“Makes sense.”
“I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to ask Jeremy to move in with me if that’s okay.”
“Sure. If you need help moving his stuff just ask Nate who’s on patrol duty and who’s not. I’d help you, but I’m passing all my free time planning ways to get Ani to talk to me, so...”
Denver felt warm inside. He had never had a family or anyone he could rely on before coming to Whitedell. He had thought he wouldn’t stay long, but the pride had adopted and welcomed him even if he was grumpy and rude, and they were acting like a family.
“I get that you’re going to stay here indefinitely?”
“Uh, yeah, if that’s not a problem?”
“Of course not. You’re family now. You and Jeremy have the support of all of us in this mess with his ex, so if you need anything, just ask.”
Denver couldn’t do anything but nod. The lump in his throat wouldn’t have allowed him to talk even if he had wanted to, and he was afraid he would say stupid and mushy stuff if he did. “Have you tried leaving him messages around the house?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, if you can’t text him you could always write stuff down and leave it in his room or where you know he will find it.”
Dominic stared, making Denver squirm in the chair. “You know, you’re right. I would have never pegged you for a romantic, though.”
“I’m not! It’s just...logical.”
“Sure, sure. Your secret is safe with me, Denver.” Dominic winked at him. Denver couldn’t wait to run away from this office and into bed with his mate. The lion was making him uncomfortable. “Go on, go to your mate. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Denver was clearly being dismissed, and he was glad. He let his Alpha to his pen and piece of paper and went back to his room, snuggling around Jeremy and soaking in the feeling of the warm, heavy weight pressed against his chest. He was home.
* * * *
Jeremy woke up at the feeling of a big, hot weight draped around him, momentarily startling him until he remembered what had happened the night before. This was only the fourth night he spent in Denver’s bed, and the first one in which Denver actually slept with him since the man had insisted on taking the couch on the other days. It hadn’t mattered how much Jeremy had protested, Denver hadn’t budged. It seemed that mating him had changed things, though, and Jeremy was glad. He was just a little worried about what to do with the hard length pressing against his ass.
In theory, he knew what to do. He had spent the nights of last week searching and looking at gay porn, so he had a pretty good idea what was going to happen. He just wasn’t sure he had the guts right now, but god knew he wanted to. Maybe he could build up to it, start with his fingers just to see if he liked it, then pass to the plug he had bought on the internet. Just looking at the thing made him blush, but he knew Denver’s dick was much bigger, and he wanted to be prepared. He wanted to know what to expect before diving in. That didn’t mean they couldn’t do anything, though. He hadn’t only watched videos with penetration, and there was something he wanted to try.
Snuggling back into Denver’s groin, Jeremy peeked at the clock on the nightstand. It was only five-o’clock in the morning, which meant Adam was likely to sleep another two hours. It had been months since he had last woken up this early, so Jeremy was pretty sure they were safe from that point of view. Now, did he have enough courage to start something?
“Stop thinking so hard, your thoughts woke me up,” Denver grumbled from behind him, his voice a little hoarse from sleep, but oh so sexy. Denver tightened his arms and brought Jeremy even closer, his erection digging into Jeremy’s crack and making him shiver. He tentatively moved his arm, sliding his hand between them until he reached the hard rod. It was still covered by Denver’s soft sleeping pants, but Jeremy was effectively touching a dick that wasn’t his own for the first time. He waited, trying to analyze his feelings, but he didn’t feel disgusted or even weird. It felt right, perfectly right, and he didn’t have second thoughts as he began to move his hand up and down, squeezing his mate’s shaft through the cloth.
Denver moaned and pushed into his hand, and suddenly the small contact wasn’t enough anymore. Releasing the erection, Jeremy moved his hand up, searching for the top of Denver’s pants and quickly moving it down when he reached it. He felt Denver’s length spring up as he liberated it, the hot flesh hard against his palm, but also so soft and silky. He grabbed it again, stroking the skin with the tip of his fingers before giving it a hard tug. His man was writhing behind him, his hands clenching on Jeremy’s abdomen as he humped into Jeremy’s hand. The way Denver reacted to Jeremy was exhilarating. He had never felt this good with any of the women he had been with, had never been able to make them lose themselves to pleasure like that. It made him feel ten feet tall to feel the pre-cum leaking from his mate’s slit and on his hand, easing the way as his hand moved faster.
His hand was suddenly wrenched away, leaving it empty as Jeremy felt himself flip in the air. He wasn’t a small man, and he liked the fact that Denver could manhandle him that way. He ended up flat on his back, his pants disappearing in two seconds flat as Denver’s lips crashed on his. The kiss was hard and demanding, passionate yet loving. Their tongues met, their teeth clanged, and Jeremy clutched his lover’s shoulders in the attempt to anchor himself to reality.
Denver’s body was hard everywhere his hands explored, the muscles bunching on his back as his hands moved over Jeremy’s body, down his stomach. Jeremy took in a breath and tried to flatten it, at least until Denver moved his hand away, but his mate was having none of it. He pinched the skin before tickling around Jeremy’s belly-button, making him laugh into Denver’s mouth. There was no way he could keep his belly in after that, so he let it go, hoping Denver wouldn’t be disgusted.
“You’re perfect, babe, perfect. I love your soft body, the way it cradles me and welcomes me.”
Wow, the man might not be a talker, but when he set his mind on it he was definitely a romantic! And Jeremy hadn’t missed the endearment, but now was not the time to think about that. Denver moved above him, plastering their bodies together from chest to toes, and Jeremy hissed in pleasure when their cocks touched each other. Damn, that was so good!
Denver’s lips never left Jeremy’s as the tiger rolled them on their side and slipped his hand between them, grabbing both hard lengths and holding them together as he started jacking them off. The feeling of his lover’s cock against his own, the silky flesh sliding on his heated skin, everything came together, concurring into bringing Jeremy to the brink of orgasm in no time. He wouldn’t last, he couldn’t last, and when Denver bit down on his lower lip and at the same time he pushed down on the head of his cock with his thumb, Jeremy went rigid as hot, sticky cum flooded the space between them.
Denver grunted and tensed, adding his own warm seed to their stomachs as Jeremy clung to his lover’s shoulders and listened to their heavy breathing. “That was...”
“You liked it?”
Jeremy smiled. It might seem like Denver was fishing for compliments, but he knew his mate was just making sure that Jeremy had felt good and that he wasn’t freaking out. Denver was like that. Hard and big on the outside but a softie inside. “I loved it.”
Their combined cum was cooling between them, making them stick together, but Jeremy wanted to soak in the situation for a bit longer before having to go back to reality. The way Denver felt around him, heavy but not suffocating, the way their legs were tangled, the way Denver’s breath felt against his neck, everything made this moment perfect.
Of course, it couldn’t last. “This is going to hurt if we don’t clean up.” Denver was right. They both had hair on their chests and stomachs, Denver more than Jeremy, and it would all stick together and itch.
Denver reached for the nightstand and produced a washcloth. “Here, it’s still damp. It won’t do miracles, but it will have to do if you don’t want to get up right
away.”
They used their discarded pants and the cloth, cleaning as much as they could before burrowing back under the covers. Jeremy had insisted that they at least partially dressed since Adam could get up any time now, but soon he was in his lover’s arms again.
Remembering the night before, Jeremy fingered his neck. He was surprised to find out that the bite didn’t even hurt. It was just a bit tender, but nothing major, and he could feel the raised skin that indicated a scar, but it felt old. “How come it’s already healed?”
“You’ll heal faster and stop getting sick now that we’re bonded.” Right. He had forgotten about that.
Denver’s fingers were tracing circles on his back, the touch soothing and arousing at the same time. The way he could feel what Denver was feeling inside his head was weird. He could tell without problems which feelings were his and which were Denver’s, and he knew his mate was sated and overjoyed, but also a bit nervous.
“Are you going to tell me what’s worrying you?”
Denver chuckled, his chest moving under Jeremy’s head. “Damn, the bond practically erases any possibility to have secrets, huh?”
“I don’t know. I guess I could try and ignore your feelings, but it goes the other way too, right?”
“I want to ask you something, but I’m worried you’ll refuse.”
Jeremy propped himself up on his elbow and looked down. “Come on, spill it. You won’t know unless you ask.”
“I know we’ve known each other for only a week, but I wanted to ask you to come and live here. You can have a suite for yourself if you want, I’d just feel better if—”
Jeremy silenced his mate with a kiss. “I know, it’s crazy that I already feel so deeply for you, but there’s nothing tying me to my house. I’d also feel better knowing Adam is always surrounded and protected, even if I’m not there, so yeah, I’ll come and live here. I don’t need another suite, though. If you want me, I’d like to live here with you.”
Jeremy had to laugh at the enthusiastic way in which Denver nodded. “Okay then. We’ll box everything next weekend.”
* * * *
They were adjusting to their new lives. Jeremy and Adam had been living at the mansion with Denver for a little over a week now, and it still made Denver’s heart beat faster when the little one called him dad. He would never have thought he would have children one day, but he loved it. They were so much easier to be with than adults were. They didn’t judge, they didn’t want anything but love and care. Denver was already used to waking up to Adam’s small hands patting his chest because he wanted breakfast and to the wet kisses he got before bedtime.
Right now Denver was sitting on the floor with Adam and Melissa, a four-year-old lynx shifter. The two were playing with their construction blocks, and Denver was waiting for Jamie to come back from work and take over watching duty so that he could go help Jeremy pack his things. He would never admit that he was actually having fun. And he hoped like hell that no one saw him as he built a tower higher than Adam with the kid.
Just the thought of his lover made him think back to last night. Things between them were hot, but they hadn’t had sex yet. Denver wanted to give his man all the time he needed, even if there wasn’t anything he wanted more than sinking into the tight heat he had felt contracting around his fingers a time or two. They were getting to it, though, and it was actually a turn on knowing that he would have to wait. It’s not like they were abstinent anyway.
Denver’s phone rung and he smiled when he saw it was Jeremy. “Hey.”
“Hey! Guess what?”
Denver loved it when Jeremy was so excited. It made him look and sound younger than his thirty-one years. “Don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?” He reached over and extracted a yellow block from Adam’s mouth while he waited for the answer.
“Andrew called. He talked with Deborah’s lawyer.”
Denver’s heart beat a little faster. “Are you going to tell me or are you going to make me beg?” He could tell from his lover’s tone that everything was fine, so he wasn’t worried, but he was curious.
“He said that she has no rights over Adam and that even her lawyer knew it. It seemed that he actually told her so when she went and talked to him and that he refused to help her on this, so she came talk to me on her own. Anyways, Adam is sticking with us!”
“That’s great. We’ll celebrate tonight, okay?” Jamie entered the room in that moment and Denver scrambled to his feet, trying to put some distance between the blocks and himself. He didn’t succeed in hiding his love for the toys, though, because Jamie laughed. “I have to go. Jamie just arrived, so I’ll be there in thirty minutes, I think.”
Denver hung up and reached for Adam. The sweetheart immediately climbed in his arms for a cuddle. “Hey little guy, I’m going to go and help daddy now, okay?”
“Can I come, dad?”
“Not this time. You’ll stay with Uncle Jamie, okay?”
“Yay!” Adam sprang up from Denver’s arm and ran to Jamie, latching on his leg as he tried to convince him to come and play with him. Denver noticed that Keenan was there too, his mouth hanging open as he stared at him. Getting up, he neared the human and pushed his mouth close with his finger.
“Did he just call you dad?”
“Yeah,” Denver grunted. “So?”
Keenan waved his hand. “Nothing, it was just a surprise. I know that Jeremy is moving in, but it’s been only what? Two weeks?”
“So? What should I do, tell him not to call me that for a while?”
Keenan slapped him on the chest. “Hey, stop being grumpy! I wasn’t trying to say anything. I just thought that you look cute with a kid, even if I would never have thought.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.”
“Can I call you dad, too?” Keenan asked, batting his eyelash, his hands clasped in front of him.
“That would be creepy.”
“Yeah, you’re right. That means I have to come up with another nickname for you.”
Denver groaned. Knowing Keenan, he just knew the man was going to call him honey-bun or snuggle-bunny, or even worse, baby-cakes. He hurried out of the room but Dominic stopped him before he could get to the door.
“I need to talk to you. Mind coming to the kitchen?” Denver nodded and followed. He owed it to his Alpha for everything he had done for him, and it was the reason he had been asked to come here after all.
He was surprised to see two other people sitting at the kitchen table. Sebastian he already knew, even if not well. The lion had pretty much stayed on his own during the months in which Denver had been living in the mansion.
The other man he had never seen, but he knew who it was. Everyone knew about Oliver. The man was thin, so thin Denver could clearly see the bones protruding. It was clear he was malnourished, but he was sipping on what looked like chicken broth, and he was clean. Denver sat down with the three men, clapping Sebastian’s shoulder as he went.
“All right. Denver, this is Oliver. I think I already told you about what happened to him, right?”
“Yeah. That’s why you asked me to come and live here.” He knew about the experiments and the way Oliver’s DNA had been spliced and modified with bear shifter DNA, and what it meant for the man.
“We think we found the man who is responsible for it, a certain doctor Adrian Landreth. I know you’re trained to do this, so I want you to look for him and locate him. You might want to talk to Isaiah about it, he could help. Anyway, I want you to find him and bring him here. You decide who you want on your team and when you want to go, but it has to be soon, very soon.”
Denver nodded, already thinking about what he could do to find the man.
“I’m getting worse,” a soft voice cut into his thoughts. He looked up at Oliver, who was watching him with sad, brown eyes. “It’s not only the bear thing now. I can’t seem to keep anything I eat in, I can’t sleep, and I feel pain, always.” He rubbed his hand on hi
s sternum while Sebastian delicately took his other one, as if he was afraid to break him. It might not be a remote possibility with how fragile Oliver looked. “Sebastian is my mate, and I want to get better for him. Please, find that man.”
Denver could see the affection between the two men, and he knew that they would do it for him if their situation was reversed. Besides, it was his job to protect the pride and its members, but even more, he was starting to feel that these people were his family, all of them, and he would do anything he could to help family. “I’ll find him.”
Leaving them, Denver called Jeremy back and explained what had happened, telling him that he’ll be a little later than originally planned. He needed to talk to Isaiah and see what they had on the guy, then start searching for him.
The computer geek handed him a file with the doctor’s name written on it.
“So, we know he works in the Glass Research Company’s main labs in New York. He has a brother but we don’t know where the man is right now. We do know that he is Adrian’s only family, plus Adrian’s home address and his general schedule.” Basically, they knew where the guy would be and when he would be there, so why on earth had Dominic asked him to find the doc?
“Were you the one who found out all of this?”
“Yeah, I had to hack into the company’s database, but once I found out the man’s address, it was easy to find the rest, especially in a city like New York. You know all those cameras and stuff.”
Yeah, finding and bringing the guy back was going to be a piece of cake.
Chapter Five
Jeremy was humming along with the stereo. The boxes were nearly all full and he was waiting for Denver and another few pride members to arrive and take them back to the mansion. The furniture would be sold and he would put away the money for Adam, even if Dominic had told him that he would gladly help. The Alpha had also asked him to consider working for the pride. From what Jeremy had gathered, Dominic took care of the pride’s money for now, but he also had other things to do and he wanted to find someone to do it for him, but since it had to be someone who knew about shifters and was trust worthy, he had had a hard time before Jeremy arrived.
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