Page 18

Jay

“ L et’s get messy,” it turned out, was not a sexual phrase, even though Jay had maybe, kind of, sort of been hoping it was. But what Alexei had them do—after sticking the plate of finished pancakes in the oven to keep them warm—was mess up the living room.

They tugged and tossed the couch pillows until they were in disarray.

They set the coffee table on its side up against the wall.

It was all silly and ridiculous, but every time Vee’s voice threatened to ring out in Jay’s head and tell him so, Alexei was speaking up right in front of him instead, encouraging Jay to flip a book onto the floor or kick a corner of the rug up.

The best part was when they traipsed into Alexei’s room and tugged all the bedding from his neatly made bed (which had Jay wondering: had Alexei made it so neat for Jay?) and piled it onto the floor, making a sort of nest out of the blankets and pillows.

When the oven beeped at them, Alexei went through all the toppings options with Jay, letting him put on as much whipped cream and syrup as he wanted, stacking them into a sizable tower on a plate for them both.

Jay loved that they were sharing a plate; something about that felt cozy and intimate to him.

They climbed back into their nest, and before Jay knew it, he’d eaten almost all the pancakes (“So good! I can’t believe we made these!”).

He looked up to see Alexei eyeing him with brows raised high.

Oops.

Jay had forgotten how much was normal for a human to eat.

It had been so long since he’d needed human food that he usually just ate whatever tasted good and was directly in front of him.

He’d learned a lot about what was normal for humans from everything he read or watched, but books didn’t usually specify amounts, and while on TV, humans always had food in front of them, they rarely seemed to actually be eating it.

Jay wiped a stray crumb from the corner of his mouth. “That wasn’t a regular number of pancakes to consume, was it?” he asked sheepishly.

Alexei pulled down the blanket that had been partially covering Jay, looking over his admittedly petite form. “Where does it all go ?” he asked, a note of wonder in his voice.

Jay patted the soft swell of his belly and handed Alexei the one remaining pancake. “Just…poof. Magically gone, I guess.”

“Magically…,” Alexei mused, cutting into his pancake.

Jay licked his lips—had he gotten all the crumbs?

—noticing that when he did so, Alexei’s eyes gained that heated look he’d seen in them the other night.

Because Alexei wanted Jay. Wasn’t that great?

Alexei wanted to kiss him and touch him, and maybe if Jay was good, he would even work that big cock inside of him.

Jay squirmed in place on the blankets, thinking his dirty thoughts while he watched Alexei bite into his pancake.

Jay wanted more lessons—really, really wanted more lessons—but he wasn’t quite sure how to get things started.

He knew humans could, and often did, flirt with varying degrees of subtlety, but Jay’s brain didn’t really work that way.

Double entendres and coded messages weren’t quite his things.

So he went with saying exactly what he was thinking. “I want to try mouth stuff with you.”

Alexei sort of choked on the bite of pancake he’d taken, and Jay started pounding him on the back helpfully—although it didn’t seem as helpful as they made it look on TV. Maybe Jay was doing it wrong?

Either way, eventually Alexei got control of himself and set his plate aside, clearing his throat. “You want my mouth on you, sweetheart?”

Oh, that “sweetheart” was so nice. Just as nice as “kitten,” really. It was kind of…boyfriendly, wasn’t it? That Alexei gave him sweet little nicknames? He didn’t look like the sort of person who did that with a lot of people. So maybe Jay was special, in that way?

Jay wanted to be special to him.

Alexei made a questioning sound, and it took Jay a moment to realize he’d never answered the question. The thought of Alexei’s mouth on him was very, very tempting, but Jay shook his head, nibbling at his lower lip. “I want my mouth on you , I think.”

“Yes. We can do that.” Alexei inhaled sharply, and Jay very much liked that the human was affected by the idea. “We can definitely do that.”

Jay fiddled with the comforter underneath him. He knew he was supposed to let Alexei teach him, but he had some…opinions. “I also think you should get naked.”

Alexei let out a soft, surprised chuckle. “Oh yeah?” He set the empty plate aside and tugged gently at the bottom hem of Jay’s shirt. “What if I think you should get naked, kotyonok?”

Oh yes. Jay could definitely do that. He bounced up onto his knees, tossing his shirt over his head with enthusiasm and starting on his fleece bottoms immediately.

“Yes, let’s both be naked.” Because Jay liked to be cozy, and what was cozier than naked?

Especially with soft blankets and pillows everywhere and everything smelling so good and a human that Jay’s little beastie very much wanted to taste, and look at that—Jay’s cock was already hard, jutting out against his pale belly, all flushed and pink and eager to be touched.

And oh, Jay really liked the way Alexei looked at him when Jay was naked. Those pretty hazel eyes filled with heat, and his wide mouth parted slightly.

He should just always be looking at Jay like that.

“Your turn,” Jay prompted, still perched on his knees.

He watched, refusing to even blink, as Alexei removed his clothing.

His human was so handsome . He had lovely definition in his muscles, looking strong but not massive, with a slight padding to his middle that made him seem extra snuggly.

Jay thought he was the absolute perfect size.

Almost as pale as Jay, but his forearms and neck had a more golden coloring.

Jay cocked his head, considering. “How do you have tan lines in the winter? Do you sunbathe in the snow or something?”

Alexei paused in the act of removing his underwear, fingers tucked in his waistband, that delicious bulge still covered, and rubbed at the back of his neck. “Ah, no. But I never got to be outdoors much in New York. I’ve been taking a lot of walks, I guess.”

Happiness bubbled in Jay’s chest at the realization that they had something else in common. “I love nature,” he gushed. “I love the outdoors. I like dirt under my toes and the sun on my face and just all of it. Every bit.”

Alexei grinned. “Yeah? I bet there’re a lot of good camping spots around here. We could go in the summer. I’ve never really been, but…we could learn together?”

Jay’s first reaction was a flood of wonderful, wonderful warmth in his belly. Alexei wanted to explore the outdoors with him. He wanted to spend more time with Jay, as far into the future as the summertime. They could run around barefoot in the woods and swim in streams and—

And just like that, Jay’s stomach sank.

He sat back on his heels, dejected.

The summer would be too late. Jay would be gone by then.

It hit him then, for the first time since making his new friend. Leaving Hyde Park would be leaving Alexei.

Worry flashed over Alexei’s face as Jay’s own expression visibly fell. “Hey, hey. You okay, kitten?”

Jay wasn’t, not really. But he wasn’t about to let the future ruin the present. Not when he had such a perfect new friend, one who looked like all Jay’s secret fantasies and smelled like everything yummy and good.

Didn’t Jay deserve some good?

He cleared his throat, forcing a smile onto his face. “I would love to go camping with you.” (It wasn’t a lie, okay? He wanted nothing more.) “Now please remove your underwear.”

Alexei paused for one more moment, searching Jay’s face, before lowering his black briefs, and ohhh, there it was.

Warmth pooled again in Jay’s stomach, replacing that awful cold rush of his reality check.

The human’s cock was already hard, just as thick and delicious-looking as the first time.

Jay wanted to taste. His inner beastie was ravenous , and not for blood.

Alexei had meanwhile wrapped a loose fist around his cock, smirking slightly at whatever look was on Jay’s face. “How do you want me, kotyonok?”

“Lie back, please.” Jay wanted to take his time, and he wanted Alexei to be comfortable for it.

Alexei did as he asked, lying back on the comforter, his hands behind his head, all six feet four of him sprawled out for Jay’s pleasure. A tingle ran down Jay’s spine at the thought of it. The power in it.

He crawled forward and considered his options, ultimately deciding to explore the surrounding area before the main event.

He nosed at the curls at the base, darker in color than the golden hair at the top of Alexei’s head.

Jay breathed in deep there, delighting in the muskier note in Alexei’s scent here.

He pressed his hands onto Alexei’s thighs, loving how firm and muscled they felt under his grip, the little hairs tickling Jay’s palms. He pressed a kiss to the soft crease where Alexei’s thigh met his hip, the skin so pale there he could see the little blue veins.

Alexei sucked in a breath at the contact. Was he sensitive there? Jay did it again, just to check. Another sharp inhale.

He repeated the process again and again until Alexei let out a strangled laugh. “Sweetheart. You’re killing me.”

“I am?” Jay peeked up, checking to see if Alexei was angry with him, but the human’s eyes were hooded and dark, and he looked just as hungry for Jay as Jay felt for him. Ah, he was teasing.

Jay giggled in response, pressing one last kiss before turning his attention where it so desperately wanted to go—Alexei’s hard, jutting cock.

Jay grasped it with one hand at the base, bringing it to the correct angle for his purpose.

He pulled back the skin at the head and started with a lick, gathering the drops of precum, savoring the salty, bitter flavor of it.