“I am,” I said, taking his hand. Instead of shaking, I turned it over and brought it to my mouth, my lips brushing against his knuckles. I enjoyed the way his eyes widened slightly with surprise. “But you can call me Owen.”
“Owen,” he repeated softly. Yeah, I liked how my name sounded when it came from him. As I lowered his hand, I didn’t let go. Maintaining contact was key to comfort. “This place is… unreal.”
Considering his background, his awe didn’t surprise me.
“Tell me how you’re feeling, Liam,” I ordered. At that, he pulled away. I carefully cataloged the way he swallowed hard and how his fingers wrung together. “It’s okay to be nervous. Come.”
I gently guided him over to the entryway table. A tall gilded mirror hung over it. I found mirror work was useful withnervous clients. It helped them bridge the gap between what they were feeling and what they couldn’t say out loud. It often served as a grounding agent—something to center them back in the moment.
As I stood behind him, I placed my hands on his shoulders. The little way he rocked into me gave me permission to step closer until his back was flush against my chest. My gaze held his in the mirror.
“Everything that happens tonight is how you want it and how you are comfortable,” I reassured him softly. “If you want to ease into it, we can.”
“I think I’d rather rip the band-aid off,” he whispered before I could continue. “I think my anxiety will do all the talking if we keep postponing, and then I don’t think I’ll be able to go through with it, and I want to. I’m probably a mess—no, no, I am a mess—”
His words cut into a sexy little whine as my lips brushed the side of his neck. On instinct, his head tilted slightly to give me better access. His breath hitched, his chest rising quickly. Something primal stirred inside me—not the choreographed detachment I prided myself on—and my cock thickened against my zipper.
“Green means keep going, and yellow means slow down,” I said as my mouth moved down the strained line of his neck. While all of this was on the paperwork he’d filled out, I was a stickler for in-the-moment reminders. “And red means?”
“Stop,” Liam answered obediently.
“Good boy,” I murmured. “No questions, no judgments. If you need Ares or me to stop, we’ll stop.”
“Ares?”
“My partner in taking care of you tonight.” I paused and gave him a chance to process that information. Some clients changed their minds altogether, and some needed their experiencesaltered because they were too big or too much. And while I’d orchestrate the entire night so he wouldn’t have to focus on it, I didn’t mess with matters of consent. A full stop at any point was a full stop. End of story. “Do you still want—”
“Yes,” he said quickly, interrupting me, and I chuckled against his neck. Eager thing.
Instead of moving, I hooked an arm around his waist and dragged his lean body flush against mine. The little gasp he let out made me grin. I was going to figure out all the noises he could make before our time was up. And while I knew it’d been a long time since anyone bothered to do so, I had purely selfish reasons for doing so. It was because I wanted to.
I continued to kiss his neck and suck light marks along the muscle, feeling the way his pulse raced in response. A shiver rolled through him as his ass pressed back against my cock. The friction had a deep growl rumbling through my chest. My hand trailed over his flat stomach and the front of his pants. I cupped the bulge in his jeans, feeling his hard length throbbing in my palm. Pressing my hand into him, I stroked him base to tip in slow passes. Each one dragged a ragged breath from him while his hips rocked forward into my hand.
“Look at you,” I marveled against his skin. “Already so hard and begging to be touched. Does that feel good?”
“Mhmm,” he let out breathlessly, his head turning my direction. I braced as he melted into me, accepting the brunt of his weight.
“Good.” Before I could say more, his mouth landed on mine, soft and tentative. I deepened the kiss without hesitation. My tongue drove through his lips as I swallowed his moan. He tasted like desperation and want and all the things I didn’t allow myself. My fingers dug into his hips to pin him to me as I devoured him, and I pressed my palm harder over his cock, feeling his knees buckle slightly with the sensation.
I dragged my teeth lightly over his lower lip.So fucking sweet.I wanted more—I would have more—but for now I pulled away. My hand slid around over his hip and to his lower back. He let out the tiniest sound of protest at the separation, a sound that shot straight to my balls.
I was in over my head. The intrigue of this one was intense.
“Come,” I said and gently guided him toward the living room. As Ares came into sight, leaning against the window where I’d left him, I gave him the barest of nods—a simple all-clear. I could see the switch flip in his head, and he slipped flawlessly into the role designed for him.
He pushed away from the glass with that easy smile of his and sauntered our way.
“Well, well,” Ares murmured as he stepped closer. His fingers touched Liam’s chin, making him look up to meet his gaze. “Aren’t you a pretty thing?”
“Oh,” Liam let out, his voice damn near inaudible.
Ares’s hand slid down the column of Liam’s neck and gripped lightly as he leaned in, claiming his mouth in a deep and deliberate kiss. My fingers tightened on Liam’s back to steady him as he swayed. I watched, heat coiling through my lower core as my cock ached to participate.
CHAPTER 05
Liam
The bold bite of peppermint slid across my tongue as Ares kissed me. The demand of his mouth on mine was intoxicating, making my head spin and the world sway. His hand was firm around my throat, and I melted in his touch. My cock had never been so hard in my life. The deep throb had my heart racing. His free hand gripped my hip and pulled me against the hard ridges of his dick. The fabric of his pants did nothing to hide just how thick he was. My knees buckled slightly, and a whine escaped me as he dragged his teeth over my bottom lip.
