Page 191 of Heart of the High King
Rafe pushed and pulled until Aleksander raised up high enough that he could taste his mouth. As his mate leaned forward, Rafe pushed his hand away and wrapped his own hand around Aleksander’s dick. His other half let out a moan of approval as Rafe stroked him fast and hard—Aleksander’s favorite way to be touched. As he drifted to the mattress again, he continued to ravenously kiss Aleksander as he pumped his fist over his length. Aleksander tore his lips free and stiffened when he came. Rafe loved the raw ecstasy on his face and the flush on his cheeks and chest.
“Damn, you’re gorgeous.”
Aleksander’s lashes slid upward slowly, and Rafe let go of his cock to pull him into his arms. “You look better, especially when you’re covered in my come.”
“Give me a kiss, and get the fuck off me, so we can take a shower.”
After Aleksander did what he was told, he rolled off the bed and hauled Rafe up. They made their way to the bathroom. “I bet nobody’s as good at dirty talk as you are.”
“The words sound like a compliment, but your tone is pure insult. Make sure the water’s hot enough.”
“Do we have to boil off our skin before dinner?”
Rafe pushed the spigot farther to the left and stepped onto the tiles. “I hate cold showers. I can’t understand why you can be perfect in so many ways but completely fucked up in others.”
“In this, my love, it’s you that’s fucked up.”
Handing Aleksander the soap, Rafe glanced over his shoulder. “I’m almost not embarrassed showering with you, so wash my back, will ya?”
As Rafe would’ve predicted, a big hand squeezed his ass and a sneaky finger slid around his hole, making him want to purr.
“I’m happy to, babe.”
When the tip of that crafty digit slid in, Rafe rose up on his toes a little to better enjoy it, then lowered his feet to the tiles to entice him to push farther inside. “That’s not my back,” he managed.
“So sorry. My hands apparently have a mind of their own when it comes to you.”
“No time for games, Sander.”
“You’re bossy, but I love you anyway.”
“I’ll always love you, Sander,” Rafe said, the beauty of what they’d built swamping him. Aleksander turned him around, and he was crushed against a massive chest. For a moment, he simply enjoyed the closeness and held his man tight. Refusing to ask why he’d suffered the way he had, it no longer mattered. What did was the unshakable bond that existed between Rafe and the man holding him. Fate had chosen this for them, but they’d yearned for it and found a way to create something they could both trust. It fueled them, and from that Rafe could build onto the strength he’d hunted for and discovered inside himself. When their lips met, Rafe lost himself in their kiss and hoped to hell they didn’t miss dinner again.
∞∞∞
While Rafe had been actively trying to get Aleksander not to skip meals, the one place he avoided when he was alone was the kitchen. But the wolves needed to go out, and Rafe was heading inside when he saw Kendrick staring at him with disapproval. Every other D’Vaire, including Kendrick’s mate, went out of their way to be friendly but not his only living brother, with Sullivan being executed a few days ago.
“It wasn’t enough that Aleksander had to spend six weeks napping, now you need to monopolize his time, keeping him from the rest of the family?” Kendrick demanded.
Since his arrival as a resident of the Dra’Kaedan’s Coven, Rafe’s mission had been to keep a low profile, which wasn’t possible now that he carried Aleksander’s title. Rafe had continued to try and keep the peace, even if it meant letting his brother take every opportunity to be a jerk, but they needed to get things into the open. There should be no discord in D’Vaire, and Rafe was going to put an end to it.
“Look, you don’t have to like me. That’s not required. Our mates are related, so neither of us is going anywhere, so this shit needs to stop. What the fuck did I ever do to you? What gives you the right to be so fucking nasty to me when we’re alone?”
Kendrick’s gaze had skittered away, and Rafe twisted to find Noirin standing behind him. She must’ve walked in from the wing of the house, which included the workshops and the bedroom suite she shared with Kendrick. Her violet eyes were molten as she crossed her arms. “Yes, Kendrick, why don’t you explain it to everyone?” she bit out.
“Nox get Aleksander.”
“Dammit,” Rafe muttered when he gave his attention to his wolf and found that Nox had already run out of the kitchen to get the man tied to his soul.
When Aleksander arrived, his gaze was curious. “Everything okay?”
“No, it most certainly is not,” Noirin snapped. “Kendrick, why don’t you explain to Aleksander why I’m fucking pissed off right now.”
Kendrick’s face was bright red, but instead of answering her, he turned to Rafe. “How do you think it was for me? All my life I was told to never go near you. My mother never explained it. I wasn’t to get close to the house, so I couldn’t visit my father or get to know my other brothers and it was because ofyou. I had no idea what kind of person he was and I’m sorry I said that shit to you about everything that you’ve gone through. I was wrong. They’re fucking sadists and Sullivan sat in this fucking kitchen lying to my face about you. How could I have known he was making up stories when I was warned against you so many times? But if I complained about it, she’d crawl right up my ass and defend you. I was both jealous of you and hated you. I assumed you’d hurt her. Maybe you two were lovers at some point. She would never answer any of my fucking questions. I even wondered if you were the one that killed her,” Kendrick yelled, tears streaming down his face. “I had to box up her shit and move in with you guys. Why do you think I escaped to D’Vaire? I wanted away from you. I never even got the chance to say good-bye to her.”
His voice cracked on the words, and Rafe’s eyes filled. “I’m sorry for what they did to her. I hate that you lost her.”
“Tell me what happened between you two.”
