A Man's Worth [Brac Pack 31] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove)

by Lynn Hagen

  “What about your father?” Ahm moved closer, needing Bryce’s body heat. He was craving it now. “I thought Riley was Malcolm’s right-hand man.”

  “Pa has been talking lately about spending more time with Luke and Cole, letting his older sons run things around here.” Bryce tucked a knuckle under Ahm’s chin, his thumb grazing his skin. “You’ll learn the ropes and fit right in. I can’t imagine anyone giving you lip.”

  Ahm liked the idea of working next to Riley. He wasn’t so sure about riding a smelly horse, but if he was going to live here, he needed to get used to it. “Thanks.”

  “You are quite welcome, my love monkey. Now get upstairs so you can send me to heaven.”

  Ahm didn’t have to be told twice. He was up the stairs, through the bedroom door, and stripping naked before Bryce even made it inside the bedroom.

  His mate laughed, but Ahm didn’t find a damn thing funny. He was horny, and Bryce was about to get fucked through the floor. It didn’t take long for Bryce to get naked. It seemed the man was just as anxious as he was.

  Once his bear settled onto the bed, Ahm grabbed a pillow, tapping Bryce’s hip. “I’m going to shove this pillow under your ass. I want you at just the right angle as I fuck the hell out of you.”

  Bryce’s grey eyes darkened as he lifted his hips. Ahm shoved the pillow under his mate’s ass. His cock began to throb at the thought of fucking Bryce for the very first time. He had to pinch under the head of his cock in order not to orgasm at the thought.

  “That excited?” Bryce asked, a thick, black brow arched high.

  Ahm palmed his cock, stroking his hand up until the pre-cum leaked onto his fingers. “What do you think?” Reaching down with his free hand, Ahm gathered the clear liquid onto his fingers and then shoved them into his mouth, making a loud moaning noise.

  “Holy fuck,” Bryce whispered. “Get your ass over here and fuck me.”

  Ahm chuckled. “Now who’s the excited one?”

  “That would be me, my little bowl of cheesy nacho dip.”

  Ahm burst out laughing. “You make absolutely no sense.”

  “Just trying to make you smile. Mission accomplished.”

  Ahm stared tenderly at Bryce for a moment and then moved until he was between Bryce’s legs. He couldn’t believe how large Bryce looked lying there.

  And damn was the man hairy. His legs looked like someone had forgotten to shut off the growing machine, letting his legs become covered in the wiry springs. Ahm ran his hands down Bryce’s thighs, letting the hair tickle his fingers. “You are one sexy-ass man.”

  “I know,” Bryce said as he winked at Ahm. “Now get to fucking me.”

  Ahm rolled his eyes, putting his hand out for the lube. Bryce handed it over and Ahm used one hand to stretch Bryce, the other to stroke his mate’s thick cock. He watched in wonder as Bryce turned his head, his lips parting and pleasurable moans filling the room.

  He couldn’t take it any longer. Ahm pulled his hand free, lined his cock up, and sank deep into Bryce’s body. He had to rest his hands on Bryce’s legs and close his eyes at the magnificent way his mate’s body felt wrapped around his cock. Ahm had known that fucking Bryce would be good. He just never knew it was going to be this mind blowing, and he hadn’t even started yet.

  When he felt he had a bit of control back, Ahm began to move. His cock slipped in and out of Bryce’s body, his mate’s shaft bobbing freely in the air. Ahm grabbed the hard-as-steel flesh, stroking it to the rhythm he had set. Ahm couldn’t control it. His hips began to thrust his cock harder inside Bryce, the pleasure so damn good he wanted to howl with it. Spreading Bryce’s thighs wide, Ahm slammed his hips into his mate’s ass, feeling his scrotum tighten against the base of his cock as he drove deep and hard inside his mate.

  “Ahm…I’m gonna come soon. Fuck me harder, please.”

  Ahm complied, thrusting until the sound of their bodies slamming together filled the bedroom. He set up a hard, fast pace, pounding into the erotically writhing, willing body beneath him. Bryce arched off the bed as a breathless moan escaped his lips. He was overwhelmed by the heated tightness surrounding his hard shaft and the look of pure ecstasy on Bryce’s face.

  Bryce’s channel rippled around Ahm’s cock, searing him, bringing him to the brink of the abyss. His balls drew up tighter against his body, and he knew it wouldn’t be long. His thrusts became feral and erratic as he sought his release. He could feel his spunk rising, ready to shoot, and he couldn’t wait to get off inside his mate.

  “Ahm!” Bryce’s body arched, his eyes widened, and he stared at Ahm with a dazed, wild hunger for a second before his cock erupted between them.

  Bryce’s muscles clenched around Ahm’s cock, making his mate so tight and hot Ahm could do nothing but follow the man. The burning grip of Bryce’s muscles, the wash of his mate’s own pleasure, threw Ahm over the edge. With a rush of liquid that would have terrified him at any other time, Ahm felt his cock explode in his mate’s ass.

  As the last drop shot from his cock, Ahm collapsed on top of Bryce, their breath mingling as they panted.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Bryce woke with a start, immediately focusing on the orange sky beyond his window. “Fire!”

  Ahm rolled from the bed, instantly awake and pulling his clothes on. Bryce yanked his jeans on, shoved his feet in his boots, and then took off from his bedroom, Ahm already ahead of him and bolting down the stairs.

  “Fire!” Bryce bellowed again as he raced to the front door and outside. The barn was smoking, and it seemed the fire was toward the back of the barn. The blaze hadn’t consumed the entire structure yet.

  Bryce needed to get the horses out. He quickly tied his boots and then rushed toward the entrance, throwing the doors open, and saw that the barn was quickly filling with smoke. “Help me get the horses into the corral.”

  Ahm went for the stall door that held Buster inside. Bryce went to Hell Raiser’s. The horse backed away and Bryce could see the fear in his black eyes. He wasn’t going to let Bryce anywhere near him. The horse was afraid, and rightly so. Bryce just prayed he could get the beast out of the barn before it was too late.

  His mate was back, going for the next stall when his brothers rushed inside. They focused on putting the fire out. Olsen worked diligently as he tried to remove everything flammable—which was just about everything in the barn. Chauncey and Chance used fire extinguishers, but they weren’t making any headway.

  “I called the fire department,” Roman said as he rushed in and began to help get the animals out. “Why haven’t you taken Hell Raiser out?”

  “He won’t let me near him,” Chance said as Lover Lost raced toward the open corral.

  Bryce watched as Roman approached the stall, only to take a few steps back when the horse reared his front legs and kicked.

  “We need Sterling,” Bryce said. “He seems to be the only one who can calm the beast.”

  Roman glanced around the barn. The fire was licking at the ceiling, eating up the rafters. It was a large-ass barn, but he knew the structure would be engulfed in minutes. “I’ll go get him. But if I think it’s become unstable, he’s not coming in. Riley is not going to kill me because I let his mate get hurt.”

  Bryce would hate to lose Hell Raiser, but he understood Roman’s fear. None of them were willing to risk their mate’s life—and especially not the lives of their siblings’ mates. Riley was still gone, driving the cattle to market. He would be devastated if anything happened to Sterling.

  Thinking quickly, Bryce ran over to the water trough and dropped a blanket down into the water. He soaked it and then took it over to the stall next to Hell Raiser’s.

  “What are you doing?” Ahm asked as he hurried back inside the barn after rescuing Rags and her newborn kid.

  “Trying to lay this wet blanket on him. If the fire gets too close before we can get him out of here, the blanket should help.”

  “Where do you want him?”

  Bryce blinke
d at Ahm. “What do you mean?”

  “Do you want him corralled with the other horses?”

  Bryce caught on to what Ahm was saying. He was going to shimmer the horse out of the stall.

  “Put him in the field next to the other horses, but not with them. After that, go tell Roman we don’t need him to bring Sterling here.” He watched as Ahm reached out over the stall divider and grabbed the horse’s mane in a tight grip. Both man and beast shimmered away. Bryce wanted to go outside and make sure his mate was fine, but he needed to help his brothers get the fire under control.

  Bryce damn near had a heart attack when he saw Gavin climbing up to the loft. He made it to the ladder and pulled Gavin down. “The equipment can be replaced. You can’t.”

  Gavin glanced up at the loft. Bryce could tell his brother didn’t want to lose anything, but there was nothing they could do about it. The animals came first, and saving the structure second. He slapped Gavin on the arm. “Go help Olsen.”

  They were triplets, and he loved his womb mates more than his next breath. That was why he wasn’t going to allow Gavin to do something stupid.

  The sounds of sirens in the distance made Bryce hurry from the barn. His brothers were coming out as well. There was nothing more they could do but let the firemen handle the blaze.

  “How do you think it started?” Gavin asked as the two watched the fire truck pull into the driveway and head straight for the barn. Gavin’s dark eyebrows were pulled together in an angry frown.

  “I’m not sure, but I’m willing to bet it was set on purpose. There’s nothing in the building that would cause a fire to ignite.”

  Bryce glanced sharply around, his eyes blazing. He was looking for whoever had started the fire, but he knew they were long gone. Was it a Shadow elf? Had they come here to ruin the Lakelands and all they had worked hard to gain? He wasn’t sure, but he was going to get to the bottom of this.

  “Any ideas?” Gavin asked.

  “It could be the guy Riley fired today.” With long, powerful strides, Roman ate up the distance. “Olaf had a pretty nasty attitude and could have come back here to set the fire for revenge.”

  They had a few suspects, but nothing concrete. Even when the fire marshal told them how the fire was started, Bryce knew that wouldn’t help them narrow things down. Roman’s expression was clouded with anger. “If I find out it was Olaf, I’m going to skin that man alive.”

  Swinging his head toward the corral, Bryce spotted Ahm helping Sterling ensure that the animals were unharmed. His temper flared thinking of any harm coming to Ahm. The only thing the guy was guilty of was mating a male shifter. No one should be hunted down for who they loved.

  “Until we find out who is behind this, we need to keep an eye on the place. I’ll take first watch,” Gavin commented before turning on his heel and heading toward the house.

  Ahm looked up as Bryce approached. The skin around his mate’s eyes tightened before the blue orbs flickered over toward the barn. If Bryce wasn’t mistaken, Ahm looked worried that he would be blamed just on the grounds that it might have been Shadow elves who started the fire.

  “They all look fine,” Sterling said roughly, as if his throat was constricted with a lump of tears. “I’m going to help the others.”

  Ahm moved toward Bryce, climbing over the corral and standing in front of him, his chin raised. “I’ll leave if that’s what your family wants.”

  A muscle quivered in Bryce’s jaw. “Be that easy for you to walk away?”

  Ahm’s blue eyes narrowed and his back became ramrod straight. “No, but I’m not going to allow anyone to accuse me of bringing trouble here. If it was one of my people who started this”—Ahm pointed angrily at the barn—“then I need to find the person responsible and make him or her pay.”

  “No one knows who set the fire.” Bryce leaned in closer, holding on to his control by a thread. “But for your information, my family hasn’t said one word about you. We don’t go after innocent men.”

  Ahm looked as if he wanted to argue, but crossed his arms over his chest instead. He inclined his head, but didn’t say a word. Bryce knew what was going on. Ahm was waiting for the family his mate thought he had become a part of to turn their backs on him. It wasn’t going to happen. “You are family, Ahm. You really need to learn what that means to a Lakeland. We don’t turn our backs on one of our own, no matter the case. Did you invite the Shadow elves here to burn down the barn?”

  His eyes widened just a hair with surprise. “Why would I do that?”

  “Exactly,” Bryce replied. “Now stop acting like a moron before I kick your ass.”

  Ahm bent his head close, his eyes like shards of glass. “You could try, my little psychedelic rainbow.”

  A burst of laughter erupted from Bryce’s chest as he hauled Ahm close, enveloping the man in his arms. “You are getting the hang of it.” And even though the things Ahm called him were off the wall, Bryce loved it. Ahm was trying. That was all he could ask for.

  Grabbing his mate’s hand, Bryce led him over to where everyone was standing. The firemen managed to put the fire out, and now Bryce was looking at a smoky building that had its ass end burned to hell. He was grateful the whole damn thing hadn’t burned to the ground. But there was no telling if the structure was safe or if they would have to tear the whole thing down and start fresh.

  * * * *

  Ahm sat at the desk in Bryce’s bedroom, drawing up the paperwork to hand the land over to Rakeym. This was something he never thought he would do in his lifetime, but Ahm knew he had to get this done before Nara implemented her evil plans. The bitch would notice the envelope gone, and then there was no telling what she would do. His conniving cousin was capable of just about anything.

  “Nice room.”

  In the blink of an eye, Ahm was away from the desk, crouched and ready for battle. Rakeym just stood there with one eyebrow quirked high.

  Ahm straightened, noticing a few boxes and suitcases on the floor next to Rakeym. Seeing his belongings fit inside a few containers made Ahm feel a bit disheartened. This was it. There was no going back to the land of his people. Ahm was officially a resident of the Lakeland ranch.

  Rakeym stood there silently as Ahm gazed at his belongings. Although he was a fierce warrior, able to lead a tribe of strong and capable men, Ahm did not like change. Not anything this drastic. Losing his home was about as drastic as things could get.

  “I can’t believe you are really stepping down.” Rakeym finally broke the silence.

  “And I thank you for stepping up.” Ahm walked over to the desk and signed the document. “I’ve drawn up the paperwork to hand the land over to you. Just as soon as I have it notarized, I’ll make sure you get a copy.”

  “You know I don’t want the land, Ahm. I think what the tribe is doing is barbaric.”

  “Yet when a shifter spoke to you, Rakeym the Great talked to him as if he were scum under your shoe.” Chance was irritating as hell, but Ahm was not going to allow his new family to be disrespected.

  The man looked embarrassed. “That wasn’t intended.”

  Sighing, Ahm gave a nod. “It’s a hard habit to break. I almost lost Bryce because of our traditions and prejudices. You have to change their minds, Rakeym. If our people continue to shut the world out, we’ll become extinct.”

  “I’m trying, Ahm. But Nara is poisoning everyone’s mind. She is blowing your mating way out of proportion.” Rakeym cleared his throat. “Do you really have vampire in you?”

  Ahm’s lips thinned. “I’m not sure. The doctor thinks I have the same markers as a half-breed vampire he knows. At this point, I’m not really sure what is going on.” Ahm smiled. “But I haven’t bitten anyone, if that’s what you are wondering.”

  Rakeym gave a deep laugh. “I think I would have noticed if you were craving blood. Well, aside from wanting to kill someone.”

  Ahm sobered. “Don’t be a stranger, friend. You are always welcome here.”

  “Just
as long as I don’t run into that rude bear.”

  Crossing the room, Ahm reached out to give Rakeym a clasp on the back when the elf reached up and brushed Ahm’s hair from his shoulder. Ahm stood there frozen. What was Rakeym doing? They had known each other for a very long time, but they had never laughed together or shared any kind of a moment. He had never done anything to lead Rakeym to believe there could ever be something between them.

  “Your neck,” Rakeym said softly as Ahm took a step back.

  “What about it?”

  “You carry the mark.” Rakeym’s eyes flickered from Ahm’s neck down to his stomach. “The mark the women carry when they are with child.”

  Ahm hurried over to the mirror on the dresser, pulling his thick mane of hair back to see the strawberry patch all Shadow elven women developed when they conceived. But it couldn’t be that. Hadn’t Christian said that Ahm’s people used to be asexual, but the elders had reversed their DNA?

  Flashes of Christian’s smaller mate with a distended belly entered Ahm’s mind. Tilting his head to side, Ahm’s eyes raked over the mark. He would have seen this before had he been born with it. He knew every inch of his body.

  “How is this possible?” Rakeym asked as he stepped up behind Ahm. “How can this be?”

  Rakeym sounded just as dazed and confused as Ahm felt. He looked over his shoulder. “Did you know we used to be asexual, Rakeym?” From the look in the man’s eyes, Rakeym had known.

  “But that is no more,” Rakeym argued. “The elders took that away from us.”

  Apparently not from everyone. Chaotic thoughts raced through Ahm’s mind as he wondered how this happened. Well, okay, he knew how it happened. The night he let Bryce fuck him obviously left him with more than a mind-blowing orgasm. “I need to talk to Bryce.”

  “Let me know if there is anything you need.” Rakeym shimmered out as Ahm walked over to the window. He let images of Bryce fucking him roll behind his eyes as he stared at the dark windowpane. His reflection in the darkened glass looked detached.