He slammed against me, and I hollowed my cheeks, sucking him dry as he pumped his release down my throat. I moaned, greedily swallowing all of it as my own cock jerked against my stomach. The taste of him was almost my undoing, but before I could finish myself off he pulled out of my mouth and yanked me up. He had me naked and on the bed before I knew what hit me, and as eager as I had been to have my way a moment ago I was more than happy to let him take control again now.
He handled me like he owned me, and I lost myself in the hot enjoyment of his possession. His touch was everywhere, firm, slow, and thorough as hell… maddening, really, for as worked up as I was. He followed his hands with his mouth, nipping at my chest and grazing his teeth over my sensitive nipples until I arched up under him. I was already too hard, and my cock jerked against my stomach as he worked his way toward it with torturous patience. When he started to kiss his way down my flat-again stomach I shoved against his shoulders, panting, even though I knew it wouldn’t do any good. I wanted him to move faster, but he was done letting me decide the pace.
By the time he finally swirled his tongue around the head of my cock, I was clawing at the bed, and still he just teased it while I thrust against him, pulling away after a much too-short moment with a wicked smile.
“I love you, Devin.”
“What?” I panted, distracted.
“I love you, baby. I just wanted you to know.”
“I do. I do know.” He was licking my cock, but not—God—not putting his mouth to full use. Still, it made it hard to concentrate on what he’d said. Or what I was supposed to say back. “God, Maks… please… I… I love you, too, but…”
Right now, I either wanted him to fuck me or suck me, and if he didn’t do it soon I was going to explode. I grabbed at his short hair, but he dodged me, laughing, and ran his tongue down my shaft again. Pushing my legs up, he kept going, the warmth of his tongue passing all the way down until he found my entrance and pushed inside.
I groaned, my ass jerking toward him as I suddenly forgot all about my cock. This was where I needed him. I wanted him to fuck me… but God, this was good, too. I grabbed onto the headboard, my mouth falling open, sure he was going to force me to come this way before he gave me what I really wanted.
But I was wrong. He stopped. Again.
“It’s more than fate, Devin. It’s you. I love you.”
“Oh, my God, Maks,” I gasped, reaching for him. “Please, stop teasing. I know you love me. Now please prove it by fucking me.”
He laughed, getting up on his knees and lining his cock up where I needed it. Rubbing it against me, but… Still. Not. Fucking. Me.
Oh, God, I was going to die.
“I will,” he promised, his hot eyes softening even as his lip twitched at my frustration. “I just need you to know…”
He finally thrust forward and my eyes rolled back in my head. I was so ready that he had no trouble burying himself to the hilt, his cock hitting that spot that made me forget everything but him. He held me down the way he knew I liked, and I may have made some kind of sound, but I couldn’t have said for sure.
Maks kept talking, filling my head and my heart with his devotion. Telling me all the ways he loved me, letting me see myself through his eyes, showing me that it was true as he took charge of my entire world, blotting out my senses until all I knew was him, this man, this dragon, this other half of me—my fated mate—fucking me hard and deep, driving me toward an explosive release, finally pushing me over the edge when he leaned down, pinning me with his hot gaze and whispering the truth: “You’re mine, Devin.”
“God, yes!” I cried as he finally, finally let me come. “Always.”
He groaned in satisfaction, capturing my mouth and swallowing my answer as he came, too.
“Always,” he agreed, collapsing on top of me.
And even with my eyes closed, I could tell he was smiling.
Epilogue
~ Maksim ~
“He’s not cranky, he’s spirited,” Ty said, laughing as he wrangled the world’s smallest force of nature, also known as my son, Zach.
“That’s one word for it,” Ben answered, trying not to laugh as he patted Michael’s back. Our calmer son watched his brother’s antics with wide eyes. To my delight, they’d turned into the exact shade as my mate’s. He was sucking placidly on a fist while he rested his head against Ben’s shoulder, his relaxed pose proving that nothing fazed our Michael—not even a houseful of noisy people.
“I’ve never been to Wisconsin before,” Sarah was saying to Wes as she bounced her own son, little Max, on her hip. “It’s kind of fun to have snow for Christmas for once.”
“Snow!” Holly said, running up to her mother wearing a hot cocoa mustache. “Build a snowman?”
“Another one?” Wes asked her, scooping her up and tickling her until she laughed. “I think it’s too dark for that, sweetie. And it’s Christmas Eve! We need to get you and Elise to bed so Santa can come.”
“Not bed! Presents!”
“No, honey,” Sarah said, laughing. “Not until tomorrow.”
Her lip thrust out and started to quiver. “Daddy said…”
Luke walked in from the living room, looking sheepish. “I thought… they could each open one tonight, Sarah?”
She looked stern for a moment, then broke down and squealed. “If they get to open one, then I want to, too!”
We all ended up in the living room, and as the kids tore into their presents I looked around in satisfaction. Our home was filled with the people that I loved. I’d been surprised that they’d all been willing to come, but Christmas had turned out to be the perfect time to get everyone together.
Ty had recently found out that he was going to be deployed to Germany. He would have to leave in a few weeks, and would be gone for at least a year.
Ben was also heading to Europe. It had been almost three months since Ivan had fled back across the Atlantic, but just like my mating bond, the bond I shared with my brother didn’t seem to be affected by distance. I could tell that he was still there, but as much as he blocked me, I could still sense an ongoing interest in my affairs that made me nervous. Anik had contacted an old friend on our behalf, a dragon named Marquis who was even older than he was, and who held territory in the Netherlands. Marquis had agreed to allow Ben into his territory, and Ben was planning on staying there to keep a closer eye on Ivan—indefinitely.
I’d been shocked that he was willing to do that for us, but he’d just shrugged and smiled. “Life is long,” he’d said, blowing off my concerns that he might be stuck over there for years. “And who knows, maybe there will be something there for me that I haven’t been able to find here.”
I thought about how I’d been so drawn to the West Coast over the last year, only to find my Devin there, and wondered if maybe there was something waiting for him in another dragon’s territory. There was still so much about our dragon senses that was a mystery to me.
But I did believe in fate.
I looked over at mine. He was fucking beautiful, and at the moment he was laughing with Sarah as he held up the scarf she’d knit for him. It was… interesting.
“I really do love it, Sare,” he insisted. “It’s… creative?”
She smacked his shoulder, rolling her eyes. “Okay well, it was my first attempt. Second, if you count the disaster I made for Luke. But we won’t mention that.”
“Well, I’m honored that you, um, thought of me next,” he said, gamely wrapping the monstrosity around his neck. Good thing he didn’t get cold, I thought, biting back my own smile.
Seeing him so happy warmed me more than my dragon’s fire ever would, and as I looked around the room at the circle of friends and family who had come together to celebrate with us, my heart suddenly felt too big.
“I have a present for you, too, baby,” I said to Dev, standing up abruptly and grabbing a little box off the mantle. I’d been saving it for Christmas day, but suddenly I didn’t want to wait.
“I’ve already opened one,” he said, holding up one end of the yarn-disaster to prove it.
“One present, uncle Maks,” Elise told me seriously, patting my knee. “Daddy said not two.”
“Well, I haven’t opened one yet,” I told her. “And really, this is more a present for me than for Devin.”
She looked up at me skeptically, then finally nodded in approval.
I handed the shiny package to my mate, clamping down hard on our bond as I had been doing for weeks to try to keep it a surprise.
“Okay,” Devin said, pulling the paper off and blushing at the attention. “What is… oh. That’s pretty.”
He pulled the little diamond-studded golden egg out of the satin box that it had been cradled in, turning it this way and that and looking a little confused.
“Where did you find that, Maks?” Anik asked, smiling from across the room. “It really does look like one of ours.”
“Ours?” Dev asked, looking up curiously.
“There was a time when our hatchlings really did come from eggs, before we’d been joined with humankind. But that was a long time ago.”
Devin smiled, his hand moving to his flat stomach and his eyes finding mine. “I’m glad things changed.” Then he looked back at the little egg in his hand. “Oh… does it open?”
He found the subtle seam as he said the words, popping it open with a thumb.
I knew he was mine. My dragon had claimed him with fire, but I wanted to claim him in a more traditional way, and as his eyes widened I dropped down to one knee in front of him.
“Devin, I love you, baby. I know how much marriage means to you, and I—”
“YES!” he said, cutting me off as he tackled me. His enthusiasm knocked me on my ass, and I could hear Dane and Ty laughing behind him.
“Wait, love,” I said, for once trying to dodge his kisses. “I have… all these… words… I—”
I finally gave up trying to talk when I realized he wasn’t going to stop kissing me.
“Come on, Ty,” I heard Ben say. “Let me show you how to get these little ones to sleep.”
“Is that even possible?” the soft-hearted soldier asked, following my friend out of the room with Zach in his arms.
Anik and Mikkel were right behind them, and our other friends herded their children to bed with promises of dancing sugar plums and stockings to open in the morning.
“How do you always know everything I want?” Devin asked once we were alone.
Snow was falling outside the dark window, and Luke had flipped the lights off when he left, leaving us bathed in the multi-colored glow of the tree. It felt magical.
“You didn’t even let me ask properly,” I said, pulling him against me.
“You know I get a little impatient sometimes,” he admitted, blushing. “And as soon as I saw the ring, I heard what you were going to say.” He tapped his temple, letting me know that my attempt to block our bond had failed. “It was romantic and sweet and perfect.” And now his eyes were tearing up, and he held my face and looked into mine, letting me see into the deepest part of him.
I loved him.
“I love you, too,” he said, reading my mind. “And the answer, to everything—always—is yes.”
~ THE END ~
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Chapter One
-Shane-
It smells like burnt beef.
That’s the first thing I notice as I step out onto the crime scene, and sure, it’s not going to end up in my official report, but fuck. It smells like somebody left their steaks on the grill for a week.
“God damn. Smells like your dad’s been cooking burgers out here, McKenna.”
That’s one of the things I like about my partner. He’s one of the few cops I know who isn’t afraid to crack a few jokes at my dad’s expense. Probably has something to do with the fact that Russ isn’t from Boston. Not like me and everyone I know. And Russ definitely isn’t Catholic. I’ve gotten used to his swearing, but when we were first partnered up, I used to look over my shoulder every time he did it, half expecting my mom to just appear out of thin air and shove a rosary into his hands.
So far it hasn’t happened. Thank Christ for that.
Russ shuts the driver’s side door of our squad car, and shields his eyes from the morning sun. It’s a little after dawn and still cold as balls out here. It’s not so bad in the city, but out in the country, without a ton of buildings to block the wind, I can feel the cold slicing right through my jacket.
I can hear dogs barking and the puttering of a truck in the distance. As Russ and I climb a small hill, it looks like Apocalypse Now up here. At least a good half mile is burnt. Bare patches where grass used to be. Ash piled up in a line, in what I can only guess was once a fence. And to our right, there’s a huge burnt building. A barn that hasn’t crumbled all the way to the ground yet, but with one heavy snowfall it’ll probably get there.
Russ takes a peek as we pass, and his gloved hand clamps over his mouth.
Great. Guess I’m going to be the one taking an inventory of the evidence.
The truck I heard earlier comes into view. Two dogs are following behind the dropped tailgate, but they stop as soon as they hit the edge of the green pasture, where it turns to dead, scorched ground. Smart dogs. Which makes us the stupid ones, but what are you gonna do?
“This is probably the guy who called it in. You wanna get his statement and I’ll take a look in here?” I ask, knowing Russ is probably thinking of just how he can bribe me to switch up our usual roles. I could let him squirm, but I’ve never been good at playing bad cop. That’s more my dad’s thing.
“Have fun in there,” Russ says, though his expression is relieved and grateful. “Save me some marshmallows.”
“No promises.”
The truck door closes, and Russ goes up to meet with the owner of the barn as I pull out my flashlight and size up what’s left of it. It looks like a deathtrap, and I should probably wait for the fire guys to come back before I go in here, but there’s no telling how long that’ll take. They serve a pretty wide area, same as us. They probably had to pack it in and head to another fire as soon as they got this one under control.
So it’s all on me now, and I step over a fallen beam that was blocking what’s left of the door. All those fire safety lessons must have paid off, because I check the handle first to make sure it’s not hot. But just like everything else out here, it’s fucking freezing, and when I pull the barn door open, the latch seems like the only thing holding it all together. Some burnt wood falls out of the frame, crumbling on the ground, and I wince.
I hope that’s not going to count as tampering with the crime scene, but I guess it doesn’t really matter. This looks like a controlled burn that got out of hand. Way out of hand. So few people live out here that it would’ve taken a lot of effort for somebody to come out, start this fire, and somehow keep it from burning down a twenty mile radius.
It isn’t long before I see what Russ saw. If there were separate stalls in here, there aren’t anymore. It’s just a pile of ash and debris and corpses. Mostly corpses. Suddenly I’m grateful it’s so cold out, because this whole scene doesn’t need to be helped out by the stench of rotting flesh and the loud hum of flies.
Still, I pull part of my jacket up to cover my mouth and nose. It’s a good habit to have, and something I probably got from one of the many germaphobes in my family. Not that a quarter inch of cloth is going to stop anything from burrowing into my brain, but it’s a small comfort as I step over charred carcasses.
I shine my flashlight around, looking for any signs that the fire originated here. If it was arson, this seems like the most likely place. I don’t see anything, but I don’t exactly have intensive training, either. They usually call in an expert for that.
My best guess is that if we follow the trail of burnt grass, we’ll find a compost heap or something else that was being burned on purpose.
After ten minutes of looking around, I’m pretty much ready to get the hell out of this place and tell Russ I don’t see anything that suggests foul play when I hear the door of the barn open suddenly. It scares the shit out of me and my heart pounds in my ears like a freight train rushing through my head. I don’t know what I was expecting or why I’m on edge, but I shine my light toward the door, even though the sun’s starting to throw some rays through the big gaping holes in the ruined building.
It isn’t Russ, and it isn’t anybody I recognize. The man who stands there is tall. Taller than my brother Edwin, and he’s 6’4’’. My light shines on his jacket, and I can see a little sewn-in logo for the Fairview County Police Department. Unless he just up and stole a jacket—and I can’t lie, he looks like the sort of guy who could pull it off—he works for the state.
“You must be Officer McKenna,” he says, and his voice is sort of quiet. Reserved. But I can hear every word.
“That’s what it says on my badge.”
I move some debris aside with my shoe and stay right where I am, mostly because I don’t feel like crawling back over this pit of death for somebody who hasn’t introduced himself. “You?”
Scorch: M/M Gay Shifter Mpreg Romance (Dragon's Destiny: Fated Mates Book 2) Page 17