Page 16 of His Boys to Protect

Ward wrapped his arms around the boy. He took a slow, deep breath, letting it back out on a contented sigh. Skylar fit perfectly against him. Small and warm and soft, while the texture of his skin and the hardness of his muscles never let Ward forget that he was holding a man instead of a woman. Ward smiled, running a hand down Skylar's back. He smoothed the hand over Skylar's ass, muttering a curse as he groped the firm cheeks, then continued down so he could grab the boy's leg and hitch it across his body.

Skylar grinned and snuggled closer, throwing an arm across Ward's chest. “Mmmm. I honestly wasn't sure if you were the cuddling type or the we're-done-move-on kind of guy, but I'msoglad it's the former.”

Ward curled a hand through Skylar's hair and turned to kiss the boy on the forehead.

Skylar languidly ran a hand across Ward's chest, tracing the lines of his muscles with those long, slender fingers. His movements slowed, then finally stopped altogether. Skylar's hand rested right over Ward's heart. When Ward looked down at the boy's face, he found Skylar's eyes closed, the boy's breaths soft and shallow in sleep.

Ward reached across the bed and dragged the other half of the comforter over on top of them. It didn't fully cover them both, but at least Skylar was wrapped up against the crisp, night air coming through the window. Ward closed his eyes. He'd let himself enjoy this moment while it lasted.

He woke with a start, confused for a moment to feel another body against his.

It all came flooding back. The nerves. The wedding. The dancing and flirting. Watching Skylar's stunning transformation as the real boy inside broke free. The incredible, mind-blowing connection he'd found in that bed. Beside him, Skylar was still fast asleep. When Ward glanced at the clock, it showed that it was just after two in the morning.

Ward winced as he carefully slipped out from under Skylar. His bladder couldn't be ignored until daylight. Ward padded into the bathroom, quietly eased the door shut, and relieved himself. He washed his hands, then shut off the light they'd left on earlier as he padded back towards the bed.

Skylar stirred. “What–”

Ward started to lie back down beside him. “Shhh. Go back to sleep.”

“Hmmm,” Skylar replied in a mumble, then sucked in a breath and sat up. “Shit. I fell asleep. Oh fuck. I'm so sorry.”

“It's okay–”

“No, I'm not supposed to do that.”

“Sky,” Ward insisted, cupping the boy's face with both hands, trying to read Skylar's expression in the dark. “It's okay.” He paused, cringing at the thought running through his head.Damn it. He didn't want to remember that this wasn't real, but he had to face the truth. “If it's about the time…I can pay you extra–”

“Don't,” Skylar cried, slapping a hand over Ward's mouth. His other hand went around the back of Ward's neck, andthe boy pressed their foreheads together. “Don't. Fuck.” A tiny whimper escaped him. “Please just let me pretend this was real for one more minute,” he whispered, sounding like he was talking to himself.

Ward's chest tightened and a smile threatened to take over his face. “Sky…”

“I'veneverfelt anything like this, Ward,” Skylar blurted out, still curled up close to him. “I know I'm not supposed to say things like that, but it's true. I've never had an orgasm that didn't come by my own hand before. Notonce. And the fact that I fell asleep! Fuck. I've never felt safe enough to do that, even if it weren't against the rules. I mean, Charlie felt safe enough to crawl into your lap even though you were a perfect stranger, and he's usually got good instincts about people, so I guess it really shouldn't be a surprise, but still. And I shouldn't even be saying all of this, but something about you makes me want to just blurt out the truth and be real with you and drop the fuckingexhaustingact that I have to put on all the time–”

When Skylar finally broke off to suck in a ragged breath, Ward kissed him.

Skylar gasped, then moaned and sank into the kiss, parting his lips. Ward slipped his tongue past them.Geez. Skylar tasted so sweet. So perfect.

Ward got lost in the moment. Nothing existed except Skylar. The boy's lips. His tongue. His warm, slender body. When Ward finally came up for air, he found himself stretched out on top of the boy, with Skylar's expression dazed and dreamy.

And an hour had gone by.

“Holy–” Skylar gasped. He looked up at Ward with wide eyes, then slowly shook his head. “Wow.Sheesh. That's all I've got. Just wow. I think you fried my brain.”

Ward couldn't help grinning.

Skylar turned to glance at the clock, then winced. “Shit. I really do have to go.” He didn't move, letting out a little whine. “Damn it. I don't want to, though. Can we just hide out in this room forever?”

Ward traced the boy's jaw with his fingertips. He didn't want Skylar to go, either. But he was going to need some sleep so he could make the drive home safely. He gave Skylar one more kiss, just a lingering press of his lips, then forced himself to pull back. “Okay.”

Skylar whined again, but he got up all the same.

Ward gathered up his discarded clothing and pulled his underwear back on while he watched Skylar get dressed. The boy pulled an ironed shirt and a pair of slacks out of his garment bag, hanging the dress up in their place. Skylar dragged on some black socks and a pair of black Oxfords. He tucked in his shirt, leaving the top few buttons undone, and didn't bother with a belt. With his hair mussed from sleep, the boy looked exactly what he was: someone who'd just tumbled out of bed after getting thoroughly sated.

It was all Ward could do not to rip those clothes off and take the boy again.

Instead, he made himself drag on his pants and walk Skylar to the door. They were almost there when Ward remembered he still needed to pay Skylar for his extra time. He started to turn back, but Skylar caught him by the arm.

“Ward.” Skylar looked up at him with a desperate plea in his eyes. “I said don't, and I meant it.” He closed his eyes for a second and sighed heavily, like the weight of the world had landed on his shoulders. “I really do need the money, but I don't want it. Not from you. Iwon'ttake your money, okay? Not after tonight. You gave me something that…Shit. You gave me something I never thought I'd get to experience. And maybe that sounds stupid, coming from a whore, but–”

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