Chapter 16
Ruadan
After the best sleep of my life, wrapped protectively around my reluctant mate, things only seemed to get better when I woke to Uly’s warm, wet mouth on my cock.
I could see nothing but the bobbing of his head beneath the blanket, but I made sure to remedy that immediately, peeling it back to watch him work.
He was well aware he had an audience, and he made sure to perform.
Lips stretched around me, he couldn’t quite take it all, so he wrapped his long fingers around the base and stroked me in time with his mouth, drool dripping down his chin, over my balls, and tickling my crack.
He lavished attention on the blunt head, sucking gently, tracing the rim of the glans before tonguing the slit, as if chasing the taste of my precum.
Gods, he was so good at this. Too good. I allowed myself to be selfish for one moment, just long enough for him to taste my greed, before taking him by the scruff of the neck to pull him off.
He reluctantly came off with a little needy whimper.
“What are you up to, little sin-eater?” I drawled.
“Did you think you could get me worked up enough that I would forget your injuries and fuck you like you deserve?”
His overdone pout dissolved into a mischievous grin, his lips beautifully pink and puffy. “Just repaying the favor for last night.”
I drew him up my body, then rolled to cage him under me, then I claimed his mouth in a bruising kiss.
He rewarded me with a few of those sexy mewls, grinding his cock against mine.
Mm, this man was so dangerous. Did he know the kind of power he had over me?
It was nearly impossible to pull away, and even harder not to whine about it like he did.
I gave him a final peck. “It wasn’t a favor you needed to repay,” I told him, nearly breathless myself.
“Not a favor at all, in fact. It was quite literally my pleasure.”
Such a pleasure, in fact, that I’d come untouched against the sheets as I swallowed his spend.
There was nothing I’d wanted more than to obey his command for more, especially when he begged so prettily for it.
But I refused to hurt him like that; he was still unbelievably tight, practically a virgin ass it had been so long.
There was time, I would make sure of it.
Years, at least, an eternity of more. And I already knew I would never get enough of this sweet, sexy, clever man.
The sounds he made, the squeeze of his ass, tighter than any fist, his fragrant cum hot and heavy on my tongue.
Afterward, I’d cleaned him gently with a cloth, feeling such unbelievable awe that he’d put his trust in me. I only hoped I deserved it.
How far we’d come in just a week…
“As much as I would love to stay here in bed all day… it’s Tuesday.”
He sobered quickly, the significance of the day cooling his lust. “The support group. It’s today.”
“It is.”
He nudged my shoulder, and I rolled off him so he could get up. “Shower?” he asked, already headed for the bathroom.
My eyes followed his delectable ass as he disappeared into the en suite. “Is that an invitation?” I asked.
I heard the water start, and his voice echoed back, “Yes, but no hanky-panky. I only offered because it would save time if we both showered at once, but only if you don’t get distracted. I hate being late.”
Even knowing I would always be distracted by him, I decided to risk it, because turning down naked time with my mate wasn’t something I would ever do.
I somehow kept my hands to myself—mostly.
I did manage to convince him that it would be faster if we soaped each other up, and thank Branwen, he indulged me, and I savored each slippery swipe of my hands over his supple skin, knowing it would have to tide me over until tonight.
Somehow, it all made showering together for actual cleaning purposes even more intimate than if we’d had sex.
I didn’t even mind the edging that came with it.
While Uly got dressed, I pulled on a pair of sweats and headed to the kitchen to make him breakfast. My kitchen was much better equipped than Uly’s, though with far less personality, and I kept the fridge well stocked, so he’d be fed a damn sight better than eggs this time.
It brought me deep satisfaction to feed my mate, whether he was ready to accept me yet or not.
By the time he’d rushed back in, looking harried, I had crepes made, filled with bananas and chocolate-hazelnut spread, topped with whipped cream, and bacon on the side.
His eyes widened as he took in the spread.
“Wow… this is incredible, but—” He glanced at the clock on the stove, and I knew exactly what he was going to say.
“We do have time,” I insisted, guiding him by the shoulders to his seat and pushing him down in front of the mounded plate.
“We’re only a ten-minute drive from the community altar.
I promise, we won’t be late. Eat.” For a second I thought he was going to argue, but then his muscles softened under my hands, and I knew I had him.
I’d barely taken three bites of food because I was so busy watching Uly eat, the way his eyes closed as he savored the flavors, tongue darting out to clean the chocolate from the corner of his lips.
I’d noticed his appetite had grown since that first night we’d met.
He’d explained that he lived off the sins he purged, that he was rarely hungry, and watching him demolish these crepes made me wonder when he was due for a top-up.
The doctor had suggested it would help him heal.
I was so involved in watching him that I startled when my cell phone rang from where I’d left it on the counter by the stove. It was Lagamal’s ringtone.
“Sorry, I have to answer that, but please keep eating,” I told him, pushing my chair back and crossing the kitchen.
“Hey, Mal,” I greeted. “What have you got for me?” We were old friends, but not the kind that called each other for no reason.
And just like I expected from him, he got straight to the point. “There was a bank robbery two nights ago. An ATM torn from the wall like it was tissue paper, but the cameras were down. Hell, the whole block’s cameras were down. Sounds like another one of our forgetful criminals to me.”
“Oh, yeah? Did they catch the guy?” Uly arched a brow at me, and I shrugged.
Lagamal made a sound I took as suspicion. “They got blood for DNA, some partial prints, but no matches in the system. Whoever it is, they don’t have a record.”
“Huh. That’s too bad.” Not.
“What a coincidence that it would happen the same night your friend needed a doctor. Anything you want to tell me?” he drawled down the line.
“Not at this moment, but I’ll let you know.” Yes, this was part of his case, but we both knew that if I told him, his black-and-white morals dictated that he would have no choice but to follow up. This way, he could in good conscience say he’d followed up all leads and had nothing more to go on.
When I got off the call and sat down at the table, Uly was watching me strangely.
“Why didn’t you tell him about Becky?” he asked, a tender expression on his face, and I knew this was an important test for me.
My sin-eater had faced discrimination for what—for who—he was, and I could see how desperately he wanted to trust that I would never do the same.
“I wasn’t going to turn Becky in. As far as I’m concerned, she didn’t do anything wrong, other than to want more for her family, and who hasn’t felt that before?
She might’ve gone about getting it the wrong way, but just because we crave something, that doesn’t make us bad.
” I reached across the table and hooked a finger through his, giving it a squeeze.
“I know the stain that sin can mark on a person’s soul, but I truly don’t believe in an afterlife that would bar someone from their gates for being flawed. ”
His eyes softened further, and I knew I’d passed the test. “Are you finished eating?” I asked. “We don’t want to be late.”
That made his smile truly bloom. “Yes, I’m done. Thank you.” And I knew he was thanking me for more than breakfast.