Hagen, Lynn - Hawk's Pretty Baby [Brac Pack 2] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (4 page)

Jasper took a good look at Johnny for the first time. The man was a contradiction. Taking a quick look at the young man would tell you he was nutritionally abused. Bones stuck out at every joint, and his skin was drawn tight. Jasper was actually shocked no one had stepped in and intervened on behalf of him. If a person stopped to take a closer look at Johnny, they would see the striking beauty. He had honey blond hair all the way to his shoulder blades. His facial features were soft, almost feminine. Long eyelashes kissed his cheeks, and his nose came to a cute little end. Not too pointy, not too flat. Perfect. He was a short little guy though. Jasper stood five foot nine and the shortest of the Sentries. Johnny was no more than five foot four.

How the hell did he and Hawk fit together? The man was six four—did his Commander use a booster seat?

Jasper studied Johnny, wondering what color his eyes were when big blue-gray eyes stared back at him. They were stunning. Jasper watched silently as Johnny grabbed the blanket and pulled it to his chin, scooting further back into the bed. Damn the guy was shaking. Jasper had to think quickly.

“Uh, hi, I’m Jasper.” Yeah, that was brilliant.
You can be a national spokesman…not.

Johnny starting whining, which turned into mewling. He became agitated. Now what? “I’m Cecil’s friend. Nice to meet you.”

Johnny quieted down. He cocked his head, studying Jasper. “I know Cecil, too.” Johnny announced proudly.

Well, damn, wasn’t he the cutest?

Johnny pulled the cover back, showing part of his naked hip.

Oh, no you don’t!

“Hey, little man, can you stay where you are and cover up, hmm? I like my balls where they’re at.”

Johnny did as Jasper asked, smiling widely. “I like where my balls are at, too.”

Jasper burst out laughing. This guy definitely needed to come out of hiding and make friends. He was hilarious. He would fit right in downstairs, perfectly.

“Why is my mate talking about balls?”

Jasper snapped his head around to find Hawk glaring murderously at him. He swallowed hard, praying that his death was quick.

“Hawk!” Johnny jumped up and ran to the Commander.

Jasper quickly covered his eyes and turned his head as Hawk’s naked mate streaked across the room. He was dead for sure now. Hawk would probably gouge his eyes out.

“Pretty baby, you don’t have clothes on. Jasper is sitting right there. Get back into bed, love.”

Jasper inwardly laughed his ass off.
That
was his fierce, ancient warrior Commander? He sounded more like a teacher talking to a young person. Oh, man, the guys were gonna love this one…if he lived to tell it.

“Answer me, Jasper. Why was my mate talking about his balls?” Now
that
sounded more like the Hawk he knew. Why couldn’t he get the teacher tone?

“Uh, long story?”

“I have all night.”

“Mate? Is that like in England? I wanna be your mate, Hawk.” Johnny bounced, smiling up at Hawk.

There was an audible gasp. Johnny had just inadvertently started the mating bond. He had accepted Hawk as his mate.

“Fuck, oh. Man. Shit. Damn. That sucks. Shit. Wow.” Jasper couldn’t shut up. His lips wouldn’t close. Shut up!

“Leave us, Jasper.”

Jasper waved a quick good-bye to Johnny and shot out of the room.

“I like him, Hawk. Why did he have to go?” Johnny got on his knees, looking up at Hawk innocently.

“Because we need to talk, pretty baby.”

* * * *

“Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! Guess what just happened upstairs?” Jasper ran into the den. It seemed to him that the whole Sentry unit was there. He spotted Cody and ran to him.

“What’s up, babe?” Cody grabbed Jasper around the waist, kissing him deeply.

“Get a room,” Remi bit out.

“Screw you, Remi,” Cody snapped.

“Not my type, all brawn and no brain.”

“Whatever.” Jasper rolled his eyes. “Listen dammit.”

“Go on, baby, we’re listening.” Cody flipped Remi off as he sat Jasper in his lap.

“I went upstairs to tell Hawk about Lonny, right? Well, he tossed me in the room with his mate and tells me to guard him with my life. Since I heard about Micah…oh…hi, Micah. Didn’t see you there.”

Micah nodded his head, sneering at Remi to say one smart thing to him.

“Anyway, I sit in the window seat because I’m not trying to have Hawk twist me into no pretzel and toss me out of the window. So, the kid wakes up all scared because I’m there and Hawk isn’t. He starts getting all worked up. So I tell him I know Cecil. He calms down. Thank goodness. Because Hawk ain’t tearing me from limb to limb and shoving me down a garbage disposal. So, the kid goes to get out of bed and the covers fall. I see his naked hip. Aw, fuck. Hawk is going to kill me now. I tell the kid to cover up ‘cause I like my balls where they’re at. The little shit laughs and says he likes where his are at, too. He’s really funny, so Hawk needs to let him out to play.”

“Will you get to the important part? There is an important part, right?”

“Shut up, Remi,” Cody barked.

Jasper stuck his tongue out. “Anyway, Hawk storms into the room asking why I’m discussing balls with his mate.”

“Oh, shit.” Micah gasped.

“Yeah, some scary stuff, let me tell you. Anyway, the kid sees Hawk and jumps out the bed, running
naked
across the room. I cover my eyes so Hawk don’t remove them painfully.”

“Did he kill you then? Because I’m gonna if you don’t get to the important part.” Remi growled.

Cody shot an empty beer bottle at Remi’s head, just missing it. Tank caught it and sat it down.

“Anyway, Hawk asks me again about balls and his mate. The kid gets excited, asking was we talkin’ about mates from England, then…then…then…he tells Hawk he wants to be his mate, even says Hawk’s name.”

Curses rang throughout the room.

“No. He can’t handle a claiming right now,” Tank said angrily.

“I wouldn’t want to be Hawk.” Storm shook his head.

“Forget Hawk. I wouldn’t want to be Johnny. The kid is nothing but skin and bones. How’s Hawk gonna sink his canines into that without breaking something? And then two sucks later, and the kid’s body is drained of blood. Fuck me, man.” Remi cursed as he paced the den.

“I guess we’ll find out soon enough. He’s got, what, an hour? Either he is going to be crying in pain from the teeth or crying in pain from no claiming. Lose-lose situation.” Murdock punched the wall.

They all were pissed. They saw the condition the poor guy was in. He had no padding to cushion the fierce bite. It was going to be brutal all the way around.

Chapter Four

“Did I say something wrong, Hawk? We don’t have to be mates.” Johnny slid off his knees and covered himself again. He started tapping his temple again with his fist. He had messed things up. He should have known this big man really like him kinda liked him.

“No, pretty baby, I want to be mates. But we think of mates differently. You think of friends and buddies. I think of something like a marriage.”

Johnny looked at Hawk in confusion.

“When someone like me wants to be mates, it’s forever. I would have to have sex with you and bite you.”

Johnny pushed away from Hawk, his hands trembling as he yanked the blanket to his chin. “I want Cecil.” He began to whimper and rock back and forth.

“I wanna go home now, please.” Johnny didn’t want to leave Hawk. Being with the man made him laugh, something he hadn’t done in a long time. Hawk didn’t make fun of him or call him names. He let him eat as much as he wanted to and even had a pretty penis. But Hawk wanted to bite him. Hurt him like Sean did. Why did the people Johnny care about always want to hurt him? Cecil didn’t. He wanted Cecil.

“Baby, please. Listen to me. I have to. If I don’t, you are going to start hurting really bad.”

Johnny cried.
Was he saying he was going to hurt me if I didn’t let him bite me?
Johnny jumped from the bed and ran to the bathroom, locking himself in. He heard Hawk cursing outside the door. The guy was way bigger than Sean, and even fiercer looking. Johnny crawled into the shower stall and hid in the corner of it.

* * * *

Hawk was watching the clock. He had been trying to talk his mate out of the bathroom for forty-five minutes. There was no way he was just going to force Johnny to do it. That was rape. Hawk would sooner die than brutalize his man. He pulled at his hair. There was less than fifteen minutes till the first wave of pain hit Johnny. Hawk paced the bedroom, cursing and praying.

Nature built in a clause when mates found one another. If either mate accepts the other verbally, using their intended’s name, the ritual begins. One hour is all you get to claim your mate before pain so fierce overcomes you that you wish you were dead instead. At least that’s what he had heard. Hawk guessed it was nature’s way of ensuring the claiming took place. Fate must have been smoking crack the day that was thought up.

Johnny cried out.

Why was it hitting him so early? Hawk had forgotten to count the minutes leading up to his sex and biting revelation. He burst through the door, finding his mate balled up in the shower. Hawk pulled him up, carrying him to the bed.

Johnny screamed. “Hawk, make it stop.”

“Pretty baby, I can’t. You have to do what I said for it to stop.” Hawk had tears in his eyes. His mate was suffering because he didn’t understand what was going on.

“No, you want to hurt me, just like Sean.” Johnny wrapped his arms around his stomach crying.

“No! I would never hurt you. I’m not tricking you, baby, I swear. If I have sex with you and bite you, we stay together forever. I promise. I have to bite you. It’s how my people make sure.” This explaining shit was hard. Hawk rocked Johnny in his arms, rubbing his stomach to no avail. He had to do something. He felt helpless just sitting here and watching his mate suffer.

Johnny grabbed Hawk’s shoulders, pulling himself up. His arms vise-gripped Hawk’s neck. “Promise? Promise me you won’t hurt me, Hawk. I love you.”

The tears fell down Hawk‘s face. He cradled Johnny’s head in his hands. “I promise, pretty baby. Always.”

“Then stop it, please.” Johnny had grown pale, his skin cold and clammy.

Hawk grabbed the lube, knocking the drawer to the floor as he laid Johnny down.

He prepared him as thoroughly and quickly as possible. He hated this. It wasn’t supposed to be like this their first time.

Hawk pulled his fingers free, lining his cock up to Johnny’s clenching ass. “Okay, I want you to push out as I push in, okay?”

Johnny nodded, holding his stomach as Hawk breached him.

He knew part of Johnny’s pain was from him, and he hated himself for it. He would do whatever it took to keep Johnny from any more pain.

“I’m sorry, so sorry, baby.” Hawk cradled Johnny in his arms, slowly rocking them.

Johnny’s crying eased and his nails weren’t digging into his flesh anymore. “Is it going away, baby?” Hawk tilted his mate’s head back, watching him.

Johnny nodded, his body still rigid, but it was slowly relaxing. “Good. I want my baby happy, not hurting. I’ll never hurt you, Johnny. I promise.”