“And how does this compare to those frat parties?”
Raul’s deep, quiet voice soothed Ji-Su, helping to ease some of the tension in his shoulders.
“I like this party more,” Ji-Su said as he looked up at Raul with a smile. “The champagne is better than the cheap beer at college keggers.”
Raul laughed. “I’m sure it is.
The tension broken, Ji-Su was finally able to relax.
Although the activities outside the tent were interesting, Ji-Su’s gaze slid to Raul, taking him in from the black hair curling just beneath his ears, to his oiled and gleaming biceps, down the line of his long legs stretched out in front of him. Ji-Su closed his eyes. He was in bed with Raul. They’d already kissed and Raul had seemed receptive to his offer to take his blood. If there was ever a time for him to be honest and tell Raul that he wanted him, it was now.
Chapter 23
Ji-Su tilted his glass up to swallow the last of his champagne, then set the glass aside. The champagne giving him courage, Ji-Su rose up on his knees. No. That position was too submissive. He needed to be bold to get what he wanted. He slipped from the bed and moved to stand at the foot of it with his back straight and chin up.
Raul watched him with curiosity in his gaze.
“What’s up?”
Ji-Su pulled in a deep breath and slowly let it out before answering. “I know I’m not what you’re attracted to. But I can give you what you need with my blood if you let me.”
Raul’s eyebrows shot up in surprise.
“You think I’m not attracted to you?” he asked.
Before Ji-Su could answer, Raul slid down to the foot of the bed, moving slow and easy over the satin bed covering. He put his feet on the floor on either side of Ji-Su’s, caging him in with his thighs.
“I’m not tall and modelesque like the blood pets you had before me,” Ji-Su said, trying to sound nonchalant as he stated the obvious. “Or feisty and flirty like Solan.”
“I don’t want you to be any of those things.”
Well, there went the last possible excuse for Raul repeatedly turning him down. “Then why don’t you want me?” Ji-Su asked, unable to hide the hurt in his voice.
Raul responded with another question.
“You think I don’t want you?”
Raul suddenly grabbed him around the waist and tugged him forward. Ji-Su gasped in surprise as he stumbled and pitched off-balance. He put his hands on Raul’s shoulders to steady himself, but Raul picked him up and maneuvered him into place to straddle his lap.
“If that’s what you think, cariño, you are very, very wrong.”
He took Ji-Su’s hand and slipped it between their bodies, pressing it against his length. Ji-Su gasped again, this time with arousal. Behind his jeans, Raul was hot and hard, impossibly thick against his palm.
“This is how much I want you. I go to bed every morning like this while I think of your soft hands, or your perfect lips wrapped around my cock.”
“Then why...” Ji-Su paused to lick lips gone dry from nervousness and reluctantly moved his hand. “Why don’t you want to drink my blood?”
“I do. I always have.” Raul put his hands on Ji-Su’s bare back and began to slowly caress him while he spoke. “But when you first came to the ranch, I didn’t take from you because I wanted to let you recover from your ordeal with Cedric. I didn’t want to scare you or trigger any negative reactions. Then, once I did bite you, I had to be careful.”
“What do you mean?”
“I kept myself under control, because I didn’t want you to have sex with me out of obligation or gratitude for buying out your contract.”
Understanding dawned. “That’s why you didn’t release your pleasure venom with me.”
Raul nodded. “Yes. I was trying to keep things impersonal—a transaction so you could feel satisfied you were doing your job. But when you said you didn’t like the way I bit you I thought I’d hurt you. And that’s the last thing I’d ever want to do. That’s whyI stopped drinking your blood. I should have released you from your contract too but I didn’t want to let you go.”
Ji-Su couldn’t believe that they’d both been so wrong. He sagged forward, letting his head drop to rest in the crook of Raul’s shoulder. Raul wrapped his arms around him, making him feel safe with their warm strength. “I think maybe we should have talked before this,” Ji-Su said as he hid his face. “But I’m not good with direct conversations. I tend to avoid them.”