Page 10 of His Boys to Protect

Oh. Skylar inched his way closer to Ward's body until they were flush up against one another.Oh, fuck. Ward was hard. When Skylar subtly glanced down, he saw the steely length bulging through Ward's dress pants, only hidden from sight by the closeness of their bodies.Hhng. It was all Skylar could do to make himself pull back a little rather than rubbing up against it. He wanted to make Ward come. See him fall apart.

They danced through two more songs before Ward finally blew out a heavy breath and pulled away.

Skylar almost whimpered at the loss. But then Ward took his hand and started heading for the exit, barely pausing to saygoodbyeto the friends he encountered along the way. They did stop and wish the newlyweds their congratulations again, but then they were walking out the front door and into the darkened city streets, climbing into Ward's truck, and heading back to the hotel.

All the while, Skylar was achingly aware of the man beside him.Good gods. The night had barely even started, and he already didn't want it to end.

Chapter 5

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WARD

WARD'S HEART was beating so hard and fast, he was surprised the whole city couldn't hear it.

It seemed to take ages before they finally made it up to his room, though he barely remembered the drive back from the wedding, let alone the walk through the hotel lobby. Or even the ride up in the elevator. Ward had fumbled the key card, trying to get the door open, but once they were inside, with the door shut between them and the world, everything felt different. Anything felt possible.

Skylar had retrieved a garment bag from his car before they came inside, and now he stood there, holding it draped over one arm. “Do you want to watch?” the boy asked, his voice a seductive whisper to match the dimly lit room. “Or would you rather wait until I'm done?”

Ward didn't even have to think about his answer. “I want to watch,” he replied. He wanted to witness every second of the transformation. Wanted to see Skylar take off his armor and reveal the real boy underneath.

Skylar smiled at him—a beautiful, genuine smile that lit up his blue eyes—like he'd been hoping Ward would say that.“Okay.” He scanned the room, then pointed at the end of the bed. “Sit there.” He strode over to the bathroom, hooked the garment bag over the door, and yanked down the zipper.

Ward shrugged out of his jacket and tie before he sat down. Then he jumped back up to take off his shoes and socks, still feeling stifled. A moment after he got himself settled again, he reached up and unbuttoned the top two buttons of his dress shirt.

“Burning up like I am?” Skylar asked. The boy had his back to him, but Ward had a perfect view of Skylar in the bathroom mirror. Skylar's voice was teasing, but the look on his face showed the true, raw hunger beneath his words.

“Yeah,” Ward admitted. He got up again, opened the window to let in the brisk, night air, then shut the curtains to give them privacy. “That okay?”

Skylar smiled at him. “That's perfect.” He lifted one foot slightly off the floor, then bent down and reached for the buckle on his shoe.

Ward shot to his feet. “Here.” He strode over and went down on one knee, pausing there with a blush when Skylar turned to face him. Ward had been in this position only once before in his life, and it had led to the ultimate heartbreak and betrayal.

Fuck. Ward tried to banish the memories, then looked up at Skylar. He froze there, an odd sense of rightness washing over him. Ward swallowed hard, then coughed and shook his head, trying to focus as he reached for Skylar's ankle.

The buckle on the boy's shoe was a tiny, delicate thing. Ward carefully worked it free, cupped the back of Skylar's calf, and pulled the shoe away, waiting for Skylar to set his foot down before he went to the next one.

His hand lingered on Skylar's leg as he grabbed both shoes with the other hand and set them neatly aside. He felt stockings under his fingertips.Damn. Ward was tempted to reach upunder Skylar's dress and rip the things down, wanting to feel the bare skin beneath. Instead, he made himself let go and stand up. Skylar shrank before him as he rose to his full height. Without the high heels on, the top of the boy's head now only came up to Ward's chin.

Skylar tipped his head back and looked up at him with slightly widened eyes, his pupils dark and his nostrils flaring. “Holy mother of pearl,” he gasped. The boy raked his gaze down to Ward's waist before looking back up at him again. “Yes, Daddy.”

Ward's chest tightened as a low growl of pleasure rumbled in the back of his throat. It sounded way too good to hear Skylar say those words. Better than he'd ever imagined. He swayed towards Skylar, desperately needing to kiss the boy.

Skylar huffed out a breath and reached up to rest his fingertips over Ward's mouth. “Hold that thought. Let me finish.” He pulled his hand away and started to reach for Ward's chest instead, then snatched his hand back with a curse, like he was struggling with temptation.

It took a monumental effort of his own, but Ward made himself back away and return to his seat on the end of the bed. He planted his feet and rested his hands on his knees, then wound up digging in his fingertips, fighting to stay where he was while he watched.

Skylar took a deep breath, then held Ward's gaze as he combed his fingers up under his hair. Ward heard a series of softpops, and when Skylar swept his hands back down, half of the boy's hair fell away.

Oh. Ward blinked, taking in the change. He watched as Skylar snapped the clips shut, finger-combed the hair piece, and tucked it carefully into a drawstring pouch before tossing it into his garment bag.

Skylar ran his fingers through his hair. It just brushed his shoulders now rather than spilling down his back. Skylar pulled out an elastic band and gathered his hair into a tiny ponytail. A few short strands slipped free. He tucked those behind his ear, then dug through his garment bag again, retrieving a small package of makeup wipes.

The boy ran one of the damp cloths over his face, erasing blush, lipstick, and eyeshadow. He tossed the soiled wad into the garbage can, then bent over the sink, washing his face with soap and water before snatching down a towel and patting his skin dry. When he hung the towel back up, he glanced at Ward in the mirror.

Ward studied his face. Without the makeup, Skylar truly was starting to look like a boy. There was still a hint of femininity there, but now Ward really saw the squarer jaw, the sharper cheekbones, even the tiniest hint of shadow on his upper lip. Skylar's eyes didn't stand out as much, but they looked bluer, somehow. More vibrant. More alive. And his lips didn't look quite as full as they had a moment ago, but they looked far more inviting in their natural color.Geez, he's beautiful.

Skylar turned to face him, holding Ward's gaze again as he reached up under the skirt of his dress, wriggled around a bit, then dragged his stockings down. The flimsy things wound up in a wad stuffed into the garment bag.

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