Iron Cross: The Dartmouth Cobras #6 (25 page)

Words. Okay, I can give him something.
Tyler pushed off the sofa, then took off his own jacket. “The bedroom works for me. And…yeah, we can do whatever you want, but…ah, not sure I’m ready for lube.”

“You certainly aren’t ready to do without.” Raif laughed and hooked his arm around the back of Tyler’s neck, pulling him close. The rough affection was nice. Tyler wasn’t sure if Raif was joking or not, but he wasn’t scared anymore. He trusted Raif to take him to his limit without going past.

’Course, if they were gonna play, his limits would get pushed a bit. But he wasn’t worried. He grinned as Raif kissed his temple. Shuddered as Raif’s lips moved down, hot breath stirring the hair around his ear.

“From this point on, feel free to use your safeword.” Raif kissed his throat, sucking lightly on the skin under his ear. The sensation shot straight down to Tyler’s cock, and he groaned as Raif’s hand slid down his chest, over his stomach, then rubbed over where his jeans trapped his hard dick at an almost painful angle. “You will join me in my bedroom. But you will only ever enter it naked.”

“Naked?” Tyler shifted forward even as Raif released him and moved away. He knew that he’d been given an order, but the simple instructions weren’t sinking in. He just wanted Raif to keep touching him and kissing him. Why’d he stop?

“Yes. Naked. But do not leave your clothes all over the hall. I have no tolerance for messy subs.”

With that, Raif walked away, down the hall, and disappeared behind one of the three doors.

Shaking his head to clear it, Tyler quickly pulled off his shirt, trying to fold it on the coffee table while undoing his jeans. His shin hit the table as his feet tangled in his jeans, and he cursed as the stab of pain set him off-balance. His ass hit the floor, but at least that made it easier to get the rest of his clothes off. He took his time folding everything nice and neat. Then tried to regain some dignity as he scrambled to his feet and hurried down the hall. But halfway there, his socks slid on the polished wood floor and he hip checked the only partially closed bathroom door.

He was pretty sure he’d heard Raif laughing behind one of the other doors. Fuck, he’d laugh too if he didn’t know he was acting like a teenage boy getting ready to get laid for the first time. He took a few seconds to calm the fuck down, take his socks off, then tossed them in the general direction of the hamper in the bathroom. Inhaling slowly, he stepped up to Raif’s bedroom door.

And almost turned right around to grab his shit and get the fuck out of there. Being horny and wanting Raif was a lot different than actually doing something about it. If he left, he could forget ever needing anything beyond his awesome life with Chicklet and Laura. Nothing would change.

If he stayed, if he went into that room,
everything
would change. The idea that he wasn’t straight like he’d always thought didn’t bug him anymore. But not knowing what would happen tomorrow…

What if Chicklet started thinking he didn’t need her anymore? She would have told him if this would mess up their relationship, right? He’d been honest with her and she’d still told him to go for it. Even Laura had encouraged him. He wouldn’t lose them.

But Raif…well, Raif could get traded this summer. Tyler already cared about the man a lot, and getting in bed with him wouldn’t make it easier to say goodbye when the time came.

You’ve had sex without getting all serious before, Vanek. Don’t go all crazy on Raif now. Just fucking go for it. Have some fun and don’t be stupid.

Right. That made sense. All the shit about belonging to Raif only meant he didn’t want Tyler fucking around with Luke and Scott anymore. No problem there.

So what was the problem? Going through that door didn’t mean he was making some life-altering choice. He was doing what felt right tonight. He’d never been big on worrying about tomorrow. No reason to start now.

He opened the door and stepped into the room.

A few feet to his left, Raif was setting up an iPod on a dock with huge speakers. He didn’t look up as Tyler came in, so Tyler went to make himself comfy in the middle of the bed, plopping down on the pile of pillows, some harder memory foam, others feather or something. Folding a soft one under his head, Tyler watched Raif, taking in the broad expanse of his back, all thick muscle under dark tan flesh. Shirtless, but still wearing his black dress pants, Raif didn’t look much different than when he was at the club. Strong and commanding and no less all-powerful than he’d seemed when Tyler worshiped him as a boy.

The music came on, not dungeon-style music like Tyler had expected. Was more like…hell, he couldn’t put his finger on it. Wasn’t English, but it had a nice rhythm. He listened to the song, eyes hooded as Raif came to the bed, an amused slant to his lips.

“Is this in your language? It’s kinda cool.” Tyler didn’t lift his head, but he turned to face Raif as the man walked around to the side of the bed.

“Yes, this is Croatian. ‘
Opet si pobijedila
,’ by Tony Cetinski. A very fitting song for our situation.” Raif folded his arms over his chest. “Are you quite comfortable?”

Uh-oh.
Okay, he recognized that tone. Raif wasn’t mad, but he probably wasn’t thrilled about Tyler throwing himself on his bed. Then again, Tyler wouldn’t have dared lie down if he was doing a scene with Chicklet. She’d have dumped him on the floor already. Then beaten his ass until she got bored and decided to use him.

“Sorry.” Tyler sat up. Then hopped off the bed. Then dropped to his knees. He stared at the round carpet even as
his knees burned from hitting it so hard. “Wasn’t sure what you’d want me to do.”

“What you’re doing now is appropriate. But you’ll remember next time.” Raif ruffled his hair. “And kneel with the poise I know you are capable of. We shall try not to break you before the playoffs. Agreed?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Now get up. I have something for you.” Raif was halfway to the closet by the time Tyler got up off his sore knees. He came back with a few thick leather belts, the look of them making Tyler wince until he realized they were connected. A harness. “Have you ever worn one of these before?”

“Yeah, Chicklet has a couple for me, but they don’t have all that metal.” No way did that thing go just over his chest. Tyler studied it, trying to figure out where all the straps were supposed to go. “And they’re smaller.”

“Simple chest harnesses then. This is a full body harness—much like one you’d wear for rock climbing, with a few extra attachments. Now face away from me.” He waited until Tyler turned, approaching him from behind, his smooth, dark tone sending a white-hot spill of lust right down Tyler’s spine. “I don’t act on impulse often,
zlato moje
, but I bought this only recently because I would see it on you.”

He had? But… Tyler didn’t understand. He glanced at Raif over his shoulder. “You didn’t want anything to do with me until today. How’d you know you’d see it on me?”

Raif shook his head. “My words are wrong. There was
hope
that I would see it on you. But you know very well my desire for you was never an issue.”

“I don’t know that. You found it pretty easy to walk away from me.”

“No. It was never easy.” Raif slid the leather up against the back of Tyler’s shoulders. “Slip your arms through the straps. We can discuss this more, but I
will
see this on you now.”

Tyler put his arms through the straps, staying perfectly still as Raif went around him, positioning the leather across his chest in two Vs that came out from the metal ring over his sternum. A long strap went down to his stomach, where the second ring connected to a belt and two straps that went around his upper thighs and right under his ass cheeks. Cuffs went around Tyler’s upper and lower arms, trapping them by his sides. His face heated as Raif tightened the harness and casually fitted the final ring over his cock and balls.

Before he had a chance to decide whether or not he liked the harness, Raif latched on to the ring on Tyler’s chest, jerking him forward so their lips slammed together. The scruff on Raif’s face scratched the smooth skin around Tyler’s mouth. The fingers of Raif’s other hand fisted in Tyler’s hair, and his tongue slipped into Tyler’s mouth, exploring as though learning how to take everything Tyler had to give with the bruising pressure of his lips alone. The ability to worry and wonder and question were gone with the ability or the will to do anything but give Raif exactly what he wanted in that kiss.

Absolutely everything.

The kiss lasted a long time—and not long enough. Tyler leaned into Raif as their lips parted, almost sending himself off-balance because his head was spinning and he’d forgotten his arms were trapped by his sides. But then Raif shoved him toward the bed and Tyler laughed as he landed half-on, half-off the mattress, knowing he looked ridiculous shimmying backward to keep from sliding onto the floor.

Raif smiling at him, his eyes shadowed with desire, made the awkwardness worth it. He shook his head even as he went to the bedside table and took condoms and some lube out of the drawer. “The harness has made this easier for you, hasn’t it? You hardly seem to notice your nakedness.”

“I’ve been naked around you before. But yeah… I’ve always liked harnesses. Security thing, I guess.” Shit, Raif had managed to get him talking a lot more than he was used to. Which was bad because talking dimmed the hot, shiny, sexual zone he’d almost lost himself too. And he wanted to get lost there. He licked his bottom lip slowly, giving Raif his most innocent look. “I changed my mind about the lube.”

“Have you? Is that an invitation, Ty?”

“Yeah. You don’t scare me no more, man. I wanna—”

“You really should not have said that,
zlato moje
.” Raif stalked forward, a predatory gleam in his eyes. He used the chest strap to drag Tyler to the middle of the bed even as he climbed up, then straddled Tyler with his hands braced at either side of his head. His smile changed as Tyler stared up at him, really wishing he could take the words back. Raif was damn scary when he wore that “I’m gonna hurt you, and enjoy it” expression.

“I’m sorry.” Tyler knew, even as he said it, that “sorry” wouldn’t save him with Raif any more than it did with Chicklet. His breaths came in short pants as Raif reached over to take two more objects out of the drawer.

“No need to be sorry. But for a boy who struggled with speaking the words I needed to hear, you are quite open with what you ‘want’ now. I shall be kind and help you resist the urge.” Raif held up a long, rubber bit gag with metal loops on either side and a leather strap to secure it behind Tyler’s head. Gags, Tyler could handle. The big black nipple clamps Raif had in his other hand? Not so much.

“Yes to the gag.” Tyler tried to sit up a bit to show how cooperative he would be. “No to the clamps?”

“Are we negotiating? I don’t recall asking if you had a preference.” Raif used his teeth to open the plastic wrapper on the clamps. “You may use your safeword of course.”

Tyler scowled. Hell, he wouldn’t wimp out over nipple clamps. He shook his head and opened his mouth, wanting the gag in before he told Raif to go fuck himself.

“Ah, we are going to be stubborn?” With a shrug when Tyler didn’t answer, Raif got the gag in Tyler’s mouth and connected it securely behind his head. “If it’s any consolation, I know you don’t enjoy excessive pain. And I will take that into account.”

How is it Doms say comforting shit in a way that’s not comforting at all?
Tyler rolled his eyes and dropped back onto the pillow.

“You are a handful. Do you plan to submit to me at all, boy?”

Questions when Tyler couldn’t answer didn’t make any damn sense. Made even less sense when Tyler was here, on the bed, all strapped up with a gag in his mouth. He furrowed his brow to show Raif his confusion.

“Let me guess, I’ve really asked nothing of you yet.” Raif’s lips curved. He rested on one elbow and ran his fingers lazily along Tyler’s jaw and down his throat. “So what are you to submit to?”

Not quite, but close enough. Tyler nodded.

“Your scowling and eye rolling shows a great deal of disrespect. I won’t force you into a state of submission—I suspect the men you’ve dealt with have to when they punish you for acting out at the club.” Raif’s brow rose when Tyler turned his head, cheeks blazing. The rare times Chicklet let another Dom punish him, there was usually a bit of wrestling and swearing until Chicklet gave him that disappointed look. Then he behaved. Raif inclined his head, pressing lightly on Tyler’s cheek so he faced him. “You’ve only voluntarily submitted to a woman. One woman. You do not know how to respond to me if you’re not being a friend or a brat. I won’t accept that, Ty. Let’s not forget, you came to me.”

I did. And I want …
but that was the problem. He’d focused too much on what he
wanted
from Raif. And not at all on what Raif wanted. Which was selfish and would lead to a shitty scene.

If Raif didn’t just give up on him.

A soft pat on his cheek had him gazing up at Raif. Relief filled him as he saw Raif didn’t seem ready to go anywhere.

His smile assured Tyler that he hadn’t fucked up too bad. “So easy to read. We have only begun—I will be patient, but I must see an effort from you. Save the attitude for when I will enjoy beating on you for my amusement. Until then, let us get to know one another. You are as beautiful as I knew you would be. I’m ready to toy with you now.”