Miles saw it coming before anyone else did. He backed up and lay down next to Tanner just as Quincy batted at the first pine cone hanging next to him. He knocked it loose and it dropped, hitting Chad in the head.
Chad yipped, jumped back, then growled up at Quincy. Finley fell over, snorting and chuffing, rolling around as he did so. Jamie made a sort of snorting noise that Miles thought meant he was trying to keep from laughing at Chad.
It didn’t work. Chad turned his attention to Jamie and growled instead.
Quincy got Jamie back for Chad, though. The second pine cone hit Jamie’s nose. The third caught Finley on the belly.
By this time even Tanner was having trouble holding in his mirth. Miles had amusement and pride battling inside him. He couldn’t decide if getting the best of the wolves was funnier… or if Quincy was just that awesome because he did.
As fun as it was, though, Miles had something better he wanted to do yet. He shifted and grinned up at Quincy. “You know this means I win, right? I caught you. Just because I’m not up there doesn’t mean I didn’t catch you.”
Quincy sighed, twitched his tail a few more times, then leapt lightly to the ground. He sat, licked his paw, and ran it over his face, looking like he hadn’t just been called out.
Miles grinned and shifted back, padded over, and sat next to his mate.
The other wolves came up and, one by one, bopped Quincy before taking off. Quincy managed to look very put-upon even while still in cat form, growling quietly until they left. Miles chuffed at him, then stood and tugged Quincy’s ear. Quincy looked slightly confused but stood as well.
Miles led Quincy through the woods again, past his favorite stream—the one they’d found Quincy next to the other day—then along another path. Finally, they came out at a small clearing, surrounded by thick forest. Above them, the waning crescent moon provided just enough light. Miles sniffed until he found what he was looking for, then shifted and pulled out the blanket and small bag.
When he turned around, Quincy had shifted back as well. “What’s this?”
“I asked Jamie and Chad to bring this out earlier. I thought you might appreciate a little privacy, rather than have the others so close.” Miles spread out the blanket, then held his hand out. “Bond with me, Quincy.”
Quincy closed the distance and took his hand. He reached up with the other and cupped Miles’s cheek. “I’d like that. A lot.”
With a smile Miles pulled Quincy closer. He ran his hand up along Quincy’s arm, then cupped a cheek in a mirror of Quincy’s movement. He soaked in the incredible vision in front of him. His mate. It still amazed him that he’d found this man, the one destined for him. He probably would never have chosen a jaguar—even if he knew they existed—but now that he’d gotten to know Quincy, finally was able to spend time together, he couldn’t imagine anyone else.
He caught Quincy’s lips with his own, taking his time building the kiss. He brushed his mouth over Quincy’s, nipping and nibbling, then finally running his tongue over Quincy’s lip.
Quincy opened to him, his hands going up into Miles’s hair as he tilted his head.
Miles moaned softly, losing himself to the taste and feel of Quincy. He didn’t think he’d ever get tired of that, of having Quincy in his arms, against him, of the scent of sweetness surrounding him. He broke the kiss only to dip down and kiss a trail along Quincy’s neck. He realized when he opened his eyes that his vision had gone gray and his teeth had dropped.
It gratified him to see Quincy’s eyes had bled black and his teeth were out as well. Then Quincy rocked against him, brushing their hard cocks together, and Miles damned near forgot everything in that moment and bit Quincy.
He reined it in carefully and pulled back, then kissed his way slowly along Quincy’s chest as he knelt. He paused to brush his lips over the light treasure trail on Quincy’s belly, then skipped his cock and kept moving to one hip, then back across to the other.
Quincy threaded his fingers into Miles’s hair and dropped to his knees, nearly crashing into Miles and kissing him again. Miles let his hands go where they would, not paying too much attention to what he touched or teased, only thinking he needed more. More of Quincy, more touch, just more.
He managed to guide Quincy onto his back. “Let me taste you,” he murmured, and after groaning, Quincy nodded.
So Miles did. Every dip and muscle, every line and inch of skin he could find. Everything except Quincy’s cock. He found every sensitive spot he could, every place that brought the tiniest of sounds, the barest of gasps, and he exploited them, teased them until Quincy’s sounds turned almost begging. Then he moved on.
He settled between Quincy’s legs, but still avoided the one thing he knew Quincy wanted him to taste more than anything. Instead, he dipped down and kissed and licked his way over both balls, then along Quincy’s taint. With a glance up at Quincy’s black eyes, he dove farther and ran his tongue over the tight muscle guarding his mate’s hole.
“Oh fuck, Miles!” Quincy was none too quiet, and Miles was glad he’d brought them out to the forest. He’d been sure Quincy wouldn’t want to share this with the others, and there’d be no way to keep it from a house full of wolves.
Miles savored the sound briefly, then went back to teasing Quincy mercilessly. He spread Quincy’s cheeks and licked slowly, making circles, then dipping the tip of his tongue in slightly, before circling again. Another dip, then more teasing until Quincy rocked, grabbing Miles’s head and tugged on his hair.
With a chuckle Miles pushed his tongue in farther, thrilling when he got another loud moan. He poured everything he had into pleasuring Quincy and got a little lost in it. So he was surprised when Quincy pulled on his hair again.
He sat back, and Quincy said, “My turn.”
Miles couldn’t very well argue too much with that. He lay back, and Quincy started with his lips, kissing him again, then followed a similar trail over Miles’s body that Miles had taken over Quincy’s. There were spots Miles had never known were sensitive, places he’d have sworn wouldn’t react. And yet Quincy managed to get him to moan with all of them.
When Quincy swallowed Miles’s cock, it took all Miles had not to pour months of missing Quincy down his throat. Miles gritted his teeth—nearly punching a hole in his lip with his canine—and gripped the blanket to hold himself back. He was so not coming in Quincy’s mouth.
“Quince… fuck, stop! Not….”
Quincy pulled off and looked up at him.
It took Miles several deep breaths, a prayer or three to Diana for calm, and some mental recitation of scientific terms before he felt like he could handle more.
Miles tilted his head. “Turn around,” he murmured.
Quincy did as Miles asked and knelt over Miles’s face. Miles grabbed the bag he’d had with the blanket, pulled out the lube, and popped it open. As he took Quincy’s cock into his mouth, he coated his finger, then slid one into Quincy’s ass.
The concentration it took to pleasure Quincy and prepare him was enough to help Miles not go completely nuts. By the time he felt like Quincy was sufficiently stretched, however, even that wasn’t helping much. That got worse when Quincy snatched up the lube and coated Miles’s cock in the slick. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth to hold back again.
Finally Quincy let go and turned around. Without a word he stretched out next to Miles, then lay back. “Want to see you,” he whispered, and warmth spread through Miles that they were on the same wavelength.
He got into place and lined up, then leaned forward and kissed Quincy softly. “I love you,” he whispered before pushing.
“Love you,” Quincy said, though it was a little stilted because Miles managed to get the tip of his cock in at the same time. “Oh fuck, that feels good.”
Miles grinned. “I hope so, or we’re in for a long, boring mating.”
Quincy laughed. “Well, I could always top.”
“True,” Miles agreed, leaning forward. He kissed Quinc
y again, then focused on working his length into Quincy, inch by slow inch. When he’d seated himself completely, he sat up a little to give himself better leverage, then started thrusting. Quincy rested his hands on Miles’s arms, lifting his legs a little, and Miles thought he was going to go crazy with the change in angle. He did his damnedest to hold on, but knew—with all the buildup, all the time apart, all the waiting—he wasn’t going to last very long this first time.
It seemed Quincy wasn’t far behind him. He arched his back and, almost as if he couldn’t stop himself, gripped his own dick and started stroking it.
“That’s it, baby. So fucking hot,” Miles whispered. He pumped his hips a little faster, thrust a little harder, pleasure filling him in a way it hadn’t in a long time. The tight heat surrounding his cock nearly did him in before he was ready.
Quincy moaned, his hand moving even faster with the encouragement. His eyes—still black with his cat close to the surface—locked onto Miles’s. “Too… can’t….”
Seeing what he was doing for Quincy had Miles’s balls drawing up. “I know, baby, me too.” He leaned forward again and kissed Quincy once more. “Come with me, Quince. Let’s strengthen the bond.”
“Yes,” Quincy nearly hissed. He tightened his muscles, and that was all Miles could take.
He threw his head back and shouted Quincy’s name. The base of his cock swelled, the knot forming, tying him to his mate. Quincy groaned, his back arching hard and Miles’s name spilling from his lips as he shot white heat all over his hand and chest, even splashing Miles.
He’d heard about what to expect when the bond strengthened, but hearing about it and experiencing it were two different things. The link between them seemed to solidify, thicken. Then it was like something wrapped around them, pulling them even closer to each other.
As he came, pumping his pleasure into Quincy, the echoes of a climax not his own hit him. Quincy’s eyes widened, and awe and love followed on the heels of the pleasure.
It took Miles a moment to be able to think clearly. As he did, he realized little shocks of pleasure were still hitting him. He’d understood the physiology of mating, of what happened when a wolf knotted, but feeling it was so much more.
“That feels… weird,” Quincy muttered, and Miles laughed.
“I can imagine.” He tilted his head. “You guys don’t knot, do you?”
Quincy shook his head. “No. At least, I don’t think so. Our wild cousins don’t, so I doubt we do.”
“Good to know. So if we do anything in public, you top, then.”
Quincy laughed. “Noted.” His smile didn’t fade as he looked up at Miles. “Is that love…?”
“Mine, yes. Love, awe. Amazement. I can’t get over that we’re bonding.”
“It’s… incredible,” Quincy agreed. He brushed his thumbs over Miles’s cheek.
“It’ll be a little… unstable, I guess, is the best way to put it, until we claim each other. We can’t really control how much or how little emotion transmits across the bond. We can send emotion—calm, love, that sort of thing. But when we’re emotional, we can’t hide it from each other.”
“That’s a little scary and yet… we can’t lie, then, can we?”
Miles shook his head. “No, we can’t. I think that’s a good thing.”
“It is,” Quincy said, nodding. “Um… are we going to be stuck like this for long?”
Miles shrugged. “I actually don’t know exactly. Sometimes it’s short, sometimes much longer. My understanding is it shouldn’t last more than thirty minutes. If it does, something’s wrong. Of course… I’m the only shifter doctor I know of in this part of the state. So if there is something wrong, it’s up to me to figure it out.”
“That’s… comforting. I guess we’ll be glad we don’t have to wait for someone to show up? Or go to them?”
Miles threw his head back and laughed. “There’s an optimistic way of looking at it.” He dipped his head and kissed Quincy softly.
“Thank you, by the way,” Quincy said when they broke apart, and Miles raised his eyebrows. “For arranging this. I’m not sure I want Chad and Jamie knowing about this, but I’d guess they probably all do, and… well… that’s way better than them hearing it.”
“You’re welcome,” Miles said, smiling. “I’m glad you appreciate it. I… I didn’t want to share you with them either.”
“Don’t want to share you either.” Quincy sighed. “All the more reason to get this mess taken care of. I’m thinking we make our plans for that tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. Tonight, though… tonight I want to hold you for the rest of the night.”
Quincy smiled. “Can we do it in a bed, though?”
Chapter 9
IT TOOK a little more doing than Quincy would have liked to make all the plans. Now that he had a course of action, he wanted to get moving on it and, hopefully, get done. He wanted to work on plans of a different sort—like figuring out where he and Miles would live together and when they could make that happen. He wanted to focus on building a life with his mate, rather than fighting with Thoth-knows who over Bastet-knows what.
Instead, he had to think through each aspect of the plan, each step, to make sure he wasn’t missing something, wasn’t forgetting anything. He had not just himself to worry about now, but three wolves he’d come to care a lot about—not that he’d admit that out loud to either Chad or Jamie. He had no doubt that when it came down to it, Chad and Jamie and even Miles could take care of themselves—in most situations. But whoever was behind all of this had already proven they didn’t give a damn about fair. If it was still Dee, Dumb, and Dumber as their hired muscle, Quincy had no doubt any and all three of them would fight as dirty and unfairly as they could if it meant they’d win.
At the same time, if his father really wasn’t the one ordering all of this, he was going to have to be able to lure Dee, Dumb, and Dumber somewhere and question them. Because if his father didn’t know, then they were the only ones he could possibly get the information from. Quincy wasn’t sure if he was looking forward to that or not. He was quite sure they’d put up a fight, and he wanted the slightest excuse to get back at them for both his injuries and nearly killing his mate.
After careful consideration, he picked a hotel, and they decided the best route to take to the city. There were two major interstates they could take once they got to Harrisburg, but the Turnpike was quite a bit more populated, and at least until Quincy had an answer about his father, he wanted to possibly keep the Three Ds from being able to get to them. So they stuck to the Pennsylvania Turnpike and, despite none of them being fans of New Jersey, took the New Jersey Turnpike north through the state.
The Challenger had more backseat space than Quincy had expected. He was grateful, though. He hadn’t been looking forward to being squished for the six-odd hours it would take to get to New York. Not that he minded being against Miles, but there were limits.
Chad noticed the Three Ds first. He pointed out the Camaro that seemed intent on keeping up with them. Quincy had no doubt who it was, especially when they pulled off at the same rest stops and left with them. He and Chad both agreed their plan to stick to lots of people had been a good one.
Apparently Chad was not a fan of driving in Manhattan. Though actually quite amused by the expletives Chad shouted at the other drivers, Quincy couldn’t help but be impressed at how well he handled the car and avoided idiots. Despite the fact that they only had approximately two-dozen blocks of Manhattan to get through, Chad looked about ready to shoot someone by the time they pulled up outside the Plaza Hotel on Grand Army Plaza near Central Park.
One of the things that had taken so long to get them ready for the trip was that Quincy needed to create a new identity. Since they were aware of not only Quincy Archer, but also Uther Isaacs and Niles Perry, he needed something else. Acquiring the physical identification had taken the longest, though creating his credentials online also took time. He’d only picked up the Pennsyl
vania driver’s license under the name Dean Grant the day before.
Once Chad stopped the car and they all climbed out, Quincy focused on getting his backpack to go check them in. Miles turned to go with him, while Jamie and Chad apparently argued with the valet that they didn’t need valet parking, to please just point them to a garage. After making sure Jamie knew to leave their bags with the bellman, Quincy left them to it, and he and Miles stepped into the Plaza lobby.
He’d been there so many times, the marble floors, huge chandeliers, rich wood, and gold accents barely even registered anymore. It took him a moment to realize Miles wasn’t right beside him. He turned around and smiled at his mate’s reaction. He stopped then and tried to see it through the eyes of someone who’d never been there before, and realized there was definitely reason to stop and admire a little.
The crystal chandeliers alone inspired a bit of awe. The classical furnishings, sweeping staircase, and even something as simple as the gilt railings were enough to want to take a moment. Miles cleared his throat, and when he caught up, red tinged his cheeks.
Quincy leaned in and kissed one cheek softly. “I grew up here—well, not here as in the hotel, but here as in New York. My family’s home is in Connecticut. I forget what it’s like to see some of these things for the first time. You should have seen me. I embarrassed the hell out of my father.” He laughed, and Miles raised his eyebrows. Quincy nodded. “Yeah. I stood right there—” He pointed at the biggest chandelier that hung over the gold design inlaid in the marble. “—and gaped at everything. I thought he was going to have a fit.”
Miles shook his head. “It’s just that…. I mean… it’s not exactly typical of most hotels.”
“No, it’s not. There’s a reason the Plaza is such a big deal, you know?”
“Yeah.” Miles took Quincy’s hand, and they moved over to the registration desk.
It took Quincy a moment to remember what name he’d put the room under. “Dean Grant,” he finally said when he remembered. Miles raised an eyebrow and smirked. Quincy ignored him, though he had picked the name on purpose. “And this is my husband, Miles Grant.”
Acceptance Page 11
