Chapter 5

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WARD

WARD'S HEART was beating so hard and fast, he was surprised the whole city couldn't hear it.

It seemed to take ages before they finally made it up to his room, though he barely remembered the drive back from the wedding, let alone the walk through the hotel lobby. Or even the ride up in the elevator. Ward had fumbled the key card, trying to get the door open, but once they were inside, with the door shut between them and the world, everything felt different. Anything felt possible.

Skylar had retrieved a garment bag from his car before they came inside, and now he stood there, holding it draped over one arm. “Do you want to watch?” the boy asked, his voice a seductive whisper to match the dimly lit room. “Or would you rather wait until I'm done?”

Ward didn't even have to think about his answer. “I want to watch,” he replied. He wanted to witness every second of the transformation. Wanted to see Skylar take off his armor and reveal the real boy underneath.

Skylar smiled at him—a beautiful, genuine smile that lit up his blue eyes—like he'd been hoping Ward would say that. “Okay.” He scanned the room, then pointed at the end of the bed. “Sit there.” He strode over to the bathroom, hooked the garment bag over the door, and yanked down the zipper.

Ward shrugged out of his jacket and tie before he sat down. Then he jumped back up to take off his shoes and socks, still feeling stifled. A moment after he got himself settled again, he reached up and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his dress shirt.

“Burning up like I am?” Skylar asked. The boy had his back to him, but Ward had a perfect view of Skylar in the bathroom mirror. Skylar's voice was teasing, but the look on his face showed the true, raw hunger beneath his words.

“Yeah,” Ward admitted. He got up again, opened the window to let in the brisk, night air, then shut the curtains to give them privacy. “That okay?”

Skylar smiled at him. “That's perfect.” He lifted one foot slightly off the floor, then bent down and reached for the buckle on his shoe.

Ward shot to his feet. “Here.” He strode over and went down on one knee, pausing there with a blush when Skylar turned to face him. Ward had been in this position only once before in his life, and it had led to the ultimate heartbreak and betrayal.

Fuck . Ward tried to banish the memories, then looked up at Skylar. He froze there, an odd sense of rightness washing over him. Ward swallowed hard, then coughed and shook his head, trying to focus as he reached for Skylar's ankle.

The buckle on the boy's shoe was a tiny, delicate thing. Ward carefully worked it free, cupped the back of Skylar's calf, and pulled the shoe away, waiting for Skylar to set his foot down before he went to the next one.

His hand lingered on Skylar's leg as he grabbed both shoes with the other hand and set them neatly aside. He felt stockings under his fingertips. Damn . Ward was tempted to reach up under Skylar's dress and rip the things down, wanting to feel the bare skin beneath. Instead, he made himself let go and stand up. Skylar shrank before him as he rose to his full height. Without the high heels on, the top of the boy's head now only came up to Ward's chin.

Skylar tipped his head back and looked up at him with slightly widened eyes, his pupils dark and his nostrils flaring. “Holy mother of pearl,” he gasped. The boy raked his gaze down to Ward's waist before looking back up at him again. “Yes, Daddy.”

Ward's chest tightened as a low growl of pleasure rumbled in the back of his throat. It sounded way too good to hear Skylar say those words. Better than he'd ever imagined. He swayed towards Skylar, desperately needing to kiss the boy.

Skylar huffed out a breath and reached up to rest his fingertips over Ward's mouth. “Hold that thought. Let me finish.” He pulled his hand away and started to reach for Ward's chest instead, then snatched his hand back with a curse, like he was struggling with temptation.

It took a monumental effort of his own, but Ward made himself back away and return to his seat on the end of the bed. He planted his feet and rested his hands on his knees, then wound up digging in his fingertips, fighting to stay where he was while he watched.

Skylar took a deep breath, then held Ward's gaze as he combed his fingers up under his hair. Ward heard a series of soft pop s, and when Skylar swept his hands back down, half of the boy's hair fell away.

Oh . Ward blinked, taking in the change. He watched as Skylar snapped the clips shut, finger-combed the hair piece, and tucked it carefully into a drawstring pouch before tossing it into his garment bag.

Skylar ran his fingers through his hair. It just brushed his shoulders now rather than spilling down his back. Skylar pulled out an elastic band and gathered his hair into a tiny ponytail. A few short strands slipped free. He tucked those behind his ear, then dug through his garment bag again, retrieving a small package of makeup wipes.

The boy ran one of the damp cloths over his face, erasing blush, lipstick, and eyeshadow. He tossed the soiled wad into the garbage can, then bent over the sink, washing his face with soap and water before snatching down a towel and patting his skin dry. When he hung the towel back up, he glanced at Ward in the mirror.

Ward studied his face. Without the makeup, Skylar truly was starting to look like a boy. There was still a hint of femininity there, but now Ward really saw the squarer jaw, the sharper cheekbones, even the tiniest hint of shadow on his upper lip. Skylar's eyes didn't stand out as much, but they looked bluer, somehow. More vibrant. More alive. And his lips didn't look quite as full as they had a moment ago, but they looked far more inviting in their natural color. Geez, he's beautiful .

Skylar turned to face him, holding Ward's gaze again as he reached up under the skirt of his dress, wriggled around a bit, then dragged his stockings down. The flimsy things wound up in a wad stuffed into the garment bag.

Then the boy strode towards him, stopping short of standing between Ward's spread knees. “Okay, one last thing,” Skylar began. He hesitated before he asked, “What's your opinion on tattoos?”

Ward frowned. “Tattoos?” He slowly shook his head. “I'd never get one, but to each, his own.”

“So they're not, like, a turn-off for you? I can keep the dress on, or put on a shirt. I brought one, just in case–”

“Sky?” Ward interrupted, so breathless with anticipation, he couldn't even get out the boy's full name. “Let me see you,” he practically begged.

Skylar gave him a tiny smile. “Okay.” He twisted his arms behind himself, then paused and turned his back instead. “Would you mind?” he asked, throwing Ward a saucy smirk over his shoulder.

Ward's heartbeat shot up as he reached out, grabbed the tiny zipper on the dress, and slowly dragged it down. The black material parted, exposing Skylar's back. Ward shuddered as he dragged the snug dress down Skylar's body. He helped the boy step out of it, then carefully draped the dress over the back of a chair before he turned to study the breathtaking image before him.

Skylar stood utterly still, broken only by a slight tremble that ran through him as Ward made his perusal. Ward took in the strong back, trim waist, narrow hips, smooth legs. And that ass. Holy shit. It looked round and firm and perfect. Ward was dying to get his hands on it, but he made himself wait. He slowly worked his way around the boy, circling Skylar's right side. He'd noted the sleeve of tattoos on Skylar's left arm, but Ward decided to leave that for later. First, he wanted— needed —to see the real Skylar without all his armor.

Ward moved around to stand in front of the boy. He took his time, even sinking back down onto the edge of the bed to give himself a better vantage point. Skylar's feet were still dainty, but there was a masculinity to them now that they weren't wrapped in satin. His legs were still smooth, but now the muscle tone was a little more obvious. Ward paused when his gaze reached Skylar's groin. The boy wore black low-rise briefs, the front smooth and flat.

“They're women's,” Skylar blurted out. “I tried wearing men's briefs, but none of them ever seemed to fit quite right, so…”

Ward flashed him a gentle smile, then continued his study. Skylar's belly was flat and toned, giving just a hint at his abdominal muscles. Ward sucked in a breath. For whatever reason, he found that tiny detail oddly arousing. He wanted to trace the outlines with his fingers. With his tongue. Fuck .

He swallowed hard and moved his gaze up, stopping short at the sight of the faint, red lines cutting across Skylar's chest just below two small, flat, pink nipples.

Ward started to reach out but stopped short of touching the boy. “Did that hurt?” he asked.

Skylar frowned as he seemed to consider the question. “Not really, no. Not as bad as I thought it would.” Skylar traced the incision scars with his own fingertips. “Actually, the most painful part was when the nerves started reconnecting over the weeks afterwards. Like little zings of stabbing pain that came out of nowhere.” He paused, reaching for Ward's outstretched hand. “You can touch me.”

Ward shuddered and did just that, carefully resting his fingertips along the scar on the left side of Skylar's chest. He traced the line towards the boy's sternum and back, then inched his middle finger up, brushing just below the nipple.

Skylar cringed. “Those are tattooed on. Something went wrong post-op—something about the compression bandage being too tight or lack of blood flow—so I lost both nipples.”

“Shit,” Ward gasped. He looked up to study Skylar's eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Oh yeah.” Skylar grinned at him. “I mean, it's kind of a shame, since they used to be really sensitive, and I miss that. But, trust me, I'll take this over boobs any day of the week and five times on Sunday.”

Ward chuckled, but the sound cut off abruptly as he took in Skylar's face.

Holy shit . The armor was gone. The walls were down. This was the real Skylar before him. Ward's hand dropped heavily to his lap as he gave Skylar another slow, thorough once-over before meeting the boy's eyes again. “There you are.”

Skylar blushed, looking suddenly shy. “Is it enough? I can–”

Ward shot to his feet and gently covered the boy's mouth with one hand. “I really need to kiss you now,” he murmured, the words coming out in an unsteady rush as Ward fought to keep himself reined in. His heart galloped away in his chest. He was desperate to consume this boy. Every inch of him. He'd never felt anything like this in his life. Not with any of the women he'd dated. It didn't make any sense, but he wasn't going to fight it.

He wanted this.

Skylar moaned. “Oh fuck. Daddy, please ,” he begged. He tipped his chin up, offering himself.

Ward let out a shuddering breath as he cupped Skylar's face with both hands. His fingertips brushed the boy's hair. “ Geez ,” he swore. It was softer now without the hair piece. Ward reached back and carefully dragged the elastic tie away, letting Skylar's hair fall free around his face. He combed it back off Skylar's forehead, moaning as the silky strands ran through his fingers.

Then he curled one fist into Skylar's hair, holding the boy firmly but gently, and bent down until their lips just touched.

Skylar whimpered. “Daddy,” he gasped, the word coming out in a breathless squeak.

Ward growled and crushed their mouths together.

Skylar moaned again, but the sound cut off abruptly when Ward slipped his tongue past Skylar's lips. The boy trembled in his arms. Skylar's knees buckled, but Ward caught him around the waist, holding the boy hard against his body. “Holy fiddlesticks,” Skylar gasped as Ward trailed kisses down his neck to his shoulder. “Daddy! Jeebus . Where in the world did you learn to kiss like that?”

Ward growled low in his throat, hearing the arousal in Skylar's voice. He kissed the boy again, unable to resist. Oh hell . The boy's lips were ever-so-slightly chapped, not perfectly smooth and soft like those of the women he'd dated. Somehow, that little difference turned him on even more.

He wrapped his arms around Skylar and ran his hands up the boy's back. Skylar's skin even felt different. Still soft, but it had a subtle texture that didn't match that of a woman. And then there was his scent. Skylar wore no perfumes, so Ward could smell the clean, natural musk of him. It was definitely masculine. There was no doubting that.

And Ward liked it.

He ran his nose up along Skylar's neck. “Fuck, you smell good,” he blurted out.

Skylar chuckled. “Yeah? The hormone injections changed the way I smell. I hardly notice the difference anymore, and nobody's ever said anything–”

“I like it,” Ward growled, holding Skylar close as he rested their foreheads together. “Holy shit, I like it.”

Skylar grinned, undulating his little body so it rubbed against Ward's hard dick. “I can tell,” Skylar murmured. “Oh fuck. I want that thing in me, Daddy. Do you wanna fuck me? You can use all my holes. Whatever you want. Just stuff me and use me and leave me a wet, sloppy mess.”

Ward muttered a curse. Skylar was paid to say things like that, but the breathy tone of his voice made Ward almost certain that the boy meant every word.

“Too much?” Skylar asked.

Ward shook his head. “More,” he managed to get out.

Skylar's eyes lit up. “Yeah? Fuck. I want you on top of me. I want you to pin me down and shove that cock so deep inside me, I can taste it.” Skylar shuddered. “Oh!” he gasped. “May I? Please?” He didn't even wait for an answer. The boy slowly sank to his knees, keeping himself pressed against Ward as he went so their bodies rubbed together. He reached up, sliding his hands up and down Ward's thighs, inching closer to the obscene tent Ward was making. A hungry, desperate, wide-eyed look came over the boy's face. “Please?”

Ward cursed again as he yanked at his belt. He slid it free, coiled it up, and tossed it aside. Ward popped the button on his pants, dragged down the zipper, and shoved both his pants and underwear down just enough to free his aching dick.

Skylar's eyes darkened even more, and a moan escaped him as he leaned forward and gave the tip a lingering, open-mouthed kiss.

“Fuck,” Ward gasped, taking in the sight of this stunning boy kneeling at his feet. He gripped the base of his dick, clamping down hard. There was no way he wasn't going to embarrass himself, certain he'd come the second he got inside that luscious mouth.

Because Skylar had him more turned-on than he'd ever been in his life.