Jeremy

by Catherine L. Byrne

  It might be a good idea. Jeremy was good at his job but it’s not like he really liked working where he was now. If he worked for the pride he could work from home and he wouldn’t have problems when Adam was sick and things like that.

  “So this is where you’re hiding, huh?”

  Jeremy twirled around, his heart nearly jumping out of his chest at the feminine voice. “Deborah! What the fuck! You scared me to death!”

  “We wouldn’t want that now, would we?”

  Jeremy couldn’t believe she was there. “What do you want?”

  She looked down at her red nails. “Just wanted to know if you were ready to come back home. I see you are, though.” She smirked, looking around and checking out the boxes, obviously pleased with herself.

  “I’m moving, but I’m not going back to New York. Now, can you please go away? I have work to do and I want to go home.”

  Deborah straightened and Jeremy watched as she walked toward him, her shoes clicking on the hardwood floor. Looking at her, Jeremy had to admit she was beautiful. He had always been amazed that she had chosen him and not someone better looking, but it didn’t matter anymore. He was glad he had met her just because she had given him Adam, but he wished he could never see her again. She had always been a little cold, and he had thought that it was his fault, that he wasn’t good at relationships, but Denver was anything but cold with him. He now knew it was her, and he still couldn’t understand why she wanted Adam after not bothering with him for nearly three years. “Look, I talked with a lawyer and he confirmed that you have no rights to take Adam or even to see him. I don’t know why you want him, but you won’t have him, or me.”

  That didn’t stop her, not that Jeremy had thought it would have. She stopped in front of him, too close for Jeremy to be comfortable, and leaned her hands on his chest. “Come on, honey, I’m sure we can work something out. Or have you already replaced me?” Deborah purred as she leaned in toward Jeremy’s neck.

  He was about to grab her arm and push her away when she stiffened and moved so fast he couldn’t stop her. She jerked the collar of his t-shirt down and hissed, the sound barely human and scaring the shit out of Jeremy. “You’re mated! That’s why you’re moving? Because you mated?”

  Jeremy moved away from her. He didn’t know what surprised him the most, the fact that Deborah apparently knew about mates or the rage he could see in her eyes. He knew she didn’t love him, probably never had, so why did she care?

  “Yeah, I’m mated. I don’t even want to know how you know about mating or how you knew even before seeing the bite, so please, just go.”

  “Who is she? Who is the little bitch? I didn’t think there were any groups of shifters in the area except for that gay one. Or maybe she’s a wolf? There are a few of those not far from here.”

  “What and who my mate is doesn’t concern you, Deb. Nothing I’ve done for the past three years concerns you, so you can turn around and go out of that door!” Jeremy was getting angry, even if he knew it wouldn’t solve anything. It’s not like he could manhandle her or anything, but he had had enough of this shit!

  The look in Deborah’s eyes was cold enough to freeze Jeremy’s blood in his veins and looking at her he knew she was going to hurt him.

  “Babe? Where are you? Whose car is it that’s sitting in front of the house?”

  Denver’s voice came from the front door and Jeremy saw Deborah’s eyes widen as she understood his mate wasn’t a woman. Jeremy took the opportunity to quickly step away from her. “Denver?”

  He felt his mate’s emotions go from happy to alert and tensed in only a few seconds time, then, Denver was in front of him, a low growl rising from his chest as he faced Deborah.

  “That’s your mate? What the fuck, Jeremy! No wonder you were lousy in bed, I didn’t have the right equipment!” Denver growled again, obviously not liking what Deborah had to say, but she didn’t seem to mind. That seemed like a death wish to Jeremy since Denver towered over her, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. “From his size I guess he’s the one doing the fucking, huh? So that’s what you like? A dick up your ass?”

  “God, Deborah, do you really have to be so bitchy? What the fuck do you care?”

  It had hit an open wound, though, and if looks could kill he would have been dead three times by now with the way her eyes blazed in fury. He pressed himself against Denver’s back. “What is she? She knew I was mated before seeing the bite.”

  “Some type of shifter, but I’m not sure which. She smells of dog, though.”

  Jeremy couldn’t believe it. “Shit, I lived with her for two years! How is it possible that I never found out?”

  “You’re obviously not as smart as you think you are.” Deborah raked her gaze on Denver’s body and Jeremy wanted to growl at her. He refrained only because it would have sounded ridiculous coming from his human throat. “So you’ve been saddled with my ex, huh? What are you, handsome? You’re so big and strong.” The smug tone of her voice made Jeremy want to throw up, preferably on his ex-wife’s expensive crocodile shoes.

  He felt Denver shudder, his skin rippling and his clothes ripping as he shifted. Jeremy still wasn’t used to the big cat that replaced his mate, and he probably never would. It was hard to wrap his head around the fact that his mate was in there, even if he knew it.

  The tiger roared, the noise making the windows rattle and Jeremy’s knees buckled. He was so lucky to be on the good side right now! Deborah blanched, obviously not having expected such a big animal. He didn’t know what type of dog Deborah was, but as far as he knew none of them could even come close to the size of a tiger, much less a big one like Denver. Because, yeah, he was even bigger than normal tigers.

  “Bye, Deb,” Jeremy said as his ex-wife turned around and headed for the back door. Hopefully he would never have to see her again.

  He eyed the cat in front of him. “Now, what am I going to give you to wear? You shredded your clothes!”

  The tiger moved, bumping his big head into Jeremy’s leg and sending him sprawling on the ground before lying down and settling against Jeremy on the carpet. Jeremy raised his hand and stroked the soft fur. “I know, big guy. You were scared for me. I’m fine, though, thanks to you.” He moved up, hugging the tiger around the neck and holding on for dear life as he felt Denver shift back. Soon he was in his lover’s lap, Denver’s arms tight around him.

  “Shit, babe, you scared me to death!”

  “Yeah, tell me about it. Gosh, how could I have not known that she was a shifter?”

  “Well, unless she told you or shifted in front of you, it would have been hard for you to know. How did she do when she was pregnant? Did you go with her to the doctor?”

  Jeremy started to shake his head. She had never wanted him to go with her. Then he froze. If Deborah was a shifter, did that mean that...?

  * * * *

  “Is Adam a shifter? I mean, if his mother is one...”

  Denver could see the fear in Jeremy’s eyes, and he didn’t know how to fix this. “Yeah. He’s half shifter, I guess.”

  “Why hasn’t he...I don’t think he has ever shifted. And how come no one sniffed it on him before?”

  Denver shrugged. “You should ask Jared, but from the little I know, half shifters are hard to understand. He could start shifting anytime, or not until puberty, or even never shift. We can’t know how strong his shifter DNA is going to be. It also depends on what type of shifter your ex is. Some shift earlier, some later. As for the scent...” Denver shrugged. “I guess that in a house full of shifters everyone smells a bit like us.”

  Jeremy scrubbed his face. “Oh my god, my entire world is coming down. What do I do now?”

  Denver was a little hurt by what Jeremy had just said, but he could understand it. It was one thing to be the one involved with a shifter, another to think his precious son was a shifter. “I guess it’s lucky I found you, then. Who could help Adam more than an entire group o
f shifters? You can ask Jared for guidance and help, and we’ll figure out what’s going to happen.”

  Jeremy sighed. “You’re right, of course.” He leaned his forehead on Denver’s shoulder and Denver took the opportunity to wrap him in his arms. “I just tend to forget that I’m not alone anymore.”

  Denver rubbed his mate’s back, trying to sooth him as he placed a kiss on his hair. “Would it be such a problem if Adam shifted?”

  Jeremy’s head snapped up. “Oh, no, that’s not what I meant! I couldn’t care less if Adam is a shifter, if he shifts or if he never does. I just...I wished I had known. What would have happened if he had shifted in daycare, or in front of one of his babysitters? God, they would have taken him and done who knows what.”

  The next kiss went on the tip of Jeremy’s nose. “Well, you don’t have to worry about that anymore. I think you’re going to have to take Adam out of daycare, but I don’t think it will be a problem. You’ll find plenty of volunteers to watch him when you work, and it’s not like he won’t have contact with other kids. I’m sure Melissa’s mom will be happy to watch him for you.”

  “You’re right. It’s just hard to see this impacting Adam. He’s so young.”

  “Come on, babe. Let’s pack all this up and go home. We have to tell Dominic that Deborah’s here. Since she’s a shifter she should have told him she was staying in town.”

  “Yeah. I can’t wait to get home.”

  Denver had Jeremy grab the change of clothes he always kept in his car, and it didn’t take them long to get everything in Denver’s truck, especially after Bryce and Ward showed up. Denver desperately wanted to make Jeremy smile and forget about his shitty day, but he wasn’t sure how, so he asked his co-workers.

  “Well, since Jamie is still watching the little one, why don’t you organize a movie marathon? You know, snacks, beer and TV. It might even lead to more.” Bryce wiggled his browns, a smile on his lips.

  “I don’t know...wouldn’t it seem like I’m pushing him to do something he’s not ready for?”

  When both Ward’s and Bryce’s eyes widened he realized he had just told them he and Jeremy hadn’t slept together yet. He waited, expecting jokes, but nothing came.

  “You know, something I learned from Jamie is that he knows very well what he’s ready for and what he’s not. I virtually can’t push him to do something he doesn’t want, because he tells me it’s too much. Let Jeremy decide.”

  The quiet and helpful answer made Denver realize that those two men were more than co-workers. They were friends, and it made him feel funny inside to think that he not only had found his mate, but friends too. Yeah, it had been a good decision to come to Whitedell.

  “Besides, if you’re going to go to New York, you might want to spend a little time alone with Jeremy before leaving,” Bryce added, and Denver realized he had yet to tell his mate he would have to go. He knew Jeremy would understand, and he was glad the man had moved in the mansion. That way he wouldn’t spend the majority of time on the trip worrying about his mate.

  Soon they were home and Jeremy went to take Adam and put him to bed. It had taken them longer than they had thought to come back home and tell Dominic about Deborah, and Jeremy had wanted to talk with Jared. The doc had told him more or less the same things as Denver—he could try and get a DNA sample from Adam if Jeremy wanted to, but he didn’t think it was necessary. Since they now lived with shifters, Adam could shift without problems whenever he would be ready to.

  It didn’t take long for Denver to prepare what he needed for the movie marathon and everything was ready when Adam ran in the room to give him a goodnight kiss. “Dad, kiss!”

  Soon Jeremy was back and Denver could practically see the exhaustion pouring from him.

  “Come on, lie down.” Denver turned the TV on and settled next to Jeremy, his arm around his mate’s shoulders. They made it through the first half of the movie before Denver noticed that Jeremy had fallen asleep, so he turned everything off and pulled him under the covers before closing his eyes.

  The next thing he knew, his arms were empty but his cock was surrounded by a hot, moist mouth. Denver shivered, the sight of Jeremy’s head bobbing between his legs nearly as erotic as the sensations he was creating by blowing him. He tangled his hands into the soft reddish curls, massaging his lover’s scalp as he felt his orgasm getting closer and closer.

  “Babe...” Denver pulled a bit on the hair in his hand to somehow make Jeremy understand he was about to come, but his lover didn’t move. If anything, he started sucking on the head of Denver’s cock even harder. The tingling in his spine became more intense and spread to his balls, making them pull up as Denver felt the first rush of seed spurting from his dick into his lover’s mouth. Jeremy drank him down until Denver was spent, but his cock remained half hard.

  Only then did Denver notice that the sky outside was still dark. “What time is it?”

  “Four in the morning. I know you have to work tomorrow, so go back to sleep, love.”

  Denver’s head jerked toward Jeremy. Yeah, it wasn’t the first time they used endearments with each other, hell, he called Jeremy babe most of the time, but it was the first time either of them used the four-letter word. Denver knew he cared for Jeremy, but it scared him to death to even think about love, even if he knew they were in this for the long haul, and not only because of the mate bond.

  He didn’t think he could ever be without Jeremy again. It was already hard for him to leave his mate at home when he went to work, and most of his day was spent thinking about him and about what he could do to make him happy. Even the smallest things Jeremy did, like tucking his hair behind his ears, made Denver smile, and he had never found a man so beautiful and caring as his mate.

  Shit, he was in love with Jeremy.

  Did he have to say it? Did Jeremy expect him to say it? Yeah, it wouldn’t change the way he felt, but it seemed like a huge step. He did know that Jeremy felt the same way, he could feel it, but saying it out loud...

  “Love, you’re thinking too hard for this hour of the day. What’s going on?”

  There, there was the small word again. “Love?”

  Jeremy blushed. “Yeah, love. I didn’t think you’d notice, but...it’s what I feel for you, you know?”

  It seemed the both of them were embarrassed or afraid to confess their feelings, but what Jeremy had just said was enough to make Denver’s heart beat so fast he could swear it was going to jump out of his chest. He lunged forward, pushing his naked mate down on the mattress and looming over him, their eyes locked together. “Yeah, me too.”

  The smile Jeremy gave him was blinding, but he didn’t have the time to enjoy it more than a few seconds, because Jeremy rose up, plastering their lips together in a searing kiss. Denver let his mate ravish him, letting him set the pace as they rolled on the sheets until Jeremy was straddling his hips and looking down at him.

  Denver held his breath, waiting to see what his mate had in mind.

  * * * *

  This was it.

  Sure, they had experimented during the past week—a lot—but they hadn’t had sex yet. Denver was giving Jeremy time to get used to his new life and to the idea of making love with a man, but Jeremy didn’t really need it.

  He had never had problems with the fact that Denver was a man. He was just scared, mostly of being inadequate. He knew he was going to be the bottom boy, and he wasn’t really that interested in toping actually. He had never been really comfortable with taking the lead, not even with women, and now he could completely give it up to his gentle giant. Besides, he actually liked the feeling of having something up his ass.

  He knew it would probably hurt, but he was ready to go through that. He wanted Denver more than he feared the pain. He was just still worried that Denver would finally realize he could have someone better. Even now, as he looked down at his lover, he saw the differences between them. Denver was big, gorgeous and a mystery to most. He wa
s none of these things.

  “Now you’re the one thinking too much, babe. We don’t have to do anything. Let’s just go back to sleep, okay?”

  Denver made to move but Jeremy stopped him with a hand on his chest. He loved the soft hair there, loved how it felt on his skin, under his fingertips. Looking in Denver’s eyes, seeing the love glistening in them, Jeremy decided to throw caution to the wind. Denver was an adult, he knew what he was doing and what he wanted, and he wanted Jeremy.

  So yeah, he was going to go with it. Leaning down, Jeremy locked his lips on Denver’s, letting out a happy sigh when his lover immediately opened up to him.

  He hadn’t come earlier, and now he was hard enough to pound nails. Luckily for him, he could feel Denver’s renewed erection pressing against his belly.

  The meeting of their lips soon wasn’t enough anymore, and their hands began to roam. Jeremy already knew Denver’s body, knew what made his mate moan and what made him sigh, knew what pleased him, and he used this knowledge to play Denver’s body like an instrument. Maybe he wasn’t so averse about taking the lead after all. Still, he knew what he wanted, and that was Denver’s cock in him, soon.

  Refusing to let his mate’s lips go, Jeremy searched for the lube, moving his hand in the general direction of the nightstand. He knew he would have to move if he wanted to find it, though, so he ended the kiss and quickly moved to the side of the bed, lying on his stomach as he wrenched open the drawer. The lube was sitting there, waiting for him, so he grabbed it, but before he could move back, Denver blanketed his back. It felt amazing, the weight and warmth pressing him down on the bed, trapping his aching cock between the sheets.

  The pressure was almost too much, and Jeremy moaned, wanting to let his lover know how good he was making him feel. Denver’s hands roamed his back as he kissed his way down Jeremy’s spine until he reached his crack, before helping him to get his knees under him. Jeremy always felt very exposed in this position, ass up high in offering and forehead on his crossed arms, but he still liked it. He felt like he could let go and really enjoy Denver taking care of him, and the fact that he couldn’t see what Denver was doing added to the sensation.