Story excerpt

“Don’t look now, but your beau is closing in fast,” Ivory said as he prepared another drink.

Lowell didn’t react to the bartender’s words. He knew Raven was here. He’d known it from the moment Raven had entered the club. His entire being was focused on staying on the seat and not turning to see his former lover.

In their time together, Lowell had realized Raven and Wallace had never really been fucking. However, he was convinced Raven was holding a torch for the wolf. Now that Wallace had a boyfriend, though, Lowell had hope Raven could let go of the past. Only he’d fucked up and lost his temper too many times, and Raven had broken up with him before he’d had the chance to take advantage of Wallace’s new relationship.

He’d tried everything to get Raven to listen. Nothing had worked. Finally, he’d found himself forced to resort to a deception, something he’d have preferred to avoid. He’d known that eventually, word would get to Raven about Lowell’s supposed fucking around. He’d made sure to tell Ivory to spread the word, just in case. Tonight, his hard work seemed to have paid off at last. But the question was, what would he say to Raven now that the man was here?

He’d come up with a great number of scenarios, some more unlikely than others. He’d have liked to believe he could go ahead and apologize to Raven. Raven would just forgive him, and they could go fuck in Lowell’s far-too-expensive condo. It wouldn’t hurt to use the damn place as much as he could before he had to give it up. But he knew better than to think things would happen like that. He could still remember Raven’s talons ripping into his flesh. It was in that moment that he’d known he’d gone too far. He’d crossed the line, and getting Raven back would take a lot of effort from his part. In light of this knowledge, his financial difficulties really didn’t matter.

All those thoughts mingled in his brain as Raven finally reached him. This time, Lowell couldn’t suppress the urge to turn. Raven was as gorgeous as ever, even more so in fact. He looked over Lowell’s shoulder, and his expression darkened. If nothing else, the presence of Lowell’s supposed boyfriend bothered Raven. Perhaps it was a good sign, perhaps not. Lowell trusted that once he explained the whole thing had been just a ruse, Raven would manage to forgive him for the deception. His date for the evening, Rio, knew all about Raven and had agreed to help without demanding anything in exchange. Of course, getting Raven to actually believe that would be a challenge.

The noise was highly inconvenient, but somehow, they understood each other without words. Lowell gestured toward the back exit, and Raven nodded. They both knew they needed to talk. Lowell waved at Rio then left his seat and navigated through the crowd, trusting Raven to follow. Finally, he reached the back alley, and Raven was right behind him.

“What was that all about?” Raven immediately inquired. “Who was that guy?”

“His name is Rio,” Lowell replied, facing his former lover. “He’s a friend.”

Raven crossed his arms over his chest in a defensive posture. “A friend.” He snorted. “Yeah, right.”

“It’s true. I want you back, baby. When are you going to believe that?”

Raven frowned at him. “You’ve got a funny way of showing it.”

“I tried everything else.” Lowell threw his hands in the air. “I had to do something to get you to listen.”

Raven’s eyes widened. “So this is you attempting to make me jealous? Are you kidding me?”

Lowell shook his head. “It’s not a joke.” He sighed. “Why did you come here, Raven? What did you expect me to say?”

“I wanted to see for myself if you were truly dating someone else.” Raven laughed, a bitter, brittle sound that tore at Lowell’s heart. “Guess I was stupid, huh?”

“I’m not dating him. I’m not even fucking anyone. You’re the only one I want.”

Raven looked away from him. “After everything that happened between us, you chose jealousy to bring us back together. Forgive me if it doesn’t sound very believable.”

“I have no reason to lie.” Lowell gritted his teeth, struggling for control. “I get that I fucked up, but you have to understand it’s not easy for me either.” He took a deep breath. “With Wallace always around—”

“What does Wallace have to do with this?” Raven cut him off. “You don’t like him, but I never asked you to.”

Was Raven being deliberately obtuse? Could he truly not realize Lowell had more reasons to be jealous than Raven ever did? The beast inside Lowell burst free, and he grabbed Raven’s wrist. Baring his teeth, he pulled his lover close. “Don’t play with me, Raven. I want you, and I’m sick of living in another man’s shadow.”

Raven tried to break away from him, but Lowell was stronger and refused to let his man go. “No, you’re not going anywhere, not this time.”

“Lowell.” Raven’s voice was dangerous and low. “Let me go.”

But Lowell couldn’t do it. Raven would just walk away from him again, and Lowell couldn’t allow that. Instead, he pinned Raven against the wall of the building. “I want you so badly,” he whispered in Raven’s ear. “How can I accept someone else when you’re the only one I can think about?”

Adult excerpt

Finally, with a ding and a swoosh, the elevator door opened. Lowell caught Raven before his soon-to-be lover could fall into the hallway, and rushed out of the lift. His heart racing in his chest, he dragged Raven to his condo door. His hands trembled as he retrieved his key, and he cursed in annoyance and relief when he finally managed to stab it in the lock. The damn thing yielded, and at last, they were in Lowell’s condo, in private, behind closed doors.

“Nice place,” Raven said breathlessly.

“Right, whatever.” Lowell didn’t allow Raven to say anything else, cutting off the other man with another kiss. He walked them toward the bedroom, pulling Raven’s shirt off as he moved. Raven helped him with his own clothes, apparently forgetting all about the appreciation of his surroundings and preferring to show his appreciation for Lowell’s body instead. But it was too slow, much too slow, and with a frustrated growl, he grabbed Raven in his arms and stalked up the stairs and into the bedroom. Raven didn’t protest in the slightest. In fact, being manhandled seemed to arouse him. A brief thought flashed through Lowell’s mind as he wondered if Wallace did this to Raven, as well. He swatted it aside like he would with an irritating fly. He would not allow thoughts of Wallace to intrude on this moment.

Lowell dumped Raven on the bed and reached for Raven’s pants. There, he found himself in an impasse. Just like he’d earlier noted, the damn things were too tight for him to successfully remove them. He’d have torn them off, but God, they clung to Raven’s body in all the right places. It would be a pity if he had to destroy them.

Chuckling, Raven toed off his shoes and undid his own zipper. “I’ll handle this, handsome. Strip for me.”

Lowell obeyed. He got rid of his own boots and started to work on his jeans, but his gaze never wavered from Raven. Raven moved his hips in a sinuous motion, peeling off the tight pants with practiced ease. It was like watching a present open itself on Christmas morning. Lowell’s entire being vibrated with arousal, especially when he realized Raven had gone commando. Of course. He should have known. After all, how could Raven have snuck in underwear under those tight pants?

Finally, Raven was naked, his clothing dumped in a heap next to the bed. Raven arched a brow at him. “Well, are you going to just stand there?”

Lowell realized that he’d completely forgotten about his own jeans. With a savage snarl, he tore them off, getting rid of both the denim and his underwear in a few swift motions. He pounced on the bed and, surrendering to the passing, crawled onto Raven.

At first, Raven seemed a bit surprised, but he surrendered to Lowell’s touches, regardless. When Lowell pressed their lips together once again, he wrapped his arms around Lowell’s neck, pulling him closer. This time, there was no bigot there to break the moment, and Lowell lost himself into the kiss, greedily fucking Raven’s mouth, thrusting his tongue in that wet cavern, claiming and devouring. He didn’t allow his hands to remain idle, either, and he caressed Raven’s sides, taking in the silk of Raven’s skin. Raven’s erection nudged against Lowell’s, and Lowell rubbed against Raven’s body, craving more friction, more of the maddening kisses and touches.

As addicting as the kisses were, Lowell had to tear himself from Raven’s mouth. He had to taste each inch of Raven’s flesh. He peppered Raven’s face with kisses and licked down Raven’s collarbone, swirling his tongue over the hollow of the other man’s neck. Raven released a choked sound, and meaning to see just how many erogenous zones he could discover, Lowell nibbled on Raven’s earlobe, nipping the shell with his teeth. Raven arched against him and moaned. “Oh, Lowell. Please, fuck me.”

The words crashed against the remnants of Lowell’s control like a tidal wave. As much as he’d have liked to pursue a slower seduction, the need and sexual tension were far too much to withstand. He wildly reached for the nightstand, where he found a half-empty tube of lubricant.

Snatching his prize from the drawer, he flipped Raven on his stomach. Raven went with it and pushed his ass out, wiggling it invitingly. Lowell almost swallowed his tongue at the sight and had to take a few moments to calm down before he touched Raven again, lest he come without even getting inside the other man.

When he thought he was sufficiently in control, he opened the tube of lubricant and squirted a generous amount on his fingers. Raven spread his own ass cheeks, exposing his hole to Lowell’s greedy gaze. Lowell rubbed his slick digits across that tempting opening and slid one inside. He couldn’t suppress a groan when Raven’s body opened up to the invasion, swallowing up the finger. Lowell couldn’t resist. He added one more digit, his arousal skyrocketing as Raven’s ass muscles clenched.

Raven’s moan echoed his own as he impaled himself on Lowell’s fingers. Lowell did his best to prepare Raven, but the need that had been escalating through an entire evening of foreplay blurred his reason. He scissored his fingers inside Raven, crooking them just so in search of the tiny gland that could give Raven so much pleasure. When he found it, Raven cried out, pushing harder against him, his entire body trembling with desire. Finally, Lowell couldn’t take it anymore. He removed his fingers and slicked up his prick.

“I’m sorry about this, baby,” he whispered as he positioned his cock against Raven’s opening. “We’re going to have to take it slow next time.”

Raven nodded eagerly. “Just…in me. Please. In me.”

Lowell didn’t delay in taking Raven’s invitation. In one smooth thrust, he pushed inside.