Page 58 of The Vampire's Receptionist
Striking fast, he sank his teeth into Kian’s neck, drawing in a mouthful of blood. Kian stiffened, and it felt as though time stopped for a moment as pleasure swelled like a tsunami and slammed into them both, sweeping them into mind-numbingrelease. Instinct kept Dorian feeding, but his mind was focused only on the pleasure that coursed through him, and he groaned heavily between swallows of Kian’s blood.
“Dorian!” Kian exclaimed, his fingers digging tightly into Dorian’s sides. The pleasure dragged on and on with each swallow, and while he couldn’t be certain, he swore he felt Kian’s release drag on as long as his did. The cascading waves of pleasure didn’t stop until Dorian stopped feeding.
With great reluctance, Dorian released Kian’s neck, swiping his tongue over the holes to encourage healing. With the feeding over, they both slumped heavily on the bed. Kian was a welcome weight on top of Dorian, and he encouraged it by wrapping his arms around Kian’s shoulders and gently stroking his hair.
Curiosity got the best of him, and once he caught his breath, he had to ask, “Did I imagine it, or do you taste like chocolate?”
Kian’s bark of laughter made him smile and when the man sat up enough to look Dorian in the eye, he lifted his head to steal a taste of the mischievous amusement written on his face.
“I was wondering if you were able to tell. You said you can’t eat chocolate, but I’ve been told by other vampires that if something is eaten in large quantities before a feeding, they can taste it. I thought I’d put your little gift to good use for both of us.”
Dorian’s brow furrowed. “I thought that was a myth.”
“Apparently not,” Kian said with a smirk. “Are you complaining?”
He couldn’t help rolling his eyes. “I doubt there is anything we could do together that I would complain about. What about you?” He brushed his fingers along the mark on Kian’s neck. It would take a few days to fade, which was why he generally fed from the wrist. This mark would be a lot harder to hide. A small part of Dorian was smug to leave a mark where everyone could see it. It made it easier for them to understand Kian was his.
Kian hummed, a blissed out expression on his face. “I had fun. I thought maybe I’d made a mistake since I couldn’t keep moving while you were feeding but turns out that didn’t matter. It was amazing.”
Relief flooded through him, and he relaxed against the pillows. Kian had initially been uncomfortable with feedings. Dorian was glad he wasn’t against them anymore. He liked the enthusiasm.
“Are you ready to tell me what got you so riled up? I’m not sure yet if I should avoid doing so in the future or do it on purpose just so we can have a repeat,” Dorian teased.
“And people say I’m the troublemaker,” Kian drawled.
Dorian saw Kian’s attempt at changing the subject, but he didn’t take the bait. Something obviously upset him. While Dorian could joke that he would repeat the behavior just to encourage more sex, in reality, he would never do something that he knew made Kian unhappy. If it was something he did, he wanted to fix it, so he didn’t accidentally upset Kian in the future.
Except Kian seemed determined not to explain. He pressed his lips together in a tight line and pulled away, separating from their intimate connection to put some space between them. Dorian couldn’t help feeling a little hurt by the action, especially after what they’d just done together.
“Kian…” Dorian began, only to get cut off as Kian sat up and grabbed his boxers.
“I’d offer to portal you home, but you brought your car, so…”
The dismissal was obvious. Kian would rather have him leave than talk about what had upset him. And because Dorian respected his feeder’s boundaries, he had no choice but to go. His chest ached as he pulled his clothes on, but Kian wouldn’t look at him. He practically ran from the room to get away, and when Dorian stepped into the hallway, he could hear the waterrunning from the closed door across the hall. Kian wasn’t even going to say goodbye then.
Disappointment settled heavily in his stomach. He took the hint, slipping on his shoes and heading out the door without calling out a goodbye. If Kian wanted to speak with him, he wouldn’t have run away like that.
He barely noticed the walk to his car. The only other time he felt this alone was when his mother died. Like a piece of him was missing. He thought for a little while that Kian was that piece, as he never felt lonely with Kian nearby. But that was all his imagination. Kian didn’t feel the same, and he was fooling himself for thinking otherwise.
He set the car’s autopilot function to get him home, knowing he was too distracted to get there safely on his own. His focus was on the passenger seat, where Kian had sat not long ago, teasing him and smiling, making him crave more. He wished he could figure out why Kian kept him at a distance. In the past week, any time their conversation shifted toward something more intimate, Kian shut down. He knew better than to think Kian was compelling him or using magic like he’d originally thought when all this had started. There was no magic involved. He was in love with the half-fae beauty. And Kian didn’t feel the same way about him.
A screech made his head jerk up, but he had no time to react before pain exploded through his side and everything went black.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Kian waited for the door to open and shut, signaling Dorian’s departure, before shutting off the water and leaning heavily against the counter. The guilt made him physically nauseous, but he needed to put some space between them. It was getting too complicated. He needed a minute to think.
He wanted things to be easy with Dorian. It was just supposed to be sex. He reacted strongly to the feedings and, from what he could tell, the feeling was mutual for Dorian. It was just supposed to be about scratching an itch. He couldn’t admit out loud that he was jealous, or he’d have to say why. And he refused to admit it. There were no feelings involved. It was just sex. Nothing more.
And yet when he dropped face first onto his bed and caught the smell of Dorian on his sheets, his stomach tightened uncomfortably, and he barely suppressed the desire to pull the sheets off the mattress to wrap himself in that scent. It was why he didn’t actually jump into the shower. He didn’t want to wash Dorian’s scent away.
Frustrated, he shoved off the bed again and ripped the sheets off, marching straight to the stacked washer/dryer tucked into the hall closet next to the bathroom. He shoved the sheets in thewash, then stripped off his clothes for good measure, throwing them in as well. He didn’t allow himself time to think before dumping the detergent in and starting the machine. He was being ridiculous. He wasn’t the person to pine over a man. He needed to get his head on straight before he had to interact with Dorian again. Maybe they needed to stop having sex. Or maybe Kian should ask Morana to pull him from the job. Being around Dorian all day wasn’t helping matters.
He got dressed in clean sweats and an old sweater and was aggressively chopping up some vegetables for dinner when his mother called. He ignored it. She would be able to tell within a few minutes that he was upset, and he didn’t want to discuss it with her or anyone else.
He probably should’ve known better. Ignoring her never worked in his favor.
A portal opened in the middle of his living room, a feat that could only be accomplished by those who were attuned to his wards and could cross freely. Both his parents stepped through, worry etched in their features. He rolled his eyes, giving more focus to his food prep.
