On the Ragged Edge of the World

Chapter 3-1

Chapter 3

Aden deliberately took his time returning to the bookstore. He wanted Darren dripping and desperate by the time he walked into the loft. It would take even longer to get him bound properly, but he planned on tasting his lover’s salty skin every step of the way. Though Aden had had his share of partners in the past, none had ever been as responsive as Darren, as hungry for everything Aden had to offer. He was already reaching the point where he couldn’t imagine a life without Darren in it.

He took a moment to go over his messages before heading for the loft. The scent of Darren’s arousal grew heavier with every step he took, and the image of what he would look like, spread out on Aden’s bed, made his c**k throb. There was always the possibility that Darren wouldn’t obey, but somehow, Aden doubted it. Not after his reaction at Barcello’s. He would be there, he would be ready, and he would be as ravenous for Aden as Aden was for him.

When he opened the door to his studio apartment, he almost stepped on the shirt Darren had worn to lunch. It rested, discarded, on the hardwood floor, an invitation to even more. Several yards away, there was a shoe, with its mate sitting at the bottom of the spiral staircase that led up to his bedroom. Darren’s pants hung over the railing at the top. The hardest thing Aden had done all day was ignore them to go to his chest at the window and retrieve the rope he had bought especially to put Darren on display.

He had bought several yards, intent on wrapping the length around Darren’s naked body again and again. It was a soft nylon, very smooth to the touch, and unbreakable. As soon as he had seen it, he could imagine it wrapped around Darren’s muscled body, his skin red, his c**k dripping, his balls straining against the tight knots. He had specifically been looking for something soft, something that wouldn’t bite into Darren’s skin. He wanted Darren to enjoy the ropes, enjoy the pressure, anticipate the tight knots holding him in place. The last thing he wanted was for Darren to associate them with pain.

Aden carried the long coil up to the loft, pausing on the stairwell to listen for the familiar rhythm of Darren’s breath. He smelled delicious, but his breathing was normal. That wouldn’t last for much longer. He planned to have Darren panting and gasping before he even had the ropes secure. When he reached the top of the stairs, he realized he’d probably be breathing hard in a few minutes, too.

Darren was stretched out on the bed, his hands resting behind his head casually, his eyes heavy-lidded as he watched for Aden. He had a heavily muscled frame, despite his slim build, and his skin wasn’t quite smooth. He had scars, marks from his years of hunting, fighting, and killing wolves. That should have disgusted Aden, but he liked the way Darren wore them. They only emphasized his undeniable beauty, rather than taking anything away from him.

“You certainly took your time, didn’t you?”

“And yet, you waited for me.” He came up to the side of the bed and dragged his fingertips up the length of Darren’s leg. The light hairs tickled across his skin, and he was gratified to see the clear pre-come drip from his c**k in response. “You look absolutely scrumptious, by the way. Better than you did at Barcello’s.”

“I suspect you’re only saying that because you hate to see me in clothes.”

He stopped at Darren’s hip, tracing over a small scar near his groin. There was a story behind each of the marks, stories he hadn’t pressed to learn yet. But he would. He ached to know them. Only his respect for Darren’s privacy had held his tongue so far.

“Don’t look so good out of them and we wouldn’t have that problem.”

“Are you suggesting I should let myself go and get all flabby?” He caught Aden’s free hand, his thin fingers strong around Aden’s wrists. He brought it to his mouth, kissing each knuckle. “Wait, I better not do that. You might kick me out then.”

“I’m never kicking you out.” Just the delicate touch of Darren’s lips was enough to make Aden’s chest tight. “I made you a promise.”

Darren’s pleased smile made his eyes light up. “What are you going to do with that rope?”

Though the last thing he wanted was to pull away, Aden did so, slapping him lightly on the flank. “You’ll see soon enough. Sit up. I’m going to do your arms first.”

He separated the coil into its individual lengths, watching Darren rise onto his haunches as he’d been told. Gently, Aden turned him around so his gaze was fixed on the far wall, and stood behind him with one of the rope sections. Darren’s arms hung at his sides. As pretty as he looked, his back sculpted and delectable, Aden grasped one wrist and sank to his knees.

“You’re getting better about the restraints.” With both hands now caught in one of his, Aden quickly wound the rope around his wrists. “These aren’t as soft as the leather, but it shouldn’t chafe.”

“It’s still not exactly easy,” Darren admitted softly as Aden looped the rope into a tight knot. “I’m not saying I don’t enjoy it. I do. But fighting is still my first instinct.”

“But I like that it is.” He grabbed a second length to wind around his chest and bind his arms to his sides, but stopped to indulge in a long lick up Darren’s spine. He took his time on each knob, flicking to the salty skin stretched across the hard muscles alongside the straight path, and ended at the base of Darren’s neck. “I want you as a fighter, gorgeous. I just don’t want you to fight me.”

“I know.” Darren moaned softly, his head falling forward as Aden lapped at Darren’s nape once more. Aden reached for a third, longer piece of rope. The previous one went around Darren’s biceps. This one wound around Darren’s shoulders, lashing around his chest, just below his collarbone. “It’s a good thing I don’t have any desire to fight you, or we might have problems.”

One of the best parts of Darren’s chest bound like this was the way it constricted the blood flow near his n*****s. Aden had deliberately placed the biceps rope so the strands wrapped just below them, and now they were slightly swollen and hot, begging for attention.

Pressing to Darren’s back, Aden reached around to stroke the dark circles with his thumbs, flicking across the harder points at random intervals. His c**k strained against his zipper, but Darren’s position and Aden’s clothing meant Darren probably had no idea just how aroused Aden really was. It was taking all of his control not to bend Darren over right now and pound into him.

At first, Darren sighed with pleasure, but it wasn’t long until he was moaning. Every flick of Aden’s thumbs elicited a low sound, which went directly to Aden’s already throbbing c**k. Darren could still move, since his legs weren’t yet bound, but he didn’t. He remained still against Aden’s chest, his body tense, his skin hot with rushing blood.

Aden didn’t want to, but he pulled away from Darren and reached for a short piece of rope. After a moment of calculation, he wrapped it around Darren’s elbows. By the time he was finished, Darren couldn’t do anything except wiggle his fingers, and though Aden wasn’t touching his heated flesh directly, Darren still moaned with each breath.

He went around the end of the bed to survey his handiwork. The pale rope was stark against Darren’s skin, the strips between the coils already pinking from the blood surging to the surface. Darren’s c**k was fully erect, a thin line of pre-come connecting it to his twitching stomach, and for a moment, Aden debated binding his balls as well. They had never gone that far yet. Darren probably wouldn’t argue. In the end, though, Aden decided not to. He wanted to be able to touch Darren everywhere, to pull and squeeze at his sac without the hindrance of rope in his way.

“How does that feel?” he asked.

Darren licked his lips, the tip of his tongue a light pink against his dry lips. “It…it feels good.”

Aden smiled. “It’ll feel even better soon.”

All that remained was Darren’s lower half. Aden worked quickly, wrapping the rope around his thighs and lower calves so his legs were folded in half. It also forced his legs farther apart. Darren could sit on his heels if he wanted, but Aden had other things in mind.

Resting a hand to the middle of Darren’s shoulder blades, Aden pushed him carefully forward. It left his ass high and exposed, his muscles quivering from how tightly he held himself. Aden caressed the hot swell, first one side, then the other, absorbing every degree of heat into his own flesh.

“You are the prettiest thing I have ever seen,” he murmured.

The top of Darren’s head rested against the bed, and he turned, angling it so he could see Aden from his position. His mouth was partially open, like he was waiting for something to fill it. Aden wanted to kiss him, but instead of hauling him upright to claim his mouth, he stepped back to have a better view of his handiwork. He had the feeling he would never see anything better than the way Darren looked at that moment. The spread of his legs forced his cheeks apart, exposing his clenched hole, and his sac hung heavy between his thighs.

“The problem with this is that I can’t touch you.” Darren shifted. “I can’t even see you.”

“You don’t need to see me to enjoy what I’m going to do.” Aden knelt down and grabbed the front of Darren’s thighs, hauling him back to the edge of the mattress. “And if it makes you feel better, next time I’ll just lay there and let you do all the work.”

Darren chuckled. “That sounds like a fair compromise.”

His mouth watered. Starting at the top of the crease, Aden ran the tip of his finger down between Darren’s spread cheeks, slowly, delicately, watching the minute hairs stand up to attention at the contact. Darren sucked in a sharp breath, but otherwise didn’t move, not even when Aden stopped to trace around the tiny opening.

“But you like it when I do this,” Aden said. He circled it two more times before descending lower to the heavy balls. “You can’t deny you love being at my mercy to explore however I want.”

“No. No. I can’t deny that.” Darren arched his back, but only for a moment. Only long enough for the ropes to press into his flesh. “I even dream about it. Did I ever tell you that? I dream about it all the time. Ropes. Chains. Leather.”

Aden was glad Darren couldn’t see him. He couldn’t see him squeeze his eyes together at the images Darren presented, or see the flare of his nostrils as he fought to contain his breathing. He couldn’t see the way he had to reach down and adjust his erection, and he definitely couldn’t see the higher color in his cheeks as all the heat tried to escape the prison of his body.

To bring his focus back, Aden gripped a cheek in each hand and spread Darren even wider, his fingertips digging into the taut muscle. The path he drew this time along the crease was with his tongue, and he sighed in contentment at the musky scent of skin he left in his wake.

“Oh…fuck.” Darren rocked backward, and when Aden didn’t stop him, he continued the slow rhythm, easing forward and then back against Aden’s tongue. Aden traced his tight opening, making it wet, moving in steady circles, occasionally changing the speed. Each time he did, Darren’s moans went up in pitch, his entire body responding to the caress. “f**k, Aden. Your mouth…feels so good. Love it.”

He was very glad he never put a gag on Darren. He loved the way the other man talked during s*x, like he needed the release or risk combusting. After Aden had first discovered his identity, Darren had never held back on him, a feat that had always seemed remarkable on its own since he was Argenti and Aden’s sworn enemy. But something about the way they clicked together, as if simply being in the other’s presence was enough to unlock every barrier that might separate them, made their relationship unlike any other Aden had ever had. He took the encouragement Darren offered now and concentrated it back at him, delving deeper into the hole every time he went over it, nipping at the ready flesh when he had to fight to keep his head.