Page 7 of Sour Candy (Sour Candy #1)

For the first time in a long time, Noah woke up before his alarm.

He lay there, eyes closed against the soft morning light, wondering why he was awake.

He only woke up before his alarm when he had something on his mind.

A trip he was looking forward to or a meeting he was nervous about.

The last time he woke up early, it was because he had a date he was looking forward to.

Then he opened his eyes and remembered.

Benji lay across from him, curled in on himself like a hedgehog. Protective , Noah thought as he watched Benji’s dark brow crease. Stressed, even in sleep.

He sat up, watching Benji’s pale chest rise and fall. The guy had obviously been through a lot. He hadn’t even been able to ask for what he wanted. Said everything through gritted teeth, like he expected Noah to make fun of him.

And yet he’d gone down so beautifully . Noah had been surprised how easy it had been, Benji’s walls melting so fast under his touch.

He thought back to the miserable hunch of Benji’s shoulders as he asked Noah to be nice to him.

How many people were nice to Benji? How many got to see this soft, precious side of him that Noah had seen last night?

Noah pulled the sheets down. Benji snuffled and rolled onto his back, exposing his chest. Apart from a few faint red marks, the bites were already gone.

Noah had thought it would be better to go easy on him for their first time together, but he couldn’t help imagining Benji’s pale chest littered with bruises.

Noah’s bruises. Something for Benji to hide under his clothes, every sting reminding him who he belonged to.

Noah pulled the sheet back up, fighting down a hot wave of possessiveness. One good night didn’t mean Benji was signing on to be his sugar baby on an ongoing basis. They’d have that conversation once he woke up.

He pried Benji’s hands from where they were clasped against his own chest, checking his wrists. Still no bruising.

Benji stirred. One dark eye cracked open, squinting in the morning light. For a moment, he looked puzzled. Then he jolted, ripping his wrists out of Noah’s grip.

“Whoa.” Noah held up his hands. “Just me, baby.”

But Benji was already relaxing, mouth twisted in an embarrassed grimace.

“Shit,” he rasped, voice even more gravelly than last night. “Sorry. Morning.”

“Morning.” Noah paused. He wanted to kiss him, but he got the feeling that it might not be welcome.

Had Benji been in a bad relationship before, or was this just the general disorientation from waking up in a stranger’s bed?

Because as much as Noah was drawn to this boy, as much as he wanted to spoil and protect him, they were still strangers.

He swallowed the sour taste in his mouth and continued, “How did you sleep?”

Benji tilted his head, considering. Black curls fell over his forehead, and Noah resisted the urge to push them back.

“Really good. Usually, I wake up a lot. Can’t remember the last time I slept through the whole night.” Benji bit his lip, shooting Noah a shy smile. “Guess you really tired me out.”

“Guess so,” Noah said, relieved. He’d been worried Benji regretted it. That Noah took things too far. But Benji’s smile was only getting bigger, ducking his head against the pillow like he didn’t want Noah to see all of it.

Noah caught his cheek. Benji’s smile faltered, but only for a second.

Then Noah leaned in, feeling that smile grow against his lips.

This was how Benji should look all the time, Noah decided as he rolled on top of him.

Soft, warm, contented. Happy and well-rested and safe. And ideally in Noah’s arms.

Benji’s breath stuttered as Noah deepened the kiss. He clutched Noah’s hair, humming as he felt the messy strands.

“Never got to touch it last night,” he said, twisting a stand between his fingers. “Thought it’d be greasier.”

“I didn’t use that much,” Noah argued.

“No, it looked good! Like a movie star from the forties. I used to have so many crushes on—” Benji cut off in a moan as Noah kissed his neck.

Noah pulled back. “I’m sorry, you were saying something.”

Benji shook his head, dazed. “What? Nope. I was kissing you, that’s what I was doing.”

He nosed Noah’s cheek hopefully. Noah relented, kissing him deeply and enjoying the moan that Benji muffled against his lips.

It was so easy to coax noises out of him: soft and surprised, like he couldn’t believe how good it felt.

Even before he sank into subspace, when he was still unsure and rigid, he was trying to bite the noises back.

It made Noah wonder just how much experience he had.

With sex, not just with BDSM. He was only twenty, after all.

Even his kisses were hesitant, needing encouragement before he finally sank into it.

Noah was all too happy to encourage him. He pushed his hands into Benji’s dark curls, tilting gently to move him where he wanted him. Benji went so easily, humming his approval. It didn’t take long to get him panting, hips twitching under the sheets.

A string of saliva connected them as Benji drew back. His eyes were wide, his cheeks red.

“Um,” Benji said. “Can I blow you?”

Again with that shy smile. Like he was expecting Noah to laugh. Or, he considered, thinking back to how Benji had ripped his wrists out of his grip, maybe something worse.

He kissed Benji sweetly. “Of course you can, baby. Do you like that, or are you wanting to be good for me?”

“Both,” Benji said, looking confused. “I mean, yeah . Big on both.”

He moved down the bed, scooching clumsily until he was kneeling next to Noah’s waist. Then he paused, hand hovering over the sheets covering Noah’s half-hard cock.

Noah looked down at him, one arm stretched to grab a condom from the bedside table. “Is there a problem?”

Benji gave him another sheepish grin. “Can I kneel on the floor?”

Noah sat up, slinging his legs over the side of the bed. Benji climbed onto the floor, knees hitting the carpet so hard that Noah winced in sympathy.

“Here.” He handed Benji a pillow.

Benji stared at it, uncomprehending.

“For your knees,” Noah explained.

“Oh. Right.” Benji grabbed it, a pleased little smile twisting his lips. So happy about the smallest things. Noah wanted to give him everything .

Benji pulled the sheets away, mouth falling open as he saw Noah’s cock. Noah didn’t even think he was aware it had happened until Benji’s jaw clicked shut, darting a look up at Noah as if to check he noticed, and flushing deeper when he confirmed it.

Noah rolled the condom on. Benji didn’t look ecstatic about it, but he leaned in eagerly enough, licking the latex-clad head.

His nose wrinkled at the taste, making Noah’s mind burst with questions.

How inexperienced was he? Or did he prefer not to use condoms?

But then Benji’s mouth was closing over him properly, and Noah’s thoughts stuttered to a stop.

Unlike Benji, who just kept going . Noah expected him to gag before he was halfway down, or warm him up first. But Benji took his rapidly hardening cock into his throat and kept going until his nose was pressed against his trimmed pubes.

Noah groaned, shocked. He was about to ask where the hell he’d learned to deepthroat when Benji jerked and resurfaced, coughing.

“Sorry,” Benji said, eyes watering. “Shit. You’re bigger than my dildo.”

Immediately, he bit his lip. Thinking he’d said too much.

Noah stroked his hair, trying to let him know it was okay, he wouldn’t get a bad reaction from him. He kept his tone warm as he asked, “Do you deepthroat your dildo a lot?”

Benji relaxed. Like he’d been thinking Noah was going to ask him the first thing that came into his head when Benji said that: Have you sucked a real cock before?

Noah wanted to ask him so badly. Did he take a twenty-year-old’s virginity last night?

But Benji’s shoulders were still up, and Noah didn’t want to push him.

Even if he desperately wanted to know the answer, his cock was twitching in front of Benji’s mouth.

“Yeah,” Benji admitted, eyes going half-lidded as he watched Noah’s cock grow fully hard in front of him. His lips parted, leaning in like he was going to try again.

Noah tugged his hair, stopping him. “Is it to improve, or does it get you off?”

“Both? I…” Benji averted his eyes. “Never mind.”

Noah’s grip tightened. “Tell me.”

Benji made a noise, shocked and delicious. He wet his lips, gaze dragging once more to Noah’s hard cock. “It has a suction cup. The dildo. I stick it to the end of my bed. You know, face-height when I’m kneeling. And—and I jerk off.”

“While you suck it,” Noah supplied.

Benji nodded.

“While it’s down your throat?”

Benji nodded again, teeth digging into his lower lip. It was chapped, Noah noted as he pressed his thumb into it, freeing it from Benji’s teeth. He could buy him a Chapstick. Something he liked, so he could taste it while he kissed him.

Noah let go of his lip. “Think you can come with me down your throat? Or am I too big?”

“I can do it,” Benji said hastily. He tried to lean forward again. This time, Noah let him, fingers clenching in his hair once more as Benji sucked the head. Trying to go deeper, take him all at once.

“Slow,” Noah advised him. “Ease into it.”

Benji stopped pulling against Noah’s hold. He sucked hard, and Noah tugged.

“Softer,” he instructed. Then, when Benji relented, “Just like that. You’re doing so well.”

Benji shivered. He bobbed up and down, a rhythm led gently by Noah’s hand. He relaxed into it, letting Noah set the pace. Opening his throat when Noah pushed him lower.

“Swallow,” Noah said.

Benji did, the movement slow and clumsy. He gagged, his face ruddy. But he didn’t pull off until Noah tugged his hair.

“Good,” Noah told him, stroking his cheek proudly. He pushed Benji back down. “That’s so good, Benji. Sucking me just how I like it.”