Endings and Beginnings Read online

  Damn, it was hard to remember his role when Darren was gazing at him like that.

  “I think it’s too big a job for you, copper,” he retorted, heart pounding.

  Darren raised his eyebrows. “Oh, really?” He sprang to his feet and dragged JJ into the living room. JJ grunted when he was shoved face first over the back of the smallest couch. He tried to put his arms down to steady himself, but Darren pulled them behind him. JJ’s heart beat faster when he felt something heavy fasten around his wrists, then a click as they were joined together.

  Darren bent over him. “I’ve been shopping,” he said, a note of glee in his voice. “How’d you like my new leather shackles? I bought them just for you.” He cleared his throat. “So, about that weapon of yours….”

  JJ gasped as Darren tugged on his jeans, baring his arse. The thought of what was coming sent shivers racing through his body, and he trembled beneath Darren. It took all his efforts to remember he had a part to play. All he could think of was Darren taking him, JJ helpless to resist. Not that he wanted to resist in the first place.

  “Get off me,” he yelled, squirming as if trying to free himself from Darren’s grasp. He moaned when Darren inserted a knee between his legs and spread him, his boots nudging JJ’s ankles farther apart. When Darren reached down, JJ gasped once more to feel his fingers cup his balls and squeeze gently. The sound of a zipper being lowered filled him with red-hot desire. When Darren slapped his full, heavy dick against JJ’s arse, JJ pushed out a low cry. Darren reached once more to grab hold of his cock.

  “So much precome. Shame to waste it,” Darren whispered, and then JJ groaned when he sank two fingers into his clenching hole. JJ tightened his muscles, and Darren chuckled. “You trying to keep me out? Like you’re in any position to do a thing to stop me.”

  All of a sudden those fingers disappeared, and JJ wanted to shout out in frustration. Darren leaned over him.

  “JJ? Are you okay? I’m not hurting you, right?”

  JJ huffed out a breath. “You told me to get into the role, yeah? And I’ve got my safeword, so if something goes wrong, I’ll use it, yeah? Now get those fingers back to work.”

  Darren snorted. “Pushy bottom.” But it didn’t matter because his long, slim fingers were back on task, fucking him, sliding over his prostate again and again, until JJ was leaking a steady stream of precome.

  “Look at you. What a slut. You can’t get enough of it, can you?”

  “I can take all you’ve got, copper, and then some,” JJ gritted out, fighting to hold back his moans as pleasure swept through him, leaving him shaking, dying to feel that first glorious stretch when Darren penetrated him.

  “Is that so?”

  JJ held his breath at the sound of foil tearing. The click of a cap. The feel of another slick finger sinking into him. Three fingers… he’s got three fingers inside me.

  “Yeah, I had you pegged right. Slut. Your arse is just sucking me in.”

  “Then why don’t you try something bigger?” JJ ground out. “Or is your dick not up to the job?” He forced out a snicker. “Is that it? All mouth and no trousers?” Then the desire to speak died when he felt the head of Darren’s cock press against his hole.

  “Is that what you think?” Amusement laced Darren’s voice. “Think again.” All the breath left JJ’s lungs when Darren pushed all the way into him in one long thrust. “I love that sound,” Darren whispered. “That first long exhale when I enter you.”

  JJ knew he should snipe back. Should stay in his role. But… yeah, right then he couldn’t help himself. “I love it too.” He breathed in deeply and widened his legs. “Okay, copper. Give it your best shot. Fuck me.”

  Darren grasped his shoulders, his fingers digging into the muscle. “You got it.”

  JJ braced himself as Darren pulled out of him, until only the head remained inside him. A yell spilled from his lips as Darren thrust into him, so far inside that his groin slammed into JJ’s arse, jolting him. Darren pulled back and slammed into him again. And again.

  “That what you had in mind?”

  JJ didn’t want to play anymore. “Again,” he whispered.

  Darren paused and kissed the back of his neck. “With pleasure,” he said, before thrusting deep and hard into him.

  JJ closed his eyes to shut out everything but the sensations that coursed through him. Darren reamed his hole, hips slapping against JJ’s arse, jolting him with every shove of that thick shaft. JJ pressed his face into the seat cushions, his cries muffled as Darren fucked him. His dick ached, constrained by the cage, and his balls drew up tight against his body.

  “I’m getting close,” Darren said breathlessly. “Don’t you wish you could be too?”

  “Bastard,” JJ managed to grit out.

  “Tut tut. Such language. And here I was about to give you time off for good behavior.”

  JJ stiffened, unsure if Darren was joking or not. All such thoughts were pushed from his mind, however, when Darren froze, his cock buried to the hilt in JJ’s arse, throbbing as he shot into the condom. Darren covered JJ with his body, still dressed in his uniform, and JJ wished there was a mirror handy.

  “Oh well, the uniform was due for a trip to the dry cleaners anyway,” Darren said before kissing JJ’s shoulder, his dick still wedged inside him. Darren brushed his lips over JJ’s ear, making him shudder. “I meant what I said, by the way.”

  “Oh?” JJ was finding it difficult to focus. Tremors racked his body, and he was tingling all over, from his toes to the tip of his poor incarcerated cock. He shuddered as Darren eased out of him and then sighed as his shackles were removed. Darren helped him stand and slowly turned him around to face him. He kissed JJ on the lips and then sank to his knees, gazing up at him.

  “You were very good, and that deserves a reward.” Darren unlocked the cage and gently slid it off JJ’s aching dick. Darren kissed the tip that was still moist with precome. “Aw, you poor thing.”

  Before JJ could utter a word, Darren engulfed the head of his cock and sucked him into wet heat.

  “Ohhh.” JJ placed his hands on Darren’s shoulders to steady himself, but barely a minute passed before he was pumping come down Darren’s throat. Darren drank down every drop before cleaning JJ’s dick with his tongue. JJ leaned against the back of the couch to stop himself from falling over, the aftershocks of his orgasm rippling through him, leaving him weak in their wake. Darren rose to his feet and held him through it all, his arms around JJ’s waist.

  When his heartbeat had returned to normal, JJ let out a contented sigh. “We are definitely doing this again.”

  Darren laughed softly. “I was about to say the same thing. We’d better get thinking of some more scenarios, then.” He kissed JJ again.

  “Well, I do have a fantasy I’d like us to consider,” JJ said after a moment. He grinned. “What do you think about being a straight teacher?”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  IT’S A good thing everything’s ready for tomorrow.

  Ben pushed down on his frustration as he watched Scott pacing up and down the Arrivals hall of Manchester airport. Annie’s flight from Spain was due in. He couldn’t wait to see his baby sister and her husband. Having her living in a different country had been a lot rougher than he’d thought it would be. When they shared the flat, sometimes he’d wished she would move out, even though it meant things were tougher financially. When the day came that she did, he regretted such thoughts.

  “How much longer do we have to wait?” Scott muttered.

  Annie had texted a couple of hours ago to say there’d been a problem. Apparently a bird had flown into one of the engines when their plane was coming in to land at Malaga. They were awaiting an engineer to check it out and give the flight the all clear before takeoff could be confirmed.

  Scott had grimaced when he heard this, and Ben had caught the murmured, “Poor, poor bird.”

  Annie’s text had only arrived when they were en route to the airport, and it wasn’t wo
rth returning home. They’d already had two cups of tea and a bite of something in one of the airport cafés. Scott was starting to fidget. Ben knew that unless he was working on a book, he couldn’t sit still for all that long. When Scott got to his feet and began pacing again, Ben realized it was time to put his foot down.

  “Sit down, boy,” he growled under his breath. He grinned to himself when Scott immediately obeyed. “Good. Now I want you to close your eyes and think about a new story.”

  Scott frowned. “What kind of story?”

  Ben gave a shrug. “How should I know?” He thought quickly. “How about one with a dragon and a boy prince who fall in love. They need to deal with prejudice and bigotry from the townsfolk, not because they’re gay but because dragons are thought to be mean and violent, and they fear he’d destroy their way of life.” It was the best he could come up with on short notice, but he had a feeling it would capture Scott’s imagination.

  Scott opened his eyes wide. “Shifter story. Awesome.”

  Ben smiled to himself. He knew his boy. He peered intently at him. “No talking. I don’t want to hear you speak unless you are asked a direct question or until Annie arrives. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Yes, Sir.”

  Scott’s eyelids drooped, and judging by the facial expressions, he had jumped into his new world with a fervor. Seeing him so relaxed went a long way toward calming Ben’s nerves as another hour passed and the word Delayed continued to flash on flight EZ853. He wished he had his Kindle with him. Scott had long since drifted off, which Ben knew would happen. He had gone limp, and his chin sagged to his chest. Ben reached out and took his fiancé’s hand in his, and his heart swelled with pride. A few people gave them looks as they walked by. Some were smiling and gave him a thumbs-up, but a few scowled when they saw the joined hands. The hell with them. Ben knew he and Scott had nothing to prove to anyone. If others couldn’t take the sight of two men in love, that was their problem.

  Finally, after almost three hours, Annie’s flight changed from Delayed to Arrived. Ben nudged Scott, who woke slowly, then groaned as he glanced around, blinking. “We’re still at the airport?”

  “Yes, but Annie’s flight has finally arrived. She and Paco should be disembarking soon.”

  Scott leaped up. “Then let’s go!”

  The way Scott behaved with his sister made Ben smile. Ever since they’d met at the funeral for Ben and Annie’s mother, the two had gotten along like a house on fire. They spoke on Skype a couple of times a month, sharing gossip about Scott’s writing and Annie’s life in Spain. When she and Paco walked through the door into the hall, Scott hurtled toward them, and Annie grabbed him close to her, kissing him on the cheek. Ben walked over to the group, trying to remain stoic, but when his sister frowned, he snatched her and Scott into a hug.

  “Missed you so much,” he murmured. “It’s good to see you.”

  “Glad to hear that,” she replied dryly.

  “Good to see you, Ben,” Paco said with a smile.

  Ben liked Paco. He could not have chosen a more perfect man for Annie. He had a subtle strength about him, and Ben knew the man loved his sister fiercely. They exchanged a quick but firm hug.

  Ben glanced at the trolley Paco was pushing. There seemed to be an awful lot of luggage for such a relatively short stay. One or two of the suitcases were definitely on the large side.

  “Uh, sis? You’re only here for a few days. What’s all the rest? Your makeup for the wedding?” he joked.

  Paco’s gaze narrowed. “You didn’t tell them?” he asked Annie, who flushed.

  With those words, Ben was on high alert. “All right, what’s going on?”

  Annie’s gaze flickered from her husband to Ben. “Paco’s job is taking him to the US for a while, so we thought it best if I stay with you.”

  Ben folded his arms across his chest. “Define ‘a while.’”

  She gazed at him innocently. “He’s going to be gone eight months, possibly a year.”

  Ben stared at her. “Oh, hell no. I love you, but we’ll find you a place to rent or something. You can’t stay with us that long.”

  Instead of the look of hurt he expected to see, Ben saw only warmth in the smile she gave them. Paco didn’t seem in the slightest bit perturbed.

  Annie grabbed Ben in a brief hug. When she released him, she stepped back. “There’s method in my madness, you daft sod. I thought that, after the wedding, we could start talking to the doctors about my surrogacy. And if I get pregnant, won’t you want me to be close where you can keep an eye on me? Hmm?”

  From the corner of his eye, Ben saw Scott bouncing on his heels. Ben knew there would be no way for him to win this argument with the two of them ganging up on him. He might be the Dom, but that only went so far where family was concerned.

  Annie’s eyes twinkled. “If you’re worried I’ll cramp your style, don’t give it a second thought. I’ll buy earplugs. Or I can help Scott pick out some ball gags. It’ll be great.”

  Beside him, Scott smothered a snort.

  Ben groaned, but secretly he was dancing on air. It would be wonderful to have his sister and his husband under the same roof for a while.

  Ha. Like I have a choice.

  “Fine. Let’s go,” he groaned. “You’re carrying the heavy bags, boy.”

  “Yes, Sir!” Scott said gleefully. Then he tried to pick up the biggest one and barely succeeded in moving it a few inches. “Um… a little help?”

  Paco laughed and hefted the bag with one hand. Scott took one look, and his cheeks burned.

  “Hmm. I see the running hasn’t helped,” Ben murmured. “Maybe it’s time for the two of us to join a gym. Wouldn’t want you getting soft, would we?” he teased. It earned him a scowl from Scott, which slowly turned into a smile.

  “I think I’d like that,” Scott said. He leaned in closer to whisper. “Seeing your muscles glistening with sweat? Oh, yeah. And Jarod told me an interesting thing you could do on a weight bench too.”

  Eli had told him the same story, and it was enough to have Ben’s cock straining the fabric of his pants at the thought. The way Scott smiled, the cheeky little bastard knew it too.

  Ben gave him a hard stare. “When I get you home, we’re going to have a talk, you and me.”

  “With Annie in the house?” Scott asked in badly feigned innocence.

  Annie had the good grace to glance in Paco’s direction, but Ben could see her lips twitching.

  Ben narrowed his gaze. “Fine. We’ll go to the club. There’s a paddle there I wanted you to become intimately acquainted with.”

  “I love you,” Scott whispered.

  Ben’s heart soared. He knew Scott wasn’t saying it out of fear for the punishment. The earnest look and gleaming eyes told him everything he needed to know. His boy was happy. Ben bent over and kissed the tip of Scott’s nose. “Love you too. Still going to be on the other end of the paddle, though.”

  “I can live with that,” Scott replied with a happy shrug.

  Annie made an impatient noise. “Can the lovey-dovey stuff wait until we get home?” Then she grinned. “Guys, you’re getting married tomorrow. You’ll have the rest of your lives to spank Scott. Right now I’m dying for a decent cup of tea.”

  Ben snorted. “At least we can see where your priorities lie.” He gave her a peck on the cheek. “Good to see you too, sis. Let’s go home.”

  JJ GAVE the bed a final smooth of his hand. He always liked getting into a bed with clean sheets, and Darren’s carried a scent of lavender and chamomile. His gaze fell on the bunny Darren had won for him, and he picked it up. There’d been a few snickers from Darren when JJ had announced Bunny lived on the bed from now on, followed by the comment that if “Bunny” was going to live there permanently, it needed a proper name.

  JJ had yet to be inspired. The name had to fit.

  He gazed at the rabbit, with its huge green eyes and blue fur. Then he noticed something. The stitching was coming loose on the seam th
at ran down the bunny’s back, and bits of stuffing hung out.

  God, they don’t make things like they used to, huh? JJ could remember seeing a teddy bear of his mother’s. He’d only had the rabbit a few weeks, and already Mum’s teddy looked better, even with nearly fifty years mileage on it.

  JJ knew it was stupid, but this little thing, a token from Darren, had come to mean so much to him. He recalled seeing a sewing kit in one of Darren’s drawers, and he searched it out. Once he’d removed a sewing needle and a reel of blue thread, he sat on the bed and began to stitch up the bunny as best he could. Sewing was definitely not his forte, but JJ was determined to prolong the bunny’s life as long as possible. As his fingers worked, an image formed in his mind. Here he was, stitching the bunny together, and all he could think of was Peter’s back. The jagged scars, which reminded him of the rip in his little rabbit. His eyes blurred, and he wiped them with the back of his hand, making sure to use the needle-free one. By the time he’d bitten off the thread, he’d come to a decision.

  He lifted up the bunny in front of him and smiled. “I’m going to call you Peter,” he whispered. “Both of you have been through so much, but someone reached out and put you back together and left you in no doubt that you were loved.”

  “Talking to soft toys could be taken as a sign of madness, you know,” Darren said quietly from the bedroom doorway. His eyes gleamed. “Want to tell me what you and the bunny were talking about?”

  “If you must know, I was naming him.”

  Darren grinned. “So he’s definitely a boy? I mean, I wasn’t going to make assumptions, even with the blue fur.”

  JJ smiled. “He’s called Peter.”

  Darren tilted his head to one side. “Peter as in Peter Rabbit? Not very original.” But when JJ told him the reasons behind his decision, Darren gazed at him fondly. “That’s beautiful. Peter it is, then.” He walked over and sat on the bed, taking Peter from JJ and giving him a quick squeeze. “I guess it’s official. We just adopted a rabbit.” He placed Peter on JJ’s pillow and gave his ears a brief tweak.