A Man's Worth [Brac Pack 31] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove)

by Lynn Hagen

  “Don’t fuck this up,” Bryce whispered as he leaned forward and captured Ahm’s lips again, although this time the kiss was neither tender nor soft, but a resounding placement of ownership.

  Bryce was claiming Ahm.

  Ahm was desperate for air, and was able to catch his breath when Bryce leaned back, ripping Ahm’s shirt from his body. The sound of tearing fabric had his cock hard as steel. Ahm pushed at his pants, kicking them aside as Bryce did the same with his very own. Bryce was naked and powerful. He was the quintessential male with hard muscles that rippled when he moved.

  When they came together again, Bryce’s skin was so hot it nearly scorched Ahm. The man was a wall of strength, solid yet yielding. He ran his hands over Bryce’s pecs, and then leaned forward, taking one peaked nipple into his mouth.

  Bryce hissed as he grabbed the back of Ahm’s head, holding him close, murmuring words of encouragement. Ahm teased his mate’s flesh with teeth and tongue, his hands mapping out every line, every ridge on the man’s body. He rasped his tongue over his mate’s chest, an exquisite ache pulsing through him.

  Ahm felt Bryce’s hand reach between them as he feasted on his mate’s body. Parting his legs, Ahm was desperate to feel Bryce’s wicked fingers press inside his body.

  “Shit, I need lube.” Bryce pulled back for just a second, grabbing the bottle from the nightstand. It only took seconds to coat his fingers, and then they were once again pressing against Ahm’s ass.

  “There is no going back.” Bryce breathed out roughly.

  “I don’t want to go back.” Ahm was barely able to speak or think as he felt Bryce inch inside him with each shallow stroke of his finger.

  “As long as you know that fucking you will bind my bear to you for all eternity,” Bryce said to Ahm, his voice rough, filled with lust.

  Ahm moaned in pleasure as another finger joined the first to stretch him with delicious heat. The incredible, sensual feel of Bryce’s fingers damn near made Ahm come. Feeling any part of Bryce inside of him sent a thousand heated sensations rushing through his system.

  Bryce grinned with a sensual, tempting curve of his lips. “You like feeling me inside of you.” Ahm’s dick jerked in excitement at the carnality of Bryce’s voice.

  Ahm leaned up. “I hope more than your fingers are going to slip inside of me,” he murmured at Bryce’s ear.

  Bryce slipped a third finger inside Ahm’s ass. “Be careful what you beg me for, sex kitten.” The words were spoken in a low warning growl. “You have no idea how badly I want you.” Bryce’s body moved powerfully, his hands lifting Ahm as the thick head of his mate’s cock lodged against the entrance to his ass.

  Ahm grabbed Bryce’s shoulders and gasped as the heavy length of Bryce’s cock entered him, stretching him wide, sliding in deep. Bryce buried his face in Ahm’s damp hair. “Do not move a fucking inch.”

  Bryce was fighting for control. Ahm could feel the man’s body shaking as he lay over him. He had no problem doing as Bryce asked because Ahm needed a moment to allow his body to adjust to the cock deep inside his ass.

  The eroticism of having Bryce over him, the heated length of his body pressing into Ahm, his hands planted on either side of Ahm’s head, had Ahm arching his rear, pressing the rigid cock tighter inside of him.

  Bryce nipped his shoulder. “I said don’t move.”

  Ahm was panting now. “How long am I supposed to lie still while you fight not to climax so quickly?” It was a challenge. He didn’t want to hold still. Ahm wanted to feel Bryce moving inside of him, fucking him with the passion Ahm knew Bryce possessed.

  “It isn’t wise to tease a bear so close to the edge,” Bryce warned. “I bite.”

  Ahm could feel the pre-cum leaking from the head of his cock at Bryce’s words of warning. He wanted Bryce to bite. Hell, he was close to begging the man to sink his canines into his shoulder.

  Lifting his legs on either side of Bryce’s enormous body, Ahm wrapped them around the man’s waist. “Fuck me, sugarplum.”

  Bryce’s eyes were dark pools of liquid silver as he began to move. Ahm’s hard shaft rubbed against his mate’s abdominal muscles, drawing moans and shudders from him. He clutched his inner muscles, encasing Bryce’s cock in a tight viselike grip.

  “Son of a bitch,” Bryce groaned. His mate fisted Ahm’s hair, and the extreme dominance and sexual expression in Bryce’s eyes was a flood of pleasure so intense it was almost a physical ache.

  Bryce gazed at him and Ahm’s stomach was tight and full of knots, making him shiver as he watched the man’s barely hidden fascination shine in his eyes. Ahm cupped Bryce’s face and pulled his mate down, sinking into the man’s moist mouth.

  A savage sound vibrated in Bryce’s throat.

  The eroticism of the moment and having his mate buried deep inside of him went so far beyond pleasure that Ahm had no idea how to describe it.

  Bryce thrust deep inside Ahm, ripping a cry from his lips. It was so good. Oh, god. It was so damn good. For the first time in Ahm’s life, he finally felt like he belonged. The bond was forming between them. He could feel it like an invisible hand caressing his heart and opening up a bridge between his and Bryce’s very souls.

  “Amin mela lle,” he whispered as Bryce scraped his canines down Ahm’s bared throat.

  “English, baby.”

  Ahm shuddered as he felt the tips of Bryce’s teeth press into his shoulder. “I love you.” The emotions whipped through him as Bryce pierced his skin, sinking his canines deep into Ahm’s flesh, claiming him, placing an ownership on Ahm that went deeper than any bond a human could profess.

  He bucked as Bryce’s cock pounded inside of him, striking his sweet spot again and again. The feel of his shaft buried so deep inside Ahm, the engorged head throbbing in the depths of his body had his senses reeling. His hands gripped the swell of Bryce’s ass, his fingers flexing into the rounded flesh as a kaleidoscope of colors filled his vision. His climax tore through him, pulling Ahm under, and a primal bellow was torn from his chest.

  Bryce kept thrusting, his teeth locked into Ahm’s shoulder, a feral growl rippling around Ahm’s flesh. He felt Bryce’s seed spilling into him and Ahm’s hole clamped viciously down onto his mate’s cock.

  Finally, his mate shuddered and released Ahm’s shoulder, licking at the wound he had inflicted as a soft and pleased growl vibrated Bryce’s entire body. Ahm lay there soaked in sweat and seed, sated like never before.

  “Mmm, my little candy cane is worn out,” Bryce said as he licked at Ahm’s jaw.

  Ahm swatted at Bryce playfully. “No, your stud muffin is just sleepy.”

  “Same thing.” Ahm could feel his mate smiling against his skin. “You said you loved me,” he reminded Ahm.

  “That I did.” Ahm groaned when Bryce’s swelling finally receded and his mate slipped from his body. He moved to the side so his mate could lie down next to him. As they lay there, Bryce traced his fingers over Ahm’s chest.

  “Did you mean it?”

  Ahm curled into Bryce’s body. “Are you feeling insecure?”

  His mate grunted. “No.” But Ahm could feel the apprehension coming from the bear.

  “I meant it, Bryce.” Ahm wasn’t sure how he had lived so long without this man. He had never been so comfortable, able to let his guard down, and relaxed with anyone like this before.

  “I love you, too, Ahm.” Bryce pulled him closer, melding their bodies together.

  Ahm winced. “You’re pulling my hair.”

  Bryce laughed as he moved until Ahm had his hair free and then he settled back down against his mate.

  “Don’t ever cut it. I love how long it is.”

  Ahm gazed up at Bryce. “Hadn’t planned on it, but now that you mentioned—” Ahm shouted as Bryce rolled them, his mate growling as he nipped Ahm on his ear.

  “Cut it and I’ll show you just how angry a bear can get.”

  Ahm grinned from ear to ear as his reservations about the man were slipping away, re
placed by a knowledge that Bryce would never hurt or betray him, would always be there for him and love him unconditionally.

  His foolish pride was stripped away and left in shreds on the floor, leaving in its place a feeling of worth in who he was and the mate he had been given. The big bear shifter was his, and Ahm would die to protect the man.

  Chapter Twelve

  “This is a really dumb idea,” Chance said as he gave a shake of his head. “You want us to sneak into Shadow elf territory and steal some file from your office?”

  “Then you won’t do it?” Ahm asked as he stood in front of Buster’s stall, staring at the horse as if trying to figure out how a horse worked. Bryce was simply fascinated with Ahm’s wonderment. He had never met anyone who was so fierce he made an entire tribe of Wood elves tremble, yet he looked at the things around the ranch almost through a child’s eye.

  It was yet another layer Bryce was dying to peel back and explore. The man knew shifters, but Bryce was starting to wonder how much interaction Ahm had had with naturally born animals.

  If it was the way he interacted with people, the animals were in trouble.

  Chance looked at Ahm as if he were daft. “Of course I’ll do it. I just wanted to point out that this was a really dumb idea.”

  His brother’s words brought Bryce back to the subject at hand, although he kept an eye on Ahm and Buster. The marshlands were the last place Bryce wanted to be, for his mate to revisit. There was nothing but danger awaiting them. But he knew how important this was to Ahm. The man was hell-bent on saving his species, even if that very species wanted Ahm dead.

  It said a lot about Ahm’s character as not only a man, but a leader. He was still willing to fight for his people, even though they had turned their backs on him. Bryce would have given them a one-finger salute and left them to their fate.

  But he was starting to see that his mate’s heart was bigger than he let on. Ahm argued with passion, fucked with hunger, and he fought with steely determination. There were many layers to the man and Bryce wanted to peel back each and every layer to find out who the Shadow elf truly was.

  “Do we get hazard pay for this shit?” Chauncey asked. “Because if something happens to me, Curtis is going to be all over your ass.”

  Bryce bit back the snicker when Ahm rolled his eyes. That was something he thought never to see in the stout leader. His mate was starting to loosen up. Bryce liked that and was determined more than ever to get the guy so loose that he never thought twice about laughing or just being himself.

  “There is no hazard pay, bear. There is only my deepest gratitude,” Ahm answered with a mixture of irritation and begrudging appreciation.

  “Oh, no,” Chauncey said as he held up his hand. “You are at least going to buy that new part for my bike that I’ve had my eye on for two months.”

  “Goddamn, you are fucking cheap,” Chance said as the sides of his mouth tilted up into a smile. “How does Curtis live with such a tightwad?”

  “He’s very good at saving.” There was pride in Chauncey’s voice when he spoke of Curtis. “Although he tends to be a little more of a spender than I would like.”

  “Dude, you have a fit if he spends over a dollar. I’m glad as hell I’m not mated to you. Do moths fly out of your wallet when you open it?”

  “I’m not cheap with Curtis,” Chauncey argued. “I lavish and spoil him.”

  “Buying him a coffee from the very place he works is not lavishing, Chauncey,” Chance pointed out.

  “My mate is a man of simple taste,” Chauncey argued heatedly. “I don’t have to blow my savings to impress him.”

  “I don’t have to do that with Seth, but I at least buy my mate and son things more than once a month when the mood hits,” Chance countered.

  “Can we get back to planning?” Ahm asked. He looked like he was at his wits’ end with the twins. Ahm better get used to it because that was how the twins made everyone feel—although Bryce wouldn’t have any other man at his back than these two. They were immature as hell, but fierce when it came to protecting the ones they cared about.

  And so was Bryce.

  “What’s there to plan?” Chance asked as he turned from his twin to look at Ahm. “Luke pops us into your office, we steal the file, and then we pop back out.”

  “It isn’t stealing, Chance. It’s my file,” Ahm reminded him.

  “But it sounds more covert ops when I say steal,” Chance complained. The guy sounded like he had been hanging around Oscar way too long. He knew Chance was a damn good father to the boy. They were always watching those espionage movies and creeping around the house, acting like spies. It did Bryce’s heart good to see Chance so happy. He was also a little envious of the man and his family. Bryce brushed that thought aside when he felt his mate’s irritation level rising.

  Ahm rubbed at his temples as he cut his eyes over to Bryce. “Are they always like this?”

  “Like what?” Bryce feigned ignorance of his brothers’ playful behavior. He was actually having a good time right now. He loved playing around with the twins. They kept life from getting boring and stale.

  “Like grown-ass kids.”

  “Don’t make me bust out my garlic spray bottle,” Chauncey warned. “I heard a noise coming from my closet last night. Was that you?”

  Ahm started toward the doors, heading out of the barn, grumbling something so low, not even Bryce’s shifter hearing could pick it up.

  Bryce exhaled a sympathetic chuckle. Poor Ahm. If he was losing patience this quickly, the twins were going to drive the elf insane by the week’s end. He held on to that thought as he watched his mate’s backside, his cock getting hard as he thought about the sex they had three days ago and how damn good it felt to be buried in that tight ass. It had shocked him that Ahm had let Bryce fuck him, but then again, the man seemed to be surprising him a lot lately.

  The number one surprise was Ahm’s profession of love. It had blindsided Bryce. He thought he would have to browbeat the confession out of Ahm sometime in the distant future. But the man had given it of his own free will.

  “Do you think he’ll be back?” Chance asked as he scratched at his chin and then answered his own question. “I think he’ll be back.”

  “You two are morons,” Bryce said as he went after his mate. He caught up to Ahm by the porch, grabbing his arm to stop him from going any further. It was getting to the point that Bryce hated to see a frown on the man’s face. Ahm had frowned enough in life. If Bryce had it his way, Ahm would wear a pleased expression all the time. He was sexy as hell when he smiled. It made the dimples in his cheeks pop out. “Slow down, pudding pop.”

  Ahm turned, glaring at Bryce as if he were the offender. His nostrils were flaring and his blue eyes were twin ice glaciers. “Don’t try to sweet-talk me. Your brothers are immature assholes. They better be lucky you would take offense to me killing them. I’ve never exerted so much patience in my life!”

  “Duh, you just now figuring them out?”

  Ahm looked as if he hadn’t expected that answer. “Well, yeah.”

  Bryce took a seat on the steps, pulling Ahm down next to him. The man sat without a fight—which surprised Bryce. He exhaled a deep breath as he thought of a way to explain Chauncey and Chance to Ahm. There really wasn’t any way to describe them to anyone who wasn’t family or didn’t know them really well. “Look, the twins have been like that their entire lives. I don’t apologize for the way my family acts. All I can say is learn to fight fire with fire. You have to learn to outwit them.”

  Ahm looked skeptical, and still pissed off. “I’ve never met a family like yours, Bryce. The Lakelands are very unconventional.”

  “And that’s what makes us so damn lovable.” Bryce gave a soft laugh. “I don’t want to be normal, and neither do my brothers. Where’s the fun in that? Let your hair down.” Bryce tugged at a few strands that had fallen over the man’s shoulder. “You have plenty for that.”

  “So we get the file and the
n plot revenge against the two hellions?”

  Bryce winked at his mate. “Now you’re cooking with bacon.” He turned. “Speaking of bacon, I can smell it cooking. There’s fresh coffee, too.” Damn if the scent wasn’t making Bryce hungry as hell. “Come on. Let’s go eat before we invade France.”

  “You are one strange bear,” Ahm said as he stood. Bryce could see some of the closed-off rigidness slipping back into Ahm’s blue eyes, and he wasn’t going to allow that. He pulled his mate into his arms and grinned. “But you wouldn’t have me any other way, dumpling.”

  Ahm gave Bryce a soul-stirring smile before he pulled away and headed inside, shaking his head. Bryce gladly followed.

  * * * *

  Riley sat atop his horse, gazing over the thirty head of cattle. He was ready to get things moving, but he was a man short.

  Olaf was late.

  The human had been nothing but a pain in the ass for the past week. Riley was trying to give the man a chance, knowing how desperate some folks were for a job. But his patience had just run out. If the guy showed, Riley was sending him packing. He took his job seriously and had warned everyone the first day that he didn’t tolerate tardiness.

  On the flip side of things, Charlie and Winter were turning out to be an asset. The two men worked hard as hell. He had been delayed with the drive, but the two had stayed busy helping out around the ranch.

  “Think he’s coming?” Charlie asked as he pushed his Stetson back from his eyes.

  Riley wrapped a gloved hand around the saddle horn. “We’re going to get started without him.” He steered his horse toward the front of the cattle. Warrior went with ease. They were heading south of Brac Village to the market. Riley didn’t foresee any problems, but they were heading out into open terrain.

  “Wait for me!” Sterling shouted as he rode up on Hell Raiser. “Pa sent me since you’re one man short.”