by Toni Griffin
They ate, drank juice from wine glasses, and got to know each other. Archie had never laughed so hard in his life as he did when Adze told him about some of the shenanigans he and his pack had gotten up to over the years.
"How about a game of noughts and crosses?" Archie asked.
"Would love to."
They pulled out the large white wooden board with the hand size pieces. After a half-dozen games, which Archie somehow always managed to get his ass handed to him, they changed games.
"I swear you cheated!" Archie pouted, earning himself a laugh.
"How do you cheat at noughts and crosses?" Adze asked, amusement lacing his voice.
"I don't know, but you managed it."
They pulled a ring toss game out of the basket next and set it up in the sun.
Archie was no better at that than he was the last game. Archie threw the ring once again and got it marginally closer to the little wooden pole. Adze clapped and cheered him on. "You've got this."
"That's easy for you to say, you got five of your last six," Archie pouted playfully.
Adze shrugged and clapped again. "Come on, I know you can do this."
Archie didn't know that. He'd never been great at these kinds of games, he'd never really cared before. But now, with Adze watching him so intently, Archie wanted to show Adze he wasn't a complete loser at this game.
He had two rings left. Archie lined up as best he could and threw the ring. It went high and wide. Adze who was standing behind the little wooden post reached up to his right snatched the ring from the air and dropped it down onto the pole faster than Archie could have thought possible.
Archie stood there, his mouth hanging open for a few seconds before he burst out laughing.
"Totally counts," Adze said, a wicked grin curling his lips.
"You big fat cheater!" Archie called.
"I don't know what you're talking about." Adze winked at him.
"You know, usually when someone cheats it's to further their own game, not their opponents," Archie stated. He was having so much fun with Adze. Why had it never felt like this with anyone else?
"No cheating, see, my hands are clean," Adze called as he waved his hands in the air in front of him, fingers spread.
Archie shook his head at the idiot. He'd take the point, it was his one and only at the moment.
"One more, you got this," Adze called.
Archie lifted the ring up till it was nearly even with his face then whispered, "Please don't totally embarrass me in front of this man that I may be falling for. Thanks, appreciate it."
Then Archie took a deep breath and let the ring fly.
To his utter amazement, it flew low and true and hooked around the top of the wooden pole. Archie stood there dumbfounded as he watched the ring twirl round and round the pole to eventually drop to the base.
Archie whooped in victory, threw his hands in the air and jumped around like a complete idiot. Before he knew what was happening strong arms wrapped around him and he was lifted off his feet and was being swung around in circles. Archie cried out in laughter, as his legs flicked out behind him. Adze's deep throaty chuckle sent shivers down his spine.
"I knew you had it in you," Adze whispered as he slowed the circles then placed Archie back on his feet.
Archie flushed from being pressed up close to Adze. He lifted his gaze and couldn't help but gasp at the heat he saw in Adze's expression. Adze's eyes darkened momentarily. Archie thought he could practically see the fight going on inside the man before him.
"I can't remember the last time I've had so much fun," Archie whispered.
"Me either." Adze's voice was low and sexy as hell.
Slowly, Adze's arms loosened from around him, and they made their way back to the picnic blanket, Archie collapsed on the pillows his body thrumming after their little encounter.
"I give up. You win!" Archie said in exaggerated defeat, trying to ignore the heat simmering under his skin.
"Awesome, does that mean I get to claim my prize now?" Adze asked.
Archie eyed him suspiciously. "And just what exactly is your prize?"
Adze picked up a plump strawberry and leaned over until he was right beside Archie. Archie shuddered, he couldn't help it, he could once again feel Adze's body heat along his entire length. Every little look and touch were designed to chip away at the walls around his heart. Archie wasn't sure how much more he could handle.
Adze placed the strawberry to Archie's lips, gently rubbing it back and forth until Archie opened and wrapped his lips around the bright red fruit. If he happened to catch Adze's fingers as well, that wasn't his fault.
Adze moaned at the same time Archie did.
When he noticed the heat in Adze's eyes, Archie struggled to swallow his mouthful.
He nearly choked when Adze leaned over him. Adze lined them up until he was nearly on top of Archie, then lowered his face until it was mere inches from Archie's. The flames that had been licking at his ankles all afternoon ignited in an overwhelming wave of desire. Archie's body hummed, needing to be touched.
"If you don't want this, tell me now," Adze whispered.
Archie remained silent, wanting Adze's kiss more than just about anything. His body taut with anticipation, his cock twitched in the confines of his jeans. Not wanting to wait a second longer Archie reached up and wrapped his hand around the back of Adze's neck and pulled the man down.
The static-electric spark as their lips touched almost had Archie pulling away. But Adze deepened the kiss and Archie gave into the feel of the other man. His fingers curled in the hair on the back of Adze's head, allowing him to hold the man close. Archie's body sung with giddy excitement and want.
A small throat clearing yanked them out of their impassioned kiss.
When Adze pulled back, Archie couldn't help the small whimper at the loss of contact. Archie had to blink a couple of times to get his eyes to focus. Adze was still lying next to him his face inches from Archie's.
"You have to let go of me Cor Coeunt."
Archie startled, a little embarrassed to realise his fingers were still curled in Adze's hair and holding on tightly.
"Ohh. Sorry," Archie replied as he hastily untangled his fingers.
"Never be sorry for wanting to hold me close," Adze whispered to him before giving him a quick peck on the lips then rolling off to the side and sitting up.
Archie placed his arms to the ground and leaned up on his elbows, elevating the top half of his body. He looked around until he saw who had interrupted him. It was the woman who had greeted them in the beginning.
"Looks like our time's up," Archie said.
"I'm so sorry to interrupt gentlemen, I hope you've had a pleasant afternoon," she said.
Archie looked at his watch and was surprised to see that it was coming up to three o'clock.
"It was wonderful. Thank you," Adze stated. "I'll certainly be recommending you to others."
"Thank you, sir, that's especially kind of you."
It took a couple of minutes to put their shoes back on.
"Would you like a hand packing up?" Archie asked, he didn't feel right just walking away and leaving everything to her.
"Oh no, Sir. Thank you, though. It's all part of the package. I have staff coming to help me." She pointed to a young man and woman who were just making their way over the grass to them.
"Thank you," Archie said. "For everything. Today was magical."
"I'm incredibly glad to hear that."
Adze took Archie's hand and together they walked through the gardens. Archie felt like he was floating on cloud nine. Adze kept his word and took Archie to see the miniature Tudor houses. They looked like houses you'd find down little British country lanes, with thatched roofs and white and black walls.
They took some time exploring the village, and not once did Adze let go of Archie's hand.
"You know, this is on my bucket list," Archie said quietly as they examined the little houses.
; "What? The Fitzroy Gardens?" Adze asked in confusion.
Archie laughed. "No, you idiot," he said amid chuckles. "Going to England. Driving down little country lanes, staying in a house just like this with the thatched roof and everything. I want to go at winter where the ground is covered with white snow, and I can snuggle up inside in front of a fire in a nest of blankets." Archie sighed. "Sorry, it's stupid."
Adze pulled him to a stop. He lifted Archie's chin gently until Archie met his gaze.
"It's not stupid at all. It sounds amazing,"
"Yeah?" Archie asked, his heart doing a little flip at the thought of Adze possibly being there curled up in front of a fire with him. It was just a silly pipe dream Archie had. Not something he ever really thought would come true.
"Yeah," Adze said, his voice low and thick. He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to Archie's lips. Before Archie could even think of taking the kiss, further Adze pulled back. "I promise, if you give me a chance, we'll go."
Adze stepped back, and they continued their walk through the gardens.
"How does that even work?" Archie asked sometime later, the question had been percolating in his mind since Adze had mentioned it.
"How does what work?" Adze asked confused.
"You, going on holiday, what with your job and all, it's not like you can really take time off."
Adze grinned at him. "It all depends."
"On what?" Archie asked.
"How long you want to go for."
"Explain please?" Archie asked.
"Well, if it's like a quick trip, say a week or two, the team can cope with just having five members. It's not ideal, but it's workable."
"What about if you want to take longer?"
"Well in that case what would happen is I'd have to contact the local hellhound pack in the region and see if anyone would like to swap places for the duration of the stay. It would be more a working vacation for both hounds, but it would allow me to stay in the area for anywhere up to a couple of months."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. It's a good way to check in on other packs and see how they're doing things. See if there's anything we could be doing better and vice versa."
"I can see that. It's always good to have a fresh set of eyes," Archie agreed, finding this all awfully fascinating. "Just how many hellhound packs are there in the world?"
Adze stopped for a moment and looked thoughtful at Archie's question before he replied. "There are several hundred packs scattered across the globe."
"That many?" Archie's eyes widened at the large number. "If there are that many, then why are you guys the only pack in Australia? Surely there should be more than one pack to keep the country safe, I mean it is a bloody big place after all."
Adze laughed before taking Archie's hand and continuing their walk through the gardens.
"Yes, this beautiful country we call home is enormous, and could almost justify two packs because of the sheer size of the place. However, land mass is not what justifies how many packs are required. That falls on population. And Australia has yet to even reach twenty-five million."
"Holy crap!" Archie gaped.
"What?"
Archie smiled. "I was just thinking about China and India."
Adze chuckled. "Yeah, over there there's a hound pack for just about every province."
"Do you think Australia will ever get a second pack?" Archie asked, wanting to learn as much as he could about this new world he found himself thrust into the middle of.
"That's hard to say. For the foreseeable future, I would have to say no, not unless Australia has a massive population spike in its cities."
"Why in the cities?" Archie asked.
"From experience, the creatures we hunt tend to like to stick to populated areas where they can go unnoticed for longer and cause the most mayhem. When you think about it, Australia, although massive, only has eight capital cities, and even then, Darwin and Hobart don't really count."
"I bet they get that all the time," Archie frowned feeling sorry for the two smallest cities.
Adze laughed. "I reckon so, but their populations are so small it's a once every couple of years occurrence, if that, that we get called to either of those places to help track down someone, whereas, Sydney and Melbourne, it's every other weekend."
"Okay, I can see that."
They lapsed into silence then as they continued their walk, Adze hand felt warm and comforting in Archie's.
Before Archie realised, they had walked their way around the entire gardens and found themselves back at the entrance and the bike.
Archie climbed right on the back, without any trouble this time, and curled up against Adze. The vibration of the bike starting went right through him to his balls. Adze took the long way home, the journey taking them a half hour as they drove through the streets of Melbourne. Archie wasn't about to complain. He was enjoying the experience of sitting pressed against Adze, his arms wrapped around the man's waist, far too much.
A first date never made Archie feel like this before. He'd also never dated a hellhound.
When the bike came to a stop, Archie was surprised to find them parked out the front of his building. He'd been lost in his thoughts and missed the entire ride back.
Reluctantly, Archie extracted himself from around Adze and climbed off the bike. He removed his helmet and handed it to Adze who was still straddling the bike, his own helmet having been removed and sitting on the petrol tank between Adze's powerful thighs.
Archie's mind immediately went to the gutter. He was bombarded with images of what those thighs would look like all naked and powerful. Archie caught his breath when an image of a naked Adze, his body covered in a light sheen of sweat, poised over Archie seconds before he was to bury himself balls deep in Archie's body hit him.
Adze growled, snapping Archie from his thoughts.
"I'd love to know what you were just thinking then." Adze inhaled deeply. "The scent of your arousal is positively intoxicating."
Archie's cheeks heated immediately as he recalled that last image. The sheer power that radiated from Adze's body in that instant had Archie's body trembling to find out more, and his mind reeled at just how much this man was affecting him. The confusion that had disappeared as they walked around the gardens returned twofold and made Archie's breath catch. So much of his world had changed in such a short amount of time. Archie didn't know if he was drowning in ecstasy or just plain drowning. Maybe he'd hit his head at home in the shower and was dreaming all this up.
But the heat from Adze was too real, too vivid to be just a dream.
Adze reached out and grabbed Archie's hand right before he could make a run for it. Archie didn't know what to say. He was embarrassed at his body's reaction to a mental image, even if it was a clearer one of the fantasy man he'd always used. Maybe especially because the image fit Adze so well.
Adze's thumb stroked along the back of Archie's' hand.
"It's okay. It's a natural reaction when you're around your mate. Hopefully one day soon you'll let me show you just how good we can be together," Adze whispered.
Archie wasn't sure what to say to that. His body wanted to say fuck it and drag Adze upstairs and have his wicked way with the man, to make that image into a reality. His brain, on the other hand, was telling him he needed to proceed with caution. Until he could fully get his mind around the whole hellhound deal, it wasn't a good idea to take things any further than they'd already gone.
"I hope you had a good time today?" Adze asked him, still not letting go of Archie's hand.
Now that was something Archie could answer. He grinned hugely. "Today was the best first date, hell any date, I've ever been on. Thank you."
He thought he saw Adze eyes harden for a second before they softened again.
"Does this mean you'll let me take you on a second date?"
Archie paused for a long time before he winked and cheekily said, "I'll think about it."
Adze laughed then tugged
on his arm, pulling Archie in close against him. "Come 'ere you."
Adze wrapped his arm around Archie's waist, holding him in place as Adze kissed him. Archie melted under the assault, not wanting to put up a fight. He leaned into the kiss and moaned as Adze's tongue asked for entrance.
A car horn blasting nearby had Archie jumping back and breathing heavily.
His eyes were wide, and his lips felt swollen.
"Thank you for today," Archie rushed out then turned and ran for the front door, scared that if he stayed that close to Adze for much longer, his body would win out over his brain.
Chapter Twelve
Adze watched Archie run from him—again. His dick was hard and aching, and he wanted nothing more than to chase his Cor Coeunt down and fuck him into the mattress. But Adze knew by now that wasn't the way. He had to give Archie time. Time to get used to him, time to come to terms with hellhounds and demons, and time to understand that there really is no running away from being a Cor Coeunt.
He palmed his cock trying to get the damn thing to go down. But it was of no use. He'd been hard all bloody afternoon. Their time at the picnic had been the best of Adze's miserable life. Just sitting with his mate and getting to know him, telling him stories from Adze's life and sharing food and drink, Adze didn't think he could have been any happier.
Then that kiss as they lay on the blanket. Jesus. His entire body felt like it had been lit on fire. Archie's fingers tangled in his hair, their lips touching, how quickly it heated, only to be interrupted by the picnic organiser. Adze had wanted to kill the woman where she stood and send her soul to Hell for all eternity. He'd restrained himself, though only just.
Now here he sat, having been interrupted for the send time in less than an hour. His balls ached, and his dick felt like it was trying to break through his jeans.
Adze secured Archie's helmet, placed his own on his head, and took off for home. He had a date with a shower and a bottle of lube.
Adze slammed the door behind him, and he stalked through the penthouse.