Payne slid the ice down the length of Hunter’s back slowly, pausing at each bump along his spine to circle the cube in one spot for several seconds. The cold numbed his skin, but that only made it more intense when Payne moved downward. Cool droplets trickled down his spine, and Hunter shivered, not from the cold, but from the sensation.
Payne lifted the cube away from Hunter’s back and pressed it into the slight bend of Hunter’s inner elbow, and he held it there.
“Oh…” Hunter hadn’t anticipated the change, and it make the cold feel all the more acute.
“How does it feel?” Payne asked as he slid the cube down the sensitive underside of Hunter’s arm. “Do you like it? Not like it? Feel indifferent to it?”
“I like it,” Hunter said. “It feels good.”
Only the stirring of air around him alerted Hunter that Payne had moved away, and he couldn’t hear anything to give him a clue about where Payne was until he caught the faint clink of ice against ice. Whoever had trained Payne in stealth had done an excellent job.
And then without warning, Payne began circling a thick cube of ice around Hunter’s nipple.
Hunter gave a start of surprise, as much from the fact he hadn’t detected Payne as from the cold against his sensitive skin. “Remind me never to play hide and seek with you,” he said, then gave himself over to just feeling what Payne was doing to him.
“Anticipation is part of my game,” Payne said, trailing the cube down to Hunter’s stomach and making his abdominal muscles quiver.
“Mm.” Hunter closed his eyes, even though he was blindfolded, the better to concentrate on the movement of the ice. His line of work gave him the ability to narrow his attention down to a minute focus, and he used it now, not thinking about where they were or what Payne was going to do next, living in the moment as though he were in the field.
Payne drew a line with the ice from Hunter’s navel to his chin, and then he traced the shell of Hunter’s ear lightly and let the ice come to rest over Hunter’s pulse point.
Hunter became aware of the beating of his heart, slow and steady where the ice drew his attention to it. He felt as though he was drifting, a different experience than when he was in the field and focused on a task. In that situation, he was always aware of what he had todo, while now he only had to be. He sank inside the moment, feeling a peace he’d never experienced before.
“That’s it,” Payne murmured, his voice low and soothing as he continued to trace patterns on Hunter’s skin with the ice. “You’re doing so well.”
Forming words seemed like too much effort, but Hunter gave a hum of acknowledgement, a small smile curving his lips at the praise. His whole body felt warm and weightless except for where the ice touched it. If this was staring into the abyss, then Hunter liked it, and he didn’t want it to end.
Payne began massaging Hunter’s back and shoulders with cold, damp hands, and he smoothed his palms tenderly over Hunter’s skin. Every so often, he removed his hands, and when he touched Hunter again, they were colder than before.
The massage felt good, and it was different from the ice, allowing Hunter to expand his awareness back outward. Payne’s hands were cold, but Hunter could feel the heat radiating from Payne’s body, reminding him how close Payne was to him. Payne wrapped his arms around Hunter’s broad chest and pressed against his back, and he teased Hunter’s nipples with his chilly fingers.
As Payne’s body touched his, Hunter’s feeling of weightlessness went away, but it was replaced with awareness. As Payne teased his nipples, Hunter moaned softly, his cock beginning to harden again as his arousal grew. Payne trailed his fingertips lightly along Hunter’s inner thigh, coming close to, but not touching his cock.
“Feels good,” Hunter murmured, the teasing touch sending his arousal even higher. “I need more…”
Payne flicked Hunter’s thigh hard enough to sting. “I need more what?”
For a moment Hunter was confused, before he remembered where he was. “I need more, sir,” he moaned. He’d say anything at this point, if it meant Payne would touch him.
“Good.” Payne pressed a kiss on Hunter’s shoulder, and then he slid his hand up Hunter’s thigh to cup his balls, kneading gently. “More like this?”
Hunter gasped, the intensity of the sensation fanning the spark of desire into a roaring blaze. It had been so long, and his cock suddenly felt so hard, it was almost painful. “Yes, sir! Like that!”
Payne mouthed kisses along the side of Hunter’s neck and then bit his earlobe. “Are you ready for me to fuck you?”
“Yes, sir! Please!” Hunter arched back against Payne, wanting more contact. He ached with a need only Payne could satisfy. “I need you to fuck me.”
Payne unfastened the cuffs binding Hunter’s wrists, and then he eased off the blindfold. “Then come with me to bed,” he said as he rose to his feet and moved to stand in front of Hunter, offering a steadying hand.
Hunter blinked at the return of sight, but then he smiled as he gazed up at Payne. He accepted Payne’s hand, rising to his feet, surprised to find he felt a bit wobbly. “Whoa…”
Snaking his free arm around Hunter’s waist, Payne pushed himself under Hunter’s arm to help him stabilize. “That’s normal,” he said. “You started going under, so you might be a little unsteady at first. We’ll take it slow.”
“Sounds like a good idea,” Hunter said, gratefully wrapping one arm around Payne, letting Payne steady him. “It was more intense than I expected.”
“And we didn’t even get to the glove,” Payne said, chuckling.
Keeping his arm securely around Hunter’s waist, he led Hunter to the master bedroom, which had a king size sleigh bed with a plain navy-blue comforter and pillow shams. The dresser and nightstands on either side of the bed were mahogany like the bed, and the floors were hardwood with a couple of thick blue throw rugs. On the dresser were a couple of framed photos and a few knick-knacks that looked like items Payne had picked up during his travels.
