“Do we?”
“You can’t ignore the rest of the world,” Zack muttered.
“Watch me.” Roger kissed Zack’s cheek, then his jaw, then just under that.
“Roger,” Zack groaned.
The complaining note was obvious, but Zack didn’t push him away, didn’t tell him to stop kissing him. Roger lingered over the place where he’d first bitten Zack. Some nights, he hated seeing that scar. He had not been in his right mind, hadn’t been careful in the least, when he’d bitten Zack so viciously.
This night, however, he deftly ran his tongue along the seams of the scar. Zack shivered and pressed up against him. The mark wasn’t just an ugly reminder of Roger’s bloodlust but where he had first touched Zack. Their initial fight could have ended either of them. Only Roger had seen a brilliant boy hoping to prove himself, and Zack had stayed his hand and trusted a vampire. They’d been forging this path together, and though Roger wasn’t sure where it would lead, he knew he needed Zack and Takashi at his side. Others as well, but the three of them could change the world. He was certain of it.
Roger guided Zack over to the bed, kissing and caressing him the whole way. Zack’s skin was wonderfully warm, and a hint of sweat kicked up. Roger licked the first place he found a drop, though that turned out to be mostly water from the shower.
“Roger,” Zack whined, “we’re supposed to go to the Chateau.”
“The Chateau doesn’t exist. Don’t you know? The world ends at the suite door,” Roger whispered.
“That’s going to be tough when we run out of food.” Zack squirmed, slipping a bit from Roger’s embrace. “You’re blood-fueled horny.”
“That’s not it.”
“I saw your huge fucking boner when you got done feeding from Carver.” Zack pushed away.
Roger caught him by the wrists, only allowing Zack to get so far away from him. His grip wasn’t terribly tight but firm. “He may have started the dance, but that isn’t why I’ve remained on the floor. Dance with me.”
“Look, if this is some attempt to make me feel better about the stupid video, I get it. You think I’m sexy.”
Roger tugged Zack closer and caught him in his arms again. With one hand, he traced the edge of Zack’s cheek and jaw. “I love you. And you have confessed that you are painfully temporary compared to me and will remain so.”
“You want me to become a vampire?” Zack asked. The hardness in his eyes flattened his expression.
Roger cupped Zack’s cheek. “I want happiness. I wantyou. And if I can only have you for a mortal lifetime, then I will adjust. The reality of time threatens to overcast tonight, so forgive me if all I long to do is cherish you.”
Zack melted against him. “When you put it like that …”
Grinning, Roger kissed him. Then kissed him again. And longer. Zack wrapped his arms around Roger’s shoulders and leaned up into the kiss. His underwear was a thin veil for his hardening member. The press of it was a delight, and Roger moaned into their continued kiss.
“Okay. Roger—we …ah… Roger, we really should—” Zack groaned as Roger tugged his underwear down.
Roger gripped Zack’s ass with both hands and held him flush against him. With a growl in his voice, he whispered in his ear, “I am going to ensure that you never forget that you are loved and desired before we evenconsiderleaving this bedroom.”
“You’re going to pound my ass until the doubt’s gone?” Zack smirked.
“If that’s what it takes.” Roger nibbled on his bottom lip until Zack gasped.
Zack put a hand on his chest and nudged a bit of distance between them. “I appreciate this. I do. And I wish we could fuck away the night, but you’re still avoiding the subject.”
“I’m trying to fuck you, and you’re attempting to bring me back on mission.” Roger squeezed one of Zack’s asscheeks with his hand. “Have I mentioned I love your determination?”
“Trust me, I’m on the brink of failing that. But we—Roger, touching my hole is cheating.”
The lust had fled Zack’s tone. With a sigh, Roger put his hands on more innocent places on Zack’s bare body.
Zack cupped Roger’s cheeks and leaned up for a kiss. “I get it. I do.Youhave to start making decisions, and that’s terrifying. But no one’s going to follow you if you keep sitting in Seamus’s shadow, just like no one’s going to respect me if I hide from Vincent’s stupid video. We have to get out there. That’s the plan, right? Get other people to like us? See where you stand in the coven?”
“Fine. Fine.” Roger kissed the tip of Zack’s nose. “Are you certain we couldn’t share a quick moment?”
“Yes.” Zack pushed away from Roger and pulled his underwear back in place. “I want to be able to walk straight.”
