“Holy fuck, that’s hot,” he whispered, the words ending on a groan when Tanner sucked hard. Finley’s balls drew up, and he was embarrassed to realize he was going to go off in about three seconds if he didn’t do something. “Stop! Oh fuck, Tanner, stop!”
Tanner pulled off and looked up, blinking. “Why?”
“I was about to come!” Finley managed, panting hard. He dropped his head back and stared at the ceiling as he tried to get his breath. He looked back down when Tanner replied.
“And why is that a reason to stop?” He looked truly perplexed.
Finley groaned again. “I don’t know, maybe because we’re finally in a bed?”
“Not a good enough reason,” Tanner replied with a grin, then swallowed Finley again.
“Fuck!” Finley struggled to hold himself back, not ready for it to be over so damned soon. Sharing pleasure with his mate was still so new, he wanted it to last, wanted to enjoy every bit he could. “Then turn around, please, let me suck you, at least.”
Tanner chuckled but did as Finley asked, shuffling around until he was kneeling over Finley’s face, then took Finley’s cock back into his mouth.
Finley moaned, wrapping his arms around Tanner’s hips. “That’s better,” he murmured before sucking in Tanner’s cock. Finley couldn’t hold in the moans, grateful they were muffled by the cock in his mouth. Tanner was way too talented with that mouth and tongue. He found himself approaching the edge of orgasm again embarrassingly fast.
At least when he was lying there, trying to catch his breath a few minutes later, he wasn’t the only one who’d gone off so fast. “Now,” he managed when higher thought returned, “tell me again why we finally have a bed and we blew each other instead of using the lube?”
Tanner laughed and kissed his temple. “I didn’t think you’d want to get stuck tied to me again for Diana knows how long.”
Finley considered that. “I suppose that’s reasonable.” He made a face. “Especially since I need the bathroom.”
“See? I have good ideas once in a while.” Tanner kissed him again.
“Now and again,” Finley conceded, then with a laugh, returned the kiss, and climbed out of bed to take care of business.
THEY WENT down the stairs together, Tanner holding Finley’s hand tightly, obviously sensing his tension. “They’re not mad, baby, I promise.”
Finley frowned. “How can you be so sure?” He looked up. “I just disappeared. And yeah, maybe I’m an adult, but still….”
Tanner kissed his temple again. “Let’s just talk to them, okay?”
Finley nodded, and they turned and headed into the kitchen. He stopped in surprise when he saw Jamie sitting with his grandparents at the table. He was grateful to see Jamie was dressed, so he’d apparently got there by human means. He hesitated, not sure what to address first.
Jamie smiled brightly at him. “Feeling better?” he asked, grin turning to a leer, and Finley’s cheeks heated.
“I got some sleep,” he said, elbowing Tanner when his mate snickered.
“I’m sure you did,” Grammy said smoothly. She stood up and crossed over, then kissed Finley’s cheek. “How about some lunch?”
“Lunch?” Finley asked, blinking.
“It’s after twelve,” Grandpaw replied.
Finley’s cheeks got even redder. “Oops.”
“Oh please, you were gone two days, all on the run. I’m actually a little surprised you’re out of bed already.”
Finley refused to address the fact that she said “out of bed” not “awake.” Instead, he took the cup of coffee Tanner held out to him and sat at the table next to Jamie, making sure to keep a seat open next to him for Tanner.
“So, what did happen?” Jamie asked.
Finley frowned. “I’m still not exactly sure. My wolf pretty much took over completely. All I knew was that I had to get to my mate.”
Jamie nodded. “I guessed it was something like that.”
“I think he thought our mate was hurt or something. Though what he thought he could do by crossing three thousand miles on foot, I have no idea.” Finley shook his head.
Jamie laughed, but it was Grandpaw who replied. “He wasn’t thinking. Our wolves are much more instinctual than that. He heard his mate in pain and reacted. It was that simple.”
Finley sighed. “I guess so. It was… it was weird. And a little scary to have lost control like that.” He swallowed, then looked up. “That’s never happened before.”
“When it comes to mates,” Grammy said from the stove, “our wolves tend to know better than us. Usually. Unless you’re trying to cross a country on foot.”
Finley laughed. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“I certainly should have listened to him more,” Tanner said.
Finley tried not to wince at the regret Tanner was transmitting—unintentionally, he was sure, but there, nonetheless. “You’re here now,” he said, taking his hand and squeezing it.
“I wasted time.” Tanner looked at Finley, then over to Jamie. “And I almost lost you over it.”
Jamie gave a half smile at that. “Naw, I never stood a chance, man. Not compared to you.”
Finley shifted his gaze to Jamie. “I don’t know,” he said, letting his mate squirm for a moment. “You are cute.”
Jamie’s half smile turned into a grin, and Finley knew the twinkle in his eye meant he understood the teasing. “Hmm. It’s not too late.”
Jealousy spiked over their bond, accompanying the growl that came from Tanner. Both made Finley grin too. “That’s true.” He glanced at Tanner, who was glaring at both of them.
“Then again, he’s downright gorgeous, so….” Jamie sighed. “I guess I’ll have to concede.”
Finley suppressed the instinctual jealousy over the comment and laughed. He undoubtedly failed, based on the smirk Tanner shot at him. Finley nudged Tanner’s knee with his own, and Tanner sighed.
“Fine. You had fun. You made a point.”
Jamie, Finley, and Grandpaw all laughed. “You deserve it, boy,” Grandpaw said. “Gave my poor grandpup a real rough time of it.”
Tanner ducked his head. “Yeah, I know.” He looked back up at Finley. “I’m sorry, baby.”
Finley leaned in and kissed him. “Forgiven. Just as you were yesterday.”
“If you fuck my best friend over, though,” Jamie said, “alpha or not, I’ll kick your ass.”
Finley glanced at Grandpaw, but he’d buried his nose in the newspaper for the moment. He glanced up and met Finley’s gaze to show he was listening, but didn’t say anything. Finley turned back to his mate.
Tanner raised his eyebrows but nodded. “Fair enough.”
Warmth spread in Finley’s chest at the comment, but he couldn’t resist saying, “You know, I’m right here and perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
Grandpaw snickered quietly. Jamie and Tanner rolled their eyes.
“Of course you can. Doesn’t mean we don’t want to take care of you, baby. Even if I’d like to rip his head off for suggesting he take care of you instead of me,” Tanner said, smirking.
“And even if my wolf would still like to rip your throat out for winning him instead of me,” Jamie said with a grin.
To Finley’s surprise, Tanner and Jamie fist-bumped. He shook his head, noting the twinkle in Grandpaw’s eyes. “You two…. Maybe I will let you two tear each other’s throats out, then go find someone else.” He shook his head. “I wonder if Scott Speedman’s really a wolf? He’s hot. Too bad Michael J. Fox isn’t as hot as he was back in the eighties. I have no idea how being a werewolf would make him a better basketball player, but he still looked damned good in those shorts while he played.” He looked up to see both Jamie and Tanner staring at him. His lips twitched.
Twin growls were his only answer.
He rolled his eyes and threw his hands up. “So, Grammy, need any help?” he called, and everyone laughed.
“No, dear, I’ll be done here soon. I hope you d
on’t mind cheeseburgers.”
“Of course not.” He sighed and turned back to the other two.
“So, Finley said you’re in school here?” Tanner asked.
Jamie nodded. “Yeah. I, uh, used to live in Portland, but my parents weren’t very, um… accepting of me.”
“Well, that sucks,” Tanner said with a frown. “Why here? Do you have family?”
“No.” Jamie shook his head. “It was an in-state school with a pack. Nothing else really here.”
Grammy chose that moment to bring the big plate of burgers over. “Finley, dear, get plates. Jamie, get the silverware. Tanner, hon, we need more coffee and napkins.” All three dispersed to do as they were bid, and Finley grinned at the slightly bemused expression on Tanner’s face, undoubtedly at being ordered around.
When they were resettled, burgers on their plates, Finley frowned over at Jamie. “What was your major supposed to be? I know you said you had to put one together here.”
“Yeah,” Jamie said, nodding. “They don’t have what I really wanted to do, which was criminal justice—you know, investigations, that sort of thing.”
“So… but if they didn’t have your major….” Tanner looked puzzled.
Jamie shrugged a shoulder. “Where else was I going to go? The Bend pack isn’t all that, uh, accepting either. And though the pack in Eugene would probably be okay, UO actually had even less to offer than Eastern did. I mean, I could have gone out of state, but I don’t know anyone there any more than I do here, you know? And it cost a lot more.”
“And we’re happy to have you in the pack here, dear,” Grammy said, smiling.
Finley sipped at his coffee, glancing at Tanner. He blinked at the thoughtful look on Tanner’s face. “What?”
Tanner glanced at him, then to Jamie. “You know, I bet Pitt or someone else there has your major.”
Jamie blinked at him. “Pitt?”
“That’s where I’m going,” Finley said. “University of Pittsburgh.”
“Where I went too. They’ve got a lot of different majors,” Tanner said, tilting his head. “There’s plenty of hunting ground out there.”
Jamie stared at him, then at Finley, then back at Tanner. “I…. You’d be okay with me out there?”
Finley smiled at the shock on Jamie’s face. “I’d love to have you there.” He pretended not to see the grins on Grammy’s and Grandpaw’s faces.
“I… but…. Tanner?”
Tanner’s smile was altogether wolfish. “I’m not worried. Anymore.”
Jamie laughed. “Well, uh, I’ll… look into it. I don’t know about financial aid or being out of state or anything.”
Tanner held up a hand. “We can help you out with that stuff. The Forbes pack has a lot of resources.”
“Would your dad be okay with that? I mean, since I’m not from Forbes?”
“I wasn’t either,” Finley pointed out.
“As future alpha, I am perfectly within my rights to offer our resources. We care about wolves. We’re not so stuck on where they come from, like some packs. Do you shift and grow fangs and fur? That’s what we care about.”
Jamie just shook his head. “I… wow. Uh…. Thanks.”
Finley beamed at Jamie, then kissed his mate. “Thank you.”
Tanner returned the kiss. “Don’t thank me yet. We’ll see if I can keep from killing him when he’s out there.”
Everyone laughed and dug into their food.
LATER THAT afternoon, Tanner threw down his pen and rubbed his face hard. He frowned at the computer, then back down at the paper in front of him.
“What’s wrong, baby?” Finley asked, then kissed the top of his head.
“No matter how I look at it, it’s well over thirty hours.”
Finley winced, not sure he wanted to try to deal with a car trip that long. Too much time cooped up in a much smaller place than even the train. “That’s… quite a trip.”
“And with the way our wolves have been?” Tanner asked, looking up. He pulled until Finley was in his lap. Finley wasn’t yet used to these outward shows of affection, and he soaked up every bit of it. “We’ll be lucky to go eight before we’d have to stop,” he finished, kissing Finley’s neck.
Finley moaned. “Not that….” He had to pause to remember how to breathe. “Gods, that feels good,” he murmured as Tanner continued nipping a trail over Finley’s skin. He tilted his head back, exposing his neck for his mate.
Tanner rewarded the show of submission with a soft, low growl and a harder nip to Finley’s neck. “I want to do that with my wolf teeth so fucking badly,” he rumbled.
Finley whimpered. “I want you to too. And if you don’t stop, I’m going to fuck you right here in my grandparents’ kitchen.”
Tanner laughed, pulling back and dropping a light kiss on Finley’s temple. “Well, while I’m sure they probably wouldn’t mind, I’m not ready to do that kind of thing publicly. Not, at least, until after I’ve claimed you.”
Pushing his hand through his hair, Finley nodded. “Agreed.” He sighed. “As I was saying, before I was so rudely interrupted—” Tanner nipped at his neck again. “—not that I mind how much you want me, but I’m not sure I’d want to take four days getting home.”
“Me either,” Tanner agreed. “The train says it’s forty-six hours to Chicago and another ten from there to Latrobe. But….”
“We don’t have to stop,” Finley finished for him. “Yeah, that’s an advantage.”
“It won’t be cheap. It’ll dip into the money I’ve been saving for our house.” Tanner frowned.
Finley leaned in and kissed him. “I’ve been saving too. All that work I did for your dad?” Tanner nodded. “I haven’t spent much at all. In fact….” He shifted around in Tanner’s lap, wiggling his ass maybe a little more than necessary, and chuckled at the groan from his mate. Of course, when Tanner’s now-hard cock dug into his crack, Finley realized the joke was on him. He shook the thought off and focused on the computer, clicking on a new window on the Internet browser. He logged into his bank and pulled up the account information, then turned again. “There.”
Tanner blinked at the screen, then looked up at Finley, then back to the screen. “What’s this?”
“The money I’ve been saving while working for your dad. I started right after we moved, remember?”
Tanner nodded, looking a little dumbstruck.
“Yeah, well, lots of evenings, most weekends, when I wasn’t studying. And all summer long, while you were working, so was I. You didn’t see the payroll?”
Tanner shook his head. “I haven’t gotten to that part yet. I’m not familiar with financial software, not like I’d like yet. So I’ve been working on the other stuff.”
“So, yeah. That’s what I’ve got saved so far.”
“I thought you spent it, though. Like… well, like a teenager.” Tanner stared at him in awe.
Finley snorted. “Baby, I haven’t been a regular teenager since I found my destined mate.”
“Well, that much is true.” Tanner chuckled and shook his head again. “Wow. I… don’t know what to say.”
With a shrug, Finley closed the browser window. “Nothing to say. I wasn’t going to let you be the only one to work toward our home, our life together.”
Tanner reached up, threading his fingers through Finley’s thick hair, and pulled him into a deep, thorough, amazing kiss. “I love you,” he murmured when he broke the kiss.
Finley had to fight to remember how to breathe again. “Gods, you kill me with those,” he muttered. “I love you, Tanner.”
With another kiss, this time to Finley’s temple, Tanner cleared his throat. “Right, then… the train it is. When do you want to go?”
Finley looked up at the clock. “Well, it’s too late tonight. Tomorrow, then?”
Tanner raised his eyebrows. “That soon? Don’t you want to spend time with your grandparents?”
Finley shook his head. “No. I mean, yeah, I do, but we c
an come back, can’t we?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“Well, then I want to go. If there are tickets for tomorrow’s train, let’s get them. I don’t want to wait much longer. If we plan it right and get back within a few more days, we can do the claiming on the new moon.”
Tanner nodded. “That’s a good idea. All right. Let’s get them ordered.”
FINLEY FLOPPED onto the seat and set his still-full cup of Starbucks on the tiny spot for it next to him. He made no attempt to hide what he was doing as he ogled his mate’s fine ass while Tanner bent over to find space for his laptop bag.
Tanner looked between their carry-on bag and the tiny closet, then shrugged and set the bag on the other end of the bench seat. “Not going to fit in there.”
“I’ll unpack some of it in a bit. I had to when I came out.”
“You had one of these rooms?” Tanner asked, looking around what Amtrak called a “bedroom.”
It supposedly held up to three adults, though Finley didn’t think for one moment more than two could possibly be comfortable. A slightly-wider-than-two-seating sofa sat against one wall. The opposite wall held the small sink and mirror, the miniature counter, and provided the wall for their private “bathroom,” which was a tiny waterproof room with a toilet that doubled as a shower seat and a showerhead hanging on the wall above it. Finley wasn’t going to complain, though. He much preferred it to the public shower he’d used on the way out. Between the single seat he sat in and the longer one Tanner had, the table sat in a pocket against the window, but they both ignored it.
“No, I had the smaller one with just the two seats. The closet was even tinier than that.” He chuckled. “But I made some of it fit and stored the rest under the seat.” He picked up his coffee, sipped at it, and sighed at the taste.
Tanner leaned his head back on the headrest, studying Finley. “You look tired.”
Finley nodded. “I’m still recovering, I think, from my ridiculous run.”
Devotion Page 19
