by Riley Rivers
The couch smelled like Josh and the blankets smelled like Josh, but with actual Josh not around, they were a comfort, not a trigger. Raymond could bury himself in them, and it was surprisingly easy to drift off.
***
Josh breathed a sigh of relief once he’d retreated to his room and shut his door. It wasn’t that he minded having Raymond over—just the opposite. He liked having Raymond around a bit too much. Since he’d taken his libido inhibitor so recently, it made sense that he had gotten all drifty and sleepy with Raymond so close instead of being out of his mind with wanting to climb into his lap. The inhibitor dulled those urges a lot, and with the fire just simmering instead of being a roaring flame, having their object of affection just being present and comfortable in their space could do a lot for a unicorn’s sense of well-being. It was calming, because it meant that instead of having the stress of needing to go out and find a partner, they were secure in the knowledge that one was close by, ready to take care of them.
Or at least, that was how it was supposed to work.
Since that wasn’t Josh’s situation at all, getting some distance from Raymond and thus getting away from that content little headspace was important. Otherwise he ran the risk of getting too comfortable. Then he might actually try to climb into Raymond’s lap.
Josh grumbled to himself about stupid hormones and biology as he grabbed his laptop and splayed out on his bed. He needed to occupy his mind, and working on the emails he’d been neglecting for the last couple of days seemed as good an idea as any.
He spent the better part of fifteen minutes genuinely trying to get his work done, but it was impossible to concentrate. The core of him was all too aware that Raymond was just a room away.
Asleep on his couch, and Josh’s bed was more comfortable for sleeping, and wouldn’t it be nice just to curl up under the covers with Raymond? They wouldn’t have to do anything. Josh would totally settle for just being held. Raymond was big and strong and safe and incredibly kind. The perfect person to provide protection and assurance while Josh was dealing with something that made him vulnerable and needy and—
Josh gritted his teeth. He hated feeling like this. Meds could at least help him control his body, but his thoughts still got away from him.
He wasn’t vulnerable. He was fine. He was always fine during his virile periods. They came, he dealt with them, they ended, he moved on with his life until the next time. Sure, he had wanted… more, the last few times his virile period had come on, since he’d come to know Raymond better and get closer to him. Toys hadn’t slaked his need at all, not the way they usually did, so he’d had to get partners for the second and third days. But he’d been fine in the end. He’d never had trouble like this before, focusing so much on just one person with such intensity.
But then again, he’d also never had prolonged proximity to Raymond like this before. Usually when Josh was in the midst of his virile period, he had a routine for the days he saw Raymond. It wasn’t unlike what he had done today; he did his best to keep himself busy right before he left—which often included jerking off—took his libido inhibitor, went to his session, didn’t linger once he was done, then went straight home. He jerked off again, got his mind cleared enough to do some more work, and, once it was reasonably late enough to do so, he went to find someone to spend the night with.
This virile period, Raymond had been handsome and nice and smart as usual, but had also invited Josh out to dinner (wanting to see him outside of their usual interactions), introduced him to a good friend (packmate, Josh’s hindbrain kept saying, Raymond wanted Josh to meet a packmate), and had driven him home once Raymond had realized what was going on (wanting to guard him, shield, protect—)
So yes, okay. It made sense that things were maybe a little… different this particular virile period.
Maybe he should just try to go to bed.
***
“Raymond,” Josh moaned. “Please, I need you.”
God, Josh was beautiful like this, all flushed and spread out beneath him. Raymond rocked against him, eliciting another moan, and it was the best sound in the world. “Please, Raymond, please, I need you. I need you touching me—”
“Fuck,” Raymond ground out, desperate for him, “Yes, yeah, whatever you want.” He buried his face into the join of Josh’s neck and shoulder, breathed in deep—
—and woke up to a faceful of couch, hard as a rock, covered in sweat, and overwhelmed by Josh’s scent, thick and sweet and intoxicating.
Still half asleep, Raymond swung himself off the couch and followed his nose. A light was on in the kitchen, and he made a beeline for it. Josh looked up, clearly startled, from where he was leaning against the counter, bowl of cereal in hand.
“Raymond! Are you okay?” Josh set the bowl down and rushed forward, fresh scent hitting Raymond hard. His hair was messy, sleep tousled, and Raymond wanted to eat him alive.
“Fuck, sorry—” Raymond stumbled back to give himself a meager amount of distance. “Don’t—” He tried to breathe through his mouth. “Don’t come any closer.”
Josh stared at him. All Raymond could think about was how much he wanted, and how much he couldn’t have, his protective instincts at war with need, and he had to leave. He had to leave now.
“I need to go home,” he gasped. “I should go home.”
“Are you crazy? It’s two in the morning and the roads are all rivers.”
“Josh, please, I—I’m not safe. I wish I were stronger, but I’m not. I’m not and—and—” Raymond forced himself to take another step back. “It’s better if I leave.”
“Raymond, there is a legitimate chance that if you go out in this that you could actually die.”
“I’m really sorry,” Raymond pleaded. “I’m trying to keep a lid on it—I am—and you know I’d never—”
“Oh my god, listen to yourself! Of course, I know I’m safe! I have literally never been worried about that.”
You should be. I’m so sorry, but you should be.
“No,” Josh continued. “We can figure this out. I…” He raked a hand through his hair, and Raymond followed the motion. “What do you need?”
You.
Raymond lowered his eyes, overcome with shame at how weak he was. That he’d been affected this badly. That he’d put Josh in this position. “It’s your scent,” he forced out. “And it’s not your fault,” he added quickly, feeling sick. “I don’t know why—something’s wrong with me. What I need is to get away from you so I don’t… so I don’t…”
“Raymond,” Josh said carefully. “I know you’re a werewolf. Are you an alpha wolf?”
Raymond nodded, trying not to whine. It was something he usually kept on the downlow from people who couldn’t tell, because the alpha label often gave off the wrong impression. Aggressive, domineering, and brutish. Raymond dealt with that enough just being a big guy who liked to work out. “Y-yeah. Why…?”
“Oh,” Josh said quietly. Louder, he said, “It’s another pheromone thing. Virile scent can really do a number on alphas. You’ve already got the extra-enhanced senses, and so being around someone who gives off this specific pheromone… it dials your instincts up to eleven.” He cursed. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think—I never even considered if you were an alpha wolf or not—”
Raymond shook his head, clenching his fists. “Not your fault. I can control myself.” He squeezed his eyes shut. “I can.”
“Of course, you can,” Josh said softly. “Of course, you can. But… but what if you didn’t have to?”
Raymond jerked his head up. “W-what?”
“Well, we have two options,” Josh said evenly. “Option one is I lock myself in my room and let you pace my apartment until morning, where you’ll be able to drive when it's light out and hopefully avoid the hazards that came from the monsoon. But I think that would make us both miserable.”
It would. It would make Raymond so miserable. “I—”
“Or we could just have s
ex and get it out of your system.”
Yes, Raymond thought immediately, barely keeping himself from lunging forward. Yes, god, please.
Then his sense clawed its way through the fog. “No! No, Josh, don’t—I can’t ask—”
Josh shrugged. “You’re not asking, I’m offering.” He fidgeted with the hem of his shirt then, looking suddenly unsure. “I’ve never had someone react like this to me before, but if it would help, of course I’m willing.”
Raymond pressed himself back against the kitchen wall, trembling, as Josh took a step forward. “Please, Raymond. Please let me help you?”
“You’re… you’re sure.... you’re sure I’m not—I’m not making you—you’re sure?”
Josh reached out and took Raymond’s hand and brought it to his mouth to kiss his knuckles. Raymond shuddered, his eyes sliding shut. God, he wanted so much.
“Come on,” Josh coaxed, tilting his head up. “Come on, it’s okay.”
Allowed, Raymond’s wolf screamed. Allowed to touch. His hands were shaking as he reached out to cup Josh’s cheek.
Josh exhaled, his breath warm against Raymond’s palm, and Raymond had to lean in to finally, finally kiss him. To watch as Josh’s eyes closed in a sweep of lashes, his hands coming to Raymond’s shoulders as Raymond pulled him in closer, as close as he could.
Almost unable to help himself, he bit at Josh’s bottom lip and pulled, sucking on it after to ease the sting, and Josh sighed into it, his scent blooming in the air.
“Do you… do you like that?” Raymond asked when they’d parted a little.
“Maybe,” Josh said, eyes bright, before curling a hand around Raymond’s neck to pull him down again.
Chapter Seven
Kissing Raymond was amazing. He was the perfect balance of gentle and just rough enough, exactly the way Josh liked it, and he was big and warm and his hands sliding up under Josh’s worn T to stroke skin made Josh feel enveloped in the best way.
He’d liked Raymond and had been pining after him for so long now, holding back because he hadn’t wanted to ruin anything. It was mind-blowing to think that after all this time, they were actually about to have sex. Raymond thought he was attractive. Raymond liked him back.
Raymond was really kissing the breath out of him in his kitchen, and Josh’s libido inhibitor had long since worn off, so he was fairly trembling with anticipation. Finally, his inner self, the core of him, kept saying. Finally finally finally Raymond you need him Raymond finally sex warmth Raymond comfort holding connecting belonging Raymond please
“Bed,” he pleaded, forcing himself away from Raymond’s mouth long enough to voice the request. “Please, Raymond, take me bed, please—”
“Yeah,” Raymond breathed at once. “Yeah, Josh, okay.”
Josh grabbed Raymond’s hand and pulled him along, stumbling his way toward his bedroom. The fire that had been banked inside him was now roaring to life in a way it never had before, and suddenly he was desperate. Desperate to be touched, to be fucked, to get closer.
As soon as they were through the door of his bedroom, Josh made himself let go of Raymond’s hand to yank his shirt over his head, dropping it to the floor before tugging at Raymond’s hideous top. “Off. Off, off, off.”
Raymond blinked, looking thunderstruck, and then he slowly smiled. “You really mean it.”
“Mean what?” Josh asked, still tugging petulantly at Raymond’s shirt.
Raymond shook his head, full-on grinning now, and Josh was about to demand more of an explanation before Raymond pulled off his shirt in one smooth motion. He’d barely dropped it to the floor before Josh was reaching to stroke his hands up and down Raymond’s sides and the planes of his stomach, wanting to touch and taste and take. Raymond was so gorgeous and kind, and Josh was going to get to have him.
“Thought you wanted me naked,” Raymond rasped as Josh got in close to suck at the underside of Raymond’s jaw.
“This is a good start,” Josh said happily, nuzzling into Raymond’s skin. He delighted in Raymond shuddering and then bringing his arms up to curl around Josh’s back. Being held, good, yes, perfect.
But it could get even more perfect, and there were so many more things Josh wanted to do.
Raymond whined a little when Josh pulled away, tightening his arms around Josh’s waist to hold him still and keep him close before he ducked his head to mouth at Josh’s shoulder, sucking on the skin in a way that stung in the most delicious way. Marking Josh thought through the haze of arousal. He’s marking me.
It was too much to take. He was burning up, with want, with need, with— “Please,” Josh gasped. “Please, more, I’ve been waiting and waiting—”
“Yeah,” Raymond rumbled with one last nip to Josh’s collarbone. “Yeah, let’s take care of you.”
They parted just long enough to fumble out of pants and underwear and then they were falling onto the bed together in a tangle of limbs.
Josh rolled onto his back, waiting for Raymond to come closer again and join him, but Raymond only sat back on his heels and looked at him, eyes dark.
“What?” Josh asked, squirming under that intense gaze. Was… was Raymond changing his mind? Had he decided he didn’t want this? Josh started to panic. Was he going to leave?
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” Raymond said, voice low, before he leaned down.
Josh moaned into Raymond’s mouth as Raymond trailed a hand up his thigh. He tried to open his legs wider, to invite Raymond to keep touching.
“More,” he demanded. “More, closer—”
“Easy,” Raymond murmured. “I will. Gonna take care of you. Treat you right.”
Josh reached out to pull Raymond fully on top of him, arching up under the feel of Raymond’s body pressing him down into the mattress. God, it was wonderful being totally blanketed, and a little wiggling brought their cocks into contact, and even just that extra bit of stimulation had Josh squeezing his eyes shut, trying to chase the feeling.
He heard Raymond’s quiet, awed curse before Raymond went back to sucking and nipping his way across Josh’s collarbone, trailing lower until he got to Josh’s nipples and laved over one with his tongue.
Josh jerked under him, crying out, one hand going to fist in his bedsheet.
Raymond paused. “Okay?”
“Yes, yeah,” Josh moaned. “Just sensitive—ah!” Raymond had moved to bite at Josh’s neck again. Josh brought his hands up to curl around Raymond’s back as he whimpered and tried to get more friction.
“Like that?” Raymond asked, breath hot against Josh’s skin.
“More.”
“I can do more,” Raymond said, before lowering his head back down and sucking on the nipple hard.
Josh jerked again, practically arching up off the bed as he came, sudden and shocking and a litle bit mortifying.
“Oh my god,” Raymond whispered, staring down at him.
Josh threw an arm over his face. He wasn’t done, not yet, not so soon, and considering the buzz he’d been riding for the last two days it wasn’t a surprise to have come so quickly, but it was still embarrassing as hell. “Sorry,” he whimpered, hoping he hadn’t ruined it. “Sorry, I didn’t—”
“Holy fuck, that was so fucking hot.”
Josh lowered his arm and swallowed, feeling ridiculous and needy in a way he never did. “Yeah?”
Raymond’s eyes were molten. “And you’re not done, are you sweetheart?”
Josh’s lips parted as he shook his head.
“Okay,” Raymond murmured, stroking a hand down Josh’s stomach to swirl a finger over the mess Josh had made. “What can we do to fix that?”
Raymond still wanted him. Josh hadn’t messed anything up. Raymond was pleased by the fact that Josh had come for him the way he had. And he wanted to give Josh more.
The predatory way Raymond was looking at him now suddenly made Josh remember something absolutely vital.
Raymond was an alpha werewolf.
Which me
ant he had a knot.
Immediately desperate to get that inside of him, Josh announced, “I have an idea.”
Raymond rubbed a thumb into Josh’s thigh, teasing. “Whatever you want.”
“Yeah, well, I think you should finger me open.”
“Yeah?” Raymond suddenly sounded a little hoarse.
“Yeah.” Josh grabbed at Raymond’s hand, linking their fingers together. “I like your hands. Your fingers. I want them in me.”
He watched Raymond swallow, and then Raymond said, voice rough, “Okay, I’ll see what I can do. Get on your stomach.”
Josh scrambled to turn over and spread his legs wide, before pushing up on his elbows and looking back over his shoulder to throw Raymond a smirk. Seeing Raymond get more and more affected was heady. And after already coming once, Josh was able to look past the innate need enough to feel playful.
Raymond, for his part, kneeled up between Josh’s legs and set a hand on the small of his back, stroking there for a minute before sliding it lower. He caught the rim of Josh’s hole with his thumb, spreading the slick Josh’s body was creating, and making Josh moan at the sensation of being touched so intimately by someone he cared so much about.
“Yeah,” Josh breathed. “Let me feel you.”
Raymond bent over him to press a kiss between his shoulder blades as he turned his hand and slipped in a finger, starting to thrust it in and out.
Josh wriggled back, already impatient. “More—I’m built for it, I want another, come on. I want you to stretch me wide. Get me ready for your knot.”
“Christ.” Raymond added another finger, and then a third as Josh got louder and more vocal, telling Raymond to go faster, harder, more, more, more.
“Raymond,” Josh finally gasped, pushing up on his hands and knees. “Raymond, Raymond, Raymond, fuck me. I’m so ready, you opened me up so good. Fuck me, come on, come on, please, I need—” They weren’t close enough yet. He was too empty and he needed more, and that suddenly twisted in him, the pain of them not yet being joined. “Please, it hurts—”