Chapter 15 #2
Huffing a laugh, Marcus leaned close so that his breath brushed against Ethan’s ear.
“If I was so damn perfect, I wouldn’t be sitting here thinking how I want to find the person or persons who touched you and rip them to bloody, fleshy shreds with my bare hands.
” The low growl in Marcus’s voice had a wonderful shiver running through Ethan’s body.
Yeah, he definitely wasn’t a good person, because he was sorely tempted to hand over Carl’s name and set Marcus loose on him.
But he wouldn’t.
“But you won’t,” Ethan murmured.
“I still want to.” Marcus lightly kissed Ethan’s jaw.
“Tell me a name. Let me protect you. Defend you. Set me free, Ethan.” He kissed up along his jaw to his ear.
“They’ll never touch another person again.
” The tip of his tongue touched his earlobe and Ethan nearly groaned.
Goose bumps rushed down his arms and blood filled his dick.
“But if you go after this asshole, you won’t be here kissing me, and I really don’t want you to stop.”
Marcus chuckled darkly. “I wouldn’t stop. I’d wait until tonight when you’re snuggled in your bed asleep alone. I would hunt this man down and tear him apart for you.”
“Or…”
Marcus lifted his head a little so that he could look into Ethan’s eyes. “Or?”
“I don’t have to be sleeping alone. Then you couldn’t go after this person. You wouldn’t dare leave my bed, would you?”
It felt like the air was knocked out of his lungs as he watched Marcus’s pupils dilate, his bright blue eyes becoming nearly black with desire.
“My choice is being wrapped around your body all night in bed or getting vengeance?”
“Yes.”
“Would I be able to feel your bare skin against mine?”
Ethan smiled slowly at Marcus, and he couldn’t feel the pain. There was only Marcus. “Are you asking if I would be completely naked and stretched out next to you?”
“Next to me. Beneath me. On top of me. Yes.”
“I could be if that’s what you wanted.”
Marcus slowly brushed his lips back and forth over Ethan’s parted lips, teasing him. Ethan was practically begging for a kiss. His body was trembling and pressing as close as he possibly could on that tiny bench.
“I think I was wrong about you. You’re a very evil person,” Marcus murmured. “Teasing me with vengeance and my darkest desire.”
“And which would you choose?”
Marcus crushed his lips against Ethan’s, plunging his tongue deep into his mouth.
The kiss was perfect. Demanding, possessive, and yet so fucking tender.
He could feel Marcus’s concern and his heartache for Ethan’s pain.
Ethan kissed him, trying to give all of himself, to show Marcus that he trusted him, that he wanted more than just this kiss or even a quick fuck.
He wanted to show Marcus that he wanted everything that came with being involved with a vampire, even if he wasn’t ready to actually say those words.
Wrapping his arms around him, Marcus tried to draw him closer. Pain shot through Ethan, forcing him to break off the kiss as he cried out.
Marcus instantly released him and leaned away. “I’m sorry,” he quickly said.
Ethan reached up, cupping the side of his neck. “Don’t. I’m okay.”
“You’re not,” Marcus snapped. Slowly, he lowered his hands and grabbed the edge of Ethan’s shirt. Ethan knew he could stop him, but he sat still as Marcus raised the shirt to reveal the motley of bruises that covered his torso.
A low growl rumbled up Marcus’s thick chest, reminding him of an angry bear, but instead of being afraid, he was turned-on by the sound. No one had ever wanted so badly to protect him. No one had cared about his well-being in so damn long, it was intoxicating.
“I’m very attracted to you, Ethan, but my need for vengeance is winning out over my hunger for your body,” Marcus grumbled.
Ethan smiled and rose from the bench. When Marcus tried to follow him, Ethan placed a restraining hand on his shoulder, keeping him seated.
He walked around the bench so that he was facing the piano with the bench in front of him.
With his hands on Marcus’s shoulders, he directed the man to spin on the bench until his back was pressed to the keys.
Ethan then surprised him by climbing onto his lap so that his knees were on either side of Marcus’s hips.
Marcus sucked in a harsh breath while holding his hands out to the side.
Grabbing his wrists, Ethan placed Marcus’s hands on his hips so that his fingers dug into his ass. “It’s safe to hold me here. You won’t hurt me.”
“Ethan…” Marcus exhaled with longing.
“I know, I’m not a good person,” Ethan whispered, pressing a soft kiss to the corner of his mouth.
“There’s a part of me that wants you to get revenge.
” He kissed the other corner. “There’s a part of me that’s so damn turned-on that you want to protect me.
” He pulled away from Marcus and gave his best sexy smirk despite the pain in his face.
“There’s another part of me that’s dying to have you fuck me on this piano. ”
Marcus groaned and carefully pulled Ethan in for a draining kiss that had Ethan pressing his hard cock against Marcus’s stomach.
He finally gave in and thrust both of his hands into Marcus’s thick hair, twisting the silky strands around his fingers.
It was even more luxurious than he’d dreamed, and now he had Marcus completely captive.
He never wanted to stop kissing him. It didn’t matter if he was a vampire.
Didn’t matter if Marcus was going to outlive him by centuries.
Ethan had this wonderful moment, and Marcus felt so damn good against him.
He broke off the kiss and ran his tongue along Marcus’s swollen bottom lip.
His eyes were glazed with passion and they might have glowed a little bit, but it could have been a trick of the light.
There was another wicked part of him that wanted Marcus to lose control, for his fangs to finally come out.
“I thought we had a good reason for not doing this anymore,” Marcus murmured. “But I can’t for the life of me remember what it was any longer.”
“You wanted to go slow so you could adjust.” Ethan shifted again, grinding his cock against Marcus and wringing a moan out of him. “Feels like you’re adjusting fine to me.”
“I take it all back. You’re evil. So very evil,” Marcus said with a choked laugh.
“Only to you, I promise.”
Marcus blinked and his face suddenly became very serious. He lifted his hand and his fingers brushed across a part of Ethan’s face that wasn’t swollen and bruised. “There’s no one else in your life…”
Ethan sat still on Marcus’s lap, the teasing at an end. “No. I’ve never really dated, and there’s no one in my life that I’m seeing. That I’m physical with.”
Marcus drew in a deep breath and held it for a moment before he slowly released it. “You make me want things, Ethan.”
“That’s not a bad thing.”
“No, but for me, it’s a complicated thing.”
Ethan started to say that complicated didn’t bother him, but Marcus was already pushing him to his feet, putting space between them.
“I’m sorry I took you from your work,” Marcus mumbled.
“Don’t, Marcus. Not to me. Don’t block me out.” Ethan’s voice was sharp, and he stood up straight, closing the distance between them so that Marcus couldn’t escape.
Marcus surprised him by chuckling. “I can’t, can I? At least not for long.”
“I don’t want you to.” Ethan grabbed his hand, needing to cling to that connection between them for as long as possible. “You want to beat the shit out of the asshole who touched me. I want to help slay your dragons too.”
“I would like that, but it may have to wait a little while longer. Things are growing more complicated.”
“What are you talking about?”
Marcus glared at the floor. “I can’t say. Just that we will need to push up the moving date.”
“How soon?”
He shook his head, still not looking at Ethan. “I’m not sure yet. I need to speak with my brothers to finalize plans. Just continue working as you have been until I have more details for you. Then we can look into bringing in more help as necessary.”
“Okay. Whatever you need,” Ethan murmured, hating the way his voice wavered just a tiny bit.
Speeding up the move meant that his time with Marcus was growing even shorter.
He didn’t know what kind of future they had, if they had a chance at anything at all, even with his horrible secret, but he didn’t want to give up any time with him.
Marcus gave him a small smile and pressed a kiss to the top of his head before pulling his hand free. Ethan watched him walk out of the music room, likely heading back to his office where he could call his brothers and make his plans.
Ethan wasn’t willing to give up on Marcus yet.
He could get the vampire to understand and forgive him.
And then maybe they could figure out what a real relationship would look like for them.
He wanted to see the smile on Marcus’s face, to hear his laughter.
The man was far too lonely and his life too empty.