by Lynn Hagen
The smells coming from the grills had Tater’s mouth watering as he averted his eyes when Olsen looked his way. He felt like a total shit for treating Olsen the way he had earlier.
Tater didn’t have a clue why he reacted that way. The hand jobs were something he had wanted almost desperately. The only thing he could think of was that he had panicked.
Having Olsen so close, so near, made him feel like he was being cornered. Tater was disgusted with himself for the way he had behaved afterward. He wanted to apologize to Olsen, but hell, he didn’t know how. Every time he got around that large bear, he fell apart mentally.
There were plenty of people here, making Tater nervous as he searched with his eyes for Olsen. He didn’t like large crowds, and there had to be upwards to fifty people here.
The music was blasting from somewhere close to the house as games of cornhole and football got underway. He sidestepped little children as they ran between the adults’ legs.
“Matthew!” a man shouted as he gave chase to the toddler. Tater watched as Maverick swooped the wee one up into his arms and blew a raspberry on the baby’s tummy. The child squealed with delight before Maverick reached down and picked up what had to be the boy’s twin.
Oddly enough, the alpha didn’t look bad with kids in his arms. One would think the biker-looking man would be out of his depth, but he looked natural holding them.
“I have her.” The same man batted another man’s hands away. “Go relax, Heaven. You need a break.”
“But what if Skyler cries? You go nuts when our daughter cries, Murdock.”
“Only because there’s nothing I can kill to make her stop crying. I want her happy all the time,” Murdock defended.
“Impossible dream, dear.” Heaven chuckled as he wandered off and began socializing with a group of men.
Tater cocked his head. These two men were obviously partners. He thought maybe they adopted the children, but the twin little boys looked too much like both men.
He scratched his jaw as he felt a small patting at his leg. Tater looked down to see a cute little boy smiling up at him. He wasn’t sure what he should do. It wasn’t like Tater had experience with kids.
“Come here, Nevada, and stop bothering the nice man,” a very large and bald-headed man said as he bent at the waist and grabbed the toddler.
“He wasn’t bothering me,” Tater said as he smiled at the baby, who started babbling like he was actually holding a conversation with Tater.
The bald man chuckled. “I’m Montana, and this is my son, Nevada. His other dad’s at home right now.”
Tater was confused as hell. There were nothing but male couples here, except for a teenage girl that was pestering Taylor, yet there were little ones running around.
It didn’t make any sense to him.
He laughed when Nevada reached out for him. The boy had such a chubby little face that Tater couldn’t resist. “May I?”
“Sure.” Montana settled Nevada in Tater’s arms.
Now what?
Tater jumped when he felt a hand land on his back. He spun, holding Nevada’s back as he looked behind him.
Cecil.
Taylor had informed him who he was, along with Blair. He growled as he handed the baby back to his father. Tater had seen the gleam of delight in Cecil’s eyes when he was arguing with Blair, and he didn’t appreciate it. “What?”
“Still so prickly, dude. Chill out. I wanted to apologize for yesterday and invite you out.”
Tater’s eyes darted around the yard, trying to find Olsen. He was listening to Cecil, but his mind was on Olsen.
“So, what do you say?”
Tater hadn’t heard a word the man had said. He looked down into amethyst eyes that sparkled with mischief.
“Sure, why not?” he answered without knowing what the hell the conversation was about.
“Good. Then I’ll see you tonight.”
Huh? Tater turned back to Cecil to ask him what he had just agreed to, but the guy was already walking away.
What the hell had he gotten into now?
Chapter Six
Tater had to admit, he had a pretty good time today. Taylor had introduced him to a lot of people. The only thing he would have changed was the fact that Olsen hadn’t been at his side. Too bad he was too chicken-hearted to go over to the bear and say this.
He knew he’d been snubbing Olsen all day, but after what happened this morning, Tater was terrified to say anything to the man. He had been a dickhead and he knew it. Sorry just didn’t seem good enough. Tater had faked amusement and conversations most of the day. Even though he was having a good time, most of it was feigned.
He wanted Olsen so badly that his heart ached.
Tater braced himself as he watched Olsen saunter over his way. He had been watching the bear covertly all evening, sneaking glances whenever he knew Olsen wasn’t looking his way. But from the frown on Olsen’s face as he neared Tater, he could tell this wasn’t going to be pleasant.
The bear stopped a foot away from him, running his tongue along his lower lip before speaking so only Tater could hear. “I see how it is now,” Olsen said as he swung his arms wide, encompassing the entire backyard. “Anyone here can get Tater’s laughter. They can get the relaxed Tater. The real Tater. But me?” Olsen said with a bite, raking Tater’s body with disdain. “Me, I’m running behind you begging for crumbs.” The bear shook his head, resignation in his beautiful grey eyes. “Not anymore. I’m done chasing after you, Tater. I’m done being happy with just the crumbs you drop me.”
Tater felt his entire body flush as Olsen moved back across the yard, disappearing around the side of the house. He wasn’t embarrassed because he thought someone might have overheard. No. Tater was embarrassed because Olsen had hit it right on the head and called him on it.
He was torn between running after Olsen or just leaving. Tater opted to chase down the bear. He took off across the yard, not caring about the stares he was getting. He may be afraid of commitment, Tater may even be afraid of how he felt about Olsen, but he wasn’t going to let the bear think all he was going to get were crumbs.
Olsen was his entire feast.
Tater wasn’t sure where Olsen had gotten off to, but he was determined to find him. He raced through the back door, looking around the kitchen before venturing further into the Lakelands’ home.
“He’s up in his room,” Chauncey said as he pointed toward the ceiling. “But I wouldn’t go up there right now unless you want to be claimed. I’ve never seen him like that before.”
Tater’s foot hovered over the bottom step as he stared at the man standing in the living room. “What does that mean, claim?”
He had a pretty good idea, but he wanted to make sure he understood the term clearly.
“It means he’s going to fuck you into the mattress and then a bond will form that is unbreakable. You’ll be bonded for life.”
Talk about the biggest commitment ever. Tater wavered for a moment before rushing up the stairs.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Chauncey called from down below.
Duly noted.
Tater wasn’t sure what he was heading for, but the thought of losing Olsen made his stomach tie into knots. He walked slowly to Olsen’s bedroom door, unsure of what he was going to say. Somehow, Sorry I’m an asshole who’s afraid of commitment didn’t quite cut it.
He stepped through the door to see Olsen pacing manically back and forth across his bedroom. Maybe now wasn’t such a good time to bother the angry bear.
“What?” Olsen bit out without looking at Tater. He wasn’t sure what he should do. If he left, it would piss Olsen off and make Tater’s heart hurt. If he stayed, well, the claiming thing Chauncey had warned him about was definitely going to take place—after a round of arguing and growling.
Was he ready to be claimed?
Tater crossed his arms over his chest, deciding not to say a word. Anything he said would be held against him in Olsen’s o
utraged mind. To hell with it. He was going to be still as a statue. Let Olsen make the first move.
It was a great plan until Olsen actually moved. Tater tensed, waiting for whatever the bear had in mind.
“Relax. I would never hurt you. No matter how angry you make me,” Olsen said as he approached Tater. “What do you want?” The question was said with an irritation that cut Tater down.
“I’m not sure,” Tater confessed. “I…it’s…I—”
“Calm down, Tater,” Olsen said a little softer this time.
Tater looked away, unsure about anything at this point. He wanted Olsen, for more than sex, he realized after the fiasco this morning. It was a need that was deeply buried in his gut that Tater didn’t understand.
His eyes snapped up when Olsen moved closer, his hands landing on Tater’s shoulders and then sliding down to his hands. He could feel the sweat gathering in his palms as Olsen leaned in, sniffing at his neck. Tater’s instincts almost made him pull away, but he held his place.
“You smell like apples and cinnamon.” Olsen groaned in his ear. “So tempting.”
Tater nodded. What the hell was he supposed to say to that? He had images of apple pies in his mind as Olsen softly kissed his neck, his lips barely touching. Tater’s body shivered from the intimate contact.
“I’m afraid of commitment,” he blurted out.
Why’d he have to go and say that now? Images of Olsen kicking him out before they even got started made Tater tense.
Olsen pulled back, his beautiful grey eyes boring into Tater. “I wish you would have told me this from the beginning.”
Damn it. There went the sex. He should have let his conscience speak after they had had sex. “I’ll go,” Tater said in defeat as he turned to walk out of the bedroom.
“Whoa. Where are you going?”
“But, you said—”
“I said I wish you had told me this from the beginning when I first met you. I would have known why you were running. It all makes sense now.” Olsen grabbed Tater’s hand and pulled him back into those big, strong arms. Tater shuddered as Olsen’s hands ran over his back. Damn, the man knew how to caress.
“You know what I am, right?”
Tater nodded.
“Do you know what a mate is?”
“D told me that you were my mate. That fate paired us. Is it true?” Tater had pondered the vampire’s words since hearing them in that field.
“Yes,” Olsen said as he watched Tater intently.
Tater pulled his hand from Olsen’s as he sat on the side of the bed. He scratched his head as he thought about everything that happened in the last forty-eight hours. “I think that’s why I was so defensive.” He turned to look at Olsen. “I think that’s why I ran.”
Olsen crossed the room to sit next to Tater, his hand resting on Tater’s thigh. God, Olsen’s hand felt like fire as it innocently lay there. Tater had an urge to lay back and let that hot hand do whatever the hell it wanted to.
“Because it’s a huge commitment to be mated?”
Tater snorted. “The mother of them all, if I understood D correctly.”
Olsen smiled as he nodded. “It is. What do you fear the most about us?”
Oh hell, now Olsen was trying to psychoanalyze him. It was bad enough Taylor was putting him through the wringer. Tater fell back onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling as he palmed his face. There was no way he was going to let Olsen into his screwed-up brain.
“Tater?”
“Having someone else depend on me, okay!” Tater shouted. He wasn’t sure why he was so aggravated, but telling Olsen his fears made him feel vulnerable. Something he didn’t like one bit.
Tater’s body went rigid when he felt the bed dip and heard it squeak. Olsen crawled over him, straddling his hips. “What if I wanted you to depend on me? What if I wanted you to defer to me? Would that change things?”
Would it? Tater thought about it as his body began to react to the large bear sitting on his groin. Olsen was a little heavy, but Tater welcomed the weight.
Tater felt devilish as he hitched his hips, almost sending Olsen flying. He knew the only reason he got the upper hand was because Olsen wasn’t expecting him to move. “What makes you think I would listen to you?”
Tater’s eyes rounded as Olsen slid down his body until he was lying between Tater’s legs. Olsen leaned forward and mouthed Tater’s cock through his jeans. Tater stared down at the most erotic sight he’d ever seen. Please let the man suck cock.
Olsen pressed his lips together, making Tater’s stomach quiver and his dick jerk. “Because you want to and you know it.”
Tater groaned in disappointment when Olsen removed his mouth, but that groan barely left his lips before Olsen reached up and unsnapped his jeans, slowly peeling back the zipper. Tater couldn’t have looked away if the house caught fire. It was so damn sexy to see Olsen’s mouth so close to his shaft. His stomach jerked when Olsen lowered his head, letting the tip of his tongue touch Tater’s cockhead.
“Apples and cinnamon.”
Tater tilted his head to the side. “Are you craving apple pie or something?”
Olsen chuckled as he kissed Tater’s dick. “No. That’s how you smell to me. Your scent is unique because you are my mate.”
Tater could only nod as Olsen slowly pulled his jeans from his hips, down his thighs, and ending at his ankles. Olsen reared back, removing Tater’s shoes and then pulling his jeans free. Olsen jerked his chin at Tater. “Take the shirt off.”
Tater grabbed the hem and nearly ripped it in half as he removed his shirt and tossed it aside.
A thickly arched brow rose as the side of Olsen’s mouth twisted into a very sexy half smile. “Very nice.”
His hands landed on Tater’s chest, smoothing over his skin, and then his thumbs grazed Tater’s nipples. Tiny electrical shocks burst throughout Tater’s body as Olsen tweaked his nipples. “Sensitive?”
“Yeah,” Tater panted.
Olsen’s chuckle was deep as he leaned forward and sucked one small brown disc into his mouth. Tater groaned as his body writhed under the bear. Olsen released his nipple, kissed the other one, and then locked eyes with Tater as he slid back down Tater’s body and sucked Tater’s cock in between his lips, suckling the head.
“Oh, fuck,” Tater groaned, hitching his hips as he tried to shove his dick all the way down Olsen’s throat. He wanted to throw a fit when Olsen pulled back, placing his hands on Tater’s hips.
“If you move, I stop.”
Hell no. If Olsen stopped, Tater was going to…whine like a brat. There was no way Olsen was going to tease him and then stop. So he nodded.
Olsen gave him a smug smile before taking Tater’s cock back into his mouth, his tongue swirling around the head, making Tater’s skin hum.
Tater lifted his legs and planted his feet on the bed as Olsen held him in place. His hands automatically went to Olsen’s head. When the bear started to pull back, Tater immediately removed his hands and laid them on the bed, curling his fingers into the sheets.
He flinched when he felt a finger probing at his hole.
Olsen lifted his head and stared at Tater. “Have you ever been on the bottom?”
Tater shook his head as he prayed Olsen put his damn mouth back on his cock. He was close, real close, and he was about to scream if Olsen stopped.
Tater growled when Olsen lifted away, reaching for something in the drawer of the nightstand. He averted his eyes when he saw Olsen pull out a tube of lube.
Olsen lay back down, swallowing Tater’s cock to the root. “Shit!” Tater shouted as his hips bucked. Olsen’s mouth milked his cock as a finger entered him.
Tater didn’t know whether to fuck Olsen’s mouth or yell at the bear for being such a sneaky bastard.
The fucking won out.
He was surprised Olsen didn’t make him stop until he felt another finger slide in next to the first one. He knew what the man was up to, but Tater didn’t care. The blow
job was distracting him as he guessed Olsen wanted it to.
Tater gritted his teeth as a third finger joined the other two. He’d never felt so full in his life. He had to admit it felt fucking fantastic. Tater pushed forward, shoving his cock down Olsen’s throat, and then pushed down, impaling his ass on Olsen’s fingers.
Reality came crashing through as Olsen eased back, and then got off of the bed, quickly disrobing. Tater’s eyes rounded when he saw the huge fucking cock between the bear’s legs. “What do you plan on doing with that?”
“I’m going to shove my cock into your ass, Tater. Once I do, we will be bonded mates. If you don’t want that, tell me now.”
Tater’s head spun at the idea of committing himself to Olsen. He knew he didn’t want to be away from the guy, but from everything he had gathered, this was it, the ultimate commitment. Before he could change his mind, he nodded.
He had to learn to take the plunge sometime, and Olsen seemed like the right person to do that for.
Olsen swooped down on him, settling between Tater’s legs in the blink of an eye. Tater grabbed the sheets once again as Olsen lifted his legs, pushing them back to his chest. “Let me know if you need me to stop, okay?”
Tater licked his dry lips, his throat refusing to work. He bit his bottom lip as he grabbed his legs and pulled them further back to his chest. Olsen’s nostrils flared as his eyes hooded. Tater bit his bottom lip hard as Olsen entered him.
“Time out,” he called as he tried to breathe through the pain. How the hell did anyone get fucked in the ass? The shit hurt.
Olsen stayed completely still as Tater exhaled slowly, the pain easing. “Okay.”
The bear pushed a little further, as if testing to see if Tater would call another time-out. Tater pushed out as Olsen pushed in, the action helping…somewhat.
“How you doing down there?”
Tater chuckled as he rolled his eyes. “I’m fine. It’s just weird.”
Olsen laughed as he shoved his cock to the hilt.
“Bastard!” Tater shouted as he gritted his teeth, waiting for the pain to subside. “If you ever do that again, I’m going to smack you.”