In the three months of Scottie’s absence, Gray had built Ruck’s reputation impressively well. The restaurant had a waiting list every night it was open. He’d even expanded the hours to include a few prized lunch spots a couple times a week.

Staffing had initially been a concern for him, but Akash had offered up a wise piece of advice. Gray worked with one of the Cardiff culinary courses to set up a work program. He hired students in his kitchen on a quarterly rotation, allowing them to fulfil some of the requirements for their certification.

To his mind, Gray considered it another way to pay forward a kindness once offered to him. He enjoyed the youthful enthusiasm—most of the time. They were often filled to the brim with new ideas, and he allowed them to follow their noses in experimenting.

Another new routine in his life was Alice and Alex, autistic twins who’d once worked at Akash’s bakery. They’d begun working with Wyatt’s botanist husband, Aled, in his garden down the street from Gray’s cottage. Almost every morning the two stopped by his house for breakfast.

Alex had become obsessed with Gray’s old Harley-Davidson. The young man had watched him work on the engine for a while and developed a keen interest. After a month or so, he’d gone out and bought himself a beat-up old Triumph, which they were fixing up together.

Somehow in moving to Cardiff, Gray had managed to unofficially adopt twins. He comforted himself with the knowledge that they were already grown. He did wonder how Scottie would take to the new development. Alice and Alex might help the former rugby player in his continued efforts to regain control of his life.

Pushing thoughts of all the recent changes in his life out of his mind, Gray focused on finishing up the last course for his diners. When they’d all gone, he shut down Ruck for the evening and sent his staff home. He had just enough time to prepare supper for Scottie.

Rushing through preparing pork chops and potatoes to go on a sheet pan in the oven, Gray had barely enough time to hop into the shower to wash away the grime of the day. He soaped up his hands and ran the suds over his body, reminding himself to be patient when his cock hardened to the touch while thinking about Scottie. A heavy knock on his front door had him hopping out of the shower and quickly wrapping a towel around his waist. He padded through the cottage, leaving wet footprints in his wake.

“Do you always answer the door fucking starkers?” Scottie stood on the stoop with his helmet under one arm. “Not sure everyone would appreciate the view as much as I am.”

Taking the helmet away and setting it inside the door, Gray wrapped his fingers around Scottie’s throat and gripped his short hair tightly with his other hand to drag him into a hard kiss. His hard shaft rubbed against the towel. He guided them into the dark shadows of the entryway.

“Out here? Honestly? Where all your neighbours can see us?” Scottie was already reaching between them to slip a hand through the opening of the towel to grasp Gray’s cock. “I fucking missed you.”

“Good. On your knees, like a good boy.” Gray shoved Scottie down to the ground, shamelessly dropping his towel, glad for his foresight in not turning on the front lights. “Why don’t we have a little teaser before supper? Work up an appetite for both of us. Show me how much you missed me, kitten.”

Scottie glared up at him before his eyes dropped to the shaft bumping into his face. “If we get arrested….”

“We won’t.” Gray grabbed the wooden railing behind him when Scottie lunged forward to hungrily take an impressive portion of his cock into his mouth. “Fuck. Good boy.”

With a herculean effort, Gray managed to remain silent. He’d no interest in drawing attention to them with him in such a vulnerable position. Fuck. He’s gifted with his mouth.

Now was definitely not the time for a drawn-out encounter. Gray focused his attention on fully immersing himself into the sensations from the lips and tongue that he’d greatly missed as well. Scottie brought his hand up to play with his balls, but Gray smacked it away.

“Don’t fucking move,” Gray hissed quietly, before pulling himself out of the irresistible mouth. He stroked his cock until the evidence of his enjoyment covered Scottie’s face. “Why don’t you head inside to clean up? I’m sure by the time the evening is over we’ll find new and enjoyable ways to dirty you all up again.”

“Arse,” Scottie grumbled. He got to his feet and froze mid-step when Gray grasped his cock firmly through his jeans. “Fuck.”

Grabbing his towel from the ground, Gray flicked Scottie in the arse with it and sent him into the house. They cleaned up in the bathroom, jostling for space at the sink. He eventually forced him up against the edge of it for a series of bruising kisses that left both of them gasping for air.

“Wasn’t there supposed to be food?” Scottie dragged a towel across his face to dry it off.

“Fuck. Supper.” Gray got the pork chops out of the oven a few seconds away from them being burnt. “Well, at least they’re not crispy.”

Scottie joined him in the kitchen after rinsing himself off. He was clad only in his boxers and a T-shirt. He nicked a piece of potato from the tray. “I’m thrilled it’s not fucking healthy shit. I learnt a lot of good stuff at the castle, but a little fat and grease aren’t going to hurt me.”

While they stood in the kitchen, Gray brought the conversation around to a topic that had been delayed by Scottie’s absence. He didn’t want any misunderstandings between them. Whatever this was between them, the rules would be well defined before emotions became too complicated.

With a blunt honesty, Gray covered his unique preferences and expectations. They’d discussed it briefly before, but not enough for his liking. On top of his list was his insistence that they both have complete check-ups to ensure they were healthy, not negotiable in his mind.

Gray’s eyes turned stormy while he emphasised his zero tolerance for inviting others to join them in play. “I don’t fucking share my toys, kitten. Ever.”

Through supper, they talked over hard limits. Gray respected Scottie’s dislikes and expected the same in return. It was a relief to find the majority of their desires lined up perfectly.

When in a scene, Gray expected to always be in control. He was Sir. Scottie’s job was to obey and to communicate honestly when he was uncomfortable or needed things to stop. Neither of them wanted to ever cross lines with each other.

Safe, sane, and consensual.

Gray waited until they’d finished up eating for the most important question. “Would you enjoy a tour of the playroom, kitten?”

Scottie grabbed his cup of water and choked half of it down before giving a hoarsely muttered, “Yes.”

When Gray had made the move to Cardiff, he’d selected a cottage with enough space to have an entire room dedicated to his particular brand of sexual pleasure. It contained a host of toys, furniture, and other implements dedicated to his and his partner’s enjoyment.

The prime feature of the den was the triangle cross set up on the right side of the room. Gray preferred it to the more traditional St. Andrew’s version, believing it offered more comfort and flexibility. In his mind, ensuring the safety of his partner in a scene was paramount to anything else.

The room featured a bed specifically purchased for its sturdy wooden posts. Functional and secure. The closet held a toy chest along with a number of whips and paddles hanging from hooks. It also contained several loops of rope and a whole host of other things they’d eventually dabble with together.

Not wanting to throw too much at Scottie during their first scene, Gray opted for two of his favourite things—restraint and sensation play. After double checking his partner was still clear to play, he got Scottie naked and situated on his back on the bed. His legs were spread wide and his ankles secured to the posts with rope; his wrists were restrained by handcuffs to the headboard. The last addition was one of his preferred gags—it contained a moveable and detachable dildo, which he’d introduce to his sub in a few minutes.

Standing back to admire his handiwork, Gray headed down to the kitchen to grab a few of the ice frost massagers from his fridge. One contained a liquid centre that could be frozen, along with a vibrator; the other worked almost like a push pop when filled with water and left in the freezer. He intended to use them both to tease his captive.

With the non-vibrating massager in one hand, Gray slowly ran the frozen nub across Scottie’s lower abdomen. He smirked when Scottie jumped at the sensation. Their eyes locked while he danced the ice up the tensed muscles to circle already hardened nipples.

“Fuck,” Scottie groaned when the frozen toy was held firmly against his sensitive nub.

“What have I said about talking?” Gray picked up the slender dildo and guided it through the ring in the gag and between his lips. He reached over to take a dog clicker from a nearby nightstand to place it in Scottie’s hand. “Press that if you want to stop. Nod if you understand, kitten.”

After seeing the quick nod, Gray began to drilling the dildo in and out of Scottie’s mouth, relishing in the muffled moans while dragging the massager across his cock. Pushing it out until the slender rod of ice was almost completely exposed; he decided to test it further down with the assistance of waterproof lubricant. His sub bucked as far as the restraints would allow when it was pressed into him.

Slowly easing it in and out of Scottie, Gray grabbed the second iced massager. He flicked the switch to cause it to vibrate. His cock grew painfully hard at the muffled moans coming from his captive as he feathered the toy across his nipples.

The rod inevitably melted away with the heat from Scottie’s body. Gray slipped a finger in to replace it. His gaze stayed on the brown eyes that never drifted far away from his. It allowed them to feel connected by more than just the lone digit.

Even though Scottie held the clicker, Gray still watched carefully for any signs of physical or mental discomfort. Any scene should be enjoyed fully by both the Dominant and submissive. A Dom’s job was to bring depths of raw pleasure to Scottie that the man had never experienced—to help him toe the lines in his own mind while respecting his limits.

Ragged breathing aside, his bound sub showed an intense level of eagerness for more. Scottie tried his hardest to press himself against the finger teasing him, straining against the restraints. Gray made a meal out of preparing him more, out of a sadistic desire to prolong the agony of not being allowed more than any actual necessity.

Grunting around the gag in his mouth, Scottie narrowed his eyes when yet another finger was added. His impatience spoke volumes even without him being able to say a word. Gray finally withdrew his hand and shifted up on the mattress.

After sliding on a condom, Gray made himself at home between Scottie’s widely spread legs. He inched his lubed cock into his new sub while continuing to piston the dildo in and out of his mouth. Wanting to hear him fully, Gray yanked the gag out and tossed it aside.

They wouldn’t kiss, not this time. Gray wanted Scottie to be painfully aware of who was in control of every aspect of the scene. He drove into him hard enough to shake the solid wood bed frame. Fuck. I’ve waited so damn long for this.

Working a hand between their bodies, Gray alternated between stroking Scottie’s cock and squeezing it at the base tightly to prevent him from coming just yet. His thrusts were hard and fast while his stroking was slow and teasing. I am a cruel son of a bitch. He stopped several times to continue edging Scottie almost to the point of breaking before finally allowing both of them the satisfaction of climax.

“Holy fuck,” Scottie gasped out after a few minutes. He hadn’t moved aside from stretching his arms out after the restraints were removed. “Holy fucking fuck.”

“Think you can walk, kitten? I want to get us cleaned up.” Gray gently massaged Scottie’s legs to ensure they hadn’t cramped up from being restrained. “You good?”

“Fuck,” Scottie repeated. “More than fucking good.”

Gray couldn’t help smirking down at him. He got slowly to his feet, discarding the condom in the nearby trash can, and moved over to the mini refrigerator in the right corner of the room to grab two bottles of water. “Here. Drink up. We’ll grab a quick bite to eat after we shower.”

Every aspect of the lifestyle was important to Gray, including aftercare. This was new to Scottie. They’d learn together what worked best for him post scene.

Following a quick shower and a midnight snack, it seemed wise to get some sleep, even if it felt like his alarm went off seconds after their heads hit the pillows. Gray left Scottie snoring in bed to go for his morning run. The twins had a habit of showing up early for breakfast, and he had no intention of being naked underneath the covers when they arrived.

He’d run, showered, dressed, and already started on breakfast when Scottie finally awoke. The twins arrived a few moments after. Alice snagged a piece of toast and tea before disappearing with her headphones on and her origami paper; her brother took the plate Gray offered into the living room and began pulling out a stack of magazines from his bag.

“Lad’s going to fancy you.” Scottie smirked over the rim of his mug of coffee and pointed to where Alex had spread out his books and magazines on motorbikes. “It won’t take much.”

“Doubtful, as he’s not only asexual but aromantic, not that it’s any business of yours.” Gray sent a warning glare at Scottie.

“What the fuck is aromantic?”

“The short version is that he’s not interested in either sex or romance.” Gray didn’t feel the need to go into it in depth, but he wanted to make it clear to Scottie to leave Alex alone. “And don’t be a dick about it. His stepdad traumatised the poor kid enough as it is.”

“I wouldn’t. What? I wouldn’t. I might be a complete arsehole, but I wouldn’t do that to him.” Scottie set his mug aside to head over to Alex; he crouched down across from where the young man sat on the floor. “What are you working on?”

Well, here’s hoping the last three months actually taught him something useful and he doesn’t terrify Alex.