Page 25 of Hurting Hunter
Ethan lit the first candle. The flame flickered, casting dancing shadows over Hunter’s toned body, heightening the anticipation.
Holding out his arm with the vulnerable inside up, Ethan held the candle aloft, allowing the molten wax to pool at the tip and to drop, just as Cole’s submissive appeared with the requested items.
“Here you go, Sir.” Her eyes widened. “Ooh, wax play.” She clapped her hands. “I hope my Daddy lets me watch!”
“Thank you, Daphne.” Ethan inclined his head, but the bubbly, hyperactive Little was already bouncing away. Ethan shook his head. That little bundle of chaos and mischief would drive him bonkers, but she was the perfect partner for Cole, who had needed the lightness and color she brought into his life.
Using a scraper, Ethan removed the blob of wax and check the pinkened skin underneath. Turning to Hunter, he murmured, "Ready?"
Hunter gave a nod. “Yes, Sir. Green, Sir.”
Carefully, Ethan tilted the candle, a single drop of hot wax falling and landing on Hunter’s chest. The wax spread upon contact, and Hunter’s sharp intake of breath was fun to watch.
“Still green?”
Hunter’s pupils dilated and his features relaxed. “Green, Sir.”
Ethan continued the play, methodically dripping wax along Hunter’s shoulders and down his arms.
Hunter’s body responded not just to the heat, but to the anticipation of each touch. The drops grew into patterns, forming trails that mapped out areas of Hunter’s body that Ethan knew were particularly sensitive: the insides of Hunter’s arms, across the collarbone, down the sternum.
As he worked, Ethan maintained a rhythm, the wax becoming a medium through which he communicated his dominance and care. Every so often, he’d pause to check in with Hunter, seeking confirmation of his comfort and enjoyment, and Hunter's steady, "Green, Sir," kept the scene flowing.
He increased the heat by lowering the candle and splashing more wax on the same spot, until Hunter was quivering and flinching with each drop.
Hunter’s muscles bunched and rippled, and his breathing was ragged. Colorful lines of wax crossed his torso and lower abdomen. It was a sight to behold, and for a moment he wished cameras were allowed in the dungeon.
Sporting a thick erection, Ethan checked the bindings and slightly loosened the one around Hunter’s arms as his fingers felt rather cold.
He leaned over Hunter and smiled into his dazed eyes. “How are you doing, boy?”
“Wonderful, Sir.”
“Now tell me. What is bothering you?”
“Nothing, Sir. I’m green.”
All right. He is too much in his head still.
Ethan took the scraper and started to peel off layers of hardened wax, sending Hunter back into subspace. After cleaning the skin and conditioning it with the aloe crème, Ethan questioned Hunter again.
“Bothering?” Hunter’s forehead furrowed.
Ethan hummed, and stroked with long, firm strokes over Hunter’s upper body, arms and shoulders. He grinned when Hunter strained against the straps around his waist as he tried to lift his pelvis into the touch.
Ethan bit down on the junction between Hunter’s neck and shoulder, then laved the indent of his teeth with the tip of his tongue. “Hmm, hmm. You have something bugging you.”
“Oh yeah. Yeah.” Hunter sighed and shuddered. “Michael betrayed me. I didn’t steal the exam papers.”
Ethan blinked. Hunter’s voice was higher—more vulnerable.
“Michael?”
“Yeah. Best friend. Since second grade. Some friend. Asshole.”
Hunter tried to make sense of the words, but his brain had taken up residence somewhere else.
But with the question, a darkness slid into him, like a rain cloud over the sun. Betrayal. “Tuesday, I found…” His lips had trouble forming the words. Everything was so fuzzy in his head. “I didn’t cheat on the exams.”
