“I’ve got you, hon.”
Oh, and he did. D could feel Sloane’s hands stroking along his sides. Each gentle touch ramped up the lust coursing through D’s body. Sloane seemed to know exactly where to touch him, and just how hard or soft, to make D squirm.
“You like that, hon?”
D nodded rapidly. There was no way on earth he could even begin to describe how much he liked having Sloane’s hands on his body.
Besides the fact that his brain had melted, he couldn’t speak to save his life. That would have meant not groaning, and that just wasn’t possible at the moment—not when Sloane was licking and nipping at his nipples.
Hello, hot spot!
D arched into the air, pushing his chest closer to Sloane’s mouth and hot, slick tongue. His hands opened and closed on Sloane’s shoulders. He didn’t know whether to pull Sloane closer or push him away to stop the overwhelming sensations sweeping through his body.
D didn’t even notice that Sloane had slicked up his fingers and pressed them into him until they started to wiggle around—and then he couldn’t concentrate on anything else. He knew what those fingers meant. Sloane was finally going to claim him.
D almost came just from that knowledge alone. He had been waiting forever for Sloane to claim him, to want him for keeps. He had begun to think it would never happen. And yet, now it was. D was scared and horny and nervous and—oh hell, he was everything all at the same time.
He had never been good enough for anyone else. D was terrified that he wouldn’t be good enough for Sloane. Sure, he gave great blow jobs. So what? That didn’t mean Sloane wanted to keep him for the long haul. No one else did.
“Honey, you’re thinking too hard, and if you’re able to think, I must not be doing this right.”
D’s eyes rolled back into his head and then slowly flickered closed. His body stiffened when he felt Sloane curl his fingers. They brushed over a spot inside of him that sent an electrical pulse zinging throughout his entire body.
“Oh my fucking god!” D shouted.
“That’s much better.”
D opened his eyes and looked up at Sloane. The man was staring down at him with a feral heat in his eyes that D had never seen before.
It startled him to shaking, knowing that Sloane wanted him
that
much, and it was all there in his emerald-green eyes to see.
“Sloane,” D whispered desperately as he snaked his hand around the nape of Sloane’s neck. “Please.” D didn’t know exactly what he was begging for. He just knew that he needed and he needed bad. He needed now.
D eagerly pulled his legs up to his chest when Sloane pressed on them, but the sight of Sloane kneeling between his thighs almost made him drop them. Sloane looked so incredibly hot kneeling there, cock in hand as he gently pushed the tip into D’s ass.
Once the head pushed in, Sloane leaned over D, his arms pressing against the back of D’s legs just under his knees. It gave D something to push against when he felt Sloane start to slide the rest of the way in.
D heard Sloane groan when he finally bottomed out, his balls pressing against D’s ass cheeks. He felt so full. There was a bit of an ache, but it only seemed to heighten the intensity of what he was feeling.
D whimpered when Sloane started to move. The head of Sloane’s cock seemed to know right where that hot spot was inside of D’s ass and dragged across it every single time Sloane thrust in and out of him. It was driving D out of his ever-loving mind.
“Sloane.”
“Are you going to come for me, mate?” Sloane asked, panting heavily between each word, each thrust of his hips. “Are you going to come all over my cock?”
D was sure his eyes had crossed at Sloane’s words. No one had ever spoken to him like that. It was hotter than hell. D tried to wrap his legs around Sloane as best as he could then grabbed the man’s face and pulled it down to his. D captured Sloane’s lips with his own in a kiss that curled his toes. He wanted to consume Sloane.
Sloane’s thrust started turning forceful, harder. D felt the sweat on Sloane’s back as he scraped his fingernails down the man’s back. He could feel the muscles tensing, hear Sloane’s breathing becoming rapid.
He also felt a tingle begin in the base of his spine and work its way around to his balls and his cock. The pressure was building, and D wanted Sloane to explode with him. Just as the fire inside of him reached a fevered pitch, D arched his head back and offered his throat up to his mate. The feeling of Sloane’s tongue sliding over his hot skin was all D needed to send him right over the edge.
D cried out, filling the space between them with the sweetest release he had ever experienced. Pleasure swamped him when he felt Sloane’s teeth scrape over the pulse in his throat as the man above him roared out his own release.
Disappointment beat down on D when Sloane started kissing his neck instead of biting him. He knew enough about shifters to know Sloane had to bite him to claim him. He just didn’t understand why Sloane didn’t do it.
Unless…
Chapter Eight
Sloane could feel the furtive glances D kept sending him as they sat in the truck. He knew why he was getting them, too. He just didn’t know what to do about it. He hadn’t claimed D when he had the opportunity, when D had offered his neck. He’d turned away instead.
Sloane just couldn’t bring himself to take that last final step in claiming D when there was something missing. Granted, Sloane wasn’t exactly sure what that something was. He just knew it was missing.
He felt horrible for denying his mate, especially when he could see the confusion and hurt on D’s face every damn time he looked at the man. D hadn’t said anything, at least not outright. Sloane doubted he ever would. D was still too afraid Sloane would kick him to the curb if he did.
Maybe that was the problem. Even after everything they had been through and the progress they had made, D still doubted him, doubted them. He was walking around Sloane on eggshells, trying to be the perfect mate even though Sloane tried to explain to D that no one was perfect. Not even him.
He just wanted his mate, flaws and all, and he didn’t have a clue how to get that across to D. But he knew he couldn’t take that final step until D was in the relationship with him one hundred percent.
Sloane didn’t want a repeat of the last time he had tried to claim D.
“We’re almost there, D,” Sloane said. “Are you sure this is something you want to do?”
D nodded. “It’s something I have to do.”
Out of all of the things D had done since he met the man, this little stunt had to rank right up there with one of the dumpiest. D wanted to go over to the Lakelands’ and talk with his brothers. He wanted to invite them out to dinner and see if there was any way that they could be a family again. Sloane thought D was out of his mind.
D’s brothers were vampires, for one. They had tried to kill Sloane, for two. And they had been sent out to kill him again, for three. That was three strikes against them as far as Sloane was concerned. He didn’t want to see what the fourth one would be.
One the other hand, they were D’s brothers. Sloane knew he couldn’t deny D the right to see his brothers. He just didn’t have to let D see them alone. If he had his way, D would never be alone with those killers again.
“You know, D, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to. No one will force you to spend time with your brothers, least of all me.”
He’d just rather go home and spend a quiet night alone with his mate.
“No.” D shook his head. “I never really had a chance to find out why they left. I mean, I know what they told me, but I think it’s more than that. And, they’re my brothers. I need to know.”
Sloane’s shoulders slumped as he pulled into the bears’ driveway and saw that they were all there. He had hoped no one would be home and he could just turn the truck around and drive away. So much for that idea.
“Okay,” Sloane said as he brought the truck to a stop and turned it off. He turned toward D and grabbed his hand before the little man could scoot out the door. “But, you have to promise me one thing, D.”
“What?”
“Don’t go anywhere alone. Stay by my side.”
“Sloane—”
“I know they are your brothers, but I don’t trust them. Promise me, honey.”
D sighed deeply. “I promise.”
Sloane smiled and let go of D’s hand just long enough to climb out his side of the truck and hurry around to D’s side. Once there, he grabbed D’s hand again. Sloane drew in a fortifying breath when he looked at the house. This was going to be so much fun.
Not.
Sloane would rather have a root canal—on his canines.
“Hot damn, look who it is,” Chauncey whooped at the front door.
“As squirrelly as you are, I missed your mug.”
Sloane wasn’t sure if the bear was insulting his mate or not. He decided to keep quiet and listen further.
“That’s because you’re a big dork,” D said with a smile, “and off your rocker.”
Chauncey reached out and shook Sloane’s hand. “What brings you two here?”
Sloane cut his eyes over to D, telling Chauncey that his mate was the reason. Chauncey gave a slight nod and opened the screen door.
“Come on in.”
Sloane walked in with D, keeping his mate’s hand in his as they entered the bear’s home.
“Your brothers are upstairs in your old room.” Chauncey waved a hand toward the steps. “Good luck.”
D spun around, his eyes cautious as he stared up at the bear.
“Why, what happened?”
“They think we’re supposed to cater to them,” Chance said as he walked out of the kitchen with baby Cole in his hands. Sloane had heard that their pa mated a fey who had a son, and he was a cute little bugger.
“I’ll be right back.” D tugged at Sloane’s hand, trying to get free, but Sloane refused to let it go. He wasn’t going to allow his mate to go upstairs with siblings that had tried to kill D’s mate. He’d be a fool to allow such a thing.
“I’m coming with you. Remember your promise.”
Sloane gave a slow nod of his head when D looked as though he wanted to argue. D drew in a deep breath. “Come on.”
The twin bears snickered as D pulled Sloane up the stairs. He cut a glare at them, but followed his mate. Once they reached the hallway upstairs, Sloane spun his mate around until his back was against the wall. D looked wide-eyed up at him.
Sloane caressed the side of his face, his fingers lingering on D’s jaw. “Last chance to cut your losses and run.” The sadness in D’s midnight-black eyes belied the smile on his face.
“I can handle them. Remember, I grew up with all three.”
“And I remember you telling me how they weren’t there for you.
Listen, Dudley, you don’t have to do this.”
D shook his head, chewing on his bottom lip as he looked up to Sloane and then down the hallway. “Yes, I do.”
Sloane let out a long breath as he leaned back, allowing D to resume his walking. He knew what it was like to have a need to right the wrong, to question why something was happening. Sloane had felt that need on more than one occasion, and he wasn’t going to deny his vampire his right to do so.
“I feel weird knocking on my own bedroom door.”
Sloane had felt the same way the first night D had slept in their home. He reached out and turned the knob, pushing the bedroom door open. “Now you don’t have to.”
D narrowed his eyes at Sloane and then walked into the bedroom.
“Checking up on us, little brother?” Raven asked as he sat up from his lazy position. “Why, do you think the shifters ate us?”
Sloane wanted to knock the smug look from Raven’s face. The guy was an arrogant jerk, and Sloane would like nothing more than to put him in his place. Too bad D was standing right here.
“No,” D answered, trying to take a seat on the bed, but Sloane pulled him back by his hand, giving his mate a warning glare. D rolled his eyes as he looked back to Raven. “I want to know why you jumped ship. What made you leave Magnum’s home?”
Magnum’s home? Fuck, the brothers’ references to their upbringing and their father were anything but normal. Sloane wanted to ask what that was all about, but now wasn’t the time. He’d ask his mate once they were back home.
Raven gave a lazy shrug. “We needed a change of scenery.”
“Liar,” Daniel uttered softly.
Sloane could hear a gentle rain begin outside, tapping at the roof in a soothing rhythm. He always loved the rain and wondered why in the hell he was thinking about that instead of concentrating on the men in front of him. God, his mind wandered a little too easily these days.
D yanked his hand from Sloane’s as he pointed at Raven, anger and disappointment coloring his face. “After the help I gave you, you’re going to sit there and give me a hard time?”
Raven shot from the bed, Sloane inserting himself between the two.
“Help? We wouldn’t be in this damn mess if it weren’t for you. Why in the hell did you have to go and mate a shifter?”
Sloane was shocked at the speed D used to come from behind him and shove his hands into Raven’s chest. “Dumbass, fate chooses mates. You should know that by now. I had no more say in this than you do for breathing. But that’s neither here nor there. He’s my mate, and I stand by his side. I love him, and there’s nothing you can do to change that!”
Sloane was sucker punched with D’s declaration. The vampire loved him? Why did his mate have to choose now to say this? It would have been nice…fuck it, at least D had said it.
“Boy, this is awkward,” Remus said as the side of his lip lifted into a smile. “From the stunned look on the wolf’s face, this is news to him.”
D spun around, his eyes wide for a moment, and then he dropped them to Sloane’s chest. “Are you mad?”
“We’ll talk later about you keeping things from me.” Sloane placed his hand on the small of D’s back, encouraging him to finish what he had come here to do.
D nodded and then turned back to Raven. “So why did you leave?”
“Magnum should never have been a parent,” Daniel spoke up, answering D’s question. “You know this, Dudley. He’s cruel and cold, only wanting power. He’d sacrifice all four of us to gain it.”