STORY EXCERPT

The door opened and there stood Parker with a confused look on his face. This was the first time that Noah had thought of Parker as his mate first instead of as his best friend. He noticed that Parker smelled really good. Parker always smelled good but fresh from a shower and no cologne on his body, Parker smelled good enough to eat. Noah took a deep breath just to enjoy the scent further.

Parker’s outfit showed off his chest. He wasn’t bulky like Noah but you could tell he worked out some. But what really caught Noah’s attention was the V-neck shirt. Noah had always known Parker was good looking, but right now the shirt made the lines of Parker’s neck stretch on for miles. For the first time since he admitted Parker was his mate, Noah had the urge to bite.

“What the fuck are you doing on the porch?” Parker put his hand on his hip and waited for Noah’s answer. Noah just kept on staring at Parker as if he’d never seen him before. “Well?”

“I was picking up my date. A gentleman doesn’t barge into his date’s house uninvited.”

“Fine. What’s with the damn flowers?”

Noah thrust the flowers and a box of candy at Parker. “They’re for you.”

“You’ve gotta be shitting me. Flowers? I’m a dude.”

“I know that, but people give flowers to their dates.” Noah turned the bouquet over and examined it. They weren’t roses, but they were really pretty flowers, whatever they were.

“Would you be happy if a date gave you flowers?”

Noah noticed Parker was tapping his foot. He knew Parker did that to piss him off. Suddenly, it was cute and not annoying. Noah slid his foot forward and on top of Parker’s, ending the tapping.

“I don’t know. I’ve never had a date give me flowers.” Now closer to Parker, Noah brought the bouquet up and in between their bodies, offering them once more with what he hoped was a coy smile.

Parker ignored the flowers and snatched the candy from Noah, then gestured with it. “And a box of chocolate? Really?”

Noah reached for the goods. “Fine, then give ‘em here. I love chocolate.”

“Oh, hell no! You gave them to me!”

Parker tried to lift the candies out of Noah’s reach, but there was nowhere that Parker could reach that Noah couldn’t. Parker took a step back into the house, the candy clutched to his chest.

Noah recognized the gleam in Parker’s eyes. It was from a time when mates and claiming were still unspoken, when they were only two best friends giving each other a hard time. He knew that Parker was about to run, and it sent his wolf into peals of happy, playful yapping.

Sure enough, Parker laughed and took off for his bedroom. Noah handed the flowers to Mrs. Shea who must have come to see what the commotion was all about before taking off after his mate. Noah turned down the hall and stopped outside Parker’s room. He took two steps back and opened the hall closet. Hiding inside his mother’s winter coat, was Parker.

“Fuck, I thought you’d go in my room and then I would make a break for it.”

Noah stuck out his hand and gestured for Parker to hand over the sweets.

“Do I have to? How about I just give you the caramel ones? Those are your favorite anyway.”

“Fine. But I want them now.”

“Here eat them while I put on my shoes.”

Noah followed Parker into his room. Parker sat on the bed to put his shoes on while Noah sat at the desk and made fast work of the box’s wrapping.

“So where are you taking me on our first official date?”

Noah dropped the candy he was holding. He had calmed down when Parker acted like his old self, but saying this was a date, brought back all the nervousness that had been abandoned on the porch. This wasn’t just any date, this was their first date. That was the date that set the bar for the rest of their relationship, if they had one.

“Noah, what’s wrong?” Parker shook Noah’s shoulders gently.

“This is a date.”

“Oh for Christ’s sake! Here we go again!” Parker walked back to his bed and slumped onto it.

“It’s our first date.”

“You said you’d try, Noah. Are you seriously backing out already?”

“No, no. I’m trying. I’m just really nervous. I feel sick.” Noah leaned forward, putting his head almost between his legs, and took deep breaths. This was too much for him. He wasn’t sure he could do this after all. Oh God, what if he screwed up and Parker left town again? He knew Parker would never come back. This was his last chance. Parker knelt down, so he was in Noah’s line of vision.

ADULT EXCERPT

“Parker.” Parker stretched and pressed into the gentle rubbing on his back. “Come on, baby. Wake up. You’ve been asleep forever.”

Parker rolled to his side and faced Noah. “Forever? I didn’t sleep at all last night.”

Noah grinned wickedly. “I didn’t keep you up all night. You had time to recuperate in between sessions. But if you want I can try harder next time.”

Noah climbed over Parker’s body, pinning him in place under the blankets.

Fuck, now is not the time for him to be all coy. I’m exhausted.

But damn, if Parker’s body didn’t betray him. Parker’s morning wood hardened noticeably, and Noah ground his body against it. Parker whined, but Noah must have thought it a groan of enjoyment as he began to rock more firmly against it.

“Okay, okay, we gotta talk.”

Noah kissed around Parker’s ear. “Right now?”

Parker whined again. His cock was hard, and Noah had reached to cup it through the blankets. He wanted Noah to fuck him and was afraid to ruin their fragile mating but when an unexpected yawn snuck out, his decision was made for him.

“What the hell am I doing wrong if you’re bored?” Noah slid to the side of the bed, and Parker quickly sat up.

“No, it’s not that! I’m not bored. Look.”

Parker yanked Noah’s hand toward his groin ready to show him how hard he was, but Noah protested. He pulled his hand back into his lap.

“I know I’m straight, but I thought you liked what we did.” Noah turned and left the bed. He mumbled, “I know I did” as he walked out of his bedroom.

“Dammit! Noah, wait!”

Parker jumped out of the bed only to tangle in the sheets and stumble into the hall. Noah was all the way to the kitchen and about to leave the house when Parker finally caught him.

“Stop! We have to talk. You can’t just run off every time something happens.”

Noah’s head was down and his shoulders were slumped. “I don’t know what to do to be the man you need.”

“Just stop, okay? It’s not you.”

Noah threw his hands into the air. “Oh please. It’s not you, it’s me. After all these years, at least be honest with me.”

“I swear to God that I will tape your mouth shut if you don’t fucking let me speak!” Noah shrank back from Parker and sat in the chair when Parker pointed at it. “I yawned because I was up all night. You molested me while you slept.”

“I what?”

Parker straddled Noah’s legs and cupped his face. “You touched me all night. Your leg was on me or your arm. You’d grab me, roll over, and take me with you. You sleep like the dead, and I wake with each rain drop during a storm. I was awake all night. That’s why I yawned.”

“Seriously?”

Parker nodded. “I won’t lie to you. I wanted to talk to you about it, but then you got all flirty and coy. And I got all horny and hard.” Parker waggled his brows and molded his hand to Noah’s crotch. “I still want to talk to you about it, but I really, really want you to fuck me.”

Parker moved himself enough to undo Noah’s pants and free his cock. Several sharp tugs and Noah’s prick was weeping and ready to be mounted. Parker reached behind himself and held Noah steady as he slid his body onto the thick member.

“Wait, we need lube.”

Parker shook his head. “Don’t worry. We did it enough last night that I’m still good.”

Parker spoke to Noah but realized Noah probably hadn’t heard him. Noah was staring at Parker’s body as it slid down his length. He was leaning back to watch their bodies join again. Once the last of Noah’s length slid inside of Parker, he rested his head forward on Noah’s chest. Noah caressed his back and kneaded the globes of Parker’s ass.

When Parker had adjusted, he slowly lifted himself and fell back down. Noah filled him, touching in places he hadn’t know existed. His ass burned, but the pain only pushed him on to reach his climax.

“Hold on, babe.” Parker had only a moment’s notice to grab Noah’s neck, before Noah stood. He laid Parker on the table then grabbed his knees, spreading his legs wide. Thrusting hard into Parker, Noah nailed Parker’s prostate with each plunge.

Noah’s concentration was on watching their body’s fuck, so Parker reached for his cock and matched Noah’s rhythm. Parker whined as his body peaked toward climax. When Noah looked up at him, Parker turned his head away and exposed his neck, hoping Noah would claim him again.

Noah struck quickly, clamping onto Parker’s shoulder. The moment his teeth cut through flesh, Parker shouted out his release. His stomach muscles tightened. Seed dropped back down onto Parker from where it had sprayed onto Noah’s chest while Noah stayed bent over him.

“Gods, Noah, please come. Can’t keep going.”

The continued thrusting made Parker roll his head back and forth across the table beneath him. The pleasure morphing into more than his body could handle.