Wounded Soul

by Annabelle Jacobs

  “You all right now?” Ian was right in front of him, and Jesse felt the tension still clinging to him.

  If he wanted Ian to take him home tonight, he had some damage control to do.

  Or just let it play out and go home alone.

  It was probably nothing more than the fact he knew he couldn’t have him, but Jesse needed this one last time desperately.

  “Yeah, I’m good.” He smiled, going for apologetic. “Felt a bit light-headed, but some fresh air sorted that.”

  Ian huffed out a laugh, then wrinkled his nose. “I’m not sure the air down here is what I’d call fresh.”

  “It’s cooler than the pub though, and I think that helped.”

  They stood facing each other. Jesse longed to reach out and take his hand, tug him back inside, but he kept his hands by his side.

  “If you’d rather go home, it’s—”

  “No,” Jesse cut in, derailing that conversation. “I’m good. Really.” This time he did grab Ian’s hand. “Come on, Cate’ll think you’ve ditched her to go home with me.”

  After a moment’s hesitation, Ian relented and let Jesse tug him inside. “I wouldn’t dare,” he muttered as they fought their way back to the bar. “She’d skin me alive.”

  Jesse grimaced at the thought. “And we wouldn’t want that.” He turned and pulled Ian close, his hands finding his waist. “Especially not when I have a plan to kiss every inch of it later.”

  Finally the smile he’d been waiting for. “Do you, now?”

  “Oh yeah.” He leaned in close. “I need to make up for all the places I missed last time.” Grinning at Ian’s small intake of breath, Jesse stepped back. “Come on, let’s go let Cate know we’ve not pissed off without her.”

  Jesse took a deep breathe, testing himself. The tang of blood hit the back of his mouth, as strong as before, but the visceral reaction he’d experienced last time failed to appear.

  Thank fuck.

  With that side of him sated for now, Jesse relaxed a little but not enough to lose focus again.

  If this was his last night with Ian, he wanted to savour every moment, and that meant being in total control.

  “SERIOUSLY, GUYS, thanks so much for this.” Cate gave Ian a meaningful glance, obviously something between the two of them that Jesse wasn’t privy too. Curiosity burnt, but it wasn’t his business. Wouldn’t matter at all after tonight. If some humans were causing trouble, it was no concern of Jesse’s or his coven.

  Jesse walked beside Ian, shoulders brushing as they saw Cate to her car. He couldn’t hear anything suspicious in the near vicinity, just the normal drunken idiots out on a Friday night. He noted both Ian and Cate darting looks around them. Cate more so, as though she was expecting something or someone to jump out at her any second.

  Jesse now itched to know what this was all about, whether it was his business or not, and resolved to ask Ian about it once they were alone. It seemed like a new development since he hadn’t walked her to her car last weekend. What had happened in the space of a week?

  “Have you heard much from Blake?” Cate paused next to the driver’s door, key in hand. “I’ve had a couple of texts, but that’s it.”

  Ian shrugged. “Same. He said he’d be busy though. The last message I got said he’ll be round the Tuesday after he gets back, to tell us all about it.” Ian rolled his eyes, and again Jesse hated not knowing what they were talking about.

  Not that it matters, he reminded himself.

  “Yeah,” she shuddered. “Can’t wait for that.” She cast a quick look at Jesse, then back to Ian, and whispered—presumably not for Jesse’s ears—“You still mooning over him or . . .”

  Ian sighed. “I’m getting there.”

  An irrational flare of jealousy took Jesse by surprise. Ian wasn’t his, wouldn’t be anything to him after tonight, yet he still found himself curling his lip at the thought of Ian feeling anything for this Blake, whoever the fuck he was. He took a step back, forcing the sudden and not so pleasant images out of his head, concentrating on Ian’s scent until he no longer felt murderous.

  “You gonna be okay driving home?” Ian asked, leaning into the car as Cate buckled the seatbelt.

  “Yeah, I’ll be fine.”

  Ian bent to give her a kiss on the cheek and she murmured, “Go put him out of his misery, he’s been looking like he wants to eat you for the last half hour.”

  Jesse turned away to hide his wry smile.

  Oh, if only you knew . . .

  After watching Cate drive out onto the main road, Ian faced Jesse, his small smile turning into a smirk. “You ready to go back to mine?”

  “Yes.” Jesse stalked towards him, cupped his jaw, and kissed him like he’d wanted to do all night. Out here with no one watching them, he felt free to plaster himself to Ian’s front, slide a leg between his thighs, and rub up against his crotch. “Mmm.” He nipped Ian’s bottom lip, careful to keep his teeth human, no matter how much he longed for a proper taste. The warmth of Ian’s breath, the steady beat of his heart— alive and vibrant—was enough. Jesse could live vicariously through him for one more night and reminisce what it was like to be human.

  “I don’t want to be arrested for indecency.” Ian laughed between kisses, making no effort to stop Jesse’s wandering hands.

  But the mention of police, even the regular force, had Jesse stepping back and taking Ian’s hand. “No, we don’t want that. Come on.” He tugged him in the direction of Ian’s flat. Wanting to be there already. The scents and sounds of the streets were distracting and Jesse wanted to focus solely on Ian.

  “You remember the way then?” Ian glanced over at him as they walked, a questioning look in his eyes.

  Jesse shrugged. “I have a good memory for directions.”

  Especially since I turned.

  As well as enhanced senses and strength, being a vampire gave other advantages, or disadvantages, depending how you looked at it. Since he’d been changed, Jesse never forgot names, faces, things he’d done, or places he’d visited. Even if he sometimes wanted to. But his life before that, his human life with his friends and family . . . the memories faded more as time passed, despite how hard he tried to cling on to them.

  He’d remember this short time with Ian long after Ian had forgotten him. And after Jesse could no longer remember that Callum had been the love of his life.

  They reached Ian’s front door, and as had become habit over the years, Jesse subtly sniffed the air, checking for any other vampires in the area. His shoulders lost some of their tension as he only smelt humans. Jesse’s coven was the only one in Bristol, the only registered one, anyway. Strictly speaking, any vampires visiting the city should check in first with Raph, but things had got messy since their agreement with the VLCD. Some obeyed coven etiquette; others took great delight in flaunting it. Jesse would rather not put Ian in the middle of a vampire pissing contest if he could avoid it.

  Yet another reason to stop this now.

  Ignoring the irritating voice of reason, he followed Ian into his building and up the stairs.

  Once inside, Jesse shut the door and slipped his arms around Ian’s waist from behind. He buried his face in the crook of Ian’s neck and breathed in deep, indulging his desire to be close but taking it no further. Ian’s skin was warm to the touch, a hint of sweat and alcohol clinging to it, and Jesse closed his eyes, revelling in it.

  Under it all, the steady thrum of Ian’s pulse called to him. His fangs ached and his body yearned for the sweet, rich taste of blood that could be his in an instant. But unlike before in the club, Jesse easily ignored it.

  There were other things he wanted to taste more tonight.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Ian closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of Jesse’s solid body behind him.

  Staying in the club had been torture. As much as he’d wanted to make sure Cate was okay, that she felt safe, he’d longed to take Jesse home and get him out of his clothes.

  Turning in Jesse’s
arms, Ian kissed him. He fisted his hands in Jesse’s hair, tilting his head how he wanted it and deepening the kiss until he had to break for air.

  Jesse stared back at him, hardly even breathing heavily, a smile curving the edges of his mouth and a hungry look in his eye. “Shall we go to your bedroom?”

  “What’s wrong with right here?” Ian was mostly kidding, but Jesse grinned and put a hand under each of his thighs, hefting Ian up so he had to wrap his legs around Jesse’s waist.

  “Nothing at all.” Jesse backed Ian up against the wall, pressing into him, and there was no mistaking how much they both liked this position.

  Ian laughed, surprised at how easily Jesse picked him up. He was by no means a small guy, but Jesse held him up like he weighed nothing. “You’re stronger than you look.”

  “I’ve been working out,” he whispered, then proceeded to kiss Ian again until he forgot about everything other than Jesse’s tongue in his mouth and the way his body fit against Ian’s. In that moment, nothing else mattered.

  Ian’s phone vibrated in his back pocket, making him jump. It was Cate’s text alert.

  “D’you need to get that?” Jesse asked, trailing kisses along Ian’s jaw to his throat.

  “No.” Ian let his head fall back against the wall, giving Jesse all the access he wanted. “It’s just Cate telling me she got home okay.”

  “Is this a new thing? Has something happened since the last time I saw you?”

  Jesse’s mouth on his neck was far too distracting, and it took a couple of seconds for the words to sink in. “Um . . .” Yes. We discovered that vampires are real. Ian scrabbled to think of a plausible lie, which was increasingly difficult with Jesse’s jean-clad cock rubbing against his and teeth grazing along the base of his throat. “Our friend got a new job last week, and he was telling us about some of the new stuff he’ll be working on. Cate got a little freaked out.”

  Jesse hummed. “What does he do?”

  “Security.” Ian tugged on Jesse’s hair and pulled him back so he could see his face. “As much as I love my friends, I’d rather not be talking about them right now.”

  “What would you like to talk about?”

  Ian grinned. “Nothing. I’d prefer one, if not both of our mouths to be otherwise occupied.”

  Laughing, Jesse turned, Ian still in his arms, and headed towards Ian’s bedroom. “I like that idea.”

  Fuck yes, me too.

  Jesse set him down in the middle of the floor, hands sliding under his T-shirt and tugging it off over his head. He took off his own next, and Ian ran his hands over Jesse’s flat stomach, the dark trail of hair tickling his palms. As he slowly moved them higher, tracing over his ribs and towards his chest, Jesse grabbed his hands and lowered them back down, pressing them against the bulge in his jeans.

  “I think this needs your attention more.”

  Ian grinned and set about undoing Jesse’s button, then his zip, while Jesse ducked his head and kissed along Ian’s collarbone.

  “Hurry,” Jesse whispered. “I want to put my mouth all over you.” When Ian lingered, fingers stroking Jesse’s cock through the tight material of his boxers, Jesse gently pushed his hands away. “I don’t want to come like this.” He shoved his jeans and underwear to the floor, stepping out of them and kicking them away.

  Ian hurried to do the same, secretly pleased that he’d got Jesse so riled up so quickly. No sooner had he stepped out of his clothes than Jesse was on him, hands cupping his jaw as he kissed him and walked them backwards towards Ian’s bed.

  The back of Ian’s legs hit it first and he tumbled onto it, taking Jesse with him. They landed with an oomph, Ian laughing as Jesse pinned him to the bed, way heavier than Ian expected him to be.

  Running his hands along the toned muscle of Jesse’s back, Ian let out a hum of appreciation. Whatever Jesse did to keep fit, it seemed to be working well for him. Squeezing Jesse’s biceps, he smiled up at him. “Maybe I should get you to cook me some of what you eat.” He slid his hands up along Jesse’s broad shoulders, feeling them tense suddenly. Fuck, he shouldn’t have said that, they weren’t dating. “Or maybe you could give me some recipe tips,” he added, trying to make light of it.

  Jesse relaxed and lay down on top of him, supporting his weight on his forearms as he dipped his head, kissing that spot below Ian’s ear that he seemed to like a lot. “I’m not sure you’d like my diet.” He kissed his way down Ian’s chest, teasing a nipple with his tongue before moving to the other. “Besides,” he murmured, tickling Ian’s stomach as he spoke. “You’re perfect as you are.”

  Ian laughed. “Thanks but I thi— Fuck.”

  Jesse’s mouth closed around his dick, and Ian let his head fall back against the pillow. God that felt good. He fisted his hands in Jesse’s hair but kept his grip loose, just wanting the connection.

  Jesse moaned around him, and Ian’s fingers flexed, tightening their hold regardless of his good intentions. Jesse sucked him deep in return, like an amazing feedback loop, and Ian’s toes curled against the quilt.

  Heat built low in his belly, pleasure dancing up his spine with each stroke of Jesse’s tongue. He’d be coming in minutes at this rate. Ian tugged on Jesse’s hair until he pulled off and met his gaze.

  “Scoot around.” Ian gestured the position he wanted with his fingers, and Jesse grinned.

  “Yeah, okay.” He manoeuvred himself until his cock was level with Ian’s mouth.

  Now at least Ian had a chance of making Jesse come just as quickly.

  Giving Jesse’s dick a couple of long, slow strokes, Ian took a moment to admire it, not all that used to circumcised ones. He leant forward and mouthed at the head, loving the feel of it against his tongue.

  Jesse gasped as Ian took him deep, the sound going straight to his groin, and when Jesse returned the favour, Ian shuddered with sensation overload. With his cock nudging the back of Jesse’s throat and the heavy weight of Jesse’s on his tongue, Ian had no hope of staving off his orgasm for long.

  Jesse’s fingers grazed his balls, venturing further back to press over his hole as Jesse took him apart with his mouth. Ian moaned, tongue working Jesse’s cock for all he was worth, one hand curled around the base as he held him steady. When he cupped Jesse’s balls and sucked him deep, Jesse’s whole body tensed, cock pulsing as he came. Ian swallowed around him, the taste not bitter, but Ian couldn’t focus enough to ponder it further as Jesse bobbed his head, taking Ian into his mouth over and over until Ian couldn’t hang on any longer. He let Jesse’s dick slip from his mouth, coming with a soft cry before rolling onto his back with a satisfied sigh. “Fuck me.”

  Jesse righted himself and joined Ian at the top of the bed, leaning up on one elbow and smiling down at him. “I’m going to.” He trailed a finger down Ian’s happy trail, stopping before getting to his sensitive cock and laying his hand flat. “When you’ve recovered.”

  Ian glanced down at Jesse’s cock; it looked as hard as ever, and he couldn’t help but reach out to touch it. “Jesus,” he murmured, a little in awe. “I might need a little longer than that.”

  Jesse shuffled closer and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to his lips. Ian slipped a hand in his hair, holding him in place and deepening it until he could taste himself in Jesse’s mouth. Heat stirred deep in his belly, and Ian grinned. Maybe round two would be quicker than he thought after all.

  Then Jesse pulled back and eased Ian’s head onto his shoulder, slipping an arm around him. With Jesse stroking lazy patterns on his back, Ian felt his eyes closing, much to his surprise, but he let himself relax. Just for a minute.

  JESSE STARED UP at the ceiling, relaxed in a way he seldom felt, listening to the soft rhythmic breaths of Ian as he slept. Cocooned in Ian’s bedroom, a world away from his vampire life, Jesse could almost forget for a moment that he wasn’t human, that he didn’t belong here. But then his fingers strayed to the pulse point in Ian’s neck. The unmistakeable beat of his heart a stark reminder that they weren’t
the same and never would be.

  He stroked his fingers through Ian’s hair, closing his eyes for a second and inhaling the scents around them, committing them to memory. After tonight, that’s all he’d have—a memory of their time together that would stay with him forever.

  Ian stirred, mumbling something Jesse couldn’t quite catch, before settling again with a hand wrapped around Jesse’s waist. The way Ian clung to him felt possessive and Jesse liked that. It made him feel wanted, needed, and he wished there was a way they could keep doing this because he wasn’t ready to let go just yet.

  As he held Ian close, he knew it wasn’t only because he reminded Jesse of Callum. The similarities were in looks alone, and the more he got to know Ian, the more he wanted to find out. Ian had a whole life that Jesse knew nothing about, and the urge to be a part of it was hard to ignore. He wanted it. Wanted to be in on the secret jokes and conversation that Ian shared with Cate. Wanted more than the occasional text arranging a hook-up.

  And that was why he had to end this.

  From the small amount of time Jesse had spent with Ian, he’d already been captivated by Ian’s smile, his sense of humour, and the easy way they fell into conversation. If being with him felt this effortless now, Jesse could only imagine how amazing it would be if they carried on seeing one another.

  At some point, though, Ian would notice that Jesse never ate, hardly drank, and despite how careful he tried to be, Ian would eventually realise that Jesse didn’t need to take a breath.

  The weight of Ian’s body curled against his was wonderful, and his warmth seeped into every part of Jesse reminding him what it used to be like. And there lay the danger. In the aftermath of orgasm, Jesse had forgotten, pulling Ian close. He’d been incredibly lucky that Ian had fallen asleep so quickly, because if he’d been awake right now, he’d feel the absence of a heart beating in Jesse’s chest.

  Fuck.

  Every part of him wanted to stay in that bed, to see Ian wake up—all sleepy-eyed and hair mussed. Wanted to do it day after day and learn everything there was to know about him. But Jesse didn’t have that luxury.