Beyond Eden (15 page)

“I am a redneck,” Paul said, a smirk tugging at his lips. “I got the accent to prove

it.”

“You’re not a redneck, Southern accent or not,” Danny argued, his eyes narrowed

as he trailed his hand up Paul’s cheek that was rough with the first signs of stubble. “You just pretend to be one for your father. And I’ll have you know there’s nothing wrong with being a fag. I’m a part-time fag and I’m perfect.”

“Does Evie know you’re a part-time fag?” Paul asked with a laugh.

“No,” he said, closing his eyes tiredly as he shoved Paul off him, making him fall down to lie next to him on the bed. “But I’m thinking I should tell her.”

“Not funny,” Paul said, sobering instantly. “You can’t tell her. If you tell her she’ll figure us out.”

Danny rolled onto his side and propped his cheek on his hand as he stared at Paul. “I hate lying to her. Aren’t you supposed to tell your girlfriend everything? Lay it all out on the table and see if she still puts up with you. That’s how it works, isn’t it?”

“No,” Paul said slowly, his eyes narrowed at Danny. “Honesty is overrated.” “Vanilla people are honest,” Danny said thoughtfully. “Telling her would be the

right course of action for a real relationship with her.”

“Kinky people are honest,” Paul argued. “Vanilla people are anything but. I’m a part-time vanilla person and trust me when I tell you that I would never be fully honest with Trisha. That’s a catastrophe I can’t even bear to think about.”

“Forgive me if I don’t want to base my relationship with Eve on you and Trisha,” Danny said darkly. “You don’t even love her.”

“I love her,” Paul said, avoiding his eyes as he stared up at the top of the bed. “Liar.”

“Don’t tell Evie,” Paul said rather than argue with him. “Trust me on this.”

“I want you to sleep with me tonight,” Danny said firmly, deciding to drop the vanilla debate. “Your eyes are still dilated. That’s why you’re bouncing around this bedroom at one in the morning. I know you’re still buzzing whether you admit it or not.”

Paul smirked, his eyes darting back to Danny. “Fire play does work nicely. It’s a decent substitute for your whip.”

“Mmm,” Danny hummed in agreement, knowing Paul was still on an endorphin high that made him exhilarated for hours. “Skip running tomorrow.”

“Fuck you,” Paul snorted, giving him a look of annoyance. “I like running days.”

Danny sighed in defeat as he dropped his arm, letting his head fall heavily to the pillow. “Fine, go running in four hours. I’m too tired to care.”

“Roll over,” Paul said, pushing at his shoulder. “I’ll rub your neck. It’s the least I can do. The fire play was nice. That was thoughtful of you.”

“You’re a freak,” Danny groaned, rolling over like Paul asked so his back was facing him. “Only you would consider being set on fire thoughtful.”

Paul rubbed his shoulders, his strong hands digging into the tense muscles at the curves of Danny’s neck in a way that made him groan out load. It was nice, certainly something Danny could get into because Paul gave amazing massages, but he pushed his hands away after a few short minutes.

“Go to sleep,” Danny said softly. “If you’re really going running I want you to go to sleep.”

“Fine,” Paul said, making a move to roll out of bed.

“Don’t even think about it,” Danny growled at him. “You’re sleeping with me. We already decided on it.”

“Christ,” Paul said, flopping back down beside him in defeat. “This is ridiculous.

I’m fine.”

Danny considered that as he reached over to turn off the light on his nightstand, plunging them into total darkness. “Are you sure I didn’t get you? Don’t lie to me.”

“I’m sure,” Paul said in annoyance. “You’re a professional. There’s not a scorch mark on me—unfortunately.”

“I’m impressed with myself,” Danny said with a smug grin as he rolled over and wrapped his arms around Paul, resting his cheek against his hard chest and savoring the novelty of lying there with him without having to work. “If I weren’t retired, we could do some fire demonstrations. We used to do amazing whip demonstrations that made everyone breathless. Imagine what we could do with fire. It could be really flashy and dramatic. That’s fun,” Danny said longingly, wishing he had thought about little things like that before he retired impulsively. There was so much he missed about him and Paul being actively involved in the scene. “I could teach fire play to all those idiots scarring up their slaves.”

“You could,” Paul agreed, his fingers running through Danny’s hair softly. “It’s a nice skill in your repertoire. You should be proud of it. You’re an excellent Master— very talented.”

Danny smiled, his arms tightening around Paul as he buried his face in his chest, inhaling his scent and savoring it. “You’re feeding my vanity. That’s a nice submissive skill you have. It’s always been one of my favorites.”

“That one’s easy, especially with you,” Paul snorted, his fingers still light in Danny’s hair as his other hand ran up the line of his back. “I told Trisha about Eve. She wants to double date.”

“Oh, fun,” Danny said, pulling a face of distaste. “Did you tell her you used to date?”

“Yeah, but I sorta played down how involved we were. We got to do the double date thing or she’ll get suspicious.”

“You’ve been avoiding Eve like the plague ever since your little issue in the yard,” Danny reminded him. “You really want to go out with her and Trisha? Isn’t that just asking for a drama?”

“No, it’ll be fine. I got it under control,” Paul said, his voice suddenly pained. “I don’t know what I was thinking that night. Can you imagine if Eve found out about my problem? That would be horrible. Thank you for stopping me. I owe you for that.”

“It wouldn’t be so bad if she found out,” Danny said, testing the waters curiously. “She’d probably be fine with it.”

“No,” Paul said firmly. “I don’t ever want her to find out. Promise me you won’t tell her. I’d rather she just think of me as a boy scout. Let her believe it. That makes me happy.”

Danny fell silent, not wanting to commit to that particular promise. He was hoping Paul would drop it, but he nudged him instead. Danny was too tired to argue and just sighed in defeat. “Fine.”

“Thank you,” Paul said softly in a voice so genuinely relieved Danny couldn’t help but feel guilty. “Really, I love you, Danny Boy.”

Danny closed his eyes in exhaustion, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice as he whispered, “You always love me when you’re buzzing on endorphins.”

“I do feel good,” Paul said, not bothering to deny the accusation. “You’re a wonderful Master, you really are.”

Danny winced and held on to Paul tighter, even if it was agonizing to know the only way he loved him was as his tormenter. He willed the exhaustion to take him into sleep as he tried to pretend Paul was sleeping with him because he loved him, not because he had ordered him to.

“My mother hates you.”

“Most mothers do,” Danny snorted, lacing a hand behind his head as he took a long drag off his cigarette and blew smoke up to the top of his bed. “Has she figured out you do more than paint when you come over here every day?”

“I told her we were officially dating,” Eve said as she rolled over, draping her naked body over his and trailing her fingernails over his abdominal muscles teasingly. “She wasn’t pleased, but my dad was fine with it. He likes you.”

“Hmm,” Danny hummed, frowning thoughtfully as he took another drag off his cigarette and then reached over to tap it against the ashtray on his nightstand. “He shouldn’t like me. I’m bad news for sweet, innocent girls like his daughter.”

“Oh my God,” Eve said with a laugh, tilting her head on his chest to smile up at him, showing off deep dimples in both cheeks, making her look adorable with the rosy glow from their lovemaking still showing on her face. “I’m not that innocent, Danny Boy.”

“You are innocent,” Danny said, licking his lips as he admired the beauty of Eve’s open, honest face. “I could prove it.”

“Do it.”

“No,” Danny said as he took another drag off his cigarette and tilted his head back to blow the smoke up. “I don’t want to. I’m still enjoying the novelty of being with someone sweet and naïve. I’m not ready to corrupt you yet.”

Eve laughed at him, her green eyes sparkling in amusement. Her voice was gravelly with the sated sound of sex in it as she said, “You’ve already corrupted me. You do it on a daily basis.”

“No, I don’t,” Danny argued, his eyes growing wide as he stared ahead unseeing and considered what he could do to corrupt her. “When I decide to corrupt you, trust me, you’ll know it.”

“Are you going to?” Eve asked teasingly, her eyebrows rising in obvious curiosity. “I might.” Danny let his eyes run over Eve longingly as he considered the notion of

enslaving her. That thought was more than alluring, a temptation Danny would be

hopeless to resist once he was tired of her innocence that was still a charming novelty to him. “You should run now. I’m dangerous.”

“I know, but I love it,” Eve said as she reached up and ran her fingers over his lips. Danny kissed her finger and then sucked it into his mouth, flicking his tongue over it the way he would usually use to lick her clit. Eve’s eyes became glazed as she tilted her head and stared at him longingly. “I love you.”

Danny closed his eyes and pulled her hand away from his mouth. Eve was too open and trusting. She leapt into things impulsively without thinking and that concerned him. His love for her made him protective. In the past few weeks he had discovered it was so all encompassing he often found himself irritated at her for falling for him so easily when he was the most dangerous temptation of all.

“We’ve been together two weeks. You don’t even know me,” Danny said warningly. “You shouldn’t be telling me you love me.”

“I do know you,” Eve argued, her eyes still soft and adoring. “I’ve known you my whole life and I like who you are. I love you—deal with it.”

Danny rolled his eyes as he leaned over and put out his cigarette. “That right there should tell you how naïve you still are. You don’t know me, Evie Girl. You just think you do.”

“So tell me what I don’t know,” Eve countered, her eyes wide and inquisitive. “I’m open-minded. I won’t judge you.”

“Paul Guy wants to go on a double date with us,” Danny said, deciding to change the subject. “The cunt wants to meet you.”

“Why do you call his fiancée a cunt?” Eve asked, frowning up at him in disappointment. “If he loves her enough to marry her, she can’t be that bad.”

Danny pulled a disgusted face as he looked away from Eve. “She is that bad. I hate that bitch.”

“Paul has been avoiding me like crazy. He thinks he’s being slick about it, but he’s really not,” Eve said, her voice aching all of a sudden. “Now he wants to double with us. What is up with him, Danny Boy? Be honest. Is he still mad at me?”

“Nothing’s up with him. He’s not mad at you,” Danny said, turning back to meet Eve’s eyes because he knew from a lifetime of watching Paul that hiding when you lied was a dead giveaway. “He’s fine.”

“I don’t believe it.”

Danny laughed. “Well, I can’t help you with that. Do you want to double or not? I have no problem telling him no. I don’t care if the cunt gets mad or suspicious. She’s not my girlfriend.”

“I don’t mind doubling with them,” Eve said softly, closing her eyes as pain showed on her beautiful face. “I want to meet the woman who stole his heart. She can’t be a cunt, not if she’s his soul mate.”

“Okay,” Danny said slowly as disgust rolled over him so potently he couldn’t hide it. “She’s not Paul Guy’s soul mate. Not even close. You are romanticizing something that is anything but romantic.”

Eve frowned at him. “Why else would he marry her?”

“Political gain,” Danny offered cynically. “Being a glutton for punishment. Blind obedience of his father—shall I go on?”

“No,” Eve said with a roll of her eyes. “You’re jaded and jealous. You don’t want to lose your best friend and you think Paul getting married will somehow ruin your friendship. It won’t.”

“Yes, it will,” Danny said bitterly. “It’ll ruin everything.”

Eve sighed and then got on her hands and knees, crawling over him. She leaned down until her lips were a breath away from his. “I feel your pain,” she said softly, her eyes swimming with tears. “But if you love Paul Guy, you should be happy for him, no matter how painful it is.”

“Let’s double,” Danny countered, his eyes narrowed at Eve. “You meet her and then decide how happy you are for him.”

“Fine,” Eve said softly and then leaned down and captured his lips.

Danny reached up, tangling his fingers in her hair, pulling her closer to him as he pushed his tongue past her lips and tasted her in an indulgent sweep of her mouth. He swallowed Eve’s moan as she wilted into him.

“I need you,” Eve rasped when they parted for air. “Please.”

“You’re insatiable,” Danny said with a pained laugh, knowing he couldn’t tell her Paul was just as voracious. It was little wonder the two of them were constantly disappearing as teenagers when they both had sex drives that put even Danny to shame. “I’m tired, Evie Girl. You wear me out.”

“You’re fine,” Eve said with a smile as she reached down and stroked him, making his head fall back against the pillow. “What do you want?”

“Go down on me,” Danny said as he laced his hands behind his head. “I like seeing those pretty lips wrapped around my cock. Do it for a bit and then I’ll fuck you again.”

“Sure,” Eve said seductively as she slithered down his body, her lips pressing soft, teasing kisses over his skin. “I like sucking your cock. It’s beautiful.”

“True,” Danny agreed as his eyes drifted close.

He moaned when Eve took him in her mouth, her lips and tongue working enthusiastically at making him fully hard. He reached down, tangling one hand in her hair to control her movements, forcing her to slow down as he started moving his hips in the rhythm he wanted. He stared down at her with heavy-lidded eyes, admiring the way his cock looked in her mouth as he fucked it.

“Come here,” he groaned after a few minutes, tugging at her hair and forcing her to release him. “Ride me.”