“They’re willing to let me take her. They know I’ll protect her, love her, and give her a good home.”
Sean squeezed his hand again, smiling softly. “How about that? A baby girl.” His smile grew broad, and his eyes glistened. “We have a baby girl, Dae!”
“You don’t mind, then?”
“Are you kidding? We’ll be fine, all three of us. Better than fine. Great.”
Dae smiled and leaned down, taking a long, sweet kiss. “Have I told you how much I love you lately?”
“Yeah, but I don’t mind hearing it every five minutes. I love you too. Now, go get our daughter. I want to hold her.”
Dae blinked in surprise at Sean’s use of the word “daughter” but felt his heart swell with warmth. “Our daughter. I like that. I like it a lot.”
Sean opened his arms, and Dae fell into them. He was mindful of Sean’s injury, but oh, the feel of Sean’s body, the hard muscles, and the scrape of the short hairs on Sean’s jaw drove him wild. Perhaps it was the release of the knots of tension he’d been living with since receiving Jaeger’s letter (had it really only been a few days ago?), but he suddenly wanted Sean more than he wanted to take his next breath. All he wanted was to strip Sean bare, to taste every inch of skin, and to slide deeply into the body he knew so well.
He wanted to go home.
Then he realized he was already there. Sean was home. It wasn’t a building, neither a veterinarian clinic in South Florida, or a barely remembered compound in Wyoming. Home was Sean, the man who loved him, who accepted all facets of him fully and without reservation, and loved him unconditionally, wherever Sean might be.
A small, muffled grunt of pain was like an unexpected bath of cold water, dousing Dae’s ardor. He pulled away, looking down at Sean. “Shit! I hurt you. I’m sorry.”
Sean immediately tried to pull Dae back down. “Nah. It’s nothing. Just a twinge.”
“Don’t lie to me. I can tell when you’re hurting. You’re not up to this. It’s nearly time for your pain meds.”
“Don’t want drugs. Want you.” Sean’s hands slid under Dae’s shirt, and he ghosted his fingers over Dae’s flesh, settling them over Dae’s nipples, rubbing each between thumb and forefinger. “Want to feel you. Want to taste you.”
“No. You’ll bust your stitches.”
A teasing smile lifted Sean’s lips. “Fine. Then you can taste me.”
Dae laughed and gently but firmly removed Sean’s hands from under his shirt. “Very tempting offer, believe me, but no. N-O. Not until those stitches come out.”
“What? How long is that going to be?” Sean whined.
Sean’s lower lip stuck out, and Dae found it completely adorable. He leaned in to nip it between his teeth. “A week, maybe ten days.”
“Ten days! I can’t go that long. I’ll die.”
“If you recall, there was a time back when I got hit by that truck when you wouldn’t let me do squat for the same reason. Turnabout is fair play.”
Sean groaned long and low in reply.
Dae kissed the tip of Sean’s nose. “You are so cute when you’re being melodramatic.”
Sean opened his mouth, no doubt to protest again, and probably in stronger terms, but a knock at the door saved Dae from having to deal with it. “Come in.”
The door cracked open, and Claudette peeked inside the room. “Everybody decent? I have a certain baby girl who needs to be fed.” She slipped inside, holding Cherise and a bottle. She noticed the questioning look on Sean’s face but answered before Dae could. “Dae insisted that either he or you feed the baby. He wants her to bond with you two.”
“Bonding is important,” Dae insisted, holding out his arms to receive the tiny bundle wrapped in a soft baby blanket. He smiled down at Cherise’s sweet little face. “Isn’t that right, princess?”
Sean smirked at Dae as he reached over to let one of Cherise’s miniscule fists clutch his pinkie finger. “Guess you were pretty sure of my answer, huh? Damn, she’s gorgeous, Dae.” He leaned over and pressed his lips to the baby’s hand. “Who’s the most beautiful baby in the world? You are. Yes, you are,” he crooned to the infant.
Claudette laughed and backed out of the room. “Who’s going to be the most spoiled little girl in the world? You are. Yes, you are.” She laughed as she closed the door behind her.
They sat quietly for a few minutes with only the sound of Cherise drinking her bottle breaking the silence.
Dae finally spoke. “So, what do you think?” He pulled the bottle away and carefully maneuvered Cherise to lie against his chest, her tiny head resting on his broad shoulder.
“I think we’ve seen the last of sleeping in on weekends for a long time.” The smile on Sean’s face and the light in his eyes belied the terseness of his words. “Now, let me have her. It’s my turn to feed her.”
“Your stitches….”
“…will be fine. I’m just going to hold the baby, Dae, not dance her around the room.” He held out his arms and made grabby motions with his fingers. “Give her over.”
“Okay, but be careful with her. Make sure you support her head….”
“Dae, I’ve got it. Quit being such a nag.” He settled Cherise in the crook of his arm and rubbed the bottle’s nipple lightly across her lips until she took hold. “There we go. That’s a good girl.”
Dae sat on the edge of the bed and slipped an arm around Sean’s shoulder. He kissed the side of Sean’s head. “You look good with her in your arms.”
When Sean looked up at Dae, his eyes glistened. “We have a daughter, Dae.”
Dae nodded, feeling his own eyes burn. “Yeah, I guess we do.”
“I can’t wait to take her home.”
Dae looked at Sean’s arms cradling the baby so carefully and smiled. “She’s already there, hon.”
Epilogue
One year later
SEAN ARCHED his back as Dae pounded inside him and hit his sweet spot, sending a jolt of pleasure singing through his veins. He cried out and reached under his belly, fisting his cock. “God, Dae! Fuck, yeah!”
“Come for me.” Dae’s voice slipped an octave, using the tone that seemed to reverberate in Sean’s balls.
It had its desired effect too. He came, coating his hand and the sheets with semen as Dae continued to thrust deeply inside him. “You now,” he answered, breathless. He let his head fall to the mattress and thrust his ass higher in the air.
“Oh, that sweet ass!” Dae’s hands suddenly tightened on Sean’s hips. A couple of thrusts later, Sean felt Dae fill him, and he moaned at the delicious feeling of having his lover empty inside him.
Dae slid out and rolled to his back on the bed, pulling Sean close to him. “I swear it gets better every time.”
Sean nuzzled Dae’s neck then placed a kiss on his shoulder. “I’m going to need to change the sheets. We made a mess.”
Dae chuckled. “You made a mess, you mean.” He slid off the bed and padded into the bathroom.
“Don’t blame it all on me. You helped,” Sean called.
Suddenly, a sweet little voice reached them through the baby monitor. “Dada! Dada!”
“Oops. She’s playing your song.” Dae tossed Sean a damp washcloth. “Better hustle over before she wakes up completely.”
Sean caught the washcloth and began to wipe up the mess. “Oh, no. She’s calling for her Dada. That’s you.”
Dae snorted. “What are you talking about? She calls both of us that.”
“Yeah, but she means you this time.”
“Fine, but you’re getting up first in the morning and making breakfast.”
Sean smiled. “Deal.”
He watched Dae slip into a pair of pajama bottoms and trot out of the bedroom, then quickly stripped and remade the bed and went to the bathroom. By the time he returned, Dae was sprawled on the clean sheets with Cherise lying on his chest. She was dressed in a new onesie and sound asleep, sucking her thumb.
Sean carefully got into bed, not w
anting to wake the baby. “You’re going to spoil her, Dae. She should be sleeping the night in her own bed.”
“Oh, hush. A night now and then isn’t going to damage her.”
Sean gently rubbed Cherise’s back. “Hey, Dae… I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something. I know what she needs.”
Dae arched an eyebrow at him. “Oh, no you don’t. Talk about spoiling her! You’ve already bought her every baby doll and stuffed animal you could find and every designer dress in the mall. She’s barely walking, but she already has a dozen pairs of shoes and three pairs of boots!”
“No, no. What I have in mind is something she doesn’t have.”
“I can’t fathom there being anything she doesn’t already have. What is it?”
Sean smiled up at Dae. “A baby brother.”
Dae’s eyes flashed open wide. “A baby brother…. Sean, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but I don’t think you can buy those at Neiman Marcus.”
Sean rolled his eyes. “I know that. But we can adopt one.”
Dae looked down at the crown of wispy dark hair lying on his chest. “Wow. I never… I mean…. What do you think about that, Cherise? Do you want a baby brother to boss around?”
She gurgled in her sleep, wriggling a bit before settling down again.
“I think she likes the idea.” Dae looked into Sean’s eyes, and when he spoke again, Sean heard raw emotion in his voice. “I do too.” Dae cleared his throat and looked at the baby again. “I’ll make the calls tomorrow.”
Sean snorted. “Going alpha on me again? I can make the calls, Dae.”
Dae sighed. “Fine. You do it.”
Sean gave Dae a mock frown. “Now you’re telling me what to do?”
Dae looked so frustrated and confused Sean couldn’t help laughing. “I’m only kidding. You go ahead and make the calls, Mr. Alpha Male. I have plenty to do anyway.”
Dae rolled his eyes. “Cherise, your daddy is driving me nuts.” A smile lifted his lips and he reached to Sean for a kiss. “I think that’s what I love about him most of all.”
More from Kiernan Kelly
What’s a Viking to do when he ends up on a Florida beach, surrounded by a world he doesn’t understand, with a hyperactive stockbroker as his only guide? Go back to Chase’s hotel, naturally. Chase thinks Bjorn is eccentric at best, a lunatic at worst, or just maybe the real thing: a Viking from the days of yore. It isn’t easy for Bjorn to admit, but he needs Chase’s help to navigate the confusing modern age. While Chase is trying to clean Bjorn up and help him fit in, Bjorn’s sworn enemy also makes the trek through time. Jorund is eager to plunder this new land and finish the job of killing Bjorn’s family line, all in one blow. Bjorn and Chase will have to set aside their vast differences and work together if either of them wants to survive.
It’s 1968, and Winter King is a young man with an exceptional paranormal talent for healing. Michael Westfield is a scientist charged by the government with capturing and bringing Winter in for examination. When Michael realizes the military wants Winter only to weaponize his power regardless of the consequences, his priorities shift.
And when they discover Winter isn’t the government’s only target, Michael and Winter band together to free the others and find somewhere they can hide from a government bent on hunting them down. Their plan takes them across the country from the Haight in San Francisco to Fancy Gap, a small town in Virginia where others with talents similar to Winter’s are being held against their will.
Along the way, they touch the lives of ordinary people with King’s extraordinary power and find an unexpected love growing between them that makes the success of their journey even more vital. Because if they fail, their love is not the only thing in jeopardy.
When a demon saves an angel’s life, he wins the chance to stay out of Hell and walk the earthly plane until the End of Days.
Cael wasn’t aware of the loophole when he spared the angel Malak, but he plans to exploit it. All he needs to do to earn his freedom is convince Malak to give up his virginity. Three thousand years should be plenty of time. But Malak isn’t interested—not in having sex with Cael and not in being exiled from Heaven as a result.
Time is running out, and if Cael fails, his punishment will be unspeakable. With only days left, Malak realizes he can’t let that happen—not to the demon he’s come to love.
But the End of Days is coming sooner than either anticipated. Lucifer has found a way to unleash the Four Horseman and end all existence. If Cael and Malak want to stay together, they need to seek out all four Horsemen and stop them from bringing about the Apocalypse.
Despite a major setback, Lucifer has no time to feel sorry for himself. Running Hell is a monumental task, even though he’s taken steps to modernize it with technology like closed-circuit cameras and security systems.
As he struggles with his infernal issues, an unannounced visitor threatens to break his black heart. Lucifer hasn’t seen Uriel since his Fall, but he remembers how much he loved Uriel and how betrayed he felt when Uriel didn’t stand with him during the War.
Uriel has been sent to inspect the changes Lucifer has made and report back to Heaven. Lucifer has no choice but to give Uriel a guided tour of the Nine Circles, and all the feelings come rushing back.
Uriel hasn’t forgotten Lucifer either, and they pick up where they left off—with enough sizzle to rival the hottest of hell’s fires. But their reunion will be short-lived, unless Uriel relinquishes his halo—which Lucifer is unwilling to let him do.
Ares, the Greek god of War, has fallen on hard times. Modern technology has left him a proverbial fish out of water, relegated to finding battle of a sort in rough biker bars. When Hermes shows up with an offer from Zeus, king of the gods, Ares thinks he’s finally found a way to regain his past glory.
A godling on Earth has come into his powers, and they’re strong enough to send a ripple through Olympus. Zeus needs the fledgling god dead. Dion, the godling in question, has no idea of his Olympian roots until he wakes up to find Ares there to kill him. But Dion isn’t totally defenseless, and Ares soon discovers he’s caught in a web of lies that only the Fates will be able to untangle.
KIERNAN KELLY lives in Florida among the alligators and palmetto bugs with her husband and a Shar-Pei/Labrador puppy who thinks she’s a person (the dog, not Kiernan. Kiernan knows she’s a person. At least, she is after she’s had her daily dose of caffeine). Kiernan spends most of her time writing gay erotic romance while chained to a computer in the dark recesses of her office, which her children have dubbed, “The Gay Cave.”
Website: www.kiernankelly.com
By Kiernan Kelly
A-Viking
The Curious Case of Winter King
Dancing on the Head of a Pin
For Love of War
Hell Takes a Holiday
Running With the Moon (Author Anthology)
Staking His Life
Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
Published by
DREAMSPINNER PRESS
5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA
www.dreamspinnerpress.com
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Running With the Moon
© 2017 Kiernan Kelly.
Cover Art
© 2017 Paul Richmond.
http://www.paulrichmondstudio.com
Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.
All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook
format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.
Digital ISBN: 978-1-63533-343-5
Published March 2017
v. 2.0
First Edition of Heart of the Wolf published as Change of Heart by Torquere Press, 2007.
First Edition of Courage of the Wolf published as Change in Attitude by Torquere Press, 2011.
Printed in the United States of America
Running With the Moon Page 15