Adam took a deep breath. “I’d like that. Let me know when you’re thinking of coming.” The idea of Seth staying in the house wasn’t an unpleasant one.
If he’d said as much a month ago, I’d probably have ended the call.
Seth chuckled. “That’s me knocking on your front door. Well, maybe notthatfast. But you’re aroused my curiosity. I want to meet this Paul.”
What flickered through Adam’s mind was the idea that Seth could tell Adam what Paul looked like.
Paul was jittery as hell.
As the afternoon had worn on, he’d become accustomed to the plug, to the feeling of fullness. Every now and then, however, he’d move sharply, and the plug would jostle against hisprostate, sending shockwaves through his body. The inclination to call Adam every foul name under the sun soon passed: Paul had chosen it, after all. He had no one to blame but himself.
Yeah, but Adam didn’t stop me, the sod.
Not that Adam had been the least bit bothered about Paul’s predicament.He’dspent the afternoon on his laptop, trying to come to grips with his new software. Paul had kept him supplied with coffee and snacks, doing his best to be as unobtrusive as possible: judging by the swearing and frequent sighs of exasperation, Adam didn’t find it easy. Paul didn’t doubt for a second that Adam would master it.
Adam was a fighter. That much was becoming evident.
The jitters began while he was preparing dinner. Focusing on where the knife was going while his head was filled with dark, sensual images was not the easiest task. His skin prickled each time he wondered what was going to happen. Would Adam want to play straight after dinner? Paul had a sneaking suspicionhewas going to be the dessert. His choice of toys seemed to have pleased Adam, and the nipple clamps and cock ring didn’t strike him as too extreme. The thought of his wrists bound in those cuffs sent a shiver through him, however.
I can cope with them.
He hoped.
Adam sat back from the desk, tugging the headphones off with a growl. The synthetic voice of the screen reader still echoed in his ears, metallic and unrelenting. He’d spent hours forcing himselfthrough the tutorials, trying to wrestle his thoughts into words again. But the truth was, his mind hadn’t been in it.
Not really.
His hand found the cane resting against the desk, his fingers curling around it. The faintest tremor ran through him, not from fatigue this time but anticipation.
Paul.
The thought of him waiting for Adam, his body primed by hours of secret preparation, tightened Adam’s chest. He hadn’t thought he would ever do this again, not since the darkness had swallowed his sight. He’d convinced himself it was impossible. Dangerous, even. He couldn’t see the cues, couldn’t watch for the subtle flicker of tension, the warning flush of skin.
But Paul wanted this. And Adam had said yes.
The air in the study felt charged, restless. His pulse was too quick, his palms damp. He tried to steady his breathing, but excitement fizzed through him like champagne bubbles, refusing to be contained. Never mind Paul—hewanted this too. The control, the intimacy, theclaimingof it. The part of himself he thought had been locked away forever was stirring again, stretching, alive.
And yet, beneath the exhilaration, a thread of fear coiled tight.
What if I misjudge the situation?
What if I push too far?
What if the man who had trusted him enough to prepare all day for this, discovered Adam wasn’t the Dom he once was, but a broken imitation stumbling in the dark?
His hand clenched tighter around the cane.
Fuck it.
Doubt had already stolen enough from him. This—this was his. His to reclaim, his to adapt, his to fight for.
Adam rose, his muscles taut with determination, and turned toward the door. The cane tapped out a steady rhythm on the floor as he headed for the library, every step measured but unhurried.
He was going to do this. He was going to take back what he thought was gone.
And the thrill of it was intoxicating.
Throughout dinner he wanted to rush through the meal, but Adam took his time, praising the red wine sauce Paul had created to go with the beef dish. It always warmed him inside when Adam appreciated his efforts. When Adam had mentioned his tutor at Torquay had tried to guide him through basic cooking, it had given Paul an idea. He’d need to see if Adam was receptive and it would require careful planning, but yeah, it was doable.
