by J. D. Light
I gasped, snapping my attention to Briec. "And you didn't say anything?"
It could have saved me a lot of inner turmoil if someone would have just called me out on how fucking blind I was being.
Briec pursed her lips in irritation, pulling her head back slightly to give me an annoyed look. "Why is that my job? I'm a psychic, not a matchmaker."
"You're not a psychic either," Laramy told her patiently.
How that woman had the patience to deal with that all day every day, I didn't know.
"What else are you keeping from me?" Dad demanded from Papa, one again turning around completely in his seat to glare at his mate because he couldn't help himself. "Do you have another mate and kids somewhere?"
I pursed my lips, shaking my head as I contemplated what saints both Laramy and my Papa were. Though I wouldn't ever call Laramy a saint to her face. I wasn't sure how she felt about being considered nice, and I didn't want to find out the hard way.
Papa sighed, letting his head fall back on his shoulders to grumble at the ceiling. "I literally just found out about it before we came here. They were going to tell you after the meeting."
"I don't believe you! I can never trust you again."
"Bennett," Uncle Ridley said patiently, though he had that look on his face that he used with my dad a lot… just before he usually smacked the crazy man in the back of the head hard. "If it helps, you called it when they were little."
My dad looked like he was about to say something whiney again, but then he blinked and smiled, throwing a fist in the air triumphantly. "You're right! Technically, I knew first. Before any of you."
Papa sighed, mouthing a Thank you to Uncle Ridley who smiled and shrugged.
I shook my head at both of my parents just as I felt the hands settle on my shoulders from behind, and then my shirt was being ripped open right down the back.
"Damn it, Briec," I growled, glaring at her over my shoulder as she closed her eyes, holding her hand over the mark high on my left shoulder.
I couldn't really see what was going on, but I could actually feel something like a flutter against my skin, and I wondered if that was her magic or the magic being used against me.
"Come on, Papabear. Being the smartest person in the room makes me horny." Dad growled suggestively, making me cringe and taking my mind off of what was happening behind me.
Though, honestly, I'd rather think about what was happening there than what my dads might be getting up to after they left.
"Dad, don't you want to know what's going on with my mark?" I asked, reminding him that he'd been the one to assign three shifters and a fairy to guard Dyer's house when I wouldn't agree to come home with him.
He huffed, actually gripping the front of my Papa's shirt and giving a tug until Papa growled and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him against his body. "I already know. It's definitely witchy."
Would you please stop fucking touching each other around me?
Briec gasped, gaining everyone's attention. "Another psychic!" she said excitedly, making Dyer glare. "You don't know how glad I am not to be the only one in the room anymore. People are so needy."
"It really is hard," my Dad said, pouting, and I reached out and grabbed Dyer, pulling him closer, so he wouldn't kill either one of them.
"Neither of you are psychic," Laramy reminded them reasonably, even though I could see the twitch at her eye that said she was itching to pull a sword on someone.
Briec pursed her lips, fluttering her eyelashes at her mate. "Then how did Bennett know that it was a fertility witch, and that she used a tracking spell?"
"Yeah," Dad demanded, still holding on to my Papa, who was ignoring the whole situation to grope Dad's ass. "How did I know that, Laramy?"
"The same way I did, Bennett," she said through clenched teeth, her patience obviously having started to wane in the face of such inaneness. "Her magic pulled the blue out, proving that there was definitely witchy magic at play, and then she told you the rest."
Briec turned and patted Dad's shoulder, giving him a sympathetic look. "Some people are just jealous of other people's success."
"Ain't that the truth?"
Why? Why does it have to be these people who can help me figure this shit out?
◆◆◆
I kept stealing glances at Dyer the whole way home, not sure if I was waiting for him to freak out, or for me to. I didn't exactly feel robbed of anything. This man, whether in my life romantically or not, had always been my person, and I'd been his, so though I'd have loved to be able to kiss and touch him the way I'd been craving for a while, I didn't feel like I'd missed out on anything that made us… us.
At one point during the drive, when we'd stopped at the only stop light in town, he'd snapped his head around to glare at me, before yelling at me to fucking quit staring at him. I'd laughed, of course, because he was really cute when he was pissed, and I'd definitely pissed him off, and he'd growled.
By the time we got home, though I was still incredibly nervous, I was feeling a lot more like things were going to be okay and had finally reminded myself that no matter what, Dyer and I were meant to be.
"So," he said, as soon as he opened the front door, letting me in the house and waving to the men who'd been stationed outside to guard me.
"So."
He raised an eyebrow, clearly accusing me of something with his expression. "Are you going to be weird about this now?"
"Not weird," I said, shaking my head as he shut the door, throwing the locks. "I'm not being weird."
And just to prove how not weird the whole situation was, I casually sat on the couch. Well, I tried to casually sit on the couch, but ended up misjudging how big my ass was and fell part way on the arm, dumping myself sideways on the cushions before scrambling to a sitting position where I spent the next ten seconds trying to decide which pose was more casual, leaning back and crossing my arms, or leaning forward and propping my elbows on my knees.
I ended up crossing my arms and leaning forward on my elbows, which just made me look like an idiot.
Dyer stepped closer, his voice highly amused as he stopped directly in front of me, actually managing to look casual when he crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you sure?"
"Mmhmm." I couldn't back down now. If I had to sit like this every damn time I was trying to relax for the rest of my life, I'd do it, just to prove how incredibly casual I was.
He laughed, pushing my shoulders back and making me sigh in defeat. Well, that hadn't lasted long. Clearly, I'm incredibly weak.
Dyer uncrossed my arms and climbed into my lap, straddling my hips with his lean thighs and smiling when our eyes met.
I gave him a nervous smile, swallowing hard. How could he be so relaxed at a moment like this. I was way bigger than him, and definitely stronger. What if I lost control? That was a real possibility. What I felt when I looked into his eyes or smelled his scent was something… animalistic. My bear wanted to taste him again, and my body practically vibrated with need. What if I couldn't keep from hurting him?
"You're all bunched up," he whispered, tilting his head to the side, a small frown popping up between his brows.
"Something is," I grumbled, wishing I could adjust my dick, since it was rock hard and bunched in my pants.
"Maybe we should fix that." He slid forward on my thighs, pressing closer and wrapping his arms around my neck.
I didn't dare put my hands on him. His body felt way too good against mine already. I knew I'd lose control if I felt his hips or sides beneath my hands. It would be far too easy to crush his body against mine.
"Should we talk about all this?" I gritted out, squeezing the couch cushions on each side of me. "We're going from being friends to… a lot of other things."
His hands moved into my hair, and I rumbled out a groan that probably sounded a lot like a purr, but it was what it was, and his fingers against my scalp felt fucking fantastic.
"Do you think we need to talk, Hunt?" he ask
ed, tilting his head to the side, his eyes bouncing back and forth between my eyes and my mouth. "Are you worried about something?"
"A little. Or maybe I just feel like I need to be worried about it."
"Maybe if we were humans. You're the most important person to me in the whole world, and you have been since… I can't even remember a time when you weren't." He smirked, shaking his head, and I laughed.
"You know it's the same for me. You've been my Beebee from day one."
He licked his lips, and I tried not to make a needy sound, but I was pretty sure I made it anyway as he blinked at me for a long moment. "So, it's just the sexual part that has you freaked?"
"I don't know about freaked."
"We can take it slow if you want."
I sighed, leaning my head into one of his hands, letting my eyes fall closed as he scratched a bit harder. "That's the part I'm worried about. I don't really want to take it slow. If I'm honest, I've wanted you for so damn long. That's part of the reason I left in the first place." When he gasped, I opened my eyes, meeting his gaze. "Well, it helped make the decision for me. But I want you so damn bad, and you saw how things went earlier. I nearly gave you a fucking concussion."
He watched me for a long moment like he was trying to understand a different language by inflection alone before finally letting out a huff of laughter. "You're worried you'll hurt me?"
When I nodded slowly, he moved quickly, jumping off of my lap and practically picking my giant ass up off the couch before spinning slightly and plastering me to the cushions on my back, once again settling on top of me, and pressing hard against my body. "You might be super strong, but I'm still a shifter, Hunt." Leaning down, he brushed his lips to mine, whispering. "What did you do with your other lovers?" As soon as the words left his mouth, his head snapped back, and he actually growled, his pretty, green eyes shifting to the slightly more yellow-green of his leopard's. "Actually, don't answer that. This is why we never talked about our partners all that much. I always got so fucking jealous when I thought about you with other people."
"Oh really?" I hadn't realized that. I'd kept my mouth shut for the most part about my past lovers, because I didn't want to hear about his. "You wanted me too, huh?"
"How could I not, Hunt? We have this amazing connection and you're sexy as fuck. Of course I've wanted you."
I tried not to smile, but it was absolutely impossible not to when I thought about how obvious all this had probably been to the people around us, and just how many people were not going to be surprised to learn we were mates.
Speaking of, as much as it scared the hell out of me, that I might hurt him, I really, really wanted to be his, and I really wanted him to be mine.
I licked my lips, scraping my bottom one between my teeth. "What if you claim me?"
"Well, I definitely planned on it, but I wasn't sure which way you'd prefer first. Have you ever done that?"
I chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "No, I don't exactly scream bottom, but I want to do everything with you."
"I haven't bottomed either," he whispered, watching my face. "I would love to claim you, Hunt… but only on one condition."
"What's the condition?"
"There will come a time when I'll want you to fuck me, and you're going to suck it up and fucking do it."
"Yes, sir."
He leaned down, sucking my bottom lip into his mouth and groaning as he rolled his hips. "Now, are you ready for me to claim you?"
"Yes," I whispered. I'd been ready for it since… who the hell knew how long. "I'm ready to be yours forever."
"Then take me to the bedroom."
I chuckled, sitting up easily, even with his weight sprawled across my chest, and he groaned when I gripped his ass and pulled him in tighter. "Oh, I have to carry you?"
He nodded, squealing for a brief moment as I easily stood with him wrapped around me. "You have that super strength, and I have these weak little legs. I'm tired."
I sighed like I was seriously put out, biting my lip a little too hard when he squeezed his legs, putting more pressure on the tip of my dick where it was wedged between us.
He reached up, peeling my lip from between my teeth before leaning up to suck it into his mouth, and I groaned, stumbling slightly before quickly sticking my arm out to catch myself against the wall of the hallway.
I tried to keep my composure, but Dyer––the most beautiful, perfect, amazing person I'd ever met––was pressed against me, riding on the ridge of my dick so fucking perfectly as I moved, and sucking on my lip as his fingers threaded through my hair.
There was no composure to be had, and I bounced off each wall a good three times each before finally ping-ponging us through the door to his room and stumbling over to the bed.
I dumped us both on the mattress, and I'd have maybe felt a little bad about the gush of air that left him when my giant body landed on his, but he didn't even stop to breathe again before rolling us over and going after my clothes.
We worked together to get our shirts off, but it wasn't well choreographed, and we got in each other's way many times, but it did nothing to stem the lust. I'd never really put much thought into bottoming, but knowing that it was going to be Dyer buried inside me, changed everything. Ever since the thought came into my head, I was fucking desperate for it.
"Jeez, Hunt," he whispered, running his hands down my body as he straddled me, letting his fingers play at my pecs and abs, making me fucking glad I'd worked so damn hard. "I've always loved your body. You're like a damn fitness model. I can't believe you're all mine."
His leopard was in his eyes as he looked me over possessively, and I growled softly when he leaned down, rubbing his face against the hair in the center of my chest like a cat.
"Dyer," I whispered, threading my fingers into his hair and pulling his head back to look into his eyes before bringing his mouth to mine. "Claim me, Beebee. I want to feel you inside me."
He whimpered against my mouth before kissing me deeply with a groan.
Eventually––though I wasn't sure how much time had passed, since I was both ready to move on, and thoroughly engrossed in the kiss and feeling his naked chest against mine––he slid off of me, panting as he undid his pants while simultaneously digging lube out of the drawer.
He looked so fucking delicious standing there with his gorgeous body on display, his pants undone, showing his underwear-covered erection and the wet spot at the tip. He truly was everything I'd ever dreamed of.
"Hunt," he growled, tossing the lube on the bed next to me. "Stop looking at me like that and take the rest of your clothes off."
That was a lot to ask of me, especially when he growled at me all sexy like, but I scrambled to get naked, more than ready to finally be claimed by the man I'd already always belonged to.
He did the same, and I sighed happily when I got to look at him completely naked again for the second time in the same damn day. "Oh, Beebee. What did I do to deserve you as my mate?"
He smiled softly, his eyes filling slightly. "Everything you do, Hunt. You are the best person I have ever known. What the hell did I do to deserve you?"
I shook my head, ready to argue, but then he moved between my legs on the bed, and I decided I wasn't going to argue about who deserved who. We were mates, and I would probably never understand how I got so fucking lucky, but I damn sure wasn't going to complain.
I spread my legs without a care, finding the experience both new and also completely comfortable showing Dyer a part of myself I'd never let anyone see or have. It was so damn easy to trust him, and it made me feel even stupider that I hadn't realized he was my mate before now, since I knew there wasn't a way in hell I'd have ever trusted anyone else with what I was about to trust him with.
He gasped quietly before licking his lips as he looked at me. With shaking hands, he poured lube into his hand before slowly reaching for me. Swallowing hard, he met my eyes as his fingers found my hole, watching my expression avidly as he rubbed them agains
t my rim and then pushed one inside slowly.
We both groaned and panted as he paused, and then his focus moved to where his finger was, and he pulled out slowly before pushing in again.
"Oh wow," he whispered, his eyes moving back and forth between my face and where he was entering me with part of his body.
He continued opening me, watching both where he was working and my face, just checking for any discomfort until he was easily pumping three fingers in and out of me, and I was writhing against them, my dick leaking on my stomach and babbling nonsense.
"I'm ready, Beebee," I groaned, when he pressed against my prostate, making my entire body tingle and my balls draw up tight.
He eased his fingers from my body, taking a long, deep breath and once again reaching for the lube. "I just hope I can fucking last long enough to get all the way inside you," he groaned when his lubed hand moved over his dick, getting it nice and slick.
I pulled my knees to my chest, and he whimpered, spreading his legs to lower himself even further before leaning forward on one hand and angling his dick to press against my hole with the other.
The stretch was perfect as he slid in all the way in one slow drag, and the air punched out of me.
"Oh God," he whispered, closing his eyes and freezing as he fell to his other hand, his body clearly locked up in battle.
"You feel so good, Beebee," I assured him, my ass pulsing with the need for him to move.
Opening his eyes, he bit down on his bottom lip, hard enough the skin around his teeth turned white, and I reached up to run my hands along his body, enjoying having a moment to touch him the way I'd been wanting to for so long.
After a moment, he started moving his hips, and I nearly bowed off the bed at how fucking good it felt. His dick filled me perfectly, the head massaging over my prostate with each long withdrawal and push.
He leaned down, sucking on the skin of my neck as he continued to thrust slowly, and I clawed at his skin and called his name. I felt the tingle at my spine, letting me know I was about to blow, and I rocked with him, spilling my load between us.