Page 7

The man smelled so damn good it was filling his senses, and all he wanted was to just keep breathing it in. He didn't want to stop, but he had to pull away; he had to show some decorum after this evening of embarrassment. But Kieran had other ideas.

Kieran stepped out of the car and extended his hand to Axel. He was engaging in a way that was unusual, especially for an assistant, unless there was more to this job than simple note-taking. He could only hope. Axel took the offered hand and stepped out to stand beside him. Kieran did not release his hand; he held it loosely, but he did not let go.

The elevator ride was fast and opened into a private entryway. Axel was familiar with the Lumiere Building but had never been beyond the lower floors. He’d never known anyone who occupied one of the penthouses. Kieran gave him a quick yet concise tour, and they ended in the guest room where all of Axel’s belongings sat boxed and bagged along one wall. He stared at them for a moment and thought about his life and where his choices had led him, and felt a deep disappointment in himself. He worked so hard for the last three years, and he has absolutely nothing to show for it.

He’d had a good job with advancement opportunities and possibilities, and he gave it up to help Gio build a business with the pledge that he would be working for himself and for their future. He fell for every lie and every promise. He thought often these last few days about where he might be if Gio had never entered his life. He was such a fucking fool.

“What are you thinking about?” Kieran put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently. Axel glanced up at him, startled by the question. Was he being so obvious? Kieran guided him over to the bed and had him sit down, and Kieran sat beside him.

"That guy is not worth your concern or upset; you are so much better off without him. He's trash and will always be trash." This was his new boss, a cold shark of a businessman, and here he was defending him, comforting him, and providing for him what a weird turn of events.

Kieran’s arm was back around him, and it felt so good to be held and reassured. How long had it been since anyone comforted him or even noticed that he was hurting? Axel took several deep breaths, trying to steady his emotions because he was very close to crying, and he could not end this day in tears sitting on a guest room bed next to his new boss.

"I feel like a fool. I don't miss him. I had thought about leaving many times over the past year as life got so much worse, but I stayed because I’d invested so much and didn’t want to lose it all. But in the end, he just took it. He took all my work, all my time; I was left with nothing." Another deep breath, staving off those fucking tears. "I wasn't blind. I knew about Sean and the others and so much more, but each time I took his excuse, his explanation, his apology because I didn't want to lose the years we had together. I was a fucking fool.”

“If he asked you to come back, would you?”

"No, fuck no. I don't love him haven't for a very long time. That died after the first affair, and the first time he struck me.” He noticed a tense glare pass over Kieran's face, and then it was gone. So, he continued. “I wanted to prepare to get something in my name, but he blocked me every time. He was a total bastard, but really, I should have taken better care of myself."

"Yes, you should have." Kieran agreed, and for some reason that truth made Axel laugh.

“You’re very kind and understanding for a new boss," Axel commented with a smile.

"Only with you, Axel, only with you.” Axel wasn't certain, but it felt like Kieran had kissed the side of his head. That was a delicious development; he hoped it was attraction and not pity. He felt Kieran's hand move to caress the inside of his thigh, his hand gliding up and down as if smoothing the material beneath his palm. The sensations were building, and Axel ached to have that hand go higher, please.

Kieran’s hot breath brushed briefly against his throat, and the hand moved higher. Axel remained still; all his attention was focused on that hand. His cock was growing harder by the second, and there was no way to stop it. He turned his head and caught Kieran's heated expression.

"If you don't want this, Axel, tell me now.” That hand cupped Axel's hardness, causing a harsh intake of breath, and lips touched his throat, feather-light, barely there. He was being tempted, teased, and pushed to his limits. This was such a bad idea.

“I want whatever you’re offering.” Now was not the time to be timid. It might signal the end of this job and his association with Hadden Corp, but he was too pent up and feeling too abandoned to deny this gift. In a rush, Kieran cupped his jaw and pulled him in for a kiss that ravaged and tore away his embarrassment and uncertainty. It lit a fire that had been dormant for a very long time.

Gio was a dismissive lover, more concerned with himself than anyone else. Satisfaction was his and his alone. Foreplay was nonexistent, a waste of time in his mind, because the end was all that mattered: the peak and the climax were the point, and the end, as far as he was concerned. He fancied himself a romantic, but he had no understanding of the word.

Kieran's hands were gentle and searching, and his mouth was intoxicating. His moist kisses and hot breath were driving him insane. Axel opened to Kieran's searching kiss, the intensity taking his breath away. Somewhere in the back of his mind, his smarter self was telling him to stop, to slow down, to think. Come morning, he would most likely be looking for a job once again, but he couldn't stop; life owed him this, just one night of total sexual abandon. He would accept the fallout... gladly.

***

Kieran realized he was probably handling this all wrong, but the moment arrived, and Kieran was not going to let it pass without seizing the opportunity to taste every part of his beloved. The thought that Gio had actually raised hands to his beloved nearly undid him, but he soothed his baser instincts by assuring himself that Gio's day of reckoning was coming.

Axel was magnificent; he was perfect. Everything about him excited Kieran. The kiss was taking over, and all thought focused on the passion building between them. Kieran wanted to touch, wanted flesh and heat.

Suddenly, he stood, pulling Axel to his feet, and the kiss did not break. Kieran picked up Axel, cradling him in his arms. He wasn't going to continue here in the guest room; he wanted his beloved in his room, the primary bedroom, which would soon become Axel’s room. He wanted comfort and familiarity to grow in the place he planned to keep Axel forever. He was going to show him exactly how he felt about him; he had salacious intentions that would leave young Axel exhausted and sated and begging for more.

The room was dimly lit with the curtains drawn and a small table lamp glowing near the bed. It cast a warm golden light across the bed and made everything sultry and warm. He broke the kiss, and Axel excitedly tried to pull him back, not wanting to let go.

Kieran tossed him onto the middle of the bed and then leaped on top of him, pinning his arms above his head. The smile told him Axel was pleased, and the subtle thrust told him he wanted him. The kiss began again, and Kieran covered Axel's face and neck with a flurry of hot, moist kisses. The man tasted like candy.

Moans and gasps filled the air around them as they both pushed the edges of their need. Clothes began to disappear, and Kieran was presented with the pale, smooth skin of Axel’s chest and the muscle definition he had not expected. The man was small, slim but toned like a runner. He was so beautiful that Kieran paused for a second to take it in, acknowledging that this was his first glimpse of the body of his beloved the body, the breath, the heart that would, very soon, belong to him and him alone.

Axel was not hesitating or pulling back but rather grabbing for Kieran, pulling him closer, exploring his body and returning the ravaging kisses with fervor. He shed his own clothing, tossing it aimlessly aside just as he had done with Axel's. They were wearing only briefs, and Kieran was very interested in Axel’s black lace briefs. They hugged him and accentuated the hard bulge and his beautiful round ass. Kieran had never seen underwear that took his breath away, but this was delectable.

Their eyes met, and he saw the edge of insecurity peeking through Axel's expression as he waited. Kieran ran his hand over the intricate, sexy lace and smiled. "These are exquisite." He said and took the lacy band between his teeth and slowly pulled them down just enough to bare his hardened erection. Kieran wasn't ready to take them completely off. He was loving this fabulous little secret his beloved had been keeping.

His hands pushed up, cupping that round ass in his hands, and he squeezed while taking little nips at Axel's cock, tasting and teasing, getting him roused and provoked. His moves were jerky, and his hands found their way to Kieran's hair. He plunged his finger deep into his hair and then backed off quickly, as if afraid he'd gone too far.

Kieran took hold of Axel’s hand and directed it back to the side of his head and held it there. "You can touch me anywhere you wish; I am yours, Axel.” He threaded his fingers back through Kieran’s hair and held on. The hunger in his touch made Kieran's vampire surge, but he forcefully suppressed his instincts, knowing his human beloved was not ready to experience all of him.

The lace was driving him insane; he never knew he had such a kink until he saw this erotic scene. The way it clung and accentuated was breathtaking, and the way Axel moved, rolling his hips and moaning his gratification. He couldn't wait another second; he pulled the lovely lace panties down Axel's thighs. He didn't want them off; the touch and the visual were too fantastic. The way they glided against him continued to stoke the fire burning in his core.