The Copper Horse #2 Pride (16 page)

In the heat after sex,
Reuben lay in the hay and sucked on the softening cock, pulling on
the loose skin, kissing the head. Oh, how he wanted to show his
affection in ways that Erik could understand. Erik let him play for
a moment more before slowly withdrawing to lie next to Reuben.

“You’ve learned to
suck well,” he whispered, pressing his lips against Reuben’s
come-stained mouth. He was still breathless from his orgasm, and it
was enough to make pride swell in Reuben’s chest.

Reuben leaned into his
body, greedy for hugs and caresses. He was so happy to hear that he
had done well!

Erik chuckled into his
ear, nibbling it as he held Reuben in a loving embrace. Only wooden
walls separated them from the crowds of London’s streets, but the
confined darkness felt even more intimate than the peace of Erik’s
bedroom.

“How was the breeding,
darling? You think we’ll have a lovely foal from this?”

Reuben wasn’t sure
what Erik expected to hear. “Uhm, I suppose. Two well bred horses
after all,” he repeated Alexander’s words.

Erik sighed in the
darkness and petted Reuben’s side. “It seemed to me you rather
enjoyed being Coal’s mare.” The question hung in the air, and
Reuben wasn’t sure he wanted to answer it.

“Um, I... it’s
because...” His hard-on didn’t lie. Reuben had been on the verge of
orgasm before Coal even pushed in for the first time. Erik’s kiss
was gentle, as if he wanted to soothe Reuben’s fears and hold him
in the hay. It felt strangely domestic.

“You...” Reuben
swallowed, already hot and nervous. “There is this...
spot
in me. Inside. That I never knew I had, and you sort of found it. I
do get horny when I think of being touched there,” he muttered.

Erik was silent for a
moment, but then his mouth was on Reuben’s again, soft and gentle.
“Every man has that spot inside them. You just didn’t know it
before I took your virginity.” It was a low whisper that somehow
managed to stir Reuben’s emotions like a whirlwind.

The words rolled off
Erik’s tongue so easily, as if taking the non-existent virginity
was a good thing, whereas he had mixed feelings about how it
happened. It had been exciting as hell, but left him petrified. He
had been kidnapped to an unknown place, fucked and imprisoned by a
man who could kill him on a whim. Still, even that first time with
Erik, with all that violence, had been better than the drunk
rape-fucks he’d endured before. He was no virgin, yet no one before
Erik hit that spot so perfectly.

“I’m not sure, Master,
I think there’s something wrong with me,” Reuben barely held back a
sob. He couldn’t even explain why he was so emotional. Erik leaned
even closer to him, stroking his fingers down Reuben’s cheek.

“Why would you say
that, Copper?”

“It’s... Master? Could
we please not talk about it?” He put his head under Erik’s chin.
The other man hugged him close, and Reuben could hear the hurried
beat of his pulse.

“All you need to know
is that you’re my great joy, Copper. You can tell me anything.”

How could he possibly
explain he enjoyed being bound and kept in control? And fucked. It
didn’t even make sense to
him
! Normal men Reuben knew
regarded such things to be filthy and perverted. Boys were always
taught to fend for themselves and stay away from those who would
take advantage of their youth.

Erik stroked his head
and remained silent. It was hard to tell whether he wanted to force
an answer out of Reuben by not filling the silence, or that he
simply respected Reuben’s wish to end the conversation. Reuben
preferred to believe it was the latter.

“I suppose I don’t
hate
it. Just like I promised. And I never had anyone I was
close to,” Reuben confessed in the end. It seemed easier in the
darkness.

“You feel close to
me?” Erik asked after a pause.

Reuben swallowed. Was
that too much to say? What would Erik think of that? For him,
Reuben was probably just property. “We’ve been through some intense
things together.”

“Yes, that we have,”
Erik whispered against Reuben’s cheek. “And I love your company,
Copper. I really do.”

Reuben couldn’t
suppress a sigh as his throat clenched. “You just like horses.”

“I like you more than
other horses.”

Reuben’s heart
pounded, even though he tried to remain calm and collected. “How
come?”

Erik pressed a kiss to
the side of Reuben’s nose. “You’re so sweet and gentle. A true
gem.”

“I’m weak.” That was
probably why he liked men so much: he wasn’t powerful enough
himself.

Erik actually
chuckled. “Don’t be ridiculous, you pull my cart for two hours and
produce energy for my house. Of course you aren’t weak.”

“Then why am I not
like Chestnut? Why don’t I do something?” he blurted out in a sour
tone but was afraid he had said too much the moment it came out.
The tension in Erik’s body was like a knife to Reuben’s ribs. He
drew away from Reuben, as if even touching him could bring back
painful memories.

“I don’t know. Why
don’t you?” he asked in a hoarse voice.

“Maybe I don’t care
much for power.” Reuben instantly followed with his body, wanting
to be close to Erik again. Skin against skin.

Erik didn’t answer,
but he didn’t flinch away either, remaining against the wooden side
of the wagon.

Reuben rubbed his
cheek against Erik’s chest. “I’m sorry.”

“For what? You’re just
an honest horse.” Erik let out a long breath, loud in the hollow
silence of the carriage.

“I shouldn’t have
mentioned Chestnut.”

“You probably
shouldn’t. He was a very bad horse. You’re nothing like him.” The
anger was clear in Erik’s voice, and he wouldn’t hug Reuben
again.

A kiss to his master’s
lips was all Reuben could think of, and this time Erik’s arms slid
around him, pressing their bodies close.

“I know you would
never hurt a fly. And you enjoy our coupling and conversations.
You’re so different from Chestnut.”

“I do like to know
that you come to
me
at the end of each day.”

Erik’s breath felt
good on Reuben’s skin. Hurried, slightly ragged, it felt like a
caress.

“I think we should
sleep off the excitement, don’t you?” Erik proposed, burying his
head in Reuben’s neck.

“It has been a long
day,” Reuben agreed and closed his eyes with a smile.

Erik’s hands
worked wonders with their practiced, delicate movements as he
weaved Reuben’s mane into tiny elegant braids. He murmured a
strange, soft tune Reuben could not identify—homely and exotic at
the same time. They were in Reuben’s stall, sitting in the hay. He
was bound in the usual way, and Erik only had his breeches on. It
was hard to imagine things could be any better. He had a full
stomach, a warm place to sleep, he was cared for and clean.

Reuben knew
everything would be better if he could only tell Jack how he really
felt about serving Erik, and maybe that time was coming, since he
hated lying to someone as honest and sweet.

After he and
Erik had returned from the breeding, Reuben had to tell Jack
something and ended up vaguely complaining about his day. It just
rolled off his tongue. How shameful would it be to admit he enjoyed
getting fucked on his master’s command?

He felt like he
was betraying Erik and the bond they’d forged during Reuben’s time
in this house, but he just couldn’t help himself. He was nothing
like the honest horse Erik praised.

Reuben leaned
his head and closed his eyes. All he wanted now was sleep.

“Good? Your
mane will be wavy tomorrow,” Erik told him, adding a kiss to
Reuben’s temple.

“Will you visit
me in the morning, master?”

Erik gently
tugged on Reuben’s hair to make him look back. “Would you like
that?”

“It’s nice to
spill before work,” Reuben answered after a moment of hesitation
and gently bit on Erik’s chin.

Erik blinked,
his eyes going wide, but in the end he just laughed, hugging Reuben
closer. “I get the impression any time of day would be a perfect
time for spilling with you.”

“I will be hard
at work later, so don’t dare disturb me,” Reuben teased, enjoying
the closeness.

Erik’s strange
eyes warmed up to him more often every single day, as if their time
together was enough to melt the ice Reuben used to see there. “You
speak as if you were the master and not I.”

Reuben kissed
his chin with a smile. “Then I suppose the decision will be up to
you in the end.”

Erik’s touch
was calming and warm, like sun on his skin.

“You know what
I’ll decide.”

“To
come
to me often?”

“Mhmm.” Erik
leaned down to kiss his mouth, closing his arms around Reuben’s
shoulders.

“I was
thinking—Coal had those big hooves on his legs. Will I get a pair
like that?”

“Of course. Did
you like them?” Erik slid his hand down Reuben’s thigh.

“He looked so
big in them.” Reuben congratulated himself on dodging the
question.

“And you too
will have those massive hooves and long, endless legs.” Erik nipped
Reuben’s ear, squeezing his calf with a sigh.

Reuben laughed.
“You won’t even be able to reach my face.”

“What about
your tail, Copper?” his master asked innocently.

“What about
it?”

“What if I
can’t reach it?” Erik made a sad face that never failed to make
Reuben snort.

“You’re not
that
short.”

“I need to
reach it with my prick,” Erik said, and it left Reuben speechless
so he just cuddled closer.

“You’d have to
bend over, my darling.” Erik finished the last braid and just
tightened his embrace around Reuben.

“If Master
commands...”

“But you like
my commands, Copper.” That wasn’t even a question. Erik turned
Reuben’s face towards him, the two-colored eyes searching for
answers.

“I do as I’m
told,” Reuben whispered, watching Erik swallow.

“Yes, that you
do,” he agreed, still holding on to Reuben’s gaze. Erik slowly
pushed Reuben forward and got up to his feet. “I am getting
tired.”

“Goodnight,
Master.” Reuben smiled at him and dropped to the hay.

Erik returned
the smile, clearly unsure whether to stay or go, but he eventually
moved towards the door. “Remind Jack to tuck you in. I don’t want
you to catch a cold.”

Reuben nodded.
He couldn’t wait for that soft blanket. He must have dozed off
after Erik left the room because the moment someone touched him, he
believed that it was his master returning to his side to sleep next
to him or pet him some more. But it was only Jack. The tense look
on his face was enough to make Reuben sober.

“What’s
wrong?”

“We’re going,”
Jack whispered, reaching down to release Reuben’s hands. He was
slightly pale, but every move he made was swift and efficient.

“Where?” Reuben
was still not fully awake but rose to his feet, afraid that
something bad had happened, and that they needed to act fast.

Jack bit his
lip. “I’m rescuing you. I have some money saved up, we’ll find
someplace to hide.” His eyes were desperate when he grabbed
Reuben’s arms
.

What have I
done?
Reuben stared at him, feeling as if there were a cold
stone lodged in his stomach. “I... um... Jack, what if he finds
out? Are you sure?” he whispered as they crept out of the stables.
Jack gave him a pair of pants so that they wouldn’t gather that
much attention in the street, but other than that Reuben was naked
when they left the stable.

“Quiet!” Jack’s
mouth twitched when he scanned the corridor to see whether they
could cross it safely.

Reuben too
could barely breathe, for different reasons altogether. He had to
do something!
Something!
Jack was also barefoot so their
steps were soundless as they swiftly rushed along the corridors.
Reuben couldn’t believe this was happening. Would he really follow
Jack like a sheep, out of the house that changed his life? He
couldn’t just tell him the truth now, could he? His muscles were so
stiff they barely moved as he and Jack walked in the shadowy
corridors, careful not to step on any of the squeaking panels. Jack
was hurrying, as if he had practiced the route many times, and they
were getting further away from the stable, closer to where Erik
kept all his carts. The closer they were to freedom, the more
stunned Reuben felt. The boy had good intentions, so the guilt was
too heavy when Reuben decided to act. He needed to alarm everyone
and give them enough time to rush downstairs and stop him from
leaving. His eyes frantically scanned the corridor and he reached
the first object that could cause a lot of noise. He smashed a
Chinese vase into a million pieces.

The sound
carried along the walls, echoing like a needle dropped in a tomb.
Jack stiffened, his wide eyes turned to Reuben, but it was too late
to run when footsteps thundered down the stairs.

“What
happened?” shouted a high-pitched voice. Lady Victoria.

When Reuben
looked up at Jack, the boy was a statue made out of fear.

Reuben looked
around, wide eyed, and held on to a wooden ledge, trying to get up
as slowly as possible. He was bleeding, cut by the vase, but
adrenaline numbed all pain.

“What’s going
on here?”

The moment
Reuben saw John, the massive footman, appearing from behind the
nearby corridor with Lady Victoria, he knew he would stay where he
was. Those thick arms would never allow Jack to take Reuben
away.

“I... we were
going for a walk,” Jack stuttered as he pressed his back against
the wall.

“Since when is
the horse allowed to go out at night?” Lady Victoria watched them
both as Reuben slowly got to his feet.