Chapter Six
Leo
My heart is hammering inside my chest so violently I’m worried it might explode. My hands are shaking, my pits are sweating, my head is spinning. It takes everything inside of me to stay here, stay in the moment instead of blasting off into outer space.
Jin is staring at me, waiting for me to answer. He’s never been kissed. I can be that experience for him. I can help him have this.
He also said he liked me but I can’t focus on that right now or I will actually shift into my phoenix skin and burst into flames.
“Okay.”
“Say that again? Please?”
Jin’s voice is so soft. His eyes are so vulnerable, so accepting. He sees me and he wants me. Or at the very least, he wants my lips against his. If that’s all he ever wants, I’ll take it because it’s better than nothing.
I open my mouth to speak but the words dry up in my throat. I lick my lips and his eyes stare at my tongue, tracking the movement. I clear my throat, doing my best to sound as sure as I feel. I want him to kiss me. I want it so badly that my stomach aches.
“I said okay. You can kiss me.”
Jin grins so wide his eyes get all squinty and his nose scrunches up. Gods, he’s adorable and handsome and my heart can’t take this! I feel like I’m soaring through the air.
He leans in, so close that I can feel his breath against my lips. I wait, bracing for impact but it never comes. I realize, fondness surging through my chest, that Jin is waiting for me to close the distance between us. I don’t make him wait.
I kiss Jin.
I’m immediately overwhelmed. Jin is holding my face, cupping my cheeks so softly. He makes me feel like I’m something fragile, something worth being careful over. I’ve never felt like that before.
Jin’s lips are soft as they press against my own.
I suck in a sharp breath through my nose, his scent invading my senses.
He smells like a candle that’s just been blown out, smoke and warmth and home.
The pressure is perfect, the angle is just right.
Kissing Jin feels like breathing, like something I should be doing all the time without even thinking about it.
My hands finally move away from my lap. One of them comes up to Jin’s shoulder, squeezing tight.
The other goes to his waist. We’re turned towards each other on the couch.
It’s working fine but there’s a greedy part of my mind that wishes I was in Jin’s lap.
I want to feel him all over. I want to feel my body pressed against his.
Jin makes a small noise against my lips and we pull back, just enough for our eyes to meet. Brown meets molten red. Without saying a single word, we know we’re okay, we know we’re on the same page.
We dive back into the kiss. I’m hungry. No, I feel like I’m starving and the only thing that will sate me is Jin. His lips fit so perfectly against me and when they open, ever so slightly, my head swims with need.
I just barely keep a whimper at bay as Jin’s tongue slides across my bottom lip. For someone who’s never kissed before, Jin is a fast learner. I never would have guessed if he hadn’t told me.
I copy the motion, swiping my tongue out so it connects with his between us. We both make a noise at the back of our throats. My head is floating, my body is alight with pleasure, my stomach is a mess of butterflies. If I died right now, I would die a happy man.
Jin has other ideas. His hands move away from my face, grabbing me around the waist. He angles his body so he’s sitting with his back against the back of the couch, hauling me into his lap.
Jin might be a little taller than me but he’s thin and willowy while I’m broad and strong. Despite that, I somehow fit perfectly in his lap, his hands cupping my hips just right.
We’re both breathing heavy, our chests heaving. His cheeks are bright red and his eyes are wide, staring up at me. My hands find his shoulders, squeezing tight.
“Is this okay?”
I nod my head, harder than necessary. “Yeah. Can we keep kissing?”
Jin nods, tilting his head up for me. I dive down, kissing him again. We’re learning from each other, our kisses morphing into some form of technique that works for both of us. When our tongues touch again, I feel lost. At the same time, I feel like I’m coming home.
A whiny, needy sound comes from one of us and I honestly can’t tell if it’s me or Jin.
I don’t fucking care anymore, too busy focusing on the feeling of our mouths touching and Jin’s hands on my body.
My fingers tighten around his shoulder, my other hand going to the back of his head, tangling in his messy, red hair.
Every touch lights my insides on fire. My cock is so hard it hurts, tenting the front of my sweatpants. I would be embarrassed if I wasn’t so turned on. I should stop this. I should scoot away. I should try to cool things down.
Instead, I drive myself forward, sitting my ass down against Jin’s erection, pushing my own against his toned stomach.
“Fuck,” Jin says, pulling away, panting. He tilts his head back against the couch, staring up at the ceiling. “Holy shit. Fuck.”
His throat is exposed and I hone in on it, my instincts going absolutely haywire.
I stare and I stare and I stare until I can’t stop myself from diving in.
My nose nudges under his jaw and I breathe him in, straight from the source for the very first time.
That smoky, sweet scent leaves me breathless.
I suck in a sharp breath, over and over, devouring it until that’s the only thing I can smell.
“Is this okay? Do you need to stop?” I ask, breathing against Jin’s throat. I feel the way he swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing against my lips, before he’s shaking his head.
“Keep going.”
I whimper again, pushing my hips against his stomach, riding my ass down against his cock through our clothes. “You feel so good, Jin.”
“You feel good too. So good. Like nothing I’ve felt before.”
I want to bite him.
Fuck. My entire body freezes. I want to bite him. I want to bite him so badly that my mouth is flooded with saliva, my fangs sharpening with anticipation. As a shifter, biting someone right here would mean forming a mating bond with them.
I pull away with great reluctance. I’ve only just met Jin. I can’t bite him! Fuck, what the hell is going on inside of me?
With my face away from Jin’s throat, one of his hands goes to my cheek, pulling me down into another kiss.
My head swims with lust. I hump Jin’s belly, thanking every lucky star that he’s not stopping me.
I already feel so close to coming and by the noises that Jin is making below me, he must be close too.
Jin’s scent blooms around me, invading my senses. The closer he gets to coming, the more overwhelming it becomes. I want his scent to stick against my couch cushions. I want his scent against my skin. I want it so entwined with my own that every shifter will be able to tell that he’s mine.
Jesus fucking Christ, I need to get ahold of myself! Why are my instincts going so wild for Jin? Why is my inner phoenix on fire for him in this way? Why is my inner omega chirping so happily at being this close to him?
“Leo,” Jin pants against my lips. “Fuck, Leo. So good.”
“Yeah,” I breathe back. I run my wrist against the side of Jin’s throat, scent marking him. I want our scents to mix. I want him to smell like me.
Jin tilts his head, giving me better access. My ass is so slick I’m pretty sure the back of my sweats will be dark with it. I don’t fucking care, too overwhelmed.
I dive back down, shoving my tongue roughly into Jin’s mouth. He makes a strangled noise and that’s it, that’s what does me in. My body locks up and I gasp into Jin’s mouth, coming into my boxers with my cock pressed against Jin’s stomach.
“Oh fuck,” Jin says back, his head falling back against the couch. He grabs my hips roughly, thrusting up against my ass before stilling. I can smell his release and it makes my mouth water with how badly I want to taste him. My ass clenches, suddenly feeling achingly empty.
Maybe next time…
No, I can’t think like that! Jin wanted to experience a kiss. I gave him a kiss and so much more, but that doesn’t mean he’ll want to do this again.
Jin presses a kiss against my cheek, his hands running up and down my back. I just barely keep myself from melting against him and purring against his chest. I’ve never purred for anyone before and I’m not about to do it now.
“Fuck, Leo,” Jin says softly, grinning up at me, his eyes warm and excited. “I didn’t know it would feel like that. Holy shit, that was awesome.”
I can’t help but match his expression, grinning right back. “Yeah, it really was.” Then I wince, looking between us. “Shit, we made a mess.”
“Yeah we did,” he says proudly. I can’t help but snort, swatting at his chest. “What? You can’t expect me not to be proud! I made you come just from kissing!”
My entire face heats and I know it must be as red as Jin’s hair.
I duck my face against his throat to hide and it makes him chuckle.
Maybe hiding here wasn’t the best idea because now I can smell Jin.
I can smell the way his scent has turned mellow with satisfaction.
Oh, this is an addictive facet of his scent. I could get drunk off this.
“No hiding,” he says, pinching my hip. “Come on, let me see you. I need to make sure that was okay.”
I pull back. “Of course it was okay! Why wouldn’t it be okay?”
Jin shrugs, looking unsure for the first time since I’ve met him. “I said I wanted a kiss and then we did more than that. I just wanna make sure I didn’t do anything you didn’t want.”
“Oh,” I say softly, my chest warm with affection. “I liked everything we did. I’ve never done more than kissing with someone before. It was really fun. And umm, it felt really good.”
“Me too,” Jin says, that grin back on his face. “I’m glad it was you, Leo. I like you.”
“You do?”
Jin hums, leaning up in order to kiss my cheek again. “I’m really glad we became friends.”
Just like that, my excitement is shattered. Right. He likes me as a friend. That makes sense. I’m one of the first people he befriended in Nanio.
I do my best to put a smile on my face, not wanting him to see my disappointment. Then I carefully crawl out of his lap, my face blushing once more at the mess we’ve made.
“I umm, I’ll get you some clothes you can change into,” I say, running my hand through my hair. “You can change in the bathroom.”
“Yeah, that sounds good. Thank you, Leo.”
I nod, ducking my head and darting into my room. My heart is pounding inside my chest. What we just did was so fucking hot, but at the same time, I can’t stop thinking about that one stupid word.
Friend.
Apparently, in Jin’s eyes, we’re friends who kiss. We’re friends who hump each other until they get off in their pants. Fuck me sideways. What the hell have I gotten myself into?
I quickly shuck off my pants and boxers, putting on a clean pair and shimmying into some pants. Then I pick up some boxers and some pants I hope will fit Jin. He’s thinner than me so it should be fine.
Before I leave my room, I place a hand on my chest, trying to settle my racing heart. I haven’t known Jin very long, but I’ve come to care for him quickly. He’s handsome and adventurous and always so kind. His voice makes my heart flutter and his touches leave me breathless.
Somehow, I’ve fallen for him. I’ve fallen for him so thoroughly that my inner omega is whining for him to be our mate.
Great. Just fucking great. A real predicament I’ve found myself in.
“Here you go,” I say, stepping out of my room and handing the clothes over to Jin. “Hopefully they fit you alright.”
“I’m sure they’re fine. Thank you, Leo.”
Jin ducks into the bathroom, changing quickly. I pour myself a glass of water, hoping it’ll help settle me down. I’m more than my instincts, damn it!
When Jin comes back out, my insides melt. So much for being more than my instincts because there’s something very primal going on inside of me at the sight of Jin wearing my clothes, covering himself in my scent.
“Do you have a plastic bag I can shove these in? It’ll make taking them home a lot easier,” he says, holding up his clothes and rubbing the back of his neck with his other hand.
“No,” I blurt out, my eyes staring at the clothes with laser focus. I let out a breath, getting composure of myself. “I mean, you don’t have to worry about that,” I quickly add, suddenly worried that Jin can see right through me. “Let me wash them for you. I’ll give them back next time I see you.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I want to,” I say, far too quickly. “It’s really no problem, Jin.”
“If you’re sure,” he says slowly. I step towards him and take the clothes from him. I wanna bury my face in them and breathe in Jin’s scent but I don’t because I don’t want to freak him out.
“No worries at all! I got this!”
Jin’s eyes dart over to the clock on my oven, sighing to himself. “I guess I should head back home. It’s starting to get late.”
“Right,” I say softly, hiding my disappointment. “I’m really glad you decided to come over.”
“I always have a good time when we spend time together. I’ll text you when I get home, okay?”
“Sounds good.” I watch as Jin gets his shoes and coat on before heading to the door. “Good night, Jin.”
Jin grins, leaning in and kissing my cheek one last time before stepping outside. My insides are a mess, my cheek is flaming, tingling from the kiss, and my mind is racing.
My fingers tighten around the clothes in my hand, pulling them to my chest. I walk deeper into my apartment, stepping into my bedroom. I know I should toss them in the dirty laundry. I know I should, but instincts, once again, win out tonight.
In my bedroom, there are two beds. One is just a normal bed I use for sleeping, but the other is just a mattress that sits on the floor in the corner of the room. There are sheets hanging from the ceiling like a privacy curtain.
I bite my bottom lip so hard I’m worried I might actually cut it open. Before I can overthink, I open the curtain just enough to toss Jin’s clothes onto the mattress before turning around and leaving the room. I’ll deal with that later. Right now, I’m going to finish watching Blue’s stream.