Ricochet (80 page)

loved and forgave him. Nothing else mattered.

It took him a moment to realize that the

cracking sound had stopped because the pain was

still radiating through his backside in burning

waves. Rick moved his hand away, and Matt gave

a little sob as the connection between them was

broken.

He saw Rick place his belt on the coffee table

out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't move.

This was a punishment, and he wouldn't move until

his dom gave him permission.

Rick returned to his side and stroked a gentle

hand over his back. "Matt - I want you to go and

stand facing the wall," he said quietly. "You need

some time to be alone with the punishment and let

it seep in."

Matt pushed away from the chair, his

backside screaming its protest at the movement,

and walked slowly over to the wall as ordered.

He was glad Rick wasn't making him leave

the inner world of his punishment quickly. He

needed time to absorb the impact of what he'd

experienced and to slowly come back to himself.

They had once playacted a scene where he'd

faced the wall in his trailer, but this felt very

different. There was nothing erotic about this

moment. His bottom felt like it was burning up, but

he knew better than to put back his hands and try to

rub away the pain. This was his punishment, and

he had to own it, the way Rick had owned the

giving of it.

He closed his eyes and allowed the

knowledge that he'd been punished to really sink

in. It was the first time his dom had punished him,

but he doubted it would be the last. It might not

happen often but it would happen again, and he

knew now that he could trust Rick to do it right.

Matt wasn't a naughty sub, and he certainly

didn't deserve to be punished for the stupid, made-

up reasons his previous doms had disciplined him

for. This punishment had been a physical reminder

that he was collared now, and his actions had

consequences, not just for himself but also for his

dom.

If he was ever ordered to the Justice Hall to

take official punishment, then Matt knew,

absolutely and without question, that Rick would

step in and take it for him, as was his right. So

Matt had to be mindful of his own duties and

responsibilities as a sub and aware of how much

the collar around his neck had changed his life.

Matt let out a deep breath, finally coming to

terms with what had just happened between them.

The punishment had made him feel safe, supported

and secure in the knowledge that his dom would do

what was right for them both, even though it was

painful.

"That's it. Time's up." Rick came up behind

him. "Your punishment is over now, Matty," he

said firmly. He put his hand on Matt's shoulder,

swung him around, and wrapped his arms around

him. "It's over. All over now," he said hoarsely,

his voice shaking.

Matt put his arms around his dom's neck,

buried his face in Rick's shoulder and held on

tight, and they stayed that way for a long time, just

holding each other.

Rick sought out Matt's lips with his own and

kissed his sub gently, putting all his love into that

kiss, feeling closer to him than ever before.

While he hadn't actively enjoyed punishing

Matt, the dom inside him had found it cathartic. It

hadn't been easy, but it had been necessary, and it

had created a new kind of connection between

them.

"Here." He reached into his pocket and got

out a tube of ointment. "I bought it on my way

home. I knew we'd be needing it." He turned Matt

around and gently soothed the cool ointment into

his red skin. He'd punished Matt well, but he'd

made sure not to break his skin or cause any lasting

damage; Matt would find sitting painful for a few

days, but that was all. Matt whimpered as he took

care of him, and when he was done, Rick kissed

him again to settle him.

It was getting dark outside. Rick disengaged

himself from his sub and switched the lights on,

dimming them to create a cozy atmosphere in the

warm room. Then he turned on some music,

searching through his iPod for the right playlist of

smoky, jazz tunes.

He took his sub's hand and pulled him in

close, slow dancing with him around the room.

Matt rested his chin on Rick's shoulder, looking

hazy and happy. He might be hurting physically,

but the guilt and anxiety had gone from his eyes,

and he was content in his submission. No, not just

content - he was proud of it, and Rick was proud

of him too. There was something very special

about a sub taking that kind of hard punishment

without protest or complaint, and Rick felt

humbled by the trust Matt had placed in him.

He stroked Matt's body, feeling his cock

come to life at the nearness of his naked sub. The

urge to touch him was overwhelming, and he

caressed Matt lazily, trailing his fingers over his

back and nuzzling his hair with his lips.

"I need to be in you," he whispered into

Matt's ear, and Matt nodded and pressed against

him, clearly feeling the same way.

Rick reached for the belt he'd discarded on

the coffee table.

"Put your hands behind your back," he said

softly, wanting only quiet words between them

now after the firm orders and hard cracking sound

of the punishment.

Matt obeyed instantly, and Rick bound his

hands with his belt. Then he got down on his knees

and gently mapped Matt's body with his hands and

lips, the way he had the first night after collaring

him. He still found it hard to believe that this

beautiful sub belonged to him. It was a miracle that

any sub had taken his collar, but that it should be

this one, who he loved so much, and who had

proved himself willing to take that kind of hard

punishment at his hands… well, that astounded

him.

He explored his sub's body tenderly for a

long time, kissing and caressing him with the

lightest of feather-light touches, showing him just

how loved he was and how proud of him his dom

was.

When he was sure that Matt had absorbed the

message, Rick got up and got undressed himself.

Then he took Matt's hand, led him to the sofa, laid

down on it on his back, and pulled Matt on top of

him, so that he was straddling him.

"Ride me," he said quietly. He knew it would

be hard - this wasn't an easy angle, and Matt wasn't

experienced in this position.

He placed his hands on Matt's heated

buttocks, and Matt whimpered, but he held his

dom's gaze unflinchingly and didn't try to move

away. Then, slowly and deliberately, Rick pulled

his sore buttocks apart. Matt gasped, but still held

his position.

"Good boy." Rick slid his finger into Matt's

hole and was gratified to find that even in the midst

of all his earlier turmoil, Matt had kept himself

prepared for his dom.

He opened Matt up a little more, and then put

his hands on Matt's hips and guided him down onto

his own hard length. Matt took a deep breath as

Rick's cock breached his hole; he paused for a

moment to adjust, and then pushed himself down

further on it. Rick smiled up at him and brushed a

lock of his blond hair out of his eyes.

Matt shifted his hips and gave a cry of

pleasure as he took his dom's cock fully inside his

body. Rick pulled him down for a lingering kiss,

loving, as always, the sensation of claiming his sub

with both his tongue and his cock. He pushed his

hips up forcefully, meeting Matt's gyrations down,

pushing his cock even further in, up to the root.

Matt's hands were bound behind his back, so

Rick steadied and guided him with his own hands

to keep him in place. They worked as a team, each

of them feeling a hard-earned sense of love and

trust from the other. They'd been through hell but

they hadn't failed each other, and they'd come out

the other side stronger than ever.

Rick kept one hand on Matt's thigh, keeping

him in place, and moved his other hand to grasp

his sub's hard cock, stroking it in time to Matt's

movements up and down on his cock.

They locked gazes as they made love, and

Rick felt his heart swelling with love and pride for

his sub. This man, riding his cock, was the love of

his life. Their bodies fit together perfectly, and

they trusted each other implicitly. Matt smiled

down on him, and Rick reached up a hand to gently

caress his cheek. Matt’s blue eyes were glowing

with love, and the moment felt incredibly

profound. They had been through so much, learned

so much about each other and themselves, and

now, finally, they had come out the other side.

The dimly lit room was warm and peaceful,

and the music crooned softly in the background as

dom and sub danced to an age-old tune, their

bodies moving together as one.

As they made love, something flared into life

in the pit of Rick's belly; it was sweet and warm,

and it seemed to flow effortlessly from himself to

Matt and back again. Matt's eyes widened, and

Rick knew he was feeling it too.

Then, suddenly, it was as if he was in Matt's

body. Rick could feel the hot pain emanating in

waves from his punished bottom; the leather belt

around his wrists, holding his arms behind his

back; and the sweet sensation of a hard cock

sliding into him, hitting his prostate as he rode on

top of it.

He could feel all those sensations, and yet

they weren't his. They were Matt's, and he knew

Matt could feel his sensations too. They were one,

joined… and it was impossible to tell where the

dom ended and the sub began.

It should have been disorienting, but it wasn't.

It felt like the most natural thing in the world and it

was so beautiful that Rick felt himself drowning in

it.

They became locked in that moment, gazes

fixed on each other and bodies joined as one, lost

in the exquisite sensation of that warm flow of

energy pulsing sweetly between them, like honey.

His body was Matt's, and Matt's was his.

Somehow they had fused, and they were floating

together, spiraling upwards as the sexual ecstasy in

their joined bodies reached a crescendo.

Rick felt them both convulsing as their joint

orgasm began. They were engulfed in a haze of

pleasure, transported on wave after wave of

intense sensation that claimed them completely

until they were aware of nothing else. They threw

back their heads and cried out, as one, and lights

exploded like fireworks all around them.

It seemed to go on forever, and then, suddenly

it was over, and the bright, flashing lights were

gone. Matt slumped down on top of him, and Rick

caught him in his arms and held him tight against

his own body, keeping him safe.

Rick came to some time later and lay there,

feeling too sated to move. He was dimly aware of

the sweet flow of energy between them weakening,

leaving them as separate entities again, and no

longer joined.

It took several minutes for the throbbing link

between them to recede completely, like the tide

ebbing away on the seashore, gently fading away.

They lay in exhausted silence until it was

gone, Matt's body pressed against his, and Rick's

arms wrapped loosely around his sub. Then Matt

lifted his head.

"What the hell was that?" he whispered, in a

tone of awe.

"I don't know, but I think, maybe, it was the

kaeira," Rick replied, just as awestruck.

"The kaeira…you mean…?"

"Yes - that flow of energy that signals the

possibility of being able to life-bond," Rick said.

He thought maybe he should be more shocked, but

he wasn't. Somehow, it felt right that he and Matt

should be blessed with the kaeira. So few couples