Chapter 15
Eric
“Let’s wait for an Uber,” I said to Finn as we stepped out the door and right into freezing temperatures. The cold might not bother me, but it sure as shit would bother him.
I was already reaching for my phone when I saw him shaking his head out of the corner of my eye.
“Nope,” he said, giving me a laugh. He reached for my hand and pulled.
I gave in, letting him drag me along, out from under the overhang and right into the rain.
Finn let out a little eep followed by laughter as he sped up, walking faster and faster until he was running, his feet hitting the wet sidewalk, making the rain spray everywhere.
“What are we doing?” I shouted, trying to drown out the falling rain.
“We’re going home,” he shouted back, turning his head toward me and giving me a wide grin. Lacing our fingers, he tugged at my hand again, urging me to catch up with him.
Stamina-wise, I had no problem keeping up.
Hell, I was way faster and stronger than he’d ever be.
However, I had reservations about his plan.
No matter how much I loved the twinkling in his eyes, the wide, mischievous, smirky-smile as we ran through the pouring rain, I couldn’t help but wonder if what we were doing right now would be bad for his recovery.
No, you couldn’t get sick from running through the rain or from freezing temperatures if there were no viruses already in your system.
However, if viruses were present—even though you weren’t sick yet—it could put a strain on your immune system, which meant the viruses had more chance of making you sick.
And Finn’s immune system was already weakened.
So it’d really be best if we waited for an Uber to drive us to his apartment, but… he let out another laugh, giving me a smile so wide I couldn’t bring myself to dampen his joy.
Instead, I picked up the pace, running through the rain next to him, holding on tight, bracing myself to keep him upright in case he slipped.
Water splashed as we ran through puddles that’d formed on the sidewalk. Finn let out a giggle before aiming for the next puddle and jumping in with both feet. His jeans were completely soaked, but he didn’t seem to care, so I couldn’t care too much either.
I’d just need to get him warmed up as soon as we were at his apartment.
We stopped at a red light, and Finn turned to me, panting, his face completely red from exertion and the pouring rain. “This is… so… much fun,” he said, pressing his free hand against his chest. “But I’m… completely… out of shape.”
I laughed, pushing a wet strand of hair out of his forehead, letting my hand run along the side of his face and down his throat.
His skin was hot beneath the sheen of water and sweat, his pulse strong but fast. To him, my caress hopefully seemed tender and sensual, and really, it was, but I also wanted to check that he wasn’t overextending himself.
My thumb stroked his neck while I checked his pulse.
His heart rate was about one-sixty. That was okay for the level of exercise he was getting, considering the fact that he hadn’t really worked out in months.
Finn tilted his head, a smile on his face as he leaned into my touch. He slowly swayed closer and closer, but then the light turned green.
He laughed, waving his hand at me.
“Come on,” he shouted, tugging at my hand again.
I let out a little laugh myself, and we were off, running like someone was chasing us even though no one was—I checked. There were no predators nearby; hell, we’d only passed like three people in total.
What we were doing was kind of crazy, but the longer we kept running, the more I was able to relax.
Finn was obviously happy, his smile still wide on his face, and his eyes shining so brightly they could light the way for us.
Maybe he needed this. And if it was something he needed, I’d happily go along.
Hell, I’d go and buy workout clothes for both of us if he wanted to do this again.
But uhm, maybe I should get us a gym membership rather than making running through freezing rain a habit.
By the time we reached his apartment, Finn was getting slower and slower, his heart beating so hard and fast, pulse about one hundred and eighty-two beats per minute. His blood was pumping, the vein in his neck pulsing in rhythm with his heartbeat, calling for me.
If I nicked his neck now, just the teeniest, tiniest of nicks, his blood would be flowing freely. And damn, I wanted a taste. Of Finn. His blood. Of both, equally.
“Fuck,” Finn panted, coming to a stop in front of his apartment building. He let go of me to place both of his hands on his knees, trying to get his breathing under control. “Holy… fuck.”
I laughed, and he gave me a dirty look.
“How come… you’re… not even… out of breath?” he asked.
Oh. Fuck. Right. I needed to up my breathing when working out. Damn. It was just that I’d trained myself to breathe in a steady rhythm, so I forgot all about it. It wasn’t something I needed, but something I did to appear more human. But that also meant increasing the frequency when running.
“I just have great stamina,” I joked, giving him a wink. Even though Finn was completely out of breath, I managed to draw a laugh from him.
“You can show me… all about your… amazing… stamina once we’re… in my apartment.”
Finn fumbled a little with the keys, but I waited patiently for him to get it right and let us into the building.
His feet were dragging now, the burst of energy draining from him with the rain dripping to the tiled floor. We were leaving puddles everywhere, but I didn’t give a damn.
Nope, I carefully maneuvered him over to the elevators, keeping one hand at the small of his back in support. He leaned into my touch and gave me a smile.
“We need a shower to get you warm,” I told him, stroking his cheek with my free hand. His skin was clammy, a bit cold for my liking, but his face was red, circulation obviously working.
“Don’t you mean to get us warm?”
No, I really didn’t. Temperatures meant nothing to me.
“I’m more focused on you right now,” I muttered, caressing his cheek, smiling as his breath hitched.
I was smashing this whole not being able to lie to him thing.
The elevator dinged, and we got out on his floor. Finn leaned against me as we walked, almost melting into my side. He was trembling, teeth chattering. Now that he wasn’t running anymore, he was starting to feel the cold.
Fuck.
I should’ve put my foot down and gotten us an Uber, but seeing Finn so carefree and happy had rendered me unable to deny him.
So I did the next best thing—I took over.
Finn yelped as I swept him off his feet and hurriedly carried him to his apartment door. I had him bridal style, which made unlocking the door a bit tricky, but I managed.
Then, I carried him straight into the bathroom, not caring about leaving a wet trail behind whatsoever. I’d get a towel and dry the floor once I had taken care of Finn.
“What are you doing?” he asked with a giggle.
“Getting you warm. I don’t want you to get sick,” I said, carefully placing him on the counter next to his sink so I could start unlacing his shoes.
“I can do that myself,” he protested, but I shook my head.
“Let me.”
I wanted to take care of him.
He was my mate. Taking care of him was my right. My duty.
Fortunately, Finn didn’t resist anymore. Instead, he watched me intently as I carefully took off his shoes and placed them on the bathmat next to me. Then, I pulled off his socks, cursing lowly as I realized his feet were wet and cold as ice.
“You gonna stop there?” Finn asked, a sultry tone lacing his voice. “I’m still wearing a lot of wet clothes, you know? You could start with my pants… or my coat…”
I got up to my feet again, crowding him in. His breathing hitched, his pulse speeding up, pupils going impossibly wide. He was tempting me—and I couldn’t resist. Couldn’t resist the way his tongue darted out, licking his bottom lip.
Our lips clashed, his arms snagging around my back, pulling me closer, right between his open legs. I moaned as his legs tightened around my waist and our cocks brushed against one another through the heavy denim.
Fuck.
He wasn’t wasting any time, going all in right from the get-go.
Oh, how blissfully wrong I’d been about him.
“Eric,” Finn moaned against my mouth, his hot breath fanning over my face. I smiled, deepening the kiss, intent on eliciting more of those breathy moans from him that not only made my cock jump but my whole body warm.
Fuck. If feeling him through our soaked clothes was this amazing, how would it be to feel him bare? Skin to skin.
I couldn’t help snapping my hips forward, thrusting my cock against his, drawing another delicious moan from him.
Reaching between us, my fingers fumbled with the zipper of his coat. We were wearing too much, and even though I was definitely getting his blood circulation up, I also needed to get him warm. Which meant out of his wet clothes and under the shower.
Oh, the shower. I should get the water running.
But I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to let go of him for even a second. Didn’t want to lose the feeling of his lips on mine, didn’t want to lose the feeling of him clinging to me. Soo… I slipped my hands under his ass and hoisted him up.
Finn squeaked, clinging to me in surprise, his body tensing for a moment before he let out a little laugh and relaxed, wiggling his ass in my hands.
Yes. This was good. Like it was supposed to be.
He was moving, teasing me by nibbling on my chin, my neck, giving me a tiny bite that made my vision go red.
It was probably for the best that he couldn’t see me.
My gums ached, everything in me yearning to reciprocate, to give him a bite myself.
Instead, I forced myself to start the shower, turning the water to the hottest setting, then placed Finn back on the counter.