Page 51 of Leather and Longing (Island Tales #3)

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Adam listened for the tell-tale creak of the floorboards above his head, but there was nothing. Paul was still asleep in Adam’s bed, and that was fine.

That meant he and Seth could talk.

They sat in the library, drinking coffee that Adam had made, conscious of feeling proud as he’d moved around the kitchen without his cane.

“You’re obviously doing well,” Seth commented.

He snorted. “You wouldn’t have said that if you’d visited me a couple of months ago. Christ, I was a wreck.” He pointed toward the ceiling. “That man has worked miracles.”

“Speaking of Paul…” Seth let out a sigh. “This is serious, isn’t it? How you feel for him? Just watching you together…”

Adam huffed. “As serious as it gets. I’m still amazed it’s taken me until the age of forty-one to fall in love, but bloody hell, I’ve fallen hard.”

“Does he love you?” Seth wanted to know. “Has he said anything?”

“No,” Adam said simply. “The old me would have been thrilled by what just happened. The old me would have taken what he could get.”

“And the all-new, improved Adam? How does he feel?” Seth’s voice was gentle. “Why don’t you just talk to him?”

Adam pushed out a low groan. “Because it’s not that easy for me, okay? For fuck’s sake, I’m a grown man. I should be able to have these type of conversations, right?”

Seth chuckled. “How many of these conversations have you ever had, Adam? Be honest.”

“None,” Adam growled. “I don’t talk about my… feelings, my emotions. I can deal with a sub after a scene, sure. I can manipulate him, fuck his head, mess him up… But ask me to tell a guy I’m in love with him and…” He bowed his head. “Fuck, Seth, this is a mess.”

“Easy, now.” Seth patted his arm.

Adam reared up his head. “This kind of shit is easy for you. Want to know why? Because you can just look at Chris and you’ve already got a good idea of what’s going on in his head.

You’ve got facial expressions, body language, eye movement…

What the fuck do I have? Seth, I listen to how he breathes, for fuck’s sake.

I listen for pauses, hesitancy in his voice, any fucking clues I can find. I am playing in the dark here!”

“Not as much as you might think.”

Adam stilled. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I watched both of you. If you think your emotions are all tangled up, I’d be willing to bet his are in pretty much the same state.

” Seth paused. “There’s something there , Adam.

And I think if you ever get up enough nerve to ask him how he feels about you, you might be in for a surprise.

” The couch dipped. “And now I’m going to get on my bike, head to the ferry terminal, and go home to my boy. ”

“Thank you for doing this.” Adam rose.

Seth’s hand was warm on his arm. “It was a pleasure, especially as I got to see something I’d never imagined possible.” Adam arched his eyebrows and Seth chuckled. “Adam Kent—in love.”

Adam’s cheeks grew hot. “You’re making fun of me.”

To his surprise, Seth hugged him. “I don’t mean to. Happiness is a good look on you.”

Above them, the ceiling creaked.

“And that’s my cue to leave you and Paul alone.”

Adam walked with Seth to the door.

Seth clasped his hand. “I’d like to visit you again, if that’s okay.”

“Of course. Bring Chris too.” Adam squeezed his hand. “And thank you again.”

“It was a genuine pleasure.”

Adam stood in the doorway, listening to the roar of Seth’s motorbike as he drove up the gravel driveway.

Now to talk to Paul.

Gingerly, Paul eased himself off the bed, gently flexing his back to assess how bad it was. He heaved a sigh of relief. There was none of the afternoon’s heat, only a feeling of being bruised.

God, I wonder how it looks.

He had to see.

Paul walked over to the wardrobe and contorted himself in an effort to catch sight of his back. What he saw made him gasp. It looked a good deal worse than it felt. The stripes stood out across his arse, shoulders and upper back.

Oh, my God. Paul didn’t know if the sight made him squirm or filled him with pride.

“You must’ve needed that sleep.”

Paul turned toward the door where Adam stood. “How long did I sleep for?”

“About three hours.” He inclined his head toward the staircase. “Seth has just left. He said to say goodbye.”

Paul’s throat tightened. He’d wanted to thank Seth for the invaluable lesson.

He gazed at the pile of clothes on the chair. The thought of fabric against his skin sent a shudder through him.

“Don’t bother with clothes if you don’t feel like wearing any.”

Paul smirked. “You’re speaking from experience, aren’t you?”

“I wouldn’t be a good Dom if I didn’t learn how it felt to be on the receiving end.”

He blinked. “Seriously?”

Adam laughed. “Again with the surprised tone. You sounded the same when I asked you to fuck me.” He unbuttoned his shirt, removed it, then popped the button on his jeans.

“What are you doing?” There was no way Adam’s cock was going anywhere near Paul’s arse.

Not for a day, at least.

Adam pushed his jeans over his hips. “Well, if you’re going to be naked, I may as well join you, to even things up a bit.

” He stepped out of them, picked them up from the rug, and felt for the end of the bed where he placed them.

Adam held his arms wide. “Now come here and let me tell you again how amazing you are.”

Paul stepped into the circle of Adam’s arms, his breath catching in his throat when Adam cupped Paul’s head and tilted his face up to bring their mouths together in a lingering kiss. Paul closed his eyes and concentrated on the feel of Adam’s lips on his, soft and warm.

This is what I want. Not the scenes. Not floggers and whips and pain, but Adam’s lips on mine. His arms around me. Him inside me. Me inside him.

Him loving me.

Just thinking of it made his heart ache.

“I should think about making dinner,” Paul murmured against Adam’s chest.

“Not tonight. I’ve already taken care of dinner.

” He pulled back, his eyes wide, and Adam laughed once more.

“And before you get too excited, or carried away with visions of me chopping off my finger instead of a piece of cucumber, I called Masala Bay. Our takeaway will be here in about forty minutes.”

Paul laughed too. “Then I’d better go up and wait for them at the gate.”

Adam gave him another kiss. “We’ll both walk up there. Although I recommend putting on some clothing first. We don’t want to scare our neighbours.”

Paul loved the feel of the conversation. It was domestic, light…

Intimate.

And a world away from what had taken place a few hours ago.

Paul lay on his front on Adam’s bed, while Adam slid cool, soothing fingers over his shoulders, back, and arse.

“That feels nice,” he murmured, half asleep.

“It’s supposed to.”

He turned his head to the side. “Tell me what else you’ve experienced.”

There was a pause. “I don’t understand the question.”

“You said you’ve been on the receiving end. Of what?”

Adam let out a wry chuckle. “How long have you got? Okay, let’s see. I’ve had hot wax dripped onto my nipples, cock, and balls. I’ve worn a cock cage, a vibrating butt plug, nipple clamps, a ball gag… I’ve been fucked in a sling, strung up on a St. Andrew’s Cross, taken a guy’s hand…”

Paul froze. “You’ve been fisted?” He’d watched such scenes online.

Another chuckle. “Oh yes. And here’s what will really blow your mind. I’ve done it more than once. Having said that, I didn’t take a full hand the first time. It took a few sessions, lots of talking, relaxing, breathing, before we got to the main act.”

“You liked it?”

Adam smiled. “One of the hottest acts I’ve ever experienced.

It’s not for everyone, but…” He shivered.

“You know you said the flogging was intense?” Paul managed a nod.

“Well, I feel the same way about fisting—from both sides of the equation.” His fingers found Paul’s cheek.

“Why don’t you sleep curled around me tonight? ”

Paul smiled. “I’d like that.”

He rolled onto his side, his chest against Adam’s broad back, his arm around Adam’s waist. Paul breathed him in, the smell of shampoo, soap, and Adam filling his nostrils.

I feel… safe.