Butterfly Assassin

by Annabelle Jacobs

  “Only a little.”

  Frowning, Aaron moved to give the same treatment to Michael’s shoulder and finally his neck. His hand felt heavy and comforting, resting at the base of Michael’s throat.

  Warmth seeped into him, Michael’s body alight where Aaron touched him. It took him two attempts to get words out. “You should come inside.”

  Aaron tore his gaze away from Michael’s wounds, his smile reappearing. He slid his hand around to the back of Michael’s neck and gently tugged him forward until their foreheads touched. “I should. I don’t want to keep you standing out here half-naked. You’ll catch a chill.” He took a step closer. The coarse material of his jacket brushed against Michael’s chest, but all he felt was the heat of Aaron being so close.

  He wanted to lean into him, be wrapped up in his tight embrace until he couldn’t feel anything but Aaron.

  Aaron sighed, his breath tickling the side of Michael’s neck. “Come on then,” he whispered, placing a kiss at the base of his throat, then another… five in total. One for each mark left by Blake’s claws.

  As ridiculous as it seemed, Michael felt each kiss wipe away the memory of Blake’s hands on him. He could have stayed there all day, Aaron’s mouth on him a heady distraction.

  The sound of the front door closing jarred him, and Michael glanced around to see that Aaron had managed to manoeuvre him backwards into his hallway without him realising.

  “Now what?” Aaron whispered, his lips still ghosting barely there kisses over Michael’s neck.

  He added his tongue to the mix, and Michael hummed in approval, taking a moment to digest his words. They should talk. So much had happened since Michael last spoke to him face-to-face, and he wanted to know where they stood now.

  But Aaron had one hand on his neck and one on the base of his spine, with his mouth tucked into the juncture between Michael’s neck and shoulder. He felt Aaron inhale, then sigh, the curves of his smile obvious against Michael’s bare skin.

  One more step and Aaron ever so gently backed Michael against the wall. The cool surface made him flinch a little, but Aaron was like a furnace along the front of him. “I missed you.” Another inhale. “I know things barely got started between us, and I thought the feeling might fade while you were gone…”

  Michael thrilled at his words. “But it hasn’t?”

  “No.” The barest shake of his head.

  Soft hair rubbed against Michael’s cheek, and he sighed, letting his head rest against the wall.

  “I think the sight of Blake with his claws hooked in your side pretty much solidified things for me. Our connection—” He stopped abruptly when Michael tensed.

  “Connection? As in bond?” Michael couldn’t help but baulk at the idea. He liked Aaron a lot, but bonding was a whole other level.

  Aaron drew back to look him in the eye. At least he was still smiling, even if it was a small one. “I thought we’d been over this. With the rare exception, I can’t bond with a human. Not a full one like I could have with another shifter.”

  “But you said connection?”

  “Yeah, I did. Maybe I should have chosen a better word. My wolf and I both want you, Michael. And for me, the feelings can become almost as strong as with a bond, but I won’t be able to feel your emotions, and you won’t feel mine. I will, however, be overly possessive.” He shrugged. “You know how we can get.”

  Michael let all that sink in. In the back of his mind, he’d known what he was getting into with a shifter. He’d imagined hearing it laid out plainly like that would put him off, but it didn’t. “I don’t want to become a shifter.” He loved his life as it was, and he’d never be able to do his job if he wasn’t human.

  Aaron’s smile faltered a little but remained in place. “I know. And I’ve told you, I would never bite you.”

  Michael couldn’t resist replying with, “Unless I asked you nicely?”

  The small huff of laughter was exactly what he was hoping for.

  Aaron’s eyes darkened. “Yes.” His gaze dipped to Michael’s neck, lingering there for a good few seconds, and Michael let himself imagine what it would be like to let Aaron sink his fangs in…

  Hot.

  But the consequences of doing that weren’t something he was ready to think about. Probably never would be.

  “Hey.” Aaron’s eyebrows furrowed as he looked at him. “Let’s not talk about that now. It doesn’t have to be an issue.”

  “Yeah, okay.” Michael forced his focus back to the present—specifically Aaron’s body pressed against him. “I missed you, too, by the way.”

  Aaron beamed at him. “Yeah?”

  “Yeah.” And he had. He’d had many hours in that hospital bed to think about a whole host of things, but Aaron had filled most of them. “I have so many questions for you.”

  Laughing, Aaron cupped Michael’s jaw, touch gentle. “Same.” Closing the distance between them, Aaron finally kissed him.

  Not the soft, quick peck Michael had expected, but a slow, lingering exploration that made his toes curl and his heart race. He gripped the back of Aaron’s shirt, pulling him as close as possible. The hard length of Aaron’s erection pressed into his hip, both a promise and a tease.

  All the questions Michael wanted to ask suddenly fled his mind, leaving only one thing front and centre. “Come upstairs,” he whispered after drawing back to catch his breath.

  Aaron nodded.

  They climbed the stairs in silence.

  Anticipation buzzed through Michael’s veins like fire, ignited everything inside him until he thought he might explode with it. His thoughts were inevitably drawn to what Aaron had said earlier. Was it possible that the strength of Michael’s feelings was affected because Aaron was a shifter? Because he’d never felt this much… everything… for anyone else.

  He didn’t even pause at the door to his bedroom. Taking Aaron’s hand, he led them inside and over to the bed. Gesturing to his pyjamas, he smirked. “You’re far too overdressed.”

  Aaron’s answering smirk verged on dirty. “I thought you had questions.”

  “They can wait.” Taking matters into his own hands, Michael shoved his pyjamas all the way down and stepped out of them. “Your turn.”

  Instead of undressing, Aaron ran his fingers along the length of Michael’s cock. His touch was electric, and Michael groaned as he wrapped his hand fully around him. “I’ve thought about doing this every night since the boxing match.”

  “Have you now?” Michael murmured, eyes dropping closed with the stroke of Aaron’s hand.

  “This too.”

  Soft lips brushed along Michael’s collarbone, the scrape of stubble following. “What else?” he whispered, too caught up in the moment to do much other than stand there and take it. The hypnotic feel of Aaron’s hands and the velvety sound of his voice casting a spell over him.

  “This…”

  The rustle of clothing and the chink of a belt buckle were all the warning Michael got before a very naked Aaron pulled him into an embrace.

  He felt him everywhere.

  Warm palms resting at the base of his spine, the smooth planes of Aaron’s chest pressed against his, and the insistent hardness now tucked up alongside his own. “Is this okay?”

  Michael opened his eyes, a bubble of laughter escaping as he rolled his hips a little. “I’d say it was a bit better than okay. Wouldn’t you?”

  Aaron grinned back at him and slid his hands down to grab Michael’s arse. “Yes, but that’s not what I meant.”

  “I know.” Michael wrapped his arms around Aaron’s neck and met his gaze. “I have the all-clear from the doctor for any sexual activity as long as it’s not too vigorous. Apparently, I’ll need another couple of weeks for that.”

  “So we have to take things slow and gentle?” Aaron punctuated his question by lightly tracing patterns on Michael’s skin, fingers skating over the curves of his arse in a touch so light it tickled.

  Reaching back to grasp his hands, M
ichael then twined their fingers and climbed on the bed, tugging Aaron along with him. “Not that gentle,” he whispered, lying back with his head on the pillows and gesturing for Aaron to join him. “Just don’t throw me around and we’re good.”

  Scooting close, Aaron propped himself up on one elbow, his other hand resting on Michael’s belly. “We can save that for two weeks’ time.”

  “Yeah.” His breath hitched as Aaron trailed his fingers lower. “It’ll give us something to look forward to.”

  Aaron’s huff of laughter made him smile. “You think we’ll be bored by then?” He raised both eyebrows and gave Michael a pointed look before finally sliding his hand all the way lower and taking his cock in hand again. The slow tease of his palm up and down Michael’s length sent a shiver through him, and Michael groaned.

  “No.”

  Aaron dipped his head and kissed the base of Michael’s throat, the barest hint of fang grazing the skin. Another shiver, and this time Aaron smiled against him. “I love taking my time, Michael.”

  Michael had never heard his name sound so dirty before, and a wave of longing washed over him. Arching his back a little, he closed his eyes and pushed into Aaron’s grip, searching for more.

  * * * * *

  Fuck.

  Aaron looked down at Michael, lips parted on a moan, the urge to bite him so strong he’d had to put some distance between Michael’s neck and his fangs. Even now their scents filled the air around them, mixing together and driving Aaron and his wolf crazy with the need to make Michael his… theirs.

  Drawing on all the self-control he’d honed over the last ten years, Aaron centred himself.

  Watching Michael thrust up into his fist with a lazy roll of his hips was one of the hottest things he’d seen and felt. The little half-smile he wore tugged at Aaron’s heart, pushing him deeper into this thing between them.

  Trusting himself not to lose control, Aaron shuffled down the bed until he was level with Michael’s cock. He stroked him once, twice more, before leaning in to lick at the bead of precome. Michael’s gasp made him smile, and he glanced up to find Michael watching him.

  Not breaking eye contact, Aaron sucked him deep in a slow torturous slide, not at all surprised when he felt fingers gripping his hair tightly.

  “Christ.” Michael’s head fell back onto the pillow, his hands still in place. And Aaron took that as his cue to go to town.

  He kept his pace slow, using his tongue to draw out each gasp and moan, the sound a far better soundtrack than any music. He cupped Michael’s balls, again his touch gentler than normal until Michael’s impatient huff sent his hand lower.

  Michael parted his thighs, bringing his right leg to the side to allow Aaron better access. Taking the hint, Aaron sucked him deep and rubbed the pad of his finger over Michael’s hole. He did it again and again, pressing a little harder each time, and Michael’s grip on his hair got progressively tighter.

  “Shit, stop.” Another hard tug on his hair had Aaron pulling off to look up at him. “I’m gonna come if you don’t stop.”

  Aaron grinned and gave Michael’s cock a lazy stroke. “Kinda the goal, no?”

  After reaching under his pillow, Michael tossed a condom and a small bottle of lube onto the bed next to Aaron.

  “What a boy scout.”

  “I try.” He grinned back and pointed at them. “Well?”

  Aaron pushed himself onto his knees and sat up, scooping the items off the bed, and raised an eyebrow. He wanted to ask if Michael was sure he was up to this but thought better of it. He couldn’t stop his gaze from darting to the five angry scars on Michael’s side, though.

  “I’m fine.”

  Aaron gestured between them. “What do you want?”

  “I want you to fuck me.” Looking down at Aaron’s cock, he licked his lips. “We can switch it up later when I can perform at my best.” Aaron laughed but dutifully tore open the condom. “I reckon I’m going to need all my strength to fuck you.”

  He said them with a smile but something about the words themselves made Aaron stop and really look at him. Only there for a moment, but the flash of uncertainty was clear to see. Careful not to put all his weight on Michael’s still-healing body, he stretched out on top of him, arms either side of his head. “Just because I’m a shifter, doesn’t mean you need to try harder. There’s nothing you need to live up to, no bar to reach.”

  Michael frowned and looked away. “But you’ve fucked other shifters, right?” Aaron nodded. “And they can give you what you need, match your strength. You don’t need to go slow and gentle with them.” He said the words like they were a bad thing, and Aaron immediately shook his head.

  “It’s not about that.” He ran his thumb along the edge of Michael’s jaw. “It’s never about that for us.” Touching their foreheads together, he sighed, then inhaled deeply, letting their combined scents fill his lungs. “I don’t care how strong you can hold me or how hard you fuck me.”

  “What then?” Michael’s voice was barely more than a whisper.

  Aaron smiled and placed a soft kiss on his lips before pulling back a little to see him better. “I care about the way your scent appeals to my wolf as much as it does me. The way I want to protect you with my life, and the way you’re looking at me right now.” Kissing him again, Aaron sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. “But most of all, I care about the way I can’t even think about anyone else. Only you. You’re all I want.”

  He kept his eyes shut, afraid he’d said too much too soon. Shifters fell quick and hard. Michael must know that. Even with a human partner, Aaron couldn’t control this side to his instincts, even if he wanted to.

  “Look at me,” Michael murmured, hands sliding into Aaron’s hair once more.

  Aaron complied and was met with a look so heated he felt it all the way to his bones.

  Biting his lip, Michael rolled his hips in a slow, dirty grind. “You’re all I want too.”

  “Yeah?” Aaron gasped, the press of Michael’s still-hard cock stealing his focus.

  “Yeah.”

  Michael kept on grinding against him, and Aaron tried to block out his own fears, but the words “But you’re human” were on the tip of his tongue.

  As if he’d said them out loud, Michael added, “I know I’m not a shifter, and I can’t feel things to the extent you can, but this… whatever this is between us… it’s different.”

  “How?” Aaron asked, desperate to know.

  Michael half laughed, half moaned. “I don’t know… I just feel different. Feel more.” He ran a hand through his hair and Aaron sensed his frustration. “I don’t know how to explain it.”

  Aaron cupped his jaw and guided him to look at him. “You don’t need to.” Just hearing him say that this was different, that they were different, was more than enough. “I understand.”

  “Thank fuck, because words are failing me right now with your cock pressed against me like that.” He grinned up at him, and Aaron was so done. “Can we just fuck now, talk later?”

  Laughing, Aaron leaned down and kissed him hard, his tongue seeking out his mouth in a kiss he hoped conveyed everything. “Yeah.”

  Grabbing the condom from the open packet, he sat up and rolled it on, enjoying the way Michael watched him. As a shifter, he didn’t need to use one for safety, but Michael had given it to him, so he’d respect that. He slicked his fingers with lube, slow and deliberate.

  “I don’t need much prep,” Michael offered, eyes dark. “We might need to take it slow, but I like the burn.”

  Aaron took him at his word, working one finger in, then another, but drawing back after a few moments to line up his cock. Their eyes met as he pushed inside.

  “Fuck.” Aaron gritted his teeth and tried to ignore the way his body immediately responded. Michael felt so good he was in danger of coming far too soon. And his scent… Aaron couldn’t help himself; he ducked his head, burying his nose in the juncture of Michael’s neck and shoulder, and inhaled.


  Michael gripped his shoulders, fingers digging into the muscle as Aaron thrust into him.

  His eyes were screwed tightly closed, mouth open, and his breath coming in short gasps. Aaron watched him for any sign of pain, careful to keep his pace slow and steady so as not to strain any of Michael’s injuries. “Okay?” he asked.

  Michael glared at him. “Stop asking…” He shoved his head back into his pillow, baring his neck. “More fucking.”

  Aaron stared at him, his fangs aching with the urge to lean in and… bite. Closing his eyes for a second, he shook it off, focusing on the push and pull of Michael’s body beneath him.

  His orgasm built, slowly at first, spurred on by the sounds Michael made every time he fucked into him.

  Michael’s hand on his cheek made him meet his gaze. “Let them out.”

  “What?” Aaron stilled, buried deep inside him.

  “Your fangs…” He ran his thumb over Aaron’s teeth. “I know you want to.”

  “I do.” Aaron breathed, withdrawing in a slow torturous slide that made him groan. “I won’t bite you. I promise.”

  “I know.” Michael smiled. “I trust you.”

  With a low growl, Aaron tipped his head back a little and let his fangs slide out, licking over the tips and pushing back into Michael at the same time.

  Michael gasped, clutching at Aaron’s shoulders. “Oh fuck,” he hissed. “So hot.”

  He couldn’t bite Michael, but he could let him feel them against his skin. Sliding his hands under Michael’s shoulders, Aaron held him tight and dipped his head enough to reach the base of his throat. With each slow, measured thrust, he scraped his teeth over Michael’s skin, pressing down enough to leave a mark but not draw blood.

  As his orgasm threatened to overtake him, Aaron struggled to contain his wolf—his claws eased out, the tips piercing Michael’s skin, and he cried out, clutching Aaron so tight.

  “Gonna come.”

  Sticky wetness hit Aaron’s stomach, the scent of them and sex pushing him over the edge, and he came with a half yell, half growl, holding Michael close as the aftershocks rushed through him.

  They lay there for a few minutes, catching their breath, until Michael pushed at his shoulder. “Heavy,” he muttered.