It had been ridiculously hot seeing him fight to maintain his composure. Watching him try so hard to keep his eyes on the TV, even as they kept wanting to roll back. Watching his chest start to heave, his fingers dig hard into the armrest, his hips twitch as he fought to keep them still.

After a while, I’d taken his hand and slipped it into my underwear, telling him I’d let him come once I had. I’d been kneeling on the couch, and my legs had almost given out when his long fingers had wrung an orgasm from me that had been so intense my scalp had gone numb as I panted into the side of his neck. He’d used the same mind-blowing trick as before, basically jerking off my clit until I was too sensitive for him to continue.

I’d barely finished telling him he could come when his cock had started pulsing in the sleeve, spurting smoky cum all over his front, his hips jerking erratically and his head tipping back as he groaned. After cleaning up, he’d smoked two joints in a row, ordered a pizza, and promptly fallen asleep on the couch after we’d consumed it.

He had kicked me that time, his leg twitching against my thigh as I sat beside his passed-out form and looked up recipes on my phone for the ingredients I’d bought at the market.

We’d slept in his bed this time. Greid had taken my hand and led me into his room after we’d finished watching an over-the-top action movie starring a big, hunky demiurgus with a shaved head. It had made me stupidly happy that it wasn’t even a question anymore—we were officially Sleeping Together. Not just having sex. I didn’t want to spend a single night without him.

As we were getting undressed, Greid had shyly asked if I minded him sleeping in his true form, explaining that he wasn’t all that used to sleeping in his humanoid one. Of course I didn’t, and I told him as much, then watched eagerly as he shifted and I once again got to see his true demiurgus side—alien but beautiful. Once we got into bed, he’d nuzzled his long snout against my throat and wrapped his rangy limbs around me, his contented sigh ruffling my hair.

I’d almost told him I loved him then, but he’d been snoring before I could work up the courage to get the words out.

I was in the kitchen getting ready to make dinner when I finally heard Greid coming down the stairs at around six. He shuffled into the room, stretching out his back with a grunt.

“What are you making?” he asked with interest as he came up behind me to wrap his arms around my waist, bending his knees so he could rest his chin on my shoulder.

“I thought I’d try stir fry.” I transferred all the sliced carrots from the chopping board to a bowl. “Seems easy enough.”

“Ooh.” His hand reached around me and plucked a carrot slice from the bowl. I heard him crunch down a second later, then make a disgusted sound. “Why did I do that? I hate raw vegetables.”

“Because the sight of any food turns you into a magpie.” I nudged his belly with my elbow. “Raw carrot is nice.”

“I guess it wasn’t too bad.” He stole another bit and straightened. “Do I have time to take a shower before dinner?”

“Yes. I’m still prepping all the delicious, delicious veggies we’ll have in it.”

“Am I being punished for something?” He kissed the top of my head. “I won’t be long.”

“Okay.”

I watched him amble out of the kitchen, his tail swishing over his ass, which looked really good in those grey sweats. Once I’d heard his bedroom door click shut, I looked back down at the red bell peppers on the chopping board, washed and ready to be sliced.

Dinner could wait.

My stomach was jittery with nervous excitement as I washed my hands at the sink and made my way into the living room. I perched on the couch, wiping my palms down my thighs. I’d already stashed the bag of toys next to the couch, because if he was interested in me fucking him tonight, I wanted us to do it in his room where I knew he’d be most comfortable.

How long should I wait before I just moved myself into his room permanently? Did he even want that?

My knee bounced nervously as I waited for Greid to get out of the shower. I turned on the TV to distract myself, flicking to the celebrity gossip show I sometimes watched. The sound of the TV drew Greid’s attention when he finally emerged from his room, appearing in the doorway in his onesie with his wet hair pushed back from his face.

“Shit, sorry, did I take too long? Is dinner already done?”

I shook my head. “No, I just… Um, I wanted to show you something first.”

“Is it a pizza?” He made his way over to the couch. “Like, as an appetiser to the stir fry?”

I chuckled. “Nope, sorry. Better resign yourself to eating my stir fry tonight.”

“I’m just kidding.” He sat down right beside me, shuffling as close as possible and wrapping his arm around my waist as he kissed my cheek. “I like your food.”

I gave him a distracted smile, reaching over to palm his thigh. “So, you know I went to a store earlier that Corva recommended?”

“Yeah. Wait, what store was it again? I can’t remember.”

“Well.” I cleared my throat and said brightly, “It was a sex store.”

I could feel Greid staring down at me. “A sex store, huh? Okay, you definitely didn’t tell me that earlier, because I definitely would’ve remembered.”

Chuckling, I leaned over the side of the couch to grab the bag. “I got some stuff.”

“Can I see?” he asked immediately.

“Of course.” I laughed, reaching into the bag. “It’s stuff for us, Greid.”

I pulled the handcuffs out first and glanced up at Greid. His eyes went wide for a second, throat bobbing, before a big, filthy grin spread across his face as he took them from me. “Nice. I like the pink.”

“I knew you would.” I nudged his arm with a sly grin. “So, want me to handcuff you to the bed?”

“Yes, please,” he rasped, long fingers sifting through the pink fluff lining the cuffs as his ears fluttered.

Pulse leaping, I pulled out the strap-on. “Want me to fuck you while you’re tied up?”

Greid froze. I looked back up to gauge his reaction, seeing his yellow eyes wide and fixed on the strap-on in my hands. He let out a shaky breath.

“Fuck. I… Y-yeah. Yes.” His mouth opened and closed wordlessly a few times, before he hoarsely repeated, “Yes.”

“Is the dick too big?” I looked down at it critically. “I got a smaller one in case—”

“N-no, it’s… It’s not.” He swallowed. “It’s a, uh, demiurgus one, huh? It’s got…”

“Barb-like bumps, yeah.” I fisted the dildo and stroked it a few times, the fake barbs abrading my palm, but not in an unpleasant way. Greid let out a croak.

“So you… Corva recommended this place?” His shoulders hunched as I looked over at him, ears fluttering with anxiety. “Did you… Did you tell her…”

“No,” I rushed to reassure him, letting go of the dick to thread our fingers together. “No, Greid, I didn’t tell her anything. I wouldn’t. That’s private, between us. No one else’s business.”

He swallowed and nodded. “I know. Sorry. I know you wouldn’t. It’s just…”

When he trailed off, I squeezed his hand and gently asked, “What?”

“It’s just that—” He cringed, releasing my hand to scrub both of his over his face. “Fuck, I don’t want to keep bringing her up. I’m sorry.”

Okay, so this was about Agma. I shook my head. “Greid, it’s okay. It’ll help me understand, so I don’t mind at all. Okay? I promise.”

“Okay.” He sighed and rubbed his face again. “When Agma and I split up, she told her friends… stuff. About what I, um, wanted. So it just… It got pretty awkward whenever I bumped into them after that.”

Murderous rage swept through me. “She did what?”

“Yeah.” He picked at the front of his onesie. “A couple of them made some gross comments when I saw them at the grocery store not long after we broke up. Made it pretty clear they… knew.” He shrugged, but the movement was jerky. “I’d gotten somewhat friendly with a few of her friends during our relationship, but that ended after that. So. Yeah.”