Thomas knew he was feeling more than lust for his mate by now, but he had no idea if Craig felt the same way. The man was hard to read most of the time, and it was impossible for Thomas to know what he thought about their current situation. Sure, Craig had been the one who wanted them to get to know each other, but Thomas wasn’t sure his mate liked what he was discovering, and it made him more than a little nervous.
Someone knocked at the door and Thomas realized he had been daydreaming in the bathroom and hogging it. He grabbed his toiletries bag and opened the door, smiling at Reed. The man was one of the shifters Craig had rescued from the last lab, and he was still living in the alpha’s house. “Hi. Sorry for taking so long.”
“That’s fine. I had two sisters, so I’m used to it.”
Thomas felt a bit of unease at the past tense Reed had used, but before he could say anything, the man had already slipped into the bathroom and closed the door, leaving Thomas to stand there alone.
Thomas shrugged and went back to the room he shared with Kanan. The red panda shifter wasn’t in at the moment, but that wasn’t surprising. Thomas hardly ever saw him, and he suspected Kanan spent a lot of time in his panda form, and while it was worrying, it wasn’t Thomas’s place to say anything. He had more than enough things on his own plate at the moment, and Craig was only one of those things, even if he was the most important.
“Dad?”
Thomas turned and smiled at his son. Ever since they had talked, Elias had started spending more time in his human form, and it was a very good thing. He was also spending more time with Thomas and was accepting of the things he had just now learned about Thomas. He even liked Craig, and that was a very important thing for Thomas.
What was surprising was seeing that Carissa was with Elias. “Cary.” Thomas wasn’t sure what to say. His daughter had refused to talk to him since he had confessed the truth, and he didn’t want to send her running again.
Elias gave his sister a gentle push toward Thomas. “She wanted to talk to you.”
“Do you want to sit down?”
Carissa shook her head. “Anabel is waiting for me. I just... I just wanted to tell you that I’m not angry with you anymore.”
Thomas’s breath hitched. “Really?”
Carissa nodded. “Elias talked to me. I understand better how things were before, and, well, I’m okay with it. Things are weird, but you’re still my dad, and I love you.”
Thomas lunged toward his daughter and hugged her. Carissa yelped, but her arms wound around Thomas as she hugged back. “Dad, come on!”
“Look at this, I can’t even hug my daughter when no one else is around!” Thomas growled playfully, but he did step away. Carissa was in a phase in which she wasn’t much for signs of affection, at least not coming from her parents, and he respected that. It was enough that she’d forgiven him for now.
“I’m going now, okay?”
Thomas nodded. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Carissa nodded and pecked Thomas on the cheek before waving at her brother and leaving the room. Thomas turned to his son, his heart so full of love for his kids that he thought it could burst. “You ready?”
“I should be the one asking you that. You spend way too much time in the bathroom. Is it because Craig isn’t giving you the time of the day yet?”
Thomas gaped. While he had made it clear to Elias that he could talk to him about anything, he wasn’t expecting his sex life to be part of it. “I’d rather not talk about this.”
“Fine.” Elias crossed his arms on his chest. “Can we go now?”
“Why are you so anxious to go see Craig train his students? Are you thinking about becoming a recruit?”
Elias scoffed. “As if. I don’t have what it takes to hurt people, even with training.”
That was true. Elias was never going to be part of the pack’s defense system, but Thomas didn’t really care. He’d rather have his son happy, and Kameron didn’t expect all the kids to help with that anyway. Elias was free to do what he wanted with his life in a way that Thomas had never been, and Thomas wanted his son to enjoy that.
“Let’s go.”
It didn’t take them long to walk to the gym, and Thomas was nearly hopping with excitement at the thought of seeing his mate. They saw each other every day, but Thomas’s wolf was getting antsy at not being able to claim Craig fully, and being in his vicinity helped keep it under control as much as it made the situation frustrating.
Thomas wasn’t the only excited one, though. He could see Elias was just as anxious to reach the gym as he was, and it made him wonder what the reason was. When he saw the beaming smile his son gave Zane, one of the trainees, he knew he had his answer.
A wave of protectiveness rose in him, but he squashed it down as fast as he could. Elias was eighteen and more than able to choose whom he wanted to be with. Besides, Zane wasn’t a bad choice, even if he was five years older than Elias. Maybe Thomas could have a chat with the kid, just to make sure Zane knew what would happen to him if he hurt Elias.
“Don’t even think about it,” Elias hissed from Thomas’s side.
“About what?”
“About having the talk with Zane.”
“What talk?”
Elias scoffed. “Please. I saw the way you were looking at him, dad. We’re just friends, so there’s no need to tell him exactly how you’ll hurt him if he hurts me.”
“Just friends?”
“Yes, just friends.”
Thomas just knew his son wanted more than a friendship, but he wasn’t going to point that out. He wasn’t looking for problems, and that would be the easiest and fastest way to create one.
“Come on, people! Another ten pushups and you’re done for the day!”
Groans welcomed Craig’s announcement, and he gave Thomas a wicked grin before starting the count. “One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. You’re free to go! Good work, everyone, and see you tomorrow.”
A few trainees let themselves fall backward on the mats and Craig chuckled. He waved at the ones saying goodbye and made his way toward Thomas, stopping in front of him. Craig leaned in and pecked Thomas on the lips before turning to Elias. “You thinking of joining?”
Elias groaned. “I’m not that crazy. You should hear what some of the guys say about you.”
“Oh, I’m sure I’m described like a slave driver.”
“That’s about right, and it’s why I have no intentions of putting myself through this.”
Craig looked at Thomas. “You have plans for today?”
“Nope, I’m all yours.”
Elias laughed. “I have nothing against you, Craig, but I’d rather not imagine what that could mean.”
“Weren’t you the one asking me about my sex life earlier?” Thomas teased, earning himself a scowl from his son.
“What are you going to do today, smartass?” Craig asked.
“Hanging out with Zane.”
“Oooh, is there something we should know?”
“Mind your own business,” Elias replied with a smile. “I’ll see you later.”
“Come by the house tonight,” Craig said. “We’ll have dinner together. I’ll have your father ask Carissa and Laura if they want to come, and you can ask Zane too.”
“Ugh, I don’t think so. I can already imagine what the two of you will tell him about not hurting me and stuff. It was bad enough when I had only one father, but with two of you, I’ll never find someone courageous enough to date me!”
Thomas gaped. He knew Elias had accepted Craig without problems, but it was the first time he’d referred to him as being another father. He looked at Craig, nervous about what his reaction would be, and while the man looked as gob smacked as Thomas felt, he didn’t seem to be angry.
They watched as Elias waved at them and walked toward Zane, and only when he was too far away to hear them even with his shifter’s hearing did Craig speak. “Wo
w. I never thought anyone would consider me a father.”
“Is it okay with you?” Not that Thomas could do anything if it wasn’t.
“It’ll take a bit to get used to it I guess, but no, I don’t mind. It’s not like I have to change diapers or something. It actually feels kind of nice, knowing that I have something like a family.”
The gym was empty by then and Thomas waited for Craig to turn the lights off and close all the doors. They walked outside and Thomas grimaced at the sky. Dark clouds were rapidly gathering, and he just knew it was going to start raining as soon as they were far enough from the gym that it wouldn’t make sense for them to come back rather than finish waking home. He was lucky that way.
Sure enough, as soon as the gym disappeared from their sight, the sky opened and rain started pouring down, soaking Thomas within seconds. He cursed and started running on the wet grass, taking care to keep his pace slow enough that Craig could follow.
Craig was laughing as he ran next to Thomas, the sound going straight to Thomas’s cock. He didn’t risk looking at his mate, knowing that the sight of a wet Craig would likely make him stop in his tracks. He just ran on, thanking fate that he could already see the house in the distance.
Thomas jumped on the stairs as soon as he got to the house, but he realized Craig wasn’t following him. He turned, nearly swallowing his tongue at the sight in front of him.
The shorts and T-shirt Craig was wearing were plastered to his body, making it obvious that he was wearing nothing underneath them, not even underwear. It also made the half-hard state of his cock obvious, and Thomas felt his mouth water. He had never sucked cock, and it was something he was looking forward to, even if he knew it would feel weird. Still, this was Craig, his mate, and he would have no problems going down on his knees and doing just that right there and then.
Craig was beautiful. Water sluiced down his body as the rain continued to come down, and Thomas couldn’t help but follow the path of some of the drops with his gaze, all the while wishing he could do so with his tongue and lips.
He couldn’t do that, though. Craig hadn’t given him any signs he wanted to do anything more than kissing yet, so he kept his distance even if longing filled his heart and mind.
Then Craig smiled and lifted his hand toward Thomas. “Come here.”
* * * *
God, Craig had wanted to do that ever since he’d first seen Thomas, even if he hadn’t realized it in the beginning. Every time he saw Thomas, every time he kissed him, Craig wanted nothing more than to make love to him, but he’d held on because he knew he had to be sure. He had to be sure that he really wanted to be with Thomas for the rest of his life because he knew that was what Thomas wanted and what he would expect if Craig said yes.
Craig had spent what felt like endless nights thinking about it, but it never seemed to be enough time anyway. Did he really want to be with only one man forever, however long that might be? Did he want what came with mating—the possessiveness, the jealousy, but more importantly, the love and dedication? Did he want Thomas with everything that entailed—his pigheadedness, the way he got angry so easily, his messiness? His children?
Craig had made his decision and changed his mind a hundred times. He knew that if he didn’t do something, he would question himself forever, so he waited under the rain, his hand stretched toward Thomas, silently asking the question. His heart was beating hard even if he already knew what Thomas was going to answer, or at least he hoped so.
Thomas looked at him, his eyes wide as if he couldn’t quite believe what Craig was offering, and Craig frowned. Had he waited too long? Had Thomas changed his mind?
He was about to let his hand fall when Thomas rushed down the stairs. He grabbed Craig’s waist and pulled him close, crushing their lips together. Craig gasped and bit his mate’s lower lip, effectively stopping the kiss. “I thought you had changed your mind.”
A growl rose from Thomas’s throat, and Craig found that sexy as hell. “No way. I was just surprised. I guess I wasn’t expecting you to do this right now.”
“You mean under the rain?” If he was honest with himself, Craig hadn’t actually thought about when and where to do this, but did it really matter?
“Well, that too, but what I meant is that I thought you were still hesitant. You haven’t given clues you were actually thinking about this.”
This wasn’t going like Craig had thought. “What, you think I didn’t spend night after night awake in my bed thinking about this?”
“I didn’t say that. I just thought you would need more time.”
“Do you need more time?”
Thomas shook his head and Craig decided they had talked enough. He took his mate’s lips in a crushing kiss, and he knew he’d won when Thomas didn’t protest anymore. Drops of water were sliding between their lips and inside their mouths as the rain continued to come down, but neither of them cared.
When Thomas’s hands moved down to grab Craig’s ass, Craig realized he really was about to claim the man in front of him, and instead of the anxiety he felt every time he thought about it, all he now felt was contentedness. He was making the right choice, and he knew it.
Craig lifted Thomas’s T-shirt and peeled it off his mate’s body, fighting with water every inch of the way. He let it fall down before running his hands over the heated flesh he’d uncovered. The wet T-shirt had given him a good idea of what Thomas had been hiding under it, but it was even more incredible without the fabric, and Craig yearned for some skin-to-skin contact.
He moved his lips to Thomas’s jaw, alternating kisses and small bites, loving the way Thomas let his head fall back and exposed his neck. The man had apparently no problems letting Craig at his throat, and that spoke of how much he trusted him.
When Craig got to the meaty part where neck met shoulder, the part where he now wore a bite scar, he bit down, hard enough to leave a visible sign but not enough to break skin. Craig knew he would have to drink Thomas’s blood to complete the bond between them, but it was too soon. He knew the moment should be special for Thomas, just like he knew shifters usually claimed their mates during sex.
He moved his hands, skimming them along Thomas’s abs and following the hairy trail his fingers encountered until he got to the button of Thomas’s jeans. Flicking his finger, he opened it and slowly lowered the zipper, cocking a brow when hot flesh bumped into his hand.
Craig lifted his head to look at his mate. “No underwear?”
Thomas’s hands tightened on Craig’s ass and he pulled him even closer. “I don’t wear them. It makes undressing for shifting faster.”
“Yeah? I’m not sure about that, but I can’t say I’m complaining, whatever the reason is.” Craig punctuated his words by grabbing Thomas’s cock and giving it a tug, smiling when Thomas moaned.
It didn’t take much more to push Thomas’s jeans down his hips and legs, then Craig turned back to his mate’s neck and licked the love bite he had left there.
“Are we going to do this here?”
“You want to go inside?”
“Not particularly, but even I know we need lube.”
Craig smiled and reached in his pocket, where he had slipped a packet of lube that morning. He had taken to carrying one with him always since he’d tentatively decided he wanted to be with Thomas, and now he was happy he had. He held it out to Thomas, making him chuckle.
“I don’t know if I should be grateful or offended.”
“I can tell you I’m definitely grateful for it at the moment.”
Thomas stepped away and Craig immediately wanted his mate’s warmth back against him. He didn’t protest, though, not when he saw the reason why Thomas had moved away. The man was toeing his shoes off and pushing his pants off completely, letting them fall on the small pile of stuff he’d already taken off.
It was the first time Craig saw Thomas completely naked, and he liked what he saw. Thomas was a bit taller than him, but not a
s well-built. His muscles weren’t quite as defined, but they were there, and Craig couldn’t wait to put his hands on them, to feel them move under his palms. He hurried and followed Thomas’s example, pulling his clothes off, fighting with the T-shirt that was stuck to his chest, but soon enough it joined Thomas’s clothes on the ground.
“I hope no one will wander by.”
“It’s a possibility. Wolves don’t mind the rain.”
Craig didn’t much care about someone seeing them, actually. He wasn’t expecting anyone, but if someone did come by, he just hoped it wouldn’t be any member of Thomas’s family. Kevin already didn’t like him and it probably wouldn’t get better if he caught Craig fucking his brother under the rain in the front yard.
Craig reached for Thomas and his mate came, but he could see some hesitation. “What’s wrong?”
“We never talked about the dynamics.”
“Of what?”
“Of this.” Thomas gestured between them. “Who’s going to top?”
Craig chuckled. “I do both actually, but I thought that since I still have to claim you, I could be the one doing it today.” Thomas didn’t look convinced. “I know it’s your first time with a man, so I’ll go as slow as you need it, and you can tell me if you want to stop.”
Thomas nodded and Craig dragged him closer, until their bodies finally touched from neck to thighs. Thomas’s erection was heavy and hot against Craig’s lower belly and he couldn’t wait to taste it, to feel it in his hand, in his body.
Their lips met again, Thomas’s tongue invading Craig’s mouth and mapping it. Craig let his mate take control, knowing he needed it, and focused on touching as much of Thomas’s body as he could.
He buried his fingers in the blond hair on Thomas’s chest before circling his nipples with his fingertips, stopping to tweak one of them. He earned a groan from Thomas, so he tried tweaking the other one, smiling into his mate’s mouth when Thomas moaned loudly.
Craig [Gilham Pack: 3] Page 11