Better than Perfect

by Lynn Hagen

  "Holy shit," Brady murmured. He slid his palms over Leslie's ass as Leslie stretched himself. His forehead was pressed into the mattress, his eyes were closed, and he moaned as he rocked his fingers in and out of his ass.

  Leslie groaned in protest when Brady pulled his hand free, but he wasn't empty long. Brady slid his own fingers inside, then made him move farther onto the bed. Leslie crouched there, letting his desire for Brady build until he thought he'd come.

  "Brady," Leslie cried out, reaching behind him to grip his mate's wrist. "If you keep going I'll be done before we get started."

  God, his voice sounded hoarse, strained as he curled his fingers into the blanket. Leslie wanted this. No, he needed Brady after the night he'd had. He needed to lose himself in his mate, to forget what that demon had done, and to forget he'd been taken from his home.

  Leslie sucked in a deep breath when Brady's tongue joined his fingers. The sensations were a barrage against his senses, drowning him, taking him under and making his buildup flare higher. Brady tugged at Leslie's balls, then curled his fingers around Leslie's cock, stroking him as his tongue swirled around the band of muscles, then delved deep.

  Leslie arched his back and cried out his pleasure as he came. He convulsed, gripping the blanket harder as his cum erupted. Then he felt the blunt head of Brady's cock at his hole. His mate thrust forward and buried himself as Leslie shivered with tiny aftershocks.

  Brady blanketed his back, circling his fingers around Leslie's wrists as he kissed along Leslie's shoulder. The light touch of Brady's lips made Leslie moan. He'd just climaxed and his cock was perking up again. He loved feeling the hairs on Brady's legs rubbing against the backs of his thighs, loved how caged in he was, and loved how Brady's scent curled around his senses.

  "I love how my cock fits so snugly into your body." Brady grazed his lips over Leslie's nape. "Love how good you feel."

  Brady pulled back and Leslie feared his mate would pull all the way out. He tried to follow with his ass, but Brady's grip tightened on his wrists. "I'm not going anywhere, love."

  Leslie panted, his body wound tight as he waited for Brady to move. He simply knelt there, pinning Leslie down, kissing along his neck and shoulder.

  "Stop teasing me," Leslie whined.

  Brady's deep chuckle vibrated along Leslie's back. "But you beg so prettily."

  He thrust forward, then stilled.

  Leslie was ready to break free of Brady's hold and beat the snot out of him. He didn't, though, because that would far more likely entertain Brady than make him move. Leslie flexed his fingers, licked his lips, and waited.

  "No more begging?" Brady nipped his earlobe.

  "Not unless you start fucking me."

  "Spoilsport," Brady said before he pulled back once again and slammed into Leslie's ass. Leslie cried out as Brady kept going, pounding into him as Leslie writhed beneath him. He bucked and squirmed, hissing as Brady kept up his fast pace.

  Then Brady bit his shoulder, sinking his canines in. Leslie shouted, throwing his head back as, for the second time that night, he came. Brady growled around the wound, his hips moving even faster, before he drove his cock deep, stilled, and came, his shaft pulsing in Leslie's ass.

  Brady extracted his teeth, licked the wound, and eased out of Leslie, then fell to the bed. He pulled Leslie down with him, then spread his fingers over Leslie's stomach. They lay there quietly as Leslie thought about the child growing inside him, and Brady nuzzled into his neck.

  Leslie sighed and snuggled close, then his eyes went wide as he shot from the bed and raced to the bathroom, where he vomited what little he had on his stomach into the toilet.

  Brady appeared in the doorway. He grabbed a washcloth, wet it, then wiped it over Leslie's nape. "Better?"

  Leslie groaned. "Not really."

  After tossing the cloth in the sink, Brady flushed the toilet and lifted Leslie off the floor. He carried him to the bed and curled in around him. "I'm sorry you have to go through this. If I could take the nausea on myself, I would."

  Oddly enough, that was the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to him. Leslie kept his face away from Brady's, knowing his breath was horrid, but he couldn't find the strength to get up and brush his teeth. He was enjoying being cuddled close too much to move, and Brady's arms felt like the safest place Leslie could be right now.

  Chapter Nine

  Brady had lost the argument that Leslie should stay home. His mate insisted on going in to work. He said he wasn't leaving Frank to deal with the day's rush on his own, and Frank's nephew was too much of a headache to call in.

  "Besides," Leslie said on their way into town, "you'll be hanging around. I don't think Jerry is dumb enough to kidnap me from the bakery."

  Brady wasn't that reassured. The demon seemed hell-bent on getting his hands on him. He doubted Jerry cared about the location. And somehow the demon had figured out that Leslie was Brady's weak spot.

  "No taking the trash out back," Brady warned. Twice now a mate had been kidnapped by going out behind their place of employment. Brady wasn't taking that risk. He'd already had a decade scared off his life when Leslie disappeared the first time. "And you need to give Frank your two-week notice, too."

  "But I like working at the bakery," Leslie whined. "Frank's a real nice boss."

  "That might be so, but how will you explain your growing stomach to him?" Brady stopped at the red light by the town square. It was an overcast day, and the forecast guy on the television had called for a sixty-percent chance of rain. As dry as the weather had been, they needed it.

  "Then what am I going to do for money?" Leslie asked. "I got bills to pay."

  Now that Brady had Leslie at the pack house, the guy wasn't leaving. Brady just needed to break that news to his mate. He wasn't sure how Leslie would take it, though. They were finally on stable ground with each other, and Brady didn't want that to change, but there was no way in hell Leslie was going home. Not when Jerry was after him, and not when he would be delivering their pup in three months.

  Shane had recently delivered a boy and named the little guy Owen. Shane's mate, Levi, was walking on cloud nine, handing out cigars and catering to Shane's every whim. The thought of being a father had never really crossed Brady's mind, not until he'd mated Leslie. Now that was all Brady thought about.

  He drove on when the light turned green, rounding the square before pulling in front of the bakery. Brady slung his arm over the back of the seat and turned toward Leslie. "I'll take care of you. You're my mate, and it's my responsibility to see to your every need."

  Leslie crinkled his nose. "Are you kidding? I'm not letting you take care of me. I like being in the working world, and I like making my own paycheck."

  "That's not how this works." Brady held up his hand when Leslie whipped his body around. "You don't have time to argue with me. You're gonna be late."

  Leslie narrowed his eyes. "We're so not done with this conversation."

  Brady sighed as Leslie got out and slammed the truck door. He lowered the window and shouted, "Stop mistreating my damn truck!"

  Leslie stormed back over, opened the door, then slammed it closed before stomping into the bakery. If they'd been in their bedroom while having this argument, Brady would've fucked that fight right out of Leslie.

  He got out and scanned the area. Ethan and Hennessey were supposed to come by in a while and help Brady keep an eye on his mate. Once he saw that all was quiet—considering it was five in the morning and not much traffic was on the street—Brady walked into the bakery.

  "We're not open yet," Leslie snapped.

  "Damn it, Leslie," Frank said. "Stop being so grumpy. Your boyfriend is welcome to a cup of coffee."

  Brady stopped himself from sticking his tongue out at his mate. He smiled at Frank. "Thanks. I'll just have a small black."

  "I'd offer more," Frank said as he scooped ground coffee into the filter, "but I haven't started baking yet."

  "Coffee is fine." Brady leaned
against the empty display case as Leslie headed into the back. He didn't mind watching him walk away since Leslie had such a fine-looking ass. His mate might be mad at him, but Brady would strip naked right there in the bakery if Leslie turned and said they could have make-up sex.

  Too bad he didn't ask.

  "Bad night for you two?" Frank set the cup on the counter. "Not that I'm being nosy."

  It was no secret that Frank knew about the preternatural world. He'd been living in Mercury for too long, and too many nonhumans had frequented his bakery. An incident a decade ago had clued him in. He'd been stalked by a vampire and nearly bitten, but Levi had saved him and killed the bloodsucker.

  Frank knew of their existence, but not their way of life. Brady didn't want to tell him about it, either, but Leslie was right about him being a good boss. Frank had kept their secret, and he'd been good to Leslie. Brady felt he owed Frank an explanation for Leslie's upcoming departure.

  "There's something I need to talk to you about." Brady looked toward the kitchen door to make sure Leslie wasn't listening. He didn't want Leslie to pitch another fit. Brady had had enough drama for one day and it wasn't even six in the morning yet.

  "Go on." Frank rested a beefy arm on the top of the display case.

  Brady took a sip of his coffee. "Leslie is gonna need to quit in two weeks."

  Frank looked as though he was mulling over Brady's words. "Anything to do with your world?"

  "Everything to do with it." Brady explained to Frank about mates, but didn't mention anything about male pregnancy. That was as closely guarded a secret as their existence was. Maybe even more so.

  "Huh, that makes sense. I see the way you guys are protective of the men you're with."

  "There's more to it than that," Brady said. "I just can't tell you why Leslie has to quit. I hope you understand."

  "You guys did me a real solid back in the day." Frank scratched at his chin. "If you say he has to quit, then no hard feelings. I was thinking of selling the place, anyway. Since my wife passed, it just hasn't been the same."

  Brady arched a brow. "Does your recipe book come with the sale?"

  Frank chuckled. "Why, you interested?"

  The bakery was as much a part of Mercury as all the other established businesses. This wouldn't be a bad place to let the mates work. He'd have to talk it over with Matt, but Brady didn't see why they couldn't run it. "I'll let you know. Just do me a favor and don't go public with your plans just yet."

  With a nod, Frank said, "Okay, but don't keep me waiting too long. It'd be nice to retire to Florida with all the other old farts."

  Brady grinned. "You're not an old fart. You're still young."

  "Bah." Frank waved him off. "Let me know by the end of the week."

  Brady took his coffee and headed outside, a pep to his step at his idea of letting the mates run the bakery. He'd let Matt decide who would be in charge, though. Brady didn't want to be a part of the arguing.

  He sat on his tailgate and sipped his coffee, enjoying his quiet morning as the sun rose and traffic picked up.

  Unfortunately, Brady's peaceful morning didn't last long. Leslie strode from the bakery with a sour look. "I thought you said you wanted me to talk to Frank."

  "I wanted to make sure Frank was told only what he needed to know." Brady braced himself for Leslie's anger, but his mate sighed as he leaned against the tailgate.

  "Now I feel guilty for leaving him high and dry." Leslie looked back toward the door. "And I have to spend the entire day with him."

  Brady informed Leslie about Frank wanting to sell the business and his plans to talk to Matt about the purchase. Leslie's green eyes lit up as he twisted his hands together. "Are you serious?"

  "Yep." He leaned down and gave Leslie a quick kiss. "I think the mates would love to run the place."

  Leslie smiled as he walked backward. "Maybe you are a keeper."

  That statement put a big, goofy smile on Brady's face, and it stayed there for most of the day.

  * * * *

  Simian paced Sonny's apartment while the human was tied and gagged in his bedroom. He had to figure out a way to get Brady alone. Now it wasn't just a need to kill the wolf because he suspected something was up with Simian. This had become personal. He'd thwarted Simian's first two kills on his list by calling in reinforcements, and no doubt had told the other wolves about his plans—even though Brady only knew that "Jerry" wanted him dead, not who had hired him.

  He snarled when his cell phone rang and he saw Kingsley's number on the screen. The elder had given him a deadline, and that deadline had passed without Simian killing a single wolf shifter. This job was turning out to be harder than he'd thought.

  "What?" he snapped when he answered.

  "Don't take that tone with me," Kingsley snarled. "Tell me you accomplished your task and I can leave this godforsaken veil."

  "You do realize you have a hefty bounty on your head. Even if I killed every wolf in Mercury, others will still be hunting you down." Simian didn't think it wise to point that out, because Kingsley might see his point and rescind his offer. But if he did, Simian could always kill the bastard and claim the reward. Either way, he would get paid.

  "I don't give a rat's ass about that warrant. I got that handled. All I want to know is if you've rid Mercury of those bounty hunters yet."

  Simian gritted his teeth. "The wolves are proving more cunning and resourceful than I anticipated."

  "You haven't killed at least one of them?" Kingsley's tone was deadly. "I see the legend doesn't live up to the hype. I was told you were the best, yet you haven't done what I'm paying you to do!"

  Simian couldn't wait to end Kingsley's miserable life. He would take his time, too. There would be a lot of blood and a lot of begging before he was done with the lion shifter.

  * * * *

  Sheriff Ezra Braxton had fallen in love with Mercury the moment he'd stepped foot in the small town. He'd come to consider a lot of the residents his responsibility. There were some things he would change about Mercury, like dealing with preternatural, but for the most part, Mercury was a quiet town.

  He pulled his cruiser to the curb in front of Sonny Holt's apartment building and got out. Ezra wanted to check on the guy after finding out his live-in boyfriend had been beating on him. If only Sonny had reported the abuse, maybe Ezra could have intervened sooner. Ezra hated bullies, and Randall had been the worst kind because he wasn't even human, which gave him the upper hand in the relationship.

  He'd stuffed a card in his front pocket before he left the station. It was for a counseling center Sonny might want to attend. That was one reason he'd gotten into law enforcement, to stop men like Randall.

  He climbed the steps to the third floor and knocked on Sonny's door. "Hey, Sonny, it's Sheriff Braxton. I just wanted to check on you."

  The door across the hall opened. Mr. Murk stuck his head out. "Hello, Sheriff."

  Ezra nodded in his direction. "How're doing, Clark?"

  "Fine, fine," Clark said. "I saw a man go in there about an hour ago." He blushed. "I think Sonny has gotten over his boyfriend already."

  Alarm bells went off in Ezra's head. After the kind of abuse Sonny had suffered through, no way he had another guy in there already. And as far as Ezra knew, Sonny didn't have any friends or family who lived in Mercury.

  Clark closed his door. Ezra eyed Sonny's. He tried to the knob and found it unlocked. Ezra eased the door open and stepped inside. Standing in Sonny's living room was Randall's twin, Jerry. After his meeting with the council, Ezra knew this was an imposter, and couldn't believe he was staring at a man possessed by a demon. He pulled his gun from its holster and aimed it at Jerry. "Freeze!"

  Jerry snarled as he stuffed his cell phone into his pocket. "What is with people intruding on my plans?"

  He'd said the words as though Ezra should be ashamed of himself. "Up against the wall." Ezra waved his gun toward the wall by the window. "And where is Sonny?"

  "He's tied
up at the moment," Jerry said.

  Ezra took that literally as he kept his distance. He hadn't the first clue what the demon's powers were, and as tough as Ezra considered himself, he doubted he could take the guy down alone.

  He was definitely in a tight situation. "Sonny!"

  "He can't answer you." Jerry waved his hand and the gun flew out of Ezra's tight grip. "It's not polite to point a weapon at someone."

  In one fluid motion, Ezra bent, pulled his backup gun from the holster at his ankle, and fired. But before the bullet could reach Jerry, the demon vanished. Ezra retrieved his service weapon from the floor and hurried down the hallway to find Sonny tied up on his bed.

  He untied Sonny while keeping a watchful eye on the door. "Are you okay?"

  It was a knee-jerk question, but a dumb one, nonetheless. Of course Sonny wasn't okay. But the man tried to put on a brave face, just as he had when the bounty hunters had taken Randall down. Ezra had been there, itching to choke the life out of the shifter. Sonny still had the bruises on his face from what Randall had done, but they were darker now, more pronounced.

  "Yeah, I'm fine. He didn't hurt me, just tied me up."

  Ezra wasn't leaving him there. Not when the demon could return. The safest place for Sonny right now was the agency. "Come with me." He helped Sonny off the bed. The guy swayed, but righted himself and gave Ezra a wobbly smile.

  "Where're we going?"

  "Mercury Rising. Is there anything you want to take with you?" Ezra pulled out his cell phone as Sonny looked around for his keys. He wanted to give Matt a heads-up, and tell him about Jerry's little visit.

  Ezra might be only human, and at a disadvantage when it came to the preternatural, but this was his town to protect, and he'd go down swinging to keep the residents safe.

  "You can bring him here," Matt said over the phone. "He knows about our existence and we can set him up in a room in the Pit."

  After Ezra hung up, he instructed Sonny to pack a small bag. He kept his gun in one hand, unwilling to take any chances until he got Sonny to the agency.