STORY EXCERPT

“What's the matter with you? Are you okay?”

Rafe blinked a couple of times. He had to look away from the other man and center himself.

Nate did not seem to like that. “What’s your problem?”

Rafe shook his head. “Nothing. Let’s go.”

He was such a fucking liar, and he could feel his alpha's eyes on him.

Something was definitely wrong.

So very wrong and so very right.

He didn’t entirely have the words to describe what just happened, but he was pretty sure he knew what it was. Pretty sure he was not hyper aware of what Nate was doing as he followed Garrett towards his home so he could visit his brother.

All the while Rafe trailed behind, watching the way Nate moved, taking in his smell.

Occasionally neighbour glance backwards, looking at Rafe as though wondering what he was doing.

Rafe had to wonder that himself. Was this only in his head? If it was what he was fearing that it was, but it felt like it was, then shouldn’t Nate feel it too?

God, he smelled so nice. Now that Rafe was in the proper position to catch his scent, he could really take it in.

It was clear the other man has gone running before he jumped into his car for the drive.

Nate smelled like fresh pine trees, good soil and… Wildflowers? That was new. Had he been rolling around in them or something?

Whatever. It made Rafe smile thinking about it.

Wait, what was he doing? No. Stop it. He wasn’t about to get hung up over some stupid fox shifter.

When Garrett and Nate went inside, Rafe stayed outside, hanging around the bottom step of Garrett’s porch.

Impatient for them to come back outside.

This was wrong. Something was very wrong here. Nate was good looking, but it shouldn’t be enough for Rafe to be reacting like this.

Short-cropped dark hair, dark eyes, slender without being skinny. The man looked like he had a little bit of muscle on him. He might even make a good hunting partner.

This was bad. This was very bad.

Rafe had to figure this out. There was no cause for concern just yet.

Nate happened to be good looking. His brother was good looking too, but not in the way that made Rafe want to rip his clothes off and throw him over the nearest surface to have his way with him.

If Garrett believed for one second that Rafe was having thoughts like that about Taylor, then he would get his ass kicked.

Could this actually be…

No way. It was impossible.

What were the odds of that? That Rafe could be mated to Nate?

Nate had come to visit the pack at least four times ever since Taylor had become a part of it. None of those times Rafe had seen him. He’d always been away.

It wasn’t entirely out of the ordinary. Rafe really did just enjoy his job. He liked protecting the pack. He liked going out for hunting and killing.

And he didn’t like playing house for any humans or foxes who happened to be in the area at the time.

Could he actually be mated to that man?

If he was, what was he going to do about it?

Nate had to know it. If he didn’t, or if he felt nothing at all, then it meant that Rafe was making a bad mistake.

Yeah, that made sense. Rafe was just going to wait this out and see what happened. When Nate came out here, Rafe was going to look at him and search for any sign, any clue that he might be experiencing the exact same thing.

If he wasn’t, then no harm done. It was just an error. Rafe was just massively sexually attracted to him.

Fuck. He was so screwed.

Rafe checked his watch.

They had been inside for at least an hour. In that time, Rafe breathed into his hand and checked his breath, then rolled his eyes, stuffing his fists into his pockets and growled at himself.

What the fuck was he doing? He had to fight against the urge to go and find a mirror so he could check his hair.

Just because he was attracted to the guy, just because he wanted to rip his clothes off, didn’t mean that anything was going to happen and that he should be getting himself ready for anything.

Rafe was pretty good at getting all the men and women he wanted into bed, and he was fairly sure he was going to be able to seduce Nate if he wanted to, but there was the very slim chance that Nate could turn him down.

There was no such thing as a man who had a one hundred percent batting rate.

Even the best of players got shot down on occasion.

Fuck, what if Nate shot him down?

ADULT EXCERPT

He needed to get the lube. Rafe was loving every second of this and he didn’t want to stop for a single second, but that was something of an important step he needed to take.

The kitchen. The kitchen was the perfect spot because he could see the vegetable oil right there.

He’d been planning on getting fresh groceries later on anyway.

Rafe led the other man to that side of the house, around the kitchen island before knocking the papers off it, letting them flutter to the floor and pushing Nate over the side.

Nate steadied himself on his hands, glancing behind his back at what Rafe was doing.

“Are you seriously going to use…?”

“Yes,” Rafe said. His dick throbbed, pointing up at him while his testicles felt like they were being squeezed into oblivion. “We are.”

He set the glass bottle onto the island after slicking his hands. He came in close, their body heat intermingling, and he fucking loved the way Nate’s eyes slid to half closed.

He especially loved the shiver the other man let out when Rafe slid his slick hand around the shaft of his cock.

He leaned in close, as though to kiss him, but stopped just before their mouths could touch.

“You want my dick inside you?”

Nate could no longer control himself. He’d been trying to hold back, to hide how nervous he was getting, but it was impossible now as Rafe was able to take in exactly how quick his heart was beating.

“You can say it,” Rafe said.

Because he was determined to hear it.

Nate growled at him, his eyes flashing to the color of the fox.

“I want your dick inside me. Right now would be good. Unless you want to take your sweet time about it.”

Rafe grinned. “Feisty little fox. I like that.”

The look in Nate’s eyes suddenly changed, becoming harder, as though he was an entirely different person.

“Don’t ever call me that again.”

He wasn’t joking. Rafe could tell that much.

Since he didn’t want to mess this up much more than it already was, he decided to stick to what was safe and just agree.

“All right, all right. I won’t.” He stroked Nate’s shaft, trying to ease the man back into the mood. “You prefer I do this instead?”

Nate’s nostril’s flared. The flush in his cheeks returned, and he nodded.

“Y-yeah.”

That was good. This was exactly what they both needed.

Whatever it was that had the fox on edge about being called that, Rafe would have to find out what it was later, after they fucked and after Rafe found out exactly what this was.

For now, he needed the other man.

So he kissed Nate’s shoulders, working his way to the man’s throat before sucking on the spot where he felt the pulse hammering.

That seemed to do the trick because Nate inhaled a sharp breath, his heart rate hammering as he leaned back against Rafe’s chest.

His ass pressed against Rafe’s cock.

Rafe could have growled if it didn’t feel so good.

He was pretty sure the other man knew exactly what he was doing, and Rafe loved it.

He loved getting into bed with someone who wasn’t shy about teasing him back.

So he gave as good as he got, thrusting his cock against the crease of Nate’s ass cheeks, listening as the man moaned, and enjoying the way he squirmed in Rafe’s arms.

Fuck, Rafe had thought he’d needed this. He’d felt the instant rise of lust within him when he looked at Nate, but now, having the man in his arms, smelling his musk and listening to every soft gasp for breath was enough to make him lose it.

The wolf inside him howled. It wanted out. It was a struggle to keep his claws back because, well, he was sort of handling valuable goods here and he didn’t want to get a scratch on it.

Which Nate seemed to appreciate as he blindly thrust into Rafe’s hand, pushing his ass back against Rafe’s cock while he fucked into Rafe’s fingers.

“Oh fuck. Oh my God,” Nate gasped, his hips starting to move faster, his body jerking in that familiar way that got Rafe a little wild inside.

He was close to coming. Oh God, it made Rafe’s prick throb and his testicles go tight while every hair on his body stood on end.