STORY EXCERPT

Clayton closed the door in Paul’s face. Claws sprang from his fingertips and gouged into the wood.

“Bricky is still my patent,” Paul called out. “Checking on his condition is imperative to preventing complications.”

“Go away,” Clayton ordered.

Clayton rested his forehead against the door and tried to breathe through the need to take his bear form. Killing the doctor and annihilating a bunch of trees in the forest might be great ideas, but those options weren’t available to him at the moment. Leaving the room wasn’t a choice. A certain someone had Clayton tied in knots and unsure which way was up anymore.

“That wasn’t nice,” Bricky reprimanded. “Last week, at Paul’s last visit, you refused to let him touch me. There could be a huge time bomb of a blood clot ticking away in my gut, waiting for the right moment to explode.” Bricky stuck out his lower lip, and his cute eyebrows lowered into a frown. “Maybe you need honey to sweeten your disposition. I could call down for some since you won’t let me leave the suite.” Bricky pulled the covers higher up against his chest. “Since we’re discussing your unreasonableness, I demand you give me back my shorts. I’m done flashing my private bits and white heinie.”

Clayton stalked to the bed and climbed on. He’d had enough of fighting his bear and Bricky’s increasing demands over the last week. Clayton crawled until he hovered over the man whose existence was both heaven and hell.

“I’d rather taste oranges instead of honey.” Clayton lowered his head and kissed Bricky.

An avalanche of desire exploded around them. Clayton licked Bricky’s lips until his mouth parted. His first taste of Bricky’s sweet essence frayed the ties on Clayton’s control. His bear arched its great body in a huge stretch at the bit of freedom.

Clayton broke the kiss. “This is dangerous. If my control slips, I could hurt you.”

“You really don’t know what’s going on, do you?” Bricky trailed his fingers through Clayton’s short beard. “For both our sakes, you need to see what’s right in front of your face. From what I’ve witnessed since coming to Alaska, you Kodiak’s do better when you listen to your bears.”

Clayton leaned down and rubbed his nose against Bricky’s. “What do you mean?”  

Damn, the man’s scent drew him in. Clayton wanted to bathe in everything Bricky. The tiny man pushed on Clayton’s shoulders. He resisted any separation and brushed his cheek down Bricky’s throat. A rumble of happiness bubbled up. His bear preened with pleasure.

“Clayton, you’re covering me with your scent.” Bricky tugged on Clayton’s hair. “I won’t let this go any further unless I know that you understand what’s happening.”

A million jumbled thoughts swirled through Clayton’s lust filled brain until a neon light blinked in warning red. Clayton jumped away and landed at a crouch on the foot of the bed. Anger surged and heat flushed through his body. His muscles quivered in anticipation of destroying his enemy. Clayton hesitated, not sure who or where to find this adversary.

“Sit down or change into your bear form,” Bricky bitched. “Either way, you need to listen.”

“Your boldness will get you killed in the world of Kodiak grizzly bear shifters.” The tips of Clayton’s fingers tingled with the need to let his claws out.

“That’s why I’ll have you around.” Color flushed Bricky’s cheeks, and the small man clutched the bed covers until his knuckles turned white. “Once we’ve pulled your head out of your ass and settled things between us, we’ll have to work on your branch of the family. They don’t seem as advanced in their thinking as Silver’s clan.”

Bricky’s snarl and outrageous words incited Clayton’s rage. He launched himself across the bed and by the time he landed straddling Bricky, Clayton had taken his bear form. Claws sank deep into the mattress on each side of the wide-eyed man. He opened his mouth wide and roared his displeasure. A drop of his saliva landed on the middle of Bricky’s chest.

He should have been elated when Bricky closed his eyes and trembled. The sharp sourness of overripe oranges saturated the air. Disgust filled Clayton. A shifter should never frighten his, his…

Clayton leaped off the bed and barreled across the room. He didn’t bother to stop at the closed door and cannoned through, sending shattered pieces of wood flying in all directions.

* * * *

An eerie cloak of quiet followed Clayton’s destructive departure. Bricky wanted to call Silver. The massive alpha had treated him better than his own cousins when he first arrived in Alaska. Now, he questioned following Silver’s advice. Maybe he’d heard wrong. Being himself wasn’t going well. Acting quiet and reserved as he did around his cousins might have been a better strategy in dealing with Clayton.

More than one person had commented that Bricky’s personality resembled a bitchy Dante. His cousin, Dante, was known for his flamboyant style and tell-it-like-it-is way of speaking. Bricky had always been kind of flattered to be compared to Dante. Now, maybe he needed to rethink his actions.

Bricky waited and hoped Clayton would come back. Icy, emptiness seeped deep into his soul. Tentacles of panic skittered up his spine. What if he had sealed his fate and solitude was his future?

ADULT EXCERPT

Mate.

The word screamed through Clayton’s brain and branded his soul. Instincts took over, pushing the outside world and his own preconceived rules away. A haze of red colored the room.

Clayton crowded Bricky back until the wall stopped his retreat. A light tug on the man’s wrist turned him around. Clayton lifted Bricky’s hands and pressed them against the wall. What a beautiful picture his mate presented. The scent of oranges drenched the air around them and Clayton wanted to immerse himself in its sweetness.

With his bear urging him on, Clayton rubbed his chest and cock over the cool skin of Bricky’s back and the round globes of his ass. He fought the urge to press close and memorize how their bodies fit together. Instead, he followed with his cheek in the grizzly way of spreading their scent over a mate.

Clayton pushed Bricky’s legs apart. His bear bellowed with pleasure. Clayton dropped to one knee and enjoyed brushing his hair covered cheek against the back and insides of Bricky’s slim limbs. After scenting Bricky’s feet, Clayton made his way up and paused to lick the crack of mate’s ass. Earthy musk mixed with the taste of orange tantalized his tongue. Clayton pushed in further between the flesh and licked the petal-soft entrance of Bricky’s hole. Bricky’s whimper spurred on Clayton’s animal excitement.

Clayton flipped Bricky around to face him. He bent his head and took the man’s prick into his mouth. This was one of the reasons he enjoyed a man’s body. In the many years of his existence, he hadn’t found much that could surpass a hard dick throbbing against his tongue. Bricky’s fingers tangled in Clayton’s hair and tugged, adding an edge to the experience.  He took a few minutes and explored the sweet meat.

Bricky’s groan and the salty taste of precum had Clayton ending the fun. The first time Bricky came would be while Clayton was stuffed inside his tight hole.

Clayton let Bricky’s prick slide from his mouth. The shininess of the saliva covered dick almost tempted Clayton to suck the appendage back inside. He resisted in favor of finishing the act of making Bricky his.

A shake of his head loosened Bricky’s fingers. His bear stamped its front feet in a demand that Clayton move things along.

Fine hairs cover the front of Bricky’s legs, and Clayton relished combing his short beard through them. He paused at the sight of small splinters speckling Bricky’s knees. He ran his tongue over the reddened area of one knee.

Bricky shifted his leg away. “I scrapped them on the broken boards. They should be okay in a day or two.”

“Don’t move,” Clayton ordered.

Clayton held Bricky still and began licking his knees in earnest. The healing elements in his saliva soon had the skin free of all debris and irritation. Once he finished aiding his mate to his satisfaction, Clayton made quick work of covering the rest of Bricky’s legs with his scent before moving upward.

Bricky giggled when Clayton turned his attention to his cute belly button. The sound reminded him of tinkling bells, and a rare smile almost slipped out. He hid the near display of fluffy emotion by dipping his tongue inside the shallow concave and lathering the area.

Clayton paused and concentrated. His gaze darted around the room, looking for the owner of a far-off whisper. As he scanned the area, he rested the side of his face against Bricky’s lower belly. Warmth bloomed beneath his cheek. Clayton’s mind took a step back. Uncertainty had him trying to rebuild his toppled control.

Bricky shivered, and Clayton’s bear pushed forward, insisting that Clayton quit thinking and claim their mate. Happy to avoid dwelling on what had just happened, Clayton made his way up Bricky’s abdomen. Bricky’s tan nipples beckoned Clayton to suck and worry them with his mouth. Approval flowed through Clayton and his bear. There would be no mistaking who Bricky belonged to. Clayton had made sure his scent lay thick on Bricky’s skin.

Clayton picked Bricky up, carried him over to the bed, and laid him on the mattress. His gaze traveled over the smaller man’s face and body. His bear growled its approval. What a pretty little mate and every inch of him was Claytons.

“Something’s changed,” Bricky whispered. “I can feel it.”

“You’re mine,” Clayton growled. “Bend those knees and touch yourself.”

Clayton watched Bricky’s legs move apart. The tips of his fingers started tingling with the need to touch Bricky’s hard bobbing dick, and the ball sac pulled tight against his body. Bricky reached down and stroked his slim prick from its base to the tip of its weeping head.

Waves of desire rippled over Clayton’s skin. His bear surged closer to the surface, and his muscles bulked up. The red haze that had receded now came back.

Clayton grabbed his own dick. He slid firm fingers up his shaft and began pumping his cockhead. He closed his eyes and let the precum flow over his hand. His hips flexed, ready to bury his cock into Bricky’s hole. Clayton opened his eyes.