by AJ Jarrett
Before Matt could say anything else, Hale was gone. Matt’s stomach tightened in knots, and he thought he was going to throw up. He’d just made a deal with the fucking devil.
* * * *
The house was quiet, too quiet. Matt lay in bed but couldn’t get comfortable. It was past one in the morning, and he kept tossing and turning. He starting to think he’d never get any rest. The deal he’d made with Hale kept running through his mind. Was he really going to sell out his best friend like that and not say anything?
If you don’t, he’ll kill Kevin.
“Damn it.” Matt kicked off the covers and got out of bed. He was too worked up to just lie there.
Matt opened his bedroom door and stepped out into the hallway. It was dark and quiet. With his enhanced hearing, he could hear the steady heartbeats of the other people in the house. It was a little disconcerting, but it was something Matt had to get used. This was his life after all.
Matt walked as quietly as he could down the stairs and went into the kitchen. He headed toward the door in the back, turned the knob then stepped out into the cool night air. Matt took a deep breath, but it didn’t help. There was a weight sitting on his shoulders that he wasn’t sure would ever go away.
If Matt went through with this plan of Hale’s, he’d be betraying his best friend and the people who’ve helped him. But he would be getting Kevin back, and after all, it was his connection to these men as to why he was in this predicament in the first place. It was only fair, right?
“This is so messed up.” Matt walked out into the grass. It was cold and damp on his bare feet. He squatted down, his hands clasped before him. “What am I going to do?” He looked up at the starry sky, praying for a sign from above.
Matt had gone to church with his folks every Sunday while growing up. He stopped going when he started college, too busy to be bothered. Matt regretted that now as he prayed to God to help him. He’d give anything for a sign.
“Please, God help me.” Matt fell to his knees and begged. “I’ll do anything just give me back my brother. Please.”
Nothing. It was quiet and still outside. Not that Matt really thought he’d get a response from the heavens above, but he had hoped. If vampires, werewolves, and witches were real why not God and angels.
“Fuck.” Matt jumped to his feet. The stress was eating him up on the inside. He needed someone to tell him what to do. Did he save his brother or his best friend?
“Matt.” Matt whirled around at the sound of Wes’s voice. “What are you doing out here?”
“I came out here to be alone.” Matt turned away from Wes. He didn’t have time for him. Their last encounter wasn’t all that great. “So if you don’t mind I’d like to be alone.” He heard the soft press of feet on the ground as Wes neared him. Matt wanted to scream. Why couldn’t he just listen to him? “Go away, Wes.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Matt.” Matt jerked away when Wes tried to touch him. “You don’t have to go through this alone. I want to be here for you. Help you.”
“Help me?” Matt spun around to face Wes. “How can you help me?” He shoved Wes in his bare chest. Matt hadn’t realized what Wes was wearing until just now. Wes only had on a pair of tight fitting black boxer briefs, and they left nothing to the imagination. “It’s because of you people that I’m here in the first place.” Matt shoved him again. Wes’s thick body was unmoving.
“No, it's because of a sick evil bastard that you’re here.” Wes raised his hands up to grab gently around Matt’s wrist. “We’re not the bad guys, Matt. We want to help find your brother and get him back safely.”
“Really?” Matt barked out a bitter sounding laugh. “How are you going to do that? Huh?” Matt jerked his arms free of Wes’s hold. “You have no fucking clue where he’s at or how to find him. It's killing me to know what he’s going through. He wants to hurt my brother.”
“Calm down.” Wes stared at him with concern and sympathy in his eyes and Matt hated that. “We can fix this.”
“You can’t fix shit, Wes.” Matt clenched his fist. “I’m going out of my mind, and I feel…” Matt took a deep breath. “I feel like I’m going to explode. I just want it all to stop.”
What happened next was something that Matt wasn’t expecting. Wes lunged at him, winding his arms around Matt’s waist and kissed him. It was a soft and sweet kiss but one filled with passion and heat. Matt raised his arms and wound them around Wes’s thick neck and kissed him back. He licked over Wes’s lips then forced his tongue inside. Wes held him tighter to his body and Matt could feel his hard cock as it dug into his thigh.
This wasn’t going to solve anything but damn if Matt didn’t need a distraction and he couldn’t deny himself what Wes had to offer. Matt didn’t think he could walk away if he tried in that very minute. There was something about Wes that eased his pain and made him feel like everything was going to be okay.
Wes was a means to forget if only just for a little while. Matt didn’t care. He’d take whatever Wes was willing to give him.
Chapter Fourteen
Wes was in the room next to Matt’s. He wasn’t sure if Matt was aware of this. Garrett had put them next to each for Wes and Matt’s benefit. Wes knew they were mates, but Matt was still in the dark. Being close together would help calm both of them, but apparently it wasn’t enough to Matt.
He heard when Matt left his room. Wes followed behind as quietly as he could. Matt being a new vampire meant he didn’t have complete control of his powers just yet. Wes watched as his mate collapsed to his knees on the hard ground, praying to a God Wes wasn’t sure existed. He’d give anything to help his mate, but that wasn’t a power he was gifted with.
Matt was angry and Wes could respect that. He wasn’t surprised when Matt lashed out at him. Wes didn’t want to fight with Matt. Matt had all this anger in him he needed to get out, and Wes thought it might be more productive to make love not war, so he kissed Matt.
The moment their lips collided it was like fire and ice coming together in an explosion of lust and desire. The earth shook, and steam surrounded them. Nothing else had ever felt so good. Wes let his hands roam up and down Matt’s broad, muscled back. He dug his fingers in deep to massage the knotted muscles.
Matt responded and tugged Wes closer to his body. He was only wearing a pair of loose pajama pants, and Wes could feel the bulge tenting his pants quite easily. Wes let his hands travel down to slip underneath Matt’s pants and grabbed his well-rounded ass. Matt groaned and pressed his hips harder into Wes’s.
As Wes let himself get lost into the kiss, he remembered Miles’s words, telling him to go slow. Wes knew that would be the right thing to do but then again Garrett said to be there for his mate in any way he needed, and Matt needed this. Matt needed to release all that rage and frustration, and Wes wanted to help his mate do just that.
“What do you need baby?” Wes broke the kiss to lick and suck along Matt’s jawline. God his mate tasted so good. He curled his fingers inward, pressing into Matt’s crease. His fingertips brushed over his heated hole, and Wes wanted to burrow so far inside Matt that he knew who he belonged to. When Matt didn’t respond, Wes pressed his fingertip against his tight entrance. “Talk to me.”
“To forget.” Matt shoved his arms down between them, jerking Wes’s boxers down. “Can you help me do that?” Matt grabbed Wes’s dick and started to jerk it at a frantic pace. “Fuck me, Wes.”
Wes wanted the same thing, but he didn’t want to hurt Matt. His cock was nearly ten inches long fully erect. Not a lot of men or women could take him without a little discomfort, and they were outside where Wes was fresh out of lube.
“If you want that, let's go back inside.” Wes kept one hand on Matt’s ass and reached around with the other to gently stroke his hard cock. He paused for a moment to shove the light material down over Matt’s hips and down his legs. He glanced down to see Matt’s cock sticking out. It was a bright pink, and the tip glistened with his excite
ment. His man was beautiful. If they kept going, he’d wouldn’t be able to stop. “I don’t want to hurt you.”
“No.” Matt shook his head. “I want you now. Can’t wait.”
Matt caught Wes off guard, shoving him so hard he fell to the ground. Before he could sit up, Matt was on top of him straddling his hips. Wes stared up at his mate, and the moonlight landed on his handsome face, causing his eyes to glow a piercing blue. Matt’s hair hung down into his eyes. Matt blew out a deep breath, sending the soft locks up into the air. Wes reached up to touch his face. Short stubble covered his jaw and tickled Wes’s palm.
“I want you, too.” Wes sat up just a little to kiss Matt’s red lips.
Matt rocked back and forth on his lap, grinding his ass onto his hard shaft. The pull and tug were driving Wes crazy with lust. His orgasm was right there within reach. Wes could honestly say he never wanted anything more than to be inside Matt’s tight heat.
Wes lay back down, and Matt followed him, never breaking the kiss. Matt sucked on his tongue, and Wes hummed in delight. He moved his fingers down Matt’s chest and pinched at his hard nipples. Matt must have liked that because he started rocking faster.
“Matt, please let's go inside,” Wes begged. His toes were curling as he fought off his wolf. His fingertips morphed into claws, and he could feel his fur sprouting out on his arms and chest. “I want you so badly.” Wes’s voice came out sounding broken and rough. His teeth had lengthened, and Wes was more werewolf than man at the moment.
“Then have me.” Matt sat up, smiling evilly down at him. Matt scooted down his legs and held the tip of Wes’s cock to his mouth.
Wes watched in bated breath anticipation. Matt winked at him as he stuck out his tongue and swiped it over the oozing tip. Wes’s head fell back on the ground. Matt’s tongue was soothing as he licked up and down Wes’s pulsing shaft.
Wes closed his eyes and when Matt took him in deep nearly to the root, Wes’s back arched up off the ground. He could barely breathe and had no capability to focus. The sensations of Matt’s mouth on him was just too much.
Matt continued to suck his cock and Wes relaxed back into the pleasure. He reached down and palmed the back of Matt’s head, but Matt knocked his hands away. Wes let his hands fall on either side of his head and clutched the cool, soft grass beneath him.
Soft lips kissed up Wes’s chest. Wes smiled. He’d had sex a lot. Being alive for a hundred and fifty years offered him the chance to gain a lot of experience, but none of his partners were as good as this. Matt’s mouth alone could make him forget everyone before him, and Wes did. Nothing else mattered but Matt.
Matt’s mouth left his and Wes opened his eyes. Matt sat up on his knees and reached behind him. Before Wes could stop him, Matt sat down on his cock, taking Wes all the way to the base. Wes bit out a low growl while Matt hissed and clutched at Wes’s shoulders.
“Matt, baby, you okay?” Wes sat up, holding Matt close to his chest, being careful not to move. Matt nodded.
Wes caressed his hands up and down Matt’s back while pressing kisses to his chest. Matt seemed to relax. Matt swiveled his hips, and Wes growled again. Matt chuckled and did it again. Wes moved one hand down to grab Matt’s ass and used the other one to fist his fingers in Matt’s soft blond hair.
“You don’t have to be gentle, Wes,” Matt whispered against his lips. “I want you to fuck me hard. Let the wolf out to play.”
Wes was struck by Matt’s words. He looked up to meet Matt’s blue eyes, and he saw the want and need in them. He tightened his grip in Matt’s hair and thrust his hips upward. Matt cried out, so he did it again. He could feel his cock digging deep into Matt’s snug channel.
They stayed like that for a few minutes. Wes let Matt take control and ride his dick but he needed more, and he could see the same need reflected in Matt’s hungry eyes.
Wes rolled them over and laid Matt on his back. He wrapped his hands around the back of Matt’s knees and hiked his legs up. He plowed into Matt’s stretched hole. Wes was leaking so much pre-cum that Matt’s tunnel was slick.
“Harder,” Matt demanded. He wrapped his legs around Wes’s lower back, jerking him closer.
Wes sat up on his knees and used all his strength to fuck his mate the way Matt needed. Matt arched up off the ground, and his long, thick cock spit out its white cream, painting strips across Matt’s chest. He came without even being touched. That drove Wes wild, and he thrust his hips deeper and harder into Matt’s pulsing hole.
Wes’s release slammed into him like a Mack truck. He grabbed tightly onto Matt’s hips and filled his mate with his seed. There was so much that Wes could feel as it leaked out Matt’s stretched hole to drip onto the ground.
Wes’s vision blurred from the force of his orgasm and he felt as if he might pass out and that’s when Matt struck.
Matt rolled on top of him, pinning him to the ground. Wes looked up to see that Matt’s eyes were glowing and his fangs hung down. Wes tilted his head to the side and offered his mate what he needed.
The pain was minimal, but the pleasure was the highest Wes had ever felt. Matt clutched his big hands to the back of Wes’s head and held him close as he drank from him. Matt rocked his hard cock against Wes’s tight stomach, and Wes groaned as sticky wet heat filled the space between them. The smell and the pulsing of Matt’s channel caused Wes to let lose a second load deep inside his mate.
Matt retracted his teeth and slumped against Wes. Wes held him close and brushed kisses against his cheek and ear. Matt’s breathing eased, and Wes smiled when his mate started to softly snore. Wes stood, taking Matt with him. He shifted Matt’s legs around to hold him in a cradle position.
Wes carried Matt upstairs to his room and laid him in bed. Wes crawled in to lay beside him, holding him close. Wes had never felt so content before and it was all because of this lost beautiful soul next to him. Wes made a promise to Matt even though he couldn’t hear it.
“I got you, Matt.” He pressed a kiss to Matt’s temple. “You’re mine, and I swear I’ll never let you down.”
Chapter Fifteen
Wes woke before the sun lit up the horizon. After bringing a sleeping Matt to his bed, he couldn’t sleep. He was too happy to rest, and his wolf was on high alert wanting to keep their mate safe.
The impulse to bite, claim, and mark Matt as his own was nearly crippling. Wes wanted to tie Matt to him for all eternity, but after seeing how angry Matt still was, and rightfully so, Wes wasn’t going to push. Wes wasn’t sure how much more Matt could take before he cracked.
The need to use the bathroom had Wes begrudgingly getting out of bed. He took care of business and walked out to see that Matt was still asleep. The blanket was high on his shoulder, and Matt had his head half under the pillow. He looked adorable. Wes wanted to take a picture but was afraid of waking Matt.
Wes was on cloud nine. He didn’t think anything could yank from his pedestal. Wes had waited so long to find his mate. One failed relationship after another and that was partly his fault. Wes was a paranormal being so he never really fully invested in any of the relationships he did have. He wanted to find his mate and settle down. Messing around with nameless and faceless people grew tiring.
The aroma of brewing coffee flittered under his nose. Wes’s stomach growled. Hunger had him tiptoeing to the door. He was hungry and assumed that Matt would be equally as hungry when he woke up. Wes thought it would be a good idea to surprise his mate with breakfast in bed.
Wes slipped out the door and shut it softly behind him. He spun around to find a glaring Miles in his way.
“Hey, Miles. What’s up?” Wes did his best to sound and look innocent. He was after all. He hadn’t done anything wrong. Wes didn’t instigate the sex he and Matt had. This was a sensitive time for Matt and Wes only did what his mate wanted. Matt wanted to forget for a little while, so Wes helped him.
“Don’t give me that shit.” Miles shoved him in the shoulder. “You know damn well what’s up.” M
iles glanced down at Wes’s jean-covered crotch. “Or what was up.”
“Miles,” Wes started, but Miles cut him off.
“Don’t even try to defend your actions. I can smell him all over you.” Miles crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you remember the conversation we had yesterday? About taking things slow and not allowing Matt to use sex as a way of ignoring his problems.”
“I do and I did hear what you said, but I didn’t start this,” Wes defended himself. “Matt needed me, and I was there to help him.” Wes took a step closer to Miles and whispered so no one else would hear. “Miles, I’m his mate. What we did last night was going to happen no matter what. It was only a matter of time.”
“But he doesn’t know you’re his mate, Wes.” Miles looked like he was in pain. Wes could tell that Miles blamed himself for what had happened to Matt. All Matt did was befriend Miles and Ben’s son, and this was what he got in exchange.
“I do know Matt isn’t aware of our connection or bond but he will. I’m going to tell him. I just want to give him some time. His whole life has changed in a matter of days. I don’t want to add to the stress he’s already feeling.”
“What’s going on here?” Ben walked over toward them. His brow pinched together in concern.
Miles looked from Ben back to Wes and shrugged. Wes respected Miles for not saying anything but Wes wasn’t embarrassed by what he and Matt had done. He wanted to be open with his friends.
“Miles and I were discussing Matt.”
“Is he okay?” Ben turned toward Matt’s bedroom door and reached for the knob.
“Honey, he isn’t in there.” Miles grabbed hold of Ben’s forearm.
“Then where is he?”
“My room.” Wes coughed to clear his throat. He glanced at his door then waved for Ben and Miles to follow him away from the door. Ben’s concerned expression turned toward one of anger. “It’s not what you think, Ben.” Wes took a deep breath. “Matt’s my mate.”