The Love He Squirreled Away

STORY EXCERPT

Daniel watched in awe as his friend, Shiloh, played with his new cygnet and his mate in the grass. Who’d have thought a wolf and a swan could become mates and care for a child together? Certainly not Daniel, but Liam, Shiloh, and Reed proved him wrong.

Even as he observed the group, Daniel still couldn’t believe Shiloh had recovered from his coma. He’d been shot a few weeks back by his former boyfriend, Charles, and doctors had given him little chances of recovery. As it turned out, when Shiloh’s egg hatched, it had boosted Shiloh’s recovery. Now, at last, after so much pain, Shiloh could be happy with his son, Reed, and his mate, Liam.

“It’s amazing to see, isn’t it?” a voice said by Daniel’s side.

Daniel turned and offered Soren a tremulous smile. Soren was Liam’s friend and Alpha, and had come to help them protect the egg. But he was also a man Daniel felt very attracted to, and he didn’t know how to deal with that. “It is, indeed,” he answered. “I am truly enthused that Shiloh can at last rejoice with his mate and child. I admit I did not expect a wolf to give him the happiness he deserves.”

Soren arched a brow at him and Daniel felt his face flame. He wondered just how much Soren had understood his reply. Daniel tended to babble and speak very quickly, more so when nervous. Far too often, he even insulted people. He’d have preferred it had the wolf not grasped his every word, since he seemed to be in insert-foot-in-mouth mode.

Soren chuckled. “Well, you’ll find wolves can surprise you.” His words made it quite apparent that he understood Daniel, but wasn’t upset. The wolf’s expression sobered and he pulled Daniel into the shadow of a nearby tree. Daniel yelped in surprise at the sudden motion. He opened his mouth to ask Soren what in the world he thought he was doing, but when the werewolf pressed their bodies together, he forgot what he meant to say. The man’s scent, his heat, the barely restrained passion hidden under the surface short-circuited Daniel’s brain, making him ache. He felt Soren’s cock throb against his thigh, and all of a sudden, he could only think about having it in his ass. “I really want to prove that to you,” Soren added.

The words snapped Daniel out of his lust-introduced trance. He realized they were, for all accounts, still in public, with Shiloh’s cygnet just a few feet away. And that wasn’t the only problem. In fact, it was just the beginning.

“Soren, I’m not sure this is wise. I know it seems our friends can make a relationship between predator and prey work, but that does not offer any guarantees.”

Soren didn’t know anything about him, his past, or his family. It occurred to Daniel that maybe he’d misinterpreted the entire thing and made a fool out of himself again. “Of course, you and I don’t have an actual relationship. I just mean—”

“Don’t tell me you don’t feel this, because I won’t believe you,” Soren cut him off.

Daniel gulped, for once in his life speechless. Unfazed, Soren continued, “I haven’t made my move because it simply wasn’t the time. Things are still so messed up.” Soren took a deep breath, as if having trouble speaking. “But you’re my mate, Dani. I want you to know that and to give me a chance. Come home with me.”

Daniel’s entire body responded to the sinful note in the other man’s words. It would be easy, so very easy to give in. But he knew he couldn’t do it. For one, he understood Soren’s position. Getting romantically involved with an Alpha wolf was just begging for heartbreak. While Daniel might have his own little kinks, having his soul shredded wasn’t one of them.

“I don’t deny that I would like to take you up on your offer,” he said hesitantly, “but it’s not a good idea.” He swallowed around the knot in his throat, the word “mate” sounding in his ears stronger than ever. “I don’t think I can be what you need. I’m not even sure I am your mate.”

The words sounded false even to his own ears, and Soren’s eyes were like daggers that pierced his heart. “Of course you are. I knew it from the first moment you spoke to me.”

Daniel remembered that time well. Soren had been suggesting to Shiloh to give up the then unhatched Reed, and Daniel had said, “Would you do that if it were your own pup?” Even then Daniel had felt drawn to the other man. Ironically, as he recalled it, he acknowledged Soren’s necessity for children, something Daniel could never give him. It was a bad idea, and Daniel needed to back off before it got too difficult.

“Soren, surely you realize how wrong we are for each other. We—”

He didn’t get to finish the phrase. The wolf crushed their lips together, and Daniel forgot all about his protests. He gasped and the other man took advantage of the occasion to thrust his tongue into Daniel’s mouth.

The first taste of Soren made Daniel’s head spin and an odd dizziness course over him. He couldn’t think. He could only feel, his senses assaulted by Soren’s scent, by his presence and power.

He might have allowed the werewolf to fuck him right then and there had the sound of a cleared throat not interrupted them. Soren broke their kiss and Daniel briefly glimpsed the sight of Liam’s amused face before Soren shielded him from sight. “What?”

“Just thought I should remind you we are in public, with children just a few feet away.”

It wasn’t a reproach, not really, not in the way Liam put it, but truth be told, he had a point. To a certain extent, Daniel did feel a bit embarrassed. He’d never been big on public displays of affection.

ADULT EXCERPT

Soren grabbed his mate in his arms and draped him over his shoulders. He’d have liked their first time together to be gentler, perhaps more elegant, not in an impersonal hotel room. He’d have wanted to take Daniel home with him, to introduce him to the pack, all the men and women who were essentially his extended family. But it wasn’t possible, not if he wanted to protect Daniel’s life. For the moment, this would have to do.

With as much care as he could muster, Soren placed Daniel on the bed. His mate looked up at him, honey-brown eyes twinkling mischievously. “Come on, Soren. Touch me,” he repeated.

Soren didn’t wait to be told again. He joined his mate on the mattress, groaning when Daniel starting pulling his clothes off. His body was filled with the urgency to couple, to claim, to fuck, and he growled as he tore the constraining material off. His shoes flew off, as well as the remnants of his shirts and pants. Thankfully, he’d had the foresight to go commando—on an impulse, rather than on a certain knowledge. Now, he could finally be skin to skin with his mate, the mate he yearned for so much.

Daniel’s hot gaze seemed like a palpable caress on his naked body, and Soren did some admiring of his own. As if of their own accord, his hands reached for his mate, mapping each contour, tracing every line of Daniel’s body. Daniel bit his oh-so-kissable lips and released a needy sigh. He spread his legs wider in an obvious attempt to accommodate Soren better, and Soren gladly took the invitation. He pressed their bodies close, loving the feel of his mate against him. Daniel’s scent surrounded him, sweet and fresh, like the aroma of pine honey. His mate’s hard cock throbbed against Soren’s thigh, and the evidence of Daniel’s arousal made Soren even hotter.

He reached between them and gripped Daniel’s erection. The other man moaned when Soren’s fist engulfed his prick, and Soren could practically smell the rise in his pleasure, in his need. His head swam with the desire to fulfill their bond, to consummate this yearning, and he didn’t think he could stand it much longer.

Without another word, Soren crushed his lips to Daniel’s. Just like before, his mate surrendered to his dominance. Daniel wrapped his arms around Soren’s neck and his legs around Soren’s waist, as if trying to pull their bodies even closer. Their breaths mingled, their tongues tangled, and Soren drank in the taste of Daniel’s submission. He wanted more, so much more. He wanted to be inside his mate.

He broke the kiss, panting hard, and faced Daniel. “Last chance, baby. If you don’t want this, tell me now, because I don’t think I’ll be able to stop later.”

In answer, Daniel pulled him close once again and crushed their lips together. When the need to breathe forced them apart, Daniel gasped out, “Does that answer your question?”

Yes, it did, and Soren could no longer hold back. He fumbled at the nightstand and retrieved the bottle of lube he kept there. His hands trembled as he opened the tube. He stole another look at his mate, the uncharacteristic self-doubt coursing through him almost scary. He was an Alpha. He didn’t question himself. And yet, here he was, hesitant to take the thing he desired most in the world.

The smile on Daniel’s face reassured him, and Soren poured lubricant on his fingers and reached down for his mate’s genitals. Daniel lifted his legs and exposed his hole to Soren’s greedy gaze. He rubbed his slick fingers across the tiny pucker, almost losing it right then and there when Daniel pushed his ass toward him in a wordless plea.

Ever so slowly, he inserted a digit inside Daniel’s passage, almost in awe when his mate’s body sucked the finger right in. He experimentally thrust it in and out, testing for any discomfort, but he could only see and feel pleasure in his mate.

“More, Soren, please,” Daniel begged. “Give me more. Fuck me.”

Soren intended to do just that, but not yet. They might be in a hotel room, but the bond between them still made this special. This was their first time together, and Soren would draw and relish every moment of it.

He smiled down at his mate and lowered his body over Daniel. He began to press featherlight kisses over his mate, dragging his tongue over each inch of creamy skin. He licked over Daniel’s collarbone, surprised when his soon-to-be lover arched against him, gasping. It seemed he’d found a sensitive spot.

Soren explored Daniel relentlessly, learning where his mate liked to be touched. He lingered on the perky nipples for far longer than Daniel seemed to expect. He’d wanted to touch them and suck them in his mouth ever since he’d first seen Daniel naked. The little nubs pebbled and responded to his caresses, and Soren bit down on the naughty flesh, testing Daniel’s threshold of pleasure and pain.

Yet again, he was unprepared for Daniel’s reaction. His mate writhed under him, thrashing like a wild thing, begging and pleading almost incoherently. There was nothing left now from the prim and proper façade the squirrel used. Soren realized now it was a mask, perhaps a sort of defensive armor. Against what, Soren didn’t know, but he vowed he would find out and he would protect Daniel from anything that could hurt him.

For the moment, though, Soren couldn’t withstand torturing them both any longer. Briefly abandoning his exploration of his mate’s body, he slicked up his cock and positioned it at Daniel’s hole. Holding Daniel’s fevered gaze, he pushed inside, at the same time paying close attention so as not to harm his mate. Inch by excruciating inch, he worked his prick in, until at last, he slid home.

The Lynx Who Claimed the Sun

STORY EXCERPT

Splash.

A vein twitched in Nicolas’s forehead as the cold water hit him from behind. He should have expected this. His instincts had told him to get ready for something, but still, he’d wanted to see Garth. The man worked too much, and Nicolas wanted Garth to relax a bit. Apparently, this had been a bad idea. He should never have come here in the first place.

Childish giggles reached his ears through the haze of anger. Nicolas dumped his keys on a coffee table, turned, and smiled tightly at Garth’s kits. They’d stopped trying to create traps in the halls when it had become apparent that he was too quick for that. Now, they just attacked him outright. “Wow, cold water. Always so refreshing. Thanks, boys.”

Preston and Corbin gave him twin looks of amused pleasure. “Don’t mention it,” Corbin said cheekily. As the older boy, he was always the leader in the pranks the kits pulled on Nicolas. Preston tended to simply follow his brother’s indications.

Nicolas would have liked to tell them something, to shout at them and explain they shouldn’t act like this. Perhaps they didn’t like that Nicolas was dating their father, but there were boundaries that needed to be set, and the kits’ rudeness was getting out of hand. But he had no authority over them, and they were the proverbial apple of their father’s eye. Besides, even if he hated to admit it, he liked the boys. They’d been amazing in the beginning of his relationship with Garth. He couldn’t understand their change.

“What happened here?” Garth asked. He was coming out of his office, and Nicolas immediately regretted his initiative. Garth had far too many problems for him to have to worry about Nicolas’s disagreement with the kits.

“Nothing,” he answered. “The children and I were just playing.”

Garth’s expression darkened, and he glared at the two boys as he reached their sides. “Go to your rooms,” he said. “You and I will talk later.”

Looking a bit apprehensive, Preston and Corbin took off and headed toward their rooms. As soon as they were out of earshot, Garth sighed and hugged Nicolas. “I’m sorry about this, love. I swear I don’t understand what’s going through their little minds sometimes.”

Nicolas broke away from the other man’s embrace. “Don’t,” he said snappishly. “You’ll get your clothes wet.”

With a sigh, Garth released him. “Come on. Let’s get you showered and changed.”

Nicolas nodded and allowed his lover to lead him to his room. Once the door closed behind them, Nicolas tore his clothes off with a disgusted huff. As a rule, moistness didn’t bother him. In fact, the hummingbird inside him reveled in wet environments. What pissed him off, however, was the intent behind the prank, the very idea that he was rejected by the two most important people in Garth’s life.

“They’re just kits,” Garth offered in a low voice. “They don’t mean anything by it.”

Nicolas controlled his temper and turned to look at Garth. He knew the man was biased in judging his sons, but how could he not be? Still, he didn’t think he could bring himself to say anything comforting and understanding right now. His mood had been dark all throughout the day, with nightmares plaguing his restless sleep the night before. His coming here had been not only for Garth’s benefit. Spending time with the lynx usually helped, but since the kits had grown cold and rude, it only seemed to make things worse.

Acknowledging his own bitchiness, Nicolas didn’t say anything. Distantly, he noticed some humidity had gotten on Garth’s clothes, making the garments stick to Garth’s muscled body a bit. Nicolas forced himself to turn away before arousal could overcome frustration and anger. He dumped his wet clothes on the floor and headed to the bathroom without a word. He didn’t want to think too much about the reason why he left the door cracked in silent invitation.

As Nicolas ran the water in the shower, he thought back to the scene in the hallway. He was overreacting, he knew it. He shouldn’t let the kits get to him so much. If he didn’t get angry, the boys would stop teasing him. But lately, he’d been feeling off. The nightmares were growing worse, and Nicolas felt lonelier than ever.

What bothered him most was that he couldn’t understand why the two children had changed their attitude toward him. In the beginning, the four of them spent a lot of time together, and Nicolas was loath to admit he’d started to care about the little rascals. But all of a sudden, they seemed to change their minds and now spent their time torturing Nicolas and doing their best to separate him from their father. Yes, he’d begun to care about them, and their new behavior hurt him deeply.

He stepped into the shower, doing his best to not think about anything except the calming flow of water. Sometimes, it seemed the only thing that could get his temper back in check, except sex with Garth. Just remembering the feel of his lover’s prick inside him left him hard and aching. Christ. Nicolas needed to get a grip. He wasn’t a sea creature so as to depend on having water around, nor did he need any carnivore to function. He would ask Garth to take a break in their strange relationship. After all, the lynx wasn’t the only one with baggage. Nicolas had issues far more troublesome than two harmless kits from a previous relationship. Their bond would never work, not with all the secrets between them.

The feel of an approaching presence startled him from his glum thoughts. Instants later, Garth slid into the shower stall, naked as the day he was born. He pressed his hard body to Nicolas’s and met his gaze. “I know this is hard for you, love. You’ve been so understanding. Just wait a little longer. They’ll come around.”

ADULT EXCERPT

Garth crushed their lips together, groaning as Nicolas’s taste invaded his senses. Christ, had he said he was going to wait? He must have been out of his mind.

He pulled his mate close and forced the other man to walk back until they hit the couch in the center of the office. Nicolas fell on the settee, and Garth climbed on top of him. Their mouths only parted for a brief second, but it was too much for Garth to withstand. He needed Nicolas, needed him with a desperation that he’d never have thought he would feel.

His hands worked at Nicolas’s clothes, slipping under the material to find skin. Soft, so soft and so warm. He could hear Nicolas’s heartbeat racing, so fast it seemed impossible that it wouldn’t burst out of the other man’s chest. Nicolas’s tantalizing aroma tickled at his nostrils, a mix of exotic flowers, pure male, and hot arousal. Garth could feel his mate’s hard cock nudging against his thigh, and the knowledge of his mate’s excitement made his desire soar even higher.

He tore Nicolas’s shirts and pants off, with no regard whatsoever as to what the hummingbird might wear later. The only thing he knew was that he wanted Nicolas and he needed to taste his mate as soon as possible.

That thought gave Garth the impulse to break away from Nicolas’s luscious lips. He licked down his mate’s body, exploring each inch of delicious flesh. Nicolas released a soft, excited chirp as Garth's tongue trailed over the hollow of his neck, and Garth noted the hot spot. He dwelled over the sensitive area for the longest time, simply enjoying the sound of his mate’s sweet cries.

Never once did he cease mapping Nicolas’s body with his hands. His fingers found his mate’s nipples, and he tweaked on the tiny nubs, hiding a grin when Nicolas’s moans turned incoherent.

Garth’s senses were assaulted by his mate’s increasing desire, and his dick throbbed in answering to Nicolas’s arousal. It was slow torture, for both of them, and the beast inside Garth emerged, demanding that he take possession of what was his.

Garth wrapped his fist around his mate’s prick and began the slow journey down. His mouth abandoned Nicolas’s collarbone, tracing a line over the hummingbird’s chest and abs. Following a sudden impulse, he stopped at Nicolas’s navel, stabbing his tongue into the tiny opening.

Nicolas covered his mouth with his hand in an obvious attempt to tone down his cries, but Garth could feel the pleasure that coursed through his mate at the stimulation of the spot. It was actually a bit strange. Most birds didn’t have much sensitivity in the area. In species where reproduction wasn’t viviparous, the belly button appeared on a child years after their birth. It was, in a way, only a tiny adage meant to make shape-shifters fit in, and it didn’t have much connection to other nerve endings. But Nicolas seemed different, and Garth loved discovering every little thing about his mate.

What he wanted most, though, was to drive Nicolas wild, to wrap his lips around his mate’s cock and suck him dry, and then fuck him into oblivion. He didn’t delay in following that impulse. Without giving his new lover one single warning, he lowered his mouth over Nicolas’s prick and swallowed him down.

A choked trill escaped Nicolas as Garth bobbed his head up and down his hummingbird’s cock. Unsurprisingly, even Nicolas’s pre-cum tasted almost like honey. Even from the little time they’d spent together, Garth had noticed Nicolas loved things sweet. Besides, Nicolas was, after all, a hummingbird.

Garth continued torturing his mate’s cock. Half unconsciously, he started purring, and the vibration seemed to drive Nicolas crazy. All the while, Garth rolled Nicolas’s balls in his hands. The sac beckoned to him, and he lowered his mouth to taste the wrinkled skin. Nicolas whimpered, begging, “Please, Garth. Please…”

The sound of his name on his mate’s lips was too much. Garth returned to Nicolas’s dick and really went to town. He increased the suction, taking his lover’s cock deep into his mouth and swallowing around the head. At the same time, he released his own prick from its confines. It demanded being let in on the action, but Garth didn’t touch himself further. If he did, he’d climax, and he wanted to come in Nicolas’s ass. It wouldn’t be long now. He could tell Nicolas was moments away from orgasm, and he desperately wanted to taste the hummingbird’s cum.

Just like Garth had predicted, moments later, Nicolas arched his back and found his peak, muffling his cry once more. Streams of hot spunk filled Garth’s mouth, making him drunk at the taste. Sweet, so sweet, like nectar from the gods.

He would have loved to gulp it all down, but unfortunately, he couldn’t afford to do it. He didn’t keep lube all around the house, for obvious reasons, and he couldn’t risk going to the bathroom now. Instead, he gathered some of Nicolas’s own cum and slicked his dick up.

Garth flipped Nicolas on his belly, exposing the hummingbird’s delicious hole. The tiny opening seemed to wink at him as Garth spread his mate’s ass cheeks. He hissed when he slowly inserted a finger inside Nicolas’s anus. God, his lover was tight, so tight, and the hummingbird’s body sucked the digit right in, as if demanding more.

Eagerly, Garth added another finger and stretched Nicolas’s opening, preparing his mate for invasion. He crooked the invading digit just so, grinning when he found Nicolas’s prostate. As he rubbed the spongy gland, Nicolas buried his face in the couch pillows, his entire body emanating renewed arousal. A murmured “please” followed, and Garth could not resist.

He removed his fingers from Nicolas’s anus and lowered his body over his mate’s. He positioned his cock at Nicolas’s hole and readied himself to thrust inside.