André

by Catherine Lievens

  André pushed closer and pressed his nose against Nicky’s neck, making Nicky shiver.

  “You like that?” André asked in a sleep-rough voice.

  Nicky buried his hand into André’s curls and scratched André’s scalp. “You should try to sleep some more.”

  André made a noise that sounded like a purr. “I don’t think I’d be able to.”

  “Why not?”

  “You have to ask?” André stroked his hand down Nicky’s naked chest. He rested it just above the blanket that covered Nicky’s crotch and rubbed a finger there.

  Nicky shivered again, and André chuckled against his neck. Nicky wasn’t sure what to think about the change in André’s mood. Was it only because he was rested, or was he trying to forget what had happened the night before? Nicky didn’t mind either way, but he wanted to know. “What are you doing?”

  “I thought it was obvious.”

  “Not after what happened last night.”

  André sighed and stopped stroking Nicky’s skin with his finger, but he didn’t pull away. “I was tired, and sad, and worried. I feel better.”

  “And you want to...”

  “I don’t know what I want to do. Well, I know.”

  Nicky chuckled and kissed André’s forehead. “That was very clear.”

  André swatted Nicky’s stomach. “Shut up.”

  They both stayed silent for a few moments, then André spoke again. “Yesterday, I was terrified. I was in New York, and you were here, and I didn’t have a way to know if you were fine, not like Keenan did with Jonah.”

  Nicky nodded. “The mating bond.”

  “Yeah.”

  Nicky had an idea of where this was going, but he wanted André to say the words. He didn’t want to assume and to get it wrong.

  André looked up. He still looked tired, but less than the night before. “So what do you think?”

  “About what?”

  André rolled his eyes. “You know about what.” He pressed his lower body against Nicky’s, and Nicky couldn’t miss the hard cock against his hip. He still didn’t say anything, and André snorted.

  “Really? You’re going to make me say it?”

  Nicky smirked. “Yes.”

  “Right.” André’s cheeks flushed, but he never looked away as he said. “I want to mate with you, Nicky.”

  Nicky nodded. “Why?”

  André arched a brow. “Do I have to have a reason? We’re mates.”

  “I just want to know if you’re doing it because you want to or because you’re afraid.”

  André’s eyes softened. “I might be scared for you, yeah, but I wouldn’t mate with you if I didn’t want to. I know we still have to solve stuff, like where we’re going to live and what we’re going to do when I have to travel for work, but I think those are all things we can solve easily if we talk about it and compromise.”

  “Do you want to talk about it now?”

  André shook his head. “No. Right now I want to mate with you.” He reached up and pressed his lips against Nicky’s.

  Nicky kissed André back, but after a few minutes, he gently pushed him away. André looked worried, so Nicky kissed the tip of his nose. “I’ll be right back.”

  He hurried to the bathroom, used the toilet, washed his hands and face and brushed his teeth. It took him only a few minutes, then he was back in the bedroom.

  He froze before even stepping into the bedroom. André was naked on top of the covers, a bottle of lube abandoned by his side, his legs spread and two fingers buried in his ass. His cheeks were flushed and the blush darkened when he saw Nicky standing there watching him. He didn’t try to hide, though.

  André swallowed and looked straight at Nicky. “Well? Are you going to just stand there and watch me fuck myself on my fingers?”

  Nicky got naked in seconds. He left his clothes were they fell on the floor and kneeled on the edge of the mattress. He had a perfect view of what was happening when André withdrew his fingers, put more lube on them, and pushed three of them into his ass.

  Nicky knee-walked closer, until he was between André’s legs. André didn’t stop doing what he was doing, but he did hand Nicky the lube with his free hand. “Lube up.”

  Things were going faster than Nicky had thought they would. He’d never had sex with a man, but he knew what to expect, of course. He’d seen porn.

  He nodded and slicked his cock, taking a shuddering breath. How was André able to make Nicky hard as a rock in just a few minutes?

  André slipped his fingers out of his ass, used a corner of the sheet to clean them, then raised his knees to his chest, exposing himself.

  Nicky swallowed. He couldn’t look away, and he didn’t want to. A tiny voice in his head was trying to convince him that this was wrong, that watching porn and actually having sex was different and that he shouldn’t be doing it.

  André’s gaze softened and he let his legs fall down. “I’m pushing too hard, huh?”

  Nicky shook his head. “I’m fine. I just haven’t been with anyone since before the challenge.” He didn’t add that when he had, it was with a woman his beta had chosen for him. He’d been pushed to marry her, and he was happier about what had happened with the challenge as the time passed.

  André opened his arms and Nicky pressed his body on top of André’s. André shivered and hugged him, tangling a hand into Nicky’s too-long hair and rubbing a hand down Nicky’s back.

  Nicky purred and settled into a more comfortable position. His cock slipped between André’s ass cheeks and Nicky froze, but André kissed his cheek and reached between them. He hooked his legs around Nicky’s waist and grabbed his cock, stroking it a few times before pressing the head against his hole.

  Nicky didn’t protest. He was too busy kissing every inch of André’s skin he could get to. His cock head slipped into André, and Nicky pushed. It was hot and tight, so tight. Nothing like being with a woman. But maybe that was because it was André.

  Nicky didn’t want to name the emotions threatening to spill out, so instead he bit André’s shoulder with his still human teeth. André groaned and tilted his head, and Nicky mouthed at his mate’s skin as he pushed in and pulled out.

  It was different, Nicky couldn’t deny it. There was none of the hurry and awkwardness he’d always felt when he had sex with women, no need to be done as soon as he could and leave the room. He knew he’d stay with André even when they were done, that they’d cuddle and kiss, and it was both intimidating and incredible to think about.

  André tilted his hips and cried out, and Nicky’s fangs dropped down without conscious thought from him. It was instinct to bite down again after that, to sink them into André’s flesh, and André shuddered under Nicky and came all over their stomachs.

  He tightened around Nicky’s cock even more, and Nicky moaned around his mouthful of blood. He swallowed, pulled away, and slashed his own neck with one shifted nail.

  André didn’t wait for instructions. He knew what to do.

  He reached up, grabbed Nicky’s head with both hands, and pulled him down. He lapped at the blood trickling from the wound in Nicky’s neck, then latched onto it as Nicky’s hips lost their rhythm. Nicky closed his eyes and let pleasure swamp him. He came into André’s body, tensing for a few moments before slumping down.

  That was when the bond flared between them, and Nicky screwed his eyes shut at the wave of sated pleasure and affection that reached him. He rolled on his side, taking André with him, and kissed his mate’s forehead.

  They were mated. Nicky would never be alone again.

  Chapter Six

  André was still half-asleep when Nicky yelped next to him. Nicky pulled the covers higher, and André rolled to his side, facing him. “What’s up?”

  God, he loved waking up next to Nicky. They’d been mated for only a month, but André couldn’t get enough of the domesticity of it, and of everything else. Having Nicky coming
back to him when he got off work, going shopping together. They were things André hadn’t thought he’d do with a mate.

  Nicky pointed at something at the foot of the bed. “That’s what’s up,” he growled.

  “Oh, come on. You wouldn’t be the first guy I see naked, you know,” Nysys answered.

  André sighed and sat up, glad Nicky was still holding the sheets. Nysys might have seen many naked men in his life, but André didn’t want to be one of them. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to see if you were awake.”

  “I thought we were supposed to meet later.”

  Nysys arched a brow. “You’re late.”

  André groaned. “Sorry. We forgot to turn the alarm on. Nicky was back from work late last night.”

  Nysys wiggled his eyebrows. “And I bet you fell asleep even later.”

  “Shut up.”

  “Can you leave?” Nicky asked roughly.

  André didn’t even try to intervene. The relationship between Nicky and Nysys was weird to say the least. Nysys tried his best to annoy Nicky, and Nicky hadn’t reacted to it yet, but André knew it was a question of time. He knew his mate pretty well by now, and he knew Nicky was still trying to understand just how far he could push himself and his budding relationships with the other pride members.

  He’d been very meek for the first week, spending hardly any time in the mansion apart from the nights, but he’d been there to help clean up and deal with the consequences of the attack.

  In the meantime, André had done his best to avoid talking to his parents. He knew his dad would freak out when he found out, and André didn’t delude himself his dad wouldn’t. Dom might be André’s friend, but he’d known André’s dad for much longer. He was giving André the time to deal with it on his own, but André knew he wouldn’t wait much longer.

  “You’re no fun,” Nysys told Nicky.

  “Yeah, well, you’re not the person I want to have fun with anyway.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you’re annoying.”

  “I’m not.”

  Nicky reached for something on his nightstand and threw it at Nysys’ head. He had an incredibly good aim, because the bottle of lube hit Nysys right in the forehead. Nysys looked down, blinked at it, then started yelling, “Oh, eww! That thing is half-empty.”

  Nicky smirked. “That’s because we used the other half.”

  André shook his head and hid his face in his hands. He snickered at Nysys’ continued cries.

  “I hate you!”

  “The feeling is mutual.”

  Nysys huffed and André risked a glance up. Nysys was pointing at Nicky, his face a mask of indignation. “Everyone loves me! There has to be something very wrong with you if you don’t.”

  “Yes, I think I’m the only normal person in this house.”

  Nysys threw his hands in the air. “Oh, you’re not a special snowflake.”

  Nicky growled.

  Nysys squawked. “Fine. I’ll leave. André, whatever you wanted to talk to me about, you’ll have to come find me, because I won’t stay in your mate’s company for one more second.”

  He shimmered out, and André fell back against his pillow. Nicky followed him, pressing his front against André’s side and kissing his cheek. “Good morning.”

  André rolled his eyes and kissed Nicky’s lips. “Good morning. Did you really have to do that? I needed his help.”

  “Do what?” Nicky asked, trying to look innocent.

  “Antagonize him.”

  “Yes. He’s given way too much leeway in the house. No one ever tells him anything, not even when he bugs people to death. He shouldn’t be allowed to shimmer into people’s bedrooms like that.”

  “How can anyone stop him?”

  “Isn’t there a way for him not to be able to shimmer?”

  André sucked on his lower lip. “Well, there are the collars, I guess, but Dom would never use them on Nysys.”

  “Collars?”

  “Yeah. The company created them so the Nix couldn’t escape their cages.” There was a glint in Nicky’s eyes and André swatted his shoulder. “Don’t even think about it.”

  “About what?”

  “Whatever it is you’re thinking.”

  “Fine, I won’t, but he deserves it.”

  “You’ll get used to him.”

  “I’m not sure it’s possible.”

  André sighed. “Would you rather move out?”

  Nicky took a few moments to answer. “No. I know how important living here is for you. Besides, it’s not like we can both live in the apartment over the bar. It’s tiny.”

  “We could find a house in Whitedell.”

  “No. Thanks for asking, but no.”

  There was something else André needed to tell Nicky. He didn’t want to, but he needed to, and the sooner the better. He leaned sideways and kissed his mate, smiling against Nicky’s lips when Nicky opened up to him even though they hadn’t brushed their teeth yet. It was an obsession Nicky had—they only kissed when they were minty-fresh. André had a lot of fun trying to make Nicky bend his own rule.

  “So, I have an appointment next week,” he said when they stopped kissing.

  “For your job?”

  “Yeah.”

  Nicky slowly nodded. “Where?”

  “New York.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah. I know we haven’t had to talk about this yet, but I’m running out of time.”

  Nicky sat up and André mentally berated himself. He could have waited a few more days, or even hours. He should have waited until they were at least out of bed, but no. He was an idiot.

  “When are you leaving? Are you flying there?”

  André sat up too. He took one of Nicky’s hands, smiling when Nicky didn’t try to take it back. “I was hoping Nysys would give me a lift, actually.”

  “That’s why he was here?”

  “Yeah. I texted him yesterday and told him I needed to talk to him.”

  “That’s not a good reason to shimmer into our room.”

  “No, you’re right.”

  Nicky sighed. “So when are you leaving?”

  “I thought Saturday. That way I can see my dads over the weekend.” Nicky nodded, and André dropped the last bomb. “I want you to come with me and meet them.”

  Nicky looked up, blinking. “Me? Meet your parents?”

  “No, the guy behind you. Of course you, Nicky. You’re my mate. They want to meet you.”

  “They know about me?”

  André huffed. “You thought I was going to keep this a secret?”

  “Well, no, but I thought you’d wait.”

  “Why? We’re mated. We’ve been for a month.”

  “And you’re sure they want to meet me?”

  “Yes.”

  Nicky slowly nodded. “I’ll need to talk to my boss. If you want to leave Saturday I’ll have to take that day and Sunday, probably, and Saturday’s always busy.”

  André bit his lower lip. “I’d love that.”

  André would never tell Nicky he’d love it if Nicky left his job. André hated the hours Nicky had to work. André worked during the day, mostly, while Nicky worked afternoon and evenings. It made spending time together challenging, but André knew how important that job was to Nicky. He’d never accept letting André support him, even though André had more than enough money to do so.

  “What if your boss won’t give you the days off?” he asked.

  Nicky shrugged. “I’m sure he’ll be able to find someone to cover my shifts. If he doesn’t, I can always ask Blair to do it. I’m sure he won’t mind.”

  The friendship between Blair and Nicky had surprised everyone, including André, but he was glad Nicky wasn’t so lonely anymore. André wasn’t enough for Nicky to have a social life, so he loved it when he found Nicky and Blair talking or arguing over stuff.

 
“Well?” he asked. “What are you waiting for? Grab that phone and call.”

  Nicky shook his head and kissed André, gently pushing him back on the bed. “Later. We have time.”

  André wasn’t about to protest.

  * * * *

  Dominic looked at Nicky from his side of the desk. “And you need it because...”

  “I want to put it around Nysys’ neck.”

  “You do know what those collars were created for, right?”

  Nicky nodded. “André told me.”

  “Are you sure about this?”

  Nicky shrugged. He wasn’t sure, but Nysys had been shimmering into his and André’s bedroom every day, just to bug Nicky. Nicky needed to do something. He’d tried to talk to Nysys, and even to Morin, but he drew the line at begging, and he knew that was what Nysys was waiting for.

  Snapping one of the collars created by the Glass Research Company on him probably wouldn’t endear Nicky to anyone in the pride, but he had to do something. He wouldn’t have to if Nysys was reasonable, but that was asking too much, of course.

  Dominic reached down. He opened one of his desk drawers and put a black collar on the desk.

  Nicky’s eyes widened. “You keep them in your desk?”

  “Just this one.”

  “Can I ask you why?”

  Dominic smiled slyly. “Because I’ve been tempted to do what you’re going to do, but I haven’t done it. Yet.”

  Nicky reached for the collar. It was bulky, and the key was in it. “So you’re really giving me the authorization to do this?”

  “Let’s say I’ll look the other way when you do. No official authorization.”

  “But you won’t punish me once it’s done?”

  “I think letting Nysys have a go at you will be punishment enough. Think really well about what you’re going to do, because you know he’s going to gun for you once it’s around his neck.”

  “I don’t want to hurt him. I just think he needs to learn that some things and rooms are private and that he shouldn’t just shimmer around like he does. He’s been waking me up for the past few days, in a different way every time. This morning it was a trumpet.”