Page 38 of Starlight

He gave his reflection a nod and muttered, “You’ve got this.”

Except he didn’t feel like he had anything aside from lust and hope. Which was still more than he had had a week ago…

He dried off and pulled on his pajamas, because he wasn’t going to walk out there wearing only a towel to ask if Akai wanted some of this the way one ex-boyfriend had.

With his pulse bouncing in his throat, he stepped out of the safety of the bathroom to an immaculate kitchen and a sofa instead of a sofa bed. Akai was sitting on the sofa; one arm draped over the edge, looking anything but relaxed.

“Do you need me to show you how to pull the bed out?” But Akai had folded it up.

“You should sleep in your bed,” Akai said.

“You won’t fit on the sofa bed.” They’d already had that conversation last weekend, and Cole was willing to bet Akai’s feet hung off the edge of his bed.

Akai’s gaze flicked over him, the light catching in the red of his eyes. He swallowed, but his gaze remained steady. “I’m hoping we both fit in your bed.”

“Oh.” This is what he wanted, so why were his feet glued to the floor?

Akai stood and closed the couple of feet between them. “This is where you either say yes or kick me out because staying will be…uncomfortable.”

Cole tilted his head to look up at him. “You want to sleep with me?”

“I want to do more than sleep next you.” Akai’s voice was low and soft. His fingers traced along Cole’s jaw.

Cole could barely breathe. He nodded, then realized that he needed to say something. “Yes…I’ve been thinking about it all week.”

Fuck, that was too much.

Now he sounded desperate.

Akai smiled. “So have I. But I wasn’t sure how to approach you, even after you walked in smelling of lust.”

“You can smell that?” Heat bloomed on his cheeks and spread down his throat. It would’ve been a hell of a lot easier if he’d known how Akai felt sooner. He wouldn’t have stressed himself out in the bathroom for a start, he could’ve relaxed knowing that the ball was in Akai’s possession since he had more info.

Akai nodded and leaned down, his fingers threading through Cole’s hair. “I’m going to kiss you now.” His lips brushed over Cole’s. “I’ve never kissed a human, so you’re going to have to help me out.”

“I’ve never kissed a monster. Is that rude?”

“No ruder than me calling you human.”

That was good to know. He tilted his head, giving Akai better access to his mouth, and lifted onto his toes. Akai placed his other hand on Cole’s hip, the tips of his claws pressing through the thin fabric of his pajama pants and into his skin, as he kissed Cole as if he’d been waiting for years, not days.

Cole spread his fingers over Akai’s chest, enjoying the silky feel of his hair and the heat of his body. Akai’s tongue traced over his lip and slid in as soon as Cole opened his mouth. And Cole pressed against him, needing to be touched everywhere. There was no mistaking the hard length that pressed against his belly and made his own dick throb with need.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Akai didn’t want to stop holding or kissing Cole in case he changed his mind, and Akai found himself sleeping on the deck instead of in bed next to his human. So far, kissing a human wasn’t too different from kissing a monster. Yes, Cole was shorter than him, and instead of smooth hair on his face, his jaw was lined with rough stubble, but he also fit against him nicely.

Did that mean they’d fit together when naked?

He probably should’ve asked someone who was actually mated to a human how things worked and what it was like. He was thinking too far ahead.

This might be a one-time thing, or an only while he was in the cabin thing, or maybe if he was passing through thing. It wasn’t as though he could exist in Cole’s world. They couldn’t be seen together in human towns.

Cole could exist in his world, but that meant leaving the life he had behind or at least limiting contact. It was too much to talk about tonight. Tonight, he was getting everything he’d been thinking about all week, and that should be enough.

Cole pushed against his chest, and Akai broke the kiss. Had he done something wrong? Cole seemed to be enjoying it from the scent of his skin and the beat of his heart. He pushed him again, and Akai stepped backward closer to the sofa.

There was a gleam in Cole’s eyes as he pushed a third time. This time, Akai dragged Cole with him as he stepped back and sat on the sofa. Cole straddled his thighs and kissed him. Moving closer and rocking his hips, his cock grinding against his hard length.