Chapter 16
There were some days that required snarling.
Today was one of them.
He’d burned supper, he’d tripped over the cat and whacked the fuck out of his shoulder on the way down, and he’d broken a coffee cup.
He had a beer, a pizza coming, and he was watching Physical Asia and snarling. Maybe he could become a professional athlete reality show asshole for a living.
“Hey, Rop—oh. Goodness. Did you burn something?” Toby came in like a goddamn ray of sunshine.
“Yep. Pizza’s on the way.” He sucked on his beer again. “How was your day?”
“Are you drinking, boy? You don’t have permission to drink without me.” Toby reached for his beer. “Is this your first one?”
“I am, it is, and that wasn’t a rule.” He was going to stick his tongue out.
“It’s a commonsense rule, boy. If you drink, we can’t…do everything. What if I had plans for us?” Toby took his beer and set it on the coffee table.
“Trust me, rage has killed any possible buzz half a beer could give me, Professor.”
“What’s the matter. Is it dinner? It’s not that big a deal. I’m not mad, I appreciate that you tried.”
“It’s dinner. I broke a mug. I tripped on Whiskey—she’s fine—and whacked myself. I’m just in a bad fucking mood because I’m a fucking klutz today!” He rubbed the bridge of his nose. He didn’t want to yell.
A silence fell between them for a long moment, then Toby snorted. “Poor boy broke a mug, and now the world is ending.”
He felt his eyebrow wing up. “Yep. That’s me. Ending the goddamn world. I’ll go grab the pizza from downstairs.” The “asshole” was implied.
“Boy.” Toby pinned him to the couch with a hand on his shoulder. “You will sit right here. That’s one for burning dinner, one for breaking my mug, one for assaulting Whiskey, and one for being rude to me—add those to your count for today.”
“I didn’t fucking assault Whiskey.” He loved that cat.
He could lean over and bite Toby’s hand.
Like bite the fuck out of him.
Chomp.
“That’s one more for swearing.” Toby shoved off him and stood. “Bedroom. Now.”
He stood too, getting right in the Professor’s space. “What about your pizza?”
“They’ll leave it. You can heat it up after I’ve dealt with you.” Toby’s stare was heated, eyes burning into him as he held his ground.
“Deal with me?” Oh God. Please. Please, I’m so fucking frustrated, and I need you.
“You heard me. Move, boy.” Toby’s tone was sharp.
He rolled his eyes, but his heartbeat sped, and he went, putting his feet down just a little too hard.
“Listen to you, stomping away on that foot. Must be feeling better. Or were you playing on my sympathies, boy?” Toby’s tone was bordering on unreasonable, but the hand resting lightly between his shoulder blades told him his Dom was looking out for him.
He leaned into the touch, comfort pouring into him. “Pardon me? I’m not a liar. You know that. Quit pushing.”
“Pushing?” Toby snorted. “I thought that was your job.”
“No, my job was riding bulls, and I can’t fucking do that anymore!” And he hated having to figure that out.
Toby caught him by the shoulders, stopping him just outside the bedroom and held him for a second, then kissed the nape of his neck and let him go again. “Quit dawdling and get in there.”
“I’m not dawdling, dammit.” He headed into the bedroom, his entire soul yearning for this.
“Naked.” Toby brushed past him and went to the cabinet on the other side of the room. “Now.”
“My clothes don’t just explode off like I’m a superhero, Professor.” He tugged off his T-shirt.
“Add one more for impertinence. And sarcasm. And just generally being a brat.”
“I don’t know if I can count that high…” He pushed his jeans and briefs off in a single rush.
“Pretty sure you can at least get to eight.”
“Hey!” He scowled at Toby. “I’m a roper in name only, not in career.”
He had all his fingers.
Toby laughed. “I meant eight seconds. And I thought you were smart.”
“Fuck no. I’m the dumb one.” Totally a lie.
Totally.
Toby pulled a paddle from the cabinet and tossed other supplies on the nightstand. “Right. Clearly. Hands on the bed and show me that ass, boy.”
He grumped, but he bent, because he needed this more than breathing. Toby was so fucking good to him.
“That’s it.” Toby grabbed his hips and pulled his ass farther out, then pushed his head down to the mattress. “Better.” That paddle touched his ass, rubbing in slow circles. “Give me a number.”
Ten? Twenty? Fifty? He didn’t know. “Thirteen. Whatever you think I fucking need.”
“Mhm. Exactly.” The paddle Toby had chosen was wooden and had holes in it, so it whistled as it moved through the air. It landed solidly on one cheek and then the other, strong enough that Toby took a few steps away and shook his arm out before coming back to him.
He sucked in a breath, his body just starting to burn, promising him peace at the end.
The paddle landed on the bed beside him where he could get a good look at it. Toby tugged his own shirt off and bent over, his back fingers running up his sides. “I am what you need.”
“Yes. God, yes.” He wouldn’t shame either of them by lying about that fact.
Toby nipped at his shoulder blade and the paddle disappeared as Toby stood. “Two more.”
That was all the warning he got.
It softened him, crossed his eyes, and made his toes curl. Oh, fuck him raw.
“Breathe. Let me hear it. In and out.” Toby’s hands landed on his lower back, thumbs moving in slow circles.
He fought to breathe, forcing himself to obey, to give Toby what he commanded.
“That’s it. So much better when you relax. You’ll see.” The hands left him, but Roper knew where they went. He heard the sound of Toby’s fly and the rustle as Toby shed his blue jeans.
And then that paddle landed again. He lost count at four.
It didn’t matter.
He was flying. He could breathe. He could smell his Professor’s sweat, his musk, and the world faded into their connection.
“Good boy. So beautiful, my boy. So perfect.” The lube was cold as Toby touched fingers to his hole, but it warmed quickly.
“Need you. Yours, Sir. All yours.” He spread wider, giving himself over.
“Mine.” Toby sounded husky; he could hear the need in his Professor’s voice. Those fingers pushed in and twisted, opening him, getting him ready.
He nodded, his head falling down between his arms, sweat streaking his cheeks.
Toby’s cock replaced the fingers and stretched him. “Keep breathing. Come whenever you like.”
“Breathing. God, you feel just right.” His eyes crossed as he sucked air.
The Professor’s answer was to sink in deep and stay there, thighs pressed to his heated ass. “Fuck, yes.”
He worked that sweet cock, clenching and squeezing, milking Toby’s prick and making him feel everything.
Toby’s moan was more than appreciative, but his Professor reached under him and tweaked his nipple anyway. “Impatient.”
“Never say so,” Roper teased, but the words were more a gasp, a grunt.
Toby gave his sore butt cheek a light smack that felt more like a full blow with a spiked paddle, then moved, pulling out completely with a gasp before lining up and diving back in with deep, full thrusts.
“Fuck! Yes!” He couldn’t hold onto his teasing, his good sense. All he could be was here.
With his Professor.
“Told you I…would deal with you.” Toby rammed into him hard and steady, fingers starting to slide where they gripped his hips.
“Yes. Yes. Yes, Master. Professor. Please!” He heard himself like it was from someone else.
“Boy.” Toby didn’t give him a second to think and didn’t seem to tire at all either, fucking him like he could keep it up all day.
He babbled, just letting everything pour out of him in waves, his entire body on fire.
Finally, Toby grunted and swore, the word growly and needy. “Fuck.” His Master reached around his hip and gripped his cock, giving a couple of quick, hard tugs.
He shot so hard his bones rattled, his universe dissolving into sparkles.
“My good boy.” Toby’s measured, steady rhythm faltered, speeding and slowing, strokes going shallow and then deep again. When Toby came it was with a rough cry and a long, low moan. “Yes. Fuck, yes. Oh God.”
Roper might have cried. He might have moaned. He might have stroked out. He wasn’t sure.
He didn’t really care.
And he had no idea how he was suddenly lying in bed, caught up in his Professor’s arms, either. Toby was stroking a hand across his shoulders and kissing his hair.
He cuddled in, humming softly. Dammit, that was amazing. “Professor. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Toby hummed, the sound vibrating against him. “It worked out well for me too.”
“Mmm…” He would lift his face for a kiss, but he was exhausted, his heart rate just now truly slowing to normal.
“You’ve earned a rest, boy,” Toby whispered. “I’ve got you. You’re going to be sore when you wake up.”
“I’ll know you cared.” He sighed, his entire body melted. “I’ll know you heard.”
And that was all he’d needed.
Toby.