Ties that Bind (Men of Honor)

by SE Jakes

  “What’s it to you if I have? We’re over, in case you can’t remember,” he told Mark, who grinned that small, mean little smile that made Glen cringe inside. Mainly because he couldn’t believe that, at one point in his life, he’d been so goddamned weak.

  “You’re not his type.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because you’re not into pain. You can’t handle the whip,” Mark told him. “You know his sub died, right? Since then, no one can deal with Derek full-time because he’s too rough. His last sub has scars from him on his back. He’ll start out slow, like he’s following your rules, but then he does exactly what he wants.”

  “And you’re telling me this because…”

  “Just looking out for you, baby.”

  Glen bit back what he wanted to say, allowed the comment to die in his throat the way his hopes for Derek being different did as well.

  Trusting Mark had been one of the stupidest things he’d ever done. This whole idea of finding someone new to Dom him was stupid. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he should’ve outgrown this—the need to be tied down.

  In the eyes of his parents, being gay was a complete aberration. The rest of it further branded him a sick little boy according to his mother, after he confessed what he’d been doing with John to the psychologist she’d forced him to visit.

  He’d nearly been locked up in a psych facility—they’d threatened him with that to within an inch of his life. He’d stopped seeing John for a month.

  She’d followed him to John’s house one afternoon and confronted them. Although John stood up for him like no one had—both before and after he was kicked out—he knew it wouldn’t do any good.

  He hadn’t seen or spoken to his parents in ten years. They referred to him as sick, tried to bring charges against John for attempting to control their son.

  Ultimately, they’d been forced to drop the whole thing, because there was no merit. Beyond that, the scandal would’ve proved too embarrassing for them. They’d already dealt with more than they could handle.

  The Navy had been thrilled to acquire him. The Coast Guard fought for him as well, wanted him to be a rescue swimmer, but Glen refused to make a career out of something that brought him so many bad memories. He’d agreed to fly Navy choppers into combat situations because it was so totally out of his knowledge base and comfort zone, and he’d fucking loved it.

  The prospect of sharing all this with Derek made him want to pull the covers over his head and hide, even though he was far from a coward.

  But he’d never expected to connect with anyone this quickly. And there was no doubt in his mind that he had.

  He caught a flash of Derek coming up from behind Mark—the rest happened in a split second that made Glen watch with pride and trepidation.

  “You don’t touch him—or talk to him ever again,” Derek said, his tone leaving no room for negotiation.

  “I just told him the truth about you and your last sub, since you didn’t,” Mark said. Glen watched Derek get his temper in check, as if deciding Mark wasn’t worth it.

  “Get out of my face,” he told Mark quietly, evenly, his eyes never leaving Glen’s face, looking to see if he was hurt or upset.

  He wasn’t sure what he was.

  “Maybe you two deserve each other. You know, Glen just walked out on me—he’ll do the same to you,” the man sneered. “For the month we were together, I had to keep him tied most of the time to make him submit.”

  “You bastard.” Derek had his hands around the man’s throat until Glen touched his shoulder.

  “He’s not worth it. Derek, don’t get into trouble—not for him.”

  “You let your sub tell you what to do?” Mark wheezed.

  “He’s a man, which is more than you’ll ever be.” With that, Derek dropped him, and Mark finally walked away.

  Derek motioned for Glen to follow him farther toward the back, where it was quiet and private, the place where they’d had their first interaction. Glen’s heart raced—he wasn’t sure he wanted to follow Derek, because surely there would be a punishment for what he’d done. And Derek knew how he felt about that kind of thing.

  But he owed the man an explanation of why he was talking to Mark, at the very least, and so he did. Let Derek manhandle him so his back was pressed to the wall, Derek an immovable force in front of him. And fuck it all if Glen wasn’t hard already at the holding and the proximity.

  “Why didn’t you call me? Let me know you were coming here?” Derek demanded.

  “Because I’m a grown goddamned man. I came here to find you.” Glen wasn’t ready for this challenge, but Mark had pissed him off. Worried him, and he hated the man and himself for it.

  “You should’ve called me before you came in. You should’ve let me walk you in.”

  “I’m more than capable—”

  “You’re freaked out. You just came back from a mission. You’re worse than you were the first night I met you.” Derek’s tone was calm, his eyes flashed with something beyond anger that Glen didn’t recognize.

  Without warning, Derek reached up and twisted Glen’s nipple hard through the T-shirt he wore under his black leather jacket as if his fingers were a clamp. Glen gasped and his cock leaked precome inside his jeans. Derek pressed his hips against Glen’s, and Glen was effectively held in goddamned place.

  Derek brought his thumbnail to press the tip of the nipple, and Glen jolted.

  “Not here,” Glen said, because they were against the wall by the bathroom. But Derek didn’t listen to him, and there had been no “please” attached to it. He knew what would happen when Derek let go of his nipple, how the rush of blood would trigger an orgasm.

  He was vaguely aware that men walked by. No one could really see much but it didn’t matter. Derek was marking him, claiming him as surely as if he were fucking him on the bar in front of all of them.

  He got harder at that thought. Stared at Derek and recognized the emotion he’d seen before. Worry.

  “You’re getting it now?” Derek growled, holding the nipple tighter. “If you’re with me in here, I’m in charge—and it’s usually for your own good.”

  Glen nodded, his eyes wide, cock leaking. Held in place by nothing more than fingers pressing his nipple, he was excited at the touch—the power it held.

  “Are you going to walk in here without me again?” Derek demanded.

  “No.”

  “If Mark approaches you and I’m not around, what are you going to do?”

  “Walk away. Call you.”

  Derek twisted harder and Glen rethought his answer. “If we’re in here, I won’t leave your side so that won’t happen.”

  “Ah, good boy.” Derek nodded. “I’m going to let you come in your pants. Bury your face in my neck when you come and apologize.”

  Glen nodded and Derek kissed him first, the pressure on his nipple increasing until it tingled from lack of blood flow, with Derek’s tongue caressing his mouth like the man had all the time in the world.

  Glen tried his best not to squirm, more from salvaging what little pride he had left than anything, because he was obviously turned on as hell, but it was no use. And when Derek let go of his nipple, there was no warning. His body bucked with the orgasm—tried to hold it back but it was impossible to do so. He saw stars and came hard, his cry muffled in Derek’s neck.

  “Sorry…so fucking sorry,” he heard himself groan, felt the tears rise even as the orgasm continued to pound through him.

  “I know, beautiful baby…I know.” Derek held him tight. “I guess we both have a past.”

  “I didn’t want to believe him,” Glen said, his voice tight.

  “But you did.”

  He couldn’t blame the boy—it was all so new and Derek had put off talking to him about Jared the last time they’d been together. But he still forced Glen to look at him. His eyes were red rimmed and it broke Derek’s heart as he waited for Glen’s answer.

  “I didn’t… I’m�
��”

  “Scared.”

  Glen nodded.

  “I would never harm a sub,” Derek said evenly.

  “That wasn’t what bothered me.”

  “What did he tell you?”

  “He said…you like it rough. And that you start light but then…” Glen shook his head.

  “Did I push you too hard the last time we were together?”

  “No,” Glen said fiercely. “He said you start out light and get rough, and I let my imagination get the better of me. I’m looking for a way out of this because it’s too goddamned perfect and no one gets second chances like this.”

  He tried to push away but Derek wouldn’t let him. “Beautiful baby boy…sometimes deserving people do get a second chance. And a third. A fourth.”

  Glen’s nostrils flared a little but he didn’t say anything more.

  “I’ll let you go if that’s what you need. What you want. But just know it’s not what I want.”

  “It’s not what I want either. I’m sorry—I haven’t had anyone for so long and I didn’t mean to undermine you with Mark or coming in here alone.”

  “You didn’t do anything of the sort.” Derek held him tight. “I meant every word I said.”

  Glen bowed his head against him, waiting.

  “Did he hurt you?”

  Derek wasn’t giving Glen the option of not answering.

  “Back then, he did. Physically. Emotionally. Partially my fault. I just wasn’t up for it.”

  “Not your fault. He should’ve known.”

  Glen squared his shoulders in a military set and he nodded. “You would’ve.”

  “I already do know.”

  “I’m afraid I won’t be enough for you.”

  In another life, the level of non-submission wouldn’t have been. But Derek was older, wiser, realized that the submission Glen gave was better and hotter than anything he’d ever experienced. The boy challenged him, made him realize what he’d been missing. “You’re fucking perfect for me, Glen. If you’ll have me.”

  “Jesus, yes.” Glen nuzzled his neck. “Take me home, tie me up and take me any way you want. Please.”

  “It’s the ‘please’ that’s going to get your bossy ass off the hook every time.”

  Glen smiled like he knew.

  Derek took him out of the club fast after that—although the ride seemed to take forever, Glen managed to appear patient.

  Derek put a hand on his crotch. Hadn’t let Glen wipe the come off himself and he squirmed with anticipation as Derek chuckled softly.

  Whatever the man had planned for him, Glen couldn’t wait any longer. The first orgasm hasn’t even taken the edge off. Now, his need clawed at him, like he knew Derek could give him what no one else had. And before Derek let him inside, he was half wrapped around Derek, letting the man ravage his mouth, tonguing him until he couldn’t take it any longer. His shirt was off as he slammed the door shut behind him—and after Derek walked him to the bedroom, he stripped his jeans as Derek undressed as well.

  “Lie back,” he told Glen, who moved toward the headboard. Out of his jacket pocket, he took condoms, lube and leather cuffs.

  Jesus, his cock got hard at the sight. Derek knew, gave him a small smile, like he was happy he pleased Glen. And that gave Glen both a heady sense of pleasure and power he’d never felt before. He’d never even thought about what really got a Dom off, until right now.

  He was doing it, and that made everything he did tonight brand new, like he was some kind of blushing virgin. Except this time, he knew exactly what he was doing.

  “Hands on the headboard,” Derek instructed, and Glen complied with the authority in the man’s voice, his cock jutting at the command. The cuffs strapped to his wrists made him harder and the ones on his ankles, spreading his legs and holding him fast to the bed, made him want to come immediately. Derek bent to lick the come off his stomach, and it was so goddamned dirty and hot. He heard a keening groan escape his throat when Derek deep-throated his cock.

  He hadn’t been told to come. His arms and legs were immobile, his hips held down by Derek’s body, his cock a prisoner to Derek’s hot mouth, and the stress of the night—of the mission—all began to fall away like heavy blocks from his body.

  He was floating—unable to move his hips, he contented himself with the sensations. And Derek tongued his slit until he couldn’t stand it any longer. He looked down and saw Derek staring up at him, saw Derek’s nod and came in hot spurts into Derek’s mouth.

  Before he could even recover, Derek’s body covered his, and the man bent his head to kiss Glen so he tasted himself and the whiskey Derek had drunk earlier.

  “You taste so. Fucking. Good,” he groaned against Glen’s mouth. “Like candy.”

  “Let me taste you,” Glen asked.

  Derek complied, straddling Glen’s face, but told him, “I’m coming inside your ass, not your mouth.”

  He couldn’t stop watching Glen’s face, Glen’s mouth stretched around his cock, taking what he wanted, but those eyes…as he stared up at Derek, he only wanted to please.

  Derek would let him. Ran his hands through the man’s hair and then tugged it roughly, feeling Glen’s moan of approval hum around his cock. “Beautiful baby,” he murmured.

  There was the hum again and then a scrape of teeth against his head, which made Derek groan and buck, and yes, the boy would pay for that, in a way that was enjoyable for both.

  He pulled out of Glen’s mouth and mounted him. “Going to fuck you senseless,” he promised.

  Glen nodded. Blew out a hard breath as Derek breached the first ring of muscle. Derek didn’t pause, entered the younger man slowly until he was balls-deep. And only then did he let Glen adjust to the girth. Nipped his shoulders until he saw the tension drop and felt Glen push back a little against him.

  “Yeah,” Glen breathed. “Fuck me, Derek. Please…I need…”

  They both did. Derek rocked into him, both men groaning in their collective pleasure. Derek hadn’t realized how badly he needed, too. Was so pissed that he hadn’t told Glen not to come looking for him in the club alone before that. Hated seeing the anger and fear in the boy’s eyes.

  “Lick my pit while I’m buried deep in your ass,” Derek told him. Glen’s face went into his armpit and he began to lick without hesitation. Derek continued to pound him, holding him in a completely submissive position where the boy could barely move.

  He heard Glen’s moans of pleasure, and his own balls tightened—if he hadn’t tied Glen down, they would no doubt be on the floor right now, and as it was, the bed was making a dangerous sound, like it wouldn’t survive this night.

  Derek plowed into Glen several more times, hitting Glen’s prostate at just the right angle to make the boy shoot uncontrollably.

  Glen passed out after he came. It wasn’t for a long time, but when he opened his eyes, Derek was lying next to him and his wrists were untied—and unmarked. But Derek was massaging them lightly anyway.

  “You all right?” he asked.

  Glen nodded. “I didn’t mean to doubt you earlier.”

  He put a finger under Glen’s chin. “You doubted yourself.”

  It was the truth. Derek delivered it without being a know-it-all, did it so matter-of-factly that Glen didn’t feel silly or stupid at all.

  He was getting exactly what he needed. And, in a short period of time, he was the happiest he’d been in he didn’t know how long. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For making me feel like a man.”

  Derek just got it—got him so completely. “You should always feel that way. Just because you need someone doesn’t make you weak.”

  That was a concept Glen still couldn’t wrap his mind around.

  “It’s hard to let go of what you thought you needed,” he admitted. “For a long time, I hung on to swimming because that’s what I was good at. Because I was told I had a gift that would be a shame to waste. It made my parents happy. Kept them
proud of me, even after I told them I was gay. But when I met John, everything clicked. I’m just sorry I used that as an excuse to quit. If I hadn’t been such a coward, I would’ve done that years earlier.”

  “I doubt John thought you were a coward. I certainly don’t. Christ, Glen, you were a kid. Sometimes it takes people a hell of a lot longer to come to those realizations.”

  At Derek’s words, Glen felt the pressure inside him ease. He could trust Derek to be honest with him. He’d pretty much known that from day one.

  Maybe lightning could strike twice. After all, Derek was still missing his sub as well. What if…

  “You’re thinking so hard I can smell the wood burning,” Derek teased, and Glen swore as a blush rose hot on his cheeks, a trait that Derek seemed to enjoy way too much.

  “Then you’d better do something about it,” Glen told him, which earned him a swat on the ass before he was dragged into the steam shower.

  After Derek got Glen dirtier in the shower—and then cleaned them both up after fucking him against the tile wall, he realized Glen’s stomach was growling like no one’s business.

  He threw the man a towel as he hurriedly dried himself. “I’ve got steaks—grab whatever you need and meet me downstairs.”

  He pulled on jeans and a flannel shirt that he didn’t bother to button, went to the kitchen and pulled out the meat and some potatoes to grill. Found fresh green beans he’d gotten as well.

  Glen joined him in a pair of borrowed sweats, bare feet and chest.

  “I’ll throw them on the grill,” he told Derek, took the platter, shoved his feet into his boots and went out to start the grill in the cold. Derek watched him from the window, admiring the way the boy’s muscles flexed. Derek was no slouch, but Glen trained daily. He’d noted bruises on the boy that he hoped were from training and not real-life experience, although Derek knew better than to ask. Navy pilots were trained like they’d be dropped and left in enemy territory. Derek remembered similar training in the Marines.