Jake usually didn’t kiss the men he brought home—it was too personal—but Kelan’s mouth felt so good against his, he could quite happily have kissed the man for eternity.
Kelan grabbed hold of Jake’s ass and lifted him until his feet were dangling off the floor and he had no choice but to wrap his legs around Kelan’s waist. Kelan ground their hard cocks together and walked forwards until he had Jake’s body pressed up against the apartment door. He devoured Jake’s mouth, spurred on by his mate’s wordless cries and moans.
Jake tasted incredible.
Kelan couldn’t believe this insanely sexy man was his.
As the need to take a breath overrode his desire, Kelan reluctantly parted from Jake’s mouth.
When he pulled away from his mate, Jake whimpered at the loss. He looked searchingly at Kelan, begging him wordlessly to take his mouth once more.
Kelan shook his head.
“Take me to your bed, baby,” he commanded.
Jake nodded.
The desperate look in his mate’s eyes told Kelan that Jake would have agreed to anything he’d asked of him in that moment.
Kelan set Jake on his feet and grabbed hold of his hand.
He followed his mate into the bedroom then sucked in a gasp of shock when he was pushed up against the wall and his mouth taken almost desperately. Because of his own dominant tendencies, Kelan had never liked it when other men had tried to take charge in the bedroom, but with Jake, it turned him on.
Jake reached between them and firmly squeezed Kelan’s cock as he attacked his mouth with savage hunger.
Kelan very nearly lost it right then and there.
Jake gasped and pulled back from him, staring open-mouthed at the bulge in Kelan’s jeans.
“Shit, you’re huge.” Jake shook his head. “I can’t, I don’t think I…”
“Shhh, don’t worry, baby,” Kelan soothed. “I won’t hurt you, I promise. I’ll go easy. You’ll enjoy feeling every inch of my cock inside you.”
Jake eyed him dubiously but allowed Kelan to push him towards the bed without further complaint.
Kelan lifted off his shirt then tossed aside.
Jake couldn’t seem to take his eyes off Kelan’s torso while he stripped. Kelan was happy that the sight of him turned his mate on as much as it appeared to. He could tell there was still something bothering Jake, but now wasn’t the time to discuss it. He’d have a long conversation with Jake later when they were both sated and not out of their minds with lust.
The chances were, they’d be closer after they’d fucked—they’d be closer still after Kelan had claimed Jake, but he knew his mate wouldn’t be ready for that yet. It wasn’t something he could just surprise him with. They had to talk about it first.
Jake leaned forward and ran his tongue around Kelan’s erect nipple before taking it into his mouth and nipping lightly it with his teeth.
Kelan sucked in a breath and groaned.
“Jake, you’re killing me. Get naked, now.”
Jake ignored him and moved to his other nipple, giving it the same treatment as the first.
Kelan was done.
He growled, grabbed hold of Jake’s shirt and ripped. Jake’s mouth fell open and when he looked down at himself, his eyes widened as he realized it had been torn clean in two.
“If you don’t hurry, your pants will get the same treatment,” Kelan warned, already removing his tight-fitting denims.
Jake didn’t move.
His eyes were fixed on Kelan’s hands while he removed his jeans.
Kelan stopped what he was doing.
“I wasn’t joking about the pants. Get them off.”
Jake made quick work of removing the rest of his clothing.
Kelan was naked and waiting when Jake next looked up. His mate stepped back and stared, seemingly in shock.
His eyes fell upon Kelan’s erection and widened.
“Oh God,” he whispered sotto voce.
It was understandable that Jake would be nervous—Kelan was not a small man by any means.
He needed to make it clear that Jake had nothing to worry about. They were made for one another. Not only would Jake be able to take him, but he would love it. Kelan thought about stopping to explain everything but decided to show his mate instead.
By the time he had finished with him, Jake was going to be begging Kelan to fuck him.
He took the few steps towards Jake that put them nose to nose.
He pushed Jake’s shoulders to get him to lay down then came down slowly on top of him.
Grabbing Jake’s hands, he lifted them over his head.
“Keep them there and don’t move them,” Kelan instructed.
He licked a path down Jake’s neck until he reached the large vein pulsing with Jake’s life-blood. He desperately wanted to bite Jake, to claim him and mark him as his own, but he knew it wasn’t time for that yet. He would have to wait until Jake knew him a better and was truly comfortable with him before he dropped the wolf-mate bombshell.
Instead, Kelan scraped his teeth over the vein, making Jake shiver.
He moved down Jake’s body, sweeping his tongue along his mate’s hot flesh as he went and placing soft kisses on every inch of skin he encountered. When he got to Jake’s nipple, he took it in his mouth and bit down gently.
Jake cried out, arching his body towards Kelan’s mouth.
He continued licking a path down Jake’s muscled stomach until he reached the head of his cock. A small drop of precum had beaded on the slit, so Kelan snaked his tongue out to capture it.
It was Kelan who shivered that time.
His mate tasted divine, just as Kelan had known he would.
“Oh God,” Jake groaned. “Please?”
“Please what? Tell me what you want from me. Do you want me to take this beautiful cock of yours in my mouth and suck it until you can’t take it anymore—until you’re shooting your load down my throat? Is that what you want?”
Jake nodded frantically. “Yes,” he said at last. “Please. That. I want that.”
Without preamble, Kelan engulfed the head of Jake’s cock, then swallowed it down to the base. He sucked his way back up and paused at the head to lave it with his tongue. When he looked up, he saw that Jake had grabbed hold of the headboard, his knuckles white from the pressure he used to hold on to it. His head moved from side to side and his bottom lip was caught between his teeth.
Kelan had never seen such a sensual sight.
His gorgeous mate was spread out beneath him, practically out of his mind with lust. Kelan growled—he couldn’t help himself. He ground his cock into the bed in an effort to relieve some of the pressure. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to shoot his load before he even got inside his mate’s ass.
Jake appeared to be barely holding on.
Kelan slid a finger into his mouth to wet it before pressing it against his mate’s entrance. Jake squirmed and opened his legs wider to give him better access. In approval, another loud growl ripped from Kelan’s chest. Jake appeared to have been surprised by the sound, but he didn’t seem afraid.
In fact, the growl appeared to have made him even more excited.
After teasing around his mate’s outer muscles, Kelan finally pushed his finger inside. He waited until Jake had become accustomed to the sensation then began sliding it in and out, in time with his mouth on Jake’s cock.
Jake was back to making wordless moans and grunts.
When Kelan looked up, Jake pleaded with his eyes.
He released Jake’s dick with an audible pop. From the desperate look in the man’s eyes, he knew Jake needed more and he knew just what to do to blow Jake’s mind.
“What is it, baby? Huh? Something you want?”
Kelan grinned and slipped Jake’s cock into his mouth once again. He sucked it a couple of times, then curved his finger upwards until he found Jake’s sweet spot before sucking Jake’s cock again, hard.
Jake quite literally screamed, his back
arching off the bed with vigor. He began to convulse as his orgasm hit him full-force. Immense jerks and shudders rolled through his body as he filled Kelan’s mouth with his seed. Kelan continued to suck on Jake, swallowing every drop he was offered.
The taste of his mate’s essence sent Kelan into a frenzy and, before he could stop himself, his eyes shifted into their wolf form and he felt his canine teeth protrude over his bottom lip.
Crap.
He lowered his head and tried to get his breathing back to normal so he could concentrate on shifting his eyes back. The last thing he wanted to do was scare the hell out of Jake before their relationship had even begun.
“Oh God,” Jake groaned, looking down at Kelan, “that was the best—” His words cut off abruptly.
Kelan turned his head away from Jake, but he knew he hadn’t been fast enough. Jake’s loud gasp told him his mate had caught a glimpse of two long, pointy teeth poking over his bottom lip. Kelan lifted himself off the bed and edged away, lifting his hands in front of himself in an effort to calm Jake.
“Please, Jake,” Kelan said, keeping his eyes downcast. “Don’t be afraid of me. I won’t hurt you, I promise. I can explain. I…”
“You’re a God damn wolf!” Jake spat.
Kelan’s head jerked up and he stared at his mate in shock.
He still hadn’t managed to shift his eyes back, but that seemed like a moot point now.
A wolf?
How the hell did Jake know about shifters?
Chapter Nine
Kelan stared at his mate in confusion. “You know about wolves?”
“More than I want to know. Now get your shit together and get the hell out of my apartment!”
“Jake, you don’t understand. I can’t leave—you’re my…”
“I don’t want to hear another word,” he interrupted. “You should have told me. I never would have let things go this far.
“I swore I would never get involved with another wolf, and I won’t. Now leave, please.”
Kelan bristled at Jake’s words.
A low, rumbling growl ripped from his throat and could do nothing to prevent it.
Mine!
Wolves, in general, were very territorial and possessive over what they considered theirs. Being an alpha, Kelan’s protective and possessive instincts were far greater than normal.
“You were involved with a wolf? Who was he?” Kelan demanded.
He’d hunt the thief down and kill him.
“That is none of your damn business—and stop growling at me. I already told you, I want you to go.”
Well, his mate certainly knew how to put him in his place.
This wasn’t how he had envisioned the evening going when he’d found Jake in the bar. Christ, it was supposed to be a happy time when a wolf found his mate, something to be celebrated, but Kelan had never felt more miserable.
He couldn’t bear the thought of his mate pushing him away like this.
“Jake, please, if you’d just let me explain for a moment, baby—”
“I am not your baby and you don’t need to explain anything. I don’t want you here. Now leave before I call the cops to have you thrown out.”
Kelan nodded reluctantly.
Maybe it would be better if he left Jake to cool down.
It was the last thing he wanted to do, but he had to think of what was best for his mate. Kelan could sense the fear and confusion in Jake, and the sadness he was feeling was like a knife straight through his own heart.
Kelan was only sure of one thing—if another wolf had hurt Jake in any way, he was going to make him wish he had never been born.
Kelan got dressed quickly, trying not to look at his mate in the process. The emotions he sensed in him were bad enough, but when he had looked into Jake’s eyes, they had seemed almost haunted. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat that was choking the damn life out of him.
Now that he had found his mate, he was loath to walk away from him while there were so many unresolved issues between them.
Kelan was determined to discover what was holding Jake back.
What did he have against shifters?
It was clear that his mate was attracted to him physically, but something had happened in his past to make him wary of wolves, and he intended to find out what that something was.
He would just have to take things slowly with Jake.
He needed to get the man to trust him.
He needed him to know that he would never hurt him.
They were mates—Kelan would sooner cut off his own arm than hurt a hair on Jake’s head.
When he’d finished dressing, Kelan walked to the bedroom door and paused, looking over his shoulder. Jake had pulled the sheet up to his neck and was staring at the wall, lost in thought.
Kelan couldn’t believe how sad and lost he looked.
It broke his heart into little pieces.
“Jake?”
He waited for his mate to look at him before continuing.
“I’m leaving now but I’ll be back tomorrow and the next day and every day until you realize that I’m not going to go away.
“You’re my mate, Goddamn it, and I will fight for you.”
Kelan left the room without looking back.
“Mate?” Jake whispered just as Kelan closed the door to Jake’s bedroom.
If Jake knew about shifters then he might have heard about mates, too and, specifically, how important they were to a shifter. Kelan certainly hoped so because it would help Jake understand what they meant to one another.
It might even make him more receptive to seeing Kelan again.
Kelan was sure that if they sat down to talk things through, he would be able to understand Jake’s reservations, and could then ease his mate’s mind.
As much as it pained him, he would leave Jake now to give him a chance to digest what he had learned, but the next day when Kelan would see him again couldn’t come soon enough.
He had no doubt that he was in for a very long, sleepless night.
Chapter Ten
The next day, Jake tried to concentrate on his work but his mind kept drifting back to the events of the previous evening. He had only gone out looking to get laid and now he had a damn wolf thinking he was his mate.
It had been a long time since Jake had heard that phrase and it still had the ability to twist his insides into knots.
Jake couldn’t believe his suspicions about Kelan had been confirmed. Kelan’s growling, his commanding aura, even his mannerisms and the way he moved had made alarm bells ring in Jake’s head.
Now it all made sense.
He hadn’t thought about wolves in a long time, and he had certainly hoped never to meet one again. His thoughts drifted back to his college boyfriend, Matt. Jake had been so in love with Matt, and he’d thought the feeling was mutual.
Matt had professed to love him.
He had entrusted Jake with his secret of being a wolf, and Jake had kept it for the duration of their time together. He would have done anything to protect his Matty. Their relationship had ended ten years ago and ended badly, but not once since had Jake thought about revealing Matt’s secret.
He’d called Tony several times to apologize, but his friend refused to take his calls. Each time his secretary had said he was busy, but Jake knew it was because Tony was pissed off with him. The more he thought about it, the less surprised he felt. He had treated Tony like an asshole last night. The guy had every reason to be pissed off with him.
Jake would never let someone get away with treating him like that.
Not anymore.
As the day drew to an end, Jake became more and more nervous about going home. Would Kelan be there waiting for him? Last night Kelan had told him he’d be back to see him again. Although he didn’t want the complication, he shivered in anticipation. Part of him was more than excited at the thought of seeing Kelan again.
Jake had to admit he was attracted to Kelan—who wouldn’t be? Ke
lan was the most striking man he had ever had the pleasure of meeting, and the confident and commanding aura he gave off was as sexy as hell. His southern drawl practically had Jake panting.
And the sex…
Jake shivered when he remembered the mind-blowing orgasm he’d received at Kelan’s hands and mouth.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d come that hard, if ever.
Though it pained him to admit it, he was desperate to see Kelan again.
Chapter Eleven
Kelan tried to pay attention to what he was putting in the cardboard boxes but every few minutes he found his mind wandering and had to unpack everything and start again. His brother Cody might only be a small man, but boy, did he have a temper on him, and he liked things just so.
“When you’ve finished with that box, can you make a start in the kitchen?” Cody asked him from across the room.
Kelan grunted and emptied the box for the third time. He had tuned out of the conversation a while ago, but he had caught his brother raising his eyebrows at his mate, Stefan, who had shrugged his shoulders in reply.
“Uh, why don’t I go and get us all coffee?” Stefan asked, crossing the room and wrapping his arms around Cody.
Cody leaned up and kissed his mate full on the mouth. Several seconds passed before they reluctantly pulled apart.
“Thanks, babe.”
Cody stared lovingly into his mate’s eyes and Stefan returned the affectionate glance. Kelan’s heart ached.
Stefan grabbed his jacket and, with a parting wink at Cody, he left the apartment. Cody crossed the room and sat down next to Kelan. He took the vase out of Kelan’s hands and placed it on the floor next to them.
“Okay, out with it. You’ve been on another planet since you woke up today. What’s bothering you?”
Kelan shrugged. “I found my mate.”
Cody squealed and threw his arms around Kelan, crushing him in an embrace.
“Oh my God!” his brother yelled in his ear. “That’s fantastic. Who is he? Where did you meet? Where’s he from?”
“Calm down,” Kelan said, extracting himself from his brother’s steely grip. “His name is Jake, we met in a bar last night. He’s not a wolf, he’s human, and it’s not so fantastic, Cody. He doesn’t want me.”
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