Rosko, Mandy - Night and Day (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) (19 page)

Luckily it was one of those expensive rugs that was soft and thick. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have known how Silus could handle sleeping on it with that nasty-ass sunburn all over his face and hands.

Even with all of Cedric’s blood in him, it had nearly not been enough to keep his skin from peeling off his bones when Cedric put on the lightshow. He wouldn’t be surprised if some of the rays had gone right through Silus’s clothes, burning him there, too, with how bright Cedric had become.

Cedric’s eyes popped open, and his head snapped up when Ben stepped inside, but there was no energy left in him to lift his body.

Ben leaned down to help him with that. “It’s okay, I’m here. It’s dawn. I’ll get you to a bed.”

Cedric waved him off. The struggle was a pathetic one, but it still got Ben’s attention. “No. Silus first. Close the curtains in his room.”

He frowned at that. “No tinted windows?”

Cedric shook his head but didn’t explain further why a vampire house would not have tinted windows. Maybe Silus just didn’t use it enough.

Well, he would after today.

Ben left his best friend on the floor and, with all the care he could find, as if he were handling a sickly infant, Ben eased Silus into his arms. Trying to maintain his quick feet without jostling the cargo too much, Ben got him to one of the rooms upstairs and eased the vampire into bed. Though the room wouldn’t be entirely light tight, with the shutters closed and the curtains drawn, it would be damn near close.

“Thank you.”

Ben spun as the last curtain on the second window was tied shut. Silus had awoken—or had he always been awake?—and was looking at Ben with something akin to gratitude.

“For the curtains? No problem.”

“Not for the curtains.”

Yeah, he knew, but he didn’t want to think too much on it. It was going to make him uncomfortable. “He’s my best friend. If you’re in the picture too, then whatever I’d do for him applies to you, too.”

Silus smiled, revealing a bit of fang, but then it vanished and his brow creased. “Did—”

“Your father survived, don’t worry. I walked all the way across that giant lawn of yours before I teleported, and in that time, I didn’t hear the fighting start back up.”

Silus sighed. “I hope we gave them something to think about.”

Ben let himself out. “Pretty sure you did,” he said, before closing the door.

When Ben got back downstairs Cedric had managed to drag himself to sit on the couch, and unlike in Silus’s room, Ben began opening the curtains and windows to let in as much of dawn’s rays as possible. The horizon was now turning nice shades of pink and blues, shadows were starting to cast along the trees, and the birds chirped in their nests. It was going to be a beautiful morning.

“Want to go upstairs,” Cedric muttered.

“You need to recharge your batteries first,” Ben said, and then he turned and caught Cedric trying to get to his feet. “Whoa, easy.” He rushed forward, pushing Cedric back down, then lifting his legs and forced him to lie on his back instead of sitting on his ass.

Though he’d seen the guest rooms upstairs, it occurred to him that Cedric would probably rather be in bed with Silus, which was a no-no considering how dark that room currently was.

“I’ll be fine,” Cedric insisted, though the physical protests were so weak they equaled zilch.

“Just sleep a little bit, until noon. Then I’ll help you go up to him.”

Cedric licked his lips and closed his eyes. Ben took that as an agreement.

“Thanks for helping us,” Cedric muttered.

A familiar place under Ben’s ribs squeezed. “Couldn’t exactly leave you guys out in the cold, right?”

Cedric smiled. “You could have. But you didn’t. That’s the thing.”

“I’m your bodyguard.”

“No you’re not.”

Short sentences told Ben just how frail his friend still was and gave him the giant hint that he shouldn’t argue. He should just leave him to his sunbathing, when the sun finally managed to get its ass higher in the sky, that is.

“I’m still your friend.”

“Good friend.”

Yes, a very good friend. Of course, friends, even very good ones, didn’t kneel down and lean in to kiss their friends when they were as unguarded and helpless as Cedric was.

When he pulled his mouth away from those shocked lips, Cedric’s eyes were popped wide. It was comical enough that Ben laughed.

“I figured you never knew.”

“But—why—”

Ben knew what Cedric wanted to say. Why all the parties, and then following him to a vampire ball for his bachelor lay?

Ben didn’t run his fingers through that golden hair like he’d always wanted. That was too intimate a gesture, even more so than the little kiss he’d given, and he wanted his friendship to still be intact when this was all over.

“I was your bodyguard. I could never in good consciousness act on my feelings for you. You were always so high above me.”

Cedric continued to gaze at him, only now it looked as though he were about to unman himself with his misty eyes. “Ben—”

“Your safety and happiness has always been my top priority, back even before I took this job, when we were still kids together. That hasn’t changed.”

Ben leaned back on his hunches, projecting an aura of cheer he didn’t feel. Truthfully, his heart was jumping around in his chest like a rabbit on crack. “I used to not like him, but now I’m kind of glad you’re with him. If anything, this proves that not all rules are meant to be obeyed. Gives me hope that I’ll still find someone.”

Cedric’s Adam’s apple bobbed heavily before he licked his lips. “Just remember to ask them out next time.”

Ben grinned. “You got it. Even if I’m not allowed, I’ll make a move.” He got to his feet, found the key rack on the wall, and picked something out with a whistle. “You don’t think he’ll mind if I drive one of these to get some takeout, do you?” Maybe he’d even get some burn cream for that poor creature upstairs.

Cedric’s eyes were playfully half lidded, just as they always were whenever the two of them talked like this. “Don’t know. Kissing his mate. Driving his ride. Pushing it.”

“What he doesn’t know won’t kill him.” It was the same thing Ben always said whenever he and Cedric snuck out from under the ever-watchful eye of Cedric’s father.

When Ben left for the garage, he felt light and cheerful. For real this time. Because his friendship was still whole. When he flicked the lights and got a load of what he’d be driving, that cheer crashed through the roof and kept right on going.

“I’m so not returning you to Silus,” he said as he sank into the plush leather seat of the yellow Porsche. Before starting the ignition, he started playing with the Sirius satellite radio.

Silus owed him for saving his life anyway.

Chapter Sixteen

As soon as he was able, Cedric pulled himself off the couch and dragged his ass up the stairs. He’d sat in the morning sun for a few minutes once it peaked through the windows, and now he wanted to lay in the dark for a bit. Next to his lover.

He opened the door just a crack and slipped inside.

Silus opened his eyes at the soft click of the door as it shut. He was already looking better, his face and hands not so red, and no signs of blisters or pealing like he’d feared. Silus pulled down the covers for him, and, grinning, Cedric crossed the room and climbed in with his… mate. He was going to have to get used to that word.

“You are looking fine this morning,” Silus said.

Cedric began tracing light patterns over Silus’s pale chest, tickling the indents and circling his nipples until they reddened and budded like roses, but otherwise he was careful not to touch too much lest he irritate the burns. “You look better, too.”

Silus reached up for Cedric’s hand, stopping him. “As much as I adore your hands, I’ll need a little more rest before my body can perform.”

Cedric lowered his gaze, and his eyes widened at the tent poking up in the silk sheets. He hadn’t even really been thinking about sex, but his lips quirked into a wicked smirk as he slid his hand down to gently cup and massage the shaft through the linens. Silus hissed in a breath, and though Cedric adored the sound of it, his body didn’t respond the way he’d hoped.

His confusion must’ve been obvious because Silus was chuckling at him with his eyes closed. “Not what you expected?”

Cedric lay back and threw the sheets off himself to have a look. His jeans were still on, but there was hardly a tingle beneath them. Touching Silus and listening to his pleasure always made him hard. “I don’t get it.”

“Mmm, I’m freshly filled with your blood. ’Tis not difficult, no matter how weak I may feel, for that blood to make its way here.” Silus grabbed Cedric’s hand and returned it to his prick.

“You, on the other hand,” he gasped, removing the hand to stroke at Cedric’s fingers with his thumbs, “are missing quite a bit of blood. It will be some time before you can get it up as easy as before.”

“Not too long, I hope,” Cedric said. This was supposed to be his happily ever after. From what he understood, that usually got celebrated with a lot of headboard-banging sex.

“No. Your stamina is good. Give it a day or so and we’ll return to this.”

It shouldn’t have left Cedric disappointed. They’d had sex every time they’d been together since they met. Maybe now was the right time to simply relax, heal, and enjoy each other’s company rather than each other’s dicks.

But he really, really, really wanted sex.

Silus could get it up, but was too weak to fuck him, and Cedric couldn’t get hard anyway, so it didn’t matter.

Or, maybe it did.

Cedric grabbed the sheets and flung them entirely off the bed.

Silus tensed. “What are you—?”

“That doesn’t look very comfortable, and I promise my mouth still works,” Cedric said, and Silus said not one more word as his trousers were unbuttoned and pulled down.

Cedric wanted sex, but he could still do the pleasing and have a good time. Silus had taken a serious sunbath beating with the light Cedric let off back at his former manse. He wanted to make him feel good after that.

The first thing Cedric did was harden his tongue and use it to play with the slit of Silus’s cock. Then he took the whole shaft into his mouth, going all the way down until his chin touched Silus’s balls.

Silus’s hands found his hair as Cedric worked him, his knees coming up so that he could thrust his hips easier as he fucked Cedric’s mouth, gasping his pleasure.

And then the tingling in his cock started up for real. Even with his body depleted of blood, he still got excited for the vamp in bed with him. It was a slow build up at first, but soon he was throbbing between his legs.

Cedric began to hum, and it all ended as Silus came down his throat. It was so sudden he nearly choked on it and had to pull away quickly before the spasm made him bite down or something, which was a shame because he liked that part. He’d wanted something relatively quick before Ben came back, but that was a little too fast.

Cedric coughed a couple of times before he caught his breath and stared at his lover, whose cheeks were pink and whose mouth was pouting and annoyed.

It was cute.

“I told you. Too much blood in me.”

Cedric looked down, pleased with what he saw. Too much blood. No kidding. “Well, you’re still good to go.” He took Silus’s hand and stuck it over the firm area of his jeans. “So am I. I know you’re tired—”

“No.” Silus’s eyes glittered, and his palm rubbed that spot. “Not tired enough if you feel up to riding me… or fucking me.”

It was exactly what Cedric wanted to hear. He got to work on his clothes, tossing them all away with the sheets he’d thrown across the room previously, and then climbed up Silus’s body. It seemed only the flesh of his face and hands were burned when Cedric pretended to obliterate the both of them, because his body still looked perfectly pale and beautiful.

“If too much blood really does this to your prick,” Cedric said as he gripped it in his hand and gave it a firm upper stroke, the saliva there still wet enough to keep it slick, “I’ll feed you daily. Starting tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow.”

This got Cedric to thinking. “You don’t regret it, do you?”

Silus’s eyes became curious as the process toward coitus ceased. “Regret—us? No, never.” He found the strength to sit himself up against the mound of pillows behind him. It leveled their eyes and allowed him to smooth his hands up and down Cedric’s shoulders and neck. “Wherefore would you ask such a thing?”

“I love the way you talk. All you need is an English accent.”

“And you are stalling.”

Cedric clenched his teeth, half wishing he hadn’t said anything as Silus’s hard eyes scrutinized him. “You just left your family behind. They think you’re dead. I don’t want you to turn around one day and hate me for taking them from you.”

“Would you, in turn, hate me for taking your family from you?”

A bitter taste instantly formed in Cedric’s mouth. “No. They tried to marry me off to my cousin and then disowned me. Twice. Whether it was because of this,” he said as he waved his hand between them, “or not, I’m really glad to be free of them.”