Noem

by Catherine Lievens

  “If you really want to have sex with me, then let’s do it.”

  Kay didn’t think Noem would have the strength to do much, but he wasn’t about to push him away, not after what he’d just said. He kissed Noem, and Noem whined, kissing back eagerly. He was warm under Kay, around him, and Kay could imagine them in the same position, but without clothes separating them this time. He reached down and pushed a hand under Noem’s T-shirt, stroking smooth skin.

  He moved away from Noem’s lips, kissing down his throat and sucking at the junction where throat and shoulder met. One of Noem’s arms slid from Kay’s shoulder and he looked up. Noem was asleep.

  Kay laughed, then pressed his lips together in fear of being too loud. He didn’t want to wake Noem up. He obviously needed his sleep, and he was cute. He was still holding on to Kay as if he were afraid Kay might disappear, and Kay gently untangled them.

  He got up and pulled the duvet up again. He took a second to look at Noem, at the way his mouth was slightly open and at how his eyelashes fanned over his cheeks. He looked so young when he was asleep, and the soft snores made it more obvious.

  Kay shook his head and left the bedroom. He went back to the kitchen, his eyes widening at the sight of Dominic sitting at the table eating breakfast. Kay sat in front of him.

  “You’re not eating in your office today,” he said.

  “Obviously.”

  “I’m scared of asking if it means good or bad news.”

  Dominic sighed. “It just means that Ani is convincing when he wants to be.”

  “Can I ask what’s happening?”

  Dominic looked around the kitchen. There were people around, but they were all either busy with their own breakfast or looking very much like Noem and about to fall back asleep on their plate.

  “I’m not sure how to answer your question, honestly,” Dominic finally said. “We’ve been talking with the highest members of the government—heck, I got a call from the President two days ago.”

  “Isn’t that a good thing?”

  “Looks like it, but they want assurances, and I’m not sure we can give those. I mean, I can vouch for the pride, but what about the other shifters? What about those who don’t like the council?”

  “I’m sure the President knows you can’t make every shifter do what you want.”

  “Of course, but they still want certainties, you know?”

  “What about the council? Is it going to stay?” Kay wouldn’t be surprised if it was dismantled. It couldn’t be good to have a government outside of the normal government, even if it was for another species.

  “They’re trying to shut it down, but we’re not allowing it. I wasn’t joking when I said we have shifters everywhere, and they’re working hard to make sure we’re treated with equality. We can’t lose the council, so we’re trying to work along with the humans. It’s not the easiest thing to do.”

  Kay snorted. “No kidding.”

  “Anyway, for now everything looks good. Some humans are wary of us, and some want things I’m not even going to tell you, but I think we’ll reach an arrangement that’ll be good for us. It’ll take time, but we will.”

  Dominic obviously knew the situation better than Kay, but Kay wasn’t convinced. He’d seen too much on the job. He knew how hateful humans could be with their own kind, and it wouldn’t surprise him that some of them would be even worse with shifters. Shifters couldn’t be expected to sit back and let people hurt them, and Kay was afraid it might turn into a war, no matter how hard everyone was working to avoid that.

  He didn’t know how many shifters there were around, but there couldn’t be a great number of them. They’d have been found sooner if that was the case.

  If a war really happened, shifters would probably lose, and even though Kay hadn’t been happy about shifters until recently, now he couldn’t imagine not having the mansion to come back to when he went to town, or Noem sleeping in his bed and snoring.

  “I hope so,” he finally said.

  He left Dominic to his breakfast after that. He probably should have done something productive—there was always something to do around the house, something to fix—but he went back upstairs to his bedroom. He grabbed his cell phone, the book he’d been reading the night before, and went to Noem’s room.

  He closed the door and smiled when he saw that Noem had already managed to push down the duvet again. It was tangled in his legs, and his T-shirt had rucked up, exposing his stomach.

  Kay pulled the duvet up as much as he could without waking Noem, but he slept like the dead, like nothing short of a bomb would wake him. He didn’t move, not even when Kay slipped into the bed next to him and grabbed his book.

  Kay reached out and tangled his fingers into Noem’s hair. He didn’t move his hand away, no matter how awkward it made reading.

  * * * *

  Noem became aware of the hand in his hair before he was completely awake. It could only be Kay—or at least Noem hoped it was. In the worst case, it was Nysys and he was there to bug Noem, but Noem could probably find a way around him.

  He opened his eyes and smiled at the sight in front of him. The room was almost completely dark, so it was probably close to dinnertime. Kay was sitting next to Noem, his back half against the headboard, the back of his head resting against a pillow. A book was abandoned in his lap and he was sleeping. And yes, that was his hand in Noem’s hair.

  Noem gently untangled it, because the last thing he wanted was to lose hair. He slunk to the bathroom, where he brushed his teeth and showered. He felt marginally more alive once he was done, even though he was hungry enough that he’d eat Nysys if he encountered him, even though all that metal would probably be hard to digest.

  Since he hadn’t brought clothes into the bathroom with him, Noem went back to the bedroom wearing only a towel. He opened the dresser drawer to take underwear but paused before putting them on.

  He looked at Kay, who was still asleep. Noem remembered what they’d talked about before he’d gone to sleep. It made him want to run and hide—he didn’t usually blurt out what he felt that way—but maybe it was a good thing to have everything out there. He couldn’t deny he’d had doubts, because Kay was an adult male, but he hadn’t tried to even touch Noem in a sexual way. Noem knew it could be anything—maybe Kay didn’t enjoy sex, maybe he didn’t feel ready for it—but he couldn’t help the niggle in the back of his mind that told him Kay just didn’t want him.

  That wasn’t what Kay had said, though. He’d said he wanted Noem, and that Noem could jump him. Well, he’d mostly said that. Anyway, he’d been clear about wanting to have sex. Noem was sure he’d heard that very phrase.

  He bit on his lower lip and played with the towel at his waist. He wanted to drop it and slide into bed, to press his body against Kay’s and kiss him until he woke up. He didn’t have much experience, though, and he wasn’t sure he could stand it if Kay pushed him away.

  Still, he wouldn’t find out until he tried.

  Noem loosened the towel and let it fall to the floor. He raked a hand through his hair, took a deep breath, and stepped up to the bed. Sliding under the covers was easy, and he did so as slowly and gently as possible.

  He knew Kay needed to be awake for whatever they might do, of course, but it felt easier to do this with Kay asleep.

  Noem pressed as close to Kay as he dared and shivered at the sensation of Kay’s clothed body against his naked one. It was enough to make his dick react and twitch, and he moved his hips away just a bit. He wasn’t sure how Kay would react to finding him naked in bed, never mind if he woke up with a hard cock pressing against his hip.

  Noem pressed a hand against Kay’s stomach and waited to see if Kay reacted to it. He didn’t, and Noem realized Kay was sleeping more deeply than he’d thought. It made him pause, because he knew he’d be angry if he woke up to a guy he didn’t like naked in bed with him. He and Kay were mates, of course, but Noem wasn’t sure that chan
ged anything.

  So he leaned closer and kissed Kay’s cheek. When that wasn’t enough, he kissed down Kay’s jaw, his throat, pausing to suck the skin there.

  That worked. Kay groaned and shifted, one of his arms wrapping around Noem’s waist. Kay froze for a second, slid his hand lower, along Noem’s bare skin, then turned on his side, facing Noem.

  Noem closed his eyes, ready for the rejection he was sure was coming.

  “Look at me,” Kay said softly.

  Noem obeyed. He swallowed and opened his eyes, but instead of rejection, the expression on Kay’s face was tender. Noem didn’t have a better word for it, and he didn’t want one. Tenderness worked for him.

  “Are you sure this is what you want?” Kay asked. “I won’t leave you because we don’t have sex.”

  Noem blinked. “You think I’m doing this to keep you with me?”

  “I know I was an asshole, and that I gave you the impression that I wouldn’t want a mate, and I’m sorry about that. I just need to know that you know this is real for me. I don’t think of you in terms of Nix, just as Noem, the guy I really like and whom I want a future with.”

  Noem put a hand over Kay’s heart. “I know that. I wouldn’t have accepted to date you if I hadn’t.”

  Kay stared for a few moments. Whatever he saw in Noem’s expression must have satisfied him, because he nodded. “All right.”

  “So we’re dating.”

  “Yes.”

  “Dating involves having sex, right?”

  Kay laughed. “You’re really horny, huh?”

  Noem half-shrugged. “It’s not only that. I want you.”

  “I know.”

  Kay used the arm he still had around Noem to pull him close and kiss him. Noem leaned against him and let himself go, enjoying the feeling of lips against lips, tongues playing together.

  Kissing Kay wasn’t the same as kissing the other guys he’d been with, as sappy as it sounded. It was probably due to the bond they shared, even though they hadn’t mated yet. However, it felt so much better, like it completed Noem, and he never wanted to leave the bed again.

  Kay moved away and Noem tried to follow him, to get close again. Kay laughed and put a hand on Noem’s chest, holding him away.

  “I don’t particularly want to come in my pants,” Kay said. At least it didn’t take him long to get rid of what he was wearing. He threw everything behind himself and dove back onto Noem.

  Noem laughed and rolled onto his back, going with the flow. He opened his legs and Kay settled between them as if he belonged there. Noem didn’t say anything, because god only knew what he’d blurt out, and the last thing he wanted was puking feelings all over Kay when they were finally getting down and dirty.

  Instead, he wrapped his arms around Kay’s neck and relished the feeling of their naked bodies pressed together. Kay’s dick was hard, and it had neatly slotted in the grove between Noem’s hip and his thigh. When Kay moved, it slid up and down, and Noem hung on tighter.

  “I don’t know what you had in mind,” Kay whispered, “but I don’t think I can fuck you right now, not after I woke up to you naked and plastered against me. Not enough time. I’d come before I could get in you.”

  “We can do hard and fast. I don’t mind.”

  Kay chuckled against the skin of Noem’s throat. “I don’t want to do hard and fast, not the first time.”

  “Why not?” Noem could hear the whine in his voice, but he didn’t care.

  “Because I want to be able to savor you.” Kay thrust his hips against Noem. Noem’s cock rubbed against Kay’s stomach and Noem’s breath hitched. Maybe Kay was right. Noem wasn’t sure he’d be able to hold off until Kay was done stretching him and everything.

  “Yeah, okay,” he breathed out, pushing his hips upward when Kay thrust down again.

  Kay pressed closer, hooking his arms under Noem’s shoulders, locking them together. Noem grunted and let Kay set the rhythm. He couldn’t do anything to change it, even if he’d wanted to. He was pinned to the bed, and he didn’t want to move, ever.

  He lost himself in Kay, in his taste and in the way he smelled, in the way he moved. Noem had to close his eyes against the onslaught of sensations, because there were so many of them. Then Kay reached between them, his hand barely able to fit, and grabbed Noem’s dick.

  Noem keened. He wrapped his legs around Kay even though it made their position more uncomfortable, and when Kay pressed his thumb against the head of Noem’s dick, Noem came.

  He pushed the back of his head against the pillow, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted to be closer to Kay, to be one with him.

  Noem’s chest heated and the warning made his eyes flew open. He tried to push Kay away, but Kay didn’t budge. He let go of Noem’s dick, but he was too far gone. He yelled and thrust one last time against Noem while Noem tried to make him move.

  Noem felt warm stickiness hit his skin, and the hot sensation on his chest diminished. It left behind sensations Noem knew weren’t his, and he closed his eyes. He hadn’t meant to mate with Kay, would never had done that against his will if the feelings hadn’t swamped him.

  But now they were mated, and Kay was about to discover that.

  * * * *

  Kay slumped to his side and rubbed the spot on his chest that had hurt earlier. It was over his heart, and he’d be worried if it hadn’t just been a skin feeling. Not that there was anything wrong with his heart, but one could never know.

  He reached for Noem, his fingertips sliding against skin, but before he could pull Noem close, Noem got up. Kay waited, thinking Noem had gone to get cleaned up, but when he didn’t hear him come back, Kay opened his eyes.

  Noem was hovering by the side of the bed, his eyes huge, his hand pressed against his heart. He was pale, and he looked scared.

  Kay frowned and sat up. Had he done something that had frightened Noem? “What’s wrong?”

  Noem shook his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do it.”

  “Didn’t mean to do what?”

  Noem slowly moved his hand away from his chest. Kay noticed there was a mark there, something he hadn’t noticed earlier. He tried to remember Noem’s chest, but he hadn’t really paid attention to it in his frenzy toward orgasm. “What is it?”

  Noem swallowed loud enough that even Kay heard it. He reached up again and traced a fingertip along the mark. Kay leaned closer, his eyes widening when he saw the mark was made of two letters, a K and an N. It couldn’t be a coincidence.

  “What is it?” he asked. “What happened?”

  “When I came, I... I mated with you.”

  “What?”

  Noem nodded. “We’re mated. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do it.”

  Kay blinked. He knew he’d heard Noem’s words right, but he didn’t seem to be able to make sense of them. He reached toward the floor and grabbed his pants, pulling them on when he got up. Noem was still there, still naked, and he looked so vulnerable, as if he were waiting for Kay to take it out on him, maybe to hit him.

  Kay shook his head, grabbed the T-shirt he’d been wearing, and stepped toward Noem. Noem didn’t step back, but he tensed, especially when Kay reached out and pushed the T-shirt around his head. Noem got with the program and let Kay pull the T-shirt down. It was long enough that it covered Noem’s dick and his ass, and that was enough for now. Kay wouldn’t have this conversation naked, but he also didn’t want to lose time washing up and getting dressed.

  “Now sit with me on the bed and explain to me what happened,” he said, gently pulling Noem along.

  Noem nodded. He straightened his shoulders and sat, looking marginally more confident. Kay sat next to him and took a second to think about what Noem had said. They apparently were mated. Kay didn’t know how that had happened, but when he thought about it, it was true he could feel things he shouldn’t be thinking. Why was Noem scared? Anxious? Well, that last one could easily be explained, but not the fear.<
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  “I didn’t mean to do it,” Noem said again.

  “I got that. I just want you to explain. I thought we’d have to drink each other’s blood to mate. That’s what Troy said.”

  “Troy’s a shifter, though. It doesn’t work that way for Nix.” Noem took a deep breath. We don’t need to bite. We don’t need to drink blood.

  Kay blinked, because Noem’s lips hadn’t moved as he talked, and he could swear he’d heard the words in his head. “What was that?”

  “It was me. We can hear each other’s thoughts now that we’re mated.”

  “Like, mind reading?”

  “Yes, although we can hear only the thoughts the other actually wants us to hear. I can’t dive into your head and pick stuff up. It doesn’t work that way.”

  “Okay.” At least that was a relief. Kay didn’t think he’d have wanted anyone to have the opportunity to look around his thoughts, not even Noem. Some things were supposed to stay private. “Explain, please.”

  “Nix know from sight who their mate is, unlike shifters, and unlike shifters, they don’t have to drink blood to mate. We just need to want it strongly enough, and, well. I obviously wanted it, and I lost control when I came. I didn’t mean to.”

  Kay reached over and took Noem’s hand, because panic was swelling in his mind, and he knew it wasn’t his. “It’s okay.”

  Noem shook his head. “How can it be okay? You didn’t want this. You wanted to date, and get to know each other, yet we’re already mated and it’s only been a week. We weren’t even having real sex!”

  “That certainly looked like real sex to me. I came, you came. We were together. That’s what sex is.”

  “Yeah, all right, but still. You know what I mean.”

  “Would you have been able to mate with me if I hadn’t wanted to? Against my will?”

  Noem sucked on his lower lip and shook his head. “Not if you’d rejected it, but you didn’t know it was happening.”

  “Yes, but would you have been able to? Forget about now knowing it was happening.”