There it was again. Gratitude. Raul didn’t know why that bothered him so much but it did. He dropped his hand from Ji-Su’s cheek. He closed his eyes for a moment, annoyed at the disappointment intruding on his happy buzz.
“You can sleep here if you’re too tired to go to your room,” Ji-Su quietly offered.
Raul opened his eyes to stare at his blood pet. He recognized the invitation for what it was. If he slept here, he wouldn’t be able to resist making love to Ji-Su after feeding from him. But he didn’t want Ji-Su to sleep with him out of obligation—because he thought he owed him his body as payment for all the assistance he’d provided. He looked away from the enticing sight in front of him as he thought of a reason to say no.
“I smell like cigar smoke. I don’t want to stink up your bed,” he finally said.
There was a beat of silence before Ji-Su spoke again.
“Right. That would be a tragedy.” Ji-Su sat up against the headboard and zipped his hoodie with a quick yank. In his haste, he caught a finger in the zipper’s metal teeth. Skin tore and a small drop of blood beaded up. “Ouch!”
“Let me see.” Raul took the injured hand, lightly holding it between both of his own. Raising the small, fine-boned hand to his mouth, he met Ji-Su’s gaze as he closed his lips over the tip of his finger. He tasted the blood on his tongue as he licked it once to heal the small wound, and again to feel his soft skin on his tongue. Then, he slowly released Ji-Su’s finger from his mouth. “There. All better.”
“Thank you.”
Ji-Su took his hand back and tucked it into the pocket of his hoodie.
Raul noted that the slumberous mood was gone, replaced by cool, awkward silence.
Ji-Su looked down at his bare legs. He quickly tugged the throw blanket back into place. After he was covered, he avoided Raul’s gaze, but glanced at the clock on the nightstand.
Raul got the message. It was time for him to go.
“I’ll let you get back to sleep,” he said.
Ji-Su didn’t look at him when he responded.
“Good night.”
It took a near Herculean effort, but Raul managed to push himself off the bed away from Ji-Su and walk across the room to leave. But he didn’t go far. Once the door was closed behind him, he leaned his back against it.
He could have had Ji-Su beneath him, those little shorts off and tossed away, and been inside him in less than a minute. Fuck. Why did Ji-Su have to look like that and be so sweet and taste so good? How was he supposed to resist him without losing his goddamn mind?
He raked his hands through his hair and pressed his palms against his temples as he reminded himself why he couldn’t start anything with his blood pet right now. Ji-Su was grateful he’d been rescued from Cedricandhe had the shadow of a million-dollar debt hanging over his head. Both of which would no doubt influence his decisions concerning a relationship with his blood patron.
After another hard press to his temples, Raul straightened and walked down the hall to his room. He was doing the right thing by waiting. Once their contract was up and Ji-Su didn’t feel any sense of obligation toward him, he would approach him for a more personal and intimate relationship. Until then, he would ignore his urge to kiss and touch the delicate human he was desperately attracted to. There were only eight months to go.
In the meantime... Raul leaned back against his bedroom door. He unzipped his pants and shoved his hand inside. His cock was still hard and he was too impatient to undress and get in bed. Taking hold of his throbbing cock, he jerked himself off until he came with the sound of Ji-Su’s moans playing in his head.
THE MOMENT RAUL LEFThis room, Ji-Su shoved his pajama bottoms off and slipped beneath the covers. Then, with his heart pounding, he waited for Raul’s footsteps to head off down the hall. He didn’t want Raul’s keen vampire hearing to detect what he was about to do. A few moments later, Ji-Su heard Raul’s bedroom door open and close. And then...
“Ahhh!”
Ji-Su grasped his cock and started to stroke. With Raul’s pleasure venom singing through his veins, he was so turned on, his cock so hard, there was no way he was going to fall asleep without a release. He continued pumping his cock with one hand while with the other he clumsily fumbled in the nightstand for the lube he’d ordered. He didn’t even bother to stop stroking when he squirted the slick liquid on his cock.
Shivers swept down his spine when his rough, dry strokes turned smooth and gliding from the lube. Ji-Su bit his lip to hold back a moan. He wanted Raul. Wanted to be tucked beneath that big body while Raul took control and made love to him until his toes curled and he came over and over. He was hurt that Raul had turned down his offer—an offer that was clearly for more than sleep—but his arousal was stronger than his hurt.
“R-Raul.” His patron’s name stuttered out of him on a shaky breath as his coming release tightened the muscles behind his navel. He moved his hand faster and faster, racing for the edge of sharp, blinding pleasure. When he reached it, his body bowed off the bed, his climax spilling over his fingers in hot, wet pulses.
“Mmm... yes,” he whispered softly. Ji-Su pumped himself through it, until sensitivity made him stop and loosen his grip.
Once his orgasm eased off, Ji-Su let his hand drop from his softened cock onto the bed. That release felt good. Was exactly what he needed. But... Ji-Su shifted on the bed, rubbing his legs against the soft material of the sheets. Raul’s venom wasn’tcompletely out of his blood stream. It was still swirling in his veins, making his skin tingle.
Ji-Su lightly brushed a finger over his cock. Even soft, it twitched at the touch. He had a feeling he was going to have to go for another round before he had Raul completely out of his system.
Chapter 17
When Ji-Su woke the next evening, he had a moment’s peace before he remembered his shameless invitation to Raul that morning. And the way he’d jerked himself off multiple times while thinking of his vampire patron. Embarrassed, he rolled over and groaned into his pillow. All it took was one hit of pleasure venom and he’d invited Raul to sleep in his bed. And Raul had turned him down flat.