Luis swallowed hard against the tears prickling in his eyes as he stared at the man who now owned him, waiting for him to touch him. He didn’t want to cry. He never cried. All the problems he’d encountered during his studies never brought him to tears. Usually, he pulled up his sleeves and tackled his problems. But not this one. What should he do? He couldn’t think of anything.
Luis wanted to pinch himself so he could wake up from this nightmare. But he wasn’t sleeping. He lay there, naked in bed, with a man he’d met only an hour ago. The man he would spend his life with. A man who was already ordering him around, telling him what to do and forcing him to have sex with him. And if he refused, his life would be over. Crap. He ran a hand over his eyes. Could they maybe tone down the lights so he wouldn’t have to see everything? Not that it would change anything, but it would provide some illusion of romance.
The man next to him radiated warmth and, despite his repulsion, Luis wanted nothing more than to get close to him so he could finally stop shivering. Craving the closeness of a man he hated was sick, but ever since his mother had dropped the bomb two days ago, he hadn’t managed to get warm. It might be the shock. It might be the cold house, or it might be his future.
In any case, he shivered uncontrollably and his stomach churned. Earlier, when Gerome had offered him something to eat, he’d fixed himself a sandwich in the hopes of soothing his upset stomach a bit, but it didn’t work. Nothing would work.
Luis didn’t want to think about the next couple of hours. Two days ago, he’d been a student, enjoying life, going out, having fun. But now, he was nothing more than a slave, owned by a fucking prince. Talk about a one-eighty. What was he supposed to do now?
Luis stopped himself from laughing out loud. He was worrying about some strange stuff while lying in bed with a man he barely knew, about to have sex that would bind them for life. Shit! He rubbed his eyes again, unwilling to let Gerome see his tears. He couldn’t show any weakness or helplessness. In order to see what he was up against, he needed to stay strong. Maybe then he’d have a chance at making it out of this shit. So far, Gerome hadn’t turned violent. Bossy, yes. Intimidating as shit, yes. But violent? No. He also didn’t seem to be too keen on having sex either, although Luis wouldn’t put it past Gerome to have had a helping hand in arranging this mating.
The prince’s words still floated around in his head. There is no forcing here. We are mated. You are mine, and you’d better get used to the idea. From the sounds of it, it didn’t matter whether Luis wanted sex or not. It would happen. He didn’t have a say in it, but he’d be damned if he rolled over and played nice. Too bad he couldn’t refuse, not if he didn’t want to die.
Gerome didn’t seem to be keen on starting either. Maybe the prince would stay softhearted and unwilling to hurt him so they could arrange something. If they mated now, they could even part ways and only stay mated on paper. If he never saw the man again, it’d be too soon. But he was getting ahead of himself. First task: getting it on with his mate. He didn’t want to die, and he had to have sex with the prince to ensure that. If he could show the man he wasn’t a doormat to walk over, all the better.
Nausea still rolled in his gut, but Luis forced himself to ignore it.
Luis bit his lip and then looked up at Gerome. The man’s eyes were on him, watching him. The prince was a good-looking man. Why did he have to resort to buying a mate? Luis didn’t get it. Surely, the prince would have been able to resist his father. He had said something about having a baby on the way. A kidnapped baby. Or, at least, the man carrying the child had been kidnapped. Luis wasn’t exactly sure if he remembered correctly. The time before the mating ceremony was a bit blurry.
Maybe Gerome was as innocent as he was, but he wouldn’t trust the man that much.
With a barely audible sigh, he reached out to touch Gerome’s shoulder. They wouldn’t get this done by doing nothing. So touching it was. Gerome had told him he’d start, but so far, there’d been no sign of it. Gerome shuddered under his fingers and sucked in a harsh breath.
“Let me warm you up first, okay? You’re cold as ice,” Gerome said softly, taking Luis’ hand in his. Damn, he had warm fingers. Luis closed his eyes again as Gerome scooted closer. Warmth engulfed his front as Gerome pressed himself against his chest and wrapped him in his arms. The man smelled good. Like a very expensive aftershave or cologne. Not that he knew much about that since his parents didn’t have the money for such things. They weren’t poor, but they didn’t have that kind of money, even if theirs was an old, powerful family. And Luis still studied, so he had to make ends meet because they didn’t support him.
Apparently, the prince didn’t have these problems. Must be nice to have so much money. Then your parents wouldn’t sell you to someone else. Anger rolled through him. His own parents! Or rather his mother. No matter what they said, whether it was custom or not, no one sold their kid. Maybe because they didn’t know any better. They had the same relationship he and Gerome would have. A mating of convenience. Nothing more. That still didn’t justify anything, though.
Luis wanted to curl up into a ball and weep at the injustice or kick something. Hurt someone. His mother. The man who bought him, no matter if he was the king. The man he’d been mated to. It didn’t matter. It was all so fucking unfair. He’d done nothing but mind his own business, study, date, and meet friends. He didn’t do anything wrong, but he also couldn’t do a thing about it. No matter what he did, he wouldn’t get out of this mess. He hadn’t felt this helpless in a long time, and it sucked. Big time.
Gerome’s body radiated blissful warmth, but Luis couldn’t relax in his arms. He tried not to breathe in the expensive cologne, tried not to feel the heat coming from the other man. It made him sick. The smell, the closeness. Luis clenched the sheets with his fists. He wanted out of here.
Gerome’s fingers found his arm and stroked his skin. Luis shuddered under the touch, and goose bumps rose on the places where Gerome touched him. The prince ran a hand over Luis’ chest, caressing him. He stiffened in the embrace, the urge to pull back strong, even though he slowly began to warm up.
“I wish you would see this for what it is. There is no way out of this. We are bound. Mated. We have to seal the deal, and we need to get it done.” Gerome pulled back, releasing him from the embrace and shifted around on the bed. “You can fuck me. As long as you know where your place is, get it on. I just need to be done with this shit. I only hope it works.”
“I can what?” Luis opened his eyes. Had he misheard? No way would the vampire prince allow him to fuck him. Apparently, he would. Now naked, he lay on his side, his back to Luis, with his free hand between his ass-cheeks. What the fuck?
He couldn’t believe his eyes. Luis swallowed hard, nausea rearing back up stronger than before. There it was. His opportunity. He’d show the prince he couldn’t push him around. He was nobody’s property. The old laws could go screw themselves. He wouldn’t die because of this shit. If he fucked Gerome, then the man might understand that he wouldn’t allow anything he didn’t want to happen to him. It would also stop Gerome from raping him, and Luis wouldn’t be raping Gerome. The prince offered, and they were required to go through with it, so Luis would try to make it good for both of them. Getting on board now and showing Gerome he’d follow through with the request might send the right message to him.
And afterward, they could part ways. Carefully, he laid his hand over Gerome’s. Even though the prince didn’t appear to like the idea of being topped very much, Luis wouldn’t think of hurting him.
He wasn’t an asshole. And maybe, if he played it nice and followed through with the things the prince demanded, it might somehow make things better. Gerome liked to talk tough, but he hadn’t followed through with any of his threats so far. But who knew when, or if, this would change? He’d better use the current situation.
Luis ran his fingers over Gerome’s hip and traced his stomach until the man shivered under his touch. Under other circumstances, Luis would’ve loved to have a night with him, but not like this. Absolutely not like this.
The skin under his fingertips radiated warmth and he scooted closer, pressing himself against Gerome’s back. With a hesitant kiss on the man’s neck, he reached around to Gerome’s chest again. How should he proceed? With a lover, he’d caress his nipples, stroke him, tease him. With Gerome, he simply didn’t know. At least, Gerome had stopped fumbling around with his ass so Luis could press himself to his back in the hopes of getting a little bit aroused.
Luis kissed his neck again as Gerome moaned softly. Maybe some hope still gleamed that they’d, at least, enjoy it a bit. Carefully, he ran his fingers over Gerome’s nipples, earning another moan. Oh, thank the heavens. Gerome didn’t turn around or reach back, but he allowed Luis to stroke him, encouraging him with quiet moans here and there.
“Can you turn around?” Luis murmured as he kissed Gerome’s neck again.
“Can’t you just do it? I’m not in the mood for cuddling.”
What the fuck were they doing right now then? Anger rose inside Luis. “I don’t want to do this. You know that. We can try to make it good for both of us, but I need some help from you for that.”
“I don’t care if it’s good. I want to get this done so I can move on. I need to find my child. Don’t you get it? I don’t have time to make things nice for you.”
Luis bristled at Gerome’s tone. What an asshole. Gerome still wouldn’t even look at him. He just lay there, facing away from him, and waiting. Gerome’s back moved softly with every breath he took, and Luis saw the strain in the tense set of his shoulders.
It was awful Gerome’s child was missing. He didn’t know what he should say about it or how he could help. He didn’t even know if he wanted to help. Yes, it was horrible but it was Gerome’s life. Luis doubted he had a place in it. And to be honest, he didn’t want to have a place in it.
But he couldn’t think so far into the future. Right now, they had to get this mating done so Gerome could go back to looking for the man who carried his child and Luis could—hopefully—get back to uni. He didn’t want to miss too much stuff. Otherwise, he’d never be able to learn it all. And he needed to get back to work, or he’d be out of a job. It’d be a wonder if they didn’t fire him either way. After all, he never had the chance to tell them that he was leaving and why.
He focused back on the man in the bed. He shouldn’t be thinking of work and his studies now. He needed to concentrate on Gerome. Softly, he ran his fingers over Gerome’s ribs, down his chest to his stomach. Finally, after a couple more minutes, when Luis had given up any hope of getting him on board, Gerome turned around. His heavy-lidded eyes caught Luis’, who leaned over and caught his lips. He kissed him softly, not more than a peck on the lips. He’d have to see how Gerome reacted to this kind of closeness.
Gerome’s lips were hard, and he didn’t respond. Luis leaned back a little, annoyance rising again. Couldn’t the man, at least, try to join him? It wasn’t just his mess, and he couldn’t solve this all by himself.
Gerome’s eyes were still open, and he caught Luis’ gaze again. His face softened a bit, and he raised one corner of his mouth with a sad smile. “I’m sorry. I’ll try, okay?” he said softly. He wrapped an arm around Luis’ shoulders, pulling him close again.
Their lips met in another soft kiss, and Gerome kissed him back this time. Finally! Now they were getting somewhere. Gerome took over, their tongues meeting for the first time. Luis sighed deeply. All things considered, it was a great kiss.
Gerome’s strong hands roamed over Luis’ chest, raising goose bumps in their wake. He shivered, his skin tingling wherever Gerome touched him. The expensive-smelling cologne tickled his nose again. This time, it mixed with Gerome’s scent. And damn if the combination didn’t spike up his lust.
Gerome’s beard stubble scratched against his own while the man kissed him with soft lips. Both of them focused on getting into the right mood. Neither of them ventured downward, and Luis stopped himself from thinking about it. Instead, he concentrated on kissing Gerome as they got to know the other a tiny bit. Treat it like a one-night stand.
His nerves still fluttered, but the more Gerome took over, with kisses and caresses, the more he relaxed. This man wasn’t going to hurt him.
They looked into each other’s eyes when they weren’t kissing. A man as handsome as Gerome should have a mate already. Luis would have to ask one day why he didn’t.
For now, though, he closed his eyes again and concentrated on running his fingers over Gerome’s sparsely-haired chest, over the hard ridges of his stomach muscles and his treasure trail. He stopped before he ventured down further and went back up again.
With his eyes closed, Gerome did the same. He caressed Luis’ back and chest, his calloused fingers rasping over sensitive skin, eliciting a soft sigh from Luis now and then. Their kisses deepened and Luis, eager to touch more of him, pressed against Gerome.
Gerome’s chest hair tickled him where their skin touched, and Gerome immediately wrapped him in his arms. More heat than before radiated from Gerome, and Luis snuggled even closer. Finally, warmth flooded him, and for the first time in days, he no longer shivered. Why were vampires so warm? Because he had very few vampire genes in his blood and he hadn’t had much contact with other vampires while growing up, he never realized how warm they were. How very comforting they were.
Gerome’s fingers picked up their caressing of Luis’ back while Luis ran his palms over Gerome’s body. Every time Gerome touched a sensitive spot on his back, Luis sucked in a breath and pressed closer, whether he wanted to or not.
“Can we shut off the light? It’d be nicer...” Luis murmured against Gerome’s lips.
Gerome reached behind himself, and suddenly, a soft, intimate light bathed the room. Luis opened his eyes again so he could see Gerome’s features. His eyes were closed, and his face finally looked relaxed and soft. He seemed to like what they were doing and so did Luis. It wasn’t as bad as he’d imagined.
Did he want to be here? No. But it wasn’t what he’d expected when Gerome had told him they had to have sex.
He caught the prince’s lips in another kiss, teasing him until the man opened up with a small sigh and allowed their tongues to play.
This time, Luis didn’t stop his explorations just under the belly button. Instead, he slid his hands over Gerome’s hips to cup his ass. The strong muscle clenched under his fingers, and he ran soothing circles on it. Was Gerome really going to allow him to top? Luis had topped before, but Gerome had sounded pretty reluctant. Maybe he wasn’t too fond of bottoming. Should he offer to switch? But that would go against his plans to show Gerome that he wasn’t a pushover, and he absolutely didn’t want to be fucked right now. He’d have to make it good for Gerome. Then everything would be fine. He didn’t want to hurt him, no matter what his plans were.
The muscle under his fingers slowly relaxed, and Luis continued to massage it while Gerome’s hands roamed over his body. This scene would work out so much better if they were acting on free will.
The prince pulled back, breaking the kiss. “I want you to fuck me. Please,” he murmured against Luis’ lips, his whisper nearly inaudible.
“I will, and I’ll make it good for you.” Afraid to break the spell, Luis didn’t dare speak louder.
He gently pushed forward until their groins, his still covered in boxers, touched for the first time. Gerome was half-hard, and so was he. Good thing to know his mate was on board with this as much as he was. They really would be able to make the best of their situation.
Gerome exhaled softly against his lips at the contact, and he shivered under Luis’ hands. This time, Gerome claimed his lips in a kiss while he reached into Luis’ boxers and gave his cock a stroke or two. Luis moaned into the kiss, the sensation too good to be true. The friction and pressure were just right, and Luis pushed forward into his mate’s fist. He trailed his fingers over Gerome’s ass again, this time tracing the crack until Gerome relaxed even more and his hand on Luis’ cock stilled. They stopped kissing, and Luis buried his face in Gerome’s neck, breathing in the spicy aftershave once more. He scooted down a bit so he could carefully explore his mate’s ass, quickly finding his goal.
“Lube?” he murmured against Gerome’s skin.
The man’s fingers vanished from his back for a second and then he pressed something cool into his hand.
“Thanks.”
Gerome didn’t say a word as he continued to massage Luis’ hardening cock. While he wasn’t throw-your-clothes-off-and-get-it-on horny, he could get behind the idea of fucking Gerome. He didn’t have much choice, but, at least, he wasn’t sick to his stomach at the thought anymore.
He squeezed some slick onto his fingers and then went back to the task of getting Gerome ready. Slowly, he tried to loosen the man’s tight muscle while caressing his half-hard cock at the same time. As far as Luis could tell, Gerome had a hard time relaxing.
“Can you turn around?” he asked quietly, trying not to break the mood. Gerome released him, a strange look on his face. With a last kiss, he turned around, and Luis moved close. He pressed a soft kiss to the back of Gerome’s neck, and his fingers found their goal once more. The tight pucker didn’t relax, so Luis carefully massaged him. Why was Gerome so tight? Was this his first time playing bottom? But then, he wouldn’t let Luis top him if he’d never done this before. He opened his mouth to ask, but then stopped himself. This was neither the time nor the place for such a question.
Gradually, Gerome relaxed. Luis was able to massage him even more until his mate stopped him with a hand on his hip. “Come on, I’m ready.”
“You sure? You’re not really relaxed.” He didn’t want to hurt the man.
“Yeah. I can take it.” Now his old impatience came through. Just as well. Then he’d go on with it.
He slipped out of his boxers, squeezed some lube onto his cock and slowly pressed between Gerome’s ass cheeks. Very carefully, he pushed in. The muscle resisted, and Gerome hissed and tensed up, but as Luis pulled back, he stopped him. “No, go on. You don’t have to be so careful.”
“Are you sure? I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t hurt me. Just do it. I don’t have all night.”
So much for making it good for both of them. Dammit, this man not only contradicted himself with his actions, but he also seemed to switch his mood in a heartbeat. With a sigh, Luis tried again, not stopping this time until his cock slipped through the tight ring. Fuck, Gerome needed some more prep. He was uncomfortably tight. Luis took a couple of deep breaths and ran his hands over Gerome’s rigid back. It had to hurt, no matter what he said. Luis started to pull back again. He needed to loosen Gerome up some more. Fucking him now would be too painful for him. The prince stopped him with a hand on his hip.
“Don’t. We can go on.”
Gerome’s voice sounded as tight as his ass felt, but what could Luis do? Pull back, go on when Gerome clearly stated he should continue? He didn’t know.
“Come on now. I don’t have all night.”
Wow, where did that come from? Here he’d believed Gerome, at least, enjoyed this a bit. He started to pull back. This wasn’t worth it. He’d rather suffer the penalties than fuck someone who wasn’t up for it.
“Sorry. Please. I didn’t mean it that way. I just have to get some sleep soon. Otherwise, I’ll crash. Go on. It’s okay.” Gerome’s voice was still tight.
What should he do? Go on and hope it really was okay, or stop and suffer the consequences? None of the options sounded good.
“Please, let’s do this. We need to.”
Luis sighed deeply. Gerome seemed to know what he wanted. Luis had to believe him. Ignoring the sick feeling in his stomach, he carefully pushed in again.