A Strong Hand

behavior was acceptable.
    "Thank you," Damian said softly. "How do you feel?"
    "A little stiff, but all right," Nick responded guiltily, taking his hand away.
    "Do you want to touch me?" Damian asked, without moving.
    "Oh, yes," Nick whispered.
    "Go ahead."
    Nick leaned forward eagerly; it hadn't sounded like a command at all, more like a request. He could hardly believe he was being given free rein to discover the other man's body.
    He inhaled, sniffing the clean, natural scent of the older man; there was something about Damian's essence that made him feel safe. The first thing he wanted to do was dip his tongue into the hollow at the base of Damian's throat; it had fascinated him since he'd first been hired. From there he explored the photographer's neck and chest with lips and tongue, tracing the swell of each pectoral.
    Damian arched under the slow journey, taking in a sharp breath as Nick's mouth closed over his nipple, teasing him instinctively with little nips and slow, torturous circles around the aureole. He suppressed his urge to grab Nick's head and guide his tour, controlling his movements; for some reason, it just felt right to allow the younger man the freedom to find his hot spots.
    Nick experienced taking the lead for the first time in their relationship and enjoyed the voyage, sensing that he held the 161

    A Strong Hand
    by Catt Ford
    power of arousing Damian in ways that he didn't fully recognize as yet.
    He ran his tongue over the soft hair on Damian's chest, moving downward toward the rigid shaft that lay on the older man's stomach. He licked over the head and felt strong hands stop him.
    Damian rolled Nick onto his back and smiled at him. "My turn."
    Holding the younger man in place, Damian explored the pliant body that lay under him with his mouth. He licked over the marks he'd made on the previous evening, soothing away any lingering sting. He didn't regret making them; in fact the sight of them filled him with pride.
    "So beautiful and all mine," he murmured. He looked up to see the curve of pink lips, and the heavily lidded eyes, soulful with arousal and some softer emotion.
    "Yours," Nick echoed. He gasped when Damian's mouth found his cock and swallowed him whole. He'd never felt anything like that and that was the last coherent thought he had, bucking wildly into the wet heat surrounding him.
    Ever since their first encounter together, Damian had yearned for the taste of his young lover and now he indulged himself, licking, sucking, nibbling and nuzzling. He ran his tongue delicately along the underside of Nick's cock, noting each spot that made the boy whimper and squirm. He sucked in his balls, one at a time, lavishing his tongue over each one until Nick couldn't keep still. Finally Damian relaxed his throat and took the boy's cock in to the root, his nose nuzzling the curls at the base. He allowed his throat muscles to work 162

    A Strong Hand
    by Catt Ford
    around the hard length, his hands holding the slim hips in place as Nick cried out and tried to thrust as he came, releasing himself into Damian's mouth. At last Nick stopped moving, his chest heaving with exertion.
    Damian smiled as he crawled up to take his lips in a tender kiss, sharing the flavor with his young lover. Nick opened his eyes and stroked Damian's cheek.
    "I want to be inside you, Nick, to take you completely and make you mine," Damian whispered.
    "Please ... I want to feel you inside me," Nick answered breathlessly.
    Damian smiled to feel Nick widen his legs, welcoming him between them. "Your hip—are you sure you'll be okay?"
    "I'm sure," Nick said, although his voice quavered uncertainly. "I'm just stiff."
    Damian groped and found the boy's cock was more than half-hard again already, in spite of his release. "I guess you are," he teased.
    Nick laughed, and Damian delighted to hear the carefree sound.
    Dropping a kiss on the laughing lips, he said, "It will be easier for the first time if you're on your stomach. You can relax and let me do all the work."
    "Yes, sir," Nick said acquiescently.
    Damian kissed him one more time and carefully rolled him onto his stomach. He stroked the firm rounded buttocks with pleasure, enjoying the way his palms fit around the curved mounds. He tapped one gently, saying, "Lift up, babe."
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    A Strong Hand
    by Catt Ford
    Nick raised his hips and Damian slid a pillow under him.
    "Okay?"
    "Yeah," came a sigh in response.
    "I'll go slow," Damian promised, although the sight of the