STORY EXCERPT

Logan nursed his beer as he waited for his date to show. Though Orion had told him that he looked like a stud, he didn’t really trust the opinion of a sixteen-year-old who had a propensity for wearing shirts with slogans like “If you think I look good, imagine how I taste.” He’d kept it simple with a black T-shirt and dark-wash blue jeans with his good sneakers. He didn’t want to set outlandish expectations by wearing a suit to what amounted to a shifter bar.

He’d taken up residence at a table across from the entrance so he wouldn’t miss the human when he came in. He scented the air and realized that it wouldn’t be that difficult even if he didn’t see him. The bar was packed with shifters and very few humans. It was odd that sHarmony sent them here first. He figured they would prefer a more neutral territory like a restaurant. This whole sink-or-swim principle seemed a bit extreme to him. However, with all the shifter bashers out there who insisted that shifting was a “lifestyle” choice since they didn’t have to shift, it was understandable that they would make people go to a shifter-friendly venue. Though Logan knew at his size and strength that the average bigot wouldn’t be able to do any damage, someone like the little seahorse who worked at sHarmony as a receptionist probably wouldn’t fare as well.

He raised his head in time to see a little slip of a man come through the door. Logan’s reaction was even more profound than when he first saw the human’s profile in his e-mail. His cock twitched in interest, and his animal stood up and paid attention, straining against his metaphysical leash in an effort to get a little closer. He resisted the urge to adjust himself through his blue jeans and instead raised his hand in greeting. At this time of night, the crowd was still light and only two dozen people or so were packed around the bar and tables. The dance floor was empty.

Jude Lawson smiled prettily when he saw Logan and beelined toward his table. Logan’s heart tripped over itself as the smaller male approached. He was a gorgeous little thing. It wasn’t that he was gorgeous in the traditional sense of all-American surfer, but he was certainly appealing in a little bit nerdy way. He had on a collared gray T-shirt with some kind of logo on the chest and a pair of blue jeans. His outfit ended in a pair of Converse that made the whole ensemble seem a little bit boyish.

Logan smiled. “Hi. You must be Jude.” He extended his hand for a shake and was pleased when there was no hesitation in Jude’s acceptance.

“And you’re Logan Carter. It’s a nice to meet you.” His hand fit neatly into Logan’s, and the spark between them was almost visible it was so strong.

“Pleasure’s mine,” Logan rumbled, unable to keep a little bit of the animal out of his voice.

Jude swallowed and licked his bottom lip. “Uh, so, I see you’ve already got a drink. You mind if I go to the bar and grab one as well?”

Logan shrugged. “You’re welcome to go, or I could flag down the waitress when she comes by.” He smiled. “Human’s choice.” He had told himself he wouldn’t point out the fact that they were from two different subspecies, but it had just slipped out. Way to go.

Instead of getting offended, Jude just tucked a stray lock of chocolate-brown hair behind his ear. He needed a haircut, but it was cute. Apparently everything about him was cute to Logan. “I’ll wait. Don’t need to spend our entire date trying to flag down the bartender and convince him I’m of age.” He laughed, and Logan couldn’t help but smile at the lyrical sound. “I’m twenty-two in case you were wondering.”

“I didn’t think you had a fake ID,” Logan teased. “Plus, they sent me your age in your profile.”

“Oh,” Jude said, the smell of blush permeating the air. He was adorable.

“But it’s always nice to be reassured,” Logan said as the silence stretched on. He hadn’t meant to make the man uncomfortable. “Erm, so why did you get on with sHarmony?”

“My friend Evan found the site and decided that me and our other friend Collin were going to sign up with him. I was surprised I got a date so soon. I thought it would take longer. Evan is so jealous. Especially since you’re so—” He cut himself off, his cheeks reddening visibly despite the dim bar light.

Logan chuckled at his slip. “That’s okay. My younger brother was pretty impressed with how beautiful you were as well.”

“You think I’m beautiful?” Pleasure blossomed over the human’s expressive face.

“Of course.”

ADULT EXCERPT

“How often can shifters have sex?” Jude asked. He was hard again already and was more than ready for round two if Logan could swing it.

“Whenever you want it, sweet. My cock won’t turn off with you.” The low rumble of want in the other man’s voice went straight to Jude’s already-hard length.

“Then get in here with one of your damn condoms and bring the lube.” Jude wasn’t normally this aggressive in the bedroom. Of course he hadn’t ever felt the depth of this much need before either.

A low growl sounded on the other side of the frosted glass, and almost immediately after, the sound of rustling bags and fabric filled the air. Anticipation filled him. Finally. Maybe when he had Logan he could turn off this insane impulse to hump his leg like a bitch in heat.

The shower door opened, and Logan stepped into the steamy interior of his shower. The place was plenty big enough for the two of them and even had dual shower heads so they could both shower off after. The white tiled interior was one of his favorite places in the house, and now, with Logan in it, he liked it even more. Logan’s eyes, like when he’d jerked off on Jude’s prick earlier, were glowing with a feral light, the blue of his irises turning an unreal shade of cerulean.

“Logan,” Jude whispered, suddenly nervous all over again. “You don’t think I’m a slut, do you?”

Logan shook his head. “Never, sweet. I know you’re not.” His eyes traveled down Jude’s body, and Jude’s prick strained upward, waving for attention. “You are yielding to your instincts just like I am. Sometimes the primitive sides of ourselves know best, don’t you think?”

Relief washed through Jude’s stomach. Yes. That was exactly right. He took two steps forward and wrapped his arms around Logan’s neck to drag his head down for another kiss. He hadn’t realized it before, but he’d been looking for this connection in every relationship he’d ever had.

He reached between their bodies, anxious to fist the magnificent cock he’d glimpsed early, only to encounter latex. Logan had apparently already put on the condom. Logan growled, and the sound skittered along Jude’s nerve endings, making him shiver.

Without preamble, Logan whipped him around so that he was facing the spray away from Logan. A tap on his shoulder made him lean forward, and then Logan’s fingers were once again probing his entrance. Jude groaned, unwilling and unable to hold back the noises that Logan aroused in him. He had never been so comfortable with a lover.

Two fingers stretched him, fingering him and reawakening the nerve endings that had been touched before. Luckily, Logan’s earlier administrations had stretched him somewhat, and the process went quickly. He rocked back on his knuckles as three digits spread him.

“Fuck me, please,” he pleaded, needing to feel Logan inside him.

Without warning, Logan jerked his fingers free and replaced them with the head of his cock. The noises coming out of his mouth were almost animal, and Jude found them sexy as hell. He loved that he could reduce this big, noble man to an animal intent on nothing but fucking him stupid. Jude gritted his teeth at the incredible stretch. He’d seen Logan’s prick earlier and had been impressed with his size, but it hadn’t registered that it would all be going inside him. The water beat down on his back as his rested his hands on the wall, breathing through the initial burn. It had been a long time.

More slick was added. “You okay?” Logan asked, his voice almost unrecognizable.

“Yeah,” he panted, pushing back to take him deeper. His body finally relaxed, and Logan slid deep. Something clicked into place, and it was like he was no longer just aware of Logan but like Logan had finally taken up residence in some deeper sphere of connection that went beyond the physical.

He moved with Logan, their flesh slapping together and echoing off the tile walls as the water poured over the both of them. With every lunge of his hips, Logan scored a new pleasure spot, commanding Jude’s body into ever higher realms of pleasure. “Logan, god, Logan.” He babbled his lover’s name, begging him to take him harder, faster, to never stop.