Chapter 3

AIDEN

Ihadn't been sure what to expect with Nate. One glance, and I knew he would be the dominant type, which I didn't mind at all. I had a stressful job and an even more stressful life, so if I could just relax and let go when it came to sex, then I was down.

But there was also something about him that made me wary. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I felt like there was something I couldn't trust.

So when he told me to turn around, I wasn't sure if I wanted to turn my back on him. I realized if I didn't feel safe and comfortable with him, then I probably shouldn't be having sex with him. But that was the thing, I wasn't sure that was the problem.

As I swallowed the lump in my throat and turned to settle on my elbows and knees, I realized that while I did feel safe with him, I didn't trust him.

But something besides horniness was tickling my lizard brain. Something that told me this man was dangerous.

But did I care?

No.

The only thing I cared about was getting his dick inside of me as soon as possible. Then he'd be gone, and I wouldn't have to see him again or worry about what my feelings meant.

When Nate's hand softly stroked down my spine, I jumped but also leaned into the touch as though I were a cat being petted.

Fuck, that felt good.

It had been too long since I'd had sex. Definitely too long if a simple touch made me feel like I was going to blow.

"Please," I panted, my head falling onto my clasped hands on the bed.

He hummed, his hands still slowly gliding over my heated flesh. "What do you need, little bird?"

Fuck. I didn't know what it was about him calling me little bird, but it made me shiver. It felt possessive yet dark.

But I also didn't want him to stop.

"You. Need you." I gasped as his hand slid down the curve of my ass, grazing over my crease but not getting anywhere near close enough. My cock was hard and leaking between my legs, suspended over the bed, unable to get any friction.

"I'm right here," he teased, swatting my ass and eliciting a sharp cry.

"Fuck me. Please. Need you to fuck me." I knew I sounded desperate, but I couldn't find it in myself to care. There was no pretext as to what we went to the room for. We both knew we were looking for sex, so there was no need to be coy about it. Especially since he already had me naked and presenting my ass for him.

Nate's hand stroked up my side, fingers gliding over the ruined flesh of the scars that were there, and I stilled. My brain started to scream and rebel against the touch.

"Lube? Condoms?" he asked, moving away as though he sensed my discomfort.

I let out a shaky breath and needed to gulp in several lungfuls of air before I was able to answer him. "Nightstand drawer," I gasped out, still feeling overwhelmed. I had to stifle a snort at the fact I actually had use for the supplies Victoria had teased me with before she placed them in the drawer, just in case.

It was so stupid. A gorgeous man was ready to pound me into oblivion, and I couldn't stop thinking about those damn scars. I didn't even remember what happened when I got them, but the deep-seated trauma meant I couldn't handle them being touched or talked about. There was a sense of shame that rolled over me at how I reacted. I thought I had a better grip on it than that.

I mentally slapped myself. I needed to get it together. Opportunities like this didn't present themselves that often for me. I let out a slow breath and willed my body to relax.

My head fell to the side, and I watched Nate take what he needed from the drawer. He caught me watching him and gave me a wink before he settled behind me. Usually I didn't like it like this. I needed to see what was going on and feel like I had some control, even if I longed to give it up and have all the choices taken out of my hands.

When I heard the snap of the cap from the lube, my hips rocked back, eager to get the show on the road.

A soft chuckle came from behind me, and I let out a groan as his palms spread my cheeks, exposing my tight pink hole. He echoed my groan with one of his own as one of his lubed-up fingers lightly circled around my rim.

I squirmed as I let out a gasp, needing more than the light, teasing touch he was giving me. More than anything, I needed him to fill me and take me out of my own head. Even if it was only for one night.

"So fucking perfect," Nate whispered as his finger tapped at my entrance before the tip slid in.

A shiver ran down my body as he breached me. My hips rocked, desperately trying to get him deeper. It didn't take long before he was sliding in and grazing my prostate.

I let out a yelp and bucked on the bed. The way he hit that hidden spot made it feel like there was an electric current bolting through me.

"More," I begged. "Please, Nate." The bastard ignored me and kept slowly sliding the one finger in and out of my tight ass. I felt like I'd explode if he didn't start moving.

His lips grazed the curve of my ass, and he bit down as he slid a second finger deep inside. It'd been so long. Just the two thick fingers inside made me feel full. But still, I needed more. I needed it all. Needed his cock.

"Relax, little bird. Gonna make you feel so good."

I let out a whimper at his words and the way his fingers barely stroked against my prostate as he glided in and out. There was no way he wasn't doing it on purpose.

The way he played with me, and I responded in turn, made me feel like I was meant to be his. But I shook that thought away. Thinking like that was dangerous. This was one night, and we both knew it. No sense in embarrassing myself by thinking it could ever be more than it was.

After a few more minutes, Nate added another finger, and I let out the sluttiest groan known to man. He felt perfect as he filled me, and that was just his fingers. I could only imagine what it would feel like to be stuffed with his cock.

The bed shifted, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw him reaching for the condom he'd put off to the side. Excitement zapped through my body as I heard the foil wrapper tear and the snap of the lube cap.

"You ready for me, little one?" he asked.

I nodded my head emphatically, and he let out a chuckle.

But his words and the way he treated me like something precious had rendered me speechless. He was really fucking with my head, with talk like that. I wasn't necessarily a small guy at just shy of six feet tall, but I was slender and toned. Compared to Nate, though, I was like a little bird. He was broad and had at least three inches on me.

His words made me feel small, though, but not in a bad way. Rather, in a way that made me feel protected and cared for, which was crazy.

A shudder wracked my body and brought me back out of my head as he slid his cock along my crease. It was the first feeling I got of it, and he was huge. I let out a groan and rocked my hips back. There was nothing more that I needed than for him to tear me apart with his monster cock.

As he guided it to my hole, Nate made soothing noises and rubbed his other hand over my hip in long, firm strokes that helped to calm the nerves creeping up as the head of his dick breached the first ring of muscles.

"Breathe," he reminded me, and I let out a deep gasping breath. I bore down, trying to help ease him in, and let out a gasp. He was so fucking big, and for a moment, I wondered if he would truly tear me apart.

After a minute of him slowly rocking his hips and moving deeper inch by agonizing inch, I couldn't take it anymore and rocked back, slamming him down the rest of the way. I let out a strangled scream but kept flexing my hips to work myself through the burn.

Nate grabbed my hips in a bruising grip. "What was that?" he bit out. "You're going to fucking hurt yourself."

I let out a whimper as I tried to still my hips. The last thing I wanted was Nate to be mad at me over something so stupid.

He pulled back a little and slapped my ass, making us both let out a groan.

"I'm in charge, little bird. Not you," he growled.

I let out a whimper, but I couldn't find it in myself to be sorry.

After that, he set a punishing pace as he pounded into me over and over. My fists were wrapped in the sheets, needing to hold onto something as he pounded away at my hole.

But he refused to hit my prostate. He was making me pay for my impatience, and it made me want to weep. I was so hard, and I couldn't find any relief for my aching cock as he held me in place, leaving me unable to fall and grind against the bed.

"Please, please let me come." I was a begging mess, willing to sell my soul for release.

He didn't say anything, and I thought he was going to continue to ignore my pleas. But then the angle changed, just ever so slightly, and he was pegging my prostate over and over.

"Fuck! Oh, oh, fuuuuck, yes." Tears streamed down my face as frustration and relief intermingled. "Please, oh god, Nate, please."

Nate leaned over me, bracing his arms on either side of me, and leaned down to swipe his tongue over my neck. One of his arms snaked around my neck, and he pulled us up so we could practically kneel.

"Fly for me. Fly so high for me, little bird. Higher than ever before," he whispered as he tightened the arm around my throat.

His words triggered my climax, and my load shot out of me so hard and far that I thought I was going to pass out. It took a few seconds for me to realize the spots dancing behind my eyes were because I couldn't breathe. My hands reached up and tapped Nate's arm.

I could hear him behind me as he pistoned into my ass, and the low groan he let out as the muscles in his arm tightened, marked his release.

"Fuck, Aiden," he groaned out.

For a moment, I didn't move, wanting to give him a second to get his bearings, come down, and let me go.

But he didn't let go. I gasped Nate's name and wrapped my hands around his arm as I tried to pull him off when he continued to squeeze. The most embarrassing thing about that moment was the way my cock let out another jet of cum.

Nate immediately let go, and I fell back to the bed, landing in the mess I had made as I wasn't able to brace myself. Stunned, I lay there while he held my hips and slowly pulled himself out. I wasn't sure where he went, but I felt the bed move, and realized he'd gone to the bathroom when I heard the sink turn on.

I moved my head so I was facing the opposite direction, not wanting him to see the angry and embarrassed tears that streamed down my face. Sex had never been like that for me, and I wasn't sure I had liked it. Except, I couldn't fool either one of us because we both knew how hard I came—untouched—and that I'd even come a second time as he choked me.

When the warm cloth unexpectedly touched my used and abused ass, I let out a hiss.

"Sorry," he murmured, but I couldn't tell if he really meant it or not. Or what exactly he was apologizing for—there were a few things that immediately came to mind. He didn't stop wiping down my ass and thighs, though, tapping my hip when he wanted me to turn over so he could clean my front.

Which added even more embarrassment to my life. I'd never had a guy stop and clean me up after we had sex. Not even past boyfriends ever took the time to do that for me.

"I can do that myself," I snarked, and he looked up at me in surprise, his brown eyes wide but unreadable.

"Oh," he said, dropping the washcloth on the bed.

He stood there as we stared at each other, and I was unsure what I should do or say. Part of me felt stupid–until I remembered the uneasy feeling about him from the beginning. And it wasn't as though the sex was bad. It was great.

I didn't know why I was mad. Maybe I was mad at myself because I liked it when he choked me. Or maybe that he hadn't discussed it prior to us having sex. I wasn't one to kink shame, but I also thought you should have an open dialogue with a partner before unleashing something like that. Especially something so dangerous.

Nate tore his eyes away from mine and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Ummm. Sorry. I can…I can go, if you want. I'd understand."

My eyes tracked Nate's movements as he picked up his discarded suit and started to pull it on haphazardly. I let out a sigh.

"Don't be stupid," I muttered as I swung my legs off the side of the bed.

I wasn't sure what came over me but I had a sudden pang of need for the mystifying man in front of me. Something that told me I didn't want to let him go. But that was silly because it was only a one-night stand. I had to let him go eventually.

Right?

He looked up at me like he wasn't sure if he could trust my words, which I didn't want to analyze the irony at the moment. Acting on pure instinct, I stood and intertwined our fingers together so I could tug him along to the bathroom, since we could both use a shower.

I had a feeling he didn't want to leave just as much as I didn't want him to leave. And that was something I could work with.

When the water got warm, I urged him to get in. Once he was under the spray, I went in behind him, grabbed the soap, and started to wash him.

"I…umm…you don't have to do that." The tentative tone and stiffness in his shoulders made me pause and I wondered if he didn't like it or perhaps he just wasn't used to someone taking care of him.

"What if I want to?" I asked, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

His breathing picked up, but only slightly, before he turned to face me. I wasn't sure what he was looking for as he searched my eyes for the answer to his unasked question.

"Nate," I said softly.

He hummed. "Why do you call me that?"

I pulled back from him, my eyes furrowed. "I…I'm not sure. Do you not like it?" I thought about it and I realized he'd introduced himself as Nathan, and I just jumped right into calling him Nate without a thought. "I'm sorry. I don't have to?—"

His lips cut me off, stopping me mid-ramble, for which I was grateful.

"I like it coming from you," he said softly. "Which is weird because normally I don't like nicknames."

I smirked. "Really? I wouldn't have guessed from the way you keep calling me little bird."

Nate scoffed. "That's different."

"How so?" I asked, laughing at his ridiculousness. "It's still a nickname."

He crossed his big, bulky arms over his chest and tried to level me with an intimidating glare. But it wasn't working.

"It just is." And with that, he turned back around and moved under the spray to wet his hair, effectively ending the conversation.

I rolled my eyes, grabbed the shampoo left out by housekeeping, and reached up to massage it into his scalp. He let out a low groan that had my dick twitching, despite the fact I'd already come twice. Once he had the shampoo rinsed out, I concentrated on lathering up the body wash and spreading it all over his body.

When I was done, he maneuvered me so we switched places, and he gave me the same treatment.

"How did you get these?" he asked quietly, running his hand up my left side again.

I went still and tried to move away, but there was nowhere for me to go—not in the small confines of the hotel shower.

"Don't," I said, voice stern as I pushed his hand away. "It was something that happened a long time ago. I don't even really remember it. And I definitely don't talk about it or think about it."

Nate just stared at me for a moment as though trying to figure out what to say to my mini outburst. I didn't think he was going to say anything else on the subject as he turned off the water and grabbed a towel to dry me off. When we were dry, he led me back to the bed, where he stripped the dirty sheets and got out the extra linens from the closet to remake the bed.

"You shouldn't hide yourself. There's nothing to be ashamed of. We all have our scars, some are just more visible than others. Do you know what scars are?" he asked as he got into bed behind me, pulling me flush against his chest.

I shook my head.

He kissed the spot right behind my ear before whispering, "They're a reminder you survived, little bird."