Page 17

Story: Bite Me

17

THE COLORS OF THE OCEAN

RUSSEL

The wine was overpriced and mediocre, which was just as well because I barely tasted it. My senses were full of Eddie.

I could so easily get used to having him all to myself. I knew I was operating on stolen time, but as long as he was smiling at me, his voice bright and eyes shining, I was happy.

The happiest I’d ever been in my life.

They’d given us a corner table on the glazed-in patio. The sun had set, and the sky had turned purple. After a full day in the daylight, I could put away my sunglasses and let my eyes rest. And I could look at Eddie without feeling like my brain was on fire—but that hadn’t been just the sunlight. I needed to keep him close, and knowing I had one more day with him, I could let some of the tension go.

Eddie drank his wine, the plate in front of him empty. He’d all but inhaled the food. His cheeks were pink, and his eyelids heavy. After the blood loss and orgasms, even one glass could affect him, but I would keep an eye on him.

He glanced at me from beneath his eyelashes. “Can I ask something personal?”

“Sure.”

He hesitated, took a sip, and shifted in his chair. “Ideally, you must feed twice a month during adulthood, right?”

“It’s a minimum for most vampires, but many feed more often.”

“That means two people a month.”

“Yes.”

He nodded to himself, looking outside at the boardwalk and the darkening beach. I understood where his questions were headed and wouldn’t torture him by forcing him to spell them all out. He deserved to know.

“You’re asking about my sexual history?”

“Um, you don’t have to…”

“I’ve had sex with several hundred humans, and most of them were men or nonbinary people. I had a few relationships with people over the years, meaning I had a stable partner for sex and feeding during some periods of time. Only twice did the relationship last longer than a year. The latest was with Rory, a man I met at a dinner club downtown. He was witty and quick, and we laughed together a lot. I enjoyed spending time with him. I don’t think we were in love, but I wanted to be. It turned out he was in love with the venom, not me.” I added a smile, doing my best not to seem bitter.

Eddie studied me with a frown. “How long were you together?”

“Four years, give or take.”

“And this was…?”

“I haven’t seen him in three.”

“Oh.”

I could now recognize all of Eddie’s nervous signs: the fidgeting, the smoothing and crinkling of the space between his eyebrows, the tightening of his mouth, and his fingers dancing along the stem of his glass. Was there more he wanted to know but was afraid to bring up? He’d gone quiet, seemingly deep in thought.

“What about you?” I asked. “Any exes I should worry about?”

Eddie snorted out a short laugh. “No. My relationship history is unimpressive. One guy in the last year of high school. I’d just turned eighteen. He was older, and I think he had a bit of a virgin kink. It didn’t last long, but he treated me fine and helped my self-esteem. He… taught me stuff.”

I’d better not imagine things related to an eighteen-year-old, virginal Eddie and an older man.

Eddie finished his wine and set the glass aside. “My college boyfriend broke up with me when Mom got arrested. He told me he couldn’t afford to be associated with my family.”

I winced. “I’m sorry, Eddie.”

“At least he was honest about being a selfish jerk. I didn’t date after that. I had too much going on.”

“I can only imagine. Your entire world changed.”

But Eddie shook his head. “In hindsight, I’m kind of grateful for the experience. I have thought many times about who I would have been, had I remained in that bubble. I can get angry about what happened, and sometimes I still do, especially when Mom pulls one of her guilt trips. But I’m doing well now, and I’m proud of myself for finishing school and finding my way on my own merit.”

“You have every right to be proud of what you’ve accomplished. You’re brilliant.”

Eddie’s eyes twinkled in a way that might have little to do with the wine. “You’re biased because you like snacking on me.”

I guffawed. “Snacking?” Pointing a finger at him, I leaned over the table. “Anthony isn’t biased at all, and he talks about you in superlatives.”

His mouth turned down at the corners. “Because he doesn’t know about this.” He gestured between us.

I grabbed his hand. “Eddie. You know just as well as I do that neither of us has done anything that would negatively affect any of our clients or coworkers.”

“Still.”

I exhaled, about to protest, but Eddie waved a hand in the air as if chasing away a nonexistent insect.

“Forget I said that. I don’t want to talk about that at all. In fact, tonight, I want to forget that there’s anything outside this little village.”

He pasted on a smile again.

“We can do that. But we can also talk about how to make this work.” I squeezed his hand. “And I really want to make this work.”

He suddenly appeared perfectly sober. His gaze dropped to my lips, then back up to my eyes. “After,” he said. “Let’s not go there tonight.”

Why? We only had to agree on a few rules. The chances that we would bump into someone from work here, for example, were nil. Nobody would ever find out about us unless we told them. But he didn’t want to discuss it tonight, and I’d respect his wish.

He didn’t move his hand away, so I stroked his fingers as he glanced around.

“Do you want a dessert?”

I smiled. “Always.”

Eddie smacked his forehead. “Why do I keep forgetting that?”

Chuckling, I brought his hand to my lips for a light kiss. “Do you want a dessert?”

“Not really.” He blushed beautifully. I could just imagine how the change of temperature on his skin would have felt against my palm or my lips.

“We can take a walk along the beach.”

“I’d love that.”

We left our shoes on the boardwalk and trekked through the sand. After the sunny day, it was still warm under our feet. I kept an eye out for anything Eddie could step on, like sharp shells or random trash that could have been washed up, but the beach was pristine.

“I always thought that the ocean was terrifying at night,” Eddie said. “It feels even bigger somehow, this infinite dark depth.”

I gazed at the gentle waves. “For me, it’s the opposite. I can only go swimming at night. With the sun in my eyes and all the reflected light, I’d be nearly blind during the day.”

“How does it look for you now?”

“Really, really blue. All shades of blue, from almost turquoise to indigo.”

“Wow. I wish I could see that.”

I pulled out my phone. “Give me a second. I’ll find you something.” I searched for an artist’s name and pressed on images, then I showed the screen to Eddie. “This painter was a vampire.”

Eddie grabbed the phone and leaned closer. “Those are incredible! How come I’ve never seen these?”

“He’s not well known. Just a local guy who mimicked French impressionists but with vampire color vision, painting landscapes and the ocean. The art isn’t anything that would get him recognition or a spot in a major gallery, but if you want to see how vampires perceive color, this is it.”

He scrolled and clicked to enlarge an image of a bright sunrise, the painting nearly all white with angry glares and burning edges. “Is this how you see the sun?”

“More or less.”

“I’d love to see these in full size. Damn.”

“There’s a permanent exhibition in his old home on the coast, south of the city.”

He grinned at me. “Can we go?”

“Sure. Next weekend?”

Eddie bit his lip. “Another weekend getaway?” He gave me my phone back, and I slipped it into my pocket before pulling him close.

“Yes. I’ll find us a hotel nearby.”

Maybe he tried to hide it, but I did notice the fleeting worry in his expression. “Thank you.”

When I kissed him, he melted against me.

“Let’s go back,” I murmured against his lips. I couldn’t wait to get him naked.

“Can we…”

“What, sweetheart?”

“Can we have sex without biting?” The question came in a rush.

I leaned back to gauge his expression. “Of course.”

“You can feed from me. I don’t mind. I just want to try…how it feels.”

“Eddie, you don’t have to explain. I’d love that.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes.” I pressed my lips against his in a tender kiss. “I’ve never done that before.”

His eyes grew big. “No?”

“You’ll be my first.”

It made him smile, and this time, I didn’t feel like I had to shield my eyes from the glow. I let it singe my skin and heat my chest.

We walked back hand in hand and rushed up the stairs. Eddie took a shower while I undressed to my underwear and paced around.

I couldn’t be sure why he wanted to have sex without biting, but I could hope. Maybe he felt the same as me, that this could be more than…

The door to the bathroom opened, and Eddie stood there with a towel around his waist and droplets still glistening on his shoulders. He turned off the lights and stepped forward, dropping the towel on the threshold.

From the first day we met, I’d initiated and taken control of our encounters, but this felt different. This was Eddie’s moment, and I just stood there, waiting and hoping.

He put his hand on the side of my neck and pressed his lips against mine. I opened for him and closed my eyes. His familiar taste and scent made my fangs itch and stomach tighten in anticipation, but the urge was weak now that I’d fed from him several times in the last twenty-four hours. I could easily ignore it.

Instead, I savored the gentle dance of his tongue against mine, the warmth of his chest, and the press of his hardening cock on my thigh. I wove my fingers into his hair but didn’t grab or push. He dragged his parted lips down my jaw and lower, over my nipple. The strange sensation made me shiver.

Slowly, he knelt before me and pulled my boxer briefs down my thighs. He kissed the side of my cock and under the head before he wrapped his lips around it. I swallowed the excess saliva in my mouth and just breathed, watching him suck my cock deeper. His cheeks hollowed, and the tingling feeling in my dick grew tenfold.

“Eddie…”

What did I want to say? No idea. His name just fell from my lips.

He looked up and locked his eyes on mine as he bobbed his head. Anchoring himself with both hands on my hips, he took me deeper, until his throat spasmed around my cockhead. He gagged and pulled off, swallowing.

“Lie on the bed.”

I did as I was told, and Eddie straddled me with his back to my face.

“Better angle,” he said and bent over.

My cockhead slid right into his throat, and he swallowed around me. The pleasure shot into my balls, and I groaned.

His gorgeous pale ass was right in front of my face. I spread my legs and stuffed a pillow beneath my back so I could reach better. When I grabbed Eddie’s ass cheeks and licked into his crease, he hummed around my cock.

I lathered his hole with my saliva and worked my tongue inside him, healing the irritated skin from our fuck this afternoon. His hole loosened for me, and he sucked me harder and deeper, moaning and making yummy noises.

It was wild, uninhibited, and so good.

“Eddie, sweetheart, I’ll come,” I warned.

He pulled off and turned around. His eyes were dark, lips swollen and glistening with spit and my precum. Panting through his open mouth, he guided my cock to his hole.

“Don’t you want lube?” I rasped.

Eddie swore. “Where is it?”

“My bag, on the floor by the dresser.”

I was grateful for the interruption because it gave me time to pull myself together. He was back in seconds.

He drizzled the cold lube right on my cock, and I hissed.

“Sorry,” he muttered as he closed the cap and threw the tube on the bed.

The warmth of his body was like a slice of heaven. He closed his eyes, his eyebrows knitted together, and sank lower, paused, then lower still.

Fully seated, he wiped his hand on his thigh. Then he reopened his eyes and raked his gaze over me. He looked hungry.

And damn, I loved that look on him.

He rocked carefully, then rose and sank again, his rim sliding up and down my length in a tantalizing way. A soft moan fell from his lips, and he smiled.

I reached for his cock, but he pushed my hand away. “Don’t.”

Leaning back, he rode me faster, his erection bobbing. His hands dug into my thighs.

Eddie was slight and soft around the edges, with a flat belly and slim shoulders. He looked fragile to me, and I knew for a fact that I was about three times faster and stronger than him simply because we were different species. But as he moved sinuously over me, the lean muscles on his arms working, he was the powerful one, and I could just lie there, watching him drain my soul from the last of its independence.

He peered at me through his eyelashes. “I’m close.”

“Let me see you come.”

Licking his lips, he pushed down harder. My balls were already tight, my dick throbbed, and watching Eddie chase his pleasure without touching his cock drove me to the edge.

The urge to bite never went away, but I held back, finding anchor with my hands on Eddie’s thighs and ass cheeks. I swallowed the excess saliva in my mouth. Eddie’s wish was more important than my perpetual thirst. He wanted me , not just the high my venom could give him, and I was so fucking grateful for it. The thirst blended with lust, and I hurt with all of it, except the ache felt like joy.

He kept changing the speed and angle, and his moans grew louder. He used my cock to make himself feel good, used me, and I loved that he took what he wanted. Fucking hell, I’d give him anything, sacrifice anything to have him want me like this. Instead of fear, the realization made me giddy. Eddie deserved the world, and if I could be the one making him feel good… I’d serve him until the end of time.

When he circled his hips on a moan, and searing heat engulfed my groin, it felt like we were joined with more than just flesh. Something flowed between us, and it wasn’t blood or venom or cum. I felt the tingling pleasure even through my palms on his skin and where his ass cheeks touched my thighs.

Precum leaked from his slit, and as his hard cock smacked against my belly, it left glistening smears on my skin. I pulled on his hips and bucked up. Did I grip him too hard? I didn’t want to cause him bruises. But Eddie moaned, arching his back. His inner muscles tightened around my dick. Did he do it on purpose? The throbbing pleasure in my cock reached a new high.

My fangs dropped against my will, and he saw. His mouth formed an O , and his eyelids fluttered. He cried out.

The next second, the first streak of his cum landed on my belly. The flush in his cheeks, his puckered lips… His euphoric expression was simply stunning.

“Come in me!” he ordered breathlessly.

I sat up and hauled him with me, folding him in half under me. I swallowed his cries and shoved my tongue into his open mouth as I bucked into him. His rim clenched around my cock. Was he still coming?

Eddie wrapped his arms around me, and I felt like I was free-falling. But he caught me. I came with my lips against his and my cock as deep inside him as I could reach. His inner muscles softened around me, and the tantalizing heat of his body around my cock became a soothing warmth.

I kept kissing him so I wouldn’t say something stupid like beg him to never leave me.

With my cock inside him and my body all around him, I nipped at his swollen lips. His hand on my cheek made me pause. I searched his features for something, some reassurance, but he looked just as desperate as I felt.

Was that a good thing? I couldn’t tell.

The emotion inside me grew stronger and clearer. It picked me apart, messed me up on the inside, and now it was rebuilding me from scratch. This change was irreversible.

I’ll forever love Eddie.