by Cardeno C.
“Not if you’re touching me,” Johnnie said quickly, shaking his head. He tucked his thumbs into his waistband and pushed his briefs and pants down to his knees. Then he wiggled around until they were at his socked ankles. “There,” he said a little breathlessly as he shook his feet, presumably getting the bunched clothing off. “No pants.”
Smiling at the sweet picture Johnnie made, Hugh rolled his hips and brushed his erection against Johnnie’s groin.
“Oh,” Johnnie gasped. He clutched Hugh’s waist and stared at him. “Oh wow.”
“You like that?”
Johnnie bobbed his head.
“What do you like about it?” Hugh asked as he repeated the motion, dragging their hard cocks together.
“Ungh.” Johnnie bucked, raising his ass off the bed and rubbing against Hugh. “You feel good.” He moved up and down, thrusting gently. “You’re hot and hard and smooth and—” He cried out and stared at Hugh, wide-eyed.
“You’re close,” Hugh said more than asked. “Good.” He was close to orgasm too. Closer than he should be considering what they were doing, but that didn’t matter when blinding pleasure pumped through him. “What do you think about this?” Hugh kept his gaze glued to Johnnie’s face as he held himself with one arm and circled his free hand around their cocks, bringing rigid flesh together before tugging.
“Hugh,” Johnnie breathed out. He flared his nostrils, arched his neck, and raised his hips. “Can I touch too?”
“Go ahead.” Hugh lowered himself and lay on his side, taking Johnnie with him and continuing to jack them together.
Immediately, Johnnie draped his leg over Hugh’s, bringing their groins into closer contact. “This is…” He looked at Hugh worshipfully as he reached between them and then he lowered his gaze and, with the softest, most reverent touch imaginable, traced his fingertip over Hugh’s slit, his crown, and his balls. “It’s like a dream.”
Hugh was a Premier. It wasn’t a part of him, it was him. So he hadn’t ever distinguished the motivations and feelings fueled by his being a Premier to those that weren’t. It was pointless and meaningless and he’d never thought about trying. But his reaction to Johnnie’s appearance, touch, and scent, his bone-deep drive to see those blue eyes light up with pleasure and know he was the cause, were unlike any response he’d had to another pride member. And when Johnnie shuddered and moaned, his breath ghosting over Hugh’s lips as ejaculate pulsed from his cock, Hugh lost any semblance of control.
He slammed his mouth against Johnnie’s, rolled him onto his back, and ground against him with a desperate fury until a harsh, all-encompassing orgasm rolled through him. It lasted forever, his every muscle and nerve tingling as he licked, bit, and ate at Johnnie’s mouth and tangled his fingers in Johnnie’s hair. By the time Hugh was spent, he could no longer think and could barely breathe. He thrust his tongue in and out of Johnnie’s mouth, first quickly and then more slowly until, eventually, he lapped at red, swollen lips, hoping to soothe any damage he’d caused in his uncharacteristic fit of passion.
When both of their hearts had slowed to a more normal rate and Hugh could fill his lungs again, he grazed his lips over Johnnie’s chin, down his neck, and over to his ear. “Tell me you’re okay,” he whispered and then, drawn by the soft lobe, he pulled it into his mouth and suckled. “Tell me I didn’t hurt you.”
“You didn’t hurt me.” Johnnie whimpered and buried his face in Hugh’s neck, getting so close that air couldn’t pass between them. “That’s the best…anything I’ve ever felt.”
“I’m glad.” And he wasn’t particularly surprised. Almost any contact would be better than the life Johnnie had led for his first twenty-six years. But that didn’t explain why rubbing off with Johnnie was the best thing Hugh had ever felt. His mind awhirl but his body sated, Hugh brushed Johnnie’s hair off his face and kissed his forehead. “I’m really glad.”
They lay together for several minutes, both of them quiet, but eventually Hugh needed to deal with the sticky mess on his hand and stomach. Sighing regretfully about separating from Johnnie’s soft body, he sat up.
“Where’re you going?” Johnnie asked, sounding panicked.
“Nowhere,” Hugh assured him. “I just need to get something to clean us up.” He cupped Johnnie’s face with his free hand and held up his cum-smeared palm as proof. “Won’t take long.”
“You can use my shirt.” As if to prove his point, Johnnie wiped his own palm on his shirt and then tugged it down and rubbed it against his belly before yanking it off his head and handing it to Hugh. “You don’t have to leave.”
Chuckling, Hugh took the shirt and swiped it over his own groin. “Now we need to get you a new shirt so you’re not cold.” He looked at Johnnie’s bare chest and felt a pulling in his balls in response to the view of smooth, firm skin. “Two shirts.” He tilted his chin toward Johnnie. “Looks like you took off your T-shirt and your sweatshirt.”
“I’ll be okay like this.”
Hugh arched his eyebrows. “You’re always freezing at night.”
“I know, but”—Johnnie glanced away—“that’s only when you’re on the other side of the bed. If you keep touching me…” Johnnie trembled and Hugh immediately reached for the blanket and covered him up to his neck.
When Johnnie’s lips curled down and his eyes lost their sparkle, Hugh understood his tremble hadn’t been caused by the temperature, but was instead a reaction to the thought of Hugh holding him during the night.
“I’ll keep you warm,” Hugh said as he lay back down and scooted underneath the blanket. He wound his arm around Johnnie’s waist and pulled him close.
Sighing happily, Johnnie smiled up at Hugh, molded himself to Hugh’s side, and rested his head on Hugh’s bicep.
“I’ve never slept with someone like this,” Hugh said, more to himself than to Johnnie.
“You never kiss anybody either,” Johnnie whispered, his lips turned up and his eyes closed.
Before Hugh could process the statement, let alone respond, Johnnie’s breathing evened out and he was asleep in Hugh’s arms.
“I never kiss anybody either,” Hugh repeated slowly. He looked at Johnnie’s sleeping face, his expression serene and happy, and skimmed his lips over Johnnie’s head reflexively. “But now I can’t seem to stop.”
Hugh’s eyes were closed so he must have fallen asleep, but it couldn’t have been for long because it was still dark in the room when he opened them. And he was still holding Johnnie. Although holding might not be the right description for what he was doing. His chest was pressed to Johnnie’s back, his arm was curled around Johnnie’s waist, and his leg was draped over Johnnie’s calves, keeping him in place while he humped his rigid cock between Johnnie’s thighs. As soon as Hugh recognized what he was doing, he stopped.
Heart thumping wildly, balls drawn up tight, Hugh was uncontrollably aroused. He wouldn’t be able to rest without releasing his seed, maybe more than once. Not wanting to wake Johnnie, he kissed his shoulder and started scooting apart from his warm body.
Hugh paused. Three weeks of sharing a bed had taught him that no amount of clothing and blankets kept Johnnie warm. He leaned forward and brushed his lips across Johnnie’s nape as he grazed his palm over Johnnie’ chest and stomach. No coolness, no shivering, just smooth, hot skin. Need pierced through him, swift and sharp, making him moan. With his cock throbbing and his control at a breaking point, he pulled his hips back and started moving away.
“Hugh?”
Not having realized Johnnie was awake, the whispered word surprised him. “Yes?”
“Can you… Will you touch me while you do that?” Even without seeing Johnnie’s face, Hugh suspected he was biting his lip and blushing.
“You don’t want me to stop?” he asked, wanting to be certain in a way he’d never before considered. Normally, he fucked without thought, driven by his physical needs and those of the lions with him. But those lions hadn’t spent a lifetime serving others without consi
deration for their own wants. Those lions had similar, albeit much lower, drives to screw so they needed to get off too. Those lions wanted to help their Premier because a strong, healthy Premier meant their own lives were better. Those lions weren’t Johnnie.
With a small shake of his head, Johnnie moved his hand over Hugh’s forearm to his palm, wove his fingers with Hugh’s, and timidly moved their hands until they were centimeters from Johnnie’s cock.
“Keep going.” Hugh’s throat was thick with desire, his voice gravely. “Show me what you need.” He opened his mouth and grazed his teeth across Johnnie’s nape and shoulder. “I’ll give it to you,” he promised.
Taking in a deep breath, Johnnie lifted their joined hands, lowered them to his dick, and then slid his hand away, leaving Hugh touching him.
“That’s it,” Hugh rasped as he closed his fingers around the hard-as-steel shaft. “Is this what you want?” He dragged his fist up, swiped his thumb over Johnnie’s crown, and then pushed his hand back down. “You want me to touch you like this?” He ran his tongue up Johnnie’s neck and over to his ear. “Because I’ll touch you however you want.”
With a cry, Johnnie reached back, grasped Hugh’s hip, and pulled, encouraging Hugh to continue his earlier movements. Needing no further encouragement, Hugh thrust between Johnnie’s thighs as he stroked his cock.
“Uh, uh, uh,” Johnnie moaned. He arched his back and twisted his head around, meeting Hugh’s gaze.
The sight of those blue eyes filled with arousal and desire undid Hugh. He slammed his mouth against Johnnie’s and cried out as ejaculate erupted from his cock, coating Johnnie’s thighs and balls with his scent. Like the previous night, the orgasm went on and on. Hugh was still pulsing when Johnnie came, his hot cream pouring over Hugh’s fingers as he shook and moaned.
They were both heaving for breath when Hugh finally slid his tongue out of Johnnie’s mouth, his lungs burning. He rubbed his nose over Johnnie’s cheek and chin, nuzzled his neck, and nibbled on his ear.
“Hugh,” Johnnie sighed, wiggling back against him and sighing peacefully as he rested his head against Hugh’s bicep once again.
Not wanting Johnnie to move a few inches, let alone get out of bed, Hugh wiped his hand on the sheet and then used the corner of the blanket to get most of the stickiness off Johnnie’s legs.
“Still not cold?” he asked as he draped his arm across Johnnie’s chest.
“No.” Johnnie rubbed his cheek back and forth over Hugh’s arm. “You make me so warm.”
“And my touching you like this while you sleep doesn’t bother your skin like the seams on your clothes?”
“Nuh-uh.” Johnnie rolled over so he faced Hugh and then he snuggled close, fitting his head under Hugh’s chin. “The clothes are…” He caressed Hugh’s chest and traced his areola. “We never wear clothes as lions, right? It’s not all that different in human form.” He shrugged. “They’re not natural.” He pressed his lips to Hugh’s shoulder, his collarbone, and then his nipple. “They’re not a part of me.”
Chapter 9
“Did Westgate have a fall festival before we took them in?” Hugh asked as he and Johnnie walked along the well-worn path from the parking lot to the open pasture the Berk pride used for large gatherings.
“I don’t remember anybody talking about it so I don’t think so.” Johnnie shrugged. “But then again, that isn’t something I would have necessarily heard.”
If he hadn’t expected to hear about a festival, he most certainly wouldn’t have expected to attend one. Hugh skated his palm up Johnnie’s back and rested it over his nape, his fingers buried in soft brown hair. Though they were already walking side by side, Johnnie somehow managed to move even closer to him. His fresh citrus scent curled through Hugh and his chest rumbled approvingly.
“You like hearing the pride having fun,” Johnnie said, misunderstanding what Hugh was appreciating and making Hugh aware of the sound of laughter and small feet running over brush.
“They’re in full celebration mode already.”
“Well, they had a head start.” Johnnie cleared his throat. “We’re a little late.”
In the week that had passed since the first time they’d ejaculated together, they’d come together every night and every morning. That day, they’d been delayed by an early morning call from the Northlands pride, which had been a thorn in Hugh’s side since he’d taken in a dozen of their females. The males leading that pride had insisted that Hugh owed them payment in exchange for the females and Hugh constantly reminded them that people were free to live where they chose. If the shifters leading a pride failed to garner enough respect to motivate their members to stay, the members were welcome to look for new homes.
That call had barely ended when Hugh’s phone rang again, this time from one of his pride members who wanted to make sure Hugh would make an appearance at his pride house’s Halloween party that night. He assured him that he would, just as he’d attend the parties at four other pride homes. After that call, there was another and then another and by the time Hugh was done helping his lions, it was nearly three in the afternoon—time to head out to the Berk Fall Festival. But Hugh hadn’t been willing to lose the shared release he’d come to relish every morning with Johnnie so they were late. Worth it.
“We were busy,” Hugh said.
“Uh-huh.” Looking up at him from underneath his lashes, Johnnie nodded, his throat working. “We got, uh, started late and you were”—he chewed on his lips and flicked his gaze away—“in a lot of need.”
Asserting his power over other lions, even on the phone, brought Hugh’s animal instincts to the surface, so his call with Northlands had left him feeling even more territorial, possessive, and aggressive than usual. Add to that the delay of his new morning routine and Hugh was barely human by the time he could touch Johnnie. He all but attacked the other lion, tearing off both their clothes and shoving him onto the top of the desk. Then Hugh spread Johnnie’s legs and feasted on his nuts and cock. He licked and sucked, making Johnnie moan, then scream, and eventually cry from ecstasy as Hugh took him into his throat and swallowed down his essence. When Johnnie was completely spent, his skin slick with sweat, Hugh leaned over him and licked the tears off his face as he rutted against his belly, not stopping until they were both coated in Hugh’s semen.
“Was it too much for you?” Hugh asked.
After decades experiencing every possible sexual act, Hugh thought he had felt it all, but being with Johnnie was so wholly different, it left even him shaken. He worried the intensity of what they shared would overwhelm someone as innocent as Johnnie.
“No,” Johnnie answered, without looking Hugh in the face.
Knowing his sexual appetite surpassed other lions’, Hugh tried to rein himself in during their encounters, but keeping his head was almost impossible when the passion reached its peak. The pleasure he felt with Johnnie was unlike anything he had previously experienced and his resulting orgasms were so forceful they drained him more than multiple rounds with other lions.
“Are you sure?” Hugh asked, because no matter how much he had come to crave their time together, he would stop altogether if Johnnie wasn’t enjoying himself. “Johnnie?” Needing to see Johnnie’s face while they talked, Hugh halted, gripped Johnnie’s shoulder, bringing him to a stop, and peered down at him. “I already told you, your job isn’t to satisfy me sexually. There are plenty of willing lions.” Although, Hugh now found the idea of relieving the pressure with anyone other than Johnnie completely unappealing despite decades of releasing the hormones flooding his system in exactly that way.
“I know,” Johnnie bit out, his spine suddenly rigid. “I’ve seen them all, clamoring to”—his jaw ticked—“help meet your needs.”
Over the past month, Hugh had gotten to know many of Johnnie’s expressions. In the early days, he had been despondent, but since then, Hugh had seen him excited, happy, intrigued, sleepy, thoughtful, shy, and sated. But this was the first time he
had seen Johnnie’s eyes narrowed, his nostrils flared, and his lips stretched into thin lines.
“Are you angry?” he asked in surprise as he took Johnnie’s chin between his thumb and forefinger and raised his head, forcing him to meet his gaze. “You are. Why are you angry?”
“Premier!” came a voice from behind him.
“Hugh!” said someone else.
Johnnie flicked his gaze over Hugh’s shoulder and immediately started stepping aside but Hugh curled his hand around Johnnie’s neck and held him in place. “We’re not done here.”
“Premier! You made it.” More pride members rushed over and shouted out greetings but Hugh couldn’t look away from Johnnie.
“They need you,” Johnnie whispered, darting his gaze from Hugh’s left to his right as he tried to wriggle out of Hugh’s grasp.
“They want me,” Hugh corrected. Johnnie, on the other hand, needed him. “We are going to talk about what upset you.”
Johnnie shrugged.
“We will talk about this,” Hugh repeated firmly. “Does it have to be now or are you okay waiting until after the festival?” When Johnnie didn’t respond, Hugh hunched down until his eyes were inches in front of Johnnie’s. “Now or later?”
Squirming self-consciously, Johnnie whispered, “They’re all watching us.”
“Then we’ll talk later.” He rubbed his thumb across Johnnie’s jaw. “I won’t forget.”
“After the festival we’re going to all those parties, remember?” Johnnie said, looking down.
“It’ll be a late night,” Hugh agreed. “But we’re going to be home together at the end of it, just like always.” He tangled his fingers in the back of Johnnie’s hair and tugged until he looked up. “Can this wait until then?”
“Yes, but…” Looking nervous, Johnnie stopped talking and licked his lips.
“Tell me,” Hugh demanded.
“Are you going to”—Johnnie gulped and darted his eyes around wildly—“spend yourself with other lions tonight?”
