Chapter 20
CHAPTER TWENTY
Akai stretched out on the warm rock by the stream, lying on his stomach, wings spread to dry. Cole was still in the water, leaning back on the opposite bank, watching him.
The stream wasn’t particularly deep or wide, just enough that while Cole was sitting, it was below chest level.
He made for a very pretty view, and it was much nicer now that he was able to enjoy it up close.
They had slept in, missing the sunrise, but it had been worth it to wake up next to him.
But he was already dreading tomorrow when Cole would leave and return to the town.
While they were at the cabin, it was like they existed in some magical place where nothing else mattered.
It was an illusion at best. A comforting lie, but he didn’t want it to end because he was enjoying it too much.
And not only for the sex. He liked making breakfast with Cole and deciding what they were going to do with the rest of the day.
They’d talked a bit more about their lives, with Cole wanting to know how often he did come past, as if he wanted to figure out how often they could meet.
He was trying to figure out if he could move his entire workshop to the cabin… in a separate cabin, obviously. What if he made this his base?
There was no reason to keep his base near the other mine; it was habit. And habits could be changed—should be changed—if they no longer served. But it had also been his sister’s place, so leaving meant leaving what remained of her, even though she’d died seven years ago.
Not that he had voiced the idea of relocating.
“Why don’t you come over here and dry off?
” He lazily lifted his fingers and beckoned Cole over.
After the cold water, the afternoon sun was a pleasant change.
The heat soaked into him, and he wasn’t sure if he was sleepy or lusty.
Perhaps both, although when Cole looked at him like that—head tilted back, lips parted, it was definitely the latter.
“You could come here and get wet.”
“I found the lube you packed. When I was getting lunch out.” They’d had a picnic after hiking to the stream. Buns filled with salad and meat, and some chocolate bars. The lube had been in a side pocket of the backpack as if to keep it hidden.
Cole rolled his eyes. “That doesn’t mean it needs to be used.”
Akai rolled onto his side, well aware that as he did, his dick would push out, revealing his interest in using the lube.
Cole’s gaze flicked over him, and his tongue darted over his lip. “What did you have in mind?”
“I want to do the human thing.”
“The human thing?” Cole’s eyebrows lifted. “I’m sure monsters have anal sex.”
It was entirely possible. It just wasn’t something he had done or had come across at any of the parties.
But then, when hooking up at solstice parties, it was much easier to use hands and mouths and grinding up against the other person.
He had fucked female monsters and was guessing that it would kind of feel the same.
It had never crossed his mind to let a male monster shove his cock up his ass. Maybe he was missing out.
“I have never…”
“But you’ve clearly had sex.”
Akai glared at him. “I am an adult harpy, so of course I have.”
“How old are you?”
“Thirty-eight. Twenty-five is considered an adult.”
“Uh-huh…” Cole appeared a lot less relaxed. His eyebrows had pulled together, and his head had tilted to the side. He wanted sexy Cole back, not overthinking Cole.
“Juvenile harpies are darker. Once our hair lightens and the markings on our wings develop, we are transitioning to adults.”
“Teenagers… Well, we say teenager because it’s between the age of thirteen and nineteen.”
“Juvenile. Not children, not adults. How old are you?”
“Twenty-three. If you’re not considered an adult until you’re twenty-five, does that mean you live longer?”
“Longer than a human? Yes.”
Cole nodded. “Since we’re having this awkward conversation now—”
“I didn’t want an awkward conversation, now. I wanted to fuck you.” The muscles at the base of his cock were pulling it back inside as his arousal decreased, not that it would take much to get it back. Perhaps he could get Cole to get out of the water.
“I don’t have condoms, and I don’t know anything about monster sex or—”
“Most of it seems to be the same as human sex; the end result is definitely the same.” Pleasure was the point of sex, that and connection, even if it was only fleeting.
Cole sighed. “I don’t know your sexual history, or if monsters have sexually transmitted infections, and I don’t normally bareback without that kind of information.”
Akai flicked some imaginary dirt off the rock. “I don’t know what a condom is, or bareback.”
“That tells me monsters don’t practice safe sex.”
Akai considered what the human was saying. “I haven’t gotten anyone pregnant.”
Cole groaned and seemed to melt into water until it was lapping at his throat.
The same way he’d done after the hike. His sweat was delicious he was looking forward to licking him when they returned to the cabin.
“So you’ve had multiple partners, male and female and other…
and you never worried about catching anything? ”
“No. Did you have something contagious?” He’d already swallowed several loads of cum without considering the possibility because it had never been a possibility.
“No…but I get tested because there are some things that can be passed between partners.”
“So if you don’t have anything and monsters don’t have anything…then condoms and bareback don’t matter?” Or did Cole not want to be fucked?
Cole had commented that his cock was odd last night, but had seemed to enjoy it this morning, even figuring out that Akai liked some pressure on the cartilage band.
“Condoms are a sheath that you can put over your dick that catches the cum, and they can stop infections and pregnancy. Bareback is not using one.”
This whole conversation suddenly made a whole lot more sense. It was one thing to observe humans and feel as though he understood their behavior, but it was another to grasp the finer points of human culture.
“But you have not used condoms before?”
“Correct.”
“Do you not like it?”
Cole’s cheeks turned pink. “I do. But you may not.”
“I enjoyed coming down your throat.”
Cole disappeared under the water. He resurfaced on the same side as Akai, his cheeks suddenly pink. He rested his forearms on Akai’s rock. “Think about where you’re planning on fucking me for half a fucking second.”
Water trickled off Cole’s skin, over the rock, and toward him.
“Oh.”
“Some guys don’t like uh…mess.” His skin went from pink to red.
Akai was very glad that he had hair on his face, because his face was also heating up.
He wasn’t sure he’d ever had such an in-depth discussion with anyone.
And while he’d thought about Cole’s ass, he had not thought about it in as much detail as Cole, but then Cole had done that before. “Sex is messy.”
He nodded. “You’re still game?”
“Why wouldn’t I be? If there’s a mess, we are right by the water.” He leaned over and kissed him, aware of his cock pressing out against the now-wet rock. “Are you coming up here or am I getting in there?”
“Not in the water.” He pulled himself out and sat on the rock, his skin glistening as the sun caught on the water clinging to his skin.
Akai licked Cole’s arm, needing to taste him. “I prefer it when you’re sweaty.”
Cole wrinkled his nose.
“It’s tasty.” Akai sat up and licked the side of his neck for good measure.
Cole turned his head and caught Akai’s lips. His fingers traced along Akai’s jaw. “You’re rather warm from lying in the sun.”
“And you’re cold from sitting in the water. I’ll warm you up.” He didn’t give Cole a choice, pulling him close so the human was tucked against him, his cock pressing against the human’s cool, damp skin.
Cole leaned against him, his back to Akai’s chest, which gave Akai free access to his body.
He ran his hand over Cole’s chest, flicking one nipple with a claw before sliding lower.
The human’s cock was already half hard. Had he been hard in the water as they talked about sex, thinking about what might happen?
Had they both been hoping that something would happen by the stream?
It was such a nice spot. They had added to the towers made of flat rocks and eaten before taking off their clothes and enjoying the cool stream.
Warm afternoons like this were made for lying in the sun with a lover and doing nothing but worshiping every inch of their skin. He avoided Cole’s cock and caressed his thigh.
They had woken up this morning tangled together, in part because the bed wasn’t really big enough for both of them, but also because he liked having Cole tucked against him. It was a very nice way to wake up.
Even without touching Cole’s cock, it became fully hard. There was no bone in it to give it any kind of support…so weird. But he did like the way it was always on display.
“Do you want to grab the lube or keep teasing me?” Cole murmured.
“Can I do both?”
“Another time…I don’t want to be sitting here at dusk because I will get eaten alive by insects.”
“Not if I eat them first.” He grinned and used his toes to grab the bag and drag it close enough for him to reach the lube.
“You want to eat bugs off my skin?”
“Can you be sweaty, too?”
Cole shook his head, but he was laughing. “Sometimes I don’t know if you’re joking or serious.”
It was for the best that Cole didn’t realize he was being serious.
Cole glanced at the lube in his hand. “Not with those claws.”
“What’s wrong with my claws?”
“They’re pointy, and my ass is delicate.”
“Why would my claws be…” He held up his hand, not sure why his fingers would be in Cole’s ass when he was planning on fucking him with his cock.
“Do monsters not do foreplay? A little fingering…you know?” He frowned. “You do not know.”
“I’m rapidly getting the idea.” He’d never thought about fucking with his fingers, not in someone anyway. Of course they were involved on the outside. Maybe it was because everyone he slept with had claws.
He did not want claws in his ass or cock slit.
But Cole did not have claws.
“Are you?” Cole lifted one leg, draping it over his, and bent the knee of his other leg.
Akai nodded. He watched as Cole squeezed lube onto his fingers and then those fingers disappeared between his thighs, so he couldn’t see what was going on.
But he heard the change in Cole’s heartbeat.
Saw the way he closed his eyes and tipped back his head, exposing the long line of his throat, and noted the way the muscles on his forearm moved. “You’re fucking yourself?”
“Jealous?”
Akai growled, wondering how short he could cut his claws, and if they would be short enough. “I want to see.”
Cole opened one eye. “See?”
“Watch you use your fingers.”
“Okay, but no helping.”
“I will keep my claws to myself.” He folded his fingers, so his claws were against his palm.
Cole made a small noise, and then his hand reappeared from between his legs. He glanced around as if assessing the location, then turned and lay back so his head was on Akai’s calf and his legs were draped over Akai’s thighs. “Better?”
“Yes.”
Cole held out his hand. “Give me some more lube.”
Akai obliged, not sure if he was giving too much or too little, and not really caring when Cole pressed two fingers against his ass and pushed them inside. “Ohhh.”
He definitely had gotten the right idea. He squirted some lube onto his hand and slicked his cock, ready to replace those fingers.
Cole’s lips curved as he grabbed his own cock with his free hand and stroked.
Akai’s teeth pressed into his lower lip; there was a part of him that wanted to keep watching. To sit like this, his gaze flicking from Cole’s face to his cock to his ass and back up again, drinking in every movement, every breath, every heartbeat.
Slowly, Cole slid his fingers free. “Your turn.”
Like this? It was too awkward. “Sit up.” He held out his non-slippery hand to help Cole up. Then Cole was sitting in his lap, legs spread, and his hole tantalizingly close.
But again, he couldn’t see what he was doing, and he didn’t want to accidentally dig his claws in where they didn’t belong. Cole reached behind and grasped Akai’s cock, lifting up enough that the tip pressed against what had to be his slippery hole.
“You still want it?” Cole asked.
“Am I breathing?” Barely, he wanted so badly.
Cole smiled and eased down, and as he did, Akai’s cock sank into him.
He gasped. He wasn’t breathing now. Or as Cole moved, taking him deeper each time.
He leaned back, resting a hand on Akai’s thigh.
The cartilage band hit the outside of his ass, like the tight ring of muscle wouldn’t let him go further.
“Thrust in—don’t make me do all the work,” Cole said.
He looked amazing doing all the work. What was he supposed to do? “Will it fit?”
Cole gave a small laugh. “Yeah.”
Akai held Cole’s hips the way he had before, but it was different this time because he was in him. He lifted him, then dragged him down as he thrust up. There was a moment when he didn’t think more would fit, then Cole’s ass swallowed the band and more.
He groaned.
“Fuck,” Cole muttered.
“Too much?”
“No. It’s good.” His eyes were half closed, lips parted, water droplets falling off the ends of his hair and rolling over his skin. The pendant Akai had given him rested on his chest, glinting in the sunlight.
“Yeah.” Cole’s ass was tight around his cock and working over the band in a way that was almost too much.
Cole grabbed his shaft with his free hand, stroking roughly. Pre-cum leaked from the tip, and Akai wanted to lick it up, but their position was wrong. All he could do was watch Cole slick it over his skin with each stroke.
Cole’s ass clenched around him as he came, cum spilling over his hand as he rode out his climax. Watching Cole’s pleasure was enough to push him over. He thrust deep and gripped Cole’s hips to hold him in place.
They were both breathing hard.
Cole looked glorious, like some kind of incubus made human.
“There is a party for solstice in Yellowstone. Will you come with me?” The words fell off his tongue before he could stop them.
Cole’s eyes widened, and all languidness left his body.