by Anna Martin
“Have you ever played with your asshole before?”
Jackson swallowed hard. “No. Not really.”
“Not really?”
“Let’s stick with no.”
“Will you freak out if I give it a little poke and tickle?”
That made Jackson laugh, at last breaking the tension. “You can try. I’m not sure if I’ll like it, though.”
“Leave it to me. I know exactly what I’m doing.”
Leo leaned in and took charge of the kiss again. Jackson just relaxed, apparently enjoying it, with his hands all over Leo’s wet skin and the warm pulse of water at his back.
Without letting Jackson think about it, Leo sank to his knees and sucked Jackson’s cock into his mouth, strangely proud at the noise Jackson made and the way his knees buckled.
“Holy shit, Leo.”
It was a good start. Leo wrapped his hands around the back of Jackson’s thighs and started a slow, steady suck, bobbing his head on Jackson’s dick. Jackson tightened his fingers in Leo’s hair and groaned again.
When Jackson really started to get into the blowjob, rocking his hips into the sensation, Leo gently took hold of his balls and got them involved in the action. Jackson seemed to like that, so Leo moved two fingers so he could gently pet his perineum.
He wasn’t going to push Jackson into doing stuff he was uncomfortable with, and for a second, he thought he was going too far. Then Jackson stuttered and gasped, and Leo thought he was about to come.
“Okay, enough of that,” Jackson said breathlessly.
He grabbed Leo’s upper arms to steady him as he stood up.
“Wanna keep going?” Leo asked, licking his lips. “We don’t have to.”
“Yeah. But… I don’t know what to do.”
“Yes, you do,” Leo said gently. He took hold of Jackson’s hand and smirked as he tugged it to his own cock. “You’ve been doing this for a long, long time.”
Jackson huffed a laugh. “Never with another guy, though.” He carefully curled his fingers around Leo’s cock and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Leo leaned in to kiss him, surprised at the passion that Jackson responded with. They jerked each other off under the heat of the water, exchanging lazy kisses and slow, indulgent touches.
When Jackson cried out and spilled all over Leo’s hand, Leo allowed himself to let go and shuddered through a very satisfying orgasm, with Jackson’s face pressed to Leo’s neck. Leo hummed in satisfaction and rose up onto his toes, stretching out his legs and giving Jackson a better angle.
“Feel better for that?”
“Fuck, yeah,” Jackson said in a low voice, making Leo laugh.
“You like that, don’t you?” Leo asked. He smoothed his hand over Jackson’s wet hair, gently holding him in place with his lips still on Leo’s neck. “Kissing me there.”
“You smell good,” Jackson mumbled against the curve of Leo’s shoulder. Leo didn’t reply, just kissed Jackson’s temple and shut off the water.
Jackson grabbed two clean towels from the linen closet and handed one to Leo, then rubbed himself down quickly and tossed the towel over the back of the door. Leo sighed and hung it up on the towel rail for him, wondering why on earth he was bothering in Jackson’s house.
Now that Leo had seen him naked, Jackson seemed happy to wander around with no clothes on, completely at ease with his own nudity. Leo wasn’t quite so comfortable and wrapped the towel around his waist while he went and dug a pair of boxer-briefs from his backpack.
“It’s late,” Leo said, noticing the clock on the wall as he straightened up.
“Not so late.”
“You’re a night owl.”
Jackson nodded and pulled on a pair of basketball shorts from his dresser. “I don’t mind going to bed now, though.”
“Okay.”
It was a little weird, getting into bed together and switching off the lights. For a moment, Leo thought Jackson was going to create some uncomfortable distance by curling up on the other side of the bed, but then he reached for Leo and tugged him back against his chest.
“Is this okay?” he asked, pressing his lips against Leo’s neck again.
“Definitely.”
“Good,” Jackson murmured.
Leo pulled Jackson’s arm around his own waist and let himself drift off to sleep.
THE NEXT morning Leo woke with Jackson still clinging to him tightly. Even in sleep, Jackson didn’t let go. Leo thought it was adorable.
He gently extracted himself from Jackson’s arms and went through to the bathroom to relieve his bladder. There was a little digital clock in the bathroom that showed the time as just after 8:30 a.m. Leo was surprised; he rarely slept in this late.
Jackson was awake when Leo got back to bed.
“You okay?” he asked, voice rough.
Leo nodded. “I’m good.”
He crawled back under the covers and curled himself around Jackson.
They dozed for another half hour or so, and then Jackson rolled out of bed and stumbled for the bathroom, scratching his belly and grumbling softly under his breath. Leo stretched out into the space Jackson had vacated and hid his grin in the pillow.
A few minutes later, the shower started, but Leo didn’t hear it stop—he must have drifted off again. The next thing he knew, Jackson was standing beside the bed with a towel wrapped around his hips, drops of water still clinging to his hair and chest.
“Leo?”
“Hmm?”
Jackson looked hesitant. “Do you want to see me shift?”
Leo rolled over to look at him properly. “Yeah. But only if it’s something you want to share.”
Jackson nodded. Then he took a deep breath and tossed the towel onto the end of the bed. Normally Leo would bitch at someone for that, but Jackson looked so nervous Leo didn’t even want to.
He took a few steps back into the middle of the room, then closed his eyes. For a second nothing happened; then Jackson’s head twisted, his shoulders rolled, and he began the transformation into his wolf form.
“Holy shit,” Leo breathed.
The shift only took a few seconds; Leo felt like if he blinked, he’d miss it. He’d seen a few movies before that showed a werewolf shift, but it was kind of private, so even werewolf actors were reluctant to do it on screen.
As Jackson exhaled, he almost folded in on himself, letting his arms turn into forelegs to catch him just in time to land on all fours. At the same time, dark fur replaced tanned skin, and his face… that was the most awe-inspiring. Jackson’s face elongated, his nose turning into muzzle, his eyes widening and sharpening.
Then he was a wolf.
Jackson was huge. On an intellectual level, Leo knew werewolves were big, and he’d seen a few before, even if it was from a fair distance away. But he’d definitely underestimated how big a werewolf actually was. Jackson was no Labrador.
In his wolf form, Jackson was at least four feet high. His fur was mostly gray, lighter on his belly and legs, with a tan shot of color around his muzzle and ears. His eyes were sharp, cool amber, and he cocked his head to the side as he watched Leo’s expression.
Leo shuffled to the edge of the bed. Jackson sat down with a huff. A moment later his tail wagged, and he gave Leo a lopsided grin.
“Wow.”
Leo wasn’t sure if Jackson was keeping his distance because he was uncomfortable, or if he thought Leo wanted to keep a safe distance. Leo patted his thigh a few times and reached his hand out, and eventually Jackson padded over.
“Can I touch you?” Leo asked, his hand still outstretched.
Jackson answered by butting his head against Leo’s palm. He seemed so calm, so patient as Leo gently petted his head, then scratched behind his ears. After a moment his eyes closed and he opened his mouth to pant a little.
“Aren’t you gorgeous?”
Leo didn’t expect a response, so Jackson’s soft chuff took him by surprise. Apparently Jackson understood everything Leo was sayin
g perfectly.
After a few minutes of gentle petting, Jackson clearly decided he’d had enough. He pulled away from Leo’s touch, and Leo thought that was probably it, before Jackson turned back and licked a wet stripe up Leo’s cheek.
“Dude,” Leo laughed. “Gross.”
Jackson huffed again, almost like a laugh, and then he shifted back to his human form. He almost stumbled, and Leo shot to his feet to steady him.
“You okay?” Leo asked.
“Yeah. Sorry. Sometimes balance is the last thing to come back.”
“That’s all right.”
Jackson sat down heavily on the bed and shuddered, pulling a blanket from the foot of the bed over his lap to cover his nakedness. “So. There you go.”
Leo took Jackson’s hand between both of his own and leaned in for a kiss. At the last moment he changed his mind and licked Jackson’s cheek instead.
“Ew.” Jackson laughed. “I probably deserved that.”
“Do you feel okay?”
“Hmm. Hungry.”
“I’m sure we can do something about that.”
Leo pulled on pajama bottoms and a T-shirt while Jackson dressed in sweatpants, and then they headed for the kitchen together. Since Jackson claimed he made awesome omelets, Leo let him get to it while he turned on the coffee maker and poured glasses of juice and made a pile of toast.
“Jackson?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s it like? Being a werewolf.”
Jackson paused, then went back to the eggs. “I don’t know what it’s like to not be a werewolf.”
Leo felt his face flush. “Never mind. That was a stupid question.”
“No, it’s not, I promise. No one’s ever asked me before, though. I guess I just realized how small my social circle is.” He laughed at that.
“You don’t have many human friends?”
“Not really. Not because I don’t want human friends. I guess I just always hung out with people who went to my school, or were in my fraternity, or my parents’ friends’ kids.”
“You went to a segregated school?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Do you think differently when you’re a wolf? And feel free to tell me to fuck off if you don’t want to answer, by the way.”
“It’s fine,” Jackson said, throwing Leo a grin that dimpled his cheeks. He really was ridiculously handsome. “I think my focus narrows when I’m a wolf. I don’t daydream or think about random or abstract concepts. Things are much simpler. I feel the pull to you a lot stronger when I’m a wolf.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Jackson flipped Leo’s omelet onto a plate and handed it to him. Leo grabbed a fork and ate while leaning against the counter as Jackson worked on his own breakfast.
“Did you ever get much prejudice?”
“Yeah.”
“Like the girl when you were skiing?”
Jackson shook his head. “Leo, it’s every day. I don’t get it half as bad as my brother, for example, because he’s bigger than me and people identify him as a wolf a lot easier. But I get refused service at bars, I get people moving their kids to the other side of the street, we get snarled at and spat at and blanked. All the time.”
Leo looked horrified. “I didn’t know.”
“Why would you?” Jackson shrugged. “You don’t live it.”
“But I work with people who are werewolves. I live with a guy who’s one. How could I not know this stuff?”
“Because you aren’t looking for it?” Jackson said. “I’m not mad at you, Leo. But you’ll get it too, just for being with me. Even people who don’t actively try and make our lives difficult don’t like the idea of a werewolf with a human soul mate. They’ll hate you for being with me.”
“I don’t care.”
“It’s easy to say that,” Jackson said gently. “It’s harder to live it every day.”
“I can look after myself.” Leo stuck his chin out, defiant. “I’ll look after you too.”
Jackson finished making his own breakfast and grabbed the plate of toast, nudging Leo through to the family room and the couch.
“Can I ask you another thing?” Leo asked.
“Mm-hmm.”
“I’m not sure if it’s an impolite question.”
Jackson crunched on another triangle of toast and raised his eyebrow. “I don’t mind you asking.”
He leaned over and kissed Leo on the lips.
“Did you get neutralized?”
Jackson kept their lips pressed together, featherlight, as he slowly shook his head.
“Oh,” Leo breathed.
“Is that a problem? Do you want me to be?”
“No,” Leo said without hesitation. “I was just curious.”
Jackson grinned, suddenly mischievous, and leaned in again to nip at Leo’s neck with blunt teeth.
“Well, now you know.”
“You could hurt me,” Leo said, not thinking, and oh fuck was that the wrong thing to say?
“I couldn’t. Not even if I wanted to.”
“I’m sorry. That was stupid….”
“Don’t be sorry.” Jackson leaned into the back of the sofa and tugged on Leo’s T-shirt until he acquiesced with a kiss. “I mean it. I won’t ever hurt you.”
“Okay,” Leo whispered.
Jackson kissed him again. This one felt different. “Okay.”
“I guess it makes sense, since technically I’m your wolf’s soul mate.”
Leo grabbed a piece of toast and nibbled at the edge, confident that Jackson would polish off what was left of his eggs.
“Right. It’s like I said, my world narrows when I’m a wolf. I think about food and running and the moon, and my family and my soul mate.”
“You’re beautiful, by the way,” Leo said. Then he realized the implication of his words and blushed again. “Not like that… you know what I mean.”
Jackson smiled. “Thanks. I think.”
“And huge. You’re huge.”
“You’re not….” He shrugged. “Scared? Repulsed? I don’t know.”
“No,” Leo said immediately. “Not even a little bit.”
Jackson set his plate to one side while he leaned in and kissed Leo’s mouth, just once, but hard.
“Thank you,” he murmured.
“Thank you for letting me ask stupid questions.”
Jackson squeezed Leo’s knee and went back to his breakfast. “Anytime.”
Chapter Eleven
FOR THANKSGIVING Jackson headed back to his parents’ house in Spokane. Their annual get-together involved layers of family, extended family, adopted family, and neighbors who arrived bearing foil-covered casserole dishes.
Jackson wasn’t expected to do much except bring a few crates of beer and open bottles at opportune moments. His family had labeled him as a loner even as a kid, and now it wasn’t unusual for him to sneak off when things got too overwhelming.
The morning after their big get-together, Jackson startled awake. This bedroom was both familiar and not, these days. Jackson rolled over and buried his face in the pillow. The weekend after he’d moved out for college, his mom had arranged for the room to be completely redecorated. It was now painted a nice cream color, with yellow accents and light oak furniture. He often woke up expecting to see the posters of women and cars on the walls, like it was before he moved out.
The clock on the nightstand said it was a little after nine thirty, which meant Jackson wouldn’t fall back asleep now. The house was quiet as he pulled on sweatpants and a T-shirt from the dresser and headed downstairs.
There was no sign of Valerie or their mom, but he found they’d left him just enough coffee in the pot to make up a mug. He blasted it in the microwave—because why the fuck not?—and doctored it with sugar and cream. Then he went out to his dad’s workshop.
Sometimes his family’s predictability was useful.
It was freezing outside, but only a few steps from the kitchen door
to the workshop, so he sucked it up and ran. Inside, the heaters were running, making the small space that was once a garage feel almost cozy.
“Hey,” Jackson said, taking his usual place on the bench.
He’d spent a lot of time out here as a kid, watching his dad work. When he’d gotten older, Jackson realized how much his dad must have given up. He had so much passion for carpentry, innate talent and hard-earned skill, but he’d spent his working life as a professional banker. It was only now, in his retirement, that he was able to dedicate any time to his hobby.
“Didn’t expect to see you,” his dad grunted. Today he was working on a low coffee table made of what Jackson thought might be walnut.
“We didn’t finish until late last night. Mom convinced me to stay.”
“Ah. She’s gone out. Took Valerie with her. I think they’re going for brunch.”
“I won’t ask,” Jackson joked.
“Everything okay?”
His dad continued to work, calm and steady, leaving the workshop wide-open for whatever words Jackson might want to fill it with. Jackson wanted to choose his words carefully, but none came.
“I met my soul mate.”
“Yeah?” His dad looked up with a broad smile. “Congratulations.”
“It’s a man.”
His dad blinked. “Oh. I didn’t know….”
“I’m not gay.”
Those words felt like a lie, now. He’d spent enough time kissing Leo; they’d slept together, for fuck’s sake. Still, it felt like whatever they were doing was in spite of the fact Leo was a man, not because of it. “Gay” was not a label Jackson was ready to claim.
“Is he?”
“Yeah. He’s human too.”
“That sounds complicated,” his dad said, and turned back to his table.
“Yeah, it’s not exactly a walk in the park.”
“How long ago?”
“A couple months.”
“Huh.” A grunt. “Wondered why we hadn’t seen you in a while.”
Jackson gripped the edge of the worktop and swung his legs back and forth. He wasn’t exactly expecting his dad to come out with all the answers. Or maybe, if he was being honest with himself, he was.
“What are you going to do?”