Chapter 11
Eleven
I could tell Patrick was nervous. I assumed him untouched, like Finn had been. If it was illegal in towns to be with another male, it would have been dangerous to have even a quick tryst. If he was inexperienced like I assumed, the nerves were expected. I decided to take it slow for now. He could explore when he was more sure of me and my intentions. I liked the idea of taking my time with him.
Wrapping my fingers around him, I bit back a groan when he let out a startled gasp, thrusting into my hand. He was new to this. I would not do well to get too excited by his reactions. I did not want this to be over too soon. I was supposed to be his teacher.
“Try not to move,” I encouraged. “You will hurt yourself.”
His injury still worried me, but right now, Patrick didn’t seem to notice it. He reached for me, drawing me into another sweet kiss, and moaned prettily against my lips when I stroked him again.
His length, only slightly smaller than mine, leaked heavily from the tip. My mouth watered to taste him, but he wouldn’t release my lips long enough to let me. He peppered me with needy kisses, and I happily responded to each one. I could spend all night kissing Patrick. I couldn’t keep him up late, though. He was to help Yamileth in the morning. I was eager for him to find a place here so that maybe he would change his mind and wish to stay. Finding work that made him happy would help with that.
His hips rose as he began to thrust into my hand. I loved his eagerness but worried about his injury. To spare him more pain and keep him still, I moved to straddle his hips. When my cock brushed along his, he cried out a little needy sound, and my control nearly broke. His noises were too sweet.
Wrapping my fist around the both of us, I stroked just once, testing the waters. Patrick’s mouth fell open, his breath coming out in heavy pants as he tried to thrust into my hand again. With my position, it was harder for him. Which was good, because if he joined in too much, I would embarrass myself. It was better that I could just focus on him.
“Be at ease, my ravsol. I will take care of you.”
I gave a few strokes of our lengths together, watching Patrick’s lashes flutter as he moaned and writhed. One of his hands clutched my thigh, like he needed the touch to steady him. I liked him touching me, and I would happily let him do as he wished if it made him feel good. It would feel better with some oil, though, so I leaned away for a moment, snagging the jar from my chest nearby. I poured a little onto my palm, slicking up my cock before doing the same for Patrick. He cried out, his fingers digging a little rougher into my thigh as he writhed in pleasure. I cursed under my breath. I needed to move this along. I couldn’t take much more.
Wrapping my oil-slicked hand around us both, I stroked again, my own breath stuttering in my chest as pleasure coiled in my belly. Patrick’s length against mine, both silky soft and hard as rock, was the stuff of dreams. I quickly lost what little control I had, stroking us faster as I raced towards my release.
Forcing my eyes open, and questioning when I’d closed them, I locked my gaze on Patrick. I wanted to watch him experience this pleasure we shared. And he was so beautiful to watch. His lips, swollen from my many kisses, were parted as he gasped and moaned, his eyes squeezing shut and opening again immediately, like he too didn’t want to look away. His gaze flicked from my face to my hand as I worked us over, and when I squeezed gently, his back arched off the bedding.
“Verus!”
His cry cut out as his body went taut. His length throbbed against mine as he exploded, covering his chest and belly with his release. The image proved to be too much, and I came with a shout a moment later, jerking us rapidly to draw out our pleasure until I was too sensitive and had to let go.
Careful not to collapse on top of him, I rolled to his good side instead, panting as I tried to catch my breath. I’d had sex before, plenty of times. None of those experiences even came close to what it felt like to be with Patrick. He truly was my perfect match.
Patrick fell asleep not long after, and I was happy to clean him up myself. I liked taking care of him. And he seemed receptive to it, smiling and blushing whenever I did. Even in his sleep, he hummed a happy sound and curled as much as he could into my side without moving his injured leg. I drifted off with a smile on my face.
Sometime in the night, I woke to Patrick whimpering in his sleep. Not the good kind of whimpering he made when I touched him. This sound was laced with terror, and his whole body was tight. He had sweat along his temples and his breathing came out too fast for sleep. I wanted to wake him from whatever dream he was having, but I didn’t want to scare him. Carefully, I pulled him into my arms, whispering in his ear.
“Patrick… Ravsol, wake up.”
He didn’t hear me at first. He kept jerking, like he was trying to get away from the dreams and wake himself up. I had to whisper his name a few times to get him to finally open his eyes. He sucked in a sharp breath, nearly bolting upright. Only my hold on him kept him from getting up.
“Shh… You’re alright. You’re with me. You’re safe.”
He let out a muffled sob, burying his face against me. His whole body shook from fear. I rubbed his back, giving him time to wake fully and let the nightmare pass. I hummed a tune my mother used to sing to me before her passing. It always made me feel better when I was upset or scared.
Patrick settled after a few moments, and when he finally spoke, he sounded more like himself. “That’s pretty. What is it?”
“A song my mother used to sing to me,” I explained, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. I didn’t want to leave him in this position for long. It no doubt hurt his leg to lie on his side like this. But I wasn’t letting him go until he asked me to or I felt like he was better.
“Like a lullaby?” he asked.
When he snuggled in a little closer as much as we were able without him fulling turning on his side, I tightened my grip on him until we were pressed together from shoulder to hip, my forehead resting against his so he could feel my care for him.
I hummed an agreement. “Yes. Not many know it. She was from a town far from here. The language spoken was different from the common tongue. It took her longer to learn our words because of it.”
She was a surprise to my father when he became her protector. Fearful at first, as most tributes were, but when she finally felt safe and secure, her personality shone through and made the whole clan smile. She was playful and teasing, and she charmed my father before she was even introduced to the clan. He introduced her because he was an honorable man, but he growled and snapped at anyone who got too close. In the end, his brothers respected his claim, and they were bonded a few days later. Their time together was short before her passing but full of light and happiness.
It was still dark, so I’d hoped Patrick wouldn’t notice the change in my mood, but he was more perceptive than I thought because he asked, “What happened to her?”
I sighed, my heart aching at the memory. “She got sick. Our healers did everything they could for her, but…”
My father and I ended up going on a journey with her to bring her back to her hometown. It gave her a chance to see her family one last time. One day, she woke up with more energy than usual and asked us to take her to the beach. I thought maybe being home was helping, and she’d get better. Instead, she died in my father’s arms on that beach just as the sun was setting.
The pain rolled through me like it had happened days ago, not years. It always did when I thought too hard about her. My father never recovered from her loss. He joined Rath’s parents when they went to help another clan after I became a man. We didn’t see each other often. I think I reminded him too much of her.
Patrick’s warm hand slid around the back of my neck, pulling me closer until my face was buried against his shoulder. I sucked in a shaking breath, soaking up the comfort he offered, and wrapped myself around him. He was everything I needed when my heart hurt too much, his presence and warmth like a balm to my soul. I knew then that if Patrick was determined to move on, I would go with him. I couldn’t not. I needed him.