Nick's apartment was much simpler than I expected. I had pinned him more as one of those guys who liked a lot of frills and decorations, but his style was much more modern, almost minimalist. But not that hard edge, all white kind of minimalist. There was a cozy, lived-in feel to his apartment, and it was immaculate, no piles of papers laying around or books un-shelved. "This looks like a Pinterest staging area," I said before I thought better of the words. But it was too late, they rang in the air.

"You did not just say that." Nick's eyes glowed with glee. "That is so frickin cute."

I shrugged. I was man enough to admit I liked pretty things. "What can I say, I'm in to do-it-yourself."

Nick took my hand with an evil grin. "I hope we can leave the DIY at the door tonight. I'm more interested in... mutual projects."

I met his grin with one of my own. "I think something can be arranged."

His bedroom was just as spare and comfortable as the living room, except for the extra touch of luxury on his bed: a scarlet coverlet. I could already imagine it on my skin. Nick followed my eyes and pulled me further into the room, sitting on the bed. "Come here, big guy."

I approached the edge of the bed, bracketing his legs with mine, bending to kiss him. I could taste the strawberry moonshine still on his tongue. Combined with his lemon scent, I felt as if I were drinking a tall glass of strawberry lemonade on the hottest day of summer. I could sip on him forever. But his hands were distracting me, pushing my button-down out of the way, untucking my t-shirt... and then his skin was on mine, tracing lines of fire everywhere they moved. And they didn't stop moving.

It had been a while since I'd gone home with someone. I'd never been good at the flirting and subcontext required to show I was interested without coming on too strong. Nick had made it easy. He'd been open and overt without saying much outright. He was just the right combination of devil-may-care and interested that pulled me in, made me feel comfortable.

We made quick work of each other's shirts. Nick was lean, but muscled, the tendons of his neck standing out as he craned his chin upward when I knelt to lick a nipple. He collapsed backward on the bed and began shucking his pants. I followed his lead and soon we were completely naked. 

More freckles dusted the rest of his body, and I wanted to follow their trails, connect the constellations of his body. Where I was hesitant, he was inquisitive, his hands caressing my muscles with a frantic eagerness. I was cautious, too aware of the difference in our sizes, afraid to press too hard, to squash him. I braced my elbows on either side of his shoulders, my knees between his legs, pressing down just enough that our bodies pressed and rubbed against each other, but not too much. Until Nick growled in frustration and bit hard on my bicep, human teeth only, but still, it hurt.

"What was that for?" I asked, the beast deep inside me rising up, pushing to escape.

"Stop holding back," he commanded. "I can take it. You're not too much for me."

"How can you possibly know that?" I asked. "You have no idea what I'm capable of."

"I can see the fire deep in your eyes," Nick said, still for once. "I know the beast that's inside you. You've locked him up. Chained him down. But you don't have to with me. I want to be used. I want you to toss me around, to pin me down, to make me feel every inch of your strength."

The beast roared with need. He wanted all these things too. My control was fraying. "A word," I growled.

"What?"

"Give me a word, a word you'll only say if it’s too much, if I need to pull back. If we don't have a word, I won't be able to stop."

"A safe word?" Nick started to move underneath me, recognizing he was winning. He didn't know how close to the edge I truly was.

"Yes, a fucking safe word, Nick. Now."

"Sassafras," he said without further hesitation.

I let my forehead drop to his. Good. Sassafras was the boundary. I had to make that clear before I let myself loose. Even then, I dared not let go all the way. Just a little. I took a few deep breaths, mentally preparing, thankful that Nick was keeping his sassy mouth shut for a moment. Finally, I opened my eyes. 

"Are you ready?"

Nick nodded, his mouth opening for some smart-ass comment, I'm sure, but that nod opened the door. Before he could speak, I had already flipped him over on to his stomach. I hauled his ass into the air and pinned his shoulders down with one hand. "Don't move," I growled, before pulling back to settle on my heels. His legs were still between mine and I spread them for a better angle, arranging him just so before pushing on his lower back, his ass presenting his dusky hole high in the air. "Good boy." 

Nick whimpered, feeding my need to claim him. I hadn't been expecting this eager willingness to be dominated. No, it was a need for Nick, not just a desire. A need that complemented my own. I couldn't help but wonder what it would be like to completely let loose on him, but that was too tempting a thought. 

I spread his cheeks, stretching his hole, which was already glistening with slick. I was going to claim that hole tonight, but not yet. I bent down and licked a stripe up his crack from his balls to his hole, simply gliding over. I did it again. And again. Nick whimpered and twitched his hips back. I'd been waiting for him to move. I knew it was nearly impossible for this man to stay still. I gave him a sharp, quick warning swat, just hard enough to redden his ass. He gasped, and a pulse of slick escaped his ass. Damn. How wet must he be inside if he was able to do that with his hole practically straight up in the air?

I wanted to find out. I plunged a finger straight in, using only the slick his body provided to guide me. The moan he let out shocked me to my core. If he was in pain, he didn't show it. That moan had been pure pleasure. How would he take it if I just took him right now, dove right in with no prep?

The thought made my cock twitch. I wanted that. But I wanted this to last longer than just a couple minutes. I'd never been with anyone so responsive, so needy, so perfect.

I thrust my finger into him several times, prompting more moans, and another twitch of his hips. I slapped the other cheek with my free hand, feeling his muscles clench around my finger and then melt. Hell. I wanted to feel that again. So I slapped him once more, rubbing the sting away with my free hand, feeling the heat of his skin as blood rose to the surface and that same tight clench and relaxation around my finger.

I pulled my finger out, wet with his slick, and leaned forward to press it against his lips. "Taste yourself," I commanded. 

Nick responded eagerly, opening his mouth and sucking my finger down to its base. His lips looked so pretty wrapped around my finger, his eyes focused on mine as he twirled his tongue around, licking every last drop of his slick from my skin, both of us imagining what it would be like to have his mouth on my cock. 

I couldn't see anything else now that the image was in front of me. "Stay." I grabbed the pillows from the top of the bed and threw all but one of them to the ground. I slid in front of him, pleased that he didn't move, though his eyes strained to watch me. I propped the pillow behind me and rested my balls on the top of his head. "You can move now. Let's see you put that mouth to use."

Immediately, Nick was on my cock, not even bothering with any preliminaries before taking me all the way down to my root, his throat swallowing around the head of my cock. It was amazing, but too much. I grabbed his hair and pulled him back, but not off. "Slowly, boy. Take your time." Instead of releasing his hair, I used my grip to guide him, sliding him slowly up and down my cock. I could feel when he loosened his neck and shoulders, giving control of them over to me. But his mouth didn't stop, his tongue flexing and swirling, his mouth tight, sucking. Fuck. I didn't know it was possible for someone to be as willingly submissive as Nick.

I returned control to Nick after a few minutes, reaching forward to press as far down his back as I could, encouraging him to arch his back and show off that pert ass. I let the fingers of one hand rest in his hair, a sense of restfulness creeping through my limbs, calming the beast in a way no one had ever done before. 

That only lasted until Nick swallowed me to the root again, somehow managing to get his lips over the bulge of my soft knot. I nearly came from the clench of his throat on my cock and the sight of his spit-wet lips spread so wide.

This time I pulled him all the way off. "You're just determined to be naughty, aren't you?"

"Maybe," Nick said with a smile. 

I took his chin in my firm grip and his eyes rolled back as he swayed toward me. "Is that how you answer me?"

"Yes, sir. I'm very naughty."

Nick was drawing reactions from me I'd never experienced before. With him, I'd let the beast out further than I ever had, and he willingly accepted me. It made me feel like I was floating on clouds, yet dredging pieces of me from the darkest depths of my soul. It was exhilarating. It was terrifying.

I couldn't handle the look of need and peace in his eyes anymore. It made me want too much. It made me want things I couldn't have. This was a one-time thing with Nick. Maybe he was okay with this for a night, but surely he wouldn't want this forever. My thoughts were running and tripping over each other. With a sudden blur of motion, I had him flipped again, on his knees in the other direction, his ass before me. I lifted his hips and spread his legs to bracket mine. He was pretty much in the same position as before, but I pulled his hips lower. His hole was clenching as if he knew exactly what was happening next. I ran a finger over his hole, realizing I had been so caught up in the moment, I'd nearly started fucking him without a condom. 

I took several deep breaths. "Nick, we need a condom." Normally, I would have hated interrupting the flow of the moment, but this time I was grateful for it. I needed to disengage a little. 

"Night stand. Drawer."

His voice was soft and breathy, and he didn't move a muscle as I leaned over to open up the drawer. There was a box there, but it was empty.

"Looks like you're out. Do you have a backup stash?"

"Huh?" Nick's voice was a little clearer, as if he were coming back to reality too. "Fuck—no."

I let out a shaky breath. My need to claim Nick this way was intense, and I needed the anonymity of not looking into his eyes right now, his eyes that drew me too far in, too deep. He made everything too real. But I would deal. "We'll just have to skip this, then." I dragged a finger down his crack and he groaned.

"Just pull out."

Fuck. I closed my eyes as all my blood rushed south to my dick. "I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Dallas, I need you in me. Please."

It was the please that did me in. I took my cock in hand and pressed it to his hole before I quite realized that my decision had been made. Slick was everywhere, and I wasted no time sliding right in, his hole beyond tight around my cock. He moaned louder than he had when I had thrust in my finger, thrusting himself back on to me, as if he were hungry to feel every possible inch as soon as possible. He stripped my worries away when I bottomed out and he began fucking himself on me, his pretty hole taking my thick cock eagerly. I reached forward to wrap my hand around his neck to slow him down.

"You're so impatient," I growled. Then, just like I had used my grip in his hair to guide his mouth, I used my grip on his neck to guide his ass, to let me thrust into him, to control the depth, the angle, the force. I wanted to see how long he could last, and I went slow—slow and steady, twitching my hips that last inch to slap my hips to his thighs, then sliding slowly out again. His arms began to shake, so I slipped my free arm around his chest, under his arms, but that didn't stop the shaking. I could feel his entire body tense as he went silent, knowing the end was coming. And then his entire body seized up and I pulled him back against my chest so I could watch his cock twitch as he shot spurts of cum onto those pretty satin sheets, though it was difficult to keep my eyes open as he squeezed around my cock. I held us as still as I possibly could, so close to coming myself, but it was as if he was determined to milk my cum out of me, his body continuing to spasm long after I thought possible. I pulled from him with a sudden jerk, not knowing if I would make it in time. 

Nick fell forward onto the bed and I thrust two fingers in his now loose hole as I jerked myself to completion, painting his freckled back with my cum, his channel still squeezing around my fingers. I pressed my fingers in as far as I could, pressing my fist up against his body. It wasn't a knot, but it was the best I could do.

When his body finally stilled, I pulled away and settled next to him, but he was already asleep. Not that I could blame him. I forced myself to get up and grab a cloth to clean us both, then lifted the little omega and pulled him into my arms as I pulled the blanket up around us and drifted to sleep myself.

* * *

Nick was still asleep when I woke the next morning. I was surprised—I hadn't actually planned on staying the night. I had stayed up later than normal waiting for Nick to get off work, though, and Nick himself had drawn more emotion and thoughts from me in one night than I normally had to deal with in a year. I quietly got dressed, but I couldn't leave just like that. I sat next to Nick and brushed a lock of hair from his forehead. 

He blinked up in confusion at me, then smiled, an unconscious gesture that went straight to my soul. "Hey, sexy," he mumbled.

"Hey yourself."

Nick stretched, rolling over to reveal his naked body, unashamed, and completely aware of my attention. "You ready for round two?"

I chuckled. "I wish. But I've got to get to work." I leaned down to kiss him. Maybe it wasn't the best idea, but I needed one last taste of him. "I left my card on your kitchen counter. You’ll call me if that guy shows up, won't you?"

"Sure. You sure I can't tempt you to stay a little longer?"

Nick looked so innocent in his half-asleep state, emphasizing the differences between us. I couldn't stay. Not when I wanted to so badly. No matter how responsive he'd been last night, I couldn't unleash all of what I was on him. It wouldn't be fair to him. He was light, and I was dark. He was delicate and I was rough. He needed someone who didn't have the ragged edges of darkness I'd carried my entire life.

"I wish. But I've gotta head out. You should get some more sleep, yeah?"

"Yes, sir," he said, giving a mocking salute. I pulled the covers back over him and left without looking back, no matter how badly I wanted to.