Everett huffed a fond laugh and kissed Solan on the tip of his nose. “That’s true.” Everett turned to Raul and Ji-Su. “Tent number four is reserved for you. Eat, drink, be merry.” He steered Solan away to greet the other guests, a hand possessively curved over his lover’s ass as they walked.
The party wasn’t at all what Ji-Su had expected, but he was glad he’d come. As much as he enjoyed staying in, he also liked the chance to get out from behind his gaming consoles every now and then. “Thank you for bringing me.” He tugged Raul down a bit but still had to stretch up on his tiptoes to give him a kiss on the cheek as thanks. But Raul must not have known what he was about to do because he turned his head and their lips met by mistake.
Startled, Ji-Su went to pull back and apologize, but Raul slipped an arm around his waist and held him in place. Raul kept their lips pressed together, dragging Ji-Su up his body until his feet left the ground. He continued the kiss, coaxing Ji-Su to part his lips with a teasing swipe of his tongue, then deepening it with a slow, honeyed pace that had Ji-Su melting against him.
Ji-Su knew Raul was only kissing him due to the party’s atmosphere—people all around them drinking and touching and fucking. But he wasn’t going to quibble over the why. It was the first time they’d kissed since the morning of the storm and it was as good as Ji-Su remembered. Every press of Raul’s lips, every hot, wet stroke of his tongue had heat pooling behind his navel. He would have been happy to kiss Raul all night, but Raul ended the kiss in gradual stages. When their lips no longer touched, he set Ji-Su back on his feet.
Ji-Su stared at the stitching on Raul’s vest as he took a moment to steady his breath. Raul waited patiently, his big hands rubbing gentle circles on his waist. Finally, Ji-Su looked up to meet Raul’s gaze. His eyes were glowing amber brown. At the sight of the pretty glow, Ji-Su said the first thing that came to mind.
“It’s been a while since you fed,” he whispered. “Unless you’ve drank from someone else.”
Raul shook his head. “I haven’t.”
“It’s not Wednesday, but you can take from me tonight,” Ji-Su shyly offered. “If you want.”
Raul’s glowing eyes dropped to Ji-Su’s throat and a small smile curved his lips.
“I can?”
Still flustered from the kiss and hopeful there would be more, Ji-Su swallowed hard and nodded. “Yes.” It was on the tip of his tongue to say that Raul could do whatever he wanted with and to him but he didn’t have the nerve.
“Hmmm. Let’s go and check out our tent.”
Raul laced their fingers together, drawing Ji-Su in close as they walked toward the line of tents. They passed a stone fountain before they reached their reserved space. Ji-Su tried not to stare at the couple on their knees in the fountain, a petite blonde woman wearing a pink strap-on taking her partner from behind while water splashed on and all around them.
Raul ushered him inside the tent, leaving the entrance curtains open behind them. Ji-Su looked around the elegant space. In the center, there was a large, circular bed made up with red satin sheets and multiple pillows propped against the curved padded headboard. Throw rugs covered the floor of the tent and three small, cherry wood end tables were the only other furniture.
There were red roses here too, their scent perfuming the air. The bouquets were so full they overflowed the sides of tall standing vases. Softly glowing strands of twinkle lights arced across the ceiling of the tent, adding to the light in the space.
A wireless radio sat on one of the tables, the soft sounds of classical music coming from the speaker. On another table, a platter of fruit, chocolate, and oysters chilled on a bed of ice. There was also a bottle of champagne and two crystal champagne flutes. The last table held a small red basket ofsupplies that included lube, moist towelettes, and vibrators still in their packages.
Ji-Su was awestruck by the decadent luxury. He would never have been able to afford to attend a party like this on his own.
“Get settled and I’ll pour us some champagne.”
Ji-Su gave a jerky nod to Raul’s instruction. He took off his shoes before climbing onto the circular bed. The satin sheets were cool and smooth under his palms as he pushed himself back to sit against the headboard and wait for Raul.
On the other side of the tent, Raul popped the champagne. He poured some in each glass, filling them halfway with the bubbly, golden liquid before he brought them over to the bed. Raul handed Ji-Su both glasses to hold while he took off his boots. Once he’d taken his place sitting against the headboard, Ji-Su passed him his glass.
“Try it,” Raul said with a nod at the flute Ji-Su held.
Ji-Su took a sip of the champagne. It was bright and dry, the bubbles tingling on his tongue. “It’s good.”
Raul sipped from his own glass, making a quiet sound of appreciation as he did so.
They sat there sipping their champagne without speaking while they watched the vampires and humans cavorting past the open entrance of their tent.
Although Ji-Su was in bed enjoying champagne, he was far from relaxed. The air between them crackled with tension, while Ji-Su was practically holding his breath as he wondered what this night would bring.
Raul broke the silence.
“So, Everett’s party isn’t what you expected.”
Ji-Su shook his head. “Not at all.”
“It is wild out there.”
“Before tonight, the wildest thing I ever saw at a party was a frat boy jumping on a trampoline in his underwear.”