“Why do you do this to yourself?” Wesley said, and this time his hand did come up, fingers lightly touching Sebastian’s bruised cheek. “You were doing it in London, forcing yourself to move on immediately from literal blood magic. Now it’s been barely a couple weeks without magic, yet you believe you’re required to have already mastered a non-magic life?”
His words were sharp but his fingers gentle as theydrifted forward to twine in the damp hair at the back of Sebastian’s head. “When life knocks you down, you can take a damn breath before you get back up,” Wesley said gruffly. “You can even rely on others. Imagine that.”
Sebastian’s heart was beating faster, the warmth in his chest spreading through him. “I think you just said you’re going to keep fighting speakeasies for me.” It came out more serious, and less of a joke, than Sebastian had meant.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Wesley said. “I mean, for fuck’s sake. I think a knife fight was genuinely an easier feat than trying to fit together in this bathtub.”
“We really don’t fit,” Sebastian said, and kissed him again anyway.
Wesley’s mouth opened for his, letting his tongue slide between his lips as Sebastian’s hand slipped under the water. He wrapped his hand around Wesley’s cock and heard him suck in a breath.
“We don’t fucking fit,” Wesley said, against his lips, his cock stiffening in Sebastian’s hand, “and soap in water is not nearly as slippery as one thinks it ought to be.”
“It really isn’t.” Sebastian stroked him anyway, swallowing his groans with kisses. Earlier, outside of Jade’s door, he’d been ready to pull Wesley on top of him. Now, though, he felt raw, aware of how lost he was without magic, aware that he didn’t really know how to move on into a world where he didn’t have it. But he had Wesley beneath him, letting him set the pace, pliant under Sebastian’s hand and lips, like maybe this was what he wanted too.
Sebastian broke the kiss, moving his lips to Wesley’sneck and ear instead. “Can I take you to bed?” he whispered, gliding his hand up and down Wesley’s cock.
“Christ.” Wesley’s eyelashes fluttered. “You can take me anywhere you like as long as it’s bigger and softer than this fucking tub.”
Sebastian huffed a half laugh and pulled all the way back.
They didn’t manage to grab towels, stumbling out of the bathroom together with lips locked and hands on each other’s skin until they fell as one onto the bed. Sebastian pushed Wesley over, and he went easily onto his back. The curtains were drawn and the bedroom lights off, but light spilled in from the bathroom, illuminating the long, strong lines of Wesley’s body for Sebastian’s eyes.
Sebastian crawled over him, balancing on all fours. Wesley had strength but didn’t bend easily—in bed or in life—and Sebastian liked him just the way he was. “Ninguna magia podría encantarme como tú,” he murmured.
Wesley’s cheeks were flushed, his eyes gone half-lidded. “What are you saying?”
“Sappy things you won’t want to hear in English.”
“I know encantar isenchantand tú isyouand I can guess magia ismagic.”
Sebastian kissed his neck, and Wesley’s head fell back, giving him better access. “Then you can guess maybe something enchants me more than magic.”
“No, stop, you’re forbidden from saying anything so outrageously sentimental.”
“There was a reason I said it in Spanish.” Sebastian dipped his head to kiss Wesley’s collarbone, then shifted to drop a kiss on his stomach.
Wesley arched up. “As much as I’d like you to keep going with that mouth,” he said, breathless and needy, “I suspect that bruise on your face will not be pleased with what you’re planning.”
Sebastian kissed his stomach again, and his cheek twinged as if in agreement with Wesley. Fitting anything in his mouth would hurt. “I’m fine,” he said stubbornly.
Wesley tsked. “Such a bad liar.”
“You’re not as big as you always think you are.”
“That’s not what you said the last time I fucked you.”
Sebastian huffed a laugh into Wesley’s skin. “I can handle a little pain, Wes. Aren’t you the one who knows what to do with a flogger?”
“You’re trying to distract me, but I know you’re well aware that’s a different game.” Wesley’s hand touched his hair, light and almost hesitantly gentle. “Christ, I’m still angry at that fucking degenerate who laid hands on you tonight. And I think you better fuck me before I storm that jail and demand to revive some of history’s most gruesome and excruciating punishments.”
Sebastian glanced up. “That’s so…violently sweet?”
“You did say you wanted more romance.”
Another laugh escaped Sebastian. Beneath him, Wesley’s muscles were flexed and tensed, his cock hard and straining. Visibly wanting more, but he wasn’t demanding it—was letting Sebastian take the lead.
“I think I understand why you liked this,” Sebastian said, pushing away the twinge using the past tense,liked, had caused.
