by Alex Jane
"Harry," Asher grumbled, his voice all gravel and sleep mussed as he pressed his face into Emmanuel's neck. "Get out."
"You know we really should be—"
Emmanuel didn't have to look to know Asher had opened his eyes finally and was glaring at his brother. The understanding dawned on Harry's face that Emmanuel might have other duties to attend to before he was getting out of bed.
"Oh. Right. Yes, I'll leave you to…" There was no embarrassment, or if there was, Harry covered it by laughing and winking at Emmanuel before he got up and left the room, making a point of banging the door closed behind him.
"There's something wrong with your brother," Asher murmured and inched closer.
Emmanuel relaxed back against him, relishing the sensation of their naked skin meeting and the hard line of Asher's cock digging into the meat of his ass. "It's just Harry being Harry. Although I'd rather not talk about my brother when you're about to fuck me, if it's all the same to you."
Pulling Emmanuel down to lay back on the mattress, Asher propped himself up on one elbow and leaned over him. "Who said I was going to fuck you?" he murmured, his lips ghosting over the mating mark he'd left on Emmanuel's shoulder months before, where the teeth marks were finally becoming less red. The bite itself had healed preternaturally fast, up to a point. Then the scars had stayed red and raised for longer than they should have. Longer than it had taken Emmanuel to recover from the attack that had almost cost him his Alpha.
Emmanuel hmmed. "You have something else in mind?" He wasn't sure he had the energy to give Asher everything he needed that morning, but he figured he was already hard enough from Asher kissing his throat that he could lie there and let his mate ride them both to completion. It wasn't something they did often, but Emmanuel sure as hell didn't mind it, and Asher seemed to have no complaints.
The kisses reached the dip of his throat and then down his breastbone, and Emmanuel simply let his body sink into the warmth of their marital bed and let it happen, his fingertips skirting the short hair at the nape of Asher's neck, playing over the chain that held Emmanuel's dog tags. No matter how many times he'd tried, the mating mark wouldn't take on Asher's neck. Asher swore he could feel it though, under his skin, which only appeased Emmanuel so far. Instead, Asher had taken to wearing his dog tags and a wedding ring, even though they weren't formally married. They'd never really discussed that part, both happy with what they had and not feeling the need for anything more, or at least they weren’t in any rush.
Only once Asher's lips had trailed below his ribcage, did Emmanuel register what Asher had in mind. He made a pleased sound and his cock twitched happily. It did so again when Asher lapped a trace of precome from the slit and swallowed him down. Emmanuel didn't so much hum as almost choke as he arched off the bed, not even having to try to keep his hips still as Asher's strong arms held him tight and he did that thing with his tongue that was almost too much for Emmanuel to bear.
He did bear it, though, like a trooper, letting Asher work him with his mouth and his hand for what seemed like forever until he was coming, and then it felt far too soon and not soon enough all wrapped up in a blaze of white behind his eyelids. Then Asher was knocking Emmanuel's knees apart and spitting whatever he hadn't swallowed into his hand.
"Oh, it's like that, is it?" Emmanuel murmured, throwing his arms around Asher's neck as his mate pushed his slippery fingers into him for a second before he felt an altogether different kind of pressure at his entrance.
"Yeah," Asher murmured back, burying his face into the side of Emmanuel's neck. "Yeah, it is."
Emmanuel's vision blurred with the tears that welled up sometimes when they were together like this. It hadn't been easy to let go of what had happened the night he’d been attacked, especially when he'd been more afraid he might lose Asher than concerned about the injuries he'd sustained himself.
When he'd glimpsed consciousness for the first time that night, the pain had been intense but Ephraim had been there, as well as Otis and the sheriff. Joshua had been dispatched to get the doctor and wire Emmanuel's mother, which had made him groan worse than the broken ribs and the concussion. The agony of them getting him inside and cleaned up, followed by two days of wracking pain and pissing blood, had been relatively restful compared to when his mother had arrived and brought fiery hell down on anyone who crossed her path. Eventually, her brother had taken her out to the barn and given her a stern talking to. Emmanuel had almost preferred her overbearing fussing to the grief-stricken, half-screamed sobs she couldn't hold back once Ephraim had been done scolding her.
The only thing that had made the whole thing bearable was that Asher hadn't left his side. The Alpha had sat in the chair next to his bed, wrapped in a great blanket, looking pale and drawn, grasping Emmanuel's hand as if it had been the only thing keeping him upright. His unwavering attention had been mostly out of love, Emmanuel knew, but it had also been because the sheriff had told Asher in no uncertain terms (although he'd looked pretty uncertain trying to tell a marshal, and an Alpha at that, to do anything) he was not to pursue Baskin or any of his men. Asher was well within his rights to defend his mate, but he'd wanted a trial more than he'd wanted to rip the man's limbs from his body. Although when Emmanuel had told him he was proud of him for taking the legal route, Asher had only shrugged and said, "I can always tear his arms off once the sentencing is over." It was almost romantic. Almost.
Not that Asher had been unscathed. Getting shot in the stomach was no joke, even for an Alpha. It had taken him a few days to heal fully, and despite everyone's reassurances, Emmanuel still believed they could have easily lost each other. That he could have lost Asher without telling him how he felt. The first words out of his mouth that meant anything other than everything hurts had been a muttered, "I love you." It hadn't hurt any when Asher had whispered it right back.
The water on the washstand was cold and Asher bitched the entire time he was washing that if Harry was going to keep barging in of a morning, he could at least bring hot water for them to wash up with. The grumbling made Emmanuel smile to himself as he sat on the bed slowly buttoning his shirt. He couldn't be bothered to point out, yet again, that they would have the new wood fire in the bedroom by next week at the latest, and what did Asher care about cold water anyway when he could hardly feel it. He just listened to the complaints and the rasp of the wet cloth scrubbing Asher's armpits and felt glad that this was generally the worst thing about living with the man. That and the fact he could sometimes be gone for days at a time with his work.
Even though apprehending Baskin had been a group effort—Emmanuel wished he could have been there to see the sheriff tackle the man in the street when he'd arrested him. According to Seth it was spectacular—Asher got the lion's share of the credit from his bosses. Mostly it was due to him managing to track down a witness who could positively identify Baskin as the man they'd been after for that business in Michigan, as well as ensuring townsfolk who'd been hurt by his dealings in Lastford spoke up and gave statements about his intimidation tactics. Baskin had tried to bribe his way out of trouble, of course. When that didn't work, he’d attempted to wheedle his way into the court’s good graces by throwing a bunch of his associates to the dogs but the charges stuck all the same and Asher got his man.
The court in Omaha had offered to let Asher run the dealings in Plum Creek but the Alpha had politely declined the top post, although he was happy to move to an office closer to home. Generally, he only had to go as far as Plum Creek to work when they needed him and occasionally had to ride out to different parts of the surrounding counties to serve warrants and take the census. It was a rarity to be sent out to track anyone down and to be gone a week or more. Mostly Emmanuel got to keep him at home, listening to Asher complain about the cold water and watch him fixing the shingles on the stable roof with his shirt off.
Leaving his mate to his ice bath, and hoping to get some of the coffee he could smell through the floor boards, Emmanuel tramped down th
e stairs, still feeling tired but with a smile on his face. The smile faltered a little when he saw Harry sitting with his feet up on a dining chair he'd dragged over in front of the armchair near the fire, holding a mug of fresh coffee in one hand and Emmanuel's notebook in the other.
It didn't matter much that Harry was supposedly the older, more mature brother, Emmanuel snatched the book from him and promptly smacked him across the head with it.
"Ow. Why'd you do that? I was just getting to the good part."
"There is no good part." Emmanuel scoffed, pouring himself a cup from the coffee pot on the stove. "They're just notes. I don't even really know what's happening yet."
"Phooey," Harry said, rubbing his injured head. "I've seen enough of your scrawl to be able to read between the lines."
"Are you saying I'm predictable?"
If Emmanuel had been any closer to his brother, he would have been the one getting a clip round the head. There was a look Harry got that Emmanuel was far too well acquainted with.
"No," Harry said pointedly. "I just know you that well. And I've no idea where that's going, hence my annoyance that you're going to make me wait for the first draft."
"I'll send you a copy when it's printed."
Anyone would have thought Harry had been fatally injured given the squawk that came out of him. "I think not! Don't imagine I won't bribe your editor for a copy."
"Otis knows better than to give you anything of mine. Has he been over yet?"
Harry chuckled. "Not everyone can afford to lie around all day fornicating, y'know. Violet and Duke are here already. He's down at the stable with them showing off the new horses and getting the boys to help with the milking."
"I hate to break it to you," Asher’s deep voice interrupted as he took the last few steps down, buttoning the cuff of his shirt. "If you're lying around, you're probably doing it wrong."
Emmanuel laughed more at Harry's frown than the joke and pushed a cup of coffee and a plateful of the breakfast hash the others had kept warm for them over to his Alpha.
They ate quickly, unused to shoveling food in their mouths when they would normally make time to sit down to eat together. And given they were usually up before sunrise, it felt very much as if half the day had been wasted.
They hadn't expanded the homestead by much. There were a couple of pigs in the sty now, mostly fattening them for winter, no matter how much Emmanuel enjoyed their company. The chickens continued to increase no matter how many eggs got eaten, so he figured they must be contented enough. Much of the land had been left fallow, good for grazing and harvesting for hay, but they also had a good crop of beets and grain, though none of the produce was for human consumption, not when Asher was rapidly filling the stable with outcasts.
Somehow the man had a talent for finding every sick, skinny, bad-tempered horse in the county. He was like a magnet for them, which had been a joke until people had started leaving them up on the ridge for them to stumble down when they heard the feed buckets and gentle whinnies of their other residents.
Give him his due, Asher had never expected Emmanuel to lift a finger, taking on all their care and feeding by himself, but of course, Emmanuel and Otis, and Ephraim, when he could spare the time, would help out. They had six right now, seven if you included the foal that had been born the previous night. It had been touch and go whether she would make it, and Emmanuel knew Asher would be hovering over the mama looking for signs of infection for the next month if he let him. But all in all, having the horses around suited them both.
It certainly looked good on Asher anyway. Harry joked that maybe the Alpha was instinctually making a pack of horses instead of wolves. It wasn't funny so much as probably true as far as Emmanuel could tell. They loved each other enough, it didn't matter Emmanuel couldn't feel a pack bond between them, and Asher seemed content to settle for him and the other members of the Fletcher pack who would never see him out in the cold. Including Harry. He might have gone out of his way to irritate the hell out of Asher, but in Harry's world that was because he was as much a brother to him as Emmanuel. If Asher would let him, Harry would have been bashing down the elder Franklin's door and giving him a piece of his mind.
There weren't much in the way of homestead chores to be done that day, but they certainly were going to be busy. The final touches had been made to the new implement store and although people had been using the facilities for a few weeks, today they'd decided to make a splash with a grand opening. Emmanuel thought the plan was silly, but Seth and Harry had had other ideas so he'd let them organize the thing. There was going to be a ribbon cutting and free food and a bag of chicken feed or a dozen eggs for everyone who showed an interest. Any excuse for a party.
Setting up the new business, including the credit union, had gone easier than anyone could have hoped for. The only delay had been wanting to wait until Baskin was behind bars and Asher had been able to set the record straight about all the underhanded dealings that had been going on. He'd tried his best to keep Emmanuel out of it but there hadn't been much he could do when Emmanuel had had to stand up in court and give his account of what had happened. There had been a feeble attempt to discredit him but it hadn't come to anything. The worst part had been having his picture in the paper next to one Asher had insisted be taken as proof after Baskin's thugs had bashed his face in.
But once that was done, and the business was settled, it had felt finally like they had a bit of breathing space. Which seemed like the perfect time for Emmanuel to do something he’d been thinking about since Asher had first sat at his table.
Asher's head popped up, tilting in that way he had when he was listening to something beyond Emmanuel's scope of hearing, as Emmanuel was pouring him another cup of coffee.
"There's a car coming."
"Sounds like." Emmanuel smirked over at Harry, not wanting to give the game away too soon. "It's probably that package I ordered." Asher looked curious but Emmanuel only pushed his chair back and got to his feet, bending to place a kiss on Asher's brow. "Why don't you go on out there. It's for you anyway."
The Alpha did as he was told, stepping out to wait in the yard even though there was a scowl on his face and by the time the dusty Model T pulled up between Duke's monstrosity and Harry's sleek but oh-so impractical racing car, Emmanuel and Harry were stood shoulder to shoulder at the window, practically pressing their faces to the pane, watching as Asher walked slowly over.
"I don't remember Gil," Harry said softly, watching as Asher's brother climbed out of his car, ran to Asher and drew him into a hug that went on and on. They looked so similar it would be impossible to think of them as anything other than pack mates. Even with Gil's slight frame and his lacking in inches, they looked like two peas in a pod.
"He was a bit younger than us so he probably wasn't on your radar."
"What does he do?"
"Book-keeping. Works out of Paxton. Lives there now too. Still has contact with the pack regularly but he has enough space from them that he can see Asher wasn’t in the wrong over what happened with their father. And it means he's a little closer to us too."
Harry sighed. "You think he'll ever leave the pack? Accept Asher as his Alpha?"
Emmanuel shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe. I didn't bring it up when I wrote to him but Gil was so enthusiastic about coming to see Asher, it could happen. He might even be able to make the others see sense one day but I'm not going to hold my breath. I think mostly he feels bad about staying away so long."
"Looks like he's trying to make up for it though," Harry smiled.
It was hard to tell which brother was the more emotional. Both Franklin men seemed to be crying and when one pulled away from their embrace to say something, the other immediately drew them back into an even tighter hold.
“Well,” Harry said, straightening his belt as he took a step back. "You should get out there and separate those two. I'm not driving them to town if they're going to weep all afternoon. I'll make some more coffee." Whe
n Emmanuel didn't make a move, Harry placed a hand on his shoulder. "You all right?"
"Yeah," Emmanuel nodded, even though he wasn't totally convinced he was. "Just a bit nervous, I guess. Meeting the in-laws for the first time."
Harry, being Harry, just ruffled his hair and scoffed. "Go on, nugget. You've met him before. Just because you're family now, it shouldn't make any difference."
"Only one way to find out, I guess."
When the front door creaked as he opened it and his mate turned to beckon him over, Emmanuel thought he might actually die seeing the blissful look on Asher's face and wondered for a minute how it was they ever got to be this lucky. It gave him a little confidence and a smile came easy as Asher slapped Gil on the shoulder and pushed him forward, "Hey, you remember Manny?"
Gil beamed and stuck out his hand to take Emmanuel's saying, "I sure do." The handshake quickly became a hug and Gil laughed with delight before whispering in Emmanuel's ear, "Thank you. Thank you for this. For everything."
Emmanuel only smiled and, watching the way his Alpha was wiping tears of happiness from his eyes over Gil's shoulder, he held him tighter and whispered back, "No. Thank you."
THE END
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