Page 17

Ben rubbed his thumb over Levi’s chin and pushed the mess inside. Levi sucked dumbly, then had to stop to breathe, his chest heaving. He rested his forehead on Ben’s good knee, rocking his hips up mindlessly as his head spun. He wanted to be smug, to say something like, Aren’t you glad you gave in? But he couldn’t think about anything except Ben’s big hand combing through his hair, still sticky with his spend.

“Thank you, Daddy,” Levi rasped. Partly because he knew Ben wanted him to say it, and partly because it felt really good to say. Those things so often mixed together when he was having sex. Half the pleasure came from how much the other person was enjoying it.

Ben let out another lovely laugh and pressed his boot, crusted with melting snow, against Levi’s naked cock. It was cold and rough, making Levi yelp and rock against it before he could stop himself. It hurt. It was gross. Levi loved it.

Ben removed his boot. Before Levi could be disappointed or relieved that he wouldn’t get rug burn on his dick from the underside of Ben’s boot, Ben pulled Levi’s head back.

“Touch yourself,” Ben said.

Levi whimpered and started stroking himself. His cock jumped under the attention, already red and aching. Ben kept his head pulled back, his grip causing delicious sparks to run through Levi’s scalp, all the way down to his balls. He squeezed his eyes shut as his orgasm came closer, only for Ben to shake him.

“Keep your eyes on me,” Ben said. “Don’t close them.”

Levi forced his eyes open and came embarrassingly quickly, painting Ben’s boots with come. And still Ben didn’t look away, his brown eyes blazing into his. Levi wanted to shy away. But he also wanted to climb into Ben’s lap and cling.

“Meditation,” he said finally.

Ben’s brows furrowed. “What?”

“My brain finally shut up,” Levi said, and gave him a glazed smile. “Since I’m already down here, can I massage your knee?”

He meant to make Ben laugh. But Ben’s face shuttered, just a little, and Levi started coming down from his post-orgasm high. Oh, shit.

“Nope,” Ben said. He stood, tucking himself back into his pants. He was still favoring his good leg, the fucker. Ben stepped away, then paused. Levi’s heart fluttered as Ben reached back and wiped away the last traces of come and spit from Levi’s chin.

“Put your clothes back on,” Ben said. “I need to clean my boots.”

With that, he walked off. Levi watched him go, trying to ignore the cold that swept over him despite the fireplace. He just let you suck him off, he reminded himself. That isn’t a rejection.

But it sure as hell felt like one.

CHAPTER 9

Ben bent over the radio and repeated, “Delta, this is Bravo, reporting for morning check-in. Do you copy?"

There was a moment of static before Dominic’s voice sparked to life. “Loud and clear, Bravo. What’s your status?”

Ben leaned back in his chair. The radio room was also the laundry room, with the radio resting on a wooden table next to the washing machine. There was so little space that Ben had to wrestle his way in and out of the chair every time he sat down.

“Unchanged,” Ben said. He shifted in his chair, stretching out his bad leg when his knee complained about the cramped space. The vent that guided the fireplace heat around the rest of the cabin was blowing hot air right against his neck, making him overheat if he stayed here too long. All the more reason to make these calls quick. And yet Ben had been itching to give Dominic a more personal update since he woke up with the memory of Levi’s lips around his cock last night.

“It’s been over a week since we arrived at the cabin,” Ben said, feeling like a jackass at the continued formality when he was pretty sure it was just Dominic on this line. “Any updates on your side?”

“We’ve followed a few leads,” Dominic said. “But ultimately, no. I’m sorry, Ben.”

Ben tried to lean back in his chair and immediately regretted it when his knee spasmed and the vent got even closer to his neck. He swore and bent low over the radio, trying to get away from both sensations.

“Ben?” Dominic said, with another burst of static. “Everything all good?”

“Yeah, fine.” Ben pressed the receiver against his forehead, telling himself to stop being a pussy and just say it. Dominic would give him shit, but he didn’t have a leg to stand on. He was dating his last client, for fuck’s sake.

Ben sighed. “Is this line secure?”

“I can confirm this line is secure,” Dominic said in a deceivingly casual tone. “Why?”

Ben pinched the bridge of his nose. Dominic was going to have a fucking field day. Why couldn’t Ben just keep quiet about it? He was never the kind of guy who talked about things. He pushed them down and moved on. Or, as his infuriating old therapist put it, he sat on them until they festered and exploded out of him in unexpected ways. He blamed her for his newfound desire to tell Dominic about this shit.

“I fucked up,” Ben blurted. “With Levi.”