Page 24

24

Hex

Aran joins me in bed without me having to use one of my usual tricks. I had a few up my sleeve, like being cold or having nightmares. I am pretty sure he knows when I’m using those as an excuse, but on the off chance that it might be the truth, he always gives in.

He’s just that kind of person—caring, kind, responsible and selfless. He has his flaws too, of course, just like me or Leo or Matt or Mong. There is a dark side to him that he rarely lets out, but I am one of the lucky few who have seen it. It has been showing its fangs on this cruise, once when Mong got too close to me, and once when Aran gave in and touched me, and it would be a lie if I said that I didn’t want to see it surface again.

And, really, what better place to drag it out than the bedroom?

Once Aran settles on his side of the bed, I throw his end of the cover over him so we can keep each other warm. Or at least that’s my excuse when I’m regarded with an arched eyebrow. If he got sick, our mission would be jeopardized, after all.

For a while, I just soak up his closeness, trying to remain wholesome. But it’s hard, really hard , when I have the man of my dreams lying next to me. All I can think about is how his hand felt wrapped around me, how his scorching kisses left me wanting more while the inextinguishable fire I’ve been carrying inside me since I remember just kept spreading and spreading.

We haven’t done anything in these past three days, save for a couple of quick kisses I stole when I caught him with his guard down. We’ve been both busy though, so I can’t really blame him, even if I wish he’d come over and invite me to bed with him.

Since he didn’t do that despite the multiple chances he’s had, I took things into my own hands. After all, Sudo Hex always gets what he wants, one way or another.

“Aran, are you asleep?” I whisper after watching his profile for a while.

He answers me without opening his eyes. “Yes, and you should do the same.”

I wiggle closer to him until my knees are pressed to his side. I’d prefer to big-spoon him, but since he’s currently on his back, this will do. “Okay, but if you are talking to me right now, then you aren’t asleep.”

He turns his head and opens his eyes, bringing our mouths so close together I can feel his hot breath. It tickles my skin, sending sparks all across me.

“I was waiting for you,” he says, the reflection of the strip of light along the ceiling shimmering in his brown depths. “I like to watch you and make sure you are asleep before I let myself rest.”

My heart skips a beat. Then it tries to jump out of my chest, euphoric and happy. I’m flooded with so much love for this man, I don’t know what to do with it or how to contain it. I want to shout from the rooftops that he’s mine, I want the world to know just how perfect for me he is.

“Don’t look at me like this,” he mutters, stroking my cheek with his hand.

“Like what?”

“Like I am some deity gifting you a star from the night sky.”

He tries to hide it, and he does a decent job of succeeding, but Aran is a romantic. He loves to spoil and do the things that would make you happy. He’d do anything for his person, go far and beyond. Ask me how I know. He says it’s because of his duty toward my dad, but like I keep telling him, he’s long fulfilled that promise. Since the moment I turned eighteen, he was no longer expected to take care of me. But he refused to leave, just like I refuse to give up on our love.

“You are not just some deity to me, Aran. You are the god I want to worship, the man I want to be with.”

He nuzzles his nose against mine and kisses me. Slowly, softly, like I am the most precious treasure in the entire world. Then it deepens gradually, turning into something hungry and desperate like I have become the air he needs in order to breathe.

It’s how I feel about him most days. If I don’t see him or hear his voice, it’s like the sun never rose that morning. He’s been avoiding me in the time leading up to this cruise, and those were the most torturous few weeks of my life. I never want to experience that again and the only way to ensure that is by getting him to accept that the stars, the Earth, the gods and the universe itself want us to be together.

Our tongues tangle in a frantic chase. I let him lead it, trying to keep up as his taste surrounds me. It’s dark, masculine, and there is something smoky about it, even though he’s not touched a cigarette since we boarded the ship. He knows I hate it, so he never allows himself to smoke around me.

As we continue to kiss, other parts of me take interest in what is happening. A hum of electricity lives just under my skin, bringing with it a sense of anticipation that twists my already nervous stomach. It’s the good kind of nervous, the one you get when you learn that a limited exhibition of lizards is coming to town and your man has already booked tickets for it. It’s like when you are feeling a little down and he shows up with five tubs of your favorite ice-cream flavors, waffles and chocolate sauce.

“Up,” he says, pausing the kiss so we can get some much-needed air.

I am a little unsure what he means at first, but then he manhandles me on top of himself and shuffles up the bed until his back is comfortably leaning against the headboard. The change of position is plainly unfair for my self-control as my pajama-clad cock brushes against his erection. He’s got his briefs on and we need them, and my pajamas, off ASAP.

I whimper in protest, but I don’t get to voice my dissatisfaction with our clothed states as he dives in for my mouth again. It’s almost as if something has possessed him and he’s realized that he needs me or a calamity will descend upon the entirety of humankind.

I can work with that, definitely. I volunteer as a sacrifice to this starved man so that our planet can remain safe. I’m selfless and altruistic like that.

Aran’s hands roam all over my body, rubbing my arms, my back, my waist. When his fingers reach my ass, he gropes it and kneads it greedily, shooting more pleasure through my entire nervous system.

It’s really hard to think and part of me doesn’t even want to. This just feels too good and we haven’t even gotten to the best part yet. I got a taste of what being with Aran is like and since then I’ve been craving it every day while all he’s done is to cockblock me by keeping himself preoccupied with the mission.

It’s the most important thing, I know. It’s why we are here, and I don’t intend to sabotage it just because I want to blow Aran’s mind with my sex skills. But we can afford a few hours at night for each other. In fact, I’d argue we need to do that so we can both let off the accumulated stress and work more effectively on the next morning. And no, I’m not making that up just because I want to get into his pants—I read on a forum somewhere on the internet that sex is recommended as a way to maintain an active and aware mind. So it must be true and one hundred percent scientifically proven.

But anyway, I decide researching can wait until later as Aran’s right hand moves from my ass to my hip and then between us. He teases me through my clothes, wrapping those elegant fingers around me, then dragging them up and down. Just as I try to fuck into his hand, he lets go and repeats the same with his own dick before pressing it firmer against mine.

My eyes roll back, fire and arousal overtaking my body.

“You are so gorgeous, Tien,” he whispers in my ear. His bass is raspy in the sexiest way, enveloping me like luxurious silk.

“Took you long enough to realize that,” I pant back, doing my best not to come before we’ve even gotten naked.

I managed to hold out long enough last time so we could have some fun, but tonight, somehow, the stimulation is more aggressive. Stronger. It leaves me breathless and turned on like never before. I don’t know what’s different, but maybe, just maybe, Aran is not fighting with himself on the inside. He’s here with me fully, wanting this as much as I do and not holding back.

“You can be such a brat,” he says, kissing the dip in my top lip and then the corners.

“But you love it. Or you wouldn’t be letting me act like one,” I point out since his comment sounded like a complaint.

He hums, kissing his way from my mouth to my jaw and then down my neck. “Maybe.”

“I think we need to be naked,” I suggest, laughing when his lips suck on a spot just above my collarbone and make me ticklish.

“I still can’t believe sometimes that you went and got a tattoo, even though I told you not to do it.”

I lift my hand to the area just above my pajama’s collar. “I really wanted one.”

Aran’s hand grabs the hem and rolls it up, bunching it just under my chin. His lips move on to explore the tattooed area, appreciative and gentle. The design is a mix of techy and tribal patterns, loosely depicting a winged lizard flying over a forest. It’s not massive, comprising just the space between my clavicles and upper chest.

“I bet you secretly like it, like my nose piercing, because it gives me a bad boy edge,” I chuckle, but my amusement turns into a moan as he flicks my nipple with his tongue.

Okay, more please.

As if he can read my mind, Aran assaults my other nipple with his fingers while continuing to suck and nip on this one. He pulls and twists, adding a tinge of pain to the pleasure surging through me, and I kind of like it. I haven’t really played with my nipples before, but from now on, it will be a mandatory part of our foreplay.

I open my mouth to tell Aran as much, but I don’t get to say anything as he shoves a free finger inside it. Automatically, I start licking and sucking it, heat bubbling up in my stomach. The firestorm brewing within me overtakes my entire body, my cock going impossibly hard. Throwing my head back, I rock my hips in search of more stimulation. I love what Aran is doing to me, but I need more.

I need to feel him, to hear him, to make him lose his mind because of how mind-blowingly amazing it is to be with me.

“I want to do more,” I whine, grabbing onto his black hair.

I pull until his mouth lets go of my nipple and he tilts his head back. Our gazes lock and I can’t make out his brown irises. They have been devoured by his pupils and are now completely consumed by how much he wants me.

I bask in that moment for a heartbeat. I am at the top of the world and the man I love is right there with me. It gives me joy, confidence. I want to make a mess of him, to unravel him. This is about both of us, not just me feeling good.

Licking my lips so I can distract him, I pull my pajama top over my head and toss it away. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, then opens them again and drinks me in. I stand, ridding myself of my bottoms and underwear. It’s a little embarrassing and I fail to make it the sexy strip show I intended it to be five seconds ago, but my lack of grace doesn’t deter the want on Aran’s face. If anything, it increases it tenfold as he palms himself through his briefs before pushing his hand inside them.

My eyes zero in on the movement as he begins jerking himself off. Fuck, I want it to be my hand in there. I want to feel how thick and hard he is, to lick him from base to tip.

“I think you need to take that off,” I tease with a low voice, sashaying my way to the nightstand. “Now.”

I open the first drawer and take out the things I prepared, tossing them next to him on the bed. He studies the bottle of lube and the condoms for a second, then smirks. It’s plain wicked how sexy it makes him look. The play of muscles, the way his brows narrow, the glint of danger and mischief in his eyes… it’s as if his face was made for this exact expression.

“I don’t take orders, Tien,” he says in challenge, dark promises lurking in his voice.

“Yes, tonight you do,” I shoot back, holding my chin high. “You will do exactly as I say and have mind-blowing sex with me.”

He chuckles, tsk -ing at me. Aran doesn’t tsk , he just doesn’t. So, it throws me off a bit. I try to decipher it, but before I can do so, he’s lunged at me and I somehow end up pinned under him on the bed. Holding my wrists above my head with one hand, he uses the other to get fully naked. His briefs fall on the floor with a soft thud, but I forget all about them in the next moment as his mouth crashes into mine.

It’s dominant and aggressive, demanding I open for him. Which I do, happily, letting him explore me as much as he wishes. Briefly, I shiver and think that I’ve pressed a button of his that I shouldn’t, but when I reconsider the possible consequences—of which I am getting a taste right now—the shiver turns into a groan of pleasure.

“You’re playing with danger,” he rasps, then dives back in.

His tongue finds mine, hot and slick and desperate. We deepen the kiss, starved for each other. I think he’s reached his limit. Something changed when we kissed that night and three days of mostly kind of innocent touches seems to have turned him into a bloodthirsty beast.

Gasping and sweaty, we pull apart for air. His bare skin feels like heaven against mine, especially when he lowers his weight on me carefully and traps my erection against his pelvis.

“Danger Daddies are a thing?” I tease, booping his nose with mine.

He nips my bottom lip then continues lower, doing it to my chin and jaw until his lips are near my ear. “What led you to believe that, I wonder.”

“I was on this dark romance forum—”

I see the universe explode as his hand wraps around my sensitive cock. It’s the best feeling, his firm but hot hold, the way his fingers are squeezing me just right. And when he starts to stroke me, I find myself no longer able to think as tension builds up in my balls.

Something rustles next to me, fabric or packaging. I don’t get to wonder about it for long though; Aran’s greedy mouth won’t let me as it attacks again. It’s even more possessive than before, claiming anything it can get to as I fight to keep my lungs pumping. More of Aran’s weight keeps me trapped under him and, instinctively, I try to rectify the restrictive position.

I love being at his mercy, but his passion has sort of fried my brain.

“Why were you on a romance forum?” he asks as his hand disappears from my dick.

I feel my cheeks catch fire, happy that he can’t see it because of the dim light and the fact that he’s moved onto worshipping my neck with his mouth. With how often he does it, I’d say he has a thing for it.

“Well—” I start but cut myself off when something cold touches the crease between my ass cheeks and makes me yelp. The shock from the strange sensation dissipates quickly though as Aran’s fingers rub the substance into my skin and spread it around my hole.

It honest-to-god twitches .

“Oooh. I know what you are doing,” I call him out, wiggling my butt so I can feel the pressure of his digits better. “You are distracting me so you can shove your huge steel rod inside me.”

Aran snorts but doesn’t deny it, his fingers applying more pressure just like I want. “Why were you on a romance forum?”

I want to answer, but it’s kind of impossible when my brain is stuck deciding whether to have me moan, whimper, beg for more, or all three. Words are just too complicated right now.

“C’mon, Tien. I asked you a question. Tell me or I won’t let you come.”

Well, hello there Mister Danger Daddy. I thought you weren’t into this?

He’s not making it easy to do as I’m told though, as he keeps rubbing and teasing me and not giving me his cock. I know it’s coming, but it’s the when that’s flipping my stomach upside down with anticipation.

“I was… on the forums because I wanted to show you off. Everyone does that, okay? And they always think they’ve won the lottery, but they couldn’t be more wrong. So I had to tell them in detail how perfect and amazing and psychopathic my man is.” And because I don’t know when to shut up, I add, “And, FYI, I know that the reason the forum mysteriously shut down is because you went after the person hosting it for calling me a delusional dick-sucker. It was very possessive and lovely of you to defend my honor like this, but I think shooting them was unnecessary.”

Aran makes a thoughtful sound, sliding the tip of one finger in. My hackles rise as a pleasant hum spreads across me, promising more. “The person in question was skimming money from profits and paying a lower fee to the Akiyama Group. I went to chat with him, but he wasn’t willing to cooperate.”

Oh. This actually makes sense. I remember hearing about such a case from Leo. He was the one supposed to go, but he’d been in Tokyo with Chai, so Aran had to step in.

“Still, it was wrong of them to call you a dick-sucker, so I suppose they got what they had coming.”

Oooh. He definitely could’ve gone without killing that person, I’m sure of it. Beating him up a bit, scaring him, threatening to go after his cousin’s cattle would’ve done it. But no. Aran took the extreme approach just like a true murderous Daddy defending his sweet and innocent man.

The pressure against my hole grows, knocking all thoughts out of my head. Slowly, it breaches my rim, first one finger and shortly after, a second. It’s weird, the sensation confusing my body as it sends pain-pleasure signals to my brain.

“Relax for me, Tien,” Aran whispers, sucking on my earlobe.

The stretch is too much, but the fullness that comes with it heightens the pleasure, too. It’s like my body both wants and doesn’t want it, but soon enough I get used to the invasive sensation. Aran takes his time, slowly breaching me deeper as we kiss again. It’s languid and affectionate, so different from the hungry way in which we devoured each other earlier.

“That’s it,” he encourages when I experimentally move my hips so I can feel more of his fingers. “Show me what you want.”

It’s a little embarrassing at first, but the way my body quickly races toward the edge is a little addictive. Somewhere along the way, I lose the slight burn from the stretch, and that slows me down. I want to come, but I can’t because having Aran fuck me with his fingers is simply not enough anymore.

Clasping his arm with my hand, I halt him. His darkness-possessed eyes meet mine, otherworldly in the way that tiny wild sparks glimmer in them.

“I want to feel more… Of you.” I flush, sure that this time there’s no hiding it. “I want to come, Aran. And I want to make you come, too.”

He nods, but it’s barely perceptible to me because of the reverent look on his face. My breath catches in my throat, my body vibrating to have him. He’ll make it good for me, I can see it written all over his face. In this moment, for him, it’s all about me.

“What will I do with you?” he mumbles, kissing my forehead.

I don’t know what he means, but I am too mesmerized to question it either. It’s like I’m standing in front of a magical fairy that’s just cast a spell on me. The fond smile on his face melts my heart, the way he lovingly touches me and repositions us as he lines up his cock, steals my ability to do more than feel.

With my legs held over his shoulders, he sinks inside me carefully. It’s a deliberate move, his hips canting forward ever so slowly. The thickness of his shaft is incomparable to his two fingers, more intense and more invasive. But it also feels good in a way that it didn’t before. It touches something in me, baring me and my deepest and shameless desires to this man.

He accepts it all without rushing me. He lets me get used to the stretch and the burn, to the nerve-tickling fullness that having him inside me unleashes across me.

“I’ll move now, slowly. Tell me if you want me to stop at any point.”

The gentleness in his voice, the love in his gaze brings tears to my eyes. But I hold them back, nodding and smiling so he can know how much I want this. To be one with him.

“You are beautiful, Tien, so much so it makes me want to cry.”

I’m there with him, delirious as the pleasure overwhelms the leftover pain. I’m so full of him, both in my heart and my body, and I let myself show it as I begin to move with him. He picks up the pace, once again reading me as if he knows me better than I know myself, and places one hand flat against my navel.

I willingly give myself over to him from that point on, asking for more and taking everything he’s willing to give me. It’s my first time, and it’s perfect.

The pressure builds up, and it doesn’t take me long to tip over the edge. It’s crazy and intense and stars fill up my vision. We come right after each other, my climax triggering his. He pulls out and removes the condom, painting me his with his cum as I fight to catch my breath. I’m sticky and sweaty all over, but I am also too tired to care when I could be cuddling him instead.

“Come to bed, Aran,” I say, yawning.

He smiles, kisses my pierced nose, and disappears. The loss of his presence agitates me, but just as I prop myself up on the bed so I can get up and search for him, he returns with a warm towel. Diligently, he wipes my body and then joins me under the blanket, snuggling up to me like he wouldn’t survive the night if he didn’t.