STORY EXCERPT

“Are you shitting me?” That was the best reply Henry could come up with after finding out the guy he’d been screwing around with was already in a relationship. An open one, but still. Henry would put up with a lot of things when dating a guy, but fooling around with someone who was already taken wasn’t his type of party. If Spike was into that, he could find someone else. But the gorgeous jerk stood there, looking as though what he’d just revealed was no big deal.

“You told me to keep it real with you,” Spike argued from the other side of the couch. “Now you’re flipping out? Jeez, make up your damn mind.”

Henry was speechless, and that didn’t happen too often. He wished they’d gone to Spike’s place so Henry could just walk out, but they were in his apartment, and Spike was still very naked.

“That’s not keeping it real, jackass!” Henry was prone to outbursts, or as his best friend Ryan called them, dick fits. Henry liked his description better. It made him sound like less of an asshole. But right now, this asshole was furious. “Get the fuck out and don’t come back.”

Henry grabbed his tennis shoes by the door and stormed into the hallway, where he stopped to put them on. Instead of taking the elevator, he headed toward the stairwell, leaving Spike in his apartment. He should’ve stayed to make sure Spike left, but if he didn’t go now, he’d throw everything he owned at the bastard.

He didn’t care that all he had on were a pair of boy shorts. The residents in the building could kiss the ass cheeks that hung out if they didn’t like it.

“Henry, wait!” Spike called. Henry spun, glaring daggers at him, then his jaw dropped.

Spike was still naked.

“You just gonna walk out on me while I got this boner?” He pointed to his raging hard-on.

Henry sputtered, his eyes bulged, and his mind went completely blank. He couldn’t deny that Spike had a banging-ass body, but that wasn’t what tied Henry’s tongue and scrubbed his mind of anything intelligent to say.

It was the fact Spike had an erection while standing in the hallway. And, of course, what he’d just said. Did the man have no shame?

“Oh my fucking God!” Henry hurried toward Spike, passed him, and went back into his apartment. He grabbed Spike’s clothes and boots, and returned to him. “Take your clothes before I throw them out the window, you fucking piece of shit.”

“You don’t have to be a bitch about this.” Spike snatched his clothes from Henry’s hands, then dropped them at his feet and pulled his underwear on, then his socks.

It took a second for Henry to get over his shock before he exploded. “You wanna see a bitch?” he shouted. “I’ll show you a bitch.”

Henry went back inside and grabbed the thing closest to the door—a table lamp—then stepped into his doorway and hurled it at Spike. Then he grabbed a candy dish he’d gone gaga over at some secondhand store and just had to have because it matched the décor.

When Henry came back out, Spike was fully dressed, but holding his shoes. Henry threw the dish, snarling as it missed Spike’s bald head and smashed against the wall. “Just wait, my aim will get better!”

“You’re fucking crazy,” Spike shouted before taking off down the stairwell. Henry wanted to chase after him with the other table lamp, but the stairwell door closed behind Spike.

Ugh, he had the worst taste in men. It was as though he had sucker stamped on his forehead and only losers saw it.

Furious enough to punch someone—namely Spike—Henry went downstairs. Hopefully Ryan was home, because he needed to vent, and since Ryan was his only friend, he would have to listen to Henry pitch a bitch.

He didn’t like being played for a fool.

Before Henry had started messing around with Spike, he’d been in a four-month relationship, but Lance had said Henry was too crazy for him, so Lance had split. But later he’d found out that had just been an excuse because Lance was cheating on him. Henry was still nursing that heartbreak and had thought Spike could help him get over his ex.

“Hah!” he said as he exited the stairwell, slamming the door with a vengeance. The cosmic joke was on Henry. He'd never find the perfect partner. Henry would spend the rest of his life alone, collecting cats, and walking around in an oversized robe with curlers in his hair.

Oh God, he would turn into his Aunt Betsy.

He raised his hand to knock on Ryan’s door, feeling dismal about his future, when he was hauled off his feet as a hand slapped over his mouth.

“Shhh,” someone whispered into his ear.

He thought it was Spike, so he tried to elbow him, but he was set on his feet. Livid, he spun, opened his mouth, then closed it when he saw it was Devil, Ryan’s boyfriend, and he wasn’t alone. Two muscled men stood behind him.

But that wasn’t what wigged Henry out. It was the fact that Devil was hairy, with a long snout and thick, long claws. What in the fuck was he? He could tell it was Devil, but he looked as though he was half-man and half-furry…something.

Ryan had told Henry that Devil was a wolf shifter, but fuck if Devil looked like one right now. He wasn’t on all fours. He was standing tall and freaking Henry out.

Henry opened his mouth again, ready to shout at the frightening thing in front of him, but one of the guy's behind Devil grabbed Henry and pulled him onto the elevator.

Everything happened so fast Henry's head spun. He was confused about what was going on, about what he'd just seen. But he was still seven kinds of pissed, too.

This time he was able to plant his elbow. The guy hissed and set him down. "Stop before you hurt yourself."

The stranger wasn’t wrong. His stomach was a solid wall of flesh and Henry’s elbow actually ached. “You have five seconds to tell me who you are and why you’re kidnapping me before I scream my fool head off!”

ADULT EXCERPT

“I got naked,” Henry argued. “That’s what you told me to do.”

“Scarves.”

Henry tilted his head to the side, as though that single word hadn’t registered. Then he got up and went to his dresser, where he pulled out two long red silky scarves. He came back and handed them to Nyx.

Nyx would have preferred doing this at his house. His bed was a California king and Henry’s was only full-sized. But he would make do.

“Now what?” Henry slapped his hands on his hips, then let them drop, as if afraid too much brattiness would make Nyx leave.

Not a chance in hell.

Nyx slid the silk across his palm as his gaze glided up Henry’s body. “You can make noises, but you’re not allowed to move, or I stop and walk out.”

Henry’s eyes bulged. “Seriously?”

To show how serious—not really—he was, Nyx dropped the scarves on the bed.

Henry whimpered and his jaw clenched. “Fine. Any more rules I should know about?”

Nyx was kind of making this up as he went along. He thought about what he wanted, what would drive Henry the craziest. He would say he wanted no talking, but that was asking too much on Henry's part, and Nyx wanted to hear his mate begging to be fucked.

“Disobey and I walk out.” Henry’s cock jerked. Yeah, his mate liked that one. “Now get your sexy ass on the bed and spread ’em.”

Nyx chuckled when Henry bounded across the bed, flipped to his back, and spread his arms and legs. But his soft laughter died as he gazed down at Henry.

So willing. So perfect. So his.

He picked up one of the scarves, then slid the silk up Henry’s body, stopping at his stomach. His mate quivered, looking as though he could barely contain his excitement.

Nyx felt devilish. “I’ve changed my mind.”

Henry looked as though he would be sick. “What?”

Nyx smirked. “On your hands and knees.”

Henry waited a few beats, then turned over.

“Nice.” Nyx smoothed his hand over Henry’s round ass.

“Just nice?” Henry sounded put out.

One solid smack.

Henry yelped.

“Put your hands behind your back, Sugar.” Nyx slid the scarf over Henry’s back, reminding him of the rewards for listening.

With his ass jutted in the air, Henry obeyed. Goddamn if he wasn’t the prettiest thing Nyx had ever seen. His pale skin was made for Nyx’s to mark up. So he slapped Henry’s ass again.

Henry cried out as Nyx’s handprint appeared on his left cheek. Nyx rubbed the sting away, then tied Henry’s wrists together behind his back. He’d never played like this before, and Nyx wasn’t sure he could maintain control.

Not when Henry looked good enough to eat.

He made sure the silk was secure but not too tight. Then he smacked Henry’s ass a third time. “Don’t move a muscle.”

Henry’s toes curled as Nyx undressed. He slid onto the small bed, gripped his mate’s inner thighs, lifted him slightly, and licked a path across Henry’s hole.

“Oh. My. God,” Henry groaned. “I’ve never had that done before.”

That surprised Nyx. He thought Henry was well versed in the art of sex. Maybe he had his mate pegged all wrong. Not that Nyx judged him. What Henry had done before Nyx came along was the past.

“Then let me enlighten you.” Nyx drove his tongue into Henry’s ass as he tugged at his mate’s balls. Henry wiggled like crazy, but was unable to get away.

Then Nyx inserted a finger into his tight hole.

Henry’s ass clenched as he hissed. Nyx lapped at his finger while it moved in and out of Henry's ass, adding moisture before Henry cried out, “Lube!”

Nyx didn’t bother asking where it was. He simply checked the nightstand. Bingo. Nyx grinned. What guy didn’t keep the slick close at hand? He wet his fingers, got back between Henry’s legs, then worked two fingers inside.

“Oh, yeah,” Henry moaned. “Yes, yes, yes!”

Nyx chuckled as he licked and nipped at Henry’s ass, working to stretch his mate so he could better take Nyx’s cock. His mate was breathing hard and heavy, his bound hands moving as his fingers curled and uncurled.

As hard as he was, Nyx wasn’t sure he could keep this game up. His cock was leaking pre-cum all over the sheets. As he scissored his fingers, Nyx closed his eyes, steadying his breathing, forcing his bear to calm the hell down.

Henry’s knees slid apart. He made cute little noises as he squirmed. Nyx slid his canines over the smooth skin of his cheeks, letting go of a rumbling growl. “How badly do you want my cock?”

Henry was Nyx’s to do with as he pleased, but the only thing he wanted was his mate’s pleasure, to hear his cries and sensual moans as Nyx took him.

Although Henry hadn’t answered him, Nyx reared back, removing his fingers. He untied Henry’s wrists, flipped him to his back, and shoved his legs to his chest. Nyx teased Henry’s hole with the head of his cock. “How badly?”

He tortured Henry’s nipples, tweaking them, and rubbing the pads of his thumbs over them as they hardened. Henry’s lips parted, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, and he let out a long exhale.

Nyx grabbed the base of his own hard dick and rubbed the head over Henry’s lubed hole. “Answer me, Sexy.”

Henry bit his lower lip as he gazed up at Nyx. His eyes were glassy, his focus gone. When he slid his tongue over his bottom lip, Nyx’s entire body pulsed.

The image of Henry lying there, so needy, so wanting was emblazoned in Nyx’s brain forever.

“Please.” That single word had come out in a tight choke.

The game was over. This was the real Henry, the man who wanted to belong to Nyx, to be owned by him. With their eyes locked, Nyx inched the head into Henry’s ass. As he eased inside, his mate’s eyelids fluttered closed.