Chapter 14

Caleb had every expectation of being discarded. Surely Roman had been spooked by getting caught and would make a run for it, unable to face Ryan and Alex. He braced himself for the inevitable rejection…but it never came.

Instead, Roman gently pulled out and nuzzled Caleb’s neck with a sweet, tender movement. Caleb’s stomach went all soft and swirly. “You good?”

“Yes, Sir. That was amazing.”

“Yeah.” Roman huffed out a short laugh. “Didn’t mean to get caught in public, though.”

“I’m sorry, Sir. I should’ve reminded you to lock the door.”

Roman tugged his shoulder until Caleb turned around, almost tripping over his feet with his shorts still around his ankles.

“Let me take care of that first.” Roman grabbed a gym towel and cleaned Caleb up, then bent and carefully pulled Caleb’s shorts up. “There. That’s better. Can’t have you face-plant because of me.”

“Thank you. Sir.”

Roman wiped Caleb’s jizz off the wall, then threw the towel in the big hamper in the corner of the gym. He put his own shorts back on as well, then looked at Ryan, who had Alex still bent over with his arms resting on a stationary bike, pounding the crap out of him. “You weren’t kidding when you said he likes it rough.”

“They both do. One of the reasons why they’re such a good match.”

“Hmm, I can see that.”

Roman concentrated on Caleb again. “I’m not upset with you. Just wanted to put that out there because you apologized for not locking the door. That wasn’t on you.”

“No?”

“Tell me, Caleb, is it your job as a sub to manage your Dom?”

Caleb swallowed. “No, Sir. It’s my job to obey.”

“So why would you be at fault here?”

“Because you’re… You didn’t know that… Because it embarrassed you, and I should’ve prevented it?”

Roman tilted Caleb’s chin up with his index finger. “I couldn’t have been that mortified, though, considering I never stopped fucking you, now could I?”

Fuck, how the hell was Caleb supposed to answer that question? “No? I don’t know, Sir. I didn’t think you were the type for exhibitionism.”

“I didn’t think so either, but then again, I’m discovering a lot of new things about myself. Like the fact that I just fucked you senseless and came so hard I nearly blacked out…and I already want to do it again.”

Caleb’s insides lit up like a bonfire. “You do, Sir?”

“What is it about you?” Roman shook his head. “I can’t figure it out. It’s like you’re an addiction. I know I should say no, but I can’t. You have me hooked.”

Hmm, Caleb wasn’t sure he liked being compared to drugs. “Do you want to say no to me?”

Roman brushed Caleb’s bottom lip with his thumb. “No. I should, but I don’t want to.”

“Why not?” Caleb whispered.

“I don’t know. Maybe it’s because you make me see new sides of myself. It could be the thrill of dominating you or the fact that I get to indulge in sex with you, this gorgeous young guy who has no business wanting an old fart like me.”

“You’re not an old fart!”

Roman chuckled. “Compared to you, I am. Over twenty years older. That doesn’t bother you?”

“Not in the least. I told you I like older men. Guys my age are so immature and stupid. I don’t need some jerk who’s still living in his momma’s basement, playing on his PlayStation all day. I want a real man. Someone whose authority comes naturally, not learned.”

“You think my authority is natural?”

Caleb snorted. “Sir, you and your brother radiate dominance from every fiber of your being. It’s impossible for a sub like me not to want to obey you.”

“How did you see that when I had no idea myself?” Roman let out a long sigh. “Don’t answer that. In fact, let’s head out. Not that those two seem to want privacy, but I do.”

“Head out where, Sir?”

Roman held out his hand, and Caleb’s stomach swooped as he took it. “Wanna come with me to my room? We could get cleaned up, maybe take a shower? And after that, I’m sure we’ll be ready for breakfast.”

Caleb looked down so Roman wouldn’t see the shock in his eyes that must be showing. That proposal was about the last thing he had expected. Something had changed in Roman, but what? What had happened that he seemed to have accepted his connection to Caleb? “I’d like that, Sir.”

“Are you gonna keep calling me Sir all the time?”

“Do you mind?”

“Strangely enough, I don’t. On the contrary. I’m beginning to love how that word falls off your lips. You make it sound like an honor.”

“It is, Sir.”

“Thank you, in that case. Come on, let’s go.”

Ryan and Alex had started round two—or was it three already?—and ignored them as they walked past, which was fine with Caleb. They made their way up to Roman’s room, where he ostentatiously locked the door behind them.

“Do you want to shower?” Roman asked.

“Together?”

“You don’t have to. You can head to your room first to shower if you want. Or not shower at all.”

His insecurity was back. Funny how that changed with him. “I’d love to shower with you. I would need to grab some clothes, though, because I won’t fit into yours.”

Roman chuckled self-consciously. “No, they’d sag down your slim frame.”

“So let me get those, Sir. I’ll be right back.”

Before you change your mind, but obviously, Caleb wasn’t saying that part out loud. He dashed to his room and grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie from his closet, plus some socks and underwear. There, done. When he returned, Roman had laid out his clothes, a pair of khakis and a button-down.

“You like to dress formally, don’t you?” Caleb asked.

Roman rubbed his nape. “Yeah, it’s a little ridiculous here, I know. But I’m so used to wearing suits that even this feels like underdressing. It’s like… Like armor, I suppose. Like a uniform that gives me confidence. It makes me feel stronger, more sure of myself.”

“I didn’t think you were the type to have low self-confidence, Sir.”

“You’d be surprised. In my job? No. But personally, that’s a different matter altogether.”

“I like your clothes. They suit you.”

Roman snorted. “My suits suit me?”

Oh, Caleb hadn’t realized that pun. “They do, Sir. They make you look sharp. And hot.”

Roman slowly turned around and finished taking off his shirt. “One of these days, you’re gonna have to explain to me what about this”—he patted his round stomach—“is sexy to you.”

Caleb undressed in two seconds, carelessly dropping his wet clothes to the floor, and stepped closer. He put his hand on Roman’s chest. “Attraction isn’t about a perfectly toned body or a sixpack to me.”

“No? Then what is it about?”

“It’s hard to explain, but it has to do with someone radiating power, a kind of magnetic energy I’m drawn to. Masculinity, maybe. Like, I feel your presence inside me, this deep awareness.”

He was revealing more than he’d meant to, but how could he not when Roman looked at him like that with such honest neediness?

Roman licked his lips. “So you’re not just…submitting to me because my brother told you to?”

Caleb slowly shook his head. “I gave you a blowjob because your brother told me to. Everything since was because I wanted to serve you. Because I chose to.”

Had Wander talked to Roman about Caleb claiming him? He had expected him to. After all, Wander had made it clear the final decision rested with Roman. But Caleb wasn’t sure if Wander actually had. Roman hadn’t brought it up. Neither had Caleb, fearing it would make things weird, but now it felt like he was hiding something from Roman, and he liked that even less.

“We have agreements here in the house,” he said softly. “About who is allowed to play with whom and who needs to ask for permission. Because I’m a sub without a Dom of my own, Wander takes the role for me, and anyone wanting to play with me needs his permission. Lowell, Jonah, Jesse, and Master Mark have that permission already, though I can still say no anytime. It’s just that they don’t need to ask anymore.”

Roman frowned. “Should I have asked him for approval? Is that what you’re saying?”

“No, I…” He took a deep breath. “I took care of that. I…I claimed you, Sir. For me.”

“Claimed me?”

Caleb still had his hand on Roman’s chest and was rubbing it in slow circles, a soothing rhythm that helped him focus. “Ryan wanted to whore out Alex to you. Like Wander had done with me.”

Roman widened his eyes. “Alex? But they’re… Are they not exclusive?”

“Ryan is to Alex, but Alex is a slut, and Ryan has started to share him. With Alex’s permission, of course. And since we all figured you needed some stress relief, Ryan suggested letting Alex serve you.”

“But you stopped that.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“By claiming me.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“What does that mean exactly?”

Caleb didn’t look at him but focused on his hand, which was tangled in Roman’s chest hair. The man’s cock had grown half-hard again—a testament to his stamina and recovery time. “It means no one else can play with you but me, Sir. Unless you want them to.”

“Look at me, Caleb. Please. I need to see your eyes when you say things like this because it’s hard to read you otherwise.”

He looked up. “Sorry, Sir.”

“Let me see if I understand this. You claimed me, which means that you have Wander’s permission to play with me or serve me, whatever you wanna call it, and no one else can unless I specifically state I don’t want to use you?”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Okay.”

“I’m sorry, Sir.”

“That’s fine by me. More than fine. I have zero desire to fuck Alex, no offense, and I barely know Jonah and David.”

Caleb forced himself to stay calm despite the whirlwind of emotions inside him. “You didn’t know me either when Wander gave me to you.”

Roman chuckled. “No, and I’m sure you remember how confused I was about the whole situation and how reluctant initially to take you up on that offer. I didn’t know what to make from it. But now I do know you. At least well enough to feel comfortable saying you truly want this.”

“Jonah and David would love to serve you.” Caleb forced himself to say the words. He had to because how could he be certain otherwise that Roman had truly chosen him? He’d always have that doubt in the back of his mind that the man hadn’t known any better, that he hadn’t been aware of all his options. “And they would have the choice to say no. As subs, we hold all the power. Outsiders don’t realize that. They think Doms are in charge, but we are. My submission is a gift freely given, but I can withdraw it just as easily. One word from me, and everything stops.”

Roman cocked his head, a half-smile on his lips. “I’d almost think you were attempting to persuade me to try Jonah’s and David’s services.”

“No!” Caleb took a shuddering breath. “No, Sir. Not unless you want to. I just wanted you to have all the information. Consent isn’t fully consent without all the facts.”

“Hmm, I see. Let me ask you. What do you want?”

Fuck, he should’ve known Roman would turn the tables on him once again. The man was a legal genius, used to logical reasoning and dismantling someone else’s arguments. He knew all the tricks in the book. All Caleb could do was be honest with him.

He sank to his knees and bowed his head. “I…I would very much like to be the only one serving you, Sir. If you’ll allow me.”

“Jesus, Caleb…” Roman’s voice dropped low. “I can’t tell you what it does to me when you kneel for me. It makes me feel so big yet so small at the same time.”

Roman’s hand landed on Caleb’s head, and instinctively, he closed his eyes and leaned into the touch, almost like a cat who wanted its head scratched.

“What am I going to do with you?”

Roman sounded like he was asking himself, so Caleb kept quiet.

“I don’t think you realize what you do to me, the effect you have on me. You make me feel things I’ve never felt, make me see myself in a whole new light, make me try things I’ve never considered… And I don’t know how to go back to who I was before you. If I even can.”

A shuddering inhale. “But I’ll have to cross that bridge when I get to it. For now, please get your gorgeous little red ass in the shower with me. And if you’re a good boy, which I know you will be, I may just let you suck me off again.”

Holy fucking yes, please.