It was John who gripped my chin, forcing me to look at him. “It’s okay, Danny. You needed that. You’re not going to get in trouble for not making me come before you did.”
I winced when Blake pulled out of my body, the feeling of emptiness consuming far more than my hole. I reached back, desperate to feel a connection to him for just a little while longer.
“It’s okay, boy,” he whispered as he pulled me into the space between his legs. While John straddled Mav’s body, demanding that he finish what I’d started, Blake continued comforting me. “You took more tonight than any of us could have imagined. I’m so damn proud of you for holding off as long as you did.”
“You really mean that?” My head fell back to Blake’s shoulder, and he kissed the side of my head. “I wanted to be good for you so you wouldn’t go back to being so polite all the time.”
“I don’t think that’s what you were really worried about, is it?”
I shook my head, wishing my brain wasn’t so scrambled I’d forgotten half of my vocabulary.
“I didn’t want to come on too strong and scare you off,” Blake admitted. He wrapped his arms around my torso and slid one hand over my heart. “I could tell you had your guard up, and I was trying to take my time so I could prove I’m not like whoever hurt you.”
“You could never be like him.” I realized that might have been the truest statement to ever pass my lips. Already, Blake had shown me what a healthy relationship might look like. Now, I had to remind myself thiswasn’ta relationship. Yes, he’d talked about doing something beyond tonight, but that didn’t mean he wanted a commitment from me.
5
Blake
Well,that was an interesting turn of events. I had come to DeSires tonight, expecting it to be a repeat of every other visit over the past month. I planned on checking in with Danny to see if I’d cracked his walls enough for him to let me in, then find a couple to play with.
Since the epic fail that was my attempt to play with Jesse, I’d made it a rule that I wouldn’t play one-on-one with anyone. That way, I could keep my distance and not shortchange them by worrying about what Danny might think if he saw me disappearing into the back hall with someone else.
Danny was so wrung out, he was struggling to stay awake in my lap. I needed to get him out of here, but I wasn’t ready for our night to end. I tickled his stomach to get his attention. He squirmed, batting my hand away. “Will you let me take you home?”
My heart sank when Danny shook his head. There was no doubt we were sexually compatible, but he was still so damn guarded. He twisted in my arms, hugging me tightly. “Not ready to go home yet. Want to stay out with you.”
I let out a long exhale, my entire body relaxing. I should tell him we’d done enough for one night and he needed to get some sleep, but with as skittish as he was, inviting myself into his domain wasn’t an option. There was a chance for us to be together, but only if I tread very carefully.
“We could go to the other side and have a drink.” I regretted the suggestion as soon as it passed my lips. He was already dazed; the last thing he needed was alcohol. “Or we could go to the diner.”
Danny shook his head again. “Not hungry, but a drink sounds good. I can’t believe I did that. You probably think I’m a huge slut now. I swear, this isn’t normal for me. I’ve never—“
I curled my fingers around the back of his neck, forcing him to look at me. I wouldn’t stand for him putting himself down for giving into his own desires. “You’re nothing of the sort. You were absolutely beautiful in your submission. No matter what was happening to you, you never stopped trying to make sure everyone else was taken care of. That takes a special type of boy, and I won’t have you feeling bad. Got it?”
“Yes, Sir,” he mumbled. His gaze lowered, and I dug the pads of my fingers into the nape of his neck.
I wanted his eyes only on me. If we were still in a scene, his submission would be more than welcomed, but there were times when he needed to trust that we were on a level playing field.
“I know you’re overwhelmed right now, so it’s not the right time for us to have any important conversations, but I would love to spend more time with you.” I’d never been one of those Dom’s who felt it showed weakness to admit to my own desires. In past relationships, I always went out of my way to make sure my sub knew how much they meant to me, both in and out of the bedroom.
“Will there ever be a time when we talk more?” Danny's voice broke on the last word, and his eyes lost a bit of their shine.
I wanted to find whoever had made him doubt his worth and let them know exactly what I thought of their mind games. “Yes, sweetheart. We will talk, but it’s not going to be when you’re still coming down. We’re going to get you cleaned up, and then we’re going to sit down and get to know one another better. After that, I’ll walk you home.”
“Okay.” He settled back against my chest, giving me his full weight. It was as if knowing what was going to happen and not having to make decisions for himself had taken a load of stress off his shoulders.
When he tried getting up, I hugged him tighter. “We don’t have to rush. I reserved the room for the entire night. Sit here with me a while longer?”
Danny hummed quietly. “I’d like that, Sir.”
John finished up with Mav and signaled to me that he was going to take Mav to the aftercare room. I nodded, grateful to my friend for the bit of privacy. Danny flinched when the door clicked shut. “It’s okay, sweetheart. It’s just us now.”
I didn’t want to rush Danny. He needed the freedom to come down from his high in his own time, confident that someone would be here to catch him. As long as I had anything to say about it, I would be that person for him. But first, we needed to have that talk.
I spent the next hour scrolling through work emails on my phone while Danny slept. It hadn’t taken long for him to rearrange himself, so he laid next to me with his head on my thigh. When he stirred, I rubbed his back. “Did you have a good rest?”
Danny stretched, showing off the muscular lines of his body. It was a damn shame that he hid all of that under his work shirt. Indulging in something I’d wanted to do since the first time I’d seen him, I traced the lines of his body, smiling as he writhed under the gentle touch.
