Chapter 16

16

Kacey jolted awake from a dream where he was being chased by a demon—fangs and fire and claws hunting him, the creature’s breath gross against the back of his neck. It was going to get him, no question, and he couldn’t run fast enough to escape. The only thing he could do was call for his lover. “River!”

“Right here.” River’s strong arms wrapped around him and held on. “You’re okay. You’re safe. I’m right here.”

“Bad dream. Bad dream. Whoa.” Kacey fought to calm his breathing, to slow it down and focus. River’s embrace steadied him and kept him solid.

“Sounds like it. That’s it. Breathe. Good boy.” River eased up, rubbed his back. “It was just a dream.”

“Sorry. I wasn’t trying to wake you. In my dream, I was running and calling for you.” And he was glad River was here, now.

River pushed him back into the pillows. “I would have found you, even in your dreams.”

“Good.” He believed it. River was fierce, this wild, ferocious dragon who held him. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’m sorry about the dream. Is this a new thing?” River’s fingers slid over his skin, warming everywhere they touched.

“Mmm… I have them sometimes. Not all the time, but they always suck.” Did bad dreams ever not suck?

“They do suck.” River rolled closer, and a hard prick pressed against his thigh. “Maybe I can distract you. Make you forget all about it.”

Kacey licked his lips, wiggling against that amazing, thick cock. “I think you can, yeah. I think you can totally help me forget my own name.”

“As long as you remember mine.” River’s voice was a low growl. Those roaming fingers slid over his hip and caught his balls.

“I swear…” He leaned up and let his tongue drag along the edge of River’s ear, slow and easy even as he spread wide. “You’re my dragon.”

River’s touch moved higher, fingers circling his cock and stroking. Kacey knew River now, the little things that revved him up. There were no rules in the bedroom, just the two of them and the things that revved their engines.

“Want you… How can I make you feel good?” He was willing to offer anything, everything River wanted.

His lover hung over him, staring so hard River had to be seeing into his soul. “Your mouth is magical.”

“You want to fuck my mouth? Because I would so send you to the moon.” Sucking satisfied him, deep down, knowing how good it felt, how solid it was.

River nodded, and that heavy cock shifted against him. “That’s what I want.”

Fucking A. He beamed and settled down into the sheets, hands on River’s hips and encouraging him up toward his lips. “Give me what I need.”

“Demanding boy.” River moved over him, one hand around that hefty prick, tapped his lips with it and whispered, “If you need me to ease up, hit my shoulder twice. Hard.”

“Promise.” He dragged his tongue over the slit, gathering the flavor of his lover, teasing them both.

River hissed and teased his lips open wider. “You want this, boy?”

“You know it.” He took a soft sucking kiss, a rush of happy hunger flooding him. “I’m all yours.”

River guided the tip past his lips and spread wider, cock pushing into his mouth. “Fuck, boy.”

His tongue dragged along the shaft, and he let himself relax and melt into the mattress with a groan. This was trust right here, no question.

River moved slowly at first, which helped him adjust, but it picked up quickly, River’s hips working that cock in and out in long strokes.

His own prick was aching in the best way, his balls heavy as River gave him all he asked for.

“Good boy.” It wasn’t long before the strokes grew faster, River’s cock punching deeper into his throat. “Fucking good, boy.”

He grabbed River’s hips, dragging him in deep, swallowing, over and over. River filled him up, surrounded him.

“Damn!” River shivered and bucked and, a second later, shot hard, cock pulsing against his tongue.

Kacey swallowed and swallowed, pulling River in until his lover pulled away. Damn. So fucking hot.

“Kacey.” River twisted and sat, leaning up against the headboard, chest heaving. “That was… thank you.”

“Mmhmm.” He rested his head on River’s thigh, just breathing a minute.

River’s fingers stroked through his hair. “My beautiful boy. You’re okay?”

“Yeah.” He was hard, but he was good, because River was solid and warm next to him.

“Now, you tell me what you want, boy. What will make you feel good?”

“Can you touch me?” He craved River’s hands—almost like their touch was a drug—and he wanted more and more of it.

“I’d love to.” River rolled them again, pressing him into the sheets and taking his cock in a hot fist. “Such a perfect, pretty cock.”

“Oh…” That touch made his eyes cross. “Love your hands.”

River worked his cock, thumb sweeping over the head, fingers sliding lower to roll his balls every so often, the experienced hands touching him just right. “My sweet boy. Your dragon wants to make you fly.”

“My dragon.” He spread wider, hips rolling in steady waves. “Please…”

Kacey didn’t even know what he was asking for.

“I’ve got you, boy.” River’s thumb pressed against his ass and pushed beyond the tight muscle there.

“You do.” And he managed to get his eyes open. “Fuck, you make me happy.”

“You deserve to be happy.” River smiled at him. It was a complicated smile, but it was real, and River followed it with a long, deep kiss.

He didn’t know if he deserved dick-all, but he was fixin’ to take it. He needed this bad.

“Show me, boy.” River worked his cock, stroking him just right—a little faster, a little harder—making him moan against River’s lips.

He nodded, and he cried out, River’s words drawing his orgasm out of him in a heady rush.

“Mmm. Oh, good boy. Good boy.” River whispered over and over while he floated back to earth.

“Thank you, sir.” He was melting, sinking into a cloud, and he held onto River’s praise.

“Going to wander.Call if you need me.”

River was moving money around or napping or something quiet that had already taken an hour.

So Kacey left a note, grabbed his wallet, his key, and his phone, and headed down to explore their neighborhood and waste a few minutes in a way that wouldn’t irritate anyone.

They’d been out together a couple of times, just wandering, and River had showed him around a little bit, but somehow everything looked completely different now that he was out here on his own. The buildings looked bigger, the street was noisy and narrower, even the block he was walking felt longer.

Still, it fascinated him, the way people moved, the ebb and flow of the busy walkers. He passed a store with amazing smelling apples, so he bought one and ate it as he looked for a bookstore or a coffee shop or anything like that. Somewhere he could sit and watch.

It didn’t take him long to find one. The smell of coffee drew him right in. The place was full but chill, and there was a short line.

He bought a big, fancy, full-of-sugar coffee with whipped cream, then found a place by the window and parked it, taking a picture of the pretty drink before licking the whipped cream and chocolate off the top.

“Hey. It’s Kacey, right?” A blond man who didn’t look the least bit familiar stopped next to his table, coffee in hand.

“It is, yes…” Did he have a sign? A blinking note flashing above his head?

“Hey! Can I sit?” The guy pulled out a chair and sat without waiting for him to answer. “Joey. From the club. We met the other night for like six seconds. You were with Master River. God, Master River. So lucky. Did you have a good night?”

“I did.” He still wasn’t sure how to respond to that, really. He’d cried, which was weird and not really like him, but River had been right there with him, so… “How about you?”

“Me? Oh, yeah. It was good. I was naughty.” Joey grinned at him. “Got a good spanking.”

Do not gawk.

Do. Not. Gawk.

No faces.

“Good on you, man.” Spankings? Was that weird? Cool? Hot?

Confusing. It was confusing.

“It was awesome. Are you new? I haven’t seen you there before.” Joey sipped his coffee.

“Yes. This was only my second time. It’s all super new for me. I’m learning.” He wasn’t sure he was learning, actually.

Joey smiled. “I remember when I was new. Everything was so weird. What’s your thing? What are you into?”

“I don’t know.” The words slipped right out of his mouth, and he couldn’t take them back. “I mean, River. I’m totally into him.”

“You don’t know… what? You mean you don’t know…?” Joey’s head tilted like he’d just grown a second head.

Oh. Okay. That was stupid. Good to know. “Dude, I’m just messing with you. You know, teasing? This is my first time in this place. The coffee’s damn good, huh?”

He was going to go back. Seriously, there were like a gazillion people in this city, and he ran into someone that had recognized him from Saturday?

“It’s one of my favorite places. River hasn’t brought you here? Give me your phone.” Joey held out his hand.

“O-okay.” He handed it over, ready to chase the guy down and beat him if he tried to steal it.

Joey held it up to Kacey’s face. “Did it unlock? Oh good. Okay.” Joey’s thumbs started moving over the keyboard. “I’m putting in my number in case you need it. It sounds like you might. I’ve been around awhile, so I know everybody.” Joey handed his phone back. “River is amazing. He’s just a good guy, and you can trust him. But if you get weirded out, call me.”

“Oh, thanks. That’s decent of you. I know Sam O’Reilly too. So it’s good to know two folks.” Even if he might never get to talk to Sam again.

“Oh, Sam? Yeah? They don’t come around as much anymore. They have some other place they hang out. A biker bar, if you can believe that.”

“No shit?” He was well aware. In fact, painfully so. Still, that wasn’t public knowledge, so he’d be private about it.

“That’s what I hear. We see them for holidays, and maybe once a month they come in to hang with Master Clint. They’re good people.”

“Yeah. Real decent. Everyone’s seemed to be.” He had no idea if they were or not, but small talk was small talk, and he had spent a ton of time talking to the public. “There’s so much to learn.”

“You will. So what do you do? When you’re not being… Master River’s, I mean?” Joey swirled his coffee and took another sip.

That was an excellent question. “I’m looking for a job right now. I was working at the rodeo before this.”

“Rodeo? You’re a cowboy? I don’t think there’s rodeo here but… there’s mounted police. They have horses.” Joey grinned and shrugged at him.

“Yeah… I’m not really all that law-abiding…” He had to chuckle, because he was not cop material.

“No… I didn’t think so with the whole cowboy-moving-to-the-city thing.” Joey winked. “I was thinking more like someone has to take care of all those horses.”

“Yeah. I might look into that.” Shoveling shit he could do. He wasn’t a horseman, not really, but he wasn’t scared of them or work. “Thanks for the idea.”

He’d have to look on his phone, see if there was a place to put in his application. He grinned at the thought of his work experience—McDonald’s for two months, and then he’d been dared to ride a bull at a local rodeo and had made three hundred bucks, starting his illustrious ten-year career of working twenty-four seconds a week, thirty-two if he was lucky.

Really, he should have been killed on the arena floor—then he would have been a legend instead of someone sad.

“Sure.” Joey got up. “I gotta run, but it was good to see you again, Kacey.”

He stood and shook Joey’s hand. “Thanks for the ideas. You rock. Thanks for stopping, huh?”

Because if nothing else, Joey had a point. He needed a job. He needed to stop just pretending that he was on vacation and living his best life. He needed to start putting in and pulling his weight.

He had to grow the fuck up and be a man.

When Joey left, he finished his drink and tossed his cup. Okay, help wanted signs. He could wash dishes and mop floors, for sure. Somebody would make use of him, and then he could start contributing without stressing his savings account.