last remnants of sleep’s haze began to recede, and Tackett stretched, his back protesting in the form of snaps and pops. Groaning at the twinge of pain along his spine, he rolled onto his side, his movement halted by a warm, smooth body. Tackett opened his eyes, blinking to adjust to the bright light filtering through the slats of the wooden blinds. A smile curled his lips when he finally focused on a chestnut mess of curls peeking out from beneath the white coverlet.
For the first time since he’d fallen into the blue funk triggered by his last birthday, Tackett woke feeling invigorated and sated. His muscles might be complaining about his marathon bang session the night before, his balls aching from cumming so much, but Tackett couldn’t find a single thing to regret.
He threw an arm and one leg over Micah’s sleeping form and pulled him close; he was pretty sure he could go again. A snuffling noise escaped Micah, and Tackett moved in closer still. He ran a soothing hand across Micah’s back, caressing as Micah shifted, wiggling a bit as he cuddled into Tackett’s heat, sighing when he found a comfortable spot and stilling once again.
Tackett ignored his budding arousal, content to enjoy Micah’s warm breath against his chest and the way the smaller man felt against him. It was a luxury he rarely allowed himself with his bed partners.
Christ, he must be getting old and soft.
Careful not to disturb Micah, Tackett gently pulled the covers down, exposing Micah’s face. His mass of curls fanned out around his head, a single curl lying across his closed eyes. In slumber, Micah looked even younger than his twenty-five years. His smooth face not yet marred by the passage of time. No crow’s feet or furrowed brow lines. His dark lashes delicate against his suntanned skin. Looking at him now, appearing to be so young and sweet, it was hard to recognize the cocky sub who was a wild man in bed.
Tackett carefully brushed the wayward curl from Micah’s eye. He liked both sides of Micah. A lot. Probably more than he was willing to admit to himself.
“Good morning,” Micah said, his eyes still closed.
Tackett couldn’t resist the urge. He pressed his lips to Micah’s forehead, kissing the soft skin there. “’Morning.”
Micah hummed, blinking until his baby blues focused on Tackett, and smiled. “What time is it?” he asked, then yawned and stretched, dislodging the covers to expose more of his lean body. The gold rings in his nipples caught the light. Tackett’d been fascinated with those little bits of metal, tugging and pulling them with his teeth and tongue. He’d enjoyed the way Micah had arched when Tackett twisted them.
Forcing himself to look away, Tackett checked the digital clock behind him. Damn, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept this late. “It’s just a little after ten. Do you have to work today?”
“Nope, you?”
“I’m….” Tackett started to say he was retired, and while it was sort of true since he’d done little more than attend a couple of board meetings in the last year, leaving the running of his business to his assistant, attorney, and accountant, retirement made him sound old. He settled on “I’ve taken on more of an executive role.”
“Wow! Must be great to be able to retire at your age. With what I make, I’ll be working till I’m ninety-two. I’ll be one of those dirty old men, slinging suds and shaking my wrinkled old butt.”
Damn, Micah was a little flighty, but that mind was sharp. Tackett doubted the man missed much.
“We should so totally hang out today,” Micah continued, doing a oneeighty, the previous comment forgotten. His expression turned sultry as he brushed the tip of his index finger across Tackett’s chest, swirling around his left nipple. “Maybe replay a few of the finer events from last night?”
“Which—”
“But first food. I’m hungry.” He ran a hand through his mussed curls. “And a shower. Someone came in my hair last night.” His nose wrinkled. “And in my ear.” Micah scratched at his ear as he looked down at himself. “Definitely need a shower.” He chuckled, and then gave Tackett a playful grin. “I’m a cumcovered pup.”
There was the sure-of-himself man he’d come to know, with his crazy disjointed thoughts. Tackett threw off the covers. “Alright, c’mon, my little crusty cum pup. Shower, breakfast, and then if you’re good, I just might let you get crusty again.”
“Yay!” Micah exclaimed excitedly and followed Tackett to the master bathroom.
Tackett shook his head. Damn, he was going to have to pick up a box of Wheaties, maybe some multivitamins, and wash them down with a couple energy drinks to have any chance of keeping up with Micah’s energy and enthusiasm.
It took the hot water spraying from the multiple showerheads and Tackett’s soapy hands lathering up the younger man’s back before Micah finally slowed down. He’d rambled on about the size of the bathroom, the fixtures, the color, the shower—making it difficult for Tackett to keep the conversation straight. Finally giving up and manhandling Micah into the shower stall, Tackett had shoved his head under one of the overhead spouts. Maybe now he could get a word in edgewise.
“When’s the last time you had a Dom?”
“What? You saying I need one?”
“You’re sorely in need of one, pup.” He popped Micah’s ass and added, “Now answer the question.”
“Ooh. Do that again,” Micah replied and wiggled his ass.
“Micah?” Tackett added a little snap to his voice, letting the man know he was serious.
He responded beautifully by instantly stilling and dropping his head. Interesting.
“I’ve never been owned, if that’s what you’re asking. I’ve played with a lot of Doms but the longest contract was three months.”
“Any of the Doms from Folsom?”
Micah shook his head. “No, you’re the first. The first one I’ve wanted since I left the Whip.”
Luckily, Micah had his back to him and didn’t see the prideful grin that crossed Tackett’s face. Another little stroke to his ego. “What happened at the end of the three months? How come you didn’t stay?”
“Master Lucas was great. The sex was scorching hot, but he wasn’t what I needed.”
Tackett grabbed the bottle of shampoo and poured a generous amount into his palm. “What was it you needed he couldn’t provide?” he asked curiously.
Micah moaned when Tackett started to work the shampoo into his hair. “Mmm, that feels good.”
“Focus, pup.”
“Sorry. Umm…. Master Lucas wasn’t really looking for a true submissive outside the bedroom. It was more of a game to him, a tool he used to get his rocks off, if you will. We’re still friends. He even calls me once in a while to get ideas for scenes or to suggest a playmate.”
Tackett continued to massage Micah’s head beneath the stream of water until all the suds were rinsed away. “My turn.”
“Aww, I was enjoying that.” Micah turned, a slight pout on his full lips that changed to a grin when Tackett handed him a bar of soap. He took it as his gaze roamed leisurely down Tackett’s body. “Though I think I may like this even more.”
“As will I.”
Tackett widened his stance as Micah ran the soap over his chest, following the path with his other hand. Tackett’s flesh tingled with the touch. Normally he’d have closed his eyes and luxuriated in having someone wash him, but Micah intrigued him, had his interest piqued, and he wanted to know more about the man.
“What was it outside the bedroom that Lucas couldn’t give you?”
“I have this theory,” Micah said without looking up, intent on his work. “A Dominant needs to feel needed, while a submissive needs to feel wanted. I needed Lucas, but he didn’t make me feel wanted beyond a scene or sex.”
“One needs the other to be complete.”
“Exactly! I find most Doms are willing to be everything a sub needs only when it serves their purpose. It’s hard to find a Dom that understands what someone like me needs.”
Micah moved down Tackett’s left leg, gently lifting one foot and washing it before moving to the other. Tackett’s cock began to fill at the sight of this beautiful, naked man on his knees before him. Tackett stroked the damp curls on Micah’s head. The man, such a sensualist, moaned at the simple praise of touch.
“And what is it you need, Micah?” His voice was soft, his protective nature coming to the surface.
Micah looked up from under his thick lashes, blue eyes shining, and met his gaze, hands still moving on Tackett’s thigh, up to his groin, skimming around the base of his cock without touching it.
“I need to be wanted just as much outside the bedroom, sir. When I’m left alone to my own devices, I tend to act on whatever crazy thought pops in my head without thinking it through first.” He ran one soap-slick finger down Tackett’s rapidly hardening cock, causing him to shiver. Micah stood up and kissed the side of Tackett’s neck, licking at the water droplets. “I then move on to the next thought.” Micah pinched Tackett’s nipple, causing him to gasp. “Then the next. You can imagine how hard it is for me to get anything accomplished with the way my mind works.”
This kid was going to drive him out of his mind, crazy with lust. Tackett was a little concerned he was unable to control himself around Micah; not a good state for a Dom to be in. Maybe the scatterbraininess was contagious since whenever he was near Micah all he could think about was bending him over, fucking him, touching, kissing, holding. There were also those fleeting ideas that kept popping in to mingle with the naughty ones. Protect. Own. Mine. Submit to me. Those were the ones that scared the shit out of Tackett and were so foreign. Never once had those thoughts crossed his mind with any other boy. The unsettling reality of it was enough to make Tackett crawl up out of the haze of lust.
Tackett grabbed Micah’s wrist before he could pinch the other nub and shoved it back down to his cock. “We’ll discuss what you need, boy, once you’ve finished what you started.”
What the hell?
That wasn’t what he’d planned to say. Tackett held back the groan that threatened due not only to the soft palm wrapped around his dick, but also his inability to control himself and his words.
Micah began pumping his cock from base to tip, his other hand gently soaping up his sac. Tackett wanted nothing more than to push the man to his knees and fill that pretty little mouth. Or maybe spin him around, slam him up against the tile wall, and take his pleasure in that perfect, tight ass.
He did neither; he didn’t trust he could keep a grip on his control. With the way he was feeling, he’d probably fuck the man straight through the wall. Instead, he cupped Micah’s chin, forcing him to look at him.
“Are you purposely trying to be naughty?”
Micah’s movements halted. “No, sir.”
“I think you are.”
“No, honest. See, you were asking me about Master Lucas, and I started thinking about what I needed. My first thought was breakfast because my stomach started to growl, but then I was touching you and I realized I’d rather do that than eat. But what if the water started to turn cold? That would suck, so I figured we’d better hurry up and get to the fun stuff and that’s why I touched your dick. I was going to try and seduce you into a little lovin’, so I kissed your neck and was going to move up when I remembered I haven’t brushed my teeth yet. I have no idea why I pinched your nipple other than it caught my eye.” Micah huffed. “I guess that one was because I was being naughty.”
“Good God. You thought about all that in, what, thirty seconds?”
“I told you.” Micah knocked his knuckles against the side of his head. “It’s a little rattled in there.”
Another huge understatement. Micah, as a sub, would be exhausting, infuriating, and one hell of a challenge. One he was beginning to think he might enjoy taking on.
“Okay, let’s finish washing up, we’ll feed you, get your teeth brushed, get you off.”
“Oh—”
“Ah. No more talking.” He kissed Micah’s nose, then released his chin and handed him the shampoo bottle. “Let’s get the other distractions out of the way first, hmm?”
Micah snorted and took the bottle. “Yes, sir.”
had been prepared to impress Tackett with his cooking abilities, but when he’d searched the cupboards and refrigerator, they were empty except for a few cans of soup, condiments, and expired milk.
“You know. The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Guess the path to yours has a major roadblock going on. What the hell did you plan on feeding me?”
Tackett pushed him out of the way, opened a drawer behind him, and pulled out a bag of everything bagels. “Here. Grab the toaster. It’s in the cabinet there.” He pointed to the corner. “There’s also some fresh fruit on the table. I’ll make coffee.”
“Bagels, banana, and coffee? That’s what you plan on feeding me to replenish the energy I spent last night?” he grumbled. Still it was better than nothing, and he pulled the toaster from the appliance garage and plugged it in.
“I don’t normally eat at home. There’s a restaurant downstairs if you’d rather?”
Micah glanced at Tackett. He was standing at the counter, adding grinds to the coffeemaker in nothing but a pair of black silk boxers, his hair still damp and skin flushed from the hot shower. Micah swallowed down the saliva that pooled in his mouth at the delicious sight. “Will they let you in there wearing that?”
Tackett looked down himself and chuckled. “Um, no. I’m pretty sure they have a shirt and shoes policy.”
Tackett halted what he was doing, taking in the sight of Micah’s body. Micah had borrowed a pair of Tackett’s old sweatpants, and the size difference made them loose, his lean hips barely wide enough to keep them up. Tackett’s gaze was predatory, and Micah added to the lust by swinging his hips, his halfhard erection swaying against the soft cotton material.