STORY EXCERPT

Ennis pulled into the parking lot of Jase’s studio only moments after he saw him go inside. He climbed out and grabbed the bags from the passenger seat and went quickly to the door.

Echoes of sadness drifted to him, and he clenched his teeth in anger at himself and Jarrett for being the cause of the hurt his mate was experiencing.

Ennis rapped on the glass door, certain there would be no going back if Jase let him in. They would both have to see where their feelings took them.

He watched as Jase came to a stop halfway to the door. He held his breath and then Jase marched forward. Anger snapped in Jase’s eyes as he unlocked the door and pulled it open. His demon fed off that fire. It stemmed from a sensual part of Jase that was calling to him. And the demon inside of him met Jase’s gaze, answering the call.

“What do you want?” Jase asked softly as he looked away.

“I want to come in obviously, Jase,” he said, amusement wrapping around his words. Tell me no. Don’t let the demon into your life, a part of Ennis pleaded.

The willingness to let Jase go if Jase couldn’t handle what he was wouldn’t last.

The demon’s moral compass was skewed in many ways, and it would break after a few days of loneliness when he knew his mate was alive and merely rejecting him. He would destroy them both in his pursuit to get Jase back.

Don’t let us in, Ennis pleaded silently.

Jase stepped back and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Look, you don’t have to tell me to stay away,” he said and there was something so quintessentially wounded in his tone it stabbed Ennis in the heart. “I got the picture last night when you didn’t even bring me my keys.”

“Hey, sweet sexy boy, look at me.”

He lifted his gaze to meet Ennis’s.

“I brought you breakfast,” Ennis said, holding up a white bag. “I thought we could talk.” Talk? That was demon speak for foreplay.

Jase studied him with wary eyes and Ennis wondered if he could sense the presence of the demon watching him. “Show me to your office,” Ennis commanded.

Jase led the way down the hallway to his office which was at the back of the studio. “What did you bring for breakfast?”

“I stopped at that bakery you like and picked up the croissants and Danish you love.” He followed Jase to the futon across from his desk and set the bags on the coffee table.

“I’m going to wash up,” Jase said. He disappeared into the bathroom, and Ennis sat down in the semidarkened room and removed his shades and placed them on the table.

Jase returned and went to the window. “Sorry about it being so dark in here. I just got here.”

“Leave it, sweetness,” Ennis urged. The sun was hard on his eyes.

 Jase gave him a curious look, but left the shade down. He sat down next to him on the futon.

“You have pretty eyes, Jase,” he murmured.

“Oh,” he croaked out and tore his eyes away and fished breakfast from the bag. “Why are you doing this?” he said after taking a bite of a cherry Danish. “I got the point last night. You didn’t have to bring me breakfast to tell me you really aren’t interested in me.”

“I brought you breakfast because I wanted to see you, Jase,” Ennis told him. He needed to see him. Last night’s kiss had been the start of an addiction he didn’t want to fight.

“I don’t just want to be one of your men of the hour,” Jase said softly. “I need more than that from you.”

“Jase, there are things about me that I’m trying to protect you from.”

“Like what?” he demanded. “I know your job can be dangerous sometimes.”

“True, but that’s not what I’m talking about.” Ennis gave him a tight smile as he reached out and caressed Jase’s jaw. “We can’t get involved, Jase. It might—”

“It might what?” He held a croissant to Ennis’s lips. “It might be good?” he teased. So, he was going to make one more play. The only person getting his feelings crushed would be him.

Ennis smiled and took a bite. “Based on how sweet you were last night—yeah. It might.”

“But I’m a risk you don’t want to take,” he said as Ennis finished off the bread.

“Oh, make no mistake, I’m going to take the risk, Jase, but I’m giving you a chance to rethink this.”

“I’m not confused about what I want. If I was, I wouldn’t have come over to your place last night.” He put a hand on Ennis’s thigh. “I wouldn’t have come onto you at Milligan’s the night before, and I certainly wouldn’t have given you a lap dance.”

Ennis wound his hand around Jase’s thick braid and tugged his head back. “Good because I want you too.”

ADULT EXCERPT

“Uh, I wanted to give you something.” He pulled his cell phone from his pants pocket while Ennis pulled on jeans in the closet.

“What?” Ennis stepped out and met his gaze. Jase looked away.

“Uh, you need to be sitting down first.”

Ennis studied him for a heartbeat and then shrugged. “This better be good, Jase, or I’m going to take you over my knee.” Jase’s butt cheeks tightened involuntarily and Ennis chuckled. “Spanking whore,” he teased. “Maybe if this little surprise is a good one I’ll spank you anyway.”

“Please do,” he said breathlessly.

“Don’t keep me waiting, or you won’t enjoy that spanking.” Ennis sat down on the bench at the end of his bed. “Good enough?”

“Umm, I think that’ll work.” He switched on the music player function on his phone and set it on the bed. Jase’s stomach tightened as Ennis watched him with intense brown eyes going that curious shade of copper. He drew in a deep breath, relaxing and then kicking off his loafers before releasing his hair from its ponytail.

“This is getting interesting,” Ennis murmured, leaning back against the footboard of his Shaker bed.

Jase caught the rhythm of the song and began to move. He’d imagined dancing for Ennis a thousand times when he’d gone out to clubs. Now, he was. So, he let all fear fall away, felt his body relax completely as he became one with the music. With each shake of his hips he moved closer to Ennis.

Jase turned without breaking his rhythm and backed up, body swaying fluidly. Feeling the warmth of Ennis close, he lowered his hips and bounced his butt before dipping it down to rub across the other man’s firm thighs.

“I guess you’ve done this a time or two,” Ennis said and his hands stroked Jase’s thighs while Jase rubbed his back against Ennis’s chest.

Jase pushed to a standing position and worked the buttons of his shirt free before swaying to the beat enticingly. He glanced over his shoulder. “This is my first time.” He turned and unbuttoned his pants and then slowly dragged the zipper down its track without breaking eye contact. His breath whooshed out of him at the pure lust that shone bright in Ennis’s strange eyes.

“Take ’em off, baby,” Ennis urged in a tone thick with arousal.

Jase slowly pushed his pants down, revealing black, lace, crotchless briefs that matched the T-shirt beneath his shirt.

“Sweet boy, what the hell were you thinking coming over here in that?” he asked raggedly.

Jase stepped out of his pants. “I was thinking you’d like them,” he murmured.

“I like.” Ennis’s breathing was rough enough to make Jase smile.

“I hope I’m not wrecking your evening plans.” He turned to move erotically, knowing Ennis would get a clear view of the crack of his ass in the revealing briefs. The sharp intake of breath gave him that extra burst of confidence he needed to turn with a graceful move and straddle Ennis.

He moved erotically, causing their erections to scrape against each other.

Ennis’s hand went to his hip and curved over his ass, palming the curve before giving it a light swat. “I think you have done this before, Jase.”

“Just this time,” he murmured and rose up on his knees and lowered himself to bring their erections into painful contact again. This time he groaned. “Just for you.” He kissed Ennis’s jaw, trailing kisses to his earlobe. “I want you.” He looked down at him, heart stuttering in fear.

Ennis squeezed his ass. “You have no idea what you’re asking,” he murmured then with a groan claimed Jase’s slightly parted lips. His tongue pushed demandingly into his hot mouth, plundering the hot, dark cavern.

Jase groaned and shifted on his lap so he could grind his swollen, throbbing cock against Ennis’s muscular thigh. The friction felt so good against the head of his cock he wanted to explode, and that thought was magnified when Ennis thrust his fingers into his hair and pulled it tight as he drew his head back.

“God,” Jase cried as Ennis drew his tongue over Jase’s throat and licked down to the hollow at its base. Sharp teeth lightly scraped and Jase’s cock pulsed, spitting out pre-cum.

Jase groaned. He was getting high, his head spinning.

“Jase, you’re a delicious morsel.” Ennis’s finger played down the seam of his ass and he bit the side of his throat.

Pleasure shot through him in spite of his aversion to being bitten. “Please,” Jase pleaded. He was on fire from the inside out.

Ennis bit him again. “Please, what?”

“Push your finger inside me.”

“You want me to finger your tight little spot?”

“Yes, please, finger my ass.” He groaned hard as Ennis sucked on his throat. He ground his cock against Ennis’s. He was so close and Ennis thrust against him and sucked harder on his neck.