Page 26 of No Rules

“Being in a relationship doesn’t necessarily mean monogamy. You need sex, Alex, much more than one man can give you. Consensual nonmonogamy would be the perfect solution for you two.”

Alex blinked. “B-but we’re not together.”

“No.” Wander leaned back in his chair again and picked his coffee back up. “But I see the sparks between you two. All I’m saying is don’t stare yourself blind on the traditional definition of relationships. You can make it into whatever you want and need.”

God, the idea of being in a relationship with Ryan was crazy. Insane. Also exhilarating and enough to make his heart rate triple. “He’s not interested in me like that.”

“Oh, kiddo, you’re both so fucking blind.” Wander sighed. “Then again, so was I, so there is that. It was Ryan who needed to tell me Burke was a sub. I hadn’t seen it, too focused on training him as a Dom.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“It’s always much easier to diagnose what ails others than to take a long, hard look at yourself.”

That much Alex knew from experience. “You gave him a warning today. What was that about?”

Wander gently shook his head. “Can’t tell you that, kiddo. Not without breaking his confidence.”

“So what do I do now?”

“You keep being your sunshine self and offer yourself to him every chance you get.”

“What good is that gonna do?”

“You know how water can carve a path through a rock over time? If you hit that rock with a hammer, it would shatter, but if you do it long enough with gentle force, it’ll yield. We don’t want Ryan to break…but you can make him bend, kiddo. Be the water to his stubborn-ass rock.”

8

The next day, Ryan was still angry as a rattlesnake with a toothache. At first, he’d told himself it was because Wander had stepped out of line. Who did the man think he was telling Ryan how to handle a sub? As if Ryan wouldn’t have double-checked consent before whoring Alex out. Besides, didn’t he know better than anyone else how much Alex loved sex?

That phase had lasted a few hours, long enough to make him stay away from dinner and eat a sandwich in his room, fuming and stewing. But as night had fallen, his mood had changed. While mulling it over in his head, the deeper meaning of Wander’s words had registered. It had been a warning, clear as day. Either Ryan had to step into his role as a Dom, or he needed to walk away from Alex.

Not even specifically Alex’s Dom, but a Dom in general. He’d been playing with Alex without safeguards, which was risky in general but especially with a sub as new and inexperienced as Alex.

That, in a nutshell, was the reason Ryan was still furious. Not with Wander, no matter how much he’d like to place the blame on his boss. Nope, with himself. Because Wander was right. What Ryan had been doingwasirresponsible, and Ryan damn well knew better.

He’d been trying to convince himself it was just sex, except it wasn’t. Not when he was pushing Alex’s boundaries, dragging him out of his comfort zone. Not when Ryan was engaging in humiliation play…without so much as a safeword.

Jesus, how stupid and arrogant had he been? The truth sat heavy in his stomach, but he had to acknowledge it. If he didn’t want to be a Dom again, he needed to stop playing with Alex. He could fuck him, but that was it. Plain, vanilla sex. In a bed. Missionary position. ‘Cause that really appealed to them both.Not.

He’d have to think about that some more before coming to a decision, but not now, not when he was still so pissed off. No, he needed something to distract him, but it was Sunday, and Wander had made that a required day of rest when they weren’t on an active protection job. Maybe he should head outside, spend a couple of hours in nature with his camera. The problem was that it was humid as fuck, and while he was used to that from Texas, it didn’t mean he had to prefer it over staying inside, where the AC kept the temperature at a comfortable seventy-two degrees.

He paced through the house, tapping his fingers against his thigh as he wandered from room to room. The expensive decor and opulent furnishings did nothing to alleviate the suffocating boredom clinging to him like a second skin. He needed something—anything—to occupy his time, but for the life of him, he couldn’t figure out what.

“Fuckin’ hell,” he muttered under his breath. “This place is a goddamn mausoleum.”

As he rounded a corner, soft moans echoed down the hallway, and he paused. His curiosity piqued, he followed the enticing sounds, which originated in Jesse’s study. A crack in the doorway offered him a glimpse into the room, and his breath caught.

Jesse had David bent over the desk, the boy’s suit pants pooling around his ankles, while Jesse fucked him hard. The sight of their entwined bodies and the delicious moans they produced held Ryan captive as the two men moved together in a primal dance of dominance and submission. Jesse’s hands roamed David’s body with practiced ease as he pinched, scratched, and slapped, leaving red spots in their wake. The vivid contrast of the marks on David’s pale skin sent a jolt of arousal coursing through Ryan.

“Please, Sir,” David whimpered.

“Patience, boy.” Jesse’s voice was laced with authority. He continued teasing, tracing patterns across David’s torso, then dipping lower and wrapping his fingers around David’s hard length.

Ryan was unable to tear his gaze away, and his cock had hardened to an iron rod in his jeans.

“Is this what you want?” Jesse slowly stroked David. “Is this what you need?”

“Y-yes, Sir,” David stammered, his face flushed.