If Simon moved to South Africa instead, Malik would have to keep his alpha position. Coupled with the council seat, he’d barely have the time to see Simon, let alone spend time with him. Malik didn’t want that.
He let himself go down until he touched the bottom of the pool, then he shifted. His body got longer, wider, and he closed his eyes. He opened them again only once he was in his shark form.
Simon was still out of the pool, but Malik could see him taking his clothes off on the edge of it. He stared, just like Simon had stared, until Simon was naked and standing there, staring back.
“This is kind of weird,” Simon said. “I know you’re you, but it’s still weird. I’ve never been this close to a shark.”
Malik swam in circles and let Simon get used to the idea. He wasn’t about to force his mate to get into the pool if he didn’t want to. He knew he was impressive in his shark form, and Simon wouldn’t be the first to be intimidated by it.
But then Simon walked to the ladder on the side of the pool. He slowly climbed down, then let go. Malik stayed on his side of the pool, not wanting to spook his mate, but Simon swam closer, until he was so close he could have touched Malik if he’d stretched his arm toward him.
“Can I?” he asked, and Malik wasn’t sure how to say yes to that. He bumped his nose against Simon’s leg, and Simon jerked back, surprised. He laughed, though, so Malik did it again.
“You’re really just a cuddly huge fish, huh?” Simon asked, and Malik bumped against him again for saying that.
Simon ran his hand over Malik’s back, and Malik closed his eyes in pleasure. That felt good, especially when Simon scratched between Malik’s eyes. Malik would have purred if he’d been able to.
He let Simon cuddle him and touch him for a while. Simon ran his hands over whatever part of Malik he could touch—his back, his dorsal fin, down to his caudal fin, and then up again, only on Malik’s belly. He teased his fingers around Malik’s gill openings and Malik shuddered, but he had to be careful, because now Simon was at his mouth, and the last thing he wanted was to hurt his mate.
Malik stayed very still as Simon touched the underside of his mouth. He didn’t touch Malik’s teeth—of course he didn’t—but Malik opened his mouth wide so that Simon could see them if he wanted to.
Simon laughed. “Those are very impressive. You could eat me whole if you wanted to.”
Malik had an entire different idea of how he could eat Simon, especially since Simon had forgone the swimming suit and was skinny-dipping.
Malik waited until Simon had finished examining his snout to shift back. Simon’s hands were suddenly on Malik’s stomach rather than on his nose, and he laughed. “That works too, I guess.”
Malik pulled Simon close and kissed him. Simon didn’t protest, but he did say, “I thought this was all about you swimming,” when they separated.
“I can swim later.”
“And what would you propose we do right now if you don’t want to swim?”
From the glint in Simon’s eyes, he knew exactly what Malik wanted to do, so Malik didn’t say anything. He kissed Simon again, then he dunked. He felt Simon jerk in surprise, but he kept his hands on Simon’s hips.
Malik ran his nose on Simon’s thigh and nuzzled the warm place between groin and leg. It didn’t smell like Simon, but it felt like home, because they were surrounded by salt water. The combination of the two made Malik shudder in pleasure.
Simon was hard, and Malik licked a path up his dick. He hadn’t mentioned it to Simon, but he was able to stay under water much longer than a human, or even a shifter, could. It came both from being a shark shifter and from spending so much time in the water ever since he was a kid.
He did surface for a few seconds, though, and stole a kiss from Simon before going down again. This time, he went straight for the prize and engulfed Simon’s cock into his mouth. Simon jerked, but Malik kept him still with his hands.
He bobbed his head and sucked, smiling around Simon’s length when he noticed Simon’s toes curling in pleasure. Simon’s hand hesitantly touched the back of Malik’s head, and Malik reached back, pressing it closer, hopefully letting Simon know that he didn’t have to be too careful.
Simon pressed harder and pushed his hips forward. The head of his cock hit the back of Malik’s throat and Malik swallowed. The water sloshed around them as he moved, licking and sucking until Simon tried to push him away.
Malik needed to breathe. He was starting to feel the strain, but he wanted Simon to come first. He sucked harder and teased the slit in the head of Simon’s cock with his tongue, pressing against it and lapping at the pre-cum that oozed from it. Simon’s cock hardened even more and it twitched, and Malik knew he was about to come.
He reached between Simon’s legs and teased the patch of skin just behind Simon’s balls. His fingers slipped further back, and his nail gently scraped at Simon’s hole. Simon tensed and his hold on Malik’s head became stronger as he came.
Malik swallowed everything Simon had to give him, then he surfaced again, out of breath. He leaned against the edge of the pool, breathing as slowly as he could, and Simon cuddled against his side.
“I wasn’t expecting that,” Simon said.
“A blowjob?”
“That you’d be able to give me one underwater.”
Malik grinned. “Perks of being with a shark shifter.”
Simon slid his hand down Malik’s chest and grabbed his dick. “Well, I can’t stay underwater as long as you, but I’m sure I can find something else to impress you.”
Chapter Six
“A costume party? Really?” Simon asked Mal.
Mal threw popcorn at him from the couch he was slumped on. “Yeah.”
“Aren’t you too old for something like that?”
“I’m turning twenty-five, not fifty-five.”
Simon shrugged. “Fine with me. I’ll even help you organize everything, but you’ll have to take care of the cleaning afterward.”
Mal pouted. “But it’s for my birthday.”
“I’m not going to believe that you’d rather have me cleaning up than buying you a gift.”
“Fine, I’ll take the gift.”
“Who are you inviting?”
They both were ignoring the TV, but Simon didn’t turn it off. He liked having a bit of noise, especially when the house was otherwise silent. He and Mal were the only ones home. Even Elliott had something better to do than watching the rerun of whatever series was on at the moment.
“Anyone who hasn’t been an asshole to me.”
“That significantly reduces the number.”
“Yes. But you know, quality over quantity and all.”
Simon was already thinking about what he could dress as. Wait, what would Malik dress as? Did they need to match? Simon didn’t think so, but it might be a good idea.
“When will the party be?”
“Next week.”
“Mmm, that doesn’t leave us a lot of time to choose costumes.”
“Oh, come on, how long is it going to take you?”
“Don’t know. What about you? What are you dressing as?”
Mal grinned. “I’m not telling you.”
“Aww, come on!” Simon threw popcorn back at him. “Please?”
“Nope. It’s a surprise. Hell, not even Will knows yet.”
Simon straightened. “You’re coordinating.”
“Yup.”
“And he doesn’t know as what?”
“Nope.”
Simon laughed. “Oh, I bet he’s going to hate it.”
“Probably, but knowing him, he’d hate whatever costume, so I might as well have fun with it.”
The doorbell rang and Simon and Mal looked at each other.
“Who can it be?” Mal asked.
“How would I know? Go see.”
“Why don’t you go?”
“Because I’m ready to bet it’s someo
ne who wants to see me, and I want to know who it is before I do.”
“How did you figure that out?”
“The only person you wouldn’t want to see on the other side of your front door is Paul, and he’s locked away. That means that if it’s someone to see you, it can only be a pleasant visit. In my case, though, it could be my parents, and I really don’t want to talk to them right now, so I’d appreciate it if you told them I’m not home.”
Mal rolled his eyes, but he got up as the bell rang again. “Fine, I’m going, but you owe me.”
Simon threw a piece of popcorn at him as he passed by. “I already said I was going to help you with the party.”
Mal disappeared into the hallway and Simon put the TV on mute. It wouldn’t help him hear anything if whoever was at the door was a friend, but he would be able to hear it if yells were involved.
Sure enough, a few seconds after Mal had left the living room, the sound of raised voices echoed through the hallway. “I told you he’s not home.”
“Bullshit!”
Simon groaned. Great. His brother was there, and if there was someone he wanted to see even less than his parents, it was Darryl. He knew Darryl wouldn’t leave until he saw Simon, though. He was stubborn that way.
“You’re not welcome here,” Mal said, and Simon was suddenly afraid for his friend.
Darryl had never raised a hand to Simon, but there was a first time for everything, and Mal was human. He’d get hurt if Darryl decided to hit him.
Simon took his phone from the coffee table. He sent a quick text, then put it back and got up. Mal and Darryl were still yelling at each other, and Simon felt a wave of love for his friend. Any other human, and even some shifters, would have backed down and thrown Simon to the wolves by now—or wolf, as it was. Mal was holding strong, though, and just because Simon had asked him to.
Simon hurried toward the front door. He wasn’t surprised to see Mal standing in front of Darryl, physically stopping him from storming inside their house.
Darryl’s gaze went to Simon as soon as Simon put a foot into the hallway. His eyes narrowed, and Simon swallowed. He couldn’t help it. He’d been scared of his brother as a kid, and he still was. He wasn’t going to back off, though. He hadn’t in front of his parents, and he wouldn’t in front of Darryl. With any luck, Darryl would contain himself to insulting Simon, and Simon was used to that.
“What are you doing here?” Simon asked, not giving Darryl the time to speak before he did.
“What the fuck did you do to Mom and Dad?”
Simon put a hand on Mal’s shoulder, silently telling him to step aside. Mal obeyed, but he didn’t look happy about it, and he didn’t go far. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed on his chest, scowling at Darryl.
“I told them to leave me alone,” Simon answered.
“Mom’s been crying for days.”
Simon felt guilty, but they’d made him cry for years. His mother would be fine. “I’m sorry about that, but I can’t do anything.”
Darryl’s hands tightened in fists and Simon wondered if today would be the day he’d snap. “You can go back home and be normal, like you should have done years ago.”
“What’s normal? I feel normal, Darryl. I’m sorry you, Mom, and Dad don’t agree, but I’m done explaining myself.”
Darryl scoffed. “You, normal? You’ve never been normal.”
“Then why do you expect me to be now?”
“Because you’re hurting Mom and Dad, and you’re making them look like fools in front of everyone else.”
Simon sighed. As usual, there was no reasoning with his brother. “I’m just being myself, and I’m sorry if you all feel that way, but I’m done trying to please you, or even trying to anger you. I’m just done with you. I don’t need you. I have friends, a home, and I have a mate who loves me. They’re enough. I’m enough for them. They want me to be myself, and it’s something I’ve never had with you. I don’t want to go back to feeling bad about myself, not now that I know I’m perfect just the way I am.”
Darryl took a step forward and Simon wondered if he was about to take a fist to the nose, but Darryl stopped, and Simon noticed a hand wrapped around Darryl’s wrist.
Simon’s shoulders slumped in relief as Darryl turned around, looking pissed as fuck. “Who the fuck are you?” he bellowed.
“Simon’s mate. Who are you?” Malik asked in a calm voice.
“His brother.”
Simon was surprised to see Quinn push by Darryl to come stand by him. He looked Simon up and down. “Has he touched you?”
“No.”
Quinn nodded and took a stance in front of Simon. Simon’s brows rose in surprise, because he could have sworn Quinn was being protective of him, but that couldn’t be true, right?
“What do you want?” Malik asked.
“Simon needs to dump you and come home.”
“Why should he?”
“Because we’re his family.”
Malik snorted. “Family? From what Simon told me, you’re as far from being his family as I am from being white.”
Darryl sputtered. “What—”
“Leave. Simon doesn’t want to see you, and he doesn’t want to see your parents, not right now. When and if he changes his mind, he knows where to find you.”
Darryl looked like he wanted to protest more, but he wasn’t a fool. Simon wasn’t sure his brother knew who Malik was, but even if he didn’t, Malik was much taller and bulkier. Darryl wouldn’t try anything with him. He had no problems bullying smaller guys like Simon, but he wouldn’t say anything to Malik. He was probably too scared Malik would knock his teeth out or something.
Darryl turned toward Simon and pointed at him. “You’re not welcome in our home anymore. As far as I’m concerned, you’re not part of our family anymore, and I know Dad feels the same way. Good riddance.”
He turned and stomped past Malik. The four of them watched Darryl disappear into the forest, and Simon relaxed only once he was gone.
Mal patted his shoulder. “He’s an asshole.”
“I know.”
* * * *
Malik waited until Simon’s brother was gone to turn around and pull Simon close. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah. He didn’t touch me.”
“That doesn’t mean you’re all right.”
Simon shrugged and Malik felt him relax. “I know, but really, I’m fine. I was expecting him to come, and what he said wasn’t any different from what Dad said the other day.”
“Do you have anything to eat in this house?” Quincy asked.
Malik rolled his eyes at him. “Trust you to defuse the tension with a request.”
“What? I’m hungry. We’ve been plotting with Kameron for hours.”
Simon chuckled and stepped away from Malik. “Let’s go to the kitchen. I’m sure we’ll find something for you to eat.” He smirked. “Do you eat eggs?”
Quincy frowned. “Of course I eat eggs, Why wouldn’t I—oh. You’re trying to be a smartass. Very funny.”
“What? It’s a legitimate question. You’re a hawk. Isn’t it a bit like cannibalism?”
“I don’t eat hawk eggs, just chickens’.”
“Still a bird in my book.”
“Shut up and cook dinner for me.”
“Yes, master.” Simon bowed to Quincy and Quincy swatted his ass.
Malik arched a brow at them. The last time they’d seen each other, Simon had been ready to kill Quincy. Malik had no idea what had happened since then, but they’d obviously made peace. He was glad. That way he didn’t have to keep them separated.
“Should I be jealous?” he asked Quincy as everyone moved to the kitchen.
“About what?”
“About the fact that you just spanked my mate.”
Quincy snorted. “I didn’t spank him.”
“I beg to differ.”
“That was just a frien
dly swat.”
“And when exactly did you two become friends?” Malik asked as he sat at the kitchen table.
“When he texted me to apologize,” Simon said.
“He texted you?” Malik asked.
“He apologized?” Mal asked.
Quincy scowled at them and Simon laughed. “Yeah, he did.”
“And that was enough for the two of you to be friends?” Mal asked as he opened the fridge.
“I don’t know if we’re friends exactly, but I think we might become friends, if he stops being an idiot.”
“I’m not an idiot,” Quincy protested.
“But you do act like one sometimes.”
“I... can’t deny that.”
“Hey, Simon, you’re good for him. He doesn’t even sound like an asshole anymore. I think I’m going to put him on the list for the party.”
Malik frowned. “Party?”
“Mal wants to have a costume party for his birthday next week,” Simon explained.
“I’m not going to any party,” Quincy said. “Especially not one where I have to dress up like an idiot.”
Simon dumped a plastic container in front of Quincy and sat next to him. “Please?” he asked, fluttering his lashes.
Malik wouldn’t have been able to say no to that, but Quincy wasn’t mated to Simon. Still, Malik could tell he was caving, and when Simon made him a sandwich and handed it to him, still fluttering his lashes, Quincy sighed.
“Fine, I’ll come.”
“Great! I’ll dress you up, okay?”
“I never agreed to that! I’ll come, but I won’t dress up.”
“But it’s no fun like that. It’s a costume party. You have to dress up.”
“I won’t let you in if you don’t,” Mal said. He put the water bottle he was holding on the table and sat down. “Then you’ll have to watch us have fun while you’re all alone outside, wearing your usual boring clothes.”
Quincy looked down at himself. “My clothes aren’t boring.”
Mal snorted. “Flannel shirts went out of fashion years ago.”
Malik pressed his lips together to avoid laughing. Quincy would stop talking to him if he did, and while it might be restful for a few days, Malik didn’t want his best friend to pout.
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