Chapter Ten

I must've done something right in this life. The only reason there'd been any hesitation between Landyn's words and Hephaestus's actions was because the god genuinely thought he'd misheard for a moment. He couldn't remember the last time anyone wanted to kiss him, and anyone who'd gone before was quickly forgotten as he learned the shape of his mate's lips for the first time.

There was a brightness in Landyn that couldn't be faked. After the stress of the morning, Hephaestus had wondered if he'd done the wrong thing – if he should've set Landyn up somewhere and watched him from afar. But from the moment their lips met, Hephaestus realized how much of a travesty that would be. His soul longed for Landyn at the same time as his body burned.

"Hmm, you taste so good." Landyn pulled off just long enough to breathe and then his lips were back before Hephaestus had a chance to miss them. There was so much Hephaestus wanted to do in that moment – stripping them both and being on a bed was fast rising to the top of the list.

But Landyn had said something about their first-first when he was talking about their breakfast. This was their first kiss and that would never happen again. Hephaestus breathed slowly and focused on how Landyn's body quivered in his arms, how Landyn's breath was a mix of chocolate and bacon, and how eager his mate seemed to be in kissing Hephaestus back.

"Ooh. Ooh." Landyn said a kisses later. "My hunky mate. I'm going to make a mess in these new pants you got me in a minute. We should probably talk…shouldn't we? Do we need to talk, like what do you like? Don't like? You know. Sex stuff."

Hephaestus couldn't help it, resting his forehead on Landyn's as he chuckled. "You're right. You're so right, sweetling. I'm sorry. I shouldn't laugh, but you make me so happy."

"Do you like sex?" Landyn's face was flushed, and his lips were puffed, and Hephaestus felt a shaft of pride. He'd made his mate look like that. Then the questions filtered through his synapsis and rang a bell.

"I've enjoyed sex in the past," he said cautiously. "I know shifters don't like to hear of their mates being with others, so we'll just skip that bit, but sweetling…" Hephaestus hesitated and then said in a rush, "I'm not a small person. Down there, I mean."

"I know." If anything, Landyn's grin seemed to widen. "I could sense that when we were kissing. I've played around a bit, but I might have to work up to taking that beastie into my body. Is that okay? Would you be mad about that?" His cheeks seemed to redden even more as he added, "I know you're used to having sex with people bigger than me and your friend did say I wasn't your type, but I'd do my best..."

"No, sweetling, don't go thinking that." Damn Bronte. "Yes, I had sex with the giants. They seemed to prefer people who were big. I…I…" Hephaestus wasn't sure how to explain. "I've always looked for people who simply accepted me as a man, when most people only ever saw me as the lame god."

"Who would think that about you?" Landyn looked so indignant on his behalf, Hephaestus wanted to laugh, but he knew that wasn't the right thing to do. "You've been so sweet to me, and you're totally hot. You almost had me messing my pants with a kiss. Honestly, I'm going to have to learn a martial art or something so I can fight people off you."

"Martial art? Fighting?" Hephaestus stared at his mate in shock. "No one has ever felt the need to fight over me at any time in my very long life."

"You've never had a mate before." Landyn folded his arms across his chest. "I would fight for you, or beside you…unless you're fighting giants." His arms and face fell. "I'm going to blame the shock of seeing your friend this morning for not doing more then. Face it, from a shifter perspective, most people don't have ginormous one-eyed giants in their kitchens. But I'll be better prepared next time."

"There won't be a next time." Hephaestus ran his hand up Landyn's slender back and curled his fingers in his mate's hair. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"

"What answer will get me more kisses?" Landyn turned his face up. "Maybe in bed kisses? With no clothes on type kisses?"

There were times when being a god had it's uses. Hephaestus wasn't going to refuse an offer like that. Holding Landyn close, he zapped them both to his bed, clothes getting lost along the way. Just the feel of Landyn's skin on his made Hephaestus groan.

Hephaestus didn't have a way with words. If anyone wanted an example of the tall, dark, hulking type at a party, it was him. But as Landyn writhed with excitement across his body, his smooth skin awakening parts of Hephaestus he thought long dead, he understood in that moment why the great poets in history wrote of love so passionately.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning with her "How Do I Love Thee" or the eloquent words from Samuel Taylor Coleridge in his poem simply entitled "Love." But then no, Hephaestus reasoned as he remembered that even with those wonderful words, the poets contrasted love and death, and Hephaestus was already so pleased to have spared his mate from that outcome. To have a life without a sweetling who held him as he cried was already more than he could bear to even think about.

But oh, how Hephaestus wished he had the slick words that would help his mate understand how special he was already. How could he verbalize the overwhelming pleasure he got from Landyn's clumsy touches, his sweet groans, and how his body arched into Hephaestus's hands - and not just the sexy bits. With Landyn, Hephaestus's whole body responded, and it would seem the feeling was mutual. When Hephaestus ran his hand down Landyn's back, his mate arched into his touch like a sensual cat.

It was intoxicating. Yes, Hephaestus had a lot of sex before Landyn. If he thought about it, there had never been a time in his life when, if he was horny, he couldn't find someone to get off with. In that respect he was a lot like his kin. But the moment Hephaestus's lips had met Landyn's, he knew his mated life was going to be so different.

Sex with someone not his mate – cock is hard, I need somewhere to put it. Done.

Spending time with Landyn – Hephaestus wasn't even going to call it sex, because he didn't want to debase the trust his shifter showed in his nakedness with someone who was a literal stranger – it was already so different. Not just the kisses, although that wasn't something Hephaestus usually did.

The touches were all over. All over. Landyn's nose and mouth were mapping out ever muscle Hephaestus had – and he seemed so happy about it. But then just when Hephaestus thought his balls would empty without his cock being touched, it was as if Landyn was missing his lips and he'd slide back up Hephaestus's body and spend the next five minutes kissing until they were both breathless.

When has anyone ever spent this much time seemingly enjoying my body and bringing me pleasure? If Hephaestus had any brain cells still functioning, he might have truly considered an answer – any possible comparable incident must've been centuries ago. But he was too busy mapping out every part of his mate's body he could reach, learning what made Landyn moan.

The end, when it came, was as beautiful as it was simple. They'd rolled together, front to front, on their sides. Landyn's fingers were in Hephaestus's facial hair, and Hephaestus's hands were curled around his mate's smooth butt as they rutted together. Hephaestus's cock was leaking so much it was gliding against Landyn's skin, and he could feel the mess Landyn's was leaving on him. Groans filled the air, and the next thing Hephaestus felt was the brief sting from a bite. Landyn was claiming him all over again and yet this time, Hephaestus wasn't making a mess in his pants. He was panting as his racing heart send blood thundering around his body and his cock was pulsing, spurting spunk all over the front of Landyn's torso, mixing with Landyn's own release.

Sticky. Messy. Abso-fucking-lutely perfect. And Landyn didn't try and get away, like so many of Hephaestus's partners had in the past. When Hephaestus wrapped his arms around Landyn's back, his precious mate simply sighed, his head resting on Hephaestus's shoulder, his arm curled around Hephaestus's neck, and his fingers lightly twirling in his hair.

"First-first?" Landyn's voice sounded husky, sleepy, and so damn happy.

"Definitely first-first sweetling." And for Hephaestus it was. For the first time after a release, he actually felt content. After the hassles with Bronte just an hour before, Hephaestus was going to hang onto that feeling for as long as he could.