STORY EXCERPT

“Evan?”

The voice had him turning around. At one of the back tables in the corner was a man who looked to be a little older than Evan’s twenty-two years, with pitch-black hair and eyes the color of cerulean blue. Evan blinked rapidly, his tongue refusing to work as it threatened to roll out of his mouth like one of those wolves from an old Warner Bros. cartoon.

The man slid from his table and stood. He was freaking tall. Evan nearly whimpered at the urge to throw himself at the guy’s feet. Someone that pretty deserved to be freaking worshipped. “Evan Cartwright, right?” Mr. Tall, Dark, and Beautiful said.

Evan nodded, swallowed, trying to remember how to talk. “Uh, they didn’t send me a picture,” he blurted out. He immediately wanted to bang his head into the nearest wall. Smooth, Cartwright. Really smooth.

Unease flickered in Gorgeous’s expression. “Oh…is that a problem?”

“Oh no! I was, um, just, uh, making conversation.” Tongue, work damn you!

A slow smile spread over Gorgeous’s face an instant before he held out his hand for a shake. “Brandon Payne.”

Evan took the hand but his grip was pitiful at best. “Uh, yeah. Evan. Cartwright. Um, you know that. Coffee?”

“Of course. What can I get you?”

“Oh no. I’ll get it. I have money,” he said quickly.

Brandon shook his head. “My date. My treat.” He waved his hand back toward his table. “Why don’t you go park your cute self over at my table while I grab us some drinks?”

He thinks I’m cute? Pleasure swamped him. “S–sure.”

Brandon’s lips twitched. “So what do you want?”

“Decaf coffee, two creams, one sugar.” Definitely need decaf at this point.

“Coming right up.” Brandon wandered to the line that was forming in front of the barista stand, and Evan somehow managed to convince his feet to carry him over to the table that Brandon had indicated. The laptop on the table had to be his. It looked like a custom piece like Evan’s. His initial interest spiked even higher. A computer guy. He hadn’t tried a computer guy yet.

A few minutes later Brandon came back over to the table, two coffees in hand. “I wasn’t sure what you wanted to eat, but I figured after coffee we could go get some real food if you’re up to it.”

Evan’s heart skipped a beat.What is wrong with me? I’m not usually such an awkward idiot. “I’d like that.”

Brandon handed him the coffee before sliding into his chair. “I got here a little early and was playing on my laptop,” he said by way of explanation. He closed the lid on his toy. “Your file says you’re a developer.”

Evan nodded. Work was easy. He could talk shop all day long. “Yeah. I work as the IT developer, network engineer, back office maintenance person, whatever other computer system function our company needs.”

“Cool. I work security for sHarmony. I took over the work you did on the security system.”

Evan’s eyes widened. “Oh wow. I guess that was why they set us up, huh?”

Brandon shifted. “Not exactly. I may or may not have been curious to meet the guy who can outmaneuver me on a system.”

“You asked for me?” That was new. Usually sHarmony sent him requests and he got to pick and choose.

“Sort of. I don’t want you to think I am a weirdo or something, but I thought we might be compatible given our backgrounds.” Evan looked almost apologetic. “I’m not going to lie and say that I didn’t think you were absolutely hot when I saw your picture as well. But I admired your work first.”

Evan considered him a second before nodding. “Thanks for the honesty.” He paused. “You hacked the system to set us up?”

Brandon hesitated. “Would it ruin it to say that I did?”

“No. I admire the dedication. What’d you think of the system I created?”

“Complex,” Brandon said. “There is a certain section I can’t get into to do maintenance. I have never had that problem before. Do you think you could assist sometime?”

“Sure.”

The shop talk continued on for a while, and Evan found himself relaxing more and more as time went on. Usually guys as gorgeous as Brandon were either completely stuck on themselves or unintelligent. Brandon was neither of those things. He seemed very genuine and had a mind as sharp as a scalpel.

He rested his chin on his hand and stared at Brandon as the other man laughed. He was more than a little smitten with the shifter. “So what kind of shifter are you?”

Brandon grinned. “Why don’t you come to my house for dinner and I’ll show you?” The flirtation in his voice sent a sliver of pleasure down Evan’s spine. “I don’t normally shift on the first date, but I want to cook you dinner.”

He’d never had a date cook for him before. “Can you cook?”

“I know my way around a kitchen well enough,” Brandon drawled, sitting back further into his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

“Is it far?”

“Not at all. About fifteen minutes.”

“Cool.” His heart started to pound at the possible implications of heading over to Brandon’s house. His attraction was definitely there and his body was definitely on board with some intimacy, but Evan had notoriously bad taste in men. I won’t sleep with him. Normally, that would be a nonissue. However, nothing seemed normal in the way he was reacting to Brandon. He wanted to hump the guy’s leg like a dog. The decision to wait eased him somewhat. He would go have dinner with an interesting guy and finally experience a good date. He smiled softly to himself. It was about time he had some fun.

ADULT EXCERPT

“Okay, last raid,” Evan said, leaning his head over on Brandon’s shoulder. “It’s two a.m. and we both have to get up in the morning.”

“True.” Brandon leaned over and nuzzled the top of his head. “You want to spend the night? I have a spare room if you don’t want to drive back.” The instant hesitation and the slight smell of unease let him know he’d crossed the invisible line of human comfort for a first date. “Sorry,” he said quickly. “You don’t have to. I was just offering.”

“I want to,” Evan murmured, sounding apologetic. “I just don’t trust this yet. Okay?”

“That’s more than okay, beautiful. Take all the time you need.” His animal bared its teeth in impatience. This is the reality of courting a human.

“I appreciate that. I know that shifters move fast with their mates, but I’m just not there yet.” He turned his head up and licked his bottom lip. Brandon nearly groaned at the sight. His mate was a beauty all right. “However, I’m really ready for a good night kiss.”

“That I can provide.” Brandon leaned forward. They had kissed several times tonight, and each time just made his want sink deeper. This time felt more intense than the last, and before he knew it, they were rolling around on the couch, their legs entangling in the cords of their controllers as their mouths fused.

Somehow Brandon ended up between Evan’s legs, grinding against the apex of his thighs as Evan thrust up against him in equal intensity. Evan gasped Brandon’s name against his lips and gripped his shoulders, digging his fingertips into the muscles there. Brandon couldn’t resist giving a harder grind. They certainly had chemistry in spades.

He was going to come like a teenager fumbling around in the back of Daddy’s Buick if he kept up the same hard rhythm. He broke the kiss as Evan made a keening sound of want. “Gotta stop, beautiful. Won’t be able to stop if we do much more.” It was the only warning he was going to give him. If Evan chose to stay, all bets were off.

Evan swallowed. “Yeah. Didn’t mean to get so carried away.”

“All good.” Brandon’s erection didn’t think so, but he would live. A cold shower and a very intense jerk-off session were in his near future.

“Brandon?”

“Yeah?”

“I want to get you off.”

He nearly inhaled his tongue at the whispered admission. He swallowed convulsively, his entire body tensing. “I won’t be able to stop.”

“I want to see you come apart,” Evan rumbled, licking his bottom lip.

Brandon bared his teeth, a growl working out of his throat. “How you want it?”

“Let me suck you?”

“Hell yeah.” He rolled to the side and pulled his cock from the confines of the boxers. Evan slid to the floor between his spread thighs and raised his eyes to meet Brandon’s. He gripped Brandon’s thighs, and Brandon put his hands over them. “Only if you want to.” His body screamed at him to shut up, but he wanted to give Evan one last chance at backing away.

“I want this.” Evan’s liquid chocolate eyes didn’t waver. “I want you.”

Brandon shut up. The human knew his options. Evan leaned forward, licking the head of Brandon’s cock. Brandon let his head fall back, unable to do more than groan low in his throat and curl his hands into fists at his side. The human palmed his tight sac, rolling the globes between his nimble fingers. “God, beautiful. You’re so fucking hot.” He knew he was babbling but he couldn’t help it. Mate. Mine. His animal broke the surface of his consciousness, and Brandon’s mouth filled with razor-sharp canines top and bottom. They broke the surface of his gums and descended as he knew they would, aching as they did so. They were his mating teeth after all.

Evan forced his head down Brandon’s erection, sucking him deep into his throat. Pre-cum flowed freely as Evan serviced him. He wasn’t especially practiced, but he definitely made up for it in enthusiasm. Brandon let his head fall back against the leather of his couch as he let the pleasure wash over him.

“Evan,” he rumbled. He was already close to coming and didn’t want Evan to end up with a facial. Well, unless he wanted one. The idea was hot as hell.

Evan smiled around the head of his cock and did this swirling motion with his tongue that made Brandon’s eyes cross. Oh wow. “I’m gonna—” He cut himself off as his balls tightened dangerously.

Evan licked him from base to tip. “Come for me.”