“No!” Brennan said, because he wasn’t going to hurt Cole, he was in control, but— “Theysometimes. Come out. When…”
Cole’s dark gaze flickered between Brennan’s eyes and lips like he understood. His mouth curved into the smallest smile. He closed the rest of the distance Brennan had created and brought one hand to Brennan’s face and oh-so-slowly pressed his thumb to the corner of his lip, where one of his fangs poked out. The next kiss Cole pressed to his mouth was gentle and light.
“I trust you,” Cole said.
“I could have hurt you,” Brennan protested, weak to his own ears.
“But you didn’t.”
“We should get out of the pool,” Brennan suggested.
“We should go back to your place.”
Brennan blinked a few times and wondered if a better vampire would have said no and gotten far away, but he was too far gone forthat. Instead, Brennan made a show of pinching himself. Cole flushed beautifully.
“We should definitely go back to my place,” Brennan agreed.
Brennan had never gotten out of a pool and into clothes faster in his life, even though they were giggling the whole time. Brennan was trying to help Cole not trip over himself in the dark, while Cole used the dark as an excuse to touch Brennan’s chest once and his ass twice, playing innocent but laughing loud and bright when Brennan teased him.
They were still damp when Cole locked up the pool. Once the door was locked, Brennan pressed Cole against it with another searing kiss, because apparently that was something he could do and he’d take advantage of that for as long as he could. Brennan only pulled away when Cole was smiling into the kiss too much.
They threaded their hands together to weave through the gym. Outside, the cold wind was harsh against their damp skin and hair.
“Shitting Christ,” Cole tugged his jacket closed and zipped it up. Damp curls dangled in his eyes, and for once, Brennan let himself push them out of his face. Cole’s eyes danced with affection. “At least it’s not far.”
Brennan glanced around the quad. It was late now—had to be almost four in the morning, at least—and campus was empty. Just autumn leaves on the ground and a winter chill in the air.
“Could be faster,” Brennan suggested, deciding in a split second that he was more than willing to risk it all for achancewith this boy, pathetic as it was. He crouched down in front of Cole and reached back. “Hop on.”
“When I told Mari I wanted to climb you like a tree, this isn’t what I had in mind.”
“You wanted to—you toldMari—?”
“I tell Mari everything.” He laughed.
Cole hopped up and Brennan situated Cole on his back, Cole’s arms going around his neck, Brennan’s hands under his thighs.
Jesus, Brennan hadn’t thought through how much physical contact there was in a piggyback ride. Cole’s whole front was pressed to Brennan’s back and Brennan needed to be alone with Cole in a bed, like,yesterday.
“Hold on, okay?” Brennan warned, poised to run.
“Sure thing,” Cole said, cheeky. “You know what this reminds me of?”
“I swear, if you sayTwilight—”
“Twilight,” Cole said.
For that, Brennan took off running.
Cole’s gasp cut short in his ear as they launched into what felt like flight, wind whipping around them as Brennan moved impossibly fast. Brennan kept an ear out for signs of other people, but all he heard was Cole’s incredulous laugh and then whooping like he was on a roller coaster. They cut through campus, hurtling toward the block of off-campus housing where he and Tony lived.
Brennan slowed to a walk as they approached the building. Cole laughed breathlessly in his ear.
“The vampire strength is pretty hot,” Cole said. “Think you could bench press me?”
Brennan wanted to do a lot more than that.
Cole hopped down as Brennan unlocked the door, and then they stopped altogether when they saw what was behind it.
