Strange, that he should like it so much when Laurent gripped him possessively like that. Or perhaps it wasn't so strange; Damen loved each act of claiming his husband, and knowing that Laurent wanted to claim him too in small, physical ways was indescribably satisfying.

Hands and mouth explored together. He charted out each swell and dip of Laurent's shoulders, his chest, his ribs. He skimmed close to the rosy circle of an areola, only to veer away. He wooed Laurent's pleasure like he'd wooed his lips, hoping to hear his name murmured again in those tones, with pleading in them this time. Damen's breath crested the slim rise of muscle beneath the nipple. His nose, the strong Akielon lines of it jutting out, grazed the sensitive bud in a suggestion of a nuzzle.