Chapter 12
CHAPTER TWELVE
Gideon
Half of me was yelling, “What the fuck are you doing?” The other half was screaming, “Do more!”
Penn’s body was warm, hard…and fuck, he smelled amazing. He’d used whatever we had in the bathroom, but I swore his natural scent had taken over, creating a provocative aroma.
His cock hardened and rubbed against mine, his flesh to my cotton. I slid my hand down, ready to stop if he said no, but he didn’t and when my hand wrapped around his thick hot cock, we moaned in tandem.
His green eyes met mine, and I was mesmerized. I wanted to devour him, feel him coming undone under my attention.
Precome dripped from his shaft, helping me glide across his velvet skin. His hands were frantically trying to unbutton my pants, and I wasn’t going to stop him. I lifted up, he released me, and then our cocks were squeezed together in his fist.
“Fuck, yes,” I begged. “Don’t stop.” My hand engulfed his, and we worked our dicks together. His eyes never left mine, the green a sliver circling blown pupils.
“Gideon.” He whispered my name like a motherfucking prayer, and I smashed my lips to his, my tongue tangling with his, our teeth nipping, our breaths mingling.
“Come, Penn, come for me.”
His back arched, and his mouth opened in a silent scream as his orgasm ignited. My teeth latched on to his neck as I followed, our cocks drenched in come.
“Holy shit.” Penn chuckled.
I licked the bite mark and raised my head to see his face, unsure what I’d find. But he grinned, brought his come-coated hand to his lips, and licked.
“Holy shit is right.” I grabbed his hand and sucked each finger, relishing in our mixed flavors.
“How long have you wanted to do this?” Penn grinned, cockiness glittering in his eyes.
“About five seconds after meeting you.”
He laughed, his smile a sight to behold and contagious. But we were covered in come and while he was naked and in his room, I’d have to walk down the hallway to my own.
I got up, went over to where I’d tossed his towel, and cleaned myself off the best I could, then did the same for him.
“You’re a mess.” His gaze traveled the length of my body.
“And I have to go do the walk of shame to my room.”
He snorted. “You can shower here—there’s a robe in the bathroom.”
It was tempting, but I knew if I did that, I’d never leave, and I had to deal with the shitstorm that had happened tonight. I had to get ahead of Lorcan.
“Rain check.” It wasn’t a question; it was a promise.
He dipped his chin and sat up. “Night, Gideon. Thanks for the hospitality.”
I chuckled as I opened his door, careful that no one was near to see Penn naked. “Absolutely my pleasure, Penn.”
“Batman!” Olivia shouted, abandoning her breakfast as Penn descended the stairs. He was wearing the clothes I’d brought him last night.
“Hey, Olivia.” He bent slightly as if he could anticipate the moment she’d launch into his arms. He caught her effortlessly. “But I’m not Batman, silly.”
She laughed and wiggled as he carried her back to the table. As he put her in her chair, he smiled at me.
“Morning, Penn. Did you sleep well?”
“Very, actually.”
“Are you in any pain?” Rita handed him a plate with bacon, eggs, hash browns, and sausage.
“Uh, no.”
“You don’t have to be a tough guy, Penn. You’ve been burned, torn up with glass, bleeding knuckles, and whatever is going on with your neck there.” He covered the bite mark I’d made with his hand.
He took the plate and sat, snickering. “No, I’m serious I…” He stopped as if he wanted to say something but suddenly thought he shouldn’t.
“You what?” I sipped my orange juice, my gaze never leaving his face.
His shoulders dipped almost in defeat. “Just, I don’t…” He stared at his plate, his cheeks turning red.
“Penn, what is it? You can tell us.” Rita was beside him and gently squeezed his hand. I wished I were next to him to do the same.
“Okay, I…I’m a freak. A monster, I guess you could say.”
Rita’s eyes widened, and at the same time Dean said, “Why would you say that?”
He glanced at me but wouldn’t hold eye contact. “I have a condition…really, it’s a gene mutation thing. I was born with it.”
“Like the X-Men?” Matteo asked as he chomped on his bacon.
“Don’t talk with your mouth open, mijo,” Rita huffed.
“No, but I thought maybe I was when I found out. I never knew what was wrong with me…my parents put me up for adoption when I was five, said I was weird, unnatural or something. But it was Tenny. She was determined to figure out what was going on with me.”
“And what was going on with you, Penn?” My breakfast was abandoned, all my attention on the vulnerable man at the end of the table.
“I don’t feel fear or pain. Never have. I can understand it in the sense that if Olivia, Matteo, or Owen were afraid, I could see it in their expressions, but I can’t relate.
It’s super rare, and I think like maybe four other people in the world have this.
It made growing up difficult, but Tenny was a godsend. ”
“Tenny—you mentioned her a few times, was she like your aunt or something?” Rita poured Penn some orange juice, which he gulped down.
“No, we weren’t blood related. She worked at Sunrise House. She stuck by me as soon as I arrived, and passed away a few years ago from cancer.”
“My mommy died,” Olivia’s voice was barely a whisper. “I was three. I don’t member her a lot, but I have her hair.”
Penn smiled softly at her. “I’m sorry, little one.”
“This explains a whole lot, actually.” Dean released a breathy laugh. “Like so much.”
Penn couldn’t seem to make eye contact with anyone, and I didn’t like that even a little. “Hey.” I smacked the table, and he met my gaze. “You’re not a freak or a monster. Believe me, I know monsters, and you’re anything but.”
“I don’t know many monsters who would run into a burning building, or cover someone’s body with their own to protect them.” Once Penn had been in his room last night, I’d told Rita about how he’d saved me.
“Tenny always said people call others monsters because they don’t understand them.”
“I don’t fink you’re a monster, Penny.” Olivia was on the other side of Penn and rested her head on his arm. “I fink you’re so cool.”
“The coolest!” Matteo shouted excitedly, and Penn laughed.
After that, we ate the rest of our breakfast, Penn slowly joining the conversation.
We didn’t mention in too much detail about last night or anything to come in front of the kids.
We couldn’t tell them nothing because the way Penn looked with his bruises, the added security, and the fact that they couldn’t go into school, they’d be more scared if they didn’t know something was going on.
Rita ushered Matteo to his room to complete some assignments his teachers had sent to his email and took Owen and Olivia into the playroom for some lessons. Then it was Dean, Penn, and me.
“Why don’t we go to my office, Penn? I should bring you up to speed on everything we’ve found out since last night and what it means going forward.”
I was glad when Penn didn’t push back and say he wanted to leave town again. Perhaps it was what we’d done last night, or what he’d confessed at the table, but there was a shift and it was in my favor.