“Christ, we need lube. Why the hell don’t you people have lube?” Cliff asked, mindless with need.
Toby whimpered, absolutely no fucking help. Cliff stood, stumbling to the kitchen and grabbing the nut cream off the counter where he had left it last night. Popping the top, he squirted some in his hand, wrapping it around his aching shaft. Returning to where Toby was sprawled on his back along the sofa, Cliff bent down, kissing him roughly. Toby moaned and arched up into him. He grabbed the nut cream again, wetting his fingers and pressing them against the tight pucker of Toby’s ass. Rubbing his digits around the outside, he waited until Toby’s backside relaxed before inserting both fingers in one thrust. Toby cried out, his cock long and hard from the attention paid to his ass.
“I’m sorry, Tobe, I can’t wait. Is that enough? Can you take me now?” Cliff asked, near desperate.
Toby mewled, nodding frantically, grasping at Cliff.
With a last teasing touch, Cliff withdrew his fingers from the heated passage of his mate, replacing them with the head of his cock. Groaning, he thrust his hips, sliding inside in small increments. He was anxious, but he wasn’t going to hurt Toby. He wasn’t that far gone yet. When he was finally lodged to the hilt, gasping at the tight, hot clasp of his mate, he stilled.
Dropping his head, he moved to take Toby’s mouth with his own. Both men pressed together, anxious to get as close as they possibly could. Toby raised his arms, entwining them behind Cliff’s back, pulling him in close. Toby’s legs wrapped around him, one heel resting behind his knees and the other drawn up to below his ass.
Cliff slid his hands up Toby’s sides, grabbing his shoulders to hold him close. He withdrew his cock partway, opening his mouth at the mind-blowing feel of the silky passage. Toby flexed his ass, unwilling to let him go.
He thrust in, harder than before, making Toby buck in response.
“God, Toby, I need you…”
“Please, Cl-Cliff, again, again…”
He snapped, thrusting hard, taking them both closer to the blinding edge where they could lose themselves. He couldn’t think past the fear of seeing Toby in danger. He needed to erase the sight from his mind, ensure himself that they were both safe…both alive.
Cliff lowered one hand, reaching for Toby’s cock, determined to have them reach their release at the same time.
“I’m so close, baby. Come with me. Come on, Tobe, I need you now…”
Toby gasped, bucking his hips, fucking Cliff’s hand.
They both moaned, finding their release seconds apart, tightening their hold on each other.
“I love you, Toby. God, I love you, baby…”
Chapter Eight
Toby sniffed, grimacing when Cliff smiled knowingly. He frowned at him. He couldn’t believe they’d had sex right out in the open.
“We better move before we end up glued together on this couch.” Cliff laughed, stroking his hands down Toby’s sides.
Cliff shifted, stretching in place before sliding off the couch to stand beside it. Toby looked up at him, not wanting to get up, but knowing Cliff was right.
Footsteps sounded outside, Mick’s scent intensifying as he came up the driveway.
Toby jumped off the couch and grabbed Cliff’s hand. Tugging Cliff over to his bedroom, he got them both inside and slammed the door shut.
“What the hell?” Mick thundered.
Cliff snorted, loud in the sudden silence outside Toby’s room.
Toby tried to stifle Cliff’s laughter, desperately holding his hands over his mate’s mouth to keep Mick from hearing.
Mick pounded on the door. “Goddamn it, Cliff. Get your own fucking room if you’re going to fuck right out in the fucking living room where I watch TV, you fuckheads.”
Toby had to admit, it was pretty funny to hear Mick rant.
They waited until Mick quieted, Cliff hugging Toby close to him.
“I think he’s gone.” Toby pressed his ear to the door, trying to hear if Mick was still lying in wait outside.
Cliff pushed open the door, quickly walking to the bathroom and pulling Toby in after him. Shutting the door, he leaned against the wood for a moment before he burst out laughing again.
“Shhh, it isn’t funny! Mick’s gonna kill me. He hates being here in the first place while his house is being built and now we just made it that much harder for him to sit around inside my parents’ house.”
“Trust me, your brother isn’t bothered by that as much as he’s bothered by the fact that he’s not getting any tail right now. Besides, between Mick and myself and your dad, we can have his house ready as soon as he gets the lumber. It doesn’t hurt that there’s a lot of hands around here.”
Toby shrugged, leaning over to turn on the water, testing the temperature before stepping inside the bathtub. Cliff stepped up behind him, hugging him close once more.
“We need to check your wounds. I can’t believe I forgot about it earlier,” Toby said, frowning.
“It’s not that bad, pup. I’ve had worse just from running around with your brother. It’ll heal.”
Toby shook his head, peering closely at the jagged edges of the wounds. It was bleeding sluggishly, his werewolf blood already healing it, but it still looked ugly and raw. It had to hurt.
Picking up a washcloth, he poured antibacterial soap on it and started to clean the reddened area around the claw marks. Cliff winced, jerking his shoulder away.
“Enough, Tobe, leave it alone.”
Wanting to argue, but realizing it would be futile, Toby relented. They quickly shampooed and washed their bodies, unwilling to linger long. They stepped out of the enclosed space, toweling themselves dry.
They walked back into the living room, and were faced with three different expressions.
Mick growled at them, crossing his big arms against his body. His dad was sitting in a chair off to the side, his arm around his mate, who was sitting on the side of the chair.
His dad had a small smile on his face. Toby frowned. What was his dad smiling about?
“Thanks a lot. I can still smell my baby brother all over the fucking room. Do you think I really want to smell my brother and my fuckhead of a best friend? You know, I should be kicking your ass right now for corrupting him.”
Butch snickered, a sound that didn’t normally come out of him. Mick glared at their dad, and Butch coughed. “I’m sorry, Mick, but you should see your face.”
Butch glanced at Cliff and Toby standing by the doorway. “You might as well come in the room. We all know what you’ve been up to. So maybe you can explain why I can smell blood in here.”
Cliff shrugged, wincing at the pull on his shoulder.
“What the hell happened?” Butch exclaimed. “What did you two do?”
“We didn’t do anything, Dad. It was an accident. The bear came out of nowhere.”
“Bear?”
“We were down at the river. Toby was in the water, searching for something, and he got a little too close to a cub. I was distracted. I should have scented the bears before Toby got between them. It was my fault, Butch.” Cliff squared his shoulders, ignoring the hand Toby placed on his arm.
“It wasn’t anyone’s fault, Cliff,” Toby reasoned. He wasn’t going to let Cliff take the blame. “I didn’t scent them either. So stop beating yourself up about it. We’re both okay.”
Toby turned his head at a watery sniff. His mom was clutching Butch’s arm, tears running down her cheeks. She stood, holding out her arms.
“I just need to check,” she stated. “You’re okay?”
Toby stepped forward, hugging her close to his body. Inhaling, he drew her familiar scent into his lungs. Turning his head, he watched Mick and Butch step close to Cliff, examining his wounds.
“Goddamn it, the woods are supposed to be safe. What would have happened if this was worse? How can you protect my son if you’re going to be stupid enough not to check for bears when you play outside?” Butch ran his fingers over the wound, his lips press
ed tight together. Toby knew part of it was just bluster. His dad was scared.
“I have to contact the elders. They need to know the bears are back in the area, so they can send someone out to scare them away. The last thing I want is for one of the pups to get caught by a bear.” Butch frowned, his face grim.
Toby’s mom released him, going to Butch and wrapping her arms around him from behind.
Satisfied that Cliff was all right, Mick stepped away, sprawling across the sofa. He sniffed, shaking his head.
“I can still smell you two, you bastard.” He glowered at Cliff.
Cliff kept peering over at Toby, catching his gaze. It was going to take them both a while to get over that scare.
“What’s this?” his mom asked, pulling his attention to her.
Toby looked over to see his mom holding the gold chain that he had rescued. Realizing that he had never actually had a good look at it, Toby bounded over, taking it from her when she held it out to him.
Delicate links formed a narrow mesh pattern. It appeared to be a small collar, but it was absolutely gorgeous. Delicate, but obviously strong considering the abuse it had taken in the last few hours. Toby ran the tips of his fingers over the links, glancing up to see Cliff’s heated gaze on him.
“You bought this for me?” he asked quietly.
“A little while ago. I found it in a store downtown. I was passing on my way to a worksite when I saw it in the window. I just knew it would suit you. It looks like a thick chain, see. But it’s a collar,” Cliff said, rushing his words together.
He looked nervous. Toby stared at him, perplexed at this side of Cliff.
“You really bought this for me?”
“Yeah… If you don’t like it…”
“No! I love it! I just can’t believe that you bought it for me.” Toby stepped forward.
Cliff met him halfway, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind his ear. “It looks perfect.” He took the chain from Toby, undoing the clasp and fitting it around his neck. He re-clasped it, fiddling with it until it lay exactly the way he wanted it to.
Toby lifted his hand, running his fingers over the links against his skin.
“I love it,” he whispered.
“I’m glad.”
“I love you,” Toby said in a stronger voice.
“Oh, Christ, gag me,” Mick muttered. A loud slap was heard, followed by a startled yelp.
Toby couldn’t take his eyes off Cliff.
“Ditto, Tobe,” Cliff replied with a wicked glint in his eyes.
Toby blushed, aware of his surroundings again. His mom and dad were smiling indulgently at them, and Mick was grinning. Toby assumed that his brother would have something smart-assed to say before long.
Cliff pulled him aside, holding him close, ignoring the others in the room. He bent his head, rubbing his cheek along Toby’s.
“Hey, Tobe?”
“Yeah, Cliff?”
“Can you hand me the nut cream?” he murmured, pitching his voice low enough that the others wouldn’t hear.
Toby widened his eyes, unable to speak.
“I seem to have a partiality for it. It just makes everything so damn silky smooth,” Cliff said, smiling widely.
Turn the page for a short story involving Cliff and Toby...
Sack of Nuts: A Halloween Short
“Toby? Where are ya, babe?”
Toby lifted his head, panicking. Cliff was back already? No, he wasn’t supposed to be back yet. Crap. Toby glanced down at the fabric in his hands, quickly stuffing it under the bed. No point in ruining his surprise for Cliff already. He was looking forward to this too much to blow it right now.
“There you are. Why didn’t you answer me?”
Toby turned at the voice. His mate stood in the doorway of their bedroom, cocking his hip to the side. Long, lean and rugged, Cliff was everything Toby had always wanted. Heck, Toby still had to pinch himself some days to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.
Cliff’s thick black hair curled just above his ears, baby blue eyes twinkled with every wicked thought inside his mind. A wide, expressive mouth—one that did sinful things to Toby—just added to his appeal. Toby had lusted after him for years, watching Cliff hang out with Toby’s older brother and all the time wishing he could be there with them. Well, not with them… As much as he loved his brother, Mick, he just wanted to be mated to Cliff. Now, every inch of that body belonged to him. Uttering a soft growl, Toby licked his lips.
Clothed in a pair of soft khaki shorts and a worn white tee, Cliff was damn near irresistible.
“Looks like you’re already taking a bit of a break.” Cliff chuckled. “You finished putting up the last of the decorations?”
Toby nodded.
“Why don’t you come over here and play with me for awhile, then? The kids won’t be coming around for a few hours yet.”
Standing up, Toby paced over to Cliff, smiling up at the other man. “Just what do you suggest we do?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I’m sure I can think of something.”
Pulling Toby close, Cliff wrapped his arms around him. Toby snuggled in, inhaling the scent of his mate. It was times like this that he was thankful for his heritage. He might only be a half-breed, but there was enough of the wolf inside him to scent the spicy musk of the man in front of him. Cliff smelled like home, warmth.
“You okay, pup?” Cliff’s voice was a rumble Toby felt more than heard.
“Yeah, I’ve just been thinking.”
“That’s dangerous.”
Toby pinched the nearest spot of skin, gratified when Cliff let out a yelp.
“Alright, I’ll bite. What have you been thinking about?”
“Us. What we’ve gone through. The life in front of us.”
“You getting all serious on me, Toby?”
“Nah, just thinking.” He held on tight, content to stay in Cliff’s arms. He knew they’d eventually have to move. Cliff wasn’t going to stand still forever, but there was nothing quite like being in his mate’s embrace. Besides, Cliff was right. The kids would be coming around soon to do the whole trick or treat thing, and he’d have to be at the door handing out the piles of candy Cliff had picked up.
They’d both been extremely excited about celebrating a holiday in their new house but his mate had seriously gone overboard when he’d gone to the grocery store earlier. No way were they going to be able to give it all out. They just didn’t have that many kids in the neighborhood. Sure, most of them turned furry, so could pack away food like nothing else, but still… there was a limit to how much a wolf could eat before they were lying on the floor with stomach pains just like everyone else.
“Alright, enough thinking. I have a surprise for you.” Toby wasn’t going to be able to hold this in much longer, so he might as well get it over with now. His original plan had been to wait until after the Halloween treats were all gone and they could have their own little trick or treat party, but he was too keyed up now.
“You know how much I love surprises.” Cliff pulled away, grinning wickedly. His hands slipped down Toby’s back, palming his ass.
Toby squirmed away. “Uh uh uh. Not until I say so! Now scoot. I’ll call for you when I’m ready.”
“Give me a hint.”
“Let’s just say I have a little costume I wanted to try on right now.”
“Seriously? Should I go change into my costume too?” Cliff’s grin was contagious.
“You have a costume?” Toby tried to picture it in his mind but he couldn’t for the life of him figure out what Cliff would have bought.
“Of course, it’s Halloween. Practically tradition, isn’t it? Well, tradition with Mick and me, but you joined in a few times. Now it’s something the two of us can share.”
Toby frowned, not sure he liked Cliff’s grin. He tried to think back to what Cliff had worn in years past and suddenly had a sinking feeling. There had been that one party a few years ago when Cliff and Mick had donned matching uniforms to t
he amusement of everyone else.
“If you dress up like Teen Wolf again, I will not be held responsible for kicking your ass.”
Laughing, Cliff tried to grab Toby. “Come on. It’s sexy, you know it.”
Dancing out of the way, Toby shook his head. “There’s nothing sexy about teeny tiny yellow and blue gym shorts and a tank top emblazoned with the word ‘Beavers’.” Actually, hold that thought. Cliff in teeny tiny gym shorts…
Toby licked his lips.
“Knew that would get you.” Cliff nuzzled Toby’s neck. “You want me to put them on? I still have them.”
“Go.” Laughing, Toby managed to push Cliff out the door, locking it behind him. He knew his mate was humoring him since there was no way he’d be able to manhandle the bigger wolf normally. Cliff was a pure breed. Both his parents had been weres so he was naturally stronger and tougher than Toby.
Toby’s mother was human and his father’s second mate. Well, his only mate, really, despite the fact Mick’s mother had been a pure werewolf who had most obviously had a relationship with their father. Non-mates could have children together, although it was rare.
No one really knew what drew true mates together. It was the weirdest thing sometimes. Fate had a way of taking two completely opposite people and tying them together in an unbreakable bond. The others in his pack weren’t sure if Toby would ever have a mate, because of his human blood, but he’d always known that Cliff was the man for him. They hadn’t been mated long, but he knew they were going to be together for a very long time.
Toby shook his head. If he didn’t stop woolgathering right now, Cliff was liable to kick the door down in his impatience. Toby wanted to have everything perfect before that happened.
He raced back to the bed, pulling out the piles of clothing he’d hidden earlier. It had been a rash decision when he’d been out this morning. Since Cliff had taken over the candy duty, Toby had decided he was responsible for the decorations. There had been so much to choose from at the local store, but when he’d ended up in the costume aisle he hadn’t been able to resist.
Nut Cream Page 5
