by Lisa Oliver
“I’m not upset about it,” Karl said quickly, setting down his glass on the table. “I mean I was, but only briefly, and now I’m definitely not. I watched you today, when we were out, and there were heaps of times I just wanted to manhandle you into an alley and kiss your face off. I am attracted to you.”
That’s a point in my favor. “Then what’s worrying you now?” Tanner put his drink down too and took Karl’s hand. “You’re comfortable with me when we’re clothed, you don’t have a problem keeping your dick stiff for me. So why are you baulking at making love to me?”
Karl chewed the inside of his lip. “Would you believe it if I told you I’m not sure how?”
Tanner’s eyes widened.
“Not in the, ‘I don’t know how to make love to anyone’ type thing – I’ve done that, hundreds of times.”
“Don’t remind me,” Tanner said drily, taking a deep breath to soothe his wolf. He’s our mate now.
“Sorry. Look,” it was Karl’s turn to inhale sharply, “when I knew you were my mate, and you were dealing with your aunt, and I was still dithering about what to do about you, I did look at some gay porn sites… trying to see if there was anything arousing about anything there.”
“Oh, boy.” Tanner chuckled, reaching for his drink with his free hand. “Did you use porn as your guide when you first had sex with women?”
“No.” Karl looked shocked. “They didn’t have internet then anyway. Being with them was more… you know… they’re all soft, and they have squishy bits, and very noticeable attributes they like having attention paid to before my dick could go anywhere.”
“I have a chest, complete with nipples.” Tanner pointed his glass towards his pecs. “I don’t have the holey bits down there,” he indicated his groin, “but I do have attributes that would appreciate some attention. I also have a neck someone might suck on, I have skin all over that probably likes to be stroked, although I wouldn’t know because no one has ever done it before. But I’m sure if it was you doing it, I’d like it. And the kissing we’ve shared so far, sparse though it’s been, I’ve enjoyed.”
“Really?”
Karl’s bewilderment was enough to make Tanner laugh again. “You said to me, one of the first intimate things you did say to me, and fuck that was only yesterday, was that you wanted to lay me out and feast on me. What did you mean by that? It sounded pretty good to me.”
“Again, I’m not sure. I might have been caught up in a possessive moment.” Karl reached over, grabbed his glass and took a healthy swig before putting the glass back on the table again. “This is all new to me, okay? I didn’t think men did the whole foreplay thing, or any building up to the main event. I thought they got a hard dick, and they shoved it in the nearest hole when it was all men together.”
“That’s what happens when you use porn as your go-to manual.” Tanner thought for a moment, wondering how to articulate needs he wasn’t sure about either – more lack of experience than anything else. “When you were with… other people,” Tanner hated to keep bringing it up, but he didn’t know how else to make his point. “Did they ever do anything to you, to get you in the mood?”
“Well, yeah, it’s what men and women do together to set the mood – they laugh and tease and flirt – little touches here, little kisses there. Dancing, stroking the arms, a bit of banter, that type of thing. That’s how I always knew my touch was welcome.”
“Uh huh.” Tanner waited for the penny to drop. Karl was an intelligent man, it wouldn’t take long.
“Men do that to other men too?” Karl reached for his glass. Tanner topped it up when he put it back on the table.
“You should seriously try going to a gay club sometime – we both could go.” Tanner thought back to the last time he’d been – he was working on a case looking for an informant, but he could still appreciate the scenery. “The thing about being gay, is that gay men like other men’s bodies. The hard, the hairy, the lack of boobs – some like muscles, some like softer builds, but it’s always the masculine they’re attracted to. So, they touch and flirt, and laugh and dance, and rev each other up and then… well, often they end up in the bathroom with one man getting a blow job or something, but even established gay couples enjoy flirting with each other – just like straight couples.”
“You want to give me a blow job, in the bathroom of a gay club?”
“Not right this minute, no, but there might be a night when we think that’s fun.” Tanner made sure he’d caught Karl’s eyes squarely and then said, “Or you could give me one.”
That little hitch of Karl’s breath didn’t tell him much, but Karl’s eyes heated. “I thought I was the top in this relationship, and it was the bottoms who did all the sucking?”
Tanner laughed hard enough he coughed and had to have another sip of whiskey to calm down. “How much gay porn did you watch?” He asked, shaking his head.
“Well, only two scenes, and there were quite a lot of guys involved, and then Allan came in…”
“Oh, my gods.” Tanner wiped his eyes. “You watched porn at work?”
“I had a spare five minutes.” Karl shrugged. “So, you’re saying tops do more than just find an open hole and do the prep work?”
“Oh babe, sweetheart, mate.” Tanner couldn’t resist teasing. “You do know many men who have sex with men are versatile?”
He waited for the term to sink in. The gulp was cute. “Versatile as in… but you have…” Karl waved at Tanner’s behind, “and I don’t and…”
“Versatile in that many men like to give or receive at different times. Male omegas like me are a rarity, with their self-prepping asses, but non-omega males know that preparation of any ass comes with wanting to have anal sex.”
“So, you’d want to…” There was that gulp again.
“Not tonight.” Tanner chuckled. “But there may come a time, when we’re more comfortable with each other, where you might allow me a first in that direction. But we’re nowhere near that point yet. Maybe we should start with you acknowledging I have a dick first.”
“I know you have a cock just like I do.” Karl frowned. “We were in bed together last night. I’m sure that was you.”
“It was, but… Okay, okay, let’s change tact. Is my dick bigger than yours or smaller?”
Karl’s eyes narrowed, looking one side and then the other. “I’m not sure. I didn’t have a tape measure handy last night.”
“Fair comment. Am I cut or uncut?”
Those hazel eyes moved from side to side again and a small furrow appeared between them. “Cut.”
“Good guess.” Tanner nodded. “But then it’s a statistical fact eighty percent of boys were circumcised in the sixties and seventies in the US. The thing is, you are guessing, and this mating is going to have real problems, if you can’t accept my body the way it is, dick and all. I mean, you all but confessed last night you fucked me with your eyes closed.”
“You felt really good,” Karl mumbled. “I was savoring the sensations of being in your body.”
“And that’s awesome too.” Tanner reached over with his free hand, stroking down Karl’s cheek. The way Karl half closed his eyes and leaned into his touch was a good sign. “It’s just a teeny bit worrying that you claimed me, and you have no idea how many tattoos I’ve got.”
Those eyes flew open again. “You’ve got tattoos? Shit. Shit. Shit. Okay. One question. If I love on you, the way you claim I should be doing, are you going to punch me out or give me a hiding?”
“No. Why the fuck would I do that?” It was Tanner’s turn to be shocked, but Karl was already pulling him to his feet and tugging him towards the stairs.
“I’ll tell you another time.” Karl was moving quickly, and Tanner lengthened his stride as they raced up the stairs. “For now, I need to see you with all your clothes off and lying flat on the bed. On your back, so I don’t get tempted by your sexy ass again. And before you ask, I’ll be naked too. We’re going to do things right this time.�
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I do hope that’s not the pheromones talking.
Chapter Twenty-One
I got this all wrong. I can’t believe I’ve been that stupid. Karl had barely got to the bedroom before he started flinging off his clothes. He understood what Tanner had been trying to tell him, and he cursed his own stupidity and the initial push from his wolf to claim their mate. He had no idea if Tanner’s cock was bigger than his because Karl didn’t remember seeing it, and as for being cut – that was a lucky guess. Karl knew he was going to have to explain the punching out question too, at some stage, but not right this minute.
By the time his clothes were a heap on the floor, Tanner was naked, laying on the center of the bed, his scent tinged with nerves. “You don’t have anything to be nervous about. I’m not going to be so stupid a second time. Look at me, TC.” Karl spread his arms wide, conscious of his dick trying to get his mate’s attention. “This is me. This is what you do to me.” He pointed to his cock. “Now tell me,” Karl did a slow twirl, arms still spread wide, “do you like what you see?”
“You’re my walking dream,” Tanner said softly, and Karl would swear he could feel the heat of his mate’s eyes roaming over his skin. “Sleek, toned, the perfect eight pack. Shoulders wide enough to support me, arms built to go around me, and hands big enough and powerful enough to caress me all over.”
“Something I fully intend on doing.” Karl dropped his arms, moving to the foot of the bed, taking in every inch of his mate’s form that he could see. He’s built like a tank – MY tank. “Now, I’m looking at you, and I see you, mate. All of you. Your size fifteen feet, that are well looked after.”
Karl dropped his hands, running them over the body part in question. “Everything about you is bigger than me. Your skin tone is slightly darker, your legs are built like tree trunks, but it’s all muscle and that’s doing amazing things to my libido.” He trailed his fingers up Tanner’s smooth skin, crawling up onto the bed when he got past the knees. Tanner automatically opened his legs for him, giving Karl a spot to kneel in.
Keeping his fingers on the outside of Tanner’s legs for now, Karl kept moving upwards. Just the simple touching made him feel as though he was ten foot tall. This was his mate, his man, and by the gods, his man was built and heavenly to touch.
“Those wing tattoos are incredible,” Karl leaned over as he moved further up. “What’s the symbol around your belly button mean?” He traced it lightly with his finger. Tanner shivered and his cock bounced as if looking for that touch. Soon.
“It’s my own design.” Tanner stared at the ceiling, letting out a ragged breath. “The two curves on the outside represent my wolf and my human spirit, while the line across them is the bridge, symbolizing the connectivity and the individuality of two parts of the whole.”
“It’s beautiful. And the wings?” Karl had to stretch right out to trace the wings that sat beneath Tanner’s collarbones and spanned across the top of his chest. He knew his cock was sliding up alongside his mate’s and the urge to push down with his hips was strong, but Karl kept his touches light.
“The wings...” Tanner’s breath hiccupped as Karl ran his finger up to the divot in his throat. “The wings are freedom. Free to be me.”
“Gorgeous.” Karl had to lay on Tanner, he’d run out of reach. Sliding his body along his mate’s felt like coming home, being free, just like Tanner’s tattoos signified to him. He ran his fingers over Tanner’s tense shoulders, and up the thickness of his neck. “You are stunning, every lovely inch of you, inside and out. I just wish… I’d never dreamed… I’m gonna have to kiss you now.”
Tanner’s lips were his for the taking. Karl was quickly becoming used to the facial hair, although Tanner had trimmed his. But the lips framed by that hair were soft, wide, and full, opening under his easily and with no hesitation. Hands came up, gripping his waist, and Karl moaned to show his approval. He was close to coming already and if his omega wanted to touch, his body was ready.
Somehow they rolled, Tanner’s legs bracketing Karl’s hips, his hands almost frantic over Karl’s back. Karl was doing some squeezing of his own, exploring flexing muscles, marveling at Tanner’s strength, keen to feel that heat around his cock again. He broke off from kissing long enough to take a breath, but his lips were craving the taste of Tanner’s skin, and he swept his tongue along his mate’s beard line, and then nibbled the man’s ear.
That was clearly a hot spot. The touches were stronger, the scent of Tanner’s slick rising between them, Karl grunted and humped like his life depended on it, swept up by a mutual passion that had nothing to do with wolf spirits, and everything to do with the man pressing against him.
It was Tanner who rolled onto his back, grabbing his legs by the knees and holding them to his chest. “Now.” The word was snarled, but the meaning was clear. Holding his cock at the base to keep it steady, Karl was up, and pressed against Tanner’s loosened hole in a blink, sighing with relief as the hole accepted him and the heat surrounded his cock.
“Gods, gods, gods, gods, goddamned.” Karl thrust hard. The only place for his hands to go was on either side of Tanner’s waist. He fisted the mattress, trying to keep his movements shallow, giving his mate time to adjust. But Tanner didn’t seem happy with that. A strong hand gripped Karl’s hip bone, pushing and coaxing a faster thrust. Karl’s belly was rubbing on Tanner’s cock, and he bent down, kissing and nipping Tanner’s special wings and the base of Tanner’s neck.
This was what our claiming was supposed to feel like. Karl was flying. Tanner’s grunts and moans, the clutching of skin – Karl felt his teeth drop at the same time his balls tightened. Giving into impulse he lurched hard, barely managing to reach Tanner’s mating scar. A bite down, and as the warmth metallic taste of Tanner’s blood hit his tongue, Karl came, his balls emptying, his soul soaring. A warm splodge on his stomach let him know Tanner had found his release at the same time.
This time he could see it in his mind’s eye – the joining of their wolf spirits. Tanner’s wolf as big as his own nuzzling against the proud dark wolf form Karl was so familiar with. They were joined, never to be broken apart… Karl almost felt like crying from the beauty of it.
You can see it too?
Karl’s eyes flew open, meeting the flushed gaze of his mate. “We have a mind link?”
Tanner nodded, his eyes misty, his lips pressed in a smile. “Acceptance,” he said in his deep voice. “We didn’t have that before.”
“Bite me.” Karl leaned his chest down so Tanner could reach. “Bite me so all the world can see I’m claimed too.”
A quick slice of teeth in flesh, and Karl learned that his second orgasm could be as intense as the first. It was quite some time before he found the energy to get up and get a washcloth for his mate.
Chapter Twenty-Two
It was Monday, and after spending the whole of Sunday in bed, only leaving it long enough to accept food deliveries, to Tanner it was almost a surreal experience, dressing in his suit ready for a new working week. He and Karl had agreed, in between their bouts of sex, that Tanner would go with Karl to the office on Monday – more to make sure that little shit Allan wasn’t anywhere around than anything else.
Tanner was aware he’d have to get in touch with Captain Peters too and formalize his resignation, but with the uncertainty of what Karl’s uncle, or his PA might do now their crime spree was up, Tanner instinctively wanted to protect his mate. Besides, he’d agreed to track back Karl’s previous pack tithes against the bank accounts to get a clearer understanding of how much had been stolen, although Karl had already said he wouldn’t charge his uncle provided they were left in peace. There was also the shifter council that needed to be contacted, their territory to work out… Another working day in other words.
“What do you usually do for breakfast?” Karl yelled from the other room. They were at Karl’s house, as the man needed clean clothes, yet another thing he and his mate had yet to decide on. Tanner agreed Karl’s ho
use was larger, and probably better suited to both of them, but he felt it lacked that lived in feeling he’d appreciated in his own place.
“I used to go to my aunt Julie’s,” Tanner yelled back. He was wandering around Karl’s living room. “Or there’s a good diner, it wouldn’t be far from here… What do you usually do?”
“Drive through coffee.” Karl chuckled as he came in, knotting his slim bright red tie. “There’s a head of department meeting in the office on Monday mornings, and I always have food catered for them, so I usually wait. On other days, I send my PA for something to eat if I’m hungry.”
“I’m happy to wait till the meeting.” Tanner knew how hard his mate worked. “Working shifts for most of my life, I’ve learned to just eat when I can and appreciate it.”
“That’s handy when you’re with someone like me.” Karl came over, dropping a kiss on Tanner’s shoulder. “We’ll do the meeting, I’ll take care of anything that urgently needs taking care of, and then we’ll have a long and leisurely lunch out. Did you need to call your agent, or do anything else with your aunt’s estate this week?”
Tanner still felt a pang in his heart when he thought about his dead friend, but he shook his head. “The house was the last thing. Provided the first offer I get is anywhere near reasonable, I’ll accept it. There’s no point in dragging these things out. The headstone is ordered – I think Mabel and her friends would appreciate a small ceremony at the graveside when that arrives, but apart from that it’s time I started easing myself out of that side of things as well as my job. I haven’t aged in all the time I’d known Aunt Julie and Mabel, and sooner or later Mabel will notice.”
“Hmm, that’s a good point.” Karl was checking his pockets. “Meeting my new life partner might be the perfect excuse I need to retire and move on as well. Could be fun building a new life with my mate this time.” He looked up and grinned. “I can already tell you’re not a fan of my house.”