Page 24 of Surging Reef
“Yes, like that.” Ashby nuzzled him again and pressed closer. Kazimir didn’t mind being trapped between the car and Ashby’s hard body, didn’t mind at all.
“Mr. Wrenley.”
Kazimir froze and looked in the direction of the prim voice. Alan was standing at the bottom of his driveway.
“This is not appropriate behavior. There are children in this neighborhood.”
Kazimir looked between Alan and Ashby.
Ashby shrugged. “I can fuck you on the kitchen table instead.”
Alan spluttered, and Kazimir should be horrified but a laugh bubbled out of him. “Yes, let’s take it to the kitchen. Are you staying to watch, Mr. Anderson?”
Alan harrumphed and stomped away. Ashby swept his arm out. “Come on, get to it.”
Shaking his head, Kazimir walked toward the stairs. “Time to go inside, Pharos.”
When Pharos came close, Kazimir picked him up and carried him up the steps. Ashby walked behind them with their two backpacks from the car.
Kazimir entered the kitchen and poured Pharos a bowl of food, then he studied Ashby. He looked good, a little tired perhaps, but Kazimir assumed he looked more so. “How about the bed instead of the kitchen table?”
“Is it a wish?”
“No, idiot. It’s a suggestion.”
Ashby walked closer, slowly, and Kazimir’s throat went dry.
“Are you sure? You know you could wish for almost anything. Twice.”
“Nah, I think I’ll save my wishes for something I can’t get elsewhere.”
Ashby snorted and before Kazimir could make sense of what happened, he had Kazimir slung over his shoulder. “Hey! Put me down!” Grown men did not get carried around.
“In a bit.” Ashby walked up the stairs at a rapid pace as if Kazimir didn’t weigh a thing, and it was…disturbing. He’d known Ashby was stronger than him, but he had to bea lotstronger.
Once they got up the last flight of stairs, Ashby passed the walk-in closet turned guest room and walked into Kazimir’s bedroom. He gently tipped Kazimir onto the bed. “There.”
“There? I do not appreciate being carried.”
Ashby shrugged and pulled his shirt over his head, revealing a toned torso. There were no traces of him having been a skeleton mere days ago. How fast did vampire bodies change?
“Is this your basic form?”
Ashby stilled. “What?”
“It’s…you look good—”
“Thank you.”
“—but a couple of days ago, you were a skeleton. Is this your core form, the one you bounce back to?”
Ashby did a weird shrug-nod. “Sounds about right.”
“Sounds about right?”
“I’ve never been a skeleton before, so I didn’t know how quickly it would go, but yeah, seems like.” He undid the button in his jeans and pushed them down. Kazimir did nothing but watch. Ashby stilled and looked at him. “What’s taking so long?”
“Are you in a hurry?”
