Page 38 of Heart of the High King
“Consider it done, Elf,” Aleksander responded.
“If I could have everyone’s attention, we can get started,” Chrysander called out, and the room quieted. For the next sixty-three minutes, Aleksander paid strict attention to Their Majesties and the rest of the advisory panel. When it was over, there were no lingering good-byes as many had other meetings to get to or other important obligations. The D’Vaire contingent was teleported by Dra’Kaedan from the conference space to a spot in front of the house so they wouldn’t land on anyone inside, at Aleksander’s specific request. Rafferty had been in the living room when they left, and there was no way Aleksander was going to shock a man not used to magic or let anyone stumble into him. Aleksander pulled off his crown as Brogan opened the door. Royal duty aside, all he wanted to do now was hang out with his mate.
∞∞∞
In a pair of pajama pants sewn by Larissa that featured a space theme with little dragons wearing helmets, Rafferty relaxed on a sofa with a beer in his hand. The movies were over, and he and Aleksander had retreated to a private lounge room several hours ago. It was about three in the morning, but he had no rush to find his bed; he was enjoying talking with his best friend.
“Don’t make me eat this by myself,” Aleksander demanded, taking a handful of the popcorn smothered in white and milk chocolate they’d stolen from the huge buffet Noirin and Kendrick had set out for their evening.
Rafferty glanced to make sure his hoodie covered all his lumps. “Please, the last thing I need is more food.”
“What’s that mean? Are you full?”
Turning on his side to face Aleksander, who was only a few feet from him with the bowl of food between them, he gave him an incredulous look. “I’m fat.”
“The fuck?”
“You’re too nice. You’ll never admit it, but I’m probably the only fat dragon you’ve ever seen. I’ve had people stop and stare.”
Aleksander shuddered. “I hate it when people stare at me, but there’s nothing wrong with your body. You like food, and maybe you twisted that in your mind to mean you’re fat, but that’s not the case.”
Since Rafferty didn’t believe him and refused to keep arguing with him, he changed the subject. “You and Dra’Kaedan have an interesting relationship.”
With a laugh, Aleksander nodded. “Yes, we do. One day he knocked on my front door and completely upended my life. There’s only one other person who has ever affected me so profoundly. We call each other names and swap fake insults but the reality is, there’s a deep well of love and respect there. He’s an incredible man with a fiery temper and a heart of pure gold. And he’s had choices. When the Coven of Warlocks was awarded land and money, he could’ve moved his sanctuary there so he could run it without interference. Instead, he deeded the land to Court Bera, and the money went into a fund for the sanctuary. He pays Court D’Vaire monthly for every piece of food and household or personal item purchased by Noir and Kendrick for any applicant accepted, as well as a rental fee for their rooms. Those were his ideas, and I agreed only if he would give me a percentage of the annual revenue he gets from donations to invest.”
“Who was the other person who affected you?”
“My mate.”
“You looked really nice in your crown and everything.” Rafferty rolled his eyes. “Why the fuck do I keep using the word ‘nice’? I mean handsome.”
“There’s nothing wrong with ‘nice,’ but is it hard for you to think of me as handsome?”
Suddenly uncomfortable, Rafferty shifted on the dragonskin couch as he tried to put his thoughts in some semblance of order. Reaching over, he set his bottle down after draining his beer. “I don’t know. I still can’t figure out if I’m gay or not. I mean, I guess Fate thinks so, but then why did she make my family so intolerant? I’m not sure they could ever come to terms with you being my mate. I like being with you, and we talk constantly. I’ve never been closer to anyone, but I don’t want to lead you on because I just don’t know if I might be able to move forward with the relationship you want.”
“Rafe, there’s no deadline here. I’m not the one who must face my family. My sexuality is not in question either. You don’t have to make promises or anything of the sort. What I want is for you to continue to be my best friend. We can figure out if there’s anything more when or if you’re ever comfortable with that.”
“I keep asking myself if I was gay all along and just buried it because of my family. I don’t know. There’s so much confusion in my head. When we kiss, I wonder what it would be like to go a little further, but I’m terrified of it at the same time. Something’s wrong with me.”
“There’s nothing wrong with you. If your family was accepting, do you think the fear you have of intimacy would be there?”
It was simply too embarrassing to admit that until Aleksander he couldn’t imagine anything sexual with someone else, so Rafferty shrugged. “I have no idea. I’m just trying to figure out who I really am, what my feelings mean, and what a realistic goal is for the future.” Lifting his head, their gazes locked. “What I do know is that no one is as important to me as you.”
“Thank you for your honesty, Rafe. It’s courageous of you to tell me what you’re feeling and that you even want to continue trying to figure out what this thing is that Fate has given us. Your eyes…with those beautiful thick lashes,” Aleksander said quietly. Setting aside the popcorn, he scooted a little closer. “They give away what you’re thinking. At least to me, and I can see the confusion when you look at me. I know there’s a war inside you. There’s nothing wrong with that, and I’m here for you, okay? I don’t ever want to do anything to spook you into thinking that I’m going to get fed up or stop talking to you.”
Rafferty shifted so that there were only a few inches between them. “I don’t know what we have, but I like it.”
“You feel like giving me a kiss?”
Rafe lifted his arms and managed to get them around Aleksander’s shoulders. His reward with a smiling dragon holding him, though not tightly, which Rafferty appreciated. Tilting his head, he pressed his mouth to Aleksander’s, but instead of the light busses they’d shared, he gave his bottom lip a tiny lick. Aleksander took advantage of Rafe’s shy invitation and gently slid his tongue forward. Rafferty stroked it with his own, and soon they were both exploring each other without any urgency.
To Rafferty’s astonishment, as they lay there making out, his cock grew hard. His mind might still be figuring things out, but suddenly his body knew what it wanted. It probably should’ve terrified him, but it felt natural to want Aleksander. Everything about him was comforting, and no one else had ever understood him the way Aleksander did. Somewhere in his baffled mind, it made sense that it was his best friend who enticed him, and when they were kissing, it didn’t matter that he was a guy.
Before he was ready, Aleksander pulled away to drop kisses on his nose and on each closed eyelid. “How’d we do?” he murmured.
Lifting the lashes Aleksander had praised, Rafferty gazed into his mate’s gorgeous face and they both smiled. “I’m not going to compliment it because I’ll say something stupid like nice, but I really enjoyed it.”
Aleksander chuckled. “I enjoyed it too. You feel like doing it again?”
“Absolutely.”
