“And there’s the lion,” Wesley said.
Sebastian smiled, happy and almost shy. “Still?”
“He’s right here. All mine.” Wesley used his hand to turn Sebastian’s wrist to one side then the other, admiring the tattoo. “And I still can’t believe I’m the only one your magic lets see the lion. You don’t want to know what that does to me.”
Sebastian squeezed his hands where they held his own. “Show me,” he said, half a plea, as he stretched up to kiss Wesley again.
They made short work of the last of each other’s clothes, stripping down to bare skin that warmed like fire everywhere Sebastian’s skin touched his. They were both already hard, and it took all of Wesley’s self-control not to give in to the need to simply get them both off immediately. But he forced himself to wait, to distract Sebastian with kisses as he worked the lid off the tube.
Sebastian wasn’t a virgin, Wesley knew that, but he hadn’t done this with a man before. Wesley was self-aware enough to recognize the possessiveness burning his chest, the determination to make it so good Sebastian would never want anyone else.
He kissed Sebastian until he was boneless, the tension melted from his body. His own cock ached with need, but he ignored it, his mouth on Sebastian’s throat as he took his time working him open with slick fingers.
They hadn’t bothered to turn the lamp on, and the room was lit only by the gray twilight outside of their window, slowly deepening into a night tinged with the yellow glow of the street lamps. But it was enough light to see Sebastian’s face, to make sure those pretty eyes were screwed shut with pleasure, not pain, and that Wesley kept it that way.
The more Wesley worked him over, the more Sebastian’s grace vanished, until his hands were fumbling with clumsy desperation on Wesley’s shoulders and back. “Wes, please.”
“Beg all you want, you’ll get nowhere. I’m a terrible man without an ounce of mercy and I’ll only enjoy it.” Wesley crooked his fingers inside Sebastian just to feel the bite of nails on his shoulders, just to hear the half groan, half whine in his throat. “And this turnabout is fair play, duck. All those times you’ve had me helpless under your magic and now I’ve got you the same way.”
Sebastian arched, rubbing his body against Wesley’s hard prick, and Wesley swallowed the needy sound that nearly escaped his own throat, because for all his talk he was barely hanging on to the need to show thembothmercy.
When he finally pushed inside Sebastian, Wesley saw stars. Sebastian buried his face in Wesley’s neck, his grip going so tight on Wesley’s shoulders and back that he’d hopefully have marks the next day.
“That’s—big,” he said hoarsely, making Wesley shiver with pleasure as teeth grazed skin.
“Thank you.”
Sebastian huffed a laugh, and this was new to Wesley, the wonder of sharing laughter while your bodies were joined. “You’re sosmug.”
“I’ve gotyou, of course I’m smug.” Wesley rocked his hips, the smallest motion, and Sebastian made a sound that spiked Wesley’s desire even higher. “Talk to me, darling, I want you to feel good. What’s going through your head?”
Sebastian’s face was still pressed to Wesley’s neck, his breathy whisper hot on Wesley’s skin. “I’m lucky, so lucky to have you, you’re bright and vivid as a new tattoo. I think you’re inking yourself over all my bad memories so now I only see you.”
Oh, that wasunfair, that was enough to make Wesley think his heartwasn’tmade of stone. Stone couldn’t beat this fast, could it? Feel this warm, this happy in his chest?
Wesley moved his hips again, slow and deeper, sweet torture for them both. “Well, you’ve made me believe in fairy tales, you arse,” he said, voice unsteady. “Because I got a fairy tale when I got you.”
When he wrapped a hand around Sebastian’s cock, it drew panted words in his two languages. Wesley pushed his own overwhelming need to the side and kept his attention on Sebastian, on making Sebastian’s tension climb, on drawing more sounds of pleasure, on the desperate noises and flexing muscles, on hazy eyes and flushed skin.
“You’re going to come apart in my arms any second, aren’t you?” Wesley said into his ear. He moved his hips to drive that tiniest bit deeper inside, and Sebastian closed his eyes with a groan. “Just for me, like your lion is just for me.”
Wesley sped his hand up, and Sebastian did come apart, in a full-body shudder under Wesley. Wesley kissed him to swallow the sounds before they escaped the room, and finally let himself follow Sebastian into bliss.
He came back to his senses, sweaty and breathing hard, his forehead against Sebastian’s shoulder and one of Sebastian’s arms heavy around his waist. Sebastian’s eyes were closed, and he didn’t seem like he was capable of moving, so Wesley kissed his collarbone and rolled off him, then put a hand on Sebastian’s shoulder and pulled him onto his side too, so they lay face-to-face on the same pillow.
“All right there?” Wesley said, as he let himself lightly stroke his hand up and down Sebastian’s side just because he still wanted to touch him.
“Yeah.” Sebastian’s hair was sticking to his forehead, his waves tousled and wilder. He was smiling softly, almost like he was tipsy. “Wesley?”
“What, sweetheart?” The endearment slipped out, but that was hardly his fault; what could be sweeter than bliss-drunk Sebastian?
Sebastian took a deep breath. “I know you have no more reasons to need me,” he whispered. “But I don’t want you to go. Can we—stay together?”
Wesley stared at him. And then he broke into a smile, a real one, big enough that it hurt the muscles unused to such a ridiculous expression. “I must be an incredible shag if you’re asking me that, because clearly I’ve fucked all the good sense out of your head.”
Sebastian shook his head fondly. “You helped me feel like maybe I can finally bemeagain,” he said. “And if I’m really free to go after the life I want, all I want isyou.”
“Me.” Wesley was the lucky one, and he owed the love-struck poets of the world an apology because they hadn’t been exaggerating after all. He slid his arm around Sebastian. “You obviously don’t know what’s good for you if you’re giving me a chance to keep you. If I were a nice man, I’d let you come to your senses.”
