Hearts Collide

by Masters, Ellie

  “Penny for your thoughts, pixie?”

  She glanced at the timer. “I’ll tell you in twenty-nine minutes.”

  His erection tented his sweats and he shifted to adjust. “Shit, you’re fucking killing me here. Stop doing that.”

  “Doing what?”

  “Looking at me like that.”

  “Like how?”

  She enjoyed parroting back what he said, because it irritated him. Or had. A few days ago, steam would’ve been spilling out of his ears and shooting out the top of his head. Now, a devilish smile filled his expression instead.

  “You’re definitely going to regret teasing me, pixie.”

  “This is my time. I’m in charge. You can’t punish me for what happens during my time.”

  “I’m fucking hard as a rock. My dick is throbbing and it’s all your fault. You’re most definitely paying for that.”

  “That’s not fair.”

  “Luv, there’s little that’s fair between a Dom and sub. I’m in charge. You’re not. It’s inherently unfair. That’s why it’s so fucking exciting.”

  “You’re not doing your exercises. You promised…”

  He slapped his hand back on the table and lifted his fingers according to the lights flashing on the box. “Satisfied?”

  “Hm, I think so.”

  He reached under the elastic of his sweats and fisted his cock. “You’re driving me insane, luv. I don’t think I’m gonna last.”

  She glanced at the box. “How about an incentive?”

  His eyes narrowed and he pulled his hand out. “Like what?”

  “Well, I was going to switch out the exercises.” She had something planned to work the major muscle groups of his injured arm, but he needed more work on improving the dexterity of his fingers.

  “I’m all ears.”

  “Well, how about we make a trade?”

  “Such as?”

  Bent had hinted at punishments and spanking more than once, but hadn’t yet tossed her over his knee and gone through with one. While she wasn’t against the concept, she hadn’t fully warmed up to the idea. It seemed odd for a grown man to spank a grown woman. Even weirder, she didn’t understand why the concept excited her the way it did. Still uncertain about the roles they were exploring, she wasn’t ready to rush headlong into a punishment and determined to push that off as long as possible.

  “You going to stare at my dick all day, or tell me what you’re thinking?” He lifted his knee, grabbing her attention with the movement.

  “Sorry.”

  She shifted back and looked up, acutely aware of her position on her knees and what that could mean. During their marathon sex over the past two days, there had been one thing she hadn’t yet indulged, because Bent had taken the lead in everything they’d done. Maybe he was waiting for something before putting her to task. Or maybe, he’d simply been too focused on bringing her pleasure. Maybe she was supposed to ask? Things remained very cloudy in her mind as to how everything was supposed to work.

  “If you don’t stop licking your lips and staring at my dick, you’re going to have me breaking my word here any second as I fuck that pretty mouth.”

  “Well, that’s kind of what I was thinking…”

  “About sucking my dick?” He spread his legs and yanked down the band of his sweats. “Fuck yeah, I’m all for that. Not very professional though, Miss Physical Therapist.”

  “I think we’ve pretty much thrown professional out the window, but I still have twenty-six minutes of being in charge.”

  “Don’t get too used to it, and I’ll warn you not to abuse it.”

  “Oh, that’s not my intent. I’m not a switch. I’m pretty happy with my place, but I was thinking I could incentivize you.”

  “And I believe I said I was listening.”

  “How about you finally let me…” She gestured to his dick.

  “Suck my dick? I’m not saying no to that.” His eyes crinkled. “But I do want to hear you say it.”

  She shook her head. “You’ve got dibs on the filthy mouth.”

  “You’ll say it if I tell you too.”

  “In twenty-five minutes, if you want me to say it, I will. Until then, as long as you’re doing the exercise, I’ll give you a blow job.”

  He shifted and pulled his sweats over his hips, freeing his cock. His gloriously erect member bobbed between his legs.

  “You’ll say blow job but not dick?”

  He scooted back and helped her to settle between his legs.

  “I can’t see if you’re actually working while I’m…”

  “Sucking my dick?” His low laugh made her smile. “Don’t worry. I’m not a cheater, but if you stop…”

  “You can take a break.” She glanced up at him, loving the way his eyes darkened with his arousal.

  “Pixie, I can say with absolute certainty you won’t be stopping until I’ve blown my load.”

  “We’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we, Sir?”

  His breath caught and he pinched her chin, leaning down to brush his lips against hers. “I fucking love hearing that.”

  She kind of liked saying it too. Not because it meant that much to her, but because of the reaction it instilled in him. Lust blew out his pupils, and his deep voice turned gravelly and even more raw.

  “May I?” She reached for his cock, but didn’t touch until Bent gave his permission.

  She took him in her hand first, needing to feel his girth and slide her hand along his length. Velvet skin covered a core of steel and she marveled at every powerful inch of him. This was the first time she’d really had a chance to study him, and she wasn’t going to waste a second. She didn’t think he’d let her.

  “You’re killing me, pixie,” he said through clenched teeth. “Put it in your mouth.”

  “I’m enjoying myself,” she replied, “and I do believe you have something you need to be doing.”

  She obliged his request and licked the length of him, enjoying his sharp intake of breath. While she settled to a more comfortable position, Bent tapped his fingers on the table, presumably following the direction of the box with the lights.

  A Glove

  Piper

  True to his word, Bent allowed Piper control during therapy. For the rest of the day, she was blissfully at his mercy.

  Their days began in a tangle of limbs and ended the same. They spent most of their time in Bent’s rooms, but she convinced him to let her surface for fresh air for a few hours a day. Her biggest fear was in spending too much time together. Perhaps he sensed her unease, because he gave her space in the hours between the morning session and lunch. She used that time for housekeeping duties, returning to her small apartment, working out, and getting her laundry done. The rest of the day belonged solely to him.

  She also needed time to work with Forest without Bent present. Several times, she considered telling Bent what she and Forest planned with the specialized VR glove but Forest convinced her it would be best if Bent didn’t know. The entire point was to slowly turn down the assistance the glove provided Bent as his hand rehabilitated, and then to increase resistance to help him regain strength and dexterity.

  At noon, she and Bent reconnected, exploring each other’s bodies, and sharing more about their lives, their hopes, and their dreams. She shied away from details of her past. Bent noticed her hesitation and respected her boundaries. He respected all her boundaries, surprising her with the tenderness he displayed. The growly bear she had known from before turned into a lovable wonder of a man.

  After two weeks, the time came to return to the VR world. Forest planned on joining them for lunch poolside and had brought all his gear outside. The dry California air, and perpetually perfect weather, allowed him to be outside most days.

  She sat with Forest, waiting for Bent’s arrival, and held the new and improved glove in her hand. She slipped it on and admired the engineering behind the pistons, rods, and gears.

  “How do you do this?” She
flexed her fingers and marveled at what Forest had made.

  “The glove?” Forest sat at a table full of computer gear with his back to her.

  “The glove. The computer stuff. Running a multi-billion dollar empire. How do you do it all?”

  He spun around. “Computers are easier to deal with than people. I prefer their company, honestly. Companies are really not much different from a computer. They’re just pieces and parts that fit together. I grew up with computers as my best friends. In between… sessions they kept me sane.” His features darkened with memories Piper knew all too well.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to dredge up the past.”

  “It’s okay. It helps to talk about it with someone who understands.” His gaze softened.

  Her past had been horrible, but nothing compared to what Forest and Skye had endured.

  “I never had anything to escape into,” she said. “I mean, I had Paul…” Her chest seized thinking of her brother. “Do you think it’s possible to find him?”

  “We’ll find him,” Forest asserted.

  “I know.” She had to believe in Forest. She had nothing else. “I guess, I just find it remarkable how much you know and how resourceful and capable you are.”

  “Well, let’s just say computers were a good way to escape the other stuff. I was the scrawny, geeky, awkward kid who made a perfect target for the bullies. I hid in the computer lab.”

  A large man, Forest towered over all others. Most people referred to him as a Norse god or a Viking king, but that had not been the case for him growing up. Unlike Bent who had always been the biggest kid in class, Forest had matured late compared to his peers. He’d been the smallest and frailest boy in school. His voice hadn’t deepened until late, and his muscles hadn’t developed until after high school. On top of that, Forest had been, and to some degree still was, handicapped by Asperger Syndrome, the high functioning side of the autism spectrum disorder. Simply put, Forest had quirks. To him, people were little more than objects to be used and manipulated, unless he’d brought them into his little circle. She was fortunate to be one of the very few around whom Forest let down his walls.

  As a man, he still struggled with Asperger Syndrome, but had studied how to interact with people. There were many similarities between Forest and Bent, but there were also tremendous differences. That was perhaps the biggest. Bent drew crowds. He radiated confidence. Good looking, self-assured, he commanded a room with his smile, his laughs, and had perfected his celebrity status.

  Wait staff arrived, bringing platters of food covered with dome lids.

  “Are one of those chili mac?” She’d heard about Forest’s newfound love for chili mac after the Angel Fire USO tour in Afghanistan.

  “You bet.”

  “Please tell me it’s not all chili mac. You know Bent hates the stuff.”

  Forest pointed to the other two dishes. “Salad and tuna fish for you, and steak and potatoes for Lover Boy.”

  “You know he hates that nickname.”

  “Why do you think I use it?”

  “Because you’re a horrible man?”

  “If he can’t handle a little teasing, then he doesn’t deserve you. Speaking of…how are things between you two?”

  “Good.”

  “Just good?”

  “Better than good.” She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her shins.

  “He’s not forcing you to do anything you don’t want to do, right? You guys are talking things through?”

  She gave a tight nod. Forest fulfilled his overprotective brother role exceptionally well, and she reminded herself how she must have looked when she’d run to him after the whole hallway choking incident with Bent.

  “We are. We’ve talked about everything.”

  “You know you can come to me, if you need an ear.”

  Not shy about sex, Forest had shared his experiences with BDSM. Unlike her, he was what they called a switch, and had offered to answer questions when he realized Bent was introducing her to the lifestyle.

  “I know, but I’m good.”

  Talking about sex with Forest might not bother Forest, but it made her insides squirm. It was bad enough Bent forced her to be brutally honest about what seemed to be everything, but add Forest into that mix? It wasn’t something she wanted to consider.

  “What the fuck is he doing here?” Bent’s bellow had her snapping her head up.

  A smile lit her face with the arrival of the man who had pretty much turned her entire world upside down. She hoped that tiny thrill in her belly never went away. She unfolded her legs and rose to meet him.

  “Hey, there, Mr. Growly Bear.”

  He tucked her into his sheltering presence and kissed the top of her head. A low rumble of irritation vibrated deep in his chest.

  “Hey there yourself, pixie.”

  She used to hate it when he called her that. Like the nicknames Forest used, that nickname had grated on her nerves. That had all changed. Now when Bent used that name, it meant something more. It hinted at their connection, his dominance, her submission. Their roles were bounded in that name. No longer annoying and irritating, she craved the tender affection pixie implied. At least when Bent used it to reaffirm his place as her dominant.

  “You’re late.” She gave a tight squeeze and then pulled back enough to stare up at him.

  “Sorry. Ash stopped by for a run. Asshole turned it into a race. Next I knew, five miles became ten. I wanted to shower before meeting you.”

  “I still get the full sixty-minutes though, right?”

  “My word is my bond, pixie. Why are we meeting here? And why is Forest here?”

  She lifted on tiptoe, but still had to stretch to kiss the tip of his chin. “Therapy is in VR today.”

  “Ah!” His brows twitched. “More fake concert stuff?”

  “You wish,” Forest said with a low grumble.

  Rumbles. Grumbles. And growls. The two men needed to increase their repertoire of nonverbal communication.

  “Not the stage.” Her excitement lifted the corners of her lips and filled her cheeks. “We’re going on an adventure.”

  “A what the what?” Bent arched a brow and ruffled her hair.

  Forest peeled the specialized glove off Piper’s hand and gave it to Bent.

  “I’ve got a few kinks to work out on the concert, but Piper had an intriguing idea.”

  “This looks different.” Bent examined the glove, taking note of the refinements Forest had built into it since the last time Bent had used it.

  “I’m always tinkering, Lover Boy. Get used to it.”

  Bent slid the glove on to his right hand and flexed the robotic contraption.

  “Feels the same.”

  “Good.” Forest said with a grunt. “The point is to have you not thinking about it.” He pivoted and returned to his table which was piled full of computer equipment and other stuff.

  Piper had tried asking what it was all for, but hadn’t made it two minutes before Forest had her hopelessly lost. He returned with a standard set of gloves for her and two VR headsets.

  “Aren’t you joining us?” She tilted her head, confused.

  “I was, but you know what they say, three’s a crowd.”

  “But I have no idea what to do in there.”

  “That’s perfect. Neither does Lover Boy. It’ll make it more real, and besides, I’m like the dungeon monitor. I gotta make shit real for you two.”

  “What the fuck?” Bent grabbed the VR headset from Forest. “We’re playing Dungeons and Dragons?” He turned his attention to Piper. “What kind of fucked up physical therapy is this? I know what I said about handing over control…” His gaze cut to Forest and his words stopped while he looked between Piper and Forest. Then he shook his head. “I’m just going to assume Forest is in the know about the details of our relationship.”

  “The man is a fucking rocket scientist!” Forest bellowed.

  “Bent…” Piper laid a
hand on Bent’s arm, “I’m sorry, but…”

  He shook his head. “I should be pissed that you’d talk about that with him, but honestly, I don’t mind.”

  “You don’t?” She rubbed at her ears, because she had to have heard that wrong.

  “Forest knows his kink. I’d prefer it was a girl, but considering Forest bats for the other team—”

  “You calling me girly?” Forest puffed out his chest.

  “Fuck you,” Bent said. “I’m not calling you shit. I’m just saying you’ve kind of played both sides, and Piper doesn’t have any female friends she can talk to. Just maybe don’t get too graphic? Got it, Piper?”

  “Loud and clear, Mr. Growly Bear.”

  Forest snorted. “And you’re concerned about me calling him Lover Boy? You two are officially too sweet for me.” He returned to his table and called over his shoulder. “You want to tell him what you have planned?”

  “Yeah,” Bent said, “what the fuck are we doing?”

  She rolled her lower lip between her teeth. “Well, I was thinking about what we could and couldn’t do, and what Forest is working on. He needs people to test out his tech, and I need a way to get you working on your hand. I saw what you did with the guitar last time in VR, but we don’t just need to focus on playing guitar. Fine motor movements for your hand are something we’ll work on in VR. For the larger muscles of your arm, I have another idea.”

  “Okay…” Bent didn’t look convinced, but he was curious.

  “Forest was telling me about this game he’s building. It’s an adventure RPG—”

  “RPG?”

  “Role playing game.” She slid on her gloves. “All the basic commands are driven by our hands. He has a training simulation that will show us what to do.”

  “And you’ve done this?”