STORY EXCERPT

Erin wanted to feed his son. He didn’t want other people to do it for him.

Zack took pity on Erin and walked to the bed, sitting at the corner, close enough where Erin could get a better smell of his young, where he could reach out and touch him if he wanted.

“I know how you feel,” Zack said.

Erin’s eyes flew wide, and he found himself momentarily wide-awake at those words.

Zack stared back at him with nothing but understanding.

Right. Of course. Zack had a close call when he’d given birth to his and Storm’s child. Erin had even taken care of the baby for a little while, using it as practice for when he finally had the chance to hold his child in his own hands.

Now he was on the other end of that situation. It never once occurred to him that all the times Erin had spent feeding Zack’s son, burping him, changing him, giving him baths Zack might have felt that same jealousy.

Hell, it had been only three weeks ago, and Zack was clearly as good as new, walking around, strong, healthy.

Of course, he was also a warlock. Maybe that had something to do with it.

If Erin recovered half as quickly as Zack did, then he might decide to be okay with this entire thing.

“Thanks for watching him,” Erin said softly.

Zack nodded. “Any time. You want to hold him?”

Did he ever. Erin reached his arms out to take the baby, the small weight feeling so much heavier than he knew it should have in his hands.

But then that little boneless sack of warm meat was pressed against Erin’s chest, and he was able to really sigh with relief.

He felt the small heartbeat, the tiny breath puffing against his neck.

His son might have decided to take his sweet time getting the hell out of Erin’s body, but Erin had to admit he liked all the sleeping his little trooper did.

It made him hopeful for a future where he wouldn’t have to worry about waking up five times in one night to do any feedings or changings.

Then, of course, with his son finally where Erin wanted him to be, he drifted off to sleep.

Sort of. Erin wasn’t entirely out of it. He was vaguely aware of the little bundle being pulled away from his chest. Erin was pretty sure he posed no risk of accidentally rolling onto his son in his sleep, not with the condition he was in, but all the same, he was grateful for Zack’s attentiveness.

When he was able to stay awake for longer than a few minutes at a time, Erin was really going to have to do something nice for Zack. The man might be a warlock, but like Sebby, he’d turned out to be a pretty good guy.

If he sent a gift to Zack, he’d have to send one to David, as well. It was only fair.

Erin continued to rest. He heard the voice of his mate somewhere in the distance, asking about their son, asking about Erin. He felt the press of warm lips against his face and a hand shuffling through his hair.

Silver said something to him, but Erin couldn’t make it out over the beeping sound.

Beeping sound? What beeping sound? What the hell was that annoying—

His eyes snapped open. Erin briefly forgot where he was and why it would be so dark.

Zack was gone, and his mate slept soundly on the little air mattress he’d brought in to be closer to the crib.

Because ever since the surgery, Silver had stopped sleeping in the same bed as Erin.

Erin looked at the time, and he couldn’t believe it. Two in the morning. What the hell? It had barely been three in the afternoon when Zack put Mark in his arms and then took him away again because Erin was too damned weak to hold on to his son.

He couldn’t believe he’d slept for that long.

What the hell?

And that beeping sound was still happening.

It took his brain a minute to unclog, to recognize the noise for what it was.

His phone.

It wasn’t just beeping either. It was vibrating, getting ready to shake its little ass off his nightstand.

He’d asked Silver to set it to vibrate and to only make small beeping noises so that any sounds it made wouldn’t be too much to wake their son.

Who was already a heavy sleeper, thank God.

But who the hell was calling him at this hour of the night?”

Erin rubbed at his face. He reached over, grabbing the phone, half expecting to see Gold’s name on the screen and to toss the thing at his mate so Silver could go and deal with something important.

He didn’t expect to check the phone and see his brother’s number pop up, along with a text message saying he’d finally arrived in town.

With a mate.

A mate who was an alpha wolf.

Holy shit.

ADULT EXCERPT

Erin bit back a groan. “You know what I mean.”

Silver kissed him again, kissed him as though it were their first kiss. Long and sensual, his tongue came out, and he didn’t even have to touch it to Erin’s lips before Erin parted for him, welcoming the man inside.

He moaned as he was claimed. Erin tilted his head to the side just enough to make it easier for Silver’s tongue to say hello to him. He shivered as Silver’s powerful hands continued to move and explore, and because Erin was feeling a little adventurous about this whole thing as well, he let his hands slip down, down, down, across the valley of muscle on Silver’s stomach to that sinfully sexy V shape at his pelvis until his hand found Silver’s cock.

Silver sighed through their kiss, and Erin knew he was doing something right. He would have laughed about it if he wasn’t so busy getting off on the pleasure of having his mate’s tongue in his mouth for the first time in well over a month.

It might have even been two months. As Erin had gotten bigger, he’d slowly noticed the distance Silver kept from him.

Now that he finally had his mate right where he wanted him, he wasn’t letting go.

“Oh, baby,” Silver moaned then sharply pulled himself away from Erin’s hands, his touch, and his warmth.

“Wh-where are you going?” The sudden departure left Erin shocked.

Erin’s brain caught up with pretty much everything else when Silver’s dark shape moved to the crib.

“I’d like to keep our son a little innocent about these things for the next twenty years, don’t you?”

Erin was sorely tempted to tell his mate that he was okay with leaving the crib right where it was. It wasn’t as though Mark was awake. Or would remember this even if he was.

He settled with something else. “If he looks anything like you, we’ll be beating away the little love interests at sixteen.”

Silver snorted on a laugh and then was gone, taking the crib with him, leaving Erin hot and bothered and waiting for his mate to return so he could take care of business.

Erin shoved his underwear down and freed his legs and his cock.

This was going to be good.

* * * *

Though Silver was as careful as he possibly could be in wheeling his son’s crib into the bedroom he and Erin had prepared for him, he couldn’t get back to his mate fast enough.

Erin had snapped at him earlier that day about how he wasn’t coming to bed, but in truth, Silver had been thinking of almost nothing else since that moment forever ago when they’d last had sex.

Maybe he had become a little paranoid, but it was nice to know he wasn’t the only one affected by the drought.

He made a quick stop in their bathroom for some essentials and then came back to his bedroom in time to find his mate lying back in bed, arm behind his head, his free hand stroking his cock.

Silver’s nostrils flared. He closed the door behind him, taking in the toothy grin his little omega gave to him.

“What took you so long?”

Cute, considering he’d practically rushed to get there.

“I brought something.” He tossed the condom onto the bed, watching as Erin took it, looked at it, then looked at Silver.

“Do we need this?”

“For now, yeah.” Silver approached the bed, feeling like a predator starved of meat as he leaned over Erin’s delectable body. “Not that I wouldn’t want to have more, but I think we need a buffer between kids.”

Erin grinned up at him. “At least five or six years. That way Mark can be old enough to babysit at some point.”

Silver was impressed his mate was thinking that far ahead.

He was impressed and more than a little turned on. “Five years sounds good.”

“And with the both of us, we can tag team them.”

Silver laughed, even as his mate touched and stroked his body.

Silver leaned down for a kiss, enjoying the way Erin’s eyes closed as their lips made contact.

This was much more like it. This was what he’d wanted. No fighting. No going at each other’s throats over a misunderstanding.

Silver wanted the touch of his mate. He wanted Erin’s kisses, his skin, his tongue. He wanted all of Erin’s body, and he was going to get it.

Silver pulled away from Erin’s mouth. He could settle himself between the man’s legs, and he knew Erin would open his thighs for him, lift his ass, and welcome Silver between them.

But he couldn’t. Not yet. It wasn’t the right time.

Silver slid down lower. Erin’s soft moan in the dark let him know his mate was in tune with what was going on.

Erin had taken off his underwear. That was a shame. Silver would have loved to slide those black briefs off his legs himself.

Ah well, next time. There was always a next time.

The sweet little sigh Erin let out as Silver tasted his cock made his blood even warmer in his veins.

“Silver, God.