did your best. Nakul doesn’t need to walk free, but he can be held under house arrest with his own people. That should appease both your loyalties, and you shouldn’t feel guilty. You’ve done your best.”
“Thanks,” I croaked. Now I did lean into him. He understood. He got it.
He picked up the remote and chose the next movie.
This one was also a blur to me—until the leads kissed. Sitting beside Raphael, my head on his shoulder and chest, my mouth watered, and my fangs dropped down. He shifted a little, moving his legs, and his breathing picked up.
The leads had sex later in the movie. I had a feeling Raphael hadn’t been expecting this, either. He cleared his throat, somewhat uncomfortably, as he tried to move his legs again to hide an obvious erection. As he got more comfortable, I sank into him more. Our bodies began to tangle, his arm under my head, one of mine thrown across his abdomen. I stretched, and one of my legs went over his, falling between them. After another shift, I was half draped over him, enjoying his blazing body heat; just what I needed. He started to rub my back, and I started to draw circles on his abdomen.
When I went lower, teasing the edge of his shorts, his breath hitched, and the pressure of his hand grew. His mouth touched the top of my head, and I teased further, grinding against him ever so subtly. The small growl that came from him was erotic, giving me shivers down my spine.
I knew what I was doing. I was looking for something to ease the empty feeling I sometimes got after a job ended—something to ease the loneliness brought on by my place in the world.
And it was working as his erection grew just under where my hand played at the edge of his shorts. Raphael was a good man, and just lying beside him made me want him. Biology, my own attraction, it didn’t matter the reason—I wanted him.
Two people silently leading each other through the same dance. We both wanted. I knew neither of us considered it the right time, but here we were, having opened up about things over the last day and a half, we spent four months avoiding.
We’re adults. Why not? I don’t have to bite him. He just has to know...
“I don’t kiss, and I’ve never had sex sober,” I said suddenly.
“You don’t kiss at all?”
I looked up and tilted my head as I opened my mouth, showing my fangs. Showing him my fangs was easy. What surprised me was how he didn’t ask about the second half of the statement. It wasn’t exactly a pleasant thought.
“Oh, yeah. I can imagine a heavy makeout session doesn’t go well when someone accidentally punctures their tongue on one of those.” He was trying to be humorous, but I saw the heat in his eyes. He still wanted me, even with the very dangerous fangs. “Um, one is dripping. Isn’t that a…”
You know what it does to me. Make your decision, Raphael. It’s the perfect plan. I don’t need alcohol if I just accept that my body has given me a way out.
I watched him consider it. Slowly, he reached out and pushed up my chin, closing my mouth.
“Swallow,” he whispered. I did, and the effect started slowly, a warmth spreading from my gut.
He turned onto his side, coming out from under me, causing me to sink into the soft couch. His hand trailed up my side as we stared at each other, his warm chocolate eyes soft in the dim light of the screen.
“Are you sure?” he asked softly.
“This is the only thing I’ve been sure of in weeks. If you leave me with my venom coursing through my veins, I’ll kill you the moment I can walk.”
He nodded, chuckling. “There’s the Kaliya I know.”
He ducked down, and a thigh went between my legs as he half rolled over me. His mouth found my neck, and I let my head go back as he kissed a hot line from under my jaw to the collar of my loose tee. From the bottom, he pulled the shirt up and wrapped his hand around to my lower back as his erection pressed against my thigh.
Then the fire really began to spread. It had been ages since I purposely or accidentally ingested my own venom, decades at least. I had forgotten just how potent it could be.