Free No Reservations by Lauren Dane

in the harsh blue-white light from the old, sputtering fluorescent fixture he kept meaning to fix. He paused, listening for a tel tale footstep from upstairs, but only silence answered him. Shit.
    He climbed the stairs two at a time anyway, but the bedroom was as dark and cold and unwelcoming as the kitchen had been. Brandon leant in the doorway and let the breath whoosh out of him in a sigh. He went to the bed and fel onto his back to stare at the ceiling.
    He closed his eyes, exhausted. It had only been a day since Leah had left his parents' house. He hadn't slept much since then, not even on the flight home, and normal y flying knocked him out like a right hook from a prize-fighter. 'I have to go,' she'd said, and he'd seen right away she meant it.
    He hadn't tried to stop her. Not when she refused to look at the ring he'd bought, or when she packed her things and apologised to his parents for having to cut her visit short. True to her personality, Leah hadn't offered an explanation, just a simple, straightforward statement that she'd had a lovely time, but she needed to go.
    He hadn't tried to stop her when she got out of the car at the airport, either, and, though it had just about kil ed him to watch her walk away and disappear into the crowd, he hadn't fol owed. She'd told him not to, and Brandon veiy much wanted Leah to understand he would always do his best to do what she wanted.
    After al , it wasn't as though he didn't understand why she wanted it.
    Brandon sighed again and turned his head to look at the closet doors, hanging open. Inside were Leah's clothes, rows of skirts and blouses, colour-coordinated. She didn't like dry-clean-only fabrics and she also hated laundry, so he'd taken over the chore. Even now, alone and knowing she'd walked out on him, thinking about pul ing the clothes warm from the dryer, folding and hanging them, al while knowing Leah was due home shortly and would be happy to reward him for his efforts . . .
    'Fuck,' Brandon groaned as his dick stirred.
    Now wasn't the time for this but he unzipped anyway.
    Pul ed out his cock and stroked it to ful hardness with Leah's goodbye ringing in his mind.
    'Don't come after me,' she'd said seriously from her place in the passenger seat. She'd been staring straight ahead to the traffic merging into the airport parking lot. 'I need some time to think. Wil you think about me when I'm gone?'
    'You know I wil .'
    She'd looked at him then, her smile a little sad but her eyes glinting with familiar desire. And what wil you do when you think about me, Brandon?'
    The game was familiar; his response not so much.
    'Wishing you'd come home.'
    Her smile faltered and her gaze had fal en to his lap. 'I'd rather have you fuck your fist and pretend it's me.' 'I can do that, too.'
    She'd touched his cheek. Looked into his eyes. 'Then do it.'
    Then she'd left the car, and here he was, prick in his palm just the way she'd said it. He pushed his hips upwards, feeling the bed sink beneath him. In another minute he was close, just from thinking of her smel and the way she felt around him when she came. Brandon slowed, stroking, eyes closed as pleasure mounted.
    Somewhere, Leah would be thinking of him doing this.
    Pleasure shuddered through him and he bit back her name, held it tight on his tongue. Breathing, final y, he opened his eyes again. He could come here, on the bed, but something held him back.
    He thought of nothing more until he was under the shower's hot water. He bent to let it pound his back and shoulders, then pushed his face beneath the spray. One of the first commands she'd ever given him was to jerk himself off in the shower and, no matter how many he'd taken since, he never failed to remember that.

    She owned him, and he was fine with that, because he wanted to be owned. Leah was the one stil uncomfortable with it, no matter how many times he tried to show her there wasn't much he'd refuse her. There was nothing, in fact, he ever had, and, even though he