by Kathy Lyons
And that was exactly what happened when the guy spoke about ten seconds later.
“I’m straight,” Bruce said.
The massive erection against Laddin’s thigh said differently, but he didn’t respond.
“Really, I am. I can’t tell you the number of women I’ve bedded. A different one every night.”
Laddin nodded. “I believe you.”
Then Bruce looked down at Laddin’s mouth, and he bit his lower lip. It was an endearing sight, like a child seeing a sweet and dreaming about licking it.
“I’m not into men,” Bruce said.
“Are you sure? You never looked at a fellow firefighter and thought interesting things?”
Bruce’s gaze slid away, and when he spoke, his words were low. “You don’t understand. Gay wasn’t okay in the firehouse.”
“We’re not in your firehouse. We’re not even in Indiana.” Laddin smiled and gave his best come-hither look. “Things change.”
“But I’ve never….” Bruce swallowed, and his gaze roved over Laddin’s face. Down below, Laddin felt Bruce’s dick twitch against his thigh. He gently took Bruce’s hand and pulled it to stroke down Laddin’s chest, over his tight nipple, and across his quivering abs. It was a slow stroke with Laddin guiding while Bruce followed the motion with his eyes. Laddin had burrowed into the bedroll in shorts and a T-shirt, but now he guided Bruce’s hand beneath the fabric and back up over his chest. He couldn’t stop the gasp when the calluses on Bruce’s fingers rubbed against his nipple. The sensation was electric, and it made Laddin’s toes curl in delight.
It had been so long since someone had done that to him. God, how he’d missed it. Then Bruce did it again without prompting, pulling the rough edge of his nail across Laddin’s tight nipple. And he continued as Laddin’s hips thrust upward and his erection throbbed hungrily.
“Can fairy fruit turn me gay?” Bruce asked, his words heavy with confusion.
“You think I know?”
“He said it would give me what my brother had.”
Laddin shrugged. “Josh is definitely gay. But I’d bet you already had thoughts every now and then. Lots of people are bi-curious.”
Bruce’s eyes widened, but he didn’t speak. And for a werewolf, he looked a lot like a deer in headlights.
Laddin sighed. He was too tired to deal with sibling crap or fairy-fruit crap or even sexual-identity crap. He was hard as a rock now, and horny as hell. Bruce was a good kisser and had a physique that rang Laddin’s bell big-time. But he didn’t need any extra complications in an already complicated life.
He was about to say something about going to sleep, but then Bruce abruptly kissed him again. The move was quick and almost brutal, but Laddin didn’t mind. Especially since their mouths devoured each other in aggressive thrusts. It was as if Bruce was angry he wanted to kiss Laddin, and yet he couldn’t stop himself.
And that, naturally, turned Laddin on even more. There was nothing like being wanted with a hunger that defied reason. Need pulsed through his blood, and he clutched Bruce’s shoulder in a tight fist.
And then Bruce drew back. His breathing was rapid, his eyes dazed, and he licked his lips like he wanted to go back.
Laddin flashed him a teasing grin. “Thought you weren’t into men.”
“I wasn’t. Except apparently, right now, I am.” He cocked a brow at Laddin. “You got a problem with that?”
“Hell no.” Lust was pounding hard in his blood, and he wanted to pin Bruce down and thrust into those tight asscheeks. But sex was never simple unless the rules were stated clearly. “You ever been with a man before?”
Bruce shook his head.
“Then I’m in charge, got it?”
Bruce’s nostrils flared at that. He was a dominant male, and he obviously didn’t like ceding control. Laddin could respect that, but this was about safety.
“You tell me what you want, and I’ll give it to you. But when someone says stop, we stop. Got it?”
“I won’t want to stop.”
“Too fucking bad. You have to control yourself. You’re a lot stronger than you used to be and your needs are—”
“That’s not what I meant,” Bruce interrupted. “I mean… I want this. I want to fuck you, and I’m not going to change my mind.”
Oh. Suddenly all those lascivious fantasies he’d had outside rolled back through his mind. He couldn’t believe that he’d get to act out one of them. Only one. But then, Laddin was too hot to be picky.
“Okay, then. I’m going to take you on a ride like you’ve never had before.” He reached out and gripped Bruce’s erection. Damn, the man was huge, just the way he liked them. And his hips bucked with power as Laddin grabbed hold. But he didn’t stroke him. He simply squeezed and held still.
“One more thing.”
Bruce looked up. “Yeah?”
“I’m doing this ’cause I’m lonely. It’s been a long time for me, and you look good naked.”
Bruce grinned. “I can accept that.”
“So why are you doing it?”
Bruce’s eyes widened, and Laddin could see he’d hit the bull’s-eye. Bruce was a guy who relied on his instincts. He was practical by nature and decisive in a crisis. And he probably didn’t spend a lot of time figuring out why he did the things he did.
“Maybe I’m lonely too,” Bruce said, his voice rough with challenge.
“When were you with your last girl?”
Bruce swallowed. “A couple weeks ago.”
“So it’s not a loneliness problem. You probably get laid whenever you want. Firefighter groupies, if I had to guess.”
Bruce nodded.
“So what’s riding you now?”
Panic filtered across Bruce’s expression. He didn’t want to look into his motives, and he sure as hell didn’t want to think he was suddenly gay or bi or whatever. He was going with the flow, and Laddin had to decide if that was what he wanted. A quick fuck with a hot guy who needed the distraction. Was that enough for him?
Tonight? Yes. On a night when he was likely to have cheese nightmares, a hot fuck was the perfect distraction.
“I don’t need an answer,” he said as he began stroking his fist up and down Bruce’s shaft. Bruce’s breath caught and his eyes shuttered to half-mast. “But you’ll need to figure it out for yourself tomorrow.”
“It’s just a fast fuck,” Bruce whispered.
“Nothing’s going to be fast, boy,” he said, making his voice rough as he challenged the alpha guy. After all, Bruce was the young one here, in terms of being a werewolf and of gay sex.
Sure enough, Bruce stiffened at the term. And his expression sharpened in response. “You promised me a ride, boy.” He shoved his hips upward as he punctuated the sentence. “That’s what I want. And that’s what you’re going to give me.”
Laddin grinned. The mood was established, the terms clear. A hard fuck with no consequences. He could work with that. Hell, he was going to love that. But Bruce was going to get a whole lot more than he bargained for.
“Then let’s get started.”
Chapter 12
LADDIN SPEAKS HIS MIND AND BRUCE LOSES HIS
BRUCE HAD no idea how he managed to turn back to human. One second he was trying to comfort Laddin with a doggie nuzzle. The next second he was kissing the guy. But never in his life had he been more grateful to be a man.
Laddin pushed him backward and began devouring his mouth. The kiss was simple, thorough, and wholly exciting. And though Bruce pushed back—he thrust into Laddin’s mouth and ground against him—it was Laddin who was in control and Bruce who opened. And that threw Bruce so badly, he had no choice but to give way completely.
Before, he’d always been the dominant partner in sex. He picked the woman, he carefully pursued her. If she said yes, he felt wanted in the most primal of ways, and that eased the guilt he carried for being such an asshole when he was younger. But always he chose the woman, he gave what he wanted and no more, and he was driven b
y his own needs.
Not this time.
For the first time in his life, he didn’t have a clue what he needed or why. Except that Laddin kissed him as if he wanted to own Bruce. Not as a slave, but as a favorite toy to play with, to enjoy, to bang against the floor and tear open to see how the insides worked. And Bruce wanted that too, because he didn’t know who he was anymore. If Laddin could find that out, Bruce would give him anything he wanted. And maybe together they’d be able to figure out the parts that made up the man. Or the wolf. Or whatever he was now.
So when Laddin started kissing down his chest, he let his head flop back and closed his eyes in surrender. His dick was thrusting upward, searching for more, but Bruce didn’t even try to control it. He let it do as it wanted and waited for whatever Laddin chose to do.
Laddin was patient in ways that Bruce had never been. The way he kissed Bruce was steady, thorough, and methodical. Each rib was nipped in careful exploration. His nipples were worked in precise ways. Tongue first, teeth next, and then a pinch that had his hips bucking like a bronco.
And all the while, Laddin kept one hand wrapped firmly around Bruce’s cock, as if he was holding the reins in a hard fist. He let Bruce thrust and squirm, but he flowed with the movements, never giving Bruce the friction he wanted. If Bruce pushed up, Laddin’s fist went with him. If Bruce drew back or shifted his hips or even pulsed with need, Laddin simply rode with the angle and occasionally squeezed. Laddin’s grip stopped any possible release and kept Bruce’s hot pulses of hunger from overflowing.
Bruce was exhaling hot bellows of need, but they didn’t change Laddin’s thorough exploration of his nipples, then belly. Then, finally—mercifully—he brought his mouth to Bruce’s dick.
Bruce waited with breath suspended for Laddin’s grip to ease. His entire focus was centered on that fist and the moment it would let him slide up and down.
But it didn’t move. Instead, Laddin licked at his tip—a tiny brush that echoed through his whole body. And again. That slow lollipop lick felt like a tongue laving every part of his flesh. Somehow the tip of his dick had become everything he was. And when Laddin’s fist slipped lower and his mouth teased across the entire head, Bruce shook with the sensations. No part of him remained untouched. Then, when Laddin began to suck, his mouth moving with glacier-like progress, Bruce felt himself wholly engulfed.
Wet. Heavy. Inevitable. Unstoppable.
He surrendered to Laddin’s weight. He let it crush him with need, obliterate all his thoughts. His orgasm was only part of the process. He was so blown apart that when he released, the bliss merged with the annihilation.
Suddenly he felt free.
Boneless, mindless, released, and erased into bliss.
And then Laddin rolled him over.
“On your knees,” he ordered.
Bruce obeyed.
“You think you’re done, don’t you,” he said.
He did.
“There’s more, but you have to stay exactly like this. You have to be relaxed.”
Not a problem.
He waited while Laddin got something from the truck. He didn’t move—hell, he barely breathed as Laddin returned. Then he felt hands on his asscheeks, spreading them open, and an invasion that was like everything else Laddin did—slow, steady, and completely thorough. A finger wet with lube. His mind told him that, but his body didn’t care.
He was open. He was empty. And Laddin was going to fill him up.
The finger moved in and out. There seemed to be no rush, just a push that went progressively deeper. Over and over. And then there was a wiggle somewhere deep inside. A place that had him drawing a deep breath in surprise.
“Don’t tense. Ride it.”
He wasn’t tensing. He was feeling. But in order to do that, he had to open up wider. He had to let Laddin press and rub wherever that was.
Laddin didn’t. He gently removed his finger only to replace it with two, offering stretches and pokes that weren’t getting there but were coming steadily closer.
Bruce whimpered. He’d never made that sound in his life, but he did now. He wanted, but he had no ability to demand. The words wouldn’t form; the force wouldn’t come. He was a creature of open need.
He waited.
Eventually a hard, blunt tip pressed at his opening. And like before, the thrust was steady, patient, and inescapable. A little deeper each time. A little wider with every thrust. And while the burn added to the sensations, Bruce didn’t resist. He was too open and too needy.
He simply existed while pleasure spiraled outward from the point of penetration. And while the thrill built with each invasion, Bruce didn’t move with it. He didn’t buck, and he sure as hell didn’t bear down. Not until Laddin was fully vested. Not until the heat of his body added to the burn of expansion.
Then Laddin leaned down over Bruce’s back. Bruce felt the heat of his breath across his shoulders and the weight of his body on his spine. He bore it easily. He was a big guy, and he wanted this. Then Laddin grabbed hold of his dick in a grip of iron, just like before.
“Now you move,” he ordered. “Whatever you want.”
The words didn’t compute. What he wanted? He’d been emptied of wants. And yet his body knew exactly what to do.
His hips thrust into Laddin’s fist. Sensation burst through his consciousness from two places. Every thrust had his dick weeping with pleasure. And every shift had Laddin rubbing against that place deep inside him. It was incredible. He tried to control his movements. He tried to measure the pleasure as it built inside him. But it was too much to process, too big to absorb, and he ended up squirming and thrusting in a wild ride of everything at once.
Only it wasn’t enough.
He cried out in frustration. No words, just sound and need and—
“My turn,” Laddin rasped. “My. Fucking. Turn.”
With each word, he thrust hard. And at the deepest point of penetration, he banged that spot. Bruce arched and tried to open up wider, deeper. He wanted to be split apart, and as Laddin grunted against him, he was.
Split wide. Torn open.
Exposed. Pleasured.
Orgasm in a white-out of sensation.
Absolute, unending bliss.
BRUCE CAME back to himself in darkness. He felt gentle adjustments as Laddin spooned against him, then covered them both with a heavy blanket. The warmth was welcome, but the gentle press of lips between his shoulder blades was sheer delight.
“I’ve never had sex like that before,” Bruce said into the darkness.
“Yeah, I know.” There was humor in the tone, but it was also kind.
“I don’t mean it like that,” Bruce said. “I told you I’ve never been with a man before. I mean….” What did he mean? “You’re good at that.”
A low chuckle vibrated from Laddin’s chest to Bruce’s spine. “Yeah,” he repeated. “I know.”
“Cocky bastard,” he said without heat.
“Yeah,” Laddin said again, “I know.” And this time he added a thrust from his hips. Laddin’s cock was thick and heavy against Bruce’s backside, but it wasn’t demanding anything—just hanging out—and that made Bruce smile.
Bruce exhaled, feeling a pleasant burn in his body, like exhaustion after a good workout. It felt good, but it wasn’t quieting his thoughts. If anything, they were ramping up. Words began to crowd his mind, and eventually the pressure had him speaking them aloud.
“He offered me an apple,” he said into the darkness. “I can’t not see it, even when I close my eyes. All I have to do is reach out and I can have it.”
He felt Laddin’s body tighten. His arm was stretched across Bruce’s middle, and the fingers stopped brushing gently against his chest hair. Bruce hadn’t even noticed the caress until it stopped. And then Laddin spoke, his voice quiet.
“Who’s making the offer?”
He didn’t want to say Bitterroot’s name aloud, so he found another way. “Same asshole who gave me the cherry.”
“Yes.”
“And now he wants to turn you into what?”
Bruce shrugged, the movement sparking sensations along his backside where they were pressed together. “He says I’ll be more.”
“More what?”
Might was well confess it all. “More than Josh.”
Laddin blew out a heavy breath. “Thank you, Mama, for keeping me an only child.”
Bruce shook his head. “It’s not like that. It’s not rivalry.”
“You sure about that?”
Yes. No. Maybe. “Josh doesn’t need me like I am. I need something to offer him.”
“How about friendship? Brotherly love? All that relationship stuff.”
“He’s already rejected that.”
“And you think becoming bigger and badder than him is going to change anything?”
Bruce shook his head. “It’ll give me a way to stick around. If he needs my protection, then I can work on all the other stuff. In time, he’ll see that I’ve changed. That I’m trying to help.”
Laddin dropped his head down onto the bedroll. He must have been keeping it raised, because the heat of his breath moved to the back of Bruce’s neck. The blast of air that parted his hair was a measure of Laddin’s frustration. He didn’t approve—that much was clear. So Bruce tried to explain.
“I was a dick to Josh when we were kids. A real asshole in so many ways. I’m trying to make up for that.”
“This isn’t the way. Fairy magic always comes back to bite you.”
He’d guessed as much. Becoming a werewolf hadn’t done anything but make him feel like an idiot. “I want to be able to protect Josh—the way I didn’t when we were kids.” He’d never expected to be on the front lines—or near the front lines—of the world ending in Wisconsin. But here he was, and he couldn’t even use the medical skills he had because he had no control over his werewolf nature. “If I was more capable, if I had more to offer, I could help Josh. I need to be there for him.”