Side by Side: A Paranormal MMM Daddy/little Romance (Forest Edge Book 2)

by Alexis Woods

  Ryan sighed. “Probably for the best.” He dragged Dylan to his chest and wrapped his arms tightly around him. “I really am so happy to see you again. I’ve missed you the most.”

  Dylan returned the fierce embrace. “Same. Things were different after you left. I missed my big brother. I had to find you.”

  “I’m glad you did.” Ryan’s face glowed. Dylan’s cheeks warmed with the same overflowing happiness.

  Christian touched Dylan’s shoulder. “Day after tomorrow, after lunch, I have a meeting in town. Jon has offered to host you here until I return.”

  “Thank you, Daddy.” Dylan turned from Ryan and took Christian’s hand. After a quick round of goodbyes, Brian led the trio outside to his car.

  Chapter 7

  Brian

  No way was this happening. Brian’s head spun with a mixture of giddiness and confusion. He’d been sure he’d lost his chance with Christian. He hadn’t even known his housemate had been contemplating contracting with a little. If he had, he’d have thrown himself in front of Christian, gotten down on his knees, and kissed the older shifter’s feet.

  Brian sighed as he opened the driver’s side door and slipped behind the wheel. Dylan was adorable. Brian was a hulking brute next to him. But if cute, pretty littles were what turned Christian’s crank, he was shit out of luck. At six feet even and a wall of muscle, he and Dylan were complete opposites.

  Christian opened the rear door for Dylan, settled him inside with his seatbelt fastened, before circling the car and getting in on the other side. Brian watched via the rearview mirror, his shoulders slumping, as they made googly eyes at each other in the backseat. Dylan raised his head and winked at him in the mirror.

  His breath caught as a caress to his neck followed the wink. The smooth glide of Dylan’s fingertips stimulated bubbles of lust to percolate in Brian’s gut.

  “Take us home,” Dylan murmured, withdrawing his hand but maintaining eye contact in the mirror’s reflection.

  With a slight tremor, Brian started the car and carefully backed out of the driveway. It was then he realized Christian’s car was missing.

  “You didn’t drive?” He continued to drive slowly, shifting his attention between the road and the men in the backseat.

  “No,” Christian replied. “We opted to walk. It’s a beautiful night. I’m disappointed we had to cut it short with this wolverine mess.”

  “Me, too,” Dylan added with a sly grin, “but hopefully we three can salvage it.”

  “Three?” Brian and Christian said at the same time.

  Dylan’s smile faded. “Or maybe the two of you should talk.”

  “What do Brian and I need to talk about? You’re sending out a lot of mixed messages, little bird.”

  “Aww,” Dylan cooed. “I like that. It’s better than colt, which only makes me think of a horse, even if it’s the proper term.”

  “Stop deflecting, please.”

  Dylan pouted. “Fine. It’s obvious to me that Brian likes you, Daddy, and I think the feeling is mutual.”

  Christian’s gaze flicked to connect with Brian’s. “Of course, I like Brian, but I think you’re mistaken that it’s more than that.”

  Brian’s heart plummeted. Would Christian ever see him as more than a friend?

  “Now who’s deflecting?” Dylan teased and sent another wink in Brian’s direction. “Tell Daddy the truth, Bri.”

  Brian remained silent until they pulled into the driveway and he parked the car. Only once the engine was off and a slight ticking of cooling machinery could be heard, did Brian twist in his seat and engage Christian.

  “It’s true, sir. I’ve been attracted to you from the first moment I met you. My feelings have only gotten stronger since we started living in the same house.”

  The blank stare Brian received unnerved him. He’d wanted to tell Christian the truth but had been scared to do so before now. He hoped the alpha fox would come to his senses and see what—who—was right in front of him.

  The car’s interior stifled him. Brian lungs couldn’t drag in enough air. He looked away, towards the house and the front door, up to his rooms on the second floor. There he’d be able to breathe, to settle, and maybe figure out what the hell he would do.

  ****

  Dylan

  Dylan smirked to himself. He’d given it a fifty-fifty chance Brian would tell Christian the truth. Sadly, it appeared to be more in the low to zero percentile Christian would reciprocate. He barely knew Christian, but with the stone-face expression of pressed lips and hard glare, stubbornness was an inherent trait. Dylan rolled his eyes. Silly Alphas.

  Brian moved quickly to escape the vehicle. Christian didn’t so much as flinch, but his gaze followed Brian from car to front door. Yeah, Dylan had hit the bullseye. Now, why wasn’t he happier?

  Dylan took a deep breath in, subtly drawing Christian’s attention.

  Christian turned his glare from the house to Dylan. “Is this what you wanted? This game you’re playing isn’t fun. You used me to find your brother, and now you’ve destroyed the friendship I have with Brian.”

  “What?” Dylan’s heart lurched. “No, that’s not…” Fuck, but was it? No, he hadn’t meant to come between Christian and Brian. He’d been thinking with his dick instead of his head.

  He grabbed his hair in fistfuls. Pulling provided pain, but no relief from guilt. “Stupid, stupid, stupid,” he muttered. The filter between his brain and mouth had leaked again. He’d neglected to think things through, forgetting about who he was hurting until after the fact.

  “What are you doing? Stop that.” Christian grabbed Dylan’s hands, prying them open and holding them tight. “I’m sorry I said that. I’m sure you didn’t mean to come between Brian and I. You thought you’d be helping us come together, right?”

  “Yes.” Dylan latched onto hope. “It’s so obvious he wants you and hates me because we contracted. Fuck, this is not what I expected our first day together to be like. Emotional rollercoaster, hello.”

  Christian snorted. “Same here.” He breathed in deep, blowing it out slow. Dylan could feel the heat of it on his face, could smell the sweet natural odor of Christian’s body, like warmed walnuts or pecans. Something nutty and making his stomach grumble with hunger. “Let’s go inside. Might as well get comfortable before I see if I can salvage my friendship.”

  Dylan pressed his lips together as he nodded, disappointed in himself. Always when he thought he was doing the right thing, he fucked it up and did it the wrong way. “Okay, Daddy.”

  Chapter 8

  Ryan

  After Dylan and his new Daddy left along with Brian, Ryan and his daddies had just enough time to eat before Alpha Payton arrived. Ryan floated into the dining room, still high with disbelief. Not even Daddy Eli’s frustration about Ryan’s secret could bring him down. His daddies took it in stride when he explained why he didn’t tell them, how worried he’d been about their acceptance, but he should have known better. They accepted him as human, why wouldn’t they accept him as a half-shifter.

  Sweet Mother, Dylan’s here! The clothes and light makeup his brother wore blew Ryan’s mind, but he’d spoken truthfully when he told Dylan he looked great.

  And Brian had a crush on Christian. His friend had kept that secret close to his chest. Ryan was a little miffed Brian hadn’t trusted him enough to share, but considering Ryan had had his own secrets, he couldn’t be too upset.

  Eli, Jon, Luis and Alpha Payton converged in the living room. Luis had sent Marco to their rooms upstairs; Daddy Eli had tried to do the same with Ryan, but he wasn’t budging. No way was he missing out on the deets. To make himself less conspicuous, he sat nearby at the dining room table.

  “Jack said it was wolverines,” Eli said. “Do you think—”

  “Yes,” Payton interrupted, “the same pack, the same ones.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. I went by the community center before coming here. Scented the whole area. Thes
e were the same young shifters who had kidnapped me.”

  Ryan gasped. He’d put the incident from three months ago from his mind. Kidnapped from their quarterly conference meeting, Alpha Payton had turned up injured at Eli’s home. He’d healed and left the following morning, and that was all Ryan had known. He’d forgotten mostly because it had turned out to be a pivotal moment in his relationship with Eli and Jon.

  At the time, Ryan had still worried about his contract and growing feelings for Daddy Eli and Daddy Jon. He’d spied on his daddies and heard them arguing about whether or not Ryan should stay or go, and he ran away—to Christian’s house. Many hours later, he learned the truth: they’d been speaking about Alpha Payton, not him. Hearing how upset his daddies had been and how much they wanted Ryan to always be in their lives, had finally broken through the wall he’d erected around his heart. Like had morphed to love, and they currently existed in an awesome honeymoon phase.

  That lack of knowledge about Alpha Payton being kidnapped came back to bite him on the butt. He’d need to ask his Daddies what the deal was. Ryan had never met a wolverine before, or maybe he had; his faulty nose as a non-shifting shifter made detection of other shifters a problem. He withdrew his cell from his back pocket, pulled up a new browser window, and typed in “wolverine.”

  Ryan ignored the comic character drawings and shots of a wild-haired, side-burned Hugh, instead clicking on the link for the animal. He slapped his hand over his mouth at the first glance of the funny-looking beast. His mirth faded as he continued reading.

  Wolverines were ferocious creatures, and they preyed on many smaller mammals. The site didn’t list foxes, but considering the multitude of other small species listed, it wouldn’t be a stretch. Bears seemed to be one of the few animals who could best wolverines, and Ryan thanked the Mother Goddess for Kev, a brown bear shifter who headed the security for Forest Edge. Ryan had had the pleasure of meeting him several times when he came to the house to discuss an issue with Eli. The bear’s sweet disposition always impressed him, considering his job.

  Reading on, the website mentioned wolverines occasionally preyed upon coyotes, which made Ryan’s heart stutter. Daddy Jon was a coyote shifter, but he wasn’t a fighter. Jon would rather tackle a room full of preschoolers during story hour at the city library where he worked versus getting into a tussle with another shifter.

  What were they trying to gain from defacing fox property?

  “What do you think they were trying to do with this stunt?” Eli asked, mirroring Ryan’s thought. “If they had any hope we’d renegotiate, they’ve gone about it the wrong way.”

  Renegotiate? Ryan was all ears. What did the foxes and the wolverines have a deal about? He bet Christian knew, but he doubted he’d get an answer tonight if he called, not with it being Dylan’s first day and all.

  “True,” Alpha Payton agreed. “Not that we would. My predecessor bought them outright, they’ve no legitimate claim anymore.”

  Claim? Curiouser and curiouser.

  “I only know the basics,” Jon said. “You’ll have to fill me in later, Eli.” Ryan cheered silently; he’d make sure he was present for the info session.

  “I will, babe.” Ryan pictured Eli patting Jon’s arm as he reassured their mate. “Let’s wait and see if Kev and his staff bring us any more information. I don’t want us to react hastily. This was a direct attack on the property. We need more information if we are going to handle this correctly.”

  “Did they leave a message?” Luis asked, bringing the topic back to the willful destruction of skulk property.

  “Yes,” Payton replied, but whatever he said after that was too soft-spoken for Ryan to hear. Ryan cursed his lack of shifter hearing. One couldn’t hear with their eyes… Maybe learning to lip-read was in his future?

  Jon stood and glanced in Ryan’s direction. “I think it’s time I took my little crane to bed. Come on, Ry.”

  Uh-oh. Ryan pouted as he stomped over to take Daddy Jon’s outstretched hand. “But I wanted to hear what’s going on.” And I wouldn’t mind delaying talking about being—or not being—a shifter. They were sure to point out how he’d conveniently left that part out of their earlier conversation when he told them about his brother.

  “I’m sure Daddy Eli will fill us in later. It’s bath time for you.”

  It was hard to be sad when there was bath time. He blinked beseechingly at Daddy J. “Promise?”

  “You and those eyes.” Jon sighed, cupping Ryan’s jaw. “Promise.”

  Luis clapped his hands on his thighs and rose to his feet. “I should do the same with Marco. He’s going to demand to be spoiled since I made him go upstairs while Ryan got to stay.”

  “He does like his spankings, Mr. Luis,” Ryan giggled. The alphas smiled at his simple tease.

  “Be good for Daddy Jon,” Eli said, rising and planting a quick kiss on Ryan’s lips. “I’ll be along once I see Alpha Payton out.”

  “ߴKay, Daddy. Be fast.”

  Jon tugged on his arm, leading Ryan away. Once they were in the bedroom with the door shut, Ryan asked the first of his huge list of questions. “Was Alpha Payton really kidnapped by wolverine-shifters?”

  “Yes.” Jon headed into the bathroom without elaborating, much to Ryan’s dismay. The rush of water into the tub beckoned, and he began stripping off his clothes. “Don’t forget to grab your jammies,” Jon called out to him.

  Sans clothes, Ryan stood in the doorway and watched Jon as he sat on the edge of the tub trailing his fingers through the mound of bubbles already forming. Every day was a blessing with his Daddies, and every night he thanked the Goddess for them.

  When Jon finally looked over at him, his eyes raked Ryan’s naked form from shoulder to knee. He held out a hand. “Come here.”

  Ryan pranced to Jon’s side, allowing him to pull Ryan down to his lap. Alpha muscles turned Ryan around and lowered him into the warm water. He winked at Daddy J. “Plenty of room if you want to join me.”

  Jon shook his head, lips twitching, even as he started unbuttoning his shirt. “Your coercion techniques rival no other. It’s a wonder Eli and I get anything done. You could keep us in bed for days with nothing but your smile and sparkling eyes.”

  Ryan rolled said sparkling eyes, scooting forward. “Just get your butt in here.” He waited until Jon was settled behind him before leaning back against Jon’s chest.

  “Now there’s a pretty picture,” Eli said, walking into the bathroom and sitting on the edge of the tub, in the exact place Jon recently vacated. He pushed the damp hair off Ryan’s forehead, cupped the back of Ryan’s head, and curled forward for a kiss.

  A low moan tore from Ryan’s throat. Jon lifted Ryan, and he tucked his legs to kneel. He straddled Jon’s thighs, refusing to let Eli go with a fistful of his shirt. Wet fingers slid from his shoulders to his ass, spreading his cheeks.

  This was something new, a twist on their standard sex-in-a-tub, and Ryan loved every second of it. Slick digits worked efficiently to loosen him, then directed him down onto Jon’s cock. Ryan rocked his body, gradually taking Jon’s shaft further and further inside. He held onto Eli’s shoulders for support while Eli twisted his nipples, pinched and pulled them. When his ass touched Jon’s thighs, he ground down, circling his hips, and took what pleasure he wanted. His Daddies always let him.

  Jon alternated between massaging Ryan’s shoulders and sliding his palms along Ryan’s flank to grip his waist. He guided Ryan up and down, the water sloshing higher, splashing Eli who didn’t seem to care in the least. Not with the way he was focused on drawing out Ryan’s pleasure, no siree. Eli was gonna get soaked for sure. Ryan pictured Eli’s frowny face looking down at his wet clothes and giggled.

  “Uh-oh,” Jon laughed, halting Ryan’s movement. “What funny thought do you think distracted our pup, Eli?” He shoved Ryan down harder on his cock, making him gasp and moan. Eli removed his hands at Jon’s request.

  “Daddy.”

  “Nope.” Eli bopped Ry
an’s nose. “We want to know, so you better tell us or you can forget about coming.”

  Ryan groaned. “Daddy… You’re so mean.” He wiggled to get some friction, but Jon kept him immobile. “Fine. I was thinking how Daddy Eli was gonna be mad about getting his good clothes wet. He’s par-tic-u-lar.”

  Jon hooted. “That he is. Why don’t you give us a show, Eli? We’re a captive audience.”

  Eli winked. “If I do, you don’t get to come until I’m balls deep inside you, little boy. Deal?”

  Ryan nodded enthusiastically. “Deal, Daddy.”

  As Eli unbuttoned his shirt, Jon lifted Ryan slowly until just the head of his cock remained inside. Lowering him at the same snail’s pace, Jon growled.

  “Fuck, you feel so good.”

  Ryan giggled, holding back his own moan of delight. “Bad Daddy.”

  “Mm,” Eli agreed, letting his shirt fall to the floor to work on removing his belt. He slowly slipped the leather end of his belt through the buckle, the seductive act freezing the air in Ryan’s lungs, especially when Eli’s voice deepened, and he said, “Bad Daddy, indeed. I think you need to make him come, kit, so I can have my turn.”

  Licking his lips, Ryan looked up at Eli. “Good plan.” He gripped the edges of the tub and bounced on Jon’s cock, making the coyote-shifter bark and howl.

  Jon’s grip tightened and took over when Ryan’s muscles tired. Jon braced his legs on the far edge of the tub, sinking lower in the water before beginning a rapid fire thrust of his hips. Even more water sloshed, the bubbles all gone, giving Ryan a fun view of Jon’s dick pistoning into his ass.

  “More, Daddy J, more, please,” he begged. Being filled by his shifter daddies never failed to thrill him. “More, more, more.”

  “No coming,” Eli reminded him, and Ryan whined. He’d forgotten already.

  Ryan grabbed his cock, pinching the head, using the bite of pain to stem his arousal. He bit off a curse, knowing Eli would deny him his orgasm if he swore. “ߴKay, Daddy. I’m good.” But he needed Jon to come. Now, please.