his sudden, harsh movement made me whimper, and I dropped my hand to my side. Inside my shorts, wetness trickled from the tip of my poor, hard shaft. It just made the leather glide across the sensitive head with every twitch of my cock.
Rex wasn’t satisfied with that. “Hands behind your back,” he ordered, his voice low and certain. He knew he’d be obeyed despite the discomfort of my arousal and my desperate need for freedom.
Fuck, Rex was cruel, and I loved it.
No, cried every instinct that turned away from pain and hungrily desired the shallow, immediate pleasure of getting what I wanted.
Yes, cried my need to be broken down and made into Rex’s very own. And, of course, that was the force that would win every time.
My breathing heavy, I managed to ignore my animal desires for long enough to clasp my hands behind my back. I groaned, keeping my thumb tight as a clamp around my other thumb. I poured all my resolve and will into that one simple action.
But Rex wasn’t going to reward me for as simple an act of subservience as that. I could tell in the appraising gaze he ran over me that this was a test.
Fuck, I wanted him to run more tests. I wanted to write into every cell of my body the memory of this impersonal, objective gaze. Like I was being evaluated.
And I wanted to be found wanting.
Isaac had taken all of our equipment—every buckle and clip—save this harness that barely contained my eagerness. I found myself hungry for the stretch of leather around my wrists, the pull against my taut muscles. Strung and helpless: that was the best way to be.
But I sensed already that Rex wouldn’t go that far tonight. This was psychological. He wanted to see if I could be an obedient boy. That didn’t mean I couldn’t surprise him. He ought to see what he was taking on.
So, still keeping my hands clasped firmly behind me, I sank to my knees in front of him. It was an awkward shudder to get those last few inches without my hands for balance, and I dropped heavily onto the ground.
The floor reverberated through my bones, punishingly hard. But I loved that he didn’t wince for me—instead, he smiled slightly. Giddy at the smallest sign of approval, that sweet intoxication flooded my veins.
I sank willingly into it, tipping my head back as I gazed up at him. I couldn’t keep the adoration and hope from my eyes. In this space where I lived now, there wasn’t room for games.
Just shameful honesty, my every desire laid bare.
“Will you be my Daddy?” I whispered. The seconds might as well have slowed to a crawl, my hands shivering against each other, my whole body tense.
One word—that was all that lay between me and bliss.
Despite all his bluster about being cruel, Rex showed the softness he didn’t seem to dare to admit. He answered instantly, rather than leave me to dangle in the wind and beg and plead.
“For tonight, yes.”
I waited, breath bated, but there were no provisos this time. No doors slammed on the deepening currents between us. No arbitrary rules about what I could beg for.
A night of freedom. And then, who knows?
My grin was pure joy, and Rex’s smile softened for a moment as he stepped closer—straddled my knees, his crotch just inches away. I salivated, forced to stare beyond his bulge to his face, trembling head to toe at the smooth heat of his legs against mine.
I wanted to grip his thighs and tilt my head back and let him use me, but I had no idea what he was planning. So I bit back the whimper and pressed my lips together.
Rex ran his hand through my hair, the touch soft. Almost affectionate, if not for the way he tightened his fingers—just for a moment—until my scalp prickled and my throat grew tight.
I made the slightest sound, choked from the back of my throat. But the moment it slipped out, Rex let go and my vision cleared as my body throbbed with disappointment.
More! I wanted to cry out. Now, Daddy. Please. Please!
But there was still something in the air between us—new and sharp and strange—which hadn’t settled yet. I didn’t quite dare.
Rex’s smooth palm slid across the close-cropped stubble of my cheek. I knew by touch what he was doing. He traced the laugh lines along the corners of my lips and swept a thumb over my ruddy cheeks.
For