Paranormal's Love 12 - Tempting the Bear

by Charlie Richards

  When Perseus didn’t answer right away, Wren blinked a few times and forced himself to focus. He realized the gargoyle’s gaze was focused on his chest. A look of abject want was etched on his face.

  “Pers?” Wren rasped, his voice still rough with sleep.

  Perseus lowered his gaze and cleared his throat. “Uh, right. I picked the lock on your sliding glass door,” he said, pointing. “It’s not very secure.”

  Wren nodded slowly. “Yeah. I know. It’s why I wedge a small piece of wood into the track,” he responded. He turned and looked toward his back door and noticed the broken pieces of wood lying near the door on the floor. “Oh.”

  “Here,” Perseus said, setting a cup of coffee in front of him. “How do you take it?”

  “Black is fine,” Wren replied. He reached for the mug and wrapped his hands around it. Watching Perseus move around his kitchen, opening and closing drawers and doors, making himself at home as he pulled out plates, silverware, and heated something on the stove and checked something in the oven. “What are you making?”

  Wren couldn’t remember the last time he’d had someone make himself a meal. It was...nice. With that thought, Wren knew he must still be half asleep. He should not be thinking like that.

  Having always liked his men bigger than himself, Wren hadn’t found one willing to bottom too often. Hell, he was just shy of six foot four himself. He found plenty of smaller men who wanted to fuck or be fucked by him, but that just didn’t do it for Wren.

  Unfortunately, Wren had found men bigger than himself liked to do the fucking, too. They would allow a smaller man to fuck him once or twice, but they didn’t keep him, especially when they discovered that he preferred the top position.

  It wouldn’t be any different with Perseus. Hell, the gargoyle had already had his tail up his ass. If that didn’t make his intentions known clearly enough, he didn’t know what would.

  “I, uh, I didn’t actually make it. I’m just reheating it.”

  Perseus’ admission refocused Wren’s understandably sluggish brain. He nodded absently as he brought the mug to his lips. After blowing on it lightly, he hazarded a sip. It burned a little, but not too badly.

  “So, what is it?” he asked again.

  “Oh, right, uh, my buddy Kort is great in the kitchen. He made his specialty, hash brown casserole, and tacked on biscuits with sausage gravy,” Perseus told him. “It should be heavy enough to keep you going all morning.”

  “Thank you,” Wren replied softly. He took another sip of his coffee as he thought about Perseus’ words. The gargoyle had had his buddy make him a meal that he could serve him. His buddy. Frowning, Wren felt a surge of something he hadn’t felt in years and didn’t want to put a name to. Still, he couldn’t help but ask, “Who’s Kort?” If it came out a little brusque, he could blame that on still being half asleep, right?

  “A fellow gargoyle,” Perseus replied. “Most of the time he works in the kitchen because everyone loves his cooking, but he does other odd jobs around the place, too.”

  “So you don’t work together?” Wren pressed. “He’s not, uh—” He paused and ran his fingers through his hair. His fingers caught on tangles, reminding him that he’d just rolled out of bed. “Geez, I don’t have the right to ask that,” he commented absently as he worked out a knot with his fingers.

  “I am not involved with Kort,” Perseus told him bluntly, causing Wren to lift his focus to meet the other man’s gaze. Perseus’ smile appeared to be one of understanding. “I am not involved with anyone, and even if I was, you are my mate. I would cease any relationship to be with you.”

  Wren swallowed hard as he returned his focus back to his coffee. That information caused his heart to thump in a way he just knew it shouldn’t. Especially not after only knowing the guy for a day and a half.

  And I’m not supposed to want him. It won’t work out and he’ll get tired of fulfilling my needs.

  Rubbing a hand over his face, Wren mumbled, “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked that.”

  “I know you’re still coming to grips with everything that’s been explained to you, but please know that you can ask me anything.” Perseus smiled. “There are things I’d like to know about you, too.”

  Wren nodded slowly. “Uh, not much to tell, really,” he said, scratching his beard absently. “I’m a restaurant owner,” he confirmed. Wren didn’t really want to talk about himself. Changing the subject, he asked, “What about you? What do you do?”

  Perseus looked pleased that he’d asked as he replied, “We all do our part at the estate, and I’m the clutch’s head doctor.”

  “Head doctor?” Wren murmured. “Doctor Perseus.” He rolled that around in his mind a few times. Impressive. Wren cocked his head as he took in the gargoyle’s pale green hide, large black wings, and black claws. Frowning, he couldn’t help but wonder, “How did you go to school looking like that? Can you look human like Golren?”

  “No,” Perseus replied. Grabbing the hot pads off the island. He turned and opened the oven as he continued talking. “I took a lot of courses online as well as learned a large amount of information from my predecessor, Blevins. He ended up mating with a female doctor and she helped advance his studies. They now keep me abreast of modern changes,” he explained. Turning back around, he smiled and shrugged as he placed the small pan on an unused burner. “Blevins was truly a pioneer amongst gargoyles, pulling our healing techniques out of the dark ages, as it were.” He grabbed a spoon and stirred something in a pan on the left side of the stove. “Now, he and his mate travel to different clutches, updating their medical techniques.”

  Wren scoffed as he took a paper towel covered plate out of the microwave and set it on the counter. Pulling off the cover, Perseus places several biscuits on each plate, then doused them with the chunky gravy from the pan. Finally, Wren scooped up several scoopfuls of casserole. He set the plate down in front of him.

  “You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to get gargoyles to change,” Perseus stated wryly as he prepared his own plate. Turning, he placed his dish on the island and stood across from him. “I suppose you do know about that,” he mused. “Being gay has never been easy.”

  “That is true,” Wren agreed softly. He picked up his fork and stared down at his plate. “I haven’t had that problem for a while,” he admitted, sinking his utensil into the thick white gravy with chunks of what he guessed was sausage covering the flaky biscuit. Smirking, he lifted a forkful of food to his lips. Before shoving it in his mouth, he added, “I’m normally the one kicking the problems out of the restaurant. I have a no bullying policy.”

  The thick gravy spread across his tongue, coating his taste buds. The spicy flavor of Italian sausage flowed over his tongue. Finally, the warm buttery of the biscuit followed it all up.

  Wren hummed. “Oh, that’s good,” he murmured, scooping up another forkful. “Wow.”

  Perseus chuckled. “Check out the casserole. I can’t get enough of the stuff.” To prove his point, the gargoyle scooped up a large forkful and put it into his mouth.

  Following the other male’s example, Wren sank his fork into the orange potato concoction. Eating a bite, he immediately picked up on the heavy cheese and potato flavors, followed by the hits of onion, peppers, and ham. There was something else, too.

  After swallowing the wonderful concoction, Wren stabbed his fork into the mound and slowly started pulling it apart. “There’s something in here,” he mused. “Chives, maybe?” He tapped his fork against a tiny green square in the mixture.

  “You don’t like it?” Perseus asked.

  Wren glanced up and noted the worry and concern on the gargoyle’s face. His brows lifted upon discovering that the guy cared so much about whether he liked the breakfast he’d provided. Hell, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d enjoyed a meal someone else had cooked for him.

  “I like it,” Wren quickly assured. He wiped down his mouth with his fingers, smoothing his mustache and beard. “I love
it, actually. This is fantastic.” He scoffed, then admitted, “I was trying to mentally break down the recipe so I could duplicate it.”

  Perseus’ expression eased. He grinned, showing off sharp canines. “Oh, there are many at the estate that would love the recipe,” he said, chuckling. “Kort is awfully tight-lipped about the secret of his hash brown casserole.”

  Wren hummed. “I bet I can figure it out,” he decided.

  “Oh, yeah?” Perseus’ eyes narrowed. “What do you bet?”

  His brows lifting, Wren snapped his gaze to Perseus’. He took in the way the gargoyle’s deep gray eyes smoldered as he swept his gaze over Wren’s torso. Suddenly, Wren remembered he wore only a pair of thin sleep pants. Hell, he’d gotten into the habit of going commando in high school—banging in the locker room showers had been grand fun—and he didn’t even bother wearing underwear to bed.

  “Uh—” Wren didn’t know what else to say.

  “How about this, my mate,” Perseus rumbled. “If you win the bet and figure out the recipe to my favorite food, you can fuck me.”

  Wren’s brows shot up. He licked his lips as he felt blood pool in his groin. His dick became so hard so fast he almost felt dizzy. Then, when he saw Perseus’ nostrils flare and his gaze sweep over his chest and fixate on his nipple rings, his prick actually jerked at the deep-seated lust blazing back at him.

  “Somehow,” Wren managed to mumble. “I seem to be getting the better end of that deal,” he whispered. “What do you get if you win?”

  Even as lust pounded through his system, Wren felt a tiny niggle of fear. Just what would Perseus ask for?

  Once again, Perseus’ nostrils flared. His brows furrowed just a bit and his tone gentled. “Ah, Wren,” he crooned. “My sexy bear of a mate, I would never do anything that you didn’t want me to do.” He scoffed softly, then added, “If I win the bet, you can still have my ass. My only wish is that you will give me the chance to woo you as my mate.”

  Chapter Eight

  Perseus smiled at the shocked expression on Wren’s face. He shrugged. “I had hoped that after breakfast we’d have time for question and answer, but if you still need another day, I will understand.”

  Wren shook his head slowly. As he did so, he stabbed his fork into his biscuits and gravy again, taking another bite. He chewed, his brows furrowed. After he swallowed, he reached for his coffee and gulped down the last of it.

  Picking up the coffee carafe, Perseus recognized the tactic for what it was...stalling. Still, he wasn’t going to push his mate. He’d be as patient as Wren needed him to be.

  Perseus knew from watching others that, eventually, the mate-pull would drive them both nuts and force the claiming. Fate would have her way. Perseus just hoped that he could spend enough time with his human that they could come to some, well, not agreement, really. He wanted to spend a little time together and figure out what kind of work it would take to mesh their lives.

  “That, uh, yeah,” Wren began. He smiled and lifted one shoulder, either in a shrug or to relieve tension. “You would have gotten that just with this breakfast. It really is fantastic. Your friend, Kort, is a great chef.”

  “I’m glad you enjoy it,” Perseus murmured. “I wish I could come to your diner and sample your cooking. I’ve heard fantastic things about it.”

  Wren chuckled. “Then why don’t y—uh, right,” he said, amending his flow of words. “Stone during the day.” He frowned. “I’ve met Maelgwn and Einan at the restaurant.”

  Perseus smiled, pleased that they were finally having a discussion. “Once a gargoyle completes his bond with his mate, he will go through molt. It can be a painful process, especially when his mate isn’t with him,” he explained. “It has something to do with our cells mutating. We absorb some of our mate’s DNA so we no longer have to turn to stone during the day. Instead, we can turn to stone whenever we wish, as long as we do it for a few hours a week,” he explained. “It’s our version of REM sleep, you see.”

  “Uh huh,” Wren responded, his fork poised over his last few bites of food. “That’s, uh, wow.”

  Perseus nodded.

  “So, how does a gargoyle bond?”

  Letting out a slow breath, Perseus took a few seconds to gather his thoughts. “Well,” he began. “It’s a fairly simple process, but many humans find it distasteful because we share blood with each other.”

  “Share blood?”

  Perseus nodded at Wren’s dubious tone. “Yes. I bite you and drink your blood. You bite me and drink mine,” he explained bluntly. Then, he shrugged. “Other than that, it’s pretty straightforward. I fuck you and bury my seed in your ass and you do the same to me.”

  As he said those words, Perseus felt his body flush and his cock hardened to full arousal. He’d been struggling to keep his dick down the entire time in Wren’s home, but now...now he couldn’t help it. His cock ached with need.

  “I’ve heard rumors,” Perseus continued softly. “Rumors that biting is enjoyable. You’ll orgasm from the pleasure if it.”

  “Y-You mean I’ll come just from you biting me?”

  Perseus nodded again. “You will.”

  “Damn,” Wren mumbled. “Gettin’ off from a bite.” He scoffed. “I like a bit of pain, but that’s a new one on me.”

  Unable to hold back his jealous growl, Perseus glared at Wren. “I get that you are not a virgin,” he rumbled. “Neither am I, but I don’t want to hear about your past exploits any more than I want to tell you about mine.” He frowned at Wren. “Is that understood?”

  Wren’s eyes narrowed and his firm lips turned down into a scowl. “I’m sorry. Should I not share what I like about fucking with you? Do you not care?” he snapped. “Maybe you just plan to shove your fat cock up my ass any time you please and expect me to bend over for it.” His face taking on a rosy hue, he slid off his stool and onto his feet beside the island. Resting his hands on the Formica, he leaned toward Perseus and snarled, “If that’s the case, you can just forget it. I like to top. I like my dick sucked. I like pain with my pleasure. If you don’t like to bend over and take it, a lot, we can forget this whole damn thing.” He curled his lip and swept his gaze over Perseus’ form critically. “You can leave me alone, and I’ll forget your kind exists.”

  With that parting shot, Wren spun on his heel and stalked from the room.

  Perseus stood frozen in shock for all of three seconds. Then, everything his mate had said hit him like a club upside the head. His mate liked pain, was a top, and loved sex. Hell, fucking, yeah! Perseus loved to bottom, and he’d be more than happy to have his mate’s big, beautiful dick in his ass as often as possible.

  While Perseus knew they had a hell of a lot more to talk about, he couldn’t get the idea of Wren’s dick inside him out of his head. Plus, his mate was walking away from him, and that just wouldn’t do. Perseus knew just the way to fix this problem...and they would both enjoy it.

  Chasing after Wren, Perseus strode through the house. He didn’t have far to go. Wren’s home wasn’t all that large. There were two open doors on the right side of the hallway. One led to a small bedroom set up as an office and the second led to a small, corner bathroom.

  The third door was in the process of swinging closed.

  Perseus caught it before it could click closed. He shoved it open, pleased to find his mate still in the sexy, thin sleep pants that he must have worn to bed. Wren stood in the middle of the room, right between a large bed and a dresser.

  A few steps allowed Perseus to close the distance between them. He stood beside Wren and slammed closed the drawer that the human had opened. Grabbing hold of Wren’s wrist, he swung his mate around to face him, then used his larger body to back him one step, then two, Perseus forced them to tumble onto the bed.

  “What the fuck are you doing?” Wren snarled.

  Perseus could have stopped Wren from rolling them, but he didn’t. He wanted his mate on top. Instead, once Wren straddled his waist, that’s when Perseus wrapped
his arms around Wren’s torso and slid his hands up to cup his neck.

  Leaning up, Perseus put his mouth right next to Wren’s ear and hissed, “I am a fucking bottom, Wren.” He growled deeply, allowing the rumbling sound to vibrate his chest. He bucked up his hips, allowing Wren to feel his erection. “The thought of your cock buried deep inside me, stretching me, over and over, has me so fucking hard I could pound nails.”

  If this conversation wasn’t so important, Perseus would have thought the shocked look on Wren’s face was funny. He doubted people surprised the big man often. Instead of allowing his thoughts on that matter to show, Perseus continued to rock up into the other man’s body.

  Perseus felt Wren’s answering erection. The pale green sleep pants did little to hide the boner the man sported. When Wren had walked into the kitchen in nothing but the thin sleepwear, he’d thought he would explode from the sexy sight. The bat had been a good deterrent.

  Wanting to move forward, Perseus pressed, “So what do you say, bear?” He rocked his hips up again. “You want to show me what that thing can do?”

  Wren growled. “You want my dick in your ass so badly?”

  “You know I do,” Perseus growled. “Fate doesn’t make mistakes, Wren.” He threaded his fingers through his mate’s thick dark hair, massaging his skull. “Do you think she’d put together for eternity two people that couldn’t please each other in the most basic elemental ways? Sex will be easy between us, Wren,” he admitted. “I expect that it’s going to be the rest of real life that will be difficult.”

  Narrowing his eyes, Wren stared down at him. “Do gargoyles make out?”

  While not the response Perseus expected, he could certainly get on board with that. “Oh, yes.”

  Wren licked his lips once, then eyeing Perseus’ mouth, he murmured, “What about your, uh, teeth? Don’t they get in the way?”