Page 18 of Bound to Exiles (Rejected Wolf Pack #5)

But Heath leaned in, his lower body pinning mine, and I was shocked to feel his hard arousal already pressing against me.

My dick jumped as if eager to join in the fun, and a growl escaped me.

With my arms awkwardly joined by the shirt, I had nowhere to put my hands but on his hips.

Heath leaned in over my naked shoulder and sniffed.

His hard dick cozied up to mine, and a moan escaped my lips before I could stop it.

I turned my head, breathing him in as well. Never before had I found the scent of a man attractive, but maybe that’s because I’d never gotten close enough to breathe Heath in. My whole body lit with desire.

Mirroring the way I’d kissed him last time, Heath grabbed my neck and captured my lips in a kiss. But this time, when our tongues clashed, Heath’s tongue gave way, letting mine swirl how I wanted it. He didn’t fight me, and his body seemed to melt against mine as my grip tightened on his hips.

Just as I was starting to come to terms with the fact that I was kissing a man — my best friend — and enjoying it, Heath broke the kiss.

His nose nuzzled my ear, and he whispered, “Tell me you want to kiss me again, alpha.”

I didn’t think my dick could get any harder, but Heath calling me alpha was nearly my undoing.

“Fuck,” I ground out, doing my best not to come in my pants like a fucking teenager.

Freya was our mate, I reminded myself. Even though she’d enjoyed watching us before, everything we’d done had been for her enjoyment — right? We shouldn’t be doing this without her.

Heath pulled back to stare me in the face, his expression going dark. “Or tell me you didn’t like that. And make me believe it.”

He circled his hips, grinding his dick against mine, and I gasped. Lust clouded my head, but something in the back of my mind clawed its way forward, reminding me male alphas couldn’t mate each other. It wasn’t done. It wasn’t allowed.

“What I don’t like is you pushing me around,” I growled, shoving at Heath’s hips.

“Oh really?” His eyebrows shot up as he twitched his hips, sliding his dick along mine.

“You’re fucking with my head. Give me my space,” I alpha-barked.

Heath’s eyes widened. He and I were close enough in dominance that he could’ve fought me, but he didn’t. He stepped back, staring at me with his head tilted like I was a puzzle he was trying to solve.

As soon as he was out of my way, I pulled my shirt over my head, smoothing it down to fall correctly over my wide shoulders and pecs.

Heath stepped into my space once more, this time sliding his hands from my shoulders down to my pecs.

“If you don’t like me taking charge, maybe you should take over, then.”

I tried to meet Heath’s gaze, but his eyes were latched to my lips, his gaze averted like he was submitting to me. Except, I knew better. Heath submitted to no one, not even me. But as he stood there, his breath held, his shoulders tense… I suddenly realized something.

If I wanted him to, Heath would submit to me.

He’d always let me take charge and call the shots. He advised me, but he didn’t overstep. In all our years together, I’d gotten so used to being the more dominant of the two of us without ever needing to force my will on him. I was pack alpha, and he was my enforcer.

But the way Heath had been coming onto me lately threw off our power dynamic. Even with Nira, another fellow alpha, I’d been more dominant, and she’d been happy to submit to me… even though she’d later stabbed me in the back.

Heath and Freya could both shake off my alpha commands, but Freya liked when I made her submit. If I really forced the issue, I could make Heath submit, too.

The difference, then, was that Heath was far more experienced than I was in this realm. I couldn’t take charge, because I didn’t know the steps in this dance.

No, when it came to Heath, I didn’t even know how to dance .

“Heath…” I sighed.

His breath ghosted over my lips, instantly sending me back to that time we’d been trapped in the coat closet together. I wanted to kiss him so badly then.

Without thinking, my hands flew up, and I grabbed Heath’s wide shoulders, pivoting him to take my place. I slammed him against the truck and nearly went in for the kiss we both craved. But something stopped me.

His eyes were wide, and the scent of arousal bloomed all around him. His shoulders were no longer tense — if anything, his muscles had seemed to relax when I pushed him against the truck. His pupils were blown as he stared at my mouth, his eyes refusing to rise.

“You… want me in charge?” I asked, suddenly confused.

All along, I’d been afraid that since Heath was an alpha, he would want to dominate me. I assumed he was always the one on top, fucking the men he took to bed. But his submissive body language just now… the way his body relaxed when I took over…

“More than anything,” Heath whispered, swallowing hard.

My wolf urged me forward, accepting his submission. I crashed my lips to his again, my arms sliding around him. My fingers dug into his skin as I roughly pulled him to me. This time I took his mouth brutally, devouring him, and he whimpered.

My dick ground against his, and for the first time, I allowed myself to imagine Heath on all fours in bed, his ass raised, waiting for me, looking over his shoulder at me with the same hungry, desperate look he’d given me just now.

I was so consumed with the fantasy that I lost all sense of our surroundings. Breaking the kiss, I trailed my partially shifted fangs along his clean-shaven jawline to his throat, and he whimpered again.

Bite, my wolf demanded. Claim him.

And for the first time, the words felt right to me. I wanted to bite him so badly. But right now, I wanted it to be from behind, with my fingers digging into his willing flesh while I fucked him hard.

“Yes, alpha,” Heath whispered.

I pulled back, trying to regain control of myself, of my wolf .

“You… would let me fuck you?” I asked, for the first time wondering if this could actually work between us.

“Let you?” Heath raised an eyebrow. He chuckled. “No. I would fight your dominance every step of the way, just like Freya. But I would love every second.”

The thought reminded me of the time Freya had first found out about Nira being my old lover who’d betrayed me. Freya had been furious, saying that I was punishing her for misery another woman had put me through.

Back then, we’d worked out our anger the only way I’d known how — by fucking it out. I’d forced her to suck my dick before I took her hard. She’d wanted it, but she’d still resisted me. And we’d both enjoyed every minute of our battle of wills.

The thought of fighting Heath for dominance made my dick throb so hard I felt lightheaded. I wasn’t necessarily stronger than him, unlike Freya. I couldn’t force him to submit through sheer physicality.

I grinned at Heath, loving the thought of the challenge.

He nodded, “I’ve wanted you to fuck me for a very long time, Gage. But I can wait til you’re ready.”

Emotion overwhelmed me. This time when I kissed him, it was to distract both of us. I didn’t want to think about how long Heath had been pining away for me. All I wanted was to feel his lips against mine, to stop thinking for a moment, to stop worrying about whether or how this would work.

“That’s delightful.” Freya’s words broke through the haze of lust that had fallen over me once more.

Ice ran through my veins at the thought of betraying her. She’d caught us together without her, our mate.

I wrenched myself away from Heath, noticing how disheveled his hair was. His hair always looked finger-combed but now, I remembered my hands in it, holding his face steady as I plundered his mouth. With his crazy hair and red lips, he looked… like he’d just been fucked.

“We didn’t—I mean—” I took a deep breath, feeling like a child who’d been caught skipping school. Nothing I said could disprove what had just happened .

Heath shot me a disappointed look, and I felt trapped by the open truck door. Running away wouldn’t fix this, anyway. I didn’t want to hurt Freya… and I didn’t want to hurt Heath, either. But had I just hurt them both?

“It’s okay,” Freya stepped forward and took both of our hands. “I didn’t mean to startle you. I was just… getting hot and bothered. I thought you would feel it through the bond.”

I dipped my head in shame. I’d been so wound up by Heath that I’d ignored not only my surroundings but even my mate bond with Freya.

This had gotten messy fast. Just as Rowan had once feared, any misstep could easily ruin the pack.

Heath sighed, and I glanced over at him. His pursed lips and slumped shoulders showed his disappointment. And that’s exactly what I’d been afraid of all along.

I’d never been with a man before. What if I tried it and realized I didn’t like it? What if all this lust turned out to be nothing more than a fling, and then I hurt both Freya and Heath?

“Maybe you two need to talk this through,” Freya said, squeezing our hands.

“No,” Heath said. “Not right now.”

He brought his other hand up to pull Freya to him, and gave her a long kiss.

Then he pulled back and stared into her eyes.

I had a feeling they were speaking privately, and I felt even more like an ass, since I knew I must be the subject.

That suspicion was confirmed when they both turned their heads, their gazes locking on me for a moment before they both nodded.

“Good luck,” Heath muttered as Freya stepped aside to let him pass.

“Get in the truck,” my bossy princess pointed at the open seat. “We need to talk.”