The Love He Squirreled Away (2 page)

“Agreed.” Soren released him from the tight embrace. “Come. At least let me buy you a cup of coffee.”

Daniel couldn’t refuse, even if anxiety rose inside him. They said their good-byes to Shiloh, Liam, and Reed, and left the park. Soren led him to a small, private coffee shop. Silence fell between them, not entirely comfortable but not awkward either. The thoughtful mood was broken when Soren placed their order. He turned toward Daniel and grinned. “Let me guess. Hazelnut frappe?”

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The simple words made Daniel realize how comfortable Soren truly was with the difference between their species. He smiled back and answered, “Close. I dislike processed nuts of any kind. A simple frappe with cream will do fine.”

Soren found them a table, and Daniel could practically feel the wolf’s amusement. “A squirrel who hates nuts? Wow.”

Daniel shook his head. “I just hate anything fake.”

Soren reached for his hand and squeezed it. “You won’t have to worry about that with me. Ever.”

And somehow, Daniel believed him.

* * * *

Soren fumbled with the key of his hotel room, struggling to swipe the card through the lock. It wasn’t easy with an armful of fidgeting squirrel, and with his own need to touch his mate. Daniel wiggled, rubbing against him as their mouths met in a frantic kiss.

Soren had no idea how they’d gotten from chatting over coffee to fucking in his hotel room. True enough, he wanted Daniel more than he’d ever desired anything in his entire life, but he hadn’t meant to push Daniel into sex. The squirrel obviously feared Soren wasn’t serious about their connection. In spite of it all, though, here they were, hungry for each other, touching as much flesh as they could.

They burst into the hotel room together, and Soren pushed the door closed. As soon as he ensured their privacy, he crushed his mate against the first solid surface available, which turned out to be the door itself. Daniel arched against him, not protesting in the slightest when Soren’s hands began working at his clothes. Soren didn’t even have the patience to disrobe his mate normally. He just tore them, making buttons and material fly all around and never once breaking the kiss. It was far too good, far too addicting, and Soren thought he would die if he didn’t go on tasting his mate.

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Alas, the need to breathe forcibly broke them apart. As he released Daniel’s lips from the kiss, he allowed himself a few moments to just look at Daniel. He’d always seen his mate as breathtaking, but now, with his face flushed and his lips red and swollen, he seemed even more beautiful.

Daniel offered him a small smile. “Touch me, Soren. Don’t ever stop. Fuck me.”

His formal, superfast speech had faded into a slow, sexy rasp, and Soren breathed through the lust that hazed his mind. “Your wish is my command,” he answered.

Soren grabbed his mate in his arms and draped him over his shoulders. He’d have liked their first time together to be gentler, perhaps more elegant, not in an impersonal hotel room. He’d have wanted to take Daniel home with him, to introduce him to the pack, all the men and women who were essentially his extended family. But it wasn’t possible, not if he wanted to protect Daniel’s life. For the moment, this would have to do.

With as much care as he could muster, Soren placed Daniel on the bed. His mate looked up at him, honey-brown eyes twinkling mischievously. “Come on, Soren. Touch me,” he repeated.

Soren didn’t wait to be told again. He joined his mate on the mattress, groaning when Daniel starting pulling his clothes off. His body was filled with the urgency to couple, to claim, to fuck, and he growled as he tore the constraining material off. His shoes flew off, as well as the remnants of his shirts and pants. Thankfully, he’d had the foresight to go commando—on an impulse, rather than on a certain knowledge. Now, he could finally be skin to skin with his mate, the mate he yearned for so much.

Daniel’s hot gaze seemed like a palpable caress on his naked body, and Soren did some admiring of his own. As if of their own accord, his hands reached for his mate, mapping each contour, tracing every line of Daniel’s body. Daniel bit his oh-so-kissable lips and released a needy sigh. He spread his legs wider in an obvious attempt
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to accommodate Soren better, and Soren gladly took the invitation.

He pressed their bodies close, loving the feel of his mate against him.

Daniel’s scent surrounded him, sweet and fresh, like the aroma of pine honey. His mate’s hard cock throbbed against Soren’s thigh, and the evidence of Daniel’s arousal made Soren even hotter.

He reached between them and gripped Daniel’s erection. The other man moaned when Soren’s fist engulfed his prick, and Soren could practically smell the rise in his pleasure, in his need. His head swam with the desire to fulfill their bond, to consummate this yearning, and he didn’t think he could stand it much longer.

Without another word, Soren crushed his lips to Daniel’s. Just like before, his mate surrendered to his dominance. Daniel wrapped his arms around Soren’s neck and his legs around Soren’s waist, as if trying to pull their bodies even closer. Their breaths mingled, their tongues tangled, and Soren drank in the taste of Daniel’s submission.

He wanted more, so much more. He wanted to be inside his mate.

He broke the kiss, panting hard, and faced Daniel. “Last chance, baby. If you don’t want this, tell me now, because I don’t think I’ll be able to stop later.”

In answer, Daniel pulled him close once again and crushed their lips together. When the need to breathe forced them apart, Daniel gasped out, “Does that answer your question?”

Yes, it did, and Soren could no longer hold back. He fumbled at the nightstand and retrieved the bottle of lube he kept there. His hands trembled as he opened the tube. He stole another look at his mate, the uncharacteristic self-doubt coursing through him almost scary. He was an Alpha. He didn’t question himself. And yet, here he was, hesitant to take the thing he desired most in the world.

The smile on Daniel’s face reassured him, and Soren poured lubricant on his fingers and reached down for his mate’s genitals.

Daniel lifted his legs and exposed his hole to Soren’s greedy gaze. He rubbed his slick fingers across the tiny pucker, almost losing it right
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then and there when Daniel pushed his ass toward him in a wordless plea.

Ever so slowly, he inserted a digit inside Daniel’s passage, almost in awe when his mate’s body sucked the finger right in. He experimentally thrust it in and out, testing for any discomfort, but he could only see and feel pleasure in his mate.

“More, Soren, please,” Daniel begged. “Give me more. Fuck me.”

Soren intended to do just that but not yet. They might be in a hotel room, but the bond between them still made this special. This was their first time together, and Soren would draw and relish every moment of it.

He smiled down at his mate and lowered his body over Daniel. He began to press featherlight kisses over his mate, dragging his tongue over each inch of creamy skin. He licked over Daniel’s collarbone, surprised when his soon-to-be lover arched against him, gasping. It seemed he’d found a sensitive spot.

Soren explored Daniel relentlessly, learning where his mate liked to be touched. He lingered on the perky nipples for far longer than Daniel seemed to expect. He’d wanted to touch them and suck them in his mouth ever since he’d first seen Daniel naked. The little nubs pebbled and responded to his caresses, and Soren bit down on the naughty flesh, testing Daniel’s threshold of pleasure and pain.

Yet again, he was unprepared for Daniel’s reaction. His mate writhed under him, thrashing like a wild thing, begging and pleading almost incoherently. There was nothing left now from the prim and proper façade the squirrel used. Soren realized now it was a mask, perhaps a sort of defensive armor. Against what, Soren didn’t know, but he vowed he would find out and he would protect Daniel from anything that could hurt him.

For the moment, though, Soren couldn’t withstand torturing them both any longer. Briefly abandoning his exploration of his mate’s body, he slicked up his cock and positioned it at Daniel’s hole.

Holding Daniel’s fevered gaze, he pushed inside, at the same time
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paying close attention so as not to harm his mate. Inch by excruciating inch, he worked his prick in, until at last, he slid home.

For a few moments, Soren remained motionless, half to allow Daniel to get used to the penetration and half for his own benefit.

Daniel was so tight, so hot inside, and Soren thought that if he moved one inch, he would find his peak and it would all be over before it really began. Sure, werewolves had paranormal stamina on their side, but Soren didn’t want to disappoint his mate and come like a pup, especially not after all the buildup. He yearned to love Daniel thoroughly, to possess every inch of him, to brand him as his own.

It should have been difficult to keep this position with the way Daniel squeezed his cock, but oddly, it wasn’t. Daniel’s honey-brown eyes slid over him, and as their gazes held, Soren felt catapulted into a different reality, one where everything was possible and only the two of them existed.

His body moved without his mind acknowledging it. Slowly, he pulled out of Daniel and pushed back in. The shallow motion was nothing but a tease, but it still sent tendrils of pleasure down Soren’s spine. His consciousness tied to Daniel’s, he began to move faster, harder.

His mate’s cries rose in volume, sweet and high-pitched, almost like a chirp-gasp. Soren recognized it as the sound of Daniel’s pleasure. His wolf wanted to howl at their union, at the perfection of their slick bodies moving together and Daniel’s acceptance of their bond. Instead, Soren increased the pace, always aiming for Daniel’s prostate. Daniel pushed back, fucking himself on Soren’s cock, his need and ecstasy flowing over Soren like a tidal wave.

With the ever-increasing pleasure, it didn’t take long for Soren to be on the edge of climax. His fangs now ached with the desire to taste Daniel’s blood, to mark and claim his mate. But a lingering trace of reason held Soren back. He couldn’t do it, not yet, not without consulting with Daniel first. Instead, he pressed his lips to Daniel’s in a final, desperate kiss. It was too little and yet too much. Soren buried
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himself one last time inside Daniel and came, his entire being tense with the power of his climax.

Heat splashed against his stomach, and the scent of his mate’s essence filled the air, telling him that Daniel had come as well. It only made things better, impossibly so, and Soren’s mind almost melted at the intensity of his orgasm. Each and every second turned into a lifetime, ages during which he saw and felt Daniel’s heart.

It went on and on, so much so that when the haze began to diminish, he felt drained not only physically but also emotionally. By some miracle, he managed to roll off Daniel and not squash his mate with his bulk. He felt a pang of loss when his cock, now spent, left Daniel’s body, but the slight apprehension melted into comfort and affection when his mate cuddled to his chest.

A small cooing sound escaped Daniel’s lips, and Soren’s heart squeezed with emotion. Soon, he’d claim Daniel like he deserved.

Until that day came, he would do anything to keep his mate safe and ensure their bond.

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From: [email protected]

To: [email protected]

Subject: needing you

Hi, baby.

I got to the pack all right. Nothing’s really changed. I wish I could
say everyone magically turned nice in my absence. If anything,
they’re more of a pain.

But I’m braving it okay. Finally got my lazy ass to pick a new
beta, well, two. I convinced Liam’s sister, Carlie, to give it a try,
along with another wolf. His name is Anson, and he’s been with the
pack for quite a while. I need someone who’s loyal to me first and
then to my father if this is going to work, and I think they might be it.

Anyway...I already miss you like crazy. I wish we could have spent
more time together. I had a dream about you last night. You were in
the bed with me, and you felt so good, baby. I can remember it now,
your hot ass around my cock, your prick in my mouth. Jesus...being
without you is torture.

I promise I’ll deal with what we discussed ASAP, and I won’t
make any decisions before I talk to you.

Needing you,

S

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With a heavy heart, Soren wrapped up the e-mail for his mate. It was hard to believe that he’d last seen Daniel one day ago. He already missed the squirrel so much it hurt, and his wolf howled in protest at their separation.

He couldn’t say it surprised him in any way. Since the first moment he’d seen Daniel, he’d known the man was his mate. He’d gone to help his good friend, Liam, and run into Daniel in the process.

The squirrel had been aiding Liam’s swan mate, Shiloh. And even if the situation at the time had been difficult, somehow they’d managed to bond.

But Soren learned from his brother’s experience, and that of their friend, Liam. He couldn’t rush this. As much as he’d have liked to claim his mate, the fact remained that Daniel was both prey and a man. As an Alpha and the last son of the Wade family, Soren was required to take a female mate and produce pups, something he really didn’t feel happy about. Before he could claim Daniel, Soren needed to put things in order.

A knock sounded at the door, and Soren groaned. He really didn’t want to see Carlie right now. He was in a bad mood, and he’d already snapped at his beta several times. Still, she deserved better, especially taking into account what he demanded of her. It wasn’t easy to be a female beta, but the fact remained that, out of everyone in the pack, Soren trusted Carlie most. His second beta, Anson, while loyal, tended to be flightier. Either way, Soren didn’t have the patience for official pack business now. God, sometimes it really sucked to be Alpha.