Page 33 of Forsaken

I kissed him again, but when I made a move to pull out of his body, he locked his ankles around my lower half to keep me where I was.

“Not yet, okay?” he said, his voice barely audible. “Just not yet.”

“Okay,” I murmured as I settled my head against his chest and listened to the sound of his still racing heart. I knew I was too heavy for him, but when I tried to even shift some of my weight off of him and to the side, he tightened his arms around me.

I sighed in relief. He wasn’t letting me go…yet.

Chapter 12

Eli

I stilled my hand when Mav shifted beneath my touch, but when he didn’t wake up, I continued letting my fingers trace one of the snake tattoos that ran the length of his back. When I’d seen them the first time, I hadn’t been sure how far past the waistband of his pants the tattoos went, but now that Mav was lying face down on the bed, the comforter kicked down past his ass, I had my answer. Each snake’s tail was curved around the globes of Mav’s gorgeous backside and like the tattoo on his chest, the artistry was so flawless that it looked like the snakes could come to life at any moment.

We’d both fallen asleep with the lights still on after Mav had finally been forced to withdraw from me so he could get rid of the condom. He’d ended up having to clean me up with a washcloth and maneuver me under the covers because I’d been completely useless after the earth-shattering orgasm that had left me utterly drained. Though I suspected much of that had had to do with the intense emotions I’d been dealing with as Mav had made love to me. I wasn’t sure if he saw what we’d done as making love, but it was the only way I could describe what had happened between us. I’d been fucked plenty of times and while I’d never enjoyed it, a couple of my customers had actually been gentle with me…one had even whispered that he loved me as he’d been fucking me. But I’d never been foolish enough to believe the act had anything to do with love. In my mind, fucking had always been about one guy using another to get off and nothing more. But what had happened between me and Mav…it was so much more than that.

It had to be. The things I’d seen in Mav’s eyes as we’d become one couldn’t be faked.

Could they?

“Don’t.”

The whispered word had me looking up from Mav’s back to see he’d turned his head so he was facing in my direction.

“Don’t what?” I asked as I automatically removed my hand from his back.

Mav reached out with his right hand and gently tugged my lip free of the hold I had on it with my teeth. I hadn’t even realized I’d reverted to the habit at some point.

“Don’t think about whatever has you so worried,” he murmured. He reached for my hand and put it back on his back. “Don’t stop that either,” he added. “Feels good.”

I smiled and let my nails gently rake over his back. My fingers caught on some scratches in the middle of his back and I realized I’d been the one to put them there.

“Those felt good too,” Mav whispered and I glanced up to see him with a happy smirk on his face.

I held his gaze for a moment before I leaned down and brushed my lips over each scratch. When I lifted, I continued exploring the tattoo. He shivered as I massaged him lightly with my fingers.

“Do they have some special meaning to you?” I asked as I motioned to the tattoos.

Mav curled his arms under the pillow. I hated that his eyes darkened and that he shifted them away from me.

“Some Native American cultures revere snakes, but most hate and fear them. My grandfather believed them to be evil spirits. As soon as I could afford it, they were the first tattoos I got.”

“Why two?” I asked.

“Because I’m what’s known as a Winkte…Two Spirit.”

I stilled my hand and looked at him. “Two Spirit?”

“Someone who has both masculine and feminine spirits.”

“Because you’re gay,” I ventured.

Mav nodded. “Two Spirits are also revered in some cultures. They’re believed to be gifted by the Creator to view the world from two perspectives.”

“But not yours,” I said in understanding.

“My grandfather believed in the cultural definition that Winktes are non-men.” Mav’s voice was casual and light, but I didn’t miss the hint of bitterness beneath the words. “Two spirits, two snakes, two ways to say fuck you,” he said simply.

“And the phoenix?” I asked as I let my hand drift lower until I was caressing his ass. Mav closed his eyes and sucked in a breath.

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