“What are you --oh.”A light bite over the pulse hammering in his throat cut Cillian off at the pass.His body undulated in another shiver and brought their hips into contact in a way that answered at least one question.“You’re…”
James hummed.“Stay there,” he said again, lips touching Cillian’s ear with each word.“No matter what.Don’t move.”
“Not sure I can do that,” Cillian said, gasping, as James sank slowly to his knees, fingers grazing every inch of the man within his reach and his mouth pressed to every bit of bared skin he could find.“God, man, don’t stop.”
“Not planning on it.”
James wasn’t.His head whirled, drunk on all thecould-besandwant-thatsandminehanging heavy in the air.He lifted the hem of Cillian’s heavy sweater and bit again, a love bite, over his navel.
James’ chin bumped the fastening of Cillian’s jeans, earning him another moan and a fitful jerk of the hands kept so nicely, so obediently, raised above his head.
Good boy.And good boys deserved treats.James sank his teeth into his own lip, breathing hard.“Mental image,” he said when Cillian made a questioning noise.He laughed when Cillian damn near purred in response.Then held his breath as Cillian’s hips moved again, almost certainly unintentionally, seeking contact.James tapped his fingertips lightly on Cillian’s inner thigh, a whisker away from touching his groin, and looked up.“Is this what you want?”he asked, holding Cillian’s wide-eyed stare.His pupils were the size of saucers, drowning out the colors in his irises.“Tell me.”
Cillian’s breath caught in his throat.“I want…” He stopped, making a frustrated noise, and banged his wrists against the door.“The things I want, James.”
“Ah-ah.”James pressed both Cillian’s hips more firmly back against the wall, holding him there to be sure he couldn’t move.His blood sizzled, and he couldn’t resist another bite to Cillian’s soft, warm belly.He moved his chin so that he shifted the fastening of Cillian’s jeans to and fro, and -- because he wanted to, because he could -- laid his mouth over Cillian’s hard-on and exhaled a shaft of warm breath.“If you can’t tell me, I’ll guess.”
“Please,” Cillian said, breaking that one word down the middle.His hands flexed.“Oh, please.”
His wish, James’ command.One flick did away with the button, and James took the zipper tab carefully between his teeth to draw it down, only stopping to laugh when Cillian muttered something mostly unintelligible aboutfucking vampires.James took his time, nice and easy, breathing in the new scents of man, arousal, and sweat.As hard as he was, Cillian had to be harder, bulging through the parting denim in a display of pure temptation.
James laid his mouth lightly over Cillian’s erection, tasting it through the strained fabric of his shorts, and then --
The phone rang.“United Airlines calling,” it said cheerfully.“United Airlines calling.”
Chapter Four
“No, that’s all right.”James cleared his throat, but his voice still came out thick with frustration and arousal denied.“I can switch to a later date.New Year’s?That’ll work.”He glanced over his shoulder at Cillian, who’d withdrawn to their kitchen like a shot when the phone went off.They had an open plan apartment and he could see everything, and nothing at all because Cillian had his hair down and had hidden his face behind it.
With his face out of sight, I can’t read him at all now, James realized.“Yeah, you too,” he said slowly, barely listening to the ticket agent on the other end, who really didn’t deserve this kind of treatment.“Merry Christmas to you as well.Thanks.”Click.
James slipped his phone in his pocket, grimaced, and took it back out to toss on the sofa.Sturdy smartphones and sensitive erections, still at half mast, didn’t play well together.He narrowed his eyes at Cillian, searching for a clue as to what they should do now.The last thing Cillian ever was, was shy, but that made twice now he’d hopped away from James like he was a hot potato wrapped in lava.
Just didn’t make sense.
Go slowly then, he decided.Feel his way through this whatever-it-was.Figure out if… if he’d been wrong all along.If Cillian didn’t want him and had just gotten caught up in the excitement of the night.Trust and believe, he didn’t want that to be the case.But if it was…
He needed toknow.
“Everything good in there?”James called in the general direction of their kitchen.He wasn’t the best cook in the world, no, and Cillian liked to tease him about his protein shake habit -- but Cillian?He would have lived on beer and Ramen if left to his own devices.He wasn’t even sure Cillian knew where they kept the plates, but he’d leapt on the Instacart grocery delivery like manna from heaven.After that, nothing but rustling bags and silence.
“What?”Cillian lifted his head, visibly startled.“Oh.”He looked down, as if confused by the sticks of butter and one pound bag of flour he held.“Fine, yeah, thanks.”He shoved both butter and flour into the microwave instead of the fridge, not closing its door.“You doing okay yourself?”
Lord help.James shook his head, but rather than criticize suggested, “Trade you?The decorations showed up while I was on hold with the airline.”He’d tipped the Uber deliveryman either a one or a ten while trying to juggle phone, door, and bags.He couldn’t remember which, but figured either curses or blessings were coming his way.
Cillian took a couple seconds to process that, then made a face at the canned goods sitting out.“Might as well, at that.”He stepped out of the kitchen and performed an exaggerated bow, gesturing for James to come forward and take his place.“Take your coat off first, though, you’ve still got pine needles on your shoulders.”
Did he?Figured.As James shrugged out of the heavy garment he checked the pockets -- habit -- and came up with a handful of cinnamon-sugar-crumbed napkins.Without meaning to and without thinking, he snorted a quiet chuckle.
Cillian’s forehead furrowed.“Something funny?”
“Not as such.”James showed him the handful.“Just remembered the person who told me they had free snacks.Really adorable older lady.Said we were a cute couple, that she loved seeing people in love, that kind of thing.”
Whoops.Cillian flinched.“And what did you say to that?”he asked, very carefully standing up from his fake-courtier’s bow.
James held very still, then shoved the napkins back in his pocket.Shit.Looked more and more like he’d gotten things entirely wrong, didn’t it?“They’re just words,” he said after a moment.“She was being nice to a stranger.One of the reasons for the season, isn’t it?”
Cillian didn’t reply but raked a hand through his hair a few times.“You never did answer my question.”
