Chapter Sixteen
THE MOMENT Jasper came from his crop was the moment Vincent gave up any lingering hope of not becoming utterly captivated.
It wasn’t so much the coming untouched that fascinated him. It was the way Jasper allowed himself to be bound so completely. How he freely offered his submission to Vincent.
He’d played with his fair share of subs, switches, and Doms, but Jasper…. Maybe it was Jasper’s inexperience making everything new again, but this felt different. It felt like Jasper needed this as much as Vincent did.
He set the crop down and ran his fingers over Jasper’s flushed skin, marveling at his responsiveness. He’d read books, even heard others talk about a perfect sub they’d found, but outside of the occasional fantasy, he’d given up on ever finding one for himself, much less in his own living room.
Getting Jasper untied and to the couch was easier said than done, but Vincent managed.
He wasn’t too surprised when Jasper settled across his lap and latched on to him like he never meant to let go.
He’d caught glimpses of Jasper’s clinginess already, especially after an intense scene, but he didn’t mind.
It was a nice change from what he was used to.
He got comfortable, propping a foot on the edge of the table and resting his arms around Jasper.
It’d been years since someone had offered themselves to him so eagerly. Years since he’d experienced this strong a pull towards someone.
He trailed his fingers down Jasper’s arm to his thigh, working the rope off with one hand. Then he did the same to the other leg and tossed the ropes and clamps tangled in them aside.
Jasper didn’t react until Vincent tried to get the rope off one of his arms, tightening his grip and pressing his face into Vincent’s neck with a soft whine.
“Okay,” Vincent whispered, rubbing his palm against Jasper’s arm. “It can wait. You’re not going anywhere.” Once Jasper settled again, he propped his cheek against Jasper’s head to wait.
With the scene done, he was more surprised at the complete satiation spreading through his limbs despite not getting off himself.
Working the floor at the club and doing the occasional scene took the edge off most of the time, but nothing could scratch the itch like having his own sub.
And Jasper was proving to be far more amazing than expected.
Vincent’s leg started going numb long before Jasper finally stirred, shifting his weight and nosing against Vincent’s neck.
“All right, pet?”
“Mmnngh.”
He almost hated the burst of fond amusement in his chest, but he accepted it for what it was. “Can you sit up?”
Jasper tightened his arms around Vincent’s shoulders with a whine of protest. A few moments later, he sighed and lifted his head enough to rest his forehead against Vincent’s cheek instead.
Vincent squeezed Jasper’s knee. “Good enough. Can I take this off now?” he asked, tugging at the rope still covering Jasper’s arm.
Jasper sighed again, as though Vincent were being unacceptably demanding, but he lowered his arm so Vincent could get to it.
“Thank you, pet.” He worked the rope off with one hand, dragging it through his fingers enough to untangle the cords as he went. When he was done, he dropped the rope to the side and brushed his fingers against the indentations in Jasper’s skin.
Shibari was his favorite type of bondage, mostly because of the intimacy involved in putting it on and taking it off, but partly because of the marks it left behind.
They might not last as long as others, but being able to feel them beneath his fingers after a scene took things to a different level.
He turned his head enough to kiss Jasper’s forehead. “How about the other one?”
It took several long seconds, but Jasper finally sat up enough to offer Vincent his other arm. Once freed from the last of the rope, Jasper ran a finger over the marks on his arm.
Vincent watched in silence for a moment. “All good?”
Jasper licked his lips, rubbing his thumb against the line around his wrist as he nodded.
“Can you stand?”
That seemed to be too much to ask. Jasper slumped into Vincent’s chest again with a quiet groan. “Five?”
Vincent stifled a laugh. “How about ten,” he replied, resting a hand on Jasper’s thigh. He traced his finger back and forth along the marks there, feeling the tiny grooves left by the rope.
As the minutes ticked by, he worried maybe he’d gone a bit too far, both too early in the relationship and too late in the weekend. This was the first time he’d seen Jasper so far in subspace, and he wasn’t sure how long it would take him to recover.
But Jasper had been nothing if not responsive through the entire scene, and it was hard to resist the chance to explore his limits.
He suspected Jasper was impatient to experience everything Vincent could offer, but there was no need to rush. The last thing he wanted was to hit a plateau before their first contract was even up.
And he knew without a doubt he’d be offering a second contract.
Two years ago, he’d resigned himself to having a sub for only a few months at a time.
Either the chemistry faded, or their needs never quite aligned with his own.
At some point he’d stopped searching for anything more than the occasional scene.
And then Jasper, the walking contradiction of shyness and naivete and brattiness, dared set foot in his club.
Jasper sighed and pressed his face into Vincent’s shoulder, his grip on Vincent’s shirt relaxing a bit. Even so, it still took a while longer for him to sit up. Then he glanced down at himself with a grimace. “Need a shower,” he murmured.
“Go ahead. I’ll be up in a minute.”
Jasper nodded and slid off Vincent’s lap, sat beside him for a long moment, then finally stood and headed upstairs.
Vincent winced as blood circulated back into his leg, waiting for it to wake up a bit until he dared to stand himself. He grabbed a bottle of water and a carton of apple juice from the pantry, then took care of the locks and lights. The mess could be cleaned up later.
The shower was still running down the hall when Vincent reached the bedroom.
He tossed the drinks on the bed and grabbed some sweats and a T-shirt, using the en suite for his own quick shower and brushing his teeth.
When he finished, Jasper was sitting on the bed with the straw of the apple juice in his mouth, his other hand tracing the marks on his arm.
He hoped that was as reassuring as it looked. “How do they feel?” he asked, settling in beside Jasper.
“Good.” Jasper glanced up, setting the empty carton on the nightstand, then shifting to his knees and facing Vincent, twisting the sheet between his fingers. “I’m sorry.”
Vincent paused, resisting the immediate impulse to catch Jasper’s fingers with his own. “What for?”
Jasper stared at the sheets as he gripped them tighter. “I came without permission.”
That was true enough, though he hadn’t realized that had become their habit. “You did.”
Apparently that was a bigger issue than he thought, because Jasper made a soft sound of frustration. “Shouldn’t you punish me or something?”
Vincent tilted his head as he considered, tugging Jasper closer and getting comfortable. “If you want to add punishments to the contract, that can be done. But I didn’t say you weren’t allowed to come. I said if you didn’t, I’d reward you in the morning.”
Jasper inched closer until he could lie down with his head on Vincent’s pillow. “You’re not mad?” he asked, his fingers twisting Vincent’s shirt.
“No.” He almost asked why he would be but held his tongue. Instead he said, “You were amazing tonight.”
With a soft sigh, Jasper pressed his face into Vincent’s chest. After a moment he asked, “Sooo, does that mean I still get a reward?”
Vincent snorted and pressed a quick kiss against Jasper’s hair. “No.” He leaned back far enough to turn off the light before settling an arm over Jasper’s side.
“What was the reward?”
“Maybe next time you’ll earn it and find out.”
“Jerk,” Jasper grumbled.
Vincent pinched Jasper’s ass, smirking at the sharp yelp it caused. “Go to sleep, brat.”
DESPITE WHAT he’d said, it was difficult to resist rewarding Jasper. Especially when Vincent woke to a hand pressed against his morning erection. But rewarding Jasper for submitting was a slippery slope he couldn’t let himself get near.
Jasper nuzzled into Vincent’s neck, pressing a warm kiss there as he wiggled his fingers.
“Someone’s feeling frisky,” he murmured, trying to hang on to a thread of sleep.
“Of course I am. It’s Sunday.”
Vincent tried to follow that logic, but he wasn’t awake enough yet. “And?”
Jasper huffed and grazed his teeth against Vincent’s neck, lips curving into a grin when Vincent couldn’t contain a soft moan. And then he did it again like the brat he was. “We haven’t had sex in a week.”
“Was that in the contract? Weekly sex?” he asked, stifling a yawn against Jasper’s hair.
Jasper tightened his fingers against Vincent. “Yes,” he said, a hint of a growl in his voice. “Once a week, bare minimum.”
That might have been more amusing if the growl weren’t such a turn-on. He let out a soft groan, finally giving up on sleep and shifting to find the lube and condoms. Once in hand, he tossed both to Jasper. He raised an eyebrow when Jasper stared at them. “Well?”
With a grumble, Jasper picked up the lube. “Why do you like watching me do this?”
“Because you haven’t told me to stop.”
Jasper glanced up, a frown tugging at his lips. He started to say something but seemingly decided against it. He stared at the lube in his hands as a flush crept into his cheeks. “How do you want me?”
Vincent reached for Jasper’s leg and tugged until Jasper was facing him with his back to the foot of the bed. “However you like. So long as I can see.”
“Such a—” Jasper muttered under his breath. He flopped onto his back, lying there a moment before popping the lube open.