This brought Brannal to a complete halt, and there was concern written large across his face.
“Oh, Perian, I’m so sorry, I didn’t think…”
Perian shook his head, looped his arm through Brannal’s, and tugged him back into motion.
“You have nothing to apologize for. It wasn’t you who suggested this outing, I freely agreed to come, and I feel perfectly safe with you by my side.”
Brannal glanced at him, and his expression softened, the worry smoothing largely away, though a little of it still seemed to linger in his eyes. Perian was pretty sure it was always there, because Brannal worried about anything he cared about. He wanted to be the best Summus, he wanted everyone at the castle to be safe, and he wanted Perian to be safe, too.
“I’m glad,” Brannal said softly.
They completed the rest of the walk to the castle in silence, but it was an easy one now.
Once they were behind closed doors, they got their hands all over one another, in even more intimate places than they’d been able to manage while dancing.
Perian moaned as Brannal pushed inside him, and managed to say, “Might be a little awkward if you did this on the dance floor.”
Perian’s legs were locked around Brannal’s hips as his beautifully strong lover drove into him.
Brannal snorted a laugh. “Yes, I would prefer to keep this to the bedroom.”
Perian raised an eyebrow even as he whimpered at the forceful thrust. Brannal was so good at hitting that perfect spot. “Only the bedroom?”
He seemed to recall a rather awesome incident in the library. And over the sitting room table. Just as examples.
Brannal rolled his eyes, but they were bright with affection.
“In less public settings than the pub, at any rate,” he amended.
Perian hummed an agreement. He was happy to be watched, but he had to admit even he preferred it in a more controlled setting where he knew everyone was interested. A crowd that might contain some hecklers, or people who weren’t turned on by what they were doing? No, he wouldn’t like that.
“Besides,” Brannal added, even as he continued to thrust, eyes glittering with lust, “I like you in my bed.”
“And I like being here.”
Brannal leaned in to kiss him, changing the angle between them, making them both moan even as they melted into one another’s mouths.
Perian loved having all of Brannal’s focus on him, loved that intent look in his eyes, the determination to make Perian come before Brannal did, to fill him with so much pleasure it couldn’t be contained.
Perian’s orgasm took him by surprise, bursting through him without Brannal even needing to touch his cock.
He cried out, clamping down on Brannal, who lost his rhythm, managing a few more uneven thrusts before he buried himself inside Perian and came.
Perian just floated in the perfect sensations for a few minutes, while Brannal did the more practical cleaning up. Then he climbed back into bed and pulled a willing Perian into his arms, stroking a hand up and down his arm.
Perian was not a cat, but he wantedto purr.
Growing a little more alert, he ventured after a moment, “That was all right, wasn’t it?”
The movement of Brannal’s hand stilled. After a moment of silence, he said, a trace of uncertainty in his voice, “I like to think it was a bit better than all right.”
Fire and water. Perian was doing this all wrong. He twisted around so he could look at Brannal properly, where he could see in the dim light from the fire that he now looked as uncertain as he’d sounded.
Perian made a face and said firmly, “I’m saying this wrong, sorry. It was fabulous. Best sex ever, would like to repeat as often as possible.”
The look of worry lightened but didn’t completely disappear from Brannal’s eyes. “But?”
Perian cleared his throat, wondering why he’d picked this moment to ask this question. He swallowed. “But I just wanted to make sure it was good for you, too? That you, uh, felt good about it?”
