“Yeah, it does. Rather unlike me,” he quipped. “Wanna suck my knob?” He shimmied his hips with a quiet rasp of his fine linen trousers, proving he wasn’t wearing confining underwear.
I slapped his arse, unable to prevent a choked laugh from escaping. “So rude. And yes, of course I do, but not in your living room, you heathen. You have a visitor, to say nothing of potentially traumatising James.” I reached up and dragged him down to meet my gaze, marvelling once again at how beautiful he was. “I liked the kissing.”
“Me too,” he whispered, his blue orbs unblinking, just millimetres from my own. “I’m not very good at the whole feelings side of, uh, life, I guess?”
“Product of the good old British stiff upper lip generations, eh?” I caught his lower lip between my teeth and nibbled it. “You can learn. In the meantime, back to the kissing.”
Goddess, but the man could kiss. He lowered his weight onto me and took possession of my soul through his mouth. Time ceased to exist as he plundered, teased, and explored with his tongue. My head felt fuzzy and my trousers too tight. But I didn’t want, or need, anything more than to be held in his firm embrace and to let his presence fill up my senses.
A cough broke us apart. It was gratifying to notice that the supposedly physically impervious vampire’s chest was heaving almost as heavily as mine as we both cranked our heads around to see James and Isher in the doorway. Isher was eyeing the ceiling. James was attempting not to snigger.
“You have a perfectly comfortable bed, you know, Eddie. Why don’t you use it? I’m going outside with Isher. He’s going to show me his wings.”
I sucked in a surprised breath. That was interesting. There was no law forbidding a Fae from revealing their faerie self to other supernaturals, but it usually involved a longer acquaintance than that of James and Isher. James continued. “I showed him my ears. He says it’s only fair.” His eyes burned with feverish excitement. “I’m going to watch himfly.”He looked and sounded like he’d just been told Santa Claus was real. It was incredibly sweet to see his enthusiasm.
Edwin held up a finger. “One moment, love.” He got to his feet, flinched at the discomfort of moving with his very obvious and extremely rigid erection, and smiled pleasantly at Isher. “May I borrow James a moment?”
They disappeared along the corridor. Isher stuck his hands in his pockets and eventually made fleeting eye contact. As his cheeks were a merry shade of crimson and every iota of small talk had dribbled out of my brain thanks to Edwin’s mastery of my mouth, we were both relieved when James returned almost instantly.
“Eddie said he’s ready and waiting. We’ll join you later.” A horrified squawk from Isher made him correct that to, “Isher said goodbye because he’ll head back to the West End after the garden. They all decided to stay an extra day so he could help Trace. I’ll see you later. Leave room for me, ’cause I’m not sleeping in the spare room.”
The front door banged shut seconds later. Edwin’s voice came from the bedroom. “Are you going to make me beg?”
He was still fully clothed. I joined him on the bed, then Edwin rolled us so I was on top. “Can we snog until we’re desperate, then frot until you make me see stars?” He sounded almost shy; most peculiar. I tilted his chin up so he was looking at me.
“Is everything okay?”
He nodded. “Yes, but I don’t think it’s right to fuck. Don’t get me wrong, I really want to, but it feels like cheating on James. He didn’t specifically give us the green light. I’m already overthinking his new-found confidence and I don’t want him to think I’m pushing him out.We’repushing him out,” he corrected.
“I understand. That’s the last thing I want either. Hopefully James is on a natural high from starting to feel he really fits in.” I dropped a kiss on Edwin’s nose. “I like him, a lot.”
He sighed. “Me too.”
“Oh, Eddie, the way you feel about him would be obvious from space. You’re crazy about him. You’re just not used to catching feelings for someone.” I dropped another quick kiss. “But that’s all right. You don’t have to rush anything. He’s crazy about you too.” I sat back and began unbuttoning his shirt. “We can take this as slowly as you want, but I do think we should get more comfortable.”
We slotted together perfectly, our bodies so similar in length and size. We rocked and kissed and licked, slowly, maddeningly, achingly slowly, teasing and edging each other as the velvet of night gave way to the muslin of pre-dawn. When I finally came, it was with an almost pained sigh of relief as my orgasm rushed through me. Edwin came too, our flesh slick with my sweat, our combined releases threatening to glue us together.
His moan was little more than a whimper. “This is sohard, Trace. I really like you,” he said, when we’d made a cursory attempt to clean up and were lying side by side. “I know I talk the talk, but this being a threesome is going to take some work.”
“Feeling guilty?” I guessed.
“Possibly. Yes, a bit. Am I being stupid?”
I tucked him against my chest, loving the feel of his cool skin against my overheated torso. “No, you’re being thoughtful. James is very special to you. He’s also been through a traumatictime recently, and you don’t want to risk hurting him by flaunting anything with me.”
“You’re right. And yet, I want you as much as I want him.” He gnashed his teeth, then burrowed under my hair, sticking his nose in my armpit. “I fuckingcraveJames. I don’t mean to feed from, although that’s amazing and I crave that too, but being near him. It’s like a drug or something. I want you in totally different ways, but the pull I feel towards you is just as strong as it is with him.” He mouthed my skin tenderly. “I don’t mean just for sex, you know.”
I could fall in love with you, Eddie.“We’ll take it a day at a time. There’s no rush.” I smoothed my hand down his back, marvelling at the ripple of muscles under his milk-white perfection. “I don’t want you just for sex either.”
I fell asleep still holding him.
23
EDWIN
I heard James come in.He didn’t appear to have any trouble navigating his way in the dark. I didn’t keep Bluebell plunged into total gloom, but he evidently had sharp eyes to pick his way around the bed without barking his shins on the frame.
“Hey, you,” I said quietly over Trace’s slumbering form.
