Page 77 of Missing Piece
“Mmhmm.” Adam cast a glance at the porch bench, then back at Vincent with heat creeping up his cheeks. “Do you want to…?”
“Go to the blowjob bench? Yes.” Adam’s cheeks flushed.
Vincent snorted, a real laugh that just made Adam’s face heat even more, before he grabbed Adam’s chin and planted another kiss on his lips. “We are not calling it the ‘blowjob bench’.”
Adam grinned back, the playful banter helping to ease the last of the tension from their heavy conversation. “Why not? It’s descriptive.”
“Because we aren’t,” Vincent said firmly, though his eyes were sparkling with amusement. “And because I have some dignity left.”
“Do you though?” Adam teased.
Vincent stood up, pulling Adam to his feet effortlessly. “Besides, it sounds like Matteo is done cooking, and we don’t want to traumatize him by giving him a show he didn’t ask for when he comes out to make you eat.”
Adam grinned, following Vincent’s lead as they made theirway back inside. He didn’t care what they called it, as long as he got to continue staying with Vincent. The relief of not having his legal troubles hanging over him combined with the inkling that he was beginning to understand the world he had been dragged into, and to understand Vincent, made him feel like he was floating on air. Like he could allow himself this bit of peace without guilt.
The fact that he wasn’t conflicted about his decision to stay in the vampire’s world might be yet another red flag amongst the mountain of them scattered throughout his life, but this one was duller and much more comfortable. It wasn’t the best choice, but who ever said life had to be lived perfectly?
Chapter Twenty-Nine - Adam
When Adam had first found Petrov swearing in Macedonian in the bathroom while putting together a shower chair, he was embarrassed and a little pissed off. He didn’t want to use it. He had used one before being fitted for his prosthetic, but afterward, he never showered without the device (despite being told to remove it every few hours). Medical devices like those made him feel weak and pathetic, like an invalid or an old person.Do they really think so little of me that they think I can’t balance in the shower for 5 minutes?
It wasn’t until Vincent convinced him he’d blow out his ankle again that he begrudgingly agreed he’d try it. He still wore the ankle brace, and he could get around with little pain, just the occasional twinge if he had gone up and down the stairs a lot on a particular day. Maybe it was his high pain tolerance, or maybe it was because he had four vampires constantly reminding him to elevate it, ice it, and take medication to reduce swelling. Probably a combination of it all.
Regardless, that first shower with the chair was divine. He just sat under the water sometimes, letting the warmth boil him like a lobster before he ever bothered trying to cleanhimself. It was just…nice. Hygiene had just been a quick formality after his first major injury when he was fourteen, in and out fast enough to not feel gross. It had been years since he just enjoyed something as simple as a shower.
And it was glorious now. He felt like a new person every time he convinced himself to get out before the water became cold. Since the vampires didn’t do too much around the house during the day, there was no guilt in taking up all the hot water. They weredefinitelyspoiling him. Most of it was probably at Vincent’s direction, but Luka and Petrov had begun moving furniture and installing things around the house that made it easier to get around, like grab bars in every room and reinforcing the stair rail to make sure it didn’t wiggle as much. Even the trash can in the kitchen had been replaced with one that was motion activated so he wouldn’t have to step on the bottom lever to open the lid, just in case he was on the main floor without his foot attached.
He tried to tell them to stop, but it was no use. The brothers usually waved him off, and Vincent insisted that he just be comfortable. After a week, he stopped trying to convince them he didn’t need any of their modifications.
And he had to admit, the grab bars were useful as he got out of his shower for the day, able to lift himself over the lip of the tub and balance carefully on one foot without being terrified of falling. He usually kept his prosthesis nearby so he could get it back on quickly, but he left it back in the bedroom when he got up for the day, or night, whichever it was. It was hard to tell without windows, and he didn’t really care either way.
As long as he was still waking up in Vincent’s bed, he was content.
Adam left the bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist and the crutch tucked under his arm, his hair still dripping down his back and face as he made his way to the bedroom, ready to spend another day lazing about with Vincent. It was strange, he never enjoyed sober lazy days before, but now, he was actually glad that he had a clear head to just…be. Well, as clear as his head could be with an extremely attractive vampire near him at most of his waking hours.
He stopped in his tracks as soon as he stepped through the door. Vincent was lazily making the bed while on the phone with someone, only wearing a pair of those same pajama pants that rode low on his hips. Adam felt almost embarrassed to be caught admiring him so openly, but it seemed like they were well past the point of hiding the fact they were attracted to each other.
Without missing a beat, Vincent made his way over to Adam, making no attempt to hide that he was looking at Adam’s hand gripping the towel as though he could telepathically convince him to drop it. He allowed Vincent to support his weight, blushing as the vampire gripped his hip and nearly carried him over to the bed to set him down. He could hear a someone speaking through the earpiece of the phone, but it was quiet enough that Adam couldn’t hear what the voice on the other end was saying.
“It hasn’t been two months, more like five weeks. And he’s not a pet,” Vincent said into the phone as he settled beside Adam. He leaned back and ran a finger over one of the healing gashes in Adam’s back. «P-A-I-N?» he signed to Adam.
He shook his head. «Tickles.»
“When are you going to lift the ban forthe brothers? You know they like to unwind there when they are not working. And from what I hear, you and your own little pet project aren’t exactly at arm’s length anymore,” Vincent said, listening for a moment before interjecting, “Everyone’s alive, I’ll even stay away the full ban if you want, but make an exception for them.”
«Who are you talking to?» Adam asked before leaning over to the nightstand and grabbing the silicone sleeve for his stump. He was starting to become more comfortable putting the whole thing on around Vincent, but it was still hard to push away the instinct to be ashamed of it.
«Wait.» Vincent pulled the phone away from his ear and flashed the screen at Adam that read “Marcus” before hitting the speaker button. “You could just be honest,” Marcus mumbled through the speaker, as though he were speaking to someone else.
“Honest about what?” Vincent asked, a small, mischievous smile forming on his face as he stood up from the bed.
“No, not you. You’re already too honest. I was talking to Caleb—”
“Oh, he’s in there with you?” Vincent asked.
Adam swallowed hard, not wanting to think about how Caleb looked the last time he saw him.
“Of course he’s here. Why wouldn’t he be?” Marcus sounded a little irritated, but not really. More like he was used to Vincent’s chronic ribbing.
