Bond of Trust

STORY EXCERPT

“So you finally got your own place?” He’d talked about it on one of their dates.

“I did.” Simon’s ice-blue eyes seemed to pin Taner where he stood. “Want to see it?”

Before he could answer, Mannix stepped up to them. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it.” He slipped his hand onto the strap of Taner’s backpack. Simon growled and tightened his grip on the other strap.

Let the tug-of-war begin, Taner thought wryly. To circumvent a snarling match, Taner grabbed his backpack and moved well out of the reach of both men. “I’ll carry it myself.” Before they could argue with him or amongst themselves, Taner put the pack on his back and ended yet another source of debate between them. Everything, even doing something nice for someone else, became a competition.

“Why don’t you go find something to do, like maybe comb your hair?” Simon’s voice was perfectly polite while what he said wasn’t.

Mannix’s hair was a mix of sandy blond and light brown. He wore it longish and shaggy so that it fringed across his hunter-green eyes. He hadn’t shaved, but it looked more planned than casual. The light dusting of brown and blond facial hair made him seem a little more animal and less man. He wore a formfitting green T-shirt and tight, faded jeans that cupped his cock like a lover’s hand.

“I am doing something, Simon Says Go Fuck Yourself. I’m picking up my date.” Mannix shifted his attention from Simon to Taner. “You ready to go?”

The upper right edge of Simon’s lip twisted into a snarl.

Taner took a deep breath, waiting for the inevitable explosion, but the dean walked by and whatever the two men were fixing to get into, they changed their minds in a hurry. From talking with both of them during their dates, Taner discovered that their fathers would tan their hides if they got expelled from school. For two guys who seemed to take delight in tormenting one another, they had a deep respect for their fathers and for the authority figures at the school. That fact had surprised Taner since most aggressive alpha men seemed to have little respect for anyone. Not these two. Simon and Mannix were courteous to all members of the faculty, and it wasn’t just a façade. They really did like them, and they seemed to give their opinions a lot of weight. Maybe the faculty knew their fathers personally.

As soon as the dean turned the corner at the far end of the hall, Simon and Mannix once again eyed each other, but some of the heat between them had cooled.

“I’m ready.” Taner wanted a simple night out and then a good night’s sleep. This weekend was going to be used for nothing but studying. No matter what the two men or even his own hungry libido had in mind, Taner was determined to hit the books and only the books.

Mannix grinned like he’d won, and Simon frowned, clearly concerned that he was slipping in the rankings.

“I went on two dates with you,” Taner said, nodding to Simon. “I’m now going on my second date with Mannix.”

Again, Mannix grinned. He had a devastating smile that was at once both that of a little boy and one that a well-experienced man would show. In all respects, both Simon and Mannix were right on the cusp of full-fledged adulthood. Sure, they were big guys, both over six feet tall and two hundred pounds, but they weren’t fully mature. It was almost as if that was right there in front of them, waiting for them to take the last step and reach that part of their lives. Taner wasn’t sure when that moment had happened for him, but he considered himself a lot more mature than the two men who pursued him so relentlessly.

“Let’s go.” Mannix slipped the backpack off Taner and hefted it over his strong shoulder. “I was thinking we could start out at Mick’s and then see where the night takes us.”

Taner nodded, but he knew what Mannix was saying wasn’t really meant for him. It was more about grinding Simon’s face in the fact that he’d lost out. Mannix only compounded Taner’s belief when he possessively slipped his arm around him. Taner was prepared to let that go, but then Mannix nuzzled his nose to the top of Taner’s head, smelling his hair and then kissing the very top of the silken strands.

“Okay, that’s it.” Taner extricated himself from Mannix. “I’m sick and tired of this. Give me my backpack.”

Mannix stood in the center of the hall, clearly baffled by Taner’s abrupt change of heart. For a split second, Taner had the warped idea that he was going to run off with his books so that Taner would have to follow him. Thankfully, Mannix wasn’t that juvenile. With a clearly reluctant frown, Mannix handed over the book bag. When their fingers touched, there was a strong flash of passion, but Taner deliberately ignored his longings. In that moment, he decided that he was going to get what he wanted or nothing at all.

ADULT EXCERPT

Cupping Taner’s chin, lifting his beautiful face, Simon kissed him very softly. “We’re going to show you just how well we can share.”

After slipping the bottle of lube into Mannix’s hand, Simon pulled Taner against him. His body was almost completely hairless and so soft against the rough hair that covered Simon’s chest, groin, and legs. His cock ached, and pre-cum slicked the tip, which Taner discovered and smeared over the head of his prick with his thumb. Using the same motion Simon had used to slick up his ass—around and around—Taner teased Simon to the point he was ready to blow. To stop him, and to help Mannix, Simon grasped Taner’s perfect buttocks in his hands, lifting him up and spreading his legs around his hips.

Mannix stepped close, and even though he couldn’t see, Simon knew what he was doing by the way Taner clung to him. As soon as Mannix pressed his cock against Taner’s hole, Mannix’s eyes closed and Taner’s flew open along with his mouth.

“Do you trust us?” Simon asked, holding Taner’s buttocks parted for Mannix.

“Yes. But I—I—oh!” His voice rose and then trailed off into a soft sigh that conveyed Mannix had eased the first bit of his cock inside Taner’s ass.

As hungry as Simon was to feel that slick heat, he was more concerned about Taner’s pleasure than his own. He felt his primary duty was to his mate. At that precise moment, his gaze connected with Mannix’s, and he realized rather suddenly that just like Taner, Mannix would now and forever be his mate, too. What would they become when they finished their bonding? Would they need a nexus to twin them like their fathers had, or would it be different because they were different? Holy hell, what would they be if and when they shifted?

All the questions rushed through Simon in an instant. He almost staggered back under all the curiosities of what they would become. When he looked up, his gaze connected to Mannix’s again, and he saw the same things had probably crossed his mind as well.

“We’ll work everything out.” Mannix seemed to understand exactly what was going through Simon’s head. “I swear it.”

Simon nodded, and when Taner looked up at him, he saw a flash of the future in his eyes. The three of them together, bounding through the forest, their hearts and minds joined, and their bodies…damn. The vision shattered when Mannix eased a bit more of his cock inside, causing Taner to close his eyes. But right after that, he moved away, and Simon was fairly certain he’d withdrawn entirely, given how Taner reacted.

“No! Don’t stop.” Taner reached back, frantic to pull Mannix back inside.

“Don’t worry. I’m just sharing.” Mannix stepped close again and cradled Taner’s legs in his powerful hands.

Simon grinned as he angled Taner back. Using his still-slick hand, Simon lubed up his prick and pressed right against Taner’s hole. Mannix had eased the way, but he was still plenty snug. His eyes rolled back as the knob of his cock slipped inside the wicked heat of Taner’s ass.

There were no words to describe the feeling of possession that came over him. Alternating needs pulsed in his body and brain. His body wanted to fill him now and find his release deep, but his brain wanted only pleasure for his tiny mate. After a moment to enjoy the bliss of their joining, Simon withdrew his cock and angled Taner for Mannix.

Back and forth they took turns sliding their cocks into Taner, who gripped Simon’s shoulders to help hold himself up. By moving a bit closer and spreading Taner’s legs wider, they were able to take alternate plunges into him. Deeper they went each time until they were finally able to fill him completely.

“I never knew sharing could be so damn fun.” Mannix smiled then kissed Taner’s shoulder.

Bond of Need

STORY EXCERPT

Jude Wallace had never seen more perfect big blue eyes in his life. They were a dark sapphire blue with white shards spiraling around the pupil. When he looked into them, he thought of the slow-moving glaciers of Alaska. There was a staggering amount of power in eyes like that. And he wished he’d never seen them, because he was lost as soon as he did.

Normally, when he was getting a deep-tissue massage, Jude kept his eyes closed and his mind as blank as he could get it so that his body would be totally relaxed, but something about the strong but small hands on his body had compelled him to open them. Big mistake. His masseur was about five foot two, one hundred fifty pounds, with black hair that was long on top and brushed down into those amazing eyes. As soon as Jude got a good look at him, he became aroused. Since all he was wearing was a light, white towel draped over his hips, there was nothing to hide the reaction he had going on.

“Don’t worry about it.” The man’s gaze darted down to Jude’s hips then back up to Jude’s eyes. “It happens sometimes when guys get a massage. It doesn’t mean you’re gay.”

“I am gay.”

A slight smile lifted the edges of the man’s lips. “Well, then, it doesn’t mean you’re attracted to me.”

“But I am attracted to you.” Jude had never had such a strong, instant hunger for anyone in his life.

The young man frowned. He stopped what he was doing, took a deep breath, and backed away from the table. “I don’t know what you heard, but I don’t do those kinds of massages.” He grabbed a hand towel and vigorously rubbed it over his fingers and the palms of his hands.

“I didn’t mean—” Jude sat up to stop him from going, but when the angle of his hips changed, the towel started to fall away only to be snagged by his cock. Mortified, he looked down and realized his penis was acting as a hook. Suddenly as clumsy as a newborn colt, Jude struggled to maintain his dignity while stopping the masseur from leaving. When he realized he couldn’t do both, he yanked the towel off his dick and tossed it to the floor. “I don’t expect that kind of a massage, okay? I just couldn’t help my reaction.”

Big blue eyes assessed him from head to toe. Jude swallowed hard, and he dropped his hands to cover his junk. He normally didn’t mind being looked at and usually he flirted with everyone, but this was different because this man was special. How he knew that, he didn’t have the faintest idea.

“Get back on the table.”

Was it just Jude’s imagination, or was his masseur’s voice a little huskier than it had been just moments ago? Still, Jude returned to the table, on his back, and he hoped his now extremely hard cock didn’t put the guy off. He honestly couldn’t help the reaction that was going on in his body, but he needed the massage so he could continue to train. Without a solid deep-tissue massage, he was never going to survive another week of the punishment Coach Janovich was likely to toss his way.

Once Jude was settled, the man came back over near the table. He grabbed a new white towel from a large stack of them, and then he draped the cool fabric over Jude’s hips, covering up his cock. Once he was clad in his terry-cloth protection, the stunning young man with the surprising amount of muscle definition started up the massage again.

“What is it that you do?” His voice was definitely throatier than it had been.

“Football player.” Jude realized he was grunting his answers like a caveman. Funny, a guy he’d been flirting with last week called him a Neanderthal, but he’d pronounced it wrong and Jude had mocked him. “I’m a linebacker.”

“You’re in very good shape.”

Jude wasn’t sure if he should thank him or not, so he just nodded.

“You come in here a lot?”

“Yeah. They have students who do rubdowns at the college, but this place does the deep-tissue massage better.” Jude tried not to purr when he got to work on his quads, but they’d been tight all week, and once he started digging his strong fingers in them, they loosened right up. “God, that’s—I mean your hands are really strong.”

“I’ve been doing this for a long time.”

“You look about eighteen.” Jude thought he looked younger than that, but he didn’t want to insult the guy. Just because he looked all sweet and innocent didn’t mean he was.

“I’m twenty-five.” His gaze met and held with Jude’s. “You?”

“I’m twenty-one.” Jude had his backstory memorized so the lie popped out of his mouth without much effort. The truth was such a bizarre tale that even if he dared to tell it, which he didn’t, this guy wouldn’t believe him anyway. Who would ever believe he was born from two animal-shifting men? Even if Jude had the guts to shift into his bear cub or wolf pup, this guy probably wouldn’t believe his eyes. He’d think it was a trick. But he didn’t even blink when Jude told him his age because at six foot seven and three hundred pounds, people often mistook him for being much older. “What’s your name?”

“Lark Kearns.”

“Lark.” Jude echoed the name, loving the sound it made coming out of his mouth. “It’s unusual.”

“You’re not going to make fun of it?”

“No. My name is—”

“Jude Wallace. Yes. I know.”

For a split second Jude was all full of himself thinking that this guy knew him from the Trinity Pines Grizzlies, but that idea was wiped away when he saw the clipboard hanging on the wall. Obviously, they told Lark who his clients were.

ADULT EXCERPT

“Where’s your bedroom?” Chase looked around the living room.

“That way.” Lark pointed.

“Come.” Jude offered out his hand. Lark rose, clasped it, and then the three of them were going into his bedroom. He was grateful that when he’d come home after work he’d changed his sheets. He’d thought his wish was a failure. Still, he was still pleased to have Jude, and he’d wanted to make things nice for him, but now he had Chase, too. By the time the sun rose or perhaps by the time the moon set, Lark wouldn’t be a virgin anymore.

“Wait. I know Jude’s never done this. What about you?”

Chase flashed Jude a surprised glance, and Jude shrugged in answer. “I wanted to wait for my mate.”

“Me, too.” Chase turned and kissed the top of Lark’s head. “I know he was worth waiting for.”

“So what are we going to do?” Lark turned on the bedside light. Since it was covered with a red bandana, it cast a warm red glow over the room. His bed was just a king-size mattress on the floor, but it was clean and comfortable. However, it did take up almost the entire room, forcing him to put his dresser in the closet. That wasn’t too big of a hassle since he didn’t have that much clothing. The walls were battered, but he’d painted them white and the ceiling dark blue so it would look like nighttime. He’d put up posters on the walls to cover the damage. It was inexpensive, but he thought it looked kind of funky.

“You’ve made it very nice. Really.” Jude seemed to sense that Lark was worried. His comment instantly put him at ease.

“It really is perfect.” Chase toed the mattress. “Since it’s on the floor, we don’t have to worry about breaking the bed or making it squeak.”

All three of them laughed, and then Lark found himself sandwiched between them. Jude was kissing his lips while Chase worked hot kisses down his spine, making him shiver. When Chase reached his bottom, he parted his cheeks and tongued his hole. Gasping into Jude’s mouth, Lark reached up to steady himself, but Jude tossed the lube on the bed, captured his wrists, and pulled his hands up over his head. Effectively bound without a single length of rope, Lark didn’t even pretend to struggle. He was exactly where he wanted to be.

“God, he’s tight.” Chase retrieved the lube, and now he worked his powerful finger in and out just as Jude had done.

“He won’t be for long.” Jude peered down into Lark’s eyes, making him shiver harder. He wasn’t being cruel, only telling the truth.

“How do we…decide?” Chase eased another finger in and Lark struggled to accept the extra digit. If not for the lube, he’d be in trouble, but Chase wasn’t in a hurry. If anything, Lark thought the two of them could speed things up. However, one look into Jude’s face told him that teasing and tormenting him were obviously a part of Jude’s plan. The quick, powerful climax he’d been granted earlier was to make him far more keen to get the next one. That was the release Jude and Chase would hold tauntingly close but totally out of reach.

“We’ll take turns.” Jude released Lark’s hands, but he just as quickly picked him up and spread Lark’s legs around his hips.

Gripping Jude’s shoulders, Lark closed his eyes, waiting for Jude to plunge his cock into him, but he didn’t. He held him up so that Chase could continue to tease and open up his hole with his slick fingers. Being held made him more aware of the pulsing heat of Jude’s prick. He was pressed tightly against him, and each time he squirmed because of Chase, he rubbed against Jude. After what seemed forever, Chase eased three fingers into Lark’s bottom. His head went back, and Chase was there, holding him, kissing him, allowing him to grow used to those three digits.

“Are you ready?” Chase’s voice was throaty.

“I am.” Lark wasn’t sure what to expect, but he felt Chase lifting him up so that Jude could gently slide his cock inside. All the while, Lark looked right into his eyes. If not for Chase bracing him, he would have gone too deep too fast, but he helped to hold Lark up so that Jude could take his time and watch Lark’s face for any distress.

Eventually, he was as deep as he could go. Jude gasped, closed his eyes, and pressed his forehead to Lark’s. For a long moment they just stayed still, feeling intense intimacy. Chase was there, too, pressed up against Lark’s back. It was a beautiful moment. And then, grinning, Jude eased Lark up and off so that Chase could ease his cock within his hole.

Back and forth from cock to cock, Lark was passed between them until he was almost blinded by bliss. He wanted to climax so badly, but he wanted them to find release, too. And then he knew what they all needed.

“Both of you at the same time.”

“I don’t think that will work,” Chase murmured in Lark’s ear.

“I agree.” Jude was buried deeply again.

“It’s what I need.” Lark knew that was exactly what would bind them all together. It was imperative that they take that next step. “Please.”

“Damn.” Jude kissed Lark softly. “You know that makes me weak in the knees.”

“It’s that little whimper he gives the word.” Chase leaned in and then the three of them shared their first group kiss. Magic seemed to fill the air. Ever so slowly Chase eased his cock alongside Jude’s. The pressure was almost too much for Lark to take, but he drew a deep breath and relaxed, letting them fill him to overflowing.

“Oh, God.” Jude reached past Lark to grasp on to Chase.

“I’m not going to last.” Chase did the same, his powerful hand going from Lark to Jude, forming them into a triangle.

“Don’t try.”