“So she listened?”
“She did,” he confirmed, “but not at first, because of course I wanted to meet her so if it all went tits up, I could thrall her into silence. Persuading her I had information about her literal life wasn’t easy, but I did it. And then she really listened. The rest is history. Melody Mason disappeared from public life to ‘clarify her work-life balance’ which I’m sure most people thought was a euphemism for getting clean of drugs, then she dropped her management company and negotiated her way to her current contract. Well, series of contracts. She’s been around a while now. Obviously.” His teeth appeared, white and sharp and with a hint of fang as his smile widened. Love and pride rolled off him like happy fog.
“That’s one hell of a story.”
Sorley turned his attention back to the sea. “Eh, it was luck. But she’s a sound lass, and she loves me. Which is a fucking miracle, but maybe I’m allowed one of those.” He sounded sly as he added, “She’s an absolute knockout, isn’t she? Beautiful, talented, kindandsexy. What a gift to the universe.”
“Sounds as if you’ve got personal experience of her sexiness.”Don’t be jealous, don’t be jealous…
“What if I do? Am I only allowed to stick my knob in a certain level of gorgeousness?”
“Don’t be a twat. It’s just, I thought you said you were gay.”
“I believe I said ‘gay, ish’ if we’re being specific.”
“How can you be gay,ish? Surely you’re gay or you’re bi?”
Sorley’s throat worked before he spoke. “I’m gay, but I do occasionally sleep with women.” Gethin raised his eyebrows. “Feeding makes us horny. Anything goes if you want to get off.” He hesitated as if unsure whether to continue, then said quickly, as if embarrassed by the confession, “Vampire physiology doesn’t seem to allow much for sexual preferences if you go by body signals. My cock doesn’t really care. It’s my…my mind.”
“Right, that’s interesting.”Weird as heck.Gethin absorbed this for a moment. “Why don’t you just say you’re gay?”
“Seems dishonest.” One side of Sorley’s mouth twitched; not quite a smile, but a hint thereof. “I don’t suppose it matters to anyone but me, but I don’t feel right lying about it.”
“That makes sense. If you start lying to yourself, all bets are off.”
Sorley’s harsh huff made Gethin turn to face him properly again. “What does that mean?”
“Ahh, c‘mon, Hughes. How many years haveyoubeen lying to yourself?” He leant his bum against the railings and crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll wait.”
“Fuck you,” mumbled Gethin, willing himself not to redden under the vamp’s scrutiny. He swallowed around a tennis ball-sized lump, stuffed his fists into his pockets, kicked at a pebble. “It isn’t always that easy. Tradition carries a lot of weight with shifters. Older shifters especially.”
“So you were coerced into playing straight? Had your livelihood threatened? Your life?”
“Sort of. Not exactly. Yeah, I guess so, maybe.” Fuck, this was torturous.
Sorley’s expression was pinched. “I had a wife, you know. I loved her. Her name was Alice. She was a good woman, a good person. I’m still allowed to be gay.”
“Never said you weren’t.” Gethin dragged in a tight breath. “I was married too. Gabby. I’m divorced though.”
The vampire eyed him keenly. “I figured you had been when I learned you have a son. Too fond of cock to keep up the pretence?”
Gethin’s “Yep,” was a loaded snap. Evidently Sorley recognised it for what it was, because he gave a brief nod of acknowledgement and changed the subject.
“Of course, it was different back before I was turned. My father sent me to a brothel because he was terrified I was ‘becoming as much of a girl’ as my sisters.” He paused for a beat. “It rather backfired on him, because as well as getting my dick wet the Hetheridge-Parker approved way, it was also the place I first got my cock sucked by a man.” He snorted bitterly. “Guess it shows my father wasn’t getting it from paid sources, at least not that one, or he’d have realised the brothel catered to all desires.”
“You had sisters?” It was strange to think of anyone related to Sorley. But, of course, he would have been flesh and blood, with a family and friends, and a job too before he’d been turned.
“I didn’t hatch from an egg. Five sisters. Two older, three younger. I was my father’s Great White Hope…Some joke that turned out to be.”
“Because?”
“Because I died before I’d fathered more than one child, and the family line all but dried up. Apparently Father was only bothered about grandsons withhisname.”
“And you had a daughter?” Why was he still asking questions? He didn’t give a shit about Sorley’s family tree. Did he?
Sorley’s grin was positively demonic. “No. I had a son. The miserable bastard didn’t live to see him grow up.”
Gethin’s grin echoed Sorley’s. It seemed as though Sorley hadn’t been much of a fan of his dad. “You seem devastated, not.”
