22. Fenric
All things said, Fenric felt like the meeting with the group had gone quite well. Lirion had seemed cautious coming in, and Fenric sensed some bad history there but didn’t push for answers. He just made the introductions and let things play out.
Lirion might not know these guys, but Fenric did, and he was confident no one was going to do anything Lirion wasn’t comfortable with.
They just weren’t the type to be pushy about sex, and everyone in this group excelled in taking people as they were.
It was no surprise to him the group just accepted Lirion as he was.
He could tell it surprised Lirion, though. Pleasantly surprised him. Especially after speaking with Maxie, Lirion relaxed, wearing this small smile that didn’t seem to disappear.
Since they’d be traveling and working together for months, between Lirion’s rescue and Fenric’s job, he wanted to make sure they got off on the right foot.
Meeting his friends had done that, but Fenric wanted to reinforce it.
He also wanted to get some parameters down so neither of them were guessing or surprised later.
Fenric hated surprises. Mostly because they had a tendency to bite him in the ass.
When things wound down, he drew Lirion away from the group and up to the second floor. “Hey, so there’s a spare room next to mine.”
Lirion gave him side-eye for some reason. “Thank you?”
“It’s completely up to you if you want to use it.” Why was he getting this reaction? “Honestly, I’d like to sit and have a conversation with you first. I want to figure out what you need, and uh, schedule feedings? If that’s something you’d like to do.”
Lirion paused at the top of the stairs to give him a searching look. “You’re a very organized, rational sort, aren’t you?”
“Guilty. In my defense, someone in the group has to be. You’ve met these guys now. They react first and think later. If you don’t want to talk about it, we don’t have to—”
“No, no, I think it’s a great idea.”
“Then step into my room.” Fenric invited him in with a wave of the arm, closing the door behind them. He didn’t really want his business aired to anyone who walked by the door, after all.
As rooms went, it was pretty standard—nothing fancy.
A single bed along one wall with a nightstand on one side, a dresser for clothes on the other.
Shaving stand with a bowl in the corner and a single chair next to it.
Not much else except for a rare window that gave an amazing view of the coastline.
Fenric toed off his shoes and kicked them to the side, then shed his weapons on top of the dresser, all while encouraging Lirion. “Make yourself comfortable.”
Lirion also dropped his shoes and gear near the door before sitting on the bed, one leg tucked under the other, eyes on Fenric. Nothing could be read from his expression. He seemed cautious, as if he had no idea what Fenric was doing.
To be fair, Fenric had no idea what he was doing, so…
He mirrored the other man’s position and sat on the edge of the bed as well. “First, sex is absolutely on the table if you need it tonight.”
“I’d feel better for it,” Lirion admitted readily. Fenric’s statement seemed to have loosened up the tension riding in the other man’s body, as Lirion relaxed noticeably. “It’s been over a day for me, and I’m becoming quite hungry.”
“Do you mind if I ask some questions before we have sex?”
“Not at all.”
“When you say hungry, do you feel it like actual hunger pangs?”
“Hmm…not the way a human thinks of it. My stomach doesn’t feel empty, but there’s an ache in my abdominal area, like a craving I can’t satisfy. Left alone too long, that craving becomes very uncomfortable and my energy drops sharply.”
Fenric made mental notes as the man talked. “You feed on sexual energy, right? I guess I’m not clear on how that works.”
“I’m, in fact, feeding from your sexual energy. The pheromones and energy you give off during sex are my bread and butter. If I get off during sex, I’m, of course, happy to be satisfied, but your orgasm is more important for me.”
Man would make an amazing service top with that attitude.
Fenric immediately smacked himself mentally for his thought.
Right, moving on. “When you say you need sex every other day, are you speaking of just a single round of sex? Or a full night of sex?”
“A single round is sufficient. Unless I’m coming off something harrowing, like breaking my sister out of a highly defended building.” Lirion gave a wry shrug. “I’ll probably be hungrier afterward.”
“Oh. That actually makes sense. So, lots of sex before and after?”
“If you don’t mind.”
Fenric caught a leer before it could slip out onto his face. “Yes, sexing up a gorgeous man is such a hardship. Thanks for checking in.”
Lirion laughed, an honest laugh, his gorgeous ocean blue eyes crinkling up at the corners.
The longer they talked, the harder it was becoming for Fenric to concentrate.
His mind was kindly replaying every second of the one blow job Lirion had given him while making him aware of the delicious way he smelled and how soft his skin looked.
It would take nothing for him to lean forward and capture those plush pink lips in a kiss.
Wait. What the hell was he doing?
Talking! Questions!
“What are you not comfortable with, or don’t like?”
Lirion stopped laughing, and he was back to looking Fenric over carefully. Almost as if he were trying to read Fenric’s true intentions. “You think there’s some aspect of sex I’m not comfortable with?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I’m asking. For the record, I don’t do bondage. I get locked up enough in real life; I don’t carry that into my intimate moments.”
“Fair enough,” Lirion murmured, and the way his expression softened felt like the best compliment in the world.
As if Fenric had proven himself to be trustworthy, somehow.
“Bondage isn’t something I enjoy. I prefer to be able to move in a hurry if something happens.
I also draw a hard line against necrophilia and bestiality. ”
“Some of the only kinks I shame,” Fenric said with an emphatic nod. “Not okay with those either. All right, anything else I need to know?”
“Rather, I need to ask questions. Are you top, bottom, versatile?”
“Top. I don’t enjoy bottoming, sorry.”
“It’s perfectly fine. I’m very versatile.”
What a relief. Oh, in that case… “Um, I heard a wild rumor once that incubi don’t have to lube up?”
“That was a wild rumor and there’s no truth to it.” Lirion paused before tacking on, “Well, some truth to it. Because my body’s made for sex, it doesn’t take much to prep me. Lube is required, though. It’s way too rough without some kind of lubricant. I keep a large bottle of olive oil in my bag.”
“Ah, good to know. Uh…if sex is your main bread and butter, do you need to eat food?”
“I prefer it. My body can handle food fine, and eating is a basis for most human interactions, so I generally eat.” He shrugged one shoulder and the collar of his shirt fell open a little farther, revealing a bit of his collarbone.
When the hell had someone’s collarbone become sexy?
Lirion’s definitely was, and Fenric wanted to lick it.
“That said,” Lirion continued with a bit of a sigh, “if we run into a situation where we are low on food, I’ll not eat to give everyone else a chance to have a bit more.”
“Uh…this sounds like experience.”
Lirion sighed. “One of those disastrous sea voyages I tried as a younger man. I prefer not to relive that memory. Anyway, don’t feel obligated to provide food for me; I can fend for myself.”
That wasn’t really something Fenric was comfortable with.
He wasn’t about to let the man starve, not in either sense.
He had the feeling Lirion was trying to cause as little trouble as possible.
Perhaps to offset the demands he’d made to rescue his sister?
Well, whatever the reason, Fenric didn’t want him to feel obligated to make himself feel small.
“All of this said, you don’t need to have full-blown sex with me every time, either.” Lirion gestured toward Fenric’s groin. “I can give you a blow job and be fed just fine from that.”
“Like you did in the alley?”
“Er, well, yes.”
Fenric considered his words. Decided naw, that didn’t sit well with him.
“I’d prefer to reciprocate. Rather, I’d feel awkward not reciprocating.
I try not to be a selfish lover. Also, please don’t feel awkward approaching me.
I rarely get regular sex. Between traveling so much and moving as a group, I might have sex maybe three times a year. ”
Lirion’s eyes crossed, and he spluttered for a full minute before managing to say, “That’s all?!”
Fenric shrugged. “Don’t know what to tell you. Just works out that way.”
Lirion’s eyes were still in danger of falling out of his head. “But you’re stunningly gorgeous. You can’t tell me people don’t make offers!”
“Well…to be honest, I’m bad at the whole flirting thing if it’s not related to a job.
For some reason, I’m not as good at it when I’m actually trying to get laid.
” Fenric winced and scrubbed a hand through his hair nervously.
“Hapi likes to point out that I rarely notice when someone’s flirting.
Which is part of the reason I wanted to have this conversation. Just be blunt, don’t be subtle.”
Lirion dropped his head into one hand, laughing, but it sounded incredulous. “Of all the things to tell me, I never expected you to say that.”
“I guess that’s really weird to you, me not having sex often.”
“Inconceivable to me,” Lirion corrected, lifting his head again. This time, his eyes seemed to study Fenric like he was seeing him anew. “But I think I understand how it happens? Because you’re not pushy.”
Fenric shook his head and swallowed hard. “Not in this, no.”