A muscle twitched by Zain’s left eye.He stared at him for a long, charged moment with such intensityAiden started seriously fearing for his life.
But there was no turning back now. Besides, this sure was working as far as annoying Zain went. And itwasfun.
“Don’t be angry with me, sweet cheeks,” Aiden said, barely suppressing a laugh. He leaned forward and rested his cheek against Zain’s knee, looking up at him through his eyelashes.“I can feel how stressed you are.” He slipped his hand under Zain’s thobe, letting his fingers run over the fabric of his pants, up his hard thigh, until they finally reached Zain’s cock. Which definitely wasn’t completely soft.
Aiden smiled. “Do you want my mouth now?” he asked softly, rubbing his cheek against Zain’s knee. His face felt hot, but he forced himself to add, “You can have it. You know I love sucking your cock. Your cock is the only one I want to suck.”
The cock under his hand twitched.
Zain’s face was stony.“Stop this ridiculous behavior at once,” he said coldly, as if the cock hardening against Aiden’s hand didn’t belong to him.“I’m not sure what you’re trying to accomplish, but it won’t work. It was just practice. I’m not into men.”
Well, the hard dick throbbing against Aiden’s palm said otherwise.
“It’s okay,” Aiden murmured, pushing Zain’s thobe out of the way and moving forward until his face pressed against the obscene bulge under Zain’s pants. Aiden breathed in, trying to rein in his excitement. God, he hated that what he’d told Zain wasn’t even a lie: he did love sucking his cock. It was disturbing how much he loved it. He was kind of addicted to it. He would happily spend the rest of his life on his knees, with Zain’s cock in his mouth, used by him whenever Zain wanted to get off. And that was why this had to stop. This was madness. His attraction to Zain was turning into something obsessive, submissive, and unhealthy.
This had to stop.
Aiden couldn’t stop. “I won’t tell anyone,” he whispered, mouthing the head of Zain’s cock through the fabric.“No one will find out. You own me, right? My body is yours to use.”
A hand buried in his hair before roughly jerking his head up.
“It’s cute that you actually think you can manipulate me,” Zain said, his eyes blazing fire.“What are you hoping for? That you’ll be a good little cocksucker and I’ll let you go? Not happening.”
Aiden nearly laughed. It would have been so much better for his pride if he were trying to manipulate Zain. If he were pretending. But he wasn’t pretending. And he definitely had no idea what he was hoping to accomplish. He hadn’t really had the time to put together a coherent plan. But he trusted his instincts. And his instincts said that the only way to manipulate this man wasnotto outright try to manipulate him. To be honest about the strength of his attraction, no matter how mortifying it was. This man was too smart and cynical to be tricked by a lie.
“I’m not manipulating you,” Aiden said with a small, rueful smile.“Except for the part where I said I loved you. I know better than to try. I’m being honest, Zain. I hate you—and I didn’t used to hate anyone—but…”
Just say it.
“I want you,” he admitted, blushing as he met Zain’s gaze.“I hate it, I hate that you’ve become the focal point of my life, and it keeps getting worse every day—the fixation, the obsession, the hatred.I’m not a hateful person. This is not me. I feel like I’m losing myself the longer I’m stuck here, turning into someone I don’t recognize.” He laughed bitterly.“You said I look like a kicked puppy when you leave, and it’s—it’s actually not inaccurate. There’s a perverse part of me that’s already started thinking of you as my owner, and I hate that I—that I get off on it.” He was blushing furiously, barely able to hold Zain’s heavy gaze.
Zain’s grip on his hair tightened.
“I’m not gay,” he said again, his voice rough.
Aiden glanced at the bulge in Zain’s pants. It seemed to have become bigger.“Who cares?” he said, looking back into Zain’s eyes.“You can use me anyway. No one will know. I’m yours, aren’t I? Not Gadiel’s. Yours.”
Zain’s expression became tight, almost pained.It felt like those dark eyes were burning a hole in him. There was distrust in that gaze—this was a cynical man who didn’t trust easily—but Aiden could tell that he was affected by his words.
“I know you’re attempting to play me,” Zain said.“It won’t work. I don’t want you.”
Aiden narrowed his eyes and got to his feet. Laying his hand on the back of Zain’s chair, he leaned in and whispered, almost against Zain’s lips, “Bull. Shit. You want me. I can feel it.”
Zain’s jaw was locked so tightly Aiden could actually hear him grind his teeth.
“You’re delusional,” he said, hisexpression dismissive.
It was infuriating. Maddening. God, Aiden wanted to wrap his hands around that strong tanned neck and strangle him.
“Youchose me,” Aiden said. “You. You looked at me kneeling on that podium, half-naked, and you wanted to own me.”
“I chose you for Gadiel.”
Aiden laughed. “Right. I don’t know your brother all that well, but even I can tell that I’m not really his type. He’s not the one who looks at me like he wants to wreck me with his cock.”
Zain’s nostrils flared. “You only see what you want to see,” he said. His tone was positively frosty.
Aiden eyed him.