Darin nodded. “You too?”
“Yup. I’m a somewhat rare type of shifter, and when they found out I could half-shift and actually be venomous in my human form, well, they decided to use me as much as they could.”
“You’d be a great weapon.”
“If I’d let them train me, sure.”
“But you didn’t.”
“Nope. I have... well, I’m what you can call stubborn as fuck.” Ira stopped talking when Darin let out a bark of laughter. “I know what I want most of the time, and I won’t be sidetracked. I didn’t want them to train me, so they weren’t able to.”
Darin brought his legs onto the bed and crossed them, then turned sideways and gestured at Ira to sit in front of him. Ira obeyed Darin’s silent request and sat, mirroring Darin’s position, albeit making it look a lot more graceful.
Darin said his next words gently. “Didn’t they try to make you?”
“Of course they did, but no amount of torture made me change my mind.”
“Didn’t they try to use your family? They did that with me, well, with my brother. They threatened to hurt and kill me if Shad didn’t do what they wanted.”
“Of course they did.”
“And did you... did you obey, then?”
“No.”
Darin pressed his lips together. “Why not? They threatened your family. What happened to them when you said no?”
Ira linked his fingers together in his lap. “Nothing. Well, nothing they didn’t deserve.”
“Okaaay. Care to expand your answer?”
“I’m not sure you really want to know.”
“Probably not, but I think I need to.” Darin gestured between them. “If we really want to do this, we should be honest with each other.”
Ira seemed to think about it. He nodded once and looked over Darin’s shoulder rather than at him. “My parents gave me to the company, for money. They never were particularly loving and warm, but I never thought they’d do something like that. That’s why I didn’t do what the trainers in the lab wanted, not even when they killed my uncle.”
Darin swallowed loudly. “They killed your uncle?”
“He was the one who convinced my parents to do it. I think he actually worked with the company, although I’m not sure.”
“But why did they kill him if he worked for them?”
Ira shrugged. “He was only a lowly shifter for them. Maybe they didn’t have any more use for him, or maybe they thought I’d cave in if they threatened him, and if they killed him in front of me.”
Darin didn’t know how to take Ira’s words. He could understand why he was angry with his family. They’d sold him. Darin would be angry at them too, if it were him, but to the point where he’d let someone kill his uncle in front of him? He knew he’d never have been able to continue to say no, but then he wasn’t Ira.
Ira had said his family had never been loving, but Darin’s had, and still was. He loved his parents, even if they were old-fashioned, and he knew they loved him.
“You’re afraid of me now,” Ira said softly.
Darin looked at his feet. “Not really. I don’t understand why you did what you did, or rather, why you didn’t try to save your family. I would never be able to do something like that, but then I haven’t lived your life. I can’t understand it.”
“So what now? Do you want me to leave?”
Darin looked up. “What? No. Why would I want you to leave? You’re my mate.”
“Because I’m scary.”
Darin snorted. “You’re not. I’m not afraid of you, not even after what you just told me.”
“What about my half-shift? Other shifters are usually scared of that.”
“I won’t say it’s not weird, but unless you’re planning to bite me with the intention of killing me, I don’t see why I should be afraid.”
Ira cocked his head. “You’re too trusting.”
Darin laughed. “Probably. But you’re my mate. If I can’t trust you, then who can I trust?”
“Your twin.”
“True. I know I can trust Shad and Gabriel, his mate. I know I can trust everyone in this house, too. But it’s not the same. You’re my mate, and I’ve been looking for you.”
Ira straightened. “You’ve been looking for me?”
Darin blushed. “It’s more like I’ve been praying for you to find me, really. I mean, I haven’t gone out there looking for you. Ask Taylor—he’s been trying to convince me to go out more, to meet people, but I don’t like being in crowds. I like being here, and in my bakery, and that’s about it. Taylor always joked that the only way my mate would find me was for him to walk in my shop.”
Ira finally gave Darin a smile. “Looks like he was wrong.”
Darin smiled back. “Yeah. You actually found me by walking into the mansion.”
“I wouldn’t mind more of those cupcakes, though. Maybe I should visit your bakery.”
“You don’t have to. I bake more than enough of them here.”
“But I don’t live here.”
Darin bit on his lower lip. “True. How are we going to deal with that? I guess I could move to Gillham, but I just opened the shop, and Shad lives here.”
Ira leaned forward and took one of Darin’s hands in his. “I’m not asking you to move in Gillham. Why would I? Your entire life is here.”
“And yours is there.”
Ira shook his head and squeezed Darin’s hand. “I don’t have much, not even in Gillham.”
Darin frowned. “Haven’t you been living there for almost a year?”
“Yes.”
“Then why are you so ready to leave?”
“I like living there. I do. But I never really settled. I don’t need to work, and apart from a few friends, I won’t really miss anyone there. Besides, my best friend will move here, too.”
“He will?”
“Yup. That’s why I’m here today, actually. I drove Yanis here to see if he was Adan’s mate, and he is.”
Darin’s eyes widened. “He is? Is Adan all right?”
Ira shrugged. “I don’t know. I left Yanis with Jared to come find you, but from the little I saw, it’s going to be a while before Adan gets better. I wouldn’t want to be in Yanis’ place, but he’s my friend, and I’ll help him as best as I can. So you see, I have more than one reason to move here.”
“Okay, you do. Have you talked to Dominic yet?”
“No. I wanted to talk to you first, see what you thought about it. I won’t move here if you want me to stay away.”
“I don’t. I don’t want to leave Whitedell, so if you’re willing to move here... I guess it’s perfect.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Okay.”
They looked at each other and Ira’s eyes flickered. Darin leaned forward and cupped Ira’s cheek, looking closer. “What kind of snake are you?”
“Atheris.”
“You know I’m a sugar glider, right?”
“Yes.”
“Do you think we can make it work?”
Ira arched a brown. “Why not?”
“We’re very different.”
“So? I can’t imagine Nysys’ mate being similar to him. Or at least I hope he’s not, because I don’t think the world is ready to take two of them.”
“Morin is as different from Nysys as—”
“As I am from you?”
Darin smiled. “Yeah, I guess so.”
Ira leaned forward the way he had in the kitchen, their lips almost touching, and this time, Darin had no intention of moving away from him. “So what do you say?” Ira asked in a whisper.
Darin kissed him.
* * * *
Ira hadn’t expected Darin to say yes so easily, or to kiss him. He’d thought Darin might need some time to think about things, to get over what Ira was and could do, but instead, he was kissing him. Darin was kissing Ira, and Ira was being like a dead fish
, unresponsive.
He could feel Darin starting to move away, so he snapped his hands forward and hooked them on Darin’s shoulders. He pulled his mate closer again, pressing their lips together.
He slid his hands down Darin’s back and tightened them around his waist, just to be sure he wouldn’t try to run away. Not that he looked like that was what he wanted to do, but still. Ira didn’t want to risk it.
He kept his eyes open as he kissed Darin. He wanted to see what kissing him did to his mate, and he wasn’t disappointed.
Darin’s eyes were closed, but his eyelids fluttered as Ira ran his tongue along Darin’s lips. Darin sighed and opened his mouth, and Ira pushed his tongue inside. Darin’s tongue was there, touching his, and a flush was appearing on Darin’s cheeks, deepening with every minute that passed.
Ira didn’t know how long they kissed. He didn’t try to push for more, content just to learn the shape of his mate’s mouth, the way his lips felt against Ira’s, the way he moved his tongue in Ira’s mouth.
Then Darin slid the hand he’d still had on Ira’s cheek down Ira’s chest. He paused to flick at Ira’s nipple and Ira gasped, but Darin’s fingers were already gone, running down Ira’s stomach, under his sweater, up his naked skin.
Darin circled Ira’s bellybutton and dipped his finger inside. Ira shivered, but again, Darin’s fingers were gone. He didn’t move them upward this time, though. They skimmed the button of Ira’s jeans, and before Ira could realize what the fuck was happening, Darin flicked it open and wiggled his fingers under the elastic band of Ira’s underwear.
Ira jerked when a finger touched the tip of his dick. He tore his mouth away from Darin’s and Darin blinked up at him. He didn’t move his hand away, though, and Ira had a hard time putting his thoughts into shape. “What are you doing?” he croaked as Darin ran his finger in circles on the head of Ira’s cock.
Darin blinked again. “I thought it was obvious?”
“What’s obvious is that you have your hand down my pants.”
Darin slid his finger down Ira’s now hard dick, then up. “Uh-huh.”
“Can you... .stop? Please?”
Darin froze. He didn’t take his hand away, but he stopped moving. He was still looking up at Ira, his eyes huge, his pupils blown, and okay, Ira wanted him to start moving that damn finger again, but not before he could ask one question. “Do you want to have sex?”
“Again, I thought it was obvious.” Darin pressed the tip of his finger against the slit in Ira’s dick and Ira’s hips bucked.
“I want to mate with you,” Ira said in a strangled voice, surprised he could actually think well enough to ask Darin if that was he wanted. Well, he hadn’t exactly asked, but he’d told his mate what he wanted.
Darin nodded. “Okay.”
“You’re okay to mate with me? Now?”
“Yes.”
“Without thinking about it?”
“Thinking is overrated sometimes. You’re my mate—we’ll end up mating soon enough anyway. Why not now?”
“What if you end up hating me?”
“Then we’ll deal with it as well as we can.”
“But—”
Darin sighed and took his hand away. Ira regretted asking so many questions, but he needed Darin to be sure. He didn’t want to be rejected by someone he cared for ever again.
“Look, I could end up hating you even if we wait years before actually mating. Let’s say we decided to wait a year and to get to know each other. We fall in love, we mate, and in ten years, I start hating you. How does that change anything?” Darin’s tone was a bit brusque, but not unkind.
“I just want you to be sure. I can’t take someone who should care for me betraying me again.”
Understanding sparked in Darin’s eyes. “Of course. I can’t promise you I’ll love you until the end of time, or whatever, but I can promise you I’ll always tell you if something’s wrong, and that I won’t ever betray you. Even if I end up hating you.”
“What if your family is against me? What if they don’t like me?”
“I’m the one who has to like you, not them. I’m not saying it’ll be easy—scratch that, I know it won’t be. My mom still hopes my mate will be a woman because she wants grandkids from me, and Shad is mated to a man. I know she’s not going to be happy, but I’m the one who has to live with this, not her.”
“What if you lose them? Or your brother?”
“I’ll never lose Shad.”
“How can you—”
“Never. I didn’t have any problems with his mate, not even with the way Gabriel was before. Why should he have problems with you?” Ira opened his mouth, but Darin continued before he could speak. “Besides, even if he doesn’t like you, I know he’ll just want me to be happy. Him liking you doesn’t have a part in that, unless you two start fighting, and I know Shad won’t.” Darin arched a brow. “So? Other questions?”
“Nope.”
“Good.”
Darin grabbed Ira’s neck. He pulled Ira down, his other hand slipping in Ira’s jeans again. He still couldn’t reach in very well because they were still sitting, although Darin was almost in Ira’s lap by now.
Ira pushed Darin away. Darin went with it, but Ira saw him roll his eyes. He gently slapped his mate’s ass, earning himself a strangled sound from Darin. “Like that, huh?”
“I—I don’t know.”
“We’ll have to experiment. Later.”
“Yeah, later. Why’d you push me away?”
“To get naked. It’ll be easier.”
Darin’s eyes lit up. “Oooh, I like the way you think.” He reached for the bottom of his T-shirt and pulled it up. He threw it to the side, then started on his jeans, opening them and getting up from the bed to push them down his legs, along with his underwear—if he even wore any.
He hopped on one foot as he took off one sock, then the other, until he finally stood naked in front of Ira. He arched a brow and looked at Ira from waist to face. “Still dressed?”
Ira got up and took his sweater off. He made sure to go slower than Darin had, but two hands landed on his waist and tugged at his jeans.
Ira laughed, surprising himself. It wasn’t something he did often, yet Darin had managed to make him within hours of meeting. Ira pulled the fabric over his head and let it fall to the floor just as he felt his jeans slide down.
Darin kneeled in front of him and helped Ira raise a foot. He made quick work of getting rid of Ira’s shoes, socks, then his jeans. When Darin rose, they were both naked, and hard. Darin’s body was the stuff of dreams, at least for Ira.
He was shorter, the top of his head just reaching Ira’s shoulder, and he was lithe. There were no visible muscles on his body—if anything, his stomach was on the soft side.
Ira loved it.
He once had been too thin, too wiry, and even though that had changed since then, he still felt that way. He knew he wasn’t perfect, but neither was Darin, yet Ira didn’t like what he was seeing any less.
He could see Darin’s gaze was appreciative as he ran it over Ira’s body, from toes to head. He paused on Ira’s dick, on his thighs, on his chest, and finally, on his face. He smirked, and for once, Ira felt like the prey rather than the predator. He wasn’t sure how that made him feel, but he knew Darin wouldn’t hurt him.
“So?” Darin asked.
“So?”
Darin grinned and pushed Ira onto the bed.
* * * *
Ira went down easily, even though Darin hadn’t pushed that hard. Darin climbed on top of Ira, surprised that although Ira had been the one trying to seduce Darin earlier in the kitchen, he now was letting Darin do what he wanted.
Darin sat on Ira’s groin, making sure his mate’s dick pressed between his ass cheeks, and rocked. Ira grabbed Darin’s waist with both hands and pushed his hips upward. “We need lube. Now.”
Darin hummed in approval even as he ran his hands over
Ira’s chest and down his stomach. Ira was nicely muscled, and his skin wasn’t pale like Darin’s. It was darker than a Caucasian skin, the color of tea and milk, and Darin wanted to taste it.
Ira closed his eyes, a smile on his lips, and Darin continued caressing him and rocking his hips. Not that he actually needed to do it—Ira was as hard as Darin was. But Darin wanted to enjoy their first time. He didn’t want to go through it in a rush, at least not too much.
Ira reached down and grabbed Darin’s wrist, effectively putting a stop to his exploration. He rolled them around and Darin let himself be pressed against the mattress. Ira loomed over him, his face so very close that Darin couldn’t resist tracing his features with the tip of one finger.
“Lube?” Ira asked again.
Darin let his hand fall and reached under his pillow. It took a bit of searching, but he found the small bottle he kept there. He handed it to Ira, narrowing his eyes at Ira’s arched brow. “What? I’m single.”
“You mean you were single.”
“Uh. Yeah, I was single.”
Ira chuckled. “We’ll put the lube in the nightstand from now on. I don’t think it’s very comfortable to sleep on.”
Ira made quick work of opening the bottle and coating first his cock, then his fingers. He knew exactly what he was doing, and he had Darin panting and opening his legs as wide as he could in minutes. They shared open-mouthed kisses as Ira opened Darin up, their mouths really just pressing against each other as Darin panted in Ira’s mouth.
Then Ira shifted and his fingers disappeared from Darin’s ass. Darin felt Ira’s cock slide between his legs, along his taint. Darin hooked a leg around Ira’s waist and tried to pull him closer. “Ira... Come on.” He looked up at Ira, at his mate, and waited for Ira to do something. Preferably to start fucking him. But of course, Ira didn’t move.
“Say it,” Ira said, his eyes locked on Darin’s face, his body pressing Darin’s down. “I want to hear it. I want to hear that you want to be mine, and that you want me to be yours.”
“Fuck me, Ira. I already am yours. You just need to take me.” Darin rolled his hips forward and the head of Ira’s cock slid over his rim.
Darin angled his hips and reached down between them to guide the head of Ira’s cock against his slicked hole. Ira canted his head back as he pushed forward, his eyes closed. Darin fought to stay relaxed—it had been a while, and however many fingers Ira had used to prep him didn’t measure up to a cock.
Darin Page 3
