Page 62 of Forget Me Not

Cal scooted a bowl of yogurt-covered pretzels toward Ray. To appease him, Ray ate a handful, and continued to eat a few once Cal visibly relaxed and seemed to focus more on his work than Ray.

That was misleading. With no warning and without looking up, Cal asked, “Is my scent helping assure you that I am currently safe and whole?”

Unprepared for the direct question, Ray exhaled, “Yes.”

“What about you being safe?” Cal pressed, raising his head to look Ray in the eye. “Or is that less of a concern?”

Ray had no idea what he was supposed to say to that. “Callalily.”

“Would you like me to come closer?” Cal asked, tone slightly crisp. Ray breathed in; Cal’s exuberanthopescent had been replaced with something deeper and more bitter. Not tears or even forming tears. Fear, some annoyance,worry.

Closer would involve Cal within reach. Cal might not mind that. Ray might not be able to let go.

“This is fine.” Ray voice had dropped to a rumble again, giving away even more. Though he got the impression Cal saw through him, especially when Cal scoffed and got up.

But he didn’t come around the table. He went to the fridge for a bright blue fizzy soda in a bottle, with a glass marble that fell to the bottom of the bottle when he opened it. He had a long drink, his eyes locked on Ray the entire time.

Sucking popsicles in the police station as a seduction technique seemed a lot more believable now.

“Are you…” Ray tried to clear the rasp from his throat. “Are you trying to seduce me into calming down?”

Cal set the bottle aside, then leaned back against the counter and licked his lips. “Maybe I want to be assured thatyou’resafe, and that’s easiest when you’re near me. It cost a lot to hand you off to Penn, even though I think you needed it. They only tried to take you from me yesterday, may I remind you?” He tipped his head up, exposing the line of his throat from his chin down to the tiny protection charm he was still wearing. “If this had all happened before you claimed me, I… I don’t know what I would have done. Lost it, probably. Screamed and raged, or frozen in shock to get a second chance. Jumped in your lap instead of just offering to.” He considered Ray carefully. “But now I know what I should have done.” He raised his hand and crooked his finger. “Come here, Ray.”

He made a small, breathless sound when Ray stood, then dropped his hand back to the counter as Ray approached. “I can’t believe that worked. Would have worked then. Oh my God.”

The rumble was stuck in Ray’s chest. “I don’t like it when you worry.”

Cal didn’t move except to tip his head up more when Ray stopped in front of him. “And?”

“And you’re very pretty,” Ray finished. He’d meant his tone to be dry.

Cal looked and smelled pleased, but surprised Ray by scoffing. “Purely physical concepts of attractiveness mean almost nothing to weres. Which is somehow ironic.”

“This afternoon, you were citrus. Not sharp, but bright. Warm. Though you need a sweater.” Ray took a deep breath and held it, tasting, before he exhaled. “I thought of champagne but… looking at champagne. Watching it fill a glass. Not drinking it. You were,” unmistakably happy to see Ray, “pretty,” Ray finished, a bit awkwardly. “That isn’t a good explanation.”

Cal’s eyes were shifting colors and stars. “You know, once, in the early days of finally having you, I think you meant to fuck me, but instead you got distracted by my scent. You breathed me in and rubbed your nose in ticklish places, but I didn’t laugh because you were trying to tell me how it was for you. How it felt. You couldn’t really, but it was incredible that you tried.” Cal curled a hand around Ray’s shoulder to urge him down. “You do better than you think, Ray,” he whispered, and sighed when Ray’s nose brushed the tip of his ear. Cal’s hair was just messy enough that the point of his ear was nearly hidden. The ear itself did not have a sharp point. Shaped like a rounded leaf, it reminded Ray less of Trek and more of small creatures from a fantasy epic.

Cal’s hair smelled like the city, a thousand scents with a hint of the ocean beneath them. Glossy and gaudy, it slid, shining, through Ray’s fingers. Sparkles popped. Ray hardly noticed them, nosing behind the little leaf of Cal’s ear, then down the side of Cal’s neck. The artificial fruit scent of the soda didn’t overpower the rest of Cal, human sweat at his hairline, apple pie again, or peach pie, in places, a deeper scent than apples. Cal’s pulse thrummed under Ray’s mouth.Desirecurled toward him.Affection, ever-present and alive.Anticipation, orhunger, the pinch of salt in even the sweetest recipes.

Ray rubbed his nose over Cal’s shoulder, vaguely displeased at how cold the surface of Cal’s skin still was, then braced himself before returning to the hollow of Cal’s throat. The charm tingled and created an itch that he soothed by parting his lips to better taste Cal’s skin.

Cal was breathing hard, shuddering faintly whenever Ray’s mouth brushed him. He put one hand carefully on Ray’s waist.

Ray raised his head, meaning to clear it. Cal lifted his other hand to wrap Ray’s tie around his wrist even before he’d opened his eyes. Ray hadn’t realized Cal had closed them.

Cal was pink and luminous in the kitchen lights. He stared at Ray as though Ray had done something wonderful or terrible.

“Did that help?” His wings stirred, just the once, as slow and dazed as the question itself.

Ray wanted to bite them, to tear the delicate things to pieces and sink his teeth into the point of Cal’s ear, to hold him down and lick the sugar from his skin until his skin was raw. He wanted to fuck him deep and kiss him soft, and lift him off his feet and press him down. Anyone who hurt Cal would bleed, but Ray wanted to put bruises on his thighs and leave the impression of teeth at his throat.

Every wild urge must have been in his colors. Callalily blinked a few times, wet his lips again, not shocked. Hardly that, with arousal spreading warmth to the rest of his skin at last anddesireandaffectionheavy on Ray’s tongue.

“Oh,” Cal pronounced carefully, as if his words lagged behind his thoughts. “This is… just like before, actually, but without the anger.” He frowned, distracted but only for a moment. “Defensiveness disguised as anger,” he corrected himself. “Everything you want is right there for me to see.” He met Ray’s stare. “It’s yes, if you were wondering. Yes, like I told you before. Yes, I will have you. Yes, I want you. Yes, I would like it if you did unspeakable things to me.”

Ray should’ve laughed at the language of a romance novel, but his lungs were full ofyes.

“I’m your happiness?” he asked, trying out the word.

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