by Lynn Hagen
Why would he stick around?
His mate was sitting on the couch, at Jordan’s feet, Jordan’s legs resting across the man’s lap. Bailey was watching television, giving Jordan’s calves a slow massage. He lay there enjoying his mate’s fingers pressing into his skin, feeling himself getting hard.
Bailey glanced his way and smiled. “You’re awake.”
“Barely,” Jordan said with a raspy voice. But there was one part of him that was standing at full attention. “What day is it?”
“Saturday,” Bailey replied as he lightly squeezed Jordan’s leg. “And before you ask, it’s seven in the evening.”
Jordan stretched, feeling his joints pop. It felt damn good. He was sore as hell but didn’t feel anything wrong with him. He hoped like hell the wolfsbane had no lasting effect on him. Jordan still had to stand and try out his limbs, but so far, he was okay.
Bailey continued to hold onto Jordan’s legs, his fingers gripping him.
“Have you been home?” Jordan noticed that Bailey was wearing his shirt and the man looked damn good in it. The T-shirt was a bit large for Bailey, but that only made the man look sexier.
“Nope, I had a patient to look after.”
Jordan yawned and turned over onto his back. “I don’t get you, Bailey.”
His mate grabbed the remote and turned the television off. “What’s there to get?”
Jordan almost forgot what he was talking about when Bailey began to massage his legs again. “Why you stayed. If we are just friends—”
“Mates.”
Furrowing his brows, Jordan gazed at the guy. “What?”
His mate looked peeved as he glared at Jordan. “You mated me.”
Jordan gulped—loudly. Had he been talking in his sleep? He couldn’t figure out how Bailey knew.
Bailey snorted, a very unattractive sound but one Jordan was pretty sure he deserved. “Don’t look so stunned. I figured it out when Travis couldn’t stop looking at my shoulder.”
Jordan was going to strangle Bailey’s friend and thank him. While in and out of consciousness, Jordan had tried to think of a way to tell Bailey the truth. It felt like a burden had been lifted from his shoulders and a brewing storm at the same time. “Are you mad?”
“Hell yes,” Bailey said as he slapped Jordan’s leg.
Maybe he should have stayed unconscious a little while longer. He didn’t like the anger in Bailey’s sage-green eyes. There was nothing he could do to unclaim the man, and Jordan didn’t want to.
“I’m mad because you didn’t tell me.”
It took a second for Bailey’s words to sink in. His mate wasn’t mad that Jordan had claimed him, just pissed that Jordan hadn’t told him. “You weren’t ready to hear that I had claimed you. What would you have done if I’d told you that I accidently lost control and mated us?”
Bailey looked as if he was mulling Jordan’s words over. He was still rock hard from his mate’s massage and that wasn’t helping Jordan’s mood. He wanted release, even if he was still weak from being poisoned.
Sighing, his mate’s grip loosened. “I would have freaked out.”
“Exactly.” Jordan pressed his legs closer to Bailey. “And now?”
Bailey turned his head away, but not before Jordan saw the fear in his mate’s eyes. The man was still scared as hell to trust Jordan with his heart.
“Come here.” Jordan held his hand out.
“You’re still weak, Jordan. You can barely move—”
Jordan jackknifed, grabbing Bailey and pulling the man over his chest. “Never call me weak.”
Bailey slapped at Jordan’s chest. “Fact is fact.”
Jordan grabbed Bailey’s wrists and held them firmly in his hands. “I may not be at full strength, but I have never been weak.”
“Touchy.” Bailey propped himself on Jordan’s chest. “That wasn’t a strike against your manhood, Jordan. I was only saying that the poison has—”
Jordan growled. “Don’t say it.”
“Made you weaker,” Bailey said challengingly.
“Then I guess you’ll have to do all the work.” Jordan decided that fucking his mate was a much better option than arguing with him. But if Bailey wanted to keep arguing, Jordan was going to shove his cock down the man’s throat.
He would put Bailey’s tongue to better use.
“I’m not going to have sex with you when you can barely hold your damn head up,” his mate continued his protest.
“My head is holding up just fine.”
Bailey narrowed his eyes at Jordan. “I wasn’t referring to that head.”
“Sweetheart,” Jordan said as he pulled Bailey closer, his voice dropping to a low growl. “I could be inches away from death and still have the strength and desire to fuck you.”
“Why do I believe you?”
Jordan ran his hand over Bailey’s short cropped hair, feeling more than just a lustful need. His heart quickened when Bailey gave him a sensual smile. Not even the man who had tried to kill him had the power to destroy him the way Bailey had. His mate was wrapped tightly around Jordan’s heart and he could barely breathe as he held the man in his arms.
“Because not even death will stop me from wanting you.” Jordan cupped the back of Bailey’s head and drew him in for a soft kiss.
Bailey pulled back. “As much as I love kissing you, you really need to brush your teeth.”
Jordan laughed as he hugged Bailey to him. “Then get me a toothbrush. And get naked while you’re at it.”
“Relentless,” Bailey said as he pulled away and walked toward the hallway.
Jordan may not be at full strength, but he wasn’t so weak that he couldn’t kick his boxers off. He tossed the covers aside, waiting for his mate’s return. Bailey walked back in, naked as the day he was born, a toothbrush and a bowl in his hand, his folded clothes tucked under his arm.
If the man only knew just how stunning he truly was. The thought of anyone hurting Bailey—even emotionally—made Jordan want to growl. He managed to sit up and brush his teeth. It felt like he had days’ worth of growth on his tongue.
He handed the toothbrush and bowl of water back to Bailey. “Any more demands?”
Bailey set the items on the coffee table. “I’m not sucking your cock until you take a shower, that’s for sure.”
Groaning at the image of Bailey’s lips wrapped around his dick, Jordan held out his hand. “Then I guess you’ll just have to ride me.” His shaft jerked at the thought of Bailey sinking onto Jordan’s cock. He was telling the truth when he told his mate that he could be dying and still want the man.
Only death would rob Jordan of that desire.
Grabbing Jordan’s hand, Bailey cautiously straddled his hips. “If this sets you back, I’m going to kick your ass when you get better.”
Jordan ran the palms of his hands up Bailey’s chest and pinched both nipples. He shivered when his mate’s lips parted and a moan escaped his lips. Jordan was fascinated by the sight. He gripped the back of Bailey’s neck, pulling his mate down, his lips taking Bailey’s, his tongue plunging forcefully into his mate’s mouth.
Bailey tasted so damn good. Eagerly, Bailey’s tongue mated with his, the spicy taste of man making Jordan grow harder. Like a drug addict in the first seconds of his fix, Jordan tried to devour Bailey.
Bailey’s hands gripped Jordan’s hair, holding Jordan to him as their teeth and tongues clashed. The kiss was hard, hungry, and Jordan urged his mate closer, deepening the kiss. Jordan’s arms wrapped around Bailey, blunt nails scraping along Bailey’s back as his mate arched into Jordan, his nude body twisting closer, as if desperate to mate every cell in their bodies together.
Jordan licked at Bailey’s lips, nibbled at them, drew Bailey’s tongue into his mouth and sucked at it. Bailey arched even closer, the bare flesh of his cock jerking against the long, hot thickness of Jordan’s erection as his mate’s soft flesh laid against him.
“I want to ride your cock,” Bailey whispered against Jordan�
�s lips. The rumble of pleasure that echoed through his chest made Jordan shiver.
“Then ride me,” Jordan gasped, his head arching back as that rough, raspy tongue stroked over his neck. Jordan twisted in a grip of erotic heat that was burning him alive. He reached behind Bailey, ready to slip his fingers into his mate’s ass when he felt something hard lying between the man’s ass cheeks.
Bailey blushed deeply as he bit at his bottom lip. “I wasn’t sure, so I wanted to be ready.”
Jordan wiggled the butt plug, watching as Bailey fell apart in his arms. His mate’s fingers dug deeply into Jordan’s biceps as he swiveled his hips, grinding his erection into Jordan’s abdomen. “Don’t stop,” Bailey begged. “F–feels so good.”
In that moment, Jordan knew that he would give Bailey anything the man asked for. He was totally lost in his mate. Jordan would capture the stars and lay them out at Bailey’s feet if that’s what his mate wanted. He was hopelessly and irrevocably in love with Bailey.
Since Bailey’s legs were on either side of Jordan’s, he pushed his legs further apart, opening Bailey wider for him. Jordan used the plug to fuck his mate before removing the hard plastic. “Ride my cock, sweetheart.”
Using Jordan’s biceps as leverage, Bailey lifted his hips as Jordan guided his cock to his mate’s hole. He hissed when the head of his shaft touched Bailey’s entrance, his body growing tense as his mate began slowly lowering himself.
His hands gripped Bailey’s buttocks as his mate seated himself. His cat yowled in enjoyment, the man trembled in pleasure. He held tight to Bailey’s ass as Jordan pulled back, leaving only the head inside before plunging his full length up into Bailey’s ass once again.
Bailey’s body arched, his mouth opening on a low cry as he shuddered with the pleasure Jordan brought him. His mate’s nails pierced Jordan’s arms, his legs tightening around Jordan’s hips as Jordan plunged in and out of the silken grasp encasing his cock.
Bailey was breathing hard, his chest rising and falling in hard breaths.
“Harder, Jordan.” Sultry, Bailey’s voice low and husky, his body hot and wild as he raked his nails down Jordan’s chest, watching him through half closed eyes. “Or should you just lay back while I have my way with you?”
Jordan stopped moving, a sly smile emerging. “Do your worst,” he challenged.
He had said the words, but was not prepared when Bailey began to bounce on his cock, his own shaft jumping around freely. Jordan held the man’s ass, cupped his cheeks, as his mate took his pleasure from Jordan’s body.
“That’s it, sweetheart. Pleasure yourself.” Jordan’s fingers dug into Bailey’s ass as his mate gyrated his hips, his movements now slow and measured. Bailey was spurring Jordan’s need higher. He wasn’t sure what drove him more insane, the fast bouncing or the leisurely movements.
“Gods, you feel so damn good buried in my ass.” Bailey swiveled his hips, dropping down onto Jordan’s cock over and over again. Jordan was coming unglued, falling apart at the seams as Bailey took what he wanted, what he needed.
Jordan opened his eyes, seeing Bailey’s grimace of pleasure, the raw lust that transformed his handsome face. Jordan hadn’t thought his mate could get any better looking, but staring up at the man, he knew he had been wrong. The strange scent in the air was wild, untamed, and pulled at Jordan’s heart.
“You are a beautiful creature,” Jordan said as he brushed his knuckles over Bailey’s cheek. He was fighting not to plunge deep inside Bailey. Jordan could feel his beast rising, trying to take over, but he refused to allow this to happen. And then Jordan almost lost his mind when Bailey clenched his inner muscles, encasing Jordan’s cock in a tight vise-like grip.
Unable to stand it anymore, Jordan quickened his movements and soon he was fucking Bailey with passion, ramming his cock hard and deep into his mate’s ass. It was the most amazing feeling in the world. Jordan could die this second and know that he had visited heaven already.
Bailey began to slide back up Jordan’s cock, the grip like an iron fist as Jordan’s body trembled. He growled gently, looking to where their bodies joined together, watching his cock reappear from Bailey’s giving flesh. There was no other way to describe the growing madness inside of him.
Bailey’s legs tightened around Jordan’s hips, locking him into place as Bailey slammed his ass onto Jordan’s cock harder.
Bailey’s head rolled from side to side, his back arching as his mate let out a throaty groan. The muscles in Jordan’s thighs grew tight as he watched the beautiful sight above him. His fingers traced over Bailey’s hard chest, touching each dip as he rocked his cock in and out of Bailey’s body.
Jordan wanted to bite, the need so intense that his gums ached. “I need to bite you.”
Bailey grunted as his hands curled into fists, the knuckles turning a ghostly white from the strain. Jordan pulled his mate toward him, pressing their chests together. His mate tilted his head, exposing his neck to Jordan, as if knowing what Jordan wanted, needed. The acceptance rocked Jordan to his very core.
Bailey’s hands left Jordan’s chest as he grabbed Jordan’s hair, pulling it hard as Jordan’s canines sank into Bailey’s shoulder. An explosion rocketed through Jordan’s body, the sensation racing down his arms and then scattering to the four corners. His mind was fragmenting as he shoved his cock into Bailey’s ass, his seed forcefully being pulled from his body.
Bailey arched his back, letting out a guttural sound as hot liquid spread across Jordan’s chest. Jordan kept going. Bailey’s ass was pulsing, milking Jordan’s cock with ferocity. He wanted to possess, to claim, and let his mate know that Jordan was playing for keeps.
Jordan grabbed his mate’s chin, yanking Bailey’s head down. As he stared into his mate’s eyes, Jordan felt the drugging feeling of his orgasm gradually fade. Giving his hips a few more plunges, Jordan held tight to Bailey’s body as he slowly relaxed.
Jordan was exhausted as he held his mate in his arms. He might have used precious energy, but Jordan couldn’t find it in himself to regret what they had just done.
All that mattered to him was feeling Bailey’s body next to his, wrapped around him. No sooner than Jordan began to drift off into sleep, he heard a small click. His eyes flew open and he scanned the room, but he didn’t see anyone.
Bailey lifted his head, gazing strangely at Jordan. “What’s—”
Jordan covered Bailey’s mouth with his hand. When he was sure that Bailey got the message, he lowered his hand. “Get dressed,” he mouthed.
Without hesitation, Bailey slipped off of Jordan and began quickly and quietly getting dressed. Jordan hadn’t seen Bailey’s clothes folded neatly on the edge of the coffee table but was thankful that they were there.
Once his mate was dressed, Bailey grabbed Jordan’s underwear and handed them over. With measured movements, Jordan slipped them on. He didn’t have any other clothes nearby. His boxers would have to do.
Bailey looked terrified but he held it together. Jordan was proud of him. He knew his mate couldn’t hear the subtle sounds of someone breaking in. It only endeared Bailey to him, knowing that his mate trusted in Jordan.
Cocking his head to the side, Jordan listened intently. The sound was coming from his bedroom down the hall. They could easily slip out the front door, but Jordan wasn’t sure who was breaking in and how many men there truly were.
He couldn’t risk Bailey’s life.
No matter what, Jordan had to protect the man. He grabbed Bailey’s shoulders and pulled his mate close before pressing a kiss to the man’s lips. His mate stared at him quizzically as Jordan pulled back and then removed his boxers. He shifted.
Bailey’s eyes grew wide but he didn’t run from Jordan. Full understanding dawned in his mate’s sage-green eyes, as if he comprehended the gravity of the situation. Jordan butted his head into Bailey’s legs, pushing his mate toward the closet.
“I am not hiding like a coward,” Bailey mouthed indignantly. Jordan could see the tightnes
s around Bailey’s mouth, the barely suppressed anger in his sage-green eyes. But even deeper than that, Jordan could see the wounded pride.
That still didn’t sway Jordan.
He didn’t have time for this. Jordan rammed his head into Bailey’s thigh, letting the human know that he was not going to argue. The nervous tension in his mate almost choked Jordan.
He was stunned when Bailey slapped at his neck. Was the guy nuts? No one had ever dared strike Jordan, especially in his shifter form. Bailey glared at him, giving him a defiant look.
Jordan wanted to bite the man. He was going to have a long talk with his mate about safety and stubbornness. Bailey wasn’t a twig, but he wasn’t a shifter either. If they were facing someone more lethal, Bailey was fucked.
This would only complicate things, but Jordan relented. He turned and padded down the hallway, his senses wide open. The only thing he could scent was Bailey and the familiar aromas of his house. That meant that whoever was breaking in hadn’t breached the window yet.
Stepping outside his bedroom door, Jordan sniffed the crack between door and floor. A sudden rush of air told him that the intruder had just opened the window. The scent of human filled his lungs.
“I have a gun and I know how to use it!” Bailey shouted.
The scent of human quickly faded. The intruder was now gone. Jordan turned toward Bailey, letting a rumble sound in his chest. He was considering spanking his mate’s ass for pulling a stunt like that.
Bailey shrugged, his hands spread wide. “What? You think I’m going to let you fight when you’re not at full strength.”
Jordan snapped his teeth at Bailey. When was his mate going to learn that Jordan knew how to protect the man?
Bailey glowered at him. “You can get as mad as you want, Jordan. I know that you are damn good at protecting, but have you ever stopped to think that maybe my manhood demands that I protect you until you are fully healed?”
Jordan wanted to argue but he could see the resolution in Bailey’s eyes. A small part of him grinned widely at the way Bailey was trying to protect him. It meant that the man cared. That was more than Jordan had been hoping for.