The next several days passed without any further incidents. Despite their kisses, they both slept in their rooms, and while they shared a good morning and a good night kiss, they didn’t interact much. In fact, Gerome was rarely at home at all, and if he was, he did work on his PC.
Luis couldn’t even manage to get him to help with the cooking again. D stopped in a couple of times, and Luis even took a walk with him through the busy streets of Munich and enjoyed the early March sun. Winter had left them for good, and he impatiently waited for spring to fully arrive.
Going outside with D wasn’t a hardship. The guy seemed to know when to step back to give him the impression of being alone, and when he talked or pointed something out, he was able to make Luis laugh.
They’d gotten some coffee in a small cafe and even shared a piece of cake as well while sitting outside and chatting. In these moments, Luis enjoyed having company. Sitting alone would’ve been horrible.
On Tuesday, he’d dragged D to a market where they’d gotten some fresh vegetables and seafood. All he needed now was for Gerome to come home so they could cook together.
Three hours later, he’d given up. Gerome never came home, and Luis didn’t want to call him. He finally sent him a text, asking if he’d be home, but he’d only replied with: I don’t know. Will be longer.
So he’d thrown the seafood in the freezer, fixed himself dinner, turned on the TV, and tried to ignore his disappointment.
Luis woke up sometime during the night and realized he’d fallen asleep on the couch. He glanced over at the small desk to see Gerome sitting and working in front of his computer. Did the guy ever stop? He knew the answer to that question all too well.
With a yawn, he got up slowly and wandered over to his mate. “Hey, I didn’t hear you come home. You could’ve woken me,” he said quietly.
Gerome turned around, and Luis gasped. Dark circles under his mate’s eyes spoke of way too little sleep and sheer exhaustion. “When did you sleep last?” It came out much harsher than he’d intended.
His mate smiled tiredly. “I don’t know. I’ve been working for hours. I don’t need much sleep, but I guess I’ll need a break soon.” He rubbed a hand over his face.
“You need a break now. Don’t take this wrong, but you look like shit.”
Gerome chuckled. “Well, thanks.”
“You know what I mean. Come on, off to bed with you. You look like you’re on the verge of collapsing.” He tugged on Gerome’s arm.
“I don’t think I need much persuasion. This work will have to wait until tomorrow.” He stood, raising his arms over his head and stretching his back before he stepped forward and pulled Luis into his arms. “Thank you for coming and getting me. I would’ve continued to work. I’m sorry for not waking you, but you were sleeping so peacefully. I didn’t think you were uncomfortable, so I decided to let you rest.”
Breathing deeply to catch some of his mate’s cologne, Luis wrapped his arms around Gerome. “No worries. I would’ve ordered you to bed sooner if I’d heard you.” He pressed a small kiss to Gerome’s neck, and his mate shivered beneath his lips.
“I needed to finish a few things, so it’s better you didn’t wake up, but now I’m ready for bed.” He caught Luis’ lips in a kiss, then released him. “I’ll try to make some time to spend with you, okay? I’m sorry I’m not around much, but my father seems to like to dump work on me.” He sounded apologetic.
Luis smiled. “No worries. I know you have a lot of work.”
“Still, I shouldn’t neglect you. How about going out... say on Friday? We could go to a club.”
Luis hesitated. “I don’t want to add pressure or stress you out more than you already are. I’m fine... really. D is around, so I can go outside and shop or take a walk.” Spending some time with Gerome would be something very different, but he’d never admit that or the fact that he missed his mate’s company.
“I don’t want you to go outside with D. I mean, I want that so you’re not stuck at home, but I’d really like to spend some time with you.”
Luis reached forward, pulling Gerome in for a kiss. “Then I want the same. Friday it is.”
“Yes and now good night. It’s three in the morning.”
“I’m looking forward to Friday. Good night.” They kissed one last time. Then Gerome shut down his PC, and they both went to their respective bedrooms.
Was it Friday already? He still hadn’t even begun to try and understand what had shifted between them, but he missed Gerome when he wasn’t around, and he wanted to go dancing with his mate.
****
The three days till Friday night dragged endlessly. Luis didn’t know how to fill his days with Gerome working all the time. D spent time with him and tried to cheer him up by talking to him or telling him stories about his work, but nothing distracted Luis.
He rarely saw Gerome, let alone talked to him. When he came home, he’d kiss Luis hello, then vanish to his PC. He never ate, never slept... nothing. He only worked. If his mate kept this up, he’d drop. While Gerome could go on much longer without rest thanks to his vampire genes, even he had to sleep at some point or take a break and clear his head. But he never did. Not even Luis could force him away from his PC, which in turn increased his worry about his mate’s workload.
When Friday finally arrived, Luis, trying to decide what to wear, stood in front of his closet. He didn’t want to dress too saucy because he only wanted the attention of one man, but he also wanted Gerome to be proud of him. After a long search, he squeezed himself into a pair of very tight jeans, artfully ripped at the knee, and an equally tight fitting T-shirt.
His next step was the bathroom where he styled his hair and applied some guy-liner. While he normally didn’t wear make-up, he liked to add a tiny bit when he went out. A few minutes later, he deemed himself ready with his hair perfectly styled and his eyes highlighted with some dark charcoal.
Now, if only Gerome came home, they could leave. D, drinking coffee, already waited in the living room. He’d be going with them tonight because Gerome didn’t trust the crowd of people that would be at the club.
D’s presence only added a layer of protection, so Luis didn’t mind. The front door opened and closed, and a second later, he heard D and Gerome talking.
When he opened the bedroom door, he saw Gerome vanish into his bedroom. Hopefully, he’d be ready soon. It wasn’t fair to be so impatient with his mate. After all, he’d only just gotten home, but Luis couldn’t stop himself from being jittery. Damn, they were just going out—nothing more—but he’d been looking forward to it since Tuesday, and he wanted to dance, forget his problems for a bit, and have a good time with Gerome.
Luis walked over to D, whose eyes widened a second when he saw him. “Hey. You look really good.” He blinked. “Just don’t tell Gerome I said that.” They both laughed. Yeah, that was probably a good idea, even though D’s heart did belong to someone else.
“Don’t worry, I won’t tell him.”
Luis sat down across from D and tried to hide his impatience. Judging by the look on D’s face, he was failing miserably. Finally, the bedroom door opened, and Gerome stepped out. He still looked haggard, but he’d probably only slept a couple of hours last night. Combined with the stress, it would explain his look.
“Are you—” Gerome stopped, his eyes widening as they raked over Luis from head to toe, “ready? You look good. Very good.”
Luis smiled. Good. That’s the type of reaction he wanted to see. “You don’t look too bad either.” He grinned and stood, expecting Gerome to step back so that he had some space. But Gerome didn’t move, and instead, pulled Luis into his arms and held him tightly. “You look good enough to eat, do you know that?” he whispered, his voice hoarse.
Luis buried his face in Gerome’s shoulder to hide his chuckle. “No eating me. But dancing is okay,” he murmured back while moving his hips slightly to music only he could hear.
“You’re going to kill me, right?” Gerome whispered back before kissing Luis’ neck.
“Nah, I like you. No killing here. Come on, before D gets jealous.” Despite his words, Luis didn’t release Gerome but proceeded to kiss his neck, his beard stubble, and the softer skin of his neck. Gerome shuddered in his arms and his breath left him in a rush. Hot damn. He never thought he’d have this kind of impact on Gerome. Even though he figured Gerome liked him, judging by the fact that their kisses had become normal for them, he’d never truly believed Gerome found him attractive. His mate’s reaction spoke differently, though, as did the hardness teasing his rising cock. Damn. They’d agreed to take it slow, but seeing Gerome in a T-shirt and tight leather pants... how could he stop himself from lusting for his man?
He hadn’t felt anything resembling arousal for months now. But ever since he and Gerome began getting along better, the feeling didn’t send him running anymore. In fact, knowing Gerome felt it too... well, they’d have to take it slow, but nothing rushed them. Maybe, one day, they could trust each other enough to try sleeping with each other again, if and when they were both ready.
But first, they’d dance, have fun, and enjoy a good time. And opposed to the ballroom dancing he couldn’t do at the wedding, he knew how to move to the beats in a club.
With his arms still wrapped around Luis, Gerome murmured, “Didn’t you just say we had to go?”
“Yeah. We should.”
“I don’t want to interrupt, but don’t you think we should leave now?” D finally chimed in, the amusement clear in his voice.
Luis raised his head to stare at his bodyguard. “Jealous?” he mouthed.
“Don’t you wish. Come on now, lovebirds. Time to go.”
“Lovebirds, my ass,” Gerome murmured as he finally released Luis. “And I heard the jealous comment, by the way.” He glared playfully at Luis, who started laughing.
“I’m allowed to tease him a little. Come on now, D is right.” He took Gerome’s hand, eager to finally get going and have Gerome’s hands on his body again in the middle of a dance floor while they moved to the pulsing beats.