by Lynn Hagen
Deon rushed past him and into the house. A second later the alarm was silenced. Deon got on his phone, but Jayce couldn’t hear what he was saying. The echoing sound of the alarm was still ringing in his ears. No doubt Deon was calling the alarm company.
When Deon hung up, he cupped Jayce’s face. “Are you all right?”
“Aside from being deaf now, yeah.” He looked back toward the road. “Who was that guy?”
Deon wasn’t going to answer him. It was in his blue eyes. Secrets. Jayce hated them. They’d known each other two days, and already it had started.
“Someone from my past that I don’t want to talk about.” Deon’s hands slid from Jayce.
Deon wasn’t trying to hide anything. He just didn’t want explain anything. Jayce could deal with that better than an all-out lie.
“Is he someone I should worry about?”
Deon’s expression shut down, and Jayce had his answer, but his mate wouldn’t elaborate. Jayce followed him into the house, but they parted ways. Deon headed down the hallway while Jayce went back to the kitchen to finish cleaning it.
There was definite tension in the air. Something had transpired in the barn, and Jayce was curious as hell. He eased from the kitchen and tiptoed down the hallway. He heard Deon’s deep voice on the phone. Jayce didn’t want to eavesdrop, but something was going on, and the guy who had just left was a threat.
“Can you find someone to keep an eye on him?” Deon said. “I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t important. I think he might be in danger.”
Was Deon talking about him? Was he pawning Jayce off on someone else? Hadn’t Deon told the sheriff that he’d stick by Jayce’s side?
“Thanks. I’ll pay you for your troubles.”
Jayce felt wounded that Deon didn’t want to be bothered with him. Maybe his mate truly thought Jayce was guilty, that he was capable of killing a guy.
Well, fuck that. Jayce didn’t need a babysitter anyway. He could take care of himself. He would just go to his parents’ and stay there until this was over. So why did the rejection hurt so badly? It was as though he’d just been gut-punched.
With sagging shoulders, Jayce went back to the kitchen and finished up. It would be a long walk to his parents’, but Jayce knew some shortcuts. He really didn’t want to go there. His dad would harp on the fact that Deon had gotten him into this mess, which his mate hadn’t.
Cutting off the lights, Jayce walked to the front door. Deon hadn’t reset the alarm, which was a good thing. He eased the door open and snuck out, hurrying down the driveway. Jayce hadn’t even changed back into his old clothes, and the jogging pants he wore sagged. He had to grip them on the side to keep them from falling as he jogged toward the field. If he cut through, that would shave off twenty minutes.
The farther away from Deon’s house he ran, the heavier Jayce’s chest felt. He really thought they were in this together, but clearly Deon had his limits. His mate being a murderer was one of them.
Tears prickled his eyes as the grass around him swished at his legs. Jayce wiped his eyes, a lump forming in his throat. He was halfway across the field when he heard a strange throaty sound. Jayce spun and scanned behind him but didn’t see anyone in the tall grass. He waited a second then chalked the noise up to his imagination and the wind. The tree branches were creaking. That was probably what he’d heard.
But now he was completely aware of the darkness. Jayce held onto the side of the jogging pants as he hurried his steps. Maybe leaving Deon’s wasn’t one of his more brilliant ideas. He could’ve waited until morning when everything didn’t appear so eerie.
He heard the noise again, and this time, he knew it wasn’t a stinking tree branch. Jayce’s heart thudded hard as he looked around. Someone else was out here. Was it the guy with the black truck? Had the real killer followed him? Jayce had to force himself not to shout “Who’s out there?” That would be a dumbass move. Only people who wanted to die did that.
He spun and began to run, his breath hitching as he held on to his pants for dear life. To make matters worse, it started to rain again. The wetness chilled Jayce to his bones as he raced across the field.
Lightning shattered the sky. Thunder boomed. Jayce’s pulse thrashed in his ears. His foot caught on something, and he went down. Jayce stayed down, his breathing ragged as he listened for whoever it was while the rain soaked him.
He didn’t bother asking himself why him. That really didn’t matter at the moment. All he wanted to do was survive.
Jayce eased up on his hands and looked over the tall grass. He still didn’t see anyone, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was close.
Then he felt it. Hot breath on his neck. The air seeped out of him as he slowly turned his head. There was a black panther behind him. “D-Deon?”
The panther licked his face. Jayce wanted to cry in relief. He didn’t. He held that back. Why show Deon any emotion when the guy didn’t want Jayce around? “Was that you following me?”
The lethal-looking cat changed into a very naked man. Jayce sucked in a breath at how gorgeous Deon was, standing there in the nude, his skin wet from the pouring rain and his blue eyes blazing. Fuck, an artist couldn’t sculpt a better god than the one standing over him.
“Why the hell did you leave the house?” He reached down and helped Jayce to his feet. “Do you know how dangerous that was?”
Jayce snapped out of his daze and scowled at Deon. “Why do you care? Weren’t you on the phone paying someone to babysit me?”
If possible, Deon’s features grew darker. “First, eavesdropping is just wrong. That’s what you get when you listen to a partial conversation. Second, I was asking my friend to keep an eye on Baxter, not you.”
“Why?”
“Because there’s a killer out there, and your friend doesn’t need to be running around trying to find clues. I warned him. You warned him, but my gut tells me he isn’t going to listen to either of us. I was doing this to protect him because he’s your best friend.”
Now didn’t Jayce feel like an idiot? Deon didn’t need to go out of his way to help a stranger, yet he’d done it for Jayce. “I’m sorry.”
The response was lame, but that was all Jayce had right now.
“We need to get back to the house. I’m gonna shift, but I want you to stay by my side.” He gave Jayce a look that said he meant business.
Once the panther was back at his side, Jayce headed toward the farm. He was completely drenched, and his hand was aching from holding on to the side of his jogging pants. He would ask Deon to take him home tomorrow to get some extra clothes and some personal items. Right now, though, all Jayce wanted to do was change into something dry and sleep.
This had been one hell of a day.
* * * *
Deon was too wired to sleep. Regardless of whether he said anything or not, Ruiz was gonna kill again. The man was a pure psychopath. That was one reason he’d kept his son away from the Black Pythons. He hadn’t wanted Matty exposed to the insanity.
Ever since Selene had caught Deon’s attention, his life had turned shitty. Ruiz had been determined to make Deon join their “family,” and Deon had been just as determined not to. He knew what true brotherhood was. Deon had been in the military, twice. Once in World War One and then again in Desert Storm. Only the first time he’d used a fake ID and had enlisted under a false name. He had lived through true combat. The Black Pythons were nothing but thugs compared to those who had served their country.
Only this time it was Jayce he had to protect. This time Deon wouldn’t fail.
His thoughts scattered when Jayce stepped out of the bathroom, having taken a shower for the second time that day. His skin was still wet, and there was nothing more than a towel wrapped around his slim waist.
“You didn’t leave me anything to put on.” Jayce brushed some wet strands from his eyes. He was a walking erotic dream, and Deon wasn’t sure how much longer he could hold out. But did he have to? Jayce seemed to be handling
the news about nonhumans pretty well.
“Sorry. I got lost in my head.” Deon passed Jayce, heading for his bedroom to find a T-shirt and some shorts, but Jayce’s hand landed on his arm, stopping him.
“I’m sorry about taking off earlier. That was a dumb thing to do. You’ve been nothing but great to me.” His eyelashes were thick, sculpting his brown eyes and making them appear dreamy. His hand felt hot on Deon’s skin, too.
“I guess we’re both trying to figure things out,” he said. “Trying to adjust to this new thing between us.”
Jaye nibbled on his lip as he nodded. “I guess.”
Deon couldn’t stand it any longer. Those lips. Those beautiful, plump lips. They drove him crazy, and all Deon could think about was having them wrapped around his dick.
“You never explained to me how we bind our souls together.” Jayce gave a short, abrupt laugh. “This is crazy, right? Fate chose me for you. That sounds like something out of some romance novel. A farfetched fairy tale.”
His mate sounded amused, but Deon saw the desire and hope hanging in his eyes. Human or not, everyone wanted to belong to someone. It was in their nature to want a closeness and connection to another living being. That need was hardwired into everyone, whether some chose to admit it or not.
Deon wanted that connection. He was tired of living by himself. He wanted someone he could curl around when he fell asleep, someone he could laugh with, and someone who would be there when life kicked him in the balls. From the look in Jayce’s eyes, his mate wanted the same thing.
“How about I show you instead?” Deon was lost in those eyes. Those pretty brown eyes. They sucked him in, and he was breathless as he took a step forward, forcing Jayce to take a step back until he was against the wall. Deon pressed a hand on either side of Jayce’s head and leaned in, like he was doing push-ups. He lowered his head. Jayce sucked in a breath, his gaze glued to Deon’s.
Deon felt stripped bare by the trust he saw in Jayce’s gaze. They didn’t even know each other and Jayce was willing to let Deon take over, to solder their souls together. Motherfuck if that wasn’t the sexiest thing ever.
Their lips brushed. An inhale of air. Hearts pounding. Deon licked a trail across Jayce’s parted lips. Their breaths mingled, and he could taste the mouthwash Jayce had just used. Winter Fresh. Jayce’s tongue snaked out, touching Deon’s. Their mouths fused, and hunger flared in him. Hunger for the small prey at his fingertips. Hunger to let his beast out to play.
Jayce’s hands slid down Deon’s chest, stopping at his waistband. His mate’s fingers curled around the fabric, tugging, but he didn’t unfasten them.
Deon was hard as fuck, his cock straining to get free. “Don’t be shy, sweets,” he said against Jayce’s lips. “Take what you want from me.”
“What if what I want isn’t physical?” Jayce unfastened Deon’s pants and shoved his hands down them.
Deon hissed as Jayce’s hand curled around his cock. “You want love? Loyalty? Someone to hold you at night as you sleep?”
“Someone who isn’t fake,” Jayce replied. His hand was driving Deon mad. Those nimble fingers trailed up his dick and back down. “Someone who doesn’t keep secrets from me. Someone who is willing to lay themselves bare, like I’m willing to do.”
Goddamn it. Deon was keeping secrets. Ruiz. The car crash. Another life Deon had lived that still haunted him. He hissed when Jayce gripped his cock in a stranglehold.
“There’re things I’m not ready to share.” Deon’s lips were drawn to his mate’s. They kissed, slowly, passionately, and it set his soul on fire. “But I will. I promise. Just…not now. Give me time and the courage to speak past the pain.”
Deon was panting his words, his eyes closed, lost in what they were doing, consumed by the need to claim Jayce. Deon felt like he was standing in a ring of flames, and his body turned molten. He pulled back long enough to untie his boots and kick them off. He yanked down his pants and underwear then tossed them aside, along with his socks. He shoved his shirt off before going back to his mate, placing his hands against the wall again.
Jayce’s gaze was penetrating as he took all of Deon in. His mate’s chest rose and fell in quick pants like he’d just ran a marathon. Deon didn’t move a goddamn muscle as Jayce lowered to his knees. He simply looked down and watched as his mate took his dick into his mouth.
Oh god. That felt so good. It had been far too long since he’d been with anyone, and he had to concentrate not to come right off the bat.
Deon was losing his mind. His legs grew taut, and he clenched his jaw as Jayce’s tongue traced the thick vein. “Pure fucking heaven,” Deon said in a husky whisper.
As badly as he wanted to draw this out, Deon knew a losing battle when he felt one. Hot tingles crawled up his spine. His legs trembled. The pressure in his balls built to an epic struggle.
“I’m about to come.”
But Jayce didn’t back off. He deep throated Deon’s cock and tugged at his nuts, and Deon wondered if this was the fantasy Jayce had thought about when he’d jacked off in the shower earlier today.
His left hand was still holding the wall up, but Deon used his right to grab Jayce’s hair. He gripped the strands tightly as he fucked his mate’s mouth, throwing his head back as the first spurt jerked from his cock. Deon let out a guttural cry as he came, his body exploding in unimaginable pleasure. And Jayce took it all, swallowing every last drop as Deon sagged.
But he was still hard as fuck as Jayce pulled back and rocked on his heels. He looked up at Deon, and god, Deon wanted to own the man, to lay claim to him and tear apart anyone who looked his mate’s way. Primal possessiveness consumed him as he pulled Jayce to his feet.
The kiss was brutal, territorial, crushing, and Jayce took it. By god he took it as he moaned into Deon’s mouth. The fire and passion was still there, arcing between them as Deon pulled back and grabbed Jayce’s hand. He led his mate to his bedroom upstairs.
“That was phenomenal.” Deon reached into the nightstand and pulled out a bottle of lube. “But now it’s my turn to rock your world.”
Jayce’s blush was deep as he tossed the towel aside and climbed onto the bed. Deon’s gaze was stuck on the man’s ass. Perfectly rounded and a temptation Deon couldn’t pass up. While Jayce was still on his hands and knees, Deon grabbed his mate’s cheeks and parted them. He licked at Jayce’s hole, tonguing it, sucking in the scent as Jayce moaned.
Deon wanted to taste every inch of this man. From his beautiful head of hair down to his sexy feet. His panther yowled in agreement. Jayce’s scent was maddening. Deon ate his mate’s ass like it was his last meal.
Deon had never focused so solely on another person before. Not like this. The heat was smoldering inside him, the need to taste every inch of Jayce. That feeling made him wild as he inserted a finger into Jayce’s quivering hole.
His panther was right there at the surface, fighting to break free. The torment. The need. The desire to tie Jayce to him. Deon grew harder with every lick, every thrust of his finger. His own body was throbbing, pre-cum dotting the head of his cock.
He needed inside Jayce, to be buried to the hilt. He added another finger, clamping down on his mate’s hole, sucking, lashing his tongue, driving his fingers deep.
Jayce threw his head back as his ring of muscles squeezed Deon’s finger. His hole pulsed as Jayce cried out Deon’s name.
Motherfuck. The guy had climaxed from getting stretched. A growl ripped from Deon’s chest then a long, drawn-out purr.
“I can’t believe”—Jayce was breathing so hard that Deon feared his mate would pass out—“I’m so embarrassed that I…” He didn’t finish his sentence. Jayce buried his face in the blanket. “Oh god. Shoot me.”
A chuckle rippled in Deon’s throat. He kissed his way up Jayce’s spine. “That was the sexiest compliment I’ve ever gotten.”
“Shut up.” Jayce still wouldn’t look at him. “Let me die of humiliation in peace.”
“Nothing t
o be ashamed of.” There really wasn’t. Deon wanted to see Jayce lose his shit again, only this time he wanted to be able to look at his mate while he fell apart.
He flipped Jayce over. His mate covered his eyes with an arm tossed over his face. His self-hatred that he’d come too soon was downright adorable.
Deon eased between Jayce’s legs, making his mate spread them wider. Those creamy thighs were driving him nuts but not as much as the sight of his still-hard cock, the cum smeared on his stomach, and some still at the slit. The smell was insanity to Deon’s brain. He eased back and licked the pearly-white thickness, the taste exploding on his tongue.
Jayce trembled and pulled his arm down to look at Deon. The heat in his eyes was amazing. Primal. Need. Excitement. Deon purred again as he locked gazes, sliding the flat of his tongue slowly upward to let Jayce know how much he’d enjoyed the show.
“You’re dangerous,” Jayce whispered. “So damn dangerous to my mind and body.” His breath hitched, and air quivered out of him.
Deon smirked as he kissed Jayce’s stomach. “We haven’t even started yet.” He winked. “Trust me. It gets much better.”
“How much better can it get when I’m lying in my own spunk?” Jayce crinkled his nose. “It’s getting cold.”
With a smile, Deon curled an arm around his mate and lifted him, pulling the blanket from under his slim body. He lowered Jayce, his smile widening. “Better?”
Jayce curled his arms around Deon’s neck and pulled him down for a kiss. His lips seized Deon’s in a slow-burning temptation. He became lost in Jayce’s touch, his mouth, and those thin legs curled around his waist. It was Deon who was gonna lose his shit. Jayce was…fuck. Everything. He was the beat to Deon’s heart, the air in his lungs, and the primal need coursing through his veins.
“Claim me,” Jayce said against Deon’s lips.
Deon reached between them and grabbed the lube, wetting his fingers and lathering his cock. He wiped his hand on the sheet then lined the head to Jayce’s hole.
“You can’t back out after this, sweets. You’ll be mine until forever. Are you sure you’re ready?”