Chapter 2

I had never met such an infuriatingand intriguing person in my life. Normally, I was a fuck ’em and leave ’em type who had no use for names. But the irresistible twink’s absolute refusal to tell me his name pulled me into his game.

For some inexplicable reason, calling him “Duchess” felt right. It made him feel like mine. But why did I want someone so annoying to belong to me? Nothing about him made sense, but every thrust into him drew me deeper into his mysteries.

When he came without my permission, it rankled me to no end. He had successfully pushed all my buttons, but I wasn’t done having fun with him yet. I intended to give him the exact opposite of what he wanted.

Of course, it would mean punishing myself in the process. If I was being honest, the man was my ideal partner. It didn’t matter how rough I got, he still begged me for more, which gratified my ego. That was why I had never been a fan of a soft-and-slow fuck, which bored me out of my mind when I enjoyed a challenge. But it’d be worth it to get some payback on Duchess for disobeying a direct order.

I started with a gentle kiss. With every attempt he made at turning it into a demanding one, I backed off and denied him the privilege. After the third time, he huffed in annoyance. “What are you doing?”

I began trailing tender, lingering kisses down his neck to map out the path of his body. He was so tiny compared to me, which made it twice as amazing that he could handle my darkest desires. “Teaching you a lesson not to fuck with me.”

He squirmed under me with a distressed sound. “Shouldn’t you be more interested in getting your rocks off?”

“I can wait.” Frustrating him was worth the annoyance. I teased one of his nipples with my tongue while I tweaked the other with my fingers. They both hardened under my attention as he made a soft harrumph that caused me to chuckle. If he thought he was frustrated now, he was in for a rude awakening.

“Boring me to death won’t teach me the lesson you think it will.” He tugged on my hair to make me move on, but I persisted.

I took my time as I caressed him all over with a gentleness I rarely had the patience for when my dick was rock-hard. It gave me a better appreciation for the softness of his skin, which was in stark contrast to my huge muscles.

Whatever his name was, he was fucking gorgeous. It had been a long time since someone had captured my attention the way his spunky spark did. As infuriating as he was, I couldn’t get enough of him.

For some strange reason, the more I lavished him with attention, the more I burned for him. Somehow, he had gotten under my skin and into my veins, filling me with uncontrolled wildfire lust. I needed him, and I was too worked up to understand why I felt that way or how unusual it was.

He huffed in irritation. “Fine, you’ve made your point.”

“That didn’t sound like an apology.”

He snickered. “It’s cute you assume this will make me apologize. Besides, you have nobody to blame but yourself for being such an exquisite fuck. It’s all your fault when you really think about it.”

Instead of raising my ire, his resistance humored me. It made what I was about to do even more appropriate. “You’re big talk now, but I’ll have you moaning something different soon enough.”

“Not if it’s more of this gentle shit.” He fidgeted under me. “Any person with a dick can do that. Only a real alpha like you can manhandle me the right way. I’m never going to come again if you go with the delicate flower treatment.”

Something deep within me rumbled with excitement. “Challenge accepted.”

I cut off his next protest by pushing back into him. His body hugged me like I was finally coming home after a lifetime of searching for a place to belong. That thought didn’t stick around once I began moving with gentle rolls of my hips.

Duchess looked decidedly unimpressed. “You know, if I wanted this kind of bullshit, I would have brought a normal guy home instead.”

“You should have considered that before you disobeyed me.” I pulled almost all the way out before sliding in again. It was fun parroting his words to him. “It’s all your fault when you really think about it.”

He looked up at me with big, pleading eyes, with his best attempt at an innocent expression. “Would you deny me what we both want?”

“Since you insist on not giving me your name and coming by yourself, yes.”

He stretched his arms out over his head as he arched off the bed. “Please, Duke!”

My body reacted on instinct by thrusting with more force, which annoyed me until I realized I could have fun with it. I gave him three hard thrusts to convince him I had changed my mind before I eased into the gentle rhythm once again. I smirked when he all but thrashed under me with a surprisingly feral growl that turned me on more.

It was amusing watching his temper flare. “Ugh, quit messing around and fuck me, damn it!”

“Tell me your name and I will.”

The stubborn set of his jaw and the defiant gleam in his eyes sent an electric thrill through me. He switched tactics by running his hands up my broad shoulders as he held on to me, changing his tone to a plaintive one. “Please, Duke. I need you.”

It was almost impossible to resist the urge to give in to him. But I resisted on principle.

When I didn’t react, he hitched a leg over my hip to gain some leverage. I leaned forward a bit more as I canted his hips for a different angle. My reward was a hitch in his breathing that told me he experienced an unexpected burst of pleasure from our gentle coupling. It was enough to make him wrap his other leg around me.

Considering I normally fucked around, there was something shockingly intimate about having him clinging to me with the softest of whimpers as I worshipped him with gentleness. It drove me to lean down and kiss him.

One of Duchess’s hands slid into my hair as he opened for me. I took my time exploring his wet warmth while our bodies continued rocking together. When I drew back and gazed down at him, my heart stuttered in my chest at how beautiful he was. His cheeks were flushed, and he stared up at me with wide eyes that tugged on my heartstrings and made me want to give him the world.

I shifted positions to push in deeper, earning me a soft moan as his fingers tightened their grip on my hair. It encouraged me to move with a little more urgency in my deliberate thrusts. As his body moved in sync with mine, I lost myself in the exquisite echoing pleasure between us.

He whispered my name like it was a sacred word as he embraced me on every level. I looked deep into his eyes, which were an intriguing color I couldn’t specify. It was somewhere between gray and hazel, with flecks of gold and green, like a magical nymph with the power to enchant me.

In the back of my mind, I realized my intentions to torture him with a slow fuck had backfired. It felt like I was making love to him, and I didn’t know what to do with that information. Instead of worrying about it, I kissed him again to lose myself.

I reached down to discover that despite his claims that he’d never get off on something so boring, his arousal had returned. I stroked him in rhythm to my thrusts, earning me the most delicious of whimpers as he squirmed under me. His fingers dug into my shoulder as he shifted positions to be closer to me.

I should have gloated and taunted him about being all talk, but I couldn’t do it. Not when I was consumed by my need for him and a burning urge to make us both come. I could tell he was getting close when he tensed up, making me moan at how his channel tightened around me.

Without warning, he came a second time, his release spurting all over my hand as I jerked him off until he finished. Only then did I push in deep and let my orgasm crash into me. After all the teasing buildup, it was one of the most satisfying climaxes of my entire life.

We remained still as we stared at each other. It was a profound moment as the afterglow suffused me with a warmth I had never experienced before. I needed to say something—anything—but there were no words. My intentions to punish him had turned into something deep and meaningful, which was unexpected for a random twink I picked up at the club.

His gaze changed as he looked up at me. There was a slight softening as he brought his hand up to cup my cheek, stroking it with his thumb. Instead of making a smart-aleck comment, he guided me down for a soft kiss that unlocked something deep in my soul for a man who never should have mattered. But as long as he was kissing me like we were in love, I was powerless to resist.

The gray lightof morning crept through the blinds. It disoriented me for a moment until I remembered I had fallen asleep after two intense rounds with the sexy nymph from the club. I was curled around him as the big spoon, cradling him against my chest like he was my favorite teddy bear I couldn’t sleep without. His big personality was such a stark contrast to his petite frame that seemed so fragile in my muscular arms.

It brought out my natural urge to protect him from harm. He was obviously a person who enjoyed pushing the limits, and he needed someone strong like me to help stop him from crossing the boundaries of no return. I hated the thought of him cruising the club for a partner who would take his need for the harsher pleasures too far and hurt him in a way he wouldn’t enjoy. Thinking about another man touching him made me burn with hellfire as I hugged him closer.

It was sheer madness. I still didn’t know his name, so why did I feel like he was mine? Why did I never want to let him go? Why could I see myself calling him “Duchess” for the rest of our lives? He was just a meaningless fuck who didn’t matter. I’d forget about him by tomorrow, the same way I did with all my other partners.

Although I told myself that, it was an obvious lie. I’d never be able to forget about the sexy sprite that had captivated me from the first moment we met. Nobody had ever challenged me the way he had. Everything about him was exhilarating.

If I found out his name, I’d be at risk of staying for good. I couldn’t deny that I wanted him more than I had wanted anyone ever. Even in the early dawn hours, my arousal stirred for him. But he was too dangerous when he could easily become someone I cared about.

I had sworn never to love anybody. My mom had recently died of cancer, and the thought of losing someone else I loved was a heartbreak I couldn’t handle. It was easier to not love anyone at all and stick to meaningless sex. But I already felt something deep in my heart for the man sleeping in my arms. If I didn’t leave now, the odds it would turn into love were too high for me to risk. The fact that I wanted to stay with him was the very reason I needed to go far, far away from his temptation.

Pulling away from him was one of the hardest things I had ever had to do when everything in me was begging me not to leave. I didn’t want to let him go, which was further evidence I was in the danger zone and had to get out before it was too late.

He startled me by grabbing hold of my wrist with a surprisingly forceful grip. “Stop.”

My heart jumped into my throat that he had caught me trying to escape. I went with the first lie that came to mind. “I’m just going to the bathroom.”

“Bullshit.” He stunned me by jerking me back into bed. I hadn’t expected his little body to have the strength to move me. It was an enormous turn-on, which was the last thing I needed when I was making a break for it. “You’re running away.”

I scowled at being called out. “You’re wrong. I’m not running away. I need to go.”

“No.”

My temper flared. “Excuse me?”

In the gray light of dawn, his eyes were a mysterious shade of golden silver. It gave him the appearance of a magical creature who had the power to enrapture me to be at his beck and call forever. I had to get away before it was too late.

He tightened his hold on my wrist. “You heard me. You’re not leaving.”

My annoyance spiked. Nobody told me no. “You don’t get to tell me no.”

Duchess straddled over top of me, pinning me down with his hands braced on either side of my head. His lowered voice sent a thrill through me. “Not only am I telling you no, but I’m also forbidding you from leaving.”

“You’re forbidding me?” My outrage hit new highs, even as his brashness to challenge me aroused me.

He didn’t back down, which was sexy as fuck. “You don’t get to run away because you’re scared of me.”

I glared up at him but didn’t try to overthrow him yet. “I’m not scared of you.” It was an absurd claim when he was half my size.

“You are fucking terrified that you felt things for me you never meant to for a one-night stand.”

Hearing him state it so plainly made my fears real. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” I said that, but I couldn’t make myself believe it.

Rather than arguing with me, he continued laying bare my uncomfortable truths. “You’re trying to run because you’re terrified if you don’t leave now, you’ll never have the strength to walk away from me.”

I couldn’t deny it, so I went on the offensive. “What makes you believe such a ridiculous thing?”

“Because I’m scared of the exact same thing.” When I didn’t respond, he continued. “I can’t let you walk out that door until I know you’re mine and I’m going to see you again.”

His words made my resolve waver. “I don’t even know your name.”

“If you leave before you find out, not knowing will make you think about me twice as much,” he predicted. I hated that he was right. “If you stay, I’ll make it worth your while.”

To tempt me, he gently rocked his cock against mine. He was already hard, causing my dick to stir with interest. My hands rebelled by reaching out to run along his sides and down to his perfect ass. He was too much temptation to resist. “How do you plan on doing that?”

He reached down to stroke my dick to encourage it to full hardness. “By giving you a reason to come back after you stubbornly leave to prove a point.” He smirked at me. “After all, no one tells you what to do, right?”

My body responded to him despite my brain warning me I was wading deeper into danger. “Damn straight.”

Duchess reached out and found the third condom to put on me before applying some lube. He then eased onto me with a sigh, letting me fill him slowly since he hadn’t taken the time to prepare himself. It was incredibly erotic watching myself disappear into him as his naked body was on full display to my eyes. He was even more beautiful to me in the dark dawn.

To my surprise, instead of bouncing on me like a pogo stick as I had expected, Duchess put on a sensual show of rocking his body with rolls of his hips. I couldn’t stop my hands from reaching out to caress him all over, earning me breathy sighs as he rode me with a gentleness that caused me to burn for him.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, Duchess.” The awed words slipped out of my mouth without permission. But he truly was a thing of beauty as he slid along the length of my cock, taking me to the hilt before rising up and then letting me in deep again. The image of his undulating body imprinted on my heart. I knew I’d be replaying that scene when I was pleasuring myself alone later.

There was something surreal about the moment, like he was a stunning creature who had cast a spell to captivate me. All thoughts of running away and saving myself from heartache disappeared.

I pushed up on his downward bounces, making him tilt his head with a breathy sigh that sent shivers through me. It was good, but it still wasn’t enough. I sat up to embrace him, resulting in his surprised gasp at the shift in angles.

Since he was moving slowly, it allowed me to kiss along the sinew of his neck as I ran my hands down the curve of his spine. I cupped his ass and spread his cheeks to help him take me deeper. That thing burning inside me that demanded more of him knew with a disturbing certainty that he was meant to be mine—if only I was brave enough to claim him.

He whispered my name against my lips as he gave me tender kisses while he began moving a little faster. His fingers tangled in my hair as he held on, his nails scratching my scalp and making me rumble deep in my throat. I rewarded him by stroking his arousal, causing him to tilt his head back and ride me harder.

“Let me see you come, Duchess.” I jerked him off with more urgency, causing his bounces to get a little rougher as he neared his peak. “Let me hear that beautiful voice of yours calling out to me.”

His reaction was almost instantaneous. He came hard, his release splattering on my stomach as he cried out, “Duke!”

He leaned forward and kissed me with breathtaking desire. Combined with the high of having him finally obey me, it triggered my own orgasm. The word “Duchess” was on my lips as a complicated rush of emotions for the man in my arms flooded me. I realized I was in genuine danger of losing my heart to him, and I didn’t even know his damn name.

He caressed my hair and gave me the softest kiss that made my heart beat only for him. When he drew back, he said in a soft voice, “It’s Early.”

The non sequitur didn’t make sense to me. “Obviously. The sun isn’t fully out yet.”

His lips quirked up into an amused smirk. “Real cute.”

I brushed my fingers through his hair. “Speaking of cute, what’s your name?”

“It’s Early.”

In my orgasmic haze, it took a moment to process what he was saying. “Your name is Early?”

“Yes, and it’s the ultimate irony when I’m always late.”

Of coursehe’d have a name as unusual as him. I shifted our positions so he was under me. Pinning him under my larger frame, I kissed him until I forgot what air was. It was easier to lose myself in him than deal with the fact my second stray thought about his name being so odd was that it made me love him even more.