by Sky Winters
“That’s bullshit!” Lance exclaimed. “Nothing about the world is predetermined. We make our own way in this world. Your father was just abusive.”
Orion smirked. “I won’t argue with you about that, but he was right about one thing. There is something about me that is different. And I had to figure it out for myself out here, alone. For the entire summer. And then throughout the winter. And during several more summers and winters. By the time I came back, my father was old and dying, and I was stronger than I had ever been in my life.”
Lance opened and closed his mouth, but he wasn’t sure what to say.
“The point of this is, this is where I was forced to be, instead of being with you, where I wanted to be. Instead of telling you…”
Orion cut himself off, and cast his dark eyes to the ground. Lance noticed him make a tight fist, before finally looking up into Lance’s eyes again.
“I didn’t hate… what happened. I didn’t hate it.”
Lance blinked and then burst out laughing. He didn’t hate it? He didn’t hate the kiss. He wasn’t angry about it. Lance being forward wasn’t what ruined their friendship. It was Orion’s father.
“You didn’t hate it?” Lance repeated, unable to stifle his laughter.
Orion grinned and shook his head, his long dark hair brushing his shoulders.
“I didn’t hate it. In fact,” Orion said, taking a cautious step toward Lance, “you were my world back then. You were the only thing that really made sense.”
Lance gasped as Orion pulled him roughly forward and wrapped his arms strongly around Lance’s body. They kissed passionately, every inch of Lance’s body electrified by Orion’s touch. He had been waiting so long to resolve these feelings, to understand what had happened between them the summer that Orion had left him. And now here it all was, right out in front of him, too good to be true.
He couldn’t resist the powerful thrall that Orion had over him. It just felt too good to be in his arms after so long. To feel the scrape of his stubble on his cheek and the soft, angelic lips that brought shivers up and down Lance’s spine. There was undeniable chemistry between them, there always had been, and he was going to drown himself in it for every possible second, no matter what the cost. They had already waited far too long.
“I’ve wanted to see you for so long,” Orion whispered into Lance’s ear, nipping at his earlobe. “But the time was just never right. There was always something going on; something getting in the way. But now you’re here. And I’m not going to lose you again.”
Lance dared to let himself believe it as Orion’s hot mouth began to consume his neck. He’d been with men before, but never had he experienced anything quite so sensual. Every touch made him tingle, and his cock was hard enough to burst. He would never have guessed that this could happen. And even if it was just a dream and he was destined to wake up, it was the greatest moment of his life.
Orion growled, forcefully gripping Lance by the waist and pulling him hard against his muscular body as he burrowed his head in the nape of Lance’s neck. The friction of their groins grinding against each other through their jeans nearly made Lance cry with need.
It wasn’t enough for Orion, who quickly began to wrestle with the buttons on Lance’s jeans. Lance shivered when the night air blew over his exposed shaft, and then groaned with pleasure when Orion began to gently stroke it. It had been so long since he’d been with anybody that Lance nearly came immediately, but fortunately Orion pulled away to lift Lance’s shirt over his head.
Lance followed suit, stripping Orion and pausing to gawk at the other man’s buffet of abs. He was surprisingly hairy and virile, and Lance liked it. Everybody he had been with before suddenly looked like they had barely escaped puberty compared to this man, who was the very definition of ruggedness.
Without thinking twice, Lance plunged his hand into the warmth of Orion’s pants and ran his fingers greedily along the swollen shaft inside. His own cock was throbbing so hard it almost hurt, but he gritted his teeth patiently as he held Orion in his hands. This was the moment he had been waiting for ever since he’d started to understand his feelings towards other men, ever since he’d understood what he’d felt for Orion all those years. And god, it felt good.
Lance dropped to his knees, eliciting a hiss of pleasure from Orion as he wrapped his lips around Orion’s cock and curled his tongue around its head. He allowed his hands to roam up and down Orion’s muscular legs and thighs, moaning appreciatively every time Orion thrusted a little in his mouth. Soon, Orion was fucking his mouth in earnest, and it took everything Lance had not to come all over himself. Fortunately, he had mastered the art of self-control, and focused all of his energy on pleasing Orion, whose sexy dark eyes had turned down to him.
Lance felt a chill when suddenly those gorgeous eyes flashed a reflective green. But instead of being afraid, for some reason it made Lance want him more than he ever had before.
He stood up and faced Orion, who seemed to know instinctively what to do. He whipped Lance around, and had him prop himself up against a tree. Orion shoved Lance’s pants down to his ankles and suddenly he could feel the heat of Orion’s shaft pressed up against him. Lance’s cock shuddered and was soon engulfed by the warmth of Orion’s hands, slowly rubbing him up and down, and circling his thumb around the engorged head of Lance’s penis.
Lance grunted in surprise when Orion began pressing against him—into him—softly at first, and then more firmly and urgently as the heat of Lance’s insides began to envelope him. They both groaned out loud in pleasure as Orion entered him from behind, their cocks both red and swollen as he started to thrust. He seemed to know exactly how to pleasure Lance, taking his time to warm up Lance’s body before using his full power.
They were both pleasantly surprised by just how much of Orion’s power Lance could take, and soon, Lance’s heels were digging deep into the soft earth as Orion plunged into him again and again, each thrust better feeling than the last. Lance wasn’t sure he would be able to hold back his climax any longer, but Orion was a step ahead of him. He was quickening the speed with which he rubbed Lance’s cock, and bracing Lance by gripping him firmly by the waist with his free hand.
Before he could register what was happening, Orion unleashed a victorious roar that shook the trees around them. A sudden, powerful explosion erupted inside Lance, and he lost himself as his body tingled with the heat of an orgasm unlike anything he had ever experienced before. It almost seemed like nothing in comparison to the wave of hot cum that was rolling into him as Orion thrusted into him until every last ounce was spent inside of Lance.
They were both out of breath by the time they were done, and it seemed like they didn’t need words for how they felt about what had happened. It had been a long time coming, and although Orion hadn’t come out and said what his family’s secret was, Lance was starting to suspect it. Orion was one of the ancient bear shifters he had heard so much about as a child; the tribe of powerful men whose only safe place was with each other. He didn’t have to say it. Some part of him had known all along.
“Let’s get you back home,” Orion said, stretching lazily before reaching for his clothes.
Chapter 14
That night, Orion left Lance on the porch of his mother’s house. The gang was going to be wondering where he had been for so long. And although he was their leader and he didn’t owe anybody an explanation, it still felt kind of wrong to desert them. He was anxious to get back, although spending some time alone seemed really nice. Especially after what he experienced with Lance.
“Orion, so what’s the deal with that little prick anyway?” Lars asked as soon as Orion stepped into the bar where the biker gang met up.
“That little prick happens to be one of my best friends from high school, so you guys are just going to have to deal with that.”
“Is that a fact?” Paul asked, circling around Orion and sniffing. “Because it seems to me like you and that little prick are more than jus
t best friends.”
This brought everybody’s attention immediately onto Orion. He cursed quietly at himself. He should have showered. Now, he might have put Lance’s life in danger.
“It doesn’t matter what any of you guys think. Lance is just a friend. Nothing more. And if you lay a hand on him, I will personally see to it that you never touch anything again. You know. Because you’ll be dead.”
Nobody else dared to say anything more, but Orion didn’t like the way that the rest of the men were looking at him. He should have washed the scent of Lance away. It would have been better and far less dangerous for them both. But as of yet, nobody could prove anything. Lance was safe for now. That was all that mattered.
“We still have a little matter to attend to,” Orion said, hoping to take everybody’s mind off of his ambiguous relationship with Lance and move them on to more important things. “Besides Lance, there is another person who is new to town, and this time, I know for sure that it isn’t just an old friend from high school. Whoever it was came to Winston looking for a fight.”
As expected, the news got everybody’s attention. Soon they had all forgotten about Lance and had turned their eyes onto Orion, waiting for more information, and possibly more answers.
“It’s another bear shifter, from another town, and he’s not particularly well known for his good attitude. In fact, he’s from an area that is particularly rough-and-tumble, and he told me that he has a score to settle with somebody in our gang, somebody who went down there and bought some drugs on good credit. On my name. And never returned with what he was owed. Whoever you are, I expect you to make good with him. If you don’t, I’m just going to let him have his way with you. And nobody else is going to interfere or they are going to have to deal with me too.”
All eyes turned downcast onto the floor, and Orion grinned inwardly. That was always a good way to put them in their places. He knew that the men in his gang often carried out terrible deeds that he disapproved of and they used his name to try and get away with it. Everybody knew who his father was. He was a diabolical man, but he was fair in business. He was well respected by everybody he met, and it was a point of pride to Orion, although it was a secret type of pride, that his father was so successful. He hoped to be like that to some degree, but in order for that to be true, the men in his gang had to respect his authority and stop bringing drugs to Winston.
“That being said, there isn’t much else to report about. I checked in on everything and so far that’s the only threat I see to our gang. If this isn’t resolved by three o’clock tomorrow, then whoever is responsible for this is going to have to pay the piper. Along with anybody who tries to defend him. And don’t think that I’m joking.”
With that, Orion walked out of the bar, sighing silently with relief. It was kind of a handful to be in charge of so many grown men. Especially men who wanted so badly to exert their control. He knew that they didn’t respect him very much, but because of how much they respected his father, they were all willing to at least pretend to let him be in charge. The only way that would change was if he took a mate as an alpha from the group.
Many of the men had been trying unsuccessfully for years to become his alpha, because that meant that he would be able to have control and influence over the biker gang and still respect the wishes of their former leader, whom most of them were still loyal to. He had warded off all of their advances, knowing exactly what they were up to. What would threaten them the most however, was knowing that somebody like Lance existed. A man who had his heart, and even had his body.
He had never been able to tell anybody about how he felt about Lance; he had barely been able to tell Lance what he told him earlier that day. He shook his head, defeated by the prospect of his men turning against him. Or worse, doing something to hurt a hair on Lance’s head. He had worked so hard to come to terms with the feelings that he had for Lance, and if anything ever happened to him, he would be back at square one with nothing to show for all of his years of agony.
He wondered if it was too soon to call. He had never felt so lonely before. And it seemed silly, because he had just spent all day with other people. It was probably because he had just experienced something so intimate, only to come back home to an empty house once more. Whatever Lance was doing, Orion hoped that he was feeling less lonely.
Chapter 15
Orion was back at Lance’s house bright and early the next day. They were both excited about finishing all of the projects, but Lance was fairly certain as soon as he saw the wide smile spread across Orion’s face, that they were also just as excited to see each other.
“Good morning,” Lance said, opening the door and letting Orion inside.
“This is a change,” Orion teased. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you fully awake when I get to your doorstep. Are you planning on making this a habit?”
“I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you,” Lance said, laughing. “People like me need their beauty sleep.”
“Ah, so that’s what does it,” Orion said, winking subtly at Lance as he walked deeper into the house.
“I figured we should probably get started with the wallpaper today. Since you guys spend so much time in the living room, it would be nice if you were able to have something that looks nice.”
“Sounds good,” Lance said, smiling at Orion. “I think that we can get a lot done today. My mom is doing physical therapy, and then she has a lunch date with her doctor. He’s actually pretty good looking for an older man.”
Orion crossed his arms over his head. “A good looking older man? Is there something that I should be worried about?”
“What?” Lance asked, his face reddening. “Nothing whatever compared to how I feel about you. Especially not Dr. Daniel. My mom can have him.”
Orion burst into laughter and shook his head. “No wonder you’re up early. You really can’t miss those doctor’s appointments.”
“No, my mother can’t afford to. I think once she has gone through some of the physical therapy, she’ll be back on her feet again, but she’ll be moving more slowly. It’s kind of sad, but I am really hopeful that she will be happier with the way things are moving along.”
“Your mom is a strong woman. She can take a lot of hits from life and get back up smiling. It takes a lot for people to be able to learn from everything that they’ve experienced and still come back for more, instead of shutting themselves off from new experiences altogether. I really admire that. I would like to be more like her.”
Lance raised his eyebrow. “You don’t seem like the type of guy who doesn’t face up to their experiences.”
“Honestly, I’m terrified of feelings,” Orion said, laughing. “I’m surprised you haven’t noticed that by now. Although my spiky exterior is a way to help me ward off all the stuff on the inside. Now where were we?” He turned back to the wall, hands on his hips. “Help me to start peeling off this old wallpaper. It’s a perfect project to do while your mom isn’t here. We really wouldn’t want her breathing in any of this stuff. We could probably get it done and have the house airing out by the time she gets home. Maybe you guys can go to the park. At least until it’s finished drying.”
“Right,” Lance agreed.
They moved all the furniture away from the walls and the living room and slowly began tearing the wallpaper off. Lance and his mother had picked out a wallpaper that they both liked earlier that morning in the waiting room for the physical therapy appointment. Dr. Daniel had offered to drive his mother home, so it was all taken care of until probably about four o’clock that evening. Lance had already stopped by the hardware store to pick up the wallpaper that his mother had picked out. It was a gentle blue color that made Lance think of his childhood.
They started working in silence, and every once in a while Lance could feel Orion’s dark and penetrating eyes on him. Every time, it made his heart palpitate, and he would remember all of the ways that Orion had touched him the day before. It sent a deep thrill
throughout his entire body, and every once in a while he would have to close his eyes so that he wasn’t overwhelmed by the feeling entirely. They wouldn’t get any work done if he allowed himself to become so wrapped up in his own fantasies. Even if they were rooted in truth.
“You missed a spot,” Orion’s deep voice suddenly said in his ear. It sent a tingle down his spine, and Lance closed his eyes and swallowed hard. He wasn’t going to be able to control himself much longer, especially if Orion continued standing so close to him. He could feel the warmth of Orion’s body behind him, and it made him want nothing more than to repeat the experiences of the night before.
It almost seemed like a dream, especially when he had been agonizing over Orion for so long. But now, it seemed as if this flirtatious nest between them was the most natural thing in the world. Neither of them were ashamed of it, and even if Orion was setting him up for a giant joke, or some kind of horrible experience with the gang that he was in charge of, it didn’t matter. All he wanted was to make the moments between them last forever.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you,” Orion said, making Lance’s heart pound hard. Orion put his hands over Lance’s chest, as if in an effort to calm him down, and nuzzled his neck. A torrent of bliss surged through Lance, and his first thought was to push away from it. Something that felt so good couldn’t be healthy. There was no way he would be allowed to enjoy himself this much.
“But what does it mean?” Lance asked, pulling away from Orion’s touch. He looked him square in the eye, and although it felt like torture to stop him—after all, it was what he had wanted for so long—he couldn’t bring himself to enjoy it fully. Not without having a talk first about what the hell they were doing. He still didn’t even know if Orion was gay or not!
“What do you mean, ‘what does it mean?’” Orion asked, his face darkening. “Man, this was always so annoying about you. You always overthink everything and never trust yourself. Maybe you and I are too different for this.”
