“Bummer.” Benny echoed his sigh. “It’s been a really cool summer.”
“There are other places in the realm,” Helio said quickly. “Other spots we could find. There are pockets where time moves differently. We could spend years and no one would miss you.”
Helio didn’t know when he’d started to concern himself with whether anyone missed Benny back home, but he figured he should use all the selling points at his disposal.
“But I kind of miss them. No.” Benny shook his head, then lifted the edge of his shirt to swipe at the sweat on his forehead. “I think it’s time to go back.”
Helio stiffened.No. Not a chance. Benny washis. He’d said so himself, the very first time Helio had claimed his body. Not to mention the many, myriad ways they were magically entwined. He did not get to justleave.
Helio opened his mouth to say just that, but he didn’t get to, because Benny was raising his brows, asking, “Are you coming with me?”
Helio’s mouth hung open. “What?”
Benny cocked his head. “We’re, like, dating, right? You should meet my people. Seacliff’s really pretty too. I think you’d like it. We can split time between here and there, if you want, down the line.”
“I-I captured you,” Helio sputtered. “Ikidnappedyou. And now you’re inviting me to your home?”
Benny shrugged. “I wanted to come. I’ve liked it here. And you’re not gonna go back to tormenting innocent people, right? ’Cause you’re not bored or lonely anymore?”
And that was the crux of it, wasn’t it? Benny was seeing through him again. What had he called Helio before?
A little lonely and possessive?
Helio sighed, all his indignation deflating.
Benny grinned at him, pressed a swift kiss to his lips, then grabbed his hand and began tugging him toward the villa. “Come on, let’s get packed.”
Later,after convincing Benny that magical villas did not actually need packing, and then fucking him up against the gym mirror—Helio hadn’t been able to resist watching himself take Benny in his fae form—they lay on the gym mats, legs tangled together.
Benny was appropriately pliant and breathless. Helio already wanted him again—he always wanted him, damn it—but he was more or less content for the moment with petting Benny’s flank in smooth, steady strokes.
“You know,” Helio mused, his mouth running away with him again, “humans who successfully triumph over the fae are traditionally given a boon.”
Benny hitched his leg higher over Helio’s hip, encouraging his roving hands. “What’s a boon?”
“A favor. Riches. Titles. A cow whose milk will never run dry.”
“I don’t really have anywhere to keep a cow,” Benny mused, petting Helio in turn now, his tickling fingers tracing Helio’s pecs.
He was then immediately—and predictably—distracted by Helio’s cock twitching at his touch.
“Benny,” Helio prompted.
Benny looked up to meet Helio’s eyes, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry. Um. Is that what I’ve done? Triumph over you?”
“I’m afraid so.” There was no use denying it now. Not when, instead of keeping Benny in the fae realm for eternity, Helio was instead going to Maine.
“Huh.” Benny grinned for real now. “So that means you really like me?”
“Yes, Benny.” Helio wouldnotroll his eyes. That would be juvenile. “I really like you.”
“Cool.” Benny’s hand started traveling downward, stroking lightly at Helio’s hip. “I guess it would be nice not to have to work odd jobs anymore. To just focus on my videos.”
“You want riches?” Helio asked, perking up. He hadn’t thought Benny would actually accept a boon from him, had just been making idle chatter.
“But isn’t that already the benefit of having a rich boyfriend?” Benny asked sincerely. “You’ve got a really high libido, you know,” he pointed out, making Helio blush for some reason. “It doesn’t leave much time for anything beyond fucking. So it’s like, you take care of expenses and we get to bang like bunnies and vacation in the fae realm and all that.”
“So you’re mine and in exchange, I foot the bills?
