by Lynn Hagen
* * * *
Ahm grunted as he smacked Bryce’s hand away. “I can get it.”
“Hit me one more time and I’ll tuck the sheets so far into the bed that you’ll be trapped here.”
Thinning his lips, Ahm rested back as Bryce changed the bandage on his leg. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take of the bear nursemaid. He wasn’t a damn invalid!
Ahm was also getting hard as steel with Bryce messing between his legs. He was a man, after all, and he wasn’t immune to his mate. His cock began to thicken when Bryce rubbed the antibiotic cream over the stitches. His mate knew damn well what he was doing, because there was a sparkle in his light-grey eyes.
He tried to think of anything other than his mate’s thick, scarred hands running over his inner thigh, but it was impossible. Ahm had had his fair share of lovers, but none had been his mate. And none affected him the way Bryce did. Just a simple touch and he was ready to roll the bear over and fuck him.
“It looks like it’s healing nicely,” Bryce commented as he grabbed a towel and wiped the cream off of his hand. “I’ll call Dr. Sheehan tomorrow and see if we can’t get you cleared of bed rest.”
“I can leave the bed anytime I wish.”
Bryce tossed the towel onto the bed. “Do you always have to be so combative? What the hell is your deal? I’m trying my goddamn best to remember the things you’ve lost because your tribe found out you’re mated to a male shifter, but give me one good reason why I shouldn’t wash my hands of you.”
Ahm heard the tension in Bryce’s tone. The man was at the end of his patience. “You don’t know me,” Ahm shot at the man. It was a flimsy response, but he felt like Bryce could see right through him.
“I highly doubt anyone knows you. You’re so damn flip-floppy. Do you even know who you are?”
Ahm clenched his jaw. “I’m the only one who does.” Grabbing the sheet, Ahm flipped it back over his legs, wishing Bryce would just leave.
“Damn, are you really that alone?”
Ahm wasn’t going to hide from the truth. Not with Bryce. “Try ruling a tribe of Shadow elves who are so stuck in tradition and prejudice that their very own race is dying out. Try living with a cousin who would rather stab you in the back than help you. Try wondering every single day of your life if someone is truly befriending you or if they have an ulterior motive because you are their leader and status means everything to them.”
Ahm was tired of the burden. He didn’t want to lead the Shadow elves any longer. He had ruled them for over three hundred years. It was time he gave the mantle of leadership to someone else and enjoyed his time.
“Sounds like being a leader really sucks.” Bryce took a seat on the bed, resting his hand on Ahm’s shin. “Didn’t you have anyone you could hang out with and have a few laughs?”
Ahm had a really close friend about two hundred years ago, but the man had died in battle. He hadn’t wanted to experience that pain again. Just thinking about Bryne made his chest hurt. They weren’t lovers, just really good friends. “No.”
“No wonder you’re such an uptight sourpuss,” Bryce teased. “You need brothers like mine to loosen that stick in your ass.”
Ahm glared at Bryce. “I’m not sure if I should feel offended or not.”
“Nah.” Bryce waved a hand at him. “Never take what I say personally. You’ll stay pissed off at me if you do.” His mate’s thumb was caressing Ahm’s leg, making his cock grow stiff again. “As a matter of fact, never take anything a Lakeland tells you seriously. You’ll stay pissed at the lot of us.”
“Do any of you have a serious bone in your body?”
“Oh, yeah,” Bryce answered. “You don’t want to piss one of us off. But most of the time we’re good-natured bears.”
Ahm moved his good leg, bumping it gently against Bryce. “Then how do I know when I’ve pissed you off?”
Bryce’s hand tightened on his leg. “You already have. But since you are still breathing, it must mean I care about you.”
Ahm was stunned. After everything he had put the bear through, Bryce cared about him? When did that happen? “You do?” The words were out before Ahm could censor his tongue.
Bryce’s grey eyes began to smolder as he gazed down at Ahm. “I do.”
Ahm was afraid to let his guard down. He was afraid to trust. Over the course of his ruling, he’d been stabbed in the back so many times he should have permanent knife wounds. Even though Bryce was his mate, it was still hard to let the man in.
“How can you say that when you don’t even know me?” Ahm asked a little too curtly.
When Bryce reached up and thumped Ahm on his ear, all he could do was wince and stare at the man as if he had lost his mind. “You just hit me.”
“No,” Bryce corrected him. “I thumped you. Say something stupid again and I’ll thump your other pointy ear.”
He was speechless. Ahm didn’t know what to say. So he reached out and thumped Bryce on his chin.
“What was that for?” Bryce asked.
Ahm wanted to chuckle. Bryce looked so put off. “For no other reason than I could.”
This time when Bryce reached out, it wasn’t to thump Ahm, but to grab his hair and pull it back. He started to protest until Bryce leaned in and licked his lower lip. “Feeling feisty?”
His cock pulsed at Bryce’s deep and throaty tone. It was filled with wickedness and need. Ahm pulled his head to the side, making Bryce grab the strands harder. “It seems you are the one feeling a bit aggressive.”
Ahm moved over when Bryce climbed up next to him and stretched his thick body next to him. “Maybe I am. But don’t worry, my little sex kitten, I’ll do all the work.”
Sex kitten? What the hell?
He opened his mouth to tell Bryce he was nobody’s sex kitten when a large hand smoothed down his stomach, making Ahm forget what he was going to say.
Bryce slowly turned over and slammed the palm of his hands on either side of Ahm’s head. “Having you so close is making my bear hungry.”
Ahm’s eyes widened and then narrowed into slits as he locked eyes with Bryce. He had to admit, they were a stunning grey, but he was way too anxious for his mate to really appreciate them at the moment.
“And you think you’ll devour me?” Ahm asked, seeing the truth in his mate’s light-grey eyes. The man was through dancing around Ahm. He was ready to get down and dirty. “What about my injury?”
Bryce curled his fingers into Ahm’s hair, bringing their faces so close Ahm could feel the warm tickle of breath on his lips. “Oh, I’m positive.”
“No one dominates me,” he said with a little less conviction in his unsteady voice, pushing at Bryce’s hands.
Ahm could see the longing in Bryce’s eyes, the need for his mate to accept what he wanted to give. It wasn’t easy for Ahm to trust, but he knew that if he wanted to keep the bear, he had to let his guard down, even if it was just a crack in his armor.
Ahm just prayed like hell that Bryce didn’t turn out like everyone else and let him down. He knew he had a lot of making up to do with his mate, but giving the man his full trust was the hardest thing he ever had to do. A little at a time would prove to Ahm that Bryce wasn’t going to hurt him.
“Just lie back and enjoy what I want to do to you, Ahm.” Bryce dipped his head and claimed Ahm’s lips. His kiss was hungry and dominating and downright scorching, making Ahm’s cock hard as steel. Ahm wasn’t so sure he would argue with Bryce any longer about devouring him. The man’s lips tasted like pure honey to Ahm and he wanted more. He gasped when Bryce forced his lips open with his thrusting tongue. Without hesitation, Ahm opened wide, Bryce swooping in with savage intensity.
Kissing Bryce didn’t quite have the effect Ahm had thought. For one, it was like kissing a runaway freight train. One minute they were just running along, and the next they were going full steam ahead, cocks ramrod straight and growls ripping from both their throats.
Bryce’s growl turned into a groan when Ahm
started battling back, matching him stroke for stroke, lick for lick. And damn, could the man kiss.
Bryce reached down and tossed the sheet aside. The fresh air against his heated cock was like nirvana. Ahm reached up and placed the palms of his hands on Bryce’s chest. The dips and hard ridges made Ahm pant as his hand skimmed up Bryce’s impressive chest.
Ahm almost laughed at the thought, but it was quickly yanked out of his head to be replaced with a need to see more naked skin. Ahm splayed his fingers over Bryce’s sculpted abs and slowly moved them down until he ran out of smooth skin and hit the button on Bryce’s stonewashed jeans.
Ahm’s wrist twisted as he unbuttoned Bryce’s jeans and pulled the sides apart, his mouth watering at the happy trail of hair leading from his mate’s navel to far below his pants. Ahm grazed a knuckle over the trail, following it down until he hit fabric.
His eyes snapped up. Seeing Bryce hovering over him, panting, watching him, made Ahm feel like he was still in control.
When he felt a long, hard cock thump against his hands, he just had to look. Ahm tore his eyes away from Bryce’s and glanced down.
He swallowed hard.
“Damn.”
“You want to taste me?” Bryce asked, his tone on the edge. Ahm’s balls drew up tight just thinking about sucking the man’s cock into his mouth. The breath he had just breathed in suddenly wasn’t enough. He had every intention of sucking the man off.
Bryce turned to his side and helped Ahm get into position. He sucked Bryce all of the way down his throat, as far as the cock would go, until his nose was buried in Bryce’s pubic hairs.
And then he swallowed…hard.
Bryce shouted.
Using his tongue, Ahm laved the tender depression beneath the swollen crown and then tongue-fucked the tiny slit, licking away the salty taste of Bryce’s desires.
But Ahm was feeling devilish. He worked the flesh mercilessly, ruthlessly taking Bryce to the brink of climax only to ease back and start over again.
“Shit, Ahm…shit.” Bryce was panting, his hands tangling in Ahm’s hair, pulling at it.
Ahm quickly glanced up when Bryce sucked in a breath. He grinned at the slow blush starting to bloom across the man’s handsome face. He used his tongue to trace the thick veins, his cheeks hollow.
“You’re torturing me on purpose,” Bryce whispered right before he rocked his hips, shoving his cock deep into Ahm’s mouth. Ahm hollowed out his cheeks and sucked his lips back up the length of Bryce’s erection until he reached the top.
“Damn you, Ahm!” Bryce shouted.
Ahm knew he was stalling Bryce’s orgasm. But what would be the fun in letting the man come so soon? He didn’t want to give his mate a quick suck off. No, Ahm planned on showing Bryce what a skilled lover he was.
The problem with torturing Bryce was that Ahm wanted to fuck the man as well, but he knew that was impossible because of his injury.
Just when Bryce groaned again, Ahm sucked the man’s cock right back down his throat and swallowed. And then he backed off.
Ahm reached down and palmed the man’s sac and began to gently roll Bryce’s testicles in his hand. Bryce jerked his hips forward and groaned. Hearing his mate’s pleasure made Ahm’s balls grow tighter against his body. It was the sweetest sound he had ever heard. But what had his blood racing through his body was when he glanced up at Bryce to see his mate’s canines exposed. They were long, sharp, and the most breathtaking thing to look at.
Ahm didn’t want to tease any longer. Seeing Bryce in the throes of passion was affecting him just as much as his mate was being affected. He wrapped his fingers around his cock and began to stroke his own dick as he sucked Bryce down his throat over and over again.
He didn’t let up.
His hand moved quickly as he jacked himself off. His lips formed a tighter seal as he sucked Bryce into his mouth repeatedly. Bryce was watching Ahm heatedly, his eyes glittering, savage, hot.
“Make me come, damn you,” Bryce said with a growl as he pulled at Ahm’s hair, sending jolts of desire throughout his body. “Suck my dick, baby.”
He sucked vigorously as he reached a hand underneath and pulled at Bryce’s balls, this time tugging hard at the wrinkled sac. His mate moaned, and his hips hitched as Ahm sucked his mate’s cock to the back of this throat one final time before Bryce bucked and grunted, his hands pulling gently at Ahm’s hair.
Ahm gave his dick a few more tugs and he was joining Bryce, his seed splashing over his fingers. Now he was tired. He wouldn’t protest if Bryce tucked him in and kissed him good night. He was too boneless to care.
Bryce pulled his soft cock free and cupped Ahm’s face, placing a soft kiss on his lips. “Get some rest.” Bryce rolled from the bed, walking into the bathroom and coming back with a wet towel in his hand. Ahm just lay there as his mate cleaned him.
He had to be tired. No lover had ever been this attentive, and Ahm was enjoying the intimacy between them.
As Bryce walked back to the bathroom, Ahm could feel another chink in his armor.
Chapter Ten
Riley tucked his arms over his chest, sizing the men up who were standing in front of him. It wasn’t a bad lot. He’d seen worse. “My name’s Riley Lakeland and I’m the foreman on this ranch. Work hard and you’ll have a steady job as long as you’re needed. Screw up and I’ll send you packing. I do not tolerate people showing up late, leaving early, or not giving me one hundred percent. Anyone who can’t abide by these rules might as well head out now.”
No one moved.
“I want the three of you to come with me,” Riley said as he pointed to the men he was referring to. “The rest of you will work with Olsen and Gavin.”
His brothers took over as Riley walked the three men to the stables. “First, give me your names.”
The man standing to the far left extended his hand. Riley shook it. “My name is Charlie Keiffer.” The guy looked like he had seen his share of hard working days. He was built of good stock.
The guy in the middle extended his hand. “Winter Bourne.”
The other two men gaped at the guy shaking Riley’s hand. Riley recognized Winter. He was one of the shifters over at the Manchester place. He was the white Siberian tiger shifter if Riley wasn’t mistaken.
“What kind of name is that?” the third man who had yet to introduce himself asked.
Winter cut his crystal-blue eyes at the guy but didn’t say a word. Riley was impressed. Winter was a predator and he knew the man was itching to take the human down.
“Fuck with anyone on my ranch and you can pack your bags.”
The man swallowed hard and nodded. “Name’s Olaf Keansburg.”
“You can start by mucking the stalls, Olaf.”
The man looked downright livid but didn’t argue. He walked inside the barn without a word.
“I want you two to help with the cattle drive,” Riley said to Winter and Charlie. “Do you own your own horses?”
“I do,” Charlie replied.
“No,” Winter said.
“I have an extra few if you need to put them to use,” Charlie offered. “They could use the work as well.”
Riley nodded. “Bring them tomorrow. Today we’ll be going over where the cattle will be driven and how many heads we’ll be taking. The rest need to be turned out to pasture and I’m pretty sure my brothers have the other men getting ready to plant crops.”
“Is there enough work for all of us?” Charlie asked. “I’m just trying to figure out how long I’ll be working.”
Riley liked the guy. “There’s always things around here that need to be done. Keep your head down, your mouth shut, and work hard.”
Charlie grinned. “I can do that.”
Winter didn’t say a word. Riley eyed him and then waved for the two men to follow him. He sure as hell hoped this worked out. They’d never hired so many hands before. Riley knew some were going to get cut once the work was done, but his pa had talked about keeping a few on
.
Glancing back at the barn, Riley knew Olaf wasn’t going to be one of the men to stick around.
* * * *
Bryce scratched his chin. “Come again?”
Ahm gave a low growl and attempted to get out of bed. Bryce already had to hide the man’s clothes so he wouldn’t leave the room. He was currently lying in bed buck naked—making it hard for Bryce to concentrate—with only a sheet covering his body. “It wasn’t that complicated, Bryce.”
He was five seconds away from putting Ahm on his ass. The man had been testy all morning. Dr. Sheehan was supposed to come by to check on Ahm and possibly clear him from bed rest. Ahm was not a happy man when he was forced to stay put.
The good old doctor was also bringing some clothes from the Den for Ahm. His pants had a large gaping hole in them and had been tossed out. “For someone who wants my help, you sure know how to go about getting it.”
As Bryce stared at his mate, he realized in that moment that Ahm’s sour disposition was his defense mechanism. People normally weren’t this pissy. If they were, it was because they were throwing up a wall around them and keeping everyone out for a reason. He had a feeling it was from more than just being tired of his leadership.
He could feel the turmoil and confusion in Ahm, and his bear didn’t like it. But that didn’t mean Bryce was going to let the man talk to him any old kind of way. He had a feeling that if he gave Ahm an inch, the man would run with it. It seemed the guy’s natural disposition to argue with everything Bryce said.
Besides, he didn’t want to argue with Ahm. He wanted another mind-blowing orgasm from the guy.
“Okay,” Ahm finally said. “I’ll explain things again.”
Ahm was irritated. It was in his tone. “Should I run and grab Oscar’s crayons so I can keep up with you?”
A smile tugged at the edges of Ahm’s lips, and if Bryce didn’t miss his guess, his mate’s eyes softened slightly. “No.”
“Maybe his LEGOs?”