Page 5 of Distant Heart (Vicious Valentine)

The insecurity coming off of Rexton confused Illya. Surely the other man understood how attractive he was?

“Did you think I’d leave you to one of the other Black Harts?” Illya didn’t like the idea.

“I don’t think any of them would be interested in me,” Rexton countered.

“It’s Praeda,” he reminded. “Everyone is after the best of the best. Do I need to pull out a mirror for you, baby?”

Rexton’s lip sneered. “Don’t. You’re trying to pacify me.”

“I’m not,” he disagreed. “What reason would I have for it? Maybe you’ve been too distracted with your self-doubts to realize, but I’ve got you right where I want you. No one else is going to touch you tonight. Just me.”

It was hard to tell how Rexton felt about that statement, because in a rare show of awareness, he closed off his expression, look turning enigmatic like a switch had been flicked.

“You still haven’t answered my question. Are you planning on cheating?” Rexton said.

“I like your eyes,” Illya divulged. He planted his palms against the table, staring at him from across it. Soon, he’d capture the distance between them, but for now, he’d allow Rex the illusion of safety. “They’re so expressive. They were the first thing I noticed about you.”

He wasn’t impressed. “That it?”

“I like your hair too,” Illya continued. If his prey needed compliments to ease him into things, he would give them. “It reminds me of frozen snow under the bright morning sun. You can see the east quad from my bedroom window. Just after sunrise, when most of the campus is still asleep, the ground remains untouched and seemingly stretches on forever. It’s peaceful.”

And so few things in Illya’s life could be called that.

“You smell good as well,” he added, but that had Rexton grunting.

“You could smell me all the way from the top of the stairs in the foyer, could you,” Rex drawled sarcastically.

“I was operating on instinct when I chose you,” Illya said. “That’s what the night is all about, really. An excuse for us all to act out on our natural inclinations. See, even though we like to pretend we as a society are above it all, our roots are still drenched in primal urges. Hundreds of years ago, I wouldn’t even have to have this conversation with you. I could have claimed you in the foyer, in front of everyone, without a second’s hesitation, and that would have been my right as one of the planet's future leaders.”

“That makes it sound like you think conversing with me is a waste of time.”

Illya shook his head. “Don’t put words in my mouth.”

“Or what?”

“Or I’ll put something of mine in your mouth.”

“Sure, if you don’t mind me biting it off.”

This was getting them off track. Illya glanced down at the table. “We’re changing the rules.”

“You can’t do that,” Rexton stated.

“I can do whatever I like.” Soon, he’d be doing whoever he liked, but he kept that thought to himself. “Whoever makes the next shot gets to decide our next move. Since I’m feeling generous and the night is young, I’ll let you go first. If you make it, you can choose what comes next. But if you miss, it’s my turn to try my luck.”

“I’m not agreeing to that.”

“Then,” he tilted his head toward the open doorway, “should I just overpower you and fuck you on the table like I want to?”

Rexton made a strangled sound that had Illya’s groin twitching.

“Aren’t you moving kind of fast?” Rexton’s pink tongue darted past his lips to wet them, and he noticeably shivered when Illya’s gaze tracked the motion. “You just said we have all night.”

“I said the night was young,” he corrected. “But I’m growing impatient.” And hard. Another thought he’d keep to himself. For now.

“We don’t even know each other.”

“Isn’t that what you wanted?” Illya waved a hand. “Enough stalling. I gave you a way out, baby. Hurry up and choose. We playing or—”

“All right, all right.” Rexton bent over the edge of the table and prepared to take another shot. If he was trying to hide the way his hands were shaking slightly though, he was doing a poor job of it. Nerves were shining through his facade, giving Illya another glimpse behind the curtain.

That was better. That was the Rexton he liked most. Not the stoic version that struggled to hide his emotions.

“Don’t miss,” Illya couldn’t help but tease just before Rexton took the shot. Of course, that caused the other man to, the cue ball twirling around a few inches before bumping uselessly up against the nearest ball. “How unfortunate.”

“Hey!” Rexton glared. “You did that on purpose!”

“So?”

“That’s cheating!”

“So?” he reiterated more firmly. “All’s fair in love and war, baby.”

“Really?” A glimmer entered Rexton’s eye.

“Yeah.”

“Okay.” He made a sweeping gesture with his hands. “Your turn then, hot shot.”

Illya searched for the best possible move. All he had to do was sink in one more ball and they could finally put a stop to this dance. He came around the table, getting close enough into Rexton’s space the other guy stepped aside, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

It was an easy move. All he had to do was hit the four ball straight on and—

In a flurry of motion, Rexton tugged his shirt over his head and dropped it on the table, just out of the way of Illya’s shot, but close enough he’d definitely take notice.

Which he did.

Illya’s eyes scanned Rexton’s bare chest hungrily, his skin golden under the dim lighting of the game room. He must work out, because he was toned, a defined eight-pack leading down to—

Rexton’s fingers popped open the first button of his black jeans.

Without meaning to, Illya’s hands shook, the cue tip tapping against the shiny white ball with a deafening clank.

Rexton’s grin was insufferable.

Illya lost his patience.

Before either of them knew what he intended, he had the other man bent over the edge of the table, his cheek pressed to the green velvet surface with one hand while the other dove down the back of his pants.

Illya found his puckered hole with ease, his middle finger pushing against Rexton’s resistance with little care. As soon as he got that first knuckle past that tight ring of muscle, he corkscrewed his hand, working himself in deeper.

“Motherfucker!” Rexton tried to kick him off, but Illya held firm, proving to be the stronger of the two. “Get off of me!”

“You shouldn’t have taunted me, baby.” He bumped himself against the back of Rexton’s thigh so the other man could feel how hard he now was. “I’m going to have to teach you a lesson.”

He twirled his finger around until he pressed up against Rexton’s prostate, relishing the strained noise that elicited from his prey. Knowing he’d found the sweet spot, he took advantage, slipping in another finger to help stretch him.

“Were you telling the truth earlier?” Illya asked. “You sure the last time you had something big up here was a whole week ago?” A dark pang of something killed some of the excitement in his chest and he slammed three fingers into Rexton with enough force it sent the remaining balls on the table rolling. “You’re opening up for me rather easily for someone who claims to have been empty for a while.”

“Jealous?”

“Be very careful with your next words, Rexton.” If he had to put a pause on this to go murder someone, he would.

This wasn’t good. Wasn’t what he wanted. He didn’t want to fuck him while angry. Maybe Rex was right after all. Maybe they were moving too fast.

He made sure the sound of his fly coming undone could be heard loud and clear.

“Illya—”

Illya yanked his fingers free and pinned him down further, pressing the entire width of his chest onto Rexton’s back to keep him in place. While the other man struggled beneath him, he kicked his legs open, one hand dropping between them to roughly spread his cheeks wide. With a deft flick of his hips, Illya found Rexton’s entrance, notching his cockhead within him.

The slight intrusion had Rexton gasping and going still, and Illya, ever the giving, let him take that moment to collect himself and prepare.

He placed a series of kisses over the curve of Rexton’s left shoulder, trying to soothe him into further submission. Just because he was willing to take the other man by force, didn’t mean he didn’t want him to also enjoy this. If they both had a good time, it was more likely for their coupling to happen again.

And again.

And again.

“I could fuck you well into morning,” he growled against the heated flesh at the base of Rexton’s neck before nuzzling his nose against the spot. “Screw your brains out so all your troubles are distant, blurry recollections in the back of your mind. Forget about everything else, baby. All you have to concentrate on is taking my cock like the good boy I know you can be.”

He must have taken things too far with that last statement because he felt Rexton tense up all over again and sighed knowing the moment of languidness had passed.

“Good boy my ass,” Rexton snarled. “Fuck you and your—”

Illya gave a hard thrust, fully seating himself inside of Rexton’s tight body with one quick move that also ended up slamming Rexton’s hips loudly against the table. It shook beneath their weight a second time before the balls rolled again. They clattered, the sound echoing around them, only partially drowning out Rexton’s pain-filled cry.

“You brought that on yourself,” Illya said, delivering the words against the curve of the other man’s ear. “I was trying to make this easy on you, but what did I tell you about keeping your mouth clean, hm?”

“Like you actually give a shit if I curse,” Rexton shot back, though his words were strained now. “You just like—”

“Reprimanding you?” Illya ground against him, chuckling when that elicited another gasp, this one tinged with less pain and more pleasure. Whether his prey wanted to admit it or not, he was getting off on this too. “Ah, is that why you keep resisting? Do you like being punished, xa’us?”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Why not? It’s a term of endearment here on Usurn.”

“It’s too…intimate.”

Illya couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m balls deep inside of you. Your cheeks are split and cradling me. I have you trapped in every sense of the word, and yet calling you a pet name is too intimate for you? You’re really something, Rexton, has anyone ever told you that before?”

Rexton inhaled shakily and then replied, “Only you.”

“That’s good, baby. That’s the type of thing I like to hear.” He nipped at his ear. “Only me. Remember that, okay?”

“That’s not how this works,” Rexton, ever the defiant, declared. “Praeda—”

Illya dropped his face and bit the tender spot at the center of Rexton’s nape in a warning that smartly didn’t go unheeded. The other man quieted and instantly locked up beneath him once more.

“You can’t honestly think this ends tonight, can you? Come on, xa’us, you can’t be that dense. This is our start. Our real one. I’m going to tie you to me and keep you here forever. Try to flee, see what happens. Maybe you’ll even like it. Like all the ways I intend to chain you to my side.”

Rexton shuddered. “Illya.”

He hushed him and licked the spot where the imprint of his teeth marked Rexton’s perfect skin.

“Let’s call a truce,” Rexton suggested.

Illya answered by drawing his hips back. Just as his cock was about to slip free, he drove forward, spearing through Rexton a second time with just as much force. They both moaned, and he did it again. What he really wanted to do was toss the other man onto the ground and fuck him raw and rough, but despite his earlier comments, there was no way he’d ever risk someone walking in on them and seeing Rexton laid out and on full display.

He'd have to gouge their eyes out, and something told him bloodshed like that would be considered a turn-off in Rexton’s book.

“No truce,” Illya said. “You chose the game. You don’t get to tap out. All you can do is surrender.”

“Fine,” Rexton shifted beneath him pointedly, “then I do that. I surrender. Now let’s end this and get off—”

“Not the kind of surrender I’m looking for.” He nipped at his ear one last time and straightened. It took all his willpower to leave Rexton’s warmth, but he did. “To the victor go the spoils. Get up and fix your clothes. We’re leaving.”

He hesitated but did as he was told, turning quickly to keep Illya in his line of sight as he grappled with his pants and quickly got himself in order. There was suspicion in his eyes, a tense set to his shoulders. “Leaving?”

“There’s no lock on this door.” Illya motioned to it. “Anyone can walk in at any moment. I want privacy for what comes next.”

“I’m not letting you—”

“You can try to make another run for it,” he suggested before Rexton could finish his sentence. His cock was swollen and achy as he tucked himself away, smirking when that caught the other guy’s notice. “I’ll hunt you down again, only this time, once I’ve caught you we’re finishing what we just started. Got that, baby?”

Rexton was still staring at Illya’s cock now trapped behind the confinement of silk.

“Xa’us,” he chided him sternly, his expression mirroring the tone when it caused Rexton to jolt in surprise. “Well? What’s it going to be? Surrender? Or are we still playing after all?”

Despite all his complaining, Rexton snatched his shirt off the table and immediately made a beeline for the door.

“Right leads straight back to the party,” Illya called out.

His prey turned left and disappeared out of sight.

For now.