Page 70 of Touch In Excess

Seventeen

He had exactlysix minutes and nineteen seconds before Rami’s live started. Not that the bidding would begin right away, and frankly, Skye’s participation in the bidding wasn’t supposed to come in until the end. Though he fully intended to drive the amount up if it slowed down.

He had this money to spend, and the only person he wanted to give it to was Rami. A small part of him was afraid it would complicate things in the future. That maybe Rami would somehow feel beholden or in debt to Skye. The bigger part of him knew it wouldn’t be an issue because Rami did tend to see things in black and white, and this was nothing more than a transaction.

A purchase.

There was weight to it, of course. He was buying Rami’s virginity, but his hands had already made Rami come more than once. So had his mouth. And the toy he’d bought for him. All of those things were special and important, and Skye knew he had to have this.

He needed to call this moment his.

Maybe it was wrong, but he was a Sin, goddamn it. Sure, he was also human, but what he’d been doing for so long and theway he’d split himself into one man and one fallen angel had forever changed who he was. There were times he wanted to embrace the darker side of himself, and Rami was giving him that chance.

His entire body was filled with a hunger he struggled to name. It was wrapped in love and maybe a little obsession, but there was more to it. He just wished he understood himself a little better.

Checking the clock one last time, he decided to step outside and breathe for a few. He was already logged in so Rami would see his name and not panic, and Skye didn’t mind if he missed the beginning of the show. He did like watching the chat. He found it wildly erotic that so many people were so turned on by his beloved.

That was the source of his possessive feelings. Everyone wanted him, but Rami was his and his alone.

And he didn’t even mind the objectification angle of it because it meant that Skye had been given a gift from Rami: knowing him for who he was. Loving him for who he was. Not just the two dicks hanging between his legs or the quiet, punched-out moans he gave when he got himself off in front of hundreds.

And Skye knew if he was careful enough and clever enough, he’d get to keep Rami until the day they took their last breath.

“Someone out here?”

Skye jolted as he stepped off his porch, then walked over to his fence and pulled the door open. Jet was there, head tipped down, cane in his hand. He was a little sweaty, like he’d just come from a jog. Or a hard fuck.

“Work?” Skye asked.

Jet’s face lifted. “Mm. Chapel session. I feel like I ran a marathon. I’m getting too old for this crap.”

Skye burst into laughter. He and Jet were two of the youngest Sins, but he was starting to realize that this job could make him feel old when it wanted to. “They weren’t being an asshole, were they?”

“Nah. Just athletic.” Jet dug the tip of his cane into the dirt, then felt his way forward with his left hand until he touched the fence. He leaned against it with a heavy sigh. “You had a busy week.”

Skye groaned, rolling his eyes up toward the stars. There had been a system glitch, and when Hen was making appointments, they weren’t showing up in the calendar. When they repopulated, the system had scheduled them all in a cluster and sent out appointment confirmations to all their clients. Tuesday, Skye had two clients back-to-back. Wednesday, he had one that lasted until midnight, and Thursday was a bright and early 8:00 a.m. session. He’d been so out of it he hadn’t had much time to talk to Rami the way he wanted, though his lover didn’t seem to mind.

But that led to the smallest flicker of worry in his gut because what if Rami eventually did get tired of Skye’s schedule?

“Does Taylor ever get…I don’t know…uncomfortable with this whole thing?”

Jet barked out a laugh. “Yeah, he absolutely does. It’s easier when he doesn’t think about it, but sometimes it bothers him. Which is human, I think.”

“He’s never asked you to stop, has he?”

Jet shrugged. “He’s asked me if I will. And when. I think a small part of him just wants to know that he’s more important than anyone else. That I’d burn down this life to make him happy.”

“And you would.”

Jet grinned. “I absolutely would. For him, knowing is enough. He doesn’t have a countdown calendar to retirement or anything like that.”

There was so much for Skye and Rami to talk about. Their relationship was still so brand-new. There was so much to learn, so much to know. He didn’t need to rush toward complications.

“You’re very quiet,” Jet said, then lifted his hands. ‘Need me to sign?’ For a blind man, he’d picked up on ASL better than Skye expected him to—which was maybe unfair to say. Jet was one of the smartest people Skye had ever met, and he had a penchant for languages.

“No,” he said. “Hearing aids are on, and it’s quiet out here. I’m just…dealing.”

“Love is tricky when you’re fallen,” Jet said.

---