Adonis cast him a questioning look.
“I’ll show you, okay? Nothing too intense. I’m shattered.” Connor leaned in, stopping just before his lips touched Adonis. “You’ll let me show you? Promise? No tongue?”
Adonis nodded.
Connor touched his lips lightly to Adonis. And in moments, he was greeted with an enthusiastic tongue teasing against his.
Connor groaned, breathless when he pulled away for air. “Adonis, you promised!”
Adonis grinned up at him, his eyes shining. “Lie,” he said.
Connor stared down at Adonis, aghast. “You little devil.”
His boyfriend wasn’t as sweet as he thought. Connor went still. The thought had flitted into his head unprompted. Connor looked at Adonis, finding that the feelings welling up in him had a distinctive, possessive edge to them, as well as his thoughts. Adonis felt like his boyfriend. And the way Adonis gazed up at him made him hope he thought the same.
Connor lay down next to Adonis, resting his head on his arm. “Are we boyfriends?” Connor asked. “Like… a couple, partners?” He threw out a few words to be sure Adonis understood.
“Mates,” Adonis answered.
Mates. It struck a cord in Connor and sated something inside him that ached in want. “I like that,” he said.
Adonis leaned in, rubbing his cheek against Connor’s. “Mate.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
Adonis whining woke Connor. The heat that had Connor sweating through his shirt disappeared, and cold air washed over him. He groaned, upset to be disturbed, and blinked to awareness. The early dawn sky greeted him as he heard a splash. By the time he’d groggily gotten into a sitting position to see the ocean past his feet, he also heard the footsteps.
“Connor!” Trevor called. There was stark relief in his voice. Connor twisted his torso and watched Trevor approach. He wore sleeping shorts and an oversized t-shirt, and his hair was wild like he’d just rolled out of bed.
Connor rubbed his eyes, sighing in annoyance. He’d been in a deep sleep, and his body didn’t appreciate being dragged from it. Nor did his patience.
“Where’s the fire?” Connor muttered, annoyed.
Trevor released a short exhale. “Laurence told me you weren’t in your room. After the news last night, I was worried. Not to mention your phone was—were you sleeping out here?” Trevor changed course mid-sentence.
Connor rubbed his cheek, trying to massage out a mark he could feel. “I fell asleep when I came out,” Connor said, his voice croaking in exhaustion.
“It isfarfrom safe to fall asleep on the dock, Connor. Never mind the danger of falling into the ocean—it’s freezing out here.”
Yeah. Now that Trevor had scared away his little hot box, it was. Correction; hisbighot box. Connor got to his feet with a groan, his body sore from sleeping on the hard ground. “I might disown you, Trevor,” Connor informed him.
“You can’t disown me for worrying about you.”
“I was in a deep sleep. It was wonderful. And now I’m cold.”
“Come in. You need to get warmed up.”
Connor trudged past Trevor. “What time is it?”
“A little after five,” Trevor said.
“Five? What was Laurence doing going into my room atfive? I’m disowning him, too,” Connor muttered darkly.
“I think you need to get a bit more sleep.”
“And what would I be doing if someone hadn’t stomped down to wake me up?” Connor asked, voice biting in sarcasm. When Trevor didn’t reply, guilt prodded at Connor’s heart. His anger cooled quick, though not his annoyance. Adonis had wanted to spend the night with him, and their time had gotten cut short. Again.
But it wasn’t like Trevor was aware of that.
