by Shea Malik
Nole had no idea what his mate meant until he heard fabric tearing as his mate reached for him. Then cool air brushed over his heated skin. Nole blinked up at his mate.
Did Edrick really just tear Nole’s clothes off?
Glancing down at his now naked body, Nole blinked again. Fuck, that was hot.
He was too turned on not to give into temptation. Nole dropped to his knees and took that impressive piece of flesh jutting out from Edrick’s body into his hand. Leaning in, he breathed deeply, loving his mate’s musky scent.
Giving the silky rod in his hand a couple of strokes, Nole smiled up at Edrick when he heard his mate groan. With his gaze locked with Edrick’s, he moved closer and licked the man’s thick vein from the base of his prick to the tip.
Desire burned like an inferno in Edrick’s blue eyes as he watched Nole take the spongy head into his mouth. “Fuck, Nole. Your mouth was made to suck my cock.”
Considering how much Nole loved to do just that, he didn’t argue. In fact, he hoped he’d have plenty of opportunities to taste the man’s dick in the future. But first, he really wanted to feel this monster in his ass, claiming him.
Who would have thought Nole would be prepared to beg to have his mate claim him? He’d sworn to himself not to get involved with anyone ever again and risk being hurt once more. Yet, there he was, prepared to be tied to this man for the rest of his life. Which could be a long time, since shifters tended to live between five hundred to eight hundred years.
They may not know each other well, but Nole still couldn’t imagine lasting another day without belonging to Edrick. He just prayed his mate didn’t tromp his heart into the ground.
Hands gripped his hair, as Edrick tugged for Nole to release his dick. “As much as I love your mouth on my cock, my little mouse, I really want to fuck that tight ass of yours and claim you as mine.”
Nole froze for a moment. He may want exactly the same thing, but the fear that Edrick wouldn’t give him a choice had him second guessing himself. “That is if you’re ready for us to belong to each other.”
Just like that, Nole’s heart melted. It had only taken a few words, yet Edrick had managed to settle any reservations Nole still had by ensuring they were mates, partners, instead of Edrick being the alpha and Nole his bitch.
Rising to his feet, Nole stood on his tiptoes and kissed Edrick’s lips. “I would love nothing more than to claim each other.”
Firm lips once more descended on Nole as Edrick pulled their bodies flush together. Their tongues twined, and hands touched every inch of skin they could reach. It was so hot, Nole was sure it could have burned him alive. But what a way to go.
CHAPTER 10
Need slammed into Edrick like a punch to the gut. Between having to watch his mate walk away from him, and him almost dying, Edrick’s cat was skimming the surface, clawing to claim Nole. At the same time, Edrick refused to rush this.
He may have only just met Nole, but it felt like he’d been waiting for this moment his whole life and the last thing he was willing to do was hurry. Edrick wanted to savor every touch, every taste, and every sound. There would never be another first with his mate and Edrick wasn’t about to ruin it with a fast, hard rutting, no matter how much his body demanded he do just that.
With a herculean effort, Edrick slowed the kiss from a mashing of teeth to a slow sensuous slide of tongues. He relaxed the hard grip he had on Nole’s waist, letting the smooth silkiness of Nole’s skin tantalize his fingers. One hand trailed from Nole’s waist down to grab ahold of that pert ass that Edrick was dying to sink into. His other hand traced over each knob of his spine.
Silky.
Groaning into the kiss, Edrick lost himself in his mate’s arms. Sex had always been good, but this, just touching and kissing, was so much better than anything he’d ever experienced. His slice of heaven right here on earth.
Nole met him halfway. Neither one controlled the kiss. It was a give and take. Tongues twining before dipping into the other’s mouth for a taste.
A growl ripped through him when Nole sucked on his tongue. He was already on edge after having that sweet mouth on his dick. That was even truer as he felt his mate’s hands on his body.
Each stroke of those fingers along his skin set off sparks that raced along Edrick’s nerve endings and settled right into his balls, making them churn in their sac. He wasn’t going to last long, not with his sexy mate able to turn him inside out with nothing more than a touch.
Twin groans of bliss exploded from them as their cocks aligned. As if they had a mind of their own, both of their hips started thrusting into each other. The slide of Nole’s steely flesh along his had Edrick’s eyes rolling into the back of his head.
Too much pleasure zipped through him, setting his senses on overload. At the same time, he wanted more. Breaking the kiss, Edrick preened a bit at hearing Nole’s whimper of dismay at the loss of his lips. But Edrick was too determined to taste every inch of his mate, not to mention he hoped to drive his mate out of his everloving mind.
The feline in Edrick was clawing to rub his scent all over Nole. Something Edrick had no issues with as it meant feeling Nole’s silky smooth skin sliding over his. With the way Nole was writhing in his arms, Edrick didn’t have to wonder if his mate felt that same need.
Edrick edged his fingers along Nole’s crack, zeroing in on that tight pucker that he couldn’t wait to sink into.
Lube.
No matter how much he may want in Nole’s tight body, he wasn’t about to hurt his mate by fucking him dry. Edrick did his best to glance around the sparse room for any sign of something he could use as lube without stopping his path of licking and nipping down Nole’s slender neck. His mate’s skin was just too sweet to give up, even if it meant finding lube.
“Is there lube around?” he murmured against warm skin that drew him in for a taste like the sweetest of honey.
Suddenly Nole was gone, rushing across the room to a small black bag against the wall. The rasp of a zipper being ripped open and a small curse as things came flying out of the bag as Nole frantically searched for what Edrick assumed was lube, had him smiling that his mate was as needy as he was.
Nole gave a cry of triumph as he held up a tube. Edrick’s heart skipped a beat as he gazed at his mate’s sheer look of joy. Never in his life had he ever seen anything so beautiful.
“What?” Nole asked. Doubt crept into those beautiful chocolate brown eyes.
Edrick didn’t even hesitate to answer. “You’re breathtaking.”
There was a moment of uncertainty, but then Nole’s lips tilted upward in a shy smile. It was so endearing, Edrick found it impossible not to stride over to where his mate still stood by his bag and kiss those lush lips.
The sweetness he tasted had him pushing deeper inside for more, lapping along the recesses of his mate’s mouth. He wasn’t sure how he was ever going to resist kissing his mate every moment of every day when he tasted so fucking amazing.
Even as he delved deeper, a tube was pushed into his hand. Not needing any more encouragement than that, Edrick quickly opened the cap and poured the slick substance onto his fingers. Circling his mate’s pucker to loosen up the muscles, Edrick then pushed the tip of one digit inside and nearly lost his mind.
Tight heat encircled his finger. His cock throbbed at the thought of being wrapped up in his mate’s vise-like grip. Breaking the kiss, Edrick dropped his head onto Nole’s shoulder as he tried to gain a modicum of control over the orgasm threatening to tear through him.
His other hand dug into Nole’s hip, most likely leaving bruises behind, but Edrick just couldn’t help it. The most intense pleasure licked along his nerve endings until he was sure he was going to go up in flames. Harsh breaths left his lungs as he struggled against the need to bend Nole over and fuck his mate senseless.
It took far longer than he would have thought considering he only had the tip of his finger inside his mate’s snug channel to gain the control he needed. When Edrick was fairl
y certain he wasn’t going to embarrass himself by coming before he buried himself in his mate, Edrick started once more to open his mate up.
“Fuck, my little mouse,” Edrick murmured against Nole’s shoulder. “You are going to feel so good wrapped around my cock.” As he slid in a second finger, Edrick licked a path along the spot where he planned to claim his sexy mate. “I’m going to look forward to making you scream my name.”
Nole moaned and tilted his head to give Edrick better access. “If you don’t get that fat dick inside of me soon, I’ll be screaming your name for a whole different reason,” Nole threatened. “Now hurry the hell up and shove that monster inside of me.”
Chuckling at his mate’s demands, Edrick nipped Nole’s shoulder. “Patience, my little mouse. I’m not about to rush this any more than I have to.”
Although, Edrick did push a third finger alongside the other two to hurry things up a bit. He might want to enjoy his mating, but that didn’t mean he had an endless amount of patience.
Teeth clamped down on the skin where his shoulder and neck met. Edrick’s head dropped back onto his shoulders, and a drawn-out moan of pure bliss left his lips from the slight sting. “Damn,” he groaned out, his cock throbbing in need.
His mate’s mouth on him was too much and not enough all at once. Edrick needed to be buried inside his mate, like now.
Tugging his fingers free, he slid his arms around Nole’s waist and lifted him off the ground. Instantly, Nole wrapped his strong legs around Edrick’s waist and started kissing a path from his neck to his chest.
Edrick nearly dropped his mate when he felt Nole bite down on his nipple. “Fuck,” he cried out as he tumbled them both down onto the mattress that was on the floor. “I hope you’re ready because I’m not sure I can wait a moment longer.” It was the only warning he gave Nole before lifting his mate’s hips, lining up his cock, and plunging deep.
Twin groans rang out around them.
Heaven.
It was the only word to describe just how good it felt to finally be with his mate.
CHAPTER 11
The intense burn of being stretched to capacity was the only thing holding Nole’s orgasm from consuming him. He was right there, on the edge, ready to go careening over the cliff. He just needed one more push.
At the same time, he wasn’t ready to lose this intense connection he felt with Edrick. It was overwhelming, and still, the immense need for more prevailed. Nole wouldn’t deny being afraid of the powerful emotions he felt for this man who was giving him untold pleasure. It was scary to know that he could feel so much, so quickly, for one person.
As much as his initial reaction was to run, to keep himself safe from the possibility of being hurt, Nole wasn’t about to go anywhere. He’d run once and learned his lesson. Even if the men that his former alpha had sent after him hadn’t chased him, Nole would have found himself returning to Edrick. The pull was just too strong to deny.
Right here. In Edrick’s arms. This was where he belonged.
With each push and pull of Edrick’s thick cock inside of his channel, Nole soared even higher. He’d always enjoyed sex. Hell. Who was he kidding? Nole loved sex. But this? This was so much more than just sex. It was as if he could see the link that connected them strengthening, forming an unbreakable bond.
“Do you feel that?” Edrick said as he continued to master Nole’s body as if it were made just for him. In a way, he supposed it had been. They had been created for each other, after all.
Words were beyond him at the moment, so Nole nodded. His body writhed under Edrick’s, silently begging to find the completion he’d been striving for, yet couldn’t quite reach.
Needing to complete the connection that had been forming between them, Nole leaned up and sank his canines into Edrick’s shoulder.
“Fuck,” Edrick cried out as Nole drank deeply.
A band snapped into place, one that could never be broken, yet there was still another tether that hadn’t sealed into place. Licking the spot where he’d bitten to let it heal, Nole leaned back onto the pillow and stared right into dark blue eyes that had nearly gone black as his pupils grew larger with passion.
“You are mine,” Edrick snarled before striking.
An instant of pain had Nole opening his mouth to cry out but before the sound could be made it morphed into pleasure as bliss swamped through him and their mating locked into place. Everything happened at once, leaving Nole’s mind reeling.
The tingling at the base of his spine shot into his balls, causing them to pull up tight and unload their contents in jets of pearly white seed out of the tip of his cock. Each pull of Edrick’s mouth on his shoulder caused more cum to spurt from him, even as he felt Edrick’s seed filling him. Nole was drained and floating.
But it was the wave of tenderness and fierce possessiveness that he felt from his mate that sent him soaring into the stratosphere. Nole had never known anyone to care for him so deeply. It left him breathless in its intensity. If he ever doubted his mate before, Nole couldn’t any longer. Not when he could feel his mate’s feelings for him like a warm blanket surrounding him, protecting him, loving him.
Exhausted, Nole let Edrick maneuver them, so he was half lying on top of his mate as Edrick’s arms encircled him protectively. When Edrick started purring, peace settled over Nole. Not even as a kid had Nole experienced this kind of sheer happiness.
“I don’t want you to take this the wrong way because I’m immensely happy you stayed and took care of me, but, why did you?” Edrick asked even as he held Nole tighter as if afraid Nole might take offense and leave.
But he couldn’t blame his mate for the question. Nole had walked away once already. It wouldn’t be a leap to think he’d do so again once the opportunity presented itself. Edrick had no way of knowing that Nole had already started questioning his reasons for leaving.
“Honestly?” It was something Nole was having a hard time facing. He might have come to the realization that he shouldn’t have left Edrick, but that was a far cry from dealing with the reality of why he wanted to return.
Fingers brushed through his hair before tracing a soothing path down his spine. “I would prefer honesty between us.” The quietness in Edrick’s voice didn’t hide the steely resolve of his words. “We’re mates. I know you felt the connection. So, yes, I expect us to be honest with each other.”
Nole felt his defenses going up at the order in Edrick’s tone. He didn’t want to fight, not after just mating Edrick, but if his mate thought Nole would just blindly obey, he might as well discover now that wasn’t going to happen.
“Wait,” Edrick said as Nole started to sit up to tell his mate what he could do with his edicts. “I didn’t mean that to come out like that.”
His mate gave a heavy sigh, and Nole rose anyway so he could look into those deep blue eyes. “I get it. You’re an alpha, and as such, you tend to give orders and expect them to be followed. But I’m your mate, not your slave.”
One of Edrick’s large hands came up to cup his face and Nole didn’t even hesitate to lean into the touch. “I know that.” Then his mate chuckled. “Plus, I don’t think you were ever good at obeying orders.”
“You can say that again,” Nole mumbled with a smile. It was good to know that even though they hadn’t known each other long, Edrick had been paying enough attention to realize that Nole had his own mind.
Suddenly, he was pulled down until his lips were against his mate’s in a hard kiss. Next thing he knew, he was flipped onto his back with Edrick leaning over him. “I can’t promise not to issue orders when we both know it’s going to happen.”
When Nole opened his mouth to tell his mate what he thought of that, Edrick silenced him by placing a finger over his lips. “But,” Edrick said, “I promise you have permission to ignore my orders unless it comes to your safety or that of our pack.”
Nole wasn’t so sure about that. It might sound reasonable, but he could take care of himself just fine. Still
, he knew what Edrick meant, and Nole had no reason not to agree. “Just so long as you understand that I can take care of myself, so no thinking I’m going to hide while you protect me.”
There was a struggle in those dark blue eyes, but eventually, Edrick nodded. “Agreed.”
Happy to have gotten that concession, Nole didn’t complain as Edrick once more maneuvered him, so he was lying across his mate’s chest. He should have known Edrick wouldn’t let the initial conversation drop.
“You didn’t answer my question, by the way.”
Nole tried to play dumb to his mate’s statement. “What question?”
A light smack on his ass told him Edrick wasn’t buying it. “Why did you stay and take care of me instead of running?”
Nole wasn’t sure he was ready to answer that question, but if he planned on making a life with his mate, it was time for him to be honest with not only Edrick but himself.
“I am one of sixteen children. Twelve of them are half brothers and sisters, as my father didn’t believe in fidelity.” Something Nole hated, especially as he’d had to hear his mother crying herself to sleep so many nights.
Strong arms hugged him tighter. “But mates can’t cheat.”
What his mate said was supposedly true, but then again, Nole wouldn’t know, for he didn’t know any true mates. “They aren’t mates. Alpha Abdiel arranged all the marriages in our colony. You either married who he told you to, or you were banished, assuming he let you live.”
“But how was that possible? The shifter council wouldn’t have allowed that.”
Nole snorted at his mate’s incorrect assumption. “They didn’t give a shit about a colony of mice shifters. As far as they were concerned, we didn’t exist.”
“What about you? How did you escape having to marry?” Edrick asked.
“I didn’t.” His mate stiffened beneath Nole. “No, I’m not married,” he assured his mate. “When the alpha tried to force my hand, I reminded him that I was currently the only doctor in the colony, not to mention his doctor, and if he forced me to marry, I would make sure to poison him so his dick would shrivel up to the size of a peanut.”