Lane

by Shaw Montgomery

  In the photos, however, I had a feeling Roman would focus on the rough passion that Wilder radiated. Even I had to admit that pairing my unique femininity when I was dressed up and Wilder’s masculinity would be beautiful. That didn’t mean doing the shoot would be a good idea, though.

  Before I could figure out a way to even approach the subject, Wilder leaned down to give me another quick peck and glanced toward the counter. “I wish I had time to sit down with you for a while, but I have an appointment soon. You guys have fun tonight. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  Wilder gave me a tender look and his hand came up to caress my cheek again. “It’s not a late night for me at work, so don’t feel like you’d be interrupting something if you called later.”

  I felt my cheeks heating up, but I nodded. “Didn’t you just tell me you had a lot to do tonight?”

  He grinned. “I have a feeling you’re going to be on my mind for quite a while.”

  How was I supposed to respond to something that sweet?

  “You’re just trying to make me feel guilty for distracting you.”

  He gave me a knowing look and chuckled, not upset at all about my deflection. “And I’m going to continue to do it until I get my sketches. Okay, I really have to go. This is someone really nervous, or I’d invite you to come hang out for a while to see the process.”

  He thought for a moment and I could see him mentally sifting through things in his head. “I’ve got a couple of good ones next week that you might find interesting.”

  “Thanks.” I was interested in the whole process, but I wasn’t sure how to ask him about everything else.

  Before I could ask, or find a really good excuse not to, Eli butted in. “Does your boss know you’re dating a guy?”

  “It depends on if he’s been paying attention, so I have no idea. I’ve mentioned Lane a few times, and I told him what happened the first time I heard you guys.” Wilder’s gaze went back to that distracted, analyzing look he got sometimes when he was lost in thought. “We don’t really talk about personal stuff that much. We’ve never had that kind of relationship. And to be honest, he can be a little bit of an asshole. But if he hasn’t been paying attention before, he will when I bring Lane in.”

  Eli clearly wasn’t satisfied with that answer. “How much of an asshole? Is he like some kind of preachy bigot?”

  That was a very good question.

  “No, he’s not that bad. Most of the time he just makes vague remarks about artistic types. Which is a little crazy considering he’s a really good artist.” Wilder gave Eli a long look. “I wouldn’t bring Lane into a situation where I thought there would be a problem. He didn’t say anything really negative when I mentioned the first conversation that I overheard, so I’m not expecting anything now.”

  “How old is he?” Eli wasn’t letting up.

  “Mid-fifties.”

  Eli nodded knowingly. “I’ve got some neighbors like that. They never really seem to understand how offensive or ridiculous what they say is. When you point it out, they just give you this confused look and shrug.”

  Not wanting to get deeper into the discussion, I glanced back up at Wilder. “Don’t let us distract you. I don’t want you to be late.”

  Wilder smiled and leaned down to give me another kiss, clearly not worried about public displays of affection. “You’re right. Thank you. I’ll see you later.”

  With a nod and a hasty goodbye to Eli, Wilder went over to order his coffee and was quickly out the door. I was quiet until Wilder was out of earshot. Then I turned and gave Eli a look. “What was the third degree for? And I can’t believe you brought up the photo shoot.”

  Eli didn’t seem to be bothered by my frustration in the least. “Somebody had to ask the questions, and I think he likes the idea of the shoot. He’s clearly not bothered by the modeling. I think he’d like to see what you do.”

  He was?

  He did?

  “There’s a big difference between accepting what I do in an abstract way and seeing it all firsthand. What if everything drives him crazy?” I wasn’t even sure if that was the main issue, but it was a good place to start.

  “I don’t think it’ll bother him. I’m not sure if he’s some kind of closet exhibitionist who’ll get turned on watching you and watching everyone else watching you, but I don’t think it’s going to scare him off, if that’s what you mean.” Eli leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his coffee. “If just seeing everything online hasn’t freaked him out, I don’t think seeing it in person will.”

  “Probably. But what if…”

  Eli cut in. “No buts. Baptism by fire and all that. He just needs to see it and it’ll be fine. We’re a colorful bunch, but he’s an artist and does tattoos for a living. Seeing a bunch of naked drama queens isn’t going to scare him off.”

  That made me roll my eyes. “You’re the only naked drama queen he’s going to see.”

  As much as I wanted to believe him, I wasn’t as confident about it as Eli was, but there wasn’t much I could do about it. Telling Wilder that I didn’t want him there would be a lie and would also chase him away faster than anything he would see at the shoot.

  I wasn’t ashamed of what I did, and there was a small part of me that was excited about it. A very small part. But I’d never brought anyone I was dating into that part of my life. It was almost like being naked in front of someone for the first time. The analogy might not make sense, because I was nearly naked on the site a lot, but it was sharing something…intimate, maybe.

  What if he hated it, or even worse, what if he didn’t understand why I loved it?

  Chapter 15

  Wilder

  The ping of my phone woke me the first time. Rolling over, I tapped the screen and squinted my eyes at the brightness as it lit up the room. It was early for me, but I had a feeling Lane had been up for a while. I smiled as I read the text. You up?

  I could almost hear the skepticism in his words. Forcing my fingers to work, I answered. Possibly…come over and maybe that will help wake me up…door’s open just come on up.

  Maybe the door was open.

  Was it?

  Cursing under my breath, I stumbled downstairs and unlocked the door before making my way back up to the bedroom. He needed a key. Getting up just to unlock the door so I could go back to sleep was stupid.

  I’d stayed up entirely too late. I’d had every intention of going to sleep early enough that I’d be awake when Lane called, but that hadn’t quite worked out like I’d planned. Something about the idea of seeing Lane’s photo shoot had gotten my creativity flowing, and I’d stayed up drawing into the early morning.

  I checked my phone one last time after I flopped down onto the mattress. Lane’s reply made me smile. I’m picturing something dirty but I have a feeling I’m just going to find you snoring away.

  Sending a laughing emoji, I yawned and set the phone down beside me on the bed. I told myself I’d text him back a real answer in just a bit. That resolve lasted about all of five seconds.

  The next time I woke was to a warm body curling close to me and a low laugh as I wrapped my arms around it. “What if I was a burglar? You just gonna cuddle one into submission?”

  Refusing to open my eyes, I tugged Lane closer. “Oh, the only person I want to cuddle into anything is you.”

  That didn’t quite make sense, but it was as good as my brain could do. Lane rested his head against my chest, and I felt a puff of air hit my skin as he muffled a laugh. “I knew you were still going to be asleep.”

  “I’m not sleeping. Just resting my eyes.” Resting them very thoroughly.

  Lane didn’t seem to mind. “I had a feeling you might still be tired, so I got up early and worked out and finished up some work.”

  “So now you’re ready for a nap?” He hadn’t actually said that, but reading between the lines, it felt right.

  “Yes.” He seemed slightly sheepish, but I loved it.

  “Hmm, I’m glad.
I like curling up with you.” He hadn’t slept over that many times yet. So we were still at that awkward phase where it wasn’t assumed, but it was what we both wanted. “You should have come over last night after you went out with your friends. Did you have fun?”

  I was close to the end of my conversational abilities, and I fought off another yawn. Lane chuckled again, pressing tighter against me. “Yeah. I thought about coming over, but I didn’t want to bother you if you were getting work done.”

  “You’re never a bother. I love having you around.” Pressing a kiss to the top of his head, I got comfortable again and stopped trying to fight the exhaustion that was still pulsing through me. “Cuddling too.”

  Another yawn broke out, and I hummed as I shifted and tugged him so he was half draped across me like a warm, sexy blanket. “Perfect.”

  The feel of Lane’s smooth hand stroking over my chest and the soft caress of his breath on my chest was truly the best way to fall asleep.

  The next time I surfaced, my brain was actually starting to wake up. So was my cock, but I was going to try ignoring that for a while. But the feel of Lane’s body as he squirmed closer and rubbed his dick against me made it difficult.

  One of my hands was resting on his back, so I started lightly trailing my fingers along the lean muscles. The T-shirt was soft and touchable, but nothing beat the feel of his skin under my hands. As my fingers inched up the fabric, Lane giggled and arched up into my touch. “That tickles.”

  Since it wasn’t a complaint, I kept working on the shirt. I could almost reach the tantalizing skin under it. “You’re dressed.”

  Lane’s hips thrust forward, grinding his covered cock against my thigh. He was still draped over me, one leg nestled between mine, pressed against my dick. “You’re not.”

  “I’m pretty sure we have a rule about you having to be naked in my bed.” If we didn’t, we needed to have one. Lane clothed while I was stripped and hard should be a crime.

  A bark of laughter escaped him. “I’m not sure I remember that rule.”

  “Oh yes, I think you just deliberately ignored that rule.”

  He snorted but didn’t seem to think the idea was crazy. “I can’t ignore something that doesn’t exist.”

  “Of course you can. Deliberate disobedience is going to have to be punished.” The images and fantasies running through my head were enough to finish waking me up. Opening my eyes made pulling his shirt up even easier, and in seconds, the creamy skin of his back was on display for me. That wasn’t going to be enough, though.

  A shiver raced through Lane and his cock rubbed against my hip again. “Punish how?”

  My low laugh sounded wicked even to me, and it made Lane moan quietly. “It’s been days since you were spanked. If you didn’t have a shoot this afternoon, I’d lay you over my lap. But since that’s out for now, I guess I’m just going to have to get creative.”

  His moan was filled with more frustration than arousal that time. He didn’t even try to hide how much the idea turned him on. “But if I’m naughty later, you’d have to spank me, wouldn’t you? To make sure I learned my lesson?”

  Hell, yeah.

  But even I knew that wasn’t a sexy answer.

  “I’d have to. I can’t have you disobeying me and being naughty. It wouldn’t take much to make me punish you again. If you didn’t learn your lesson this morning, then I’d have to show you how serious I am about you being good.” I wasn’t sure which way he wanted the fantasy to go later, but whatever it was, I was game for it.

  Another shiver raced through Lane and I could almost feel precum slicking up my skin as his cock jerked against me. He was wearing too many damned clothes. “Thank you for making sure I learn my lesson.”

  So. Fucking. Hot.

  I let my hand move down his back, but his jeans were too tight for me to do much more than just tease his crack with my fingers. Jeans and naps did not mix. We were going to have to talk about that later too. “You’re still wearing too many clothes, my sexy stalker.”

  Pulling my hand up, I rolled us so I was braced over him, pinning him to the bed. Lane’s breath caught in his throat and wide, desire-filled eyes stared up at me. “We have to do something about it.”

  He blinked several times, but looked too lost in his fantasies to understand what I was saying. “It?”

  It wasn’t much of a sentence, but it was all that came out. “Yes, beautiful. You should be naked too.”

  “Naked.” Blink.

  “Yes.” Blink.

  I chuckled quietly and decided to see if I could get his brain going again. Thrusting my cock against his, I rocked back and forth. That just seemed to get the little head going, not the big one. He gasped out and his hips tried to move against me, but he was too trapped.

  The feeling must have appealed to him, though, because he gave a sexy whimper and arched up, his head pressing against the bed. He was so close to coming, but we hadn’t even done anything yet. My sweet little stalker wanted his spanking more than he was letting on.

  As much as I loved the way he was reacting, we hadn’t made any progress with the fact that he was entirely too covered up. Pushing off of him, I smiled as he made a low, protesting sound. Before he could reach up and pull me back, because that was clearly his intent, I started tugging at his shirt.

  “If you want more, you have to be naked. We just talked about that, beautiful. That’s why you need to be punished. Remember?” I loved it when he got lost in the pleasure and everything else seemed to fall away.

  The fog cleared from his eyes as he glanced down his body. “Oh.”

  So cute.

  Lane sat up and quickly helped me take off his shirt. When he lay back down and reached for his jeans, I pushed his hands away. I wanted to be the one to unwrap my beautiful lover. He’d grown more adventurous with every date, and I was curious to see what he was wearing under the slim-fitting pants.

  I opened the button, carefully easing the zipper over his erection. Color rose in Lane’s cheeks, but he lifted his hips as I started pulling them off. The pink silky material came into view as the jeans slid down his hips. They were beautiful on him.

  They were sexy and feminine, but I knew they’d been designed for a man. The front of the tempting panties was roomier and was clearly meant to fit comfortably over his cock. His erect length was straining the fabric, though, and something about the way it looked made me want to run my tongue over the silk-wrapped erection. Barely there strings of fabric wrapped around his hips, and I couldn’t wait to see how they looked from the back. “Fuck, you’re incredible.”

  Okay, not the most eloquent thing I’d ever said, but it was true.

  As I pulled them the rest of the way down his legs, Lane’s smile was a mixture of embarrassment and pleasure. He still wasn’t completely comfortable with sharing what he liked, but I was hoping that after the photo shoot the rest of his nerves would fade.

  Thankfully, he’d already stripped off his socks and shoes, so as the pants came off, he was beautifully naked except for the panties. But since they did more to highlight his body than hide, they didn’t really count.

  Before he could decide if he was going to be shy or bold, I stretched out over him and moaned as my cock brushed over the silky fabric. For a moment, I couldn’t help but wonder if it felt that good against his body constantly.

  If it did, I could understand why he was drawn to the tempting lingerie.

  Lane chuckled and started to wrap his arms around me, but that wasn’t what I’d imagined. “Oh no, you were being punished, remember? You don’t get to touch.”

  Moving his arms up, I pinned them to the bed above his head. “Leave them right there. Do you understand?”

  The sexy look of wide-eyed desire started to return, and he nodded. Mumbling a low agreement, his teeth started nibbling on his lower lip, and he took a shaky breath.

  “Every time you move your hands, I’m going to stop.”

  It wasn’t a question, but
he nodded anyway. “Very good. But don’t forget.”

  He would try, but I was counting on the fact that he wouldn’t be able to remember. If he behaved too well, it wouldn’t be as much fun. Lane couldn’t seem to decide what he wanted. I could see that part of him wanted to promise to be good, but the need for more and the desire to be spanked was coursing through him.

  I trailed my fingers down his arms as I got comfortable and lay between his splayed legs. I was going to be there for a while. Lane shivered and his thighs tightened around me before he deliberately relaxed them against the bed.

  Leaning close, I kissed his neck and started working my way down his body. Licks and the tender press of my lips against his skin made him sigh and arch into me, but nibbles and the feel of my teeth against his body made him shiver and moan.

  By the time I’d slowly made my way to his nipples, he was shifting and desperately gripping the pillow under his head. Going back and forth, I flicked my tongue over the buds, listening to him hum with pleasure. When I focused on one and started to tease it with my lips, he made encouraging little noises. Not quite begging, but it was clear what he wanted.

  When I took the tip between my teeth and gave a little tug, he almost came off the bed. Loving his reaction, I chuckled and nibbled again on the sensitive nub. With hours to go before he had to be at work, I knew I could take my time.

  I alternated between careful bites and gentle licks around his nipples until they were both well-loved and slightly swollen. They’d be fine before he got to work, but I knew it was time to turn my attention to other parts of his beautiful body. But next time he didn’t have to work, I wasn’t going to rush.

  Lane had almost lost his battle to keep his hands above his head as I played with his nipples. His body sagged with relief as I moved lower, trailing my tongue down his abs. I chuckled and grinned. “I’m nowhere near done, beautiful.”

  He groaned at my wicked smile and teasing words. When I finally reached the panties, I could tell by the look on his face that he thought they would quickly come off. It looked like I was going to have to remind him again that I wasn’t in any hurry and he was being punished.