Page 4

Gio

After running the water until it was the perfect temperature, Gio soaked several washcloths and carried them out to Carter. He paused next to the bed to take in his exhausted mate.

Carter had a typical alpha wolf body—tall, muscled, and powerful. His aura was bright with alpha magic. When they touched, he could sometimes feel Carter’s desperate need to protect and nurture. It was his alpha wolf instincts. Their soul link made it impossible for Carter to hide his compulsion.

Unfortunately, he was mated to a vampire that didn’t need much protection.

A hundred years ago, Gio would’ve needed Carter to guard him during the day, when he was vulnerable to the sun.

Concrete construction, dual pane, sun resistant glass, and a specially made safe room in the basement meant Gio was basically impervious to an attack, even during daylight hours.

All of Carter’s instincts had nowhere to go, which was why he’d behaved so obnoxiously at McConnell’s home earlier.

Gio had deliberately not told Carter where he was going in an attempt to avoid this issue.

The last time he’d taken Carter with him to a vampire-vampire negotiation, the wolf had gotten into a fight with a gargoyle.

Even though he’d tried to leave Carter at home, it hadn’t worked. The wolf followed him and still found a reason to end up in a battle.

“I can feel you staring at me,” Carter said without opening his eyes. “Your disappointment smells like rotten fruit.”

Some shifters had the ability to smell emotions. Carter’s ability made it hard to mask his emotions.

“I’m not disappointed exactly," Gio said, stepping closer and putting a knee on the bed. Starting at Carter’s shoulders, he used the wet washcloth to wipe away the old sweat and grime from the shifter’s skin.

“Then what am I smelling?” Carter asked, keeping his eyes closed.

“A combination of frustration and fear,” Gio said. “Our soul link isn’t very strong when we’re not in physical contact. I didn’t know you were hurt until I saw you in the basement. You could’ve been dying, and I wouldn't have known until your soul was about to leave your body. I’m failing you.”

Carter tried to sit up but winced and remained flat. “How can you say that?”

“Easily,” Gio said with a weary sigh. “It’s my job to keep my flock safe. I haven’t been keeping you safe.”

Guilt was clear on Carter’s face. “But it’s an alpha’s job to care for the pack. I need to be with you to protect you.”

Gio nodded his head. “I have a flock of one, and you have a pack of one, and both of us feel underutilized.”

“Does that mean useless?” Carter asked.

“Not useless, but not needed enough,” Gio corrected as he ran the cloth down Carter’s chest, admiring his round pecs and washboard abs. “If adopting a pack isn’t going to work for us, I’ll have to find something else to distract you.”

Carter blinked up at him, then a half smile curled his lips. “Oh yeah?”

Gio leaned over to place a kiss on Carter’s shoulder. He spoke against Carter’s skin, “If I exhaust you with sex, maybe you won’t get into trouble anymore.”

Carter snorted. “I have doubts, but what the hell? Let’s try!”

Gio kissed his way to Carter’s taut nipple. Catching it with his teeth, he tugged gently, making Carter hiss out a breath. After a year together, Gio knew all the ways Carter liked to be touched.

Releasing the nipple, he licked the abused flesh a few times.

Carter moaned his name.

He took his time licking, kissing, and biting his way down Carter’s chest. He paid special attention to the ridges and valleys of Carter’s abs. Tension vibrated through Carter, especially when Gio got to the narrow patch of soft hair that led down between his legs.

Carter’s cock was hard, bouncing a little and weeping pre-cum. Gio made sure nothing touched the straining shaft, not even a brush of his clothing.

“You might finish the job the durmin started,” Carter grumbled when Gio nuzzled his face into Carter’s happy trail. “But I’ll die a happy wolf.”

Gio chuckled softly and continued to move south until he was finally rubbing his face against Carter’s impressive, uncut cock.

“Please,” Carter begged. “Put me out of my misery!”

Grabbing Carter’s dick at the base to hold it still, Gio licked a long line from bottom to top. “I’ve no plan to kill you off, amore mio . Everything I do is to bring you pleasure.”

“And unbearable teasing,” Carter grumbled. “I never thought—oh!”

Carter exclaimed when Gio sucked his cock into his mouth. He loved the flavor of Carter’s precome and the sounds of his enjoyment.

He worked his mouth up and down, using one hand to squeeze the base of Carter’s dick and the other to gently tug his balls.

“Harder!” Carter ordered.

It was rare even among alpha wolves, but Carter had a knot. Pressure around the slowly swelling knot was a major source of pleasure for the wolf.

Gio squeezed his hand around the swelling at the base of Carter’s cock, making the wolf moan. “So good.”

Hearing Carter’s sound of pleasure sent blood flowing to Gio’s dick.

He was still fully dressed except for his shoes, and his burgeoning erection was painful in his pants.

Keeping his mouth wrapped around Carter’s dick, Gio released Carter’s balls.

With his free hand, he reached down to release his cock with a sigh of relief.

The vibration of the moan made Carter press his hips up a little.

“Gio, turn around and straddle my face,” Carter ordered, a little breathlessly. “I can put you in my mouth. We can blow each other.”

Giving a last suck, Gio pulled away from Carter’s cock with a pop. “As much as I love your mouth, I want to do something else.”

“Gio!” Carter whined and tried to sit up. He winced, and Gio was quick to put a hand on his shoulder and keep him still.

“I’m doing all the work tonight,” Gio said. “You have to lay there and enjoy it.”

“But I want to touch you,” Carter protested, looking upset. Nothing made an alpha wolf as unhappy as being told they weren’t allowed to please their partner.

“It would make me very happy to do this,” Gio said, knowing exactly the right words to say to appease his wolf.

“Then I guess it’s okay.” Carter tried to sound grumpy but was much too excited to pull it off.

“Put your hands behind your head,” Gio ordered. Carter did, letting out a little hiss as he stretched out his sore muscles.

“That’s my good wolf,” Gio murmured, leaning over to give Carter a kiss. He didn’t let it go for long because he was as needy as the alpha.

“Don’t move,” he reminded Carter as he grabbed the lube from the nightstand. He poured some in his hand to warm it before reaching around to rub lube on his back hole. Carter watched Gio get himself ready, pupils blown with need.

“Are you going to sit on me?” Carter asked. “Ride me?”

“Maybe,” Gio purred.

“Let me watch,” Carter begged. “I want to see you work that tight hole open for me.”

Gio turned and bent over to give Carter a nice view. He spread his legs and reached back to rub a single finger over his entrance.

Carter hissed out a breath. “Let me rim you. I don’t need to move to use my mouth on you.”

“No,” Gio said, pressing a finger inside himself. It felt good, but not as good as when Carter did it for him.

“That looks good, baby,” Carter said. There was a ripping sound. Gio looked to the side to see that Carter's hands had partially shifted, and his claws were cutting into the sheets.

“Poor wolf,” Gio teased. “Has to lie there and watch.” He pressed another finger in, making him moan.

“I’m going to take the place of those fingers,” Carter growled. “I’m going to fill you with my cum. Maybe I’ll knot you. I’ll get so big inside you that we’ll be locked together for the rest of the night.”

“Yes,” Gio whispered. Carter’s words made his actions feel all the more intense.

“You’re not open enough yet. One more finger,” Carter urged. “You can get another finger in there for me.”

Gio wasn’t sure how his attempt to tease Carter turned into the wolf taking control of the situation. He shouldn’t be surprised, Carter loved to do things like this. Anything that turned Gio on.

Pressing a third finger in caused a little burn, but nothing bad enough to diminish his pleasure. He moved his fingers in and out a few times, enjoying the motion but staying away from his prostate. He wanted to save that pleasure for later.

“Now spread your fingers out,” Carter ordered. “Show me how you can stretch yourself so you can take me.”

Gio separated his fingers, working his hole open. Behind him, Carter moaned and there was more ripping. “I can’t wait to see that hole used, wrecked, and dripping.”

“Same,” Gio panted. He couldn’t wait any longer either. Withdrawing his fingers, he shuffled around until he was facing Carter. Straddling Carter’s thighs, he grabbed the lube bottle and poured more in his hand.

He wrapped his slippery hand around Carter’s throbbing shaft and stroked a few times. Carter watched Gio’s hand, body tense and shaking.

When Gio maneuvered himself over Carter’s cock, the wolf grabbed his hips.

“Slow and easy,” Carter ordered. When left to himself, Gio tended to go too fast, and it would hurt at first. Carter’s hands forced him to lower himself at a sedate pace.

Even though it was killing them both.

“Carter!” Gio whined, trying to force Carter’s gorgeous dick into his tight hole despite the wolf’s grip on him. Carter easily held him off.

“Slow or none,” Carter gritted out between clenched teeth. “I only want pleasure, no pain.”

Carter lowered him one agonizing millimeter at a time. When Carter finally bottomed out inside Gio, they both moaned loudly. Gio closed his eyes and let his head drop back, savoring the moment.

Carter’s grip loosened. Opening his eyes, Gio met Carter’s gaze and rocked a little. He felt so full with Carter’s shaft buried inside him. They kept eye contact as Gio lifted himself up the length of Carter’s shaft.

“So hot and tight,” Carter husked. “I won’t last long.”