Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 116254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 581(@200wpm)___ 465(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 116254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 581(@200wpm)___ 465(@250wpm)___ 388(@300wpm)
Remi regarded Breck. “Familiar how?”
Breck stiffened, going still as a statue.
Nova opened his mouth, but Kai was quick to intercept. “Mind your manners, Nova,” he admonished coolly. “I have him wearing a hood for a reason. His identity is mine to enjoy and mine alone.”
Nova wilted and dropped his gaze. “I apologize.”
Remi glanced between them, then quickly blurted, “He doesn’t look familiar to me.”
Nova shot him a you-fucking-slag glower. Remi returned it with a coy little smirk.
Kai eyed them sternly.
Remi lowered his gaze, and then they both stepped back.
“So sorry,” Nova repeated. “It won’t happen again.”
Kai inclined his head, accepting his apology. Breck, however, still looked stiff as a board. Even after they’d shuffled off, he didn’t seem able to relax.
“Don’t worry about it. Those two are harmless.”
Breck’s anxious eyes met his gaze. He was rattled, his confidence shaken.
“You looked familiar to him, that’s all.”
Breck swallowed and warily glanced at all the nearby patrons.
If Kai couldn’t reassure him, then perhaps a distraction would be more effective.
“C’mere.” He headed for a small recess between Kink and Ink and its neighboring store. Pulling Breck into the tiny nook, he eased him against the wall. Breck’s body was rigid, his muscles tense. Kai soothingly leaned into him, then tenderly took his mouth.
Breck exhaled against his lips, his demeanor easing.
“Mmm… that’s it,” Kai purred. “Go soft for me, jeja.”
Breck moaned deep in his throat and clutched Kai’s hip. Kai deepened their kiss, their bound hands pinned between their chests. Against his knuckles, he could feel Breck’s racing heart. But going by the way Breck’s tongue was rubbing against his? Yeah, it wasn’t due to stress.
He pressed in closer. Breck’s body loosened more. A few seconds later, he felt Breck’s hips give a tentative grind. Damn. He was hard. And now so was Kai. A groan slipped past Breck’s lips. Kai swallowed it down, but then forced himself to wrap it up. His goal had been accomplished, his objective met. And while he’d love to keep going with this, attracting attention would be counterintuitive.
Easing back, he met Breck’s hooded gaze, his amber eyes smoldering and his pupils huge. “C’mon,” he murmured, his voice husky. “We’re almost there.”
Breck gave a nod, looking slightly dazed.
Kai turned and steered them back into the crowds, his own heart thumping at a steady pace. Breck hadn’t been the only one affected by their covert kiss.
They passed two more stores, then a rental shop.
Breck slowed, checking it out. “Wait… Rentals for what?”
Kai fought a grin. “Gear… Garb… Companions.”
“Companions?”
“Sure. Why not? Think escort service.” He smirked. “Or transient pet.”
Breck eyed him dubiously. “They rent animals here?”
“In a manner of speaking.”
Right on cue, a couple exited said rental shop, one clearly a leather daddy, the other dressed in puppy gear. Breck gaped—specifically at the guy on a leash, fully clad in PVC from head to toe, his onyx outfit complete with a pup mask and wagging tail.
“Oh. My. God,” Breck muttered, looking at Kai.
Kai just grinned and continued walking.
Breck stared over his shoulder at the man and his pup.
“Hmm,” Kai mused. “I think you like that.”
Breck quickly turned back and coughed a laugh. “No… That’s just… you know… weird.”
“Weird is in the eye of the beholder.”
“You telling me you think that’s normal?”
Kai laughed. “What’s normal? Look around you. Everything is relative.”
Breck pursed his lips but didn’t reply. He did, however, steal one last glimpse over his shoulder.
Kai smiled, entertained by his bewilderment. And a little turned on, if truth be told. Breck’s inexperience with kink was… appealing. How he’d love to introduce him to a little bit more. Witness his reaction. Taste his apprehension. Full-on savor every nuance of his thrill. He suspected Breck would acquire quite a taste for all things ‘unorthodox’ when all was said and done.
They passed a few more shops to their left, but then Breck glanced across the wide-open center. “What’s that?”
He pointed to one business in particular, where couples were entering through a set of double doors. Only it wasn’t one of Dom District’s typical businesses. No large glass entries with things on display to buy or lease. Just a factory-grade sign by the entrance that read Don’t Make a Mess.
“Rooms for rent.”
Breck chuckled awkwardly. “Oh.”
“Surprised?”
Breck fought a smile, and then shook his head. “Yeah, not really, no.”
Kai grinned and motioned to the door up ahead where a half dozen patrons had gathered and were watching a class. “The workshop where I teach Shibari.”
They pulled to a stop. Breck peered over the others. “The design that I helped you with, this is where you taught it that night?”
“It is.”
Breck stilled as he got an eyeful. Another class was in session, but not for Shibari. Rather, a demonstration on how to properly flog one’s sub, the instructor’s assistant shackled face-first to the room’s back wall. And by the look of said assistant’s bright-red backside, they’d been ‘demonstrating’ for quite a while.