“Only when you’re locked up?” Simon presses.
“It’s not that simple.” Cody could use a shirt right now. Shoes. He’s too exposed. Years of half-measures taping over the problems. “Any strong negative emotion or sense of danger could trigger violence, too. The safe room isn’t a long-term solution. My wolf hates feeling trapped. But that’s better than hurting someone, especially when I’m working with humans.”
Simon’s focus would be exhilarating in any other circumstance. Maybe it still is. “You shifted back early tonight. It’s barely midnight.”
“I feel safe with you,” Cody says, before he can stop himself.
It’s the right thing to say. An offer of yet more vulnerability that makes him feel stronger than before. It’s so true it stings them both, by the way Simon’s lips part. The tiny breath that exhales in a quiet, “Oh.”
More than safe, Cody’s wolf sings from the moon’s shadow. Simon feels like pack. Especially now, the way he’s bundled up in Cody’s scent, safely ensconced in Cody’s bedroom. Right where Cody wants him. Right where Cody found him when his wolf went searching.
Wait a second.
Cody jerks out of contemplating Simon’s lips. “I came to find you after I broke out.”
“I’m irresistible,” Simon says,smirking.
“So why were you in my room?”
Simon’s sudden shifty gaze is adorable. A centuries-old vampire caught out. “I wanted to spy on you.”
The lie is even more delightful. It tugs on instincts even more vital than the moon’s call. Something shared and ancient that burns away Cody’s guilt.
“I don’t believe you,” Cody says, reaching out.
He gets his answer when Simon allows the touch on his cold neck. Even before Simon confesses, “Maybe I feel safe with you, too.” Simon traces a chill down Cody’s bare stomach. His touch is no longer soothing. It ignites. “And maybe you shouldn’t have put these sweatpants on.”
Chapter 21
Simon
This time, Simon pushes Cody to the bed. The mattress protests as Cody sits back, but Simon has no complaints about being yanked closer. Bending down, he surrenders into a kiss.
Cody’s lips are an anchor. Simon has never craved someone like this before. No human meal, no fellow vampire, not even Dima. It seems at once impossible and inevitable that Cody would crave him too.
“Sit,” Simon murmurs against Cody’s lips.
A laugh rumbles between them. “You little bastard.”
“Good boy.” Another shallow kiss. “Stay.” Simon pulls away just enough to unfasten his holster.
Setting the weapon on the nightstand feels natural. He doesn’t need it. Cody’s touch is hot enough to burn away anyfear of moonlight. In a fluid motion, Simon swings a leg over Cody, straddling his lap to more deeply kiss him.
Cody moves with him, stroking Simon’s back, pulling him closer. His eyes are so dark and fierce, it hurts to look at them. Kissing is easier.
Simon is hyperaware of the sweater between his back and Cody’s hands. The faint whisper of friction. He’s even more aware that nothing separates his hands from Cody’s chest. Typical werewolf brute, taut muscle covered in thick hair. Curls trail in a thin line to his waistband, where his tan continues. Simon can’t even remember what sunlight feels like.
Maybe something like this. Simon takes in enough air to tease, “Is this the moon’s influence too? Your animal instincts?”
Cody exhales, like steam against Simon’s throat. “Every instinct.”
Whatever this is, Simon wants all of it. They surge into another kiss, and the room thunders with Cody’s heartbeat.
Simon’s blood, taken from others and transmuted by the shadow-gift, runs slow. He hardens gradually until the pressure of denim becomes nearly unbearable. His body can wait, though, while mind and heart sink into the soft movements of Cody’s lips. While rough hands slide beneath his sweater to hold him steady.
Simon is ancient. Patient.
Cody isn’t.
