Some part of Franklin understood now, in a way he never had before, what a certain number of his friends had been trying to tell him—what a few of thesubmissiveshe knew had tried to explain to him in the past.
Franklin quickly pushed that thought away in favour of concentrating on one that was so much easier to wrap his mind around.Cameron in control was hot!
Without any warning, Cameron reached out and pulled him up off the table.Franklin tried to get his feet underneath him, but only the very tips of his toes could reach the carpet.The rest of his weight was easily supported by Cameron, and Franklin had no choice but to trust that.
Cameron smiled once more, just a fraction, but again with far less bitterness.Very slowly, he lowered Franklin back to the floor and took his arm from around his waist.Turning away from the table, Cameron led him out of the dining room and up the stairs without a word.Within minutes, they were slipping into what Franklin was quickly coming to think of astheirbed, and to hell with Arslan assigning them to different rooms.
The only fly in the ointment was the way Cameron chose to arrange them in that bed.If he’d lain any further toward his side of it, the lion would be in danger of falling off the damn mattress.At the last moment, Franklin bit back any comment he might have wanted to make on that.
Cameron was in charge that night, and it was Cameron’s choice where he slept—where either of them slept.Just acknowledging that fact inside his own head eased something inside Franklin.
Letting his eyes drop closed, he expected his newfound sense of peace to see him falling asleep within seconds, but it didn’t happen.He was still wide awake several minutes later, running through all the things that had been said before his clothes had been ripped off.
Cameron thought he had…
Charles had tried to—
Franklin’s trail of thought deserted him when he felt the mattress move slightly as Cameron turned over.
Franklin held back a sigh as he caught himself hoping Cameron might be moving closer to him.This wasn’t supposed to be all about whathewanted.The sooner he learned that, the better.
The mattress wobbled again.This time, there was no need for Franklin to hope.Cameron had definitely moved nearer.Franklin forced himself to keep his breathing rhythm slow and steady as he sensed Cameron creep closer still.
A moment passed, and the heat of the lion’s body caressed Franklin’s back.Several seconds of stillness followed before he felt Cameron’s arm sneak over his side as the lion carefully spooned in behind him.
Cameron’s forehead came to rest on the back of Franklin’s head for a moment.He sensed Cameron’s chest rise and fall and felt Cameron’s breath in his hair as he inhaled and exhaled deeply.A minute passed, then another.The changes were so small they were almost imperceptible, but gradually, Cameron moulded his body against Franklin’s skin and snuggled up against him while doing his damnedest not to wake him.
Franklin closed his eyes a little tighter.Cameron wasn’t merely hot when Franklin give control over to him and let him call the shots.Cameron was sweet, too.Sweet and…
Franklin frowned into the darkness.
Cameron had control over the whole world.He could have done anything he wanted with him, yet he’d still waited until he thought he was asleep before approaching him.
Snugly wrapped up in the warmth and safety of the lion’s embrace, Franklin found himself wondering what kind of bastards the guy had been dealing with, that he couldn’t even believe that he’d be welcomed if he wanted to snuggle with his boyfriend after sex.
All at once, Franklin was more wide awake than he had ever been in his life.Thoughts rushed through his mind quicker than he could process them, and the only thing that kept him perfectly still was the knowledge that Cameron would probably flee to the other side of the bed for the rest of the night if he realised the man he’d snuggled up against was awake.
Of course, Franklin knew exactly what kind of bastards Cameron had been dealing with!The lion had been dealing with men exactly like him.Men who’d have happily bought a piece of whatever, and whoever, they wanted without thinking twice about—
Hell, without thinkingonceabout who would get hurt in the process.
Franklin fought to keep his breaths slow and steady.For almost the first time he could remember, he couldn’t sense anger pouring off the lion.And that was the moment when he realised just how much right Cameron had to be angry.
It was so easy to imagine how the various men who’d paid for the pleasure would have treated him.Franklin knew what they were like when they were determined to screw a man over in the boardroom.That would be nothing compared what they’d be like with a dancer who had no one to stand up for him, no one to protect him.
He’d always liked to think that he had treated his dates better than that, but was he kidding himself?
No wonder Cameron wanted to take control of things between them.Maybe…maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to let Cameron make the decisions for a while.
Franklin silently cursed himself as he felt Cameron drop off into a deeper sleep just an inch behind him.
Yeah, that was right.He’d hand over control because he was a nice guy who wanted Cameron to get whatever he needed.He wasn’t doing it because he wanted it for himself…
Franklin sighed quietly to himself in the darkness, even as he snuggled a little more securely back into Cameron’s embrace.
If he’d ever needed any proof that he really was a selfish bastard, this was it.
* * * * *
