Chapter 11 #2
In the hall, he paused for a moment. He couldn’t return to Marcus’s bedroom, but he didn’t want to leave without saying good-bye.
Turning away from the bedroom, he headed to the small half bath near the music room.
He slipped inside and shut the door. With a shaking hand, he turned on the cold water and splashed it on his face.
What the hell was he doing?
Taking care of Marcus was one thing, but every touch had been geared toward seducing the man. No, seducing the vampire. None of this made sense. A vampire killed his family. He shouldn’t be attracted to a vampire.
But his brain rejected that thought immediately. What if it had been a gun-wielding human man that mowed down his parents and sisters? Would that mean that he couldn’t be attracted to any man ever because a man killed his family? No.
If all men weren’t evil because of the actions of one, then couldn’t the same be said about vampires?
Maybe.
What facts did he know about Marcus?
He was not one of the two men that killed his family. His voice didn’t match.
Bel and Rafe also weren’t those men, based on their voices and accents.
Marcus was kind, gentle, and compassionate. He treated Ethan better than anyone he’d ever been with prior.
While Marcus was a vampire, Ethan had no proof that he was a cold-blooded killer.
Some of the guilt squeezing his heart eased, and it became a little easier for Ethan to breathe. He splashed some more cold water on his face and turned off the faucet. He looked up at his reflection in the mirror, taking in his flushed face and blown pupils.
There was no denying that he was attracted to Marcus Varik. The man was sexy as hell. He wanted to climb that amazing body and ride his cock until they were both shouting, covered in sweat and cum.
But did vampires date? If Rafe was anything to go by, they definitely liked to fuck. Or at the very least, they could. Yet, it didn’t seem like Marcus did.
Wait…was he planning to seduce his boss?
Fuck, this was a mess. He needed to figure his shit out with Carl and the League before anything potentially happened between him and Marcus. He also needed to come clean about his past and why he’d approached Marcus in the first place. Marcus deserved to know the truth.
But…would Marcus push him away if he came clean?
Didn’t matter. He had to be honest with him.
He grabbed a hand towel and dried off his face. Taking a deep breath, he told himself he was just going to check on Marcus and go home to jerk off. Then maybe, he could get a few hours of sleep before trying to figure out what the hell he was going to do next.
That plan was really hard to stick to when he found Marcus sitting on the edge of his bed in a pair of burgundy boxer briefs while he rubbed a towel over his wet hair. The muscles in his flat stomach and biceps flexed with each movement.
“Why the hell do you have to be so sexy?” Ethan groaned.
Marcus lowered the towel, a little smile lifting one corner of his mouth. All the blood was gone from his hands and arms, making him look like a normal human again. But there was a sharpness to his eyes in the dim light that made Ethan think there was something more to him.
“I was afraid you left,” Marcus confessed.
Ethan shook his head and stepped farther into the room. “Not yet. Wanted to make sure you were tucked into bed before I left.”
“Worried I can’t do it on my own?”
“Nope. I just think you need someone taking care of you for a change.”
Ethan stood in front of Marcus, staring at his handsome face. He looked tired, but there was also a nervous energy about him. There was no missing that his cock was still straining against his underwear. He hadn’t taken care of himself in the shower.
Giving in to the urge, Ethan threaded his fingers through Marcus’s hair, pushing it from his face. Marcus closed his eyes and tilted his head into Ethan’s touch. “When was the last time someone took care of you?” Ethan whispered.
“An eternity,” Marcus mumbled.
Marcus shocked him by leaning forward and wrapping his strong hands around the backs of Ethan’s thighs.
He lifted and pulled him, earning a yelp of surprise a second before he landed in Marcus’s lap, his knees on either side of Marcus’s hips.
He could feel Marcus’s hard cock lightly pressed against his own.
“What?” Ethan croaked, his brain still trying to catch up to what was happening. Marcus’s hands moved up his thighs to squeeze and massage his ass, scrambling what little thought he could pull together in his brain.
“Kiss me, please. I’ve never kissed a man before. And I just want one from you. I won’t ask you for another—”
Ethan didn’t let him finish. He leaned in and captured Marcus’s lips in a slow kiss.
He nibbled his bottom lip until Marcus moaned and allowed him entrance.
He licked into his mouth, sliding his tongue along Marcus’s, earning a hungry sound that shot straight to Ethan’s dick.
Hands slid up his back, pulling him in tight so that Ethan’s body was completely flush with Marcus’s from his groin to his shoulders.
Ethan wrapped his arms around his neck, giving in to the building desire between them.
Marcus kissed Ethan as if he meant to devour him.
Shifting on Marcus’s lap, Ethan rubbed his cock against Marcus’s and they both groaned. The kiss ended on broken pants for air. Marcus dropped one hand to Ethan’s ass, holding him pressed to his dick.
“Oh God,” Marcus groaned. “That feels…”
“Good?” Ethan said with a grin as he shifted again. Pleasure spiked through his body, setting every nerve ending on fire.
“Fuck yes,” Marcus said.
“You gonna give me a raise, boss man, if I make you come like this?” Ethan teased.
Marcus grabbed Ethan’s mouth in another rough kiss that had Ethan melting against him. Marcus was getting more comfortable being with a man by the second, and it was frying every brain cell Ethan had. “I thought you were just a friend right now.”
“Maybe I just want to call you ‘sir’ while you spank me and bend me over your desk.”
Marcus growled and thrust against Ethan, grinding their dicks against each other. “Oh God, Ethan, you’re going to make me come.”
Ethan leaned in and kissed Marcus again, but this one was softer, lighter than before.
Every time Marcus tried to deepen the kiss, he pulled back, keeping it tender as he slowed them down.
As he ended the kiss, Ethan placed his hands on Marcus’s shoulders and gave a little push.
And just as he expected, Marcus released him.
The man was in tune with him. He’d never force himself on Ethan, no matter how badly he wanted him.
Standing on shaky legs, Ethan smiled at Marcus as he adjusted his rock-hard dick in his pants. He fucking hurt, but he’d take care of that later.
“I think it’s a good idea if I leave now,” Ethan said, wanting to laugh at his own breathless and needy voice. Everything in his body was screaming to crawl onto Marcus and drive them both to a messy but glorious completion.
“Yes. You’re right,” Marcus said. He nodded, the motion jerky, like he was still trying to get his brain to work correctly.
With a smile, Ethan bent down and picked up the towel Marcus had dropped on the floor. He tossed it onto Marcus’s lap. “You’re going to need that.” Marcus looked at him in confusion. “When I leave, you’re going to jerk off to thoughts of bending me over your desk while you fuck my ass.”
Marcus’s eyes closed and he sucked in a deep breath. “Ethan.”
“Or maybe you’ll imagine me sucking your cock down my throat while I finger your tight hole.”
Marcus’s eyes snapped back open, and the heat Ethan saw there nearly melted him into the floor.
“Ethan.” This time his name was wrapped in a warning.
If he pushed any further, he might not be walking out of the town house.
And Ethan was truly torn over whether he wanted Marcus to tackle him to the floor and fuck him senseless.
He was having a hell of a time remembering why leaving was so damn important.
“Sorry,” he murmured, though he really wasn’t. “I guess I just want you to blush when I see you this afternoon.”
“Not going to be a problem.” Marcus’s expression cooled a little, and a frown wiped away the hungry look. “We’re going to need to talk later.”
Ethan sighed and nodded. “I have a feeling we’re going to have a lot to talk about. But later. Get some sleep.”
Backpedaling, Ethan spun and quickly left the room, his feet clattering down the stairs in his haste. He couldn’t linger or he’d crawl into Marcus’s bed, and they’d never get their talking done first.
The early morning air was surprisingly crisp and cool. The dark sky had lightened to a pale gray with hints of yellow weaving through it. The sun was rising. He’d been up half the night with Marcus and his family.
This was getting so much more complicated than it was supposed to be.
He wasn’t supposed to feel anything for them.
But his heart broke to see the brothers together, caring for their injured Bel.
There was a helplessness in their shared looks.
He hadn’t caught much of their conversations, but he felt like if Meryl had been the attacker, they would have been angrier.
But Ethan hadn’t seen much anger. Just pain and bone-deep sorrow.
Who had hurt Bel so badly, appearing to nearly kill him? And why were the brothers so broken over it? Why couldn’t they strike back at this person and get their revenge?
Ethan walked briskly to his apartment. Even though the sun was nearly up, he still found himself looking over his shoulder and watching for Meryl and Cain. Just because she didn’t attack Bel tonight didn’t mean the woman didn’t have some grand evil plan.
When he finally stepped into his empty apartment, his body was shaking with fatigue while his mind was wide awake and ready to analyze everything he’d seen and heard. Or better yet, relive every touch he’d experienced under Marcus’s strong hands.
Fuck, he wanted Marcus so damn bad. Why did the man have to be so sweet, sexy, vulnerable, and adorable? One perfect package all rolled into one. Except maybe for the fact that he was a vampire.
Was that really such a bad thing? It wasn’t like he’d tasted of blood when they kissed, and he didn’t get pierced by a set of sharp fangs.
But working for Marcus wasn’t supposed to be about finding a hot fuck. He was supposed to be locating and destroying the person who murdered his goddamn family.
Ethan flopped face first down on his bed and groaned. He wished he could hear what his mother or father would say about this mess. He couldn’t even be sure they’d accept him for being gay, but he liked to imagine they would have.
When he was alone and on his own, he’d imagined how it could have been to tell them.
Sitting nervously on the couch, clutching his hands together to keep them from shaking as he admitted in stumbling words that he liked boys.
He pretended that his mother and father would hug him and say that they loved him regardless of who he liked.
His mom would kiss him and say she was proud of him.
His dad would wink and say that the same rules applied to him as his sisters—no boys in the bedroom. It would have been the perfect moment.
But he never got to have that moment. The only good thing was that at least he missed out on having the bad one where they disowned him and kicked him out of the house.
What the hell was he supposed to do?
If he came clean, would Marcus understand about him going to Carl and the League? Would he even help him find the vampires who slaughtered everyone in his apartment building?
Everything was a giant damn mess, and it was supposed to be so fucking easy. He would find the killers and take them out. He would get justice for his family and finally be able to move on with a sense of completion. He’d have the knowledge that no one else could be harmed the way he’d been.
With that done, he’d finish getting his degree and he’d find a real job. He’d start living his life. No more vampires. No more death and chaos.
No more Marcus.…
He could easily imagine Marcus telling him to fuck off after he found out that Ethan was with the anti-vampire hate group.
They bragged about killing scores of vampires in the name of saving humans.
But after spending two weeks with Marcus, Ethan was figuring out that a lot of their information about vampires was utter bullshit.
And if their info about vampires was bad, did that mean these lunatics were killing innocent vampires?
Hell, they could be murdering people who weren’t actually vampires at all.
He needed fucking help and right now—but the only person who could possibly help him was Marcus.
Ethan couldn’t figure out if it was more or less fucked up for him to turn to the person he’d been setting up to be killed only a few weeks earlier.
But he knew deep down in his soul that Marcus wouldn’t hurt him.
He might very well be the only person he trusted in this world.