by J. D. Light
He frowned harder, but nodded. "I can't afford plastic surgery, Green. Maybe someday, but not now."
My eyes widened, and my grip tightened a little on his wrist. "What? Do you think I'm taking before pictures?"
Not to be offensive to my mate, but that just seemed like such a ridiculous assumption to jump too.
Scoffing, he sat the carafe down, leaning a hip against the table. "Well, since I'm your mate, you're kinda stuck with me. It'd make sense if you'd want to have my face fixed. It's not like I haven't wished I could every day since I got away."
"That makes sense?" I frowned over at Foster, who also seemed to be having a hard time processing the idea that plastic surgery for something neither of us saw as a flaw, was a sensible answer.
"You have to admit. They're pretty unsightly." Rory shrugged, making my heartache.
Not caring that Rory was busy, and Bunny was probably going to ring my neck, I pulled my mate down into my lap, and kissed his scars, up and down, one by one. "If someday, you decide you want to get rid of these marks, I'll support you completely. Not because I find them unattractive or in any way a distraction from just how beautiful you are, pretty angel. But because I'm not the one who has to bear them. And I know they represent something that was very traumatizing."
I traced my favorite one. The one that went through both of his beautiful lips. The one I always wanted to follow with my tongue down into his mouth. "But if you decide to keep them to show the world what you have survived. To show everyone your strength, I will kiss them every day for the rest of our lives, so you always know how happy I am that you survived."
Rory made a slightly distressed sound, and buried his head in my neck. I felt the heat, and wetness from his tears, and squeezed him tight, knowing these last few days hadn't been easy on my little love.
When he pulled back, there was a tender smile on his gorgeous face. "You're right. I could be dead, right now. I don't know if I'll ever completely be comfortable with these." He ran his fingertips over the grooves in his face. "But if they don't bother you, maybe I can try to look at them the way you do."
"The way we all do," Foster said, clearing his throat when we both turned to look at him. "The way everyone in the leap looks at you, Rory."
Smiling shyly, my mate dropped his head. After a second, he sighed, pushing his shoulders back, and getting up to grab the carafe, and finish filling up Foster's coffee.
When Rory walked away, I smiled at Foster, wanting to laugh at just how uncomfortable he looked. "Thanks, man."
"I didn't say anything that wasn't true." He didn't look at me, as he took a sip of his coffee. "You going to let me involve my people? A shifter prison will give that disgusting asshole about the same amenities he gave your sweet boy."
"I'll think about it. I just really want to feel the life leave his body. But at the same time. I feel like it will be too quick that way."
Shrugging, Foster took a sip of his coffee. "Vengeance for your mate is your right. Nobody would bat an eye. Just let me know. Either way, Kinsey said, he'd like to question him. There might be more involved. He had to be advertising him in some market. It sure would be nice to know which one."
***
"Oh damn," Rory groaned, covering his face with his hands. "What are we doing here?"
Chuckling, I leaned over my truck's console, and kissed my mates temple, smirking at him, when he peeked sideways at me between his fingers.
"It's so humiliating that you saw me do that," he mumbled into his hands, looking out at the very spot I'd watched him bathe in just two days before.
"Well, It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen." I reached over the seat, into the back, and grabbed the bundle I'd stored back there before I'd taken him to work, and the bag Bunny had packed for me while Rory had been running around cleaning tables before Ward and Arry showed up for their shifts.
The new waiter was supposed to be starting in a week, to relieve Arry, but that still left Ward, who was being the exceptionally friendly––extreme sarcasm being used here––cook.
I personally didn't even think she was looking for a cook now. She'd already said she was going to take over mornings for Ridley when he couldn't work anymore, and I think she was too happy with the arrangement she currently had to cut Ward loose.
Bunny could be a mean one sometimes.
"What's all that?" If Rory had dog ears, they would have perked up when I pulled everything into the front seat.
"I thought we could have a picnic." I paused, frowning. "But now that I've thought of it, maybe eating outside isn't such a novelty to someone who has been doing it for months out of necessity."
"No! It is." He placed his hand on my arm, to still it from where I'd started to put everything back. "Don't forget, before I spent all that time eating and bathing outside, I'd spent twelve years locked in a basement. I didn't just choose the outdoors because I had nothing else. There are shelters everywhere. I chose all this––" he motioned to the spot I'd watched him soap his gloriously naked body before. "Because it felt like freedom."
Smiling, I pecked him on his unbelievably perfect mouth, and hauled the blanket, its contents, and the food out of the truck.
Climbing down the mangled bridge, I put my bundle and the bags down on the same spot Rory had placed his clothes that day. I spread the blanket out, arranging the pillow, and popping up the small canopy, to keep the sun off of my pretty angel's light skin.
After kicking our shoes off, he sat down slowly in front of me, crossing his legs like a kindergartener, and looking at all the stuff I'd brought like he was in a wonderland.
"I can't believe you did this for me," he whispered in awe. "You even thought of my skin, even though you probably never have to worry about sunburns."
I smiled at that. He was right, I'd never had a sunburn in my life, but I'd watched Arry whine for the two hours it took him to heal after he'd spent an entire day in the sun thinking he couldn't sunburn because he was black. I'd waited until later to remind him that he was lighter completed than me, and laughed my ass off when Bennett had smacked his tortured skin.
I'd never let my precious mate go through that though. Not if I could help it.
"I learned about sun the hard way a few months ago." He said, with a self-deprecating smile. "You'd be surprised how much you don't know when you are basically locked away from the world. That first nice spring day, I'd laid in the sun like a cat for hours." Shuddering, he met my gaze. "Thankfully, one of the grandmothers that volunteered at the shelter I was staying in had coconut oil. It helped a lot with the sting."
"Are you hungry, pretty angel?"
Nodding, Rory slid forward, shyly moving toward me, and up into my lap, straddling my legs. "Yeah, but I think I want to do something else first."
He brushed his lips to mine, and then nibbled. I felt my heart flutter, and the throbbing in my ears told me my pulse had just sped up in a sudden wave. His tongue painted a wet line across my lips, and I opened for him, again content to let him lead.
Taking my mouth slowly, he dipped inside, sliding his tongue against mine in slow, controlled movements. Pulling back, he rested his forehead against mine, breathing against my lips. "I love kissing. I love tasting you."
"You are more than welcome to taste me anytime you want, pretty angel."
"Green, you know I've never done this, right? I mean, I've barely even masturbated. I've always had too many eyes on me."
Rubbing his back, I kneaded the flesh with the tips of my fingers. "Don't worry, pretty angel. I'll go slow."
"I'm not worried about that. I know you won't hurt me more than necessary." Leaning in to lick my lips again, he said, "I just don't want to disappoint you. I thought if I told you, you wouldn't get your hopes all up, and then be disappointed later."
"Oh, I have little doubt that I will thoroughly enjoy anything that has to do with touching your body."
"Can I taste you? Ever since I saw your dick, I wanted it in my mouth."
Groaning, I nipped his neck, and then rubbed my lips against the soft skin. "Not if I'm going to claim you. Shit."
Pulling back, he pouted, making me suddenly realize how much trouble I was going to be in, in the future. He was going to get absolutely everything he wanted in life, just by being that damn irresistible.
"What about later, before bed?"
"Fuck. As soon as I get you claimed, you can taste me anytime you want. How about that?"
Smiling shyly, Rory reached for his shirt and pulled it off, exposing the taught curves of his stomach and chest. My pretty angel might be thin, but his body was made for my hands.
They looked giant, and so damn dark against his small, pale body. It was a beautiful contrast that had me absolutely mesmerized.
Placing his hands back on my shoulders, he arched into the pressure of my hands, grinding his ass down on my cock.
We both moaned, and I had to force his hips to still, so his writhing body didn't have me shooting before I was deep inside him.
Once I was sure he was going to be good, I reached behind me, and pulled my shirt off, watching his face as he looked me over when the material was somewhere over my shoulder.
I loved how his nostrils flared, and his eyes darkened. How he licked and then bit his lip, like he was imagining all the things he wanted to do to me with his mouth.
He reached up, and thumbed a dark nipple, making it bead, and I moaned. His hands felt amazing on my body. His long, slim fingers and broad palms looked perfect against my heavily muscled pecs.
"You're so gorgeous," he whispered, leaning in to lick my nipple. "I can't believe you're real."
Groaning, I cupped his head, pulling his mouth up to meet mine. "Trust me," I said against his soft lips. "I'm the one who is blown away by just how blessed I am. I want to question what the Almighty was thinking by giving such a precious being, one of his pretty angels, to a man who barely remembers to thank him for the food I eat, but I'm selfish enough to take this gift and run."
He smiled sweetly, but I wasn't entirely sure he was listening. He leaned forward and pressed his chest to mine, throwing his head back at the contact, and rocking forward.
"Fuck!" I was never going to make it, at this rate.
Taking pants off in a sitting position is never easy, especially when my mate wasn't helping me at all, too busy wringing moans and gasps from me by way of putting his mouth against my neck, shoulder and collarbones.
Wrapping my arms around him, I lifted slightly, turning, so that I could gently lay him on the blanket-covered ground. I unfastened his jeans, watching breathlessly as his beautiful dick popped out.
I pushed his pants down his legs, letting my hands skim the soft skin of his thighs. It was amazing how little body hair he actually had. His leg hairs were light brown and sparse. Same with his arms and the delicious trail leading from his belly button to his almost thin triangle of pubic hair.
Once I had him fully naked, I spent a few moments simply looking at him. I knew he didn't think he was attractive because of his scars and the fact that he was so thin, but to me, he was a beautiful, naked angel, and I felt my heart clench at the true gift that he was.
When my eyes wondered back up to his beautiful blue ones, he was looking right back at me. "I love the way you look at me, Green. I actually feel worth something when you look at me like that.
"You're worth everything, Pretty Angel."
Pulling the lube from my back pocket, I dropped it by his hip, and undid and pushed down my pants, before kicking free of them.
"Tell me at any time if you need to stop," I said, squeezing some of the lube onto my fingers. "I want this to be a good experience for you. Not something else to add to the bad."
Nodding, he spread his legs, letting me look at his pretty hole.
I growled, loving how trusting he was. Putting my thumb in the crease by his balls, I let the tip of my middle finger follow the line down, until it brushed over the puckered skin of his hole.
Dragging my finger around, and then applying steady pressure to the center, I was so proud of my pretty angel, when he completely relaxed, letting me in.
"Fuck. You feel so good."
He squirmed a moment, but when I pushed deep, and ran my fingertip against the top of his channel, his eyes rounded, and his hips canted, clearly wanting more. When I thought he was ready, I added another finger, and then another, loving the way he gasped and whined, calling my name when I pressed hard against his prostate.
Both of our cocks were leaking steady streams of pre-cum by the time I was satisfied with how stretched he was.
Pulling free, I slicked up my dick, careful not to tighten my grip, no matter how amazing it felt to finally have friction on it. I would have shot off easily with a bit more pressure.
Leaning forward, I kissed my way from his hip to his neck, licking and nipping his pale skin, making it pink.
When I took his mouth, he wrapped his arms around my neck, and rubbed his smooth inner thighs up and down my hips and sides, before trying to press his dick more tightly against my abs.
Lining up my dick, I pressed forward, very slowly entering my mate. He mewled, trying to push down faster, but I forced his hips to still, because I was barely holding on, and I knew I'd blow in a second if I didn't slow him down.
"Please, Pretty Angel. I'm too close. I need to go slowly," I whispered against his mouth.
Whining, he nodded, making us both moan as the action brushed our lips together, making them catch on each other's.
When I was finally, fully pressed inside, I was breathing hard, and sweating all over. He was trying so hard to be good. I could see it in the shaking strain of his body, and the way he was biting down hard on that plump, lower lip.
Using my thumb to pull the abused skin free of his teeth, I soothed it with my tongue, and pulled my hips back, before slamming forward again.
His gasp and then whine was the most beautiful sound. I used one hand to tilt his hips, making sure to angle mine, where my cock head moved over his prostate again and again as his dick rubbed against my abs.
When he cried my name, throwing his head back, and exposing his long, lovely neck, I felt his seed splash against our stomachs, setting off my own release, filling him up.
I yowled to the cloth canopy above my head, and then lurched forward, sinking my teeth into the pale, tender skin of his unmarred neck.
He jerked, letting out a surprised gasp, and then a moan, as his dick gave another flex, and more of his delicious seed spilled out between us.
I could have had two orgasms, or just one long, forever drawn out one. I just couldn't tell with all the amazing endorphins bouncing around in my body. All I know is that when I collapsed, I somehow managed to fall sideways before I passed out.
Chapter Five
I was trying to be subtle about it, because what kind of weirdo falls in love in a few short days, but I was starting to think my subtle was lacking. Especially when I kept doing stupid stuff. Like saying, "I lllllike this cup," while holding a coffee cup that has Bunny's logo on it.
You know, like the same cups I serve coffee to everyone in town in. Every. Single. Day.
He either thought I was unperceptive as a mother, and I was going to end up with Bunny's Diner cups for my birthday, or he was starting to catch on.
Probably didn't help when I blushed the color of Ridley's hair, and scampered away every time, either.
What was worse was when other people caught it. Like a few minutes ago, when Green and Foster had to run into to town for something to do with Foster's job, and I'd gone up on my tippy toes to kiss him. When we pulled back, I said, "I lllllistened to a country song today. Okay, bye."
"Uh…bye, Pretty Angel."
But I was already inside the kitchen, pretending to do things by opening cabinets and moving stuff around.
"You can come out now," Burke yelled from the living room, after I heard the front door open and shut. "Or, ya could pretend to make
me a sandwich."
Groaning, I walked into the living room and flopped down on the couch. Ward looked away, clearly trying not to laugh, while Arry smirked from behind his phone.
"It's okay that ya already love him." Burke too looked on the verge of laughter. "You have to remember, he's your perfect match in every way. It's not surprisin' that your feelin's are so strong, so fast."
"But, what if he's not ready, yet?" I dropped my face into my hands, mumbling against my palms. "I'd much rather just wait until he feels the same, than say anything now, and run the risk of him freaking out and leaving me."
"He's definitely ready," Arry said, bringing his phone down for just a second. "He looks at you the way all these mated assholes look at each other. I can practically see the heart eyes. It's disgusting."
"You're so full of shit," Burke said, throwing a pillow at the man. "You'll be the same way someday."
"What if we don't have a mate?" Ward hardly ever spoke. He wasn't shy, or even rude. He just simply kept his mouth shut unless he had something real to say. "I mean, with the rate everyone is finding their mate, we have to be getting close to our quota, right? It just makes you think, maybe you aren't going to end up with one."
"Do you want one?" I asked the big man, softly, worried it was a bit of a sore subject.
Shrugging, the man smiled softly. "It would be nice to snuggle something soft at night, and share sweet kisses with."
"Soft?" Burke looked at Ward thoughtfully. "Like a woman? I guess I didn't know ya were straight. With all these gorgeous gay men runnin' around, I was startin' to think the entire leap was gay."
Laughing, Arry shook his head. "No, he meant man. He's definitely gay. He just likes him men with a little extra cushion."
"You like cute little chubbies, Ward?" Burke's eyes lit up, making his handsome face even more animated. "I'm so gonna find ya the man of your dreams."
Rolling his eyes, Ward went back to his book.
My phone ringing surprised me. I'd had a perfectly fine prepaid flip phone. With the very few people who called me ever, it had been perfect for my various jobs to get ahold of me. But when Green had seen it, he honestly looked like he was going to faint. I've never seen a black man get so pale so fast.
