“Yes, Caster.” The involuntary holding of his breath that only occurred when he was in Caster’s presence came back with a vengeance, and he had to close his eyes to release it.
The battle he waged against his reaction, and the silence was replaced by a sudden jolting movement. Caster released his hold and withdrew the warmth of his body. He stood beside the bed and held out his hand. Mark accepted the proffered hand and assistance to get to his feet, though he was careful not to touch Caster’s body in any way, sure any contact would cause him to break the unspoken rule.
“Yes. That’s the only rule for today.” Caster’s cool caress on the back of his hand distracted him further. He released his hand, and Mark missed the contact so much he almost beggedfor it. The smirk on Caster’s face was back, an indication he hadn’t hidden that thought very well. “Take off your clothes.”
He reached for the buttons of his shirt too fast; his hands stumbled, large fingers unable to grip tiny buttons.
Caster didn’t move, the proximity increasing his discomfort. He reached out to still Mark’s fumbling fingers. “Slow down. Do you have anywhere else to be?”
Mark shook his head, took a calming breath, and this time, found the connection between his fingers and the buttons. His shirt was a long-forgotten memory, and he needed a second long inhale before he reached for his belt. It wasn’t that he was ashamed of his body, only that he hadn’t done this in a long time. No one had seen his naked form in so long, there was the unusual niggling thought that he would somehow be unacceptable. It didn’t pass his notice that he had never once been insecure about his body, not with anyone else.
Soon, he was on full display, and the urge to cover his body with his hands, as impractical as it was, overrode even the guilt that continued to exert its presence.
“You’re so beautiful.”
He looked up, the reverent whisper drawing him back to the present. Caster looked at him with unrestrained desire. The red ring around his pupil was now larger. Was it a physiological response to his arousal?
“Yes,” Caster answered the question in his thoughts, and Mark didn’t want to hide anymore, letting go of the mental barrier erected through years of practice to keep vampires out. As he did so, his wolf clawed at the barrier, displaying his joy by prancing around in their shared mind-space.
Caster’s nod was almost imperceptible, an acceptance of the new channel of communication they’d now established. Then he moved to an area that until now had seemed empty. He pushed a button on an empty shelf, and a scraping sound filled the room, a hidden drawer appearing from the void concealed behind the wall.
Caster turned to him. “Come here.”
Mark’s heart thudded away in his chest, his feet moving with little input from his brain. He couldn’t turn back now.
The drawer contained all manner of tools and implements designed for the kind of play they both enjoyed. He tried not to examine each one. It was best to be surprised by these things.
Caster’s smirk came back. “Yes, it is.” He stepped closer to Mark and reached for the collar. “I want this gone.” Then, in a single forceful move tore it from his neck.
Mark opened his mouth to protest, only for Caster’s lips to take advantage of his open mouth. The kiss had been so unexpected that his body swayed towards Caster, trying to find purchase, lest he come crashing down.
Caster’s expert tongue controlled his entire body, and as their mingled sounds of pleasure filled the room, the fear he would come from a simple kiss grew to inordinate proportions.
Caster pulled away, his hand grabbing Mark’s elbow when the sudden movement threatened to topple his resolve. His thumb rubbed Mark’s bottom lip. “You’re doing so well.”
The compliment, the pride in Caster’s voice, brought an unexpected hum of pleasure to his addled mind. His wolf reveled in its newfound master, but Mark didn’t want to thinkabout that. Not right now.
Caster used the hold on his elbow to pull Mark closer to the open drawer. It was then that he noticed the metal bar above his head, somehow secured to the ceiling. Caster rummaged through the drawer to produce leather cuffs, then gestured for Mark to hold out his hands.
He bound each wrist with the soft leather fastening and guided Mark to turn. Then, he pressed the front of his body to Mark’s back as he raised his hands, securing the middle metal part of the cuffs to the bar above his head. He pushed further against Mark’s body, the hardness of his obvious arousal inescapable. “Too tight?”
A soft moan escaped his lips when Caster ground his hips against his ass. He had to fortify himself to answer. “No.”
He missed the hard male form he longed for when Caster drew his body away. “Good.”
Facing away from the drawer, Mark closed his eyes and hoped that his choice of play partner would be rewarded by whatever the vampire prince planned.
The sound of Caster’s search filled the room. Silence signified he’d found what he needed, and despite his training, Mark’s body tensed in anticipation.
He jumped when Caster’s cool hand traced a path from his ass to his thigh and past his calf to his ankle. “Relax for me.”
He’d do anything for him if he asked in that tone.
He may have imagined the chuckle, but not the soft touch of leather bindings on one ankle, the stretch of what could only be a spreader bar, and then soft leather on the other ankle. He wasstuck in this spread-eagled position with no way to get free.
He waited for the overwhelming fear that ended the play session the last time he’d tried this, but it didn’t come. In its place was calm, almost as if… No. This was a one-time thing, a way to satiate his needs so he could focus on more important matters.
When he opened eyes he hadn’t been aware were closed, Caster stood in front of him, studying him. His hand pushed a few strands of his hair behind his ear. “If this were a real play session and we knew each other better, I would gag you.” He glanced at Mark’s lips for a second, the movement of his hand now a gentle caress on Mark’s jaw. “What will you say if you need me to stop?”