by Jana Downs
“Good day?” Hope asked.
Steve nodded. Clearly he was not having a bad day because otherwise he’d be leaving out the private entrance in back that most of the unstable pack used and then calling Hope afterward.
Hope nodded, no doubt reading his mind. The man had the curious penchant for being able to do so. Ever since he’d asked Hope to take him home a few weeks ago, their bond had deepened extraordinarily.
“Today is the day,” Steve said, knowing that Hope would know exactly what he meant.
Hope put the car into drive. “Oh?” he asked carefully. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. Me and the doctor agree I’m ready.”
They’d continued to put off the mating until Steve had had a little time of healing. That was just fine with him at the time, but he was ready to go now. He needed his mate with him. Love had come easy for him. Now it was the refinement of those emotions that needed the work.
The little gray house they lived in came into view.
“Are you—”
“If you ask me again, I’m going to smack you,” Steve said, laughing. His careful lover always wanted to make sure they were perfectly in sync over issues of consent. “I need to be yours, babe.”
Hope growled. “Good.”
They both rolled out of the car and raced for the front door, laughing as they ran to see who would reach the bedroom first. Steve was out of breath by the time they skidded to a halt in front of the bed, both wonderfully naked.
They reached for one another at the same moment, and Steve took particular pleasure in the possessive love and satisfaction shining in Hope’s eyes. The man’s gaze was so expressive that it was no wonder that he couldn’t help but fall in love with the guy after only a few days of courtship. It was probably a wolf thing but, more importantly, it was a “them” thing.
Steve flopped down against the pillows behind him, dragging his lover along with him. They wouldn’t need Hope’s “biting” pillow this time, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to do through the effort to find and toss the thing aside while he had his arms so full of the awesomeness of his mate.
Hope grabbed the half-empty bottle of lube on the side dresser without breaking the kiss he’d laid on him. Their tongues tangled at the same time Hope wrapped a hand around their rubbing cocks, making his eyes cross. He already needed Hope so much. He’d come into his life at the lowest point and filled in all the cracks being shattered had left behind.
“Love you,” he rumbled, breaking the kiss for a split second.
“Love you, too,” Hope returned, pressing and stretching Steve’s ass in preparation.
Steve spread his thighs wider to accommodate those talented fingers. He couldn’t wait to take his talented cock. Three fingers stretched him, and his insides came alive with desire. His passage spiraled, needing more.
“Give,” Steve begged, shuddering as Hope rubbed his internal sweet spots.
Hope chuckled. “So impatient.”
Steve opened his mouth to give his signature reply only to have his breath stolen as Hope shoved his cock deep into his willing body. Steve gasped, ending in a groan of completion as Hope began the push and withdraw that he’d come to crave like air in his lungs.
“Hope,” he moaned. “Hope, please.”
He wasn’t even sure what he was begging for, but Hope must’ve because he leaned down and bit into the curve of Steve’s neck. The second his teeth popped the skin, Steve was orgasming, painting their torsos with the evidence of his release.
Something about the bite solidified everything for his wolf, settling the animal into his skin like never before. There was absolute confidence in their bond. This was his mate. His lover forever and always.
It didn’t take Hope long to join him as he knotted and shot his own load into Steve. Steve just held him tight, loving him and needing him with every cell of his being.
“Love you, Hope,” he repeated. “Thank you for saving me.”
Hope shuddered, returned the hug with a sweet kiss to Steve’s cheek. “You saved me first, Steve. Before I even knew you, you were mine.”
“Aw hell, you sap,” Steve teased. He wasn’t traditionally romantic but he certainly melted a little bit when Hope said crap like that.
He wasn’t sure what the future held. He wasn’t sure he was ever going to be a fully functional part of the pack but he knew one thing. With Hope by his side, he wasn’t afraid anymore. Hell, he had to be. His mate really wanted to show him fire play, and Steve was going to let him this weekend. He might never be twenty-four-seven but he was willing to dabble to send both of them into orbit in a whole other way. Fear had no place in his life with Hope. Hope was his guiding light, and there was no way Steve was going to step back into the darkness without him.
With the scent of his mate in his nostrils and the warmth of his body in his arms, Steve was content. At last.
THE END
WWW.JANADOWNS.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jana Downs lives in the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina with three cats, one dog, several dozen fish, and a very understanding partner-in-crime who hates to read but makes exceptions for her stories.
You can usually find her either watching bad reality TV, buying way too many books on Amazon, or dreaming up another man or two to occupy her time because life is good but several drop-dead gorgeous nonexistent men is just better.
For all titles by Jana Downs, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/jana-downs
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
