Snow [The Wolves of Shade County 4] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove)

by JC Holly

  With a silent sigh he turned back and rolled his shoulders. “I’m going to tell you a little story. When it’s over, you’ll understand exactly why I’m so good at getting information out of people.” The man tried to speak through his gag, but Snow shook his head. “Not yet, mate. Not until I’m done.”

  He moved to the wall of the warehouse and grabbed another, comfier chair, and brought it over to the center. The man’s eyes were wide now, and his breathing was harder. Snow didn’t envy his situation. On the bright side, once Snow had what he needed the man would be dropped off in another city, right as rain. Wouldn’t remember a thing, in fact, thanks to a warlock friendly to the pack. For the moment, though, the man needed to be scared, and that was something Snow was quite good at.

  “When I was new to being a shifter, back when my hair wasn’t white, I was captured by a rather unpleasant individual with a tranquilizer gun. He didn’t like the supernatural. He did, however, like knives, poisons, and a vast array of implements that to this day keep me up at night…”

  Chapter Nine

  Bernie woke the next morning to the sound of his cell phone ringing. With eyes closed he flailed around on his table until he found the offending article and answered.

  “This had better be important.”

  “Vast quantities of lubricant, your ass, my cock. Sounds important to me. Oh, and a date first, for the sake of appearances.”

  Bernie’s eyes snapped open and he pulled himself up to a seated position. “That’s a hell of a wake up call, Snow.”

  “I thought you’d like it. Sleep well?”

  “Like a baby. You?”

  “Like a log. Only under a blanket, and with less bark. It’s my turn to choose a date.”

  “That it is,” Bernie said, grinning. “Though I have to work first, much as I don’t want to.”

  Snow chuckled. “I can fix that for you.”

  “Really? And how do you intend to do that?”

  There was a beep as Snow hit a button, putting Bernie on speakerphone. In the background he heard another phone being dialed.

  “What are you—”

  “Shh,” Snow said. A murmur told Bernie that the other phone had been answered, and he smirked as Snow’s accent suddenly switched from “London” to “upper crust.” “Good morning, madam. This is Bernie’s boyfriend. I’m afraid he’s come down with something, and won’t be in for a couple of days.” A pause. “Mm hmm. I don’t know what it is, but it’s definitely contagious. We’ll both be in bed before the day’s done, I fear.”

  Bernie fought to contain a laugh. It wasn’t helped when Nadia appeared in the doorway, her eyebrow raised.

  “And you too,” Snow continued. “Good-bye.” The second phone clicked. “There, told you I’d fix it.”

  “And what if someone from my job sees us outside?”

  “What makes you think we’re leaving my apartment?”

  Bernie’s mouth was suddenly dry. “Well, you said there was a date, for propriety’s sake.”

  “We shall have a picnic on my balcony. Wine, strawberries, the whole nine yards.”

  “That…that actually sounds really good.” Bernie waggled his eyebrows at Nadia. “After which you’ll do dirty things to me, yes?”

  Nadia rolled her eyes and left the bedroom.

  “Most certainly,” Snow replied. “Things they don’t even have names for.”

  The confidence in his voice had the blood in Bernie’s body rushing north and south, to his cheeks and cock. He swallowed hard. “Then you’d better come and pick me up, hadn’t you?”

  Given the tent in his boxers, Bernie moved straight from the bedroom to the bathroom without stopping to talk to Nadia. He set the shower to cold and shivered for five straight minutes. By the time she knocked on the door and came in, he was feeling like he had control over his body again, and added a little heat to the water.

  “I take it that was Snow,” she said with a raised eyebrow.

  “It was indeed. He called my office and told them I was sick. He intends to spend the day with me at his place.”

  She grinned wide. “That’s wonderful! He must like you as much as you like him.”

  “It’s certainly promising,” he said with a smile. “I won’t tell you the rest of the call, or my cold shower will have been in vain.”

  “I can guess. Try to do some talking in between sexes.”

  Bernie tried not to laugh at her phrasing and nodded solemnly. “I want to know more about him, and I’m sure he wants to know more about me.”

  “Maybe you could find out his real name? It would come in handy for the marriage license.”

  Bernie rolled his eyes. “I may like him a lot, but even I don’t work that fast.”

  Nadia left him in peace to finish his shower, which he did as quickly as possible. Snow would be arriving any moment, and he’d rather answer the door than let Nadia get there first. Unfortunately he wasn’t fast enough. The doorbell rang while he was toweling off, and he heard Nadia practically sprint to the door. Bernie cursed under his breath and dashed into the bedroom to change, ears straining to catch their conversation.

  “You must be Nadia.”

  “Yes. It is a pleasure to meet you, Snow.”

  “And you. That’s a beautiful accent you have.”

  “Merci. So…what is your real name?”

  Bernie rounded the corner just as Snow began to laugh. Nadia stood a few feet away, regarding him with a critical eye, as if he were a painting in an art gallery. Snow spotted Bernie and grinned.

  “Hello, cutie. I was just chatting to your lovely roommate here.”

  “And not telling me your name,” Nadia said, her eyebrow raised. “Is it embarrassing?”

  “Boring, actually. Jacob. Slightly less boring if you include my middle name, but wild horses couldn’t drag that from me.”

  “Jacob?” Bernie leaned in and kissed Snow on the cheek. “You don’t look like a Jacob.”

  “Perhaps I’m lying, then.” Snow tapped his nose with a fingertip. “Maybe I legally changed it to Snow years ago.”

  “Did you?” Nadia asked.

  “That would be telling.”

  She shook her head, a faint smile on her lips. “This is why I prefer women. Go have fun, you two.”

  Bernie gave Nadia a hug and followed Snow out of the door. Once they were driving away, Bernie couldn’t hold back any longer.

  “Seriously, is your real name Jacob?”

  Snow chuckled. “Why is it so important? A rose by any other name would still be a sarcastic Cockney, right? I don’t know your last name, and it doesn’t bother me.”

  “Horton.”

  “As in ‘hears a who’?”

  Bernie thumped Snow softly on the arm and the man grinned. “I changed my name years ago to get away from my original surname. Jacob Snow is what my driver’s license says, but I go by Snow everywhere else.”

  “There. Was that so hard?”

  “Hard? No. Fun irritating you? Yes.”

  Bernie laughed. “You’re something else, you know that?”

  “You don’t know the half of it.”

  Some time later they arrived Snow’s apartment building, then pulled around the side, through an electric gate. The road curled further round until they were at the back. A garage door slid open and Snow pulled into the low light.

  “This is just for you?” Bernie asked, gesturing to the private garage.

  Snow nodded. “Comes with the apartment. Come on.”

  He hopped out of the car and led Bernie to an elevator. It came immediately, and they stepped inside. It only had two buttons—Garage and Apartment. The distance between them felt vast, and reminded Bernie of just how high up he was going to be. Not that he had a fear of heights. More a healthy respect.

  The doors slid open a minute later, revealing a short hallway lined with expensive wallpaper and old paintings.

  “Came with the place,” Snow said. “Not quite to my taste, but I don’t hav
e to look at them much.”

  They walked along the hall, the thick carpet soft on Bernie’s feet, stopping at the door at the other end.

  “This is me,” Snow said, as he opened the door.

  “Wow.” Bernie stood in the doorway and gaped. “It’s huge!”

  “It’s open plan, so it looks bigger than it is. The only separate rooms are the bedroom and bathroom.”

  The place was laid out like something from a magazine. Minimalist, without going over the top. Other than the beautiful hardwood floor, every surface was marble, leather or stainless steel. Every appliance in the open kitchen to his side matched. A thick sheepskin rug sat next to the breakfast counter, underneath two bar stools.

  On the opposite wall, a vast TV was mounted to the wall, surrounded by large speakers. The sofa sat a healthy distance away, with a glass coffee table in front of it. Even the coffee cup that sat on top of it looked fancy.

  “It’s the downside of being a consultant that works from home,” Snow said, as he tossed his jacket onto the side of the sofa. “If it doesn’t look fancy, your clients don’t take you seriously.”

  Bernie raised an eyebrow. “So you don’t like this?”

  Snow shrugged. “It’s not too bad. I’d like something a little comfier, though. I keep the bedroom more to my tastes.” He winked. “You’ll see that later.”

  Heat flushed through Bernie, and he turned away, pretending to be studying a vase so Snow would see his blush.

  “The balcony is that way,” Snow said, pointing to a pair of closed heavy curtains. “Make yourself comfortable while I grab breakfast for us.”

  The balcony itself was small, but more than big enough for the two of them. A glass table and comfortable chairs sat in the center of the space. Beyond them, the rail that he’d seen Snow walk along kept him from a long fall. Bernie gripped the top tight and risked a look over the edge. It had to be a couple hundred feet at the very least. He stepped back and shuddered.

  “Sit,” Snow said from inside. “The view gets better.”

  The building across from them didn’t rise anywhere near as high, which meant Bernie could see right over it and into the trees beyond. When he sat the building dropped from sight, leaving only the trees. He smiled as it brought back memories of their bike ride.

  Snow reappeared a couple of minutes later, a picnic basket in one hand, and wine and glasses in the other. He grinned at Bernie’s expression of surprise.

  “What? You thought I wasn’t serious?” Snow waggled his eyebrows. “I know how to treat a man.”

  “Apparently so.”

  The picnic basket was a treasure trove of Bernie’s favorite foods. Soft French bread, thick cream cheese, strawberries, grapes, yoghurts…and to top it off, a chilled bottle of white wine that he didn’t even want to know the price of.

  “This is perfect,” Bernie said, before biting into a strawberry. As expected, it was perfectly ripe. “I could get used to this.”

  Snow smiled and sipped at his wine. “I’m glad you like it.”

  They chatted while they ate, talking about everything and nothing all at once. Bernie told Snow about Nadia and her exams, and Snow told Bernie a few things about his work, though without names.

  Their chat was interrupted by Snow’s phone. He glanced at the screen, then flashed Bernie an apologetic look.

  “Sorry, it’s work. Mind if I answer it?”

  Bernie shook his head. “Go ahead.”

  Snow smiled and left the balcony, talking in a hushed voice as he went. He was only gone for a few minutes, but when he returned he seemed a little less perky than he usually was.

  “Everything okay?” Bernie asked.

  Snow glanced at Bernie, and his standard expression returned. “It’s fine. Just a problem at work.”

  “Do you need to leave?”

  “Not until much later.” Snow grinned. “I wouldn’t miss this for anything.”

  Bernie raised an eyebrow. “You must really like wine and strawberries.”

  “I do, but I was referring to the company.”

  Bernie jumped as Snow’s foot ran up his trouser leg, making Snow chuckle. Bernie swallowed, then reached his hand over the table and took Snow’s, rubbing his thumb over the back.

  “So,” Bernie said. “We’ve got all morning and afternoon, huh?”

  Snow slid his foot higher. “We do.”

  “Anything in mind?”

  “Oh, one or two things…”

  Chapter Ten

  The breakfast over with, they moved to the couch. At first they sat beside each other while they watched the TV, their hands occasionally running over each other. Within ten minutes, though, Bernie was sitting on Snow’s lap, kissing him while Snow ran his hands under Bernie’s shirt.

  It was Bernie who had taken the initiative this time. Snow had seemed a little taken aback when Bernie had climbed onto him, but the man quickly adapted. Judging by the stiff pole in his pants, he was enjoying himself, too. Bernie moved back and forth a little, rubbing himself against Snow’s cock.

  Snow chuckled as they broke the kiss. “I’m not the only one who’s full of surprises.”

  All of Bernie’s nerves had melted away over the course of the last hour, leaving him both confident and ridiculously horny. With a smile he reached down, slipping his hand under Snow’s pants. His fingers wrapped around the tip of the thick cock he found.

  “I think it’s time you put this to use,” he said, his voice low.

  Snow kissed Bernie lightly on the lips. “In that case, there’s something you should know.”

  Bernie cocked his head to one side. “Oh?”

  Snow grinned. “In the bedroom, I’m an animal. I like it rough, and I like it hard.”

  Bernie swallowed. “That’s good.”

  “It is?”

  He nodded. “I like it exactly the same. As long as you go slow at first,” he quickly added. “It’s been a while, and you’re not exactly average sized.”

  Snow slid his hand down to Bernie’s ass and squeezed a cheek. “I promise to be gentle. At first.”

  Bernie climbed off the couch and walked to the bedroom slowly. As he walked, he pulled off his clothes, tossing them carelessly to the floor. By the time he reached the door he had to pause to remove his pants, and Snow was behind him in an instant, his bulging pants pushed against Bernie’s bare ass. He bit his lip, forced himself to take a breath, then reached back to massage Snow’s pants.

  “Take them off,” he said.

  He pushed the door to the bedroom open to reveal a huge bed, draped in red silk. The floor was carpeted, unlike the rest of the apartment, and a large mirror hung on one wall. Bernie saw himself in it, and realized just how hard he was at that moment.

  “Mirrors are fun,” Snow said. “Especially at times like these.”

  They moved into the bedroom fully and Bernie paused by the bed. “How do you want me?”

  “In every way possible.” Snow began to undress. “But for now, lie on your front, facing the mirror. I want you to see yourself as I fuck you.”

  Bernie’s stomach lurched. He’d never done anything more than dress in front of a mirror before. The idea sent his heart racing, but certainly not in a bad way. He did as he was told, and settled on his front, supporting his upper body on his forearms.

  In the mirror he watched Snow move to the dresser. The man was as hard as a rock, and his cock bobbed slightly as he walked. Bernie watched, hypnotized by the motion. He wanted it inside him from the second he’d first seen Snow, he realized. And in a few moments he’d get his wish. He licked his dry lips and watched as Snow pulled a condom and lube from the cupboard. The man caught Bernie watching in the reflection and began to stroke himself, smiling.

  “Ready?”

  Bernie swallowed hard and nodded.

  Snow moved behind him, but thanks to the mirror Bernie still had a perfect view as the man rolled the condom down over his shaft. He flipped the lube bottle open and applied some, then k
nelt on the bed, his cock only inches away from Bernie’s ass.

  “Here we go, then.”

  Bernie jumped, then forced himself to calm as Snow’s cock pushed against his asshole. It felt too big, like it would never fit, but Bernie wanted it. He blew out a long breath and focused on relaxing. After a few moments, Snow’s cockhead slid inside him. Bernie bit his lip and moaned at the combination of pain and pleasure, waiting patiently for the pain to fade, leaving only the pleasure. A few seconds later he let out a breath and nodded for Snow to continue.

  Slowly, the man pushed further, stretching Bernie wider than he’d ever been stretched before.

  “Oh fuck,” Bernie muttered.

  “I hope that’s a good ‘oh fuck,’” Snow said. “I can stop whenever you need me to.”

  Bernie shook his head. “Don’t stop.”

  To enforce the point, he pushed up slightly, increasing the depth of Snow’s cock. Snow gasped in surprise, then pushed too. More of his shaft slid inside, before he began to pull back again. Over the next few minutes, they worked together to increase the thrusts and comfort. Soon Snow was deep inside and began to build in speed.

  When Snow pushed, Bernie had never felt so full in his life. When the man pulled back, Snow had never felt so empty. Snow completed him, and he didn’t want this to end. Bernie glanced at the mirror to find Snow’s expression copying his own.

  “Quite the sight, hmm?” Snow asked, looking at Bernie in the mirror. “Watching yourself get fucked.”

  Bernie nodded. He hadn’t looked until then, but now that he had he couldn’t take his eyes away. Watching Snow push his cock deep inside was almost as much of turn-on as the sex itself. When the man pulled away, Bernie could see part of his cock in the reflection, and as he pushed back it disappeared back inside Bernie. His own cock throbbed against the smooth silk beneath him.

  Once they had settled in, Snow began to pick up the pace. Bernie aided by rocking with his hips. He couldn’t do too much in his current position, but Snow seemed to appreciate it nonetheless. He slapped Bernie gently on the ass cheek.