Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63199 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
“I guess you aren’t that bad, either,” he said, biting his thumb.
Vlad’s blue eyes followed the gesture.
Vlad set Hermione down on the floor and said, “Come here.”
Sebastian’s heart jumped into his throat. Finally. He went, his knees a little weak.
He straddled Vlad’s lap.
Vlad put his hands on Sebastian’s lower back.
They looked each other in the eye.
Their uneven breathing was all Sebastian could hear.
“So I guess you still want me,” he murmured.
“Yes,” Vlad said and kissed him.
Vlad fucked him right there, on the kitchen table, fast and hard and earth-shatteringly good. The cake was ruined, but Sebastian couldn’t bring himself to care as he came with his legs wrapped around Vlad’s back and Vlad’s tongue in his mouth.
After that, they moved to the bedroom, where Vlad buried his face in the pillow as Sebastian fucked him from behind.
Afterward, they lay next to each other in companionable silence, sated and spent.
Sebastian didn’t remember falling asleep, but when he opened his eyes, he was alone.
Vlad was gone.
* * *
It was far less awkward after that.
Vlad came over every night. Most nights they said very little to each other, letting their bodies do the talking—too impatient and insatiable to talk.
But sometimes they talked.
Sometimes those conversations were fun and light-hearted.
“Let me get this straight,” Vlad said one night as they lay beside each other after the first orgasm of the night. “You’re going to name your cat’s kittens Rose and Hugo. As in, the names of fictional kids of Hermione Granger, the fictional character you named your cat after.”
“And what’s wrong with that?” Sebastian said, tucking his face under Vlad’s armpit and breathing in. It should have been gross, but for some reason, it wasn’t. He liked Vlad’s scent there. Loved it. “Personally, I think that’s a brilliant idea.”
“Oh, nothing wrong with it,” Vlad deadpanned. “Except the kittens could be boys. It would be a little awkward to call a boy cat Rose, don’t you think?”
Sebastian pouted and said haughtily, “I don’t believe in gender stereotypes. There’s nothing wrong with calling a boy Rose.”
Vlad gave him an exasperated look. “You’re so fucking ridiculous.” Burying his fingers in Sebastian’s hair, he tilted his face up to kiss him. “So pretentious. Stop talking.”
Sebastian grinned against his lips. “Maybe you should put something in my mouth?”
“Maybe I will,” Vlad said. and did just that.
But sometimes their conversations turned ugly, or rather, the mood turned dark and tense.
Sebastian had always been pretty empathic, and it took all of his self-control not to say anything when he saw the hint of shame and self-loathing on Vlad’s face after sex. It was obvious Vlad hadn’t gotten over his homophobic views—not that Sebastian had expected him to: that kind of homophobia was ingrained too deeply in him to overcome it so easily, if ever. Some people could never overcome their upbringing.
Sebastian had to constantly remind himself it was none of his business. They had agreed that their arrangement was strictly casual and he wouldn’t have to deal with Vlad’s shit. Keeping emotional distance was the sensible thing to do in this situation. Vlad had warned him himself that he couldn’t promise him anything. Vlad would end this thing the moment he fucked his obsession out of his system. Sebastian was grateful for Vlad’s honesty, really. He had already been burned once; he didn’t need another homophobic guy to fuck him up and stomp all over his heart if Sebastian let him in. He couldn’t get too invested in Vlad. It was just sex—really intense, addictive sex, but just sex nonetheless.
That was why he bit his tongue and said nothing when Vlad went very quiet and tense after sex. That was why he said nothing when Vlad fucked him extra hard, his face stony and his blue eyes closed off. That was why he said nothing as Vlad trailed his fingers over Sebastian’s face and chest when he thought Sebastian was asleep. That was why he said nothing when Vlad whispered something in Russian, sounding angry and frustrated.
Some things were better left unsaid.
Chapter 21
Luke was positive Vlad and Sebastian were having an illicit affair. The thought made him giggle—it reminded him of those trashy romance novels he used to read—but “illicit affair” was a perfect expression to define whatever was going on between Vlad and Sebastian. It wasn’t that there was something morally wrong with having a sexual relationship between two consenting adults, but Vlad certainly seemed to think so if his efforts to hide their affair from Luke were any indication.
Vlad left Luke’s flat only at night, after Luke went to bed, and he was always back before Luke got up in the morning. Luke wouldn’t have even known about Vlad’s nightly absences if he hadn’t checked the security logs. It wasn’t hard to figure out where Vlad was going every night considering that lately Vlad looked either well fucked and relaxed or incredibly gloomy and tense.