Chapter 48
Spending so many months trapped alone without even a clue if the sun was up or down gave a person a great deal of time to think. Rafe had spent countless hours reflecting upon who he was and every aspect of his life. There hadn’t been much to like. Surrounded by liars and evil, Rafe had somehow missed the signs and believed he was loved. And he’d treasured and respected those men in return, so the betrayal had cut deep. When the tears flowed and even when there were none left inside, Rafe had used Aleksander to escape the pain.
Reflecting upon his voice, his kind heart, and the way he’d held him while they kissed had kept him sane. Each moment became etched into the very fabric of who Rafe was, and he’d yearned for him. So as he lay in Aleksander’s bed with their mouths locked, Rafe allowed himself to be a selfish ass.
Nearly a week had passed since he’d been released from the hospital, and there was little swelling left to be found, but he had convinced Aleksander he needed just one more day to mend. The High King didn’t put up a fight, which hadn’t lessened Rafe’s guilt about keeping him away from his family. That shame was outweighed only by Rafe’s fear that once they stepped out the door, the spell would break. Rafe would wake up from this dream where he had everything he’d ever wanted and find himself chained and covered in his shit again.
“What’s wrong?” Aleksander murmured.
“We’re kissing; how can anything be wrong?”
Aleksander shifted and pulled Rafe closer. They were under the blankets and through their pajamas, Rafe could feel his hardness. It matched his own, but although they’d made out plenty the last few nights, Aleksander hadn’t pushed further. As for Rafe, he was too flummoxed to ask.
“I don’t know, babe, but you’re not as into this as you were last night. You want to stop?”
Rafe smoothed his hand over Aleksander’s back. “No, I love it when you kiss me. It’s my new favorite hobby. I get pissed when we have to stop to breathe.”
“I know the feeling,” Aleksander remarked, then moved in for a deep mating of mouths. When Rafe’s tongue slid alongside Aleksander’s, he swore the temperature in the room went up about ten degrees, and he couldn’t stop himself from undulating against the solid body pressed to him. Aleksander’s hand cupped Rafe’s ass and he unleashed a torrent of swear words at the exquisite pleasure, making his mate chuckle.
“Fuck, you make me feel good,” Rafe whispered as soon as he managed to adjust to the fingers that were now kneading his cheek. There was a voice in his head telling him to strip off his fucking clothes and lay himself out like a banquet for Aleksander to do whatever the hell he wanted as long as he didn’t ever stop.
Their lips touched again, and Rafe eagerly wiggled in a vain attempt to get some friction on his cock. Aleksander responded by dropping a line of kisses toward Rafe’s ear. “I’d really like to get naked with you,” he purred.
“Okay, but I’m like really skinny and shit.”
Aleksander put enough distance between them so their eyes locked. “We don’t have to if it makes you uncomfortable.”
“Trust me, I fucking want it.” Rafe wasn’t going to take the time to argue. Releasing Aleksander and with the covers still very much up to his chest, he managed to squirm his way out of his clothes, which he chucked on the floor. “Your turn, what are you waiting for?”
With a chuckle, Aleksander pulled his shirt off, giving Rafe the incredible view of the smooth skin of his pecs and shoulders. His pants flew out of his hands, and Rafe lay there awkwardly for a moment. Did he move forward, or wait for Aleksander to do it?
“You’re blushing,” Aleksander remarked, caressing one hot check.
“Some experience at this would be nice right about now.”
Rafe sucked in a breath when Aleksander pulled them flush together. All they were doing was lying there, and it was still the most pleasure Rafe had experienced in his eight centuries of life. Although he wanted to grind against Aleksander until he came, he wouldn’t ruin the moment by being greedy.
“I like that you don’t.”
“That I don’t what?” Rafe had completely forgotten what they were talking about as he stared at Aleksander’s mouth. The redness and the puffiness of those fantastic lips were because of him—he was the one who’d spent hours making out with Aleksander.
“That you don’t have any experience.”
“Oh, yeah, okay. I get it. Yeah. I’m glad you don’t either.”
Aleksander cupped Rafe’s face, and their kiss forced out a moan. In his head was a steady stream of swear words as Aleksander rolled them over so Rafe was on his back. The heavy weight of Aleksander was exquisite, and he gave in to the urge to spread his legs. Bending his knees, Rafe clasped Aleksander’s sweaty skin and thrust. It took them a minute or two to find a rhythm that suited them both, but they managed to get their cocks lined up. With each movement upward, the thick hardness of Aleksander’s dick rubbed and slid against him.
When he could no longer manage to do two things at once, he tore his mouth free and arched his throat. Aleksander buried his hands beneath him and his face into the pillow under Rafe’s head. His mate’s breath was choppy, and Rafe clutched him tighter as they moved faster. Those unsteady sounds were drowned out by the babbling Rafe couldn’t stop. It was a mixture of curses interspersed with his nickname for Aleksander as his balls drew up tight. Digging his heels harder into the bed, his movements became more frantic. There was no time to figure out if Aleksander was ready; Rafe’s orgasm exploded out of him with little warning, and he clung to his mate as his muscles locked in place. Aleksander surged against him, came to a stop, and groaned out his release.
His eyes still shut, Rafe slowly floated into some semblance of realism as he lay there under Aleksander with their come now painting them where they were mashed together. It was the most intense pleasure he’d ever known, and his ass clenched at the idea of having Aleksander inside him. Fucking might just kill me, Rafe thought and couldn’t hold in his chuckle.
“What’s funny?” Aleksander muttered next to Rafe’s ear. Lifting himself up, he brushed their lips together. Lazy satisfaction was in his eyes, and Rafe had never been closer to another living being in his life.
“I love you.”
“That’s funny?”
“No, I just had to tell you that right now.”
“Hmm…I love you, too,” Aleksander said, kissing his nose, his chin, and finally his mouth.
“I laughed because that orgasm nearly killed me. We fuck and I might stroke out.”
Aleksander’s mirth was music to Rafe’s ears. “Nearly the same thought crossed my mind. What do you think? Worth the risk?”
“Fuck, yes.”
“Not bad for a couple of virgins, huh?”
Rafe smiled, and warmth flowed through him at the affection in Aleksander’s voice. “Brogan might disagree, but fuck him.”
Aleksander pulled back the covers and stole a kiss before rolling away. “I haven’t wanted to fuck Brogan since I was twenty.”
Those words snapped Rafe out of his lassitude, and he sat up when Aleksander headed for the bathroom. “Wait, what?”
“I had a crush on him for a couple of years,” Aleksander explained. The water came on; then his mate reappeared with a washcloth in his hands. “No big deal. Apparently, he had a thing for me too, but since he thought I was straight, and I was too scared of my dad’s reaction to finding out I was gay, neither of us acted on it. I didn’t even know he returned my feelings until after I met you. He was pretty pissed that I didn’t come out to him, but he’s fine with the fact that I kept it a secret now.”
There was color in Rafe’s cheeks, but it wasn’t a reaction to Aleksander’s confession. It was strange to have just had sex with Aleksander and reach a blistering orgasm only to be shy about the gentle way his mate cleaned the come from his skin, but Rafe was a strange mix of contradictions. The truth was, he was a freak. “Oh.”
Aleksander threw the washcloth, an
d it hit the bathroom floor with a wet splat. “Are you mad?”
“What? No,” Rafe responded, allowing Aleksander to tug the blankets over them. Eagerly Rafe scooted, rolled to his side, and went into his arms. Again, he was moved by the simple touch of their lips. “I just didn’t know.”
“It was probably a stupid time to mention it.”
Rafe managed a one-shoulder shrug while rubbing Aleksander’s back. “It doesn’t bother me, and everything we learn about each other only brings us closer as friends. So, Brogan was pissed off when he found out about me?”
“He wasn’t mad that I met you—he was angry at me for keeping my sexuality a secret. Up until you, he was my closest friend, and he believed I was wrong not to share that part of myself with him. I’m sorry I hurt him, but I don’t know what good it really would’ve done to tell him any sooner. Even if I’d known he had a crush on me, I wouldn’t have been willing to sacrifice our relationship for a night in bed together. I was very lonely when I was growing up. Before I was seven, I occasionally got to play with Dravyn and Noir, but then my father had their parents killed. He turned the pair into servants, and I was forbidden to go near them. I had no one until I was out riding my horse and ran into Brogan about ready to be pounded on by some other drakelings. Once we straightened that situation out, we found out that we clicked, and much to my father’s dismay, we were together constantly after that.”
“Your father’s a real dick. I guess we can add that to the ‘things we have in common’ spreadsheet.”
“Did you make a real spreadsheet like that?” Aleksander asked with a grin.
Rafe gave him a smacking kiss. “No, but I could make one if you want.”
“A little weird, even for us, maybe.”
“What about your mom? Didn’t she stick up for you? I had Molly to do that for me when I was young.”
“I never met my mom. I was told her name is Ismay. She’s Worth’s mother, too. Essentially my dad paid her to have us both. Worth and I decided we have no interest in locating her. She was willing to leave us with that asshole and has never sought us out. What about your mom?”
“I don’t know who she is. Sully’s mom was my father’s mate. She died or disappeared, and I was born sometime after. Same with the twins…I have no clue who birthed them and, to be honest, I’d be surprised if they are actually King Kestle’s biological children.”
“Here we go delving into shit from the past. Did I ruin our first time?”
“Are you fucking kidding me? A tornado could rip through this room right now, and I’d still think it was unbelievably good.”
“On that, we can agree,” Aleksander told him. Rafe lifted his chin as Aleksander took his mouth again and prepared to lose himself to the wonder they created whenever they touched. It was a good thing he’d already agreed to only one more day in their room together. If he was asked right now, Rafe would probably demand the eternity they were supposedly promised be spent in their bed. It wasn’t about the sex but the closeness that grew with each conversation and beautiful kiss.
Chapter 49
Aleksander walked out the back door to find Rafe standing in his pajamas, talking to his wolf. “You didn’t wait for me,” he said, skipping down the deck stairs. When he got to his mate’s side, he couldn’t resist a quick taste of his mouth.
“I wanted to see Mortis,” Rafe remarked as Aleksander tugged him into his arms. Aleksander had taken a shower and when he’d emerged, he’d discovered a perfectly made bed and his other half missing.
“How’s he doing?”
The wolf in question let out a woof, and Rafe took the ball from him and chucked it across the yard. Mortis loped after it with his tongue hanging out, appearing pleased with his lot in life.
“Good. I can’t believe how much I missed him.”
“The Cwylld stones are in Cadlyr’s safe for now. You guys can hang out all the time again.”
“You think anyone in the house can see us out here hugging and shit?”
“Does it bother you to be openly affectionate?”
“No…maybe. I don’t know. Just some stuff’s private.”
“I doubt anyone has their face pressed against a window, watching us.”
“Yeah, plus I like being close to you. It’s just if I’m not kissing you constantly when we’re around everybody, it’s not because I don’t want to, okay?”
Aleksander smiled and their lips met briefly. “That’s perfectly fine with me. But there will be lots of kissing when we’re alone.”
“You’re damn right.”
“I have to say, I’m going to miss having you to myself.”
“I considered asking Killian to zap me with a spell so I could bloat back up and be forced to spend a few more days in bed with you,” Rafe replied.
“I hate to be the one to break this to you, but there’s no way in hell he’d hurt you on purpose.”
“Yeah, he seems like a nice guy.”
“You’ll get to know everyone eventually, starting with your first family meeting tonight.”
“I’m nervous. Do you have an agenda or anything I can study to get ready?”
Aleksander shook his head. “I’ve never used one; it’s very casual.”
“Well, what are you going to talk about?”
“Regular stuff. I have no idea what’s gone on around the house this week, so we’ll just have to play it by ear.”
“That’s not very organized,” Rafe muttered, delighting Aleksander with a scowl.
“You ready for breakfast?”
“Yeah,” Rafe replied. When he pulled away, Aleksander took his hand. “Come on Mortis, time to eat.”
The wolf ran over and stared up at Rafe. “No, we can play ball later,” Rafe said, ruffling the fur on Mortis’s head. “Well, good for you, I’m starving.”
“Problem?”
“He wants to keep playing, but I’m going inside. Stop yelling in my head, Mortis.”
“Be nice,” Aleksander chided the pair, scratching behind Mortis’s ears.
“Why do you only listen when Sander tells you shit?”
Aleksander led his mate and his wolf into the house, which was already teeming with people grabbing their morning meal.
“Does Mortis want yummies?” Noirin asked in a singsong voice that had Aleksander lifting a brow at his cousin, but she ignored him as she baby-talked to the wolf as she fed him breakfast. “Who’s a good wolf? Who’s a good boy?”
“I guess I don’t have to wonder if he was taken care of while I was healing,” Rafe murmured. Aleksander tugged him to the buffet spread across the long island.
“Oh, good, you’re feeling better,” Trystan said, walking into the kitchen with his other half, Blodwen. “My parents keep asking if you’re out of your room yet, so they can talk to you.”
“Did something happen?” Aleksander asked.
“I have no clue; they just want to speak with Rafe.”
“Thank you. I’ll text Conley after breakfast and let him know he can contact me whenever he has time,” Rafe commented.
“You have my eternal gratitude. Between Dad-mate asking about you and wondering when we’re going to have another D’Vaire weekend, I’m wondering how Dad puts up with him when he gets this annoying.”
“D’Vaire weekend?” Rafe asked.
“Yeah, we usually have the entire extended family together once a month,” Trystan supplied.
“We can discuss it tonight,” Aleksander told the hybrid, who nodded with a smile. Kissing the top of Rafe’s ear, he couldn’t miss the confusion in his mate’s gaze. “We’ll talk about it before then, okay?”
His hair was a tangled mess of curls he’d neglected to comb, and Aleksander was ridiculously pleased by it, because he had vivid memories of how it got to be such a mess. It was all his fault, and he was especially proud of that fact. “Okay.”
“You’re beautiful. Now fill up your plate because you have weight to gain.”
“Yeah.”
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Since Aleksander was on the phone and they had a meeting with Drystan and Conley in short measure, Rafe left their office to take Mortis outside alone.
“Happy,” Mortis said. Rafe threw the ball for what felt like the hundredth time that day. Although he’d missed his wolf, he was pretty sure if he kept going, his arm would fall off.
“Me too. Are you going to sleep in our room tonight or go make kissy face with Noir?”
“Noir goddess is wonderful but Rafe my person.”
“I love you too. Your bed is in the living area, okay? Sometimes Sander and I need to be alone.”
“Dragons hump too?”
Rafe laughed so hard he bent over. “Yeah, buddy. Dragons hump too,” he managed when he caught his breath.
“You like humping with Aleksander?”
“Yep. Okay, last throw. I need to get to my meeting.”
“Throw.”
After Mortis retrieved his toy, Rafe stalked up the steps of the deck and put the ball into the little bin Noirin had placed outside for him. Pulling open the back door, Rafe found his brother in the kitchen by himself. His glare killed any greeting Rafe might’ve had, and his attitude was the very reason Rafe was uncomfortable being affectionate with Aleksander outside of their bedroom. The last thing Rafe needed was people judging him; he already knew he wasn’t worthy of his mate.
“Interesting that a man with such a long history with women is suddenly gay,” Kendrick drawled.
“What?”
“I don’t know how you live with yourself.”
Wary of any confrontation under Aleksander’s roof and too bruised by his family to get into an altercation with his brother, Rafe froze stupidly. “Huh?”
Mortis let out a growl. “Mean.”
“Are you telling him to do that to scare me?” Kendrick asked, backing up a step. His attention was fixed on the wolf who hadn’t moved a muscle. Mortis was a sentinel too honorable to attack anyone without reason. Incorruptible, all sentinels lived by an extreme code of ethics.
Heart of the High King (D'Vaire, Book 19) Page 35