by Fel Fern
His breathing hitched as Nash picked up the speed, going faster, deeper with each push. The Alpha reduced them both to pants, groans, animal noises. He loved the slick press of their bodies, Nash’s hard muscles against his slender back. Neil found himself meeting Nash’s every thrust, gasping when Nash brushed against his sweet spot at the last push.
The Alpha snarled under his breath and kept aiming for that spot. The pressure in Neil continued to build, threatening to burst open. His balls tightened against his body. Nash used one hand to give his prick a squeeze. The dual sensation of Nash hammering in and out of him and working his dick did the trick.
“Come for me,” Nash commanded, then gave his balls a squeeze.
Tiny fireworks went off inside of him and he expelled a whimper, as he coated Nash’s hand with his jizz. Nash pumped in and out of him a few more times, strokes fast, before letting out an ear-splitting growl. Then the Alpha filled his ass with warmth. Neil rested his forehead against the cool wall, riding the waves. Nash released his hands, only to pull him into a crushing embrace.
Relaxing, he leaned against the Alpha werewolf, luxuriating in Nash’s scent, his warmth.
“I’ve never had sex like that,” he said after.
“You’ve never had sex with me,” Nash corrected, nuzzling his neck. “Come on, let’s take a shower before we head back.”
Once the haze in his mind cleared, he panicked. “Nash, lunch time is over.”
Nash chuckled. “Benefits of being with the boss.”
“What will people think?”
Nash snarled, nearly making him jump. “Don’t panic. We’re not heading back together. I’ll have a meeting to get to. I’ll explain to Malik that I had you do something for me, interior design related.”
They headed to the bathroom, sharing the shower. Nash hit the taps, and as warm water hit their bodies, he twisted to look at the werewolf Alpha. He didn’t know what he expected to find, regret maybe or worse, disappointment, but hunger and something else burned in those vivid blue eyes.
“Don’t tell me you wish this didn’t happen,” Nash stated.
He shook his head. “We’re both adults, and I can’t deny I enjoyed that. Hell, you rocked my world.”
Seriously? What was wrong with him that he’d say something as cheesy and lame as that?
It earned him a smile from his wolf though. Wait, when did Nash become his wolf? He knew he was treading on dangerous ground, but they’d already set things in motion by having sex and he was about to take another blind leap of faith with his next words.
“Does the offer still stand?” he asked, returning the topic to why they had come here in the first place.
“Of course.” Nash’s eyes gleamed. “You’re saying yes?”
“The apartment where we all live in is getting crowded,” he admitted. “And my stepfather got promoted recently, and his company’s giving them a condo unit in a good neighborhood in town.”
That seemed to have gotten Nash curious. “You get along with your stepfather? I remember you mentioning that he left his pack to accompany your mom.”
He nodded. It felt a little strange, talking in the bathroom, but like always, he found talking to Nash easy. The Alpha was a good listener, and apparently sex didn’t make anything awkward between them. They asked each other more personal questions.
Agreeing to move in might be an impulsive decision. He didn’t make decisions for himself alone, but also Janine, but he wasn’t worried. Right to his core, Nash was protector. He’d seen that for himself the way Nash hadn’t rushed their first time. It wasn’t just that either. Nash was amazing with the other employees, and a man who raised three unruly, wild dominants shifter brothers certainly could handle one human and his adopted daughter.
“Where is this going, Nash?” he finally asked. By then, they had finished showering and were drying themselves off.
Nash’s gaze grew intense. “That’s up to you. I know you have your kid to think about. If you want this to be a one-time thing, then I respect your decision.”
That choice seemed best, except that was the last thing Neil wanted. Nash didn’t look it, but he could sense the Alpha would be hurt by that decision, too.
“We can also,” Nash ventured, “take things a lot slower. I won’t push. I’m new at this, too, and am constantly learning.”
“I definitely vote for that option,” he said instantly, making them both laugh. “Thank you, for being understanding.”
Nash shook his head. “I should be the one thanking you.”
“For what?” he asked, bewildered. Neil was the one indebted to Nash. After all, Nash had fired Chester’s sorry ass and given him a job and, now, a place to live.
“For taking a chance on me,” Nash eventually replied.
Chapter Nine
Neil let out a breath and finally pulled Jon’s car to the side of the road in front of Nash’s house. His stepfather had let him borrow the car for the day, so he could move all of his stuff.
“We’ve finally arrived, baby girl,” he told his daughter, who sat beside him in her car seat.
Most people often mistook her for his real daughter. She certainly had his mop of brown hair and eyes. He liked it when they made that mistake though, because she was his and he’d do anything for her.
Janine crossed his arms and glared at him. “I want to go live with Grandma, Grandpa.” She tugged at the dress he’d put on her an hour ago. “Don’t like this dress.”
“Sweetheart, we had a talk about this, remember? Grandma and Grandpa like Nash, remember?” Well, who knew what kind of threats his mom and stepdad had given Nash, but Nash seemed to take his oath about not letting them come to harm seriously.
He recalled what Jon had told him after Jon had met with Nash in private to size the werewolf Alpha up. Your wolf’s dangerous, but he has a good heart and I can see he cares a lot about you.
Jon might not be as dominant or powerful as Nash, but Nash understood Jon was important to Neil, family.
Janine fumed. A knock on the window and he blinked, surprised to see Malik waving at them. Janine stared out the glass, then jumped, pointing at Malik and looking at him.
“Big kitty,” she stated, sounding excited, making him laugh.
“Yes, baby. He’s a jaguar shifter, but he’s nice to good little kittens.” He unbuckled his seat belt and quickly got out, to help Janine out of the seat.
“What are you doing here?” he asked Malik. Janine stubbornly remained in her chair, although she did peer curiously at Malik.
“I figure you need some help. Nash is coming out of the house soon, just finishing a call,” Malik explained, peering over his shoulder. “Hello there, who’s this adorable little one?”
Another squeak and when he turned to his daughter, the little girl disappeared and a striped tabby kitten took its place.
“Janine, come on. I spent an hour fixing your hair,” he muttered, picking the kitten up. She pawed at him, hissing. Malik came by his shoulder.
“You’re going to be safe here, kitten,” Malik told his daughter in a patient, gentle voice Neil hadn’t thought the flirty jaguar shifter was capable of.
Her ears twitched, but she stopped scratching at Neil at least.
“Why don’t you give your daddy a break and turn back into a girl?” Malik asked.
Eventually, the tiny cat in his arms returned to being a girl.
“Big kitty,” she told him.
“That’s right,” Malik agreed. “I’m your dad’s friend. I’ll be your friend, okay? Will you behave while we move his things?”
“She needs to put on her dress first, really,” he mumbled. That was one of the things he hadn’t expect when adopting a shifter kid. By the time he finished dressing her up again, Nash came out.
“Janine, this is Nash,” he introduced, finally managing to lure his daughter out of the car.
She squinted at Nash and wrinkled her nose. “Big dog?”
“Wolf,” Nash corre
cted, then ruffled her hair. She bit his finger, but he didn’t yelp, merely smiled.
“Janine!” he scolded, tugging her away. “Be nice.”
“Don’t worry,” Nash told him. “Growing cats like to bite. I should know.”
“Hey,” Malik protested. “Are you talking about me?”
“Big kitty,” Janine agreed, giggling. Then she walked up to him and tugged at his shirt. Malik laughed, looking delighted. He was surprised Malik seemed to be good with kids.
“She likes you at least,” he told Malik, who laughed.
“Pop open your trunk, Neil, so we can help you unload your stuff,” Nash suggested.
“I’ll watch your girl,” Malik told him.
With Nash’s help, they managed to unload all his boxes.
“That’s all?” Nash asked, when they got all the boxes inside the house.
“Yeah, I don’t like to hoard, because there were three adults sharing the same space,” he explained. “I only bought essentials. Most of them are Janine’s toys.”
He blushed at that, because his mother had complained a lot of times that he spoiled his daughter too often.
Over Nash’s shoulder, he saw Malik talking to Janine, while she gobbled up a huge cookie, milk by her side. His daughter looked animated, excited. He had to smile at the sight. Neil was worried that when they moved, Janine didn’t seem to like the change from the city to the small town.
“You’re a good father, Neil.” Nash’s quiet voice made him turn his attention back to the Alpha.
“You think so?”
“It’s obvious she adores you.”
“I’m glad she’s getting along with Malik. Besides, my stepfather, she hasn’t seen another shifter since the move, because my mom always takes care of her. Hopefully, next year, when preschool starts, she’ll meet new friends.”
Nash nodded. “The schools here are integrated, the proportion of humans and supernatural an even split.”
“That’s why I decided on Snow Valley. The paranormals here have integrated with the locals, treat each other normally. Other towns wouldn’t approve of a human adopting a shifter kid. I understand a little why they’d think that, of course, because I’m not a shifter myself so I can’t teach her the skills she needs. Janine’s not a predatory shifter, but still, knowledge can only take me so far.”
“Does her dad,” Nash began, then hesitated, “visit to teach her? Too personal a question?”
“No, it’s fine. She doesn’t know him. Lyle already left me when the adoption papers came through,” he explained.
Nash glowered at that, then his expression softened. “If you don’t mind, me or my brothers could help with that, with you supervising the lessons of course. When we were kids, no one taught us how to control our animals. We learned on our own, but it would be better to have a mentor.”
“Really?” The offer was generous, because there weren’t any tabby shifters in town that he knew of.
“Of course. If she’s not comfortable with me, Malik could help. She would be comfortable with him, since they both have feline animals in them.”
“Even if he’s a jaguar and she’s a small tabby cat?” he asked.
He nodded. “Why don’t we get these upstairs?”
They worked in silence for a bit. It had been two weeks since Nash had offered him and Janine a place to stay. Since then, plenty of things had happened. His workload turned to normal once he’d sorted out Chester’s mess, and while the gossip about Nash and him had certainly ignited, no one could complain or accuse him of not doing his job.
Both his mother and Jon had also done an embarrassingly thorough interview with Nash, but he seemed to take it in good stride. Nash said if their positions were reversed, he’d do the same.
To his frustration, Nash made good on his promise about not rushing their relationship. To be fair, he relished the time they spent together. They met for lunch regularly, save the rare occasions Nash had a business meeting. They even went out on dates, on nights when his mom volunteered to watch over Janine, and Nash had been a gentleman by never pushing the time.
“That’s the last,” he told Nash, lugging the last box containing his books.
He looked at the guest room, still amazed by the sheer size, even though he’d seen it before. It was twice the size of his and Janine’s old room back at his previous apartment. He heard a mewl from somewhere downstairs, and he peered out the window to see a large black jaguar sprawled on the grass of the backyard, Janine pouncing all over him.
Neil winced.
“Don’t worry, Malik’s good with kids. He and Dale plan on adopting soon, too,” came Nash’s deep voice, and he was suddenly away of the huge Alpha standing by his shoulder.
“I’m not worried,” he said. “Since working at the company, I’ve slowly gotten to know you and your brothers. Well, I don’t know Spencer that well. He seldom talks.”
“He’s always been like that, ever since he was a kid,” Nash remarked. “Come on, let’s head back downstairs. Janine might be looking for you.”
It turned out Janine had forgotten he existed at all, because when he checked on them, she had curled up against the big jaguar, sleeping. Neil thought Malik had fallen asleep, too, until jewel-green eyes opened to slits to look at them.
Nash laughed. “What do you say we take a break and get something to bite?”
“Do you have anything in your kitchen?” he asked. “Last I checked, your fridge only contained water bottles and milk for your coffee.”
“We’ll order in,” Nash suggested. “Get something for those two, too.”
He nodded to Malik and Janine.
“Sounds good to me.” He followed Nash to the kitchen. They ordered Chinese, both of them picking out their own orders. After Nash made the call, Neil grabbed a seat at the counter and confessed, “You know, earlier today, I was worried about coming here.”
Two weeks ago, he’d sat in the same seat, uncertain of why Nash had brought him here. With the intensive interrogation his mom and stepdad had given Nash, he was worried Nash would change his mind, that he’d suddenly wake up one day and decided this was all a mistake. That never happened though.
“You came anyway,” Nash said.
He nodded. “I think,” Neil ventured, surprised to see Malik, dressed and back in human form, a small cat snoozing in one muscled forearm, approaching them, “I can get used to living here.”
“So,” Malik told Nash, “did you get my favorite fried shrimp noodles?”
Chapter Ten
The doorbell rang from downstairs, making Neil groan. He turned, not wanting to wake, given it was a weekend. There it was again. Annoyed, he woke, rubbing at his eyes. Where was Nash anyway? Usually, he woke up with fur in his face, too. Janine preferred to sleep in cat form at night. He jolted up in bed, awake now.
Then he remembered his mom had taken Janine yesterday, because she claimed she missed her granddaughter. Neil remembered Nash telling him he had to come in for work on a Saturday morning, too, which left him alone at the big house.
Ah right. He did remember falling asleep last night, excited to have an entire Saturday morning to himself. His mom had promised to bring Janine back by noon. Neil fumbled for his phone. Nothing from her, but there was a text from Nash, greeting him good morning. He smiled at that and typed back a response.
There was the sound again. Tossing the sheets aside, he put on a pair of boxers. It had better not be a salesman, because he’d definitely be annoyed. Exiting the room, phone in hand, he started down the stairs and paused.
Was Nash expecting company? He phoned the Alpha, who picked up after two rings.
“Excuse me for a moment.” Nash must have said those words to the other people in the meeting room. “What’s up?”
“Sorry to disturb you while you’re at your meeting, but were you expecting someone or a package?”
“No. Is someone at the door?” A more concerned voice now. Neil realized how silly he was being. N
onetheless, he made sure his footsteps were quiet as he finally reached the hallway. Neil peered through the peephole and blinked. The slender brown-haired and blue-eyed man holding a cake box looked impatient, but familiar.
Neil described the man. On the other end, Nash laughed. “That’s Wren, Cole’s mate. He’s been wanting to meet you for a while. Don’t worry, the wren shifter’s harmless.”
“His name is Wren, and he’s a wren shifter?” he asked, stunned.
“You know I can hear you, right?” yelled Wren through the door.
Right. Shifter.
“I’ll call you later,” he told Nash, then ended the call to open the door to face the man standing there.
“Were you asleep or something? Oh.” Wren halted, staring at him in his boxers. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you were still in bed. Should I come another time?”
“No, please come in, since you came all the way here, and is that the famous chocolate cake Nash can’t stop talking about?” He recalled Cole’s mate had a pretty successful online cake business, and every Mercer brother swore Wren’s cake was divine. Then he remembered why Wren looked familiar, because he had seen the picture frame in Cole’s office once.
“Yup, I thought I should bring something when I introduced myself.”
Neil closed the door behind him.
“Me and others have been curious about you, you know,” Wren explained.
Neil began to lead way to the kitchen, but Wren seemed to know his way around.
“The others?”
“Dale and Henry,” he explained, referring to Malik and Spencer’s mate. “Not in a bad way of course. It’s nice to see Nash take interest in someone for a change.”
“Does he?” he asked, feeling like a nervous teenager. What was wrong with him?
Wren rolled his eyes. “Only a blind man couldn’t see he’s interested in you.”
Neil grabbed two plates, forks, and a knife. Wren served them two slices. He took his first bite and actually moaned when the flavors exploded in his mouth. “Oh God. They were right. This is divine.”
