When No Doesn't Cut It

by Lisa Oliver

  Scott could feel the little man rake him with his eyes and he knew what he was seeing. At six foot tall and bristling with muscles, Scott was the complete opposite of the slim little man serving him.

  “What…why?” The little man was confused and then embarrassed, because hey, you did not want to upset a customer if you wanted to make a sale.

  “Why did he pick me?” Scott said with a grin. The twink nodded.

  Scott strode over to the doorway, leaning in on the little man as he went past. “Because I’m the only one who can handle his animal instincts. The man is a beast in bed.” In more ways than one, he thought to himself.

  He clearly heard the little man gulp as he sauntered out to where Damien was standing. He did a twirl and said, “What do you think? Will I do?”

  The admiration and lust were as clear as bells in Damien’s eyes. “Perfectly,” he said with a growl and Scott knew he would have heard everything Scott had said to the clerk. Scott knew he looked good. The dark grey suit was the most expensive piece of clothing Scott had ever tried on. The pants hugged his ass and legs perfectly, highlighting his strength and muscles. The jacket emphasized his broad shoulders and yet was cut to accentuate Scott’s slim waist.

  Grinning at Damien, Scott turned and flicked his hair as he looked in the mirror. “It’s getting a bit long,” he said absently. “I should probably get it cut.”

  “Don’t,” Damien growled in his ear and Scott turned to look over his shoulder, raising an enquiring eyebrow. Damien was standing directly behind him and had his hands on Scott’s hips. Scott could feel the heat of Damien’s body pouring into him and he had an urgent need to get back to the hotel, quickly.

  “I like holding onto your hair when I pound you into the mattress,” Damien whispered into Scott’s ear. Scott fought back the groan that threatened to breach his lips. All of a sudden his pants didn’t fit as well as they did.

  “Okay, so are we done here?” He said hopefully. Thankfully, Damien stepped back and Scott knew the little twink had been watching them. He went back into the dressing room and changed into his regular clothes, giving his cock a decided thump when he had trouble putting his pants on.

  Outside of the store, Damien said, “food or hotel?”

  “Room service,” Scott said with a smile, thankful his mate was on the same wave length as he was. The walk back to the hotel was going to be murder.

  Inside of the store, the little twink fanned himself dramatically, looking at the photo he had snapped of the two big men as they stood together at the mirror. “So damn hot,” he whispered. “What I wouldn’t give to be the filling in that sandwich.” Humming to himself, the man saved the photo to his phone, knowing it would provide ample fodder for his self-service session later.

  /~/~/~/~/

  Angel Bandures, aka Griff, had rented a private dining room at the hotel, for his wedding to Derrick “Diablo” Franklin. The room was tastefully decorated with a small amount of flowers, crisp white linens on the table, and soft music playing in the background. Griff and Diablo stood in front of the minister, their hand’s joined and the love they shared evident in their eyes and the way they smiled at each other. Even though Damien didn’t often consider men looking beautiful, he had to admit that Griff and Diablo were a stunning looking couple. Diablo’s fine cat like grace was the perfect foil for Griff’s more obvious strength.

  Scott had explained to Damien why Diablo was actually marrying a man called Angel, instead of Griff. The two men had to cement their undercover story - that of crime lord and his partner. The FBI could have just arranged for the documents to be drawn up, showing Angel and Diablo were married, but Griff had wanted to be connected to Diablo in every way possible and so he had arranged the wedding. All Diablo had to do was turn up.

  And that’s why the pack was standing witness. Not because this was an undercover job, but because Griff wanted his family to be a part of his wedding. Because it was the pack in attendance, all good looking men in finely cut expensive suits, the chairs put out for the witnesses were ignored, and the men stood around Griff and Diablo as the ceremony began. People sat in rows and watched a wedding. Wolves stand in a half circle around the couple and bear witness to the joining. The minister conducted the ceremony looked like he was going to argue, but with so much muscle in the room, he wisely held his tongue.

  When the minister asked if anyone objected to the union, everyone held their breath in the silence. As the moment passed and the minister started to speak again, Damien could see the sigh of relief pass Diablo’s lips. No wonder. More than sixty wolves had turned up to challenge Griff and the pack, for Griff’s right to mate with Diablo during their Mating Ritual and Damien had been told by Lucius that it was a long day. Even Diablo had taken on eight of the challengers, something unheard of before in shifter history.

  But nothing was going to spoil Griff and Diablo’s wedding today. The minister’s voice droned on, and Griff and Diablo made their appropriate vows. Damien allowed his thoughts to wander to the man beside him. He had never considered that he could have an Alpha Mating Ritual, but he realized that he did want to do that with Scott. Scott deserved to be acknowledged before the pack and other wolves. He was the Alpha Mate of the San Antonio pack, which was an important position, as well as Damien’s mate. Damien knew, given his status among the wolf packs, the event would be huge, as many other packs would want to send representatives to the ceremony. Hmmm, Madison was going to be one busy boy arranging all that lot.

  But Damien had one more thing that he had to do with Scott first. One more hurdle to cross before he asked Scott to be joined with him under pack law. Looking down at the man beside him, Damien felt a small shiver run up his spine as he thought about what he proposed to do. But when Scott looked up at him, his handsome face smiling and happy, Damien knew that Scott would take care of him. He always had.

  Tonight he would let Scott claim him - fully, the way wolves were supposed to.

  /~/~/~/~/

  Scott could see his mate was holding onto some sort of tension, but he couldn’t sense what was wrong through their mind link. Damien appeared relaxed as the two men sat with the others while the pack shared a meal after the service was over. The food was lovely, with plenty of meat on offer and Damien laughed and joked with the rest of them. Griff was positively sappy with Diablo, which meant the two men came in for a lot of teasing, but Scott could tell that Diablo was equally besotted, even though as a cat shifter, the play of emotions were more subtle. Both men now sported solid platinum bands on their ring fingers, as well as the small tattoo each man had on their inside wrist, created when Griff and Diablo went through their mating ceremony. They were in love. They were happy together, and that was all that was important today.

  Watching Damien empty his glass and call for another drink, made Scott pause for a minute. Damien was clearly anxious and trying to hide it, but Scott couldn’t work out why. His mate wasn’t mind blocking him, but it was almost as though Damien was purposefully not thinking about whatever it was that was bothering him. But then Damien smiled at him, with that every present hint of lust in his silver eyes, and Scott pushed the matter out of his mind. Whatever it was, Damien would share with him soon enough. For now the food was good, the drink plentiful and the company were happy and relaxed. All in all, a perfect wedding.

  /~/~/~/~/

  It was quite late when the men all headed back to their respective rooms. Griff had arranged for a DJ to come in after the meal, and the three mated couples, along with Dean and Troy, all took their turns at dancing to the mostly slow songs that Griff had requested. There was also more drinking, stories to be shared like when Griff and Diablo first met. Damien had cracked up laughing when he heard how Griff and Diablo had hooked up at a BDSM club, and that Diablo had claimed Griff while the man was drunk.

  As he spent time with the men from Cloverleah and listened to their stories, Damien could tell that all of them had been through a lot since Kane and Shawn had first m
et, and that the wedding was a good excuse to take a break from the hassles of pack and daily life. Although only a small pack, the men from Cloverleah were closer than any family group and their love and affection for each other was evident. It made Damien feel good that he was included as part of that family.

  But now he was in his suite, with his mate and the two of them needed to talk, although Scott was not making that easy. The man had jumped him the moment they got in the room, and Damien had allowed himself to be lost in the amazing way Scott kissed him.

  Pulling himself off of those luscious lips was not easy, but Damien did it. “Scott, love, stop a minute. We have to talk.”

  Scott stepped back, but he didn’t look happy. “You’re going to have to stop using that phrase, lover. We have to talk usually means something nasty is going to be said in relationship-speak.”

  “It’s nothing bad, love,” Damien was quick to reassure him. “It’s just…” Damien stopped and looked down at his hands. He was suddenly really unsure of himself.

  Scott stepped in close to him again, and wrapped his arms around Damien’s back. “What ever it is you can tell me, love. You know that. There’s nothing that you can say, that will stop me loving you.”

  “I want you to claim me, properly,” Damien said in a rush. Scott’s eyes widened in shock, but he recovered quickly.

  “Okay, we can do that, if you want to,” he said slowly. “But are you sure about this Damien?”

  Damien was sure, he was just nervous. You tell yourself for long enough, that you’re never going to do something, if you do eventually get around to doing it, and wanting to, then the prospect is plain terrifying. Plus which, Damien had been thinking about all of the reasons why he had been denying his love for Scott for so long, and why he hadn’t wanted to try this before, and in the cold light of day, after more than a century of time, his reasons seemed plain stupid.

  “Yes, I’m absolutely sure,” he said. “But I want to talk to you first. I want to tell you about Julius.”

  “Julius?” Scott’s face scrunched in confusion and then his face cleared. “Your first love,” he said quietly. Damien nodded, feeling really shy.

  Scott seemed to sense that because he looked positively decisive. “Okay then love, let’s get naked, and into bed. The bed is always my favorite place for serious confessions.”

  “You’re into naked confessions?” Damien couldn’t help but ask, as he and Scott moved towards the bed, dropping clothes as they went. Expensive suits weren’t any consideration when there was naked mates and a bed being offered.

  “Not really.” Scott laughed. “But I’m into talking to you and you being naked is a bonus.” His smile stayed on his face as he flipped himself on the bed, affording Damien a good look at his tight ass, before he turned and got himself under the covers. Once he got himself settled, he pulled back the sheet and blanket and patted the spot beside him.

  “Come on lover. Come and get comfy with me.”

  Shucking off his pants, Damien climbed in beside his mate, Scott pulling the blankets over them, even though the room was quite warm. The suites at the St. Regis were smart without being fussy. Comfortable without being opulent, and really, really nice. Damien loved the bed in particular as it was plenty big enough for him to lay down on, and firm enough for the exercise he and Scott had shared the night before. No squeaks, Damien remembered with a grin.

  Scott moved closer to Damien and Damien had his arm around his mate before he registered he’d done it. Scott seemed pleased with the gesture and laid his head on Damien’s chest, softly stroking Damien’s solid, hair free muscles. There was nothing wanton in Scott’s caress. Just the reassurance that the man loved him, and was there for him. For the first time all day, Damien felt himself relax.

  “Julius was a force of nature,” Damien began. Scott’s fingers never wavered but kept up their steady caress. Damien knew it would be hard for Scott to hear how he had loved another, but Damien also knew this was the last secret he kept. He had to share it with Scott, his mate; otherwise he would never be free of it.

  “He was a beta wolf in the pack, back when I was eighteen. He was twenty eight when I met him and it was lust at first sight for me. I wasn’t as big as I am now - tall, but I hadn’t developed the muscles I have now.” Damien felt Scott chuckle quietly, but the man’s fingers kept up their soothing cadence on his skin.

  “We hooked up, and because I was in line for Alpha, and he was a beta wolf, he let me fuck him. I thought he was funny, and smart, and he had a real way with the ladies. I knew then that I was gay - he was bi, I thought. But I’ve never fancied a woman in my life. I don’t think he ever fucked around on me with other men, but he definitely had his fair share of the ladies. When I told him that his playing around upset me, he reminded me of how illegal sodomy was at the time and that he was just keeping up his cover of being a straight man. I couldn’t fault his logic, even if I didn’t agree with it. I stayed faithful to him though. I didn’t want anyone else.”

  “Was he your mate?” Scott asked quietly. Given how old Damien was, it was possible that the man could have two mates in his lifetime - well maybe. Damien understood the reason behind Scott’s question. For Damien to be young and faithful indicated that Julius meant a lot to him. Young wolf hormones were rampant and wolves weren’t shy about who they fucked.

  Damien shook his head. “No, not my true mate. Not like you,” he said. “I just loved him with everything that I was. He was the first you know. The first guy I’d ever fucked. The first person in my life that I had ever had strong feelings for. I never told him, because I didn’t want him to think I was being silly, but after we’d been seeing each other for about two years, and I was getting closer to being Alpha, I decided I wanted to take him as my mate. If I was Alpha, the pack couldn’t say anything about it, despite the laws at the time, and I loved him so much I would have given up the pack to be with him if I had to.”

  “He must have been an amazing guy,” Scott said softly.

  “You’d think so, wouldn’t you?” Damien laughed. “Turns out he was actually a two-timing, lying piece of shit. The night I told him I wanted him to be my mate he told me that he would, if I let him fuck me. He wanted us to be equals.” Damien felt Scott wince beside him, because of course, that is what he had wanted from Damien, as a condition of their mating. Damien patted Scott’s hand to show he understood and kept talking.

  “He wanted me on my hands and knees on the ground in the forest. I didn’t think anything of it at the time. I thought he was just too eager to be with me to find us a bed. He’d pushed my head and shoulders down onto the ground and was behind me, prepping me. I should be grateful he tried to do that at least, although lube wasn’t invented in those days and he didn’t use a lot of spit. I remember his fingers tearing into me but I was determined not to show I was in any pain. I was stronger than that.”

  Damien wound his fingers into Scott’s and held on tight. Scott didn’t say a word. His mate just waited, breathing softly, his head still nestled on Damien’s chest. Damien was glad of that because he honestly didn’t think he could look at his mate, as he recalled the humiliation that followed.

  “He started heckling me as he fucked me with his fingers, calling me a slut, and how he was going to take a piece of the Alpha. I cried out then, and told him that I was doing this because I loved him. I loved him and that’s why I wanted him as a mate. I wanted us to have a life together…” Damien broke off as he struggled with his memories.

  Scott, he just waited. Waited until Damien could drag himself out of the horror of the humiliation, and into the present moment. A moment in a fancy hotel suite, with his mate in his arms. Damien ducked his head and inhaled Scott’s heady scent. It gave him the strength to continue.

  “Julius laughed at me. Told me I was a kid and didn’t know what love was. I was twenty at the time and figured I’d been through enough to know my feelings. I asked him why he wanted to claim me then, when he didn’t care fo
r me, and he told me it was because of the power. He wanted to be Alpha Mate, even if it meant fucking a faggot like me. And all the while his fucking fingers were ripping my insides and it hurt so much.”

  “What happened to him?”

  “Nothing, well nothing much from my hands,” Damien said. “I fought him off before he could get his cock near me, and smashed his face in. I beat him up pretty bad, actually, but he healed quickly. He found his mate, a female, in another pack when he was out hunting, and moved away about three years afterwards. I heard he and his mate got killed in some gold field dispute in California, years later. As for me, I hardened my heart, vowed never to love anyone again, started my club, became Alpha, and lived my life in some kind of stasis, until I met you.” Damien smiled down at Scott as he said the last part.

  “Fuck, Damien, you should’ve killed him. I know I would’ve.” Scott said, angry for his mate. “No one has the right to humiliate another like that. And the idiot obviously didn’t have the first idea about how to have anal sex, otherwise you wouldn’t have been hurt. No wonder you’ve never let anyone else get close.”

  “Yeah well, us wolf shifters heal quickly and he didn’t do any permanent damage. I think it was my pride that was hurt more than anything. Looking back at it now, I can’t even think what I saw in the guy. He was always arrogant. Always screwing around. He barely gave me the time of day, unless I begged him to spend time with me. I must have looked like a right idiot at the time.”

  “No you weren’t,” Scott said fiercely. “He was the stupid idiot who didn’t realize what an amazing person you were then, or how great an Alpha you would become.”

  Damien laughed more at the tone of Scott’s words than the actual content. He felt better for having told Scott about Julius, because he knew now Scott could understand why he had resisted mating him, and why he’d been so slow to confess his love. The two men sat quietly for a while, just enjoying the closeness - something Damien craved almost more than sex. He’d never allowed himself to enjoy physical affection. Even Julius had never hugged him, or simply held him for the sake of it. Scott loved it, and his affectionate ways had converted Damien in about three days after Scott had moved to Texas.