Haunted Heart by Susan Laine

Ruben, they were all but touching.
    “I dream of your skin, so soft and warm.” His fingertips made contact with Ruben’s cheek, sliding down to his jawline, then down his throat to graze his collarbone. Ruben shivered but said nothing to make the man stop. Duncan dipped his head down to kiss Ruben’s pulse point and then nibbled tenderly on his earlobe. “I fantasize about your lips, how perfectly they fit against mine, their sweet taste I can’t get enough of.” Duncan brushed his lips over Ruben’s, the touch as quick and fleeting as the wind. With a whimper, Ruben found himself chasing Duncan’s delectable mouth until the man relented, and they kissed.
    When they parted, both men were flushed and panting.
    Ruben felt intoxicated and dizzy, and his cock was rock hard in his jeans. But he didn’t care if the bulge of his enthusiasm showed. “I like kissing,” he confessed demurely, smiling.
    “I like kissing you .” Duncan emphasized his own admission with another quick kiss. “I’d love to kiss you all over.” His heated gaze swept over Ruben, who was sweating with the build-up of fire within. “I dream of kissing your—” He stopped abruptly, leaving Ruben hanging.
    “My what?” Ruben asked quietly, worried Duncan wanted to stop. He knew in his heart he would say no if things went beyond his limits. So far, though, they hadn’t.
    Duncan looked up at him again, this time serious and intense, the desire evident but with a hint of hesitation and uncertainty. It was as if the man didn’t know if he should speak his mind. “Your cock. I wish I could kiss your cock.”
    The threat of fainting was imminent for Ruben. “Y-you w-would do that…?”
    The remark made Duncan grin again, salaciously. “Suck your cock? I’d absolutely love to do that. If and when you want.” His pupils dilated, pushing out the blue into a thin ring. “I’m sure your cock tastes divine. I could suck you for hours and enjoy every minute of it.”
    Ruben had never heard anyone say these words to him. They sounded like profanities, dirty and tawdry. But they were also hot, passionate, needy, and they drove Ruben mad with want he had never experienced before. Not even in sex education class had he heard cock mentioned so many times. Wait, in fact, he had never heard that word, just penis.
    So now that Ruben had let the words sink in, he had to decide whether he wished for that to happen. Did he want Duncan to deliver on his promise?
    Yes! Oh, God, yes, please . Ruben swallowed hard.
    “W-would I have to take my clothes off…?” Surprisingly, it was that thought—not the one about getting his dick sucked—that awakened his panic. No, he couldn’t be naked in front of Duncan. Not yet, anyway. He just wasn’t ready.
    Duncan smiled softly, as though he understood. “That’s the beauty about blowjobs and sex with guys. No need to get undressed completely. All I need is access to your cock, and I can have that without stripping you of your shield.”
    Ruben waited for the disappointment to make its appearance in Duncan, but it never did. Maybe he was all right with the idea of not seeing Ruben naked. At first it was Ruben who felt disappointed. But then he figured Duncan was trying to let Ruben do things his way, at his pace, and all doubts evaporated.
    “Um, okay….” He worried his bottom lip to the point of bleeding. “W-what do I have to do…?”
    “Lie down and let me take care of you. I promise I won’t hurt you. If you say stop, I won’t go any further, okay?” Duncan’s kind reassurance gave Ruben exactly what he needed, a sense of safety while experimenting with something new.
    “Oh, okay. Um, here…?” Ruben pointed at the blanket.
    Duncan cocked his head and looked away, toward the stairs. He frowned. “Where will you be most comfortable?”
    His lover-to-be was being considerate, Ruben realized, avoiding the place where he had been violated. Even if Ruben did sleep in that room every night. But