“Push down the front of your shorts. I want to see your cock.”
With trembling hands, Renner struggled to push down the front, but with his massive erection, he wasn’t able to get them out of the way.
“Poor thing.” Quintus sat up and teased Renner’s cock through the leather, making the tense situation much worse. “Let’s see if I can help.” Plunging his finger down, he stroked over the tip of Renner’s cock, slicking pre-cum over the front of the shorts. “There. Now I should be able to slide them down a bit.” When Quintus still couldn’t get them down, he popped the button on the waistband, exposing just the top of Renner’s cock. “That will have to do for now.”
“Please.”
“Please what?” Quintus relaxed again on the bed, stroking his cock like he had all the time in the world. Renner was convinced they had to hurry because surely McBride was expecting them to get out and work. Although, when he shared his concerns with Quintus, he shook his head. “You’re mine for as long as I want you.”
Renner wasn’t sure if he was more excited or scared. If they had all day, he would never survive that kind of delay. He wanted to climax now.
“Oh, your face!” Quintus rose from the bed and embraced Renner. “I could never be a heartless master when your fear is so obvious.”
“I guess when I dreamed about doing this I didn’t think it would be so hard.”
Quintus cupped Renner’s cock. “Very hard.”
“I meant—”
“I know what you meant.” Quintus unzipped the shorts, pushing them down, chuckling a bit when Renner sighed with relief. “We’ll just have to learn how to play this out a little better.”
“You’re not mad?”
“Of course not. I’m the one who couldn’t maintain my character.” Quintus gripped Renner’s buttocks, pulling him close. “Just like everything else, we’ll get better with time.”
Renner allowed Quintus to direct him onto the bed and then take off the rest of his clothing. Quintus made a series of soft kisses down Renner’s chest to his prick, which he sucked into his mouth. Against his will, Renner bucked up.
“Sorry!” He struggled to sit up and reassure Quintus, but he held Renner down with powerful hands and kept right on sucking his cock. “It’s just your mouth felt—feels so good and I’m so very close to the edge.”
“Shh. I know. Don’t worry.” From the bedside table he grabbed a bottle of greasers and slipped one inside Renner. After a moment, he worked his finger inside his ass. Between his mouth and talented digit, Quintus had Renner struggling to hold still. Eventually, he got too close to the edge and tumbled over, climaxing so hard he struggled to breathe. Quintus still didn’t let up. He kept pulling on his cock and teasing his finger deeper. Renner climaxed in waves of ecstasy that left him feeling weightless and free.
When he came back to Earth, Quintus was by his side, nuzzling his neck. With murmured commands, he urged Renner onto his belly, slid between his legs, and eased his prick inside his ass. Quintus moved as if they still had all the time in the world. It amazed Renner how he could be so kind to give him a release and then torment himself by withholding his own. In terms of fortitude, Quintus had him beat.
“I’ll get better.”
“What?” Quintus lowered himself so his body was pressed tightly against Renner’s back.
“I’ll be able to last longer. Eventually.”
“You last just fine now.” Quintus kissed the back of his neck, right where his hairline stopped. For some reason, it was remarkably sensitive. “You’re perfect just the way you are.”
Renner couldn’t help but grin. “So are you.”
Using shallow strokes and placing dozens of kisses all over Renner’s back then around to the side of his face, Quintus made a slow kind of love to him. It was somehow hotter than any of his fantasies. Why he’d never dreamed of this, he didn’t really know, only that there was something so wicked with the leather and being ordered about. But this was just as arousing, only much slower and sweeter.
As Quintus got closer to climax, his thrusts got deeper and stronger. With his legs, he pushed Renner’s farther apart and had him lift up, making the angle better for the both of them. After another dozen strokes, Quintus dug his fingertips into Renner’s buttocks, pulling him up to his knees as he climaxed.
Breathing hard, Quintus held him there for a long time and then settled back, taking Renner with him until he was sitting in Quintus’s lap with his arms around him. Renner couldn’t remember a time when he’d felt so peaceful, or so loved. He was still a little nervous about seeing McBride for the first time after he found out Quintus didn’t want to be his mate. Not that he didn’t believe Quintus that it was resolved, because he did, but he feared after McBride had caught him and now this, Renner was probably going to be insufferably awkward.
Chapter 15
“After all that work to relax you, you tense right back up as soon as we’re done?” Quintus sighed and hugged Renner hard. “What are you thinking about?”
“McBride.”
“I make beautiful love to you and afterward you think of another man?” Quintus was only teasing, but Renner immediately apologized. He probably would have gone on, but Quintus cut him off by wrapping his hand around Renner’s prick. “Ah. From now on when I want silence, I’ll remember all I have to do is grab you here.”
“Or you could put your cock in my mouth,” Renner suggested. “That would work, too.”
“It could be difficult if we’re around the others.”
“Good point.”
Quintus kissed his neck and licked the scar, feeling a twitch in Renner’s prick when he did. “I love how exquisitely sensitive you are.”
“I feel like I’ve had an erection since the day you got here.”
“You have been fairly aroused.”
“You noticed?”
“It was difficult not to when you were leaning over me and tending to my leg.”
“Which is remarkably healed.”
“Okay, so it wasn’t as bad as I made it out to be.” Quintus had gone down more from shock than pain, but when Renner came to his side, he decided to stay right where he was. “I know I should have said something, but I liked having you almost all to myself for a while.”
“I’m glad.”
“You are?”
“I wouldn’t have been very good at making up excuses to see you if you hadn’t been injured. Everyone would have known what was going on after my first mumbled excuse.”
“Don’t be upset that you’re not a good liar. I think it’s sweet that you get all nervous and excited around me.”
“I couldn’t even play out my own little fantasy.”
“You will. And again, it was me who messed it up. You just looked so tormented that if I would have kept going, I would have felt like the worst kind of bully.”
“Aw, you’re sweet on me!”
“I am. And I fear it’s a terminal condition.”
“And you’ve probably infected me with it.”
“Probably?”
“Definitely.”
“Well, then the only thing to be done is to have sex daily if not more often.”
“And that will cure it?”
“No, there’s no cure, but we can treat the outbreaks.”
They laughed together and then sobered.
“I’m glad that I found you.” Quintus wrapped his arms a little tighter around Renner’s body. “I honestly never thought I’d find anyone who sparked what you have in me. It was like waking up at age twenty-eight.”
Renner turned his head so they could kiss sideways, but it wasn’t enough. Even though he had to slide out of his mate’s tight bottom, Quintus did so they could lie face-to-face to kiss and cuddle.
“You look surprised.” Renner stroked his fingers through Quintus’s hair.
“I never imagined spending the day with a man in bed.”
“Never?”
“No. I worked all the time.
When I was home I ate, slept, and bathed. But even then I was always thinking about work. I actually was terrified when the blood madness hit, and not because of the illness itself, but because I knew if it destroyed the world, it would take my job with it and that was the only thing I had.”
“And now?”
“Now I’m not worried about my job at all. Not anymore. I mean I want to do work here, on the farm, but it’s different because it’s about pitching in for all of us, not just giving myself something to do to keep myself occupied.” Quintus sighed and kissed Renner twice. “Please tell me that all made sense.”
“It did. It does.” Renner rested his forehead against Quintus’s. “I guess in a lot of ways I was like you. If I wasn’t working, I was here at home, but I still wasn’t really here because I’d be somewhere in my mind with my imaginary master.”
“Do you really want me to boss you around?”
“That depends.”
“On?”
“How you feel about it.” Renner moved back so they could look at one another. “I can see now it’s not like what I thought it would be. When I played this out in my head, I never thought about how my master would feel about things. It was like he wasn’t real, only there to do my bidding. But you are real, and I don’t want you to do things that make you unhappy.”
“I think, if we put our heads together, we can come up with all kinds of things we enjoy doing.” Quintus kissed him softly, loving the way Renner melted against him. It was such a curious contrast because Renner was his same size and just as strong, but he enjoyed being cuddled and cared for. He wondered how the other slammers dealt with that need. Perhaps they expressed it when they let McBride feed from them.
“Did you ever…” Quintus trailed off because he realized maybe he shouldn’t ask.
“What?”
“Well, just that slammers typically get thralls. And they’re tiny. How did that factor into your fantasy?”
“It didn’t. I wanted a mate, but I didn’t want men like what my brothers got. Not that there’s anything wrong with them. All their mates are great, but I wanted someone like you.” Renner frowned. “If the world hadn’t fallen apart, I guess I would have just settled for whoever McBride got for me. And I would have been happy I suppose, but I wouldn’t have been satisfied. Not like I am now.”
“You’re satisfied with me?” Quintus teased. “That’s like McBride calling me serviceable. Or adequate.”
“He called you that?”
“No, wait, he called me suitable.” Quintus made a face. “It made me sound like a pair of shoes or some machine.” At Renner’s annoyed expression, Quintus said, “He didn’t mean it in a cruel way. Just that he was driven to compromise on a mate because he couldn’t have the man he really wanted.”
“Is the man he wants dead?” Renner sounded utterly heartbroken for McBride.
“No.” Quintus didn’t want to tell McBride’s secret. Not when the man had been more than generous in letting Quintus off the hook when he certainly didn’t have to. Moreover, he could have tossed him out, but he wasn’t that kind of man.
“Then why can’t he be with him?”
“It’s complicated.” Quintus traced his finger over the scar on Renner’s neck, hoping to distract him.
It worked for a moment, but then Renner pulled back and tucked his chin down so Quintus couldn’t reach the scar. “Isn’t there something we can do to help him?”
“I think we should leave McBride’s love life up to him.”
“But he’s the only one left without a mate.” Renner considered. “Well, except for Caleb, but I don’t think he’d be good with a thrall.”
“No?” Quintus rolled onto his back and urged Renner to rest his head on his chest. He loved to lie this way so he could sift Renner’s hair with his fingers. It was soft and made him think of a long time ago when he’d made the same motion on his blanket as a child. He found it soothing then, and it was now, too, but it was also a way of showing tenderness to his mate.
“Can you see Caleb with someone like Ferris or Alden?” Renner shivered. “He’d destroy them. Once, our master—Jonas and not McBride—bought us a mechanical man, and Caleb fucked it to death.”
As Renner described the situation, Quintus thought about Caleb and McBride. Like he and Renner, they were the same size, but there wasn’t a clear submissive partner in their coupling. How would that work for them in the bedroom? Not that it was any of his business, but he couldn’t help a prurient kind of interest. He’d never thought much about sex until he discovered Renner. Now he couldn’t seem to think about anything else.
“Did you ever want to be in charge of your imaginary master?”
“No.” Renner lifted his head off Quintus’s chest and peered into his eyes. “Do you want me to?”
“I don’t know.” Quintus considered. “Would you be surprised?”
“No.” Renner tucked his head back down. “I’d be willing to try what you like just like you were with me.”
“I think that’s all we really need. Just an open mind.”
“And an eager penis.”
“I think we’ve got that part covered.” Quintus resumed his stroking of Renner’s hair. “I think we’re very, very lucky.”
“I think so, too.”
Quintus pulled Renner up until they were entwined. He never thought he’d ever care about anything other than his work, but now, he knew he’d never care about anything as much as Renner. It took the world falling apart to make him see how empty his life was, but now he had more than he ever thought possible. And he would do anything to protect his mate and the place they called home.
Chapter 16
McBride stood in the kitchen near the archway that went into the formal dining room. He was staring at the table and growing increasingly impatient. Both ends of table were still empty. One seat was his, but the other was for his honored guest. McBride turned to Ollie. “Where’s Caleb?”
“I think he’s in the parlor.”
“Why isn’t he at the table?”
When Ollie shrugged and fussed with the food, McBride left the kitchen and crossed the dining room as quickly as he could. His men’s gazes followed him, their expressions curious, but he ignored them. This evening wasn’t going at all the way he’d planned. He was nervous as hell, and the last thing he needed was some blowup with Caleb before he could pour his heart out to him. Since all they’d done was try to put the other first, which included telling hurtful lies, McBride thought the time had come to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but. Now that everyone on the farm was paired off, it was time for him to claim his mate.
“Caleb?”
“Why are you putting me in the hot seat?” Caleb was at the bar with a glass in his hand. From the look of it, he’d had at least one shot out of it and was on his way to pouring another. McBride didn’t mind that he drank, or even that he was helping himself to the bar without asking. It was the tightness of his shoulders and the scowl on his face that worried him. If anything, Caleb looked ready for a fight.
“I’m not. I’m putting you in the seat of honor.” McBride joined him at the bar. Before Caleb could polish off another shot, he cupped his hand around the glass. “Please.”
Caleb’s frown deepened.
“Please come and sit at the table so I can explain.”
“In front of everyone?” Caleb darted a quick glance in the direction of the dining room and then shook his head. “No thanks. It was bad enough the first time in private.”
“Caleb, please don’t make this any more difficult for me than it already is.” McBride was nervous because he was going to confess to Caleb, in front of everyone, just how he felt about him. He hoped it wasn’t an utterly futile gesture. All afternoon he’d been practicing what he wanted to say, but each time he thought of something, he imagined Caleb giving him a raised brow or worse, laughing.
“You already made it clear about you and Quintus.”
“That’s w
hat I need to talk about.”
Caleb considered his drink and the way McBride’s hand was holding his.
“Please.”
“Let me have this, and then we’ll go in.”
Against his better judgment, he agreed and let go of Caleb’s hand. His flesh turned cold so fast it was shocking, but if he did this right, and told him everything, tonight he wouldn’t just be holding Caleb’s hand, he’d be pulling him into his bed and holding his entire body.
As Caleb tossed the shot back, McBride watched the way his bronzed throat worked. Since he was wearing his white dress shirt again, it seemed to intensify his tan. Unlike last night, Caleb didn’t bind his hair, but left it loose over his shoulders. McBride wanted to bury his face in the strands and breathe deep of his luscious scent.
“Why do you always do that?”
“What?”
“Stare at my hair.”
“Because it’s beautiful and I want to touch it.”
Caleb startled back a bit, obviously stunned by McBride’s honesty. Just as quickly, he turned sharp. “Does your mate-to-be know that?”
“He does now.” McBride waited for Caleb to grasp that he was talking about him, but Caleb rolled his eyes and went into the dining room.
McBride followed, loving the way Caleb’s black tallos slacks gripped his buttocks. From the way the seam went down between his buns, McBride didn’t think he was wearing underwear. His knees got a little weak. That was his Caleb. Dressed to the hilt but running wild below.
McBride hustled to pull Caleb’s chair out for him, which earned him an utterly baffled look from Caleb as he sat down. Mercifully, he stayed silent. McBride then moved to the head of the table and settled into his seat. He felt a curious rush of power but not in a vicious sense. With his leadership came responsibility, and McBride took that very seriously.
“Thank you all for coming again on very short notice.” McBride took the time to look each man in the eye. Every one of them appeared to be happy. Things had changed so drastically, but they had found a way to have joy in their lives. And now so would he and Caleb. “I would like to do this every night.”
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