Overcoming His Pride (2 page)

Andrew bit his lip to hold back a moan. He was too old to be whimpering like a needy puppy at the first friendly touch. Unfortunately his erection hadn’t received the message. Aching for release, he rubbed against Marlen and groaned when he encountered a matching firm shaft.

His hand, as if it had a will of its own, cupped Marlen’s face. A sigh escaped him, long and heartfelt. “What are you two doing to me? I used to be very independent. I even raised a kid on my own. You know—James, the guy about your age.” He couldn’t resist the jab. The age difference bothered him—he didn’t even try to deny it. Andrew might be old-fashioned, but he wanted any partner of his, male or female, to have been born at least in the same decade as him.

How could he date men close to his son’s age? Mid-life crisis didn’t even excuse it…more like a mid-life catastrophe.

Marlen smirked. “Nice try, but we won’t let a little thing like an age difference affect our mating.” He stroked Andrew’s hair, a gentle caress that blazed a line of fierce desire straight to Andrew’s cock. “We worry about you.”

“You two don’t need to fuss. I’m fine.” He’d hate to see how they’d react if he had a real injury. The wrens were affectionate and playful, but not necessarily good in a crisis, at least not one where he might be injured.

The wren shifters continued to pet and muss his hair. He tolerated it for a few minutes. If he leaned into their touches, he’d deny it later. Andrew hadn’t experienced a lot of casual affection in his life. His last girlfriend had turned out to be a psychopath and his wife had abandoned him. Maybe given his track record with women, he should pay more attention to men. At least he knew these two men wanted him without an ulterior motive. Andrew had nothing else to offer them.

The magnetism between him and the wrens scrambled his senses. He gripped Marlen’s hips tight to prevent the shifter from scooting any closer. The wrens hated distance between them, but having them this near—this intimate—destroyed Andrew’s resolve. Surrounding him, naked, they were a feast for the eyes and a comfort to his battered soul. He never had to worry if the wren shifters desired him. As often as they ran around naked, their attraction to him was more than obvious.

“You’re our mate,” Chen insisted for the hundredth time.

He slid his hands up and down Andrew’s arms, his touch maddening. The need Chen’s confident touch created, settled in Andrew’s balls. He had to get out of there before he lost control and gave in to the wrens’ sweet demands. He lost all his resolve when they double-teamed him.

Sneaky bastards.

Andrew tried not to glance too low while they spoke. The shifters still hadn’t put on any clothing. His resolve to resist them was fading faster than morning mist. He stepped away from the wrens, sliding out from the small pocket of space they’d left between them. Taking a deep breath, he tried to refocus his thoughts on what they were saying instead of their lack of clothes. “How does that work anyway?”

“How does what work?” Chen asked.

“The mating thing.” Andrew blushed but continued. “How do you know who your mate is? I thought you two were mates. Don’t shifters only have one mate?”

They always talked about Andrew being their mate, but he never saw one wren shifter without the other. Surely they were bonded. He refused to come between them no matter how much they appeared to like the idea.

Chen shrugged. “Wrens are different. We’re polygamous.”

Andrew glanced from one shifter to the other. Marlen nodded his agreement.

“So do you have any more mates out there somewhere?” Andrew couldn’t identify the odd feeling going through him. It almost felt like jealousy, but that couldn’t be right. He shouldn’t care if the bird shifters had twenty mates. He had no claims on them. He ignored the evil whisper in the back of his mind telling him they were his for the taking.

“No, you are it for us,” Chen insisted.

Marlen stepped forward and rubbed Andrew’s chest. His hand burned right through Andrew’s thin shirt as if he were touching bare skin. Andrew shivered at the contact. Chen slid closer. The shifter’s warm lips against Andrew’s skin shattered his response. Arguments formed and melted beneath their touch as if they could prevent him from turning them down with mere force of will.

Again, he stood between them as if that were his spot in the universe. Andrew relaxed against Chen, unable to resist any longer. He inhaled deeply. The combined scent of the pair washed through him, a soothing tide of comfort. Tension in his muscles unravelled like unfurling twine. How could two young men twist him in knots and leave him wanting more?

They wrapped tighter around him, their bare flesh bumping against his clothing. A brief image of all three of them tangled together in a heap of legs, hands and hard cocks flitted through his head. He tried to empty his mind of that delicious daydream, but the hot males surrounding him didn’t help his focus.

The bird shifters were always rubbing or caressing Andrew. Damned if he knew why he let them. He hated to admit he enjoyed the unbridled affection the pair lavished on him. Every day he struggled harder to not fall under their spell. His reasons were solid, but he still had to continually remind himself why they weren’t the right partners for him.

“There are only three for our nest,” Chen stated in a firm tone. “There will be no others.”

“How do you know?” Curiosity not malice had him asking the question, despite the scowls he received for his doubt.

Marlen tilted Andrew’s chin, forcing Andrew to face him. “We know you’re the only one for us because when you’re near, we feel complete. If there were more people for our family, we would know.”

Family.

The word reverberated in his head and caused an ache in his chest. Besides his son, Andrew had no family, and James was starting a life of his own with his big bear shifter. His grown son had little need for the father who had screwed up his life, even if James did show amazing tolerance for Andrew’s presence around town.

James was a good man. Andrew figured he must’ve been born with that bit of compassion buried in his soul because his parents weren’t model citizens. His mother had abandoned him and Andrew’s insistence on protecting James from himself had almost killed him.

Andrew stared into Marlen’s strong features. Maybe the wrens were Andrew’s last chance at a happy relationship? If he pushed them away, would he end up alone and bitter?

While his mind reeled over his choices, Marlen kissed him. A quick brush of lips across his that he barely felt before he jerked his head back.

“We know you aren’t into men, but we need to be near you. Get to know us before you reject us just because of our age, okay? You don’t have to have sex with us, just let us take care of you.”

Chen’s pleading tone gripped Andrew’s heart.

“That sounds sort of one-sided,” Andrew protested. “Listen, you guys are really sweet but…”

Chen clamped a hand down over Andrew’s mouth, his touch gentle but firm. “I don’t want to hear those words from you again. You are exactly what we need. Your age means nothing.”

Andrew shook his head and dislodged Chen’s hold. He stepped away from the wrens, more than a little surprised when they let him. He needed to stand where he could see them both and know where their hands were.

“How can you say that my age is inconsequential? You’d both outlive me even if you were human. I hope you have a backup mate because you’ll probably still look like that when I’m old and grey.”

He hated to keep harping on their age difference, but they simply refused to get the message. They still believed in happily ever after and everything turning out for the best. Sweet, delusional boys. Destroying their dreams brought him little pleasure, but breaking their hearts would bring him even less.

“We don’t get another mate. That’s not how it works,” Marlen insisted.

Andrew’s phone rang. When he saw his son’s name on the screen, he answered the call. James rarely phoned him without a reason.

“Hello, James.”

“Morning, Dad,” James’ cheery voice came over the receiver followed by a long pause as if he didn’t know what to say next.

“What’s up?” They hadn’t mended things so well that they were in the casual ‘call each other just to chat’ stage.

“Umm… If you have time I need your help.”

Andrew clenched the phone until the edges bit into his fingertips. “What happened? Are you okay?”

Concern for his child pushed everything else out of his mind. With his son’s partner out of town for a law enforcement meeting, James was on his own. Andrew had thought his son would be safe with Talan’s pride keeping an eye on him.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to panic you. Nothing drastic. The car broke down and since Lou’s out of town, I was hoping you could pick me up. The tow truck won’t be here for another hour. Apparently the owner went fishing. They said if I left the keys, they would come by and get it.”

Only in a small town could a person leave their keys in the car and still expect it to be there for the tow truck driver an hour later. Of course in a shifter town, the odds were Talan would maul any potential thief and scare him back to the big city.

Andrew sighed with relief. He’d been imagining the worse. Inwardly he did back flips. James could’ve called someone in the pride or from the sheriff’s office. Both groups would eagerly help James out. The fact he’d called Andrew had him smiling.

“I was just about to leave home. I can pick you up on the way to the hospital.”

“Thanks, Dad.” James rattled off his location, giving Andrew enough landmarks he was confident he could find his son.

Andrew grinned. “You’re welcome. See you soon.” He tucked his phone back into his pocket.

“Problem?” Chen asked.

“James is having car trouble.”

“You have to get to work. Why don’t you let us pick him up?” Marlen offered.

“I don’t know.” Andrew worried his bottom lip between his teeth. “He’s expecting me. He doesn’t usually call me for help.”

He didn’t want his son to feel he’d pawned him off on the wrens, not when they were growing closer.

“He’s counting on you to help out. We’re willing to do that and make sure you’re not late.” Chen kissed Andrew’s cheek. “Let us take care of this. We need to get to know him better anyway.”

“Are you sure?” Andrew looked from one wren shifter to another, not certain of the right thing to do.

Marlen kissed Andrew’s other cheek. “He should get to know his stepfathers.”

Cold sweat sprang up across Andrew’s body. “Stepfathers?” he asked weakly. He knew the wrens wanted him to be their mate, but he hadn’t considered the stepfather aspect. Robbing the cradle could make things awkward.

Chen grinned. “Don’t worry. We’ll take good care of him.”

“As if he were our own child,” Marlen agreed.

“Oh, God,” Andrew whispered. “Please don’t tell him that.”

Marlen grinned. “We’ll be discreet, but I think it’s too late to hide the fact we want you.”

“Probably.” The wrens had announced to pretty much everyone in town that they considered Andrew their mate. Still trying to recover from the idea of the young shifters trying to act fatherly to a man their own age, Andrew agreed. “Fine. You two go get him. I’ll give him a call and let him know to expect you.”

He needed to get away right now before he began to agree to things he couldn’t take back. They were sweet and young, and had a blind spot the size of Texas regarding Andrew’s suitability.

Andrew gave them James’ location then climbed in his car and sped away. Maybe he could have his courage replenished at the hospital. It had apparently leaked out of his cock.

Chapter Two

“I think that went well.” Marlen watched Andrew’s vehicle fly away over the hill.

Chen nodded at the cloud of dust forming into the air behind their fleeing mate. “Yes, I think we’re wearing him down. He’s letting us talk to the kid on our own.”

Considering Andrew’s protective streak towards his child, Chen regarded his capitulation as a victory. They had to take advantage of their mate’s moment of weakness.

“I think the kid’s as old as we are,” Marlen reminded him.

“Then we should be able to find some middle ground.” Chen grinned, unperturbed by Marlen’s concerns. His mate had always been the worrier between the two of them. Chen preferred action. If they got James on their side, that would be one less barrier Andrew could use to block their mating.

“Maybe.” Marlen bit his thumbnail.

Chen heard his mate’s stomach growl. Wrens had faster metabolisms than most shifters, causing them to eat constantly. Unfortunately, when they were nervous that became even worse.

“We can grab some takeout after we get James. Maybe he’d like a bite with us.” Chen patted Marlen’s back before transforming into his wren form. Marlen followed. They had to fly home to fetch their car and some clothes since they’d flown to visit Andrew.

Luckily they didn’t live too far away and within minutes they were driving towards James’ location. “Don’t look so nervous,” Chen scolded as he drove their battered car down the dirt road. “It’s not like we haven’t met him before.”

“Never on our own. And you know how much Andrew loves his son. If James hates us then we have no chance to win our mate.” Marlen sighed. His nervous energy crackled between them like a living beast.

“He’s not going to like you better if you puke on his shoes,” Chen snapped. He’d run out of patience for Marlen’s negative thinking. “We need to be optimistic. Andrew is ours. He just has to get used to the idea.”

“Do you think he’ll agree to be our mate soon?” The pain in Marlen’s voice smoothed over the edges of Chen’s irritation.

Waiting for their mate to acknowledge them was grinding across Chen’s soul like a sharp pebble at the bottom of his shoe, hobbling his spirit.

Chen sighed. “Truthfully, I don’t know if he will ever give in to our mate bond. I don’t think he’ll abandon us even if humans don’t feel the bond like shifters, or at least I don’t think so. I don’t know any human-shifter pairs.”

“Yeah, me either.” Marlen’s despair whispered across their connection.