Page 27 of The Vampire's Receptionist
Dorian shook his head. “It doesn’t have to be long. Just a few minutes to ease the tension. Are you amenable to this?”
His face screwed up at the formality, but he supposed it was better than the bite and go approach Kian had planned for. He gestured awkwardly toward the bed.
“How do you… want to do this?” he grumbled.
Dorian moved to sit beside him, taking the hand Kian had thrust at him and holding it between his own. Kian never really felt shy around others before, but the forced intimacy made it hard to look Dorian in the eye. His cheeks still burned, and he almost wished he could hide under the blankets and just have his arm out for Dorian to feed from.
“Tell me something about you that I don’t know,” Dorian suggested.
It was an easy question, since they didn’t know much about each other. Kian didn’t need to delve into anything important. He thought about it for a minute before answering. “I don’t like eggplant. I’m a vegetarian, I love almost all vegetables, but I can’t stand eggplant.”
Dorian’s voice was warm when he responded. “That’s good to know. I would hate to use it accidentally in a meal and make you feel obligated to eat it.”
Kian huffed out a laugh. “Oh no. I’m not that nice. I definitely would turn it down flat. I seriously can’t stand eggplant.”
Dorian chuckled, and the sound both set Kian more at ease and revved up his libido. How dare such a calm and quiet man have such a sexy laugh? It wasn’t fair.
“Your turn,” Kian said awkwardly.
The vampire hummed thoughtfully. “My cousin once told me that older vampires could turn into bats. I believed him until I was in my teen years and found out it was a myth humans created to shame us. He has never let me live it down.”
He snorted, finally looking up at him. “Shut up. You did not.”
Dorian nodded with a slight smile. “I did. It didn’t help that we lived on the coast near a local bat colony. Every time they flew past, he said that it was our uncles or cousins and that’s why they weren’t at the house at the moment.”
Laughing, Kian felt some of the tension drift away. And because he wasn’t a cruel person, he countered Dorian’s embarrassing story with one of his own. “My cousin once told me that full fae could shapeshift. He’d hide every time the dog down the road was out and would later say it was him. My dad eventually had to tell me my cousin was terrified of the dog and would run scared whenever it came outside. I probably should’ve known better. The dog loved me. My cousin decidedly did not.”
While they were talking, Dorian had started rubbing Kian’s hand gently, soothing the tension there until he no longer flinched at the touch. When he pulled Kian’s wrist to his mouth, he didn’t feel the wave of awkwardness like before. He did go a little breathless, nodding once at Dorian’s questioning gaze.
In an attempt to hide his reaction, he closed his eyes, biting his lip to muffle his gasp when Dorian’s fangs sank into his skin, and he was hit with a wave of heavy euphoria and lust. Like the first time, it didn't last very long, but by the time Dorian licked the holes closed and released him, his dick was throbbing, and he trembled with need.
“Thank you,” Dorian murmured, and damn if his voice didn’t make things worse. “I’ll let you get some rest. My room is just next door if you need anything.”
Kian nodded helplessly, but he hadn’t yet opened his eyes, and he could feel the flush on his cheeks. Thankfully, Dorian didn’t comment on it and left, quietly closing the door behind him and Ozen. Kian waited a few minutes to make sure they were truly gone before shoving his hand down his pants and grasping his erection. Just like last time, it took only a few strokes before he was coming into his hand, his whole body trembling.
There was no way he could hide his reaction forever. Especially when they were supposed to do this every few hours. The realization hit him in the gut, and he let his head drop forward. Damn it.
Nightmares crept up when Dorian tried to sleep. Images of Kian completely drained, his bicolored eyes lifeless and staring at him in shock kept flashing through his mind, painting a picture of what he could have done to the man had Maverick not stepped in to stop him. He woke with a start, panting like he’d run a race, and his body was covered in a cold sweat.
Someone knocked again. “Dorian?”
It was the knock that woke him, and while he was grateful to be free of the dream, the middle of the night waking was only a reminder of it. He had to feed again or risk making the dream into a reality. The possibility terrified him, and he threw the covers back, hurrying to the door to answer it.
Ozen stood just outside, hand poised to knock again. Kian stood a few feet behind him, his long blond hair disheveled from sleep. Guilt ate at Dorian for forcing them both to wake so often to care for him, but fear drove him forward. He would get this done quickly so they both could rest, and then he would go tothe library and give his mind a distraction until the dreams no longer haunted him.
Ozen squeezed his shoulder supportively and stayed leaning against the frame of the door, giving them as much privacy as he could allow while Dorian was still considered unstable. Dorian herded Kian back to bed, and Kian was too tired to argue. Too tired to even feel awkward like he had before. He laid down at Dorian’s urging and offered him his arm, letting his lashes flutter closed when Dorian drew the slender wrist to his mouth. He took only what was needed, ignoring the sounds Kian made. It felt wrong to listen to it, knowing Kian was forced to be here. No matter how much he wished it were otherwise.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Kian’s eyes felt gritty after waking so often to feed Dorian. He slept hard between each feeding, but he didn’t entirely feel rested when the sun spilled across his bed the following morning. He got up because his bladder demanded it, and once he was upright, his stomach made demands of its own. He put in the effort to brush his teeth and run a comb through his hair, but couldn’t conjure up the energy to care for much else. He trudged out of his room and down the stairs, following the sound of voices in the kitchen.
“Kian! You’re awake!” Avery said brightly.
Kian’s nose wrinkled in the face of such an upbeat tone so early. “Why are you smiling right now?”
Someone snorted on his right, and a quick glance over his shoulder showed three new semi-familiar men sitting at the counter. It was too early to think of people’s names right now.
“Coffee?” Avery asked, a little more hesitant this time.
