Page 2

Chapter 2

T heir home was Gordon’s place sometimes, but mostly Adler’s. The deciding factor, Adler thought, had been of a practical nature, meaning food. He had some, and not just the kind of thing that came in air-sealed packages with lots of flavoring.

Adler liked that they spent so much time at his place, but it had nothing to do with his mostly stocked fridge and everything to do with his neighbors, most of whom were werewolves, all of whom knew Gordon at least by sight.

Adler had made sure of that by simply slowing his steps each time he walked next to his vampire when they crossed the courtyard that led from the parking lot to Adler’s building. He was doing the same thing today, Gordon’s hand in his, his vampire’s scent deliciously teasing. Look at me. Know this is my mate, mine to protect, mine to love, my beautiful mate.

They hadn’t spoken much on the way over, had simply enjoyed each other’s company. Adler found Gordon’s nearness generally soothing and didn’t need words on top of that, but he knew Gordon also needed the opportunity to talk, so he had been working on doing that. The alpha would be so proud.

“You got new interns,” Adler said, slowing his steps even further while he pretended he was interested in one of the potted plants the residents had put by the paved walkway for some extra sun.

Gordon grinned. “Yes. I’m breaking them in. Smelled the bleach, did you?”

Adler wrinkled his nose. “And the vinegar. I bet they didn’t expect to scrub floor tiles when they signed up for the program. Just out of curiosity, do you give them used toothbrushes for all the scrubbing?”

“No, they didn’t, and no, I don’t. You do realize we work in forensics. A used toothbrush could contaminate our findings and thus corrupt any case we help solve.”

Adler chuckled. “I forget you’re the smart one, sweetheart. Sorry, I was trying to be funny.”

Adler caught the slightest touch of color in his vampire’s cheeks. “I didn’t—you’re funny. Did that come across as rude?”

“Nah, but come here.” Adler stopped in the middle of the courtyard and pulled Gordon in for a hug and a kiss to the side of the neck. Of course Adler made sure to let his tongue flick out, just briefly. My scent on him, and everyone is going to be able to smell it. I hope they’re all watching.

“This is the point where bystanders would usually tell us to get a room,” Gordon said.

Adler pulled back. “We have a room. We’re going there. And then we’re staying there for as long as we possibly can. You were telling me about your new interns who already know how best to clean every cranny of your lab.”

They resumed walking, with unhurried steps even if Adler’s heart was racing in his chest, even if his mind was spinning with anticipation.

“Right. Some of them are just there to see a supernatural corpse up close and personal, and those are also the ones that really, really mind the scrubbing.” Gordon looked up to the dusky sky with a thoughtful expression. “It’s easy to make those ones quit. I mean, it’s not like I don’t want them to learn things, but we have a purpose, you know.”

Adler hummed. “You thin the herd with bleach.”

Gordon shrugged and smiled sweetly. “Well, I am sorry for each person leaving the program of course. But a little bit of humility is nice around the lab, and you know I reward that with cookies. Positive reinforcement is really important to me.” He managed to look completely serious, and the dusk light made his blue ear studs shimmer, rousing in Adler the desire to touch them, use them to tease a reaction from his mate.

“Are you saying that talking to your corpses is humble? And about the cookies, I feel like that warrants additional surveillance.” He pulled Gordon close, pressed a kiss to the side of the vampire’s mouth and brushed his thumb over Gordon’s earring tenderly. “Very close surveillance.” He inhaled, savoring Gordon’s rose scent.

“Is that so? Hmm, I don’t know. It sounds like you are abusing your power just to get into my cookie jar, detective.” He dipped his head forward so that the blue and white hair partly hid his eyes. “I’m not sure you should be allowed all that much positive reinforcement. It might have the adverse effect.”

Adler opened the door to his building and pulled Gordon inside, a little roughly so the vampire slammed into his chest. “And I’m not sure there is anything you can do to stop me, doctor.” He sniffed Gordon’s hair. “Yeah, I smell the weed on you. Probably need to search you. Thoroughly.”

Gordon licked his lips. “I love your liberal use of euphemism.”

Adler wanted to wrap his arms around Gordon and press him close, but first he needed to get his vampire into his apartment, because the hallway was just not a good place for this.

“Do you?” He reached for Gordon’s hand and closed the distance to his apartment door in long strides with Gordon in tow, turned his key in the lock. Once the door was open, Adler dropped his bag by the door and pulled Gordon across the threshold with him. Then he closed the door by pushing Gordon up against it and pinning him there with his larger frame. “Do you, doctor?” He bit Gordon’s lower lip, and at the contact, the vampire let his own work bag fall to the floor. “Because I love your use of Greek and Latin words when all you really want is to beg me to confess how much I like being balls deep inside you. Or when you want to beg me to be balls deep inside you.”

Gordon’s eyes glazed over, and he licked his lip where Adler’s teeth had closed around the flesh a moment ago. “Some Lovers Try Positions That They Cannot Handle.”

Adler’s eyebrows went up. “Are you daring me, sweetheart?”

Gordon shook his head. “Just a mnemonic; the bones in the wrist.” He reached for Adler’s right hand with his left, his fine surgeon’s fingers tracing feather soft across the skin. “Scaphoid, Lunatum, Triquetrum, Pisiforme, Trapezium, Trapezoid, Capitate, Hamate.” He said each one slowly, marking out the corresponding bone in Adler’s right wrist by tracing them with the pad of his index finger. It was strangely seductive, not what Adler would have ever thought an anatomy lesson to be like.

Adler’s nostrils flared as he breathed in his mate’s scent. “Is this your way of asking me to tie you up a bit?”

Before his mate, Adler had thought he liked ropes mostly for the aesthetic, but there were so many more things to be gotten out of them these days: the lust of his mate, unleashed while Gordon was tied up and completely in Adler’s hands, the memories of each knot and twist, of how Gordon looked with the ropes, how he looked after them, the soft markings never there for long, not on a vampire’s skin.

The slow build of laying the ropes and tying them, the trust of his mate, his mate’s pleasure, brought high before it exploded, those were not purely aesthetic concerns. It was a secret need, one Adler would and could only indulge in fully if his mate took pleasure from it also.

“Maybe,” Gordon said and leaned forward to steal a kiss from Adler.

Adler pulled back, not giving in. “It’s got to be either yes or no, sweetheart. I’m not putting a rope on you for ‘maybe.’” He showed some teeth when he grinned. “Although if yes or no isn’t for you, you can always beg.”

Adler watched Gordon’s beautiful blue eyes as dusk made the color fade to gray. The werewolf part of him would have liked Gordon looking down in submission, but they were not those kinds of mates. Their bites, mirrored on the other’s skin, made them special. Although to me, you’ve always been special.

Gordon, not being a werewolf and lacking the innate responses, didn’t look down or away, and it made a shiver run down Adler’s spine. Oh, he wanted Gordon, wanted him in so many ways that transcended the purely physical, and as long as his mate was willing and trusted him, Adler would have him.

“Tie me up, Detective,” Gordon said after a small pause. “I’ve been thinking about it since last time, you know, and I want to do it again.”

Adler grinned and pulled Gordon to him. “That I can work with.”