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Gabe had never even had a real conversation with Danny about his feelings concerning their mother.

It wasn’t like he’d told Soren any real details, but still…

there was a weight lifting off his chest, just in saying it out loud: he had complicated feelings around his mother, beyond just unconditional love and devotion.

Why was a vampire the first person Gabe had opened up to in years? And how was it Soren of all people who’d made him feel so much better with just a few words?

He would be worried about compulsion again if he couldn’t see the pale blue of Soren’s eyes, so clear and calm and focused wholly on Gabe.

He didn’t move away from Soren’s hand.

“Pick a hand.” Soren was hiding both of his behind his back, bouncing on his toes with mischief painting his face.

Gabe pointed to Soren’s left.

“Aha!” Soren brought his left hand forward to reveal Jurassic Park in its clutches. His blue eyes gleamed. “Excellent.”

“You were hoping for that one?” Gabe asked, amused in spite of himself.

Soren nodded gleefully. “One of the best movies ever made.”

Gabe snickered. “You told me at dinner that you’re over three hundred years old…and a movie about dinosaurs is one of the best ever made?”

Gabe wasn’t sure how he had already progressed from complete shock to joking about their incomprehensible age difference, but it was hard to stay too serious around the blond vampire when he was in such a playful mood.

Soren gave him a truly savage look. “One, dinosaurs are cool. Irrefutably. Two, it’s a matter of storytelling. Subject matter isn’t even the key part. It’s about pacing. Suspense. Amazing acting. And, of course”—he pointed at the DVD cover in demonstration—“Laura Dern and her khaki shorts.”

Gabe shook his head, grinning in spite of himself.

Soren was full of surprises.

The picture Soren had painted for Gabe of his past life made him seem like some kind of lascivious, fanged party animal.

Why Soren would want to stay here and watch one of the DVDs from Gabe’s childhood with him was a complete mystery.

After dinner the vampire had simply instructed Gabe to make them popcorn and then disappeared into the living room to “narrow down their selection.”

Gabe nodded at Soren’s right hand. “What was the other option?”

Soren’s grin was bright and manic as he revealed the second DVD. Interview with a Vampire .

Gabe snorted. “Really?”

“Just thought you could bear reminding how alluring and sexy the rest of the world finds my kind.” Soren’s grin turned sly.

As if Gabe needed any reminding. He’d been doing his best for over a year to ignore just how alluring and sexy a certain vampire was.

Soren was just…way too enticing.

And he was only becoming more so as he revealed new facets of himself to Gabe.

The petite vampire’s loungewear was apparently an outfit of his own making.

When he’d stood from the couch, it had been revealed to be a crop top with matching high-waisted, flowy knit pants.

The shirt was short enough that glimpses of Soren’s slim pale midriff peeked out when he was standing.

Like now. Gabe swallowed hard, his cock beginning to harden in his sweats.

The microwave dinged. Saved by the bell.

“I’ll get the popcorn,” Gabe offered. So what if his voice came out a little raspy?

Soren smirked at him, moving to pop the DVD in. Ferdy was still on the couch, snoozing away, his ear twitching in his sleep. Apparently the key to tiring out energetic puppies was having a speedy vampire on the premises. Who knew?

When Gabe returned with the popcorn, he settled on the opposite end of the couch as Ferdy. Soren, instead of sitting back with the puppy, planted himself in the middle, leaving zero space between his and Gabe’s bodies.

At Gabe’s look, Soren widened his eyes in faux innocence. “What? I need to be able to reach the popcorn.”

Gabe said nothing. He’d been right—Soren’s outfit was soft, the sleeve brushing against Gabe’s bare arm.

Gabe swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry, and tried to focus on the movie, willing his cock not to harden again as Soren’s pine-and-ocean scent drifted over him. There would be no hiding a hard-on in these sweats, and he didn’t want to give Soren the satisfaction of knowing how he affected him.

The vampire was too gorgeous by far, and he knew it, the little brat.

As the movie played, the dinosaurs meting out their own brand of prehistoric justice on their makers, Gabe held himself stiffly, his right leg bouncing. He was trying to avoid their bodies touching any more than necessary, but the awkward stiffness was starting to make his back ache.

Soren glanced at his jittery leg, huffing in annoyance. “What’s going on, human?”

“Nothing.” Gabe stilled his leg, trying to subtly stretch his upper back without bumping into the vampire.

Soren sighed, grabbing the remote to pause the movie. “Tell me.”

“It’s just an old back injury from an unruly patient during residency. I get stiff sometimes.”

“Hm.” Soren eyed him for a moment skeptically, then reached over and lifted the popcorn bowl from Gabe’s lap, placing it on the coffee table.

He pushed and prodded until Gabe found himself leaning forward, seated at the very edge of the couch.

He looked over his shoulder to watch Soren clamber up behind him, placing himself between Gabe and the back of the couch.

The scents of ocean and pine washed over him again.

Gabe gritted his teeth as blood rushed to his cock. “What are you doing?”

“Hush,” Soren commanded.

Strong, delicate fingers dug into Gabe’s neck, moving in sure strokes. Gabe let out a groan before he could help himself. “Fuck. Your hands feel amazing.”

“I know,” Soren murmured. “Press play.”

Gabe complied, reaching for the remote. It felt too good to put up any sort of fuss.

As Soren worked his back muscles, Gabe found himself melting into a relaxed state that bordered on drugged.

This was becoming a mysterious theme of Soren’s presence.

Up to a point, having Soren around increased that restless, anxious feeling that lived ever-present in Gabe’s gut.

But as soon as Soren was touching Gabe, it was like it all…

dissolved. That tightness in his chest gave way to a loose, warm, fluid state.

None of that would be a problem, per se…except he was also incredibly turned on.

He couldn’t help it. Gabe usually made a point of keeping some physical distance between him and Soren, but now Soren’s lithe body was pressed up against his back. His scent surrounding Gabe. His hands all over him.

“Fuck,” Gabe groaned, as Soren dug into a particularly tight spot on his lower back. “Is this part of your vampire magic?”

“No, this is you having more muscles than sense and me being good with my hands.”

Another rush of blood shot to Gabe’s cock at the thought of how else Soren might be good with his hands. He went on the defensive. “I’m not that bulky. I run a lot.”

Soren hummed. “You’re bulky enough.” The clear appreciation in his voice took any potential sting out of his words.

Soren clearly liked Gabe’s muscles. Gabe liked that Soren liked them.

He didn’t protest as Soren tugged at the bottom of Gabe’s shirt, moving to lift it over his head. “It’s in the way,” the vampire breathed into his ear, sending a shiver down Gabe’s spine.

His shirt removed, Gabe groaned again at the feel of Soren’s hands on his now-bare back. “Your hands are so warm.”

Soren must have heard the unspoken question in his voice. “Another false myth,” he told Gabe. “We only get cold to the touch if we haven’t fed for too long. Shows we’re in the danger zone.”

Gabe struggled to focus on that tidbit of information. It was hard to manage—Soren’s hands were sent from heaven. “You can die that way?”

“No,” Soren started pressing his knuckles along Gabe’s spine. “But we can be severely weakened. End up comatose.”

The conversation should have been the reminder Gabe needed for his hardening cock to go down. That Soren was other. Not human. A predator.

And one who wouldn’t possibly be sticking around in this town for much longer. He’d been here a year already. Why would Soren possibly want to stay, with the life he’d led so far?

But Gabe was too blissed out to care about anything other than the feel of Soren’s hands on his skin. Those hands that were now drifting down Gabe’s sides, stroking gently rather than kneading. Gabe shivered again, goose bumps erupting on his skin.

Soren hummed behind him, pleased at Gabe’s reaction.

“Feels good.” Gabe’s words were practically slurred.

Jesus, he needed to get a grip.

But before Gabe could collect himself, one of the hands on his side snaked around to the front. Gabe held still, hardly breathing as delicate fingers just barely cupped his now rock-hard cock.

His body felt hot. “It’s a natural reaction,” he grunted, not sure whether he wanted to push that hand away or press it down harder against himself.

“Oh, very natural.” Soren’s hand didn’t move, and Gabe shivered again as the vampire’s nose nuzzled behind his ear.

Fuck.

Gabe had never been this sensitive to another person’s touch before. Had never been driven to this state by a few simple touches and a hand on his clothed cock.

He should put a stop to this. Now, before things went any further. There were a million and one reasons this was a bad idea.

But then Soren was shimmying his body forward to press himself even more firmly against Gabe’s back, and Gabe felt the outline of Soren’s own hard cock pressing against him.

The immense satisfaction that Soren was just as turned on by him as he was by Soren momentarily stunned him, and Gabe didn’t protest as Soren’s hand dipped beneath his sweats, under the waistband of his boxers, to wrap itself around his cock.

The feel of Soren’s hot hand on his bare skin had Gabe moaning softly before he could stop himself.

He hadn’t been touched this way in so long.

Soren pressed a soft kiss to the back of his neck. “Let me make you feel good, Highness?”

The hint of vulnerability in Soren’s voice was the final push in melting Gabe’s reservations. He found himself nodding, opening his legs wider before leaning his head back against Soren’s shoulder. “Yeah, okay. Please, Soren. More.”

Soren growled softly before complying, his delicate hand grasping Gabe’s cock with a firmer hold. And then he was stroking Gabe with an expertise that was almost alarming.

That’s what comes from hundreds of years of sexual experience.

Gabe pushed the unfair thought from his mind.

He wasn’t exactly a virgin himself. And as Soren’s hand twisted around his cock, the vampire’s pale thumb circling the drops of precum beading around the head, Gabe found himself thankful for every bit of experience that was helping Soren make Gabe feel so damn good.

Gabe let his full weight fall back against him, giving in to the blissful sensation. “I don’t care what you say. Your hands are fucking magical, brat.”

Soren hummed behind him, somehow managing to make the simple noise sound smug.

Pleasure tingled along Gabe’s spine with each stroke of Soren’s hand. He hadn’t expected any of this, his defenses were down, and it wasn’t long before a familiar tightening in his balls had him warning the vampire. “Fuck. Fuck, Soren. Gonna come, baby.”

He was only half-aware of the endearment leaving his mouth. He could be embarrassed about it later, when he didn’t feel so fucking good.

Soren hummed again, increasing the speed of his strokes, twisting around the head at the end of each pass.

He started pressing warm, wet kisses along the back of Gabe’s neck, and that was all it took for Gabe to find his release, moaning as his cock pulsed in the vampire’s hand.

His eyes wanted to close with the force of it, but he kept them open at half-mast, watching ropes of his white cum coating Soren’s pale fist.

The sight of it was way fucking hotter than it had any right to be.

Gabe was panting, his head still resting against Soren’s shoulder. Fuck. He’d been going through a major dry spell. He couldn’t think of any other reason a simple hand job would feel so amazing.

He found himself turning his head to press a kiss against Soren’s neck, unable to resist the silky-smooth skin there, only slowly becoming aware of the rhythmic sounds coming from behind him.

Soren was jerking himself off.

Gabe wanted to see it.

“Let me,” he offered, lifting his head and moving to turn around.

But Soren pressed a hand to his back, halting his movements. “Hush, human,” he purred. “Stay still.”

Another kiss on his nape, and then Gabe’s back arched as he felt the pressure of Soren’s blunt teeth pressing into the back of his neck.

Little monster.

Gabe should be freaked out. He should remind Soren that he didn’t want to be anyone’s dinner.

But he was too mesmerized by the sounds of Soren finding his own pleasure.

The little pants and whimpers, muffled by Gabe’s skin, as the vampire approached his release.

Soren’s free hand roamed frantically along Gabe’s stomach, his shoulders, his pecs.

As if touching Gabe’s skin was in itself a turn-on for him.

Fuck. That thought was hot. Gabe didn’t even care that Soren was smearing Gabe’s own cum over his body.

He felt the wetness and heard the low, sweet moan as Soren finished behind him. The moment was punctuated by Soren’s teeth pressing even harder into Gabe’s neck, a move that for some reason had Gabe’s spent cock twitching in interest.

Gabe braced himself for sharp fangs, cursing himself for not pulling away.

But Soren’s teeth remained blunt, bruising rather than puncturing, and after a long moment, he released his hold on Gabe’s neck, pressing a small kiss onto what was most likely going to an impressive mark.

They both sat there, panting heavily, Soren’s hot breath against Gabe’s neck, as the credits rolled on their movie.

“What now?” The words were so quiet Gabe almost didn’t hear them. But he did. And he heard it again. That hint of vulnerability, an emotion he’d never before associated with Soren.

Any freak-out Gabe might have had over what they’d just done got pushed to the side. He didn’t want to make Soren miserable. For once, Gabe didn’t want to be the jerk after a hookup.

“Put in the second movie?” he offered.

He felt the curve of Soren’s lips against his skin as the vampire smiled. “You do it,” Soren said. “I need to wash my hands.”

So Gabe found himself watching Interview with a Vampire with an actual vampire.

His life no longer made any sense.