“But you do those things with me. You act as a caretaker toward me.”
Eno grinned, watching Rayne finish the last bite of the sandwich he’d made for him with his own two hands. The salad bowl had just a couple of sad shreds of lettuce and a carrot sliver left. Only the cake was untouched. The man had been hungry, and Eno had fixed that.
“I will agree that I’m not usually the caretaker sort. I prefer to be around self-sufficient people.” Rayne immediately stiffened, and Eno had to swallow his chuckle at the look of indignation spreading across his face. “And I don’t know anyone more self-sufficient and independent than you, Lord Laurent.”
“Stop calling me that,” Rayne said a little testily, his eyes locked straight ahead as if he were afraid to meet Eno’s gaze.
“But you also hate to put yourself first in anything. Especially your own care.” Eno leaned close so that his lips brushed along Rayne’s earlobe as he whispered. “I find that I love the idea of taking care of you, Rayne. I love doing something no one else has ever done for you.”
“How…how do you know…?”
Eno placed a small kiss to the corner of his jaw. “I see it in the way you look at me. The way you appreciate every thing that I’ve ever done for you, no matter how small. You make me feel like a god bestowing rain on a drought-riddled land when all I’ve done is make you a sandwich.”
“Eno…” Rayne exhaled, his voice breaking so slightly.
“I want to spend a lifetime taking care of you because I will never get weary of seeing you smile at me. I will never tire of knowing that you are warm and fed and happy.”
Rayne finally turned his head, crushing his lips against Eno’s in a blistering kiss. Every moment of waiting, of watching without touching, was made worthwhile when Rayne handed himself over to Eno. Their world fell away and there was only Rayne’s lips, his whimpers of hungry need demanding more from Eno.
Eno reached up and cupped the side of Rayne’s face, the pale bristles of his five o’clock shadow scratching his palm, and his heart quickened. He loved everything about Rayne. The taste of him on his tongue, the smell of his subtle cologne mixing with his wonderful personal scent, the feel of his fingers as they bit into his flesh as he tried to pull them closer.
His Rayne was a greedy lover, and it sent Eno soaring. He tugged, pulled, and moaned, begging for more of Eno, as if he wanted to be completely consumed by him. And that was exactly what Eno wanted as well. They needed to be inseparable when they were together, because every other second of the day was trying to tear them apart.
Slipping his hand down to the front of Rayne’s shirt, he fumbled with the buttons before tearing his lips free of Rayne’s mouth. “I need to be inside you,” he panted.
Rayne stiffened and glanced over his shoulder toward the cabin door. Eno smiled and kissed his ear.
“They’re sleeping, and the captain has no reason to bother us unless there’s an Empire attack.”
His lover’s eyes snapped to him with a glare. “Don’t jinx us.”
Eno leaned close, pressing his nose into Rayne’s. “Nothing and no one will stop me from feeling you come around my cock.”
Rayne shuddered and his eyes dropped to half-mast. Those plush lips parted on a fractured pant, and Rayne licked them. This man had no idea how fucking sexy he was. “Okay. Where?”
Dipping closer, he nibbled on Rayne’s bottom lip as he thought about their options. He released it and swept his tongue across it. “I’d love to bend you over the desk, but I’d be too worried that you’d be distracted by the state of all your papers and notes.”
“Bed. The bed,” Rayne murmured.
“I’ll lock the door.”
Rayne was away from him in an instant, stopping by his bag to dig inside while Eno toed off his shoes on his way to the door. His lover suddenly turned and started to pull at the wrapper on a small bottle of lube.
“You accomplished some shopping in Sirelis?” Eno teased.
Rayne flushed, but his tone remained stiff and proper. “I sent one of the palace servants out with a short list of medical supplies that we needed.”
His lips twitched at the idea of the servant seeing lube listed among the medical needs, but a smart palace employee learned quickly to keep their mouth shut if they wanted to keep their job.
The second the protective wrapper was removed, Eno plucked the bottle from Rayne’s fingers and tossed it onto the perfectly made bed. He started unbuttoning Rayne’s shirt and tugging at his belt. “I need to see all of you. It’s been too long.”
Not since that horrible night in Shallow Edge when he’d thought Rayne had been killed. Then they’d been in the shower, and Eno had struggled to see beyond each of Rayne’s bruises and cuts.