“No, in the real world. Do you remember?” Joe asked again.
Scott nodded. Discomfort rushed through him. He twitched his hands behind his back. Joe immediately pressed his wrists more firmly against the back of his polo shirt—keeping them in place.
Scott remembered the first time he met Joe in perfect detail, but he knew he was the only one whose life changed that day. As easily as that, a more familiar reality returned to Scott’sworld. Without moving a muscle, he morphed back into the guy on the edge of the group who no one ever noticed, who—
“It was Valentine’s Day last year,” Joe said, slicing cleanly through every thought in Scott’s head. “You were the hottest sub there. I couldn’t stop staring at you, wondering why the hell you were there on your own.”
Scott blinked. He’d have been less shocked if Joe had announced he was an alien.
* * * * *
“You needn’t look quite so convinced I’m a serial killer,” Joe said, with a chuckle. He idly ran his thumb over Scott’s cheek. Shocked was one hell of a good look on him. “What could be more natural than a dom noticing the stunning new sub who just walked in?”
“Are you s-sure you’re talking aboutme?” Scott asked.
Joe used his grip on Scott’s wrists to pull him closer so their bodies were pressed together from shoulder to knee. “Very sure.” He was equally confident that Scott could feel his hard-on through their clothes.
“You really n-noticedme?” It was impossible to tell if Scott loved that possibility, or if he was too freaked out by it to feel anything at all.
“I really did,” Joe said, managing to hold back another chuckle.
Scott closed his eyes, as if fighting for self-control.
If he was trying to resist the urge to hump Joe’s leg, he lost that battle within seconds. His breaths turned ragged as he rubbed their bodies together.
A minute passed before, with a frustrated groan, Scott pried his eyes open and looked up at Joe. It was obvious just how hard it was for him to make his brain work, but he stubbornly kept trying until he got some kind of thought process going.“You couldn’t have k-known I’m a sub,” Scott stuttered out. “You never saw me do anything the l-least bit kinky.”
Of course he hadn’t. Joe was certain there had never been anything kinky in Scott’s life for anyone to see. That side of Scott belonged to him and no one else.
“I didn’t need a demonstration,” Joe said. “I still knew. The first time I saw you I wanted to pull down your jeans, turn you over my knee and spank you until you came in front of everyone in the club.”
Scott whimpered.
It took all the self-control Joe had, to stop himself half-fulfilling that particular ambition right there, in the middle of the deserted department store. He cleared his throat. “If I’d walked into this shop a few years ago, I’d have known that you were a sub then, too.”
“You w-would?”
“Yes,” Joe left no room for doubt in his voice.
Scott glanced up at him and then quickly away, as if he wasn’t sure where to look anymore.
“If we’d met then, it would have been back before I learned any patience.” Joe dipped his head and nipped at Scott’s ear again. “I wouldn’t have waited for you to be ready to practice your letter writing skills,” he whispered.
Scott arched his back, moulding his body against Joe’s larger frame, pushing his erection against Joe leg. “What w-would you have done?” he murmured.
“Do you want me to tell you?”
Scott nodded.
Joe raised an eyebrow at him. “Really? Where’s the fun in that?”
Scott instantly withdrew—if not physically, then mentally; as quick to lose confidence as ever.
“Wouldn’t you prefer me to show you?” Joe asked.
He didn’t give Scott another second in which to panic. He released Scott’s hands, spun him around and pressed his erection against Scott’s arse.
Scott tried to look over his shoulder, but Joe kept him exactly where he wanted him; holding Scott in place with his arms wrapped tightly around his body. Scott had no choice but to look straight ahead, at the shop where he had spent so much time fantasising about rough men not taking no for an answer.
