The C Word (Just a Word Book 1) (12 page)

Disappointed
and slightly relieved, I step away from the stream and push the water out of my
face. I need to calm down, it’s just a shower, I’m not going to lose it in the
pack house with everyone here. He’s washing, not trying anything. I look down
at my cock standing out straight and shake my head. I’m such a mess.

Suddenly, his
strong hands slide into my hair and he begins to massage in shampoo. Jesus it feels
so good. My rigid dick springs up and I begin to hum my appreciation. Once he
has massaged the shampoo into my scalp for what feels like an eternity, he
gently directs my head under the stream. I hear him shampoo his own hair and
then he switches us, so that he is under the water. I bring my hands up to wipe
my eyes and watch him with his eyes closed, rinsing the soap from his jet black
hair.

My hand
automatically falls to touch my length as I appreciate his body for the first
time. Smiling when he opens his eyes because he knows I’m eye fucking him. He
pours some soap in his hand and lathers it up, reaching forward and starting
with my chest, he works it into my skin. Little by little, he moves down and I
close my eyes, waiting. I moan at the slippery contact when he finally takes me
in his firm grip.

His soapy
hand feels like heaven and my eyes snap open when I realise that it’s not just
my
cock he is stroking. It is rubbing
against his while his strong hand strokes them both. He lets out a moan,
expressing how I feel. His hand skims over our flesh faster and faster and I
could so easily succumb right now.

As soon as I
think it, he lets go. The smirk on his face tells me I shared that thought. He
rinses us both, with a final teasing stroke, then opens the shower door and
steps out, holding his hand out to me. “Come on, I’m hungry.”

Feeling
somewhat relieved that he knows this isn’t the time or the place, while at the
same time frustrated and longing for his touch, I open my mouth to reply with
some ill-advised innuendo, when I glance beyond him and see my shocked little
sister, holding towels… looking him up and down.

“I…um…towels,”
she stammers, swallowing hard. “Mum said bring towels.” She dumps the fresh
towels on the counter and quickly leaves, shutting the bedroom door loudly
behind her.

“Who was
that?” T asks, handing me one of the still warm towels that she left.

“My sister,”
I reply, feeling absolutely terrible that we made her feel awkward.

“Oops.” He
draws one of his lip rings between his teeth. “Way to make an impression.”

I eye him the
way she had, drinking in his hard body and even harder erection. “I’d say you
made an impression alright.”

“Shit, sorry.”
He actually looks like he feels really bad.

I smile. “Don’t
be, it’s not your fault. Anyway, she’s cool. She’s the only one around here
that really gets me.”

“Still, I
doubt she was expecting an eye full of me.”

“Don’t worry
about it.”

T drys
himself and bends to pick up his jeans, shaking them out, causing the chain to
rattle against the denim. As he steps into them, I cringe.

“What?”

“Nothing.”

“Really?” He
raises his eyebrows, expectantly as he slides them up his legs.

I give in. “Don’t
you wear underwear?”

His nose
wrinkles as his face contorts into disgust, partnering a snort.

“It’s not
that bad.”

“No it’s not
and I do wear it. It’s just that word.”

“What,
underwear?”

He screws his
face up again. “Yes.”

“What about
it?”

“Unsexiest
word ever.”

I shake my
head laughing. “You really are weird, you know that?”

“Says you,”
he chuckles, giving me a pointed look and zipping his fly, leaving them slung
low. My mouth goes dry as my eyes follow the happy trail that dips into them. “Got
any deodorant?”

“Sure’” I
clear my throat, my voice about an octave higher than intended. “There’s some
in the cabinet,”

“Thanks” He
opens the cabinet and finds what he’s looking for, replacing it once he is
done. Picking up his T-shirt, he gives it a sniff and pulls a face.

“I’ll lend
you a fresh one.” I tell him, going out to my room. “Here,” I offer, returning
to the bathroom holding out the white T-shirt that got vetoed last night.

“Thanks,” he
pulls it over his head. The pure white is in such stark contrast with his other
clothes and his dark, distressed style, that it’s a shock to see that it suits
him. He is such a lot to look at, I could get lost for hours.

I look in the
mirror and take in a deep breath. I run my finger under my eyes, pulling at the
skin. I look stressed as fuck. All this has been building up the last couple of
weeks and if I’m honest, I could do with seeing Richard again and loosening the
fuck up. Our last ‘meeting’ was just a quick fix, I need more than that right
now. I need to lose myself in the feeling of being owned. I need my beast to
feel it so that he knows who is in charge and no, I don’t mean Richard, I mean
me. I’m the one in charge here and it’s damn well going to stay that way.

T is right
behind me when I focus again, his proximity setting off the beast I have just
threatened to silence. But silencing him while T is around is not easy. T is
like a balloon that’s been rubbed on my head. Whenever he comes close,
everything I keep under tight control stands up on end and leans in his
direction.

I need to get
out of his orbit and pull my shit together.

Loading my
toothbrush with toothpaste, I shove it in my mouth and start brushing, using my
free hand to try and tame my hair.

T is watching
and I slow the brush in my mouth and look at him in the reflection of the
mirror. He leans forward and takes the brush out of my mouth, placing it
quickly in his.

“No—” I stop
trying to speak when his lips close around it and he breaks into a face
splitting grin.

“Don’t mind
do you?” he says around the brush.

My shoulders
sag. “I got you a new one out.” I sigh, much to his amusement.

“There’s no
point in opening a new one when the next thing I plan to do is this,” he says
pulling the brush from his mouth and grabbing me, his lips on mine before I can
blink. Our toothpasty tongues meet and he sinks into the kiss. He has a small
point. It’s a gross point, but I think we’ll have to agree to disagree. I relax
into the kiss and wind my fingers in his damp hair. When he pulls away, I have
to steady myself on the edge of the sink.

He rinses the
toothbrush under the tap and smirks as he replaces it nonchalantly in the
holder. I shake my head and open the cabinet looking for some hair wax.

“Not really a
toothbrush sharing kind of guy, are you Max?” he laughs, folding his arms and
watches me carefully style my hair.

I laugh back
despite of myself. “No. I’m the kind of guy that won’t call you back if you
squeeze the toothpaste from the middle.”

“Noted,” he
chuckles, dipping his fingers into my wax and slapping his hands together,
plunging them into his hair and achieving the perfect sweep, first go. He’s so
carefree, it’s painful for someone like me to watch. Especially when he wipes
the excess wax on his ripped jeans. “So does the same rule apply for lube?” he
nudges me with his elbow.

I just roll
my eyes.

“Thats okay,
I’ll figure it out. I’m pretty confident you’ll still want a second
date,
you’ve introduced me to your parents. That’s HUGE.”

I know he’s
only teasing, but I still curse myself.

“Come on, I’m
starving…” he makes for the door. “Plus I can’t wait to get to know the
in-laws.”

I groan and
scrub my hands over my face.

“Too soon?”
He laughs, holding open the door.

T is a hit.

My Dad is at
ease with him in an instant while my Mum clucks around him like Mother Hen and
he lets her fatten him up. My brothers have taken to him in their ‘he’s alright’
brotherly kinda way, while my sister just watches and occasionally blushes when
he catches her eye. To his credit, he’s sat here with all my close family and a
large revolving number of pack members. Kids running around, questions firing
from all directions and he has taken it all in his stride.

I at least
expected some hesitation from the pack, but after a while it eventually dawns
on me that he’s been mirroring me and they all think he is one of them. I want
to congratulate him, but at some point when I went to fetch more juice, we got
separated and I’m now watching him hold a relaxed conversation with Alex and my
Dad about the finer points of bass playing, from across the table.

I wish I
could touch his hand under the table and tell him how well he’s doing, but then
that sounds like I was hoping he would do well because he means something to me
- doesn’t it? And he doesn’t - does he? Fuck,
even
 
if
he did, it’s too complicated,
I’m
too complicated. So telling him I
think he’s doing amazingly well and that my family all love him, is just making
something out of what should be nothing.

I feel
Richard come in before I see him: his mood somehow changes the atmosphere in
the whole room. His mate had arrived a little while ago and has been helping
Mum feed the five thousand. Richard crosses the room, eyes focussed on the
kitchen area and when he reaches the stack of plates he silently takes one and
selects his breakfast. I can see my Mum ask his mate if there is a problem and
it is clear from her body language and eye roll, that her reply is along the
lines of, ‘you know what they’re like, I have no idea.’

Richard takes
a seat at the other end of the table and ignores everyone while he eats and
leafs through the paper. I try not to allow him to distract me from T and the
fact that now all my brothers have joined in the questioning. Poor guy.

Flo passes me
and I catch her eye.

“Sorry,” I
mouth.

She blushes a
little and then smiles. “It’s okay,” she mouths back.

Then on her
way back to her seat, she bends to whisper in my ear. “He’s really nice.”

I throw her a
shocked look, then laugh and nod in agreement. He is.

Richard
scrapes his chair as he stands, drawing my attention. As we make eye contact he
gives the unmistakeable, ‘A word. Now.’ look.

Waiting for
him to leave, I sigh. Best get this over with.

He is waiting
for me in the drawing room, looking out the window across the meadows.

“Care to
explain yourself boy?” he says in a low voice, not turning to face me.

I bite my lip,
contemplating my answer. This is normally where the act begins, but not today.
I don’t feel like playing. I know I said I needed to see him again, but
something about his attitude this morning has pissed me off. “Not really.” I
shrug, knowing he can’t see, but that it was implied in my tone.

He turns and
levels me with his stare. “You’d better have an impressive reason for taking
someone to the garden.”

I set my jaw.
I allow him to hold a status above me when it suits me, but that is not today. “I
have my reasons. Whether you’ll think they are impressive or not, is not my
concern.”

He pulls back
in
surprise,
I never fight back. It doesn’t usually
serve my purpose to do so. He regains his composure and narrows his eyes. “I’ll
remind you who you are talking to, boy.”

This gets my
hackles rising. “And I’ll remind you not to bite the hand that feeds you
Richard. That garden is on pack land and that makes it pack property. You have
been fortunate until now that I am the only one who knows about it and the fun
you have beneath it.”

He snarls. “You
will pay for your insolence, boy. Get rid of the unwelcome visitor and be
waiting for me in the garden in one hour.” He turns away, effectively
dismissing me.

“No.” I stand
firm.

His back
stiffens. “No?” he snaps, spinning round. His eyes are on fire as he stalks
towards me. “You will regret taking this line with me. How dare you bring a
stranger into the pack. Into MY space. What do you know of him?”

As he gets so
far into my space I can feel his breath on my face, I press my lips together so
that I don’t say something I’ll regret.

He takes my
silence for submission and smiles a sinister smile. “As I thought, nothing. You
will not see him again, do you understand me?”

I swallow;
biting back the rage I feel while trying to control my beast. I’ve been the
closest I’ve ever come to losing it the last few days, but he will not be the
reason. “I see who I want,” I reply through gritted teeth. “Our arrangement has
always allowed for that and it will continue to do so, or it’s over.”

He throws his
head back and laughs. “You seriously think you could survive the world without
what I give you?” he raises his hand slowly and closes it around my throat. I
chose not to reply. I would find a way. But the lightheaded rush washes over me
as he restricts the blood flow, reminding me that he does know what I need. “You’d
be a basket case without me, boy and don’t you forget it.”