himself in Maddox’s possession of his body. The way Maddox rode him so deeply, so steadily, forced him to feel every inch slide past his prostate in both directions. It was intoxicating, the stretch, the burn, the silky glide. He found himself floating in a sea of endless pleasure, set adrift from reality, yet with no fear of losing himself.

  Maddox would always be there to find him, after all. He knew that down to the last atom in his body. Maddox had claimed him, said he loved him. And if this was what it meant to be loved by a sexual Dominant, Riley would gladly drop to his knees and prove his devotion for eternity.

  Maddox suddenly let loose a sexy groan, his fingers digging into Riley’s hips hard enough to leave bruises. Riley gasped, eyes rolling back in his head as Maddox suddenly upped the game, started fucking him in earnest. He sped his thrusts exponentially, pounding into Riley’s body hard and fast, making him shout incoherent praise. Every stroke sent lightning skittering through his veins, every harsh slap of skin on skin made him that much harder, hotter, even more desperate to come.

  He was so close, riding the edge of an orgasm so epic, it might very well kill him, when Maddox suddenly snarled, “Don’t you come. Not until I tell you to, understand? You need permission to come, Riley. You hold back until I tell you to let go, not a moment before.”

  Riley sucked in a sharp breath as Maddox’s commanding tone almost hurtled him over the edge, all unintentionally. He clamped his teeth together and bit back a string of curses as his whole body shook with the force of Maddox’s thrusts. The stretch, the burn of each hard penetration had him moaning, gasping, panting, cursing uncontrollably. He would never get over how fucking good it felt to have Maddox’s incredible cock inside his body, stroking his anal walls deliciously. The heat, the friction between them built to epic proportions, making Riley wonder if their clothes would catch fire just from the kinetic motion.

  God, this was one of his favorite fantasies come to life. In fact, this was the embodiment of his very first wet dream about Maddox, the one where he first realized he had a serious thing for his new boss. He’d dreamed Maddox had come upon him working, alone in some house, shirtless and sweaty with the heat. In his dream, Maddox had taken one look at him and pounced like a hungry lion, wrestling a stunned Riley to the ground, where he quickly ripped Riley’s jeans off. Then he’d forced Riley onto his knees and shoved his huge cock inside him, started riding him hard and fast, as if he couldn’t help himself. Riley remembered waking from that dream with his dick rock-hard, spewing cum all over his own stomach.

  At the time, he’d been mortified, certain Maddox would hate him if he ever found out Riley wanted him. But now here they were, having sex in the middle of a work site because Maddox couldn’t keep his hands off Riley’s body long enough to get them back to his townhouse. Just the thought—oh my God, we’re actually having sex—sent lightning straight to his balls.

  Riley let loose a long, low moan as he pictured what the two of them must look like right now. Riley, bent over a tool chest with his shirt still on and his jeans down around his shoes, his head thrown back and face contorted with the overwhelming pleasure zapping through him. Maddox, shirtless and sweating with exertion, his jeans still on but loose around his hips from having his button and fly open enough to allow him to fuck Riley.

  The mental image, combined with the reality of having Maddox’s cock inside him, sent Riley spinning right out of the stratosphere, right into a place where he floated on a euphoric sexual high unlike anything he’d ever experienced before. It was the same soul-shattering intensity of an orgasm, only constant, never-ending. Somehow, he knew that from this place, for this deep inner well of sexual bliss, he could come a thousand times and still never feel satisfied. It was that awe-inspiring.

  Maddox rode him like a racing jockey, faster and faster, harder and harder, until Riley was shouting with the force of ecstasy running rampant through his system. The tool chest rattled and shook dangerously underneath him, forcing him to reach out, brace a hand against the wall, lest Maddox’s wild ride send all of them crashing to the ground. And every time his balls smacked Riley’s with a resounding crack, he got that much closer to exploding.

  Maddox didn’t ask for his submission—he demanded it. With every touch of his hands, every thrust of his powerful hips, every stroke of that glorious cock, he demanded everything Riley had to give, with no apologies or justifications. He made it clear right from the start that he wanted Riley to be his, wanted to claim him as his possession.

  And Riley gave him everything. Body, mind, heart, and soul, he gave Maddox everything he had, without a single regret. He gave himself to Maddox, not truly understanding what that meant, but knowing down to the very core of his soul he was meant to belong to the other man. Whether that meant he was a submissive to Maddox’s Dom didn’t matter in the least. Maddox owned him, plain and simple. The words used to describe it meant next to nothing when compared to the emotional reality.

  Somehow, Maddox knew. He seemed to sense the moment Riley had that startling revelation, because his thrusts grew erratic. Powering in and out of Riley’s quaking body, he reached on hand around his hips, palmed his aching cock, and shouted, “Come. Now!”

  It was like Riley’s whole bein
g had been waiting for those two little words. He exploded with no choice otherwise, throwing back his head as a scream lodged in his throat. The orgasm rolled through him with such force it nearly buckled his knees—would have, if Maddox hadn’t been there, holding him upright. Maddox grunted as Riley’s body clamped down around him, his cock pulsing as hot jets of cum burned Riley’s insides through the barrier of the condom. Knowing Maddox was getting off in the exact same instance set Riley’s orgasm to new heights, wave after wave of bliss shuddering through his frame. It was so long, so intense, so life altering, Riley knew he’d never be the same.

  Both men stood together, shaking and gasping for air, while aftershocks ripped through both of them. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Maddox slowly pulled out and helped Riley stand upright. Riley pivoted unsteadily and threw his arms around the taller man’s neck, buried his face against his chest for a moment while he could do nothing but shake. Maddox seemed to understand the turmoil Riley was reeling in, because he didn’t comment, didn’t ask what was going on. He merely held Riley, his strong arms wrapped tightly around his waist.

  After a time, Riley’s trembling finally disappeared. Some of the lube was starting to dry on his skin, making his ass cheeks stick together uncomfortably. He shifted slightly, a grimace twisting his mouth. Maddox chuckled quietly, obviously noting his lover’s discomfiture.

  “Here,” he said quietly, “let me clean you up.” And he reached into his back pocket, removing a travel case of wet wipes.

  Riley snatched the box out of Maddox’s hands, his cheeks burning bright red. “I can wipe my own ass, thanks,” he mumbled with embarrassment.

  But Maddox’s big hand closed around the box, making him freeze. Maddox tipped his chin up, forcing Riley to look up into earnest, loving silver eyes. “Let me take care of you, Riley,” Maddox whispered. “It’s important to me. Part of who I am. Please, let me take care of you myself.”

  Riley’s heart melted a little more. He nodded, licking his lips just before Maddox bent his head and kissed him gently, breathing the words “Thank you,” right against his lips. Then, Maddox turned him back around, had him brace both hands against the wall. He rested his forehead against his right bicep, shaking inside and out as Maddox cleaned him lovingly, tenderly, and thoroughly. It should have been mortifying, to have another man do this to him. But Riley found himself fighting back tears, feeling cared for, almost treasured, with the reverent way Maddox tended his needs. No one had ever bothered to take care of him this way before. Not even close.

  And just like that, Riley fell head over heels in love.

  As soon as Maddox finished cleaning him, he helped Riley pull his shorts and pants back up, even going so far as to do up Riley’s button and zipper himself. Riley was shaking from the force of his emotional revelations, reeling internally, but it wasn’t a bad feeling. On the contrary, he suddenly felt lighter than he’d ever been before, riding a high much like an orgasm, but completely mental. He stared into Maddox’s silver eyes as his lover finished caring for him, the words burning holes in his throat.

  When Maddox was done, he cupped one hand around Riley’s cheek, passing his thumb over his lower lip. “Okay?” he whispered gently, a tiny smile on his lips.

  Riley swallowed hard—and suddenly dropped to the ground.

  Chapter 18

  Riley sat down hard on the floor, his mind reeling in a thousand different directions, and thought, Holy fuck, I’m about to tell another guy I love him.

  “Whoa,” Maddox said with a silly little smile. He knelt in front of Riley. “Okay there?”

  Riley nodded, ears going hot with embarrassment. “Yeah. I think you fucked all the starch out of my knees, though.”

  Maddox let loose a sultry chuckle, settling down cross-legged in front of him. “I’ll take that as a compliment, then.”

  Riley couldn’t help a grin. Then he sobered. “Hey, Maddox?”

  Maddox raised an eyebrow in inquiry. “Yeah?”

  Riley cleared his throat, did it again, and suddenly blurted, “I love you, too.”

  Heat blazed across Maddox’s expression, turning Riley’s insides to molten lava yet again. Maddox lunged forward, tackling Riley to the ground as he claimed his lips in another tongue-fucking kiss. Riley groaned as his cock made a valiant attempt to rise again, even though he knew it would be a little while before they could play again. Thankfully, Maddox didn’t seem to want anything but that kiss. His weight pressed Riley down against the unforgiving wood floor, but damn if he cared about such petty concerns. Not when Maddox’s body felt so fucking good on top of him, not when the man’s tongue kept doing such magical things to Riley’s mouth. He could do this forever and still never get enough of Maddox.

  When Riley was starting to drift back into that deep inner sea of bliss, Maddox pulled back and rested his forehead against Riley’s temple. He let loose a huge sigh, then rolled over on his back so they were lying parallel to each other on the floor, staring up at the exposed wiring in the ceiling. Maddox reached over and threaded his fingers through Riley’s, giving them a little squeeze that made Riley’s heart turn over in his chest. They lay in silence, just holding hands and enjoying each other’s company.

  After a while, Riley sighed deeply. Though he hated to break the mood, they needed to get back to their interrupted conversation.

  “So…what do we do about Amber?” he asked quietly. “Because as crazy as it sounds, I’m pretty sure I’m falling for her, too. And I don’t know what to do to help the both of you.”

  Maddox folded his free arm under his head, his voice going deep and growly with emotion. “I’m in the same boat, Riley. That tiny little woman crawled under my skin the moment I laid eyes on her. And here I thought I’d given up on women years ago.” He sounded bitter, his tone ironic.

  Riley glanced over at him, surprise making his voice higher than normal. “Seriously, dude? And here I thought you were completely straight.”

  Maddox shrugged one shoulder. “Gay, straight, crooked, sideways, whatever you want to call it. I’ve never really cared for labels all that much. The only one I’ve ever accepted is Dom.”

  Riley quickly looked away, hoping to hide his sudden blush. “Yeah, uh, speaking of that…” He paused, cleared his throat. “If you’re a Dom, and Amber is a sub…what does that make me?”

  Maddox turned to face him, his expression earnest. “I can’t answer that for you, Riley. You’re the only one who gets to make that judgment. I can answer any questions you have, help you understand on an intellectual level, but I can’t make that emotional decision for you. That is and always has been completely up to you.”

  Riley chewed the inside of his cheek, hating the fact that he was still embarrassed, talking about this subject. Then again, he’d only come to understand that what he’d seen in the movies was all hype about thirty minutes ago, so maybe it wasn’t so weird he was still having trouble wrapping his mind around it. Kind of like when he was still in high school, and he learned that white light was actually made up of all the colors in the rainbow. It was proven fact, undisputed truth, yet he still found it difficult to accept, simply because it went against everything he’d ever considered logical. It was something that had been in front of his face all his life, yet completely misunderstood.

  Maddox squeezed his fingers gently. “Hey, don’t worry about it so much, okay?” Riley glanced over to find Maddox’s silver eyes trained on his, love and understanding shining through them. “It doesn’t matter to me either way, Riley. I love you for being you, not because you may or may not be submissive. In the grand scheme of things, it means little, except that it’s part of you, and therefore something I love simply because it is a part of you. You can choose to ignore the labels, simply be with me without classifying our relationship, and I will have no problem with that whatsoever. Okay?”

  Riley nodded slowly. “I get that. At least, when it comes to you and me. But what about Amber? Obviously, it matters to her.”


  Maddox grimaced. “Yes, it does. And for all the wrong reasons.” He sat up, stretched, and lay back down, this time propped up on his elbows. “She has no concept of degrees. It’s all or nothing, in her mind. Makes me want to string that bastard up by his balls and skin him alive for what he did to her.”

  Riley nodded, a frown darkening his brow. “So how do we help her? What can I do?”

  Maddox turned toward him, eyes serious. “What she needs more than anything is to see a true Dom in action.”

  “But…she did. Last night.”

  He nodded. “Yes, but she doesn’t realize it yet. At least, not on a conscious level. We need to give her time to accept who and what I am, give her a chance to process things her own way.” His expression turned pained. “Which means I can’t touch her. Not directly. Not until she invites me to. It has to be her choice, right from the very first moment. I have to wait for her to make the first move.”

  Riley whistled, long and low. “Damn, dude. That must be killing you. Doesn’t seem like you’re the type to wait for an invitation to me.”

  Maddox grinned. “No, most definitely not.” Then he did that sexy-as-fuck raised eyebrow thing again. “But, we do have a little bit of leeway.”

  “Yeah? Like what?”

  His smile turned wicked. “You.”

  Riley blinked. “Me, what?”

  Maddox laughed silently. “She’s not afraid of you, Riley. Which means you can initiate sex and she won’t fear you taking advantage of her.”