STORY EXCERPT

Kyle Harrison stood by the door of the rec center and watched as one of the kids from art class was carted away by her dad, dashing to their car as the snow fell in big, fat flakes. The storm was getting closer, and Joshua’s dad still hadn’t picked his son up yet from the daycare where Kyle volunteered.

“Don’t worry,” he said to the baby. “Your daddy will be here soon.”

He bounced the infant in his arms while he prayed his car started when he left. The rust bucket had been giving him troubles for a month now, and Kyle worried he’d be stuck at the center through the storm. The coordinator of the center, Mr. Baskerville, had left Kyle with the keys, asking him to lock up.

Kyle liked that Mr. Baskerville had trusted him since he’d been volunteering for only a few weeks. Then again, the guy always had a slight smell of booze on his breath, and Kyle suspected he snuck off from time to time for a little drinky-drinky.

Since it was Friday, Mr. Baskerville had probably wanted to hit the bar early. Kyle wished he had a social life. Not that he wanted to drink, but his life consisted of volunteer work, his part-time job at the diner, and then always going home afterward to his lonely apartment. But that was his own fault since he chose to go home instead of finding something to get into. 

He really did need to get out more often.

His heart thumped wildly when he saw the dark blue truck pull into the parking lot. Kyle bit his lower lip, his heart kicking up a notch as his gaze drank in the hot hunk that climbed out of the driver’s side and hurried their way.

When Mack Fargo stepped into the center and brushed the snow from his strong shoulders, Kyle feared he’d swoon and faint. How could anyone be that good-looking and not have a horde of admirers trailing behind him? Mack had come in a few weeks ago with his shirtsleeves pulled back, and Kyle had noticed tattoos on both his arms. He usually wasn’t into bad boys, but no gay man in his right mind would be able to resist the hunk. 

“Sorry I’m late.” Mack’s deep voice made Kyle feel as if the sound vibrated in his own chest. “I got stuck at the clinic. Thanks for keeping an eye on Joshua.”

He plucked the baby from Kyle’s arms, and Kyle secretly inhaled deep drafts of his masculine scent. He wasn’t sure if Mack was gay, but that didn’t stop Kyle from having the naughtiest dreams about the man. 

“It was no problem.” Kyle felt himself blush as he grabbed Joshua’s diaper bag and handed it over. “He’s never a problem. Your son is such a happy baby.” And his daddy is such a hottie.

Mack pulled something from his jeans and tucked it into Kyle’s shirt pocket. “I’ll see you Monday, if the weather permits.”

Kyle tried to think of something to say, something that would make Mack stay longer, but nothing came to mind as he watched the guy head toward his truck and then strap Joshua into his car seat before he got in and drove away.

With a sigh, Kyle grabbed his coat, put it on, and then locked the center up before walking to his car. He nearly jumped for joy when the engine turned over. That was a first. Usually he had to beg and plead while turning the key a million times.

Unfortunately he had to sit there and wait for the engine to heat up because his windshield was frozen. By the time he pulled away, Kyle wasn’t sure who was shaking more, him or his car. He eased out of the parking lot as his tires slid a few times. He gripped the wheel tightly and prayed he didn’t slide right into a parked car.

He made it onto the main road and drove toward his apartment but decided he’d better stop at the grocery store before he was snowed in. Then Kyle remembered Mack had shoved something into his pocket.

When he checked, he pulled out a twenty-dollar bill. Why on earth had Mack given him that? Was it a tip, or did Kyle look like he needed the cash? Whatever the case, Kyle was thankful and would spend it on groceries.

He would’ve turned on his radio and sang along, but his stinking radio didn’t work, so all Kyle could do was hum as he drove like a snail down the slushy road. Every time his tires didn’t catch, Kyle’s heart went crazy.

As soon as he saved enough money he would get them replaced, but until then, he bit his lip through the white-knuckle drive. Kyle was supposed to work the second shift at the diner, but Cody had called him earlier and told him not to come in. His boss was closing the diner until the storm blew over.

That was a relief because Kyle didn’t want to drive again today, especially if the snow piled up.

He maneuvered his sedan into the parking lot of the grocery store, turned his car off, and then got out. It wasn’t until he made it to the automatic doors that he realized the store was closed.

“Are you freaking kidding me?” he shouted at the sign as he waved his fist at the glass.

The wind blasted past him, making Kyle fold his arms around himself as he shivered. There was nothing he could do, so he ran back to his car and got in.

It coughed and made a grinding noise, but wouldn’t start.

He pressed his forehead into the steering wheel. “I really hate my life sometimes.” Since he knew nothing about cars, Kyle didn’t bother popping the hood.

He simply sat there, staring at the deserted road in front of him, wondering what he should do. It was too cold to walk home, but if he stayed in his car, he’d freeze to death.

None of the businesses around him looked opened. All the lights in the stores were out. Even the sidewalk sign in front of the coffee shop had been pulled inside. Brac Village seemed deserted as the snow continued to fall, blanketing the town in its cold beauty.

With no other choice, Kyle got out and started his trek home.

ADULT EXCERPT

“We can’t do anything,” Kyle whispered as he pointed over Mack’s shoulder. “The baby is right there in his playpen.”

Mack grinned, touched that Kyle was so considerate, although he hadn’t planned on mating Kyle with Joshua in the room. He stood and scooped Kyle into his arms, casting a glance at his sleeping son before he carried his mate to his bedroom.

“Now we have all the privacy we need.” When he set Kyle on the bed, Mack eased the door closed but left it slightly ajar so he would be able to hear if Joshua woke up.

He turned and faced Kyle, and his heart kicked up a notch. His mate lay on his side, his hands tucked under his cheek as he stared intently at Mack.

He strode across the room and stopped at the edge of the bed. “Change your mind?”

Kyle pushed himself into a sitting position. “All kinds of thoughts are going through my head.” He reached out and unfastened Mack’s jeans, peeling the material down his thighs. “But changing my mind isn’t one of those thoughts.”

Mack simply stood there, hissing as Kyle curled his fingers around his shaft. He’d been without sex for nearly a year, and the feel of Kyle’s fingers sent shivers of need through his body.

It wasn’t as if he’d wanted to be celibate. Three months before Belinda had given birth, her appetite for sex had diminished. When she’d died, Mack couldn’t bring himself to sleep with anyone else. His sole focus had been on raising his son.

But this was his mate, and Mack wasn’t a monk. He ran his hand through Kyle’s toffee-brown hair and groaned as Kyle took the head of Mack’s cock into his mouth.

He raised his arms and pulled his shirt over his head and let it fall to the floor. Kyle pulled back and looked up at Mack, his lips swollen, his pale blue eyes sparkling.

Mack took a moment to remove his jeans and then slid onto the bed, taking Kyle with him. He stretched out next to his mate on the soft down blanket, propping his head on his hand as his elbow dug into the pile of pillows. “I just want to drink you in.”

A fine blush moved across Kyle’s body. “I’ve never had anyone want to just look at me.”

“Really?” Mack found that hard to believe. “You’re such a sexy guy. I don’t see why anyone wouldn’t want to.”

Kyle’s desire permeated the air as Mack inhaled deeply, his wolf whimpering for him to do something besides stare at their mate. But Mack couldn’t help it. He was still in awe that Kyle was there, that he’d actually found his mate, which, in the preternatural world, was rare.

Yet here Kyle was, naked and looking so good, so gorgeous, that Mack wanted to commit this moment to his memory.

Kyle leaned forward and took one of Mack’s nipples between his lips, gently biting down and making him a quivering mess as Kyle slid his hand down to curl around Mack’s cock.

He swallowed tightly as Kyle slowly stroked him, using his tongue and teeth to bring Mack so much pleasure. If Kyle didn’t stop, Mack wouldn’t last much longer. It had been too long, and he wanted Kyle too badly.

With a shaky hand, he gripped Kyle’s wrist to stop his mate before pulling in a deep and steady breath, closing his eyes as he tried his damnedest to ease back from the edge of his impending orgasm.

“What’s wrong?” Kyle’s brows knitted together.

“Nothing.” Mack took his lips in a searing kiss. “Nothing at all.”

He turned over, pinning Kyle on his back, his knees on either side of Kyle’s hips. Mack kissed his way across his mate’s jaw as Kyle groaned and slid his hands down Mack’s back.

Without moving his lips from Kyle’s body, Mack reached into the nightstand drawer and pulled out a bottle of lube. He coated his fingers and inserted two into Kyle’s tight ass.

“Oh god,” Kyle groaned as he arched his back, his fingernails digging into Mack’s skin.

Mack continued to kiss his way across Kyle’s jaw, down his neck, and over his shoulder as he stretched him. His cock throbbed with anticipation, with the need to bury himself inside his mate.

But Mack took his time, enjoying the feel of Kyle writhing beneath him as he added a third finger and nipped at his mate’s ear. “You like how I make you feel?”

“Yes,” Kyle hissed as he wiggled his bottom. He curled his fingers around Mack’s nape and pulled his lips in for a sloppy, sensual kiss. Mack found himself growling, just as excited and needy as Kyle clearly was.

“I have to ask you something,” Mack said against Kyle’s lips.

Judging by the wild expression in Kyle’s pale eyes, he was seconds away from an explosive climax. Mack eased his fingers out of Kyle and lubed his throbbing cock, hissing at just how sensitive his flesh was.

“Ask me.” Kyle glided his hand over Mack’s chest.

Mack’s gaze met Kyle’s. “You have to be totally honest, or the binding won’t work.”

Kyle furrowed his brows. “Okay.”

Placing one hand next to Kyle’s head, uncaring that he was making his bed a lubed mess, Mack lined the blunt head of his cock to Kyle’s stretched hole. “Do you accept me as your mate?”

Kyle’s eyes shimmered as he nodded.

“Say the words, sweetheart.”

“I accept you as my mate, Mack,” Kyle breathed out.

That was all Mack needed to hear. He drove his cock deep until he was buried balls-deep inside Kyle. He stilled, taking in a deep breath as Kyle slid his legs around his waist.

“You okay?” He looked down at Kyle, and his chest constricted. This little human was it for him. It was a miracle that he’d found his mate in the first place. In the back of his mind, Mack had always feared that would never happen, yet Kyle lay there, staring up at him as if he couldn’t believe this was happening either. 

“I’m okay.” Kyle tapped his fingers against Mack’s hip. “You can start moving any day now.”

Mack chuckled. “Smartass.”

Kyle’s eyes rolled to the back of his head as he arched his back, moaning when Mack pulled back and then punched his hips forward. God, he’d missed sex. The feel of Kyle wrapped tightly around his cock, the moans, the sweating and grinding, the sensation of electrical currents racing up his spine were enough to push him close to the edge.