STORY EXCERPT

“You!” the guy said when his gaze landed on Cormac.

Everyone grew quiet as they looked between Cormac and Orion’s cousin. Austin. That was his name. He recalled Orion mentioning it last night.

Beckett turned the music down low. “You two know each other?”

“Why do you look pissed?” Orion asked Austin as the dog started barking like crazy.

“Because I ran into Mr. Grump this morning at the café.”

“And your dog proceeded to use my boot as a toilet,” Cormac countered.

“I apologized for that,” Autin argued from twenty feet away. “I told you she’s never done that before.”

Beckett laughed. “You didn’t tell us you got peed on this morning.”

“She also tried to bite me,” Cormac reminded Austin. “Thanks for bringing her with you so she can try again.”

So much for feeling bad about the way he’d reacted this morning. It was as if he couldn’t help himself. There was something about Austin that brought out the jerk in him, and he couldn’t understand why.

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of a chihuahua,” Duncan said with laughter. “Do you want me to keep you safe from her vicious temper?”

Cormac glared at Duncan. “If ladies weren’t present, I would tell you what to do with your offer.”

The dog wiggled so hard that Austin dropped her. Lucky Cormac, because Lila ran right toward him and bit his pant leg, tugging fiercely.

“Lila!” Austin raced to get the dog off Cormac. “I told you to behave today!”

If he wasn’t such an animal lover, he would have yanked the tiny terror off himself. Instead, Cormac crossed his arms, waiting as Austin fought to get her to release his pant leg.

“I think you have an admirer,” Hayden said with a shit-eating grin.

“Nah,” Beckett said. “The dog just has Cormac pegged for the sourpuss that he is.”’

When Austin finally got the dog off of Cormac’s pant leg, a sweet smell wafted toward him. Cormac frowned as he inhaled the scent.

He would have thought that Paloma was wearing body spray, but the smell was coming from Austin. It wasn’t body spray, though. Not when Cormac fell an undeniable pull toward the guy and his cheetah started going ape-shit.

Cormac stilled, wondering why he hadn’t smelled Austin’s scent this morning or why his cheetah hadn’t reacted that way when they’d been in the café.

Austin was his mate.

The human held up his hand, palm out. “I don’t need you telling me about keeping her on a leash or the responsibility of being a pet parent. You already gave me that lecture this morning.”

“You lectured him?” Orion asked.

“It’s Cormac,” Duncan said. “Why are you surprised?”

Beckett reached out, ready to take Lila from Austin, but the dog tried to bite his hand. “That’s not very nice.”

“I’m so sorry.” Austin glanced at everyone. “I have no idea why she’s acting this way.”

“Our cats,” Hayden said.

“You have cats?” Paloma asked. “I love cats.”

Izel smirked. “Mind if I take her off your hands?”

Austin looked hesitant. “I don’t want her biting you. She doesn’t seem to be herself.”

“I can handle her.” Izel took the dog when Austin handed her over. Just like when Ajax had her, Lila calmed down. Izel brushed his hand over her fur, crooning to her.

“Wow,” Paloma said. “You have a way with animals.”

“Maybe you should put her inside,” Austin suggested. “I don’t want her misbehaving at the table.”

With a nod, Izel got up and crossed the yard, placing Lila inside the house and then returning.

“Let’s eat!” Milly said.

When everyone headed toward the table, Cormac made sure to sit right next to Austin, who looked perturbed with Cormac as he sat.

“Look, we got off on the wrong foot.”

“Is that a joke referring to what Lila did to your boot?” Austin asked.

Cormac could see now that Austin was defensive, but he wasn’t sure how to fix this. He was extending an olive branch, but that was hard to do when his mate wasn’t letting his walls down.

With a sigh, Cormac stood. He fixed a plate and went inside. If he wasn’t at the table, maybe Austin would relax and enjoy himself. He sat in the living room, grabbing the remote while balancing his overloaded plate on his lap.

Tiny Terror came around the couch and eyed him before she started barking.

“You have nothing to be afraid of,” Cormac said. “I’m not going to hurt you, so just chill.”

She stopped barking and then growled at him.

Setting aside his plate, Cormac got on his hands and knees to face her. He folded his arms in front of himself in case she lunged for his face. “Okay, we’re almost at eyelevel. You’re clearly intimidated by my cheetah, but I promise you you’re safe here.”

Lila inched closer, sniffing at him. Cormac didn’t move, allowing her to scent him. One way or another, he was going to become her friend since her owner was his mate.

Tiny dogs usually had big-dog attitudes, but if Cormac could at least get her to stop trying to bite him, maybe she would calm down around him.

“What are you doing?”

Cormac glanced up to see Austin standing there, his dark brows furrowed.

ADULT EXCERPT

Hugging a naked man was putting everything Austin had just learned and seen on a backburner. He could feel the heat from Cormac’s body soak into him. The guy’s natural scent alone was intoxicating, making Austin’s head spin.

“Right now, I don’t need my fluffy kitten.” Austin slid his hand over Cormac’s bare arm. “I need the guy who said he was going to tease every inch of my body.”

Austin’s brows shot up when Cormac purred. “What was that?”

“Something I’ve been suppressing around you.” Cormac slipped his hand up the back of Austin’s shirt, gliding his palm over Austin’s spine. “It’s a sound that means you turn me on.”

“Then purr away.” Austin grabbed the hem of his shirt and yanked it over his head, tossing it to the floor. “Now tease me, beefcake.”

A low chuckle rolled from Cormac’s chest. “Beefcake?”

“Would you prefer I call you cuddle muffin, sweat meat, or dickalious?”

“How about mate?”

Cormac ghosted his lips over Austin’s neck and shoulder, and Austin was done for. Whatever this man wanted, he could have, just as long as he didn’t stop making tiny shivers race through Austin.

“Mmm, I think, for now, I’ll call you thundercock.” Austin had no idea where all that was coming from. His brain was misfiring like crazy, all thanks to Cormac fogging his mind with those lips and his smell.

“Call me whatever the hell you want.” Cormac lowered Austin to his back, flicking his tongue across Austin’s chest then circling it around one of his nipples.

Austin arched his back, digging his fingers into Cormac’s shoulders. His body hummed with anticipation, the sensation intensifying as Cormac trailed a series of moist kisses down his stomach. When Cormac’s tongue rimmed the waistband of Austin’s jeans, Austin sucked in a sharp breath.

“If you keep doing that, I’m going to—”

“What?” Cormac looked up at him with mischief sparkling in his eyes. “Come undone?”

“Yes.” Austin didn’t care how desperate he sounded right now. He needed Cormac’s mouth on him. He needed to be consumed by him.

Cormac chuckled again, but this time, the sound vibrated against Austin’s skin as the guy nuzzled his hip. His gentle nips and sucks soon had Austin squirming beneath him, writhing on the bed as need pulsed through every nerve ending in his body.

“You’re impatient,” Cormac murmured, easing Austin’s jeans and underwear down his legs.

His naked body pressed against Austin’s, muscles rubbing him, and the friction was making Austin dizzy with need.

Cormac’s eyes flicked up to Austin’s, a wicked glint in them. He trailed his fingers down Austin’s chest, tracing the contours of a body that twitched at his touch. He continued his descent, teasing him, and finally wrapped his hand around Austin’s throbbing cock.

Austin gasped, thrusting into Cormac’s grip. He was so hard, so ready for this man who had somehow managed to turn his world upside down in just a few short hours. He didn’t care about anything else but the feeling of Cormac’s hand on him, the warmth of his body pressed against his own.

Cormac started to stroke him, slowly at first then faster as Austin’s hips bucked wildly. Austin couldn’t help the moans that escaped his lips, the desperate whimpers that begged for more. He needed release, needed it now.

But Cormac wasn’t done teasing him yet. He leaned toward his nightstand and came away with a bottle of lube. After coating his fingers, he took Austin into his mouth, swallowing him to the root while inching a wet finger inside Austin’s ass.

Austin cried out, digging his fingers into Cormac’s hair as he felt the guy’s tongue swirl around his cock. It was too much, too good. Austin was going to come undone at any moment.

Inserting another finger, Cormac sucked harder, stroking Austin in tandem with his mouth. The feeling was indescribable, intense and mind-blowing. Austin was spiraling higher and higher until he finally shattered, crying out Cormac’s name as he came hard.

Cormac didn’t stop until Austin was spent, until he had wrung every last drop from him. Only then did he ease back, sliding his fingers out of Austin’s ass, a satisfied smile on his face as he looked up at Austin.

“Thundercock,” he murmured, making Austin blush. But he didn’t care. Not when he felt this good.

“Don’t make fun of me.” Austin struggled to bring his racing heart back under control. “I lose my mind when sex is involved.”

Cormac slid Austin farther up the bed and then gazed down at him. Austin glanced at Cormac’s jutting cock, desperately wanting to feel the hard shaft inside of him.

“Don’t tell me you’re done with me.” Austin slid his hand down his own chest, stopping at his belly and feeling the head of his flaccid cock. “My refractory time is amazing.”

“I’m as insatiable as you.” Cormac lubed his hard shaft, slowly stroking himself. Austin’s breath hitched as his own cock began to thicken. “I can go all night, kitten.”

Austin smirked. “I see we’re going to have a war of cute and sexy names.”

“You started it.” Cormac winked. “I’m just keeping up with the topic.”

Seeing Cormac kneeling on the bed, his large, strong, tattooed body towering over him and his long, thick cock in hand, made Austin wonder if he was dreaming all of this. Cormac was just too good to be true. When Austin had fled his frightening situation, he never thought he would be running right into his future, let alone to a guy who was beginning to mean everything to him.

“Spread your legs, baby.”