Chapter 4

Hoyt felt like howling at the night. He'd operated on sheer impulse, taking Noah to the playroom, rubbing him down while he'd learned the texture of his skin, the fiber of his muscle, the strength of his nerve.

Something told him Noah wasn't gay, merely curious or bi, or maybe even pansexual. But Noah was attracted to him—he knew that—and it was enough. For however long Noah remained attracted.

It had been forever since he'd been this lost in lust. He couldn't wait to get Noah stripped and rub his fingers and mouth over his body, to lick at all his secret places. He was dying to fuck him, to lose his mind in the dark, pleasurable grip of his ass.

But first, they needed to make it back to his place without him laying the bike on the pavement. His concentration was shot feeling Noah against his back, Noah's hands on his hips. Fingering Noah's ass, his digit cinched tight, had been brutally arousing. He'd have to take extra care preparing Noah to fuck.

Noah slid his hand from Hoyt's hip to his belly. He dipped it lower without hesitation and caressed Hoyt's dick.

Hoyt didn't mind that Noah didn't seem to pay any attention to D/s rules of behavior, that he shouldn't be the aggressor unless Hoyt gave him free rein. He didn't care about the rules. Not tonight. He gave the bike another surge of gas, and they sped away through dark streets out of the city to a rural subdivision. When he pulled into the drive of his small, one-story brick bungalow, he waited as Noah stepped off the bike.

Together, they made their way to the front door, Noah trailing right behind him. He unlocked the door and held it open. "Go down the hall to the end," he said, keeping his instructions deliberately terse because he was a little out of control. Couldn't think beyond his arousal. Not something he'd felt in a long while.

Noah strode ahead of him as Hoyt hit the light. Anticipation burned. He let his cock fill, knowing that as soon as the door of his playroom closed behind them, he'd have Noah on his knees.

At the door to the playroom, Noah twisted the handle to open it and then halted. His head turned as he took in the equipment, his gaze snagging on the large platform bed set in one corner. Japanese lanterns and track lights lit the area, highlighting the cross, the bench, the chains attached to the ceiling, and the thick rubber-padded flooring in the center.

Quietly, Hoyt closed the door. He toed off his boots, flicked the button, and pulled down the zipper of his leather pants, pushing them off his hips to free his cock. "Noah."

Noah glanced over his shoulder. His expression was stark, skin stretched across cheekbones, his jaw tight. Noah turned his body and went to his knees, resting his hands on his thighs, his head bent. "How may I serve you?"

Hoyt nearly grunted like a caveman. Noah sure was eager to please. His actions were so perfect, and yet Hoyt knew he was only doing it because he expected a reward. "You can start by calling me Sir."

"Yes, Sir."

Hoyt wrapped his hand around his cock. "Take me into your mouth."

Noah made a sound, something between a chuff and a whimper. A sound that shot a jolt of hunger through Hoyt. Noah crawled on his knees until he knelt directly in front of Hoyt and raised his chin.

Hoyt pointed his cock at the firefighter's mouth and held his breath as Noah opened up, sliding his eyelids closed as he tentatively latched his lips around the crown. Then he flattened his tongue against the head and began to suction—gently at first, and then with gusto.

Hoyt put his hands on the top of Noah's head, combing his thick, sun-streaked brown hair with his fingers. He dug his nails into Noah's scalp to urge him to take him deeper into his mouth.

Noah needed no encouragement. He breathed noisily through his nostrils, wrapped one strong hand around his shaft, and bobbed forward to slide his mouth down Hoyt's cock.

Hoyt rocked on his heels, his head falling back as he let the sensations wash over him in a hot wave—moist heat, suction nearly as strong as a Hoover.

Teeth scraped his shaft, and Hoyt pulled Noah's hair hard. "Easy," he muttered because he was nearly coming out of his skin. "Take me to the back of your throat."

Noah cupped Hoyt's balls and tugged them, then burrowed against him, taking Hoyt deeper inside, the sounds he made more desperate, more animalistic as he pushed and pulled with his lips and slithered his tongue along the rigid shaft.

Hoyt would have liked to blow right then, but he wanted more. He wanted Noah every bit as delirious with the pleasure as he was. He tugged Noah's hair, moving him away, and pulled up his pants. "Strip, Noah. You said you don't like being restrained, so I won't latch the manacles around your wrists, but I would like you to grip the bar beneath the chains and hold tight while I play."

Noah's reddened face wore an expression Hoyt recognized all too well. His lips and eyes were glazed. His nostrils flared. He shoved up quickly and walked to a bench, where he promptly tossed his clothes while Hoyt removed the rest of his. Then Noah sauntered to the chains and reached high for the bar suspended from the ceiling.

With his tall body stretched and his cock prominent in front of him, Noah was beautiful. All shining swells and dark hollows, embellished here and there with puckered burn scars—symbols of his bravery. Hoyt circled Noah, letting his hands graze his hips, his belly, his hard ass. When he came in front of him, he gave Noah's cock a firm stroke before meeting the other man's gaze. "Tell me about the car."

Noah blinked in surprise and then drew in a deep breath. "It belonged to a friend of mine. Another firefighter at the station. He died a while ago. I bought the car from his widow."

Hoyt gave him another stroke, this time firmly pulling his dick to make the man sway toward him. "Why?"

Noah swallowed hard. "His wife didn't want it. Said it hurt to look at it."

"And yet it hurts you, too."

Noah's face reddened. His eyes were large and wet as he swallowed down his grief. "Danny loved it," he said, his voice gruff. "We worked on it in our free time. I know the car almost as well as he did."

Another strong pull had the muscles in Noah's arms tensing as he tightened his grip on the bar.

"Still doesn't explain why you bought it," Hoyt said, pitching his voice low.

"I didn't want a stranger driving it. It belongs to us, to our house."

Again, Hoyt pulled on Noah's cock, enjoying the way it warmed and filled. Noah's cock was long, though not as thick as Hoyt's, and with a slight upward curve. "You buy the Camaro so you'll never forget? Isn't it painful for you and the other guys just knowing it's there?"

Noah's breaths were coming faster, and tension rode the edge of his jaw. "Yes, but I'm hoping we'll remember the better times with Danny."

Hoyt nodded. That was something he understood. Wasn't this room a constant reminder, and using it a way of honoring Jason's memory? Together, they'd purchased or constructed every piece of equipment. Noah didn't know it, but this was the first time Hoyt had invited another man inside.

Hoyt let go of Noah's cock and reached out to cup both sides of Noah's face as he leaned toward him. Kissing Noah was both painful and exhilarating. Noah was eager—his head tilted to deepen the kiss. His tongue stroked inside Hoyt's mouth. Together, they tasted and teased until Hoyt brought his body close enough to rub his naked cock against the side of Noah's—an unsubtle hint of what was to come.

There'd be little in the way of seduction. They were both aroused. Both ready. But Hoyt was curious about Noah's needs. So he backed slowly away and went to the cabinet to pick up his favorite flogger with purple flanges made of soft, supple deerskin. He walked behind Noah and cupped one buttock, sliding his open palm against the smooth skin cloaking the hard, bulging muscle.

His chest expanded when he raised the flogger and laid the strands against the other man's tight cheek.

Noah swayed but made no sound. Hoyt smiled behind him and gave him more loving strokes, gentle ones meant only to warm his skin and to tease. Before long, Noah's shoulders tensed and eased as he reset his grip on the bar.

When he was sure Noah was lulled into a comfortable place, Hoyt sharpened the strokes, letting them bite the tops of his buttocks and the backs of his thighs until the skin was pink with stripes.

Noah issued soft, guttural sounds but no complaints. His head hung between his shoulders, eyes closed.

So Hoyt brushed his back and shoulders and walked slowly around him, laying strokes on his chest and belly, the fronts of his thighs, until Noah opened his eyes again.

The depth of need he saw there gave Hoyt another jolt of desire. When his gaze locked with Noah's, he noted the other man's green eyes glittered with a hint of challenge.

Hoyt wrapped the flanges around Noah's cock and then pulled them slowly away. "Can you take it?"

"We'll never know…" Noah said, gritting his teeth.

Hoyt grinned and lifted his arm, watching the alarm in Noah's eyes as he gave his cock a stinging lash.

"Motherfucker," Noah blurted.

"Want me to stop? All you have to do is let go of the bar."

Noah's lips pulled away from his teeth. Sweat broke on his upper lip.

Hoyt stood farther back and lashed his inner thighs, let the strands tap his balls, and then hit his cock from one side and then the other, not as hard as before, but with resolution and a steady, hypnotic rhythm—designed to prove to Noah he could trust him not to hurt him while he gave him a hint of pleasurable pain.

A drop of come bubbled from the slit on Noah's cockhead, and Hoyt reached down, smeared his thumb over the cap, and brought his thumb to his mouth, where he licked it clean.

Noah trembled from head to foot, and Hoyt knew he'd done enough for now. He'd take him farther the next time, but for now, Noah had earned an orgasm. If that thought was a little self-serving, he didn't give a shit.

But first things first. He went to the cabinet again and pulled out a black box. When he returned to Noah, he took off the lid and showed him the graduated array of black butt plugs. He skipped the smallest—Noah had handled his finger just fine—and went to the third plug. "I'm putting this in your ass. When you're not working, I'll want you to wear it for three to four hours at a time to get used to it. When you think you're ready, and not before, move to the next size." Hoyt pointed to the last one. "After you're accustomed to this, I'm going to fuck you, Noah."

Noah blew out a slow stream of air but gave a nod. Sweat gleamed on his shoulders and chest. His expression was still taut but also a little concerned. Hoyt didn't give him time to consider what he'd just said or think too hard about the process. He tilted his head toward the bed in the corner. "I want you there on your hands and knees. Now , boy."

Noah hesitated for a second and then slid his fingers off the bar and walked to the bed. He didn't look back; he simply crawled onto the mattress and faced forward, his sweaty body tense.

Hoyt snorted. He'd get over that. And quick. He took the third plug, coated it with lube, and then went to Noah. Climbing up behind him, he ignored the tiny jerk Noah gave when he rested his hand on his rump. He nudged his knees. "Open up."

Noah shifted his knees wider, exposing his anus.

Hoyt slid the metal tip of the tube just inside Noah's tight ring and squeezed. Then he lubed the puckered ring with a fingertip.

Noah cussed softly under his breath, tugging a grin from Hoyt. It was all right for the other man to worry. The fact he didn't take this lightly and had never experienced this before only added to Hoyt's enjoyment. He placed the plug against Noah's asshole. "Gotta breathe, Noah. It'll make it slide inside like a hot knife through butter."

"Not the best analogy, bro."

Hoyt chuckled. "Don't suppose it was. Doesn't matter; this is still coming inside you." He pushed gently, listening as Noah groaned. The slender tip moved easily. As it gradually widened, Noah's sphincter tightened in rejection. "Gotta relax, man. If you ever want my cock, you have to be ready."

"Fuck, who said I did?"

"You say it every time I look into your eyes," Hoyt said gruffly. He fed more of the plug inside, applying gentle pressure until Noah groaned loudly and the bulbous part passed. "Not so bad, now, right?

"Don't know what good that's gonna do. Your cock's not skinny anywhere."

"The plug narrows so you can't expel it easily. It's got to stay in to stretch you. How does it feel?"

"Tight." Noah's voice sounded the same.

"Want to know what it looks like?"

"Fuck, no."

"I'll tell you anyway." Hoyt pressed his hand against the plug's base and pushed on it. "Looks like mine, Noah. When I see it there, it makes me hard because you're doing this for me. So I can take you. And I can't wait to come up your ass, boy. To fuck you so hard you cry." He reached beneath Noah and gripped his cock. "I know you're leery of what all this means. What it might be like. And even though what I'm going to allow now isn't my preference for you, I'll give you a taste of what it's gonna be like for me."

Noah glanced backward.

Hoyt waggled his eyebrows. "Want to fuck my ass, Noah? Hard and deep?"