by Lynn Hagen
To prove he still wanted to be with Sal, Renny kicked his shoes off and finished undressing. He felt a bit foolish standing there naked while Sal was still fully dressed.
With a low growl, Sal picked Renny up and carried him to the bedroom. He deposited Renny on the bed and simply stared down at him. “You’re beautiful.”
Renny blushed. “I would say the same about you, but you’re still wearing clothes.”
“Not for long.” Sal winked as he stripped. Golden skin was revealed to Renny as Sal tossed his clothes aside. Renny looked over Sal’s body, the muscles, the lean waist, and damn, his large cock.
This was like a fantasy come to life. Renny was both nervous and excited as he stared at Sal’s hard body. The guy was mouthwatering with a side of delicious.
“Now that’s the look I was hoping to see.” Sal crawled into bed. “I’ll take lust over a faraway look any day.”
Renny scooted back as Sal crawled into bed. His soon-to-be lover slid his arms around Renny and kissed him as they fell backward, Sal careful of his weight. But Renny could handle all those muscles. He wasn’t made of glass and reveled in the feel of Sal’s weight against him.
He curled his legs around Sal’s waist as Sal kissed him along his jaw and throat. Renny’s breathing became shallow, and his cock was so hard that all he wanted was release. But Renny didn’t want things to end between them so soon.
“I’m gonna show you what being mates is all about,” Sal said as he kissed his way down Renny’s body. “What being a mate truly means.”
Renny was only paying half attention to what Sal was saying as he completely surrendered himself to Sal. Renny caressed Sal’s silky hair as his hips jerked upward. How long had it been since he’d been with someone in such an intimate way? How long had it been since he’d felt this way toward anyone?
Sadly, Renny had never been in love. He’d liked a lot of guys, but he hadn’t even felt this way toward his ex. Not this intense, not the need to do whatever Sal wanted, to surrender his entire life over to this strong and powerful shifter.
His thoughts scattered when Sal kissed each of Renny’s inner thighs. Goose bumps surfaced, and a shiver of pure pleasure raced through him. Sal’s lips were soft and warm, and Renny felt restless, waiting for Sal to wrap those soft lips around his cock.
Sal’s movements were slow, dining on Renny as he shoved Renny’s legs back and licked around his puckered hole.
“Oh fuck,” Renny moaned. He gripped the blanket beneath him and tossed his head from side to side. His body shook from anticipation. Renny’s breathing became shallower, his chest rising and falling in quick pants.
Sal rimmed him, sucking at Renny’s hole, his tongue delving inside the tight ring of muscles. Just when Renny didn’t think he could stand it any longer, Sal pulled back and worked his way up to Renny’s cock.
Renny arched his back and cried out as Sal devoured him. He took Renny’s hardness all the way down to the root, his tongue sliding along the side of Renny’s cock as he hummed.
The vibration was Renny’s undoing. He thrashed under Sal as he came, incoherent words falling from his lips as Sal drank every last drop of Renny’s seed.
Sal kissed his way back up Renny’s body then took his lips in a soul-stirring kiss. Renny felt hungry for Sal, desperate to have his mate inside him.
His mate. Renny wanted to believe that was true, that something like that truly existed, that he was made just for Sal. He wanted something like his parents had, that real fairy-tale romance. And if Sal and Roberto were being honest with him, then Renny had found his own version.
He was just afraid to believe it. What if that weren’t true? Renny would be devastated. He was sick and tired of being in relationships that felt like more fizzle than bang. But the connection he felt with Sal was real, and all Renny could do was hope this whole mating thing truly existed.
Renny’s attention was pulled back to the present when Sal reached for the nightstand drawer. He grabbed a bottle of lube and set it aside before kissing Renny again.
“I can’t seem to get enough of your lips,” Sal growled into Renny’s mouth. “I could kiss you for the rest of my life and never grow tired of them.”
Renny had no idea what to say to that. Although he felt a connection to Sal, Renny also felt like things were moving way too fast between them. This felt right, sure. Renny could admit that. But he was also drunk off the moment.
What about later when he wasn’t so horny?
“You’re doing it again.” Sal nipped his chin. “You’ve got that faraway look in your eyes.”
Renny gave Sal a weak smile as he tried to shelve his fears. He slid his arms around Sal’s shoulders and tilted his head to the side, allowing Sal to kiss along his neck.
Slick fingers breached his hole. Renny hissed and spread his legs father apart.
“Talk to me, Renny.” Sal rubbed his cheek against Renny’s. “Tell me what you’re thinking about.”
“Now?” Renny looked into Sal’s blue eyes.
“Yes, now.” Sal removed his fingers and rested his arms on either side of Renny’s head. “I want nothing more than to claim you, but I need to know that you want the same. Our relationship is more than physical, Renny. I want you to be happy, as well. Now tell me what you’re thinking about.”
Renny cupped Sal’s face. “Just silly worries that can wait.”
“No, they can’t.” Sal eased from between Renny’s legs and stretched out on his side, propping his head on his hand. He traced a finger down Renny’s chest, which made Renny shiver. “I want all doubts erased from you before our souls are soldered together, so if you have concerns, lay them on me.”
Renny turned onto his side and matched Sal’s leisurely pose. “Do things always happen so quickly when a nonhuman finds his mate? I mean we’ve only known each other for a few days, and I feel like we’re moving so fast.”
Sal brushed a stray hair from Renny’s forehead. “Sweetheart, you have to understand. We live for hundreds of years. That’s a long time, Renny. Sure, nonhumans have relationships, and even care about people in our lives, but nothing can fill that void except the mate fate handpicked for us. So when we find that mate, we hold on for dear life. What seems like fast for you has been a lifetime search for us. But if you think we’re moving too fast, we can slow down.”
Renny grabbed Sal’s arm when he tried to get up. “Don’t go.”
Sal smiled down at him. “If we’re going to have a long discussion, I just wanted to grab something to drink.”
“I don’t want my concerns to scare you away.” Renny sat up, searching Sal’s face for any signs of disappointment. He’d never had emotions this forceful for anyone else, and although those feelings frightened him, he didn’t want Sal to walk away from him.
Sal turned and lay back down. “All I can do is ask you to trust me. I can show you that we’re meant to be together, but there has to be trust. If you’re not ready to give me that, I can wait.”
“But I do trust you.” Renny hadn’t realized before now how true those words rang. He’d allowed Sal to take the lead when Roberto had left. Renny hadn’t given that decision a second thought.
“Yeah?” Sal grinned.
“I think I’m just letting my fears take over.”
Sal turned onto his stomach and rested his head on his folded hands. Renny’s gaze slid down to his magnificent ass.
“We all do that from time to time,” Sal said. “The trick is working through them instead of letting those fears rule our lives.”
“So you don’t think we’re moving too fast?”
“It doesn’t matter what I think. The question is, how fast do you want to move?”
Renny frowned. “How is that fair? Why doesn’t what you think matter?”
Sal chuckled. The sound was warm and slid over Renny’s body. When Sal reached for him, Renny willingly went. Sal tucked Renny against him and gave him a chaste kiss.
“Can we still have sex?” Ren
ny asked.
“Do you want to?”
Renny snorted. “Does a bear shit in the woods?” He thought about what he’d just said and laughed. “I’m not talking about a polar bear.”
“I’ll take that as a yes and ignore your bad pun.” Sal moved to settle back between Renny’s legs. “Are you sure you want this? Once I claim you, there’s no going back.”
Renny’s nerves had him slightly shivering. “I want this.”
Within seconds Sal’s fingers were once again inside Renny’s ass, stretching him as they kissed and touched, moaning out their mutual pleasure.
This time when Sal pulled his fingers free, he replaced them with the blunt head of his cock. Renny sucked in a deep breath as Sal drove forward, impaling Renny.
“Oh god,” Renny groaned as he tried to adjust to the thick girth. He really did want this, more than he realized was possible. He wanted to belong to Sal, and vice versa.
“There’s that look again,” Sal teased. “The one that says you want me.”
Renny hissed when Sal began moving, his hips punching forward before he pulled back. His cock grazed over Renny’s prostate, making him whimper as his body caught fire.
The kisses, the touches, the way Sal held Renny like he mattered was a combination that drove Renny insane. He clutched Sal to him, hanging on as Sal’s thrusts became faster.
“I’m there!” Renny threw his head back and shouted Sal’s name as ribbons of cum shot between them.
Then Sal bit into Renny’s shoulder. He sank his sharp canines deep, making Renny’s head spin. His orgasm intensified, shaking Renny to his core.
His insides felt as though they were being plucked. Something strange moved in him, the connection between him and Sal deepening.
When Sal removed his teeth, he licked the wound and then whispered, “My mate. All mine.”
Those simple words made Renny feel branded, owned. Sal thrust a few more times and then buried himself inside Renny as he came. Renny was wiped out. He felt liquid as Sal eased out of his body and rested beside him, pulling Renny into his hard body.
Renny blinked several times, still basking in the afterglow of what they’d just done and unable to regret a second of it.
* * * *
“Where are you?” Renny asked the following morning when Roberto called. “You have me worried sick.”
“I think I might be in over my head.” Roberto sounded frightened, which didn’t happen too often. He was Renny’s rock, his pillar of strength. To hear him sound afraid made Renny ready to run out the door to his brother’s rescue.
“Just tell me where you are and I’ll come get you.” Renny would take Sal’s truck if he had to. Sal was currently in the shower, and Renny wasn’t sure Sal would race to find Roberto if that meant putting Renny in danger.
And he didn’t want Sal going on his own. Renny wouldn’t be able to simply sit there and worry. He had to go with Sal.
“No, it’s not safe,” Roberto whispered. “I found Molimo, but he’s not alone. He has a bunch of thuggish-looking guys with him. I have to wait for them to leave before I can come out of my hiding spot. I wanted to confront him, to try and reason with Molimo, but not while he has an audience.”
“You’re trapped?” Renny paced the living room, trying to come up with a plan that would save Roberto. But first he needed to find out where his brother was. They hadn’t known anything about Molimo except he was a demon. Roberto should’ve done a little digging before he ran off ready to sacrifice himself.
“You could say that. I tracked him to some warehouse, but when I saw he wasn’t alone, I hid. I’m on the second floor, but the windows all have bars on them, so I can’t sneak out. I think some kind of deal is going down. Other guys showed up in dark sedans.”
Renny glanced at Sal’s truck keys. “I can help,” he insisted.
Stealing Sal’s keys wouldn’t do Renny any good if he didn’t know where to go. The warehouse Roberto was in could be anywhere, and trying to check the ones within a fifty-mile radius would be time consuming.
“How?” Roberto asked with nervous humor. “You gonna bust in here and take down over a dozen men? Just sit tight and let Sal protect you. I got myself into this mess, and I’ll get myself out.”
Or get himself killed. That was what Roberto wasn’t saying. If anyone did a sweep of the warehouse, they could find Renny’s brother. Molimo was a demon. Sal had told him that demons have powers. What if he used those powers to locate Roberto?
“I can’t just go on with my life when you’re in danger,” Renny argued. “I have to do something!”
“Did Sal pay off the bank debt?”
“We’re going to do that this morning,” Renny said. He was still amazed that Sal would do that, just give up his hard-earned money to bail Renny’s parents out. And they weren’t talking about chump change, either. Who on earth would part with ten grand for someone they’d just met?
“Just make sure you get that taken care of,” Roberto said.
“Why did you call if you don’t want my help?” Renny demanded.
“Maybe I just wanted to hear your voice,” Roberto replied. “Maybe I wanted some grounding while I’m trapped here, some kind of hope, you know?”
“Tell me where you are,” Renny insisted. “I won’t come. I promise.” He crossed his fingers. “I just want to know where you are.”
“Close,” Roberto said. “But that’s all I’m telling you. If something happens to me, I won’t have Mom and Dad losing two sons.”
“What kind of shit is that to say?” The thought of Roberto dying made Renny’s chest squeeze tight. He couldn’t fathom the idea of living in a world where Roberto was gone.
Tears stung Renny’s eye as he cleared his throat. “You’re a stubborn bastard.”
“I know,” Roberto said softly. “I get that from Dad.”
While Renny had inherited their mother’s sweet disposition. Or, according to Roberto, weak disposition. Hadn’t he said so in Sal’s office when he thought Renny was passed out? That Renny wasn’t strong enough to handle that kind of life?
He wanted to prove Roberto wrong, but he couldn’t do that if he didn’t know where his brother was. Close. What did that mean? How close? There weren’t any warehouses in Maple Grove. There were a few between this town and Falls Bend and two in the town Renny had grown up in. Or was the warehouse in the opposite direction?
He wanted to shout at the endless possibilities.
Determined to find Roberto and save his life, Renny grabbed Sal’s keys and headed out the door. “I’m coming to find you.”
* * * *
Sal was livid when he got out of the shower to find Renny and his keys gone. He tried to call his mate, but the phone just rang. With no transportation, and worried about Renny, Sal called the sheriff.
“I thought you were coming in yesterday afternoon?” Grayson said.
Sal explained the situation and how Renny was now missing. He’d been so preoccupied with claiming Renny that Sal had forgotten to go to the police station. It was a mistake he now regretted.
“Do you have any idea where either of them are?” Grayson asked. “If Renny up and left, I’m willing to bet he got a call from his brother.”
That was what Sal had thought but hoped that wasn’t true. Renny had said that he trusted Sal, but clearly not enough to enlist his help. There was no telling what danger Renny was running into. Sal gritted his teeth at the idea of his mate getting hurt, or worse.
“I got some men here that are helping me with the arsonist. I can see if I can get one of them to help you, instead. Let me make a phone call.”
Sal remembered that Mike Cage’s brother was an Uber driver, the first in their small town. When he hung up with Grayson, he downloaded the app, grinding his teeth that he had to take the time to set up his account.
When he was done, he ordered an Uber. One car was on the screen. More people needed to drive for Uber, because Sal’s wait time was ten minutes.
Ten minutes he didn’t want to spare pacing the house. Finally Theo pulled into his driveway, and Sal was off to the police station, ready to use any means necessary to get Renny back in one piece.
* * * *
“I need a favor,” Grayson said when he called Deacon, the leader of the group of men he’d hired. “A friend of mine is missing his mate.”
Grayson explained to Deacon what was going on with Chief Monroe.
“I’ve actually heard of Molimo,” Deacon said. “He’s a nasty piece of work.”
“I can triangulate where Renny is using his cell phone coordinates, but I can’t spare any men to go after him, not when we’re trying to keep our town from burning down.”
“I’ll give this one day,” Deacon said. “It’s your dime, but I’d rather find the fire bug.”
So would Grayson.
“Just give me Renny’s phone number,” Deacon said. “We have the equipment to track his cell.”
Grayson rattled it off. “I appreciate this.”
Deacon gave a solemn nod. “No problem. I’ll send you the bill.”
Grayson wasn’t sure if the guy was joking or being serious, but when it came to the safety of a mate, he was willing to pay whatever extra he was charged.
Chapter Seven
After the kindness Sal had shown him, Renny felt guilty for stealing the guy’s truck. Would Sal have helped him if he’d asked? Had he simply assumed Sal would put a stop to the rescue attempt without giving him the benefit of the doubt?
Renny clenched his jaw. He really did need help. He’d already checked a few warehouses with no luck. Now he was pulling behind one that looked like it was built a hundred years ago. The structure seemed solid, but most of the windows were gone and it had an eerie feel to it.
Instead of rushing inside to look, Renny pulled out his phone and called Sal. The guilt was eating him alive. Not only that, this particular warehouse gave him the creeps and Renny wanted to hear Sal’s voice.