If I wanted to be with my mate, the dogs were something I’d have to deal with sooner or later, even if it was against my will. I ground my teeth together, unease settling in my chest at the thought. How was I supposed to reconcile the fact that my mate loved the one thing I feared most?
It wasn’t like with Stacia, who didn’t yet have a dog for me to contend with. And even if she did end up getting one, Keifer would be the one taking care of it. I knew without even having to think about it that Trevor and his dogs were a package deal.
“Come on, let’s get you settled into bed,” I said, coming back to the task at hand. I needed to make sure Trevor got all the rest he could so he would be feeling one hundred percent in no time.
I felt Trevor stiffen against me, but he didn’t say anything as he showed me the way to his room. The minute I stepped foot inside his bedroom, my attention landing on the bed, I went rigid as well.
Everywhere.
I’d been battling my intense attraction to Trevor all morning, trying my best to ignore the way his pheromones were fucking assaulting my senses. But now, seeing his bed, my mind filled with all kinds of salacious thoughts. Ways I could take him and make him mine right there on the very bed I was staring at.
I didn’t know if he was having similar thoughts or not, but his scent grew even stronger. He was getting wet. I could smell it; sweet strawberries and cream. It made my cock rock hard, and I moaned, I couldn’t help it. I also tightened my arms around him, inhaling deeply, trying to get more of his scent into my lungs even though it wasn’t going to help me any.
Trevor shivered then pulled away from me and headed for the bed, lowering himself down on the edge and leaning on his knees.
“Are you okay?” I asked, rushing to his side, wondering if he was feeling lightheaded or something. Or if I’d thoroughly disgusted him with my obvious reaction to his heat.
He nodded, and then looked up at me, his jaw set. “What’s going on here, Jason? I know I’m in heat, and I know you’re probably affected by it, and for that I’m sorry, but I also know you should be able to ignore it. It’s not as if you’re attracted to me. So, what gives?” he asked, point blank.
Trevor had never been one to mince words or beat around the bush, at least not as far as I’d seen. He said what was on his mind. Called me on my shit—like the day in the alley. So it wasn’t unexpected that he’d push this issue now. He was right about me being affected by his heat. He was also right that I should be able to ignore it—if he was any other omega. But as for the rest… I sighed, debating how I should answer him.
“Maybe it’s my concussion,” he said. “Maybe I’m not even making sense. I don’t know. Just forget I said anything. I’m a mess. Sorry.”
At the despondency in his voice, my heart sank. He shouldn’t feel like all of this was one-sided or wasn’t real. It was definitely real. And it was only right I tell him. I’d had long enough to deal with it, to contemplate what my confession would mean, to both of us. Trevor might be the man I could potentially trust for the rest of my life, and if that happened, if I claimed him and we bonded, I didn’t want him remembering I’d been afraid to tell him.
“No,” I replied. “You’re making sense. I feel this too.”
He slowly straightened his shoulders, his eyes narrowing. “You do? Why? I mean, what exactly is this?”
If Trevor was going to be direct then so could I.
“You’re my fated mate, Trevor.”
I watched his face as my words slowly sank in, finding it easier if I kept talking. “I sensed it the other day—in the alley with Stacia. I never thought I’d find my fated mate, most shifters don’t, and if I ever did…” Now wasn’t the time to talk about my worry of infidelity. “Well, let’s just say I was surprised and a little uncertain.”
As Trevor’s eyes widened I wondered if I’d said too much. What if this freaked him out? He was human, after all. Even though he knew about shifters, what if the idea of being a mate to one was more than he could handle?
“Are you sure?” he finally asked, his expression guarded.
I grinned. “Oh yeah. Your scent is driving me crazy. It’s like strawberries and cream, and I’ve never reacted to an omega in heat like I am to you right now.”
“You haven’t?”
“No. Since I first scented you, all I’ve thought about is you. I quite literally can’t get you out of my head with wanting you.”
Trevor gasped, his face flushing. He swallowed hard, and I could hear his heartbeat kick up a notch as he processed what I was saying.
“You’re mate. So, does that mean you want to claim me?” He seemed even more wary right then, and I almost laughed.
“Claiming is a bit like marriage, as I’m sure you know. Just because we’re fated doesn’t mean I want to claim you.” I thought I was reassuring him but was surprised to see a flicker of disappointment in his eyes. “What I mean is we have plenty of time to figure it out. Right now I want you to focus on your recovery. That’s more important. Everything else… Well, we can’t fight fate, but let’s just see what happens. Yes?”
Fate really did have a great deal of influence with what happened between us, and in reality we wouldn’t be able to stop what was meant to be, but was I telling Trevor that, or me? I still needed to get to know Trevor, to find out the kind of man he was, things about his past, if he was trustworthy, and though I hated that Trevor had been hurt and was in recovery, I was grateful for a little extra time his condition gave me.
Trevor glanced at me, and I could tell he wanted to ask me more.
“What do you want to say?” I asked
“I just…” He looked away like he might have changed his mind.
“You can say what’s on your mind, Trevor,” I told him gently. Astonished he wasn’t already doing that.
He looked back at me. “Do you actually like me? Is what you feel just because you’re my mate and I’m on heat? I’ve never had someone interested in me like this, and I guess I want to know if this is something you want as well.” Then he laughed. “I mean, it’s not like I have any experience in this department—like, at all.”
I hadn’t expected that. I instinctively reached for him, cupping his jaw in my hand. Electric jolts shot up my arm, and I took a deep breath, fighting as hard as ever to remain in control here. If I was understanding him correctly, Trevor was telling me he wasn’t just inexperienced in the whole fated mates thing—no one was until it happened to them—but that he had never been with anyone. In any way. Trevor was a virgin.
Fuck. I nearly lost control of all good sense in that moment, my wolf howling inside me at the realization that my mate would be mine—and only mine.
I took another deep breath. I couldn’t just accost Trevor like my body demanded me to. I had to give him time to get better because it really wouldn’t be fair to take him now when he was compromised by his injury and his heat.
I groaned and closed my eyes. When I looked back up at him it was with the hope he would understand. “Yes,” I said simply before pulling my hand back as quickly as I could. “Now get some rest.”
I darted from the room before my body took over completely and I did something stupid, like kiss him. I raked my hand through my hair as I returned to the living room and began pacing
Holy shit. Reeling from the intensity of being around my mate I wondered what the hell I was supposed to do now? I was about to have a very long night ahead of me, knowing my virgin mate was in heat just on the other side of that door.
Eyeing the couch, I questioned if I could get some sleep, and then immediately dismissed the idea. Yeah right. I was too keyed up to sleep, my body a live wire, amped up on Trevor, and every second that passed only made my desire stronger. I groaned again, a low sound that almost came out like a growl. My wolf clawed at my chest, but I ignored him. This wasn’t about denying myself, it was about making sure Trevor got the physical care he needed, and he didn’t need me pounding into his ass like the desperate man
I was.
Maybe I just needed to take care of business and take the edge off. My cock pulsed, apparently liking that idea. If I couldn’t have Trevor, I needed to do something about the massive hard-on that was draining all the blood from my brain. I’d never make it through the night otherwise. I nodded, the matter settled in my lust-addled brain, and made my way to Trevor’s small guest bathroom, which was on the other side of the house from his bedroom. Thank fuck.
Hopefully he was already drifting off, taking a nap or something. But once I turned on the hot shower and started stripping down, the Trevor I saw in my mind wasn’t just lying on his bed taking it easy. No, he was taking it hard from me as I fucked into him from behind. I groaned and grabbed my cock in my fist and squeezed, instantly imagining it was Trevor’s tight ass wrapped around my dick instead.
I stepped into the shower, letting the water cascade over my shoulders and back. Every nerve was on fire, my senses heightened in response to my mate’s heat even though he was no longer near me. I began working my cock, stroking up and down with my fist in long pulls. Another groan echoed off the shower walls. Fuck, it felt so good, especially paired with the fantasy in my mind.
Trevor sprawled out before me, his ass high in the air, begging me to fuck him. I found him slick and plunged right inside, burying myself to the hilt. Squeezing my cock tight in my fist, I imagined it was Trevor’s virgin hole. God, what would it feel like to really be inside of him this way? I’d never been with a virgin before, and just the thought of it had my cock growing harder still, throbbing and aching for release.
I jerked my dick faster, harder, tighter, until my vision blurred and my heart pounded so hard I thought I might pass out. Then I was coming, white, hot, and sticky all over the wall of Trevor’s shower. But I didn’t even care because holy fuck that was one hell of a release.
I stood there, catching my breath as my cock pulsed with aftershocks, slowly becoming less hard, but not completely. I wasn’t quite sure it would soften entirely with thoughts of Trevor still floating in my mind. But like I’d hoped, it had taken the edge off. For now at least.
I quickly cleaned up and washed off, and then made my way back to the living room after I dressed. I definitely felt more relaxed, and I was able to finally lie down on the couch and think of something other than fucking my mate into oblivion.
My mind wandered, eventually circling back to what I’d been worried about for the past two days. What to do about Trevor being my mate.
I wanted to think that it could all work out because that’s what fated mates meant, but I needed to be careful here. I needed to take things slowly, to make sure this was what Trevor wanted. And what I wanted. After all, I didn’t know him and wasn’t truly sure how much I could trust him. I’d been burned before—badly. I didn’t want to think Trevor could be like Gary, that he would even be capable of cheating. But the truth was I just didn’t know.
Still, he’d said he was a virgin, which didn’t exactly speak promiscuous. Trevor also didn’t strike me as the type of guy to sleep around when committed to someone. He seemed kind and caring and gentle. Just feisty enough to keep things interesting, and strong enough to keep me on my toes. I smiled, actually looking forward to getting to know Trevor better.
And I would. Once his heat passed and he was feeling better, we’d see what was really between us. I just didn’t want to cloud it with sex, especially the driving your alpha crazy with your scent type of sex. I’d take it slow, play it safe. Be careful so neither of us ended up hurt.
My phone buzzed just then, distracting me from my thoughts. I pulled it from my pocket and saw it was a FaceTime request from Keifer. I answered, smiling when I saw Stacia there on the screen with him.
“Hi, Daddy!” She waved excitedly. “I miss you!”
Keifer had helped out by taking care of Stacia since Monday. He had to know something was up with the way I was behaving, but I hadn’t told him yet that Trevor was my mate. I hadn’t told anyone. He just knew about the attack and that I was looking after Trevor’s shop.
“Hey, baby, I miss you too,” I said. “I hope you’re having fun because it looks like I may need you to stay for a couple more days.”
“Everything okay?” Keifer asked, sounding worried. “I thought he was being released today.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I’m at Trevor’s house now. The doctor said he shouldn’t be left alone for a couple days. I hope that’s okay?”
“Yeah, totally. Stacia and I have been having a great time,” he said, but he gave me a funny look, one that said we’d be talking about this more later when Stacia wasn’t around.
“You’re at Trevor’s?” Stacia asked. “Can I see the dogs?”
I laughed. “They’re out at the homestead with Gavin and Kyle, baby. I’m sorry.”
She pouted, but then shrugged it off. “I’ll just have to see them out there. His dogs are the best!” She clapped her hands together. “He’s so nice too. Don’t you think so, Daddy?”
That was one way to put it.
“Yes, baby. He is.”
She nodded. “I like him. Tell him I hope he feels better. Love you!” She waved and scampered off, leaving me on the call with Keifer.
“Thanks, Keifer. I really appreciate it,” I told him.
“No worries, really. Do you need any help with the flower shop?”
“No. I’m going to talk to Sarah and just shut the place down for a couple days. I’ve finished up most of the orders for the week now anyway.” I’d still pay her as if she had worked, but closing the shop would give me one less thing to worry about while I was taking care of Trevor.
Keifer gave me another look, but I told him I needed to go before he could ask me anything else.
“Thanks again!” I said with a wave, ending the call. Sighing, I dropped the phone onto the couch. I wanted to go check on Trevor, but at the same time I was afraid I might not be able to control myself this time. I’d wait until I was sure he was asleep.
Flopping to my side on the couch, I tried to close my eyes and rest, but knowing that Trevor was just on the other side of that door made sleep a long way off. It was going to be a damn long night after all.
8
Trevor
I woke up to the smell of bacon. Sitting up in bed, it took me a minute to get my bearings. Being in the hospital for those two nights had really knocked me on my ass. I swung my legs over the side of my bed and found I didn’t feel dizzy, so I pushed to my feet then followed my nose out of my bedroom and toward the kitchen.
Then I remembered. Jason was here. Jason was cooking for me. He’d stayed all night to look after me. My pulse kicked up a notch as I stopped in the doorway to the kitchen and just watched for a moment.
His dark hair was a little mussed from sleep, and a t-shirt stretched over his broad shoulders. I could see the muscles of his back ripple as he moved around making breakfast. His tight ass was encased in jeans now, and I supposed he’d brought a change of clothes with him, something I hadn’t noticed last night.
Last night. Holy shit.
Everything from yesterday came rushing back to me. My uncontrollable heat, the things Jason had said, the way he’d looked at me. The fact we were fated mates. My breath hitched. It seemed too good to be true. Not just improbable but nearly impossible. Yet the proof was right here in front of me. Jason Meredith standing in my house making me breakfast.
A rush of heat swept through me, and I hurried back to my room to find my heat suppressors before Jason realized I was standing there watching. I certainly couldn’t be around him without my suppressors in my system.
I found them in the medicine cabinet of my bathroom, right next to the pain meds I’d been prescribed. I chose the suppressors, ignoring the pain meds as I didn’t think I needed them anymore. I was already feeling remarkably better after spending a night in my own home—and with Jason here to take care of me, I’d been able to get all the rest I needed.
Even as I took my suppressor, I knew it
wouldn’t stop the desire for Jason that was ever-present these days. Even if I weren’t in heat I’d still want him desperately. Especially after the way he’d looked at me yesterday when he’d told me I was his mate. When he said he actually liked me, and his attraction to me wasn’t just because we were fated or whatever. It was hard to believe Jason wanted me, but I couldn’t deny it seemed to be the case.
Jason had been wonderful, at the hospital and here. I couldn’t even begin to express to him how much it meant that he’d taken care of me and my shop—and my dogs. He’d been so kind, so selfless, even putting his own business aside to help me.
It really did seem to be too good to be true. But it was. All of it. Jason was my mate! I almost squealed but tried to show a little dignity. I didn’t need Jason rushing in here thinking there was something wrong. I grinned and changed clothes really quickly, picking a pair of black slacks to heighten my fuchsia shirt, and then I headed back to the kitchen.
“Good morning,” I said this time as I walked straight in and leaned against the counter, smiling at Jason.
He arched an eyebrow and smirked. “Got your fill of watching me?”
I laughed. Of course he’d sensed me standing there. He was a shifter and had heightened senses. I’d learned so much more since Kyle had been turned into one. And if Jason claimed me… My heart skipped a beat, but I took a deep breath to calm myself. There was no point getting ahead. We didn’t even have a relationship yet. Cocking my head to the side, I gave a little shrug. “Depends on what I’m watching.”
From the way he glanced at me, his eyes filling with the same desire I’d seen in them yesterday, he caught my double meaning. I wasn’t sure what to do at that point. Flirting had never really been something I did. I wasn’t exactly practiced in it. But I certainly wanted to push against this new development. Prod it and see what might happen. Especially with my heat still warming me up, making my body respond to the look in Jason’s eyes.
Doggone Daddy Page 6