by Xenia Melzer
“If you know about the abduction, you also know about who saved me and that I have no clue who took me. What are you really here for, besides my delicious coffee?”
The two huge alphas had the decency to blush when Sammy turned around to set Troy’s Thermos down before he took Declan’s.
“Mavis and Maribell wanted us to talk to you. And just for the record, I’m not sure if they wanted us to explain to you the finer points and dangers of gay sex with a paranormal or to talk you out of it.” Declan grinned a bit sheepishly.
“Why would you want to explain the finer points of sex to me? I never mentioned to Mavis I was attracted to Dre.”
“But you are. And you’ve already been on a date with him.” Troy shook his head as if Sammy were a child who had tried to hide something from the parents.
“How do you know that?”
The two werewolves touched their noses. Declan sounded matter-of-factly. “You reek of demon pheromones. Somebody’s been all over you. And you haven’t lost that little smile on your lips even once since we came in here.”
Sammy lifted his arm and sniffed. All he could smell was the faint lemon scent of his soap. “I showered.”
“So you don’t deny it.” Troy had smugness written all over his face. Sammy sighed.
“No, I don’t deny it. In fact, Dre came shortly after Mavis had left and he asked me on a date. On Friday, we had dinner in Rome and visited Ostia Antica. On Saturday, he took me skiing in Canada, and yesterday we had a picnic in Machu Picchu. Dre is so nice to me, and we have a lot in common.”
The two alphas looked at each other. Troy sighed dramatically. “Guess we’re too late for the ‘keep your hands off demons’ speech. Sounds like Sammy’s mysterious suitor is pulling out all the stops.”
Declan nodded. An adventurous gleam entered his eyes, one Sammy didn’t like in the least. “Then we better do the sex speech.” He turned to Sammy, a serious expression on his face that could have fooled Sammy if it hadn’t been for the tell-tale twitching of Troy’s lips. Sammy slapped his hands over his ears.
“I don’t want to hear it. In fact, I can’t hear a word you’re saying. La-la-la!”
Declan reached over the counter to pry Sammy’s hands form his ears. “Oh, you will listen, young man. I’m not going to risk the wrath of the witches when they find out you weren’t sufficiently prepared for your sexual adventures with a demon.”
“How do they even know? I haven’t told them on purpose,” Sammy whined. The prospect of all his friends meddling in his—whatever he had with Dre, hopefully a relationship—was a nightmare.
“They’re witches, man. We don’t ask, and we certainly don’t tell. Back to you. Have you kissed with your demon already? Because doing the tongue-tango with fangs can be tricky.”
Sammy felt heat crawling from his neck up to his ears when he remembered their intense training sessions. He couldn’t believe he was having this conversation. Why couldn’t the floor open up and swallow Declan and Troy? While he tried to hide his embarrassment, Sammy started with Declan’s coffee.
“Don’t you worry. We have the fangs sorted out.”
Both alphas whistled. “That’s what, second base all covered?” Declan asked Troy. Sammy decided to ignore them. He pushed the button for a double espresso and listened to the calming sound of coffee beans being grounded. Unfortunately, Declan and Troy were like toddlers who demanded his undivided attention. “Are you prepared for third base? And fourth?”
Sammy poured the remaining milk foam into Declan’s Thermos. “I’m not talking about bases with you.”
“Then how about cocks?” As crude as the words were, Sammy could hear the laughter in Troy’s voice.
“We’re not going to talk about cocks either.” Sammy turned to hand Declan his coffee. “You two are taking your caffeine out of my shop without further mentioning of cocks or bases. If Mavis and Maribell ask, I promise to cover for you, but talking about this with you two just seems wrong. Hell, it seems wrong talking about it at all. And I’m not completely clueless, you know.”
The two alphas shared a look. Troy cleared his throat. “We don’t think you’re clueless, Sammy. It’s just that being with a paranormal is challenging enough. Make that paranormal a demon and it’s even worse. I’m sorry if we’re making you uncomfortable.” Declan snorted, and Troy rolled his eyes. “Fine, I’m not sorry. Happy now?” he asked, turning to Declan, who just nodded. “Sammy, you have to believe us. We want you to be happy and, above all, we want you to be safe. Doing the nasty with a demon requires serious preparation, because those guys are hung like horses. You need to stretch yourself properly if you don’t want it to hurt and—”
“La, la, la! I can’t hear you!” Sammy was practically screaming. “Go on, shoo. You have a business trip. Don’t let me detain you.” He stepped around the counter and started shoving the laughing alphas out of the shop. When the shop door closed, Sammy breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Troy and Declan meant well, but he wasn’t ready to discuss his sex life with them, especially not the technical details that he hadn’t completely thought through on his own yet. He felt insanely attracted to Dre, and just kissing him had Sammy hard to the point of pain. He also knew enough about gay sex to realize that the baseball bat he’d felt through Dre’s trousers would be a challenge, mildly put.
Maybe it was a good idea to do some experimenting on his own, to find out how much he could take. Apart from regular masturbating as was normal for a healthy young male, Sammy had little-to-no experience with sex when a second person was involved. He wondered if there were books about sex with paranormals and where he could find one. If things with Dre kept progressing like they were, it wouldn’t be long until their heavy make-out sessions would turn into something more. The mere thought had Sammy’s heart beating faster. He wanted this—not only the sex or the unbelievably hot and funny dates. He wanted Dre.
Filled with new determination, Sammy made himself a cup of hot chocolate before he went to his laptop.
* * * *
“Hi, stranger. Haven’t seen you in days.” Barion sounded overly cheerful when he entered Dre’s kitchen. He paused and started sniffing the air for dramatic effect. “Somebody’s quite excited.”
Dre flipped his brother off while taking another sip of his morning tea, a blend of herbs from the demon realm that could wake the dead. Dre liked it a lot. He was still too ecstatic about the three dates he’d had with Sammy on the weekend to let his brother get to him. Sammy was so sweet, so hot, so wonderful. Dre felt his heart and cock swell just thinking about the human.
“I had a great weekend.”
Barion went over to the cupboard, got a mug and poured himself some of Dre’s tea. He sniffed it once with a disgusted expression before he found the sugar and dumped four spoonsful into it. Stirring the concoction, he went over to the table where Dre was sitting.
“Come on, big brother. Don’t leave me hanging like that. Give me details!”
“He’s so sweet, Barion. We went to Rome on Friday. Had dinner at Zenobia’s place, then went to see the Roman Forum, the Catacombs and Ostia Antica. Saturday, I took him skiing in Canada. You should have seen him. Even though he has zero talent, he tried the entire day until he was able to glide down one of the beginner’s hills. His face was all flushed from the cold, his cute nose peeking out from between the scarf and the woolen hat. I almost ravished him right on the slope. Yesterday we had a picnic in Machu Picchu. We prepared it together in his kitchen. He knows how to make killer sandwiches.”
“Brother, I think you’ve got it bad. Even when you were with he-whose-balls-shall-rot-and-fall-off, you weren’t so excited. You’re practically glowing. When will you introduce him?”
“Not before I have thoroughly prepared him for the occasion. I love you, Barion, and I know you mean well, but I don’t want to spook Sammy. You can be a bit over-eager sometimes.”
Barion pouted. “Where’s the trust, bro?”
“I trust you wi
th many things, little brother. You know that. My potential mate is not among them.” There, he’d said it, his deepest hope that kept surfacing from the dark place inside him where he’d buried it over a hundred years ago.
Barion clapped his hands. “You think he’s the one?”
Before Dre could answer, his smartphone buzzed, telling him he had a WhatsApp message. Absentmindedly he swiped the screen to see what it was. A huge smile spread his lips when he realized that it came from Sammy.
Miss U. Looking forward to the weekend.
Attached was a link to a National Geographic article about an important Viking warrior who had turned out to be female. Dre sent a heart, a kissing emoji and two clashing swords back. He was so looking forward to their trip to Sweden on Saturday. For Friday, they had planned to cook together in Sammy’s apartment.
“Is that from Sammy?” Barion had tiptoed closer to get a look at the screen of Dre’s smartphone. “Wow, you’re already sending him hearts? You move fast, bro.”
“Get away from me, you menace. This is none of your business.”
Dre turned his bulky body to keep Barion from taking another peek, which was pretty useless, since his brother used his time-bending skills to keep on reading.
“What’s this about a female warrior?” Barion grew out one of his claws and pressed the link Sammy had sent. Since demon fingers were too big to handle the screens of smartphones, all of them used their claws to operate them. Who would have thought this lethal part of demon anatomy would find a peaceful use one day? Dre was sure this was Fate’s way of getting a good laugh. The website opened, showing a picture of a woman with blonde hair, dressed in leather mail reinforced with steel. The headline read Famous Viking Warrior Was a Woman, DNA Reveals.
“Why is your date sending you a link about a Viking warrior?”
Dre grinned broadly. “Because we’re going to visit famous Viking sites in Sweden on Saturday. And Birka, where this warrior was found, is one of our stops.”
“Aren’t there guides who can tell you all about it? Why research it yourself?”
“Because Sammy and I have this little challenge going. Who’s able to gather more detailed information about the places we visit. Rome was a draw. I aced Canada, because Sammy didn’t know a lot about snow. He wiped the floor with me regarding Machu Picchu. There’s little he doesn’t know about the Incas and their culture. We’re both well-versed when it comes to Viking culture, and I can’t wait to see what he has in store. This link is to tell me that I better gear up.”
Barion just stared at Dre open-mouthed. Unlike Dre, he was more interested in the kind of fun one could have in a disco or bar. That Dre and Sammy considered reading up on an old culture as an entertaining way to spend their time was hard for Barion to understand.
“I think you really have found your mate. I’d never have thought there would be somebody who could match your level of oddity.”
As much as Dre wanted to tell himself that this could just be a coincidence, Barion’s words fanned the flames of hope in his chest. He could easily see himself spending the rest of eternity with Sammy, and if Sammy wasn’t the one, Dre didn’t want to find out how he would feel when he found his fated mate. He and Sammy just felt so right together, so perfect. Talking about Sammy woke the need in Dre to visit him. He closed the website and rose from his chair.
“I’m out, Barion. You can, of course, stay here, though I don’t know when I’ll be back.”
Barion raised a brow. “Booty call?”
Dre refused to react to the teasing tone.
“Lunch with my boyfriend.”
“Does he know you’re coming?”
“No. But I’m going to make a short detour to Amsterdam to get him apple pancakes, so I’m sure I’ll be welcome.”
Dre winked at Barion and left.
* * * *
Sammy was engrossed with his e-reader when somebody cleared their throat. Startled, he shot out of the leather couch, almost dropping his reading device to the floor. After narrowly catching it, he turned around to see Dre standing next to the couch with an insulated box in his hands.
“Hi, Sammy. I thought we could have lunch together.”
Sammy placed his e-reader on the table with Smaug and Drogon, making sure it was switched off. No way did he want Dre to see what he’d been reading. He would probably die of embarrassment. The Guide to Successful and Satisfying Sex with a Paranormal was so scorching hot and bluntly accurate that it had Sammy’s body swinging from painfully aroused to completely shocked, like a metronome set on four quarters. And he had only read the foreword and the first chapter about common terminology so far. What would happen once he got to the actual instructions, he didn’t know. His e-reader would probably combust. To hide his nervousness, he pointed at the box in Dre’s hands.
“What’s in there?”
Dre lifted the box. “Fresh apple pancakes from this quaint little café in Amsterdam. Want to try them?”
Sammy perked up. “I love pancakes! Put them down here. I’ll get us plates and something to drink. What do you want?”
“I’m fine with whatever you’re having.”
“Peppermint tea with honey it is.”
Sammy filled two mugs with hot water from the coffeemaker, placed two pyramid bags with peppermint leaves into them, put them together with two spoons, their plates and a pot of honey on one of his trays and brought them over to the lounging area. Dre was sitting on the leather couch, caressing the material with his fingers.
“This is a very nice couch, Sammy. And I love the table.” Dre pointed to Drogon and Smaug.
“I found all the pieces on flea markets. Working on them was fun.”
Sammy placed one of the mugs in front of Dre. Then he turned to the insulated box. “Can I just open it?”
Dre chuckled. “Sure. The pancakes don’t bite.”
Sammy rolled his eyes. “You’re so funny.” He took the lid off the box and gasped. “Dre, those aren’t pancakes! Those are wheels! I’ve never seen anything this big.”
“Those are traditional pancakes, as they’re made in Holland. As you can see, they’re a lot bigger and thicker than the ones we have in the US. They’re also not as thin as French crepes or even German Pfannkuchen, which both are traditionally filled with either sweet or hearty things then rolled or folded. The pancakes, or Pannenkoeken, you see here are quite thick and the filling, in this case the apple slices, are placed on the dough while it still warms in the pan. There are also differences in the consistency and ingredients of the dough. Crepes are traditionally made with butter, milk, eggs and flour, while Pfannkuchen consist only of milk, eggs, flour and mineral water to make the dough fluffier. Pannenkoeken have yeast, butter, milk, eggs and flour in them. As you can see, the basic idea is the same, while the conducting varies. All kinds are delicious, though.”
Sammy looked at Dre wide-eyed. He felt heat creeping up his neck to fill his cheeks. Dre was so damn sexy when he recited trivial facts. Before his natural shyness could get the better of him, he blurted out, “I think I’m falling in love with you.”
Dre had just leaned forward to slice the pancake in half and froze midway over the insulated box, the knife poised above their lunch. Very slowly, he lifted his head. For a brief moment, Sammy feared he’d see rejection or disgust in Dre’s eyes, although his logic told him that wasn’t possible after the great weekend they’d had. When he finally met Dre’s gaze, he saw that Dre’s eyes had turned completely red and his fangs were poking over his lower lip. Sammy was just glad it was a slow Monday and the shop was empty.
“You can’t say things like that, Sammy. You’re killing me here. Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to keep my hands to myself? And you go and tell me what I’ve been longing to hear ever since Ostia Antica.”
Dre straightened himself and put the knife down before he reached for Sammy to pull him into a tight embrace. “I think I love you, too, Sammy, even though it’s still early days for us. And I wan
t you so bad… So bad.”
Sammy leaned into Dre’s warm body, inhaled his delicious scent that was mixed with a hint of cinnamon and apples from the pancakes, and it must have been that heady blend that had him talking before his brain could intervene.
“We can’t yet. I’m only through chapter one.” The moment the words were out, Sammy bit his tongue, but it was too late. Dre pushed him back a little, a confused expression on his face.
“Chapter one?”
“Forget I said anything. Forget I even opened my mouth. Let’s get back to cuddling and perhaps we can feed each other the pancakes? Before they get cold?”
“The pancakes are just as good cold as warm, and I’d love to feed them to you, but first, I want to know about that ominous chapter. What have you been up to, Sammy?”
“I’d rather not talk about it.” Sammy was sure his skin had now the color of a ripe tomato.
“Now you’re making me curious. Sammy, please, I need to know. We just declared our love to each other, which, by the way, was a lot less awkward than we both feared, if I may remind you of one of our first discussions.”
“That was about finding out if we wanted to have a date, Dre. And awkward wouldn’t even begin to describe the mood if I had to tell you what I’ve been reading.”
Dre pulled Sammy back to his massive chest and kissed him on the forehead. “Come on, mo grah thu. Tell me.”
Sammy shivered at the endearment. “You’re not playing fair.”
“Please!”
Sammy huffed. “Fine. But I warned you. And just FYI… If you so much as lift the corners of your mouth, I’m never going to forgive you.”
Dre held up his hands in surrender. “I promise to behave.”
Dre watched as Sammy turned back to the table where he had placed his e-reader. He couldn’t believe it. Sammy had said he loved him. Well, that he thought he loved him, but that was just as good in Dre’s book. Now he wondered what had Sammy so flustered. Sammy came back, switching the e-reader on. When he held the display to Dre’s eyes, it took a moment for him to understand.
