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“I’m not a god.”
Orrin rolled his eyes. “Semantics. You know what I mean.”
Resting his hands atop Orrin’s thighs, Erus squeezed gently, kneading the muscles with his fingers as he considered him. “Perhaps I reacted a bit harshly.”
Well, it was a start. “And what about Wren?”
“I never had any intentions of hurting him.” Erus smiled as he reached up to brush his thumb over Orrin’s cheek. “I’m actually quite fond of him.”
Orrin couldn’t claim to be surprised. Armed with a biting wit and an almost childlike innocence, Wren had a way of winning over the most hardened of hearts. Hell, Tyr liked him, and Orrin wasn’t sure that the shifter even liked himself.
“The people in the lobby?”
Erus shrugged again. “They annoyed me.” His smile returned as he caressed Orrin’s cheek again. “Don’t worry, asteraki. They were gone for maybe a minute, two at most, and they will suffer no lasting damage.”
When he put it that way, it didn’t sound so bad, and to be fair, Orrin had witnessed Otherlings do far worse to each other for less. That didn’t mean he condoned it but knowing no one had been harmed did ease some of his anxiety.
“Anything else?”
He wanted to know more about his mate’s life. More about the Underworld, and the gods who inhabited it. There were so many things he wanted to ask, but he kept getting distracted by the barbells gleaming on Erus’ chest.
Following his gaze, Erus glanced down at his nipples, then back up with a knowing grin. “Do you like them?”
Orrin nodded. It would be a lie to claim otherwise.
“Do you want to touch them?”
The slight growl in his voice was sinful, and Orrin’s cheeks immediately flamed at the insinuation in his tone. “I…uh…I don’t think that’s—”
Making the decision for him, Erus took his hand and brought it to his chest, right over his left nipple. “It’s okay, asteraki. You can touch me anywhere you want.”
Though flames still licked at his skin, he couldn’t resist such an open invitation. Cupping the side of Erus’ pectoral, he ran his thumb over the little ball at the end of the barbell. His head snapped up when his mate hissed, but it wasn’t pain Orrin found on his face.
Erus watched him with pure, unveiled lust shining in his obsidian gaze. When Orrin stroked his nipple again, his thighs tensed, and a muscle in his jaw jumped as a low rumble vibrated in his chest.
He had done that. He had elicited that reaction from his mate. It was a heady feeling, powerful, and he wanted more of it.
For the past two hundred years, he had lived inside a cage. One of splendor with shiny bars and gilded locks, but still a cage. There were always people watching him, scrutinizing everything he said, everything he did. They swarmed like ants, invading every part of his life, even the most private moments that weren’t meant to be shared with the world.
As the heir to the throne, it had been made clear to him that love wouldn’t necessarily be a part of his future. Status, political alliance, and offspring were far more important than whether he actually liked the person. When the time came, an appropriate consort would be chosen for him, and he would have little say in the matter.
As such, he had almost no experience when it came to intimacy, and even less with romantic relationships. He had never been given the opportunity to explore a lover’s body or learn what they liked. Sexual encounters happened rarely, and when they did, they were fumbled and hurried in dark corners, a race to completion before being discovered.
Wren had once expressed an assumption that, as a prince, Orrin could do whatever he wanted. A common misconception, and one he had heard countless times over the centuries. In reality, however, any perceived freedom was merely an illusion.
“Don’t stop.”
His mate’s voice dragged him back to the present, and he realized his hand was now simply resting on Erus’ chest, unmoving. “I don’t know what to do.”
It cost him much to admit that, but he figured being honest up front would save him deeper embarrassment later.
Erus studied him for a moment, but there was no judgment or accusation in his eyes. “Whatever you want. There’s no right or wrong answer.”
Whatever he wanted. No one had ever said that to him before. They weren’t words spoken in the heat of the moment without thought or care, either. Erus meant them.
“Can I kiss you?”
Erus slid his hand up Orrin’s arm and over the top of his shoulder to palm the side of his neck. “I thought you’d never ask.”
