Cal stared at his monitor in open disgust. He couldn’t summon a neutral expression to save his life. What was going on? First, they’d transferred his boss, Agent Sinclair, and then they’d failed to replace her. Then they’d just left Cal hanging.
Now, the email he’d sent to a higher up had been replied to with, “Just continue doing what you’ve been doing, Agent Riggs, and when a new lead agent is appointed, you may turn in your reports to them at that time.”
What did that mean? What good was Cal’s research if no one was going to read it in a timely fashion? What if a real, clear, present threat emerged?
There was no clearer indication that that Powers That be were tuning him out.
Fury overtook Cal as he stared at his screen, clutching the mouse until the hard plastic creaked and jolted him out of it. He took a deep breath, and then another, trying to center himself and find a sense of balance. It wasn’t easy.
He’d devoted his life to the Bureau, and to be shut out like this was beyond the pale. Sure, the president of the United States had changed the focus from violent white supremacist extremist groups to “Radical Islamic Terrorism,” but there was still plenty of grist for the Antifa and Black Lives Matter mills. Who in their right mind wasn’t worried about the demographic behind most of the country’s mass shootings?
Was it so different when it was a bombing?
Even with Barnes’s data helping Cal cover the true nature of his interest, it was too late. They were shutting him down politely. They didn’t want to lose him; they wanted him to see the writing on the wall and fall in line.
Could Cal do that?
His first thought was to call Hunter, but he knew what that would lead to. Hunter had never respected the Bureau, and he’d always thought Cal was too good to be working there.
Instead, he went outside to stretch his legs, take a little break, and called Barnes.
“Riggs, good to hear from you.” He’d picked up on the third ring. The background noise sounded like he was driving.
“Barnes.” Cal exhaled in relief at hearing a familiar voice, one he trusted. “They transferred Sinclair. I don’t even have an immediate superior now. They boxed me in.”
“Shit, man, I’m sorry about that. I should’ve seen that coming.” Barnes sounded almost as frustrated as Cal felt, which was nice. “They assign you to a new team?”
“No. I’m on my own, spinning my wheels. I used your data, got a lot compiled, drew some good conclusions about the threat vectors, but I’ve got no one to hand in reports to.” Cal sighed and kicked a leaf on the sidewalk as he strolled down the street from the Bureau. “All that work, going nowhere. They told me to just carry on and hand in my reports when I get a new superior, but we both know what that means.”
“Yes, we do.” Barnes sighed. Cal could picture him shaking his head. “I know you’re a company man, but I can’t help but think that this isn’t a problem you’d have at Dark Sun. Once we’re up and running at full steam, you could have an entire department under you. You’d be the one who called the shots and decided how to act on your research.”
“It wouldn’t be the same. Dark Sun doesn’t have the power to affect policy change. Maybe I’m only at the Seattle Bureau and not in D.C., but we make an impact. At least,” Cal conceded as he pinched the bridge of his nose, “we can when the leadership lets us.”
“We both know that when Republicans are in office, lobbyists run the show.”
Certainly, in the past, that had been true. They got their way a lot when Democrats were in office, too, but at least they didn’t seem to be interested in meddling with the separation of powers.
“Let’s be honest, Cal, you’re going up against the NRA as much as the political winds. This is early days. You know as well as anyone that the pendulum swings back and forth and we’re likely to have eight years with this being business as usual. I guess if you’re really committed to your pension…but you’ve never struck me as that kind of guy.”
“Frak.” Cal winced and raised his fingers to his temple, rubbing to ward off a headache. “I’m not in it for the pension, and you know it.” Another noisy exhalation, and Cal tried to pull it together. He’d hoped Barnes would offer comfort, but… “You sound like Hunter.” After a brief, bitter laugh, Cal asked, “Has he called you yet?”
There was a long period of silence, as if Barnes was debating what to say, which made Cal wonder if they were already working on something that he couldn’t talk about. “No. But you did say he might not call. He seems to be working with an abundance of caution, which is fine. I get it. He may see me as an ex. I don’t know. He’s hard to read.”
“Maybe so.” Cal rubbed a hand over his face and ambled up to a tree. He leaned against the trunk and closed his eyes, trying to steady himself. “He didn’t get to be a successful hacker by trusting people. I’m still not sure how we got together.” Cal laughed again, as bitter as before, and then bit his lip and shook it off. “Thanks for the pep talk, Barnes.”
“Hey. Don’t kid yourself, it’s obvious that you’re a good guy, Cal. It took him a bit to trust you though, right? I don’t think either of us want me to have to live with him alone for a few weeks to prove myself.” Barnes chuckled. “Listen, just give Dark Sun some thought. I’ll ask around, see if I can find a group inside that might be more amenable to your agenda, okay?”
“It’s not an agenda! It’s common sense.” Cal grimaced and tried to tone it down. “I know what you mean, Barnes. Thanks. Talk to you soon.”
Cal waited for Barnes to say goodbye, ended the call, and walked back to HQ. Frustration and fury had him seeing sparks, and he hardly knew what to do with himself. Maybe it would be better for everyone at the office if he took a mental health day.
It wasn’t as if anyone would miss him.
He went inside long enough to get his things and then headed to his SUV and drove home to the condo. Hunter should be working this time of day, but maybe he’d be willing to pet Cal’s hair or something.
Sometimes Hunter did that. Now and then.
If all else failed, there was Bruiser. Sometimes he got nerved up by Cal’s tension and things went sideways, but he was always good for some face-licking and squirmy cuddles.
By the time Cal reached the door, he’d worked himself up to an expectation of impending relaxation. Hunter and Bru would make everything better. It would be okay.
It couldn’t get worse, after all.
Cal let himself in and waited to be greeted.
The condo was surprisingly flooded with light. There was also a light chill to the air as there had been outside.
Usually Hunter had the windows covered with heavy drapes, but all the floor to ceiling windows were exposed, and after Cal stepped into the room, he saw that the glass door to the balcony was wide open.
Bruiser came running from where he was sitting at Hunter’s feet on the lounger on the balcony. He wore noise cancelling headphones and was leisurely vaping what stank of THC.
In fairness, Hunter did agree to take that outside, but Bruiser had been right there with him, clearly inhaling it and without wearing anything but his spiked collar.
Hunter’s eyes were closed, probably listening to music at an ear-damaging level. At least he wasn’t blasting music so loudly it would disturb the neighbors, but he didn’t appear to notice that Cal was home.
Seriously? This was what Hunter was doing while Cal was at work?
Cal scooped Bruiser up, noticing the tiny dog was a little chilled. Cal growled and kissed Bruiser’s head fiercely. As he grumbled to himself, he comforted Bru and went to the dresser where he kept Bruiser’s things. He fished out a pretty butter-yellow sweater and dressed Bru with the ease of long practice and then set Bru down.
With a little yip of loss, Bru circled Cal’s heels, clearly wanting to be picked up again, tail wagging madly. Then Cal produced a treat and tossed it onto the balcony, onto Hunter, trying to get his attention. After a second or two, he opened his eyes.
He squinted at it, and then gave a little start. The delayed reaction was almost funny. If Cal hadn’t been so irritated, he probably would’ve laughed.
Blinking up at Cal, Hunter’s eyes widened as he appeared to take in the situation and pulled off his headphones. He consulted his phone, brows furrowed, and then looked up. “You here for lunch?”
“No.” Cal bristled. “I’m here because there’s no place for me at HQ.” He closed his eyes hard, holding back grief for the loss of what had once been as much his home as the little house Liberty Association had blown up. Gritting his teeth, he looked at Hunter and held up a hand. “I’m not fired. I’m too senior to just throw me away. But I might as well be. I’m frakking powerless, and you’re here vaping and sunning yourself.”
Not that it was Hunter’s fault. He’d made life choices that had led him here just like Cal’s had taken him down a very different road. Still, it rankled. Cal knew it wasn’t Hunter he was angry with, but at the same time, the compulsion to pick a fight was overpowering.
Hunter frowned and looked down, but it was hard to tell if he was hurt or angry. Then he shrugged as he stood up and crossed to Cal. He wrapped his arms around him to hug him tight. Maybe he was too mellow to fight, or perhaps he felt bad for Cal. “They’re not worthy of you.”
Then Hunter turned, picked up the blanket, his phone, and the vape pen, and walked inside.
If Hunter wasn’t going to respond with sass and further provoke him, Cal didn’t know how to express his frustration. He followed Hunter with a rising sense of helplessness and then whistled Bru over. Bru dashed to him excitedly, and Cal picked him up to snuggle, fussing over his little sweater, plucking long hairs from the neck to make them lie smooth.
“Can’t believe you let Bru out in that weather without his sweater on.” Cal huffed and seethed inside, fighting a tide of impotent rage.
After setting his stuff on the dining room table like a slob, Hunter closed the door to the balcony and started to draw the curtains closed. “He’s a dog, Cal. Not a child. He doesn’t need a sweater.”
With the room back to a state of dark gloom, Hunter smirked at Cal and started to pull off his shirt, backing toward the bedroom. “Uh oh. It’s probably too chilly for me to be without clothes on. How will I stay warm?”
That was better. Cal watched with hooded eyes, breath speeding. Hunter always knew what to do with him. It was what he did, after all, besides writing code and getting into trouble; he was a social manipulator, observing people and patterns and gaming them.
Suddenly Cal knew what to do with himself. He growled, “He needs his sweater, Hunter. He’s tiny. He gets the frakking sniffles.” As if to prove Cal’s point, Bruiser sneezed, and Cal widened his eyes and gestured widely between Bru and Hunter. “Do you hear that?”
Fussing over Bru, Cal looked to Hunter and pointed at the bedroom. “You’ve been bad. Strip naked. Lie on your stomach. Wrists behind your head.” His baritone boomed through the apartment, making Bru lick his chin.
A flicker of a wicked grin flashed over Hunter’s face, but then he lifted his chin as if in indignation. He sniffed, looking every inch the haughty bad boy. “Make me.”
A surge of pleasure blocked out Cal’s anguish, washing away the bad day. He set Bru on the couch and stalked toward Hunter only to tackle him mid-body, catching Hunter’s high center of gravity with Cal’s broad body. Cal scooped him into a fireman’s carry with Hunter draped over one shoulder and carted him into the bedroom.
Hunter took advantage of his position and squeezed Cal’s buns, probably just to escalate things. His cock was already stiff, rubbing Cal’s shoulder through Hunter’s little joggers. Cal tugged at the shorts, and they slid easily over his ass, dragging Hunter’s boxers with them.
Cal tossed Hunter onto the bed on his back. The blond stared up at him, already looking defiant. Huffing, he grabbed his own cock and started to stroke.
“What do you think you’re doing, old man?”
“Putting you in your place, you little brat.” Cal batted Hunter’s hand away from his cock and then dragged Hunter’s hand to Cal’s coat. “Undress me, or I’m fucking you clothed.”
“I’ll make a mess of your suit, Mr. Fed.” Hunter smirked as he pushed Cal’s coat off his shoulders. He tossed it across the room before going for Cal’s tie. “What makes you think I’m going to let you fuck me?”
He slipped off Cal’s tie but left it on the bed, probably in case Cal wanted to use it. Despite Hunter’s tough talk, he was making short work of Cal’s shirt.
Cal reached around Hunter and gripped his ass, one cheek in his broad palm. “Because you’re a little slut, Mr. Walsh. You were made for this.” Cal licked his lips as he inched his fingertips toward Hunter’s entrance, stroking it gently. “You can pretend you don’t want it, but I know better. Tell me I’m wrong. Tell me you don’t want me to make you come.”
Hunter whimpered, falling back against the bed. He was so hungry for Cal, practically all the time. Even if the FBI had rejected Cal, Hunter’s neediness filled Cal’s empty spaces.
Even in his obvious bliss, Hunter pulled Cal closer, working open his belt and fly. “That what you want, Riggs? You want to see me come?” He pushed Cal’s pants and boxer briefs off his hips, then bit Cal’s lower lip, nipping a little harder than necessary.
Cal bit back, growling. “Gonna take you apart, Walsh. Gonna fuck you so hard you can’t walk.” Cal toed off his dress shoes and let Hunter strip him the rest of the way before tossing his clothes aside and moving atop Hunter, letting his heavier body bear the lithe younger man down into the cushy depths of their mattress.
Hunter shivered. Cal adored that he could elicit that kind of response.
“Yeah? You like that? You want to hurt me with your dick, Riggs?” Oh, Hunter was down for it, and in for it. “You gonna break me with that big thing?”
He scratched Cal’s back now that he was naked, intensifying the whirling fury between them.
“Been trying to break you for a while,” Cal admitted with a wicked smile as he writhed under Hunter’s nails and crushed against him harder. He kissed him roughly, delving into his mouth and devouring him with a throaty groan as he rutted against Hunter’s pinned body.
“You know you could do anything to me.”
Ah, so it was that kind of night. Hunter already sounded breathy. What would it be like to surprise him? To really bind him? He knew Hunter; the blond would express his limits, should Cal cross them. Not that Cal had it in him to really hurt Hunter.
Perhaps they both knew. Maybe that was why Hunter always pushed Cal’s limits. Hunter knew Cal would never let anything bad happen. He’d protect Hunter from anyone and everyone, including himself. Even angry and frustrated, Cal loved Hunter more than anything.
He bit Hunter’s throat and reached down to squeeze his cock, holding it in a tight ring of thumb and forefinger. “I’ll make you earn your orgasm. You’ll have to work for it. Going to put your sweet body to the test.”
Hunter tilted his hips forward, squeezing Cal’s back again. The idea seemed to thrill him, given his body language and the way he whimpered.
That sound just about melted Cal.
Hunter stretched out under Cal, spreading his legs. “Want you to. Think you can?”
“Know I can.” Cal smiled against Hunter’s mouth and then nibbled down his jaw before whispering in his ear, “Going to tie you up. Make you helpless. You’ll give me exactly what I want, and when I’m through with you, if you’ve been good, I’ll let you cream.”
Hunter gasped. They’d discussed BDSM, which Hunter found too rulesy and structured, but he’d seemed interested. He also really enjoyed when Cal talked dirty.
“Yeah? Show me what you got, daddy,” Hunter whispered in Cal’s ear before giving him a quick nip. “Show me what you want.”
Hunter mockingly called Cal ‘dad’ all the time but being called daddy did something to him. He shuddered and exhaled shakily, crushing his cock against Hunter’s thigh. He reached for his nightstand, where he’d stashed a few toys. Surely Hunter had rifled the drawer despite it being one of Cal’s few private areas in the condo.
Cal withdrew a few lengths of black hemp rope and then straddled Hunter’s waist in swift movements. He took Hunter’s forearm and ran his hand up to join with Hunter’s, lifting it toward the bedpost. He gazed down into Hunter’s eyes and raised a brow before looping a rope carefully around his wrist, following the instructions he’d memorized. He’d researched and been so careful, but he hadn’t ever been sure they’d get this far.
Even now, he half expected Hunter to call a halt. Instead Hunter watched with hooded eyes, holding his arm in place. A a flicker of nerves filled Hunter’s otherwise sleepy gaze, and Hunter lifted his free hand to Cal’s side. He caressed Cal’s ribs as if seeking reassurance.
That vulnerability was so sweet, Hunter so tender in his surrender. Once Cal had tied him to the post, Hunter tested the knot, making sure it was secure enough without cutting off circulation. Appearing satisfied, he held out his other arm.
Cal took it with a sense of marrow-deep affection, everything he was rising to the surface to adulate Hunter. He loved this impossible, infuriating man more than he could say, more than he could ever express, but as he twined their fingers for a moment and gazed into Hunter’s pale eyes, he willed him to comprehend something beyond comprehension.
Then Cal bound his wrist to the post, mindful of every detail.
Hunter gazed up at him, cheeks flushed but expression filled with devotion. He was a bundle of chaos, bringing so much anarchy into Cal’s life, and yet he was always there, giving himself completely.
He exhaled slowly and spread wide his feet, silently inviting for Cal to tie him completely. It was humbling coming from so untrusting a young man.
Cal leaned down, unable to stop himself, and kissed Hunter slow and tender before shifting down his body, kissing his way down as he grasped Hunter’s ankle. He nuzzled Hunter’s cock as he went, gazing up that lean body at Hunter’s face as Cal rubbed his cheek against Hunter’s shaft. Then Cal moved to the foot of the bed and bound first one ankle and then the other, kissing Hunter’s feet as he went, gentle brushes of his lips to the smooth tops of them. It chastened Cal to do it, literally kissing Hunter’s feet, but it felt right too, if Hunter was giving him so much.
Then he gazed at Hunter, positioning himself between those toned, widespread thighs. With a faint smile, Cal dragged one blunt fingernail up the left inner leg from knee to groin and then repeated it on the other side, leaving white marks that swiftly turned red.
“You’re beautiful,” he murmured. “And I am going to ruin you.”
Hunter shivered again, skin breaking out in gooseflesh. Cal watched in satisfaction as the golden hairs on Hunter’s leg rose, reacting to him, under his command.
Twisting in his bindings, Hunter tested his limits, assuring himself and Cal they were secure without being painful. If Hunter did grow stiff or overwhelmed, Cal could pull the rope to release him. He’d tied the knots just right.
“Ruin me, daddy. I’m yours.” Hunter bit his lip, his cheeks rosy.
Cal’s sudden surge of lust far overpowered the rage that had driven him earlier. Hunter made Cal feel more alive than anything else, so present that Cal felt he might burst free of his skin. There was no denying Hunter’s intoxicating presence did this to Cal. Nothing else in his life had ever lifted him from his staid, vanilla existence. He’d dreamed of being so excited by someone, so lost in someone, but until Hunter…
Cal reached into the nightstand for the lube—and the dildo Hunter used for the cam shows he performed for Cal while he was traveling. He held them up for Hunter to see and smiled wickedly as Hunter realized what was about to happen. Cal made a show of lubing up the dildo and then pressed it against Hunter’s entrance without any warm-up. It would burn, but Hunter could handle it.
“Can you take that for daddy?” Cal asked, voice raspy, as his gaze flickered between Hunter’s face and his little pink entrance.
“Yes.” Hunter groaned, eyes rolling back with excitement. He squirmed against the bindings, clearly eager to take it, with or without fingering. He did it to himself sometimes on cam because he knew it turned Cal on.
The strangled sound Hunter made as Cal breached him was almost too sexy. Then Hunter took a deep breath as he apparently relaxed, allowing Cal to sink the toy in slowly as Hunter bodily blushed. It was so obvious he lived for having his boundaries pushed as much as he loved doing it to others.
It was even hotter when he was tied up.
Cal drizzled more lubricant over the dildo where it slid into Hunter’s yielding body and worked it in slow circles, loosening him bit by bit, deliberately stretching him for what was coming. He growled approval as he worked the shaft in and out, giving Hunter a little more each time, keeping it slick as he took him.
“My beautiful little slut. So good when you want to be.” He met Hunter’s gaze, his own hot with need as he ignored his throbbing erection to focus on Hunter.
Hunter braced himself, digging his heels into the mattress as well as he could, given how he was tied. He bore down on the dildo, angling it where he needed it, acting every inch the wanton Cal knew he was. Hunter whined when Cal moved the toy, stretching Hunter wider, and opened his eyes to gaze up at Cal, already dewy with perspiration.
“You gonna fuck your little slut so hard?”
Hunter’s cock was hard, bright, the tip shining, dotting his toned abdomen with glossy kisses of precum. Cal leaned in and lapped up the mess, moaning at the salty taste of Hunter’s warm, sticky skin. He nuzzled Hunter’s cock as he nosed around it and then sat back again, fucking him slow and steady.
“You have no idea what I’m going to do to you.” Cal arched a brow and licked his lips, looking from Hunter’s gorgeous flushed face to his flexing entrance and back again. “Daddy’s going to wreck his little slut.”
He pulled back the dildo to pour more lube over it, leaving it glistening with slickness when he pushed it back in. Then, carefully, he worked a finger in alongside the toy, stretching Hunter even more as he stared at his face.
Hunter’s eyes widened as he realized what was going on. He strained against the bonds, trying to sit up and see, a hopeless endeavor given his position. He whined again and dropped back against the bed. “How you gonna wreck me, daddy?”
He sounded breathless with anticipation, as if he suspected where this might be going but was too excited to ask. He trembled, lifting his hips to take the dildo and Cal’s finger as he grew used to it. Cal worked in a second finger when Hunter adjusted, going slowly but demanding Hunter work hard.
“What do you think?” Cal pressed his lips together with fresh anticipation and crooked his fingers to rub against Hunter’s sweet spot. As Hunter squirmed, Cal said, “How much do you think you can take? Can you take as much as daddy gives you?”
“Oh god, what are you gonna do?” Hunter wailed, being dramatic. He fucked himself harder, clearly living the dream. And he was; Cal had gotten a peek at Hunter’s spank bank a while back, and this kind of thing featured heavily.
“Going to make you take me and the toy. You’re just going to lie around all day tomorrow, thinking about what I did to you.”
As Hunter gasped, his cock pulsed. He was so excited he about creamed himself. Had Cal ever had that kind of power over Hunter before? Over anyone?
What had begun rough and angry had transformed, and now Cal just wanted to see Hunter come apart, to show Hunter that Cal could be everything he fantasized about. Cal had no power out in the world, but here, in their bedroom, he was in control.
Hunter gazed at Cal as if he really were god, with awe in his eyes, his lips parted in a perfect circle. He froze for a moment and then bore down anew on Cal’s fingers and the toy. Cal slipped in another digit, making Hunter hiss as his face turned beet red.
“Yes. Yes, daddy, please.”
“Daddy’ll take care of you, sweetheart,” Cal promised. He worked Hunter steadily, devouring him with his eyes. When Hunter seemed abandoned to the moment, stretched and ready, Cal finally pulled free his fingers and left the dildo inside Hunter, saving his place.
As Hunter’s entrance flexed and flinched, grasping for more, Cal slicked his cock, flinching like a fly-stung horse at the stimulation after so much waiting. “Is daddy’s pretty little slut ready for him?”
Hunter pulled at his bindings, stretching rather than begging for release. The flat bottom of the dildo moved and flexed as Hunter did. The blond took a few long, slow breaths, apparently steadying himself, preparing mentally. His cock twitched, whole body shaky with nerves.
Had Cal ever seen Hunter quite like this? He must’ve been like this his first time, before he got so cocky and coy.
“I’m ready, daddy.”
“Deep breaths.” Cal shifted close and then directed his cock toward Hunter’s stuffed, stretched entrance. He held onto the need to be gentle when all he wanted to do was bury himself in that impossibly tight heat, already so full. He pulled the toy out halfway, braced himself, and then pressed his slippery head against the dildo’s shaft and eased forward. His gaze flicked from Hunter’s entrance to his expression as Cal breached him slowly.
Hunter’s eyes widened as big as Cal had ever seen them, his expression pure wonder. His face was bright and sweat trickled down the side of his face, glistening at his hairline. His body stiffened, straining at his bonds as he panted, back arching off the bed. “Oh god, daddy.”
Cal halted, still inside Hunter, but only just. He stroked Hunter’s chest and belly and then gave his cock a squeeze. “Deep breaths. Relax for me, baby.” His low, comforting croon continued as he caressed Hunter’s body and then cupped his perfect face, thumb rubbing across a high cheekbone. “Just relax. Daddy’s got you.”
“Yes.” Some of the tension went out of Hunter’s body, but not all. It was nearly impossible to move inside Hunter until he let out another long breath, relaxing a bit more.
“Good boy.” Cal sighed in bliss as Hunter took another two inches. Cal shuddered with the strain of holding still, the pleasure pulsing from his loins to ripple electricity up his spine. The sensation was almost too much; he could only imagine how Hunter felt. Cal gazed at him, trailing his thumb over Hunter’s gasping lips, and asked, “Can you take a little more for daddy?”
Though his erection had flagged, Hunter’s expression conveyed pleasure. There was some strain still, but his body was unwinding; his back again rested on the bed, his hips up to invite more. Then Hunter shifted, and the movement stole his breath and Cal’s too. He was so tight and hot, the pressure exquisite.
Hunter was going to be feeling this for days.
Then, taking Cal a little deeper, Hunter tipped up his face and whispered, “Fuck me, daddy.”
Oh god. Cal groaned and dropped his chin to his chest as another tremor wracked his body at those words. He fucked Hunter slowly, in and out a little at a time.
“So good. Such a good boy.”
He shivered again, muscles flexing and laboring with the effort of holding back, of going slow. The sheer intensity floored him and left his balls tight, drawn up hard, his entire body focused on the crushing press of his cock into Hunter.
Hunter shouted his pleasure as both slick shafts slid deeper inside him. He squirmed in his bindings, sharing each sensation with enthusiastic noises. He offered up his neck, head back in complete surrender.
Cal kissed along Hunter’s throat, slipping his thumb past Hunter’s lips for him to suckle. Hunter was so loud Bru was going to start howling any minute. If Cal wasn’t so transported by the bliss, he would’ve laughed at the thought. Instead he concentrated on Hunter’s breathing, on his racing pulse vibrating against Cal’s lips as he kissed along that throbbing vein.
With a deep breath, Cal rocked farther into Hunter, pressing down on his tongue and growling as he took him. Every short, tightly controlled thrust took all Cal’s thought until it became a meditative exercise, enormous breaths and quivering muscles and minute shifting that broke out the sweat across his body.
Hunter’s cock thickened, and he began to move again, not as freely, but just as wantonly. When Cal looked down at him, Hunter seemed wrecked, pupils blown when he opened his eyes.
“Can you take a little more, baby?” Cal asked, pulling his thumb from Hunter’s mouth and then reaching down to fist Hunter’s cock. He pushed inside a little deeper, fighting not to jostle the toy inside Hunter.
“Oh yes, daddy. Touch me. Touch me, please.”
“A little more? So good.” Cal shivered and kept going, fucking Hunter in tiny jerks of his hips that grew more rapid. Then he groaned and went in for a kiss, working Hunter’s cock. Hunter struggled to fuck Cal’s hand and mewled with his inability to do it. His frustrated whimpers grew in volume as he fought for his release.
“I’ve got you,” Cal whispered as he jerked Hunter in time with those little abortive movements, trying to read his body and give him what he needed. “You going to come like this? My sweet slutty boy. You’re gonna come stuffed with two cocks, so full you can barely stand it, and I’m gonna fill you up with spunk. It’s gonna be dripping out of your ruined little hole all night.”
Hunter groaned as a forceful spurt of precum splashed Cal’s fingers, just before Hunter’s body clenched impossibly. Then Hunter loosed a long, toe-curling cry as he released in Cal’s grip. Cal groaned at the overwhelming sensation of Hunter’s body clamping tight around him, milking his cock, rippling and flexing and—
With a sharp gasp, Cal rolled his hips forward and came helplessly, his endurance stretched beyond its limit. It was all he could do to keep stroking Hunter, his spend slick and hot over Cal’s fingers as he struggled to do more than just jerk into Hunter’s body. Colors sparked behind Cal’s eyelids as he rode out his climax, flowing into Hunter in pulses that left him breathing hard and half-crazed.
As the peak fell behind him and Cal’s body capitulated to his conscious self once more, he exhaled raggedly and kissed Hunter. Hunter kissed back, seeming wrung out and worshipful as Cal eased the toy from Hunter’s distended opening. Still mostly hard, Cal thrust easier into him in the afterglow, stroking Hunter’s sweaty hair back from his face and lavishing him with affection.
Hunter’s insides grasped at Cal as if too empty now. It felt good, though almost too intense as Cal softened and grew more sensitive. He nuzzled Cal’s face and smiled against his mouth. “That was… You weren’t kidding about wrecking me, were you, daddy?”
“Never been much of a kidder,” Cal answered with a tired smile. He finally pulled out of Hunter and then reached into the nightstand for a plug. He slicked it carefully and then settled it in Hunter’s stretched ass to soothe the emptiness.
Then Cal moved to untie Hunter’s feet, looking to him constantly as he pulled the knots free and then rubbed the circulation back into Hunter’s toes. “You’re so good for me. I’m so proud.”
“I’m proud of you, too.” Hunter was practically purring. Apparently he’d needed some extra attention as well. “How did you know? I’m going to have to be a little more proactive about changing my passwords. Look at you becoming a hacker. What would the FBI say?”
Hunter flexed his ankles and then his wrists after Cal freed them. Cal kept massaging as he took stock visually, checking to make certain the marks from the rope were fading and nothing was amiss.
“The FBI would probably be proud that I know how to get into your computer,” Cal teased as he leaned in for another kiss. Speaking against Hunter’s lips, he said softly, “But I only use my power for good.”
“What’s the fun of that?”
That Hunter wasn’t panicked meant either Hunter had no secrets or he’d expected Cal to get that far into his computer. It was nice to think it was the former, but Cal knew better. Much of Hunter’s projects it was better Cal didn’t know about.
“This is why I’m daddy, and you’re my little brat.” Cal narrowed his gaze and then kissed the tip of Hunter’s nose before lifting his head to look into those beautiful blue eyes. “Not everything is supposed to be fun.”
Cal bristled, absorbing his frustrations again from earlier at work. He tried to push that away and sink back into the moment and the bliss that accompanied it. He rolled onto his back and stared up at the ceiling. “Taking care of people matters more to me than fun.”
Hunter rolled atop Cal, not letting him escape. He winced, clearly experiencing residual soreness. “Sometimes you get both, right? Can’t say we didn’t have fun… and I’ve been very well taken care of.”
With a soft chuckle, Cal looked up into Hunter’s eyes and combed his fingers through his sweat-damp hair. “Yeah, sometimes life works out all right.” He smiled and slid his hand around Hunter’s nape to draw him in for a deep, lingering kiss. Then he sighed and hugged Hunter. “You’re so good for me.”
“You’re the only person who thinks I’m good for you, or anyone.” Hunter issued that self-deprecating smile that broke Cal’s heart. He didn’t do that as much now as he once did, a sign Hunter’s self-image had improved. He rested his chin on Cal’s chest and gazed at him. “You’re good for me. I don’t know where I’d be right now without you.”
“Other people don’t see what I see. You put up walls, Hunter. It took me some time to realize how special you are.” Cal tapped the tip of his nose affectionately and then ran his hands down Hunter’s back to squeeze his ass in both palms. Hunter whimpered. It was hard not to take pride in that.
“Besides, sometimes it takes liking people to get people to like you.” Smiling ruefully, Cal nipped at Hunter’s mouth again and then raised a brow.
“I don’t know who to trust. It took me a while to figure out that you were for real. I guess I am too suspicious sometimes.” Hunter averted his gaze; Cal figured he was probably thinking of Barnes.
“You see so much bad in the world. You don’t spend as much time with the good.” Cal sighed and added, “That happens to me too, at work. I don’t want to see it grind you down. Take some time to extend trust. To make bonds. Life is too short to spend it isolated.”
“Yeah?” Hunter’s eyes glittered with mischief. Oh, boy. “What do you suggest? Join a bowling league? Swingers club?” He waggled his brows, then rolled off Cal, whining when he clumsily landed on his side. “I think yoga is off the menu for a while.”
Cal guffawed. He couldn’t help it. The sound burst from him after all the tension, and he rolled onto his side to spoon behind Hunter, wrapping him in his arms and nosing his nape. “No swingers clubs. You’re all mine. You think I’ll hesitate to tie you up again…”
“Ah, so table the swingers club discussion until my body can take being tied up again.” Hunter relaxed against Cal and exhaled slowly. “I wonder if I could get into a gun club.”
“Well, with that haircut…” Cal didn’t mean to sound bitter, but all his frustration from work hit him again.
“Yeah.” Hunter’s reply was strangely curt, considering. “It’ll grow out, though. Then they can all go back to hating me.”
Cal nibbled up Hunter’s shorn scalp, nuzzling him. “Sweetheart… I don’t know what you’re doing. I don’t know if I should know. But don’t hold that against me, please?” He rubbed his hands up over Hunter’s chest, toying with his nipple rings, and rubbed his soft cock against Hunter’s ass. “I’m not prying because I trust you. Did you want me to pry? Into your computer, into your haircut?”
Hunter exhaled slowly as if he enjoyed being toyed with. “Honestly, I don’t know.”
It seemed as if there was more to say, but Hunter just pivoted. “Can’t say I regret you seeing my spank bank.”
Chuckling, Cal kissed his nape again and tugged his pierced nipple. “Slut.” Then he drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You’re not as alone as you feel.”
Was he saying that more to Hunter or himself?
“I have my own private FBI agent, my sister, and my own gun club with Sam on alternate Tuesdays.” Hunter chuckled softly. “And, of course, my other owner, Bruiser. It’s not such a lonely life.”
“And you should call Barnes. He’s interested in helping you.” Cal nibbled the shell of Hunter’s ear and smiled. “Now I want a nap. You gonna rest in my arms? Let daddy sing you to sleep in the afterglow?”
Hunter sighed loudly but didn’t move or fuss. “Yeah, I’ll call him, I guess. Sing me Soft Kitty?”
“Seriously?” Cal snorted but he snuggled closer and complied. There was no understanding Hunter sometimes, but he had a way of getting what he wanted, didn’t he?