Chapter Twelve #2
“Well?”
Catocus’s face tensed, debating whether to take orders from him.
Gallus was beside them, shoving at Catocus. “Move, I’ll do it.” He forced the other god aside and took his place, though on top of Ethyr instead of between his legs. Kiaro gave his next instruction with quiet indifference, his attention returned to the cards he was shuffling.
“Kiss the inside of his wrist.”
Gallus leaned back, settling his weight more firmly onto Ethyr’s hips, and lifted one of his arms. The fun-loving Gallus was gone, replaced with startling speed by a sultry flirt.
He didn’t kiss Ethyr’s wrist so much as linger his lips delicately against it, the moist heat of his breath brushing the fragile skin, his gaze meeting Ethyr’s with heavy-lidded eyes. Ethyr's heart beat faster.
“Follow his arm to his neck.”
Gallus’s open mouth drifted down the inside of Ethyr’s arm, never pressing harder than an occasional dip of closed lips.
As he traveled, his torso slanted closer to Ethyr’s, slowly closing the space between them until Gallus’s body covered him and each heavy rise of Ethyr’s chest bumped into his.
The god’s breath tickled the base of his neck, trailing up to his ear.
Ethyr lifted his chin instinctively, granting access.
His eyes landed on Kiaro seated across from them, straight and composed, though he watched with a shaded expression.
It gave no hint as to what lay behind his eyes, but it didn’t hide that there was something, coiled and tense.
“Stop.”
Gallus halted obediently, lips against the soft skin beneath Ethyr’s ear. He was certain Gallus could feel his heart pounding.
Kiaro returned his gaze to the cards he was handling. He raised one between two fingers and it vanished, appearing in his other hand. A simple flick of his wrist laid it face-down with the rest of the deck in his palm.
“Press your tongue there.”
Wet warmth flattened to the curve of Ethyr’s neck.
A shiver ran up his spine, standing his hair on end and curling his toes.
Anticipation for the next step offered its own tense exhilaration.
Somehow, without even touching him, it was like Kiaro knew all the hidden secrets of Ethyr’s body.
He would not have thought the god, stony as he was, to be knowledgeable in such a thing.
“Now suck.”
Gallus obeyed. Ethyr closed his eyes, trying and failing to keep a steady hold on his breath as tongue was replaced with gentle suction on the sensitive patch of skin.
“Slide your fingers into his hair.”
Fingers grazed the other side of his neck and tickled into his hair, keeping his head in place as Gallus sucked harder.
Ethyr stretched his chin up, draping an arm across Gallus’s shoulders and squeezing.
He responded by wrapping his free arm under Ethyr and hugging him closer.
The crushing proximity was a salve Ethyr hadn’t realized he needed; lips on his skin, the pressure of a hand in his hair, the warmth of a body pliant to his.
He didn’t know what it healed, but it was healing.
Gallus’s mouth moved to his and Ethyr accepted it ardently.
“My, my. He is hungry today.” Varuut’s voice pulled apart the world Ethyr had occupied. He dropped his head down, breaking his mouth from Gallus, and sucked in a breath. A coy smile spread Gallus’s lips.
“Shall we make use of it?” he asked sweetly, sliding further down Ethyr’s body and snaking his hands up from the bottom opening of his tunic. His abdomen spasmed in reflex as cool palms ran across his bare skin.
Ainder stretched across the floor at their side, elbow resting on the ground and palm propping up his head. “What does Ethyr think?”
It took him a long moment to realize it was a legitimate question that he was expected to answer. He swallowed the heart beating in his throat.
“Yes,” he whispered.
Gallus grinned, rubbing his hands higher and bunching up the tunic. Firm pressure dragged across his nipples and his stomach twitched again. “Where shall we begin? Kiaro?”
Kiaro looked up, his expression cold. His dark eyes swept across Ethyr’s disheveled form with the calculation of a tailor. Yet they lingered on his face, and Kiaro didn’t reply for a beat too long.
“Tease him first.”
Gallus looked like he’d received the best news in the world. “Gladly.”
He pushed Ethyr’s tunic up higher and Ainder pulled it off from above his head, forcing his arms up. He didn’t have time to lower them before Ainder gripped his wrists and held them there.
“Catocus,” he beckoned, and Catocus took over the restraint. Ainder moved to Ethyr’s feet and began untying his sandals. Ethyr’s focus on that was distracted when Gallus dragged his lips down his stomach.
He stopped at the top of his pants and pressed a hard kiss there before moving to the jut of his hip.
Unhurried, he trailed kisses up Ethyr’s torso until he reached a nipple.
He tensed subconsciously in anticipation, but instead of taking it in his mouth Gallus only kissed around it.
He made his way to the other, this time putting his lips over it, letting his breath caress it, but he never closed his mouth.
His lips moved to Ethyr’s collarbone. Then traced back down to the top of his pants.
When Gallus reached it he looked up to make sure Ethyr was watching before slithering his tongue into his belly button. Ethyr flinched at the unexpected wetness in such a place, reflexively pulling at Catocus’s hold, but of course it didn’t yield.
Ainder bent Ethyr’s legs up on either side of Gallus.
Ethyr watched, shivering and breath hitched, as Gallus moved lower. The translucent pants didn’t leave much room for guesswork. Warmth passed over his groin before landing on his thigh. The pressure of lips trailed back up, up his inner thigh, into the crease of his pelvis, along his hip bone.
Ainder returned to Ethyr’s side. He buried his hand in Gallus’s hair, leaning over to speak quietly to him.
“Stay down there,” he murmured, and Gallus obliged, returning to Ethyr’s inner thigh. Ainder tousled his hair. “Good boy.”
With Gallus between his thighs, Ainder took the spot straddling Ethyr’s hips.
His grin was wicked and gleeful and wanton, and Ethyr’s heart pounded viciously against his chest. The continued smattering of kisses against his thighs, even over pants, was not helping.
He couldn’t see Gallus past Ainder, and not being able to predict where the pressure might land next was nerve-wracking in the most salacious way.
Ainder’s fingers grazed up the center of Ethyr’s chest. Brushed across his collarbone and down his ribs, over his sides.
Up again to swirl lazily around his nipples, moving closer and closer, until they abandoned to start the route over again.
Ethyr arched, whimpering, into Ainder’s touch, desperate to have even one small desire fulfilled, but it was futile.
The places he wanted touched most were artfully avoided.
Gallus’s mouth pressed tantalizingly close to what was well on its way to an erection, then moved away again.
Ethyr's shivers had turned almost violent, heat lacing through every nerve.
Movement caught his eye, a momentary distraction.
Kiaro had stood and was walking out, his pace easy but with an unmistakable darkness about his demeanor.
Ethyr didn’t understand why, he was the one who had started this, but what he understood even less was the tinge of disappointment that sank into his stomach as Kiaro left through the door.
Ainder didn’t allow him any time to dwell on it.
He laid torso-to-torso with him, bringing his hands up Ethyr’s shoulders, his neck, into his hair. Warm breath grazed his lips.
“What is it, sweet?” he murmured, bumping his lips to Ethyr’s, not quite kissing him. “Are we letting you bake too long?” He pulled back, biting his tongue with a fiendish smirk, and Ethyr was convinced the god might devour him like a dessert. He yearned for it.
Hands were at the ties of his pants before he could reply, undoing them, but they weren’t pulled off. Instead lips pressed to his lower stomach again.
His hips bucked, though the movement was stifled with Ainder’s weight on them, and he huffed a groan of protest. Gallus’s chuckles vibrated against his skin.
“So impatient.” Ainder smiled and brushed Ethyr’s curls from his temples. “What good is it if we can’t savor you?”
His pants were removed in increments. Every notch down was accompanied by a sucking kiss just above it, never where Ethyr wanted.
The ties around his ankles were undone. The pants pulled off.
His ankle kissed. And Gallus started just as leisurely back up his leg, the heat of his mouth drifting agonizingly closer to the heat in Ethyr’s hips, leaving him squirming by the end of it.
“What do you think?” Ainder asked Catocus, who was still holding Ethyr’s wrists above his head.
“I think we ought to give him what he wants.” Words of mercy, said with a sly tone.
Ainder smiled, his hands finally finding their way to his nipples, and Ethyr gasped for breath as they were rubbed. He wanted to squirm, but Ainder’s weight held down his hips.
“Hmm.” Ainder pinched a nipple and Ethyr twitched. “Two, I think, to start,” he said nonchalantly.
Something wet and solid pressed to Ethyr’s entrance. He jumped even more violently than before, arms jerking against Catocus’s hold, legs closing around Gallus’s arm.
“Shall we stop?” Ainder asked. Ethyr stared up at him, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. He could hardly breathe past his pounding heart choking him. He had no idea if it was fear or excitement.
He closed his mouth and swallowed hard. Found himself shaking his head. Varuut and Gallus pried his legs open and bent his knees up higher. He was starkly aware of the other gods seated around the room, casually watching like it was nothing more than a festival skit.
“Go on,” Ainder prompted. Ethyr braced as Gallus pushed two oiled fingers into him.