Page 43 of Absolution
He sighed and leaned against the counter. “I was totally stupid. Kenrick always gets in my shit. I dunno why I let him. But it was so good and then it was like he was suddenly stepping all over what wasmine.I can’t recall a time when I’ve been that possessive. Not since I was a kid at least.”
I stepped in close and wrapped my arms around him, hugging him. “I’m broken, Luca. I don’t know if I should trust you, but damn I like you anyway. How fucked up is that? Drink from me you hot bastard so we can finish being domestic and putting stuff away before the babies wake up with another dirty diaper.”
Luca chuckled. “You’re just the little daddy’s helper, aren’t you?”
“Play nice, or no bite,” I told him as he nuzzled my neck. It was only fair. I’d taken a truck load from him earlier. His bite was mild and sweet. Mouth sucking away at me and I just leaned into him. It wasn’t as erotic as last time, likely because it was more necessary. He drank deeper only to finally come up gasping, and staggering.
“Wow. You weren’t that potent before,” he grumbled and licked my wound to heal it. I helped him to the couch. “Oh shiny,” Luca stared at me his eyes dilated like he was high. Had my blood changed somehow?
“Eat something solid, maybe that will help.” That’s what they told drunk people to do to absorb and dilute some of the alcohol right? I pulled out a banana and handed it to him. Even had to unpeel the end for him.
“I’d rather eat your banana,” he said, but took it anyway.
“Oh my God, you’re one of those drunks, eh?”
“Did you just say eh? What’s next? Ya-sure-you-betcha?” Luca laughed at his own joke. “Minnesota humor.”
And the man was a total loon. “I’m not sure you should be drinking from me regularly if it makes you this loopy.”
“Oh, I’m sure,” Luca said waving his hand. “This is fantastic. Never knew what it felt like to be drunk before. This is great!”
“Yeah? Maybe you’re a chatty drunk?” I asked him. “Finally loosen those tight lips of yours and answer some questions?”
“You can loosen all my tight places if you want,” Luca said.
I groaned. “Bad pickup lines, great.”
“They work fine on Con,” Luca grumbled.
I frowned at him. “What?” Had he and Con…?
Luca shrugged. “He’s hot, what can I say? The tattoos and the brooding. Pretends to be a bad boy, but so isn’t. Meanwhile you’re all clean-cut and adorable and a total bad boy in disguise.”
“I’m not adorable.”
“Yeah, you are. Even all glammed up like you were on our date. Then you get all red-eyed and brooding, which makes me hard enough to spill in my jeans.”
“But you and Con?” That confused me. “He’s terrified of vampires.”
“I’m not a vampire yet.”
That was splitting hairs pretty finely. “You and Con have been having sex?” The idea should have pissed me off, but instead it filled my head with images of the two of them together. Fuck that was hot. Con’s tattoo covered body with Luca’s Abercrombie physique? Wow, who knew that was a kink I had?
“Sure.”
“But you can’t bite him.”
“Wouldn’t do me any good to bite him. He’s not a vampire. Until I’m actually a vampire, all other blood just tastes like blood. Which is kind of gross.”
I thought about that for a minute. Gabe said death was magic just like earth or water, an element of its own. Maybe he was right. If Luca needed themagicof death found only in vampire blood because he wasn’t yet undead, that made sense. “Have you shown Con your teeth?” Luca had fangs too.
“He knows they’re there. I don’t pretend to bite him. We’re good. I give really good head. He’s got a nice cock. Likes it a little rougher than you’d think for a guy who tries to pretend he’s a badass.”
I tried to imagine that. Okay, that made me hard. I shoved away the last of the groceries, and stopped in the spare room to check on the babies again. Still asleep. Seiran was also out cold. I could sense the deepness of his sleep like a thrumming lull of the earth’s energy.
“Are you mad at me?” Luca asked.
“I’m not sure,” I answered honestly, needing time to think. “Am I just blood to you? Have I been wasting my time thinking we should have more than just a blood whore relationship?”