Sadly, Marcus had to admit that his mind was no longer entirely on the conversation. His eyes kept straying to the small box tightly clutched in Ethan’s hands. He was grateful Ethan didn’t suggest trying it on at Rafe’s. No, he wanted them to wait until Ethan was in his bedroom and the door was locked behind them. He wanted to see it for the first time shining around his neck while Ethan kneeled in the center of his bed completely naked.
Ethan most definitely was not a pet, but Marcus still wanted to possess him completely and drape him in riches, to pamper him and care for him. Ethan was his, and tonight he was going to revel in that possession.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ethan was a little surprised that they ended up at his apartment after they left Rafe’s penthouse. But Marcus instructed him to pack up all his things while he stood guard. Ethan was officially moving into Marcus’s town house. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask if this would still be happening if Marcus hadn’t already been attacked, but he shoved aside the question and stuffed his clothes into a bag. There was no reason to stir up more trouble. He simply had to appreciate that Marcus wanted him close and wanted to keep him safe.
“Even with everything that is happening, my brothers and I are still moving,” Marcus said from the open bedroom doorway. “Connecticut.” Marcus paused and winced. Ethan nearly laughed. He obviously knew where since he’d been working on all the logistics of the move.
“Who picked that? You guys missing snow?” Ethan teased to help smooth over the moment.
“It was Bel’s turn to pick. There’s a small college he wants to be near for his research,” Marcus muttered. “Are you fond of living here?”
“Do you mean this apartment?” Ethan paused with a shirt clutched in one hand. “Oh, you mean Glenpark.” He scrunched up his nose a little. “Not particularly. It’s a place. I moved south as soon as I hit eighteen. Wanted to be away from where my family died. Besides that, I’ve never given it much thought.”
“I know it’s fast, but would you consider moving with me? To Connecticut.”
Ethan dropped the shirt on the bed and walked over to Marcus. “Definitely. I was beginning to worry that you were going to leave me behind.”
Marcus pulled him into his arms and roughly kissed him. Ethan sighed and relaxed into his wide frame, loving the strength and need vibrating through Marcus. He could lose himself in Marcus’s touch and feel so safe and protected by him.
“I don’t want to be away from you, but I can’t stay here,” Marcus said. He dragged his mouth away from Ethan’s and up his jaw to suck on his earlobe. Ethan’s eyes rolled back in his head, and fire raced through his blood. Marcus was making it damn hard to think.
“Can’t stay. Why?” Ethan barely managed to get out.
Marcus pulled away, which wasn’t what Ethan wanted at all, but it was for the best. He couldn’t finish packing if Marcus was kissing him. “Vampires can’t live in the same place for more than two decades. We run the risk of humans noticing that we’re not aging.”
“Oh, yeah. That makes sense.” That was a splash of cold water. Ethan was going to age and Marcus would not. How long until Ethan was too old to hold Marcus’s attention? A decade. Maybe two. That would put Ethan in his forties at least.
Or…Ethan could ask Marcus to change him into a vampire.
Ethan’s brain shied away from that idea. It was far too early to be thinking about such a mammoth decision.
He walked over to the bed and shoved the last of his clothes into his duffle bag. “Am I going to get my own room in your house?” Ethan asked, partially teasing.
Marcus stepped up behind Ethan and wrapped his arms around his waist, pulling him against his chest. “If that’s what you wish, you can have any room in the town house and then any room in my new home, but you should know something.”
Ethan tilted his head to the side so that he could look up at Marcus. “What’s that?”
“I intend to crawl into your bed each day so that I can fall asleep holding you. After feeling you pressed against me once, I don’t think I can live without that feeling every time I rest.”
Ethan heaved a very heavy sigh. “Well, then. I guess I should just move into your room to save you the trouble of going to my room.”
“That would be very generous and thoughtful of you.”
Ethan rolled his eyes. “Come on, sexy. You need to feed me and tell me more about this pet thing.”
There was a low rumble in Marcus’s chest as his hands slid down from Ethan’s waist so that one cupped his ass while the other rubbed against his quickly hardening dick. “I was thinking that I might show you some important things about pets.”