“Seems like we’re on the same page.”
“Forget going out. Let’s have dinner in.”
Diesel fisted his shirt and tugged him close for a sizzling kiss which left him breathless, speechless.
“You’ve read my mind again,” Diesel said, pulling away.
Chapter Seven
Diesel had gone home early, planning to change out of his sweaty, grease-stained clothes into something decent for their date. Instinct warned him to drop by Cal’s apartment because Cal texted him earlier that he might head home first. He figured they could go to the restaurant together.
Good thing he listened to his wolf. Picking up Pierce’s scent had enraged him, made him see red. Diesel couldn’t remember the last time he’d lost control, but Cal anchored him back to reality. Otherwise, they’d have spent the night getting rid of a dead body.
“Will Pierce cause trouble?” Cal asked him in the elevator.
“I’ll make sure he keeps his mouth shut,” Diesel said.
He considered making Pierce disappear completely, hide the corpse somewhere even the paranormal police would never find. Then he thought better of it. Murdering Pierce might not sit well with Cal, who’d probably never harmed a single hair on another living soul.
“Does that scare you?” he asked as they exited on his floor.
“Used to, when we first met, anyway.”
“If I recall correctly, you didn’t seem the least bit terrified of me. Batted me easily away,” he said.
“You didn’t leave when most guys would,” Cal said. “That was impressive.”
He chuckled and opened the door to his—no, their apartment now. The space had more color, thanks to last weekend’s impromptu painting session with Cal.
“We can stay here a while, but we’ll probably need to find a bigger space,” he said, closing the door behind him.
“We’ll look for a new apartment together. It’ll be a nice change.”
“To the new chapter of our lives,” Diesel agreed, eying his mate up and down. He licked his lips, making Cal blush. “Let’s put dinner on the back burner for a bite. I want to enjoy dessert.”
“Where?” Cal asked. Cal used to be shy and tentative when it came to sex, but Diesel liked the new confident Cal who wasn’t ashamed to admit what he wanted.
“You get to choose.”
“Generous of you, wolf.”
“Don’t take too long, because I don’t have a lot of patience.”
Cal peeled off his shirt and Diesel couldn’t wait to put his hands all over Cal’s smooth, lean skin. “Bed. Fuck me on the bed tonight, please.”
“Because we’ll need a bigger one soon?” He slowly edged Cal toward the bed and tugged off his shirt, liking it when Cal paused to run his fingers down his chest, to trace his abs.
“Mm-kay.”
“Are you listening?”
“Hard to focus with all this sweet candy in front of me.”
He chuckled. “Did you just call me sweet candy?”
Cal blushed. “You heard what I said.”
He gave Cal a gentle push on the chest. Cal ended up lying on his back. Jeans. Those definitely had to go. He reached for the belt loops of Cal’s pants and yanked them down, only to be treated by the sight of Cal’s sexy sheer black briefs. He let out an appreciative growl and tossed Cal’s bottoms to the floor.
“You like?” Cal asked as Diesel crawled on top of him.
“What do you think?” He closed one hand over Cal’s thickening erection and began to work Cal’s prick.
Diesel silenced Cal’s moan with a kiss, thrusting his tongue down Cal’s throat. Cal put his arms around his neck, while Diesel continued rubbing at Cal’s dick.
“Diesel,” Cal said after the kiss, gaze languid.
Mine, Diesel thought with complete certainty. Possessiveness filled every bone in his body as he grazed the side of Cal’s neck with his teeth.
“After tonight, you’ll become mine in every sense of the word. I won’t accept no for an answer.” Seeing how Cal reacted to Pierce today and Cal agreeing to move in with him showed him Cal had finally moved on from the past.
“Yes. Please.”
“You know how it drives me mad when you plead.” He paused from the hand job and ripped the thin fabric from Cal’s shaft, finally exposing skin. Damn, but Diesel wanted to buy Cal more sexy underwear just so he could rip them off again.
Cal shuddered under him, a delightful noise.
“I’m going to fuck you so senseless that you won’t be able to walk tomorrow,” he said, licking at Cal’s pulse point.
“God,” Cal whispered, nuzzling his neck. “Take me already, baby. I love you. I’m yours.”
****
Cal uttered those three little words without hesitation. Part of him wondered if he said them too soon but it turned out he had nothing to worry about.
“I love you too, Cal.” Diesel placed a long, deep kiss on his mouth and then left a trail of tiny bite marks down the length of his body. Each time Diesel put his hands, his mouth, on his skin, he lit his entire body on fire and made his dick thicken.
Diesel got off him and finally got rid of his pants and boxers. Seeing Diesel’s dick, engorged and fully erect for him, nearly made him come, but he held it back. Diesel grabbed the lube from the bedside table and flipped him to his hands and knees. Cal positioned himself to the edge of the bed for easy access.
This position was his favorite because it enabled Diesel to go deep. Diesel grabbed a pillow from the top of the bed and placed it under Cal’s belly. He rested his cheek against the comforter, wiggling his ass in anticipation. That earned him a playful swat on the buttocks.
“Behave,” Diesel chided, prying his thighs further apart. Like this, Cal was aware that Diesel could see all of him—his lengthening prick, along with his heavy balls and pink puckered entrance.
“Mine,” Diesel said with that growl in his voice that made him shiver in anticipation.
“Yours,” he agreed.
Diesel didn’t waste any more time talking. After lubing him up, Diesel lined his dick to his hole and gripped his hips. In one swift motion, Diesel penetrated him. Cal gasped, gripping the sheets as Diesel buried himself balls deep.
A burn started but he knew Diesel would chase the initial pain away with ecstasy. Diesel pumped in and out of him, slowly at first, before picking up speed, plowing into him faster, deeper with each turn.
“So good,” he mumbled. Each time Diesel hammered in and out of him, Diesel brushed against his prostate. Sex with Diesel only seemed to become more intense, more mind-blowing every single time.
The pressure inside him threatened to burst. His balls tightened against his body and he clawed at the sheets, back arching as Diesel’s last push sent him over the edge. Cal climaxed, screaming out Diesel’s name.
Several thrusts later, Diesel came, emptying his jizz inside Cal’s ass. He slumped against the sheets, completely sated, but they weren’t done. Diesel joined him on the bed and gathered him close. Knowing the next step, he offered his neck to Diesel.
The Alpha didn’t ask, didn’t need to. Cal speared his fingers through Diesel’s hair, bringing him close. Diesel pierced his skin with his fangs. Pain flared but it didn’t hurt as he’d initially thought it would, not when endorphins still flooded his body. Diesel’s pupils took on the color of burnt gold and Cal could see it now, both man and wolf staring back at him.
Cal loved them, both the man who loved him wholeheartedly, gave everything to him, and the beast who’d protect him against any threat or enemy without a second thought. Diesel pulled his mouth back.
“Bite me back,” Diesel said.
Cal left his smaller bite on Diesel’s left collarbone. Something inside him shifted. He’d only read about the mating bond from articles online, but tonight, he experienced it himself. He gasped, seeing the silver threads linking him and Diesel. Diesel clasped his hands over his and pressed a tender kiss to his mouth.
“Heart and soul, we’re one,” he whispered, not caring how corny he sounded.
“I’m looking forward to the next chapter in our lives, baby.”
Epilogue
One Year Later
Hearing the click of the door, Cal casually leaned against the dining room table. He made sure he was the first thing Diesel saw as he walked inside the house. Cal wiped his sweaty palms on his thigh, feeling nervous because he’d never done anything like this before. Usually, Diesel took the lead when it came to sex.
Cal had gotten off work early to make dinner and surprise his mate. While the beef continued roasting in the oven, he decided they could indulge themselves a little while before eating.
Diesel dropped his backpack, shut the door behind him, and let out a growl of appreciation, which instantly roused his dick.
“What if someone else saw you?” Diesel demanded, striding up to him and planting those big hands on his bare waist. “I’ll go mad if someone so much as turns their head your way.”
“Possessive wolf,” he said.
Diesel trailed a finger down Cal’s chest to finger the tag he’d hung on a string around his neck, making him shudder.
“Five dollars, huh?” Diesel asked with a toothy smile. “Any more discount?”
“Five dollars for me is already cheap,” he said, voice turning breathy as Diesel curled his fingers over his shaft and gave it a playful tug. Diesel swiped his finger across his leaking pre-cum and sucked off his need. The sight only sent a jolt right to his prick.
Hard to believe that a year had passed since they first met and things only continued to heat up in the bedroom. After he got a promotion at work and Diesel received a bonus, they decided to move into a larger apartment. Every single piece of furniture in their new place, they picked together. Since Diesel told Pierce off, Pierce never bothered either of them again. Good riddance.
“Hmm, do I get a fifty percent off because I’m your mate?” Diesel asked, tugging the string and tag off and throwing it aside.
“Final price,” he said, smiling.
“I like it when you get all playful.” Diesel closed one hand over the back of his neck but Cal took initiative and kissed him first. Diesel responded with a hunger that rivaled his own. When he parted his lips, Diesel thrust his tongue down his throat. The press of his skin against Diesel’s shirt made it even more erotic. He reached for the hem of Diesel’s shirt.
Diesel pulled away. “Impatient human.”
Diesel held out his hands and he rolled his eyes as he pulled off his shirt. Cal began to reach for Diesel’s jeans but Diesel interrupted him, turning him by the shoulder. Cal groaned as Diesel pressed his upper body against the wood and nudged his legs further apart.
“Since the moment I got to work this morning, all I could think of was fucking you, even if I already had you for breakfast.”
Even now, those words made his heart skip a beat. “Me too,” he admitted, hearing Diesel unzipping his pants. He squirmed when Diesel ran his hand down the length of his spine, the curve of his ass, before playing with his hole.
“What’s this? You already lubed yourself up for me?”
“I did, to save time.” Good thing Diesel couldn’t see his face, because he was probably red by now. Finally. Diesel must have ridden him on every spot of their new apartment save the table.
“Too presumptuous?” he asked.
Diesel fisted his hair and gave him a scorching kiss on the mouth. “I like it. I want you to slick up that tight little ass before I come home so I can claim you before we have dinner.”
“Oh God, keep talking dirty and I’ll come too early.”
“Not a chance.” Diesel tightened his hold on his hip and sheathed himself inside of him.
He moaned against the wood, relishing the fullness of Diesel’s prick inside him, stretching the walls of his ass to its limits. Diesel started with slow strokes first, before beginning to pump in and out of him with enthusiasm.
“Ride me hard,” he uttered, gripping the table as the wood began to vibrate from Diesel’s thrusts. The sound of their slapping flesh, grunts, and growls filled the space. Every muscle in his body locked into place. His balls felt full, ready to burst.
Diesel’s final push shoved him over the edge of oblivion. He cried out, emptying his jizz as Diesel finished inside him in a couple of thrusts. After, he was vaguely aware of Diesel pulling out, stepping away and returning with towels to clean them up. In the background, he heard the sound of running water.
Diesel kissed at the mate mark on his neck, which pulsed to life. He felt warm all over.
“I don’t think I can walk,” he confessed.
“No problem.” Without warning, Diesel pulled him to his feet, placed his hands on his waist, and easily hefted Cal in his arms.
Cal yelped, putting his arms around Diesel as his werewolf mate carried him to the bathroom. Diesel set him down on the edge of the tub, turned the water off, and got him in. He joined Diesel, straddling his mate in the tub.
“I knew we bought this tub for a reason. Fits two,” Diesel said.
He rested his head on Diesel’s chest, content to stay like that for a while. “I love you, you know that?”
“Love you back.”
“You never get sick of me saying those words?”
Diesel snarled. “Never. Silly mate.”
“So, what are your plans for tomorrow?” he asked. Asking about each other’s days was also one of Cal’s favorite aspects of their relationship.
“Hmm? Oh, yeah. Super busy.”
“A lot of customers?” he asked, suspicious of the mysterious glint in Diesel’s eyes.
“Special day. I’m getting married. Bought the rings today.”
His heart beat really fast at those words. Cal tightened his hold on Diesel’s shoulders. “Yeah?”
“Uh-huh, wonder what my mate will say.”
“I’ll tell you my answer, for five bucks,” he said, making both of them laugh.
The End
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AT THE EDGE
Nell Rockhill
Chapter One
He’d been too long from civilization and had begun to lose the thread of his human self. Sorrel wasn’t really sure he cared.
Low mist coiled up off the lake, its highest tendrils just touching the rose-gold streaks of dawn. The little dip he curled up in, barely a valley, stayed sheltered from the sun, everything cool, serene.
With a soft sigh, Sorrel unwound himself, stretched the full length of his body with his tail twitching.
His senses were on high alert, catching the whiff of earth, musk, blood, and oil carried on the wind, the distant scent of the human town. He knew he could just keep walking until the town no longer sat on the breeze, until its echoes no longer reached his mountaintop.
He’d overdone it. He knew it. He could feel his human side getting buried under feeling, under instinct and senses and urges, the need to act overwhelming rational thought. All thoughts gasped for air. When he caught a whiff of the human town below—always kept close by—his humanity clawed to the top, grasped to remember. Grasped to remember who he was, that he was Sorrel, and he was a man.
A man who didn’t want to be a man, but who still clung to humanity, to some nebulous idea that hadn’t been fully realized yet.
To him.
The dawn warmed his back as he watched the glittering lights of the town below wink out. Sunlight gilded the tops of the flowers and bushes around him, and mist curled around his great paws. One shop, a little separate from the center of town, remained glowing like a distant beacon.
He felt the whisper of a name not his own and realized he could not remember it. And the thought of losing it was enough to make him try to pull himself upright into the shape of a man—and he almost couldn’t remember that either.
Going against instinct, following the little tug in his human heart, he slowly picked his way down the mountain shadows ahead
of the dawn to the slowly waking town.
Somewhere in that town—again, the whisper of the name he knew—there was a man who could help him come back from animal. Images slid by: the dark eyes glittering with disdain, the fat red leaves like dried wine, the two tangled up together.
Yes, whispered his human self. Yes.
The town dulled his senses. He skirted streets with their hard surfaces and hard smells, chasing something softer, earthier. Chasing a memory of many plants, more than he ever found in one place in his wilderness, some he never found, the scent of magic. Not the sort that made his nose tickle as he slipped by the pharmacist, or by the schools. This was subtler, more natural, a vibration he could trace, like—he shuddered against the overload of instincts and input rushing through him, held onto the trace of memory.
The scent of magic he chased was like the warm buzz of good alcohol in his chest, while the man whose name he couldn’t remember laughed at him and his eyes said something else entirely.
Sorrel moved closer to a house with heavy purple flowers bobbing their heads and warmth drifting from its bricks. Just before he squeezed his eyes shut, he caught a glimpse of a little charm, shaped like an oval out of plants, spinning in the breeze. Holding its image in his mind, he pressed his forehead against the brick, then surged upright until both paws pressed against it. And surged again until those paws were human hands once more.
Shifting was as simple and as hard as turning yourself inside out. When he had been behaving, it was as like flipping a t-shirt inside out. But now, that t-shirt was wet, muddy, far too large, made out of a material not meant to be flipped inside out.
He gasped, breath shuddering through unfamiliar lungs, the world spinning too far away. Everything dulled, distant, muted—no. Human ears. Human nose.
He slowly licked his lips, sampling the chapped skin, the movement of himself. Felt the echo of teeth, of tongue, of hot blood under his bite—
A shudder rippled through him, and for one awful moment, he felt his entire self threatening to snap back into its preferred form.
Denying the Alpha: Manlove Edition Page 15
