Page 67 of The Menagerie

“Gotta be on the same page about it, Red. One way or another.”

It’s a bit jarring—hearing the nickname so close to their scene—but it solidifies the desire he has to check in with Mal throughout.

“I’d like to, at least for today. Does it take you out of it?”

“Eh, yes ’n no. It makes me have to pause and think about how I’m feelin’, so there’s gonna be that moment where you kinda take a bird’s eye view of yourself and everything goin’ on. But at the same time, it’s reassuring that if something’s wrong, you’re in a safe place to fix it.”

Of all the things Rowan likes about Mal, his honesty and intelligence are creeping higher up on the list every time they meet. Rowan takes a deep breath, thinking through his words.

“Just don’t wanna go too far, y’know?” he confesses.

“Yeah, I get it,” Mal says with a shrug. “Lotta new Doms find it hard to get over the fear of causing pain.Unwantedpain anyway. And then when they get over that, they gotta wrestle with another part of themselves—morals or whatever—that tells ’em they shouldn’tlikecausing pain, even if they only like it in a controlled setting and they’re not just a fuckin’ psychopath.”

Rowan remembers a bit fromThe Loving Dominantthat said something about domination, sadism, cruelty, and brutality becoming confused, and he thinks it’s a pretty apt description of what Mal’s talking about.

“Hope you don’t think I’m a psychopath.”

Mal scans him, and Rowan’s never felt quite so much like a worm in a petri dish.

But the illusion shatters with a swipe of Mal’s tongue across his lower lip. “Nah,” he says, lips quirking to one side. “Think you’re kind of a freak, though.”

Unable to help it, Rowan laughs. Because there was no judgment or vitriol in Mal’s tone. Only a sort of camaraderie that stems from’cause I am too.

“Yeah,” Rowan agrees. “But so are you.”

That little side smirk appears again, and it shouldn’t get Rowan going as much as it does. “Yeah.”

“How ’bout l check in if it seems like something might be too much?”

Mal nods. “That works. Not afraid to use the words on my own either, so you don’t gotta worry about me waiting to be prompted or whatever if somethin’ starts crossing a line.”

Rowan knew as much, but hearing it confirmed again for him helps dissolve that last little bit of tension that had his shoulders and neck stiff all day.

“’Kay, good.”

As Mal moves to lean back against the edge of the bed, right in front of Rowan, there’s that electric charge in the air again. Thatshiftthat Rowan’s body understands instinctively on a primal level. And when Mal lifts his chin to smirk up at Rowan? Well. The electricity surges, heat and steam and sparks flying.

Against his own desires, Rowan doesn’t touch him yet. Doesn’t reach for him. First, he unbuttons the cuffs of his shirtsleeves, neatly folding each side up to his forearms, watching Mal’s eyes track his every move. He doesn’t remove anything, much more interested in getting Mal naked again.

For a moment, Rowan considers making Mal undress himself again.

But this time, he wants to do it. Wants to unwrap this gorgeous man like the fucking gift he is and watch him watchRowansavor every goddamn second of it.

And yeah, Mal said that he wanted to be treated rough, and Rowan’s gonna give that to him, but the temptation of the buildup to it is stronger than his desire to give in immediately.

He turns Mal in place, slotting his chest against Mal’s back, gripping him by the biceps. Held in place, he hears Mal take a deep breath in, one, two, three seconds, followed by a jagged exhale as he tilts his neck to one side.

Like this, the cords of muscle running down Mal’s long neck pulse mere inches from Rowan’s lips, and he’s struck with the sudden urge to lick, suck, bite.Mark him up. Someday maybe, when they’ve talked about it. But for now, he noses behind Mal’s ear, breathing in that same minty scent he’d smelled last time, pressing his hips forward into his ass and letting Mal feel him grow hard. With the way he’s started hitching his ass back against Rowan’s crotch, he must feel it.Good.

Rowan might be willing to play into Mal’s desire to be degraded—and if he’s being honest, his own desire to do it to him—but he’ll be damned if he doesn’t let the other man know how much he’s enjoying this too.

But he’d enjoy it more, if….

He shifts one hand down to grip Mal’s hip, stilling his movements. Squeezing enough to feel the sharpness of his hip bone even through his jeans. Rowan moves his other hand from Mal’s bicep to curl around Mal’s chest, palm resting flat against his sternum, fingertips skimming his neck. He shifts the hand on Mal’s hip around Mal’s waist to unbutton his jeans. Rowan feels Mal’s hands wriggle underneath, attempting to take over in getting them off, but Rowan quickly slaps them away.

“It look like I need your fuckin’ help?” he growls in his ear, popping the button.

“Dunno, can’t see ya.”

---