Page 11

Alexei

A lexei felt a sharp pinch, a brief burn, and then…oh fuck .

He sucked in a sharp breath, shocked in spite of himself at the lust flooding his body, the tendrils of arousal that started at his neck and raced through his veins, the strange sensation plumping his cock in an instant.

He knew—he’d been warned—the bite would be pleasurable, but he’d expected it to be something like when a doctor said a shot wasn’t going to hurt. A little fib. A white lie. A necessary obfuscation to achieve the desired result.

But Jay had been truthful. It felt good.

It felt so. Fucking. Good .

Alexei grabbed more firmly onto the little vampire’s hips, pleased beyond measure at the intimacy of the feeding position Jay had chosen: on Alexei’s lap, that pert bottom pressed up against Alexei’s hardening cock.

He breathed Jay in, that wonderful peppermint scent.

He should always be here , Alexei thought dreamily, listening to the strangely erotic sounds of Jay’s greedy gulping. In my arms.

He found himself leaning further back against the couch and pressing a hand to the back of Jay’s dark head, urging him closer. “Take as much as you need, kotyonok. Drink your fill.”

Alexei knew—in that back corner of his mind, the tiny place unclouded by this obsessive want—that he should theoretically be more freaked out at the moment.

He’d found out barely an hour ago that vampires existed (and that sweet, adorable, waves-at-dogs Jay was one), and now here he was letting Jay feast on his neck?

Alexei should probably be considering the very real possibility that at some point that night, he’d truly snapped, and this was all some sort of elaborate illusion taking place after his losing his fucking mind.

But the sensations were too clear, too real. Jay’s hungry little noises, the warmth of his small body, the ache of Alexei’s erection straining against his zipper. He felt gratified that the vampire was hard as well, grinding himself against Alexei’s bulge, seemingly unconsciously.

Alexei felt a hot surge of jealousy, thinking of Jay doing this with Colin, but the emotion passed quickly. Because really, what Alexei had encountered in the alleyway hadn’t looked anywhere near this intimate.

There was a difference between how Jay felt about the two of them; Alexei was becoming sure of it.

And that was the crux of it all, wasn’t it? Why Alexei was allowing this (not just allowing but practically begging for it). Because here he’d been wanting to get closer to Jay, to be special to him in some way, and this wonderful, bloody door had opened for them both.

Alexei could give Jay something vital. Something necessary to his very existence. Something horrifically intimate that could potentially open even more doors to even more intimacies.

Alexei sank into the couch cushions, feeling both wound up beyond belief and also unbearably loose and relaxed. A little dizzy too, but that was a small price to pay.

The feeding had been going on for long enough Alexei had serious concerns he was going to come in his pants like a teenager with his first grope when Jay finally pulled back, his fangs sliding out of Alexei’s skin.

But it didn’t do much to lessen the arousal when Jay started licking gently at Alexei’s neck.

He really was a kitten.

“Trying to get every last drop?” Alexei teased softly, his muscles lax against the couch cushions.

Jay gave one last lick before sitting back, his lovely face flushed and brown hair mussed well beyond its usual bed head status.

The black had already receded from his eyes, and there were dark-red drops of Alexei’s blood on his chin.

Alexei was incredibly gratified to note Jay made no move to crawl off his lap.

“My saliva has healing properties,” Jay said softly. “I was closing the bite.”

Alexei squeezed gently at his hips. “Well, look at you. What other special abilities are you hiding, kotyonok?”

Jay worried at his blood-specked lip with blunt teeth a moment before answering in a very serious tone, “I’m fast. Quite strong. I don’t need much sleep. I don’t age, at least not physically. And I’m next to impossible to kill.”

Next to impossible to kill .

A certain tightness unfurled in Alexei’s chest at Jay’s words. Here he’d been thinking the barista he’d been lusting after was too fragile, too gentle, too—

“How old are you?” he asked the vampire abruptly.

Jay cocked his head. “Somewhere around two hundred and fifty, I think?”

Alexei couldn’t help it. He threw his head back and laughed, low and loose and so relaxed he thought he might sink all the way through the couch and end up somehow on the floor.

He’d been thinking he was a potential cradle robber, lusting after some college-aged kid.

But Jay was older than him by multiple fucking centuries .

It was the funniest thing he’d heard in years. Maybe ever.

When he was finished, forced to release his hold on Jay’s hips to wipe tears from his eyes, he found the vampire staring at him, gray eyes wide and seemingly delighted. “You have the nicest laugh,” Jay breathed.

“Thank you. It doesn’t come out often, I suppose.”

Jay beamed at him. “I’ve never seen you smile before tonight. And now you laughed .” He hummed happily before cocking his head, his smile fading into a strange almost pout. “You’re really not afraid of me?”

Alexei placed his hands back on Jay’s hips, the fleece material of his pants soft against Alexei’s skin. “Should I be?”

Jay shook his head somberly. “No. I would never hurt you. I love humans. I try to be very respectful. I’ll never bite without permission.”

“You have my blanket permission, kotyonok.”

“Oh.” Jay bit at his lip again. “But why?”

Alexei cleared his throat, trying to figure out how to say what he felt without sounding like an obsessive psycho. “I meant what I said earlier. About giving you something you need. I’ve become very….fond of you. But also because I enjoyed that very much. Did you?”

Jay nodded enthusiastically. “Yes. You’re very delicious, you know.”

Alexei groaned. Fuck, Jay couldn’t go around saying stuff like that, not when Alexei was so keyed up from that fucking bite.

He could feel Jay tense under his hands, the vampire seemingly alarmed by the sound. “What’s wrong?” Jay asked. “Do you need more food? Water? Am I too heavy on your lap?”

Alexei’s arms moved without permission, banding around Jay’s waist so the vampire couldn’t escape.

“No. I’m just—” He paused a moment to think.

With anyone else, he might have considered teasing a bit, but he had a feeling with Jay, he needed to be quite literal to get this ship sailing. “I’m very attracted to you, Jay.”

“ Oh. ” Alexei watched in fascination as Jay went pink all the way to the tips of his ears.

That was promising, right?

He tried to keep his voice soft, gentle, nonthreatening. “Do you find me attractive, kitten?”

Jay’s small hand clenched against Alexei’s arm. “Oh yes. I think you have the prettiest eyes and prettiest hair, and you’re the most handsome man in the coffee shop.”

Alexei could work with that. He could definitely work with that. “You said you have no experience. Sexually. Would you like to remedy that?”

Jay’s tongue darted out, wetting his lips. “You want to, um, show me sex stuff?”

Alexei let out a long, slow breath. “Yes. I would very much like to show you sex stuff, if you like.”

Jay’s eyes flashed, and his hands moved up to clutch at the collar of Alexei’s shirt. “And let me bite you?”

“Yes.”

“And teach me how to make syrniki?”

Alexei blinked. He’d forgotten he’d said that, honestly. But he would take literally any excuse to get closer to this creature, even if it was in the kitchen. “Yes.”

“It’s like Christmas,” Jay whispered, toying with Alexei’s collar. Then he shot him what Alexei had to assume was supposed to be a stern look. “But not tonight. I got light-headed just from drinking you. You’re tipsy,” he accused, his brow furrowing even further.

Alexei hadn’t realized how much his muscles had tensed from waiting on Jay’s answer until he felt himself relax back once more against the cushions. He had the strangest urge to start laughing again. “Perhaps I am. But the offer will stand in the morning, I promise you that.”

Jay ducked his head, but Alexei didn’t miss the shy smile gracing his lips.

So fucking adorable.

After that, Alexei was subjected to more of Jay’s caretaking. He was given another glass of water and was forced to refuse more pizza bagels three separate times before Jay was willing to believe Alexei was actually full.

When Jay told Alexei he wouldn’t be sleeping himself for many more hours, Alexei insisted on remaining on the couch to be near him, assuring Jay multiple times that not sleeping on the bed wasn’t going to cause permanent damage to his fragile mortal body (how bizarre, to find out he was the delicate one in this dynamic).

His eyelids started dropping as he watched Jay draw what was looking to become an exquisite portrait of a woman’s face in pencil.

Alexei drifted off wondering who she might be.

Alexei woke up to the smell of peppermint invading his nostrils. He breathed in deep, tightening his hold on the warm bundle in his arms. The peppermint was nice, cutting through the little bit of hangover fog he had going on.

And cutting through the fog was good. Very good. Because Alexei had a lot to process, didn’t he? Jay and Colin in the alleyway. The existence of vampires (which begged the question, the existence of what else?). Jay biting him on the couch.

And the bite. That fucking bite. Nothing could have prepared Alexei for how good getting the blood sucked out of his goddamn body was going to feel.

His morning wood gave a little jerk at the thought of it.

“You’re awake?” Jay’s soft voice had Alexei opening his eyes with a start, at the same moment he realized the bundle in his arms wasn’t one of the couch pillows after all.