“That won’t be a problem,” Pavel replied, but before Zane could ask what he meant, continued. “Fine. You’re not comfortable accepting me as family yet? That’s fair. You don’t know or feel what I know and feel. But don’t forget why we’re here, gorgeous.”
“Because my brother shot you and I’m supposed to feel bad?” He popped the straw into his mouth and took a deep drag on purpose, feeling a spark of satisfaction when Pavel’s gaze immediately dropped to his lips and then tracked the movement of his throat when he swallowed.
“You’re supposed to be working yourself up to marrying me,” Pavel corrected after a dazed moment.
“Or,” he shrugged, “I decide right now that isn’t going to happen and leave you to my brother and his super scary boyfriend.”
“Don’t do that,” it was the sincerity in his tone that got Zane to drop the attitude. “If you were going to let me die, you would have allowed it earlier. Admit it, Doctor. You don’t want me dead. You like me. Whether that’s enough to want to spend the rest of your life with me or not, that’s still to be decided. But you do like me.”
He stirred the drink and opted to lay all his cards on the table. “Yeah, yeah I think I kind of do. So?”
“Then,” Pavel leaned against the island, “you’re willing to spend these next couple of weeks with me? Get to know me? Realize that you’re—”
Zane held up a hand. “If you say ‘mine’ I’ll toss the rest of this drink at your face.”
“You are mine though,” he insisted. “You’ve always belonged to me. I suppose now it’s my job to convince you of that fact. It’s lucky we have two whole weeks to accomplish that goal, don’t you agree?”
“I’m not staying here with you for fourteen days.”
“Of course not, gorgeous.” Pavel walked away, heading toward the winding staircase, leaving Zane to get up and follow if he wanted to continue the conversation.
“Hey!” he called after him and grabbed his drink, taking the stairs two at a time to keep up. “Slow down, you’ll ruin your stitches.”
“My wound is fine,” Pavel argued. “I have an impeccable doctor.”
“Where are you going? If Ledge was here tonight, would you have insisted he play your doctor instead?” Zane knew it was petty and childish, but he asked it anyway. Mostly because Pavel was right. Aodhan and Titus had given them an ultimatum and Zane had accepted. Even if he’d done it at the time just to get them off his back, it was still a done deal.
Besides, he really did need a way to turn Lyra down, and marriage was the best idea he’d heard so far.
He did want to get to know his fellow Retinue member better, whether that led to the two of them tying the knot, or him realizing they actually weren’t compatible. Understanding where Zane would stand in the family hierarchy was as good a place to start as any, especially since he already knew himself well enough to know he would never settle for being anyone’s second choice.
“I won’tbeachoice,” he corrected, out loud, even though it had to sound strange out of context. “I have to be everything or nothing at all.”
Pavel entered a room on the left and Zane quickly stormed in after him, letting out a startled sound when suddenly he was shoved forward onto a king-sized bed covered in gray silk sheets.
“What—” He tried to get up but was forced back down, his stomach flattening on the bed as his knees were forced out from under him.
Pavel worked his hand down the back of Zane’s pants, delving his finger between his cheeks to poke and prod at his tight hole. Ignoring his curses, he pressed until he got some purchase and then shoved his finger past those defenses, chuckling as Zane hissed.
“Relax,” he urged, pressing open-mouth kisses to the back of Zane’s neck. He kept him down with his body splayed overtop his, but used his free hand to tug his shirt collar open to give him access to more of his bare flesh. “I lubed my hand. Can’t you feel it?”
Zane clenched his teeth as that finger was fucked roughly in and out of him, only growling when a second joined it. “This isn’t talking.”
“We can talk later,” Pavel decided. “You’ve kept me waiting for weeks, gorgeous, don’t you remember? You can’t honestly tell me you didn’t see this coming.”
Honestly…it’d sort of slipped his mind with everything else going on.
“You’re injured,” he tried to argue, but of course, the other man wasn’t hearing any of it.
“I’m fine,” he repeated, curling those fingers deep inside of Zane and then dragging them out at a slow, torturous pacethat had his hips rising off the bed of their own accord. “Just like this ass.” He let out a whistle. “So fine. I want to see it.”
“Stop—” Zane was hauled back onto his hands and knees just long enough for Pavel to strip him of his pants and underwear. Then he was shoved back down. When he growled a third time, he was tutted at like a child.
“There’s no hard surface to hit your head against this time,” Pavel pointed out. “I listened to your complaints, didn’t I? I’m being…gentle.” He speared three fingers into him at once, biting down on his shoulder and laughing when that had Zane crying out in pleasure. “Have you been touching yourself and thinking of me?”
Yes, he had.
But Zane would never confess something like that.
