by April Kelley
The whole time Kier never opened his eyes, but just lay with his dark blond hair falling around him like a halo and his hands folded together on his stomach.
Jalen pulled Rico to the bathroom with him before a discussion of Markie could get started. He couldn’t think about him.
Rico locked the door behind him.
Rico reached for his tool belt. He unhooked it and let it slide to the bathroom floor. The last string of his self-control slid to the floor with it, and Jalen fought against the process.
He drew his shoulders up and his body tensed from trying to hold on to his nerves.
“You don’t have to think or make decisions right now.” Rico pulled Jalen’s shirt over his head, forcing certain muscles of his body to relax just enough to get the shirt off.
“It’s okay to let go, baby. You don’t have to hide how you feel from me.”
Jalen unbuttoned his own pants and pushed them down and off. “Yes, I do. We don’t know each other. Do you even want to know me?”
“I’m here. Nothing you say will get me to back off, Jalen, so just stop trying to pick a fight with me.” Rico took off his shirt, pulling it over his head as he spoke.
God damn it.
Jalen adjusted the water in the shower. “You don’t know me.”
“I know you’re less than a minute from crying. It’s something you need to do, so just do it. It’ll release the tension so you can sleep.”
Jalen snorted. “Yeah right. I won’t sleep tonight.” Jalen stood under the spray and let it wash over him. He shut his eyes, and some of his bravado slipped.
It slipped even more when Rico wrapped his arms around Jalen’s waist. He just couldn’t keep the wall up, and it crumbled down one piece at a time. “I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.” Jalen had no idea what he meant by that statement. The words just came out of his mouth, and they didn’t match anything in his brain. “I don’t know if Wizz would be proud of me. I’ve always needed to know that, ya know?”
“He’d be proud of you, Jalen.”
“I don’t want to feel alone anymore.” He’d probably revealed too much, and telling Rico that when their mating was so up in the air wasn’t smart.
“I’m not going anywhere.” Rico put a finger under his chin, lifting it so their gazes met. He kissed Jalen on the lips. “I’ve got you, mate.”
Yeah not smart at all. Jalen pulled back and met Rico’s gaze. “Do you?”
Rico’s mouth set in a straight line. “Yes.”
Jalen pushed down his own needs and wants. His didn’t matter, and if Rico thought they did, then he was living in the land of make-believe. “Keir’s right. If you love him, then you need to go to him. I won’t stand in your way.”
Rico scowled. “Why are you so adamantly against being included?”
“Because you both have a history I don’t share. You both have Hamid. He’s like this ghost wrapped between you guys. He created this love between you that I can’t compete with.”
“Who fucking asked you to compete, Jalen? I’m asking you to give it a chance.”
“But if it doesn’t work out, then I’m the one left out. I’d rather just not start anything at all.”
Rico growled and pressed Jalen up against the shower wall. “You think I’ll just walk away from you. You’re my fucking mate, Jalen. Your fear can’t make me leave.”
“I’m not scared.”
Rico smacked a hand against the wall. The sound was so loud Jalen moved his face away from it. Someone knocked on the door and then he heard Casey’s voice. “Are you okay?”
“We’re fine.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.” Even as Jalen spoke, he never took his eyes off Rico. The heat he saw in Rico’s eyes made his dick hard.
Rico leaned into him, and Jalen thought he was going for a kiss, which was entirely inappropriate given their conversation, although welcome. Instead, he bypassed Rico’s lips and went right for his neck, sniffing his skin.
Jalen closed his eyes and pulled Rico into him.
“After we’re done talking, I’ll touch you, but not before.”
Jalen narrowed his eyes. “You don’t get to make the rules, Rico.”
Rico’s lips turned up into a slight smile. Jalen couldn’t see him, but he could feel it against his neck.
“You want the touching before the conversation then?”
“I didn’t say that.” Jalen was well aware they needed to finish the argument, and really, if they weren’t going to mate, then there shouldn’t be any touching at all. Unfortunately, his dick didn’t get that memo. It just wanted Rico’s hand or lips around it.
“So you like to be the one in charge, then.”
“No.”
“Yeah, you like to be in charge. You think you don’t get to fall apart when you need to and you don’t get to have a bit of happiness for yourself. You’re too fucking busy focusing on everyone else. That’s how you are, right? You said I didn’t know you, but I bet I know you pretty fucking well. Don’t I?”
Jalen sucked in a breath and held it. He closed his eyes and turned his head away from Rico, trying to get away from him.
Rico brought a hand up to Jalen’s face, cupping his cheek. He tried to turn his face, but Jalen resisted. “I told you I’m here for good. You can’t drive me away. And after I talk to Markie, you won’t be able to drive him away, either.”
“Stop trying to get into my head.”
“I’m already there, and you’re not kicking me out.”
Jalen opened his eyes. Angry words were just about to flow from his mouth, but lips covered his, effectively shutting him up. As Rico deepened the kiss, all thoughts fled his mind and his body melted. How Rico could reduce him to a malleable body with just one kiss, Jalen didn’t know.
All he wanted to do was feel.
He pressed his cock against Rico’s thigh.
A hand gripped the side of Jalen’s ass, stilling him, but Jalen wasn’t having any of that. He laid his hand over the top of Rico’s and attempted to move it.
Rico ended the kiss and met his gaze. He held his hand firmly in place, and that was all it took for Jalen to realize if he wanted Rico to fuck him, he’d have to give up control.
Jalen narrowed his eyes, then moved his hand away.
Rico smiled and moved away just enough to wrap his hand around Jalen’s cock. When Rico went to his knees, Jalen sucked in a breath. And then wet heat surrounded his cock all the way to the root.
Jalen looked down, watching as Rico moved back, releasing some of Jalen’s cock, then sank onto him again.
Rico moaned, and the vibrations around his cock nearly sent him over the edge.
Jalen leaned against the back of the shower wall, his head hitting the back of the white tile. He closed his eyes at the same time he rested a hand on the top of Rico’s head. His hair was so soft Jalen could touch it all day and never get bored. Especially if Rico kept up the rhythm on his cock.
“Shit. You’re gonna make me cum already.” Instead of slowing down, Jalen’s words caused Rico to speed up.
He couldn’t keep still, instead moving his hips to the timing Rico set. Each time Jalen moved forward, the head of his cock would touch the back of Rico’s throat.
He stilled when his body heated to the point that he couldn’t hold back anymore. Rico must have felt the slight shift, as intense pleasure completely took over because he pulled back just enough so Jalen’s cum wouldn’t choke him.
Then Rico took the whole thing in again, and his body stiffened. He made a sound in the back of his throat that could have been a shout if not for Jalen’s cock trapping the sound.
Jalen looked down and leaned his head over so he could see what Rico was doing. His hand was on his cock, gripping it as cum spewed from it. Just knowing that Rico got off simply by sucking Jalen was a huge turn on.
Rico didn’t pull off Jalen’s cock until it was completely soft, an
d then it was more like it just fell out of his mouth. He stood and took Jalen into his arms again.
“I thought you said we should finish our argument first.” Jalen laid his head against Rico’s chest and let himself give over to the feeling of being cared for in a way he’d never been before.
“We did finish it, and that relieved some of your stress.” Rico’s lips moved against the skin on Jalen’s neck as he nuzzled in, making himself comfortable against Jalen’s body as if Jalen was a giant stuffed toy.
Jalen had to admit he didn’t feel so broken. He sighed and wrapped his arms around Rico. “Maybe we can shelve the issue for now.”
“Just give in. If you don’t, I’ll suck your brains out through your dick again.”
Jalen chuckled. “That’s not exactly an incentive.”
Rico’s lips moved, turning into a smile. “Probably not.”
“Did you like it too? I mean, I didn’t reciprocate. I know you came but...”
“I’m very satisfied, mate.”
“Good. Okay.” Jalen ran his hand up Rico’s warm, wet back.
Chapter Seven
Rico woke up to a wiggling mate. Rico held on to Jalen like a body pillow, only he was all hard muscle instead of soft stuffing. He ran a hand down Jalen’s back, trying to get him to stay still and go back to sleep.
“I have to pee.” Jalen’s breath fanned out against Rico’s chest.
Rico kissed him on the top of his head before letting go. “Hurry back, baby.”
Rico felt Jalen’s warm lips on his cheek before he climbed out of bed.
He lay breathing in Jalen’s scent. The smell wasn’t only on the pillow underneath his head. It surrounded him, as if he were completely submerged. Never in his life had he been more content.
“He’s stubborn and a control freak. He won’t give in easily. Don’t think that kiss means he is.”
Rico would never admit it, but Casey had the drop on him. He was long past the stage of jumping when something frightened him, but his heart kicked up a wild beat in his chest. He took a deep, slow breath to quiet it.
“I know.”
Casey sighed. “He’ll pull that I know what’s best for everyone crap even though he’ll be miserable the whole time. He’ll be up all dang night like he was last night. He does that when he’s really upset.”
When Rico heard rustling around, he turned onto his back. Jalen’s brothers didn’t look like him at all. Where Jalen looked as if he were African American, Uri and Casey both had hair so light it was nearly white and skin a pale pink color. All three brothers had blue eyes, although Jalen’s were a few shades darker.
“Where are you going?”
“To give Uri a heads up and ask him what we should do. We’ll come up with a plan of attack for you.”
Casey left the room in just his underwear, and a minute later, Jalen came in the exact same way. Rico’s heart jumped again but for a completely different reason when Jalen climbed over him and settled against his side. His head lay on Rico’s chest, and he seemed to be asleep within seconds.
And then he shot up in bed, his eyes wide as he looked at Casey’s empty bed. “Casey was in here when I left, right?”
“Yeah, he went to talk to Uri. He’s okay.”
Jalen sighed and lay back down again. His eyes closed immediately. “Scared the crap out of me.”
“You worry about everyone, don’t you? And what’s this about you not sleeping last night?”
“Two questions at once. Okay. First, Uri and Casey are like my kids. Of course I worry about them. I slept a couple hours and was up the rest of the time.” Jalen yawned at the same time he brought his leg over the top of Rico’s. Rico ran his hand along the coarse hair in lazy circles. “Casey almost died last month. He had pneumonia. I’ve been a little paranoid since. Don’t know what I’ll do when he leaves for basic training. It’ll be awful.”
“Markie and I will be here for you. You won’t have to go through it alone.”
Jalen stiffened. His leg disappeared, and he sat up again. “I think you should go to Markie. Tell him how you feel.”
“I think we should go talk to Markie together.”
Jalen ran his fingers over the top of his short hair, and he blew out a breath through his mouth in one big whoosh. “If you love him, then you should tell him that.”
“So you’re just going to let me go then? Just like that?”
“Not much I can do if you’re in love with someone else but take a step back.”
“What about the fact that I’m asking you to be a part of it? Are you just going to ignore that part?”
“No. But I think I complicate an already complicated situation between you two. You and Markie have a history that I don’t share, and I think you have things to discuss with him that shouldn’t include me.”
Fucking damn it. That actually made sense.
Rico reached a hand out and cupped the back of Jalen’s neck, pulling him down until they were just a few inches apart. “This thing between us isn’t over, Jalen.”
“We’ll see.” Jalen’s eyes dulled.
“You don’t believe me.”
“I don’t think you’ll want me after you and Markie work it out. And that’s fine. As long as you understand that I’m not leaving this island anytime soon. Not after last night and not as long as my brothers are here. Well, I might if Casey gets stationed somewhere else after basic training is over. He might need me wherever he ends up. Uri doesn’t need me as much now that Virion is around.” The last part Jalen seemed to say almost to himself as if just coming to understand the truth of his words as they left his mouth. Frown lines crossed his forehead, and he looked away from Rico. “Shit. We might be split up.”
Oh, so it was the thought of being separated that put the worried look on Jalen’s face. “I’ll talk to Alpha Delco about Casey getting stationed here, baby. He’ll be able to make that happen.”
Jalen waved him off. “I’ll do it myself.”
Rico sighed. “Delco and I are good friends, and I’ll see him later today anyway.”
Jalen climbed over Rico once again. “It’s my problem, not yours.”
“Your problems are mine now. You lost the right to handle things on your own the minute we met, and if Markie and I have to drag you kicking and screaming into a relationship, then that’s what will happen.” He just had to talk to Markie about it first, because Jalen was right. They did have stuff to work out before they committed to anything further.
Jalen walked to the dresser, pulling open drawers. He took off the underwear he had on. They dropped to the floor, and when Jalen went to pick them up to toss them in a basket that sat in the corner of the room, he bent over, showing his ass to Rico. Rico knew he didn’t do it to entice, but damned if his cock didn’t get hard in an instant.
He squashed down the urge to step up behind Jalen and fuck him until they both stopped arguing. The only reason he didn’t was because it ultimately wouldn’t solve their relationship problems. Or what wouldn’t be a relationship problem if Jalen would stop being so stubborn.
Jalen put his clothing on Casey’s bed and took the clean underwear off the top of the pile, putting them on and covering all that delicious, naked flesh. It was such a shame, really.
“You didn’t bite me last night in the shower, and I know you won’t because of Markie, so I didn’t lose a damn thing.”
“The only reason I didn’t is because I’ll have to bite Markie before biting you. It’s the only way for us to include Markie in our mating.” Rico sat up and slung his legs over the bed. He didn’t get dressed but just sat watching Jalen pull a red t-shirt over his head.
“And why are you the only one that gets to decide to include Markie?”
“Because I’m the only one who’s thinking about our future and what it would be like without him. I fucking need him, Jalen.” Never in Rico’s life had he wanted someone to understand something more than he
wanted Jalen to understand that.
Jalen pulled on sweatpants and sat on the side of Casey’s bed. They were only separated by maybe four feet, but the distance could have been miles. Jalen kept his hands in his lap and looked at them as if he were making some sort of fascinating hand gestures. When he finally looked at Rico, it was slightly over his head. “I know you do. I’ve understood that all along. That’s why I’m telling you to go talk to him and work it out.”
“I’ll go, but I want to make something very clear.” Jalen met his gaze and seemed to be waiting for Rico to speak again. “It’s not over between us.”
“You don’t get to decide that, Rico.”
“You don’t either, mate.”
The sun was already warming the morning air so much that it would be unbearable as the day wore on. A slight breeze flew past Rico, coming off the lake water, which was the direction he was walking. His body was comfortable even if his thoughts raced.
As Rico made his way around the outside of Jalen’s house heading to the café, he heard footsteps behind him. He stopped walking, waiting for whoever it was to catch up, without turning around. He closed his eyes and for one moment imagined it was Jalen who changed his mind, deciding to go with him to pursue Markie. Of course it was too much to hope Jalen would come around so quickly.
Rico put his hands in his pockets and rocked on the heels of his feet as he waited. He smelled Casey’s scent as he drew nearer and sighed. Yep, it would take some work.
Rico was mildly surprised when Casey threaded his arm through Rico’s, although he shouldn’t be. Jalen seemed to like the intimate touches, even when they argued.
“So Uri and I have a plan.”
Rico smiled. “I’ll do whatever changes that stubborn man’s mind.”
“Well, we think you shouldn’t bite Markie. Or Jalen for that matter. Not until Jalen gets his head out of his ass.”
Rico shook his head. “You’re asking me to give them both up. I don’t know that I can do that. I’d rather argue with him until he gives in.”
