Ever since awakening to find the small were guarding him, he hadn’t felt a flicker of emotion from him. It was a little alarming, but his contentedness over having his mate once again safe and alive in his arms was too overwhelming. He revelled in the soft rhythm of
Kaden’s
breathing and heartbeat and allowed it to lull him into sleep.
Some time later, he became aware of a subtle shifting in the air in front of him and opened his eyes. Two beautiful, violet orbs met his gaze out of a face lit by the soft, yellow lamplight seeping in from the next room.
Kaden’s
expression was carefully schooled and Michael found himself afraid to move, or even breathe, for fear of breaking the connection of this moment and driving the smaller man away.
They continued to stare at each other for countless seconds, but it was not uncomfortable. Michael was prepared to wait an eternity if it meant giving his mate the time he needed to come to terms with all of the events of the past few weeks. Apprehension flitted through his mind but, before he could squelch it,
Kaden’s
lips turned up in a knowing smile. It seemed to break the tension Michael hadn’t even been aware of, and he allowed his own features to relax.
“You came for me.” The words were no more than a caress on his skin, yet they held a wealth of wonder in them.
“I should never have lost you. I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I never meant…”
“Don’t. You saved me. When I saw you fighting Gregory, I wasn’t afraid anymore. I felt strong…powerful. And mad.”
“You killed him, didn’t you?”
Kaden
lowered his lids for a second. “I think so. I didn’t mean to. I just couldn’t stand to watch him hurt you anymore.”
A small smile played at Michael’s lips as he said, “You were protecting your mate. I saw the damage you did to him, and I’m so proud of you. But I
gotta
say, between you and Mom, I think I’m a little scared.”
Instead of laughing at his attempt to lighten the mood,
Kaden
seemed to become more anxious. “But…why did you come? I thought… I saw your face after I told you how Gregory used me. I can’t change my past. I’ll always be an embarrassment to you.”
Michael let loose the tight rein with which he’d been holding in his emotions and allowed his guilt to wash over him. He looked down over his mate’s slender body, scored by various wounds and bruises, then back up at his face. His silken locks were severely thinned and lacked some of their previous lustre, his eyes ringed with dark circles and his cheeks hollow. The skin that had once been glowing with life was now pale and chilled despite the lingering warmth of the water they were soaking in.
And Michael had never seen a more precious sight.
He placed his hands on
Kaden’s
cheeks and bowed his head until their foreheads were touching. He wanted to lick moisture back into those dry, chapped lips, but it was imperative that he settle all doubts now.
“
Kaden
, you have never been an embarrassment to me. You were frightening at first, an unknown variable. You took my life and turned it upside down, made me feel things I was unprepared for.”
“You’re not exactly winning any brownie points here,”
Kaden
grumbled.
Michael chuckled softly and said, “Patience, boy. My point is
,
I have never been as happy as I have been these past few weeks with you. What Gregory did was my fault. I’m the one who is undeserving of you, and I will do anything to make that up to you. I’ll renounce my status as Alpha so I can devote more time to you, I’ll get on my knees every morning and beg your forgiveness. I’ll…”
Kaden
stopped him with a kiss that was as passionate as it was demanding. He took control and swept his tongue into Michael’s mouth, delving inside with an urgency that had them both hard and panting before they had to pull apart to catch their breath. And finally,
finally,
Kaden
let go of the band on his own emotions and the flood of joy that poured out of him had Michael so aroused his hips jerked up involuntarily.
“You’re going to be the death of me,” Michael groaned.
“Maybe,”
Kaden
giggled, “but not today.”
“I take it you’ve decided to keep me?”
Kaden
squinted
one eye and creased his brow. “I don’t know yet. Can grovelling come in the form of blow jobs?”
Michael growled and took possession of his lips, taking all of the control this time.
Epilogue
One month later…
Michael stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel, drying himself off as he hurried into the bedroom, but he was pulled up short by the magnificent sight of his mate standing in front of the dresser mirror. The man was wearing a black tuxedo that showed off every curve and angle of his body to perfection.
The contrast of the colour against his pale skin and platinum hair made the beautiful features of his face stand out boldly. Combined with the slight flush in his cheeks and the fullness of his lips, red from his constant worrying at them, he made the most striking image Michael had ever seen in his life.
“Damn, boy. Have I told you lately how gorgeous you are?”
Kaden’s
clear, blue-violet gaze met his in the mirror and his mate let out a burst of laughter he knew he would never get enough of. He dropped the towel to the floor and walked towards him, bending down to press his growing cock into the crease of his mate’s ass while wrapping his arms around his slender waist.
A moan escaped
Kaden’s
lips and he thrust his hips back wickedly while saying, “Mom’s going to kill you if you get me all wrinkled and ruin the hard work she put into making this suit.”
Michael leaned his head down and chuckled into his mate’s ear before licking his tongue along the inside curve. “The ceremony doesn’t start for another twenty minutes, and I think mom would rather see you wrinkled than watch me walk around our guests with a hard-on all day.”
Kaden
span around and wrapped his hands behind Michael’s neck before jumping up and twining his legs around his waist. He could feel the man’s already solid length grind against his stomach and the heated look in those huge, sultry eyes almost had him coming right then.
“I guess we should take care of that now then, shouldn’t we?”
Before Michael could respond, his mate jumped back out of his arms and dropped to his knees, looking up at him through his thick lashes before opening his mouth and taking his cock to the back of his throat in one fluid movement.
The sensation of
Kaden’s
throat muscles swallowing convulsively around the head was so sudden that he almost shouted in pleasure as he leant forward to grip the edge of the dresser behind his mate’s head. This only succeeded in pushing his cock further into the sweet mouth wrapped around it. He was about to pull up when
Kaden
stopped him by reaching his hands up to cup Michael’s ass and massage his cheeks.
Michael could only brace himself and watch as his mate sucked in as he slowly pulled back, biting down softly as he reached the skin just behind the head, pulling a hiss and an involuntary thrust from him. In torturously lazy circles,
Kaden
slid the flat of his tongue around the sensitive area, using the pressure of his lips and the suction of his mouth to coax several drops of pre-cum from him.
Kaden
lapped them up greedily, flicking the tip of his tongue across the slit before engulfing his entire length again into the hot cavern of his mouth.
Watching the joy in his lover’s eyes as he took control of their lovemaking was nearly as sensual as the talent of his tongue and lips. As
Kaden
pulled back again with a soft moan, the vibrations of his throat shot through his cock and his eyes rolled back in ecstasy.
“You’re killing me, boy,” he ground out as he reached down to gently strip the brilliant blond locks from his mate’s face. The man’s answering chuckle sent frissons of pleasure racing up his thighs and straight to his groin. It was more than he could take, and he began to pump his hips forward in a fast rhythm that had
Kaden
tightening the hold on his ass to keep his balance.
After only seconds, he felt the tingling sensation that presaged his orgasm race down his spine and had to pull out of his mate’s talented mouth, grinding through his teeth, “Strip, boy, while I can still control my actions.”
Kaden
obeyed him immediately, not able to keep the huge grin from his face. He threw his clothes in all directions, then jumped to the middle of the bed on his hands and knees and wiggled his perfect little behind in front of him. Michael was about to reach for the drawer of the nightstand that held the lube when he noticed something protruding from
Kaden’s
ass.
“Is that a…?” Michael was just about to ask his mate when the hell—and
where
the hell—he had bought a butt plug, but his mate beat him to it.
Kaden
span around again and began bouncing in his excitement. “It’s a mating present from Nick. I’ve never used one before, but he told me how to…”
“Nick did
what?
” Michael practically shouted.
He was going to kill him.
Plain and simple.
But very, very painfully.
Kaden’s
laugh was high and carefree. “Oh please. It’s not like he
showed
me.” Michael let out a low growl but his mate merely laughed again and swung back around. “I’m all ready for
you,
now fuck me before I burst. Please!”
Okay, he could kill Nick later. When his mate begged like that, it was his undoing every time. He climbed onto the bed and bent the top half of his body over
Kaden’s
back, kissing his way up and nipping him gently around his ribs.
Kaden
giggled until he swept his tongue along his spine, taking the time to dip into the shallows around his neck.
His boy shivered as Michael licked his way to
Kaden’s
ear and asked, “So did Nick tell you about everything this little baby can do?” He reached down to grasp the edges of the plug and pushed it in further while slowly moving it up and down.
He knew that he’d found his gland when
Kaden
nearly jumped forward with a surprised cry.
“Oh, no you don’t. You wanted to play. Now it’s my turn.” Michael pushed
Kaden’s
head down until it rested on the mattress then wrapped his arm around his narrow hips, continuing his manipulation of the plug in his ass. He could feel his mate start to tremble as little whimpers flew from his lips every time he slid the plug over his nub. He breathed in the sweet, floral scent of his mate’s pre-cum and felt his own cock dripping in anticipation.
“Oh, oh, Michael, p—please.
I need more. I need you…”
Michael knew his mate was close and his slow torture only made his own rock-hard erection more painful by the second. He pulled the plug out and drove himself in to the hilt in one smooth movement, not giving
Kaden
time to adjust.
They both cried out at the intense pleasure but Michael couldn’t stop. The lube already coating his boy’s inner walls allowed him to glide in easily, building up friction until all he could feel was the warmth and tightness of
Kaden’s
ass.
He held his hips in a bruising grip and pounded into him over and over again. The cries of pleasure from his mate only spurred him on to go harder, faster, and he could feel his orgasm coming on strongly as his balls tightened to near pain. He angled
Kaden’s
back downwards, forcing him to point his ass even higher into the air.
He’d long ago given up trying to distinguish his own feelings of ecstasy and rapture from those of his mate. They twined like ribbons around both of them until nothing else existed but them and this one moment in time.
When
Kaden
screamed his name and the walls of his sweet hole clamped down on him convulsively, he knew his mate had found his release. The pleasure that came from it increased his own impossibly and he slammed himself in once, twice more before giving in to a rush so great that he thought he might fly apart.
He kept
Kaden
locked in his embrace as his cock pulsed inside him, filling him completely. The satisfaction he felt every time they made love was both everything and never enough. He was quickly becoming a sex fiend and loving every minute of it.
Finally, he toppled to the side and pulled himself out with a grunt, turning his boy in his arms so that he could stare into those eyes that made him feel like the most important person in the world. The most cherished and loved—and he hoped that his eyes reflected the same.
It took them long minutes to slow their breathing and, of course, his pup was the first to recover.
“
Soo
…” he drawled, “how mad do you think Mom’s going to be when we show up ten minutes late?”
Michael let out a bark of laughter and smoothed back the shining strands of his mate’s hair. It was still very thin, but it glowed brighter than the brilliant beams of the moon across the still, black waters of a lake under a clear night sky.