Page 39

“I don’t think so,” I told him honestly. “Maybe that’s weird of me. But it’s not the same as, like, humans eating other humans, right?”

“Yeah.” He relaxed a little, smiling up at me. “You’re perfect, Ricky. I knew it the moment I saw you.”

I snorted. “You did not.”

“I so did. And I was totally right.” He gave me a firm kiss, moaning into my mouth, before murmuring, “Wanna sleep over? We could do that again. And again. And some other stuff too.”

What other stuff? I wanted other stuff. And I definitely wanted to do that again. But…

“I wish I could,” I told him ruefully, meaning it with every fiber of my body. “But my parents will ask questions if I stay out all night and, um, I’m a really bad liar.”

He pouted, fingers tracing idle patterns over my shoulder blades.

“We gotta get you out of there so you can stay over as much as you want. And so you don’t have to eat your mom’s tuna noodle casserole anymore.” He paused, then shrugged. “Or you could just move in here. You’re already saving up to find your own place, right?”

I froze in surprise, then burst out laughing. “I think my parents might have some questions if they visit and see there’s only one bed.”

He gave me a sly smile. “There’s not, though.”

Wriggling out from under me, he grabbed my hand and tugged me off the bed to lead me over to one of the two doors on the far wall. I could already see that one led to a tiny bathroom, its door ajar, but he opened the over to reveal a minuscule room with a washer-dryer shoved into a corner and a twin bed pushed up against the wall under a mound of clothes and boxes.

“I’m not saying you’d actually sleep in here.” Elliot snorted as if the idea was ludicrous. “But we could clear it out and make it look like your bedroom. Just in case.”

I grinned, looking around. “So this is why the rest of the place is spotless. You just hide everything in here.”

He gave my stomach a weak shove. “Shut up, it’s just clean laundry I haven’t put away yet. And, um, yeah, some other junk. But it wouldn’t take long to sort out.”

I licked my lips, pulse speeding up as I realized… I was actually considering this.

“Are… are you seriously offering?” I asked shyly, heat flooding my face. Especially when I realized I was still buck naked. But so was Elliot, so I wasn’t going to complain.

He chuckled. “Yeah, I’m seriously offering. You want to move out. You already figured you’d need to find somewhere with a roommate.” Turning, he wrapped his arms around my neck and pressed his nude body to mine with a sly grin. “This’d just be… more than roommates.”

I settled my hands on his hips, trying not to get distracted by his dick brushing against mine. It would be crazy impulsive, and I wasn’t an impulsive guy. I’d never done anything risky in my life. At least, not until I met Elliot.

Maybe it was way too fast, but… eff it. I was done playing it safe. It was time for me to actually live.

Live with a… boyfriend. Who was a ghoul. Not a human. Wow, apparently when I threw caution to the wind, I threw it really, really far.

“Okay,” I said shyly, my heart pounding with nervous excitement. I grinned at him. “If you’re sure.”

His eyes flared before he beamed at me. “Fuck yes, I’m sure.”

Tugging me closer, he crushed my lips to his in a deep kiss, but it didn’t last long because we were both grinning like idiots. He licked his lips as he pulled back, pressing harder against me as his fingers played with my hair. I ran my palms up his bare back, my dick twitching with renewed interest as it brushed against his.

“Promise I’m a good roommate.” He grinned at me wickedly. “I keep everything super clean. And I will clearly mark all my special food in the fridge and freezer. I’ll even be super nice and waive the deposit. Which means… maybe you could move in pretty soon.”

“Yeah,” I breathed, already imagining it. Waking up with Elliot. Getting to see him all sleepy and grouchy in the mornings. Going to work with him, then coming home and curling up on the couch together.

Getting to be with him every night, doing all the sex and relationship stuff I’d never been able to do before, with the one person I wanted to do it with.

I snapped back to the present when Elliot’s hand shifted to my neck. He gave me a tiny smile as he softly stroked my earlobe, then leaned in to kiss me.

“You’re special, Ricky,” he mumbled against my mouth.

I didn’t feel like anyone special, but… I was special to him. And he was special to me too. He already felt important.

He’d shared his biggest secret with me, not knowing how I’d react, expecting me to react badly. But he’d done it because I meant something to him. He wanted me to know all of him.