Forever Broken

Chapter Eleven

Paul lost count of how many times they sucked each other off but it was full dark by the time they left the motel room and headed back to the car. They rode in silence for a while with Laurent driving and Paul munching on several cheeseburgers he’d gotten the vampire to go through the drive-thru for. He was as hungry as fuck—and thirsty too. Not too surprising considering what they had been up to for most of the day.

He guiltily started to push the thought to the back of his mind and then stopped and made himself examine it instead. Was what he had done with Laurent really so bad? They hadn’t hurt anyone—nobody was dead. Even the rednecks Paul had roughed up were fine—not that they had anything to do with it. Except…maybe they did.

Paul couldn’t help remembering the flash of pure, possessive rage he’d felt when he saw their hands on Laurent. He’d been so certain he didn’t want to touch the other man and yet when he saw someone else touching him, Paul had nearly lost it. And then after, with Laurent wilting in his arms, his beautiful green eyes ringed in dark shadows, his cheeks hollow and his breathing shallow… A protective instinct he’d never felt before had kicked in. Just wanted to hold him. Wanted to protect him from those cabrons and the rest of the whole fucking world.

Taking another bite of cheeseburger, Paul shook his head. There was something about Laurent—he brought out a tenderness in Paul that no one else ever had. It was like the night he’d healed Paul and then cried when he left—the urge to hold and comfort had been so strong Paul nearly hadn’t been able to help himself. Just like I couldn’t help myself today. Is that why I did it? Why I enjoyed it?

“You know that isn’t the reason, my wolf. Not the only reason, anyway,” Laurent murmured from his side of the car.

Paul sighed but he wasn’t really mad. “I’m trying to work some shit out here, ’mano. It’s fucking rude of you to eavesdrop inside my head. And why do you keep calling me your wolf anyway? Don’t deny it.” He pointed the half-eaten cheeseburger at Laurent. “I’ve been hearing it off and on all afternoon.”

Laurent gave him a sidelong glance. “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to sound so possessive.”

“I don’t know.” Paul gave him a small, lopsided smile. “Maybe…maybe I kinda like it. But if I’m your wolf then I guess you have to be my vampire.”

Laurent put a hand on his thigh and gave him an intense look. “With all my heart, mon amour.” The unreserved devotion in his voice caught Paul a little off guard. “Uh, don’t go all girly on me now, man. It’s not like we’re a couple or anything. I mean, we’re still on our way to try to get this thing taken care of.”

Laurent moved his hand and stared straight ahead at the road. “Of course.”

“C’mon, Laurent, don’t be like that. Mierta.” Paul sighed and shifted in his seat. “I mean, all joking aside, there’s no way we can keep this up after we get back to Miami.

This is kind of like…a vacation. You know, you do new things, try new things. But when you get back home everything goes back to normal.”

“Is that what you want?” Laurent’s voice was quiet in the darkness of the car.

“What you really want, Paul? For us to be normal and pretend we never met, let alone loved each other?”

“I don’t know, okay? Madre de Dios.” Paul wrapped the rest of the uneaten cheeseburger and shoved it back in the crackling white paper sack. “Look, we’re having a good time. Do we have to spoil it by talking about it?”

“I suppose not.” Laurent sighed and sat up a little straighter in his seat. “How much longer until we reach Asheville?”

Paul had the feeling that the vampire was making an effort to let things go and he was grateful for it. It was hard enough for him to face what they had done together, let alone the long-term implications of those actions. “Not too far now. I hope your nurse is at home.”

“I hope so too.” Laurent nodded at the paper bag still half full of food. “Please don’t let me interrupt your dinner. You must be very hungry still.”

“Not so much.” Paul shook his head. “But what about you? Do you need blood again any time soon?”

Laurent looked at him from the corner of his eye. “And if I do should I tell you? Are you willing to feed me again?”

Paul was a little hurt. “Of course I am. Look, hermano, we’re in this together. If you need something, you let me know.”

“What if I need you inside me, making love to me? Fucking me?” Laurent shifted and whipped the Spyder around a slow-moving semi. “What about that, Paul?”