16. Riley #4
“I liked touching you, and kissing you,” Riley began, face burning.
“I haven’t been…interested in anyone for a long while.
I’m happy spending my spare time with Jake and Allen, and even though I want what they have, I’ve had no desire to meet people or date anyone.
Joining the Citadels complicates shit because any relationship I start now would have to deal with distance and a demanding job, and I wouldn’t be happy leaving my partner behind constantly. ”
Sloan looked like he was two seconds away from calling Riley a whiny bitch, and Riley wouldn’t blame him if he did. He couldn’t help how he felt, and even if Sloan didn’t need to hear his long-winded explanation, he wanted to say something to make him understand.
“I’m attracted to men,” Riley repeated, as if doing so would help it sink in faster.
“But I think I realized this because I’m attracted to you.
You piss me off constantly, but I’m growing fond of your surly attitude and your glares.
I also like competing with you as much as I like hanging out and getting along.
And since we’ll be together so often, it gives us plenty of time to explore this thing together… if you want.”
Sloan’s lips curled into a deeper frown, but his expression gave nothing else away. “If I want?” he echoed, his voice eerily monotone. “You want to keep doing stuff with me?”
Riley shrugged, trying to keep his posture casual. “Yeah. If you’re still interested in exploring and you don’t want any strings attached, we can do that. I have no clue how to have sex with a guy, but we can figure it out together.”
Relief flickered across Sloan’s face, but he reigned it in so fast that Riley was unsure if it really happened.
“But? There’s a but, right?” Sloan asked, his brows furrowing like a suspicious cat staring down a bowl of milk.
Riley held his breath long enough to weigh the pros and cons of his next words before deciding to spit them out and get it over with.
“While we’re together, I don’t want either of us to sleep with anyone else.
If you fuck me, you fuck no one but me. Otherwise, we can go our separate ways with no hard feelings. ”
Sloan nodded, as if he were expecting this. “Possessive bastard, are you?”
Riley’s eyes darted to the bruises darkening on Sloan’s throat, shoulders and chest. “Nope.”
“Fucking liar,” said Sloan, and he lifted a finger to brush over the marks left by Riley’s teeth, and heat rushed south so fast he cursed. “Fine. I won’t fuck anyone, man or woman, while we’re experimenting.”
Riley’s mouth quirked, already prepared for what came next. “But?”
Chuckling, Sloan crawled onto his lap and gripped the back of the couch, pinning Riley much like he had been earlier. “But don’t fucking bore me, Evans. And if you fall for me, you’re mine.”
Riley clenched his jaw, his hardening dick contradicting his confusion toward Sloan’s bold statement. “What does that even mean?”
Sloan gripped his jaw and slowly dragged his pert ass over the bulge in Riley’s sweats.
“You know what it fucking means,” he said, flashing Riley a wicked and dangerous grin.
“If you catch feelings for me, I’ll own you.
I’ll be free to break your heart, or if you’re really good, I could be persuaded to keep you. ”
Riley was beginning to understand, with blinding clarity, that Kingston wasn’t questioning his sexuality at all. If anything, he seemed eager to use Riley as a toy that he might decide to keep on his shelf forever or discard once he was bored.
A cruel king indeed.
But the challenge was already burning through him, drumming along excitedly with his racing pulse and the throbbing of his cock. This was either the worst idea he’d ever had or the best, but he wouldn’t know unless he was brave enough to face the fire and risk getting burned.
Or in Sloan’s case, consumed.
“That’s what I thought,” Sloan said smugly. “Now open your mouth and stick out your tongue.”
Riley’s jaw clenched, and a sharp retort burned in his throat, ready to spill out like venom. But something twisted in his gut, a spark of curiosity overriding the urge to shove Sloan away.
Sloan’s eyes gleamed with a predatory glint, already knowing he had won. His lips slid into a smirk that promised trouble, and there was an edge to his expression that had Riley’s cock twitching despite himself.
When Riley did what he was told and opened, Sloan thrust his tongue inside like he owned the space.
It was a brutal invasion; a wet, hot, and unrelenting tangle of tongues and teeth.
Sloan groaned into it, hips rolling forward to grind his hardening cock against Riley’s chest, the friction sending sparks up Riley’s spine.
Riley’s hands gripped Sloan’s thighs, fingers digging into the firm muscle while he chased the heat, his own erection straining painfully against Sloan’s ass.
Abruptly, Sloan pulled back, breaking the connection with a wet pop, strings of spit connecting their lips for a heartbeat before snapping.
He grinned down at Riley, wild and satisfied, his breath coming in heavy pants that matched the rise and fall of his chest. Riley stared up, lips swollen and tingling, chest heaving as he fought the haze of want clouding his mind.
“Good boy,” Sloan murmured, the words heavy with praise and possession, sealing the vow between them—along with Riley’s fate.