by J. D. Light
"Poor guy," he said quietly when we were quite a way away.
"You hated him yesterday," I reminded him with a chuckle, laughing even harder when he reached out and backhanded me in the bicep.
A flash went off, drawing our attention, and I met the wide-eyed gaze of a man holding his phone up, having clearly just taken a picture of us… or Malik.
"You saw that, right?" Malik asked, never taking his eyes off the man, who immediately took off."
"Yeah," I said, taking off after him, yelling over my shoulder. "You go tell River. I'm going to go find out what he's up to."
As I hit the end of the isle where the man had been standing, I caught the definite odor of wolf shifter and followed it out into the parking lot, where a wide-eyed blond man punched the gas and took off backward out of his spot.
Pulling out my phone, I snapped a quick picture of his face, looking directly at me, as he switched it into drive and then peeled out of the parking lot, leaving marks on the asphalt.
I growled, wishing I didn’t have to worry about the humans standing around. It would have been nothing to shift and ram that truck before he even managed to get it into drive, but I could scent humans everywhere.
"Well?" Malik said as I approached where he was standing with River, who was on the phone.
I growled again, shaking my head. "He took off, but I got a picture of him. It turned out surprisingly clear for taking it through the windshield."
Malik leaned closer, narrowing his eyes. "He looks really familiar," he said softly, tilting his head one way then the other.
I nodded, licking my teeth. "To me too, and he's definitely a shifter. I smelled wolf."
"The only two areas you and I have in common is the bunker and the agents involved in that," Malik said, raising one finger and then another. "And Crossville." He took my phone out of my hand, turning it toward River. "Does this guy look familiar to you?"
River frowned, shaking his head. "No. Granted, I haven't been back that long, but I'm pretty sure I've met, or at least seen all the people in the streak."
"Damn it." I let my head fall back on my shoulders, pissed. "That means he's probably an agent, which means there are most likely at least two involved."
River frowned, glancing at his oblivious mate as the man laughed at something one of his coworkers was showing him on his phone.
"I don't think he got a picture of Logan, but I'll have to keep an eye out just in case."
I nodded, reaching out to squeeze the man's shoulder. "It would probably be a good idea, but I'll be sure to keep all information on Logan out of the system, since they clearly still have access."
Which definitely meant there was more than just Darrin involved, since his access had been taken away the night we'd called Grayson and told him what was going on.
Malik's new, updated information had only been added a little over a week before, but if Darrin hadn't logged in for weeks, then he wouldn't have been able to get Malik's information.
"I'm going to need you to go in and check the logs for me. I need the list of people who had access."
"I can do that," Malik said, making River, quirk an eyebrow, but he didn't say anything. "I also think I might have an idea."
The innocent bat of his eyelashes made me narrow my eyes. "I don't think I like it."
"You don't even know what it is," Malik said, and again his eyelashes gave him away.
"You're going to get in the system and change your information and set a trap."
"Hmm?" he asked, looking around.
I licked my teeth, shaking my head. "And that's a great idea." I had been thinking the same thing… "Except I feel like you actually plan on being there and being bait."
"Hmm?" he tried again, and I grabbed the back of his neck, bending down to press my mouth to his.
"That doesn't work on me," I said against his lips, stopping to suck one into his mouth. "I know you use that when you don't want to talk about something."
He sighed, melting against me and latching onto the front of my shirt to pull me closer. The kiss was entirely too dirty for a grocery store, and when River cleared his throat, I blushed so hard, I just barely resisted the urge to reach up and fan myself.
Damn! My man could definitely kiss. His mouth kept making me forget to act like I had any amount of control over my life.
Malik cleared his throat. "What was I saying?"
The fuck if I knew. All I could think about suddenly was getting my mate back to the house so I could finally lay claim to that body.
"You were going to be bait," River supplied, looking extremely amused, and I sighed, wishing I had any control at all, and that River would have kept his damn mouth shut.
"Right." He glanced at me, his eyes moving to my mouth. "You were purposely distracting me."
I snorted, shaking my head. "I was pretty distracted myself."
"The guy isn't just going to walk into a house where I'm supposed to be without casing the place. He's going to have to see me coming and going."
"It's too dangerous," I tried to protest, but I already knew I was beaten.
No matter what I said, Malik was going to do it, with or without my permission. The only way I was going to be able to keep him safe at that point was to go along with his plan and do my best to keep him safe.
"You'll be there the whole time…" He reached up, patting my chest and running his palm over my pec, leaning closer, and rocking up on his tiptoes to whisper in my ear. "And wouldn't it be nice to have a little privacy when you claim me?"
I grunted, glaring down at him. "That's manipulation."
Shrugging, he smiled. "I don't feel bad about it either."
Chapter Five
I squealed like a freaking lunatic, throwing my arms around my mate's shoulders, and then glaring at him when he stepped over the threshold and into the living room of the house we'd be staying at for the next however many nights it took to lure a person thief out.
I couldn't believe that sound had come out of me, and I fully intended on making Rowe take the blame for that ridiculous shit.
"You should have warned me," I snapped, trying to ignore the fact that the adorably romantic gesture made my insides melt a little.
Rowe just chuckled, pressing his forehead to mine. "I won't tell anyone about your piggy squeal, don't worry."
I glared. Well, I tried to, but the man was just such a huge, adorable softy, that it was almost impossible not to get sucked in by his warmth. Maybe if I didn't already love him so damn much, I could possibly stay irritated with him when he picked me up out of nowhere and scared a piggy squeal out of me.
Sighing, I pecked a kiss to his mouth and pulled my head back to look around, my eyes going wide. I'd thought the outside of the cottage style house was adorable, but the high ceilings, loft style upstairs and a lovely sunken living room was absolutely gorgeous.
"Why weren't we staying here in the first place?" I asked, wiggling so he'd put me down.
Rowe had called Meyers with my plan on the way home, grumbling the entire time about not liking it, and then we'd packed our stuff and some groceries, and were headed in the direction of another cabin the FBI had around Crossville that they used for a safehouse from time to time.
It had been so damn quick, I'd almost forgotten to grab my toothbrush, which would have been a fucking tragedy seeing as the whole point of us going immediately had been so we could finish our mating bond.
We weren't going to enter the fake information about me into the system until the next day.
Rowe shrugged, moving back out onto the porch to grab Spritz's carrier and his diaper bag. "We were expecting to have to house more chosen, so we needed a bigger space, and it's not as far out in the country. Easier for someone to follow us from town," he explained, before going back out and getting our bags.
"Perfect," I mumbled, but I could tell by the way he glared at me when he came back in the room, that he heard me completely.
We got the baby settled
in the corner in the living room, and then headed upstairs with all our stuff. I sighed happily when we entered the first bedroom, and not one adorable little piggy stared at me by way of little figurines scattered all over every surface.
It was simply a lovely, navy and gray room with mirror bottom lamps and silver vases.
Rowe took my bag, setting it with his on the chair, giving me a shy smile when he turned to face me. "Do you want to––"
I didn't know what he was going to say. I honestly didn't care. All I wanted in that moment was to be his, so I jumped at him, loving the shocked expression on his face just before he caught me.
Kissing seemed to be a favorite for both of us. Something we could savor together as being new and beautiful. I loved the way he tasted, and I could tell by the way he clutched me to him and moaned into my mouth every single time we kissed that he enjoyed my taste as well.
He turned, pressing me against the wall, and I groaned, loving the feeling of being held up like I was. We sucked and nibbled and licked at each other's mouths, while he used his hips to pin me to the wall as I held myself up using my legs.
I couldn't stop moving my hands over his body, loving the way he felt against my palms. I worked my hands under the material, moaning loudly against the tongue I was sucking into my mouth, and he growled, pausing for a moment to pull his shirt up and over his head.
I whimpered at all the flesh I was free to touch, and reached out, cupping his massive pecs in my palms, before leaning forward and licking a perky nipple.
He hissed, his fingers finding their way into my hair as he pulled me closer to his chest. I nipped at the little nub, groaning when he tightened his grip and pulled slightly on my hair. Electricity zinged through my body to my balls, and I cried out at the ceiling, jerking my mouth away.
Gripping my hair, he pulled my face back up to his, brutally kissing me, and I loved it.
He tugged at my shirt, and he must have gotten frustrated at some point in the fight, because he just gripped the thing in both hands and ripped it, right down the center. I pulled back in surprise, eyes wide as I watched him press his palms to the center of my chest, skimming his hands to the sides and taking my ruined shirt with them.
He brushed his thumb over my nipple, making me shudder before leaning forward and taking my mouth again.
"I can't believe I'm finally going to claim you," he whispered against my mouth, after a rough, beautiful battle where he slid his hands around my sides and into the backs of my pants, cupping my ass.
Peeling me off the wall, he moved toward the bed, stopping to lower me to the ground before reaching around me and bending to the bag he'd set in the chair next to it, reaching in one of the pockets and pulling out a bottle of lube, stopping to suck on my hip when he started to rise.
I gasped, my entire body breaking out in goosebumps. I didn't know if I'd be able to handle his mouth anywhere else in that moment. Every touch was threatening to throw me over the edge, and I hadn't even gotten my damn pants off. It just felt too fucking good. It all felt too fucking good.
Tossing the lube on the bed, he reached out and ran his thumb over the mark just below the edge of the scarring on my ribcage. "I know you hate this mark, and I hate that you ever had to suffer because of it, but in a weird way, it brought you to me, so I'm selfishly grateful you have it."
Damn! For a shy man, he could say some sweet things.
"There wasn't much suffering. Maybe a little fear, but I have to say, right now, I'm pretty grateful for it too."
He smiled, sliding his hand around my back and pulling me close, his mouth finding mine in a gentle, loving kiss that was so different from the earlier kiss where he'd devoured me. I whimpered, wanting to cry from the emotion I felt in the gentle action, which turned into a moan when my body once again brushed against his.
It was odd. I would have never thought I'd like to be touched so much, especially when it involved my scars, but suddenly, it was like a fucking craving. I couldn’t get enough of his skin on mine. And even with our tongues mating sweetly, and turning hotter by the second, I needed more. I needed to touch every inch of him with every inch of me.
Pulling back, I reached between us, going for his fly. Once I'd managed to fumble around for a few seconds, I finally got him undone and went straight for my own, having only marginally less issues doing something I did every single damn day.
I kicked off my shoes and pushed my pants and underwear down, raising an eyebrow at myself when I stepped out of my pants, standing before my gorgeous mate in nothing but my socks. Hooking first one and then the other with my index finger, I slid them off and tossed them, looking up to find my mate completely naked and watching me with the type of intensity one would usually apply to predators, not an herbivorous rhino.
We watched each other for a long moment, letting our gazes linger on each other's bodies. I couldn’t believe the man in front of me was mine, and I didn't know what I'd done to deserve him, but I sent up a quick thanks, giving an odd thought to whether God would appreciate me talking to him in the situation I found myself in, naked and… ready and then remembered that he knew what I was doing and had actually gifted me with the man in front of me, so he was probably rolling his eyes at me in that moment.
Making a mental note to talk with him at a slightly more appropriate time, I rolled my eyes at myself, recognizing my brain's nervous overthinking, and climbed up on the bed.
A hand landed on my hip, stilling me while I was positioned with one leg on the bed and one leg off, my ass clearly displayed, and I groaned when two giant hands cupped my ass cheeks, massaging them firmly.
"You have such a beautiful ass, Malik," Rowe whispered reverently. "I can't keep from watching it every time you cook for me. I just sit there, staring and dying to grab it, to press myself against your back and feel you moving against me, to bend you over the table and taste you."
I gasped, looking back over my shoulder at freaking Rowe Belk, my shy mate, and nearly died of overstimulation when his heated gaze met mine, and a blush blossomed up on his face. He didn't look away though, just licked his lips, watching my face as he dipped a thumb inside my crack, the tip running over my hole.
I gasped and then moaned, pressing back against it, making him grunt and do it again, his thumb putting a bit more pressure on my opening.
I bucked against the air, wanting to get my hand on my dick, but not wanting to move and spoil the position.
I hadn't needed to worry about it anyway, because his hands moved, sliding up to grip my hips, lifting slightly, so I'd climb the rest of the way on the bed, and before I could even think of being disappointed, I felt his tongue land at the top of my crack.
I whimpered, my dick throbbing and leaking pre-cum as he eased the appendage down, down, down, until it slid over my hole. He flattened it, pressing and then easing off, pressing and then easing off.
When he used the tip to press to the center, my body easily opened for him, and my arms gave out. Thankfully, he was gripping the front of my thighs, holding me to him as he ate at my ass, and I didn't completely fall on my face, but the new position opened me further to him and his tongue slid a bit deeper.
I didn't know if it was possible to get off just from someone licking at your ass, but I was starting to get worried I'd never make it to the actual claiming if he didn’t stop.
"Please," I yelled, happy and pissed at the same time when he pulled away, stopping momentarily to nip at my ass cheek, sending a delicious tingle straight to my balls.
Within seconds, a lubed finger rubbed against my hole before pressing forward, and a low groan left my body, stuttering out halfway at the exquisite feel of being stretched by him. When the second finger joined the first, I was already rocking back against him, trying to force him to pick up the pace.
By the time the third finger was inside me, I was keening and whimpering, near to begging him to thrust harder. I knew I needed some good stretching before he pushed inside me with his beautifu
l dick, but my body was on fire, and I desperately needed something.
Easing out of me, he gripped my hips, gently encouraging me to roll onto my back, and I did, my legs spreading wantonly, letting him see everything and moaning when I looked down to see the wet shiny head, covered in pre-cum, and looking angry as fuck.
I clutched the sheets beside my hips needing something to keep me from taking it in my hand and finishing myself off. I swallowed hard, watching him as he poured a little more lube into his palm and then slowly stroke his leaking dick.
Scooting closer, he settled nicely between my legs, spreading his legs so he could get lower and press the head of his cock against my hole, before easing inside in one, slow, continuous motion that burned slightly, but not enough to take away from the almost painful pleasure of it.
I moaned long and low as sensations pinged through my body at the near constant pressure on my prostate as he eased out and then slowly back in.
Opening my eyes, I reached up for him, needing his mouth on mine and he came easily, our lips and tongues moving together as our bodies did. It was such a beautiful moment, I never wanted it to end, but my balls were already starting to draw tight and my body was coiling to explode.
I shouted into his mouth as cum shot from my dick between us, and my body tightened around him, then with a grunt, his hips stuttered, and I felt his cock pulse inside me.
His teeth sank into my neck, and I moaned as another orgasm hit me, Rowe's big body shuddering above me, as he groaned against my neck, releasing the skin and licking at the wound.
Wrapping his arm around me, he rolled onto his back, and I went like a wet noodle, my body flopping against his with no hope of being functional again, as we panted out our sated happiness.
I tried to imagine what the me of nearly a month before would think if he could see where I was right now, sated to the point of almost not being able to even function, on top of the man I'd seen in a picture while snooping through Meyers' computer, and somehow knowing he was special. The man I was going to live a long, long, long happy life with, raising baby skunks, and probably about a million other animals with… and maybe even babies someday.