Page 42

Awkward conversation, take two.

I lounged for a bit after Don left, before getting up and taking another shower. I didn’t know how long he’d be gone, but I wanted to hang out when he returned. Doing something. Doing nothing. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was the time we spent together.

Sitting on the couch, I ran my fingers over the strings on the harpsichord and watched as the instrument lit up in a multitude of colors, which made me grin.

Don was insisting he learn how to play because I’d bought him the instrument.

Though technically Seth bought it, or Kal, if I wanted to look at it that way, which I didn’t.

I might be giving up Seth, but I still didn’t like Kal.

As I strummed the fragile strings, my mind wandered back to this morning with Don. Sex was getting easier. I trusted him not to deviate from what we planned. While I enjoyed everything that we did, I wanted more.

The thought of Don on top of me, pressing into me, made bile climb my throat and sweat slide down my back.

I quickly pushed the image and unease away by taking a deep inhale of Don’s fragrance.

I didn’t want him to sense my fear and come running.

I wasn’t sure how far he could sense me from, but he always seemed to appear when I freaked out.

Don being on top or inside of me wasn’t going to happen, no matter how much I wanted it.

At least not yet. My body was insistent on remembering everything, even though I was beyond done and wanted it to go away.

Perhaps Camden was right about needing to talk to someone, but I didn’t want to.

I didn’t have anything against therapy per se; it just wasn’t something kindly talked about when I was growing up, and I’d never seen a point to it.

Then again, I hadn’t had the trauma I did now.

Man, I felt like such a dick, especially for how I’d spoken to Camden.

Could therapy even help me have sex with Don? And how in the fucking hell did I ask a therapist about that? I would die of embarrassment.

Though we were already halfway back to the drakcol home planet. How much longer did we have if I wanted to have Don fuck me? And did I really want to leave him? Could I leave him?

I sank to the couch, hands falling into my lap. I didn’t want to part from Don. The very thought made my chest tighten and tears burn my eyes. I pushed the sensations away. We would be planetside for months, maybe even years, before the drakcol sent a ship to Earth. We had plenty of time.

Penetrative sex would happen between us.

What if I was on top?

The thought of Don beneath me, his long hair spread out on the pillow as he made his soft noises, sent my heart racing.

My cock twitched, then began to harden in a hurry.

Though all of the touching made me a tad uncomfortable, scales to skin sometimes triggered me.

It wasn’t limited to scales, but too much touch set me off at the most random of times.

The image of Don on his hands and knees, tail wrapped around my arm, as I fucked him filtered in, and I groaned.

Fuck. I wanted to do that. I wanted to feel his hole squeezing me while I sank into the warm heat of him.

I palmed my erection through my jeans, shaking.

I almost stood to go back to the bedroom to jerk off, but I held off.

Would Don want to? He might, but then again, what if he didn’t bottom? I didn’t top often—because of my small size people often assumed I would always be the bottom—and some guys weren’t versatile like I was.

A chime interrupted my thoughts. My cock was hard and pressing against my stiff black jeans. I took several calming breaths and tried to relax, which didn’t help. In the end, I readjusted, hiding my straining cock, and called, “Enter.”

The door slid open, and Seth stumbled in, pale and sporting stubble. I held out my arms, and he crashed onto the couch, snuggling close. I had a single moment of fear before it rushed away. I brushed his impossibly soft brown hair back as he settled against my shoulder.

“Are you still hungover?”

He grunted.

I wanted to chuckle, but I swallowed it so I didn’t hurt his head. Seth had never handled alcohol well. That hadn’t changed. “Didn’t Kal take care of you?”

“Yeah.”

“Still hungover, though?”

“I drank more than you,” he groaned.

With soft touches, I continued to finger-comb his hair while my thoughts circled around Don.

Before he got back, I’d have to put some distance between me and Seth or at least, think hard about how I wasn’t as strongly attracted to him.

I didn’t want to hurt Don. Besides, he was truly the only person I wanted right now.

“Can I ask you something?” I said in a quiet voice.

“If you have to.”

I laughed, and Seth groaned. I swallowed it, then whispered, “Do you top with Kal?”

He jerked back, face red. “W-what?”

“Do you fuck Kal or do you always bottom?” I guessed Seth was versatile, though he never talked about sex. Not from prudishness, but rather from pure discomfort.

“Why would you want to know that?” He fluffed the front of his hoodie, and the action made me smile.

Travis had never let him wear hoodies. Seth had reclaimed a part of himself since that abusive relationship, and the very sight of it soothed something inside of me.

While Kal could fall off a cliff and die, I was pleased to know that Seth was safe.

“It’s important.”

Seth fisted the front of his hoodie, cheeks on fire. “I top more often than I bottom. Kal prefers to bottom most of the time, and I take far more prep than he does.”

I nodded; Don might be willing to bottom. Or was this just something Kal was fine with? “Do you think Don would bottom with me?”

“W-what?” Seth asked again.

Poor guy. I was pushing him far out of his comfort zone. Caleb or Teddy might be a better source of sex information, but I didn’t know Caleb well and Teddy hadn’t been with Mindy long. Besides, Seth was the one who knew everything. He was the leader of Team Human after all.

“I want to have sex, but I can’t stomach the thought of Don inside me. Not yet.”

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, squeezing the life out of his hoodie. “You need to ask him.”

I frowned.

“I’m serious, Vince. Drakcol are super open about sex. If he doesn’t want to, he’ll tell you directly. I’m sure you’ve discussed permissions and all that.”

“Yeah. We haven’t gotten super in depth, because I don’t know what will or won’t upset me until we do it.”

“Make sense.” Seth glanced at me, face as red as a tomato. “Ask Don. He won’t be mad. At most, he’ll say no, then you know.”

“Thanks,” I said, bumping his shoulder. “I know sex is one of the things you hate talking about.”

“Caleb would be far better. He has no shame. He’ll tell you whatever you want to know and what you don’t want to know. Also, he’s in a drakcol body.”

True. My lips pursed. He would know what feels good, and he probably wouldn’t care if I asked.

“I didn’t come because I wasn’t feeling well.”

My forehead crinkled. “What’s going on?”

He chewed on his lower lip, and I raised my eyebrows. He squeaked, “Kal and his brothers are worried.”

“About?” I could feel my hackles rising. Don was mine, and I sure as hell wasn’t letting him go because his younger brothers didn’t like us together.

“I’ve told you drakcol only mate once.”

“I know, but Don doesn’t feel that way about me.”

Seth touched the thin gold necklaces I was wearing. “He’s buying you things.”

“So?”

“That’s what Kal did when he was pursuing me.” Before I could say anything, he continued, “He’s scent marking you. Kal noticed. You claimed him when you were drunk.”

I stood. “You don’t know what you're talking about,” I snapped, then immediately felt guilty when Seth flinched. “Look, Don said he didn’t want more. We’re just…” What were we? We sure as hell felt more than friends with benefits. “I don’t know what we are, but I’m not Don’s mate. I’m going home.”

“I know,” he whispered, “but what if he considers you his mate? Drakcol don’t do well with separation. Some don’t survive.”

Panic raced like electricity down my veins. Would something happen to Don if I left? I could never live with myself if it did. Of course, I wouldn’t know if it did because I wouldn’t have my memories.

Seth said, moving behind me, “I wanted to warn you about the possibility, but Don would’ve told you if you were his mate.”

Trying to lighten the mood, I teased, “You just want me to stay.”

“I do. I really do, but I wouldn’t lie about this.”

I faced him, taking his hand and swinging it between us. “I know.”

“Do you like him?”

“Of course I do.” I liked Don more than I’d ever liked anyone, except Seth.

“Maybe this could be a permanent thing between you two?”

Maybe. But did I want that? And more importantly did Don?

When I stepped into the room, Vince’s thoughts and emotions were all over the place. The sole clear thing I got from his mind was that Seth had been here, in my quarters, and he’d said something to confuse Vince.

Had Seth started to care for Vince in the same way?

Jealousy ripped through me.

I moved toward Vince, instinct demanding I claim him. Vince, in turn, raced toward me and threw his arms around my shoulders to yank me down, lips finding mine. I paused at the searing kiss, lust rushing through me and settling in my cock.

Without thinking, I lifted Vince. He didn’t hesitate to wrap his legs around my waist. His cock was hard against my stomach while his thoughts whirled around going to the bedroom and sucking each other off—something I was more than fine with.

As I carried him to my bedroom, I kept a tight hold on him. I didn’t care what Seth had said. Vince was mine. Until he decided to leave, I would keep him, and no one would take him from me.