man who had stripped in front of Alric, leaving him in boxers. He saw golden skin right there, within reach to touch and caress.
Alric felt like whimpering.
“Are you listening? Alric, hello?”
Alric’s eyes came back up to Cameron’s through sheer willpower. His mouth was dry, his breath coming a bit quick in his lungs. “What?”
Cameron watched him as if he knew very well what sort of perverted thoughts were going through Alric’s mind and seemed amused by it. “What do you think?”
“I’m afraid I lost the thread,” Alric admitted hoarsely. If Cameron didn’t put clothes back on, immediately, he was going to be flat on his back with a dragon on top of him.
“See!” Cameron exclaimed as if he’d just validated some point Cameron had been trying to make. “You don’t care about my scars at all! You still want me. I feel the same about you, okay?”
Those words penetrated the fog of lust. Alric blinked, clearing his vision, and looked Cameron over from head to foot once more. This time, he did focus on the imperfections but…well, what did they matter? Cameron was right, they had no bearing whatsoever on how Alric felt for him. All of that was skin deep and had nothing to do with the amazing man standing in front of him. The man he wanted rather desperately.
If Cameron felt the same way about it that he did, then indeed, what was there to be afraid of? Alric had always compared himself to what he had been, what he had lost. But Cameron didn’t know the Alric of five hundred years ago. He knew only the man he saw today. He saw him precisely as he was.
And wanted him, just like this.
The realization gave him courage. Alric didn’t question it, didn’t let doubts rob him of this moment. He stood and stripped off his shirt in one go, throwing it to the side. “Come here.”
“That’s the spirit!” Cameron cheered, a victorious fist punching the air. He bounced right into Alric’s arms, throwing both of his around Alric’s shoulders. Alric latched onto his waist and kissed him urgently, needing to taste him after that strip show. Cameron smiled a little as he kissed him, hands sweeping down Alric’s back in a warm caress. His touch didn’t falter, didn’t show any difference between damaged skin and good. Alric felt tears prick at his eyes as he realized all over again that Cameron truly did not care. All he wanted was Alric.
And Alric was perfectly alright with Cameron having all of him.
Those very capable hands dipped down, tracing and shaping Alric’s ass. Cameron’s mouth trailed down his jaw and neck, nipping at the skin lightly. “Yes or no?”
Many lovers had held the opinion that because Alric was so dominant in personality he wouldn’t care to be taken. It was an erroneous assumption. “I like it either way. Giving and taking is pleasurable to me. You’re welcome to take me tonight.”
Cameron’s smile turned a little more wicked, definitely hungrier. “Please and thank you.” Cameron took him by the hand, leading him toward the bed.
Alric followed, and for the first time in memory, he wasn’t nervous about following a lover to bed. He wasn’t shy under Cameron’s eyes or felt the need to arrange them so that Cameron couldn’t readily see his chest. If anything, Cameron’s greedy gaze left him feeling powerful and desired.
His lover crawled to the center of the bed and sat on his knees, hand extended toward Alric. With his own grin, Alric shoved down his pants and socks, stepping away from the pile and leaving himself open to Cameron’s perusal.
“Yes. All of that,” Cameron said huskily, waving his hand toward Alric’s entire body. “I want all of that now.”
They came together in a tangle of limbs and laughter, their hands exploring each other and finding sensitive spots. Skin rubbed against skin, lighting a hundred little fires across Alric’s body. Nothing had ever felt so perfect to him. Every touch, every gasp and laugh added a new bubble of joy to his blood.
Unable to comfortably lean on his left side, Alric sat up instead, straddling Cameron’s thighs. He wrapped the fingers of his right hand around Cameron’s straining cock and slowly stroked him. Cameron lay back, hands over his head while fingers dug deep into the pillow. Cameron watched him through slitted eyes, his damp lips parted on a broken gasp of pleasure. Tension seemed to hum through his lithe body, pulling muscles taut to the point of trembling.
“That’s