by Lisa Oliver
“Darwin, I….” Simon’s words failed him, but Darwin seemed to understand. Simon’s cock was encircled in the lightest of grips and he moaned as his body shivered.
“You need to be inside me,” Darwin stepped so close they shared air. “Your snake needs to be inside of me, dominating me, loving on me. It’s the only way you’ll know I’m safe and not going anywhere.”
“I do. Love. Care. I do.” Now he wasn’t making sense even to himself, but when Darwin dropped to his knees among the soap and steam, one thing was crystal clear. He was going to get his cock sucked and Simon groaned just thinking about it.
The first swipe of a tongue across his cockhead had Simon leaning both hands on the tiles. If he didn’t, he would’ve grabbed Darwin’s head and fucked his throat. After going through what felt like weeks of sexual torture, when his logical mind told him it was a matter of days, Simon’s cock was trigger happy. There was no way to stop it. Not when Darwin swallowed his length inch by inch with seemingly no gag reflex. That moist heat. The play of his tongue sliding against his veins. A gentle nibble…right there….
“Fuck.” Simon roared as his butt tightened and his balls released; embarrassment tinging his afterglow. He’d never come so fast, but Darwin didn’t seem bothered; gently sucking, keeping Simon hard until he slurped off with a loud pop.
“I’m clean enough. Want to fuck me now?”
Had Simon ever seen anything so sinfully sexy? He didn’t think so, but the image of Darwin resting on his knees, his lips swollen, his hand gently caressing his own substantial length would imprint on his memory for ever.
“I’ll make love to you,” he growled. “And believe me, you’ll know the difference when I’m done.”
~~~~/
Darwin had no words. His usual snark swept away by the intensity of Simon’s eyes, the harshness of his tone and the commanding way he turned Darwin’s body to jelly with a mere touch. He should have been feeling smug; Simon’s balls emptied faster than a firework but he didn’t have the brain power to think of anything but his desire to feel Simon inside of him. Covering him. Pounding into him. Darwin groaned, his feet swept from under him as Simon carried him through to the bed.
“Please.” He didn’t know what he was asking for; his body trembled with the need to be touched. And Simon could do that. Lying over his body, his mate’s bulk covered so much of him Darwin could barely breathe. And yet it wasn’t enough. “Don’t play with me,” he pleaded, “not this time.”
Maybe Simon’s need was as great as his. Maybe the overwhelming urge for sex ingrained in mates from the moment they met was just as strong in Simon as it was in him. All Darwin knew was if Simon didn’t shove something inside him soon he was going to blow a gasket. “Tell me you have lube,” he continued when Simon stayed motionless above him.
The word lube seemed to do the trick. Simon flung out an arm, reaching under the pillows, that tiny smile Darwin was coming to love tugging at his lips as he found it. “Great. Now if you get up, I can….”
“No. I’ll get up, but I want to see you.”
Okay. Darwin was no virgin by any stretch of the imagination, but facing someone? He quickly got the idea when Simon grabbed a couple of pillows and stuffed them under his butt. His legs didn’t need any persuasion to fall open and any embarrassment thoughts Darwin might have had flew out of the window as he felt the squidgy sensation of a tongue lathing his hole. Oh, that feels good enough to be illegal.
Closing his eyes, Darwin sank into the sensations; heat flooding his body as Simon worked him like a pro. Hands hard enough to leave bruises holding his thighs apart, facial hair tickling his body parts not usually connected with faces as Simon licked him like his favorite treat. It was all too much and not enough and with his leaking cock tap dancing on his abs, Darwin growled his frustration.
“Just fuck me already.” He flung his legs up, catching his calves with his hands.
“Bossy.” Simon sat up and took the top off the lube.
“It’s been days!” Simon’s arched eyebrow was enough to remind Darwin maybe some of the delay in their mating was his fault. Hell, all of it. But any thought of apology died on his tongue as broad digits eased their way inside his tight hole. He let out a long groan. He’d had a long dry spell. Thank the Fates Simon was finally getting with the program.
Successive fingers followed quickly. Pinned as he was, with his back pushing into the mattress, Darwin couldn’t arch, thrust back or do anything to hurry things along. Or can I? “I’ve been thinking of your big cock pounding inside me for days,” he muttered, knowing full well Simon could hear him.
“Thinking about the way your strong body would cover mine. The strength of your hips and the way your butt would flex as you plunged inside of me. Hmmm….” Was the long hum too much? Too fake porny? It might have been but Simon’s movements took on a sense of urgency and Darwin groaned again when the fingers were removed from his ass.
Don’t beg. Wait for it. Yes! The unmistakable nudge of Simon’s cockhead pushing at his entrance caused Darwin to breathe out long and hard, forcing his body to relax. There was no sting, but his body wasn’t used to accommodating anything quite so big and Darwin felt dizzy from lack of oxygen by the time Simon was seated. His eyes widened as Simon dropped over him, the hint of his fangs peeking from his lips. There was no warning; nothing changed in Simon’s expression but suddenly Darwin was grateful for Simon’s forearms bracketing his head. He needed something to hang onto or his head would be pounding the headboard from the deep thrusting rhythm Simon employed.
Slapping skin, hot skin. Darwin’s whole body was flushed. But it wasn’t the heat that flustered him, or the way his body opened up and just begged Simon to take him. It was the scent. Simon’s scent of leather and citrus – filling his nostrils, calling to his soul and in that moment Darwin cursed the fact he’d ever thought he could walk away from someone so perfect for him.
And Simon was perfect. Pegging his hot spot, filling the aching loneliness Darwin lived with for more than half his life. Sweat trickled down his face as Darwin tried frantically to get closer. His teeth dropped; nothing as impressive as Simon’s of course, but he wanted to bite. He needed to bite and like the perfect mate he was, Simon understood his unspoken plea.
Leaning down, Simon breath brushed across his ear. “Do it.” That was enough for Darwin. Dropping his ankles, he rested his feet on Simon’s back, his arms wrapping themselves around Simon’s thick neck.
“My mate.” Darwin sank his teeth into Simon’s neck. He didn’t have a big bite but he could go deep. As he swallowed a mouthful of Simon’s essence, he shuddered when his cock exploded. Something clicked inside of him as Simon thrust hard one last time and a warmth coated Darwin’s insides. He fancied he saw their animal spirits; the mouse unafraid, curled in Simon’s coils as though he belonged there. And he did, just as Darwin knew he would follow Simon wherever he went. His home was in Simon’s arms and he didn’t want to ever leave.
Chapter Fourteen
“Morning, sleepy head. I thought I’d bring you breakfast.” Darwin’s cheery voice pierced Simon’s deep sleep and he struggled to sit up. A glance at the window showed the sun was high in the sky. He didn’t even notice Darwin leaving their bed. He managed a smile for his mate, as Darwin fussed around him, setting the tray over his legs and leaning in for a kiss.
“You okay?” Darwin looked worried. Simon immediately got an attack of the guilts. In the month since they’d been home, Darwin fitted in well with the others in the house; offering to do chores, spending time with the children. He was a ray of sunshine and light in Simon’s life and yet….
“I’m fine.” Simon stole another kiss and then looked down at his plate. “This smells delicious. Did you cook it?”
Darwin’s face was cute with a blush. “Brutus said if you couldn’t get your ass out of bed then you had to cook yourself. I didn’t think that was fair. You missed breakfast and the rest of the pack went to town for lunch. I didn
’t want you going hungry.”
“We’ve got the house to ourselves?” Simon’s cock hardened even as he groaned at the taste of bacon and eggs. The eggs were light and fluffy, seasoned with black pepper. The bacon was crispy; the salt blending with the other flavors on his tongue. He couldn’t work it out. He was… “more” and yeah, that didn’t make sense even in his head. He was hungrier, slept more and his desire for Darwin was off the charts.
“Is it something I’ve done?”
Simon nearly choked on his bacon. “What do you mean? Everything’s perfect.” Grabbing the last piece of bacon, Simon shoved it in his mouth before tossing the tray aside, and pulling Darwin into its place.
“It’s not and you know it.” Darwin pushed himself back, his hands hot on Simon’s bare chest. “Brutus said this morning he thought you were brumating but Rocky said that wasn’t possible because it’s been like eighty-five degrees all week. I had to look it up,” he added, clearly upset, but Simon wasn’t sure why.
“I would’ve told you anything you wanted to know. I rarely brumate because it’s always so hot around here.”
“Then why? Why are you napping in the middle of the day? You’re starving one minute and can barely face food the next. Your mood’s been all over the place. You’re sorry you got stuck with me, aren’t you?” Darwin leaped off the bed and started pacing the floor. Simon was too stunned to move.
“You don’t have to say anything. I know you’re suffering from depression. My mom was just the same.” Simon started at the mention of Darwin’s family. It was a topic Darwin wouldn’t be drawn on. He wanted to ask more, but his mate was on a roll. “She went through exactly the same thing and it was all because of my dad. Asshole.” Simon hoped the curse was aimed at Darwin’s dad.
“I don’t want to make you sick.” Darwin fell to the floor, his face in his hands, his shoulder’s shaking. “I’m doing the best I can to fit in. Tell me what I can do to make this right.”
“Hon, it’s not….”
“Argh no! Don’t give me the ‘it’s not you’ speech please. I told you before we claimed each other I wasn’t good enough for you. But you insisted. I thought we cared about each other. I’ve got real feelings for you. What do you expect me to do now?”
“Come to bed?” Simon wasn’t hopeful but a heavy petting session would take the look of devastation off Darwin’s face.
“It’s the middle of the day! So, you can just roll over and go to sleep again afterwards? A mating isn’t just based on sex. We talked about this, remember?”
Simon did. And he really wanted to get to know more about his mate. But if he asked about family, Darwin cut him off or diverted his attention to something sexy. He’d learned a few things about his mate, but…This isn’t Darwin’s fault and has nothing to do with the things he will or won’t talk about. This is all on you.
“Please come and sit next to me, mate,” Simon sighed. His genius IQ was no help when it came to matters of the heart; he needed an instruction manual. Darwin didn’t move and Simon knew he’d have to do better. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me but I promise it’s got nothing to do with you being in my life. I love having you here, waking up next to you every morning….”
“You’ve been sleeping till noon. I’ve usually been up for hours.”
“I love spending time with you when you are awake.” Simon winced. That was lame.
“Oh, do you?” Yep, Simon should have kept his mouth shut. “You didn’t want to go with me when I went job hunting. You said you had things to do and we’d go another day. I ended up helping Seth with the kids when he went to visit his mom and Liam told me you’d spent the afternoon sunning yourself on the back porch.”
Ouch. True.
“Then Ra and Seth invited us to go on a picnic with them and the little ones. Apparently, Trent wanted you to help with a car in the garage and you told me to go to the picnic by myself. Then there was the time when Liam and Lucien asked us to go out….”
“I get it, I get it.” Simon rubbed his head. “I’m sorry, okay? It’s just, I don’t want you in town. I remember you saying about how predatory shifters gave you a hard time in other places you’ve lived and I was scared if it happened here then you’d take off on me.”
“You should’ve spent more time awake then,” Darwin snapped. “Mal gave me a lift to town this morning and I got a job. I’m going to be a barman at Cam’s. I start tonight.”
“What? Why would you?” A wave of tiredness hit him and Simon struggled to hear what his mate was saying.
“…bored. I’m used to working. I’m used to keeping busy every day. You spend so much time sleeping and when you’re awake, you clearly don’t want me around. No one will let me contribute anything around here and they’ve all got their own lives. So, I got a job.”
Simon closed his eyes. He could imagine it now. Cam’s was a nice enough place for a shifter bar. Every type of animal from rabbit to Texas Longhorn frequented the place along with witches, vampires and a whole bunch of hybrids. Cam had an open door policy and welcomed anyone provided they didn’t cause trouble. Fuck. Darwin will be eaten alive in that place and not because he’s a mouse.
“Darwin, I….”
“Forget it. Forget I ever tried to talk to you.” Darwin was already at the door. “I didn’t want to come here. I only moved here because of you. Now you can’t even be bothered spending time with me. I’m going for a run. Outside. Warn your friends when they get home, if you don’t mind. I don’t want them treading on me.” The door slammed and Simon winced. His head was pounding, yet his limbs could barely move. He didn’t smell sick. Shifters didn’t get sick. So why the hell aren’t I running out the door chasing my mate and making him feel better?
Simon could. He even got out of the bed, making sure not to step on the plates. His eyes prickled with tears as they took in the remains of breakfast. My mate cooked for me. I didn’t even say thank you. What the fuck is wrong with me?
Deciding his time was better spent trying to work out why he was feeling like shit, Simon got dressed and went downstairs to his office. The house was silent; something that didn’t happen very often. Usually someone had music playing, Mal and Rocky would be arguing over games in the living room. Ra would be on the rug playing with his kids, while Seth napped on the couch. Brutus could be usually found in the kitchen, teasing Liam with sweet snacks, or chatting quietly with Lucien who seemed to prefer the kitchen to his own room.
Simon didn’t realize how much he missed the noise until it wasn’t there. Before Darwin, he used to spend half his time in his workshop, tinkering with the bikes or cars, making sure they were safe. Other times he’d sit in his office, taking notes and researching. He was the only lawyer in town and while shifters didn’t need them very often, he dealt with contracts, home buyers and the occasional custody dispute. I haven’t even looked at my email since I brought Darwin home. Rubbing his chest, Simon booted up his computer.
Ignoring his email program that let him know he had five hundred and thirty-four unread messages, he quickly brought up the shifter version of Google search. He thought for a minute and then typed Snake shifters, illnesses. Now he was mated, upsetting his mate wasn’t making his mood any better and as he started scanning and discarding the hundreds of links provided, Simon prayed he found an answer to his malaise soon. Otherwise he was going to lose his mate as well and as far as Simon was concerned, if that happened he might as well be dead. I will make it up to you honey, he thought as he clicked on a likely sounding link from the Shifter Council. Just as soon as I find out why my body has decided to go haywire and I can keep my eyes open for five minutes.
Chapter Fifteen
“That will be three dollars, fifty cents, thank you.” Darwin smiled his thanks as he pocketed the change offered as a tip, moving on to the next customer. Unlike other bars he’d worked at, Cam insisted any tips he got he took for himself. But as Darwin was the only one working the bar, it was a moot point anyway. The tips w
eren’t as good as when he was stripping, but Darwin was just thrilled he had something concrete to do.
Pouring a couple of beers for the sexy looking librarian who’d introduced himself as Barney, Darwin stretched out his back as yet another group of men piled in the door. Someone wolf whistled and Darwin grinned and threw a wink. Cam warned him once news spread of a new shifter in town, the gossips would all be in to have a look for themselves. Protected by the bar, confident his mating scar was clearly visible thanks to the white tank top he was wearing, Darwin could afford to be friendly without worrying if any of the larger predators in the room would try and take a chunk out of him. He didn’t know what type of shifter Cam was; the bigger man had an impressive presence about him and while Darwin had gotten more than his fair share of innuendo filled comments, Cam’s warning glare from his spot at the end of the bar stopped anything more than light flirting; something Darwin was used to handling.
“I’m surprised Simon isn’t here brooding in a corner somewhere,” Cam commented as he came over to help Darwin deal with the newcomers.
“He had things to do at home.” Darwin forced his smile as he handed a cocktail to yet another customer. “Rocky and Mal said they might be in later, but they’ve all been out most of the day and Rocky looked like he was ready for a nap.”
“Probably driven out by new mating hormones,” Cam laughed and slapped him on the back. “Ah, to be young and in love. You’re so lucky.”
Then why do I feel like there’s a knife in my heart? Darwin kept his grin in place as he gathered the empty glasses and took them out the back for washing. He’d expected to meet up with Simon’s snake when he went exploring in his mouse form. He was sure Simon would join them for dinner, but Rocky said he was in his office and would come out when he was ready. Darwin was almost late for his first shift, prolonging his shower and taking as long as possible to get dressed before heading to town. No Simon.