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Problem was, I had no idea what any of it meant. This seemed to be becoming our new unspoken routine—he sees me sucking myself off. He makes himself come. We meet on our back decks for a post-nut cooldown where neither of us actually addresses it, until he inevitably gets all cute and annoyed about something arbitrary and storms off to bed.

It was fun.

And hot.

I wondered what he’d do if he came out onto his back deck one night and found me sucking myself off then and there.

Kinda wanted to do it just to see how he’d react.

“Shit, bro,” Vince muttered, nudging my arm as we wandered closer to the ring. “Look.”

He jerked his chin toward a top section of seating. I peered over, then stiffened when I saw the tops of two small mustard heads peeking out from behind a seat, beady little eyes blinking down at me.

I raised a hand reflexively to clasp my throat, even though I was currently in my human form. “This is harassment, surely.”

“Maybe we can rig something up.” Vince’s voice was laced with sympathy. “Like… Velcro straps.”

“I feel like I should be offended.” I knocked his shoulder with mine as we got closer to Rafe and Paxton. The latter was fiddling with his camera, while my surly neighbour bent his head over the cables in his hand and tried to look busy untangling them. I could tell he was paying attention to us, though.

“Then how about a dog collar and leash?” Vince smirked and nudged me back. “I’ve leashed a few men in my time. It’s hot.”

My brow quirked, and I suppressed a grin when the back of Rafe’s neck darkened with a blush. He was definitely listening. “Yeah?”

“Oh yeah. Forcing a man to crawl toward you on his hands and knees as you tighten his leash? Nothing quite like that power rush, bro.”

“I wouldn’t be opposed to being collared and leashed in the right setting,” I drawled, slyly watching Rafe. His throat bobbed with a swallow, the flush crawling up his neck as he pretended to be very busy with his cables. “But it’s not all that hot if I’m the one holding the leash just so two weird little goblins don’t run off with my head. Plus, they’d just slide the collar off.”

“What about attaching the leash to a ball gag?” Vince snickered, then gave Rafe a friendly grin when he realised the quiet ghoul had finally given in and lifted his head to stare at us. “Hey. Uh… Rob, right?”

“Rafe,” I supplied, shooting my neighbour a crooked smirk when his gaze darted to me.

He scowled back in reflex, then smoothed out his expression as he looked at Vince. “It’s Rafe. And you’re Vince. The, uh… the Rolling Rimmer.”

Vince grinned. “That’s right. You know what’s up,” he added jovially, nudging the other ghoul’s shoulder with his protein shake. Rafe flinched slightly and gave him a tight-lipped smile as Vince flung his arm around my neck and yanked me closer.

A second later, his long grey tongue was waggling by my cheek. I squawked out a laugh and fought to get away, shoving at Vince’s midsection.

“Rafe knows all about what a ghoul tongue can do, right, bro?” He snickered and waved his tongue in my face as I laughed and tried to squirm away. It would’ve been easier to just shift into my true form so I could pop my head free from his hold and escape, but no fucking way when Frank and Beans were lurking.

Though, Vince brought up a point I’d never considered. All ghouls had longer-than-average tongues—Vince’s, I was pretty sure, was abnormally long, even for a ghoul—but I’d never made that connection when it came to my neighbour.

That was kind of hot.

I eyed Rafe furtively. He was blushing again and looking anywhere but at us.

I’d had a lot of sex in my life, and I liked to think I was pretty good at guessing how people would act in bed. Rafe was quiet and introverted and surly, but loyal and seemingly a hard worker. He also, from what I’d gathered living next door to him for several years, liked a routine and was good at following one.

I was pretty sure he’d be great in bed. Dedicated to making sure his partner had a good time. Stubborn enough to accept nothing less than perfection. Conscientious enough to put in the time and learn how best to make someone come.

And eager. Eager to be told what to do and how to do it. Eager to be used for pleasure. I could just tell.

Shame he despised me. We could’ve had some fun.

“You met Dan before, right?” Vince asked, turning to gesture at me.

That blush spread back over Rafe’s narrow face.

“Yes,” he said tightly, giving me a clipped nod before turning toward his laptop.