Chapter 9
Ji-Su lay in bed trying to sleep. He didn’t normally have a hard time dropping off.
But his mind was so heavy with anger at Cedric that he couldn’t relax.
It wasn’t only the cost of the damage that was bothering him.
Thanks to his contract with Raul, he’d be able to start making his purchases once he received his first payment in a couple of weeks.
And while he was absolutely pissed at the money he would have to spend, his main upset came from the sick, almost violated feeling in the pit of his stomach.
Cedric’s destruction of his physical property felt personal.
As if the vampire had destroyed his stuff as a proxy for hurting him.
He’d never experienced anything like this before and he couldn’t turn off his fear and worry over it.
Plus, there was a storm raging outside. He hated storms.
The wind blew fiercely, sounding as though it were attempting to get in through the windows.
Ji-Su tried to stay calm. But when lightning cracked, flooding his room with electric white light, he jumped up out of the bed in a messy scramble and flew across the polished hardwood floor.
Throwing open the door, he rushed out into the hall, running to Raul’s room.
His heart pounding, he knocked, hoping that since the sun hadn’t yet cleared the horizon that Raul wouldn’t be in that deep sleep that took over vampires during the day. “Mr. Raul, it’s Ji-Su.”
“Come in,” came from the other side of the door.
He opened the door just enough to slip inside and shut it behind him. Raul sat up in the middle of a big bed, his dark hair rumpled and his chest bare.
“I’m sorry to wake you but it’s the storm. I umm... I get nervous during big storms like this. Can I sleep in here with you? In that chair over there is fine.” He pointed at a big leather wingback chair in the corner of the massive bedroom.
Raul shook his head.
Ji-Su was immediately disappointed at the rejection and embarrassed for asking in the first place. Of course Raul said no. He probably thought Ji-Su was too old to get freaked out by storms. “I understand,” he said as he turned to go.
“No. Not the chair,” Raul said in a voice husky from sleep.
Ji-Su stopped and turned back around. Raul was holding the corner of the covers up for him.
“Get in here.”
Relieved, Ji-Su hurried across the room. He didn’t question why he felt so safe with Raul—he simply climbed into bed with him. “I’m sorry,” he apologized as he slid beneath the covers. “I know it’s silly to be afraid of storms.”
“It’s not. We all have something we fear.”
“What do you fear?”
“Big Foot.”
“You’re joking.”
A small smile curled one side of Raul’s lips. “Maybe.”
Ji-Su didn’t believe for one second that Raul was afraid of Big Foot.
But he appreciated the gentle humor to help put him at ease.
Trying not to be obvious, he scooted over the mattress to get a little closer to Raul.
He’d just stealthily moved another inch when a heavy arm draped across his waist, pulling him up against the warm, solid wall of Raul’s chest.
“Is that better?”
Apparently, he hadn’t been sneaky enough. However, he was too happy he was being comforted to be embarrassed he’d been caught. Ji-Su nodded. “Yes. Thank you, Mr. Raul.”
“You’re welcome. But didn’t I tell you to stop calling me Mr. Raul?”
Ji-Su blushed and ducked his head. “I can’t help it. You’re the head of the household. And nearly everyone else calls you that. It feels like what I’m supposed to call you.”
Raul tucked a finger beneath his chin, lifting his face up so that their eyes met.
“Others address me that way because I’m their boss or out of respect. Neither of those apply to you. Where you’re concerned, I’m just Raul. Okay?”
Laying there in Raul’s bed, pressed up against his body, speaking to each other in quiet tones while the storm raged outside was indeed too intimate to address his patron so formally. “I... Okay. Raul.”
“Good. Do you think you can sleep now?”
“I should be able—.” He started to answer but lightning cracked and thunder boomed so close together it was one big snarl of terrifying noise.
Ji-Su jumped, hitting the top of his head against Raul’s chin as he dove forward to bury his face against his chest. He stayed there, shaking, until the angry sounds outside the windows eased up.
Once it was quiet except for the sound of the pounding rain, he pulled back and looked up at Raul.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“Barely felt it.”
“Are you sure?” He tried to joke as his racing heart slowly returned to normal speed. “I’ve been told I have a hard head.”
“You can always kiss it better.” Raul went quiet and pressed his lips together for a moment. “Sorry, that was a bad joke.”
“I don’t mind.” He leaned up and pressed a quick but soft kiss to the spot where his skull had collided with Raul’s chin. “Did that help?”
“Yep, the pain is all gone now.”
Ji-Su smiled. Raul teasing him to take his mind off the storm that raged outside really helped.
When another crack of lightning came, he squeezed his eyes shut.
He didn’t jump, but he couldn’t help the shivers of fear that ran through him.
Raul rubbed his back, his big hand sliding up and down in a soothing caress.
“Sssh. You’re okay.”
His eyes still closed, Ji-Su nodded. The warm hand on his back was exactly what he needed to stay calm.
The thunder gradually rolled into silence and Ji-Su opened his eyes.
Raul was watching him. His face was mostly in shadow, but Ji-Su could still make out how handsome he was.
Ji-Su shivered again, but this time it wasn’t from fear.
Raul was so big and he made him feel safe.
But he also made him feel something else.
A familiar feeling, one he hadn’t experienced in a while, tugged behind his navel.
The feeling grew when the hand stroking his back changed course and moved to cup his jaw, a broad thumb caressing his cheek.
“You’re...”
Raul stopped, the unfinished sentence hanging in the small space between them.
“I’m what?” he asked when Raul didn’t continue.
“You’re sweet.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“Mmm-hmm. I like sweet.”
Ji-Su’s heart started racing again. He knew Raul could hear it. And sure enough, his thumb moved down to lightly press over his pulse.
“Is this fear?” Raul asked quietly.
Ji-Su shook his head. “No,” he whispered back.
At his answer, Raul slowly leaned down. Closer and closer until their lips were almost touching.
Ji-Su let his eyes drift closed and waited.
In the next breath, their lips met. Raul’s lips were gentle as they moved across his own, kissing him softly.
Ji-Su kissed him back. This wasn’t what he’d come for.
But it felt too wonderful to tell Raul to stop.
RAUL COULD HARDLY BELIEVE that Ji-Su was there in his bed.
He lightly teased him, hoping to take his mind off the storm.
It worked, except now after the sweetly chaste kiss to his chin, Ji-Su was staring up at him with his dark eyes wide and sparkling, an expression Raul recognized on his delicate face.
Unable to resist the temptation, he leaned down and kissed him.
It was the barest brush of their lips, giving Ji-Su ample room to move away or leave the bed altogether if he chose to do so.
But he didn’t try to leave. He did the opposite and scooted closer, so Raul kissed him again.
And again. Then he traced the tip of his tongue over the seam of Ji-Su’s lips, coaxing him to part them for him.
Ji-Su followed the silent instruction on a shaky breath.
With a rough groan, he licked into Ji-Su’s mouth, tasting him fully, deepening the kiss. More thunder boomed, but Ji-Su didn’t even react to it. Instead, he moaned, the soft sound reaching Raul’s ears over the rumble and rattling windows.
After several minutes of intoxicating kisses, Raul pulled back to look at Ji-Su. His face was flushed, lush lips pink and kiss swollen. He appeared to be enjoying this. But Raul asked to be sure.
“Is this okay?”
Ji-Su nodded once. “Yes.”
That was all the assurance he needed. Raul resumed their kiss, aiming to bring forth more of those sweet noises.
Ji-Su gave him what he wanted, airy little moans that made him want more.
He smoothed his hand down until he reached the small of Ji-Su’s back.
Slipping his hand beneath Ji-Su’s sleep shirt, he touched his warm, bare skin. It felt like silk under his palm.
“You’re so soft,” he whispered against Ji-Su’s lips before he kissed him again.
That single caress had him longing to touch Ji-Su everywhere.
Going slow, he moved his hand down further, slipping into his pajama bottoms to grasp the curve of his ass.
It was plump and full in his hand. He squeezed, earning another moan, this one long and throaty.
Encouraged by the sound, he continued to rub and squeeze the warm, round curve as their kisses bloomed from tender and sweet to hot and passionate.
When Ji-Su’s hips began to move in little curls, Raul knew what it meant.
He moved his hand around to the front of Ji-Su’s body.
Along the way, his fingers brushed over the fine skin of his hip, then slid over soft pubic curls, before they reached the hot, silky length of his cock.
Raul took Ji-Su in hand and began a light, stroking rhythm.
“Ah!”
Ji-Su gasped into his mouth at the intimate touch. The hand on Raul’s chest slid up to clutch at his shoulder, holding on tight.
“Does that feel good, sweetheart?”
Ji-Su’s answer was much more enthusiastic this time.
“Yes!” he breathed out on a sharp whisper.
Raul was thrilled that he could make Ji-Su feel good.
He was wonderfully responsive, his hips rolling to match the rhythm of his stroking hand.
It took every ounce of control Raul had not to push Ji-Su to his back and slide on top of him to feel that sensuous movement against his own body.
He wanted to more than anything. But he had enough presence of mind to know that would lead to something that Ji-Su was undoubtedly not ready for.
Although his cock was hard in his sleep pants, Raul determinedly ignored his desire.
Although he hadn’t anticipated being in a position where it was even an issue this soon.
His reasons for not drinking from Ji-Su applied to not making love to him as well.
Ji-Su had only been with him a few days.
Cedric had traumatized him and then retraumatized him just that evening.
Mentally listing the reasons helped him calm his body down, helped him cool his desire to a low simmer before it flamed out of control, and strengthened his resolve to wait.
However, that resolve wavered when Ji-Su pressed a hand to his back, attempting to pull him down on top of him. Raul succumbed to the slight pressure, enough for his torso to rest above Ji-Su’s. That’s all he would allow himself. Anything more and he might not be able to stop.
“Please, I need...” Ji-Su whispered breathlessly.
Afraid to hear what Ji-Su was going to say he needed, Raul kissed him deep and hard, leaving him no room to request something he might not have the strength to say no to. At the same time, he stroked Ji-Su’s hot, slick cock tighter and faster until all Ji-Su could do was moan in sweet desperation.
“That’s it, beautiful. Let go. You’re safe with me.”
His own passion still under firm control, he pushed Ji-Su closer and closer to the edge. Raul stole another kiss, sucking on Ji-Su’s bottom lip as he brushed a thumb over the head of his cock.
Ji-Su came with a sudden, soft cry. His head arched back into the pillow, the line of his throat exposed, his golden skin silvered by the gray storm light spilling into the room.
Raul’s fangs instantly sharpened in reaction, so fast that he didn’t even have a chance to try and prevent it from happening. He wanted to bite, drink Ji-Su’s blood, feel it rushing hot and thick into his mouth while he fucked him straight into a second climax.
“Fuck,” he hoarsely whispered the curse before he clenched his jaw shut, forcing back the urge to bite.
Not yet. Ji-Su wasn’t ready yet. His fangs ached and his cock throbbed, his body not on board with his mind’s restraint.
How ironic that he would be in this position, desperate to bite Ji-Su less than an hour after he’d resolved to hold off on doing so.
Raul closed his eyes to block out the gorgeous sight of Ji-Su moaning and coming from his hand, in his bed.
When he opened his eyes again, Ji-Su was laying there, his body calm and limp from his release, a small smile on his lips. He stretched, a quiet, content sound slipping from his throat. His thigh brushed against Raul’s erection with the movement and he looked up at him with heavy-lidded eyes.
“Do you want me to—.”
Knowing what he was about to ask, Raul cut him off. “Sssh. Don’t worry about it. That was for you. Go to sleep.”
“I think that’ll be easy to do now,” Ji-Su said with his eyelids drooping.
Raul smiled, charmed to see that an orgasm could knock him out so quickly. He eased from the bed to get a towel. Ji-Su barely stirred when he returned and cleaned him up. He tossed the towel on the floor, pulled Ji-Su’s pajama bottoms into place and laid back down.
While Ji-Su’s body relaxed and grew heavy with sleep, Raul lay awake chastising himself.
What the fuck was wrong with him? Ji-Su had come to him afraid and seeking comfort and within minutes he was all over him.
At least he’d come to his senses in time to stop after giving Ji-Su pleasure.
He’d far overstepped his bounds today but he would keep his hands off of him from now on.
Thunder boomed, letting him know that the storm wasn’t over yet. Ji-Su flinched and went stiff at the noise. Raul wrapped his arms around him, pulling him in close, and he immediately settled, relaxing once more.
Raul sighed and brushed a barely there kiss over Ji-Su’s hair. After today. He would keep his hands off Ji-Su after today. Right now, he was going to hold Ji-Su close so that even in his sleep, he knew he was protected from the storm.