He knew Tank’s rough fingers by heart now, so when Tank put his hand over Clover’s buttocks, massaging the tender flesh in slow, circular movements, Clover gave into it without protest.
His brain was still hazy when Tank urged Clover up, his knees so weak he had to hold on to the armchair. He rubbed his face with his T-shirt, ashamed of the tears and snot covering his face, and shaken by what he’d endured.
He didn’t flinch when Tank extended his arm, instead climbing into Tank’s lap so fast he stumbled. He wanted the care. He wanted Tank to call him a good boy even if that meant having to adhere to rules he’d never had to follow.
When he sobbed and hugged Tank’s neck tightly, sitting his throbbing ass in Tank’s lap, Tank wrapped his strong arms around Clover as if he hadn’t been the one to beat him.
“It’s okay. You did good. It’s okay now.”
The relief those words brought surprised Clover with its intensity. Only now did he realize that this absolution from his guilt was worth a sore ass.
Chapter 8 - Tank
Tank’s dick was reacting to the pliant way with which Clover pushed into his arms. His beaten ass surely stung, so the boy ended up straddling him, chest pressed to Tank’s, and his white head in the crook of his arm.
Tank sighed, petting the trembling back as Clover sobbed his complaints, melting into him—the very man who’d been the source of his pain
Beyond the weak glow of the lamp, Drake manifested his discontent by creating physical distance, but regardless of what he kept saying during their discussion earlier, the hypocritical bastard wanted Clover too. He wouldn’t have stuck around to watch. He wouldn’t have taken those two steps closer to the sweet, milky candy that was Clover.
“You’re safe, you’re ours, and you’ve done really well,” Tank cooed, stroking Clover’s trembling back. “You will never lie to me again, will you?”
“I won’t, Daddy.”
Tank groaned at the sound of that word. In their line of work, it wasn’t easy to find a stable partner. Especially not one to build trust with. Clover had pushed all of Tank’s buttons from the start, but now the stakes had gotten even higher.
Clover had asked for care and given himself over to Tank. That wasn’t an exchange Tank took lightly. He would give the boy not only protection, but also the affection Clover craved, despite him being so mouthy.
They’d broken through to Clover, and the boy had handed over information about himself with an open heart, even though Tank was sure more skeletons hid in Clover’s closet. All in good time.
He pulled on Clover’s hair and looked into his rosy, damp face. “Do you have anything else to say? To me? To Drake? To all of us?” he asked, feeling a growing heat in response to the way Clover rocked his hips above his lap in an effort to deal with the ache in his buttocks.
Clover swallowed, his eyes twitching, dazed behind the glasses. He was unique. Beautiful from the unusual blue-pink shade of his irises, to the long white hair, to the small pale nipples, and rosy tips of his white toes. His limbs were graceful, despite Clover being short, and his ass was a pale peach Tank wanted to bite into. The growing bruises on the flesh only made it more enticing. Following the lesson Clover would remember for days to come, it was an angry color that had Tank’s balls tightening. If he could, he’d never let Clover leave his bed.
“I shouldn’t have used Tank’s phone. I’m sorry I put you all at risk,” Clover uttered, trembling like a leaf. “You especially, Drake. I’m sorry. Thank you for keeping me despite all that.”
Drake groaned and exhaled a cloud of smoke that sent vapors of nicotine their way. “Accepted,” was all he had to say, but this was a lot coming from him.
Boar stepped closer and stroked Clover’s hair as if the boy was their pet. “Everyone makes mistakes.”
What would it be like to have someone like Clover stick around for longer? New York wouldn’t be happening anytime soon. They had to lay low for a while first, and Tank would’ve been lying if he said he was unhappy about the delay. It had been awhile since he enjoyed someone’s body so much he could barely keep his lust at bay, but the fact that Clover wasn’t just a pretty boy hook-up, but someone who depended on Tank, who trusted his judgment, made him restless over the prospect of parting in the future.
It wasn’t like Clover had anywhere to go, was it? He’d been lying through his teeth out of fear for his life, and if he’d man up and tell them the truth himself, then maybe Tank could have a serious think about making their arrangement more permanent.