“Yes and no.”
Yep, that isn’t an answer, either.
Sighing deeply, Castrose scowled at Eion. “It can’t be both.”
Eion poured the soup into two bowls, then sprinkled cheese over each. After picking them up, he rounded the counter. He placed one bowl in front of Castrose before placing the second in front of the stool to his left. Finally, Eion grabbed two spoons and returned once more.
After handing Castrose one spoon, Eion settled on the stool beside him. “Yes, the heightened attraction between us is in part due to the fact that we’re mates.” Eion leaned on his elbow, turning to stare intently at Castrose. “No, we would have been attracted to each other anyway.”
Castrose slid his spoon into the soup, unable to resist the allure of the tasty-smelling fluid. “How do you know that?” he asked before easing the flavorful liquid into his mouth. He hummed appreciatively as the rich tomato soup with a bit of mild cheddar burst across his taste buds. “So good,” Castrose murmured before eagerly taking another bite.
Eion chuckled softly, clearly pleased at Castrose’s enjoyment. “Think of it this way,” he began before taking a sip of his own soup. He hummed and swallowed, then told him, “We spot each other across a crowded room. You think I’m pretty hot, but there’s a lot of people, and getting through them all would be a pain in the ass.” Snickering, Eion winked as he took another spoonful. “Normally, you wouldn’t bother.” He waved his spoon in the air dismissively. “After all, there are always plenty of fish in the sea.”
Then Eion’s expression grew serious as he pinned a heated look on Castrose. “What Fate does is give you that extra burst of attraction that acts as incentive to make your way across the crowded room to talk to me.” Resting his free hand on Castrose’s thigh, he squeezed lightly. “The rest is up to us to make it work.” His tone turned husky as Eion gave him a heated look. “And I do want to make it work.”
Goose bumps broke out on the skin of Castrose’s leg, and he felt his muscles jump beneath Eion’s palm. His blood heated, and his breath caught in his throat. Even his nipples beaded... and all from a gentle caress and a hungry look.
Holy shit.
Castrose found himself nodding without any conscious thought on his part. His body seemed to be responding all on its own. Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, he spread his legs a little to make room for his thickening dick.
“Gods, how you respond to me is—” Eion groaned as he squeezed Castrose’s thigh a bit harder. “Eat your soup, Cass. Then I’m gonna suck your dick.”
Moaning gruffly, Castrose returned to eating, but focusing on it was damn tough. His hand began to tremble as he felt Eion slid his hand to the inside of his leg. He scraped his fingernails over the inseam, teasing at his sensitive flesh.
All the while, Eion somehow managed to continue eating sedately.
Cock-teasing fucker.
Castrose growled under his breath.
Two can play at this game.
Putting down his spoon, Castrose cradled his soup bowl in both hands. He lifted it to his lips and tipped it, drinking deeply. As much as Castrose enjoyed the taste, he would savor the soup another time.
He needed something other than food right then.
Castrose returned the bowl to the counter when it was nearly empty. He spotted Eion’s lifted brow and amused expression as he picked up his spoon. Smirking back at the man, Castrose used the utensil to scoop up the last of the cheese and soup and quickly ate it.
“So glad you like it,” Eion stated with a grin before eating another spoonful of his own still half-full bowl.
“I do like it. A lot.” Castrose couldn’t help the soft growl filling his voice. His throbbing dick called for attention, sending need coursing through him. “But there’s something else I would like even more.”
“And what would that be?” Eion’s voice came out husky, and he slid his palm down to tease at the inside of his knee.
Castrose saw the way Eion lifted his left brow in silent challenge. “This.”
Using his feet on the stool’s rungs for purchase, Castrose lifted his hips. At the same time, he gripped the hem of his sweatpants and shoved them down just enough to free his aching cock and swollen balls. Castrose gripped his dick in his right hand as he cupped his testicles with his left.
Eion gasped. His jaw sagged open, and his hand on Castrose’s knee tightened. His bare chest heaved as he riveted his gaze on Castrose’s groin.
Oh yeah.
Tugging gently on his erection, Castrose caressed his sensitive length. He used his thumb to roll his foreskin over his crown, spreading his pre-cum and offering teasing views of his slit. All the while, he gently squeezed and relaxed the fingers of his left hand, stimulating his balls.
“Oh fuck me,” Eion whispered, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard.
“I would be happy to.”
Eion’s green eyes sparkled in the dim illumination given off by only the stove light. When Eion lifted his gaze and peered at Castrose, he licked his lips. Hot desire burned within their depths.
“I sure hope you’re a switch,” Eion whispered as he dropped the spoon on the counter. He slid from his stool and sank to his knees, grinning up at Castrose. “Because I plan to fuck you, too, my mate.”
Castrose had never bottomed in his life. His asshole clenched, and he opened his mouth to say no. Except, then Eion stuck out his tongue and licked over his crown, teasing under his foreskin. Instead, he let out his breath in a harsh gasp.
Grinning up at Castrose, Eion gripped his wrists and tugged, pulling his hands away from himself. “Grab the edge of your seat,” Eion ordered in a low, gruff voice. Waggling his brows, he added, “I wouldn’t want you falling off.”
“Think you’re that good, huh?” Castrose replied gruffly, but he still obeyed.
“I’m gonna make you shoot so damn quick, Castrose,” Eion vowed as he reached for the waistband of his sweats. He tugged them down and off, then pushed Castrose’s thighs wider.
Castrose sucked in a harsh breath, suddenly feeling exposed. As Eion positioned himself between Castrose’s thighs, skimming his palms up his inner thighs, his cock didn’t seem to care, twitching where it jutted from his groin. Swallowing hard, Castrose waited with bated breath as Eion leaned over and opened his mouth.
When Eion wrapped his lips around Castrose’s crown and gave it that first light suckle, all concern about his position fled as pleasure shot through his groin.
“Oh, fuck yeah,” Castrose muttered, a tremble working through him. The vision of Eion on his knees before him, between his legs, suddenly became the sexiest fucking thing he’d ever seen. “Suck me.”
Eion peered at him beneath long lashes and did exactly that, causing Castrose’s balls to roll and his cock to throb in the most delicious of ways.
Chapter Six
Reveling in each and every moan, grunt, and hiss escaping Castrose’s throat, Eion focused on the thick erection parting his lips. On each upstroke, he teased at his frenulum before sweeping his tongue over his crown, pushing at the foreskin. Then Eion sank down on Castrose’s shaft, rubbing down the thick vein running the length. He lodged the crown in his throat and swallowed around the leaking knob. Then he started the whole process over again, sucking hard as he returned to Castrose’s head.
Eion gripped Castrose’s hip firmly with his left hand as his mate’s body gave an especially hard jerk. While his human had his hands wrapped around the edge of the stool in a white-knuckled grip, he didn’t want to chance his man falling. He’d already had one head injury, after all.
Cradling Castrose’s balls with his right hand, Eion got a feel for his sensitivity. The way his human shuddered and trembled every time he lifted the sack a little and rolled the orbs within caused a rush of smugness, making his own groin tingle. When Eion skimmed his fingertips behind his balls and rubbed lightly over his prostate from the outside, Castrose roared his plea
sure. His mate’s prick swelled just a little more before a burst of seed shot down his throat.
Easing off just a little, Eion allowed the next shot to land on his tongue. He moaned as the slightly bitter tasty goodness hit his taste buds, and he hummed appreciatively at the delicious taste. As Eion continued to suck and lick on Castrose’s pulsing cock, he teased his fingertips down even further, feathering his touch over his mate’s hole.
Even out of his mind with lust, Eion didn’t miss the way Castrose tensed even as his dick spurted one more burst. His mate growled, the sound one of clear warning. Eion didn’t penetrate his human, but he didn’t remove his finger either.
Instead, Eion just continued to tease at the tight muscle.
I’ll get him used to the idea.
His wolf would accept no less until he’d fully claimed his man.
Eion gently eased off Castrose’s prick, licking along the length like a lollipop. As he peered at his mate through his lashes, taking in his flushed cheeks, heavy-lidded gaze, and slightly parted lips, pride flooded him at putting such a debauched look on his face. After placing a kiss to the tip of Castrose’s foreskin, Eion offered his new—and final—lover a cheeky smile.
“Is that what you needed, my mate?” Eion crooned, his voice a little raspy from sucking his mate’s dick. He continued to tease at Castrose’s hole. “Or do you want another couple of orgasms?”
Castrose’s eyes narrowed as his nostrils flared. His chest heaved as he glanced down where Eion continued to tease him. Meeting his gaze again, he clenched his jaw for an instant.
While Castrose seemed to be thinking about it, his dick began to firm right back up.
“A-Another?” Castrose’s thighs tensed, and he shifted a little on the stool. “Too old for that.”
“Not at all, my handsome sexy mate,” Eion countered, grinning widely. “If I opened you up and drilled into your prostate over and over, you would come all over us.” He couldn’t help but shift his gaze to the pulsing vein running up the length of Castrose’s neck. His mouth watered as he anticipated sinking his canines into it and drinking deeply, bonding them for eternity. “Then when I sink my canines into your flesh, sealing our bond, the pleasure will be so great that you’ll come all over again.”
Castrose slowly released the stool. He gripped Eion’s wrist with his left hand and gently pulled his fingers away from his anus. His expression became unreadable.
“You’re talking about shit I don’t believe in, yet,” Castrose rumbled softly as he moved Eion’s hand to his own thigh. “Stand up,” he ordered. As soon as he rose to his feet, Castrose slid his fingertips into the waistband of Eion’s lounging pants and eased them down. “And I never bottomed before. Don’t know if I wanna.”
Eion hissed upon feeling Castrose’s long, thick fingers wrap around his newly freed erection. Glancing between his mate’s face and his hand, he rested his hands on Castrose’s shoulders. He bucked his hips, groaning at the pleasant feel of his human’s callouses sliding along his shaft.
“Fuck, don’t stop,” Eion urged, bucking his hips. He’d been damn close just at the taste of his mate’s flesh, pre-cum, and seed. “So good.”
Castrose cupped Eion’s balls as he sped up his hand jacking his shaft. “God, you’re sexy, Eion,” he muttered, his gaze raking over Eion’s body like a physical caress. “I can feel how tight your balls are. You wanna come, don’t you? Wanna paint my belly with your seed.”
“Yessss,” Eion hissed. If he couldn’t claim his mate, yet, marking him with his scent was the next best thing. “Gonna make you smell like mine,” he snarled, tightening his hold on Castrose’s shoulders, rutting swiftly into his mate’s tight grip. “Everyone will know you’re taken.”
Well, the paranormals will, anyway.
Eion knew that, even after a shower, his scent would still cling to Castrose’s skin. That thought, coupled with the exquisite hold his mate had on his genitals, sent him flying over the edge. His balls pulled tight to his body as a flush of heat spread out through his groin. Eion moaned wantonly as he watched his cock pulse, expelling his seed all over Castrose’s chest, stomach, and groin.
“Cass,” Eion ground out through gritted teeth as his mate continued to stroke him, extending his bliss.
“That all you have for me?” Castrose teased as he gentled his hold and slowed his movements.
Eion chuffed a laugh as he grinned at where Castrose continued to tease him. “You keep that up, and I won’t soften.” Releasing his left hand’s hold on his mate’s shoulder, he crooked his forefingers. He then skimmed them up the underside of Castrose’s half-hard dick as he murmured, “Then I’ll tease you back to arousal, take you back to my bed, and sixty-nine us. You wanna suck my cock, Cass?”
Castrose’s eyes narrowed. For an instant, he stopped his motions. Then he licked his lips as he started moving his hands again, but slower.
“Never done that, either,” Castrose admitted softly. Holding Eion’s gaze, he continued on a murmur, “You may not want to bother trying to mate with me. I may be a disappointment.”
Eion cocked his head as he continued to fondle Castrose’s shaft with a soft touch. “You are my mate, Castrose,” he crooned, hoping to soothe the sudden bout of nerves pouring off his lover. “You could never be a disappointment. If there’s something you wish to learn, I will teach you.” Then Eion waggled his brows. “I’ve been around for over a century, so I’ve tried a number of things. But if we hit on something I haven’t done, I look forward to exploring it with you.”
Castrose licked his lips again, his gaze falling to Eion’s swollen shaft again. “God, you weren’t kidding,” he whispered. “You’re still hard.” Then he moaned and shifted in his seat. “And you’re making me hard, too. Fuck! How is this possible?”
Hearing the whine in Castrose’s voice pulled a chuckle from Eion. “I’m a paranormal, Castrose, and we have a higher sex drive on a normal day.” He continued to tease his human’s erection to full arousal as he spoke. “But right now, I’m in front of my unbonded mate. My sexy, naked unbonded mate.” Eion groaned as he admired Castrose’s body with a slow, thorough once, twice-over before he returned his focus to his man’s ice-blue eyes. “And you respond to me because of pretty much the same reasons. Your libido will be boosted until we seal the deal, so to speak.”
Castrose scowled at him. “So you’re saying that you’re manipulating my body’s pheromones or something?” He stopped stroking Eion, but he didn’t release him—thank the gods. Then Castrose asked, “If I walked away and never saw you again, would my arousal return to normal?”
Eion growled low in his throat. His wolf seconded that, rumbling in his mind. “Don’t fucking say that,” he demanded, stepping forward and pushing into Castrose’s space. “I’ve been waiting a long damn time for you, Cass, and if you try to leave now, I will hunt you down. Get me?”
As much as Eion hated practically threatening Castrose, there was no way in hell he would allow his mate to leave now. Castrose was his, and the sooner the big lug accepted that fact, the sooner they could start their lives together. Eion just had to figure out a way to make him accept that.
Castrose’s cheeks flushed, and his acrid scent told Eion it was for a reason other than arousal. Anger perfumed the air. Releasing Eion’s balls, Castrose gripped his upper arm instead... and squeezed.
“Are you threatening me, Eion?” Castrose snarled, fury sparked in his blue eyes, somehow managing to make them appear like ice chips. “Because that wouldn’t be too smart.”
Okay, maybe I should have used different wording.
Seeing as they hardly knew each other, misunderstandings were bound to happen. It was inevitable.
We just need to work on our communication.
Releasing Castrose’s dick, Eion lifted his arms... slowly. The move dislodged his mate’s hand from his bicep, pleasing him that he wasn’t staying his movements. Finally, Eion rested his forearms over Castrose�
�s shoulders.
Eion cradled Castrose’s neck with one hand and his skull with the other, teasing his fingertips through his hair. “I’m not threatening you,” he purred softly. “I’m sharing my nature with you.” Quirking his left lip up, Eion added, “I know you don’t yet believe in the paranormal, but I have to be honest if we’re going to make a relationship work.”
To Eion’s relief, the tension in Castrose’s shoulders eased as did the scent of anger filling the air. “Relationship? Already?” Growling low in his throat, he rested his hands on Eion’s hips as he muttered, “Aren’t you jumping the gun, as the saying goes?”
“I’m a shifter who’s found his mate. We do do things fast,” Eion confirmed, nodding. “Our animal instinct demands it.”
Sliding forward, Eion removed the last bit of space between them, flushing their bodies together. He barely suppressed a shiver upon feeling his human’s bigger, broader, hard body pressed against his own from groin to nipple. The warmth of Castrose’s skin against Eion’s own caused his erection to twitch where it was pressed against his mate’s.
“After meeting our mate, a shifter’s instinct drives us to focus on a few things.”
Eion struggled to explain, but with the feel of his mate against him and the smells of their mingled releases, he found it damn difficult to think. How Castrose’s thumbs felt skimming along his hip bones only made it more difficult.
Taking a shuddering breath, Eion forced words out of his mouth. “I need to see to your safety, happiness, and pleasure.” When Castrose’s brows lifted, he quickly told him, “I can’t do that if you’re not near.” Unable to help himself, Eion leaned his head forward and brushed his lips against the corner of his mate’s. “Safe.” Rubbing his cheek against Castrose’s, he nuzzled his human, rubbing their scents together. “Happy.” Then he skimmed sucking wet kisses down his lover’s jaw to his neck, his mouth watering with his need to take a bite. His words came out garbled as he mumbled, “And well pleasured. Well pleasured.”
In the Sniper’s Crosshairs Page 5