Soulmate: Feel My Heart Beat Book 1

by Delmire Hart

  “I’m afraid I can’t do that, Mr Miller.” He hit a few buttons and held the phone up to his ear.

  “Now you sound like a broken record,” Daniel grumbled as he scuffed his shoe along the pavement. He glanced at the other two guards but they must be new, they weren’t faces he had seen yet.

  “Mr Hunt, Mr Miller was just attacked a few blocks from his apartment. We have taken out all the offenders and he is unhurt. They do not appear to be affiliated with anyone, would you like me to take them in for questioning?”

  “Wait, I know who probably sent them!”

  Ueda turned to look at Daniel, still obviously listening to William on the other end of the phone. He removed the phone from his ear and pressed a few buttons before holding out the phone in front of himself.

  “Mr Hunt, you are now on speaker.”

  “Daniel.”

  He winced at the cold tone of voice and quickly started talking, hoping to end the conversation as fast as possible. “James Barrett. I um… I took some photos of him during a dirty deal last night and handed them into the press and the police first thing this morning. It gave the police enough evidence for search warrants on all his properties. It was also in time to make the morning press run so it’s probably out to the public by now as well.” He held his breath while he waited for William to reply.

  “I know the type of establishments that man frequents. Is that why you lost your guard yesterday? Why you’re been losing them all week? So I wouldn’t find out the danger you were putting yourself in?”

  He didn’t reply. The words of denial stuck in his throat, he couldn’t seem lie to William. Not when it was all true.

  Ueda spoke up, “Is that how you injured your hand?”

  “Daniel…” Daniel flinched at the growl in William’s voice. He was in for it now.

  “Ueda.”

  “Yes, sir?”

  “Bring him back to my penthouse, I’ll deal with him soon.”

  Oh shit. Nope.

  Daniel’s fight-or-flight response kicked in and before he knew it he was running back to his apartment. He heard a series of shouts behind him but it only spurred him to run faster. He didn’t even know why he was running. He was going to have to face William at some point and this would make it even worse. He was his soulmate, after all. But that was the problem. He didn’t want to face the consequences of his actions just yet. Didn’t want to deal with the anger and worry and concern in the older man’s eyes. He just wanted to go back to how it all was before; less confusing, less questions.

  Yet the past already felt like another lifetime. It seemed grey and drab compared to how he felt when he was with William but at the same time he was already trying to keep from suffocating. He couldn’t lose his freedom. He would lose himself if he lost that. But he would lose himself if he lost William too.

  He made it back to his apartment and took the stairs two at a time. Daniel fumbled with the key in the lock before throwing himself into the building. The door slammed shut behind him. He locked the door and slowly backed away, staring at it with his heart trying to leap out of his throat, waiting for one the guards to try get in. He stood there waiting as the minutes stretched out but nothing happened.

  Daniel sagged in relief after nothing happened.

  If they were going to try get in, they would have by now as they were fast enough to have already arrived. Daniel flopped down on his lumpy couch and covered his face with his hands. Why had he run? He’d made it so much worse but it was too late now. It was a little surprising that William hadn’t tried to call him again, but he figured that he had gotten the message that he wasn’t going to pick up.

  The photographer wasn’t sure how long he lay there for when a sudden noise at the door startled him. He jumped to his feet and backed away. The door flew open and Daniel’s eyes went wide. William himself stood in the doorway and he was pissed. His eyes flashed and a dark, angry aura emanated out from him. Daniel noticed he held a gun with a silencer in his hand, still smoking ever so slightly. He must have shot out the lock. He watched, rooted to the spot, as William carefully detached the silencer and pocketed it before holstering the gun.

  The burning eyes locked onto his as William slowly stalked forward, Daniel stepping backwards at the same pace, unable to tear his eyes away from the dangerous man in front of him. He felt his foot hit the wall and he bolted off to the side trying to make a break for it but William caught him and slammed him back against the wall. He pinned the photographer in place and stared at him long and hard, face far too close for comfort.

  “William…”

  The man remained silent, only grabbing his hands, eyes narrowing when they spotted the crude bandage on his hand, before removing his tie and deftly tying his hands together. He picked Daniel up and threw him over his shoulder before moving to exit the apartment. Daniel thrashed around wildly for a few seconds but William clamped down on his legs and his hands were rendered ineffective by the binding. He went limp in defeat and didn’t try to move away as he was thrown into the back of the limo. Looks like it was time to pay up for all the running away.

  Chapter Fourteen: Punishment

  The limo took off, presumably toward the penthouse, and Daniel wriggled his way onto his back to glare at William. His lover still hadn’t spoken and was lighting up a cigarette. The air felt heavy with tension. All of William’s movements were tightly controlled and he seemed to be holding together by iron will alone. Daniel hadn’t expected quite this reaction but maybe some part of him had known and that was why he ran. The soulmate bond was complex and little was known about it.

  Could he have expected this reaction subconsciously?

  William still remained silent and had not once looked at Daniel since entering the limo. Such a reaction from a man who outwardly showed little emotion wouldn't be surprising, except he had never really kept his mask up in front of Daniel. From the very beginning, he had let the photographer see more of himself than he showed others, something he had only just noticed when seeing him around his subordinates. Daniel tried to think of what to say, he didn’t want his soulmate to be like this. But he wasn’t about to apologise either. What else did that leave to say?

  “William—” he tried to start but was overridden at once.

  “Why did you ignore my calls?”

  “Huh?”

  That wasn’t what Daniel expected. William turned to look at him and those eyes burned. Feeling uncomfortable with the gaze, Daniel looked away and pulled on his restraints in frustration.

  “I…I knew you would be mad about the guards and the stake out and…I guess I didn’t want to face you just yet.”

  William didn’t answer and Daniel chanced a look at him. He felt a constriction in his chest at the impassive mask now fully in place. This wasn’t what he wanted, he didn’t want to be shut out like the rest. Not from his soulmate.

  The rest of the journey to the penthouse passed in uncomfortable silence. Daniel let himself be manhandled out of the limo and up to the penthouse with no complaints until he was thrown on the bed in the secret room. He watched as William opened the display cabinet to pull out a selection of black leather before turning to face him. Daniel lifted his chin in defiance but held out his bound hands. He had an inkling about what was coming earlier but it had been confirmed once William had opened the door to this room. He wasn’t about to apologise but he would not back down either. He knew William wouldn’t hurt him, not really, and he wanted to see every part of this man who was his soulmate. This was part of it and he was going to face it head on.

  William paused at his show of obedience and searched his face. Daniel saw a flicker of surprise in his eyes before his expression smoothed over again. He let himself be stripped and buckled into the array of leather William had chosen. He found that while he wasn’t exactly willing, when facing William head on like this he felt surprisingly in control. William stood back after adjusting the last buckle and just looked at him. Daniel stared back; pride an
d defiance in his eyes. He would not apologise, but he wasn’t going to run either.

  Daniel sat on the bed, naked except for the leather harness around his chest, neck, wrists, thighs, and ankles while William observed, fully clothed. Some part of him knew that this should feel thrilling, being forcibly bared to William’s gaze like this but that impassive mask was still in place and it tore at his heart. That powerful, in-control feeling from before began slipping away. He could hand over his obedience for a short time and in willingly doing so lose nothing at all but this…

  He could do so for William but not for the mask that shadowed the man. His soulmate had worn it around Daniel before but never with him, never directed at him. He had always seen William the man and he was rapidly breaking apart; pride and defiance melting away almost as quickly as it arrived. William still hadn’t moved and Daniel found tears in his eyes and he cursed his sudden show of weakness. How the hell did the man cause such drastic bouncing in his emotions? He took a deep shuddering breath, desperately trying to calm himself and felt a tear slip free to run down his face.

  “Daniel?” William sounded concerned but his vision was too blurred to make out his expression. He felt hands cup his cheeks and gently wipe away the tears.

  “Dammit!” Daniel closed his eyes and tried to take another deep breath but it caught in a sob in the back of his throat. He brought his hands up to first into William’s shirt. “How do you do this to me?”

  “Daniel?”

  He opened his eyes and stared straight into William’s.

  “You…I don’t care what you do to me. Punish me, flay me open from the inside out and I’ll take it, anything you can throw at me, I don’t care. But don’t do it with that mask in place.”

  “Mask?” The other man questioned and Daniel saw the surprise flash across his face.

  “That stupid mask you show the world. The façade, the shadow that hides who you really are. The one that hides your heart…” He trailed off and suddenly realised why it was in place. He leaned forward and placed his forehead on William’s shoulder, closing his eyes. “I’m sorry for ignoring your calls.” He felt William stiffen against him but he didn’t move away. “I didn’t realise it would hurt you that much. I didn’t want to hurt you but I don’t want to lose myself either. It wasn’t that I don’t trust you, I just wanted to keep things normal for me. I’m not apologising for anything else but for not talking to you…I am sorry.”

  “Daniel…” Arms wrapped around him and he found himself pulled into a tight embrace. “How do I do this to you? I should be the one asking you that.” He heard the soft exhale of a deep breath being released and William’s body relaxed against his. “Thank you, Daniel.” William placed a soft kiss to his neck and pulled back to look at him. “I still want to punish you, however.”

  “That’s fine,” Daniel replied as he draped his arms around his neck, bringing his face close enough that their noses were nearly touching. “I told you, you can do whatever you want but take the mask off. You’re only allowed to if it’s you and not your shadow doing it.”

  “But then you will enjoy it far too much.”

  “Is that really a problem?”

  “No,” William drawled with a smirk. “I suppose not.”

  Daniel smirked back and then William’s lips crashed against his, all the anger, hurt, and passion leaking out into a brutal, claiming kiss. He moaned and pulled himself closer to William, trying to sit in his lap but suddenly he was thrown onto his back on the bed. He looked up at his lover and could feel the difference from before. William looked positively wild; eyes smouldering with a feral light as his gaze burned a pathway across Daniel’s skin. He shivered in response, heat shooting through him. This was what he was missing before. He felt like a sacrifice being offered up to a salivating predator and damn if he wasn’t excited by the prospect.

  William leaned over him to kiss him again just as hard as before, forcing his tongue inside and laying claim to him once again. When he pulled back, he rolled Daniel onto his stomach before leaving the bed. His lover picked up something before he felt the bed dip and William settled himself with his back to the headboard. He hauled up the blond to lie across his lap. A large, warm hand settled on his bare behind, stroking the cheeks, and Daniel knew where this was going.

  “So, my naughty little kitten,” William husked out and Daniel felt heat intensifying low in his belly at the sinister tone and squirmed in William’s lap. His erection was pressed into William’s thigh and William’s already half-hard cock poked into his stomach. “I was going to give you a proper punishment but how about we start with something small, hmm? A little more intimate than what I had originally planned.” The hand continued to stroke and dipped down into the crease of his ass. “Are you going to be able to stay still or do I need to tie you up a little more?”

  While Daniel was trussed up in leather, none of his limbs were secured to anything yet and he shook his head.

  “No, it’s fine.”

  William hummed in response and gave his ass one last caress then lifted his hand away. Daniel tensed in anticipation. He jolted and cried out in shock as the hand slapped his ass. It took a few seconds for the pain to register and Daniel hissed once it did. William rubbed out the sting a little before slapping the other cheek. He slowly alternated between each cheek, building up the force he used with each crack of his hand against Daniel’s ass. It stung and his skin burned with heat but after each strike, William rubbed out the sting just a little and the pain of the slap combined with the tender stroking was really starting to affect him. Pain warred with pleasure, both blending together to leave him gasping and panting. He wriggled in William’s lap and gasped at the man’s now fully erect cock poking into his stomach.

  “I think that’s enough of an introduction for you.”

  “Intro-?” He was cut off as William’s hand slammed down with more force than before and this time he didn’t stop in between each hit. Oh, it hurt and yet he was still hard and throbbing where his cock rubbed against William’s thigh. Tears clung to his lashes when William stopped and his hand caressed him again. Daniel felt his lover move, then a lid snapped open, then shut. The fingers moved to trail in between his ass cheeks again before spreading him open and he shivered when those fingers caressed his hole.

  Something cold and wet took the place of the fingers and pressed inside a little. It was pulled out then pushed in further, repeating the process as it was forced in a little more on each pass. The stretch burned. William wasn’t allowing him time to adjust before pushing the object in further although he wasn’t doing it so much as cause him damage. By the time he felt himself close around what must be a butt plug, holding it in place, Daniel was panting and groaning, hands clenching the bedsheets. William palmed the plug and it rubbed up against that spot inside Daniel that had him seeing stars.

  “Such a good little kitten.” William spoke absently as though he wasn’t even aware he was speaking. “So good for me.”

  The hand cracked down again and this time it caught the plug, forcing it against his prostate again. Again and again the blows rained down and suddenly Daniel was coming, convulsing in William’s lap, back arched and his lovers name on his lips. But William didn’t stop and Daniel’s very nerve endings felt on fire, sensitive after his orgasm.

  “Oh, fuck! William!” he moaned out, unable to form any other words.

  The blows raining down on his ass stopped, leaving him right on the precipice of a second orgasm and he mewled in protest. William yanked his hands around behind his back and clipped the two leather cuffs together before hauling Daniel up onto his lap. He sat him with his legs straddling his thighs, back pressed up against his chest and fingers in his open mouth pressing down on his tongue.

  “You want something, kitten?” Daniel moaned around the fingers in response. “Your moans are very pleasing on the ears. Maybe I should get you to beg for it more often.”

  Removing his fingers, William shoved his love
r forward onto his stomach before lifting up his hips so he was on his knees, ass in the air. He pushed on the plug, rocking it in and out a few times before removing it completely and Daniel shuddered, mewling at the loss.

  “Don’t worry, Daniel, I have something much better for you.” William slammed himself inside in one brutal thrust and Daniel tipped over the edge again.

  His lover was relentless and the oversensitivity had Daniel practically sobbing as William drove himself in again and again. A rough hand reached around to wrap itself around his cock and he was coming yet again with a silent scream, body trembling with the sheer force of it. William suddenly bit down on his shoulder and Daniel could feel his lover’s body tense. The man groaned around his shoulder still between his teeth. They stayed locked like that for a few minutes while they both came down from their highs. William finally detached his teeth and kissed the same spot before letting him drop boneless to the bed. He reached out a hand and stroked it gently down Daniel’s back earning himself a small sigh of pleasure.

  “You enjoyed that far too much for punishment.”

  “Yeah, well, so did you.” Daniel tried to move and gave up with a groan. “And I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be able to move tomorrow so how about we call it even? Particularly with the bite mark you gave me.”

  William chuckled and stood. “I suppose I can make do with that for now.”

  “For now?! What the hell did you have planned?”

  “I have lots more toys to introduce you to and seeing as the threat against you hasn’t been nullified yet, now if the perfect time to play with them.”

  “What am I? Your sex toy for the next week?”

  “That sounds like an excellent idea,” William replied and Daniel groaned, burying his face into the bed.

  “How about we don’t do that, my ass won’t hold up,” he said as he turned his face to the side to be able to talk.

  “I wouldn’t be so sure about that kitten, there are plenty of things we can explore while your tight little ass recovers.” William reached over and carefully picked the limp Daniel up in his arms. “How about we start the next round in the bath?”