by Lisa Oliver
Leaning back on his knees, Cam groaned as his cock slid down Fergus’s crack, the bulbous head leaving smears of precome and lube in its wake. Using his thumbs, he held Fergus’s butt cheeks apart, letting his cock do the poking and prodding needed for it to find the right place. He pushed forward, just his hips for now, but the urge to fall over Fergus’s prone body and rut like a dog was strong.
Slowly, slowly. Fergus is the bull, not me. But Cam could imagine the animal urges because he was feeling them. Any threat to his mating, no matter how small angered his animal half and brought out instincts Cam had never used. The pressure on his cock was immense, but both men had been generous with the lube. Keeping a steady thrust forward, Cam used his hold on Fergus’s hips and the resistance against the top of his cock to judge just how far and fast he could go.
Bingo. His cock completely sheathed in Fergus’s body; Cam looked down to where they were joined. The paler skin of the base of his shaft contrasted strongly against Fergus’s red hole, stretched wide and tight around him. Cam could’ve come from the sexy sight alone.
Then Fergus moaned and Cam moved, because the one thing he would always be was receptive to his mate’s needs. A slide out just far enough for Cam’s cock head to nudge Fergus’s inner guardian muscles. Then back in, not as slow, because Cam wasn’t a saint, but as he moved back and forth, he wondered how long he could go for. Just watching, seeing how easily Fergus’s body accepted him; Cam was doing some butt clenching of his own.
Running his hands up Fergus’s back and over his shoulders, Cam let his upper body fall, his hands landing on the mattress, his arms bracketing Fergus’s head. His hips writhed, arching up and down, moving his cock, the actions causing a tingling sensation around the nerves of his own hole. It wasn’t a rut – more like a sexy hip dance, working Cam’s lower back.
“Beautiful. Beautiful. Beautiful.” Cam was caught up in their rhythm, nothing pounding, more like two men dancing together. He kissed every part of Fergus’s body his lips could reach – shoulders, collar bone, the tantalizing nape of his mate’s neck. Curling one arm around Fergus’s torso to hold their upper bodies together, Cam kept moving, sniffing through Fergus’s hair, licking up the sweat from his temple and down his cheek.
“Could eat you all up,” he mumbled, knowing their sexy time was almost over. Fergus was arching against him, mirroring every move, his head alternating between moving up against his, and dropping down again. Cam slid his hand, currently splayed across Fergus’s stomach, down until he reached the base of his mate’s cock. A gentle slide up the long thick shaft, and Fergus cried out, calling his name, his whole body trembling with the force of his release.
Cam needed the bite and he took it, his cock spurting in time with the blood that pulsed into his mouth. Just a swallow was all he needed – he wasn’t a vampire, but he felt the threads of their bond thicken as his cock offloaded into his mate’s body. Mine, he thought smugly, although he didn’t say it out loud. After all, he wasn’t a wolf either, but he definitely understood in that moment why wolves had an affinity with that word.
Chapter Seventeen
“They will have to come here,” Fergus said firmly, turning off the mixer. “They can come around to the back door. Nobody need even know they are here, provided they keep quiet, but I’ve got a ton of orders to fill and there’s no one else here to bake.”
It was Friday, after what Fergus privately called his ‘breakdown Thursday’. The renewed connection with his mate, a decent night’s sleep, and Fergus was feeling more like his fabulous self again. Cam arranged for Nicky to open the bar, so he was perched on a stool at the end of the long baking counter. Ostensibly, he was supposed to be helping, but he seemed to spend his time between texting on his phone, and nicking pastries from the trays when he thought Fergus wasn’t looking.
“They’re not happy,” Cam warned, looking up from his phone.
“They want to talk to me, not the other way around.” Fergus flicked back his hair. “I’m all for saving momma, you know that, but the rest of the fold can take a long walk off a short pier. Sarah, Sarah darling, can you remember what color flowers Mrs. What’s-her-face wanted on that wedding cake? I swear my brain is full of holes today.”
“Lime green, burned orange, and bright pink.” Sarah stuck her head around the door and shuddered. “Apparently, to match the bridesmaids’ dresses.”
“Delightful.” Hurrying over to his large chillers, Fergus braced the door open with his shoulder, needing two hands to steady the cake. Five tiers high, instead of the standard three, it was heavy, but Fergus managed to get it out without letting the chiller door hit him on the butt as he moved.
“That looks and smells amazing.” Cam’s eyes gleamed, and Fergus quietly moved it further down the counter. He did not have time to make another cake just because his mate had a sweet tooth. “Why can’t they just have it in white like it is?”
“Wedding cakes make a statement.” Fergus grabbed the huge bowl from under his mixer, and deftly divided the icing into three smaller bowls. “Most people want flowers on their cakes – I love flowers. I just prefer it when they are in more realistic colors.” Finding the necessary food colorings from the shelf behind him, Fergus doctored the three bowls until the icing resembled the three colors requested.
“Are you sure she wanted burned orange?” Fergus called out again, grimacing at the bowl. “A nice yellow, or even a bright purple would look better.”
“Burned orange.” Sarah poked her nose back around the door. “Brutus the bear friend of Ra’s is here. Shall I send him through?”
“Another one of your mysterious texts?” Fergus shot Cam a look that said they’d be talking later. “Sure, send him in. He might as well see what sort of a madhouse he’s walking into.”
Reaching below the counter, Fergus grabbed a piping bag and his tray of nozzles. Deftly spooning the lime green mixture into a bag, he affixed the nozzle and started piping. One after the other, a mix of leaves and flowers started appearing on the pristine white surface of the cake. Spreading them out, turning the cake board as he needed, Fergus was focused on his task. It wasn’t until the green piping bag was empty, did he look up. Cam, Sarah and two strange men were looking at him.
“Something wrong?” Fergus looked at the cake. Every leaf was perfect.
“You have some serious skills,” the largest stranger said. “I’d shake your hand, but yep, you’re busy. I’m Brutus and can I just say ‘wow’.”
Fergus felt his cheeks heat up. “Thanks. I’ve had a lot of practice. You’re the one looking for the job here, yes? How about you pull up a bowl and make one of your specialties for me while I finish this? All the ingredients you should need are in the pantry or the refrigerator. This shouldn’t take too long.”
“Now?” Brutus shrugged. “Sure. Have you got a spare apron?”
Fergus tilted his head towards the hooks on the back of the door. “Help yourself.” He filled a second piping bag with the pink icing this time. “And you are?” He glanced up at the second man who was now standing with Cam.
“I’m Seth, Ra’s mate.” Seth’s smile was wide and generous. He was seriously cute, even for a rabbit shifter. “My mom’s watching out for the kids this morning, so I thought I’d share a ride with Brutus and meet you for myself. This place smells amazing.”
“It’s the baked goods. There’s nothing nicer when it comes to smells, unless it’s our mates of course.” Fergus winked before he started piping the pink flowers, varying the sizes and placements so they complimented the green ones. He was vaguely aware of Brutus moving around his kitchen. The man was soft footed given his size, and Fergus appreciated the bear wasn’t pestering him with inane questions but was looking for the things he needed for himself. That was a good sign.
Five minutes later, the pink flowers were done, and Fergus looked at the burned orange icing and wrinkled his nose. The cake looked beautiful with the pink and lime green. Fergus had never been a fan of orange, but
the customer was always right, even when they weren’t. He tilted his head, this way and that, studying where he could create the orange flowers, so they didn’t detract from what he’d already done.
“You could do one big one, right here.” Seth pointed to a large white space on the second to top tier. “And then maybe tiny little ones on the other tiers so the color scheme all ties in together.”
“Do you bake too?” Fergus imagined what Seth’s idea would look like, filled a third piping bag and started to create the flowers Seth suggested.
“I don’t get a lot of kitchen time,” Seth said with a laugh. “Between the kids and Ra’s job, and besides Brutus is very territorial about his kitchen.”
“It must be nice, having so many shifter types living in the same house.” Fergus finished the big flower and was now adding tiny little ones around the base of the cake. Putting the piping bag down, he eyed it critically. “Can you pass me the little pearls in that jar above your head please?” He asked Cam who’d been watching him silently. Pearls in hand, he added one each to the tiny orange flowers, and a couple in the center of each pink one. “Done.” He stepped back to eye his creation. The pearls were the perfect touch, helping the orange to blend with the rest of the cake.
“That takes real talent, that does,” Brutus said. He was hovering by the oven, watching something inside. “Sorry, I don’t know your ovens yet. You know how it is.”
And Fergus did. Every oven, no matter what it said on the temperature dial heated differently. Brutus scored himself another tick in the pro column. “Do you want to give me a hand?” He asked Cam. “I’ll display this out on the corner of the counter. The customer promised she would be in before we close and it could be good advertising, even with the unfortunate orange.”
Hopping off his stool, Cam came over, but he didn’t touch the cake board. Instead, Fergus found himself being turned, and pulled against a broad chest. Cam brushed a quick kiss on the end of his nose. “Did I have something sweet on there you wanted to eat?”
“You’re the sweet thing I wanted to eat,” Cam chuckled, his arms tightening around Fergus’s waist. “I’m just not sure I’ve heard anyone call you fabulous today, not even yourself, and I didn’t want you to forget just how fabulous you are.”
“I’ve been busy.” But Fergus blushed under the praise. “Hearing you say it means the world to me though, thank you. Now, can we…?” He pointed to the cake.
“Only because the council guards are coming in fifteen minutes,” Cam said softly. “We’re meeting them at my bar, no arguments please,” he added when Fergus opened his mouth to do just that. “This place is rainbows and sunshine and it should stay that way.”
“I can stay for a bit if you need anything done,” Brutus offered, pulling out a tray of delicious smelling bear claws from the oven. He must have used the puff pastry Fergus kept stored in the refrigerator, because there was no way the bear could’ve made them in that short of time if the pastry was made from scratch. But they looked crispy, smelled wonderful and Fergus’s mouth watered.
“And just a dusting of confectionary sugar.” Brutus finished them off with a flourish. “They’re done.”
“They smell amazing,” Fergus said honestly. “You’re hired. Please bag four of them up for us to go. Cam and I have to go down to the bar, but I promise we’ll sit down and have a chat about hours and pay and all that when I get back if that suits?”
“Awesome.” Brutus beamed and Fergus could tell he was a handsome man under all his facial hair. “I really love your set up.”
“I have a feeling I’m going to love your baking,” Fergus said warmly. “Come on Cam, let’s get this cake moved and then we can go and see about rescuing momma.”
“Rescuing someone?” Seth piped up. “Do you need a hand, only there’s Ra, Rocky, Simon…”
“If we need you, you’ll be the first to know,” Cam said quickly. “Come on, Mr. Fabulous, let’s wow the citizens of Arrowtown with your lovely masterpiece.”
“I’m still not keen on that orange,” Fergus muttered as he bent to pick up his side of the cake board.
/~/~/~/~/
Letting his eyes adjust to the gloom, after walking in the bright sun outside, Cam scanned the bar, but didn’t see anyone he didn’t recognize. “I put them in your office,” Nicky said, when Cam looked towards the bar. “They said it was private and you know what this lot are like.” He gestured to the table where Dave and his friends were holding court, pretending their ears weren’t tuned to Cam and Fergus’s arrival.
Cam’s nod was brief. Nicky knew him so well and had done the right thing. The last thing either he or Fergus needed was everyone getting their nose in their business. Keeping his hand splayed possessively over Fergus’s lower back, he walked his mate through the bar, and down the corridor that separated the entertainment space from his office.
“You have nothing to fear,” he whispered low enough so only Fergus could hear. “You’re fabulous, amazing, and wonderful and nothing anyone says in my office will change that.”
“You’re pretty amazing too.” Fergus inhaled sharply and then scrunched up his nose. “Wolves. Still, they have the best noses. Let’s see if they’ll help get momma back.”
Pushing the door open, Cam’s eyes narrowed as he saw Cannel had taken possession of his office chair. “Are you going to pay my taxes while you’re sitting there, or just trying to take the upper hand in this conversation?”
“Brown farted,” Cannel said easily, getting out of the chair. “I was taking refuge as far away from him as possible.”
“You had the chili last night, too,” Brown protested, but he made room for Cannel on the two-seater he was sprawled over. “This is our runaway, half-breed bull shifter, I assume?”
“This is Fergus, my fated mate, who’s only agreed to talk to you, in the hopes of gaining his mother’s freedom from his ex-home fold.” Cam already didn’t like the tone this conversation was taking. Closing the door, he ushered Fergus into the chair recently vacated by Cannel, choosing to stand beside him, rather than perch his butt on the desk.
“You haven’t been very forthcoming with us. Why do you think the fold leader is a threat to shifter welfare?” Cam knew his blunt question wasn’t something either guard had anticipated.
“You’ve learned something new?” Cannel recovered first. “Your mate has talked to you about the fold?”
“Cam’s mate is sitting right here, and I have a tongue of my own. My mate asked you a question.” Fergus leaned his elbows on the desk. “Why are you interested in where I came from?”
The glance Brown exchanged with Cannel was loaded. “We’ve had some reports,” Brown said vaguely. “Rumors. Complaints. That sort of thing.”
“That’s not telling us anything.” Cam glared. “Did you ever stop to think that the reason no one in the fold will talk to you, is because you have a lousy interview manner?”
“The purpose of this interview is for us to gain information about the fold from your mate,” Cannel said sharply although he wouldn’t meet Cam’s eyes. “You don’t need to know why.”
“I do,” Fergus said hotly. “I want to know, why after all these years, I’m suddenly a person of interest. My momma lives in that fold. I have two half-siblings I’ve never seen, living with her. If you want information out of me, then I demand you tell me why you’re investigating in the first place. Is my momma in danger? Has something happened?”
“Tell him,” Cannel said to Cam and he had the audacity to roll his eyes. “Tell your mate that’s not how an investigation works. You know how it is.”
“I do know how it is,” Cam said, incensed his mate wasn’t being taken seriously. “I know how easy it is for innocent shifters to be caught in the crossfires of an investigation. I know how often innocent people are suddenly gone, disappeared without a trace, thanks to an investigation. I know where those bodies are, so either start talking, or get out.”
Brown folded his arms across his
chest. “We can simply arrest your mate, and he’ll have to talk to us then.”
“Make him disappear, you mean.” Cam felt his claws emerge from the tip of his fingers. “You’ve got no right to do that. Fergus has never put a foot wrong in his life. If you take him, then you’ll have to take me too, and the mayor of this town, and the sheriff and all the deputies as well. You’ll have to take the old lady who runs the corner store, and Hazel from the diner. Then there’s the snake-shifting lawyer, because you have to know he won’t shut up if something happens to Fergus and nor will the doctor. The rabbits, the deer, the bears, the wolves and the lions – they will all fight for Fergus. Are you prepared to risk all that – the obliteration of this whole town, just to talk to Fergus?”
“Damn shifter towns,” Brown snarled.
“Babe, it’s okay,” Fergus said softly.
Cam hadn’t realized he was growling at the end of his little speech, which wasn’t easy to do because his fangs had dropped. Fergus’s hand on his arm helped, but not by much. If Cam had his way, the two council guards would be pushing up daisies somewhere by nightfall.
“Look,” Cannel said quietly. He’d lost a lot of his flippant nature and Cam’s animal side preened. “We just want information. Then we’ll get out of your hair, and you’ll never see us again.”
“And what about my momma,” Fergus said angrily. “Will I ever see her again once you’ve gotten your information? What are you going to do? Wipe out the entire fold when most of the people there have no choice but to do as they’re told by their leader?”
“So, it is the leader behind this then?” Brown leaned forward eagerly. “He’s behind the gun buys, the propaganda, and the enslaving of innocents?”