Milan was just as enthusiastic. “My foot goes right through it!” he exclaimed, demonstrating the phenomenon several times as he jumped in a circle.
Raphael laughed. “Yes, unless it has been trodden on and packed tight, it’s light enough to walk through. That’s why all our boots and breeches and coats are covered in oiled skin—so the wetness doesn’t seep through.”
“I thought that was for the rain.”
“Well, yes. That too.”
Milan laughed at the ridiculousness of the Northern weather but decided to make the most of it as he ran with the dogs, giggling madly at their antics.
“It’s so beautiful,” he sighed, stretching his arms to the side and tilting his head up. “Isn’t it, Hus—ow!” Milan flinched as something hit his back.
He turned around only to see Raphael a few meters from him, a rather mischievous grin on his face. Milan narrowed his eyes.
“What was that?”
Raphael’s response was only to bend down, scooping up some snow before pressing it into a ball with his gloved hands.
“What are you doing? Don’t you dare,” Milan warned, immediately shrieking and covering his face as Raphael threw it at him. “You scoundrel!”
Raphael snorted and went to lean down again, but Milan rushed towards him, grabbing his hands.
“No—tell me how to do that, you cheat.”
Raphael laughed but acquiesced.
Milan looked at his own ball, lumpy and misshapen, and then at Raphael’s, which was perfectly round. “Yours is perfect. Can I see it?” he asked, holding one of his hands out.
Raphael, being an utter fool, handed him the snowball. Milan grinned evilly, and Raphael only had time to widen his eyes and shield his face before he was being pelted by snowballs—and Milan did not hit lightly.
“Die, rascal! Perish under my might!” Milan crowed, scooping down to grab more snow before running away, the dogs chasing after him.
It would be generous to call what unfolded a battle, for it looked more like two tipsy men flushed with laughter, haphazardly throwing snowballs at each other, which the two dogs would chase and try to snap out of the air.
“Victory shall be mine,” Milan shouted as bloodlust blinded him, tackling Raphael onto the ground.
Raphael looked winded as Milan straddled him. Pax jumped on Milan as Lima started licking Raphael’s face.
“Do you concede?” Milan giggled, trying to get Pax off as Raphael did the same with Lima.
“Yes—mercy! Just—Lima, please, I know where that tongue has been.”
Milan laughed, pushing Lima away gently. “And mine?” he asked cheekily before leaning down for a kiss—which he immediately regretted. “Urgh! Dog slobber.”
“That’s what you get.” Raphael hauled them upright, Milan stumbling before Raphael caught him. “I think it’s time I show you the wonders of making snow people.”
Milan’s eyes widened. From the way the dogs barked, they agreed.
*****
It was one of the North’s great pleasures to sit in front of a fireplace, leaning against Raphael with a cup of melted chocolate and milk in hand.
“Who invented this? It’s better than a crawler.”
Raphael snorted. “I don’t know.”
“They should be given a ladyship. Or lordship. Whichever applies.”
“I’ll suggest it to the court.”
“Make sure you do.”
Milan stuck as much of his face as he could—which wasn’t a lot, he had to admit—into the cup when he finished, trying to lick the remnants from the inside.
Raphael laughed loudly as Milan pulled the cup away. “You are a child.”
“You are a child.”
Raphael rolled his eyes and used his sleeve to wipe at Milan’s face. “You have a ring of chocolate on you,” he explained.
They were sitting close on piled cushions stuffed with goose feathers, the fire flickering not far from them. Milan looked up at Raphael as he started stroking Milan’s face softly.
“Do I have a bit of chocolate there too?” Milan whispered.
“Yes.” Raphael looked at him steadily before leaning down and kissing Milan softly where his fingers had just been. “And here,” he said, kissing him again. “And here.”
Milan closed his eyes, letting Raphael cover his skin in gentle, dry kisses, which ended deeply on his mouth. They set their empty cups aside blindly as Milan parted his lips, feeling an ache in the pit of his stomach.
He had never wanted anything so much.
Strong arms wrapped around Milan and, instinctively, he moved to straddle Raphael’s lap.
“Please,” Milan whispered.
Milan ran his hands through Raphael’s dark hair, rising on his knees as if to get closer. Their tongues pushed together, mouths gasping even as they kissed. He felt completely captured, wrapped and shielded in Raphael’s arms.
Milan made a small, mewling noise, and then sat back down, moaning loudly as his trapped cock rubbed against Raphael’s. Raphael made an answering sound and Milan wanted him to make it again, and again, and again. He undulated his body so that their cocks would press and rub together, the kiss turning desperate and wet, and then—
Milan gasped. His breath froze in his lungs as the bond was left completely open. He could feel Raphael—all of him. The fire of his lust and affection. Milan trembled. It was unbearably beautiful to feel cared for like that. To know, beyond any doubt, that someone was feeling such warmth for you, and wanted you to feel it too.
“Raphael. Raphael, Raphael,” Milan pleaded.
“What do you want?” Raphael’s voice was hoarse, a rasp against Milan’s throat.
“Can you…I want you inside me,” Milan whispered.
Raphael’s arms tightened around him, making their cocks press together, still confined by supple leather. Despite Raphael’s reaction, Milan wanted to make sure.
“If we’re going too fast—if you want something else…”
Raphael shook his head. “This is…I didn’t know it was supposed to feel like this.” Raphael looked at Milan with wonder in his face. “I can feel you inside me. I can feel…it has never felt like this.”
A light brightened and burst within Milan. He kissed Raphael softly, wanting to convey in that touch everything he knew the bond was already saying, but their mouths could not stay gentle for long.
When neither of them could tolerate being without bare skin any longer, they struggled out of their clothes, taking far too much time as they could barely stand to be parted for long.
Milan could feel himself getting wet, and he pressed his legs together for a moment, shuddering as his cheeks clenched against the ache that had built inside him. Gently, Raphael pulled him towards him again, and Milan couldn’t keep his eyes off Raphael’s cock even as he straddled him.
He had seen it before, of course, but it had been different then. Raphael had been a stranger, and now he was…Raphael. His husband. His bonded.
The man he loved.
Milan ran his fingers up the long, thick length. Even that slight touch made it twitch, and Milan pressed his thumb against the slick head.
Raphael groaned loudly, resting his forehead on Milan’s shoulder.
Milan spread the wetness down and then squeezed Raphael’s cock slightly before his hand started moving in a teasing rhythm. He watched, entranced, as Raphael’s hips twitched upwards, both trying and restraining himself from picking up the pace.
The slit of Raphael’s cock beaded with drops that trickled down his long shaft and Milan couldn’t help himself. He scooted backwards slightly, Raphael raising his head just in time to see Milan lick the head of his cock.
A wave of visceral pleasure coursed through Milan at Raphael’s full-bodied shudder. Milan widened his lips—he just wanted Raphael’s cock inside him, in whatever way possible.
He shifted so that he was on his bended knees in between Raphael’s spread legs. The scent of Alpha, of Raphael and him,
was thick in the air. It made Milan dizzy, made his mouth water, made him hungry.
Milan tightened his lips around Raphael’s cock before stuffing his mouth with the hard length, taking as much as he could before moving up again to lap at the leaking tip. Raphael was trembling but still, his hand running across the tight curls shorn close to Milan’s head, making choked, groaning noises as Milan’s tongue lapped at the underside.
Milan couldn’t fit much in, but he didn’t try to. He just wanted to taste. Wanted to have. Every time he sucked on the head, he could feel Raphael hunch over with a moan, sending a thrill through him.
“Please—come here, please,” Raphael choked out, pulling him up. Instead of having Milan straddle him again, however, he pushed Milan gently to lay on his back, cradled by the pillows.
Raphael leaned over him, kissing him deeply, and Milan shared the taste of him eagerly. Milan felt Raphael’s fingers rub lightly against his hole, and he opened his legs wide, letting Raphael fit inside.
“Can I?” Raphael whispered against his lips.
“Yes. Please, yes.”
Raphael sat back, running one hand up and down Milan’s side as he slipped a finger inside. Milan closed his eyes, clenching around the digit instinctively.
“More. Raphael, more, please.” Milan was already desperate. He would splinter apart if the pleasure inside him wasn’t fed until it consumed itself.
Thankfully, Raphael did as he was told. He slipped his finger out and pushed two in, Milan’s body moving so that they filled him deeply.
“Look at you,” Raphael whispered. Milan wanted to reach into his own chest and take hold of the bond, wanted to press it even deeper, if that was possible. To bathe and revel in it, to have it like this forever, it felt so good.
Raphael pumped his fingers in and out, and just when Milan was about to become mad, he added a third one in.
“Enough,” Milan pleaded after a few seconds. “Please, now.”
“Let me look at you. Just for a moment longer,” Raphael said softly, reverently.
Milan closed his eyes and felt Raphael’s gaze like another touch, writhing and whimpering on his fingers.
Finally, finally, Raphael pulled out, making Milan protest with a groan. A breath later, however, Raphael was right there over him. Milan wrapped his limbs around him as Raphael kissed him.
There was a second when Raphael seemed to waver. He stilled, tensing, but then looked down at Milan, running his dry hand over his dark skin as if grounding himself. Milan let everything he had to say be felt through the bond. Raphael smiled.
“Yes?” Raphael whispered softly. Milan looked at him, searching for any doubt or fear, but he found none.
“Yes.”
Raphael steadied his cock with one hand and pushed in. Milan groaned, neck and back arching. The stretch deepened slowly as he took more and more of Raphael until he was inside Milan completely.
They paused there, both of them breathing harshly, and then Raphael started moving. Slowly at first, long, deep thrusts that brushed against the spot inside Milan that made him thrash with want. But as the fire burnt higher, Raphael leaned back, grabbing Milan where thigh met ass, hitching him up. The angle changed instantly, and with the gained momentum Raphael started snapping his hips powerfully, eyes riveted on Milan.
Milan could not make it any more obvious that the hard thrusts were entirely appreciated. He felt himself losing all thought as they dissolved in pleasure. His mouth was making noises he couldn’t control, his skin and soul on fire, hands clutching the pillows beneath him desperately.
He felt Raphael let one of his legs go as he leaned forwards, and Milan opened his eyes to see his husband close. Raphael’s face and chest were flushed, the edges of his dark hair sticking to his temples with sweat. His eyes were impossibly bright, piercing through Milan.
Milan raised his hands, cupping Raphael’s face, and then moaned loudly as Raphael started stroking his cock.
Milan was going to rip apart. The pleasure was too much; it was going to consume him. Milan jerked and trembled even as Raphael’s thrusts started stuttering. He kept his eyes on Raphael’s until he couldn’t take it anymore.
In the pit of his stomach, in his bones and in that ache deep inside, pleasure burst. It rushed through Milan, wave after wave of its blinding light. He could feel Raphael spill inside him, hear him groan, the side of his face pressing against Milan’s as he shuddered above him.
They clutched at each other with weak, shaking limbs until they couldn’t anymore. Raphael collapsed beside Milan, sliding wetly out of him. They could not stand to be separated, however, and they rolled towards each other, tangling their limbs together, filthy with sweat and slick and come.
Milan dozed as their heartbeats calmed. He could hear Raphael’s, or maybe feel it—the happiness inside him wasn’t just his.
“Can we stay here forever?” Milan asked quietly. Raphael held him tightly.
“Yes.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“Oh, Jason. Hello,” Milan said in surprise as he approached Saturnus, kept at the stables near the workshop he had just ended his shift in.
Jason smiled widely, dimples appearing in his cheeks. “Hello. I’m sorry for showing up unannounced. I heard that you were working here and when I saw your horse so late, I imagined you were just about to finish. I hope this isn’t an intrusion.”
“No, of course not. I’m glad to see you,” Milan said even though he had looked forward to going back home.
“Would you mind grabbing dinner with me, then?”
“Of course. Let me send a note to my husband.”
They ended up at the local pub. Milan had a perfectly good time and was glad to be making more friends, but his thoughts would stray to Raphael often. Perhaps he was being ridiculous, but he felt smitten, giddy with having someone safe to return to at the end of the day.
By the time he got back to the manor, it was late and very cold, and Milan felt relief once he stepped inside his home. After asking for his husband’s whereabouts, he found Raphael in the library.
“I thought you’d be in our room by now,” Milan said as he stepped inside. Raphael looked up, smiling.
“I was waiting up for you.”
Milan grinned and joined him on the couch, greeting him properly with a kiss. Raphael insisted on a second one before they parted.
“Did you have fun?”
“Yes. I was surprised, but it was good seeing him.”
“I believe he likes you.”
Milan laughed. “Well, I quite like him, too.”
Raphael looked down, and Milan frowned in confusion before it dawned on him what Raphael had meant.
“Surely you do not mean that I am fonder of him than is appropriate.”
Raphael shook his head but said, “It’s just that he is very suited to you and you get along very well.”
“Well, yes, I am very easy to get along with, as I am friendly and witty and like having many friends. I assure you, however, that I have only one husband, one Alpha, and you insult my honour and character by thinking that my feelings for Jason would go beyond friendship.”
Raphael looked at him then. “It’s not that. It’s just…I would understand if you chose another. If—”
“There is no other! There is only you. Have my affections not been clear? Do you think I touch and compliment others as I do you? Do you think those actions are without meaning?”
There was a pause. “No,” Raphael said softly.
Milan sighed. “I…I understand your fears, Raphael, and I forgive your insecurities, but I ask that you look beyond them and see me. I am perfectly capable of choosing whom I want to devote myself to, and that is you.”
Raphael shook his head again, this time as if throwing off the clinging thoughts. “I was being foolish.”
“Yes, you were.” Milan brushed his hand against Raphael’s cheek. “Trust in me, Raphael. My feelings for you…my friendship with Jason cannot be compared to wh
at I have with you.”
Raphael smiled softly, putting his hand over Milan’s. “I’m glad.”
Milan smiled back. “And so you should be.”
Raphael tilted his head down, laughing slightly. “Shall we head to bed, then?”
“Yes. Let’s.”
**********
“He just showed up? Why, he is bold,” Katerina said, fluttering a fan beside her face more for the show of it than anything else. She looked quite gallant in the Ledford Manor den—Milan had caught Melissa staring at the daring dress Katerina was wearing. You could practically see her shoulders. “Surely you did not accept.”
“I did.”
Katerina laughed incredulously.
“It’s nothing but friendship. He has met Raphael—you and he are seeing far too much into it.”
“If you say so, dear. Now, have you heard back from your sisters?”
“Yes—Imane is courting another Alpha.”
“How exciting. What will you do if there is a wedding?”
“Well…I don’t know. Go to it. I do miss them, despite how happy I am here.”
“Of course you do. You’d have to go for quite some time.”
Milan sighed. “I wish they weren’t so far away.”
“Maybe they’ll finish the blasted train tracks in the next decade, and you’ll be able to see them without going through so much trouble.”
Milan laughed. “Let’s hope so.”
Katerina opened her mouth to respond but was cut short as the door to the den opened. They both turned to look as Raphael entered the room—Milan had asked him to join them, hoping that Katerina and he would get along. Judging by Katerina’s expression, however, Raphael’s lateness had not left a good impression.
“Hello,” Milan greeted happily.
Katerina flapped her fan vigorously. “How generous of you to join us,” she drawled. Milan sent her a chiding look, but Raphael bowed his head.
“I apologise for my lateness. I got caught up with one of the farmers.”
“Well, of course,” Katerina said with false magnanimity, “why prioritise your husband? After all, why offend an acquaintance when you can hurt someone you know will forgive you?”
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