Nikoly had a hint of longing in his smile when Tiiran paused to rub his backside but mostly his expression was softly and deliberately hurt. “Shameless?”
“Lovely,” Tiiran amended himself. “Lovelysunflower.”
“But you like roses.” Nikoly teased him and Tiiran did not care.
“I can like both.” He studied the glinting silver bars in Nikoly’s nipples and the blue gem nestled into his navel. “Those aren’t what you had in yesterday.”
“You liked them. I wanted to please you.” Nikolywasshameless, no matter how he pouted over it. He ran a hand down his side. “Are you pleased?”
“Fuck you,” Tiiran said breathlessly. “Yes, of course I am. Can I touch them?”
He expected the look, but waited until Nikoly supported it with an alluring, “Please,” to reach out.
Two small, faint bruises were nearly hidden among Nikoly’s ink markings. Looking at them made Tiiran understand Orin. Anyone who saw Nikoly naked would know someone had kissed him. They might even guess that Tiiran had been the one to do so.
He brushed the bruises with palms and fingertips. “Do you have others who share your room with you? Do they know I did this?”
“Do you want them to?” Nikoly returned, head up and eyes closed while Tiiran pressed on his jewelry to feel if it was cold or warm from his skin. “More,” he whispered.
Tiiran obeyed. “If you wish to.” He tried to answer like Nikoly, then shook his head because he wasnotNikoly and hedidwant them to know. “Yes. But do you want to see my bruises? Would that be fair? Are you truly not jealous? Orin is, you know. A little. It’s all right if you are.”
“More,” Nikoly urged again, breath hitching when Tiiran lightly flicked one bar to press him to answer. “Ah.” He grabbed the fabric of Tiiran’s robe over Tiiran’s knee and held it. “Ah.” His voice went up when Tiiran did it again, not as lightly. “I bet you’re pretty like that, black and blue from him. I’m not jealous. I’m worried you might prefer him once you’ve grown tired of kissing me or having me. Or that I won’t be enough. You and Orin are clever with books. That’s not my great skill or interest. Please, Tiiran, the other.”
Tiiran looking up and down from Nikoly’s chest to his face, chose to ignore him and rub the same nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Nikoly made incredible sounds for it. Tiiran wasn’t sure he could trust himself to stop.
“And you don’t like nobles,” Nikoly admitted, clinging to Tiiran’s robe. “What if you don’t accept me?”
Tiiran kissed the side of his throat. “You have worries. Orin has worries. I have worries.” It was strangely reassuring. “Do you really want me to move on to your other nipple or should I use my mouth on this one?”
Nikoly’s lips parted. Then his eyes opened, although it took him some time to look at Tiiran. “It’s whatever you want, Tiiran. I will bear it for you unless I truly can’t.”
Tiiran grew hard so fast that his head spun. “Or don’t want to? Would you mind if I ask you to help me pleasure Orin again, or if told you to? Or if I said I don’t possess the skill to take you as you might like and suggested that Orin take you instead of me? I liked having him inside me very much. You likely would too.”
Nikoly’s pupils were wide and endlessly black. He sank his teeth into his bottom lip.
“You find Orin attractive.” Tiiran was panting but doubted Nikoly cared. “Nearly everyone does. It’s all right. I don’t mind that. My real question is, would you want to do more than watching him with me?” He stroked the piercing with just his thumb, back and forth, over and over, and Nikoly’s breathing developed a rasp. “If I wanted you to touch him, or if he helped me learned how to please you with my fingers, say.” Tiiran couldn’t look away from Nikoly’s beautiful, flustered face, or stop toying with his body.
“Yes,” Nikoly admitted, exquisitely strained. “But, Tiiran….” He was beginning to sound like Tiiran.
“You don’t want to risk hurting me.” Tiiran kissed his shoulder because he thought he saw a freckle. Naturally, Nikoly would have gone shirtless in the sun, and probably looked even more beautiful doing it. Perhaps the fae wouldn’t mind if Tiiran took Nikoly to a palace garden and undressed him.
They’d probably like it, the randy rabbits, and want him for their own. Well, they couldn’t have him. Not ever.
Tiiran kissed him on the shoulder again before dropping to feel the silver bar against his tongue.
“Tiir-an.” Nikoly had a harder time bearing gentle attentions than rough ones, Tiiran noted to himself, shivering at Nikoly’s rising whine when Tiiran sucked and used his teeth. “Tiiran,” Nikoly tried a second time, and Tiiran belatedly remembered that he had been speaking to Nikoly about something. “You ran away. You avoided me.”
Tiiran eased off. “I’m sorry. I can tell you I won’t do that again, but it might take you some time to believe that. Trust is difficult for some.”
Nikoly angled his head to give Tiiran an incredulous look as if Tiiran had said something ridiculous. But Tiiran returned to using his mouth and Nikoly exhaled slowly before tipping his head back again.
“I want you to be fulfilled,” Tiiran continued to insist. “For now, will it do for you to watch me with Orin, or to help me sometimes? I’ll need help.” He shifted up to kiss around Nikoly’s collarbone, gentle at first, then intent on making another bruise. “And we both know that Orin would have had you already if not for me.”
Nikoly scraped at Tiiran’s knee, desperately seeking a hold.
“Does that idea excite you?” Tiiran lifted his head to watch Nikoly as Nikoly imagined being fucked by Orin, or Tiiran with Orin behind him, or over him. Or Tiiran riding Orin. People did that too, and Tiiran would like to try it. “Wild Lyli,” he added in a mean whisper, then slid his palm over Nikoly’s other nipple. The metal was already warm. Tiiran pinged the bar with his fingernail before peering down at the rigid line inside Nikoly’s pants. The blue gem glinted above that. It must be glass. Even Mattin only wore glass with all his finery.
“Do you ever wear the fine chain sort of jewelry like what other nobles wear?” Tiiran wondered, distracted. “Like what Mattin sometimes puts in his hair? Could you drape that from these so they were connected to each other? You wouldn’t be able to move, but you’d look irresistible. Not that you don’t already do.”
