Phoenix Found (Brothers of Fire #5)

Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

Perrin’s phone rang with the maintenance ringtone. “Hello, how can I help?”

“Um…the tap won’t turn off.” A man said in English.

It took a couple of seconds for Perrin to switch language gears while also placing the voice because it sounded so familiar. “Oliver?”

“Yes. The phone directory in my room said to call this number…”

“That’s correct. Maintenance comes through to me.” There was a part of him that had been hoping that Oliver was calling him for no good reason. The rest of him was glad there was a reason. “Which tap?”

“Bathroom. I turned it on, and now I can’t shut it off.”

“Yeah, it’s probably due to age and lack of use. Nothing is flooding?”

“No flooding,” Oliver confirmed.

“Great, I’ll be there in ten.” Because that’s how long it was going to take him to grab the bag with the spare washers and such and then walk over there .

“Thank you,” Oliver said a little too brightly and hung up.

Perrin stared at his phone. Was there really a broken tap, or had Oliver found a way to summon him that he couldn’t say no to?

He wanted to believe he could’ve said no without the broken tap, but Perrin doubted his resolve was that strong. Besides, he was curious about whether the thing between them would continue or not, even though it shouldn’t for both their sakes.

Was he reading too much into the situation?

It wasn’t as though he’d ever dated, not that he was dating Oliver.

As he made his way over to Oliver’s rooms, he reminded himself of all the reasons getting any more involved was a bad idea.

The one at the top of his list no longer applied because Oliver knew what he was. And he knew what Oliver was, and that should’ve been reason enough to resist the royal phoenix.

By the time he knocked on the door, he had firmed his resolve to be cool and professional. His dick had other ideas and had also firmed.

Oliver opened the door, all ink dark hair and smokey gray eyes. His lips parted, and before he’d even said a word, Perrin’s resolve to keep this visit to maintenance only turned to ash and scattered.

He was completely disarmed.

It didn’t help that Oliver wore a fitted button-down shirt and jeans that hugged his thighs. His bare feet peeked out the bottom. Perrin lifted his gaze. This was not the same cautious man from last night.

Perrin swallowed. “The tap?”

Please let there be a tap . Because if there wasn’t, he wanted to grab the front of that shirt and kiss him while backing him into the room. Oliver gave him a small smile as if Perrin had spoken aloud, and it was exactly the reaction he’d been hoping for.

“Come in.” Oliver stepped aside, and Perrin followed.

He hadn’t been in these rooms before. He’d sent someone else to check them over because he’d been busy with the king’s lodge. Perhaps the tap had worked fine, but after a few days of use, the washer had crumbled.

Given that no one had lived there for over two centuries, it was surprisingly modern. Electric lights, a microwave in the kitchenette, along with a coffee machine and a fridge. Someone had upgraded the apartment as if in preparation…Everest in his previous life as king, Perrin realized with his next breath.

Oliver shut the door. “This way.”

He heard water running, which meant there must be a busted tap. Should he be disappointed or relieved?

He followed Oliver to the bathroom, trying not to notice the way the jeans cupped his ass. And failing.

Last night had been a chance. A little snack on the roof as they got to know each other…Perrin hadn’t imagined it ending with a kiss. Now, he couldn’t stop thinking about it.

“I was running a bath, and when I adjusted the temperature, it didn’t shut off, so I pulled the plug.”

“Good thinking.” And he was not thinking about Oliver naked and in this oversized tub. Not at all. He opened the bathroom vanity and reached beneath to turn off the isolation valve. When the plumbing had been upgraded, someone had thought ahead, which made repairs so much easier. Much better to turn off water to one apartment than an entire wing.

“What are you doing?”

“Turning off the water.” At least if he couldn’t fix it right away, it wouldn’t be running all night.

Oliver licked his lower lip. “Are you able to fix it?”

“Yeah. It shouldn’t be that hard.” He stepped into the bath so that he wasn’t tempted to drag his thumb over Oliver’s lip and then lick the thumb to taste him again.

He set his bag near the tap, and gave it a turn, then unscrewed the knob, expecting to find a rusted or disintegrated washer, but there wasn’t one. He unscrewed the other tap. That one had a washer.

The sides of the bath weren’t wet and the plug sitting on the edge of the bath was also dry. A very convincing set up, but a ploy to have him to attend. He turned to face Oliver, who was now perched on the edge of the bath next to the tool bag.

“Can you hand me the washer?” Perrin held out his hand.

Oliver sighed and stood, pulling it out of his pocket before handing it over.

Perrin checked it for damage, but it was new. The guy he’d told to go over the apartment had done a good job. “When did you learn to change a washer?”

“When I was about ten. I watched my…” He shrugged. “My father changed one.”

“And when did you learn to lure men to your room on a fake call for help?”

“From reading. Am I in trouble?” Oliver’s eyebrows pulled together as if concerned.

“No. It’s not as though you maliciously damaged anything. You could’ve just?—”

“Would you have come?”

Perrin drew in a breath, needing a moment to consider his answer.

“That’s a no.” Oliver sighed and looked away.

“Because I’m trying to behave. You’re a phoenix, and I’m a ghoul.”

Oliver stared at him. “And?”

“And your family rules the country, and mine works for them.” Oliver was a shooting star, drawing gasps of amazement, and he was the scavenger stuffing his face with carrion and drawing shrieks of fear.

“I liked the kiss.”

Perrin blinked at the switch in topic. “So did I.”

“So what is wrong with wanting more?”

“Nothing is wrong with the wanting.”

Oliver scuffed his toe over the tiles. “You don’t want me?”

Perrin pressed his lips together, aware he was about three seconds from making a mistake. “What I want is to pull you into this bath and kiss you until you cum and then lick you clean.”

Oliver blushed as his pulse quickened. There was no mistaking the wash of lust that rolled off his skin.

Perrin wanted more than a kiss, but Oliver may not be ready for that. Oliver wasn’t like every other shifter; he’d spent his entire life locked away. He was a virgin who didn’t even know how to have friends.

This whole thing was dangerous.

“So why don’t you…then you can have your second favorite treat,” Oliver said without breaking Perrin’s gaze.

Perrin regretted mentioning that, even though it was the truth because Oliver’s offer was so damn tempting. “You want me to hold your hips and grind against you? Unbutton those tight jeans and stroke your cock?”

Oliver’s lips parted. He nodded.

“Suck on it until you spill on my tongue.” He pushed, needing Oliver to back down or change his mind.

Oliver swallowed. His eyes were almost black from his blown-out pupils. “Please. All of that.”

Fuck it.

He wasn’t going to scorch his fingers; he was going to burn and enjoy every minute of it. He reached for Oliver, expecting the younger man to pull away at the last second. Instead, he almost fell into Perrin’s arms as they sank into the empty bath. Oliver moved over him to straddle his hips as Perrin leaned against the edge. Water soaked through his work pants and underwear, but he didn’t care.

His fingers pressed into Oliver’s hip, pulling him close and holding him there so he felt the length of Perrin’s erection.

“Oh…” Oliver rocked his hips, then he leaned forward, resting one hand on the lip of the bath and the other on Perrin’s chest.

Perrin cupped Oliver’s ass, wishing there was less fabric between them while at the same time grateful there was and that Oliver hadn’t been wearing only a towel, ready for his fake bath.

Their lips met in the same tentative manner as last night, like Oliver needed a moment to remember before his tongue begged for entrance, and Perrin couldn’t deny him. He sucked on Oliver’s tongue and was rewarded with a moan. But it was the way Oliver rolled his hips, as if seeking just the right amount of friction, that was its own magic.

Perrin didn’t care if he was the one coming in his pants tonight.

“Can you…do the rest of the thing?” Oliver panted against Perrin’s lips.

Perrin grinned and nipped at his lip. “If you want it, you have to say it.”

Oliver tilted his chin up and rolled his eyes. His long hair tickled Perrin’s neck. “I want your hands on me.”

Perrin squeezed his ass. “Like that?”

“No.” Oliver gave an exasperated sigh. “On my…dick.”

“Yeah? You think that’s going to feel different to your own hand?” He rocked against Oliver, loving the way he moved.

Oliver groaned. “Yes…I hope so. Does it? ”

“It does.” Perrin kissed him, rough and hungry, as he slid one hand between them and flicked open the button on Oliver’s jeans. He took his time working open the fly and teasing the hot length of Oliver’s cock through the thin fabric of his briefs. There was a damp spot at the tip that Perrin couldn’t resist teasing, causing more pre-cum to leak out. He wanted to lick his fingers.

Oliver stilled and glanced down.

Perrin paused. “You want me to keep going?”

Or was he having doubts? Was Perrin moving too fast?

Oliver bit his lip and nodded.

Perrin tugged his briefs down, exposing the ripe, purple head of his cock. He wanted to lick it so bad. The closest he could get was licking his fingers…which he did. Salty and musky. He needed more.

“Oh God, that was hot.” Oliver leaned in and gave him a tentative kiss.

“You know what’s hotter? You getting up here, so I can suck on your dick.”

Oliver made a small noise. “How?”

Perrin slid down the bath and pulled Oliver up to the right position. He yanked Oliver’s jeans and briefs lower to free the length of his cock.

“Oh!”

Perrin glanced up to find Oliver watching. He gave his length a slow lick as if to clean the pre-cum off his skin, then opened his mouth so all Oliver needed to do was thrust in.

He took the hint and rocked forward enough that the head pushed past Perrin’s lips before he pulled back. His dick bobbed close enough that he could lick it if he stuck out his tongue, but Oliver needed to own this.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” He whispered.

The simple admission was so cute…so hot. It was the ho nesty and the raw need in his words. The way pre-cum slid from the slit and rolled over the head, ready to be licked up.

“Fuck my mouth.” Perrin’s words were rough.

“How much?”

Perrin gave a low laugh. “I can take whatever you give me.”

“Um…okay.”

The hot, smooth head bumped against Perrin’s lips before he opened his mouth and let him slide in deeper. He closed his eyes, enjoying the way the cock in his mouth worked over his tongue. He sucked as Oliver rocked back, and this time he didn’t pull free. It only took him a couple of thrusts to find a rhythm and a depth that he seemed to like. Which wasn’t nearly deep enough for Perrin. He wanted to feel the head of Oliver’s cock hit the back of his throat and push deeper.

His fingers ached to stretch, and his back prickled as though the long spines wanted to push through. He didn’t have the protection of a wall between them, hiding how he looked when he stretched. If he lost control, there’d be no coming back. No one wanted to look at a ghoul while they were fucking. He needed to finish Oliver fast instead of taking his time.

He kept one hand on Oliver’s ass and used his other to free his own dick, timing his strokes to match Oliver’s. With his tongue, he worked the head, teasing and pressing it to the roof of his mouth.

Oliver gasped, and his hips jerked as he came.

Perrin hummed around the length, working his hand faster as he swallowed and sucked, wanting every drop. The little noise Oliver made and the slight rock of his hips as if he didn’t want it to end undid Perrin. He came with a half-smothered groan, cum splashing on his belly and over his too-long clawed fingers, and a shadow of delight rippling down his back.

Definitely his favorite between-feeds snack.

Oliver leaned over, resting on the edge of the bath as though wiped out, cock in Perrin’s mouth. He continued to suck and tease, knowing he’d become too sensitive soon and would pull away. He smoothed his hand over Oliver’s ass and upper thigh, hoping he didn’t notice the change in his hand.

Oliver shivered as though it was all becoming a bit too much. With a little whimper, he pulled free and rocked back. Perrin kept hold of his ass, rather liking the way the cheek fitted into his palm. It was too easy to imagine holding Oliver up against the wall and fucking him.

“Do you want me to do the same for you?”

Perrin smiled. “I’m done. I told you I liked giving head.”

“Oh.” Oliver seemed disappointed.

“I don’t expect reciprocation.” When he went out, he was always more interested in sucking than being sucked. “But if you want to taste, you can lick my fingers.”

He regretted the words immediately because he needed to gain some control over himself. His fingers ached to be long and clawed to grip better. He brought his now human-looking hand up so Oliver saw the thick, white strands webbing between his fingers. Oliver held Perrin’s hand and studied his messy fingers for what seemed like far too long.

Had he felt the change in Perrin’s hand? “You don’t have to.”

Oliver glanced at him. “I want to. Is it going to taste the same as mine?”

“Everyone tastes a little different.”

“You’ve had a lot of tastes?” His dark eyebrows pinched together.

“I have. But I can’t catch human diseases because I’m not human, even though I appear to be.” Not that he ever told humans that. For the most part, he never needed to have that conversation. There was no conversation, only a dick through the hole .

Oliver gave a small nod, then leaned in and gave the tip of Perrin’s finger a cautious lick, while holding his gaze. In that moment, Perrin wanted to watch Oliver lick up every spilled drop. How could he be so innocent yet so cunning that he’d set the perfect trap?

And Perrin, who was supposed to be a predator, had rolled over and played dead so Oliver could do what he wanted. He didn’t regret a single second.

Oliver sucked on the finger and moved on to the second one much more bravely. He swirled his tongue around that tip as if mimicking what Perrin had done only minutes before to his dick. By the time Oliver reached Perrin’s third finger, it was clear that was exactly what he was doing.

Perrin smiled. “Are you practicing?”

“Maybe? Am I doing it wrong?”

“The only way you can do sex wrong is if someone isn’t enjoying it.”

“And you like me licking your fingers?” Oliver licked from palm to tip.

“I like watching you lick my fingers.” He wasn’t used to the eye contact or the slight tickling sensation of having someone else lick him. “I should dip them in honey.”

“I like honey.” Oliver shimmied back, and for half a second Perrin wasn’t sure why, until he realized Oliver wanted to look at him, lying there with his cock out.

Shit, Oliver had probably never seen another dick, and one that was going soft, slick with the remains of its own excitement, wasn’t the most impressive sight. Perrin was reaching the point where he wanted to pull up his pants and leave. Though his pants were wet, and so was his underwear from lying in the bottom of the bath, and there was cum on his shirt.

Oliver’s dick was still out, and Perrin wasn’t sure if this was about to turn into a request for round two or a request for him to leave. The latter would be the sensible thing to do. But around Oliver, it seemed impossible to be sensible.

Oliver leaned in and licked Perrin’s shaft.

“What are you doing?”

“Licking up the rest?” His breath ghosted over Perrin’s belly, and he glanced up. “Unless that isn’t done?”

“You can, but you don’t need to.”

“I know, but while I have you here…” His tongue continued its slow exploration as he sought every drop of cum on Perrin’s skin. The swipe of his tongue tickled as it swept over Perrin’s belly.

His cock thickened, making the decision to stay.

Oliver pressed his lips to the tip, and his tongue to the slit.

“Okay, that’s enough.” He pushed Oliver back.

“You’re not enjoying it?” Oliver frowned.

“I am, but I’m lying in a puddle, and the bath is not getting any more comfortable.” And he should take this break to do up his pants and leave. But that meant walking through the castle with a wet ass. Not the first time he traipsed through wet or muddy, though this time, any shifter he walked past would know what he’d been doing. And who with because Oliver’s scent was all over him.

“I’ll turn on the heated towel rail so your pants can dry…unless you have another emergency to go to?”

His phone had remained silent. And he didn’t want to leave. He sat up and threaded his fingers through Oliver’s hair, loving the silky feel of it as he closed his fist and pulled him close for a kiss. He tasted himself in Oliver’s mouth.

“Are you trying to get me naked?” He whispered against Oliver’s lips.

Oliver looped his arms around Perrin’s neck. “Is it working?”

“Yes.” He wanted to tell Oliver that he could do far better than a ghoul for his first, but Oliver seemed to want to rush across all those lines, and he wanted to do it while holding Perrin’s hand.

Maybe he wanted to get the first time out of the way.

And it wasn’t as though Perrin minded. He was a willing test subject. “What did you have in mind while I wait for my pants to dry?”

Oliver’s eyes brightened. And for a heartbeat, Perrin wondered if giving the phoenix everything he wanted was a mistake.