Oh. Luis hadn’t considered theKarimof it all. That’d he be watching.
Heat flooded his body.
“We could do it here,” Julien said, “or,” and he turned to eye Karim pointedly, “in my library for privacy.”
“Boo, spoilsport,” Karim exclaimed. Julien shot him theshut uplook.
“The library,” Luis said at once, because no way was he prepared for Karim, the spectator.
“Perfect,” Julien said, rising to his feet. “Karim, you can get yourself a drink from the fridge while we’re gone.”
Karim made a derisive sound. “I think I’ll just wait for the bar,” he said grumpily.
They left him grousing on his phone, and Luis followed Julien upstairs to the library. Julien flicked on the warm overhead lighting as they entered.
Luis remembered this room from the tour. Beautiful built-in bookshelves lined three of the walls. The fourth wall had a faux fireplace, and before it were two small couches set on a large, expensive looking rug. The room was cozy and well-used if the clutter of bookmarked books on one of the side-tables was anything to go by.
Julien led him to one of the couches and they sat.
“This is only your second time, correct?”
Luis nodded.
“So, we’ll do this the same way it happens at the bar,” Julien said, “Except,” he paused, drawing out of his pocket apacket of antiseptic wipes. “Karim mentioned you had a reaction to these. I’m fully prepared to use them for sanitation reasons if you want, but–”
“No,” Luis said quickly, interrupting. “No. If–if we could do it without, that’d be great. I mean, if it’s safe?”
“It’s safe,” Julien assured him, setting the wipes aside. “It’s window dressing more than anything. There’s nothing we can catch from each other.”
Luis let out a relieved breath.
“I’ll time it for twenty seconds,” Julien explained, pulling his phone out, “but if at any point before that you want me to stop, you may say so or tap on my shoulder.”
He was being overly-cautious again, but Luis let it slide. It was sweet that Julien cared.
“Do you have any other questions?” Julien asked.
Luis shook his head.
Julien shifted on the chaise, thigh pressing up against Luis’s. He was suddenly close, and the sight of him made Luis’s heart trip. Fingers touched Luis’s chin, tilting his head to the side.
“Breathe,” Julien instructed.
He tried, he really did. But then Julien’s breath tickled his skin, and his heart went skittering.
Luis caught the smell of violets as Julien leaned in, something he’d come to unknowingly associate with Julien. Julien’s hand shifted to his shoulder, to hold him steady. The scent and Julien’s easy touch folded over his nerves like a comforting blanket. It was the same way he’d felt with Karim just before it’d happened, that steady presence guiding him, assuring him nothing bad was going to happen.
“I’m going to bite you now,” Julien said.
Luis sucked in a shaky breath and then soft, warm lips were at his throat. A heartbeat later sharp incisors touched the skin and pressedin.
Pleasure crackled to life the second the fangs pierced. Last time had been a steady build, but now it slammed into Luis, shockingly intense. His whole body curled itself toward Julien, desperate and wanting. The flood of feeling was intoxicating.
The bite deepened, Julien pressing closer. There was a burst of wet heat–his blood. Julien sucked, and Luis felt it ricochet through him. It was between his legs, a quick and heady unfurling of desire. He reached for Julien, fist clutching at his button up.
A breathy and vulnerable sound slipped from his lips. Julien paused only a moment, then there was another hard suck. Luis quivered, holding tighter to Julien, pulling him in.
He wanted more, needed that sweet pain-pleasure to consume him. Needed Julien’s hands and mouth everywhere.
