A shiver ran down Owen’s spine, and Crawford allowed his fingers to run from the leather of Owen’s collar along the ridge of his jaw. Their noses brushedtogether.
“Whether you kiss me or not will determine the path you choose to follow,” Crawford whispered against Owen’s lips. “I will never force your hand. You are the one with all of the power. I am simply here to guide you, Owen—to give you the choice to obey. Whether you listen or not is not in myhands.”
A moment passed. The beating of Crawford’s heart matched the beat of the bass below. The atmosphere between them thickened with arousal, and Crawford was convinced that it wasn’t justhisown.
And when at last Owen kissed him, lips far bolder than his body language suggested he was capable of, Crawford knew he wasright.
Crawford let Owen lead the kiss for a few seconds before his hand tightened around the back of Owen’s neck and assumed control. Owen had made his choiceclear.
From now on, choice would always be Owen’s to make, but Crawford would be the one to provide him with his options… and the one to dole out the consequences that went alongwiththem.
8
Owen
Crawford’s lips were soft,but his touch was firm, and the dynamic drew Owen in and refused to let him go. He succumbed to Crawford as he took control of the kiss, parting his lips when Crawford’s mouth demanded he do it. Owen’s tongue rose timidly to caress the length of Crawford’s as it invaded his mouth, and Owen mewled against it like he was sixteen and going through his very first heat all overagain.
Heneededthis. He hadn’t realized how deeply he did until that moment, but now that Crawford was touching him, Owen couldn’t imagine how he’d lasted so long without human contact. His cock throbbed behind the confines of his slacks, alreadyeager.
One touch was all it took to beaddicted.
The kiss broke when Crawford wanted it to, and even though Owen chased his lips, he wasn’t able to draw Crawford back in. Lungs starved for air, Owen took the moment to collect himself in case Crawford came backformore.
Hedidn’t.
At least, not right away. Instead, Crawford lifted his glass to his lips and drained the amber liquid within. Owen didn’t drink with any regularity, and he wasn’t able to tell by taste what the drink was. On Crawford’s tongue it was bitter and woodsy. Owen wondered if it was his first glass of the night. He didn’t want this to be a drunkenaffair.
“I want to dance with you,” Crawford said as he set the glass down. It hit the table with a solidclinkthat rose above the distant dancebeats. “Come.”
Crawford rose and exited the booth, then extended a hand to Owen to help him stand. Owen looked at it, then back to the glass of water on the table. He drained half of it quickly, then allowed himself to be guided to his feet and intoCrawford’sarms.
Permitting someone to take control was a thrill Owen couldn’t shake. Crawford was little more than a stranger, but Owen trusted him. Whether it was because the omega in him wanted him to submit to a worthy alpha, or whether it was because Crawford had impressed him on a subconscious level, Owen wasn’t sure. It didn’t matter. What mattered was that, against all odds, helikedwhat Crawford didtohim.
Owen barely remembered the last time he’d feltsofree.
“I don’t really dance,” Owen admitted as Crawford’s arms locked around him. Crawford’s arousal pressed into his side, and Owen shuddered at the sensation. The thought that Crawford was hard for him made what they shared even more naughty. “I’m going toembarrassyou.”
“I doubt it.” Crawford traced along the top of Owen’s belt, but his hands didn’t stray any lower. Owen ached for his touch. “But before we go downstairs, I want you to fix somethingforme.”
“What is it?” Owenasked.
“Your collar,” Crawford said. He leaned in to whisper it in Owen’s ear. “I bought it just for you, pet. I want the world to see it. You don’t need to take off your shirt, but you will undo your top two buttons at theleast.”
A command. Owen’s heart skipped a beat, and he did his best not to let Crawford’s sultry tone get the betterofhim.
But it wasnouse.
His aching cock twitched, and he pressed himself against the alpha more firmly to put some pressure between them. The last time he’d been so turned on by a man was shortly after his first heat, when one of the alphas in his class had smelled the remnants of his fertility and had knotted him in the janitor’s closet. Back then he’d been young and dumb, hormones in overdrive and heart quick to love. Now, at twenty-eight, Owen was different. Older. Guarded. There was no reason why Crawford should make him feel the wayhedid.
Crawford’s arms unlocked from around his partner’s waist. Owen took a small step back, then fumbled with the top buttons of his shirt as Crawford watched. When they were open, he smoothed down his shirt andnodded.
“Good boy,” Crawford praised. He held out his hand, and Owen took it without a second thought. “Come on, now. This early in the night, the upstairs is deserted. I want to show you off to theworld.”
They made their way down the stairs together. The dance floor was crowded, occupied by men and women in different states of undress. According to the woman at the front desk, no full nudity was allowed on the ground floor, but some of the dancers definitely toed the line. Owen kept his gaze on the floor and tried not to think too muchaboutit.
Crawford didn’t seemtomind.
They found their own place on the dance floor. Crawford tugged him close and let his hands trace down Owen’s sides, but never once did they dip lower. Owen, still wrapped up in memories of their kiss, wished theywould.
