Flynn, Joyee - Squeak and a Roar [Midnight Matings 1] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove)

by Joyee Flynn

  “He’s not even going to take care of you?” Marv asked, glancing back and forth between us. What was up with him? Okay, I got that this was a shock, especially since he didn’t know I was a shifter and about matings. But get over it already.

  “No, Anthony is a very successful businessman with his own workload.” I chuckled. “You want a cup of coffee while I unload your SUV, Marv?”

  “I already had some, thanks. I’ll help you unload,” he said, and headed back to the front door. I set down my coffee cup and followed him as Ant gave a sigh. I was really missing something in all of this, and I didn’t like it.

  Once outside, Marv opened the back hatch to his SUV while biting his lip. “If you’ve got something to say, Marv, get it out now and let’s be done with it.”

  “Does this guy have something on you? Is he forcing you to live here?” He asked quietly as my jaw just about hit the ground. He reached over and touched my arm. “I’m sorry, Gavin. I know your personal life is none of my business, but this is so out of left field that I can’t help but be worried!”

  “Marv, everything is fine, okay?” I replied firmly and patted his hand. “Anthony and I have been seeing each other for a little while, and I was trying to deny how strongly I felt for him. When he basically said to get serious or get out, I got serious. My lease is almost up, and I’ve been getting pressure from my family to settle down. It was just the right time with the right guy, and I’ve fallen head over heels. Nothing more than that.”

  “As long as you are fine,” he replied with a nod, not looking quite convinced. We picked up boxes and didn’t say anything else as we unloaded his SUV. When we got all the boxes out, we started bringing them upstairs.

  “I made room for you in the walk-in closet,” Ant said with a smile as he pointed the way. “Give me a few minutes and I’ll clear out a few drawers for you in the dresser as well. And we can turn the spare bedroom down the hall I use for storage into an office for you. Also, the basement is finished, and we can turn that into your home gym.”

  “You’ve just thought of everything, haven’t you?”

  “I don’t have time to screw around.” He snickered, using my same words from the day before. “I do really need to get some work done though. So I’ll be in the play room with my headset on. If you need me, just yell.”

  “Okay,” I said as I started unpacking.

  “Oh, can Marv do the grocery shopping today? I thought I’d make a nice dinner to celebrate you moving in with me.”

  “Yeah, just email him the list,” I said as Marv handed over his business card like the awesome PA he was. “When are the movers coming with the rest of my stuff?”

  “Tuesday at three,” he answered. “That was the first time they had, even with the short move.”

  “That’s fine.” I shrugged as Ant gave me a quick kiss and left. “I got this, Marv. You go ahead with your other stuff and just head on back when you’re done with the groceries. I’ve got the latest program to finish.”

  “Um, okay, later,” Marv said and left. I shook my head, thinking he was acting kind of strange. But then again, I was Mr. Reliable and Constant, so this change must have really thrown him. He should have been in Scotland, I thought to myself with a chuckle.

  When I had unpacked everything Marv had brought, I grabbed my laptop and coffee and found the game room. Sure enough, Ant was playing some game on a large LCD TV while talking into a headset. I sat down and booted up, only interrupting when I needed his password for the Wi-Fi. Then I got to work.

  We worked like that for a few hours before Ant paused his game and looked at me over his shoulder. “Lunch? I could order something for delivery.”

  “Chinese?” I asked, smiling at him. It didn’t feel like we’d just met and moved in together. It felt comfortable, like we’d been living together for years.

  “Egg rolls or crab rangoon?”

  “There’s no or in my vocabulary.” I snickered. “Sweet and sour pork and beef lo mien for me.”

  “Me too.” He chuckled and pulled out his cell phone. Damn! Ant was as bad as I was. He had the local place on speed dial, and they recognized his name. We went back to work for the next forty-five minutes or so before the doorbell rang.

  “I got it. Meet you in the kitchen,” I said as I jumped up to get it. I paid the guy and brought the food, setting it all up on the table as Ant got drinks. We chatted about work as we stuffed our faces before cleaning up and getting back to work.

  Ant left the game room about an hour after we’d finished lunch. I wasn’t really paying attention since I was having trouble with the coding on my project.

  “You might want to restructure your interface,” he said, and I jumped since I’d not heard him come back into the room. I looked over what I was doing, and he was right.

  “Thanks,” I replied as I glanced up to smile at him. It was then I saw he was naked. “Fuck, Ant!”

  “Yes, that’s exactly what I want to do,” Ant purred as he moved my laptop and slid onto my lap. “I figured we’ve been working hard and are back early from Scotland. We should get an afternoon treat.”

  “Oh you do, do you?” I chuckled and ran my hands up his thighs and around to cup the cheeks of his ass. “Do I get to see this toy collection of yours?”

  “I’ve got one of them in my ass stretching me out for your massive cock,” he whispered in my ear as he moved his hands over my chest. “Did you think I’d keep my hands off these gorgeous muscles for very long? I’ve wanted to touch you like this for years, Gavin.”

  “I’ll walk around shirtless—” I started to say but then froze. I pulled his hands off of me and leaned back so I could see his face. “What do you mean years, Ant?”

  “I, um, well, last conference,” he stuttered as his pulse raced and his chest started heaving.

  “You knew who I was when you found me in the library, didn’t you?”

  “Yes,” he whispered, and that one word said it all. I stood up, letting him fall of my lap onto the couch. Ant grabbed the blanket that was folded on the back of the couch and wrapped it around him as I paced.

  “You knew who I was but pretended you didn’t. Why?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at him, finally facing him after a couple of minutes. “What did you get out of this, Ant?”

  “You,” he answered quietly as he glanced down at his lap. “I-I saw you at the last conference and thought you were the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen, Gavin. I didn’t know how to talk to you. I’m not good with people, and no one pays me any attention. But when everything happened with the drinks being spiked, I wanted to find you and hoped you saw me as a potential mate before you found someone else.”

  “You kept something major from me again!” I snarled, getting in his face. “First you didn’t tell me you were a mouse, and now I find out you’ve been holding a torch for me for four years. How can I ever trust you, Ant?”

  “I didn’t think it was such a big deal,” he answered, scooting back away from me. I could smell his fear pouring off of him. He thought I was going to hit him, which just added to my anger. “But I didn’t know how to say anything without sounding like some stalker. I mean, I was just part of a conversation you had at the last conference. We never officially met, and I don’t think you ever even looked at me.”

  “I’ve mated a sneak and a liar,” I sneered, not buying his explanation. “You promised no more hiding things, and then you still did. Anything else I should know? Oh wait, if you tell me no, I can’t believe you. Can I, Ant?”

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered as he turned his head as if I had slapped him.

  “Not good enough,” I snarled, pissed he was reacting this way. It wasn’t fair for him to get upset. I was the one that had been lied to! I grabbed my laptop and stormed out of the play room. I ended up in the kitchen and got back to work as conflicting emotions raged in me.

  Maybe I was overreacting? But if it wasn’t a big deal, why did he act like he didn’t know me. And if he hid that, co
uld I believe his reasoning? I just didn’t know what to do, what to think, or if I could trust my own fucking mate!

  I worked for a few hours before the doorbell rang. I opened up for Marv and helped him unload the groceries and everything else.

  “Okay, I’ll put away the food,” he said once he was in the kitchen, looking over his list. “I added a few things to the list, like Anthony asked for coffee, but it wasn’t the kind you drink, so I got both. I got your dry cleaning and some more boxes from you apartment. I’m going to need a copy of all the bills that you want me to start paying now so I know due dates, et cetera.”

  “Thanks, man,” I replied, rubbing my hand over his hair to mess it up. “I can always trust you’ll take care of me.”

  “Of course.” Marv snickered and smacked my hand away. “It’s what you pay me for. I do have a question. What about the stuff you have duplicates of now? I mean, you don’t need two full sets of dishes, and couches, and entertainment units.”

  “Fuuuuuck,” I groaned, not even having thought about that. I really liked my stuff. “I’ll have to talk to Anthony about it. I guess when the movers come, we’ll have to put it all in the garage until we sort through whose stuff goes.”

  “Okay, well, let me know when you start having stuff to get rid of,” he said, jotting down notes. “I’ll take it to donate or schedule pick-ups, and that will be a nice tax write-off for you.”

  “Good idea.” I’d not thought of that. But then again, I’d not gotten the chance to think about much with how fast this was all going. Well, except my mate was a liar.

  “Do you need anything besides more packing done tomorrow? The movers aren’t coming until the day after.”

  “I know there are contracts at the office I need to sign,” I answered as I thought of the never-ending list of things to do. “Also, I know there are proofs from marketing for the giveaways for that tech convention in a few months. You don’t have worry about bringing any more of my things since the movers are coming soon. Can you just pick up that stuff from the office in the morning, bring it over, and spend the rest of the day packing?”

  “Yes, of course,” he said with a smile as I led him back to the door. “Want your Monday morning treat?”

  “Silly question.” I chuckled as I patted him on the back and closed the door. He knew me so well that we were like a well-oiled machine. Marv made my life easier, less complicated, unlike the man who tricked me into mating him. And I couldn’t get out of that one.

  Chapter 4

  The house was filled with tension, to say the least. When Ant came into the kitchen later, I grabbed my laptop and left. I went to search out the spare room upstairs he said I could use as an office. It was a good size, completely empty besides some boxes in the one closet. This would work nicely. There were a few larger windows with good sunlight coming in during the day, and view that I could gaze at when I needed a break.

  I need to clear my mind before getting back to work, so I decided to go for a run. Back in the bedroom, I unpacked a box that Marv had even labeled “workout clothes.” Sure enough, my running shoes and most of my workout stuff were in there. I quickly changed, grabbed my iPod, jogged to the door to the garage since I didn’t have a key to the house yet, and left.

  I felt Ant’s eyes on me, but I figured it was obvious I was going for a run and not leaving for good since I didn’t even have car keys. Unlike I normally do, I didn’t start out slow this time. I needed the burn of my muscles to help me think past my emotions. I did four miles instead of three at top speed, and was back in under twenty minutes. Being a shifter had perks after all.

  As I walked back in the kitchen, dripping sweat, I saw Ant pulling food off the grill on the deck. Yeah, like I wanted to eat with him. Or hell, like I trusted him to cook my food and not put something in it. Instead, I headed for a shower.

  I took my sweet time, scrubbing hard to let out my frustration that the jog didn’t take care of. When I was done, I dried off, threw on some shorts, and headed back downstairs.

  “I made dinner,” Ant said softly as I entered the kitchen.

  “How nice for you,” I sneered as I opened the fridge and grabbed the leftover Chinese.

  “You’re not even going to eat what I made?” I spun around to face him and saw his mouth hanging open in shock.

  “Can I trust you that there’s not rat poison in it?” I growled between my teeth as he turned his cheek as if I’d smacked him.

  “Not knowing how to tell you something is not the same thing as lying, Gavin,” he finally said, his eyes cold. “And going from that to assuming I’d poison you is one huge fucking leap. I’m done being sorry and trying to apologize if you’re going to be so unreasonable.”

  I didn’t answer as I stuck the carton of Chinese food in the microwave and hit start, mostly because he was right. I was overreacting. But he broke my trust, and to me, when it came to that, it was all or nothing. Either I trusted you or I didn’t, and that meant I didn’t trust him with anything.

  “We still need to have sex tonight,” Ant whispered when my food was ready and I tried to escape.

  “Fine, be ready and stretched at nine and I’ll meet you in your room.” I ground out before storming back up to my office. Yeah, like I really felt like having sex with him!

  I worked until nine, sighing when I saw the time. My cock wasn’t even cooperating with the idea of sex since everything in me was screaming not to touch Ant. I went to his room and sure enough my mate was laid out naked on the bed like a sacrifice. Glancing away from his body and up to his eyes, I could see he wanted this probably less than I did.

  Not able to deal with his issues, I quickly stripped and approached him. I slicked up my now-hard cock with the lube he had by his hip before pulling on his leg. So sue me, he was naked. He let out a squeak of shock as I dragged him to the side of the bed and flipped him over so his feet were on the floor.

  “You wanted me all this time, Ant?” I growled in his ear as I smacked his ass hard. “Let me show you what you got, my mate. Welcome to being mated to a lion.”

  I didn’t give him time to answer as I slammed my cock into him in one shot. Ant cried out, arching his back, giving me better access to spank him.

  “No more lying or hiding,” I grunted as I pounded into his ass. I switched off hands between holding his hip and slapping his ass, so each cheek took equal shots. “Bad mate! I won’t tolerate it from you again. And if we didn’t have to fuck, I’d just spank you and not let you get off. You might not be poisoning my food, but you’ve got penance to pay for your deceit!”

  Ant gasped and cried out as I fucked him at a punishing pace, putting all my strength into the thrusts. He’d learn who was the boss here, and how being mated should mean trust. If this didn’t teach him I wouldn’t tolerate deception, I didn’t know what would.

  I felt my canines extend at the submissive pose Ant was in as I dominated him. Leaning over, I sank them into his shoulder to hold him in place as I found my release. I groaned around his flesh as my cock erupted inside of him. Guess my aggressions and adrenaline could work for sex after all. I guess that’s how the term angry sex came about.

  When I pumped the last of my seed in him, I pulled my teeth out and licked his wound closed. Ant whimpered as I pulled out my semi-hard cock, but I didn’t move off of him.

  “That’s how a lion fucks, Ant,” I hissed in his ear. “And that’s how we punish our mates for transgressions against us. I was willing to try something different with you because that’s what you wanted. You wanted to hold hands and snuggle. And I trusted you enough to try it and be what you wanted. But you broke that trust, and now you’ll see what I meant when I said I like to be in charge. This is what you get from now on, as is my obligation.”

  I didn’t give him a chance to reply. Pushing off the bed, I stormed out of his room and went into spare room that was now my office. I was glad it had its own smaller bathroom with shower stall. I’d grabbed some clothes and my shower case e
arlier in the day when I realized there would be no way I’d be sharing my mate’s bed tonight.

  After the shower was turned on and warmed up, I stepped in and ducked my head under the hot water. What had I just done? That was my mate in there, and I just treated him like a piece of meat. Hell! I didn’t even treat one-night stands that badly. I meant not to show affection and spank him for keeping things from me. Not be cruel.

  I sank to my knees when suddenly I couldn’t seem to breathe. Did I hurt him? I mean, I knew his ass would be sore from the fucking and spanking. But what if I really hurt him? I never meant to really hurt him, just not show any tenderness. No wonder he’d been afraid to tell me he was a mouse and knew who I was - I was a monster.

  When I could breathe again, I quickly cleaned up and shut off the shower. As I pulled on clean pajama pants, everything in me wanted to go check on my mate and take care of him. But that would show him that he could walk all over me. Wouldn’t it? I just didn’t know. And like the socially inept man I was, I did nothing.

  I finally went into the living room and flopped on one of the couches to sleep. As I pulled a blanket over myself, I felt alone for the first time in my life. I’d liked sleeping with Ant in my arms last night. Had I just ruined that forever? I mean, what Ant had done was something that could be forgiven eventually. But what I had done, I wasn’t sure that was.

  * * * *

  I woke the next morning after tossing and turning most of the night, desperately needing coffee. Glancing at my phone, I saw that Marv would be here soon with my Monday morning treat. Nothing like an iced venti peppermint white mocha and some vanilla bean scones to start the week off right.

  Heading to the bathroom off my office, I washed up before going to the kitchen. Ant wasn’t there. Was he still in bed? No, the door was open as I passed his room. I crept over toward the game room, sighing in relief when I heard noise from it. He couldn’t have been in pain or hurt if he was working, right?