by J. D. Light
"River? What are you doing?"
My voice shook, and I still tried to pull my wrists free, even knowing there was absolutely no way the man holding me was gonna hurt me, or that I was going to get free if he wasn't ready for me too.
But he was absolutely turning me on, and I had no doubt he'd smell the evidence of that soon since my dick was already leaking in my pants.
"Answer the question, Logan, he growled quietly, pressing his mouth behind the shell of my ear. "Would you ask someone else?"
I was more than a little surprised at the anger I could hear there in his voice. Besides the melancholy mood he'd been in earlier in that day, I'd genuinely never seen him anything except happy, or at least content. But the growl in his words wasn't at all what I was used to, and I was getting completely confused and entirely too turned on by it all.
"N… No. Why? I just told you it sounded like a bad idea after hearing it out loud." I cleared my throat and closed my eyes, trying to will away my erection and the pre-cum leaking into my pants. There was no way that wasn't going to become obvious soon. "I wouldn't blame you for saying no. I don't know why I was thinking it would make things easier. You'd still have to come here every single night and sleep in my clothes and take me to work, and you'd still have to spend the weekends here, or at least you would at night. I mean, I guess you'd have more freedom during the day when I was at work." I opened my eyes, frowning at the wall. "It would almost be like you were dropping me off at daycare," I said bitterly, curling my lip. "But it's not like you'd have much of a life outside of that."
"So, why ask me? Why not ask Recker?" He brought one of my wrists down, pulling his chest back slightly to ease my hand between me and the wall, and then he pressed back against me, pinning my hand between me and the wall. With his free hand, he reached up, cupping my neck so that his fingertips danced along the whiskers just under my chin, and I whimpered, all hope of losing my erection lost. "You know he doesn't have a mate. Hell, there are dozens of other shifters around that don't have mates. Why not ask them?”
He tilted my head, exposing my neck and pressing his nose to the skin there, taking a long, deep breath. I swallowed a moan, not wanting him to take notice of how my body was being affected by his closeness. Why was he doing this?
"I don't… I don't know. I didn't really think it through well. What's wrong with you? I realized it was a bad idea. I already told you that."
He slid his hand away from my neck and down the center of my back, the calluses of his fingers catching on the material of my shirt as he went. My breath stuttered in my chest when he slid his hand around to press against the top of my abs.
"I'll do it," he said, nipping at the skin of my neck with his teeth. It wasn't enough to draw blood, probably not even enough to leave much of the red mark, but it was enough to make my entire body shutter, and I could no longer hold back the moan.
"What? Why? Didn't you hear me? I said it was a bad idea."
He growled, and the vibrations moved over my skin, giving me goosebumps.
"Daycare," he said simply, sliding his hand up my chest to cup my pec, his thumb brushing over my nipple.
I didn't know what the fuck was happening. I'd never seen him like this. If I hadn't known him for so long, and if he hadn't protected me all this time, I might've actually been scared. But this was River. I knew without a doubt he'd never hurt me, even if everything he was doing in that moment was over the top aggressive.
"Are you sure?"
"Are you ready?" he asked, instead of answering, and I nodded.
I actually wasn't sure. I had questions. So many questions. Would the scent thing go both ways? Should it? Should we wear each other's clothes to bed? Would his mate smell me on him, or was he human? Would word get around to the idiot that we were together? Should we sleep in the same bed, that way we would for sure smell like each other?
But mostly… "Will it hurt?"
His hand spasmed on my pec, and I bit my lip. I wished he would let me turn so I could see his face, but he was the one doing me a favor, so I wasn't about to start getting all needy. The last thing I wanted to do was annoy the hell out of him.
He chuckled, pressing his mouth lightly to the spot where my neck and shoulder met, speaking against my flesh. "Only for a second," he whispered, sucking on the skin, probably marking me already.
My knees gave, and he pressed his body more tightly to mine, pinning me against the wall. I whimpered as he continued to suck, no doubt leaving a dark hickey behind.
I wondered why he would do that. It didn't seem like something a person would do when they were simply helping a friend out by fake mate marking… right? Nothing was fucking normal about this situation. But after a moment, I started to see the rationalization behind it.
How much more believable would the mark be if it was accompanied by a hickey?
When he finally bit into my flesh, it was a complete surprise, and I yelped… which was quickly followed by a cry as my balls rolled and my dick exploded in my pants.
Never in my life had I had such a powerful orgasm. I collapsed against the wall, breathing hard, and extremely glad River had pinned me like he had, or I'd have melted into the carpet like heated candle wax.
What the fuck had just happened? Had I really just had an orgasm just from him biting me? And not just any orgasm. That thing had nearly wiped me out.
Shit! Whatever had just happened, there was no way I could hide the evidence of it, especially not from a shifter. If he hadn't smelled it yet, which I found highly unlikely, he definitely would soon.
"Before you freak out," he said, his voice deep and raspy, everything I imagined his after-sex voice to be as he slowly licked at the wound on my neck. "It's completely normal to react the way you reacted."
Was he talking about… Did he mean… huh?
"What's completely normal?" I asked uncertainly, not wanting to draw attention to my problem if that wasn't what he was talking about.
He chuckled, easing his hold on my arm and leaning back slowly, putting his hands on my hips to hold me steady as he slowly let me stand on my own two feet.
I thought he'd step back and give me more room to ease away from the wall, but I was surprised when he used his grip on my hips to pull me back briefly, so he could whisper in my ear, his hot breath sending a pulse to my spent dick.
"Coming in your pants."
I shuddered, turning my head to look over my shoulder at him, noticing how close his face was to mine.
"That's normal?" I whispered, blinking.
His grip tightened on my hips, before he released them slowly, stepping back. "Yeah, when a shifter marks for mating, it's usually pretty sexual. It's actually completely normal for both parties to uh… yeah."
It was odd. Now that the whole thing was over, River sounded nothing like the man who'd pinned me up against the wall, and bit me into orgasm. He also didn't necessarily sound like the River who'd joked around with me at the grocery store.
When he'd pinned me, I'd felt almost like I was being taught a lesson, but now, it almost seemed like he was apologizing to me. Like he felt bad about it or something.
Wait! Did he just say both parties?
"I should have warned you," he said on a huff, when I spun quickly, pressing my back to the wall, my face probably looking as shocked as I felt.
I had questions, my most pressing question was answered when I glanced down at the front of his pants, very clearly seeing the evidence of what he'd just told me.
I licked my lips, looking at the wet spot on the front of his jeans. "This is going to happen every time you bite me?" I asked on a whisper, glancing up at his worried face, and then back down at the wet spot, completely fascinated with the thought that he'd just gotten off because of me.
Not that it wouldn't have probably happened with anyone, but that was completely beside the point.
"Uh, yeah." He sighed. "God, I feel like an asshole now. I should have warned you about this."
&nb
sp; Is he fucking kidding? That was the best surprise I'd had in my entire life.
"So," I said, licking my lips again. Was I mouth breathing or something? Why the hell were my lips so dry? "We should do this every other day? You're sure that's going to be enough?"
My nerves started working on me again when he paused, his eyes narrowing as they moved over my face again and again.
"At least. Possibly more."
Butterflies danced in my stomach at the prospect of him marking me every night for as long as it took to make sure I was safe.
"Should we like, sleep in the same bed?" I asked on a breathy whisper, not sure if I wanted him to say yes or no.
On the one hand, we'd have to snuggle or what would be the point? So, I'd get to fall asleep wrapped in his arms, or vice-versa. On the other hand, sleeping that close to him, there was absolutely no way I wasn't going to do something completely inappropriate and make things fucking awkward.
He swallowed, his eyes shifting around, and I wondered if he was hoping to find an escape, but he nodded, giving me a strange smile.
"Yeah, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea at all," he said gruffly, but I wasn't sure how convinced of that he actually was, considering how hard he swallowed.
He insisted that I take a shower first, and then he took one after. I grabbed my clothes to get dressed, but realized he would need at least the shirt I was going to wear the next day so it could saturate in his scent all night, and that I was going to have to wear his as well, so I opted for putting on a pair of pajama pants and grabbed the shirt and jeans I was planning on wearing the next day, wondering if maybe sitting in his room would at least make my pants smell a little more like him.
I glanced up when he strolled in, freezing in the middle of laying my jeans out over the chair in the corner. His sexy, lazy gait was back, making the fact that he was in nothing but a towel hard to ignore, even if I could have or even would have wanted to ignore it.
It looked like he was back to feeling a little more like himself, and I couldn't deny that it was a good look on him.
To be absolutely honest, everything was a good look on him. How could it not be? The man was perfection.
His shoulders were wide, but not thick with muscle like mine, definitely shapely along with his arms, biceps obvious, the curve delicious.
The swell of his pecs was enough to fill my hand and if I ran my palm down his abs, I knew my fingers would ride the ridges.
The deep cut of his Adonis belt made my fingertips burn and my mouth water. I wanted to get my hands on that body so bad.
I held out the T-shirt quickly, hoping it drew attention away from the fact that my body was reacting again. I should be wrung out, but my body never seemed to be ready to settle when it came to him.
He took the shirt, blinking rapidly as his gaze moved over my body, I wondered what he was thinking.
Feeling extremely on display, I quickly climbed into bed and under the covers. He stayed there for a moment watching me, looking about as confused as I was. He moved to the dresser, pulling a pair of boxers out and sliding them on under the towel.
The movement must've jostled the terrycloth, because before he got his boxers pulled up completely, it slid down, hitting the floor, and I got a glorious view of his ass.
When his pants were pulled up, and the towel was in the hamper, he climbed in next to me, hesitating for a moment before finally sliding over and pulling me into his body.
My shoulder was to his chest, and I wanted to touch him more, though I wasn’t sure how much of my body I should put on him. It was pretty clear I couldn't even look at him without reacting.
He didn't touch me with his lower body, and for that I wasn't sure if I was thankful or not.
"I'm sorry if this is awkward," I said, staring at the ceiling." I know you're just doing this for me, and I really appreciate it. Hopefully we can get rid of the list soon, and you won’t have to worry about dealing with this anymore."
He chuckled, his entire body shaking. "It's really not a hardship, Loge. If I want, I can get days off, and I get orgasms. How can that possibly be a hardship?"
I laughed too, leaning my head to the side to press my temple against his forehead. I didn't know why I did it, but the moment I did, my entire body relaxed, and before I even realized it, I was fast asleep.
Chapter Four
I probably looked like an idiot, still hanging out at the grocery store when the threat to my mate was minimal now that he'd been marked. I should be out running long neglected errands, or going to do something I usually enjoyed. There were only two problems with that.
One, I could feel the tenuous strands of the mating bond starting to form. Something I hadn't realized would happen without sex. The very idea of leaving him at all had always been a no go since the moment I first met him, but now it was nearly impossible to think about.
Two, I didn't actually have anything to do that would be more fun, or more entertaining than what I was already doing.
During his break, instead of going back to the break room like we did any other day, we went outside, an odd, unspoken agreement finding us around the back of the building.
The day was fairly nice, the sun barely peeking through the clouds. For being the end of July it was surprisingly cool, by no means cold, but it was fairly easy to stand outside in jeans and a T-shirt without sweating my balls off.
I leaned up against the side of the building, and after a moment, my mate joined me, his hands clasped at his lower back. He was restless, pushing off the wall and then falling back and catching himself with his hands, and then pushing off the wall again.
I felt like he needed to say something to me, or maybe even ask me a question. But after several minutes of him saying nothing, and the silence stretching on, his restlessness started to rub off on me.
"What's going on?"
He stilled, turning his head to look at me. "What do you mean?"
If it wasn't for the way he was biting his lip, I might have actually believed that he didn't know what I meant. But the fact that he couldn't let his eyes settle on me for very long, told me the restlessness was no doubt due to what we had done the night before.
"Are you regretting it?" I knew it was direct, but after everything that we shared, including the snuggling afterward, I felt like maybe direct was the better way to go. We'd already been down the road of assumptions and guessing, and it had gotten neither of us anywhere.
"No!" He cleared his throat. "No," he said more quietly. "I just… Do you think it was enough? I mean, you said the whole reason you were doing it was so you could get a break, but you're still here. Not that I don't want you here. I really like having you here. It's just… If that's not why, then what is?"
I took a deep breath. "Maybe I'm just used to coming here. Maybe the thought of leaving seemed weird."
His eyes narrowed on my face, and I could tell he knew I was evading. "Maybe. But what is it really?"
I spun, bracing my hands against the wall on either side of his head. "Maybe, I'm just not sure if you smell enough like me. Maybe, I think you need more. Maybe, I think you need another bite."
His breath became ragged, and the blue-green color of his eyes nearly disappeared completely, pushed aside as his pupils grew.
It could be fear. He could be afraid of me, but I really didn't think that was it.
Neither of us moved for several moments, our eyes trained on each other's. I thought I knew what I was seeing on his face. I thought it was probably the same thing that was on mine. Need. But I was so afraid of making the wrong move and losing him completely.
Thankfully, my mate was a lot braver than I was. Reaching down, he unbuttoned and then unzipped the front of his pants, pulling himself out. I growled when I saw his beautiful dick. Thick and long and a beautiful dusky color with an almost painful looking purple tip.
It took a moment before I had enough strength to look away, and I slowly slid my gaze back up to meet his.
H
e smirked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't want to make a mess in my pants."
I chuckled, leaning in to press my nose against his neck. "Now, open mine,” I said, letting my lips graze his neck.
He moaned, tilting his head to the side to give me better access. His fingers slid over my abs down to the top of my pants. He hesitated, and I almost pulled back, but after a moment he popped my button and unzipped me.
I fully expected him to leave it at that, but my mate surprised me, reaching inside my underwear and wrapping his warm hand around my dick and pulling me out.
I gasped, leaning my head back to look into his eyes. He looked a little nervous, but he also looked determined.
When he gave a tentative, stuttered stroke, I groaned, my body shuddering. He did it again.
With little to no control, I leaned forward, pressing my mouth to his. For both of us, this was a leap of faith. I had gone into this day, thinking the only piece of my mate that I was ever going to get, was fake claiming marks that led to amazing orgasms, and stolen moments of snuggling while we slept in order to share scents.
He gave me a few more strokes, as I slid my tongue inside his mouth, tasting him for the first time. I knew it wouldn't be long before I was blowing all over the side of the building, but I wanted more.
I dipped inside his mouth a few more times with my tongue, knowing I’d come back for more later, and then I pulled back, sinking to my knees just outside the back door.
He gasped, reaching down to dig his thumbs into my shoulders, not to push me back, but to hold himself up as I opened my mouth and enveloped him.
We both groaned at the same time. His taste exploded inside my mouth as pre-come oozed from his dick. I pulled off slowly, and then sank back on, taking him down my throat.
He dropped his head back against the metal building, the thunk of it loud, and I should've stopped.
Someone could come around the corner at any moment and catch us, but I honestly didn't know if I had the ability to stop just then.
