“The Aspen Pack?” Shane asked as they made their way back to the house. Only Shane lived there for now, but Bram had a feeling soon, all three would be staying there. That meant they would have to make it a home, not just a place to sleep.
Bram cleared his throat, focusing on Shane’s question. “It’s another Pack on this side of the country.” He frowned as they walked inside the house, closing the door behind them. “I don’t know much about them other than they’re even more secretive than we are and kind of assholes.”
Shane chuckled roughly. “I guess the same could be said about you guys from an outsider’s perspective.”
Bram tilted his head and growled. “Watch it, soldier. You’re one of us now.”
The puzzled look on Shane’s face turned to a bright smile. “Yeah, I guess I am.” The other man’s eyes darkened, and he licked his lips. “And since we’re alone…”
Bram barked out a laugh. “I’m thinking this new body of yours is showing you just how much stamina you have.”
“My turn.” That was all Shane said before the other man crushed his mouth to Bram’s.
Bram growled low, biting and kissing, even as they both tore each other’s clothes off. This would be no sweet and simple mating. This would be teeth and heat and claws. He wanted to hurt, wanted to feel the other man deep inside him even as he begged for release.
Shane looked down at his hands as he tore his mouth away, his eyes wide. “Fuck. They’re claws.”
It was just his fingertips, but that was enough to tell Bram that Shane needed to cool down a bit while he learned control. The fact that Shane had only shifted his fingertips and not anything else during the crazed passion told Bram that Shane’s wolf was going to be as strong as hell.
Maybe Gideon and Kade were right, and there were stronger wolves now than there had been before because there was a reason for it.
“Breathe and picture yourself pulling your claws in. You can do this, Shane. You’re in control.”
Shane kept his gaze on Bram and focused. Soon, the claws were gone and in their place were two fists stiff with tension. Bram sighed and cupped the back of Shane’s head, kissing him gently. Perhaps this wasn’t the time for something rough.
Seeming to know where Bram’s thoughts were going, Shane nipped at his lip. “Don’t go soft on me.” The other man cupped Bram, and a wicked gleam filled his eyes. “Okay, maybe you’re not too soft, but don’t be gentle. I’m learning. I’ve got this.”
Bram inhaled deeply, letting the heady scent of Shane and his wolf wash over him. Bram could handle Shane, even if the other man lost control, and Shane was right—he needed to practice restraint.
And if both of them got off in the process, well, that was just fucking fantastic.
Bram went to his knees and licked his lips. “I’m going to make you come, but you can’t let your claws come out. When you have more control, you can have them slide out during sex, but for now, you need to rein it in.” They were already naked, and Shane’s cock was hard, long, and thick. Bram stroked him once before licking the tip. “Can you do that?”
Shane slid his hand over Bram’s head. “If you keep looking at me like that with my dick in your mouth, then, yeah, I’ll be able to keep my claws in because I’m going to come in like two seconds.”
Bram liked the sound of that and swallowed the man whole. He cupped Shane’s balls, rolling them in his hand as he bobbed his head. And when the other man moaned, he used his free hand to reach around and rub Shane’s prostate. There wasn’t any lube around, so his saliva was going to have to do. But from the way Shane stiffened before coming down Bram’s throat, it hadn’t been an issue.
Bram’s cock ached, and he needed to come, but he wasn’t sure either of them was ready to go farther than they had just then. Shane was a little too close to his wolf, and they’d made love the night before. Though wolves could heal quickly, he didn’t know how sore Shane was, and Bram wasn’t sure Shane had the energy to fuck him like he needed him to.
The choice, however, was out of his hands when Shane slid to the floor, kissed Bram hard, and forced him to his back.
“I’ll fuck you tonight,” Shane said with a grin. “But for now, I need you in my mouth.”
Bram groaned, sliding his hands through Bram’s hair as Shane went down on him. The other man had a wicked tongue, and before he knew it, he was coming.
Sweaty and sated, the two of them ended up naked, wrapped around one another on the hardwood floor. They probably should have moved to a bed or even the couch, but Bram was too wrung out to care.
When a very sweet scent hit his nose, he smiled.
“I see you two have been busy,” Charlotte said with a smile. “Can I join in?”
Bram looked over at Shane, who grinned. “I guess I’m not too tired, after all.”
He knew that soon, their mating wouldn’t only be about sex, and hell, it wasn’t now. But their mating heat rode them hard, and he was so fucking happy to have the two of him in his arms, he could freely push thoughts of the uncertainty surrounding them out of his mind.
The real world would intrude soon enough, but for now, he could relax…for now, he could be Bram.