“I’ve been called special before, and it wasn’t usually in a good way,” Dallas joked. “Actually, that is true. Being a runt is hard. My dad still doesn’t want to see me. My mom? She’s fine with it, but they’re old fashioned. She does whatever Dad says. I miss her. My siblings, not so much. They enjoyed making my life hell. They’re actually a large part of why I ran away when I was… Well, I was the same age you were when your mom left. I was sixteen, and for a lot of pack members, that’s a fine age to be on your own. I was a scrawny, scared sixteen-year-old kid who couldn’t take living at home anymore.”
“You ran away to where?” Tiago was sort of glowering at him. “That was dangerous.”
“Yeah, and it was a long time ago, so getting all grumpy over it now is pointless,” Dallas informed him. “I ran to Marcus. That’s where. I knew we had this awesome Alpha Anax who was also gay like me. I looked up to Marcus before I ever met him.”
Tiago harrumphed. He thumped his head lightly on the backboard. “It’s stupid to be jealous. I’m glad you found someone to help. Does your dad not accept that you’re gay?”
Dallas laughed. “He wasn’t thrilled by it, but if I was butch like my brothers, he’d be okay. I know that because
after
I came out, one of my older brothers did too. Well, about a year later, once everyone was done freaking out over me and had accepted it. Kelly’s the second oldest, and he’s a foot taller than me and over a hundred pounds heavier, all muscle, most of it. Last I saw it was, anyway.”
“He sounds delightfully brave, waiting for his younger brother to bear the brunt of breaking in the family and friends before coming out himself,” Tiago noted. “Have you seen your family since you left them?”
“Nope.” And it hurt. “It is what it is. I get a card from Mom twice a year, telling me who is doing what in the family. That’s it.” He shrugged. “I doubt Dad is thrilled she even does that much, but it’d sure make them look bad to the Alpha Anax if they didn’t.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t even know where my mother is—or who my father is. They could both be dead.” Tiago sounded so blasé about it.
Dallas asked, “Do you feel anything at all for them?”
Tiago narrowed his eyes as he stared ahead. “My father, no. He was nothing more than a donor when my mother was in season as a jaguar. I’m going to assume he was a shifter, too. That’s a less disturbing thought.”
“I bet,” Dallas muttered.
“My mother…” Tiago sighed. “I would help her if she needed it, but I have no desire to find her. She did more than most jaguar shifters do for their offspring—or so she claimed. I really don’t know if that’s the truth.”
“You don’t know any other jaguar shifters?”
“Territorial,” Tiago reminded him. “While I’m trying to work past that, there are some males that claim parts of this rainforest. Some are full-blooded jags. Two are shifters. I have never met them because I respect their boundaries. I also don’t spend as much time here as they do. One, I believe, resides in the forest permanently. The other’s scent grows faint from time to time, so I think he must live in a village or city somewhere. Either way, we’ve never met, and I couldn’t tell you about the females, except that they are as solitary as the males.”
Dallas touched the bite mark he’d put on Tiago. “And now you’re a part of something that involves another man. This is permanent, what we have. I also need a pack, Tiago. I can’t be as solitary as you.”
Tiago pulled him over. “But I’m not alone now.”
Dallas put his head on Tiago’s shoulder and cuddled up. “Now, you aren’t. You might not have as much alone time as you’d like. In fact, I know that’s going to be the case.”
“Because you need your pack,” Tiago stated.
“I do,” Dallas agreed. He circled one of Tiago’s taut, dark brown nipples with the tip of his index finger. The skin around that little bud puckered up.
Tiago moved restlessly, shuffling his legs and pushing his chest up in a silent demand for more. “I might not be as averse to it as you think. Having people you can trust, it would be…nice.”
“Nice?” Dallas plucked at the nipple.
“Ah, yes,” Tiago hissed. “Nice, if I can do it. I don’t know if that’s possible.”
“It’s possible.” Dallas slid over and licked the hard nub, then sucked on it.
Tiago held his head there. “It is. Fuck, Dallas. That feels so good.” He sounded surprised.
Dallas applied more suction before using his teeth to gently scrape at the turgid flesh.
“Ah,” Tiago sighed. “No one has ever bothered.”
Dallas raised his head enough to say, “Now that is a shame.” Tiago had plump nipples once they were erect. They’d be pretty under a skintight shirt. Dallas scooted over until he was lying in between Tiago’s legs. He worked one nipple with his left hand and kept sucking and biting on the other one.
After Tiago began to try to rut against him, Dallas switched over. He sucked on the one and pinched the other.
“Dallas,” Tiago rasped in a gritty voice.
Dallas grinned and bit harder.
“Dallas!”
He liked the way Tiago shouted his name. It was a sound he could and would get addicted to.
“Just wait until I fuck you, Tiago. You’re going to love it.”
Tiago froze.
Dallas chuckled and nuzzled Tiago’s chest. “Not right now. When you’re ready. Don’t freak out on me.”
“Oh.” Tiago’s weak laughter actually made Dallas ache for him.
Tiago had no idea what he was missing, but Dallas was also glad that he’d be the first and only man to ever make love to Tiago that way.
“Romantic.” Tiago’s voice held a hint of what might have been longing.
Dallas looked up and saw that Tiago was blushing a dark red. He winked at Tiago. “That’s me all right. Planning all sorts of romantic things for your virgin ass.”
Tiago’s lips quirked, and he asked, “Like what?”
“Have you ever been rimmed?”
Tiago shook his head.
“Fingered? Used a toy to fuck yourself?”
Two more negations from Tiago.
Dallas almost pitied his mate. “Why not?”
“I…” Tiago shrugged. “I always top.”
“Even when you’re alone?” Dallas slid down until his chin brushed the head of Tiago’s dick. “You’ve never been curious?”
“Of course I have, I just didn’t act on it,” Tiago replied with a hint of testiness. “If I wasn’t going to let anyone fuck me, why bother?”
“Oh, man. Because it feels so,
so
good.” Dallas licked over Tiago’s slit. “So good, stud.”
“Stud, huh?” Tiago bumped his dick against Dallas’ lips. “Suck me.”
Dallas sucked one of his own fingers instead.
Tiago’s eyes just about bugged out as he watched. “What are you doing?”
Dallas spoke around his finger, which was interesting to say the least. “What d’ya think I’m doing?”
“Sucking your finger to…to…put somewhere,” Tiago finished weakly. His thighs tensed then quivered.
Dallas gave his digit one last wet lick then held it up. “And whose hole do you think this is for?”
Tiago gulped.
But he spread those powerful thighs of his apart after only a few seconds hesitation. “If I don’t like it—”
“You will. Oh trust me, you will,” Dallas promised him. “You have to relax and quit worrying about it. If you’re afraid it will hurt, this single finger won’t. Consider the size of it. It isn’t big at all. You know how much I love something a lot fatter in my ass.”
“Yes, I do.” Tiago grinned cockily. “Poke away.”
“Poke away?” Dallas almost laughed. He settled for opening wide and sucking half of Tiago’s dick right down.
Tiago’s eyes crossed and he grabbed at Dallas’ hair.
Dallas brought his spit-slicked finger down to run it over Tiago’s pucker.
He took more of Tiago’s cock in and swallowed around the crown once it breached his throat.
Tiago moaned and thrust a little.
Dallas used that impetus to slide the tip of his finger past the tight ring he’d been touching.
He came back up the length of Tiago’s shaft and gave special attention to the sensitive spot beneath the crown.
Tiago slid down the bed as he pulled his legs up.
That was what Dallas wanted—Tiago offering up his ass, his cock and balls, everything.
Dallas licked down the underside of Tiago’s dick, over his perineum, and to the pucker he was fingering. Dallas lapped at Tiago’s hole as much as he could, making sure it was plenty wet before he came back up to resume the blow job.
Tiago wiggled his bottom.
Dallas got the message. He pushed his finger in and found that sweet spot inside.
Tiago’s jaw dropped and a guttural sound left him.
It was a beautiful sound. Dallas kept caressing Tiago’s gland while taking his cock in again and again. Every time he swallowed around it, Tiago would moan or shout, and his inner muscles would grip Dallas’ finger so tightly it made him dizzy with lust.
Tiago held Dallas’ head in place and began thrusting, and Dallas was more than okay with that. He knew Tiago wanted more fingers plowing his hole, but without the lube, Dallas wasn’t going that far.
He used his other hand to pinch at Tiago’s nipple. That, along with Tiago sinking his cock in deeper than before, sent Tiago spiraling into climax.
Dallas came up enough to catch all but the first shot of cum on his tongue. He caressed Tiago’s gland until Tiago whimpered and pulled back.
Dallas left off sucking on his dick and also slipped his finger free. He knelt and quickly began masturbating, not far from coming himself.
“Holy fuck,” Tiago uttered, his gaze dropping to the blur of movement as Dallas jacked off. “That’s sexy as—”
Dallas threw his head back then canted it down and groaned, watching the spunk splatter on Tiago’s belly and groin.
The white, creamy liquid was a stark contrast to Tiago’s tanned skin. When Dallas had pumped the last of his load out, he ran a finger through his own cum then licked it clean.
Tiago’s breathing grew louder.
Dallas glanced through his lashes at Tiago and did it again.
The third time he went for it, Tiago grabbed him and rolled Dallas onto his back.
“Tease,” Tiago accused.
Dallas waggled his eyebrows. “No, because I’ll follow through.”
He set about showing Tiago exactly how much of a tease he wasn’t.
Chapter Thirteen
“Maarten, how do you feel?” Marcus asked, as he and Nathan joined Maarten and Ryder at their table.
Maarten looked rough, with dark circles under his bloodshot eyes, and his face slightly puffy. “Better than yesterday. Worse than a few days ago.”
Marcus patted his back gently. “Did you talk to Luuk? Your brother was frantic, you know. Is he going to come down here and kick my ass?”
“He wants to kick mine,” Ryder groused, taking the lid off the tray of food that had been brought to them. “It would suck if there was a fight between the Alpha Anax of Europe and me, but it might happen. Then again, I’d let Luuk deck me, since I’m Maarten’s mate and I let him get hurt.”
“Like you
let
me do anything,” Maarten grumbled. “I’m my own man.”
Ryder nodded. “As much as I am, and I don’t blame Luuk. I’m pissed at myself too.”
“I’m the one who fucked up,” Maarten admitted bluntly. “I wasn’t paying attention to anything but the song on the radio and the dirty thoughts in my head. Thoughts I won’t feel up to acting on for a few more days, I fear.”
“We’ll be all right.” Ryder brought Maarten’s hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “I will wait forever for you, if that’s the way it has to be.”
Maarten looked horrified. “Gods, no! I’m not going without for more than a few days. If I’m still feeling like shit then, you’re just going to have to fuck me into better shape.”
Marcus helped himself to the rare meat and over easy eggs after Nathan fixed his plate.
“While we’re flirting, they’re taking all the food,” Maarten pouted, his bottom lip plumping out.
Marcus hitched a shoulder at him. “You wanna get mushy, we get the food, you get the…heh. Well, you’re not getting anything for a few days, I guess. Want some of my steak?”
Maarten shot him a dirty look. “I have a suggestion for where you can put your steak.”
“Which steak?” Nathan asked. “Because yeah, Marcus is hung and he could even put his own steak there.”
Ryder and Maarten both looked at Marcus.
Marcus continued eating. He wasn’t going to dispute the truth.
“That’s still a mean thing to say,” Maarten said a moment later.
“If I didn’t tease you, you’d get your feelings hurt.” Marcus held up a bite of nearly raw steak on his fork. “You sure you’re going to pass? I got the rarest one on the platter.”
Maarten looked over the remaining choices. “Well, that’s fine. This one is almost mooing. Wait. This isn’t beef.”
Marcus figured if Maarten was trying to gross him out, it wouldn’t work.
“You do know I ate anything I could to survive at one point? Rats, mice, bugs.” Marcus left it at that. He didn’t need to mention that desperation had occurred when he’d been held captive and starved for days at a time.
“You win,” Maarten huffed. “I’m not sure if I can even eat this. My throat and stomach—” He shook his head and put the meat back on the platter.
“Some milk might help. Want me to get some?” Nathan offered. “Or call for it?”
“Calling for it would be wonderful.” Maarten sent him a grateful smile. “That root thing I had to suck on made a huge difference. I am pretty certain I would have died without it, but my insides feel abraded, I guess. I don’t know how else to describe it.”
“Would more of the root help?” Marcus asked.
Ryder set down his silverware. “I was wondering that myself. I didn’t bring the damned root with me. I thought it had done enough and Maarten’s shifter nature would do the rest.”
“I feel much better, Ryder. You know that. You were with me through the worst of it,” Maarten said. “I think whatever that shit was they gave me in the water fucks up the ability to heal. It would, if it were datura, or a form of it.”
“Must be a milder form, and thank the gods for that.” Ryder brushed the back of his knuckles over Maarten’s cheek. “Even a miniscule amount of datura is deadly for us.”