“Good.” Caster pointed at the bed. “Stay right there!”
Mark’s body eased further into the mattress, giving in to Caster’s will before he could process the command, and he couldn’t help his smile. The sound of running water floated from the bathroom to his contented mind, and Mark reachedfor his constant companion. The wolf flooded his system with its unique blend of healing elixir, a sign of its contentment. He reveled in the connection, still uneasy with how it came about, but grateful nonetheless. He’d never felt stronger, not since…
He pushed thoughts of him out of his mind, behind the barrier that held his grief. Caster would not appreciate his breaking that rule.
His eyes were closed as he reacquainted his body with the power his wolf provided, but Caster’s stare, unmistakable as it was and familiar as it had grown to be, made his skin tingle with renewed desire. How could he want someone so much?
Caster’s chuckle had him opening his eyes. “Let me know when you have an answer for that one.” He leaned against the doorjamb, the desire his words indicated evidenced by his hard cock and the crimson hue obscuring the gray in his eyes.
“Are you OK to move?”
The question drew Mark away from the display that was Caster’s arousal.
“Do you really want me to repeat myself?”
He gasped and nodded, unsure what the question had been, but certain the answer to every question Caster had would always be yes.
Caster smiled. “Come here.”
His body scrambled to obey, the bedsheets they had twisted about in their haste to chase their pleasure tripping him as his feet hit the floor. His weight settled on shaky legs, and he accepted the floor’s irresistible call as he started to crumble, only for Caster’s strength to surround him.
Caster’s movement had been too quick to decipher, his arms a cage around Mark’s waist. His legs regained their strength the longer he accepted Caster’s support, but he didn’t want to move away from it, from him.
Caster pulled him closer and, in a blur of movement, lifted him into his arms. He closed his eyes on a sigh as Caster carried him to the bathroom. He couldn’t contain his moan the second his body sank into the hot water in the bathtub.
“Good?”
He looked at Caster, who knelt on the side of the tub, and nodded his reply, still too lost in the way every muscle yielded to the massaging heat.
“Make room for me,” Caster said as he climbed behind him, pulling Mark against his chest. Any tension their play had brought dissolved further into the water, into Caster’s strength behind him, and he sighed in unison with his wolf, who seemed more asleep than awake.
A subtle splash echoed in the large bathroom, but Mark refused to indulge his curiosity, keeping his eyes closed. The warm pass of what could only be a washcloth over his face startled him, but the soothing whisper from Caster to relax kept him content.
The washcloth spread its care over his shoulder and onto his chest, and Mark was there again, on the edge of the forbidden stratosphere. He could see it, almost touch it, but nothing good could come from giving in.
Caster’s hand in his hair was the distraction he needed to draw back from the edge. “I love your hair.” The gentle touch continued as did the washcloth, now past his ribs on its way tohis lower body. “It is full and perfect. I love how it feels on my fingers.” Caster’s hand moved from his hair to his cheek, tilting his head upward, turning it toward him. “Open your eyes, baby.”
The washcloth went past his abs, they rippled in response, his cock hardening from the sensation its softness promised and the look in Caster’s eyes.
Caster’s thumb found his lower lip. “Let me take care of you. Just for today.”
He was unsure who moved first, but the sensation of the washcloth, the warm water, and his relaxed arousal disappeared into the familiar taste of Caster’s mouth. The kiss was still dominant; there was no way it would ever not be, but every brush of the tongue brought a longing he hadn’t expressed in a long time.
He wanted Caster’s cock inside him like he needed his next breath, but the tub was too small, and he wasn’t in control. The freedom of surrender he’d denied himself for a decade invaded all space in his body, mind, and soul. One day would not do. He wanted this every day.
The water grew colder, but they didn’t move. Mark was the perfect fit in his arms, his body so relaxed, it was easy to think he’d gone to sleep. Caster pressed his face to his hair, its strands tickling his skin, as he listened to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. They were both aroused; he doubted he could hold his arousal at bay with Mark in the same room, but the urgency from before was gone.
Mark’s mind was devoid of too much activity, but Caster had been privy to the last significant thought, and he feared the consequences of it. He wanted nothing more than to make Mark his, collar and all, but he was a realist, and forcing that on whatever this was would be detrimental to Mark’s health. Therewas also the whole politics of it, and as the Crown Prince, he couldn’t ignore that. Not for his needs.
As good as it was so far, today was the worst idea he’d had in a long time. Still, he wouldn’t trade this for the world.
“You must be hungry.” His desire to reciprocate the trust the submissive in his arms had displayed with care shone through all his confused feelings.
Mark nodded, but snuggled deeper into the embrace that Caster was only too happy to tighten. He still instructed Sophie to bring Mark his breakfast, set it up in the sitting area, and leave. Now, more than ever, he wanted to keep Mark to himself. It was silly, but he had the sense that if he left his door open today, that if anyone intruded on this, he would lose it forever, and he wasn’t ready for that. Would he ever be?
He listened to Sophie’s movements as she entered the room, placed the dishes on the table, and closed the door behind her. He wouldn’t need to lock the door; Kyle would see to his need for privacy today.
His wet hand pushed Mark’s hair out of his face, his heart breaking further at Mark’s complete surrender to his subtle command to look at him. “Let’s feed you, hmm?”