Page 11 of His Boys to Protect

Then the boy strode towards him, stopping short of standing between Ward's spread knees. “Okay, one last thing,” Skylar began. He hesitated before he asked, “What's your opinion on tattoos?”

Ward frowned. “Tattoos?” He slowly shook his head. “I'd never get one, but to each, his own.”

“So they're not, like, a turn-off for you? I can keep the dress on, or put on a shirt. I brought one, just in case–”

“Sky?” Ward interrupted, so breathless with anticipation, he couldn't even get out the boy's full name. “Let me see you,” he practically begged.

Skylar gave him a tiny smile. “Okay.” He twisted his arms behind himself, then paused and turned his back instead. “Would you mind?” he asked, throwing Ward a saucy smirk over his shoulder.

Ward's heartbeat shot up as he reached out, grabbed the tiny zipper on the dress, and slowly dragged it down. The black material parted, exposing Skylar's back. Ward shuddered as he dragged the snug dress down Skylar's body. He helped the boy step out of it, then carefully draped the dress over the back of a chair before he turned to study the breathtaking image before him.

Skylar stood utterly still, broken only by a slight tremble that ran through him as Ward made his perusal. Ward took in the strong back, trim waist, narrow hips, smooth legs.And that ass. Holy shit.It looked round and firm and perfect. Ward was dying to get his hands on it, but he made himself wait. He slowly worked his way around the boy, circling Skylar's right side. He'd noted the sleeve of tattoos on Skylar's left arm, but Ward decided to leave that for later. First, he wanted—needed—to see the real Skylar without all his armor.

Ward moved around to stand in front of the boy. He took his time, even sinking back down onto the edge of the bed to give himself a better vantage point. Skylar's feet were still dainty, but there was a masculinity to them now that they weren't wrapped in satin. His legs were still smooth, but now the muscle tone was a little more obvious. Ward paused when his gaze reached Skylar's groin. The boy wore black low-rise briefs, the front smooth and flat.

“They're women's,” Skylar blurted out. “I tried wearing men's briefs, but none of them ever seemed to fit quite right, so…”

Ward flashed him a gentle smile, then continued his study. Skylar's belly was flat and toned, giving just a hint at his abdominal muscles. Ward sucked in a breath. For whatever reason, he found that tiny detail oddly arousing. He wanted to trace the outlines with his fingers. With his tongue.Fuck.

He swallowed hard and moved his gaze up, stopping short at the sight of the faint, red lines cutting across Skylar's chest just below two small, flat, pink nipples.

Ward started to reach out but stopped short of touching the boy. “Did that hurt?” he asked.

Skylar frowned as he seemed to consider the question. “Not really, no. Not as bad as I thought it would.” Skylar traced the incision scars with his own fingertips. “Actually, the most painful part was when the nerves started reconnecting over the weeks afterwards. Like little zings of stabbing pain that came out of nowhere.” He paused, reaching for Ward's outstretched hand. “You can touch me.”

Ward shuddered and did just that, carefully resting his fingertips along the scar on the left side of Skylar's chest. He traced the line towards the boy's sternum and back, then inched his middle finger up, brushing just below the nipple.

Skylar cringed. “Those are tattooed on. Something went wrong post-op—something about the compression bandage being too tight or lack of blood flow—so I lost both nipples.”

“Shit,” Ward gasped. He looked up to study Skylar's eyes. “Are you okay?”

“Oh yeah.” Skylar grinned at him. “I mean, it's kind of a shame, since they used to bereallysensitive, and I miss that. But, trust me, I'll take this over boobsanyday of the week and five times on Sunday.”

Ward chuckled, but the sound cut off abruptly as he took in Skylar's face.

Holy shit. The armor was gone. The walls were down.Thiswas the real Skylar before him. Ward's hand dropped heavily to his lap as he gave Skylar another slow, thorough once-over before meeting the boy's eyes again. “There you are.”

Skylar blushed, looking suddenly shy. “Is it enough? I can–”

Ward shot to his feet and gently covered the boy's mouth with one hand. “I really need to kiss you now,” he murmured, the words coming out in an unsteady rush as Ward fought to keep himself reined in. His heart galloped away in his chest. He was desperate to consume this boy. Every inch of him. He'd never felt anything like this in his life. Not with any of the women he'd dated. It didn't make any sense, but he wasn't going to fight it.

He wanted this.

Skylar moaned. “Oh fuck. Daddy,please,” he begged. He tipped his chin up, offering himself.

Ward let out a shuddering breath as he cupped Skylar's face with both hands. His fingertips brushed the boy's hair. “Geez,” he swore. It was softer now without the hair piece. Ward reached back and carefully dragged the elastic tie away, letting Skylar's hair fall free around his face. He combed it back off Skylar's forehead, moaning as the silky strands ran through his fingers.

Then he curled one fist into Skylar's hair, holding the boy firmly but gently, and bent down until their lips just touched.

Skylar whimpered. “Daddy,” he gasped, the word coming out in a breathless squeak.

Ward growled and crushed their mouths together.

Skylar moaned again, but the sound cut off abruptly when Ward slipped his tongue past Skylar's lips. The boy trembled in his arms. Skylar's knees buckled, but Ward caught him around the waist, holding the boy hard against his body. “Holy fiddlesticks,” Skylar gasped as Ward trailed kisses down his neckto his shoulder. “Daddy!Jeebus. Where in the world did you learn to kiss like that?”

Ward growled low in his throat, hearing the arousal in Skylar's voice. He kissed the boy again, unable to resist.Oh hell. The boy's lips were ever-so-slightly chapped, not perfectly smooth and soft like those of the women he'd dated. Somehow, that little difference turned him on even more.

He wrapped his arms around Skylar and ran his hands up the boy's back. Skylar's skin even felt different. Still soft, but it had a subtle texture that didn't match that of a woman. And then there was his scent. Skylar wore no perfumes, so Ward could smell the clean, natural musk of him. It was definitely masculine. There was no doubting that.

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