35. Kale

It wasseventeen days between when Christian called me to let me know he was ready to come home and when the wheels of his jet touched down on the tarmac. Time moved slower than molasses as the plane taxied in, and it must have taken another seventeen days until the plane door was opened and Christian's familiar silhouette came into view.

I pushed off the trunk of my hired black town car and strode toward the stairs with more purpose than I'd ever felt in all the years of my life. Christian all but ran down the stairs, and heat exploded in the center of my chest when his body crashed into mine. Wrapping my arms around him, we stumbled back a step before I was able to regain our balance. I buried my face in his hair, not surprised in the slightest when I inhaled a nose full of my own scent instead of his. Christian rubbed his face against my shoulder like a cat and let out a relieved-sounding sigh as he melted deeper into my arms.

"Welcome home, princess." I kissed the top of his head and he tightened his arms around my waist.

"I missed you," he murmured.

Movement at the top of the stairs pulled my attention away from the man currently clinging to me, and I watched as Niko stepped onto the stairs, adjusting the dark black sunglasses on his nose.

In the end, there was no way around taking Christian and Niko as a package deal. Phillip was insistent, and there was no amount of bartering Christian could manage to get out of it. It felt like a fair enough concession because it brought Christian home to me, which was all we'd wanted in the first place. The palace was still managing Niko's pay—and his lodging—which was an apartment they'd found three blocks from mine. Christian had fought against his brother tooth and nail, but I wasn't sure how Niko felt about the move. The man was a vault and extremely dedicated to his job.

I knew Niko's employment was not going to last in the long term. The hours and rules that Christian's brother had set out were not sustainable for either of them, and Christian had spent his entire life evading the rules set by his family. His rejection of his role as prince should have been the final nail in that coffin, but I appreciated Phillip's love for Christian winning out in the end. To Phillip, New York wasn't anything like their home, and I did believe he only wanted the best for his brother.

I walked Christian back to the car and opened the back door for him to climb in. He didn't give Niko a passing glance as he did, but Niko knew his place, climbing into the front seat without a word. I'd already rolled the privacy partition up, so as soon as Christian and I were alone in the back seat, I was on him. He moved at the same instant, our mouths crashing together with all the desperation and need I'd been horrible at internalizing.

Christian scrambled onto my lap, taking my face into his hands and spearing his tongue into the back of my mouth. He was already hard, his body primed and hot against mine, even through all the layers of our clothes. I steadied my hands on the swell of his hips, pressing my head against the headrest as I let Christian steer and deepen the kiss.

"I missed you too," I whispered against the corner of his mouth when he gave me a second to catch my breath.

He grunted, ready to dive back in, but I dug my nails into his waist to stop him. All it got me was a grimace and a slower incline back toward my mouth, which I was able to avoid.

"Settle down, princess," I said, leaving a closed-mouth kiss against his upper lip. "We have all night."

"It's been weeks."

I let my hands drift up his sides and down his arms, curling my fingers around his wrists for a quick squeeze. Christian shivered, his weight twisting against my cock, which was as excited to see him as the rest of me. He whined out a moan, head falling back as he realized the movement of his hips made enough friction for both of us to feel better than we had in far too long.

"I know."

Releasing his wrists, I returned one hand to his waist and collared his throat with the other. Tipping his head back, I bent closer and dragged my nose up the long angle of his neck to his ear, kissing and nipping as I went.

"Kale, please," he whimpered, trying to turn his head to catch my mouth.

I tightened my fingers, keeping him where I wanted him.

"Seventeen days and you've already forgotten who you are when I'm around."

The time we'd spent apart hadn't been spent solely on moping over the separation. I'd caught up on work that I'd neglected during his stay, I'd gotten Boston settled in his new role as my assistant, and I'd paid enough attention to Ford that I was confident he wasn't going to try anything funny with my brother. Boston had gotten rid of the pumpkins in time for ten pounds of carrots to show up, which we donated to a local soup kitchen.

I'd also made a trip to Los Angeles to see Beamer.

I wasn't keen on the idea, and I didn't think Dalton was either, but Beamer was so excited to show me around town and introduce me to all of his new friends. I had a good time, in spite of myself, and left feeling safe in the knowledge that one of my oldest friends was as well taken care of as I'd ever wanted him to be. Dalton and I reached as much of a truce as we ever would, and all was well again in my world. The only thing missing was Christian, and now…here he was.

"I haven't forgotten," he grumbled. "I'm just waiting for you to show me."

Seventeen days and the attitude and arrogance from the first night we met were back in full force. The glint in his eye let me know the biting comment was intentional, and when I shoved him to his knees in the back seat of the car, it didn't shock me when his eyes immediately started to glaze over.

"Is this what you wanted, Christian? What you were asking me for?"

He licked his lips, pressing his throat against the palm of my hand where I still held him. God, he was a gorgeous man. Inside and out. And I loved him. I loved him beyond reason and beyond measure. Beyond sanity sometimes.

He blinked slowly, tracing his tongue over the swell of his bottom lip. "Mr. Sheffield," he whispered.

"Insatiable little thing." With my free hand, I wrestled out of my belt, tugging down my fly and freeing my cock. It sprang free in front of his face and he swayed, entranced. "You don't remember how to act, but do you remember how to suck my cock?"

"Yes, Mr. Sheffield."

I released his throat and hooked my finger around the base of my shaft, pointing it toward his waiting mouth. "Show me."

Christian swallowed my cock down to the back of his throat on the first go, fighting past the inevitable gag and wave of spit that built in his mouth. He sealed his lips around the base of my dick, right above my fingers, then he hollowed his cheeks and sucked. His mouth was hot and tight, and I lifted off the seat to chase after another inch of his throat. Christian groaned as I fucked his mouth, and I knew there wasn't long left for me. I wasn't ready for the pleasure to end, and I didn't think he was either, so I forced myself to look out the window instead of down at the perfect tousle of his dark hair or the glazed pleasure on his face. He bobbed up and down my thick cock, his hands splayed out over my thighs for balance, then he swallowed, the muscles of his throat gripping at the head of my cock with the practiced level of precision I'd spent the last three weeks missing.

"Just like that, princess," I soothed, threading my fingers into his hair and holding his face down in my lap as I came. He didn't even sputter as I shot jet after jet of hot cum straight into the back of his throat, the orgasm tearing through me like a tsunami. My vision flashed white, his teeth grazing against my shaft as he readjusted my length in the cavernous heat of his mouth, and then the car rolled to a stop on the curb in front of my house.

I was nowhere near ready to take my dick out of his mouth, and I wasn't sure if either of us possessed functioning legs, so I locked the doors and let my eyes fall closed. Christian hummed, seemingly content to hold my cum in his stomach and my cock in his mouth until I went soft and started to slip out. He rested his cheek against the inside of my thigh, and I finally loosened my grip on his hair, stroking the strands back into place as much as I could manage.

"They're going to know what you did back here," I murmured, and in response Christian closed his eyes and smiled.

"Let them."

Christian kissed the sticky tip of my cock and tucked me back into my pants, adjusting himself on the floor of the car between my feet.

"I want to go home," he announced, face flushed and lips swollen.

I scrubbed a hand down my face and helped him back onto the seat beside me, then unlocked the doors and busied myself helping him out. Niko was already out of the passenger door, and I didn't shy away from his curious stare. He took in the state of our rumpled clothes, the shine on Christian's lips and the dark pools of his pupils, then cleared his throat and held open the gate to my house.

I'd never shied away from having sex in public, and I wasn't going to start now, but Niko was different from the patrons at The Black Door, and I needed to set some ground rules.

"Go inside," I said to Christian, kissing the side of his temple and giving his hip a gentle tap. He looked at me like he wanted to protest, his mouth already parted and primed to say something bratty, but I cut him off, shoving my keys into his hand before he could get started, "I just need a minute with Niko."

At the mention of his name, Niko's spine went straight, and Christian looked between us before doing as he'd been told and letting himself into my house.

Into our house.

"I need to know if you're uncomfortable with this," I said to him plainly. I didn't think I needed to elaborate because I knew for a fact, at some point, they'd found out where Christian and I had run off to the night we met, and I knew for certain they knew where we'd gone on his last trip to America.

"I don't know what the rules are, sir," he said, adjusting his sunglasses to keep his eyes hidden from me. It was New York in November, we hadn't seen the sun in days. The sunglasses were far from necessary, but who was I to tell him what to do.

"Does it make you uncomfortable to know that I fuck him?"

"I know you fuck him," Niko said.

"Is it a problem if I fuck him when you're around?" I pressed.

"I think it's just part of the job."

"I don't know what you think of me, Niko, but I can keep it in my pants until you're off duty if that's what I need to do."

"You're supposed to pretend like I'm not here, sir," he said.

Closing my eyes, I traced my tongue across the front of my teeth, glancing toward the front door, which Christian had left open.

"I'm not a big fan of unwilling consent here," I told him, "and even though you're not an active participant in this, I don't want to go too far."

"Just." He worked his jaw back and forth. "You can pretend like I'm not here, sir. I don't have an issue with what the two of you do together."

"Do you….enjoy it, Niko?"

"I don't mind watching," he said softly, "or hearing. I'll bring your bags in, Mr. Sheffield, and then I'll take my leave for the day. Just let me know if the two of you plan on going out and I'll come collect you both. Thank you."

Christian's security was actively dismissing me with a whole head full of things to think about. I didn't have an answer to anything he'd said to me, so I headed into the house to find Christian. He was in the last place I expected to find him—the kitchen. Sitting at my breakfast table, he spun my morning paper in a circle with the tip of his finger.

"I think Niko likes to watch," I said, collapsing into my usual seat.

"Watch what?"

"People fucking."

Christian arched a brow. "Did you invite him to watch us?"

"I wouldn't do that without asking you first, but no, not directly. I was trying to be mindful of his proximity to our relationship and the things he might see and hear. I wanted to know if I needed to keep my hands off you when he was around," I explained.

He inhaled a deep breath, mouth twisted in thought.

Niko's presence posed an interesting problem for us, because while it was one thing for Christian to suck me off or bend over my lap and get spanked at The Black Door, Niko was more of a captive audience.

"Does it bother you if he hears us sometimes?" I asked. "If we're out at dinner or a movie and I want to touch your cock?"

I leaned around the table and grabbed the seat of his chair, yanking him closer. Our knees bumped together, and I ripped off his belt and tugged his slacks down around his knees. His cock tented his briefs, a quickly spreading dark spot from how wet he'd gotten sucking my cock in the car. I loved how Christian was always primed and ready. Loved how responsive his body was to mine.

"I don't mind," Christian whispered. "Maybe if he hears how hard you make me come, he'll understand why I had to return. Why you were it for me."

He angled his head to the side, expression thoughtful. I pulled down his briefs, tucking the elastic waistband behind his balls so his whole package was on display for me.

"I'm it for you?"

Christian blinked slowly and nodded even slower. "I thought that was obvious."

From the other end of the house, the front door closed quietly, and I stood up, holding out a hand for Christian.

"We're alone," I said, pulling him toward me. His pants fell around his ankles and his hard cock dragged a drop of precum across my thigh. He groaned at the pressure, and I reached behind him to knead his half-covered ass in my hands.

"Disappointing."

"My little princess is an exhibitionist," I murmured, kissing the shell of his ear. "I'll take you to the club later so you can show off, but for now, it's time to take off your clothes. I need to show you how happy I am to have you home."

Christian scrambled out of his clothes while I undid my fly, freeing my erection. I loved having him naked while I was still dressed, feeling the heat of his skin through the soft fabric of my clothing.

"Bend over the table," I rasped, stroking my cock and rubbing precum down the length of my shaft. "I want to fuck you bare."

"You better," he pleaded, already half over the table with his ass on display.

I knew there was a way this was meant to happen, and I'd deal with all of that later. I was too excited to have him home, too ready for the rest of our lives together to begin to worry about what was proper and what was right.

"Get yourself ready," I said. "Put your fingers in your mouth and suck them like you sucked my cock earlier."

Like always, Christian did what he was told, spitting on his fingers before reaching back and shoving them all the way up his ass with the first thrust. He whined, bucking forward as he pulled his fingers out, spreading himself open for my cock. I moved behind him, spitting down onto his fingers to help him along, then I spit on my cock for good measure.

"This is going to hurt, princess," I warned.

"I fucking hope so." He withdrew his fingers for the last time and spread his ass cheeks apart. His hole was pink and slick with spit, the tight muscle puckering into a small gape as he pulled himself open.

"This is going to be quick."

"I fucking hope so," he said again, throwing me a near desperate look over his shoulder. "I missed you so fucking much, please don't make me wait any longer."

I couldn't tell him no, not anymore.

Even with our mixed spit, the slide into his body was tight and dry. I had to hold him down against the table to get all the way inside, but once I was fully seated, he settled and shivered, that familiar peace washing over his body as his brain flickered toward subspace. He whispered something under his breath that I didn't think was meant for my ears, and then he clamped his muscles down around my shaft like a vise grip. Gritting my teeth against the pain, I gathered as much spit in my mouth as I could, slid my cock out of him to the tip and spit on my shaft before fucking back into him. The way he writhed underneath me, alternating between moaning and screaming my name, paired with the tight and unobstructed heat of his body, was enough to bring me toward an orgasm in record time.

"I'm going to come."

"Please. Oh God, please."

Two more snaps of my hips were all it took, the friction of our bodies an aphrodisiac meant to drive me mad with lust. I pulled out at the last minute, ropes of cum flying out of my tip and painting stripes against his ass and the small of his back. My knees trembled, and I used the head of my cock to smear cum around his asshole before pushing just the tip back in. A shiver tore through his entire body, table legs skittering across the floor beneath the weight of our bodies.

"Did you come on the table, Christian?" I asked, clearing my throat and blinking the room back into focus.

"Probably. Maybe." He reached an arm down between his legs. "Yes."

I popped the head of my cock out of his body and took a step back, smacking his ass and rubbing more of my cum into his skin.

"You're gonna pay for that one, princess. Get your ass upstairs right now so I can collect my punishment."