In the Arms of the Beast

by K. A. Merikan

  Laurent kissed Beast’s lips as he continued the teasing touch. “Maybe there were other reasons to marry you after all.” His other hand explored Beast’s chest, running up and down, to Beast’s side, and then to his back, like the prettiest and most welcome of snakes.

  “My charming personality?” Beast bucked his hips, pushing his dick through Laurent’s tight grip as he dove into the pliant mouth with his tongue. Warm shivers danced down his spine, adding to the urgency already boiling his body.

  “You can be charming when you try.” Laurent whispered into the kiss, his cock twitching against Beast’s skin like a reminder that Laurent wanted this just as badly.

  “I’ll try my best to charm my way in here soon,” Beast said and teased Laurent’s hole with his index finger, gently rubbing the fingertip up and down the crack of his ass where it felt the warmest.

  Laurent groaned as lust overflowed in his gaze. “No need for games, Beast. I want you.” He rocked against the touch and stroked Beast faster, wrapping his other arm around Beast’s neck.

  “No more? You sure you don’t need any more lessons in male-to-male congress?” Beast asked, saying the old-fashioned word Laurent once used to describe their sex life. Mocking him for it never got old, but neither did actually fucking him, so Beast pushed Laurent’s legs open wider and searched his jeans for lube, which he always carried with him since they’d gotten together. Laurent wasn’t often a quickie-in-the-outdoors kind of man, but when he did get tempted into it, the thrill was worth always being prepared.

  “Beast!” Laurent whined and hid his face in Beast’ shoulder. “Please, no more teasing.” He writhed against Beast’s fingers, and seeing him so lustful and ready made the predator inside Beast salivate. He’d have never believed how much of a sex fiend Laurent was if he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes. Too prudish for porn or orgies, he was more than interested in experiments behind closed doors.

  “I will never stop,” Beast rasped but coated his fingers with the lube, and kept his mouth busy by showering kisses all over Laurent’s exposed neck while he worked his digits between the warm buttocks. Laurent’s chest arched and touched his when the first finger slid into the smooth heat of his body, and Beast tightened his teeth on the flesh of Laurent’s throat, keeping him still as if he really was an animal possessive of his partner.

  Laurent moaned, gasping for air, yet open to anything Beast was about to do. The fact that he could be so contrary made his submission in sex all the sweeter. Beast could never be with a yes-man. He would always wonder if such a person truly agreed with him, or didn’t dare speak their mind, but Laurent offered him everything he needed.

  “Please…” Laurent moaned when Beast slipped another finger into him, moving it back and forth. It wasn’t like they could stay here forever, but he still wanted to give Laurent as much pleasure as the situation allowed.

  Or he was just greedy to extend his own. Either way, Laurent arching for him, his lips open for kisses, and legs spread for fucking was all Beast wanted to see.

  He languidly pushed his hand under Laurent’s neck and pulled his head up, wanting to feel the heat radiated by the flushed cheeks. He waited a moment for the sphincter to relax around his digits, but as much as he’d like to have played with the hole some more, teasing Laurent until he was on the verge of coming, they were in a semi-public space.

  “I love watching you like this,” he whispered, removing his fingers and aligning his dick with the hole.

  Their eyes met, and the excitement in Laurent’s gaze mixed with something more, with a yearning so deep it could only be expressed by a loving partner. It elevated sex beyond the pleasure of getting off, and took it that step further where bodies melted together in desperation to communicate in a way so much older than language.

  Laurent stirred his hips against Beast, tightening his buttocks on the cockhead, and gave him another kiss. For a brief moment, Beast met Laurent’s gaze, but when he pushed in, the beautiful dark eyes rolled back, and Laurent’s heels dug into his shoulders. Beast exhaled as his cock sank into the pliant body without hindrance, hugged by the walls inside Laurent’s ass. It was only when his balls kissed Laurent’s skin that he managed to look at his beloved again, savoring the scent of his sweat and the cologne he liked to use.

  Breathing hard, flushed, with eyes closed, Laurent was the embodiment of perfection, and Beast was trapped between the bliss of watching him and the very physical pleasure of rocking his dick in the tightness of Laurent’s ass. Every move he made caused a reaction. A gasp. A little frown. Laurent clawing at his shoulder and moaning. His cock twitching between their bodies and releasing moisture to Beast’s skin.

  Beast’s mind was getting muddled, and thinking straight wasn’t an option anymore. When he was inside Laurent, in the arms of the most generous lover he’s ever had, the need to leave his cum inside, mark Laurent with his scent became an unstoppable force.

  He considered himself a rational man, but not when it came to Laurent.

  Beast pushed his fingers into the waves of smooth dark hair and rested his elbows on either side of Laurent’s body, watching him while driving his dick in over and over. Laurent’s eyes were slits, but he was staring at Beast too, his gentle fingers caressing his back more forcefully with each passing second.

  When they were together like this, the joy of being in love, of sharing pleasure, chased away demons of past and present, leaving contentment and pure tenderness. But even the best of moments were fleeting, and Beast soon found his balls tightening as his body drove him to fuck Laurent harder. Faster.

  Laurent’s moans got breathless, and he held on to Beast, curling his legs up and digging his heels into flesh. “Yes. Beast, yes! Right there,” he mumbled into Beast’s ear as soon as their pace quickened, but Beast was too far gone to listen. It was Russian roulette which one of them would come first at this point.

  Laurent rubbed his thighs, so smooth despite the hair on them, against Beast’s sides, fueling the pace Beast needed to satisfy his lust. He never got enough of the welcoming heat of Laurent’s body, and when it shook against him, hunger became unbearable and impossible to satisfy. He pulled Laurent against his chest, fucking the tightening hole hard as his lover’s cum dripped between their bodies. His own head was a mess, and he couldn’t focus on anything but the glorious closeness until he too tipped over the edge, unwilling to let go.

  He drilled his cock in slowly, for good measure, so happy to have even his cum desired. Laurent was struggling for breath, and clinging to Beast as if no one else could replace him.

  “You feel so good.” Laurent loosened his grip on Beast’s shoulder but kept touching him with the very tips of his fingers.

  Beast was high on their closeness and captured Laurent’s lips in a lazy, satisfying kiss. He wasn’t in a hurry to pull out and instead held Laurent closer. “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

  Laurent cuddled up to him, wrapping his legs around Beast’s waist again. They were both sweaty, happy, and in the exact same mind frame. Beast didn’t need to ask. He knew it. And it was so glorious, he pitied those who never got to experience such a thing.

  The push back into reality was so brutal, for a half a second Beast didn’t want to acknowledge it, but there it was—Jake talking to someone outside the garage door.

  “Go get the beers out of there. We should have at least two crates left.”

  Laurent gasped and clutched at Beast. He was a desperately private man, so even if for Beast being caught with his pants down wasn’t that big of a deal, seeing Laurent panic made his adrenaline go through the roof. The only thing he could do to spare his lover the indignity of being seen was to lay down and cover Laurent with his own body, creating a protective cage.

  When the massive door behind him rattled, Laurent seemed to have forgotten how tender Beast’s scar tissue was and dug his nails into the flesh on Beast’s side.

  “Ugh. Someone closed it. We have to go around and enter
from inside the building,” Jake said, relaxing Beast’s tense body with an injection of relief.

  “Is Knight’s sister single?” Nick asked.

  Jake snorted. “Don’t even try it.”

  They both stayed still, keeping even their breathing to a minimum, but when the voices dispersed in the distance, Laurent collapsed to the hood of the car, panting.

  “Lord almighty…

  Beast laughed and kissed his cheek before withdrawing. Fortunately, there were tissues on a table nearby, so he offered the package to Laurent before briefly cleaning himself as well. “We’ll just leave before they make it here from the other side.”

  Laurent swept hair off his forehead once he pulled on his underwear. “That was too close. What were we thinking?” And yet, he’d done it. He’d been blinded by lust like any other man, even though he often seemed to consider himself above such things somehow.

  Beast buckled his belt and watched Laurent put himself in order with a sense of peace hugging his body. “What’s life without a bit of risk?”

  Laurent looked up at him once he had his shoes on. “Not worth living.”

  Beast squeezed his hand and opened the garage door, letting in the sunlight, which stabbed his eyes with its sharpness. Laurent pushed himself under Beast’s arm, still glowing after the recent orgasm.

  They were halfway along the building when Laurent stopped mid-stride.

  “Marcel.”

  Beast hissed and spun on his heel, sprinting back to the doors. How could they have forgotten their kid? Yet more proof that they hadn’t thought this whole thing through.

  When he sped inside, Nick stumbled back, making bottles jiggle in the crate he was holding.

  “Jesus!”

  “It’s just me,” Beast shook his head, wondering what kind of future patch the ginger, zit-faced kid would make, but he was already opening the car door and unbuckling the backpack. He was surprised how much relief it gave him to hold it safely in his arms.

  Laurent only then caught up with him, breathless. “You got him? Is he okay?

  Beast waved off Jake and their future prospect, herding Laurent out to avoid uncomfortable questions. “He’s fine. Must be because he’s so quiet.”

  Laurent stilled for a few seconds before bursting with laughter. “You’re preposterous!”

  “Preposterous,” Beast repeated with laughter. “I’m never getting tired of your big words.”

  Laurent sniggered and entwined their fingers as they walked together again. This time, Beast carried the backpack with Marcel over his shoulder and he had to admit that it was much heavier than it had been just weeks ago. The thing was growing fast, and he wondered if he should ask their surrogate whether he knew if it would be developing as long as a normal baby.

  “Is Magpie texting you?” he asked, remembering the earlier call.

  Laurent waved it off. “The best policy for unwanted correspondence is to pretend it never arrived.”

  Beast stroked his shoulder. Laurent was so clueless despite thinking he knew it all. That was the sin of youth, though. Laurent would understand with time. “There’s a little notification under the text message that means your recipient’s seen it. Magpie thinks you don’t know how to text.”

  Laurent got flustered, and Beast could see the war going on in his head displayed on his pretty face. What was more important to him? Proving Magpie wrong or pretending he was less capable to keep peacefully ignoring the texts? “I can text! You know that.”

  Beast kissed the pouty lips. “I do, but he doesn’t need to, does he?”

  It took Laurent a long while to answer. “I suppose he doesn’t.”

  “He wants Marcel’s room to be blue or something like that. He’s the preposterous one.”

  Laurent nudged Beast with his elbow. “What else does he want?”

  Beast snorted. “He wants the kid to be named after him.”

  Laurent’s eyes went wide. “And what on earth would that be?”

  “Jasper.” Beast couldn’t contain his cheery mood any longer and laughed again. “His name is Jasper.”

  “Over my dead body.”

  Chapter 12 - Beast

  They hadn’t officially announced the result of the vote on Nick’s fate, but it was only a formality, and Beast suspected the clam chowder the girls had prepared under the direction of the boy’s mother was a celebratory meal of sorts. The soup was filling, hearty, and made Beast think of his own mother so intensely he ended up staying quiet throughout dinner.

  “Do a duck face,” Joker said with his mouth full.

  Beast followed Joker’s gaze to see Laurent pouting for a smartphone camera alongside Nao, who climbed into his lap for the sake of the photo. Laurent held out his arm and hollowed his cheeks in a parody of a classical sculpture. Perfect features. The hair of an angel. Duck face.

  “Does it have a meaning?” Laurent asked once he took the snap and offered the phone back to Nao.

  Knight snorted. “Yeah, means you’re trying to look sexy. Emphasis on ‘trying’.”

  Laurent glanced at Beast with his cheeks flushing the same way they had just an hour ago when he’d lost control on the hood of Elliot’s car. “Oh, no. I don’t think it’s suitable for public display then.”

  Nao laughed and hugged him, actually pinching his cheekbone. “Isn’t he just the cutest?”

  Beast rubbed his chin and used the remaining droplets of soup to scribble on the plate. “Yeah, it’s a bit... I think it’s silly rather than sexy.”

  Nao reached past Laurent and poked Beast, pouting with her Barbie-pink lips. “You know nothing, Beast! You’re not the target audience.”

  Vars snorted, hiding his face behind his hand. “Probably not.”

  Laurent erred on the side of caution when he heard differing opinions on a modern thing he’d just learned about, so he likely wouldn’t do a duck face again anytime soon. “Just don’t add it to Instagram.”

  “Why not? We look so cute!” Nao complained and slid off Laurent’s lap.

  “Beast has advised me about privacy.”

  Knight whistled and nudged Beast’s foot under the table. “You want him all to yourself, huh?”

  Beast felt heat on his nape, but he leaned back and casually put his arm around Laurent’s shoulders. Laurent used styling tools and products in the privacy of their bedroom and pretended his mane was naturally perfect. But it was still frizzy after the garage quickie, with the locks lacking their usual definition, and Beast took pleasure in knowing that the others had no idea why.

  “I’m more concerned about people getting too interested in him for other reasons.” Beast didn’t need someone trying to dig in Laurent’s past, but he was way more worried about there not being a future for him.

  The flavor left behind by the delicious soup felt bitter on his tongue. With his arm still resting on Laurent’s slender shoulders, he went quiet, watching his friends and family chat as if they had no sense of the encroaching doom that Beast could practically hear already echoing off the walls. They’d voted on a plan earlier today, but his men were dragging their feet, even though each day of inactivity meant a day less to stop the evil lurking under their feet, and who was to make the call to action if not him?

  Beast’s life was finally making sense. He had a man he loved. They would soon become parents. It was his job to make this world safe for his family, even if he hadn’t planned a kid.

  He remained contemplative until the hangarounds started collecting plates and only spoke when the last of the girls neared the door. “Close it behind you. You can finish cleaning later.”

  The woman nodded, and Joker waved at her with a grin. She had to be one of his new conquests. Then again, he was with Blackstar. But it was hard to say if their relationship was open or not, and to be fair, Beast hadn’t seen Blackstar in a while. He didn’t keep up with this stuff anymore. For all he knew, the petite girl at the door could be Rev’s new girl. He liked them young and blonde.

  Knight
put his feet up on the table and leaned back. “What’s up, prez?”

  With Laurent, Elliot, and Nao still present, this couldn’t be considered a club meeting, but they were all in on the secret harbored by the old walls of the clubhouse, so he wanted them to know what was going on.

  “We voted that the trees need to be dealt with in one way or another. I say there is no time to waste. Let’s try to target one tonight,” he said, and leaned back to have a better view of everyone left at the table.

  Vars, who was still finishing his meal, stopped chewing and put the spoon down. “I know we voted on this, but are you absolutely certain we shouldn’t talk to Magpie before we act?”

  Beast shrugged. “Magpie’s wasting time on choosing colors for my kid’s bedroom instead of getting us the papers and machinery we need. Meanwhile, we’re partying as if we had no idea the ground is burning under our feet. Baal is getting stronger every day. I say it’s time.”

  Knight nodded, twirling his thumbs. “They might not be of this world, but they’re still trees. Any damage we can do should slow down Baal’s ritual.”

  Elliot sat up straighter, his eyes glinting with hope. “Can I film it for my YouTube channel?”

  The sound of several voices saying ‘no’ made his head drop, but he crossed his arms on his chest and leaned against Knight, who patted his arm, with a shake of his head.

  Jake shifted uncomfortably, his brows lowering. “All this paranormal stuff is still a mystery to us.”

  Beast’s instincts hadn’t failed him then, his men were getting cold feet. It needed to be nipped in the bud. Beast knew Jake had reasons to be sceptical—his own curiosity had been punished when a gargoyle had taken over his body, but they would achieve nothing if they always chose to err on the side of caution. They weren’t doing their taxes. This was literally about life or death.

  “Yes, but we don’t know what’s gonna happen if we go with Magpie’s idea either. Tonight might at least give us an idea of what we’re dealing with here. And it’s not like we’re gonna fall any of them. Let’s start small.”