Page 26 of Shrouded Desires
“It is.” The smile fell from Max’s face. “You want to fuck him. Is that what this is all about?”
“I’d be lying, Max, if I didn’t admit that’s part of it.” He held up a hand, when Max opened his mouth to blast him. “But before you go off the deep end, hear me out.”
Max crossed his arms over his chest. “This better be good.”
“Look, I know you have a certain way of doing things with him, and it works foryou.You brought him back from what was obviously a dark place. I don’t think he’s on the verge of returning there, or you would’ve demanded he come stay with you and Lizzie, right?”
“Yeah.” Max shifted in his seat. “That still doesn’t explain how this isn’t about you getting an itch scratched. He deserves better than that, Storm.”
“I know he does.” Storm sighed. “I’m gonna be honest with you. I find him sexy as hell. I want to do unmentionable things to him, but it’s more than that.”
“Is it?” Max seemed to relax a bit under his gaze.
“Hell, I don’t know how to explain it fully, Max . He stirs things in me that I haven’t felt in years. Not since college if I’m honest.” Storm took another sip of his coffee. “It’s weird. It’s like I’ve woken up from a long sleep and…” He shook his head. “Listen to me, waxing on like some girl.”
“No. Not some girl.” Max leaned back. “Like a man who’s finally remembering what a true power exchange means.”
“Yeah.” Storm gazed at his friend. “I want to explore it while I’m here. But I can’t do that with the limitations that being your stand-in has brought.”
“The sex thing.” Max pursed his lips. “Is it that important?”
“You know me, Max. Knew the dominant I was before Aiden walked out on me. I want that back even if it’s for a short time before I return to my other life.”
“And this is why I worry.” Max suddenly looked sad. “Look, I can’t stop you from pursuing him, Storm. He has control over his sex life – always has. I’ve never slept with him nor will I ever. You want to fuck him seven ways from straight, that’s between you and him. Just understand if you start playing your damn games and he ends up…backsliding, I’ll do more than kick your ass. I’ll call every reporter known to man and give them scoop of the century.”
Storm should’ve been shocked by the threat but after being around Raine, seeing the struggles he went through, he understood. “You’d really ruin my career over him?” Storm finally asked quietly as what his friend was saying sunk in.
Dark green eyes met his. “If you fuck around with his emotions and bull your asshole bullshit, damn straight. Fame changed you, man. And while I trust you with my business.” He drew in a deep breath. “Trusting you not to harm that boy, is much harder.”
“Then why the fuck did you put him in my care?” Storm finally demanded. “Especially if you think I’d use him then toss him away?”
Max didn’t even flinch at the accusation in Storm’s tone “Because the fact that you came here, before sleeping with him, tells me the guy I knew in college is still in there.” He pushed back from the table. “Think about what you want from Raine besides his tight ass or mouth around your dick, Storm. For once let your big head make the decision, instead of your little one.”
As what Max was implying sank in, he began to understand. “For fuck’s sake, why do you think I came here first? It’s not just about sex. I want to give the boy what he needs. Your way gave him the safety to heal, but I want to give him the courage to thrive again – even after I eventually leave.”
Max studied him for a long while, took a drink of his coffee, then sighed. “Against my better judgment, I’ll give you my blessing. See if you can coax him out of his shell. Lizzie talks about how he was when they were young, before whatever made him the way he is happened. I’d love to meet that Raine.”
Relief coursed through Storm. “Thank you.”
Max shook his head. “I wouldn’t thank me too quick.”
“And why’s that?” Leeriness crept inside Storm.
“Because if what Lizzie tells me is true, Raine used to be a major brat who needed a firm hand before he’d submit. You may have bit off more than you can chew, by trying to resurrect the part of Raine that’s in hiding.”
Lust mixed with anticipation in his veins. It was all Storm could do to not pop a woody at his friend’s kitchen table. “Bring it on.”
Max shook his head. “You’re an idiot, Parkers.”
“Takes one to know one, just remember that.” Storm reached for his coffee. “Now, do you think when your wife wakes up, she would be willing to make some of her waffles for me to take home to her bestie?”
Chapter Twelve
After his talk with Max and subsequent breakfast with Lizzie, Storm headed back to the club, hoping to arrive before the waffles in the to-go container got cold. The last thing he wanted to do was serve cold breakfast forhissub. He turned the word over in his mind a few times. It was hard to fathom the idea of claiming another man with his past, but Storm actually felt hopeful for the first time in years. He wanted to watch Raine bloom, to witness the boy’s growth, and see the pleasure submission gave him. They’d have another talk, of course. He wasn’t going to force a sexual relationship on Raine, no matter how strong their attraction to one another was.
But if the boy agrees to be mine for the duration of my stay...
He didn’t bother to stop the growl that slipped free of him as his cock stirred in his pants. The number of dirty scenarios that ran though his brain should be outlawed.
