Chapter 11 #2
“I think you know what I mean,” Qylar said.
“The fact I told you I wouldn’t sleep with you and then jumped your bones?”
“I don’t know if you can claim credit for that. It was a mutual jumping of bones,” Qylar said.
Kenji could hear the smile on Qylar’s lips and wished it wasn’t so dark in the bedroom so he could see more than a hint of an outline.
He reached up and traced them with two fingers.
Qylar kissed them before opening his mouth and swiping his tongue over the tender tips.
Kenji lifted his head and pressed forward, replacing his fingers with his own lips, hungry for more of the kisses he’d denied himself too long.
Before he knew it, he was astride Qylar, riding his cock again, storming towards the abyss.
They had a lot of catching up to do. Kenji intended to make sure they did.
His body had ached for Qylar—literally ached.
During his weeks of denial, he’d awakened in the night, needy and trembling so many times, struggling not to walk up to Qylar’s door and pound until he was allowed entry.
Qylar’s large hands encircled his waist, sliding down to his hips to set a firmer pace.
Once the tempo quickened, he grasped one asscheek in each hand, squeezing them after every downward thrust of Kenji’s bottom.
After a few minutes, Qylar rolled them, pinning Kenji to the mattress.
He gripped both wrists in one, large hand and whipped them over Kenji’s head.
Their human bodies came together, over and over, until they’d both screamed with release and fell into one another’s arms again to sleep off their exertions. When Kenji awoke again, he was alone in Qylar’s big bed. He scented food—and perhaps something burning.
After stealing another of Qylar’s t-shirts, he padded upstairs barefoot just before the smoke detector went off.
“Fuck!” Qylar roared.
Kenji turned the corner into the kitchen and stopped at the door, looking at the chaos going on.
Qylar waved an oven mitt at the smoke detector with one tentacle, grabbed juice from the refrigerator with another, flipped what looked like it was supposed to be French toast with a third, and scrambled eggs with another.
Two more cleaned the mess they’d left the night before, tossing the remnants of their dinner into the trash, after having left it out all night.
“And they say men can’t multitask.”
Qylar’s head whipped to the side, and he looked over his shoulder. “Damn it… I didn’t want to wake you up.” He turned back to the stove. “Damned smoke detector.”
“I was already awake when it went off,” Kenji said, walking deeper into the kitchen. “You know, you don’t have to do twenty things at once.”
“Cryss does and makes it look simple. He flies around a kitchen like it’s a waltz.
” Qylar lowered everything in his tentacles and returned them to human arms. He flipped off both burners, frustrated.
“I wanted to make you breakfast in bed, but I’ve burnt the French toast and the eggs look disgusting.
Sorry. I’m clearly not the cook in the family. ”
Kenji tossed out the last couple of containers from dinner before walking closer to Qylar. He wrapped his arms around his waist and hugged tight. “The attempt and feeling behind it is as special as the breakfast. You tried, and that counts.”
“A way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Cryss wooed Alex with food, so I thought I should give it a go.”
“You took on too much at once,” Kenji said. “Why don’t we clean up and go out for breakfast?”
Qylar grinned, wrapping his arms over Kenji’s shoulders. “I am a pretty good hunter-gatherer.”
Kenji hesitated. “What exactly are you hunting and gathering?”
Qylar frowned. “Food.”
“Considering you’re a large tentacled alien, I just want to clarify that you don’t mean seeking the ocean’s bounty straight from the water, right?”
Qylar’s frown deepened. “No.” He chuckled. “Unless we’re talking about some damned fine sushi and then the answer is hell yes.”
Kenji sighed in relief. “In my tentacled form, I’ve gotten hungry and tried to eat things swimming around, but it grossed me out.
I mean, little shrimp, plankton and seaweed isn’t so bad in a pinch when I need a boost of energy a few miles off the coast, but much more?
Can’t do it.” He scoffed. “Yet I love seafood prepared and served on a plate. I guess I’m a hypocrite in that. ”
“If forced to hunt the oceans for sustenance, I would. If it was a matter of starvation. The hunting I’m talking about is the best dives, holes in the wall, and food trucks this fantastic city has to offer. I think I’ve found most of them at this point.”
Kenji grinned up at Qylar. “No fine dining, hmm? Just the dives?”
“There are a few upscale places I like—a couple a lot—but most of them are bougie and overpriced. They’re selling an image, not food. Give me a dive with a clean kitchen and massive plate of something finger-licking good, and that’s where I wanna eat.”
“So why did you bother cooking breakfast with skills like that?” Kenji asked with a grin.
“We went at it pretty hard last night. I wanted to let you rest,” Qylar said softly. He lowered his head and pressed a kiss to Kenji’s forehead. “And I was trying to be romantic.”
“It was very romantic,” Kenji said.
“I missed the mark.”
“In my opinion, romantic comedies are far superior to romance movies. This would totally happen in one, so you’ve made my morning.”
Qylar smiled down at him. He lifted a hand and cupped Kenji’s cheek. “I’m glad it did.”
They stared at one another, craving flaring in Qylar’s eyes. Kenji’s body reacted within seconds, eager to submit to Qylar’s need and fulfill his own matching desire.
“We should shower and get dressed so I can get you fed,” Qylar said, dragging his gaze from Kenji’s. “Otherwise, we might never leave this house.”
Kenji’s mind was still on a different kind of hunger. “Doesn’t sound so bad to me.”
“I won’t abuse your body,” Qylar said, his voice strained.
“Abuse away.”
“You said it yourself… you’re inexperienced. In time, we’ll be able to go at it for days. For now… you need plenty of rest between.”
“After one night, you assume we have all the time in the world, hmm?”
Qylar flinched, his eyes widening. “We don’t?”
“I don’t know yet.” We do. We belong together. “Maybe.”
Qylar searched his face for a few seconds. “I’ll take your maybe… it’s the closest I’ve gotten so far.”
Kenji smiled.
Qylar growled.
Kenji’s brows furrowed. “What?”
“We never went to pack you a bag last night. You’ll have to put on what you were wearing last night.”
“I hadn’t been wearing them long when you took them off me,” Kenji said with a smirk. “It’s fine.” He cringed. “Though, I might wear this t-shirt out, if you don’t mind?”
“It’s huge on you.”
“Yeah, but I specifically wore a snug t-shirt to visit you. I wanted my condition to be obvious when I took off my coat.”
“You wanted me to gasp, hmm?”
Kenji chuckled. “I didn’t want to have to spell it out to you why I was here. Not when my belly could say it for me.” And he’d wanted a raw reaction from Qylar. Would he be terrified or would he be happy?
He’d sensed both, but seemed to lean towards happy, considering how many times Qylar had lovingly stroked his belly through the night.
“It’s not really all that big yet, you know.”
Yet.
They were leaving for Nefyria to have them removed.
They’d get no bigger than they already were.
Terrified would’ve been easier. Then they’d have been of like mind.
Ending a pregnancy Qylar showed increasing signs of wanting was going to be a lot harder.
After their night and the intimacy they’d just shared, how did he tell Qylar nothing had changed in his mind?
He wasn’t ready to become a father.
He’d just learned he was of mixed species, with parentage from another whole ass planet, and his most recent lover was an alien. That was all he had space to handle. Adding in an unwanted pregnancy with a man he didn’t yet fully trust, and it was simply too much.
But… he didn’t want to lose Qylar, either. He was the one person he’d ever felt connected to and relatively safe with. The only other person who understood. The only person he could fully be himself with.
If he told Qylar he still didn’t want the pregnancy, would he lose him?
“I know it’s not big, but with that t-shirt on, it might draw some attention,” Kenji said.
“I’m sure Alex would allow me to borrow one of his shirts for you to use. He’s a few inches taller than you, but slim. His stuff would fit you better and still give you room to hide under.”
“Do I finally get to meet the infamous Cryss and Alex today?”
“Unfortunately not. They left for Nefyria a month ago for an extended stay.”
“And they just left you behind?”
Qylar’s jaw tightened. “I’ve told you I don’t go to Nefyria. Not unless I’m forced to.”
“Right,” Kenji said.
“They invited me,” Qylar said. “They didn’t want to leave me behind.”
That made Kenji feel better. Qylar chose to be alone… although, that was almost sadder. “When will they be back?”
“After the baby’s born,” Qylar said. “They hope to return by Christmas.”
“I wasn’t aware Alex was pregnant. I assume it’s Alex, or is it Cryss?”
“Alex is the egg-bearer,” Qylar replied. “He’s due in December—which is why they had to go. He wasn’t safe here so close to giving birth.”
“With you not wishing to return to Nefyria, where will your egg-bearer go to give birth? If they’re not safe here.”
Qylar’s gaze whipped to his. “Your life—and the lives of our children—are more important than mine or my comfort. I would take you where you were safest.”
Kenji saw pain in Qylar’s eyes, but there was also a fierceness in them.
Qylar pressed a kiss to Kenji’s forehead. “I’ll go rummage up a shirt next door and then we can shower.”
“I’ll clean up the mess while you’re gone.”
“Don’t you dare,” Qylar said. “I’ll take care of it once we get back from breakfast.”
As soon as Qylar disappeared behind a door, Kenji put the juice back in the refrigerator, tossed the ruined food into the trash, and put the pans into the sink to soak. When Qylar returned, he sighed.
“I told you not to bother with that.”
“Tough,” Kenji said. “It’s done now.”
Qylar showed Kenji a shirt. “Does this work?”
“I’m sure it will.”
Qylar offered a hand. “Come shower with me?”
Kenji grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.”