by Lynn Hagen
Miller backed away, still uneasy, but returned to the house, where he found Payton standing by the back door with Miller’s baseball bat. How in the hell had his mate found it all the way in the back of the bedroom closet?
Fuck, Payton was fast and pretty good at sniffing out possible weapons. There would be no way Miller would have found a bat in Payton’s house in that short amount of time.
“Well?” Payton looked down at Miller, as if seeing Miller’s jaguar didn’t faze him. “Did you find anyone?”
Miller shifted back to his human form just as Loki ran into the house.
“Found footprints, but whoever it was took off before I found him.” Miller walked to the bedroom and grabbed something warm to put on to stop his balls from crawling inside him. He might have fur in his jaguar form, but it was still asshole-cold out.
Payton slowly lowered the bat. “So whoever it was is still out there?”
Miller walked up behind his mate and slid his arms around him. He rested his chin on Payton’s red hair. “I told you that you have nothing to worry about. I’ll tear apart whoever is dumb enough to come near you.”
“I won’t feel safe until that guy is caught.” Payton leaned the bat against the wall. “We should be catching a flight somewhere, anywhere that takes us far away from here until that Chris guy is in custody.”
Miller understood his mate’s fear. It was nerve-wracking having to look over your shoulder. A few decades ago, Miller had gotten into a brawl in the demon realm and had pissed off a soul-sucking demon. For nearly a year, he’d looked over his shoulder until he’d finally killed the son of a bitch.
He also knew there wasn’t anything he could say that would ease Payton’s worries. If it would put Payton’s mind at rest, Miller would buy a dozen bats to place around the house.
“I think we need to get some sleep.” Miller made sure the back door was locked before he grabbed Payton’s hand and led him to his bedroom.
“You really do have a nice house, even if it’s decked out with Christmas decorations.”
Miller looked over his shoulder just in time to see Payton smirk. “I told you, Christmas is my favorite time of the year. And thanks, but this is only a rental.”
“Really?”
Miller shrugged as they entered his room. “I’ve been in town for about a year, but I’ve had no desire to own my own home, not until I met you.” Miller stopped and turned. “Not that I’m trying to rush things. It’s just… It’s just different for a shifter. We don’t fuck around when it comes to our mates. We dive right in, and for some humans, that’s overwhelming.”
Miller was exhausted and wasn’t in the mood for fifty million questions, so he was thankful Payton hadn’t asked any. In fact, his mate had gotten undressed, crawled into bed, and was out before Miller had finished taking his clothes off.
He sat on the edge of the bed and carded his hand through Payton’s red hair. “I promise you have nothing to worry about, Apple Pie. I’ll destroy anyone who even thinks of coming near you.”
Bending over, Miller kissed his mate on the temple before he crawled into bed next to him, pulling his mate close and curling around him.
* * * *
“It’s my turn to show you my skills.” Payton bumped hips with Miller to move him out the way.
Miller had no problem stepping aside. He watched as his mate searched for the frying pan, and then Payton went to the refrigerator and retrieved some sausage and eggs.
“You got culinary skills?” One of Miller’s brows rose. “I heard that if you can make a perfect egg, you’re set for life.”
Payton chuckled. “I don’t know if that’s true, but I think you won’t be disappointed. At least I won’t send you to the hospital. I think. But if you get sick, don’t blame me.”
From the smile Payton was trying to hide, Miller knew his mate was teasing him. “Babe, if causing food poisoning is your goal, then consider me me your guinea pig.”
“I knew you were too good to be true.” Payton grabbed a mixing bowl from under the cupboard and set it aside. Next he set the sausage links in the frying pan and turned the burner on. “You’re deranged, and I like it.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Miller rubbed his stomach. He was starving and hoped cooking wouldn’t take too long.
Loki padded into the kitchen, his head hung, as if he’d just woken up. Then he headed out of the doggie door. Bilbo slinked into the kitchen and went straight for the food bowl Miller had made for him.
The cat didn’t give Miller the stink eye, and Miller took that as a good sign. Payton hadn’t been joking when he said Bilbo was moody. Last night Miller had gotten up to use the bathroom, passing Bilbo in the hallway. The cat had hissed at him and swiped a paw at Miller’s ankle before taking off like a bat out of hell.
One would think that since they were both felines they would get along, but that wasn’t the case. It was as if Bilbo was trying to assert his dominance, and Miller found that comical.
“Shoo.” Payton waved his hands at Miller. “Go make some coffee and get out of my way. You’re cramping my style at the stove.”
Miller held his hands up. “God forbid I cramp your style.”
He went to the coffeepot and started it before turning and leaning into the counter. “Can I ask you a question?”
“You just did.” Payton turned the sausages over. He looked at Miller and smiled. “Okay, go ahead, but I can’t promise I’ll answer you.”
“Fair enough.” They were still getting to know each other, and there were things in Miller’s past he wasn’t ready to share, so if Payton said pass, Miller would drop the subject. “How did you get those scars on your back?”
Payton visibly stiffened and paled a bit. The last thing Miller wanted to do was make his mate uncomfortable.
“You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to,” he said. “It’s cool.”
“No, your question is legit. I’m still processing what happened to me, and the incident was recent, so I’m still touchy about it.” Payton turned to face him, his knuckles turning white from the grip he had on the spatula. “A thug was after my ex’s new boyfriend. I happened to be at Pyke’s house when the guy showed up to kill Nester. We tried to escape, and I got shot twice in the back for my efforts.”
Miller was silent for a long moment, his heart thundering. He had nearly lost his mate before they’d even met. What if those shots had been fatal? What if Payton had died? “I heard about the shooting, but I didn’t know it was you who’d been shot. What happened to the thug?”
“Dead.” Payton turned back around and acted as if the sausages were the most interesting things in the world to him. “I was in the hospital for about two weeks, and I’m still a bit hesitant when it comes to strangers at my door.”
Miller frowned. “But you were pretty friendly with me when I showed up.”
Payton blushed. “That’s because you’re hot as fuck.” He shrugged. “I guess my survival instincts are shoved aside when horniness takes over.”
If the thug hadn’t already been dead, Miller would have ripped his entrails out. “I like your scars, Apple Pie. It shows you’re a survivor.”
“I almost wasn’t. The doctor told me my blood pressure dropped and my heart stopped while I was on the operating table. Clearly he was able to revive me, and I’m forever grateful for that.”
So was Miller. “Dr. Bjord?”
“No.” Payton shook his head. “I was taken by helicopter to Falls Bend. They have a trauma team on staff, and I was whisked into the operating room as soon as I arrived. I don’t remember any of that, though. My nurse told me what happened when I finally woke up.”
Miller stepped up behind Payton and curled his arms around his mate. “I’m glad you survived, sweetheart. And I’m sorry that happened to you.”
Payton leaned into him. “That was when I decided to turn over a new leaf. It hasn’t been easy to curb my instinct to argue, but I think I’m doing a pretty good
job.”
“You’re doing a fantastic job, though I’m determined to get you to love Christmas.”
Payton sighed. “I don’t hate Christmas. It’s just been a sad occasion for me, considering my parents always made the holidays unbearable. You wouldn’t like it either if, for twenty-seven years, every single one was spoiled by their tantrums.”
Miller couldn’t imagine his parents acting that way toward one another, let alone ruining such a special day. “Well, my new goal in life is to make you love it as much as I do.”
Payton playfully shoved Miller away. “First of all, you’re screwing with my culinary skills by standing so close. Second, can we please change the subject?”
“What were we talking about?” Miller gave Payton’s nape a quick kiss before walking to the coffeepot and pouring them both a cup. “Oh yeah. We were talking about you giving me a striptease.”
Payton dropped the spatula as he stared wide-eyed at Miller. “You’re joking, right?”
“Nope.” He poured some cream and sugar into Payton’s cup and handed it over. “I’d do anything you asked me to do. Well, within reason. I’m not going to run through the downtown area naked or anything like that.”
“Striptease.” Payton turned back toward the stove, but Miller could tell his seed was planted because his mate looked as though he was mulling over the idea.
When his mate didn’t say anything, Miller dropped the subject. Not everyone was adventurous, and he could live with the fact if Payton wasn’t for it.
Once breakfast was cooked, the two sat down to eat just as Loki worked his way back through the doggie door. The door had been there when Miller moved in, but it was made for a smaller breed. Loki always looked as though he was toothpaste being squeezed out of the tube whenever he came back inside.
They finished eating, and Payton took the dishes to the sink. He turned, his back to the counter, and placed his hands on the edge. “I mean, if that’s what you really want.”
It took Miller a moment to recall what Payton was talking about. “Really? You would do that?”
Payton blushed as he looked toward the floor. “I’m going to be really bad at it, but what the hell.”
Miller became rock-hard as he got up and grabbed Payton’s hand, dragging him toward the steps. “No backing out.”
“I leave that option open since I’ve never done this before.”
Miller walked toward the steps, feeling his heart beat out of control as Payton followed him. He didn’t think he would ever get enough of Payton’s luscious body. It was pale and smooth, almost hairless. Payton was a treat to look at and a masterpiece to undress. Miller’s anticipation of having his mate once again was making him practically run up the stairs.
He threw his bedroom door open and pulled Payton inside. His cock was so hard it was painful. He pulled Payton to the chair situated in the corner and took a seat. “Strip for me, Apple Pie.”
He didn’t think Payton would, although he was hopeful. After all, Payton had said he might chicken out.
Miller’s mouth hit his chest when Payton wiggled his ass as he shimmied his T-shirt off. He tossed it at Miller as he sashayed around the room, grabbing the pole on the four-poster bed.
Holy fuck, he was actually doing it. Miller was stunned that his mate had not only agreed but he was going through with the striptease.
Miller unsnapped his jeans and then slid them off as he watched Payton grab the pole and rock his hips back and forth.
His cock smacked his stomach as he tossed his jeans aside and pulled his shirt over his head. He palmed his cock as he watched Payton seductively lower his pants. His mouth watered when Payton bent over to take his jeans off and his little pink prize winked at him. Miller was two seconds away from jumping out of the chair. It took everything in him to stay seated. He didn’t care how clumsy Payton’s moves were. This was absolutely priceless.
Payton threw one leg up onto the bed and began to hump the bedpost. He slid up and down as his head fell back, his lips parting as if he were lost in the erotic dance. Then Payton’s hand slipped, and he crashed to the floor. Miller started to help him, but Payton jumped to his feet and grabbed the bedpost as if nothing had gone wrong.
Nice recovery.
The clumsiness did nothing to detract from Miller’s lust. Pre-cum slid down the side of his cock as he watched Payton, feeling as though he were in a trance. In truth, his mate barely had an ass, but he was still perfect in Miller’s eyes.
Payton bent over and presented his ass to Miller. “Shit, Pie. Get your sexy butt over here.” Miller grabbed the base of his cock and squeezed to stop himself from coming.
His mate held on to the bedpost, as if afraid he’d fall again. “I told you I sucked.”
“What’re you talking about?” Miller frowned. “You were fucking perfect.”
“But I fell.” Payton finally let the bedpost go and walked over to Miller. “That had to be the worst sexy dance in the history of sexy dances.”
Miller snorted. “If you want to see a truly horrific striptease, I can show you one.”
Not that he would dance for Payton, and he prayed his mate didn’t ask him to. Miller wasn’t half-bad on the dance floor, but he would never be classified as a stripper. Payton would probably boo him right out of the bedroom.
“You’re just saying that to make me feel better.”
Miller grabbed Payton’s hand and pulled his mate onto his lap. “No, I really mean it. You did great, Apple Pie.”
“Really?” Payton grinned, and the half-truth had been worth it. “That’s nice to hear, but please don’t ask me to do that again. Next time I just might land myself in the emergency room.”
Miller chuckled. “Then we better come up with a damn good lie to tell the doctor.”
“True, but not right now. Right now I want you to tell me where you stash your lube.”
“Nightstand.”
Payton blushed as he leaned forward and took Miller’s lips in a kiss that made him moan and grab his mate around his waist. Just as the kiss was getting good, his mate jumped from his lap, walked to the nightstand, and grabbed the lube from the drawer before returning to Miller’s lap.
Miller watched in utter astonishment as Payton lubed his fingers and then leaned forward, stretching his own hole. Miller tightened his grip on his own cock before he lost his load. Never in his life had anyone held his attention like Payton did.
Miller sat back, letting Payton have his way as his eyes followed every move his mate made. He licked his lips as his breath became ragged. What would Payton do next? He couldn’t wait to find out.
Payton looked up at Miller from under his ginger lashes. His eyes were seductive, but Miller saw a hint of fear in them. What did his mate fear? Rejection? There was no way in hell Miller was going to reject a goddamn thing Payton was doing right now.
“Please don’t stop,” he groaned as Payton ran his lubed hand over Miller’s heavily engorged cock.
The fear left Payton’s jade-green eyes as he lifted his bottom, waiting for Miller to offer his shaft. He nudged it forward and watched with amazement as Payton slowly impaled himself. Miller’s head fell back as a loud moan escaped. Payton’s tight hole was driving him wild.
“Fuck me, sweetheart,” he begged.
Payton placed his hands on Miller’s chest as he began to bounce up and down. His mate’s hardened cock was slapping Miller’s, making his own thicken even more at the sight.
“That’s it, baby, ride me.” Miller placed his hands on Payton’s hips, luxuriating in the feel of his mate’s body taking pleasure from his. Miller’s hands slid down to cup Payton under his thighs, helping him.
“Jack me off,” Payton cried as his nails dug into Miller’s flesh.
Miller quickly grabbed Payton’s cock and began a frenzied stroke, feeling the silken skin glide over the hardened shaft. Payton started gasping for air as his face twisted up.
“Miller!” he shouted as ropes of seed shot onto Mi
ller’s chest.
Payton’s hole clamped down, milking Miller’s cock almost painfully. Miller drove his cock upward and buried it as he sank his canines into Payton’s shoulder.
His mate cried out, bouncing even harder as Miller’s orgasm ripped through him.
He blinked several times, wondering if this were all a dream, because Payton was too perfect to be true. There was no way that fate had chosen someone so sassy, yet so strong. They locked eyes, both fighting to breathe.
Miller hauled Payton to his chest as the euphoric wave ebbed. He petted Payton’s hair and back, murmuring endearments to his mate.
“Charley horse!” Payton winced as his nails dug even deeper into Miller’s skin.
Miller blew out a breath, trying to steady his heart as he lifted from the chair with his mate wrapped around his waist and climbed onto the bed, holding Payton close.
“Better?” Miller rubbed where Payton had gripped his thigh.
“Much.” Payton sighed. “Now that’s a way to start our morning.”
Miller totally agreed.
Chapter Eight
“I still don’t understand why we have to go shopping.” Payton was breathing hard just trying to keep up with Miller’s long strides. The guy must have noticed because he slowed down.
“That’s part of the holidays,” Miller said. “Just because your relationship is rocky with your folks doesn’t mean you shouldn’t buy them a gift.”
“I’ll get them matching muzzles.” It wasn’t that Payton didn’t want to get his parents gifts. He loved them, but they had a very complicated relationship. Payton was more like a referee in a boxing ring than their kid.
And after two and a half decades of that, Payton was done with trying to stop them from making his life miserable. It was about time he moved on, though he would still talk to them. Payton just didn’t plan on spending any holidays with the two.
“And what about your cousin?” Miller reached for Payton’s hand and held it as they walked. Payton had never held hands in public before. “You seem to like him.”