Chapter 6 Riley #2
Riley leaned forward, barely daring to breathe. He was already getting high off Seth’s sweet, buttery orange scent. Getting this close, it was hard to resist doing something stupid, like licking Seth’s face to see if his skin tasted as sweet as he smelled.
Fingers settled on Riley’s chin. They were rougher than they looked, but Riley liked the texture. He wanted to feel it everywhere, that soft scratch of hard-earned calluses.
The voice inside him stirred, restless with the increased proximity.
Everything smelled like cake.
Chill out, Riley told it. Chill out or we’re leaving.
It let out an angry growl, loud enough that Riley had to fight off a wince at the echo in his skull. Then it settled again, petulant and pissed off.
“How about friends?” Seth asked, oblivious to Riley’s inner struggle. He dusted something along Riley’s eyelid, his one hand still cupping Riley’s chin. “Do you have a good group here?”
“I’m—” —too afraid I’m going to rip someone’s throat out. “Kind of a loner.”
“No wonder you’ve latched onto me,” Seth said, and there was a teasing lilt in his voice. He was using some sort of pencil now, drawing it along Riley’s lash line.
“Do you mind?” Riley didn’t know why he asked. What was he going to do if Seth said yes—stay away? It was unlikely. Maybe impossible.
There was a moment of silence as Seth moved along to Riley’s other eyelid. “No,” he finally said. “I’m kind of a loner now too, moving to a new place and everything. It’s good to make a friend.”
Riley felt the voice twist inside him again, huffing in annoyance. Mate, it corrected.
Friends first, Riley told it.
And then the sneaky little shit flooded Riley’s mind.
With impulses. Visions. Riley pushing Seth bodily back on the couch and covering him completely.
Riley mouthing at that butter-orange throat.
Riley sinking his fangs in and swallowing a hot rush of blood.
Seth would like it—humans always enjoyed a vampire’s bite.
He’d whimper and harden against them, and Riley’s voice would drink more, drink deeper. They’d bite open their own wrist and—
Riley’s breath caught. He jerked back before he could stop himself.
Seth’s pretty eyes widened in concern. He settled his fingers with their light-as-a-feather touch on Riley’s face again. “Are you all right?” he asked. “Did I press too hard?”
Slow and steady. That was the plan. But Seth’s lips looked so inviting. Reddened and full, like he’d put color on them instead of Riley’s lids. Maybe he’d been nibbling on them while he did Riley’s makeup.
But that was Riley’s job. He should be the one nibbling. Licking.
Kissing.
“Hey, Seth?” Riley asked softly. They were so close still, their knees just touching. And Seth was already gazing up at him, so focused on Riley’s face. That was nice, that focus. At the bakery, Seth’s attention was always split. “Do you ever make orange cake?”
“Um…” Seth swallowed hard, then shook his head like he was clearing it. “Sometimes,” he said, his voice rougher than before. “It’s a less common flavor. But I’ve done a few. There’s this spiced olive oil version that’s nice around the holidays and—”
“Hey, Seth?” Riley interrupted.
Seth swallowed again, and if Riley wasn’t so focused on those pretty lips, he’d be following the tantalizing motion of his throat. “Yes, Riley?”
“Can I kiss you? I’d really like to.”
“Oh.” Seth blinked at him. “I don’t think—”
Riley shuffled a little closer, until Seth’s knees brushed against his thighs. “I’ve never kissed anyone before.”
Seth’s fingers trembled against Riley’s skin. “Well, you’re young,” he said in a voice that didn’t sound any steadier than his touch.
Riley frowned down at him. He was really looking forward to the day people stopped reminding him of that. “I’m not a child,” he argued.
It sounded exactly like something a child would say.
Seth let out a harsh breath. “Oh, I’m aware. But there’s a gap in experience here.”
“I think about you,” Riley pressed. He didn’t know anything about seduction, an unfortunate deficit here.
But he knew about want. Hunger. And it seemed like honesty might be his best advantage.
“At night. In my bed. I think about you, and I want. I get—I never used to do it much, and now I do it all the time. I think about your skin and your smell, and I get so hard it aches, and I have to do something about it.” Riley cocked his head.
“Do you know what that’s like? That aching? ”
It was fascinating, watching Seth’s pupils grow so large, the darkness blotting out the green-brown color. His breaths were coming faster, and his cheeks had flushed the prettiest pink.
He was so handsome when he was flustered.
“Um…”
Riley blinked down at him. “I think you should kiss me,” he said again. “If you want to,” he amended. “It’s okay if you don’t want to.”
Seth’s gaze darted away and back again. “It’s not that I don’t want to, per se.”
Per se. That was cute. He was so cute, even when caught off guard. Maybe especially so.
Riley waited him out. His whole life up until now, appeasing hunger had been about the chase. Overtaking his prey with his speed and his strength. But this was different, wasn’t it? Riley wasn’t hunting; he was….luring. Lying in wait, timing the pounce just right.
Seth licked his lips.
Riley sat perfectly still.
“Oh, fuck it,” Seth sighed, after another long moment. “Just once, okay? Because I want your first kiss to be nice.” He used his hold on Riley’s chin to shake Riley’s head a little, as if admonishing him. “Just this once.”
And then he was leaning forward, pressing his lips to Riley’s.
Oh fuck. Finally.
Unlike his hands, Seth’s mouth was just as soft as it looked. Soft and sweet. Delicious.
Riley pressed forward with a hungry groan, swiping with his tongue before he could stop himself. Diving in. Trying to get more. To taste more.
Seth leaned back, cupping Riley’s face with both hands now. “Slow,” he soothed when Riley made as if to lunge forward again. “Okay, baby? Slow. Hold still and part your lips for me.”
Restraint had always been a battle, but it was easier with Seth’s warm voice telling Riley what to do. Calling him “baby.” Riley wouldn’t like that with anyone else—he wasn’t a goddamn baby—but it was nice coming from Seth.
Riley parted his lips obediently, and Seth leaned in again.
He kissed Riley’s top lip, then the bottom.
He did it once more, sucking a little on Riley’s bottom lip as he leaned back, sending a flash of heat swirling in Riley’s belly.
Then he came in again, his tongue darting out in the lightest tease.
God, that felt nice. Riley sighed into it, and Seth made the sweetest sound of encouragement. “There you go,” he murmured against Riley’s mouth. “Now you try.”
Slowed down like this, it was a sort of dance, one that made Riley’s lips tingle and his cock hard. Soft breaths and teasing tongues. Devouring but also getting devoured in turn.
Not prey after all. A partner.
Riley must have been doing better too, because Seth started letting out little moans of his own, his heart rate speeding up more the longer they kissed. His muscles relaxed, enough that he fell back into the couch cushions when Riley pressed forward.
Riley followed him down eagerly. He was hard. So hard. Everything was moist orange cake and hot, pumping blood. Riley ground down, finding Seth equally hard beneath him. That felt good. That felt so good.
Riley clasped Seth’s hands in his, pressing them into the couch over Seth’s head and deepening the kiss, licking into Seth’s mouth in a way Seth seemed to really like now, because he moaned loudly, wrapping his legs around Riley’s waist.
Riley broke the kiss but only so he could taste the skin on Seth’s neck. It was perfect. Delicious. Tender. He felt the voice inside him pushing at its limits, wanting to come out. Wanting a taste of its own.
“Wait,” Seth gasped.
Bite him. Drain him. Turn him. Make him ours.
“Wait.”
Riley stopped.
Seth was panting underneath him now, his chest heaving as he gulped in air. His lips were red and almost bruised, his eyes heavy-lidded. “That’s—that’s enough,” he said between breaths. “That’s plenty.”
Riley frowned, pressing in with his hips, just a touch. “You’re hard though.”
“Oh, I’m very aware,” Seth told him, unwrapping his legs from Riley’s waist. “But we’re not—we’re not doing anything about that. That’s way past kissing.”
“I don’t mind,” Riley said magnanimously.
Seth narrowed his eyes. “Up,” he ordered.
Riley released Seth’s hands and climbed off him, sitting in the far corner of the couch so he wouldn’t be tempted to sneak in more touches. He didn’t try to hide his erection. He didn’t know what the point of that would be.
Seth sat up slowly, taking a minute to catch his breath. He ran a hand down his face, then gave Riley a searching look. “Still friends, right?” he said after a moment.
“Friends,” Riley agreed.
He meant it too. He wanted to be Seth’s friend. He wanted to be Seth’s everything.
But he also ached to press Seth down on the couch again. Not to bite, no matter what the stupid voice said. Not to drain. Just to…grind. And maybe undress. Maybe press more bare skin against bare skin. Maybe see where Seth liked to be kissed, beyond just his mouth.
Riley let out a long breath, trying not to pout in his corner.
Maybe there were a few drawbacks to slow and steady after all.