Mending the Rift (9 page)

“It is.”

“Don’t you have clothes of your own?”

Luca shrugged as he wiggled to help Marcus pull sweater and shirt over his head. Marcus threw them on the ground and stooped to press a kiss on each of Luca’s nipples. They hardened instantly. Marcus chuckled, roaming his hands all over Luca’s naked torso, and flicked his tongue against the buds.

“I… I have,” Luca said. “Clothes of my own, I mean.”

Marcus gave Luca’s left nipple a sharp nip. Luca gasped at the mixture of pain and passion. “But you’re still wearing my sweater.”

“I happen to like your sweater. It’s… like being wrapped up in you,” Luca confessed, his voice wavering. Could he say stuff like this? Or would that send Marcus running for the hills? Why the hell did he even think in those terms?

Luca’s nipple plopped from Marcus’s mouth as he stared up at him. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed, and his voice came out on the throaty side, when he said, “Keep wearing my sweaters.”

After Marcus had undressed Luca, he tugged Luca close. Luca shivered when his bare skin came in contact with Marcus’s clothing. His erect cock was nestled against Marcus’s thigh again, and he shamelessly humped against it. Marcus administered a light tap on his butt before he stilled Luca’s hips with a tight grip.

“Marcus,” Luca whined.

“What is it, kitten?”

“You’re overdressed, and you’re not letting me do anything.” Luca circled his hips—as much as he could anyway—but Marcus only laughed. Sneaking a hand between them, Luca cupped Marcus’s package, a shiver of want surging through him when he encountered Marcus’s hard cock. “Please.”

Marcus’s chest heaved as he slipped a finger between Luca’s buttocks, unerringly going for Luca’s puckered hole. Luca sucked in a deep breath when Marcus pressed against the outer ring of muscles. “That what you want?”

“Something like that.”

“Get on the bed.” Marcus loosened his hold, and Luca lost no time in turning around and crawling onto the bed. A low groan from Marcus stopped him in his tracks. He cast a worried look over his shoulder. Marcus’s right hand rubbed against his cock, and his eyes practically devoured Luca.

Luca wiggled his butt, causing Marcus’s eyes to flutter shut for a second while he muttered something unintelligible under his breath. Once Marcus’s eyes were open again, Luca batted his eyelashes and asked, “Like what you see?”

Marcus ripped off his clothes in record time. Luca stayed in position as Marcus revealed more and more of his glorious skin, rippling in waves over his broad muscles. Marcus wasn’t overly buff, but all his muscles were defined and big, and a major turn-on for Luca. A drop of precome leaked from the tip of Luca’s penis when he pictured Marcus entering him. While he enjoyed any kind of sex, there was something special about Marcus inside of him, connecting them in the most primal way possible.

At one point, Luca must’ve closed his eyes, because next thing he knew, Marcus knelt on the bed behind him. Marcus’s left hand closed around Luca’s cock, stroking up and down slowly, while he applied lube around his anus with his other hand.

“I’m afraid this’ll be fast,” Marcus said. “I need to fuck my fiancé really badly.”

Fiancé.
Luca swallowed, and his buttocks clenched of their own accord, while heavy trembles wracked his body. “What are you waiting for?”

Two of Marcus’s fingers dipped into his hole, opening him up and stretching him. There wasn’t much finesse, just a steady pushing of fingers. Luca lowered his upper half so he could rest his head on his arms. He also stuck his butt up as far as possible and was rewarded with a deep moan from Marcus.

“Kitten, if you keep this up, I’ll never make it inside.”

“Not much stamina, eh, old man?” Luca teased.

Marcus pulled his buttocks apart, and then the blunt head of his thick erection pressed against Luca’s entrance. Luca held still, waiting for Marcus to finally breach him, but Marcus simply rubbed his cockhead along his crease, smearing lube everywhere.

“Marcus, what are you doing?”

“Admiring the view.”

“Could you do a little less admiring and more fucking?” Luca asked.

“Like this?” Marcus pushed inside in one long stroke, never stopping until he was fully sheathed.

Luca pulled his legs wider apart, breathing in small bursts because Marcus’s cock wasn’t only long, it was also bulky, and yet he wanted him faster and deeper. “Yes,” Luca hissed.

Marcus took hold of Luca’s hips and pumped into Luca’s body at a steady pace. Luca’s cock slapped against his belly, leaving drops of precome behind. Whenever Marcus’s large balls smacked against Luca’s, he let out a curse and sped up his movements. Luca whimpered, knowing he wouldn’t last long. His sac was heavy and hot, and his abdominal muscles contracted, alerting him he’d lose control any second. Marcus shifted slightly behind him, and with the next thrust, he hit Luca’s prostate spot-on. Luca cried out and shoved himself onto his hands, so he was on all fours.

“Harder,” he demanded, sweat beading down his neck.

“As you wish.”

Marcus’s fingers dug deep into his flesh as he repeated this motion, over and over again, every time pegging Luca’s prostate. Heat pooled in Luca’s belly, spread out through his body until it erupted and engulfed his whole being like a tidal wave. Luca shouted Marcus’s name as he spilled his come onto the bed, gritting his teeth as he rode out wave after wave of pleasure.

Marcus pounded into him, seeking his own release. Luca moaned when Marcus’s thrusts lost their rhythm. Marcus snapped his hips back and forth, panting loudly. The sounds of flesh slapping against flesh were almost obscene, but Luca couldn’t spare much thought for that because he was waiting for that perfect moment when Marcus spilled his come into Luca’s channel. As usual, Marcus’s body went taut and his cock pulsated inside Luca right before he shot his load. A shudder ran through Luca while Marcus emptied himself.

When Luca’s arms threatened to give out under him, Marcus hooked an arm around Luca’s waist and rolled them onto their sides, in the course of events slipping out of Luca. He curled around Luca’s sweaty back before he pulled the duvet over them.

“If I could, I’d purr right now,” Luca whispered.

Marcus’s chuckle reverberated through Luca’s chest. “My sweet kitten. Go to sleep now.”

Luca yawned and nestled closer to Marcus. “Good night.”

“Night, Luca,” Marcus murmured.

ALTHOUGH ALWIN
Jersey, the Confederacy’s president, had insisted on Luca and Marcus marrying as quickly as possible, one week wasn’t enough notice. Nicholas and Gregory demanded at least another week for preparations so that all of Luca’s siblings had enough time to come and attend the wedding. Marcus spent a lot of time talking to Jersey and Whithers to guarantee Luca’s safety when he stepped back from his job as Luca’s main bodyguard.

After spending almost two weeks cooped up inside the house, not even playing the harp could lighten Luca’s mood. He stomped through the house, sometimes went outside to feed his dad’s horses, and felt sorry for himself. This wasn’t how he’d envisioned his future. Shouldn’t he be wrapped up in Marcus, or at least organizing his own wedding? Sure, he was consulted to decide on the flowers or the meals, but that was pretty much it. The Confederacy took over weddings for high-ranking officials, and since his father was the vice president, Luca growled and whined but in the end had not much say in the matter.

Late in the afternoon, Luca threw himself on his bed, wincing when his abdominal muscles contracted, sending a sharp sting through him. Nicholas chose that moment to enter his room without knocking.

“Dad! Don’t you ever knock? I could be busy, you know.”

“Marcus is in Jersey’s office, so I assumed you wouldn’t be busy,” Nicholas replied as he closed the door. He walked up to Luca’s bed, cast him a scrutinizing look, and sat on the bed’s edge. “This isn’t what you expected, hmm?”

Luca’s eyes watered and nausea roiled inside him. He rolled onto his side, facing away from his dad. He was twenty-three years old; he didn’t need his dad to see him close to tears because his fiancé liked to spend time with politicians more than with him.

“Luca? Sweetheart, come on, talk to me. I know you’re missing Marcus, and in your current state, it’s perfectly normal to feel unhinged. You’re in week eleven now, the baby’s growing, your body’s still adjusting, and you need more comfort than you’re getting at the moment.”

That was so accurately how Luca felt that he turned over to gape at his dad. He wiped a few escaping tears from his face before he asked, “How’d you know?”

Nicholas tucked a curl behind Luca’s ear. “I’ve gone through my share of pregnancies, remember? From week ten to twenty, I was always extraordinarily clingy, and I hated it. I hated when your father had to get up early for work, or when he came back late, or heaven forbid, he didn’t call me during the day. You wouldn’t believe the tantrums I threw during those ten weeks.”

“Actually, I can imagine you making Father’s life a living hell.” Luca smiled as he scooted closer to his dad until he could rest his head in Nicholas’s lap.

“Thanks a bunch, Luca. I see my reputation is completely ruined.”

“I’ve heard a lot of stories, especially lately. The maids and Keith love to tell me tales, and let’s say that you’re supposed to have had a temper on you.” Luca glanced at his dad, who sent him a rueful smile.

“I was a brat par excellence, I’ll give you that.” Nicholas stroked a fingertip over Luca’s damp cheek, his smile faltering. “Marcus isn’t trying to make things hard on you. There have been rumors that Smith’s people seek revenge for his imprisonment, and naturally Marcus is worried about your safety. That’s why security is even tighter than usual. From many years of experience, I can tell you that Marcus’s main focus is to keep you safe. He’s probably feeling guilty for leaving you to your own devices, but he doesn’t realize that you’re changing due to the pregnancy.”

“I’m not sure I like all these changes. Dad, I’ve always been content with my music and drawing—”

Nicholas cut him off, “And rebelling against marrying someone you don’t know.”

Luca huffed and curled up closer to his dad. “Yes, that too. Anyway, it’s… disconcerting that music and drawing aren’t enough anymore. I want Marcus to be around all the time. Sometimes it physically hurts when he’s not around and I need him.”

“I know, sweetheart, I know. Do you want me to give Marcus a subtle hint that you’re missing him?”

Luca’s eyes widened in horror. “Can you even do subtle?”

Nicholas scrunched up his face, obviously pretending to think hard. His attempt didn’t hold up for long before he cracked into laughter. “I could try?”

“No thanks, I think. How’d you get Father to pay more attention to you?” Luca pursed his lips. “That sounds so juvenile.”

“Well, I acted like an imbecile, and that always got your father’s attention. By the third pregnancy, he knew me too well, and one evening he bluntly told me he’d had enough. He kept his schedule free most of the time, and though it embarrassed me, everything went much more smoothly. Your father has always been good at decoding my admittedly weird behavior.”

“Couldn’t you’ve just told him?” Luca asked.

Nicholas shrugged, and a hint of red crept into his cheeks. “I suck at asking your father for help. Even as a kid, I never asked for help if I could avoid it.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I guess I didn’t want to be seen as weak. When I was young, I was ashamed to be a breeder.” Nicholas fell silent and absentmindedly petted Luca’s hair.

Luca closed his eyes. His dad’s stomach grumbled softly against his ear, and for the moment, Luca enjoyed being so close to him. He understood his dad’s reservations, the feelings of unworthiness, and the desire to prove to everyone he was more than just a breeder. Even though breeders nowadays were treated well—as they should, where would humankind be if it weren’t for them—he’d had his share of humiliations as a boy. Many of the other boys at school had made fun of him, felt him up, or harassed him, just because he could carry a baby. In their mind, that fact took away a part of his masculinity and gave them the right to ridicule him.

“Did you ever punch some of the other kids when they pissed you off?” Luca asked into the silence. When he opened his eyes, his dad grimaced and nodded. “Did they leave you alone afterward?”

“Not right away.”

“I guess I should talk to Marcus and try to explain how I feel?”

“Or you could try to sulk some more and glare even more holes into everyone and everything.”

“Why am I even trying to get advice from you? You’re horrible at talking to Father. You said so yourself.” Luca rose into a sitting position, then swung his legs over the bed’s edge and bumped his shoulder against Nicholas. A pained expression crossed his dad’s face. “Dad, stop it. I’m not only carrying Marcus and my baby, but your grandbaby too. Do you really want to feel guilty every time you see him or her? I’m not blaming you for getting me pregnant, even though I still can’t get over the fact you had the audacity to do so without asking me for permission.”

Nicholas hunched forward and plucked at the hem of his sweater. Softly, he said, “I was worried you’d want to ask Marcus first, and he’s so much like your father. He wouldn’t have approved, and I didn’t want to see you unhappy for the rest of your life.”

“I’m glad you saved me from Smith,” Luca said, relief surging through him once again. “How was it even possible for him to pass the test and everything? Look at how he behaved. He’s crazy, and he doesn’t seem to care for a baby. Why did he even want a breeder as a partner?”

“The investigation is still ongoing. Smith is keeping his mouth shut, although they’ve used strong truth drugs. We’ve never encountered someone who passed all the tests and obviously doesn’t care for a new life. Maybe he was in it just for the sake of appearances. Some positions are only open for people with families so they can portray the Confederacy in the right light.” Nicholas’s tight smile didn’t reach his eyes.