STORY EXCERPT

Snow sat on the rail of his penthouse apartment and watched the people beneath him go about their day to day tasks, sweating as they did. The seemingly never-ending heat wave was taking its toll on the city and its occupants. Thankfully shifters weren’t so easily affected. Snow could have been in Death Valley with a hot drink and still wouldn’t have been much more than uncomfortable.

One advantage to the weather was that people removed their clothes. It was the reason he was outside. While the women in short skirts and strappy tops didn’t do much for him, the men in shorts certainly did. Especially when they started to sweat and soaked through their T-shirts. Quite the difference from his home country of England.

He was being watched as well. Every now and again someone in the apartment building across the street would glance out of their window and see him, and would stand there for a moment. He ignored them. Even when he was on ground level, he attracted attention. A side effect of his pale skin and shocking white hair. He hadn’t always looked that way, but it had been long enough that he took the looks and whispers in stride.

His phone sat next to him on the narrow railing that separated him from two hundred feet of air. At some point it would ring, and his alpha would tell him where the pack meeting was being held. And so he waited. Some would pace, or watch TV, or check their emails. Snow preferred to sit and watch the world. There was an art to killing time, and it was an art Snow was a master of. The people in the streets kept moving and he kept watching.

When the phone finally rang, the vibrations buzzed the phone right off the rail. He grabbed it before it could fall more than an inch, then hopped up onto the rail and began to walk it like a tight-rope as he answered the call.

“Morning, boss.”

“Snow.” The alpha’s voice was warm and friendly. “How’s the day treating you?”

“Pretty good so far. Just taking in the fresh air.”

“Excellent. The meeting’s in one hour at location four. See you soon.”

Snow hung up and glanced down to find he’d gathered quite the crowd. With a wink none of them could see, he slid his phone into his pocket and hopped back onto the balcony. Since nobody had died, the spectators would assume it was a publicity stunt, or that there was a hidden camera show. They’d go home and tell their friends, and would be laughed at for making things up. Or someone would call the police and Snow would get in trouble. Again. He grinned and walked back into his apartment to change.

* * * *

Bernie winced as the madman a hundred feet above him hopped onto the rail of his balcony and walked back and forth like it was nothing. Who the hell did that? One slip, or the slightest breeze, and the guy would be a stain on the road. A stain where you’re standing. The man finished his call and then hopped back inside his apartment, and Bernie could breathe again.

“You believe that?” a woman next to him asked, shaking her head. “Fucking asshole.”

Bernie murmured an agreement, but “asshole” wasn’t the word that sprung to mind. “Fun” was the word.

He started walking again, but it took a moment to remember where he was going. That was the thing about watching something like that. It got his adrenaline going even though he himself was in no danger. He chuckled and dipped into the card store and tracked down the “new home” cards, then headed to the counter with his choice.

“Oh, someone move?” the perky woman behind the counter asked.

“My ex,” he said. “He’s moved to France, and just got his new place.”

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Her face fell. “I shouldn’t have pried.”

“No, it’s fine.” He smiled as she handed over the change. “It was all friendly. He needed something different, and I didn’t. No tears or anything.”

Her smile returned and she told him to have a nice day. He told her he intended to and headed back into the heat.

The break-up hadn’t been entirely tear-free, but he hadn’t lied when he said it was a friendly split. There were no arguments or recriminations. It just happened, and that was that. Hell, he was buying Steve a card. That should say a lot.

Still, in the two weeks since Steve had left, Bernie had found himself feeling lonely. It had been years since he’d been alone for more than a few days. It didn’t help that he wasn’t due back in work for a couple more days yet. Work would distract him.

There were other distractions, though, he thought as he glanced up at the now-empty balcony. Bernie would have bet money that the odd white-haired guy would be quite the entertainer, regardless of the location.

ADULT EXCERPT

To their left the hill rolled steeply down, giving them a view for miles. Trees stretched out in every direction. A river ran straight through, the sunlight making it a ribbon of silver amidst the green canopy.

There was a fallen log behind them that someone had carved into a bench years ago when the trail was still popular. The bench was a little worse for wear these days, but it was comfortable enough after an hour on a tiny hard saddle. They wheeled their bikes to one side, then walked to the edge and took in the view.

“Worth it,” Snow said with a nod. “Definitely worth it.”

Bernie smiled. “I haven’t been up here in a long time. It’s better than I remember.”

Snow took a step back and made a show of looking down at Bernie’s ass in the tight shorts. “That’s a pretty damn good sight, too.”

Bernie smirked. “One-track mind.”

“Hey, you’re the one who came out in the skintight shorts.” His hand slid over Bernie’s ass cheek. “I’m only human, y’know.”

Bernie felt himself blush, but he didn’t stop Snow. Instead he turned around, so that the man’s hand moved from his ass to Bernie’s hardening cock. Snow smiled wide and gripped the shaft, gently pulling Bernie closer, then leaned in and whispered into Bernie’s ear.

“Come sit down.”

Bernie followed the man and sat close beside him. Snow ran his hand along the shaft, then pulled it out from Bernie’s shorts. At the same time, he pulled out his own stiffening cock. Bernie didn’t need to be told what to do. He wrapped his fingers around Snow’s length and began to stroke him as he thickened. Snow did the same, and Bernie blew out a long breath as he realized just how big Snow was getting. He had to be at least eight inches long, and thick too.

“Wow,” Bernie said, his voice low. “You’re…wow.”

Snow smirked. “Thanks.” He squeezed Bernie. “You’re no slacker yourself.”

Their hands on each other’s cocks, they worked in tandem with matched speed. Bernie was acutely aware that even though it seemed deserted on the hill, it was still a public trail. With every movement of Snow’s hand, though, he found he cared less and less.

His worries about moving too quickly disappeared, too. He’d been apart from his ex long enough. Besides, this felt too good for guilt. He moaned softly as Snow picked up the speed, and Bernie matched the pace. Within a minute they were both breathing harder. Neither slowed, though. This wasn’t about making it last. It was about fun, as was clear by the smile on Snow’s face. Bernie realized he was doing the same, and laughed as Snow sped further.

Bernie came first. It caught him by surprise, and by the time he realized how close he was it was too late to do anything about it. A thick gout of cum spurted from his cock, hitting his chest and dripping over Snow’s hand. Another spurt followed, and Snow moved his hand faster to drain the rest.

Snow wasn’t finished, but he was close. Bernie decided to speed it up, and quickly moved off the bench and dropped to his knees in front of a surprised Snow. A second later the man’s thick shaft was in Bernie’s mouth, and he worked fast, bobbing up and down on the cock hard enough that the cockhead bumped against the back of his throat. He massaged with his hand what he couldn’t in his mouth, and it wasn’t long before Snow gasped.

“I’m coming,” he almost cried out.

Bernie pulled back and put his hands behind his back. “Come in my face.”

Snow raised an eyebrow, but certainly didn’t complain. He took hold of his thick shaft and began to jerk rapidly, aiming for Bernie’s lips. He came moments later, and his hot load splattered into Bernie’s face. He opened his mouth and caught the second half, relishing the taste on his tongue as he swallowed all that Snow could give him.

When there was nothing left, Snow sagged and blew out a breath, then chuckled and shook his head.

“This is slow for you, huh?” he asked, grinning.

Bernie waggled his eyebrows as he ran a finger through the cum that dripped down his face. “I lost interest in slow the moment you grabbed my ass.”

“My plan was successful, then.”

“Plan?”

“Hiring a bear to scare you into horniness.”

Bernie laughed and joined Snow on the bench. “You evil genius, you.”

Snow shrugged. “I’m just that awesome, I suppose.” He leaned over and nudged Bernie’s shoulder with his own. “Of course, now there’s a problem.”

Bernie turned to him. “Problem?”

“Now that we’ve done this, I won’t be able to go for very long without fucking you.”

Bernie’s stomach flipped at the thought. Screw going slow. He wanted that, and he wanted it soon.