The Love He Squirreled Away (14 page)

Finally, he had his mate nearly naked under him. The only thing Daniel wore now were his white, simple briefs. A spot of wetness was already forming on them where Daniel’s pre-cum moistened the material. On impulse, Soren licked down Daniel’s chest until he reached his mate’s still-clothed cock. He mouthed his mate’s prick through the cloth, taking in the taste so distinctly Daniel.

The beast inside him was fully awake now, but it didn’t make any demands. Even if Soren desperately wanted to be inside Daniel, to feel that sweet, tight ass squeeze him, he could wait. Hell, Soren hadn’t even taken his clothes off. He wanted to make this last, to create a world just for them where all else ceased to matter.

Daniel moaned as Soren worked his briefs off. The squirrel’s naked prick nearly hit Soren in the face when he released it from its confines. Chuckling to himself, Soren gripped his mate’s hot cock in his fist and pumped it slowly.

“Soren,” Daniel whispered, “please.”

Through their bond, Soren felt Daniel’s need echoing his own. He knew how much his mate needed to be taken, marked, and claimed.

His control was slipping, and he allowed himself to take what he’d wanted for the entire day.

He lowered his body over Daniel’s and crushed their mouths together. Daniel’s lips immediately parted, and Soren took advantage of the provided occasion to thrust his tongue inside. The need melted
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into lazy desire, and Soren explored Daniel’s slick cavern, reacquainting himself with his mate’s taste.

The kiss seemed to go on and on, but Soren didn’t forget for a single second his grip on Daniel’s cock. He continued his slow massage of his mate’s dick, at the same time caressing Daniel’s tongue with his own.

When they broke apart to breathe, Daniel’s eyes had gone almost black with passion. “Fuck me, Soren. I need you.”

Soren shook his head. “I won’t fuck you. I’ll make love to you.”

Tears gathered at the corner of Daniel’s eyes. Daniel tried to look away, and Soren could feel the slight shame at being caught crying.

For whatever reason, his mate always feared being a burden, and the problem with Dr. Jenkins had only brought those feelings to the forefront of his mind. To a certain extent, Soren was glad Jenkins had only been half responsible for Carlie’s death, and the man who ordered her assassination had a sick crush on him, not Daniel.

Soren pushed those thoughts aside and reached for his mate’s cheeks to brush the tears away. “No more crying, not tonight. Tonight is for us, all right, baby?”

Daniel nodded. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, moments later, renewed resolve shone inside them. “For us,”

he repeated.

Satisfied with his mate’s agreement, Soren pressed a light kiss to his mate’s lips. This time, though, he didn’t linger. Instead, he slipped from Daniel’s sweet mouth over his neck, sucking on the delicate skin, tracing the collarbone with his tongue. Daniel arched against him, demanding more, and as always, Soren couldn’t deny him.

Lower he went, until he reached Daniel’s pert nipples. He suckled on the tight nubs like a pup would to his mother’s teat, alternating from the right to the left, giving each his full attention. He couldn’t resist on offering a hint of fang, but Daniel didn’t seem to mind. Soren wasn’t surprised. He knew his squirrel liked a little pain with his pleasure.

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From there, it came as a natural progression to advance toward Daniel’s genitals. As he returned to Daniel’s cock, his mate spread his legs wide, offering himself to Soren like a pagan sacrifice. Soren couldn’t resist. He took Daniel’s cock in his mouth, swallowing the hard prick down in one single motion. Daniel was a perfect fit for him, and in the past months, Soren had learned everything his mate enjoyed. He began to bob his head up and down the shaft, allowing his greed to morph into smooth, slow sucks. Over and over, he licked and tortured his mate until he had Daniel writhing in the bed under him.

“God, Soren… Please. I can’t… Oh, God.”

Soren reached between Daniel’s legs and rubbed at his mate’s clenching hole with a dry finger. He couldn’t help a groan as Daniel’s body seemed to try to drag him in. His cock throbbed with need, and he didn’t think he could drag this on for much longer. He actually risked coming without even getting inside Daniel.

Daniel let out a choked chirp, Soren’s groan adding to the sensation he experienced. It was the strangest thing, and Soren always felt amazed at the extent of their connection. Even now, Soren sensed the pleasure coursing through Daniel, the pleasure he himself caused.

He knew that once he brought their bodies together, it would only grow more intense.

With that thought in mind, he released Daniel’s prick with a wet pop. He reached for the nightstand, where, in a bout of optimism, he’d earlier stashed a tube of lubricant. With trembling hands, he retrieved the lube and uncapped it.

Daniel held his legs high, opening himself up for Soren’s touch.

Soren nearly swallowed his tongue at the sight of his mate’s quivering hole. He cursed as he dropped the open tube on the bed. His fumbling motions drew a breathless laughter from his mate. “I think I’m both flattered and disgruntled,” the squirrel said. “Hurry along now.”

Daniel’s lighthearted comment made Soren grin fondly. “Brat.”

He snatched the lube again and poured a generous amount on his
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fingers. He must be doing something wrong if his mate was still coherent. No matter. He had a quick fix for that.

Holding Daniel’s gaze, Soren inserted a finger inside Daniel’s anus. Just like before, Daniel’s body greedily took him in. Daniel threw his head back, exposing the pale column of his neck, all cheekiness forgotten. “More, Soren.”

Soren obediently added another finger. Daniel’s passage stretched to accommodate the two invading digits, and without being asked to, Soren added the third one, scissoring them gently to prepare his mate.

Of course, he had another purpose whenever he touched his mate like this. He grinned when his mate chirp-screamed in pleasure and massaged Daniel’s special spot, reveling in the sweet sounds his mate was making.

But each and every one of those addicting noises went straight to Soren’s cock. His clothing choked him, and he was sure that, by now, he had permanent zipper prints on his prick. He needed to be inside his mate so much it hurt, and he wouldn’t be able to stand any more delays.

Soren thrust his fingers a few more times in and out of Daniel’s anus, then retracted them. With slippery hands, he tore at his clothing, uncaring of the state of his garments. They’d probably be ruined, but whatever. He couldn’t care less.

At last, he got naked and skin to skin with his sweet mate.

Without waiting one single second, he positioned his prick at Daniel’s opening and pushed. A different time, he might have simply thrust in, the passion too much for him to hold back. Now, however, a sense of rightness helped him go slow, and he slid home inch by tortuous inch, never once breaking eye contact with Daniel.

His mate wrapped his legs around Soren in an iron-like vise. The need to impale himself on Soren’s prick went deep within the squirrel, so deep Soren could feel it as if it were his own. And yet Daniel remained still, allowing Soren to set the rhythm. He bit his lip, a gesture both familiar and endearing, and Soren surrendered to the
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need to nibble on that abused flesh. He pressed his lips to Daniel’s once more while working his cock inside Daniel’s anus.

Their tongues tangled, at first as lazily as before. When, at last, Soren fully became embedded inside Daniel’s sweet ass, he stilled, in awe with how united he felt with his mate. From then on, it all became a blur. The kiss grew more and more passionate as Soren pulled out of his mate and pushed back in, always aiming for his mate’s prostate. Daniel’s fingernails buried in his flesh, and the ache aroused the beast inside Soren to an almost unbearable extent.

It wasn’t even about the sex, but more about the comfort, the need to feel each other after an excruciating couple of days. They hadn’t made love since before Carlie’s death. With the doubts still looming over Daniel’s head, Carlie’s funeral, their concern over who ordered the attack and, overall, the general chaos of the situation, they simply hadn’t found the time. But now more than ever, Soren needed it. He needed to reassert his claim over Daniel, to make sure his mate was truly there by his side.

On and on it went, combined chirps and growls rising around them in a symphony of pleasure. At one point, their kiss broke, and Soren hastened the pace of his motions. They knew each other so well, and effortlessly fell into a rhythm, the rhythm of their heartbeats beating in unison.

All too soon, Soren felt his orgasm sizzling at the bottom of his spine. His balls ached with the need to come, and the beast within howled, demanding that he take what was his. His fangs dropped, and he gave Daniel a look, silently asking for permission. He always did, even if the inevitable answer was the same. Indeed, Daniel tilted his head, offering himself submissively, and Soren couldn’t resist. He buried his fangs in his mate’s delicious flesh, groaning when the lush, rich blood invaded his mind.

For a brief moment, a thousand sensations mixed within Soren.

Ecstasy soared through him at his mate’s flavor hit his taste buds, and with one last thrust, he emptied his seed inside Daniel’s hole. Daniel’s
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ass squeezed him, draining him of every drop of cum, and heat splashed against Soren’s belly as Daniel climaxed, too. At the same time, though, shapeless emotions rose in Soren’s heart, need, hope, love, desire, and yes, fear. Soren couldn’t even tell which ones were his and which Daniel’s. He didn’t know where he ended and his mate began. They were one.

They floated on the haze of the mind-numbing orgasm for the longest time. When he came to his senses, Soren found that he’d collapsed on the bed next to Daniel, with his mate spooned by his side. He couldn’t be sure how they’d managed it, but Soren’s cock still hadn’t left Daniel’s body.

Soren smiled and kissed his love’s shoulder. There were no words in moments such as these, no words to express how he felt. The only thing he knew was that he’d do anything to protect these feelings and the man who’d taught them to him.

* * * *

In a coffee shop outside the Venere hotel, Heathcliff Cunningham sipped a cup of black java without really tasting it. His mind was focused on the establishment across the street where Soren, his Soren, was staying with the whore of a squirrel.

It seemed that Soren had not believed his slut capable of assassinating that bitch Carlie. Heathcliff surmised it was only a matter of time until the real identity of the killer was discovered, if they didn’t already know. Heathcliff had not expected Daniel to be an acquaintance of Garth Mckenna.

Shrugging, Heathcliff finished his coffee and placed a bill on the table. Perhaps it was better this way. Garth no longer had Byron’s protection, and Heathcliff was no longer bound by any promise. Not that it mattered. The damn lynx had been a thorn in his side for too long. Heathcliff snickered as he imagined taking out two birds with one stone. He couldn’t wait.

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Perhaps after hooking up with Soren, he could take out Byron as well. Then he’d be able to lead the family the way he wanted to. No more making nice with idiots and keeping promises that weren’t meant to be kept. Sharks were supposed to take what they wanted.

Who cared about the rest?

He could still remember the first time he’d seen Soren Wade. His men had brought him a photograph of the werewolf, taken for their current job. Immediately, Heathcliff had known he wanted the wolf for himself, and that feeling only grew when he’d seen Soren with his own eyes.

So many weeks, he’d watched Soren lavish his attention on that undeserving, pathetic squirrel. Even Carlie Denning had received Soren’s affection. But Heathcliff had gotten rid of her, and he’d do the same with Daniel.

He left the coffee shop in an excellent mood. Stealing a look at the hotel, he smirked.
Enjoy your night, little squirrel. It’s the last one
you’re going to get.

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Daniel bit on his fingernails and stared at the clock on the wall.

His vision was momentarily blurred when Nicolas passed by in a flurry of activity. The hummingbird seemed as nervous as Daniel felt, and for a good reason. Soren and Garth had left to meet up with the mysterious Byron Cunningham. Daniel didn’t know why, but ever since his mate had gone, he’d been getting more and more anxious. It was like that awful day when he’d watched Carlie die, only worse.

Daniel knew if something happened to his mate, he would never survive it.

“They’ll be fine,” Skylar said soothingly as he poured Daniel some tea. “They can take care of themselves. Do you need anything else?”

Daniel shook his head. Skylar had been extremely generous in allowing Daniel and Nicolas to stay in his house until the whole thing blew over. Since Soren needed to go meet with Byron, and Garth joined him, the two carnivores felt they needed someone to babysit them. Skylar was, apparently, filthy rich and had a great number of guards watching over him. The natural solution had been to come to the Pierce mansion.

The huge house rivaled the Alpha compound on Soren’s pack lands, and it felt very strange and unfamiliar to Daniel. Still, there were a lot of photos and personal items around, and it made the humongous building look more like a home than just a mansion.

“Hey,” Skylar added, “you have to trust Soren. He knows what he’s doing.”

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Daniel knew his friend was right. More than Skylar’s words, it was Daniel’s bond with Soren that kept him from losing it and running to find his mate. He could feel the wolf in his head and knew that for the moment, things were going well.