STORY EXCERPT

“Are you sure you don’t need stitches?”

“No stitches!” Mattias said, sighing and leaning back. “Whatever you need to do will be just fine.”

That was something Andrew could smile over. His mate would never admire it, and there was a good chance Mattias didn’t know Andrew was even aware of this, but his fear of needles was absolutely adorable when it came down to it.

Andrew liked that. In a petty way, it let him know that Mattias wasn’t invincible, and that even an alpha could have some things he was squeamish about.

He started with the cleanup. There were three long claw marks. The middle was the deepest, the other two not so much, and all ending in long red lines.

Andrew kept his focus. He didn’t want to hurt the other man more than necessary and he wanted to get his leg wrapped.

He didn’t care how quickly shifters could heal. They could still get infections. They could still hurt.

“You might as well come right out and say it.”

Andrew paused as he reached for the bandage roll and gauze. He looked up at his mate, then got back to work.

“Say what?” He gently, but firmly, pressed some of the gauze into the wound, but only after putting a little cream onto it to help with the healing. Then he started wrapping.

All the while, Mattias winced and flinched. His voice sounded strained as he spoke up.

“I had to wrestle down your brother and then ordered him to get tased. I know that’s what you’re angry at.”

“I was, until I saw this.” Andrew didn’t take his eyes off his work.

He was a game developer. He worked with pixel art, story boarding, and design. He wasn’t made of the tough stuff needed to handle blood.

But when it came to his mate, he was finding it easier and easier to tend to his wounds, at least.

He never wanted Mattias in pain around him.

“Andrew,” Mattias said, his words still sounding like they were coming from between clenched teeth. “Come on. Give me a break.”

“I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about. Try to stop flexing your leg. I think it’s making it worse.”

“Look at me.”

Andrew did as he was told, and only then he could only really see the pain in Mattias’ face.

Mattias shook his head. “Just say it. You need to say it.”

“But I’m not mad anymore, and after seeing this, I feel bad for being mad in the first place.”

“That’s not the only thing I’m…” Mattias stopped. He seemed to compose himself, and then he got back to the point. “You needing to move here. You’re paying for basically everything—”

“I can afford that.”

“That’s not the point.” Mattias shook his head. He really looked as though he was struggling to hold back in how much he really wanted to let loose.

Andrew had known that he himself had been in a pissy mood for the last couple of weeks. Jason, it seemed, had also been suffering if his loss of control was anything to go by.

But Mattias had always seemed so perfectly in control, had always seemed as though he knew exactly what needed to be done and that he had all the plans ready for any situation, that it never occurred to Andrew that he might also be frustrated by what was going on.

That he might also be trying to hold back how miserable this entire situation was making him.

Pain and warmth and so many other things flooded him. Andrew hardly knew what to do with all these emotions inside him that the only thing he could do was keep listening.

“I keep failing you. Don’t shake your head at me. You know it’s true.”

ADULT EXCERPT

He grabbed Andrew, pulling him close, kissing him while his mate smiled and Mattias chuckled over what a fool he could be.

Andrew hadn’t been like this when they’d first met. He’d been closed off. Defensive.

Certainly he’d been irritated when he realized his brother had hired a bodyguard for him without consulting him first.

The more Mattias knew him, the more his mate showed off who he really was.

A man who liked to have fun, to make stupid little jokes, and to have Mattias smile whenever possible.

He especially loved the way Andrew’s hands slid up Mattias’ chest. He was starting to feel like his mate was a little overdressed here, so Mattias worked to remedy that, pulling at the hem of Andrew’s shirt. Andrew lifted his arms, helping to pull the T-shirt off before tossing it away, moving back in for another kiss.

Which was eventually stopped, but only because Andrew put his hands on the railing.

“I think I should steer you away from this spot here,” he said, taking Mattias’ shoulders, and Mattias allowed himself to be led away from the edge.

“There’s not exactly anything to stop you from falling over.”

“You should have that fixed.”

The loft required a ladder to get to, the cabin itself was far too small to warrant stairs, and while there was a railing on the bedroom floor above, there wasn’t so much as a chain to prevent anyone from falling over.

Even that wouldn’t likely do much if someone were to take a tumble.

So he allowed his mate to take on the protective role, and he was led over to the cot that made up their bed.

Of course, it wasn’t just any sort of cot. It was the kind of thing that would put an actual queen-sized bed to shame.

Andrew wasn’t the sort of man who enjoyed spending money on himself, but Mattias noticed that, when it came to the things they shared, he liked to be as extravagant as the situation would allow.

Andrew spun him around, forcing Mattias to sit down at the edge of their shared bed before he sank to his knees.

Even with the pain in his thigh still burning from the recent cleaning, and then climbing the ladder, it wasn’t enough to stop his cock from twitching the way it did, or his pulse from quickening as Andrew held his eye contact, settling himself between Mattias’ knees.

“How long as it been since we’ve done this?” Not looking away from Mattias’ face, Andrew took his dick in hand, innocently stroking it as though he were playing with the straw in his drink.

He knew exactly what he was doing.

“Too long,” Mattias said, his cock throbbing now even as Andrew’s fingers barely ghosted up and down the shaft.

Yeah, he knew what he was doing all right, the little shithead.

“I’ve missed you, you know?” Andrew said, finally breaking eye contact as that was apparently too much for him to reveal.

Mattias’ heart warmed.

Things had been so high strung lately. Even when it got quiet as their suspect was in jail, the spirit of the man had lingered, and it had affected everyone.

Mattias leaned forward, taking Andrew’s face in hand, pulling his eyes up just a little, and kissing him sweetly on the mouth.

Missed you, too.

He didn’t need to say it out loud. His mate understood it.

Mattias only hoped this small peace they’d come to would last.

Their bodies could warm up the entire cabin, and when Andrew reached for Mattias’ prick again, his grip had a little more certainty to it, more strength as he stroked and played around.

Mattias growled. The wolf inside his mind howled with delight.

Too long. Definitely too long since they’d done this.

“God, baby,” Mattias moaned. His fingernails itched, and his gums got that tingling feeling that meant that his claws and fangs wanted to come out.

He held it back the best he could.

Christ, it was a rare thing that he lost control.

“We can’t go two weeks without. Ever again,” Mattias said, and he was firm on that one.

Andrew nodded, wetting his lips. “Definitely not.” He leaned down and kissed Mattias’ cock.