Vincent grunted softly and hooked an arm around his waist. “No,” he murmured.
“Gonna come with me, then?”
“No.”
Jasper snorted and looped his arms around Vincent’s neck before nuzzling into it. “Come on, it wasn’t that bad, was it?”
“Worst thing I’ve done this year.”
Jasper rolled his eyes and wiggled his fingers into Vincent’s hair, but he couldn’t deny it was almost a relief to see at least something could get under Vincent’s skin. It made him seem more human instead of a perfect sex god, though in a different way from his needing reading glasses.
“I’m going again,” he said, kissing the tip of Vincent’s nose before twisting away despite the tightening arms attempting to keep hold of him.
The second time was as exhilarating as the first even if the lack of Vincent against his back was a disappointment, but he did manage to coax Vincent into joining him on the third run, even if Vincent looked like he was going to pass out on the climb up the stairs.
By the time he’d gone another two times, it was afternoon, and he was getting hungry, so they headed back to the cabins to have lunch with Zach and Ash.
Jasper was a strange mess of anxious excitement and exhaustion from the adrenaline crash, which was probably why he stared at Vincent with a pout when he headed downstairs with Ash to go through the pictures from the photo shoot. The only bright side was when Zach tugged him into the living room to play video games.
Chapter 22
VINCENT BREATHEDa sigh of relief as the basement wrapped its cool, dim arms around him. He hadn’t realized how overstimulated he’d gotten from the zip lines until the silence seeped into him. He didn’t regret it. He couldn’t. Not when Jasper had enjoyed himself so thoroughly, but he was exhausted in a way reminiscent of his weeks of physical therapy while adjusting to living in a new country.
Tension slowly leaked out of his limbs and neck as he took several deep breaths, then settled in a chair next to Ash at his computer. A folder with Jasper’s photos was already on the screen, and Ash opened the first one before rolling his chair aside for Vincent to lean in and take over.
They were gorgeous, which was a given. Even if he was biased, Jasper was striking. More so with the early morning light turning his hair and skin golden. The fact he was bound only added to his appeal. A soft thrum of pleasure suffused his limbs as he clicked through every picture.
A full body shot of Jasper tied to the tree and blindfolded, the light casting teasing shadows across his chest and stomach, his head tilted towards his left arm as though unsure if he should try to hide his face. Close-ups of his face and chest, with Vincent’s fingers pressed against his lips from behind. Pressed past his lips. Gripping his chin, slick with a glint of saliva. Jasper’s head tipped back, lips parted on a gasp or a moan, Vincent’s teeth sinking into his earlobe.
Ash had obviously sorted through the pictures to organize them and show the cleanest ones, because even some of Jasper’s impromptu pictures in the basement were scattered through. Adozen clicks later Vincent found the one from the conversation before he’d put the blindfold on. His finger froze on the button as he stared, his breath sticking in his throat. He’d been worried about seeing his own expression, and it was as concerning as he expected, but he was captivated by Jasper’s face and the matching expression there.
Ash’s voice was quiet when he said, “He’s a good sub for you.” Vincent dragged his eyes away from the computer to look at him, noting the way his hands were resting in his lap, one hand turning the simple leather bracelet around and around his other wrist, but his shoulders were relaxed, his gaze clear as he studied the picture on the screen before it flicked to meet Vincent’s eyes. “You should keep him.”
His lips twitched. “That’s the plan,” he said, surprised by the weight of those words on his tongue. He knew he was getting attached by the simple fact he wanted to collar Jasper, but he hadn’t let himself look beyond that. Beyond the end of their current contract. Thinking of “forever” with a young man who was finishing college, who had never lived on his own or even had a driver’s license, somehow seemed less of a risk than falling into a relationship with Adam. But then, even that had seemed like the most logical next step at the time.
Years of therapy made it easy to pinpoint the foolish choices in hindsight.
Ash nodded again and reached forward to tap a button to go to the next picture, this one obviously taken in secret. Jasper was free of the ropes and blindfold, his arms thrown around Vincent’s neck, a leg hooked against his hip as they kissed. “Maybe you could bring him to visit again.”
“Yeah,” Vincent agreed, only partially paying attention to the words as he considered the picture. The long line of Jasper’s mostly naked body pressed against his own. The possessive grips of his hands on Jasper’s hip and hair. When the words finallysank in a moment later he glanced at Ash. “Or you could take your own vacation and come visit.”
Ash wrinkled his nose, but without any distaste or fear in his expression. Once Ash got settled somewhere, he usually didn’t like to leave. Talking him into coming to the States with Zach had been easy enough, but getting him to leave the little sanctuary they’d built here was basically impossible. Last he’d heard, Ash rarely even left for the kink conventions where Zach sold his BDSM furniture. He’d used to offer photo shoots, though most of their sales were online or through guests staying here these days.
“Maybe,” Ash finally murmured, sounding none too happy about it.
“Maybe we could take a trip somewhere. I know you hate being in a city. A beach, maybe.”
“We could do that. I’ve never been.”
“I don’t think Jasper has either.”
“I hear sex on a beach is fun,” Ash said, amusement sparking in his eyes.
Vincent snorted. “You’ll have to let me know.” He preferred to keep his asscrack sand-free as much as possible. He tapped the computer screen. “Can you send this one to my phone? And then I want these in black and white,” he said, going back through the photos to point out the ones he liked best. He ordered a few in color for the house, but the others he’d let Jasper pick which ones he’d be willing to put up in the club. He suspected most would end up in his offices, but that was fine too.
JASPER SLUMPEDagainst the sofa with a groan when he died for the fifth time. At Zach’s quiet snickering he grabbed the nearest pillow to smack him with. “I don’t think this game is for me.”
“Aww, giving up already? I didn’t take you for a quitter,” Zach teased.
