Bound and Determined by Jane Davitt, Alexa Snow

been greeted by a sullen pout
    or a riposte that bordered on insolent more than once.
    “You said you didn't want to wait.” He could hear the elevator doors as
    they opened, and the voices of some students talking and coming toward them.
    Damn. “I won't make you wait to feel…” He hesitated, searching for the right
    words. “Owned” came to mind, and he rejected it as being too much, too soon.
    “That you belong,” he temporized, “but you've demonstrated impatience and
    bad manners—yes, you have—and they're not failings I'm lenient about. One
    lesson you have to learn is that actions have consequences, and another is that
    waiting is part of what you say you want, not something to be avoided. I want it
    understood that I won't have sex with you before your birthday, no matter what
    I decide to do with you.”
    Sterling looked doubtful, but nodded. Owen thought cynically that the boy
    probably didn't think that he meant it. He'd learn. “Okay. If that's your
    condition, fine, and I'll try to be more patient. But—can we, I don't know, talk
    more?” He turned his head in the direction of the students coming toward them
    and lowered his voice. “Off campus. I know it's probably not a good idea to be
    seen with me. What's that, fraternizing?” Sterling's lips quirked into a good-
    natured smile that went all the way to his eyes, crinkling them up and
    transforming his already handsome face into a shockingly beautiful one.
    Oh God, Owen was in so much trouble.
    “I could take you out to dinner,” Sterling offered.
    Owen shook his head. He couldn't think of many restaurants in town
    where there was zero chance of someone they knew seeing them, and it wasn't
    the ideal setting for the type of discussion they needed to have. Two good
    reasons to turn down Sterling's invitation, but the one that counted was that
    he didn't want to be Sterling's guest. Sterling was still, unconsciously perhaps,
    fighting for control of the situation as a way of dealing with it, and Owen didn't
    want to—couldn't—give it to him.
    “We have to talk,” he said, “but I'd prefer to do it somewhere less public
    than that. Come to my house tonight at eight. I'm sure you can find it.” Giving
    orders, setting the scene…how many times had he done this? It still sent a
    sizzle of arousal down his spine, and he could feel Sterling respond to that
    without knowing what he was doing—subtle signs that Owen noted
    automatically, like the way Sterling was leaning in closer to catch every word.
    “Eat something before you arrive, but no alcohol, not even a beer.” He smiled.
    “And no, you don't have permission to do anything about the hard-on you'll get
    when you're showering, but I'm sure you knew that already.”
    “I have been doing a lot of reading,” Sterling reminded him with just a hint
    of that cocky attitude Owen was familiar with. There was a tension in Sterling
    now, a new one that hadn't been there before—Owen felt confident it was

    Bound and Determined
    27

    because Sterling thought he'd won, that he was getting what he wanted and
    that meant he was coming out on top. “And yes, I'll find your house. Eight
    o'clock. Do I get punished if I'm late?”
    “That depends,” Owen said mildly, more than equal to dealing with
    Sterling in this mood. “Would you consider being told to go away until you'd
    learned to tell the time a punishment, or no more than you deserved for failing
    to follow a simple instruction?” He moved past Sterling to retrieve his keys from
    the shelf. “Eight o'clock, Sterling.”
    “Yes, sir,” Sterling said promptly. “I won't be late. Should I bring
    anything?”
    “Just yourself,” Owen said, amused despite himself by Sterling's eagerness
    and wondering how long it would last once he'd spelled out certain conditions.
    He wasn't sure, but he suspected it was going to be an interesting evening.

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    Jane Davitt & Alexa Snow

    Chapter Three

    Sterling took the bus to Owen Sawyer's