Happy Birthday to Me |

Anne Tenino

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Happy Birthday to Me

November 19, 2112

M

ATT

turned twenty-five today. He knew James would never

remember. It didn‟t bother him; that was the kind of guy
James was. He did lots of things on regular days of the year
to make Matt feel special.

And if Matt had anything to say about it, James was

about to make Matt‟s birthday very, very special.

“James?” He knew his voice was a little tentative, but he

was asking for something he‟d never asked for, and it was a
little… freaky. As in the kinky kind of freaky.

James was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the news

on a comp tablet, not really paying attention. Matt could tell
James wasn‟t picking up any psychic signals from him. If he
were, he‟d be focused on Matt. James wouldn‟t be able to
focus on anything else, not with how horny Matt was. Not to
mention Matt didn‟t always let James into his head, so when
he did, James usually paid attention.

Usually. When he noticed.
When James didn‟t answer right away, Matt tried again.

“James?” He might normally get snappy at this point, but
not this time. He wanted something.

He really, really wanted something.
“Hmmm, baby?” James didn‟t turn to look, preoccupied.

But just the sound of that deep voice made Matt squirm a
little. Even though James still wasn‟t really paying attention
yet.

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Matt took a deep breath. “Will you spank me?” He said it

so fast it almost ran into a single word.

James sat straight up in his chair, set down the tablet,

stared out the window across from him, and didn‟t say a
word. His broad shoulders looked tense.

Uh-oh.
Slowly James turned, and Matt could feel the mental

connection now. His body sideways in the chair, eyes heavy-
lidded and partially obscuring their honeyed color, James
rumbled at him, “You really want me to, don‟t you, baby?”

Oh God. Matt fucking loved the rumbly voice. He

nodded mutely, looking at James and fingering the
drawstring on his thin cotton pants. Squirming a little more,
thighs rubbing together, balls caressed by rough hair and
smooth skin. Wishing it was James‟s hair and skin against
him. Getting harder than his imagination had managed up
'til now.

James reached out a hand and captured Matt‟s wrist,

stroking the soft inside with one calloused thumb. “Oh,
yeah, baby. I can spank you.”

But instead of drawing Matt forward, yanking down his

pajama pants, throwing him over his lap and whaling on his
ass, James stood up. Matt whimpered a little in
disappointment and need. He looked at James from under
his lashes. James quirked a lopsided smile at him.

The psychic link wasn‟t infallible. Sometimes all James

got were feelings and impressions, sometimes words, and
occasionally images. Matt had really been hoping James
would get the image. The one of Matt naked over James‟s
lap, ass bright pink as James‟s hand landed on it over and
over (and over) again. James fully clothed, pinning Matt‟s

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wrists behind his back with the hand that wasn‟t abusing
his ass.

James chuckled at his whimper. “I know what you

want. But we‟re doing this my way. How long have you
wanted me to do this?” He stepped in closer to Matt. James
was broader and more muscular, and when he used his size
to intimidate just a little, it always made shivers run down
Matt‟s spine. In a really good way.

He looked in James‟s eyes, just the tiniest bit ashamed

still. But the need won out. He gave a faux-nonchalant
shrug. “Couple months?” He looked down at the drawstring
he was fingering, then back up.

James smiled more fully. Still stroking his wrist, he

pulled Matt in and kissed him gently, rubbing his chapped
lips against Matt‟s. “We‟re doing this my way,” James said
again, breathing the words across Matt‟s lips. Matt felt goose
bumps prickle their way up his back. “Tell me again you
want it,” James rumbled against his ear, caressing Matt with
his stubbly cheek.

Matt took a deep breath and pulled back to look James

in the eye. “I want you to spank me.”

“No more talking,” James said in that voice. The in-

control voice he only (well mostly) used with Matt when they
were playing. “You don‟t say another word until I give you
permission. You can make all the other noises you want.”
James turned and pulled him into their bedroom by the
wrist. Thank God, he’s going to do it.

James walked right through the bedroom and into the

bathroom. He turned on the shower, steaming hot. The water
shower, not the sonic one they‟d installed when they bought

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this place. The sonic one was for getting clean. The water
was for playing.

Anymore, just the sound of the shower could make Matt

hard.

James got the temperature he wanted and turned to

Matt. “Get naked.”

James‟s eyes were focused on the tent in his pants as

Matt brought down the big top. So to speak. He looked down
to see what James saw.

Matt was hard as hell, his slim prick curving up and out

from his body, a bead of pre-come just hanging off the head,
the skin flushing bright pink. James said he turned that
color all over when he came. Just the thought of James
watching that color sweep down his back sometimes made
Matt go over.

“Undress me.”

Matt took a short breath and reached out to pull up

James‟s shirt, exposing his abdomen. Matt stopped, running
a hand across the hard muscle there, pulling gently on the
hair below James‟s navel.

“No playing. Just take off my clothes.” Matt looked into

James‟s eyes. He had that stony, expressionless look he used
when he didn‟t want anyone to guess what he was thinking.
Matt secretly thought of it as his masterful look.

James let a slow grin curve his mouth. “You can call me

„sir‟ if that does it for you.” Matt swallowed. There were
advantages and disadvantages to having a psychic boyfriend.

He pulled the shirt over James‟s head. James‟s hands

fell back down to his sides once Matt had it off, his face
inscrutable again as Matt reached for his pants. Matt

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unsealed the fly and sucked in a breath. James was going
commando today.

As soon as he had the fly open far enough, James‟s hard

cock sprang out. It was all Matt could do not to skate a
finger up the underside or slip a hand under James‟s balls
and palm them, letting James‟s heavy cock brush against his
forearm. James was deliciously thick, with a heavily flared
rim around the base of his cock head. Matt‟s sphincter
clenched, a very visceral reaction to the memory of what it
felt like when James shoved into him. Matt swallowed hard
and kept going.

He moved slowly, watching James‟s cock sway as he

pulled the pants off James‟s hips. Matt knelt on the floor to
help James‟s legs out, although he didn‟t really need to.
Mostly he did it because he needed to be closer to James‟s
cock.

God, it was right there, bobbing in front of his face, the

foreskin retracted past the heavy ridge where the head met
the meaty shaft. He imagined James slapping him in the face
with it. Fuuuuuck. Matt wanted.

He leaned in as unobtrusively as possible and drew a

deep breath in through his nose. James smelled so fucking
good, like sweat and man and sex. Matt clenched his ass
again in response.

Suddenly James‟s hand was in his hair, grabbing him

roughly and yanking him back. “No,” James said in his
rumbly voice, using his hold to tilt Matt‟s head back and
forcing him to look into James‟s eyes.

Matt shuddered and whimpered a little. “No,” James

said again. Calmly, completely in control. Reprimanding him.

Okay, no trying to pull one over on the psychic guy.

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James pulled him up by his hair, not hard enough to

really hurt, but hard enough to make Matt‟s prick leak out
more pre-come. James looked down and smiled, still holding
Matt by his hair. He swiped the index finger of his other
hand across the slit, making Matt gasp. He looked Matt in
the eye as he stuck the finger in his mouth, sucking the
droplets off.

“Nice, Matty,” James rumbled at him.

Don’tcomedon’tcomedon’tcome….

James let go of him suddenly, relaxing the pressure on

Matt‟s neck. “Get in the shower.” Then he stood and stared
at Matt, waiting for him to obey.

Matt turned and opened the door to the stall. As he

stepped in, James‟s hand landed on one ass cheek. Hard.

Matt gave a surprised yelp and felt the heat spread out

in waves from where James‟s hand had landed. Then a little
tingle, which intensified around his asshole.

Fuuuuuuuuck. More of the shuddering.

James crowded him into the shower when he stopped,

then roughly pushed him against the wall, face first. Matt
was starting to think it would be just fine if James wanted to
fuck him in the shower, and they could save the spanking
for some other time. He planted his hands on the wall and
pushed his ass out toward James, spreading his legs.

But that wasn‟t the way it went down. James lathered

up some shower gel and washed him. Carefully, in long,
soothing strokes, first up his back, across his shoulders,
down his arms. Then he crouched behind Matt and washed
his legs in those same long strokes, starting at the ankle.

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Matt could feel James‟s breath on his ass and the

occasional ghost-scrape of a stubbly cheek. Finally, he
reached up with those hands and carefully washed Matt‟s
ass. Caressing his cheeks, circular strokes, thumbs just
entering the crack, but not where Matt really wanted them.
Following the sensitive fold between cheek and thigh, but not
far enough.

Finally, James placed one soapy finger at the top of

Matt‟s ass, right on his spine. And slowly dragged it down,
between his cheeks, skating over the puckered entrance,
then on to the perineum, stopping just behind Matt‟s balls.
Matt shuddered while he did it, and shuddered again when
James pressed up with his finger.

“Ja—”
“No talking,” James cut off his moan. He reversed the

finger, stopping and swirling it around Matt‟s pucker, then
slid his finger into Matt‟s asshole. Matt moaned wordlessly,
bracing his forearms against the shower wall, pushing his
ass out. James slid his finger back out, then in again, just
ghosting across Matt‟s prostate, then out all the way. Matt
moaned again. James stood up.

Dammit.
“Turn around, Matty.” Matt could hear the change in

James‟s voice. It was still the rumbly voice, but no longer
completely in control. James‟s breath was coming faster.
Matt wiped the small smile off his face just before he turned,
pressing his body against the tile, leaning his back against
the wall now, hips a little forward. He gave James his best
seductive look from under his lashes.

If Matt could talk, he‟d be begging James to fuck him

now. Impulse control wasn‟t really his forte. Maybe not being
able to talk was a good thing.

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James smirked at Matt‟s thought, then lathered up

more gel. He washed Matt‟s chest and abdomen, circling his
nipples but only skating a gentle fingertip across the
hardened buds occasionally. Matt fisted his hands and
whined a little, then again when James crouched in front of
him to do his legs.

Matt was quivering by the time James got to his groin.

Trying to dig his fingernails into the shower wall. But James
stood up and took one of Matt‟s hands. He squirted some
shower gel into Matt‟s palm.

“You wash it.” He got some more gel for himself.

James watched him as Matt lathered up his dick. While

James ran soapy hands over his own body impersonally, his
eyes focused intently on Matt fisting his cock and slowly
stroking up to the head, then back down. Matt reached his
other hand lower, soaping his balls. On his next stroke up he
twisted his fingers over the head, moaning in the back of his
throat, his eyes falling closed.

Suddenly James fisted his hand over Matt‟s, squeezing a

little. “No more, baby. I don‟t want you to come yet. But
damn, you look sexy doing that.” He was nuzzling Matt‟s jaw
just a little, leaning in but not letting their bodies touch.
Matt gave another little moan and tried to bring his hips
forward more, but James squeezed his hand harder,
increasing the pressure on Matt‟s shaft. Matt moaned louder.

“No.” James dropped his hand and shoved Matt under

the water to rinse him off. Then he turned the water off and
got out of the shower.

Matt stood dumbly and dripped a minute. Then James

reached in and pulled him out by the arm. He used a towel
on Matt, rubbing him dry gently, the sensation too soft,

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especially when James carefully patted his dick and balls
dry.

Gah.

James took Matt‟s hand and led him into the bedroom.

It was dark and shadowy, a little bit of light sneaking in past
the blackout curtains, some from the open bathroom door. It
felt safe. A safe place to play.

Assuming they ever got to the playing part.

James stood Matt beside the bed, then opened the

nightstand drawer. Now he knew they were going to play—
that was where they kept all the toys. Matt‟s ass clenched in
anticipation as James pulled out lube and a small plug.

Oh, fuck. He was going to spank him with a plug in?

Matt could practically feel the blood draining from his head.
As if his dick needed any more.

James reached back into the drawer. And brought out

the set of electro-magnetic cuffs.

Matt bit his lip and moaned. A plug, a spanking, and

bondage. Don’tcomedon’tcomedon’t come….

“C‟mere,” James rumbled, looking at him steadily. For

just a second, James looked like a big golden lion. Lazy but
powerful, honey-golden all over, from his short curly hair to
his eyes to his skin. Toying with his prey before he leapt on
him and ate him. Prey probably didn‟t enjoy it as much as
Matt did, though. Especially the eating part. He took two
steps forward, until he was all but touching James‟s hard
cock with his own, looking into James‟s eyes.

“Turn around and put your hands behind your back,

wrists together.” Matt did as he was ordered. He could feel

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James‟s cock just barely tracing patterns on one of his
cheeks. Nnngh.

James placed a cuff on each wrist, then held them

together as he activated the electro-magnetic lock. Matt felt
them jerk and lock his wrists securely together. He yanked a
little, just to feel the restraint.

Matt felt James looming back there, behind him, his

cock tracing now-wet designs on him, feather light, James‟s
breath on his neck. James wasn‟t any taller than him, but
when he was in control like this, Matt always felt like James
loomed. He shivered and arched a little.

Suddenly Matt felt a hand on his ass, caressing a cheek.

“You thinking about it, baby? About me pulling you across
my lap and spanking you? My hand slapping your white ass
as hard as I want, as long as I want, until you turn all pink?
You think maybe I can make you come that way? Make you
shoot your load all over my thigh? I won‟t touch your cock,
you‟ll just come because I order you to. Then maybe I‟ll
throw you down on the bed and fuck your ass hard. Shove
my cock in your hole and pound it into you, fuck you
through the mattress.” Matt whimpered and felt cold sweat
and goose bumps prickle up his back. A shiver worked its
way up from the end of his spine.

“Or maybe I won‟t let you come. I‟ll stop spanking your

ass and put you on your knees and make you suck me. Fuck
your throat until you can‟t breathe and hold my cock there
until I shoot, let you hump air. You‟d like that, wouldn‟t you,
baby? You like being my little bitch.” James slapped his ass
again, the pain instant and hot. Matt‟s asshole clenched
convulsively, and he barely stopped himself from begging.
But that would be talking, and it wasn‟t allowed, and Matt
wouldn‟t do anything that might end this now.

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James caressed him again. “Mmmmm. Like seeing my

handprint on you, Matty.” He stepped back and Matt
panicked. That wasn‟t it, was it? But James had stepped in
front of him and was sitting on the side of their bed.

He patted his thigh. “Spread your pretty ass out, for me,

baby. Lay yourself across my legs.”

It took a minute to maneuver with his hands behind his

back, but James grabbed his shoulder and helped him
down. Matt could feel James‟s rough hair on his lower
abdomen and thighs, and he wiggled a little to increase the
friction. The head of his cock scraped James‟s thigh, just a
little. “Unnngh.” He loved the roughness of James‟s hair, and
his stubble and calloused hands too.

One calloused hand was stroking and petting his ass,

the rough skin occasionally catching at Matt‟s smooth skin,
increasing the sensations shooting across his cheeks. James
grabbed his bound wrists and pulled him forward a little so
that Matt‟s ass was tilted up into the air.

He could feel air on his hole, and his cock was rubbing

against James‟s thigh. Oh fuck. Matt wiggled a little, feeling
James‟s eyes on his ass, watching him squirm. He felt hyper-
sensitized, like everything was hot-wired to his asshole.

James‟s finger, slippery with lube, slid between his

cheeks. After circling Matt‟s pucker a few times, James
pressed down gently with the pad of his finger and pushed
into Matt‟s ass. He twisted it around, then slowly started
stroking in and out, the friction of his finger against the
gripping muscle making Matt moan. Matt clenched, just to
get more friction.

James laughed quietly. “Greedy, aren‟t you?” He slid in

another finger, and Matt gave a little hip swivel, as much as

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he could manage in this position. The second finger
stretched him more, just enough to get a taste of that almost
uncomfortable pleasure. Matt hung his head down and
moaned, relaxing and tensing up at the same time.

James finger-fucked Matt slowly, not touching his gland

directly, just gliding past, ghost touches. Rubbing around
inside him, stroking all the other hotspots, slippery and just
that tiniest bit rough. Teasing. Then James pulled out. Matt
tried to follow, but James was holding his wrists at the small
of his back, holding him down.

“‟M gonna put in this plug so you‟re ready for me if I

decide to fuck you, Matt. Not as big as me, so it‟ll still burn
some when I push into you.” Matt moaned again at James‟s
words. He felt the cool tip of the plug push against his hole
and slide in slowly, James fucking in and out with it for a
minute while Matt panted and squirmed and groaned. James
popped the largest part of the plug in past Matt‟s sphincter
and held it a second, then slipped it out again. Then he did it
again, finally sliding it all the way home, resting it alongside
Matt‟s prostate, the flared base caught between Matt‟s ass
cheeks.

It wasn‟t as thick as James, was barely as thick as his

two fingers. Enough to keep him wanting, not enough not
satisfy him. Matt whimpered in frustration and pushed back
into air.

“You still want me to spank you, Matty? Think it, don‟t

say it.” Matt nodded so hard he nearly overbalanced. Fuck,
yes.

James reached down between Matt‟s thighs and fisted

his prick. Matt‟s head shot up, his neck muscles straining.
“Oh, fuuuu—!” Matt stopped himself from saying the word

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just in time. James played with him a minute, stroking his
shaft but not touching the head, tapping the plug with the
finger of his other hand.

“Nngh!” Matt gasped. He was shaking now, wondering

when the spanking was going to—

James‟s hand hit his ass right in the center, the stinging

blow landing on both cheeks. “Aaah!” Heat, then pain and
tingling. Matt felt his dick pulse, the heartbeat strong in it,
as James let go of his shaft. Pre-come was welling out,
coating James‟s thigh as he spanked Matt again and again.

Matt gripped his fingers together at the small of his

back. It hurt like fuck. James was holding back a little, but
he was slapping Matt with his full palm, and within ten
strokes, Matt‟s ass was on fire. And stinging and tingling and
hot.

And it felt so. Fucking. Good.

The tingling pain intensified with each slap, and Matt

could feel it spreading to his cock and balls and asshole and
vibrating up his spine. He started to tilt his hips up for the
next stroke, each one coming randomly. Flinching when
James‟s hand landed on his ass but needing it again
immediately. Pushing up for James‟s next blow, begging
silently. He could almost see how pink his ass must be by
now, and it made him shudder even more. His prick bobbed
against James‟s thigh, and the plug jiggled in his asshole.
Every time James‟s hand landed on him, sensation radiated
from the contact all through his groin and up his spine, and
it was more intense with each stroke. James‟s hand became
his sole focus.

Matt could feel himself building up to an incredible

explosion. He was practically choking on it. James was

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forcing it out of him, stoking it and feeding it and coaxing
him into this intense state of pleasure pain. Just one more
stroke. Matt tilted his ass up and held himself, quivering,
waiting for it.

James gently laid his hand on Matt‟s ass, his fingers

stroking lightly. “Fuck, Matty. That‟s so hot. Your ass is
pink, and you‟re pushing it toward me, your balls tight
between your legs and that plug…. Fuck.”

James grabbed Matt‟s bound wrists and hauled him

onto the bed on his stomach, his legs hanging over the edge,
barely managing to keep him off the floor. James planted his
hands inside Matt‟s thighs, forcing his legs open.

Matt whined and panted, caught between wanting more

of the spanking and wanting what he knew was coming.
James reached between his ass cheeks and roughly pulled
out the butt plug, dropping it on the floor. Matt‟s sphincter
muscle spasmed. James spread Matt open with one hand
and guided his cock with the other, pushing into Matt‟s ass
relentlessly.

It burned, just enough to echo the burn of his skin. So

much better than the plug. James kept shoving into him,
forcing him open slowly, but never stopping. Matt let out a
long, high-pitched moan. Keening.

James‟s skin and hair were rough against Matt‟s freshly

spanked ass. Matt shifted a little once James was fully in,
the friction on his sensitized skin causing more of that
zinging heat to spread through him.

“Gonna fuck you hard, baby,” James rumbled in his ear,

his voice hoarse. He slipped his arms under Matt, gripping
his shoulder with one hand, pinching a nipple with the
other. Then he pulled almost all the way out and plunged

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back in, fucking Matt as hard as he‟d promised. He started
out rough and fast, no buildup. James pushed himself up on
his arms for leverage, planting one hand in the middle of
Matt‟s back.

Matt was yelling his head off. James was hitting his

prostate with nearly every stroke, although he was too out of
control to have any precision. Or rhythm. Matt didn‟t need it.
His ass was on fire inside and out; that explosion building
inside him was more intense than before. He hunched his
back, humping the bed as James slammed into him again,
pegging his gland.

“Come for me, Matt,” James gasped in his ear. Then he

bit down on the back of Matt‟s neck, hard.

Matt couldn‟t resist the feeling of being controlled by

James plowing his ass and holding him down with his teeth.
He screamed out James‟s name, his cock shooting and his
ass clenching around James‟s cock, intensifying the whole
orgasm. James plunged into him repeatedly, pulling another
spasm and release with each thrust. Matt‟s whole body
clenched with each stroke, and the room started going black
and white. And fuzzy. Then he floated.

W

HEN

Matt came to, he was on his stomach still, but out of

the wet spot, his body resting on the cool sheets. He could
feel James‟s heavy hand on the small of his back, James‟s
body snuggled tight up to his side, James‟s lips on his
shoulder. There was something on his wrists. Matt cracked
his eyes enough to see the one in front of his face.

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Oh. The cuffs. James had deactivated them, obviously.

Matt sighed. He was still floating. Just, you know,
consciously. Everything was perfect in his world.

James loomed over his back, scraping stubble across

his bare shoulders and the back of his neck. Matt tried to
nuzzle into him, but it required too much energy. James
gently rolled him over on his side and rested his shoulder
under Matt‟s head.

“Okay, baby?” James whispered, then kissed his temple.
“Mmmmmmmm.” That was all he had.
“I wasn‟t too rough?”
He had to know the answer to this. “Mm-mm.” No way.

“Perfect,” Matt managed to mumble.

James brought his other arm around Matt and gently

skated a hand over the skin of his lower back. Matt shivered
and wiggled into James, just a little. “I need to find
something for the skin on your ass. It‟s going to be painful if
I don‟t.”

“Mmmmmm.” Like he cared right now?
“Do it later, I guess.” Matt leaned forward a little and

kissed James‟s chest. He snuggled in more. James tightened
his arms. “You‟re on an endorphin high, baby.”

Huh. That was nice.
James gave a snorting laugh. “You‟re wide open right

now, Matty. Can read your mind.”

Oh. That made things easier. I love you.
“I love you too,” James rumbled. “And that was fucking

hot. You came so hard you passed out.”

?????

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“Yeah, you did. I almost did too. Hope your ass can take

how often I want to do that in the future.”

“Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.” That sounded

fucking awesome.

James sighed, a happy-sounding sigh. Matt could hear

the smile in his voice. “Happy birthday, baby.”

Matt cracked an eye open and looked at James, looming

over him again. He did remember.

James lowered his head, tracing his lips across Matt‟s

cheek and jaw. “Guess this‟ll beat the surprise party all to
shit.”

Fuck. James was ruining his endorphin high. “When?”

Matt managed to ask.

“Oh, your mom should be here in fifteen minutes or so.”

“Fuck!” Matt shot up, wincing when his red skin met the

bed sheets. James was laughing, the bastard. But when Matt
glared at him, James pulled him down again, this time onto
his stomach.

“C‟mon, baby. I‟ll get some of that cream we use on your

nipples when I play with them too much. That‟ll help your
skin. It‟ll look weird to everyone if you can‟t sit down all day.”

“Everyone who?” Matt asked suspiciously.

James shrugged. He was enjoying this, the jerk. “Oh,

just the team, mostly.” The other members of their top secret
task force, in other words. Great, that was like fifteen-plus
people, once you figured in significant others. “And the rest
of your family.”

Matt groaned. “Get the fucking cream,” he growled to a

smirking James. Although it would be nice to see all of his

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cousins, not just the ones on Task Force Iota. And maybe
even his brother, if the little fucker could get leave.

Matt let go of his tension, pillowing his head on his

arms while James massaged the skin of his butt, then his
lower back and thighs. James had just started kissing up his
spine when Matt heard his mother‟s voice in the hallway.

“Matt? Happy birthday! Where are you guys?” She

sounded dangerously close to the bedroom.

But James was up and dealing with her before Matt‟s

heart rate could even pick up. James must have picked up
on her psychic signature before she called out. He flipped a
sheet over Matt and walked out into the hallway, pulling the
door shut behind him. “Hey, Gabi, Matt‟s just resting. We
can get him up in a bit.”

“It‟s not even 1300 hours,” she said suspiciously.
Matt could almost hear the smirk in James‟s voice.

“Yeah. I, uh, tired him out.”

His mother didn‟t say anything back, but Matt could

swear he heard her smirk too. He rolled his eyes but ignored
them and drifted off again, while their voices faded down the
hall toward the kitchen.

W

HEN

James came back to get him before 1400—who

planned a party for the middle of the afternoon? Had to be
his mother‟s idea—he laid out some stuff for Matt to wear.

Huh. Had James ever done that before?
“Wear this, baby.” Jeez, he was heavy on the “baby”

today. Matt looked up at him, lifting up from his stomach
onto his elbows. James leaned down to kiss him. He was

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being especially demonstrative today too. James just smiled.
“It‟s your birthday present.”

Matt sat up—his skin was bearable, thank God—and

looked at what James had laid out for him. Jeans and a
simple T-shirt, but in some slinky fabric. No shorts.

Jeans were Matt‟s favorites. He was a natural fibers slut

even though they cost a fortune, especially cotton, since
most of the world strictly rationed water for ag anymore.

James kissed him again. “And don‟t take off the wrist

cuffs,” he rumbled in Matt‟s ear before leaving the room. “No
shoes, either.”

Wordlessly, Matt watched James walk out of the room.

He‟d definitely never done that before—tell Matt what to do
outside the bedroom. Or the living room, kitchen, bathroom
or… well, outside of sex. And he had to know that at least
some people would know what the cuffs were….

Matt shivered. Either from lust or discomfort, he wasn‟t

sure which.

T

HE

jeans were new cotton, not recycled. They had to have

cost James a fortune. Thousands US. And they felt fantastic
on his ass, which really needed some TLC. They were pre-
distressed, which he generally thought was a load of crap
(and unnecessary, since he always bought recycled jeans),
but he appreciated it today.

And the cuffs…. No one had said anything. Yet. They

were covered in faux leather and looked decorative. But they
made Matt feel a little bit… owned. And when he combined

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Anne Tenino

| 21

that with the cotton rubbing against his still somewhat
tender skin?

He spent a lot of time thinking about things guaranteed

to kill a hard-on.

“Nice wrist cuffs,” Laslo was saying. Matt came out of

his daze to look over at his cousin. Who was smirking at
Matt‟s wrists.

Jesus, everyone was a smirker today, weren‟t they?
“Ooops,” Matt said, for lack of anything else to say. He

knew he must be blushing. Laslo, of course, knew exactly
what they were, having given them to Matt and all.

Logan, Laslo‟s husband, wandered up about then. “Hey,

yeah, Matt. Those look kinda familiar. I think I saw them
before in… oh.” Logan turned as pink as Matt must be. “Nice
party,” he mumbled, then took a long drink from his beer.

Fortunately, James came to Matt‟s rescue. Sort of. He

walked up behind Matt and slipped his arms around him,
then addressed Laslo. “Hey, now, Laslo, leave my baby alone.
It‟s his birthday.” Matt raised a mental eyebrow.

Laslo raised an actual eyebrow. “Your „baby‟, huh?” It

wasn‟t that James was undemonstrative in front of others,
but he didn‟t generally going around calling Matt anything
other than Matt—or, in extreme situations, Matty—in front
of other people.

James went on before Laslo could say more. “It‟s not

every day a guy turns twenty-five, you know.” Matt raised his
other eyebrow—this time the actual one. James even
remembered how old he was? He hadn‟t remembered last
year, and they‟d barely been together a month, then.

The man had hidden depths.

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Anne Tenino

| 22

Altogether it was a good birthday party. Embarrassingly,

and to his secret delight, people brought him presents.
“What‟d James get you?” someone, probably Jude, the
obnoxious prick, yelled out.

Again James acted uncharacteristically. “He‟s wearing

it,” he answered, standing next to Matt with a hand in the
small of his back.

Everyone looked at Matt‟s wrist cuffs.

Gah. Matt swallowed. And shivered.

“And I gave him his birthday spanking.” James‟s hand

slipped down to Matt‟s ass and gave it a sharp pat, making
Matt jump a little.

Everyone laughed, most people thinking it was a joke.

Matt caught Laslo looking pointedly at his wrists again. That
was the final straw. Matt flushed bright red and yanked
James into a shadowy corner. He hid his face in James‟s
shoulder. And punched the laughing asshole in the chest.

Fucker was lucky that was all he did. Matt knew at least

three moshuh nanren moves that could silence James‟s
laughter permanently right now. Laslo wasn‟t stingy in
sharing his esoteric martial arts shit with his siblings and
cousins. Even with Jude the Obnoxious Bastard.

Instead, Matt leaned in again and kissed James‟s neck,

right where it met his shoulder. Not that he deserved it. Still
laughing a little, James wrapped his other arm around Matt,
pulling him into a bear hug. Matt slipped his arms around
James.

James‟s stubbly cheek scratched Matt‟s jaw; then

James‟s rumbly voice spoke in his ear. “Admit it, you like it.
You like people knowing you‟re my bitch, baby.”

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Anne Tenino

| 23

“Not my parents.” Matt would be the first to admit that

he was whining. Really, the situation called for it.

James shuddered. “No, not them. God,” he choked out.

Their place cleared out by 2000 hours, and Matt had

wandered off to the bedroom when James didn‟t want his
help cleaning up, not that he tried that hard to convince
him. Wasn‟t that why they had a house-bot? It had been
Matt‟s turn to be the drunken asshole, it being his birthday
and all, but he hadn‟t actually had that much to drink.

Mostly, Jude had been the drunken asshole. Shocking.

Except… James had been awfully affectionate. And

demonstrative. And unembarrassed by the many sexual
allusions and innuendos he had made.

And James had made a lot of sexual allusions and

innuendos.

The fuck was going on with him?

“You‟re not reading, baby.” James had walked in while

Matt was zoning out.

“Not really,” Matt agreed, setting aside the blank comp

tablet he‟d been staring at for the last hour. “Mostly
thinking.”

“‟Bout what?” James was smirking a little, as if he knew

what Matt was thinking about already. Which he more or
less did, of course. “‟Bout me?”

Matt threw a pillow at the smug, mind-reading dick.

James caught it and strolled to the bed to replace it. He

leaned across Matt to do it, and when he stood up, he
casually picked up one of Matt‟s hands. “You‟re still wearing
your cuffs.” James ran a thumb across Matt‟s skin on the

Happy Birthday to Me |

Anne Tenino

| 24

underside of his wrist, back and forth, looking down at the
cuff.

“Yeah.” Did his voice sound husky? “You told me to,

remember?”

“Yeah,” James rumbled softly at him. Matt shivered,

then pulled on James to sit next to him. He didn‟t really
expect him to do it, though.

James sat. Then he stretched out and pulled Matt down

next to him, pulling Matt‟s head onto his chest. “Lights,”
James told the room, and the lights went out, only the light
from the bathroom coming in.

“D‟you turn on the security?”
“Yeah.”
“Program the house-bot for breakfast?”
James just nodded this time.
“James, did you have a lot to drink?” His shoulder

shifted under Matt‟s head as James shrugged.

“Nah. Don‟t think so.”
“James, you‟re being strange.” There, he‟d finally said it.

Matt held his breath.

James took a deep breath in, then blew it out. Loudly.

“Yeah.”

Matt waited. And waited. Finally he pulled his head up

off James‟s chest and whacked it. “You‟ve been unusually
vocal and demonstrative all day, and now you clam up?” He
stared down at James.

He couldn‟t quite meet Matt‟s eyes. He shrugged. Then

he mumbled something.

“What?”

Happy Birthday to Me |

Anne Tenino

| 25

“I said, „I wanted to show you how much you mean to

me‟,” James practically yelled. He cleared his throat
uncomfortably. “And I guess I had a couple extra beers.”

God, that was just so… sweet. James flinched a little

when Matt thought the word. He almost looked ashamed of
himself. Matt laid his head on James‟s chest, hiding his
satisfied smirk. “I know what you‟re feeling, Matt,” James
said a bit disgustedly. “You don‟t have to pretend you aren‟t
laughing at me.”

“But babe, I‟m not laughing!” Matt‟s head shot back up,

and he looked at James with a mildly horrified expression.
“You know that.”

“Yeah,” James mumbled, playing with Matt‟s fingers and

avoiding looking in his eyes. Matt laid his head down on
James‟s hard muscles again, content to wait James out,
now. James definitely had more to say, but Matt could be
patient.

Maybe.

Matt sighed. Muscles felt so good when he ran his

hands across them and looked so good when James took off
his shirt. But for pillowing his head while he patiently waited
for his boyfriend to spill? Not so much. He moved his head a
little, trying to find a more comfortable spot.

Then he did it again.

James got sick of his wiggling and rolled over, turning

Matt on his side and spooning up behind him. He pulled the
sheet from Matt and slid under. “You‟re still wearing your
jeans.”

“I liked them, babe.”

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Anne Tenino

| 26

“They make your ass look hot,” James rumbled. He

pushed his hips into Matt‟s ass a little. Matt pushed back.
“Love your ass. Love it that you exfoliate your skin so it‟s
always smooth for me.”

“You know about that?” Matt tried to sit up, horrified,

but James held him down with one heavy arm.

He snorted. “‟Course I know.”

Jesus, that was embarrassing.

“Why are you embarrassed? Just you doing something

because you know I like it. I shave with an old-fashioned
electric razor for you.”

Oh, yeah. Matt relaxed again and pushed back into

James some more. James slid a big hand down and palmed
one cheek. “Skin still sore, baby?”

“A little.”

“Maybe I should take a look?” James‟s voice had gone

into the low-pitched rumble.

“Yeah, maybe.” Matt‟s voice was almost a whisper.

Slowly, James slid his hand around to the front of

Matt‟s jeans, cupping him a second, tracing his fingers up
Matt‟s growing erection, then finding the closure and
unsealing the fly. He slipped a hand inside and traced
fingertips across Matt‟s skin. “Mmmmm, no shorts. Good
boy.”

“You didn‟t lay any out for me,” Matt whispered. His

breath was coming a little faster, and he could feel the
muscles in his abdomen tensing up.

James leaned forward and kissed the back of Matt‟s

neck. “Was that alright?”

Happy Birthday to Me |

Anne Tenino

| 27

“Telling me what to wear? It was kinda hot.” Matt

pushed back into James‟s hips and felt his erection. He
ground his ass against James.

“We‟ve never played like that before. But I got you those

jeans, and you looked so hot with the wrist cuffs, and I
wanted to show you off. I wanted everyone to see how sexy
you are and know you‟re mine.”

Matt squirmed a little, breathing heavier. James thrust

his hips against Matt, prodding him with his prick. James‟s
fingers traced across the skin of Matt‟s lower abdomen,
searching out his cock. He found it and ran a single finger
up the underside. Matt shuddered.

“I wanted to remember how worked up I can get you. No

one else can do that for you, baby.”

The way James was wrapping his fingers around him,

Matt almost missed the significance of that. But it clicked,
finally. A few seconds late, but he made the connection.

Matt stilled his hips and opened his eyes, staring into

their darkened bedroom.

James wanted Matt to know how much he meant to

James. He wanted everyone to see Matt was his. He wanted
to remember how crazy he could make Matt. He wanted to
know no one else could do that for Matt.

Matt rolled over suddenly, James‟s hand sliding off his

prick as he moved. James wouldn‟t meet his eyes.

“Baby, you know I love you.”
“Yeah.” James‟s voice was rough.
“I‟m never going to forget, James. Or stop loving you.”
“How do you know that?” Now James looked at him, but

his voice sounded a little bit choked.

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Anne Tenino

| 28

“I know. Do you feel that way about me?” Somehow

Matt knew James did.

“Yeah.” Still rough, but not choking.
“And you can read my feelings, babe, right?”
James swallowed. “Yeah.”
“So how can you think I would ever change my mind?”
James looked away again, shrugging.
“How come you‟re the empath, but I‟m the one who‟s

sure about this?”

James cleared his throat. “„Don‟t know.”
Matt was at a loss now. “Is it because I never fuck you?”
James looked at him like he‟d misplaced his head. “No.

We have great sex.”

Couldn‟t argue with that. “Do you feel like there‟s

something I‟m not doing for you? Something that makes you
feel insecure?”

“Uhhh….” James just looked bewildered. Sometimes he

was so fucking male. “I‟m an empath, Matt, not a
psychologist.”

“James, dammit, I don‟t want to go around wondering if

you‟re feeling insecure all the time. I wanna figure this out.
Work with me, here.” Matt glared at him. “Jesus, some
people‟s kids,” he muttered.

Oh. Wait.
“James, babe, maybe it‟s my family.”
“I like your family. Even your mom.” He was giving Matt

the bewildered look again.

“Yeah, but they‟re my family. You don‟t really have

much of a family anymore.” Or any family, actually.

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Anne Tenino

| 29

If Matt had hit James upside the head with the comp

tablet, he probably would have gotten a similar look. “You
mean you think I feel like I don‟t belong?” James sounded
like someone who‟d discovered squirrels playing checkers at
his kitchen table with the house-bot. Not quite believable,
but the evidence was right in front of him, so….

Matt pushed himself up over James, looking down at

him, propped up on one elbow. He traced little circles on
James‟s chest. “We can fix that.” He couldn‟t seem to speak
above a whisper.

“Fix what?”
Matt took a deep breath and held it for a second. James

was getting it, he could tell by the look in his eyes. “We can
make you a part of my family. If that‟s what you want.”

“Is that what you want?” James voice had gone beyond

rumbly to rough. Matt watched his Adam‟s apple bob as he
swallowed.

“Yes.” Matt nodded slowly, looking into James‟s eyes. He

thought that was what James wanted, and James had to
know that was what Matt wanted, but he‟d give James the
words (well, word) if that was what he needed.

James swallowed again, his lips parted. Matt thought

that it wasn‟t so much that he didn‟t have anything to say,
but that he couldn‟t speak. James brought his hands up to
Matt‟s face—Matt could see a slight tremor in his fingers—
and slid one into his hair, cupping his cheek in the other. He
pulled Matt‟s head down, lifting up to meet Matt‟s lips with
his own.

It was a strangely awkward kiss. The kind they‟d never

had before, not even in the beginning. Not even the first
time. James seemed unsure, but he was always so sure.

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| 30

For the first time, Matt took charge. He pressed down

gently, forcing James‟s head down on the pillow, and he
sucked on James‟s lips, sucked his tongue into Matt‟s
mouth. He stroked it and explored and opened James fully.

He continued kissing James, slipping one hand under

James‟s shirt, tracing the muscles in his abdomen, following
the furrow between them up from James‟s navel, exploring
the landscape. James got goose bumps this time. Matt slid a
leg over James‟s hips, gliding his thigh across James‟s
erection.

James made a noise Matt had never heard him make.

Almost whining. Matt lifted his head in surprise. “Please,”
James whispered.

James‟s need was a bigger turn-on than Matt could

have ever guessed. He was as hard as he‟d been when James
had spanked him. “Shhh, baby. Let me make love to you.”
Had he ever used those words before? he wondered as he
kissed under James‟s chin, then took James‟s earlobe into
his mouth and sucked. James moaned and arched up,
clutching at Matt‟s back.

Matt pulled himself more fully on top of James, kneeling

over him so he could unseal James‟s pants. James reached
down to help, frantically pushing his pants over his hips as
soon as Matt had them open. Then he gripped Matt‟s hips
and tried to bring them to his, but Matt resisted. He started
tugging on James‟s shirt. He needed to feel more skin.

Impatiently, James pulled himself up enough to whip

the shirt over his head. Then Matt fell on top of him, skin to
skin, rubbing them together, creating little sparks of friction
and lust. He moved to the side just enough and reached
down, gently cradling James‟s balls in his hand, rolling them

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| 31

between his fingers and thumb. James pushed his hips up
to Matt‟s hand, making more of the whining noises.

Fuck, that was sexy. Was this how James felt when he

had Matt nearly crazy with need? No wonder it made him
hot. Matt nipped at James‟s shoulder and neck a little,
reaching behind his balls with one finger to stroke James‟s
perineum. James parted his legs.

Matt took the invitation and slid between James‟s legs,

pushing his pants down his hips too. He lay on top of James,
his erection riding James‟s hip, his hand wrapped around
James‟s shaft, running his thumb over the head and
collecting the pre-come seeping out, rubbing it onto James‟s
silky hot skin. Matt slid his hard prick in against James‟s,
gripping them both in his fist. Using his fingers to stroke all
James‟s hot spots.

It felt amazing. Holding them together like this, James

arching up for his touch, thrusting into his hand, begging
with his body. Matt stroked experimentally, sliding his hand
up, passing his thumb around James‟s cock head, thrusting
against him at the same time. He could feel the sensitive
skin on the underside of his dick sliding against James‟s,
slipping skin, making him shudder. James groaned, arching
up again, sliding one big hand down Matt‟s back to his ass.

When Matt first felt James‟s rough calluses slide across

his still sensitive skin, his control started to slip. He lost the
rhythm he was trying to build, pushing against James hard,
grunting. “James.”

James slid his other hand down, gripping Matt‟s ass,

digging his fingers in and pulling his cheeks apart, forcing
Matt into him harder and faster. Taking the control Matt had
given up. Matt lost his grip on their shafts, reaching to grab

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| 32

onto the sheets. “Oh, God,” he groaned, throwing his head
back and pushing up on his arms, pushing his hips into
James faster.

“C‟mon, baby. Give it to me,” James whispered, reaching

up to flick one of Matt‟s nipples with his tongue. Then he bit
down gently.

Matt moaned and drove his hips into James, grinding

against his cock, driving his own into James‟s, rough hair
and silky skin. James thrust back against him, hard and
fast. “Gonna come, Matty.”

Matt moaned again, picking up speed as James ran his

rough fingers across Matt‟s ass, re-sensitizing it, irritating it
in the best possible way. The sensations from his cock and
his ass amplified each other. James was thrusting up into
him feverishly, and Matt knew he was close by the noises he
was making and his rhythm. Matt twisted his hips a little,
dragging his cock head across James‟s, groaning.

So fucking close. James leaned up to him and bit his

neck while reaching one hand between Matt‟s cheeks, his
finger sliding down, circling Matt‟s hole, dragging across the
puckered skin. “Want you to come, baby.” Then he pressed
down and forced his finger into Matt, twisting it, his hand
gripping Matt‟s ass, pushing into him and pushing him into
James at the same time.

Matt came, moaning and holding himself up on shaking

arms. He could feel James‟s dick pumping next to his, could
feel someone‟s come hitting his stomach. He thrust against
James again, everything now slippery and slick, all his
nerves alive in that one part of his body. All of it more
intense and better because James was feeling the same thing
at the same time.

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Anne Tenino

| 33

Matt‟s arms collapsed, and he fell on James. For a long

time he just lay there, catching his breath while listening to
James catch his. Finally, they were both mostly quiet, and
getting stuck together. He started to move over, off of James,
but James grabbed him in both arms and held him tight.

“Ask me,” James whispered. It wasn‟t the commanding,

in-charge voice or the rumbling, sexy voice. It was a different
voice, one Matt had only heard once before.

“James, will you marry me?” He didn‟t think about it

first, just spit it out. He didn‟t need to think.

“Yes,” James gusted, as if he‟d been holding his breath.

Matt lifted his head and cupped James‟s face in his

hands, kissing him. Trying to comfort and reassure.

Wasn‟t the guy who asked the question supposed to be

the insecure one? He looked down at James, who was giving
him a sheepish smile. Matt kissed his shining eyes closed,
first one lid, then the other. “Love you, baby. ‟S‟okay.”

Matt was the one who went and got something to clean

them off with, who got them naked and who spooned James.
At least until James decided it wasn‟t that comfortable and
rolled over. He lay his head on Matt‟s chest, more normal
territory for them. “Was that too mushy?” James asked after
a while.

“No. It was just how it needed to be, James.” Matt

kissed the top of James‟s head, holding him tight.

“Seemed a little mushy.” He was playing with the hairs

around Matt‟s nipple. Matt shivered but tried to focus for
James‟s sake.

“You want me to ask you a different way?” Or not ask at

all? Matt was starting to get nervous.

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Anne Tenino

| 34

James cleared his throat. “No.” He played a while more.

Matt ran a hand down James‟s back; then he rolled onto his
side, dislodging James‟s head. He was level with James now,
looking into his eyes. James smiled at him, reaching out
with one hand and pulling Matt forward for a kiss. “You
make me happy.”

That was so sweet Matt thought he might be tearing up.

This time James didn‟t wince when Matt thought it. Instead
he smiled and rolled over onto his back, cradling Matt‟s head
on his shoulder now.

Looked like it was finally Matt‟s turn to be insecure.

“James?” His voice was tentative. Kinda like it had been this
morning.

“Yeah, baby?”
“So, that was kinda hot, when I was in control… um,

sorta in control….” James didn‟t make him ask. But he had
a feeling James was trying to keep the smile out of his voice
this time.

“I love our sex life. You don‟t have to start being in

control unless you want to. But if you wanna keep things the
way they are, it makes my kink happy to dominate you.”

“Oh thank God,” Matt breathed.
“But that was kinda hot,” James added. Matt tensed,

just a little. “You know what‟s hotter?”

“What?”
Suddenly James rolled over again, looming over Matt.

He picked up one wrist, then the other, and brought them
together over Matt‟s head. Matt‟s arms jerked when James
turned on the cuffs, restraining his hands. He couldn‟t quite
stop the moan that worked its way out of his throat.

“You still have your wrist cuffs on.”

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About the Author

While spending most of the last three years recovering from
Lyme Disease,

A

NNE

T

ENINO

started writing again. The

Lyme Disease led to the demise of her “real” job, meaning
she suddenly had the time. She began writing for her own
entertainment in third grade, but life intervened, and she
didn‟t get around to submitting anything to a publisher until
the week of her 40th birthday. In the long, rainy, Pacific
Northwest winter, writing is sometimes a mood-saver.
Anne‟s husband is adorably confused by her love of reading
and writing about man lurve, but he‟s always been a
supportive sort. Just don‟t ask him to read it. Her two
school-aged daughters think it‟s cool Mom‟s a writer but
aren‟t clear on why they can‟t tell Gramma about it.
When not writing, Anne likes to read, travel, cook, and shirk
housework.

Coming Soon

18% Gray

By Anne Tenino

In a future where the United States has split along party
lines, Agent Matt Tennimore‟s job is to get people out of the
Confederated Red States, whether they‟re captured special
ops agents from his own country or gay CRS citizens who‟ve
petitioned for asylum. He never expected to have to retrieve
his high school crush, aka the guy who ostracized him for
being gay.
Rescuing James Ayala isn‟t going to be easy: he‟s crawling
with tracking nanos and has a cybernetic brain implant
that‟s granted him psychic power he isn‟t sure how to
control. That‟s the good news. The bad? The implant is
compromising James‟s mental stability.
So they‟re on the run, avoiding surveillance by AI aircraft
and hiding from enemy militia. Then James confesses he
tormented Matt in high school because James wanted him.
Matt can‟t resist the temptation James offers, but he wants
so much more than sex, assuming they ever make it home
alive. Is James really a good bet when he‟s got a ticking time
bomb in his brain and there‟s the question of how much he‟s
actually changed?

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Copyright

Happy Birthday to Me ©Copyright Anne Tenino, 2011

Published by
Dreamspinner Press
4760 Preston Road
Suite 244-149
Frisco, TX 75034
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the
authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead,
business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Cover Art by Catt Ford

This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is
illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon
conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No
part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the Publisher. To
request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press at: 4760 Preston Road, Suite
244-149, Frisco, TX 75034 http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/

Released in the United States of America
June 2011

eBook Edition
eBook ISBN: 978-1-61372-028-8