He’d never considered what his permanent boy dynamic would look like.
“Here we go, baby. Lie on your stomach.”
“Um. Do you think…? Is it okay if I take off my pants?” Braylin’s eyes widened. “Not because, you know, I’m trying to seduce you or anything. It’s only that with them pulled down the way they are, they’re kind of uncomfortable.”
Braylin could be zipped up in a snowsuit and Zen would still find him seductive. But he doubted the young man was ready yet for such a comment.
“No matter what, you need to be comfortable. I tell you what. I’ll grab one of my satin robes and you can wear that.” Zen pressed a kiss to a startled Braylin’s temple. “Feels nice on the skin. I’ll go get the cream while you put it on.”
When Zen returned with the arnica gel, he inhaled sharply. The sight of Braylin face-down on his bed wearing Zen’s short lavender robe, the bottom lifted to expose his red ass, was enough to make him lose all resolve. Say goodbye to patience and drill his boy into the mattress.
Zen blinked several times then took a deep breath. He needed to chill the fuck out. Braylin was worth waiting for and worth handing with care.
After sitting on the edge of the bed, he rested his hand on Braylin’s shoulder, grounding them together again. He didn’t think he’d taken Braylin far enough where Braylin had hit any kind of subspace this early in the game, but Braylin had that sort of drunken, blissed-out expression on his features. Zen imagined the combination of the rigorous touring schedule, stress and the spanking had brought him to this state.
“This will help a lot with the ache, plus help minimize the bruising.”
A slight crease marred Braylin’s forehead. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but how come you happen to have spanking cream with you on tour?”
Zen barked out a laugh. “No, I use lotion for that.” He continued chuckling, Braylin’s disapproving glare only making the hilarity carry on longer. “Oh baby, I’m not making fun, I swear.”
Braylin’s gaze darted away. “Yeah, you are. I know I’m totally green when it comes to pretty much everything to do with sex, or this other stuff.”
“Hey.” Zen encouraged Braylin to meet his eyes by tugging on his chin. Braylin turned his head, then went back to resting his cheek on his folded arms. “I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. I’m not sure if you realize how freakin’ adorable you are to me. Not in a making fun of sort of way, but in a holy Jesus I’m a lucky bastard way.”
Braylin narrowed his eyes at Zen, as if trying to work out whether he should go on being insulted or take Zen’s words as a compliment.
“I guess I’m being overly-sensitive about stuff right now. This whole experience, the tour and now us, has been mind-blowing and we still have a long way to go. Maybe I’m getting overwhelmed?”
“Baby, I’d be shocked if you weren’t.” Zen stroked Braylin’s head. “And there’s no such thing as overly-sensitive—especially now. You tell your Dom what’s going on inside, no matter what it is, and I’ll be there for you. Got it?”
Braylin’s lips quirked into a small smile. “Yeah.”
“Excellent.” Zen winked. “Now, to answer your question. If you’re wondering whether I was hoping to spank a bunch of fanboys on the road, the answer is nope. Not even. However, this gel is what I use for the aches and pains I get from my rather exuberant performances. It’s a great, natural way to ease pain.”
“Oh.” Braylin’s cheeks pinked. “See? I wasn’t being fair.”
“You’re fine, baby.” Zen smiled and began to rub the gel into Braylin’s bruised skin. He noted the slight wince Braylin made when his fingers made contact. “How are you doing?”
Braylin opened his mouth to speak then paused, his eyes widening a bit. “Ooh. That feels good, like cooling.”
Zen chuckled. “That’s what I was hoping to hear.”
The next few moments passed in silence as Zen caressed Braylin’s skin, keeping his touch more clinical than sexual. But man, what a bitch it was to have to wait. He knew they wouldn’t be like monks the whole tour, but if nothing else, Zen wanted to wait for them to make love when the pressures and stress of the tour were over.
During the break.
That would also give them a chance to figure out where they went next in their relationship. The end of the first leg of the tour was over