by Joyee Flynn
While Ant packed, I called and changed our flights to the first available. There were guards and employees of UPAC that could drive us to the airport, since that’s how we got to the castle. When he was ready, we made our way to the kitchen. We figured we could find someone to drive us there, and the chaos in the castle wouldn’t stretch down to there.
“And you’ve mated?” the guard asked, probably have been given instructions not to let anyone out who hadn’t been claimed. I rolled my eyes and yanked up my sleeve, showing my mating seal on my right bicep. As he checked it out, I wondered where it was on my little mate. I know it was different for each race, but I didn’t know about mice.
Since I figured it was a discussion for private, I didn’t ask as the guy led us out the back to one of the UPAC vehicles. And I must have dozed off during the drive because soft lips woke me with a kiss.
“We’re here, Gavin,” Ant whispered and kissed me again. Maybe I did like kissing. Could it be I’d missed out all these years on kissing because I thought it wasn’t something lions did? Or maybe it was just who I’d had in my bed before?
I didn’t know, but I kept thinking about it is I walked over to the ticket counter. As I was waiting in line, I noticed I’d lost Ant. Glancing around, I saw him back by the front doors struggling with his suitcase and carry-on. Whoops! Great mate I was… didn’t even notice when my mate wasn’t at my side. I got out of line and jogged over to him.
“Sorry, was lost in my thoughts,” I said sheepishly as I took his suitcase on wheels and carry-on. I gave him my laptop case instead. “Better?”
“Yeah, um, thanks,” he replied as his cheeks turned pink. Ant went to take my hand, but I pulled it away.
“Do you need to be led around like a child?” I asked as I stared at him with confusion. I swear I didn’t mean it as harsh as it came out. I just didn’t understand why he needed to hold my hand.
“Forget it,” Ant whispered, lowering his head and walked over to the ticket counter line I’d been in. I shook my head as I trailed after him, wondering if this had been a mistake. He was quiet the entire wait. And after we’d gotten our tickets and handed over his suitcase. And still when we went to grab breakfast at a small shop before our flight. And still he didn’t say anything when we boarded the plane and got settled into first class.
“I’m sorry,” I blurted out, no longer to take the silent treatment. “I didn’t mean to call you a child or be such an ass. I just don’t understand why you’d want to hold my hand. Can you explain it to me, or at least just stop being angry with me?”
“You’ve never just walked with your boyfriend or lover and held his hand?” he asked after a few moments, searching my face.
“No. But then again, I’ve never really had a boyfriend or a lover, just people I’ve had sex with. Been on a few dates, but those kind of annoyed me, too.”
“Okay then,” he said and reached into his carry-on to pull out his Kindle.
“Wait, so you’re still not going to talk to me or explain it?”
“It’s a sign of affection, Gavin,” Ant sighed and turned toward me. “I forgot you said you weren’t affectionate and was embarrassed that I was having problems with my luggage and reached for your hand. I wanted comfort and to show you I appreciated the help.”
“Oh, I thought you were afraid of getting lost in the airport,” I replied, not sure how something as simple as holding someone’s hand could lead to telling me everything Ant said it would convey. “Wouldn’t just a thank you and sex have worked better?”
“Shit, you’re serious, aren’t you?” he asked after a moment, his eyes going wide.
“Um, yeah.” I shrugged.
“Okay, so I guess I better get out of the habit of holding hands with my partner,” Ant muttered under his breath. We were interrupted by the seat belt sign for takeoff. But once we were in the air, I wanted to talk to him more. I guessed he wasn’t thrilled with my answer since, as soon as he could, he turned on his Kindle and started reading.
Not knowing what else to do, I grabbed my laptop and started working. I wasn’t going to sit there and wait for him to forgive me. I’d said I was sorry he was upset, not that I felt I did anything wrong, other than being harsh. I wasn’t going to apologize for not wanting to hold his hand. I worked for an hour or so as I mulled it over.
But then I thought of something as I worked on the coding for my latest program. What if I did like holding his hand but didn’t know it because I’d never done it?
Logically, I wasn’t sure how I got to that progression. But as I saved my work and closed my laptop, I realized I wanted to try it. Reaching with my left hand since Ant was in the window seat, I slid my hand under his on the armrest. He intertwined his smaller fingers with mine as I stared at our hands. I did notice his glancing over at me on the edges of my vision.
“I do like this,” I admitted out loud, even if it was more to myself.
“I’m glad,” he said as he leaned in closer. “Would I really be pushing my luck if I kissed you, too?”
“No, I already figured out I really like kissing you. And that’s new for me, too,” I answered as I slanted my mouth toward his. It was a soft kiss first then got more heated as I now had the time to explore his sweet mouth. I pulled back suddenly when I heard a giggle. Glancing over, I saw a young girl smiling as she watched us.
“We’ve been busted.” Ant snickered and put his Kindle away. Well, I guess getting that had him wanting to open back up to talking with me. “So I guess we’ve got to get you packed up to move when we get back?”
“Well, with the time difference and the flight times, considering we have a connecting flight in New York,” I started to say as I did the math in my head. Scotland was six hours ahead of Indiana, one flight was thirteen hours… “We’ll be getting in midnight Saturday our time. And by then my personal assistant Marv should have my essentials packed up. What’s left or not needed he’ll get done and moved to your house. I already emailed him.”
“I’ve been debating if I should get a PA,” he replied, scrunching his eyebrows together. “But I set up some interviews, and I had a few guys come in that gave me one look and knew they’d be running the show.”
“Can I ask why you’d need a PA?”
“Well, I’ve got more requests for my services than I have time in the day,” Ant answered as he rubbed his thumb over my hand. “And I can’t outsource that work. But I figured I could get someone to clean the house, pay bills, run errands, send out contracts, type up my notes I record. That kind of stuff. And I love to cook and bake. I absolutely adore doing it when I’m stuck on a game. But every time I go to do either, everything in my fridge is expired or it’s bare.”
He had a valid point and after a few moments, I had a plan. “Okay, do you have a mortgage?”
“No, I bought it outright,” he answered with a wink. “I might look in my twenties, but I’m over three hundred years old, Gavin.”
“Wow, you’re an old geezer.” I chuckled. “I’m only a hundred and fifty.”
“Nicccce, I’m totally robbing the cradle.” He chuckled. “Okay, so what’s your plan? I could just about see the wheels turning in your head.”
“Well, I figure since we’re going to be living together and you bought the house, I should take care of the bills to catch up,” I explained as I opened my laptop back up. “Marv is my personal assistant, so he handles all that for me now, so we can take it off your list. Plus, I employ a maid service, and we can just add on the extra rooms and laundry of yours.
“And as for typing up your recorded notes, I can ask my business assistant about it or see if she’d like to make some money on the side. Maybe a little extra for Marv, since I’ve never had him grocery shop, because mostly I eat out. Which gets tiresome. So if you cook, I’ll get the groceries and the maid services for the cleaning up. Fair enough?”
“More than fair.” Ant nodded, looking impressed. “You really don’t screw around, do you?”
&nbs
p; “No, I don’t have time for it when it comes to organization,” I snickered. I fired off a few emails about the changes and questions. “And we should get a lawn service.”
“I have that already,” Ant said with a yawn as he laid his head on my shoulder and watched what I was doing.
He was touching me, but this time my instincts didn’t scream to push him away. It was kind of nice, actually. Maybe I could get used to this, I thought with a smile, before I shut down my laptop and we settled down for a nap.
Chapter 3
We ended up sleeping most of the flight from Scotland before getting up to switch planes and eat something. Ant slept the flight from New York to Indianapolis while I stayed awake. I ended up staring at him most of the flight, wondering how different my life would be now. As much as I thought we fit well, both workaholics and all of that, I knew there would be changes.
I woke him when we landed, and we finagled our way through the airport. Ant had parked his car as well so I had to find him with my car in the other lot and follow him. It took about half an hour to get to his house in Greenfield. He had a nice two-story colonial with perfectly manicured lawns. I parked in the driveway while he pulled into the garage. We could figure out that part later.
“I finally understand the term dead on your feet,” Ant said with a yawn as he let us in the house. It was a connecting door off the garage, opening into the kitchen. The kitchen itself was a nice size, with an island and stainless steel appliances. The granite countertops matched the tiled floor, and I found myself impressed with his decorating skills. The house was stylish without being cold. It felt like a home, not just a place to crash like, my apartment.
I carried his bags along with mine up the stairs into the master suite. Again, it was very comfortable. There was a large queen-size bed in the center of the back wall. The color scheme was a little loud for me, mostly bright greens and purples. I was more of a dark- colored guy, but it wasn’t so bad that it was an eyesore. He had deep oak dressers that matched the bed frame, and I thought they went well with the bedding.
Ant collapsed on the bed, but I had other plans for my mate. I’d read the envelope from UPAC on the connecting flight. One of the rules was he had to have intercourse once every twenty-four hour period from the time we mated until the next leap year conference. If we didn’t for whatever reason, we’d lose our ability to shift permanently. And that made a shifter go feral.
“Time to shower and have sex,” I whispered in his ear as took off his shoes. “I read the rules the elder gave me, and we have to have sex at least once a day, Ant. We’re coming close to our twenty-four hour mark.”
“Lube me up and take me then,” he mumbled, not moving as I pulled off his socks.
“You’re not going to participate?” I chuckled as I worked on his jeans and then shirt.
“I’ll grunt some,” Ant said with a yawn as he rolled over naked. “Let me see you hard and wanting me, and I’m sure I’ll perk right back up.”
I started stripping for him slowly, making sure he’d get a nice view of all my muscles flexing. If nothing else, his cock took notice. By the time I was naked, my mate slid off the bed and onto his knees.
“I want to taste you,” he whispered and reached for me.
“Another time, Ant,” I replied as I pulled him up and into my arms. “We have to consummate our mating every twenty-four hours. That means intercourse.”
“Fine.” Ant chuckled, rolling his eyes. “I guess I can put out for you.”
“Oh, so sweet of you.” I lowered him to his feet and went to turn on the shower. As it warmed up I heard him moan. Glancing over my shoulder I saw he already had his fingers in his ass and where he got the lube from I had no clue. “Shit, that’s hot.”
“Slick up, big boy,” he said with a wink and handed me the lube. “I’m feeling randy all of a sudden.”
I growled my approval as I quickly slicked up and noticed it was waterproof. Thank the gods for small favors. I watched intently as he got ready for me. Then we got in the shower, my eyes focused on his firm ass.
“Wear me out so I can go back to sleep,” Ant taunted as he placed his hands against the tile and stuck out his ass.
“Gladly,” I purred as I moved into place. I pushed against his hole, groaning when it sucked me right in. Ant cried out as I filled him up and leaned his forehead on the cool tiles. I started out slow, but quickly switched to a faster pace.
“Oh gods you’re huge,” Ant moaned, reaching down to stroke his dick. I pounded into his warm heat, relishing the feeling of him wrapped around my cock. It had never been like this before with a sex partner. “Gavin, coming.”
“Do it, Ant. Scream my name,” I grunted as I picked up speed. I made sure to nail his prostate and moments later, he cried out my name to the heavens. Following him right over, I bit his shoulder to keep from roaring out in his ear. I shot my seed deep inside of him as a thrill ran through me. This man was mine forever, and no one else would ever know the pleasure that could be had from him. Only me.
“Feel like carrying me back to bed?” He panted a few minutes later as he slumped against the tiles. I chuckled and pulled out of him, getting a moan from both of us. “You’re such a stud. I can’t even feel my legs.”
“Thanks, Ant,” I whispered in his ear. I cleaned us up quickly, figuring we could wash our hair in the morning. When we were done and crawling into bed, I stiffened up in shock as he lay against my side. Ant threw an arm and a leg over me, sprawling over me as he had warned.
I didn’t know what to do. Part of me panicked at the incredibly intimate gesture. But then I heard his deep breathing and knew he felt safe enough around me to fall asleep. Shouldn’t I be able to do the same? I tried to relax and while it took a while, I finally was able to fall asleep. Maybe there was hope for me yet?
* * * *
The next morning I woke alone in bed. I threw back on my jeans since I didn’t have anything besides the bag I’d brought to the conference, and had pretty much gone through the clothes already. After I used the bathroom and washed up, I headed down the stairs and followed my nose to the kitchen.
“Coffee,” I purred and went to get some.
“You owe me something first for making the coffee,” Ant said as he looked away from his laptop. I turned toward him and saw he had his lips pursed. Chuckling, I went to him and gave him a good morning kiss. “Did you sleep okay? If not, we can use your bed.”
“I slept great, but my bed is a king size where yours is a queen,” I replied with a shrug and went for coffee. “How long have you been up?”
“A couple of hours,” he answered and started typing again. “I got more sleep on the planes than you did.”
“Fair enough.” I sat down at the kitchen table, tilting my head so I could see what he was doing. “Grocery list?”
“Yup, we’re completely bare.” He giggled. The doorbell rang and he glanced up, his eyebrows drawn together in confusion. “Who the hell is here at eight in the morning?”
“That would be Marv.” I chuckled and headed to the door. Sure enough, there was my PA, fresh-pressed and ready to go. “Morning, Marv.”
“Hey, Gavin,” he replied with a bright smile as I let him in. “So you bought a house? How did I not know about this? You didn’t give specifics in your email, and I figured you’d be tired from the flight and I could just ask this morning.”
“I didn’t buy a house. I moved in with my boyfriend.”
“Your what?” Marv gasped, freezing in his spot. “You don’t date, though! You told me you don’t date. How could you have had a boyfriend that I didn’t know about that was serious enough to move in with?”
“I gave him an ultimatum,” Ant answered smoothly, picking up on the lie as we got back to the kitchen. “I’m Anthony Marino. Gavin’s told me a lot of nice things about you.”
“He’s told me nothing about you,” Marv said as he went to shake Ant’s outstretched hand. I swear I saw Marv curl his upper lip, but
that couldn’t be. Marv was a sweetheart. I must not have had enough caffeine yet to face the day. “So what’s this about adding extra errands to my normal ones?”
“Since I’m moving in here and Anthony owns the house, I’m going to be paying the bills,” I explained, careful not to use Ant’s nick name since he introduced himself to Marv by his full name. “And Anthony is a great cook, so I won’t constantly be eating delivery and take out. But he works as much as I do, so neither of us has time for errands and we’ve got an empty fridge since we were in Scotland.”
“He went with you?” Marv gasped, his eyes going wide. “But I booked the flight. There was no companion.”
“I flew out at a different time and was going fly home earlier because of work,” Ant answered, raising an eyebrow. “But I was able to change my ticket and come back with Gavin. And while we were there, he accepted my offer to move in with me. Are we all caught up on the gossip now?”
“Yes, of course,” Marv replied, looking properly chastised. “Forgive me for asking questions and all, but I’ve worked for Gavin for three years. He doesn’t do anything last minute or spontaneously. So imagine my shock when I get an email to go and start packing up his apartment, hire movers, and additions to my responsibilities.”
“I can imagine you re-read the email a few times.” Ant chuckled as he moved over by me and wrapped an arm around my waist. “Would you like some coffee? Or do you have some of Gavin’s things we can unload? He’s out of clothes, and the ones he had on the trip I threw in the wash.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” I said, smiling down at him for thinking about that for me. “I emailed the maid service and changed the location address. I also asked they come by today or tomorrow to estimate the cost difference of your house. Plus, I think we should add in laundry.”
