Hayden shrugged. “I can’t stay here forever, can I? What if the council finds out about me?”
“They won’t,” Gregory replied tersely. “I’ll see to it they don’t. Come on, let’s go and grab dinner. It’s been a long day and I skipped lunch.”
Chapter Sixteen
“Damn, that was good.”
Gregory rubbed his stomach and leaned back in his chair, a wide grin stretched across his lips.
Hayden chuckled. “You know, I never figured you for a pizza type of guy.”
“Why not?”
Hayden shrugged. “I don’t know—I guess you just seem more refined than that. I thought it would be an à la carte menu and a bottle of red all the way for you.”
Gregory rolled his eyes. “Looks can be deceiving. I happen to love pizza. Matter of fact, I like all junk food. Sloppy Joes, corn dogs, hamburgers…and I have the biggest sweet tooth.
“Don’t even get me started on chocolate or macadamia nut ice cream.”
“I guess there are lots of things we don’t know about each other yet,” Hayden noted.
“Well, sure, but we’ve got the rest of our lives to discover them, haven’t we?”
Hayden smiled. “Yeah, yeah I guess we have.”
Gregory cupped the side of Hayden’s face.
“You know, you have the most beautiful smile. It lights up your whole face.”
Just as he expected, Hayden’s smile became shy and color flooded his cheeks.
“And your laugh? Man, when I saw you laughing with Nate earlier my stomach flipped. You know that was the first time I’ve ever seen you laugh? It looks good on you, Hayden, you should do it more.”
Hayden shrugged. “I haven’t had much to laugh about in the last few years.”
“It must be catching,” Gregory said. “I saw Nate do a fair bit of laughing himself and you know, now that I come to think about it, I’ve never seen that man laugh before either. It seems like you bring out the best in people.”
“I like Nate,” Hayden said quietly.
Gregory felt a stab of emotion in his gut that could only have been jealousy.
He’d never experienced it before, but then he’d never been mated before either.
“You like him?”
“Sure. I mean, Nate is quiet—hasn’t got a lot to say—but yeah, I like him. He seems like a nice guy. He works hard and he’s good at his job. What is his mate like?”
Gregory tried to take control of these new emotions before they overwhelmed him and he said something he’d regret. He knew he was being irrational and he wouldn’t subject Hayden to his own insecurities.
“Jared is one of the good guys.”
“Nate said you’ve been spending a lot of time with him in the past couple of days. What have you been doing?”
Gregory’s stomach clenched.
He didn’t want to talk about this with Hayden.
“Nothing exciting. Just helping Jared with some things he’s got going on in the sheriff’s department.”
Hayden’s gaze dropped. “Is he handsome?”
Gregory shrugged. “I guess… Hey.”
Gregory leaned across the table and placed his finger under Hayden’s chin. He lifted his head so that his mate met his gaze. It looked like Gregory wasn’t the only one suffering at the hands of the green-eyed monster.
“He’s not nearly as handsome as you.”
Hayden’s cheeks colored and he seemed content to let the subject drop, but when he next spoke, Gregory didn’t like the new topic any better.
“You know, you still haven’t told me what your superior said when you went into work yesterday.”
Gregory squirmed in his seat. “There’s nothing to tell. Nothing happened. I had some paperwork to catch up on. I didn’t get out of the office all day.”
“Didn’t Riley ask about me?”
Gregory nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t like lying to his face like that, but I had to stick to the story. I said I lost you in Vegas. I don’t really want to talk about work right now, Hayden. Can we change the subject, please?”
Hayden shrugged. “If you want to. What would you like to talk about?”
“How about what you’ve been doing around the ranch since I’ve been gone?”
Hayden got out of his seat and circled the table.
He straddled Gregory’s lap then leaned in close to his ear.
His breath was hot against Gregory’s neck and he got hard instantly.
“How about we don’t talk at all?” Hayden rasped.
He snaked his tongue out and trailed it lightly up Gregory’s neck. It was sweet, blessed torture. Gregory grabbed hold of Hayden’s hips and pressed against him.
Hayden’s dick was as hard as his.
Gregory groaned. “What do you want to do instead?”
Hayden leaned back until he met Gregory’s gaze. “This,” he whispered and then he pressed their lips together.
Gregory wasn’t sure who groaned the loudest when their tongues met and caressed. Hayden writhed above him, grinding roughly into Gregory. His fingers bit into Gregory’s shoulders as he devoured his mouth with ferocious intensity.
“Let’s go to my room,” Hayden said when he pulled back to catch a breath.
Gregory couldn’t think of anything he wanted more.
He didn’t trust his voice enough to reply so he nodded his agreement.
Hayden got off his lap, grabbed hold of his hand and pulled him along. Once inside, he didn’t give Gregory a moment before he pounced, pinning him to the wall and taking his mouth again.
Gregory’s brain shorted out.
Hayden’s kisses were exquisite and at that moment he forgot about everything else. All his troubles and cares might as well have not existed. His mate was all that mattered, all he could see or think about. Before Gregory realized they were moving, they were falling onto Hayden’s bed, their legs tangled together.
“Well, this is one way to get to know each other,” Gregory teased, running his hands up Hayden’s thigh.
Hayden’s laugh turned into a gasp when Gregory’s fingers skimmed over the erection tenting his pants. The smell of Hayden’s arousal assaulted Gregory’s senses and he let out a ragged groan.
Damn, he needed this.
He’d been so busy the past couple of days he’d barely seen Hayden and they hadn’t been intimate since the morning at the motel. It was only three days ago but it felt like a lifetime.
“What you thinking about?” Hayden asked, reaching down and running his fingers through Gregory’s hair.
The touch sent shivers surging down his spine.
Gregory met his mate’s gaze sheepishly. “Would you think less of me if I told you I was thinking about sex?”
Hayden chuckled. “That depends.”
“On what?”
“On what exactly you were thinking about it. If it was something along the lines of ‘I want to ravish Hayden right now,’ then you just went up in my estimation.”
Gregory grinned and crawled up his mate’s body until their entire lengths were pressed together and they lay nose to nose, their gazes locked.
“Do you want to be ravished?” Gregory was surprised by the deep, husky tone to his voice.
The primal look in Hayden’s eyes spoke volumes.
The rawness of it made Gregory’s breath catch in his throat.
It made his dick ache.
“By you? Always.”
Gregory couldn’t contain the groan that tore from his throat when he leaned down and tasted Hayden’s lips. He couldn’t think of anything more perfect than their warm breath mingling together while their tongues danced and they tasted each other.
Gregory was in heaven.
“I want you to take me,” Hayden said against his mouth. “I want you to claim me.”
Gregory pressed their foreheads together. “Are you sure that’s what you want? You know it can’t be undone. We’ll belong to each other forever.”
Hayden che
wed on his bottom lip and lowered his gaze. “If that’s not what you want, I’ll understand. I mean, I know I’m not—”
“Don’t even think about finishing that sentence,” Gregory chastised. “I want it more than I can say. I want you more than I can say, but I want you to be sure. It’s a big step.”
“I am,” Hayden whispered. “I’m sure.”
The intensity in Hayden’s eyes reinforced the fact that he believed wholeheartedly that this was what he wanted.
Reassured, Gregory found Hayden’s mouth and his mate’s hunger more than matched his.
Gregory couldn’t get enough of Hayden’s taste. They undressed each other quickly between hot, drugging kisses. Gregory tried to take his time—to map out every inch of Hayden’s body, but he was so turned on, his hands fumbled, making him feel like an inexperienced teen on his first erotic encounter. He closed his eyes and took a moment to calm down. When he opened his eyes again, Hayden was staring up at him through his beautiful thick lashes, his eyes heavy-lidded with lust.
“You’re so beautiful,” Gregory breathed. “Breathtaking.”
To his delight, Hayden blushed and the deep flush to his cheeks only added to his appeal.
He ran his hands down Hayden’s body, his fingers tracing every line and muscle, every vein and freckle. Gregory followed the pale blond treasure trail of hair to Hayden’s erection with the tip of his finger, delighting in the moan it elicited from his mate’s lips. The gasps and whimpers only spurred him on, gave him the confidence to touch Hayden with more fervor and know that his mate loved every second of his caresses.
When they were both naked, Gregory sat up and looked his fill. How did he get so lucky? His awe turned to amusement when Hayden’s chest colored to a deep shade of pink, the blush matching the color on his neck and face.
“There’s no need to be embarrassed with me, Hayden,” Gregory soothed, trailing his hand over his mate’s chest.
Hayden’s breath caught when Gregory’s finger ghosted over a nipple.
“I’m not used to people looking at me like that.”
“You’d better get used to it because I’ll never stop looking at you like this.”
“Please?” Hayden begged.
Gregory groaned and looked around the room. “We need…”
“Oh.” Hayden rolled to the side and opened a drawer in his nightstand. “Here you go.”
Gregory looked down at the bottle of lube in his hand. “Where did you get this? Did you bring it with you?”
Hayden shook his head.
He wouldn’t meet Gregory’s eye and, while he watched, Hayden’s cheeks colored further.
“Cary gave it to me,” he whispered.
Jesus.
Now that was a conversation Gregory would have loved to have been a fly on the wall for. How the hell had they managed it?
They were both as shy as the other.
Whatever…
Gregory didn’t question Hayden, he couldn’t. He was too desperate for relief. He prepared Hayden quickly. He tried to go as slow as he could but he wasn’t entirely successful and it seemed Hayden wasn’t in the mood for a go-slow either.
Gregory was under no illusions, they both needed this.
Hayden writhed on his fingers, canting his hips, begging with his body for more. Gregory gave him everything he had to give and more. Soon they were both sweating, panting, wanting—the need in their bodies too strong to ignore.
“Please,” Hayden said again.
Gregory chewed on his bottom lip.
His hand shook from the pressure of keeping it propped up near Hayden’s head while he used the other to lift Hayden’s hips, push back his knees and position himself at Hayden’s entrance.
He looked up and met Hayden’s gaze.
When his mate gave a slight nod, it was all the permission Gregory needed. He pushed in, crying out when the muscles of Hayden’s ass contracted, pulling him deeper. Jesus, but it felt good. Sex had never felt like this for Gregory, but then he’d never had Hayden before.
He took his time, pushing deeper inch by agonizing inch until he was all the way inside and then took a moment—both to get his breathing under control and to allow Hayden time to adjust to the sensation of being stretched and filled. Hayden shook in earnest beneath him, his hands fisting the sheets, knuckles white from the pressure.
“Gregory, please move,” Hayden pleaded.
Gregory didn’t need to be told twice.
He went slowly to begin with, building up speed gradually until he was pounding into Hayden, the sweat dripping from his forehead evidence of their exertion. Hayden lifted his hips to meet every thrust, spurring Gregory on with his low, untamed cries and moans.
It was too much.
The pressure inside Gregory built, his balls drawing up ready to release. He tried to think of anything but the need to come and of how good Hayden would feel wrapped around him drawing out his orgasm.
But it was no use.
The sensations in his body were nothing compared to the surge of emotion that overcame him when he met Hayden’s gaze and saw the wonderment etched into every line on his face.
A low, rumbling purr erupted from Hayden’s chest and he tilted his head to the side, offering his neck.
Gregory lost it.
Instantly, his incisors tore from his gums and he leaned down and plunged them into his mate’s neck, claiming him. Gregory was dimly aware of the purr in his own chest as he drew Hayden’s sweet blood into his mouth.
Hayden gasped and his ass felt like a vice around Gregory’s dick, pulsating and bringing on his orgasm as his mate shuddered through his own release, the wet heat coating their stomachs.
Gregory couldn’t hold back any longer.
He didn’t want to.
He withdrew his teeth from Hayden’s neck then threw his head back and shouted out Hayden’s name as his dick released burst after burst of seed into his mate’s ass.
When they’d both finally stopped shaking, Gregory fell forward, his hands just managing to brace himself above Hayden and support most of his weight.
He’d never felt so alive or so at peace.
The realization that they had bonded together for life filled him with the utmost joy. Gregory would allow nothing or no one to come between them—whatever it took, he would keep Hayden safe.
He had to.
If anything were to happen to Hayden, Gregory wouldn’t survive it.
Chapter Seventeen
Hayden finished brushing Misty’s coat and carried the brushes back to the tack room.
He’d been afraid of the horses when he first came to live on the ranch, but they’d grown on him in the week since and now he could honestly say he loved spending time with them. He usually worked with Nate, Aaron or Cary while he’d learned the ropes, but it was Nate’s day off and Aaron and Cary were out riding fence in the north pasture.
Hayden didn’t usually mind being alone—he’d become used to it over the years, but he hadn’t had a moment alone since he’d come to the ranch and he had to admit he liked always having someone around now. He hadn’t once felt lonely since he’d arrived. At night Gregory was with him, and that’s when the place started to feel like a real home.
Hayden had come to care for Gregory a great deal in the couple of weeks that they had known each other, but sometimes he wondered if his mate reciprocated his feelings. Gregory hadn’t said anything particular that had led Hayden to believe he was indifferent about their mating, but he had grown more and more distant and wouldn’t admit that anything was wrong.
Hayden wasn’t stupid—he could tell Gregory had been distracted.
He just wished he knew what was bothering him.
When Hayden checked his watch, he realized it was nearly lunchtime and decided to leave the mucking out until after he’d taken his break. He left the barn and strode across the yard to the bunkhouse.
As he approached, a tall, muscular man climbed the steps to the porch. Hayden sto
pped his advance, unsure of what to do. He hadn’t spoken to anyone except the people who worked on the ranch and Pete since he’d arrived. He knew he had to keep a low profile in case someone from the council showed up, so he started edging backward, about to head back to the barn, when the man turned and spotted him.
“Hello? Hayden, isn’t it?” the man called.
Crap.
How did he know who Hayden was?
Hayden didn’t know what to do, but the man was smiling broadly and he seemed friendly enough so he took a few cautious steps forward.
He nodded. “Who are you?”
“No need to be afraid,” the man said. “I’m Gregory’s friend from the council. He told me all about you.”
Hayden’s eyebrows skyrocketed. “He did?”
The man chuckled. “Yes. Don’t worry, he hasn’t told anyone else at the council about you, but he knew he could trust me.”
Hayden frowned.
He didn’t know if he should believe the man, but he found himself edging closer and asking, “What is your name?”
“Oh, do forgive me,” the man replied, closing the distance between them. “My name is Riley.”
“Oh, you’re Gregory’s superior at the council.”
“That’s right, I am. So are you going to invite me in for a coffee?”
“Uh, okay, sure.”
Hayden still wasn’t sure he was doing the right thing but the man seemed harmless, despite his size. He led the way up the porch steps and pushed open the door.
“Come in.”
“Thank you.” Riley followed him into the bunkhouse, through the living room, and into the shared kitchen. He nodded in thanks when Hayden motioned for him to take a seat in one of the chairs around the table.
Hayden set about making coffee.
Neither spoke while he worked. It was Riley that broke the silence.
“So how do you like it here on the ranch, Hayden?”
Hayden’s smile was wide, genuine. “I love it here. Everyone has been so welcoming to me since I arrived.”
Riley nodded. “You came to a good place, and Kelan is a wonderful alpha. He looks after his friends and family.”
Hayden nodded enthusiastically. “At first I thought he was only helping me out because he knew Gregory and I are mated, but, now that I’ve come to know Kelan more, I realize that he loves to help people.
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