by Jayda Marx
My girth rubbed against his inner walls as I impaled him, and I knew by the way he was chanting my name and drawing in ragged breaths I was pegging his prostate with each thrust.
“Please touch me,” Rory asked with a wild look in his eye. My mate was desperate for release and I was desperate to give it to him. I released his hip and wrapped my hand around his dick once more. I pounded into his tight little ass and stroked him once, twice, three times and he erupted.
Warm cum splattered over my hand and onto Rory’s stomach. I stroked him until nothing was left and he trembled in my arms. Then I wrapped my hand back around his hip and slammed him down onto my cock. Rory’s eyes rolled back in his head as he enjoyed the aftershocks while I rode him hard and fast.
My orgasm started in my toes. They curled up and tingling heat shot up my calves and thighs, coming to rest in my balls. They lifted and rolled and I buried myself inside Rory’s tight little asshole as I screamed out his name. My seed burst deep inside him and I couldn’t help myself.
I leaned forward and sank my teeth into Rory’s mating mark. He slapped the wall and yelled as his dick jerked and produced another powerful burst of cum that painted his balls and my stomach. My bite would always affect him this way, and it would never get old watching my mate come apart.
“Holy shit,” Rory breathed after I retracted my teeth from his neck.
“My thoughts exactly.”
After we caught our breath, I gently placed Rory on the floor and made sure his legs were steady before I let him go. Then I grabbed a fresh washcloth and lathered it up with body wash. Just as he’d done for me, I took my time carefully cleansing every inch of his body. Our lovemaking could get intense, but I wanted to make sure he always felt precious and cared for.
Once he was clean and rinsed, I helped him out onto the bath mat and dried his body. He dried me too and we stepped together over to the sink. We took turns brushing our teeth and I wrapped my arm around his shoulders, leading him into the bedroom.
“Come on, sweetheart; you’ve had a hard night. Let’s get you to bed.”
He nodded and started to climb into bed before abruptly turning around to face me. “Wait a minute, what about the window?”
“I’ll get what I need to replace it tomorrow, but for tonight, I’ll board it up once you’re asleep.”
“I can help.”
I smiled and ran my fingers over his cheek. “I know you can, but you need your rest. I want to take care of you, and make sure our home is safe and comfortable for you.”
Rory rose onto his tiptoes to give my lips a soft kiss. “You really are the best, you know that?”
“I know,” I shrugged, making him laugh. I turned down the corner of the blankets and smiled as Rory climbed into bed, flinching when his tender ass rubbed against the sheets.
“Will you lay with me until I fall asleep?”
“Of course, sweetheart.” I climbed into bed behind him and wrapped my arm around his thin waist.
“Let’s try to make it more than two weeks before another terrifying, life-altering event takes place, okay? We’ve had quite enough of those.”
I chuckled at my sweet mate and pulled him closer to me. “Deal.”
He sighed and nestled his little naked ass against my groin. I could easily go for round three, but Rory did need his rest. I settled for kissing his neck and taking another deep breath of his intoxicating scent.
“I love you, Phoenix,” Rory said before breaking out into a huge yawn.
“I love you too, Rory.”
Within moments, my sweet, exhausted mate was snoozing in my arms.
Chapter Thirteen
Rory
I chuckled as I watched Phoenix fidget his fingers again. “You are a badass alpha wolf; why are you so nervous to meet my friend?” He and I were seated in the same pizza restaurant where I’d last seen Dax nearly a month ago waiting for him to arrive.
“Because he’s very important to you. I know he’s a big part of your life and I want him to like me.”
My heart swelled at his words. He would never try and push Dax and me apart; he knew all of my love belonged to him and that Dax was just a very dear friend and family. Phoenix just wanted to be accepted and included in that friendship.
I buried my fingers in Phoenix’s short beard and looked seriously into his eyes. “He’s going to love you.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because he’ll see how much you love me.” Phoenix’s feelings for me were obvious, and that’s what would matter to Dax. My husband smiled at me before pressing his lips against mine, kissing me slowly and tenderly, pouring his feelings into me.
“Oh, don’t mind me,” Dax’s voice sounded from beside me. “It’s not like I woke up early from sleeping after a midnight shift and drove across town to see you or anything. I’ll just get my own table so you can ignore me in peace.”
Phoenix ripped his lips from mine and gave Dax a wide-eyed look of panic. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to be rude. I wasn’t ignoring you on purpose.”
I snorted a laugh and patted Phoenix’s thigh. “It’s okay, baby, he’s just messing with you.” I stood from the booth and faced Dax. “Hey, Da-” I didn’t even get his whole name out (and it was a short name) before he pulled me into a tight hug.
“I missed you,” he whispered to me, squeezing me tightly and rocking me back and forth.
“I missed you too.” It was the longest amount of time we’d ever gone without seeing each other. We made no move to separate, and soon Phoenix stood from the booth as well to place his hand on the small of my back. He supported Dax’s and my relationship, but that didn’t mean he was happy about another man touching me for so long. I took the hint and stepped away from my friend. “Dax, this is Phoenix. Phoenix, this is my best friend Dax.”
“Nice to meet you,” Phoenix offered, holding out his hand. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Same here,” Dax said, shaking my husband’s hand. “And I’m glad we’re finally getting the chance to have a little chat.” He gave Phoenix a serious look and pointed to the table. Phoenix swallowed hard before turning to sit back down.
When Phoenix’s back was away from us, Dax looked at me with a huge, dumb grin and mouthed ‘So hot’ to me. I nodded and mouthed back, ‘I know, right?’ But by the time Dax took his seat across from Phoenix, he was all business again. I nestled in beside my husband and waited for the interrogation to begin.
“So, Phoenix,” Dax began, crossing his thick arms over his chest and peering at my husband from under his brows, “What makes you think you’re good enough for my Roar?” Phoenix flinched beside me at another man referring to me as his, but he didn’t say anything. Hopefully he knew Dax was just trying to intimidate him and look out for me. He’d always thought of himself as my big brother (even though we were the same age) and was very protective over me.
“I know there’s nothing I can do to ever deserve someone as wonderful as Rory,” Phoenix replied. “But I thank Fate every day for giving him to me and I will spend my entire life loving him and taking care of him. I will support him and protect him all of my days.”
Dax’s jaw went slack and he blinked hard before shaking his head slightly, bringing back his unimpressed veneer. “I guess you don’t sound too terrible,” he shrugged. I scrubbed a hand over my mouth to keep from laughing; my friend was trying so hard. Dax leaned over the table toward Phoenix and added in a low voice, “But know this; if you ever hurt my friend, I’ll make your life a living hell. I may not look like a threat, but I promise to make you beg for mercy, but I won’t give it.”
A slow smile spread across Phoenix’s face as he turned to me. “I like him.”
I smiled back and reached across the table to pat Dax’s arm. “Yeah, me too.”
After his warnings had been delivered, Dax warmed up to Phoenix quickly. We talked and laughed together as we scarfed down enough pizza and soda to feed six people instead of three. Phoenix had
a high metabolism because he was a shifter, and mine was growing every day. Dax just really loved pizza, and I was happy to see him enjoying his meal without worrying about his body or what his terrible boyfriend might say. I wasn’t happy with the way Dax kept yawning and rubbing his bloodshot eyes.
“You look so tired,” I told him sadly. “I didn’t mean to get you up so early after your shift.”
“I was just teasing about that,” he insisted with a wave of his hand. “I’ve actually got the night off, so I needed to get up or else I’d waste my first evening free from work in two weeks in bed.”
“You haven’t had a night off in two weeks?”
Dax yawned again as he shook his head. “I picked up some extra hours cleaning, plus the movie theater has been working me pretty regularly. With the two jobs, keeping house and cooking, I’m worn out.”
“Maybe Justin could cook some meals so that you can rest,” I suggested before I could stop myself. It never went well when I spoke against Justin, but thankfully Dax seemed too tired to get riled up.
“Well, it was part of our agreement when I moved in that I’d take care of the cooking and cleaning.”
I gnashed my teeth together. I didn’t know about this agreement; I would have fought harder against Dax moving out of our apartment if I had. Things made so much more sense now; Justin asked Dax to move in because he wanted a servant, not a boyfriend. The names Justin called him and the disgusted way he looked at him (not to mention the fact Dax said they hadn’t been intimate in months) made me wonder if he even liked Dax, or just saw him as easy prey. Phoenix must have picked up on my irritation, because he put his warm palm on my thigh and patted gently, trying to calm me down.
“But I’m sure Justin will find work soon, so it’ll get better,” Dax insisted.
“Is he even trying to look for a job?” I snapped.
“I said he was,” Dax bit back.
Shit. I knew that tone and Dax was about to blow his top. “Okay,” I backed off, raising my hands in surrender. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to accuse him of anything.” That was a load of bullshit, but I didn’t want to fight.
Dax scrubbed a hand over his face. “I’m sorry too. I’m just cranky because I’m so tired.” He reached across the table and took my hand. “And because I’ve missed you. We haven’t got to spend any time together; let’s not spend what we do have fighting.”
I squeezed his hand in agreement. “Hey, when’s your next day off?”
“As long as they don’t give me extra hours on this upcoming schedule, I’m off next Friday night.”
“Why don’t you come visit us?” I asked, looking between Dax and Phoenix. My husband smiled and nodded. “Take some time for yourself and come hang out and see our place. We’ll order in food and you can meet the rest of our friends. Maybe we can even have a game night like we used to. How does that sound?”
“It sounds amazing,” Dax grinned. My pulse raced at the idea of getting everyone together and having fun. “Can Justin come too?”
Fuuuuuuuck. Well, we can forget about the ‘fun’ part. “Of course,” I choked out.
“Great! Well, speaking of Justin, I’d better get home to him. I haven’t spent much time with him either and he may want to do something together this evening.” I doubted it; Justin never seemed to want to go anywhere in public with Dax.
“Okay. Well, I’m glad you guys finally got to meet,” I replied, motioning between him and Phoenix. “And I’m really looking forward to next Friday.” And really hoping that Justin caught the plague or something equally as terrible and had to stay home. To suffer. Alone. The thought brought a warm smile to my face.
“Me too,” Dax smiled back, though I sincerely doubted it was for the same reason. “Oh shit, my brain is all over the place.” He leaned up on one hip to grab his wallet out of his back pocket. “I almost ran out of here without paying.”
“It’s my treat,” Phoenix insisted.
Dax smiled wider and replaced his wallet. “Thank you.” He stuck his hand out and Phoenix gave it a firm shake. “It was great to meet you.” He stood up out of the booth and leaned over to give me one more hug. “Be good to him,” he said, looking at Phoenix when he stood back up. “He’s the best.”
“Yes he is,” Phoenix agreed. Dax waved goodbye and disappeared out the front entrance. My husband looked to me wearing a sad smile. “You okay?”
“Not really.” I told him more about Justin and Dax’s relationship, and how I was afraid my friend was being mistreated. I explained my fears of Dax being used for money, chores and food, and that he wasn’t being loved or cherished. “Now that I’m in a relationship, I see how terrible his really is.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Phoenix placed a gentle kiss to my temple. “I know it’s hard because you want to support your friend but also don’t want to upset him.” He let out a long sigh. “Maybe if he spends more time with us, he’ll see what it looks like to have an incredible man.”
“You are pretty great,” I told him seriously.
“I was talking about you.”
My heart skipped a beat and I placed a tender kiss to his lips. “How about you take me home and we can make each other feel incredible?” Phoenix let out a low growl in agreement. “God, I’ll never get tired of that.” My husband threw a few twenty dollar bills onto the table before I practically pulled him out of the booth and dragged him out to the truck.
*****
Phoenix pulled into the dirt spot next to our cabin and I jumped out of the truck cab, eager to get inside and love on my man.
“Hey, guys!” Rowan shouted from his seat on his porch.
I was really not in the mood to stop and have a conversation, or have to explain, ‘Sorry, can’t talk; we’re on our way to fuck’, although I was positive he’d understand. Hoping to find some middle ground, I raised my hand over my head and waved. When I did, Rowan’s head tipped to the side and he sniffed the breeze. He leapt from his chair and over his porch railing and sprinted over until he was right in front of me. Phoenix gave him a curious look as he walked around the trunk and stood by my side.
Rowan paid him no attention. Instead, he gripped my shoulders and eagerly sniffed my neck before plastering his face on my chest and breathing deeply.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Phoenix growled and pushed Rowan away with a firm shove. Rowan captured Phoenix’s hand and brought it to his face, thoroughly sniffing it as well.
“You’re both carrying a scent,” Rowan explained excitedly. “It’s stronger on Rory; it’s all over the front of his body, but it’s just on your hand. Where were you? Who were you with? Did you both touch the same person?” His eyes frantically shifted between the two of us as he fired off the questions.
“We went to town to meet with my friend Dax. I hugged him and Phoenix shook his hand,” I explained, hope barreling through my chest as puzzle pieces fell into place.
“Dax,” Rowan repeated on a whisper. A dreamy smile crossed his lips and his eyes glistened. He swallowed hard before standing up straight and announcing proudly, “Dax is my mate.”
The End
Thank you for reading Pine Ridge Pack Book 1: Mine to Save. If you enjoyed the book, please consider leaving a review, and stay tuned for Dax and Rowan’s story in the next book in the series, Pine Ridge Pack Book 2: Mine to Keep, coming soon! If you’re a fan of paranormal romance, check out my Javier Coven series, which features some seriously sexy vampires. Also be on the lookout for Shadow Walker, the first book in the Bay City Coven series, arriving soon! Look below for more titles by Jayda Marx. Check out my website and sign up for a newsletter for information about new releases here.
Other Reads (Free with Kindle Unlimited):
M/M Paranormal Romance:
Once Bitten: Javier Coven Book 1 (Vampire M/M)
Twice Shy: Javier Coven Book 2 (Vampire M/M)
Twice Bitten: Javier Coven Book 3 (Vampire M/M/M) Coming soon!
Mine to Sa
ve: Pine Ridge Pack Book 1 (M/M Wolf Shifter)
Shadow Walker: Bay City Coven Book 1 (Vampire M/M) Coming soon!
M/M Series:
Arrested Hearts Book 1: Gage & Tyson (M/M) *Can be read as standalone
Arrested Hearts Book 2: Chris & Lyle (M/M)
Arrested Hearts Book 3: Mike & Jonah (M/M) Coming Soon!
My Everything (M/M) *Can be read as standalone
My Forever (novella sequel to “My Everything”) (M/M) Coming soon!
Head Over Wheels (M/M) *Can be read as standalone
Head Over Wheels: Book 2 (M/M) Coming soon!
My Grumpy Old Bear (Loveable Grumps: Book 1) *Can be read as standalone
My Confused Bear (Lovable Grumps: Book 2) Coming soon!
M/M Standalone
Ours to Love (M/M/M)
Chasing Jackson (M/M)
Nervous Nate (M/M Age Play Romance)
M/F Series:
Housewife Chronicles: Complete Series (M/F)
Luscious: Complete Series (M/F)