STORY EXCERPT

Grant Wells pushed his way past the people in the club in annoyance. One death glare and people cleared a path from him. Grant was supposed to meet Max, the human Daniel had assigned him to protect, tonight. Instead, when he arrived at Max’s apartment uptown an hour ago, he’d learned the human had slipped away and taken his driver with him.

Just his luck. Rather, Max probably did this on purpose. Daniel had warned Grant his son would be hard to handle. He’d brushed it off, told the Alpha he could handle one spoiled human. Daniel had only laughed his head off, like Max didn’t know what he was getting into.

Thank God he managed to get in contact with James. Max was somewhere in this crowded club. Why anyone would come here for a good time, was beyond Grant. He never did well around crowds, around people in general. It didn’t take him long to find out this was where young adults in their twenties with money liked to hook up.

He thought it would be easy, tracking down his errant human, but it was like finding a needle in a haystack. That was saying plenty, given Grant used to be one of the best trackers back when he used to serve in the Paranormal Army’s Special Forces.

Grant gripped the shirt he’d borrowed from Max’s apartment. One quick search online showed him this simple cotton designer shirt cost a thousand bucks. He shook his head. Grant would’ve never taken up this assignment if it didn’t pay plenty. He needed the cash to pay for Gill, his younger brother’s, hospital bills.

There. Grant’s nose led him to tight passageway that led out of the main area of the club and what looked like a main entrance. Max’s scent was practically untraceable in the club. Barely there, which told him the human hadn’t lingered here long. With so many other smells mixing, it had been close to impossible to pin down Max, but Grant didn’t give up easily. 

The wolf that shared his skin growled softly in warning. Max’s scent, an intriguing mix of mint and chocolate, remained strongest here. Max was right outside this door, but he wasn’t alone. His wolf alerted him to the presence of two other shifters. 

They’d pose no threat to Grant. He’d eliminate whatever came between him and his prize.

Grant reached for the door handle. A muffled scream pushed Grant into practically ripping the door from its hinges. He used his shoulder and forced the door open only to find a big, muscular shifter cornering his human against the wall. The shifter had one big clumsy hand over Max’s mouth.

Max looked exactly like the photos Daniel had showed him. Max had wavy jet-black hair and green eyes so dark they almost appeared black. The Alpha had even joked that Max inherited all his human mother’s looks, but underneath that smile, Grant could feel the Alpha’s old sorrow. 

Grant no longer found himself in a dirty alleyway. His mind transported him back to the hot, sandy battlefield. Grant went to that cold, silent place where his consciousness didn’t touch him, when he became one with the beast that shared his skin.

He wasn’t aware of moving. In a fraction of a second, he gripped the back of the shifter’s shirt and shoved him backwards until the shifter landed on the ground. Strange. Grant thought the enemy would anticipate that blow. He didn’t miss the bouncer jacket the guy wore. 

The club had a few of these intimidating bouncers both inside and outside the club, but in the end? They were for show, merely hired for maintaining order.

“Who the fuck are you?” the guy spat.

Ignoring him, Grant studied Max up and down. It was criminal, seeing the bruises blossoming on the right side of Max’s face. Max’s clothes looked rumpled, but Grant didn’t scent or see any blood. Hopefully, no internal injuries. 

In the first place, he’d been hired to make sure no one and nothing harmed a single hair on Max’s hair. The human glowered at him, just like a shifter even though he was a hundred percent human, as Daniel had assured him.

“Damn you!” 

Grant felt movement behind him, but he didn’t bother turning. He thrust out his hand, easily found the shifter’s throat. The bouncer choked, tried to pry Grant’s fingers apart, but he held firm.

The suspicion on Max’s face disappeared, replaced by fear. It came off the human in droves, and he didn’t like that. Grant knew a healthy dose of fear might be necessary in handling a particularly hard case like Max, but his wolf disapproved of their human being scared of them.

Their human? What was Grant thinking? One look, one real whiff, and all Grant could think about was spiriting Max far away from this place. He wouldn’t return Max to Daniel. Instead, Grant would keep him. Claim him.

Dangerous thoughts.

“Bruiser, what’s wrong?” a new voice yelled out. Another shifter wearing a bouncer jacket came running at them.

“Stop,” Grant said with a growl in his voice. This one looked smarter than the first, because he obeyed, gaze moving from Bruiser and back to him. 

“Who are you?” whispered the shifter.

“His bodyguard,” he said, nodding to Max. Kill them both, his wolf whispered. Leave no witnesses behind.

ADULT EXCERPT

Grant stopped kissing him to tug his shirt off his body. His skin turned feverish hot as Grant licked his lips, clearly liking what he saw. No matter how many times Max worked out or tried new sports, he could never seem to bulk up. Grant had mentioned he liked Max the way he was. That was a first. Another reason why this man, this werewolf was a keeper.

Right now, Grant looked at him like he was the most desirable man in the world. His heart beat so hard in his chest, he bet Grant could hear it. 

“Me next,” he said, reaching for Grant’s shirt. 

The werewolf laughed and let Max pull his shirt off him, unveiling hard planes of muscle, occasionally threaded with scars, old bullet wounds. 

“My mate has the body of a warrior,” Max remarked in wonder, reaching out to touch one rake mark across Grant’s left pectoral. 

“Mm. You know what you called me?”

Max blushed. His entire face must be red by now. Max had no wish to take back his words, because he meant them. “I can’t let my personal fear hold me back. I owe it to us to see where this path could lead.”

“Smart human.” Grant reached for his fingers and lifted them to his mouth. 

Grant kissed each one, his predatory yellow gaze never leaving Max’s face. It was all so intense and Max knew things were only beginning to heat up. Grant had promised he’d never leave Max. They’d never make the same mistakes his parents did. 

“We’re both still wearing pants,” Max said. Taking the initiative, he hopped off Grant’s lap and took off his jeans, then his boxers. Finally, he stood naked in front of his wolf. Grant stood up, did the same.

Max gasped, seeing Grant’s huge cock. He could already envision Grant putting him on all fours and sinking all that glorious length inside of his tiny asshole. Grant would then claim him in the most intimate way possible. Max wanted to be rutted like an animal.

“Wow,” was all he could say. Undaunted, he closed in and knelt in front of his wolf. 

Grant looked down at him, expectant look on his face. Max never liked giving blow jobs before, but for his wolf, he’d make an exception. No rules applied when it came to Grant. He pressed a kiss to the tip of Grant’s cock, used his tongue to lick the pre-cum gathering there.

Grant slid his fingers into his hair, urged Max to lean closer.

“Blow me,” Grant ordered.

Max didn’t need to be told twice. He licked Grant from base to top, teasing him. Max was in a playful mood. He wanted to explore, to taste, to hear Grant groaning in pleasure for him.

* * * *

Glorious. That was the only word Grant could use to describe the sight of his human, kneeling before him and giving him the best blow job in the world. He tightened his grip on Max’s hair, let out a groan when Max played with the sensitive spot under his cock head. 

“Take me in your mouth.” 

It seemed that once in a private setting, Max was receptive to his commands. That pleased his wolf immensely. Max did as he asked. His human hollowed out his cheeks, wasn’t able to take all of his prick on the first try. Max gagged, pulled back.

“Slowly,” Grant said. 

Max tried again, succeeding this time around. Once the tip of Grant’s dick reached the back of Max’s throat, his human pulled back up for air, only to dive back in. Max’s mouth and tongue on his shaft felt divine. He groaned, knew it wouldn’t be long before he exploded inside Max’s mouth. 

Didn’t matter. Shifters recovered a lot faster than human men.

“Stay still,” he said. Max didn’t move, kept his mouth open as Grant thrust in and out of him. He let out a growl, mind hazing over as he emptied his load down Max’s waiting throat. 

His human took every drop. 

“Good boy.” He used his fingers to swipe away the droplets of cum that lingered on Max’s chin.

Grant helped Max to his feet and gave the human a gentle push back to the couch. Max lay on his back, panting, dick already erect and hard for him. Grant straddled Max. He began planting kisses down the side of Max’s neck, chest, belly. He licked, bit, explored. His human didn’t seem to mind that Grant had been leaving little souvenirs all over his body.

Max groaned when Grant closed his fingers around Max’s shaft. A few strokes had his human gasping, panting. Quite a sight to see Max’s pupils blown, his mouth slightly parted. His human looked well-fucked, even though Grant hadn’t even taken him yet. 

He noticed Max’s gaze lingering on his cock, which had already begun to harden again.

Max flashed him a mischievous smile. “Put that fat cock inside me.”

“On the floor. Hands and knees.” Grant wanted the best angle of penetration possible, for Max to feel every inch of his shaft deep inside of him. 

Max scrambled to obey his commands. Grant ran his hand possessively down the length of Max’s back, the curve of Max’s perfect and tight ass. He leaned down, pressed a kiss on Max’s mouth. His human nipped at his lower lip, drawing blood.

That only riled his inner wolf up. Oh yes. Their mate was a feisty one. Perfect for them.

“Grant,” Max said, plea in his voice. “Please.”