“Happy to see me again?” he asked.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Abel said while setting the keys down in front of the TV.

“Like what?” Theo took a few steps toward him, dropping the timber of his voice to a low, evocative timbre and swaying his hips provocatively. “Like I want you? Like a slut. Aren’t you here to see what a slut I am?”

“No,” he murmured. But as Theo draped his arms across his shoulders and pressed their bodies together, he wrapped two large hands around his waist. The chains pressed into Theo’s skin beneath his fingers. They squeezed harder as Theo leaned up on his tiptoes to kiss his neck.

Abel did not want Theo to be a slut. Instead, he wanted him to be a doe-eyed victim whom he saved in the bathroom all those months ago. Perhaps he had come here because, despite his apologies for the misunderstanding, he did not truly believe he had misunderstood anything and wanted to confirm that his suspicions about Theo being taken advantage of were correct.

But he did not know Theo. He was the tempter. A demon. An incubus. He turned men into dead-eyed, lustful monsters.

Already, he could feel Abel through his dress pants. He could feel the man’s pulse quickening beneath his lips. It was only a matter of time. He should not have hoped because there was no such thing as righteous, saving angels. Abel maneuvered Theo toward the bed by his hips. A single, searing, screaming protest flared in Theo’s mind, but he ignored it.

Then Abel tossed him onto the mattress, untangled their arms, and took a step back. “No.”

Theo bounced against the mattress, then pushed himself up, legs hanging off the edge. He frowned at Able. “No?” Then he laughed and gestured to Abel’s crotch with one delicate hand. “You still don’t think I’m a slut? Your cock doesn’t seem confused.”

Abel looked at him the way people did when Theo said something wrong. If something crazy came out of his mouth, nicer people’s eyes would soften, and their frowns would deepen. This was exactly what Abel’s face did. It made Theo’s face hot and his insides squirm, but he glared up in indignation despite his discomfort.

“Just because I got a semi doesn’t make you a slut.” Abel’s tone was incredulous, like this was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard. Theo scoffed and looked away. He did not know how to react to that. It did not make sense. Look at how hard they all are for you, you little slut. Maybe he was crazy. He could not tell anymore – never could.

So, he shrank back in petulant humiliation, hugging his arms around himself and pulling his knees against his chest. “You probably aren’t even gay. Are you mad because you got hard from a boy?”

That had happened before.

“Oh, I am gay.” Abel said without moving a muscle, confident and unmoving. This was the absolute truth. “I just don’t want to sleep with you unless you want me. And not because your boyfriend told you to sleep with me.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Theo spat.

“You’re boss.” Abel waved a dismissive hand.

He was not really that either. Theo let it go, though. He turned his face to the side and clenched his jaw, not sure how to handle rejection. It had never happened to him before. People could never wait to get their hands on him, even the ones who weren’t gay. Jesus your hips are just like a girl’s. If you lean over…just like that…arch your back…oh, fuck yeah. To be rejected by a man who was actually attracted to his gender (and who Theo actually wanted to sleep with for once in his life) stung.

So, instead of insisting that he really did want to sleep with Abel, he glared at the wall and tried not to cry. Because he was a fucking baby. You’re a fucking crybaby. Want me to give you something to cry about? Ken got zero points for originality, but that didn’t mean his methods were any less effective.

“You looked at me downstairs as if I’d pulled a gun on you,” Abel told him. “And then, when Ken sent you up with me, you looked like you wanted to die. I don’t for a second believe that you want to sleep with me.”

Theo hated Ken. He hated him for everything. He hated Abel for never approaching him again after their lunch. He hated himself for never going into the bar to look for him. He hated himself for everything.

“Whatever,” he sneered. “You can’t understand. Don’t you have like a normal life and shit? Go back to your fucking bar and leave me the hell alone. Why did you even come here tonight?”

Abel shrugged.

Theo barked out a laugh and unfurled from his cowering posture, spreading his legs wide. “If you wanted to understand better. Well, here you go.” He held his arms out to the sides. “I’m a horny bitch. That’s just the simple truth.”

Abel took a step forward, expression shadowed by blankness.

 “A fucking succubus.” Theo insisted as Abel stepped between his legs, “A demon just like the rest of them. If you don’t want to get possessed, then you better fucking go home.”

Abel dropped to his knees and put his arms around Theo’s waist. He pressed his forehead against Theo’s chest and splayed his hands wide across his back. Theo’s hands hung suspended in the air above his broad shoulders, mouth hanging open.

“What are you doing?” he whispered.

“Giving you a fucking hug.” Abel pulled him a little closer so he could wrap him up more securely and put his chin on Theo’s shoulder. It was insane that their eyes were probably level despite Abel kneeling before him. He was so tall.

Only their thudding heartbeats moved for several long seconds.

“Do you really believe all that stuff?” Able finally asked.

“Yeah,” Theo murmured, hands still hovering in the air. “I’m a piece of shit just like the rest of them. What do you think I’m doing here? You should just forget about me if you aren’t going to fuck me.”

“Cause that’s all you’re good for, huh?” Able rumbled.

It was like a knife to the chest – physical pain that made Theo gasp out loud. Hot tears reared their ugly heads, and his throat was suddenly tight. He could say nothing in response.

Abel hummed, then gathered him even closer. Using one hand to brace himself against the mattress and the other to cradle Theo to his chest, he stood, lifting him. Theo gasped again, arms finally falling around Abel’s shoulders as he clung for dear life. His eyes nearly popped out of his skull. He knew he was much smaller than Abel and that those rippling muscles were not just for show beneath his twisting tattoos. But. Hot Damn.

He expected to be tossed down on the bed again when Abel walked them around to the side. Instead, Abel sat on the edge with Theo still in his arms, swung his legs up onto the mattress, then leaned back against the pillows. This placed Theo right in his lap, which was far more comfortable than it had any right to be.

Confusion still coursed through his body – along with, perhaps, a tinge of arousal (which only made everything more confusing). So, he tried to push away, climbing out of Abel’s lap. But Abel just drew him back with firm, gentle hands.

He tucked Theo against his side, rubbed soothingly over his back, and kissed the top of his head. “Has anyone ever just held you?”

“What?” Theo said shortly, “Of course.”

“No, just…without having sex with you,” Abel clarified. “Like just a hug for comfort.”

Theo gaped up at him, then renewed his efforts to get away. “I don’t know what the fuck you are talking about.”

“Okay, okay,” Abel’s voice was gentle, and he let Theo go but wrapped a hand around his wrist to prevent him from getting very far. “Just relax. Where the hell are you going to go? Back down to the party so Ken can feel you up in front of everybody, and they can fuck you in their heads?”

Theo dropped his eyes in shame and stopped tugging his wrist away.

“Ken said all night, so just relax, yeah?” Abel let his wrist go. “I’m not going to do anything to you. In fact, I should probably just leave.”

He swung his feet over the edge of the bed. A burst of stale terror, which he had not felt for a long time, swept over Theo. He lunged for Able and grabbed the back of his shirt before he could stand up. Abel glanced over his shoulder.

“Don’t go,” Theo pleaded. Abel’s eyes hardened, like maybe he thought he was being propositioned again, but Theo was beyond that. Although if it would make Abel stay…

“Please don’t leave me,” He begged. “Don’t leave me alone with them.”

“Who?” Abel asked. “The people downstairs? You can just stay in the room, even if I go.”

“No, not them. The…” he swallowed, and his eyes darted to the corners.

Abel frowned and followed .his line of sight, then looked back at Theo, something new on his face. It was not the look people gave Theo when they thought he was being crazy. Even though he knew he was being crazy. The demons in the shadows were not real. They were down inside the guests at the party. Yet the corners seemed to buzz with their leering presence. Another shiver of terror rippled through his body.

“Please,” he said desperately, crawling around Abel to straddle his lap again and cling to his shoulders, “I’ll let you hold me.”

For a few seconds, Abel did nothing. The pain in Theo’s chest grew so great that he thought he might need to claw open his chest cavity and rip his heart out just to get rid of the horrible, breathless ache. But then Able’s arms wrapped around him, and he scooted back onto the bed.

“Okay,” Abel rumbled in a soothing tone that Theo did not think he had ever heard before. It settled the wild panic in his chest and allowed him to breathe. “You’re okay. I’ll stay. Don’t worry.”

Theo sighed in relief but still kept one eye on the door of the coat closet.