Chapter Six
Tor
Ihave a new idea,” Tor told Pel one night, about a week after they’d started Tendrilling.
They were definitely Blending already, even Pel’s magic practically leaping at Tor as soon as they joined hands.
It was the easiest thing in the world, and Tor had been told it was as easy as breathing once you were bonded.
Pel grinned. “Oh, yeah? What are you thinking?”
Every few nights, Tor tried to suggest something new that they could do together.
“It’s a surprise,” he said with a grin. “Do you trust me?”
“Of course.”
That trust took Tor’s breath away. He was going to do everything in his power to be worthy of it.
He still felt a squirm of guilt when he thought about his original plan.
Thankfully, no harm had been done. Tor wasn’t using Pel, even if that was what he’d planned at first. Pel had made him work for it, Tor had actually gotten to know him, and he’d realized this really was the man he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
No subterfuge required. Tor would fight his brother and anyone to get to keep Pel.
“C’mere,” Tor said with a grin. “I want you in my lap, riding my cock.”
Pel liked that configuration—he seemed to like everything they did together, although Tor was careful to propose things he thought Pel would like and to watch him carefully for his response.
Pel was the one doing most of the work, driving himself down on Tor’s cock as Tor leaned back against the headboard.
“This is going to be murder on my thighs,” Pel muttered.
“Saying you can’t handle it?” Tor asked with mock innocence.
Pel swore at him and tightened all his muscles, making Tor’s laugh stutter off into a groan.
Tor held out his hands. Pel took them, and Tor sent his magic reaching for Pel.
Pel sucked in a sharp breath and responded, and now Tor was filling Pel with his cock and his magic.
Pel was filling Tor in return, the connection humming between them as Pel sank down.
It made everything feel ten times more intense.
“I didn’t know you could do that,” Pel gasped out.
Tor had never thought to do it before, to be honest. He wondered if this was what bonded people felt all the time when they were having sex, and if so, he could understand why they liked it. Actually, he could see why no one did it with one-night bed partners. This was far too intimate.
Their fingers clenched more tightly together as Pel sped up his motion, thrusting down again and again. Pel kissed him, his cock pressing against Tor’s stomach. Tor wished he could stroke it, but both his hands were occupied at the moment.
The pleasure was building along with the magic inside them, and Tor could happily stay like this forever.
He would figure out how to keep this. He could truthfully tell Varex no more orgies or drinking.
He’d be staying far away from Fernila’s attendants.
And if his brother and sister-in-law got tired of him, they could send him to spend time in Tond without anyone thinking it was unusual.
So really, there were no downsides, right?
Pel pulled back so he could increase his tempo again, slamming down hard and snapping Tor’s attention back to what they were doing. He clenched his muscles, which made Tor groan.
“You’re really good at that,” Tor gasped out.
“Thanks.” Pel grinned. “You’re an excellent teacher and very motivational.” He squeezed their hands tighter. “This was inspired. I didn’t realize it would feel that different.”
Tor grinned at him. “Me, neither. It was something I wanted to try with you.”
Pel smiled at him, softer this time, the way he did when Tor admitted that they were doing something special. Tor wanted to assure him of that every single day. He grasped Pel’s hands tighter, watching the magic weave around them, and thrust up as best he could from this position.
Pel ground down, drawing another groan of pleasure from Tor, his fingers tightening involuntarily on Pel’s.
Pel grinned fiercely. Tor truly couldn’t imagine how he’d ever found this man boring or bland.
He was clearly the most amazing person that Tor had ever met.
It terrified him sometimes to think about how close he’d come to never having this, to never realizing.
But they were here right now, connected body and magic, and Tor had never wanted anything more. He wanted to keep this man forever, wanted to blend their lives together, wanted to have this blissful, beautiful connection every day of his life.
And he definitely wouldn’t say no to the glorious sex, either. Pleasure was rising in him like a tide, inexorable and overpowering. Pel thrust down once more, and Tor shouted his release, light bursting across his vision, hands fused to Pel’s, bodies and magic one.
When he blinked back to himself, still feeling a bit dazed, he could feel the warm wetness of Pel’s release between them.
They leaned in at the same time, kissing deeply.
Only when breathing became imperative did they draw back slightly, and it was with deep regret that Tor finally let go of Pel’s hands.
Pel let out a whimper of protest that Tor echoed.
“I love you,” Tor whispered against Pel’s mouth.
“I love you, too.”
The words made something light up in Tor, something he hadn’t known was missing in his life. They fit together in a way he’d never expected. Even when they were arguing and one of them was being too stubborn, it was the best.
Pel slumped against him. “That was the best.”
Tor let out a weak laugh, realizing he could barely keep his eyes open. “It really was. Wanna sleep?”
Pel let out a noise that Tor was pretty sure was agreement, but he was already becoming a pliant weight against Tor.
Tor woke to a glorious pressure around his cock and realized they hadn’t actually separated after their earlier lovemaking. They’d fallen asleep with Pel still in his lap and Tor leaning against the headboard. And now Pel was rocking against him.
Pel grinned when he saw Tor was awake. “I didn’t know you could just stay connected and fuck again.”
Tor cleared his throat. “Yeah, I can confidently state that I’ve never been so well fucked that I’ve forgotten to pull out and clean up. Sorry?”
He said it like a question because Pel was thrusting more firmly now, not seeming the slightest bit put out.
“I like it,” Pel told him.
Tor grinned and grabbed Pel’s hips, angling his thrusts until he was clearly hitting his sweet spot with each stroke. Tor watched, entranced by Pel’s expression each time he bottomed out.
“You’re so beautiful,” Tor told him.
Pel’s eyes blinked open. “What?”
“You,” Tor told him. “When you’re taking your pleasure. So pretty.”
Pel still looked a little uncertain when Tor complimented him like this, but he didn’t look as doubtful as when they’d started.
Tor was determined to have a lifetime to convince him, though he hoped it wouldn’t take that long.
Pel’s lips tipped up. “I like that look on you, too, and knowing that I put it there.”
Tor grinned. “There is that. Although in this particular configuration, you’re doing most of the work, and I’m just enjoying the results.”
Pel thrust down again, expression going hazy with pleasure as he clearly hit the right spot.
“Like this?”
“Just like that,” Tor agreed.
Pel drove himself right to orgasm, taking Tor along for the very enjoyable ride, until both of them were sated once more.
After a moment of their breath evening out, Tor realized, “We’re covered in your come, aren’t we?”
Pel looked down, and then he laughed. “We sure are. I’m not sure how we didn’t stick together the first time.”
“Oops.”
They grinned foolishly at one another, and Tor reflected that yet another lovely thing about being in an actual relationship was that he didn’t have to get it right all the time. He didn’t have to worry about living up to his reputation and being his most perfectly seductive self.
In fact, at this point, he was trying to live his reputation down and prove himself to Pel—who didn’t seem to mind when he was a bit sloppy or silly or sex drunk.
Everything Tor wanted was here in his lap—well, moving off of his lap now because they needed to get cleaned up. It was only once they’d managed that that Tor realized just how bright the light from the window was.
“I think we slept in.”
Pel’s head swiveled to the window, and he looked equally surprised. “I thought we just dozed off. But I do feel well rested. And very pleasantly relaxed.” He shot Tor a wink.
Tor grinned hugely, chest swelling with so many emotions. It wasn’t that long ago that Pel would never have done such a thing, and the fact that he was willing to be this open with Tor now made him feel proud and humbled and happy and giddy and just… so in love.
They hurried to dress, although Tor was pretty sure they must have missed servants coming into the room.
Well, if they were anything like Larexa, they’d probably figured out what was going on long since.
Or maybe they’d noticed the changes of clothes that Pel now kept in Tor’s room.
Whatever the case, everyone seemed to be keeping it to themselves, and Tor was grateful for their discretion.
They’d slept past the time they usually had breakfast and left for the farms, so they agreed to go into town instead today, since it was closer.
Tor detoured to the kitchen to grab some food and refresh the magic in their crystal lamps—he was given distinctly enough food for two people, he was definitely fooling no one—and then met Pel in the stables, where no one there remarked on the late hour, either.
Once they’d mounted Melody and Extraordinary, they set off, and Tor handed over half his bounty, buns stuffed with eggs, cheese, and fresh greens. They ate in companionable silence for a few minutes, and then Tor raised the topic that had been rather on his mind lately.
“Would you come back with me to Alossa to talk to my brother?”
Pel looked stunned. “Really?”