He probably should have asked Jayden what he wanted to eat—or if he even was hungry. Maybe the man had planned to go home after the movie. Stephan just assumed they would eat.
“If you want to go somewhere else, though, that’s fine. I probably should have asked what you wanted. Sorry, let’s go, we’ll find someplace we both like. Or maybe you’re not hungry. We could just go home. Whatever you want, I’m fine with it.” Stephan smiled weakly and tried to pull the man away, but Jayden didn’t budge.
“Whoa, hold up. I’m not picky when it comes to food, you know that. And if I wasn’t hungry, I would have said something. Come on, sweetheart. Let’s eat.” Jayden wrapped his arm around Stephan’s waist and pulled him toward the building.
Smiling softly, he nodded. “Okay.”
When they walked in, the place smelled of French fries, cheese, grilled meat, coffee—anything but healthy. In other words, delicious.
It appeared as if the restaurant had recently been renovated. There was barely a creak as Stephan slid into a vacant booth.
When the waitress bustled over, Jayden ordered a chocolate milkshake, four hot dogs with chili and cheese, two cheeseburgers, and a large fry that the man had informed him he had no intention of sharing. Not being able to consume nearly as much, Stephan only ordered a vanilla milkshake, two hot dogs with cheese, a small fry, and three cups of cheese.
Once the waitress was gone, Jade asked with a raised eyebrow, “Three cups?”
“I like cheese, and you have no room to talk, Mr. I’m Not Willing To Share My Fries.”
Jayden grunted.
“So…admit it, you liked the last movie, didn’t you?” Stephan hummed.
“It wasn’t bad,” Jayden agreed grudgingly.
The reviews hadn’t lied. There had been plenty of blood to keep Jayden occupied. Stephan personally thought part of the storyline was similar in ways to their own lives.
“The deaths were too quick.”
“If you say so.”
A smile pulled at Stephan’s lips—it was just like Jayden to want those he deemed evil to suffer more.
Well, at least he’d enjoyed the last movie. Stephan knew the man had hated the first. Truthfully, the first movie hadn’t been perfect—a bit too sappy even for his tastes. But they were having fun. That’s all that mattered.
Wait, was Jayden having fun? Stephan was, but maybe Jade wasn’t. Well…watching a movie you hated didn’t really qualify as fun. What the hell had Stephan been thinking? He should have asked the man what he wanted to see.
Stephan’s chest tightened with worry—had he ruined their first date? He’d thought it had been going so well. Apparently, Stephan had been fooling himself. Oh, what did he do now? Was there a way to salvage it?
“You’re doing it again.” Jayden’s deep voice interrupted his thoughts.
He blinked and looked up at him. “Doing what?”
“Overthinking things.”
Stephan flushed. “I wasn’t.”
“You were. Your eyes got this far-off look, and your face scrunched up. You were also mumbling and nodding to yourself.” Crossing his arms, Jayden asked, “What were you panicking about this time?”
“Are you having fun?”
Jayden slowly tilted his head to the side. “I’m with you. Why wouldn’t I be?”
The uncomfortable feeling in his chest vanished. Stephan beamed. “I have fun when I’m with you, too.”
Jayden rubbed his neck and gave Stephan a lopsided smile. But it soon waned, and a serious look overtook his face. The man was thinking hard about something—something dark.
“What’s wrong?”
“I want to te—” he started, but stopped when their waitress came over with their food.
Once she was gone, Stephan asked, “What were you going to say?”
“Let’s eat first.”
“Okay…”
He wanted to push, but he wouldn’t. Whatever it was, Jayden would tell him when he was ready.
Stephan picked up one of his hot dogs, dipped the end into a cheese cup, and took a bite. He moaned as the flavors hit his taste buds—oh, it was so good.
There was a comfortable silence as they ate. Once his plate was empty, Stephan leaned back and rubbed his stomach. As he waited for Jayden to finish, he found himself gazing longingly at what remained of his cups of cheese. Just a bit of the gooey substance clung to the sides. The thought of licking them clean came to mind.
Stephan wouldn’t, though, that would be weird. Oh, but he really wanted to. Maybe he could…just a little. No, no, doing something like that in public would be…well, Stephan would never live it down.
“If you want more cheese, just order another hot dog.” Jayden chuckled.
Stephan reluctantly dragged his gaze away from the temptation and focused on Jayden. The man had finished.
Face flushing, he mumbled, “I’m full.”
After paying, they started walking back to where they’d left Jayden’s motorcycle.
Remembering that Jayden had been trying to tell him something, he asked, “What were you going to say earlier?”
Jayden’s eyes shifted to him and then away. The man suddenly looked uncomfortable, uncertain. “I just…realized how little you know about me a—”
Stephan cut him off. “What are you talking about?”
“Let me finish. Stephan, I know about you, about your past. Yet you know almost nothing about mine. It’s funny, the only other person who knows everything is Dante. But it should be you. You accepted my monster, so—”
“You’re not a monster. You’re just a little unbalanced!”
Jayden let out a barking laugh. “Even if you deny it, you know it’s the truth. But you accept me. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have contacted Dante. You would still be trying to stop me. And despite me having a voice in my head, you don’t fear me. I’m a monster, but I’m your monster. So…I want you to know.”
Eyes widening, Stephan didn’t know what to say. That Jayden would want to tell him about his past, it was something he had never dared to hope for—or ask for.
Over the years, Stephan had surmised that whatever had happened to him, it had been awful. Talking about it, he was sure, would be painful.
Stephan certainly had no wish to vocalize what had happened to his parents, or himself. It became too real when you spoke it—it hurt too much. He had never told anyone—never voiced what happened, not even with Liam.
Hah…just letting his godfather read him—watching the man break into sobs as he saw how his dear friends died—had been soul crushing. Of course, that had been right after it happened. The years that had passed made it easier. Stephan hadn’t had any problems showing Jayden when they first met.
Still, he didn’t think he’d ever be able to say it out loud. Honestly, Stephan wasn’t sure he wanted to hear what Jayden had to tell him. It would just be more proof of how cruel the world was.
But if Jayden wanted him to know, if he was strong enough to tell him, Stephan would listen. Though their current location wasn’t really the best for such a sensitive conversation.
“Here?” Stephan asked hesitantly.
“Home.”
Stephan licked his lips. “Home.”
* * * *
A little while later
Stephan sat stiffly on the edge of his bed, while Jayden shifted nervously on his feet.
“Can I hold you?”
Biting down on his bottom lip, he nodded.
Jayden got on the bed, sat up against the headboard, and opened his arms. Shifting, Stephan crawled up and settled onto his lap, his head resting against the man’s chest.
“So…” Stephan murmured uncomfortably.
“So, this is more awkward than I thought it would be.” Jayden laughed. “Okay, well, here I go. I believe I was born somewhere in the Sadrin district. I’m not sure which territory, let alone whether it was a town or city. The only reason I even know the district is that I vaguely remember hearing bi-yea
rly announcements about Councilman Kaiden Voltair visiting the area. Anyway, as I’m sure you guessed, my parents were horrible. They cared so little for me that no one even knew I existed. Beatings were a daily occurrence. But then at the age of five, instead of as a punching bag, they saw me as a way to enrich themselves. Oh, by the way, my family wasn’t poor, just greedy. They had money. Not like you do, of course, but enough to live comfortably. But it wasn’t enough for them, so they did everything they could to gain more—murder, extortion…hah, prostituting their own son.”
Stephan couldn’t hold back his outraged gasp. Angry tears formed in his eyes.
Jayden kissed the top of his head and continued. “That went on for about a year, but it became too risky. There was a major crackdown going on at the time, and raids by the Zaytari. I found out later that the king had passed a decree that declared an automatic death sentence for traffickers and the selling of immortals and humans alike. That extended to forced prostitution, though my age alone would have meant their deaths. My parents had to get rid of me, so they sold me. At the age of six, I was given to a man named Roden Gray, a pedophile and apparently a big name in the child sex trade. I remained under the bastard’s control for four years, and then I killed him. He was my first kill. I should have done it sooner. But I was afraid of what I could do, of all I could hear. Surrounded by these horrible people, their thoughts were always so vile. Day and night for years their dark thoughts filled me, batting at my mind until something inside me snapped. I embraced it, the power inside me, and then I wasn’t afraid anymore. I killed Roden and took my freedom back. After that, I wandered, killing more along the way and perfecting my skills. I did that for five years. And I had planned to continue on that way, but then I met you, and…well, you know the rest.”
Biting his lip, Stephan held back a sob. The way Jayden talked about it—as if it didn’t matter. As if what happened to him didn’t matter. As if they all had seen no wrong in what they’d done to him, making him think he didn’t matter—was heartbreaking.
Stephan’s body heated. His fury ignited inside him, and the intense hate that seeped free left him breathless. Burrowing into the man’s chest, Stephan tried to calm down.
The pain Jayden must have experienced—how alone he must have felt. How had he survived it? How hadn’t he given up?
The power inside him pushed against his restraints. Emanating out, it spread through the air as it fed on his emotions.
It was too much. Why had no one saved him? He’d only been a child! Jayden should have never been forced to kill for his freedom.
There should have been someplace he could have gone, someplace safe from the monsters—safe from his parents.
Stephan clawed into Jayden’s shirt at the thought of the man’s parents. They needed to pay—to suffer for what they did. But they were dead, weren’t they? They needed to be dead. They had to be dead. Stephan couldn’t fathom the possibility that they were still alive, running free.
“Don’t cry, I’m fine. A bit broken, but otherwise fine,” Jayden soothed.
“It’s not right!” Stephan bellowed.
Jayden pulled away, looked down, and cupped his face. Stephan shuttered his eyes, and Jade laid a soft kiss on each lid. No doubt, they now mirrored the man’s own.
“It’s not, but the past can’t be changed. It’s over. Don’t mourn for me, sweetheart. Don’t bleed for me. Don’t rage for me. Don’t hate for me. I don’t need that from you. I don’t want it. Instead, stay with me. Give me what I don’t have inside me. Give me the love everyone else denied me. Let me love you, as I have never loved anyone else before.”
Bottom lip trembling, Stephan turned his head and kissed one of Jayden’s palms. “I do love you.”
Jayden smiled, and his black eyes briefly flickered with emotion. For just a moment they had shown something more than the normal empty void. They had held a softness Stephan had never seen there before.
Chapter Eighteen
Smiling down at the man he loved, Jayden pulled him into a kiss. Stephan came willingly to him, wrapping his slim arms around Jayden’s neck—the slightly parted lips that pressed to his had him delving inside. Body heating, he quickly hardened as the man’s moans of need vibrated against his mouth.
After running his hands down the small expanse of Stephan’s back, Jayden slid them over the curves of the man’s ass. Cupping the rounded cheeks, he tugged him forward. Stephan whimpered and writhed, rubbing his hard cock against Jayden’s abs. He groaned as the little man’s bottom brushed and pressed down on his confined prick with each shift of his body.
Breaking away from the sweetness on his taste buds, Jayden took in the beauty of the man in his lap. Lips swollen and glistening, eyes hazy with lust, Stephan’s breath was coming out in soft puffs.
Jayden placed a kiss on one of Stephan’s flushed cheeks and buried his face into his neck. Nuzzling, he nibbled and sucked lightly on his ear. The man let out a gasp and shuddered, the pointed tip twitching.
“You’re so beautiful,” Jayden whispered against his ear.
“I am?” Stephan asked breathlessly.
“Mmm, beautiful, but you’re wearing too many clothes.”
When the little man began to wiggle, he let go, allowing him to scoot off his lap. Jayden found his gaze following Stephan’s every movement, his eyes feasting on the smooth skin revealed as Stephan pulled his shirt up and over his head. The rise and fall of Stephan’s chest was mesmerizing—pink nipples peaked, just begging to be sucked, and skin that Jayden wouldn’t mind spending hours exploring with his tongue.
As the man began to unbutton his pants with trembling hands, Jayden slid his own hands up, gripped, and pulled, helping slide the tight denim off his legs.
Jayden reached out and feathered the tips of his fingers over the string at Stephan’s hip. Wiggling at his light touch, Stephan smiled shyly at him.
“Damn, these have to be my favorite so far,” Jayden rumbled.
Black, the sides of Stephan’s panties were just strings that ran along the bend of his thighs—pretty much baring his pelvis to Jayden’s eyes. The small scrap of cloth that covered the man’s cock was completely see-through.
Jayden hooked his finger in the fabric, and with a quick tug he placed it under the man’s sack. He smiled at Stephan’s gasp of surprise but pulled him up onto his lap before he had a chance to cover himself. As he captured Stephan’s lips once more, Jayden was almost positive he was going to get a crick in his neck. However, any pain would be worth the pleasure of Stephan’s kiss.
Jayden slipped his hand between them and wrapped it around the man’s dripping prick. Lazily, he ran his hand up and down the pulsing shaft.
Whimpering, Stephan began to thrust up into his hand. But the man soon broke away and gasped, “I want more…”
“What do you want, sweetheart? Tell me,” Jayden purred.
Stephan swallowed nervously. “I want to touch you…see you.”
“Are you sure?”
When his little man nodded, he created a bit of room between them. After unzipping his fly, Jayden released his cock from the tight confines of his jeans. Stephan scrunched his brow up and just stared at him. At the intent look on his man’s face, Jayden began to feel a bit uneasy. He was almost positive he was starting to blush.
* * * *
Heart beating as fast as a hummingbird’s, he stared. Oh. My. God. Jayden was huge. He had to be at least eight inches. Was that normal? Well, Jayden was a large man, but surely that wasn’t normal. Or was it?
Maybe Stephan was just small. It’s not like he was an expert on dick size. Gaze bouncing between the two, he realized that the man wasn’t that much thicker. Okay, maybe he was.
Stephan lips pursed—but still, how the hell was that supposed to fit inside him? His hole quivered at the thought.
Maybe he should top…nope, he couldn’t picture it. For some reason, Stephan found the idea more terrifying than Jayden entering him. And what was up with that? It di
dn’t even make sense. Considering what had happened to him, he should want to be on top, not bottom.
Ugh! What was wrong with him?
Jayden shifted and let out a grunt. “Uh…sweetheart?”
Looking up, Stephan became aware of the fact that he’d just been silently staring at the man’s dick. Dear God, Stephan was acting as if he’d never seen one before. He had one. It wasn’t a big deal. Well—he peered back down—it was pretty big.
Saying nothing, hesitantly, Stephan wrapped his hand around Jayden’s prick—his hand was too small to encircle it completely. Jayden’s cock was so hot, almost burning in his hand and pulsing as much as his own was.
Stephan’s touch drew a low growl from Jayden. The deep noise sent a shiver of arousal through him.
As his lust surged, Stephan licked his lips. He wanted more. Stephan wanted to hear every single sound Jayden made when pleasured. Gripping the hard shaft, with his other hand he rubbed the mushroom head with his thumb. As Stephan gently dipped his nail into the slit, the man hissed. Jayden’s cock twitched and a spurt of pre-cum dripped out, coating his fingers. After wrapping his coated hand around the man’s shaft, as well, Stephan began to pump.
When Jayden pushed his hands away, he protested. But any complaints he had disappeared when Jade pulled him back onto his lap and pressed their pricks together.
Stephan gasped. “Oh, that feels…ah!”
Jayden let out a purely masculine chuckle.
The minute the man’s dripping cock was flushed against his, a shock had run through him. The heat was scorching, and their pricks began to throb in sync, heartbeats matching.
Beads of pre-cum formed at the tip of Stephan’s cock. They dribbled down and mixed with Jayden’s. When Jayden didn’t move, he found himself shifting his hips to grind up against the hard length—oh, that felt even better.
Slick with their arousal, there was little resistance as Stephan rubbed their shafts together. Growling, Jayden gripped his ass, and he began to roughly thrust up into Stephan.
Stephan's Monster [Vampires of Vadin 2] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) Page 14