Chapter 18
Eighteen
Miles
After our date earlier today, we'd returned home with our hearts and bellies full, and our hands a little sticky from the fruits.
We'd also brought the leftovers home because I'd known Mat would murder me if I didn't save some apples for him, and he'd given me a smack on my back and Duckie a hug for our efforts.
The three of us had streamed a show for a while, then made dinner together. Duckie wanted to learn how to cook, and while Mateo was the better cook out of the two of us, I knew enough to assist, and together we taught Duckie how to make a simple pasta dish with cream sauce and veggies.
We ate on the couch with the show playing in the background, though we kept getting distracted by conversations.
"We're almost done with the haunted house. It will be ready to open in a few weeks," Mateo said, and I turned to him, lowering the volume before dropping the remote on my lap.
"Really?"
"Yeah. With Cam's dads wanting to leave, we've been speeding things up so Cam can focus on that. He won't have as much time to run the place once it's open. He asked me if I wanted to do it."
"Do you?" I asked, surprised that I actually didn't know. Usually, I could guess with unerring accuracy what my twin wanted. Was it because we hadn't spent as much time together recently? I'd told Duckie how I was glad our bond hadn't affected my relationship with my brother. Had I been wrong?
"I'm not sure. I mean, I like the concept of the place, and I loved designing it. I can't wait to experience the whole thing. But actually running the business? I don't know if I can do that."
"Do you think you can't do that, or that you won't enjoy doing it?" Duckie asked, and Mateo frowned. He stuck a bite of pasta into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully as he glanced between us.
"A little of both, I think. It's not like I have any experience running a business."
"Neither does Cam," I reminded him, and he pointed a finger at him.
"True. I suppose I could learn what I need to know."
"Yeah. There are a bunch of people in our clan who would be happy to share their knowledge with you."
"You're right," Mateo said, then turned his gaze to Duckie. "You liked the haunted house, right?"
Duckie nodded, his eyes lighting up. "I did. I would like to see it again, if possible."
"Of course. Come with me, hmm… I'm not going tomorrow, but the day after that? If you like it, maybe we could run the place together," Mateo suggested, and Duckie's eyes filled with surprise, and a hint of uncertainty.
"Me? But I know even less than you."
"We can learn together," Mateo said with a shrug. "If you want, of course."
Duckie nodded slowly, and Mateo glanced over at me. I nodded, glad he'd suggested it. He'd told me about his discussion with Duckie about money, and working at the haunted house might make Duckie feel better about his place in our relationship.
The conversation petered out after that, and we turned our attention back to the show, rewinding to the part we'd left off on as we finished our dinner.
Afterward, Duckie and Mateo cleaned up while I took Snowball out to do his business, taking my time so the two could have a few moments to themselves.
As I watched Snowball sniff around in search for the perfect spot, my thoughts returned to Mateo.
Ever since Duckie's arrival, we'd both been focused on him, which was natural.
But I didn't want our budding bonds with Duckie to put a strain on our relationship.
Mateo was my rock, had been since the day I first accepted he would never leave me at the age of two, and I knew I was the same for him.
We'd gotten through some rough times together, and it'd only been possible because we'd had each other.
After Mateo had told me he was aroace, I'd made a pact with him, promising that no matter who my mate was, I'd never let them weaken my bond with Mateo.
I knew Duckie wasn't to be blamed. It fell on me to make sure I didn't neglect Mateo as I built a relationship with Duckie. I had to find a balance.
Maybe tomorrow Mateo and I could hang out with each other, since Rebba had invited Duckie to her place to meet the rest of our pack. It was important for shifters to bond with their pack, and I figured it would be better if we weren't there to distract him.
"Oi! Are you planning to sleep out there?" Mateo called from inside the house, pulling me out of my circling thoughts.
Calling Snowball—who'd finished up at some point and was now chasing a dragonfly—over, I went back inside, closing the sliding glass door behind us.
"I'm off to bed," Mateo declared from the base of the stairs, his eyes flicking between Duckie and me. I shrugged to answer his unasked question—Are you bunking with me or joining Duckie?—and he nodded. "Night, you two."
Once he'd left, I turned to Duckie. "I suppose we should turn in as well. You've got plans tomorrow."
Duckie nodded, and once I'd turned off the lights, we went up the stairs, pausing in front of my room, aka his room.
I lingered, unsure if I was invited in or if I should keep walking.
Duckie gazed at me, his dark eyes full of... something. Before I could ask him if he wanted me to stay, he closed the distance between us and pulled me into a kiss.
I hummed as I kissed him back, sinking into his taller form as he wrapped his arms around me, holding me close as his lips moved over mine. He'd gone from hesitant and shy to bold and confident in a matter of days, and I found myself wanting to give into him, to follow him wherever he led me.
I'd slept with men—and one woman, as an experiment—before, but I'd always held on to my control. I'd always led, directing the flow of things so nothing could take me by surprise.
But with Duckie, I didn't strain for that control. I wasn't restless without it. I was free.
Duckie
Something changed in Miles as we kissed, as his body melted into mine and his breaths turned into soft sighs. It was like he let go of something he'd been holding onto all his life.
"Would you like to come in?" I asked against his lips, and he made a soft sound of agreement as he nodded, rubbing his lips over mine.
Stepping back, I left one arm around his back, pulling him into the room and closing the door behind him.
Pressing him into the door, I kissed him again, swallowing his low moan as I pressed my body against his.
I could feel his desire pressing against my thigh, and I shifted my leg, pressing my thigh firmly against his bulge.
Miles groaned, pushing into my thigh as his lips parted for me, welcoming me into his mouth. If it wasn't for how expressive Miles was being, I'd have worried about getting things wrong. I had no experience after all, and everything I knew was thanks to Mateo and Alex.
While Mateo had told me about the basics—prepping, consent, setting limits—Alex had taught me all about how to set the mood, drive your partner crazy, and give him the best night of his life.
Of course, I'd felt strange taking sex advice from someone fifteen years my junior, but Alex knew a lot more about this than me, and I wasn't about to ignore an expert's advice because they were young.
The way Miles reacted to me made me feel confident, though. It made me feel like I could do anything, like I could touch him, and please him in a way no one ever had. Maybe it was strange to feel that way when I had nothing to back it up, but I didn't care.
Judging by the way Miles was melting into the door, neither did he.
Trailing my lips lower, I kissed his jaw, then the skin below it, instinctively raking my teeth over the soft skin.
Miles groaned, baring his neck further, and I pulled more of his skin into my mouth, gently biting down on it.
"Fuck, Duckie," he gasped out, his body trembling against me, and I hummed, pressing soft kisses into the skin I'd bitten.
Taking a step back, I took his hand and led him to the bed. Miles's eyes were dark as they met mine, and he hurried to climb into the bed as soon as I gestured toward it.
"There's no rush," he said, licking his lips as he gazed into my eyes, his shining with need and sincerity. I knew that no matter how horny he was, he would happily call things quits here and cuddle me if I asked.
But I didn't want to stop. I wanted to take his clothes off, wanted to look at him, touch him, make him fall apart.
"I know," I murmured, then clasped his shoulder, lowering him into the mound of pillows and covering my body with his.
Taking my time, I pulled his clothes off one by one, then quickly removed mine before situating myself between his legs.
Our hard lengths pressed together, sending a bolt of pleasure racing up my spine.
"Fuck," Miles gasped, his fingers digging into my hips as he pushed up into me, rubbing out lengths together. "There's lube. In the drawer."
Having seen the slim tube earlier, I quickly grabbed it, then squeezed some of the slick liquid onto our lengths, making the glide smoother and that much more intense.
Setting a rhythm, I kissed Miles as I moved, our lips dancing as our erections brushed against each other's, pushing us closer and closer to that peak.
Miles's fingers dug into my skin, the strangely warm pleasure-pain making my need skyrocket as I picked up speed. This was going to be over sooner than I'd hoped, and I slid my mouth lower, focusing on that bit of skin that had made Miles react so beautifully before.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Miles mumbled under his breath, his legs shifting restlessly as he pushed up into my thrusts again and again, chasing that high.
"Are you close?" I asked, teetering at the edge and not wanting to be the only one who fell over.
Miles nodded rapidly, his nails dragging against my skin, and I groaned as I pushed up on my elbows, wrapping a hand around our lengths and twisting in a way I'd recently discovered was quite enjoyable.
Miles sucked in a breath, and his hand joined mine as together we stroked our lengths, pushing ourselves closer and closer to the edge before finally toppling over with a muffled shout from Miles.
Our cum mixed as it spilled over our hands, coating Miles's belly as we shook from the force of the orgasm.
It was all I could do to keep holding myself up as every bone in my body suddenly turned to jelly, and when Miles wrapped his arm over my back and tugged, I let myself fall, blanketing his body with mine as I tucked my face into the side of his.
We were quiet for a long time as we caught our breaths, and my mind stayed blissfully quiet as little sparks of pleasure flowed through my veins, reminding me I'd never, ever experienced anything quite like this before.
"Okay?" Miles asked after a while, his voice hoarse.
I hummed, not quite ready to speak yet. I was drowning, but in the best possible way. I didn't want to come up for air yet, and Miles understood that somehow, and didn't say anything else, just kept holding me.
We stayed like that for a full ten minutes, by which point the cum between us had dried and become decidedly uncomfortable.
"We should clean up," I mumbled, wincing as I pulled myself up.
Miles gazed into my eyes, his brown ones soft and sated.
"I'm okay," I assured him, then grinned. "Better than okay, actually. That was..." I shook my head, not knowing enough words to be able to properly describe how I was feeling.
"I know," he said with a soft smile, sitting up as I climbed off the bed. He took the hand I offered, and together we went into the bathroom, cleaning each other up before returning to bed.
This time, we didn't shift to share the bed. Instead, we stayed in our human forms, our chests pressed together and our legs tangled under the covers as we settled in.
"Sweet dreams, Miles," I murmured, and Miles snuggled closer, as if he didn't want to leave even a millimeter of space between us.
"Goodnight, Duckie."
Sleep came quickly after that, and while I didn't dream, my sleep was full of warmth and softness and joy, like I was doused in early morning sunshine that smelled of possibilities and hope. Or the warmth of my mate's body.