Possessive need rolled through him moments before Vince pressed his lips to mine again. “I want it,” he whispered, then kissed me again. “I want you beside me every damn day. I want to open my eyes and see your perfect face first thing.”
Soul throbbing, I replied, “You can have it.”
“Do we need to adjust our permissions?”
I fought a smile. Vince was honoring my needs as much as I was his. “You seem more comfortable about public affection. Can I touch you around others?”
“You can hold my hand.” He kissed me. “You can hold me with your tail.” Another brush of his lips. “I would prefer to initiate hugs or kisses.”
“I’m alright with all that.”
“What do you need?”
Him. I needed Vince, and that thought scared me, but it couldn’t be banished. Those words couldn’t be said, though, so I suppressed them. Instead, I thought about what I truly required at this moment. “I need to spend time with you. I need to care for you, to buy or bring you things. I would also like to spend the night here, even if it’s on the floor.”
He bobbed his head. “You can have that.”
“Sex is still something we need to discuss, if you want to fuck.” Vince had thought about fucking many times, but I was unsure if he wasactuallyready to be intimate this soon. It wasn’t my place to say, though. Everyone handled trauma differently; everyone healed differently. Only Vince knew if he was ready.
“I want to,” Vince said, but a wave of nausea and unease swelled.
“We do not have to, Little Warrior. I’m willing to wait.” I would wait for the rest of my life. Vince was worth it.
“I want to,” he repeated, firmer, but the discomfort remained.
“What do you like?”
Vince bit his bottom lip. “I…” He swallowed, eyes closing. “I don’t know. We need to go slow. Maybe we can start on the couch. I could—” Vince broke off, breathing hard. “Maybe I can ride you or you can fuck me slowly?”
“I can,” I said; however, I was concerned about the dislike and disgust lingering in his thoughts.
“But first,” Vince said, kissing me, then pushing off the bed, “I have a gift for you.”
I blinked in surprise. It was difficult for people to keep surprises from me due to my inner fire. Vince had to be gaining skills in the ability to think around me. It was impressive for the short amount of time we’d known each other. But much like Kalvoxrencol, he was determined to skirt around my gift and that determination meant he’d perfected the skill rapidly.
A thought of Seth popped into his head before ordering, “Sit down, Donny. I’ll be right back.” He darted out the front door.
My first instinct was to chase him, but I didn’t, even though it irritated me to have him out of my sight. I took a seat on his couch and simply waited, though my inner fire remained trained on Vince’s thoughts. With every step, the clarity dimmed, but I was still able to perceive his happiness, which made me smile. There was something perfect about pleasing Vince, and I wished to continue to do so for as long as I was able.
When Vince returned, he was thinking so hard about innocuous things, such as the bland metallic gray of the wall that it nearly made me chuckle. He was attempting to keep this surprise asurprise, and for some reason that I couldn’t articulate, I loved that.
“Close your eyes,” Vince demanded.
“Why?”
“Because I haven’t wrapped your gift.”
Why would he wrap a gift and what would he even wrap it in?
He had to have caught my confusion, because Vince laughed, and the sound was like the purest magic to my ears. It clung to my soul and made it pound harder.
“Just do it, Donny,” Vince said. “It’s a human thing.”
I indulged him.
His thoughts remained on other things, and I didn’t pry, allowing him to keep his secret, but my ears perked at the slightmuffled steps, which got closer and closer until I felt him brush against my knees. It took so much more concentration to keep my eyes closed than it should have, but I managed it, barely.
“Look at me,” Vince whispered, and my eyes snapped open.
