Dungeon Master by Golden Angel

Chapter Six

Gavin

Brushing his lips over Leah’s in the gentlest, most fleeting kiss he’d ever given her, Gavin placed his hands on her hips, pulling her in against him.

“Tell me yes, Leah.” Their lips were still touching, just barely, so she would be able to feel his moving against hers when he made the request. Her eyes were still closed, her breath warm against his face when she sighed. “Tell me you want me to kiss you.”

“Yes, Gavin, kiss me.” She whispered the words as if she didn’t dare say them any louder and break the spell they were under.

It did feel like a spell—a stolen moment in time, where there was no one else in the world and no consequences to think about.

Gavin claimed her lips. He was hard as a rock, his cock digging into the softness of her stomach. At his age, that wasn’t always a guarantee, especially without some warmup, but just having Leah here, under his hands, asking for his kiss… Fuck. At the club, their contract was spelled out nice and neat. They both knew the boundaries, and they knew it didn’t leave the Outlands.

This… this was messy. Dangerous. This was more than sex or getting their needs met.

Kissing for the sake of kissing…

He backed her up to the wall, one step at a time. Felt her gasp when he pressed her against it, trapping her between him and the hard surface. His hips rocked forward, rubbing his cock against her front, and she moaned. Her hands moved over his skin, sliding up to his chest where her fingers rubbed through his chest hair.

When was the last time they’d kissed like this? He couldn’t remember. It wasn’t that they didn’t kiss at the Outlands, but they didn’t spend any time on it, didn’t let it mean anything.

This… this meant something. He didn’t know what yet, but he knew this wasn’t emotionless. Leah wouldn’t be kissing him like this if she didn’t feel something more than attraction.

Rolling his hips, Gavin pulled his lips away from hers, dropping kisses along her jaw, then moving to her neck. Leah gasped, her hands resting on his shoulders and gripping as she wriggled against him. He slid his hands up her sides to her breasts, cupping the soft mounds.

Her back arched, and she moaned his name.

Fuck.

Gavin’s cock throbbed as he felt her legs part. She leaned all her weight against the wall, letting him touch her how he pleased. It would be so easy to strip her down and take her right there…

Except she wasn’t ready yet. They weren’t ready yet. Sex had always been the easy part for them. Too easy sometimes. Like right now. He was getting carried away with wanting her, but they hadn’t settled anything yet. And she had a date this weekend.

Growling under his breath, Gavin made himself end the caress and ease away. Leah leaned against the wall, staring at him, eyes wide and hazy with lust. Her chest lifted and fell as she panted, just as hot and ready to go as he was. Gavin mentally cursed the necessity of pulling away. That’s not what this was about.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, a flicker of hurt crossing her face.

“I didn’t mean to take this so far,” he admitted, holding up his hand to stop her from responding. He gestured at the front of his sweatpants, which hid absolutely nothing. “I want you, but this isn’t all I want. I want more than a sexual relationship with you, Leah. I want everything.”

Too soon. It was too soon, and he knew it the moment he saw the panic on her face.

“I have to go.”

“Okay.” He stepped back. It took every ounce of willpower he possessed. Fuck, he wanted to hold her in his arms and beg her to stay. She needed time. Gavin hadn’t listened before when she’d told him what she wanted—needed—from him, but this time he was going to do better, which meant shoving down his own impulses and waiting for her to know what she wanted.

“Think about what I said about coming to a therapy appointment with me. You’re welcome any time.”

Avoiding his eyes, Leah just nodded and rushed out the door, leaving him standing there with a hard-on from hell, hoping he hadn’t just cocked everything up.

* * *

Leah

“He wants you to come to therapy with him?” Esther asked as if she was trying to figure out some hidden meaning behind the words.

“Yes.”

“And he didn’t try to have sex with you?” That was the part Cyana was still hung up on.

To be fair, Leah was a little hung up on it as well. Two days later and her body was still humming with a need her vibrator hadn’t been able to handle. It wasn’t that her vibrator couldn’t get her off, but that wasn’t everything she wanted. She wanted the weight of a man on top of her, the feel of his hands moving over her skin, the taste of him in her mouth…

Yup, her libido—rarely reliable—had woken up with a vengeance and didn’t appear to be going anywhere. Figured. At her age, she sometimes didn’t feel the need for sex for days, even weeks, but now that she shouldn’t have it, her body had decided it was all in.

“Say it a little louder, why don’t you?” Esther hissed, looking around to see if any of the nearby tables were staring at them. They’d decided to start their evening out at a nice restaurant before heading back to Cyana’s. Looking nice, feeling nice, then chilling out together and getting drunk, but Esther was already well on her way to the last part since she didn’t drink much anymore. Cheeks already a little flushed after two glasses of wine, even a little tipsy, there were certain things she never wanted to talk about in public.

Leah’s lips twitched with amusement. You could take the Baby Girl out of the club, but she was still a Baby Girl. Not that Esther and Jax came to Outlands all that much anymore, but they still stopped by occasionally.

“There're no kids around,” Cyana said, waving her hand. “If the adults can’t handle a little conversation about sex, they don’t have to listen.”

“He said he wants more from me than a sexual relationship.” Leah was doing her best to get the conversation back on track. Of course, she managed to say that at the exact moment their server appeared at their table with their dinners. Now Esther wasn’t the only one blushing—only Cyana was unbothered. Cheeks flaming red, Leah couldn’t meet the young man’s eyes as he put her plate down in front of her.

“Shrimp and grits, chicken cordon bleu, and the New York strip steak, medium rare,” he said, setting them down one at a time. Esther’s cheeks were a hot red, and she avoided looking at him as well—and when her gaze met Leah’s, she blushed even more furiously. “Anything else I can get for you ladies?”

Was she imaging it, or did his voice have a little flirtation in it?

“We’ll let you know,” Cyana said, smiling up at him. Of course, she wasn’t fazed at all. “Thank you.”

“Absolutely.”

Leah peeked up at him in time to see him wink at Cyana, who winked back. As soon as he was out of earshot, Leah leaned forward. Cyana was still watching him walk away.

“He is half your age!”

“Which means he’s in his twenties and needs someone to teach him a few things,” Cyana said with a grin, finally looking away and turning her attention to the steak in front of her. “But fine. Let’s get back to talking about you and Gavin not having sex.”

“Oh my God, Cyana.” Esther scrunched in her seat, covering her face with her hands. “Can’t we talk about the therapy now and the sex later? After I’ve had a few more drinks, and we’re not in public?”

“Fine,” Cyana sighed, then made a happy humming noise when she took her first bite of steak. Leah knew how she felt. The shrimp and grits were perfectly cooked, practically melting on her tongue. Damn, she’d needed this. “Are you going to go to therapy with him?”

“Do you think I should?” Leah had to admit she was tempted. Seriously… Gavin in therapy? It felt like something she should witness firsthand. On the other hand, she still had a lot of resentment built up from when she’d been the one trying to get him to go with her. “I mean, he had his chance, years ago, and didn’t want it then. Why should I jump just because he finally decided to get on board?”

“I guess it depends on what you want,” Cyana said thoughtfully. “If you want a second chance at a relationship with him—a real one, not the act-that-shall-not-be-named-in-public thing you’ve been doing for the past few years.” Esther scowled at her, but Cyana ignored it and kept going. “Then you might have to accept he was just very, very, very slow on the uptake.”

“Better late than never?” Esther quipped. They all laughed, but Leah still felt unsettled.

“Is it, though?” she asked, making the other two laugh again. She was only half-joking. They were right. The real question… was it too late?

* * *

Gavin

The Outlands was hopping, as it always was on a Friday night. Leather and lace, sex and seduction, the sounds of pain and pleasure all intermingling. Unfortunately, he couldn’t enjoy it the way he normally did, when all he could think about was Leah and grit his teeth in frustration that she wasn’t here. He hadn’t been expecting her, but now that he knew she was dating, he wasn’t as confident about the nights she didn’t come in.

Tomorrow, when she was actually out on a date, was going to be pure torture. Maybe he shouldn’t have put his hands on her last night. If he hadn’t kissed her, he wouldn’t be feeling this hopeful. For once, he wished his appointment with Dr. Silverwood was sooner rather than later. He wasn’t seeing her until next Wednesday, but he could use someone to talk everything out with.

“Hey. Hey. Hey. Anyone home? Helloooooo in there?” Aiden waved his hand in front of Gavin’s face.

Yeah, unfortunately, he was stuck with Aiden as a confidant for now.

Sighing, he turned to face his friend, raising his eyebrow.

“Do ye need something, laddie?”

“Och, aye,” Aiden responded in the worst Scottish accent Gavin had ever heard. He had to suppress his smile. Yeah, his brogue had come through pretty thick, thanks to his roiling emotions. Thankfully, Aiden dropped the terrible accent. “What’s going on? You look like you’re barely paying attention to the scenes, and that never happens.”

Gavin’s first instinct was to say nothing, but that wasn’t true, and he knew it wasn’t helpful. He’d seen Leah’s reaction when he’d shared some of his feelings in front of their friends. Seemed like it was something he was going to need to get more used to.

“I can’t stop thinking about Leah.”

To his surprise, Aiden recoiled, making the sign of the cross in front of himself as if he was trying to ward off evil. The horrified expression on his face was so exaggerated, it was comical.

“Wait, seriously? You’re supposed to say, ‘I’m fine.’ Man up, man. I am not the right person for this.” Despite his reaction, and even though he was shaking his head, Aiden showed no signs of fleeing. He was a good friend, even if he was an ass.

“You’re the only one who’s here, and you asked.”

“Yeah, but you’re not supposed to give a real answer. Suppress that shit, man. Bury it deep. You’re fine. I’m fine. We’re all fine.” Aiden gestured to the club at large. “Everybody is fine. That was supposed to snap you out of it, not open up a conversation.”

“You know you sound like a poster boy for toxic masculinity, right? Do you think it’s possible this worldview has anything to do with the fact you’ve been divorced twice?” Tilting his head at Aiden, Gavin raised his eyebrows, genuinely amused.

Aiden only took a moment to think about the question. “Nah.”

Snorting, Gavin couldn’t help but chuckle. His friend was a git sometimes, but he was entertaining. Dressed in his leathers and a vest, Gavin was surprised Aiden wasn’t out there, finding a likely submissive to scene with. When was the last time he’d seen Aiden actually do a scene? He frowned.

“Are you okay?”

“Me? Yeah, of course, I’m fine.” Aiden grinned. The lighting where they were standing, off to the sides of the actual scenes, was dim, so Gavin couldn’t tell if Aiden was completely serious or not.

“You haven’t scened in a while.”

Aiden turned away, so Gavin was looking at his profile while Aiden looked out across the club, one of his shoulders lifting in a shrug.

“Does it ever get kind of boring to you?” For Aiden, that was being vulnerable, and Gavin’s concern ratcheted up a notch.

“Boring?”

“Yeah, it’s the same thing, over and over again. Sub wants this, sub wants that. Spank this one, flog that one. To keep it interesting, I find myself doing things I’m not actually interested in, just to do something different.” Aiden shrugged again, shoving his hands in his pockets in an almost defensive gesture.

Unfortunately, Gavin couldn’t really relate. When he scened with Leah, he was always so focused on her and her pleasure, on seeing how she reacted to various things, he didn’t get bored. But then, they had a connection beyond the sexual encounter for the evening, even when they’d tried to make their relationship all about sex.

“Have you thought about trying for a longer contract with a submissive instead of scening for one night, then dropping her?” Gavin asked, keeping his tone mild.

“Yeah, but then they start expecting things, and I have to be the jerk who lets them down.” Aiden sighed, and there was more to it than letting out his breath. It sounded heavy, tired. “Since we’re being all touchy-feely, I feel old and jaded, man. I find myself coming here more to see my friends than to get my freak on. And that’s weird.”

Something suddenly occurred to Gavin.

“Is this why you’ve been flirting more with Cyana? Are you looking to switch?”

“What? Hell, no!” Aiden jerked back, appearing to be horrified again. “I mean, yeah, I’d love to scene with her, but you know… with me in charge. I feel like that’s the kind of challenge that could kick me out of my rut.”

“That’s the kind of challenge that could get your nuts cut off.” Gavin shook his head. There was no freaking way. If he had to lay down money on Aiden vs. Cyana, he’d back Cyana every time. Aiden, well, he wasn’t exactly a lazy Dom, but he’d gotten lazier as he got older. Perhaps because he was jaded or cynical, but maybe his heart wasn’t really in it anymore. “Do you want to take up with some of the new trainees? Maybe helping them figure out their limits will help you.”

“Maybe.” Aiden made a face, but he hadn’t said no. “It can’t hurt to try something new, right?”

“That’s pretty much my philosophy right now.”

* * *

Leah

Sprawled on Cyana’s couch, which was very comfortable, Leah was pretty sure she would never be able to move again. The cushions had sunk in, and she was trapped. She would just have to live here forever.

The good news was living on Cyana’s couch would probably mean she wouldn’t have to face Gavin again… unless they moved game night to Cyana’s house, but as long as she was stuck on the couch, there would only be so much Gavin could do to her.

“What’s that noise?” she asked. Something was beeping.

“I think it’s the oven,” Esther said from the other side of the couch, struggling to her feet—and so far, she was losing the struggle. This was why Leah wasn’t even trying.

“Stupid needy oven,” Cyana muttered under her breath, getting up and heading into the kitchen. How did she do that? Then again, it was her couch. She was probably used to having to battle it for supremacy.

Despite being stuffed full at the restaurant, especially after dessert, once they got to Cyana’s place and started really drinking, they had the munchies. Thankfully, Cyana had tater tots in her freezer, but Leah was going to have to sit up to eat them.

She pushed and heaved, managing to get herself into a sitting position. Woo-hoo! The couch was still winning the war, but she’d take the battle and be happy for it. Sighing, she glanced over at Esther, who was still struggling to sit up.

“Here, take my hand.” Leah held her hand out. Esther reached. Strained. Their fingers touched, and she pulled Esther upright.

“You two are pathetic,” Cyana said, chuckling as she came back into the room with a plate full of tater tots piled high.

“I can live with that, as long as there’s ranch.” Esther grinned, bouncing with excitement now that she was upright. Cyana shot her a look.

“Of course, there’s ranch. This is a respectable household. Now eat up. We need the grease to counteract the hangovers in the morning.”

Ugh. Yeah, she wasn’t wrong. Leah was not looking forward to that part, but she was also having too much fun to really care at the moment. Worth it. At least, she thought so now. She might change her mind tomorrow.

“I think I might need to sleep over,” Esther muttered.

“Will Daddy let you?” Leah teased. Jax was pure Daddy Dom, and Leah couldn’t remember a time he’d ever let Esther do a sleepover unless it had been pre-arranged. He liked having her home.

“I’m not sure he’ll care.”

The bitterness in Esther’s voice took both Leah and Cyana by surprise, and they exchanged a glance. Crap, was that the alcohol talking? Or was the buzz letting her be more honest than she might have been otherwise? Leah hadn’t noticed anything amiss between Jax and Esther, but would she have? As if she’d realized she was bringing the mood down, Esther smiled as she reached forward to take a tater tot off the stack.

“Don’t mind me, ladies. Jax has been working late a lot and hasn’t had as much time for me, and I’m annoyed.”

“Want the name of a couples’ counselor? I hear Gavin has a good one,” Cyana said, a light note of teasing in her voice, but her concern was clear.

“We’ll see.” Esther sighed, chewing thoughtfully. “Mmmm, this is exactly what I needed. I think I’m probably too sensitive. I hate being home alone in the evenings.”

“What about the kids?”

“They’re teenagers.” Esther shook her head. “I’m the last person they want to hang out with.”

Ah, yes, Leah remembered those years. Mitch had been pretty good about spending time with her; she’d often thought it was his way of trying to prevent her from spending time with Gavin. Look how that had turned out. A decade later and her ex was finally ready for couples counseling. Ugh.

It was too late, right? Surely, it was too late. Too much water under the bridge. Too many old resentments. Too much history and hurt.

But what if…