by Eden Cole
He tasted as delicious as Devin had imagined, a million times better than it had been in his dreams. Devin broke the connection and trailed hungry kisses along Corey’s cheek. He lifted the other man up, and to his surprise and delight, Corey wrapped his big legs around Devin’s waist. What made him give in? He didn’t care. Just so long as they consummated their bond.
They stumbled their way back to the bedroom, and Devin dropped Corey on the bed before following his solid body down. He wedged himself between Corey’s legs, feeling his cock jump. Devin lowered himself a little in order to come up as if he thrust inside of Corey. The friction of their cocks coming together drove him out of his head.
He drew back and licked Corey’s chest. He teased the tiny flat nipples and brought his teeth down on the small bud. Corey jerked and moaned. He was stiff, and Devin felt his fear. He leaned up to look into his lover’s eyes. “I know you’re nervous about this, so I’m going to take you. It will be all on me.”
Corey seemed about to deny Devin’s words, but then he closed his mouth. Devin caressed and kissed his way down Corey’s body until he reached his cock. He kissed the tip, tasting salty pre-come.
“Wait, I—” Corey began, but Devin quickly swallowed the rigid length. Corey couldn’t have denied it now if he wanted. Almost nothing compared to a warm wet mouth covering a man’s cock.
While he sucked, Devin looked up at Corey. His mate scratched at the bed, raised his hips, and closed his eyes. He seemed to be trying to resist the pleasure, but he couldn’t get a hold of himself. His moans were music to Devin’s ears as Devin sucked more of him in. He pumped Corey’s cock while concentrating on the head. He swirled the tip of his tongue over the tiny opening and licked up more of Corey’s juices. Corey began to rock against his face, grunting and holding the back of his head.
“No,” his lover muttered. “No, I’m going to come.”
Devin sucked harder. He worked his fist up and down the engorged rod and pulled with his mouth on the head. Corey shouted and spasmed. Come filled Devin’s mouth. He drank down every drop and sucked for more. When Corey was emptied, he sat up. He could have asked if Corey liked it, but the heaving chest gave it away well enough. Corey’d probably lie.
Devin rose from the bed and moved higher. Corey watched him in silence. He searched the Alpha’s dresser top for something to use as lubricant and was relieved to find a tube of lotion. Later, he’d go into town and buy some made for what they were going to do. But first things first.
He set the tube on the bedside table and placed a knee on the mattress right beside Corey’s head. With one hand he braced himself on the headboard, and with the other he took hold of his cock. “Suck me,” he commanded.
Corey raised his hand as if to shove him back, but when he hit Devin’s thigh, he stayed there. His gaze locked on Devin’s shaft. He licked his lips and swallowed. Devin’s anticipation of having his mate’s lips wrapped around his cock was unbelievable. He forced himself to wait. The lust he felt was reflected in Corey’s eyes though he was pretty sure the other man didn’t know it.
“You don’t command me,” Corey growled. “I’m your Alpha.”
“Are you?”
Corey’s stare flicked to his face. They went head to head with just a look, and then Corey’s mouth stretched over his swollen tip. Devin hissed. He pushed forward, making Corey take him deeper. Little by little he slid into the man’s throat. He was going to come sooner than he wanted if he didn’t pull out. He gripped the headboard with both hands and rotated his hips, pumping into Corey’s face.
“Mm, yeah. Suck it harder, Corey,” he told him. He was on the cusp before he dropped a hand on Corey’s shoulder to stop him. “Not yet. I don’t want to come until I’m inside you.”
They both knew what that meant. If Devin came inside of Corey, he was his. They were bonded for life. Terror returned to Corey’s being, but it was too late. Devin glanced down at his lover’s cock. He wasn’t going to be able to deny that hard-on.
“Turn over,” Devin instructed.
“I told you…”
Devin picked up the lotion. He squeezed some off onto his fingers. Just the act seemed to heighten their need. He looked past the activity of his hands to Corey. The man’s eyes were darker with desire. He hesitated a moment longer then flipped to his hands and knees.
“I don’t know about this,” Corey muttered.
“I do.”
“You’ve done it before?” Corey’s tone held a note of disgust. That hurt Devin, but he pushed it away. Corey was new, and he hadn’t wholly accepted that they were meant to be, but he would. Bonded mates loved harder than any others. He’d seen it many times in the pack he’d left behind. He’d dreamed of it for himself. Everyone did. When they were one, Corey would love him so deeply, he would make it his mission to heal all the wounds he’d inflicted on Devin with his words and reactions. Not that Devin held anything against him. He was just confident in what Corey and he would mean to each other. That had been brought home to him time and again in his dreams.
“I’ve done it once or twice,” he admitted.
He didn’t wait for another comment but rimmed Corey’s anus. Corey jerked away from his touch. Devin reached a hand around his hip and stroked his cock. “Easy there,” he drawled. “It’ll sting a little, but I promise you’ll like it.”
“I’m not so sure,” Corey quipped. “I think—”
Devin pushed a finger past the tight barrier, and Corey shuddered. He’d known Corey wouldn’t cry out, but Devin intended to be gentle either way. Corey was strong, but he didn’t want to hurt him. He pushed the finger to the hilt and pulled back. He lotioned two more and worked in one after the other until he had three fingers rotating inside Corey’s ass. His lover bucked against his fingers, and Devin tightened his hold on him. When he’d gotten Corey settled some, he squeezed his cock and stroked it with each thrust of his finger. He knew the combination from experience, and was sure that Corey was in sexual bliss though he hadn’t made a sound.
“Let go. Feel how good it is,” he said to soothe him. “Soon I’m going to replace my fingers with my cock, and you’ll be amazed at how full you are. You want that, don’t you, Corey?”
“D-Don’t talk to me like that,” he growled in response.
Devin removed his fingers, and this time Corey cried out in protest. Devin chuckled. He positioned his cock head at Corey’s anus and applied pressure. The top popped past his opening. Corey swore and groaned. He tried pushing back, but Devin stopped him with a hand on his muscled ass cheek.
“Slow and easy.” Devin gripped his hips and brought him back. He watched in fascination as his cock disappeared up his lover’s channel. Mine. All mine.
When Devin’s cock was fully seated in Corey’s rear, he began a slow pump that built in speed. Soon he dug his fingers in Corey’s hips and pounded into his ass. Corey braced himself on the headboard, but his moans told Devin that he liked what was happening to him. Devin couldn’t stop. He never wanted to. His orgasm was coming hard. He wanted to delay it, but slowing was an impossibility. Each time his skin slapped Corey’s, he got a new zing of pleasure. His balls had tightened. Just a matter of time until he spilled into Corey’s hot body.
“Damn it,” Corey swore. “I don’t want…Do it hard, Devin.” He reached between his legs and began pumping his cock. “Make me come!”
Devin watched his body thrusting in fast to Corey’s. His groin lined with Corey’s ass. The sight always got him off, seeing his slick cock sinking into another man. But this went beyond that. This was Corey, his mate. He couldn’t hold back. “I can’t hold my own,” he confessed.
Corey arched, sending his rear harder into Devin. That did it. Devin released, crying out. All the strength left his body, and his hips spasmed forward whether he wanted them to or not. His eyelids became heavy, his head bowed. In a haze of ecstasy, he heard Corey’s shout and knew that he too had come.
Together, they fell flat on the bed with Devin
still on top of Corey. His body was slick with sweat, and he breathed hard. The muscles in his thighs burned, but it was a good burn. Yawning and exhausted, Devin raised his arms to settle just outside of Corey’s arms which were near his head. Devin found head space on the pillow and stayed just where he was. Soon, he fell into a contented sleep.
Chapter Five
Corey bent to study the damage done at the south end of his property. Crops had been destroyed. The fence posts were dug up, and he’d already sent a few of his men to round up the cattle that had escaped. He had to face the fact that this situation wasn’t going away with talk or negotiation. The other pack was becoming vindictive, and it was only a matter of time before someone got seriously hurt.
“Hey,” Devin said walking up to him, “we’ll get ‘em.”
Corey stiffened and stood up. He’d left that morning without waking Devin, and he’d avoided him all day, pretending that he was too busy. Devin strolled straight up to Corey and kissed him before Corey could shove him back.
“What the hell are you doing?” he demanded.
Devin’s eyes widened. “I’m kissing my mate.”
Corey ground his teeth and looked around. None of the men nearby had seemed to notice.
“I’m not your mate,” he spat. “Look, last night was…well, it was…” He couldn’t bring himself to admit what it had been and how it felt falling asleep cocooned in Devin’s arms. The weight of the other man on him had done stuff to his body he didn’t appreciate. “It was then. This is now. I’m not planning on a repeat. You got what you wanted. We had sex. Now it’s over.”
He felt Devin’s pain, sensed it at a level way beyond what it had been before they slept together. All the way out here he’d known when Devin woke up because he felt his disappointment at not finding Corey in bed with him.
“You’re not going to deny what last night meant for us, are you?” Devin insisted, following him.
“Shut up around others,” Corey growled.
“Fine,” Devin said. “What are you going to do about the other pack? You know this means war.”
Corey rounded on him. “Don’t be dramatic. War?”
“Yeah, war.”
Devin glanced past him at the men, and Corey looked to find the others were listening. He could guess their sentiment was the same. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’ve already contacted the Alpha of the other pack. Blaine and I are going to pay him a visit tomorrow.”
Jealousy rolled off of Devin, pushing unseen against Corey’s conscious. “Blaine? You’ll take your second. What about me? You can use my backup, and I don’t want you to go with just Blaine. I feel like that’s what they’re waiting for.”
Corey narrowed his eyes at him. “But that’s not your call, is it? You’re still just a guest here.”
Devin staggered back a step. His jaw worked while he stared into Corey’s eyes. Corey regretted his harshness the moment he said it. His chest ached. He refused to admit it was his heart. What his body wanted was to be pressed close to Devin’s. He longed for him to be by his side as they went to confront the rival Alpha, but he would not take him. Doing that was as good as accepting Devin for himself. No way!
“If you’ll excuse me,” he said, “I have work to do. If you need something to keep yourself occupied, report to Blaine. He can set you to a task.” Corey turned his back on Devin and marched away.
* * * *
Devin banged the door open to the office where Blaine was at the moment. “Just what the hell is between you and Corey?” he demanded.
Blaine grinned. “Hello to you too. I didn’t sleep with you last night. It’s customary to greet a person when you spot them for the first time in a day.”
Devin frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?” He referred to Blaine’s emphasis on “I.” The knowing look on Blaine’s face pissed him off. What made him angrier was that Blaine didn’t seem to mind that he’d been with his Alpha.
Blaine shrugged. He’d leaned back in his chair and had his boots crossed on the desk. His Stetson hung from a coat rack in the corner. “I was just taking a nightly stroll, and since Corey’s cabin isn’t far from mine, I passed by it. Could have sworn I heard some interesting sounds and caught a whiff or two of a couple of familiar shifters.”
Devin squeezed his hands into fists at his sides. “And that doesn’t bother you?”
“Why should it? You made it clear when you broke it off with me that it was because Corey is your mate. I know my buddy, and he had a strange reaction to seeing you—one I’ve never seen before with anyone else. Didn’t take much for me to believe he was the one for you and vice versa.”
“But he gave me the impression…”
Blaine smiled again. “I think you also know how much this thing has scared Corey. He probably led you to believe that there was something between me and him, just to get you to back off. There’s never been anything between us. If there was, don’t you think he’d be more accepting that he’s gay?”
Devin scratched his head thinking. “I suppose you’re right. Ugh, I don’t want anything between us. I don’t want to wait for him to come around.” He paced the small office. The square footage was less than what Corey had and rightly so. “I need to do something to help him to see that I’m invaluable to him. I can help him with this conflict if only he’ll let me.”
“Hm,” Blaine responded. “Your way and Corey’s are completely different. You want to go in teeth bared. Corey wants to get them to accept us and ultimately bring them into the family. He has a big heart even though he hides it. Most respect that about him. Some don’t appreciate it.”
Devin nodded. “Yes, I can see that. Well, I’m sorry to bother you. Our problem is our own.”
He started out the door when Blaine’s words stopped him. “I guess you realize that you’re now our Alpha as well.”
He turned and blinked at the other man. “What are you saying?”
Blaine tapped a pen on the arm of his chair, still just as composed as when Devin burst in. “It’s never happened before, but we have two Alphas now. Usually the leader’s mate leads at his side, but he is still the top. What happens when it’s two men, I wonder? Anyway, you are also Alpha now, whether Corey acknowledges it or not.”
Blaine’s words were food for thought. Devin gave a noncommittal response and left the office. He went in search of Corey again to force him to listen, but Corey brushed him off. Devin slammed his fist into a nearby tree where Corey dismissed him. He would find some way to get into Corey’s sights and stay there, if it killed him.
* * * *
Being in bed alone was oppressing. Corey had stripped the sheets from his bed and washed those and his pillows in bleach to get rid of Devin’s scent. While his nose burned in the cleanser’s pungent aroma, it did nothing for his memory. Each time he closed his eyes, he felt Devin’s hands on his abdomen, his mouth wrapped around his cock. “Devin,” he murmured, squeezing his shaft and hating himself for wanting what he shouldn’t. He pumped his thickness, but it did no good. He couldn’t bring himself to a head.
After he’d left Devin on the path, he hadn’t seen him the rest of the day. To avoid running into him at dinner in the main hall, Corey had skipped it and fasted. Going hungry for the night wouldn’t kill him, but maybe that was why he couldn’t get himself off or sleep.
He sat up and headed to the bathroom. There in his medicine cabinet, he pulled out sleeping pills and popped a few into his mouth. He washed them down with water and returned to bed. Forty-five minutes later, he finally fell asleep.
The dreams when they came this time were violent and painful. Someone in the darkness whipped his naked flesh. Aside from the slashes, his wrists burned like they were bound together too tightly. He gritted his teeth to keep from calling out. The pain was unbearable. On and on, the abuse continued, but he couldn’t make out his tormentor’s face. When he opened his eyes wide, all he saw was darkness, and he found it hard to breathe.
A v
oice came close to his ear and whispered, “Thanks for coming to us and letting us know how important you are. It’s just a matter of time before we get your Alpha Corey.”
He surged up in the bed shouting Devin’s name.
Sunlight poured in through the window. Corey’s head pounded, and his mouth was cottony. He’d learned his lesson about taking too much medication on an empty stomach. When a shower didn’t restore him but at least allowed him to see straight, he dressed and headed toward the main hall for breakfast. The nightmares of the night had been just that, he decided.
After sitting down to his morning meal of eggs, bacon, sausage, and toast, he tucked into it. When half the plate had been consumed, he drained his coffee cup and requested another. The hot liquid spilled over the side, and he looked up to reprimand the woman who served him and found it was Corrin. So she’d found a place to help out. He was glad.
“How’s it going for you here, Corrin? Everything okay?”
The paleness of her beautiful face showed anything but contentment. Corey tried dredging up warmer interest in her but found it lacking. She mumbled an apology for making a mess and mopped it up with rag. “Okay, thanks.”
She turned to walk away, but stopped and looked back at him like she wanted to ask a question but was intimidated. Corey had to admit after last’s night frustration and lack of sleep, he wasn’t in the best of moods. He didn’t have a whole lot of patience for the way Corrin behaved. He’d seen her speaking freely with Devin, and even some of the other women around the homestead. Why did she have to act like he’d chew her head off?
“Was there something else?” he asked, realizing too late his tone was gruff.
She squared her shoulders and approached the table. Attagirl, you’re a wolf. Act like it.
“I’m worried about Devin,” she blurted out.