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And then we pulled up outside the motel, and I sucked in a breath. My bear, who had few opinions on accommodations generally, bellowed inside me. He did not want out mate in this place with its peeling paint and a smell I could only describe as old textiles and urine. It was gross. I knew he had a reason to be here, and I didn’t even have a job so I could carry him off into the sunset, but I would figure something out.

His room was clean, at least, and smelled of bleach. “I’m trying to make things nicer,” he said. “At least as far as I can with not real maintenance budget. But there are people who live here long term who can’t afford anything more, so I try to do what I can.”

My heart ached for my mate living and working here, and, according to what he’d said in the car, working a lot of hours yet doing it out of kindness for these people.

I was proud of him.

Chapter Eight

Dimitri

Tyler stopped by the office for a minute while I waited outside taking in the sights of the motel where my Fated lived and worked. Everything about it was run down and needed repairs as soon as possible. The paint around the windows was cracked and a couple of the panes were broken. One of the doors had a hole in it that looked a lot like a boot had kicked it once or twice. Signs of violence and neglect that made me sick to my stomach. This shouldn’t be my mate’s life. He deserved to live in comfort and safety, and I prayed that he would accept me and allow me to make that happen. I didn’t have a whole lot of prospects at this point, but I had been a hard worker my entire life and didn’t plant to change that now. Especially since I had a mate to think of now.

But for the moment, he lived here. Fact. I leaned against the car until he came outside again then followed him to one of the doors. At least it wasn’t the one with the hole and the windows seemed intact. One thing I noticed, about the property was the lack of garbage blowing around and the neatly trimmed bushes. Had to be my mate. No way the owner who allowed broken windows to remain that way cared to do anything like pick up empty cans and papers.

“It’s not very much,” he said apologetically. “But it’s home for now.

“It’s fine,” I lied, flicking the switch by the door. Nothing happened

“Oh, that doesn’t work. Hang on.” He clicked the button the bottom of the lamp beside the bed and that blessedly did turn on. “Make yourself comfortable.”

Nothing about this place implied comfort in any way, but I didn’t comment on that, either. My mate was doing the best he could, and I respected that. “Thanks.” I sat on the foot of the bed. “You have been doing a lot of work outside, too?”

“Oh yes. Nobody wants to stop at a place with garbage all over, and I trimmed the bushes some. It wouldn’t look too bad if there were some nice native plantings.”

It would look pretty bad, but that didn’t matter. My mate was not going to live here or work here one minute longer than necessary. As soon as I figured out how I could support him, I’d ask him to leave. It would be up to him, of course, but it seemed like a no brainer. “It would be better for sure.”

He went into the bathroom and then came out and I went in to freshen up. Any thoughts of taking a shower together would have to be dismissed for the moment. It was clean enough, but two shifters, especially when one was a bear, would need a shoehorn to get in there at the same time.

When I emerged, he was standing in the middle of the room, and I walked right up to him and held out my arms.

“It seems a shame to waste all the ambiance,” he said before reaching to turn out the light. “That’s better.”

It really was except that I couldn’t see him well. The single working light in the parking lot did not offer much of a glow into the room, but when we kissed, my eyes closed anyway, and as his lips parted under mine, he grew languid in my arms.

We parted long enough to undress, clothing going every which way, before we fell back onto the bed, kissing and licking and touching anywhere we could reach. I felt as if I’d waited forever to feel my omega under me, his cock brushing mine, both rock hard. I closed my fist around both, squeezing them together.

Tyler groaned, bucking his hips. “More, alpha. I need you inside me. I want you so much.”

I stroked a few more times before releasing our cocks and replacing my hand with his on his dick. “You show me what you like while I make sure you’re ready for me.”

“I am!”

Without replying, I glided two fingers under his balls and back to find his hole so slick, even his tight muscles allowed me to penetrate. “Yes you are, omega. You’re so slick, I’m going to be balls deep on the second thrust.”

“Please, he gasped, stopping what his hand was doing as he focused on what I was doing.

“Keep touching yourself, omega. I’m watching.”

“Oh!” His strokes sped up. “Like this, alpha. I like it fast.”

“Would you like it fast when my cock is inside you?” I fitted the tip to his hole, keeping it poised within the ring of muscles. “Or slow?”

“I-I don’t know.”

“Let’s find out. Don’t stop jerking yourself or I’ll stop fucking you, deal?”

“I won’t stop.” And then he did, not realizing until I paused, halfway into his needy hole. “I mean I won’t do it again.” He sped up, squeezing from bottom to top and rubbing his palm over the tip.