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Stone had never told anyone about his history with Jon. Now, two people knew not only his real first name but why he would lay down his life for his pack leader. Of course, sharing secrets only made him feel closer to Loren. The urge to claim him fully as his mate beat at the back of his skull like a distant drum moving ever closer.
He found some relief when he hit the rapids. With his body and mind focused on navigating the waves, he couldn’t also think about bedding Loren, but once he made it through, he went right back to thinking about how it would feel to slide deep inside Loren while looking right into his big hazel eyes.
“This is a lot dryer,” Loren said, releasing his grip on the straps. “Less of a bumpy ride, too.”
“I thought you liked the rough ride?” Right after he asked, Stone’s mind went right to the dirty side.
“Not really. Kind of scared me. But now I don’t know what the hell I was so afraid of.”
“You’re gaining confidence. I like it.”
“It feels different now. I think it’s part knowing what to expect and part having you explain things to me.”
“Knowledge is power.”
“Yeah.” Loren frowned. “Can I ask you something?”
“Anything.”
“You said he healed you enough that you could shift, and then you healed the rest of the way.”
“Uh, yeah.” Stone checked his path then kept rowing. “If we get really damaged, we can’t shift. Usually it means we’re going to die.”
Loren’s face turned ashen.
“But it takes a lot of damage to kill us.” Stone didn’t want Loren to think about death, not when they should be focusing on life. “Once we shift into the other form, we’re healed.”
“You mean shifting restores you?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s nice.” Loren grinned. “Will I be able to do that?”
“We don’t know.”
“You mean I might not be able to become a wolf?” Anger drew Loren’s eyebrows into a deep V.
“Hold on to that thought.” Stone spun the boat around and watched as the other two boats went through the rapid. He picked his path and followed, hitting the line so smoothly the boat hardly got splashed at all.
“You’re very good at that.”
“Lots of practice.” Stone eyed his mate. “You want to learn?”
“No, thank you. I’ve just now found a certain peace with being on the boat. Let me have a few days before I take on anything else, like handling the boat.”
“You got it. Where was I? Oh, right, yeah. We don’t know if you’ll be able to shift or not. Remember, we didn’t even think we’d get mates. In the straight wolf world, they mate with other wolf-shifters, so shifting is a given.”
“Oh.”
“Does that change your mind about the whole thing?”
“You mean if I can’t become a wolf I might not want you? Not a chance.” Loren straightened his hat. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
“I knew there was something special about you.”
“My ass?”
“What?”
“I heard you talking with your friends.”
“That wasn’t me. That was one of the other guys.”
“They’re not thinking they can...you know.”
“They might proposition you, but all you have to say is you’ve already chosen the best in the bunch.”
“Yes, out of all the bananas, you’re the best.”
“Ouch.” Stone clutched his chest. “My ego.”
“I think your ego is just fine.” Loren smirked.
“I like your ass too, I’m just not a crude jerk about things like that.”
“That’s good. I wouldn’t want you to be gross or anything about wanting me.”
“I’m more subtle than they are. I don’t feel the need to elbow my buddies and point out every sexy guy I see. I appreciate them all on my own.”
“And have you?”
“What?”
“Appreciated me?”
“Oh, fuck yeah.” Stone laughed. “If you need me to sing your praises, I’d be happy to.”
“No, it’s enough to know that you’ve checked me out.”
Stone smiled then turned the boat around again. He watched each boat hit the rapids, picked his path, and then went through with ease. He couldn’t remember ever having a run go so smoothly. Clearly, his pup was also his good luck charm.
Stone followed the others to the beach. With help, he pulled the boat up and then helped pull up the other boats so they wouldn’t drift off while the bulk of the crew went for a hike.
“Are you going to go?” Loren asked.
“It’s repelling, and I’m not very good at it.” Stone considered that only a handful of people had stayed behind. “I thought it might be nice to catch a nap.”
“I’d love that.” Loren offered him a sleepy smile. “Where can we settle?”
“Right here in the shade.” Stone pointed to a well-shaded area nestled between some tamarisk bushes. “I’ll get our towels.”
“I’ll smooth out the sand.” Using his foot, Loren groomed the area.
Stone grabbed their towels, nodding to Jon, who’d stayed behind with Channing. When he returned, he laid out the towels then settled on his side, facing Loren, who faced him.
“This is a bad idea,” Loren said.
“I thought you were tired?”
“I am. But with you facing me...” Loren touched Stone’s mouth.
“Right. How about we lie back to back?”
“That’s a much better idea.”
Stone turned away then felt Loren snuggle up against him. He wasn’t that sleepy, but he didn’t care. He liked having his mate close. Feeling his tight little ass against his back let him drift off into a grand fantasy involving a pirate ship, tattered clothing, and waves that rocked them gently against one another.
Just when he reached the point where he lifted Loren on top of him, he woke to the sound of Loren whimpering softly in his sleep.
Hard as hell and hungry to feel more of him, Stone rolled over and pressed against Loren.
His whimper turned guttural, and he arched his back, pressing his ass right against Stone’s cock.
“Fuck.” Stone told himself to back off, to move away, to go jump in the damn water, but he did none of those things. Instead, he rocked his hips, rubbing himself against Loren’s perfect little ass.
“More.” Loren reached back, grabbing Stone’s hip.
“I think you should wake up.” Stone needed Loren’s help to stop.
“I am awake.” Loren pressed more firmly against Stone. “I also think you should do what I want.”
“Pup, this is dangerous, dangerous territory.” Stone eased down the back of Loren’s shorts then his briefs. “Gods, your ass is fucking perfect.” Stone caressed one cheek then the other. “All sweet and smooth.” Stone eased his finger between Loren’s buttocks, earning himself a high-pitched whimper that made him stroke lightly over the hole he so desperately wanted to fill.
“Just rub up against me like you did earlier.”
“I think everyone’s going to be back soon.” Stone had no idea how much time had passed.
“It won’t take long.”
“What if I can’t control myself?”
“You won’t hurt me.” Loren looked over his shoulder then reached back and unfastened Stone’s shorts. “You’re not going to try to fuck me without lube.”
“Lube.” Stone’s brain stumbled and tried to hold on to that thought, but once Loren got his shorts out of the way, his cock rubbed against his mate’s bare ass. “Oh, fuck. Fuck.” He’d never felt anything so good in his life. Not even rubbing their cocks together earlier felt as good as his mate’s buttocks plushing around the throbbing heat of his prick.
Stone grabbed Loren’s hip to stop him but ended up holding him tight while working his cock up and down the split of his ass.
“That’s it,” Loren whispered. “Oh God. Just like that.”
Stone closed his eyes and tried to think of something else, anything else, but nothing came to mind. He wanted to be inside Loren now. Wanted to fill him, bite his neck, and then howl his satisfaction. But then he remembered Jon. And how Jon had painstakingly cared for him when he’d been at death’s door. To say he owed the man his life felt like a vast understatement.
“Put your hand here.” Loren placed Stone’s hand over his cock then humped hard against his palm.
Determined to keep some kind of control, Stone moved back and used his finger to tease Loren’s ass rather than his cock. Loren struggled to press against him, but Stone was stronger.
“What are you doing?” Loren demanded.
“I’m going to make you come, pup.” Stone licked the edge of Loren’s ear. “I’m going to make you come so hard you won’t be able to do anything but be a good pup for the rest of the day.”
“Stone—”
“Shhh. You don’t want the others to hear us, do you?”
“No, but, damn it, Stone. What about you?”
“I’m fine.” He wasn’t, but he didn’t want to get into that right now. Instead, he breathed into Loren’s ear. “Let me take care of you.” He lowered his lips to Loren’s neck. “Let me show you what it will be like.” While kissing and nibbling, he teased one finger around his hole and rocked his hand up and down his mate’s cock. It didn’t take long to make Loren utter a whimpering cry and then make him climax.
Releasing him, Stone tried to zip up, but Loren wouldn’t let him.
“You had your fun, now it’s my turn.”
“What are you going to—oh, fuck.” Stone stayed on his side while Loren went down on him, using his mouth and hands in tandem over the length of his cock. He didn’t want the others to see, especially not Jon. He’d hung on to his agreement by the skin of his teeth, but he didn’t think he could last much longer.
While lifting him higher and painfully close to orgasm, Loren looked up into Stone’s eyes. And that was when he lost it. He couldn’t let him keep doing what he was doing. He wouldn’t be able to keep his mind off his mouth if he did. Instead, Stone lifted him, kissed him deeply, then used his own hand to finish himself off.
“Why did you do that?” Loren groused.
“Because I can’t—I can’t come inside you.”
“That includes my mouth?”
“Yeah. I felt it rising up and I—I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“You didn’t scare me.” Loren kissed Stone gently. “You pissed me off.” His eyes widened. “What about what we did earlier? We tasted one another.”
“It’s not the same. I didn’t feel—whatever it was that I felt just now.” Stone struggled to find the words to describe the sensation. “I just knew.”
“We’d better figure out some way to stay away from one another.”
“Good plan.”
By the time they got cleaned up and situated, the others had returned from the hike.
Stone passed out sandwiches while Loren took care of the drinks then they continued down the river. He found his gaze constantly going to Loren but forced himself to turn the boat around so he could try to keep his attention on the river.
When he pulled on his long-sleeved shirt again, Loren breathed a sigh of relief.
“I should have done that earlier.” Stone buttoned it up almost to his neck.
“It’s okay.”
“Is it helping?”
“Some.” Loren smiled and then turned away.
“It’s going to be okay.”
“I know.”
The rest of the day went by in a blur. When they arrived at the next camp, Stone made a point of putting their cots near to one another, but not too close. Working together to get dinner ready kept them distracted for a few hours, but eventually, the sun set, darkness fell, and Stone’s thoughts turned back to the way Loren’s ass had felt against his cock.
“I’m going to get another beer.” Stone rose to his feet.
Half a dozen guys told him to bring them back another, all but for Loren.
When he came back with an armload of beers, he passed them out then settled next to Loren.
“Everything okay?” Stone asked, keeping his voice down.
“Yeah.” Loren dropped his attention to the beer then back to Stone’s face. “Alcohol lowers inhibitions.”
“Fuck.” Stone passed his beer to someone else. “Do you want some coffee?”
“I don’t want to be up all night peeing.”
Stone chuckled. “Yeah.” He chewed on his bottom lip. “What can we do?”
“I think we should try staying away from one another tonight.” Loren studied his feet. “I think I should sleep next to the fire.”
Stone did not want Loren to be too far away from him, but if he stayed too close, they weren’t going to make it through the night. Reluctantly, he agreed to move his cot once the others went off to bed.
“It’s not forever.” Loren reminded him as they walked over to where they’d set up the cots. “I think it’s the only way I’ll be able to stay away from you. I mean, I still can’t understand what got into me at lunch.”
“You almost got me into you.”
“And when I didn’t, I got angry. I wanted to climb on top of you and—never mind.”
Stone didn’t need Loren to finish the thought when he envisioned the whole thing in his mind in a flash.
When they reached the cots, Stone had a sudden inspiration. “I think I have an idea.”
“Yeah?”
“How would you feel about sleeping next to a big, black wolf?”
“Uh...” Loren’s face twisted up. “You want to sleep next to me when you’re a wolf?”
“With me in my bed. Me in my bed as a wolf. You in your bed as a human.”
“Oh.”
“Ew, what the fuck were you thinking?” Stone made a face and then laughed.
“I don’t know!” Loren lifted his hands heavenward then covered his mouth when he laughed. “I’m not able to think clearly when all the blood’s down in my dick.” Loren dropped on his cot. “I suppose it would take the heat out of things.”
“I think it would.”
“What about the others?”
“Well, the only one who doesn’t know is Shane.”
“The other human.”
“And he’s sleeping by himself on the other side of the sandbar.”
“By himself?”
“That’s what he said.”
“Is he upset?”
“No. Apparently, he’s just a loner.”
“Oh.” Loren eyed Stone again. “You won’t get weird, will you? I don’t want to wake up to find your head in my crotch.”
“I’m not that kind of wolf.” Stone lifted his nose arrogantly.
“Good to know.”
“I think this’ll work. And we don’t have anything to lose.” Stone took Loren’s hand. “I just know there’s no way I can sleep next to you in this body and not think about...”
“Fucking me,” Loren supplied.
“Must you be so crude?”
“It’s kinda fun now. Being a potty mouth.” Loren chuckled. “But you’re right. We’ve got nothing to lose.”
“Okay.”
They returned to the campfire and settled in.
Stone couldn’t help but notice that Jon and Channing had already gone off to bed, a good sign if ever there was one. Hopefully, tonight would be the last night he and Loren would have to suffer.
All his joy vanished when Channing ran over to the campfire. From the freaked-out expression on his face, things had not gone well with Jon.
“Channing?” Morgan asked. “You okay?”
“Yeah. I’m just...cold.” He pulled his chair closer to the fire then lifted his hands as if to warm them.
A few minutes later, Jon joined the group and sat next to Channing.
Channing didn’t get up and walk away, but he leaned slightly away from Jon.
Stone’s hopes sunk like a rock tossed into the river. What would happen to him and Loren if Jon and Channing didn’t mate soon? They were already going nuts. Things were bound to get worse.
“I’m going to get a beer,” Jon said. “Do you want one?”
“No, thank you.” Channing didn’t even look at Jon.
Stone couldn’t figure out what was wrong, only that Channing seemed angry and afraid and Jon seemed embarrassed and defeated.
When Jon returned with a beer in hand, he settled into his seat and sighed.
“Why is everyone so quiet tonight?” Alistair asked.
“We’re all just enjoying the quiet.” Jon popped open his beer and sipped.
“It’s unnerving.” Alistair took his time looking over the group.
“Then go for a hike,” Jon suggested.
“I’m waiting for the moon to come up first.”
“Is it a full moon?” Channing asked, his worried gaze darting to Jon.
Stone realized Channing knew what Jon was. Stone knew it as sure as he knew his own name. Jon had told Channing that he was a wolf-shifter and Channing had not taken the news well.
“Almost full. Two nights from tonight it’s full.” Alistair examined the sky. “But it’s still plenty of light to see by for a hike.”
Channing darted a concerned gaze over the men in the circle then shivered.
“You okay?” Jon asked.
“Fine.” Channing kept his answers short and curt.
“Want to come on the hike?” Alistair asked.
“I think I’ll pass.”
Stone didn’t dare look at Loren. He didn’t need to. Loren was a smart guy. Surely, he knew that Channing knew about Jon, and that the two of them would have to hold off longer than they’d anticipated.
Stone settled in, his attention on the fire. He tried to make his mind go blank and meditate, which kind of worked, but he had to pull himself away from thoughts about Loren so many times he started to get annoyed with his one-track mind.
“I’m going to bed.” Channing shot to his feet and hurried away.
Jon hardly waited a minute before he went after him.
Stone kept his attention on the fire, but he still felt Loren’s unease.
“Well, I’m going for a hike.” Alistair got to his feet. “Anyone who wants to go, come on.”
Only pack members followed him. Not all of them, but enough that Stone wouldn’t worry about leaving the last human alone.
“I’m gonna head to bed.” Stone rose.
“I’ll come with you.” Loren got to his feet. He waited until they were out of earshot then said, “I know you don’t need this right now, but I’d like to hold onto your arm.”
“Sure.” Despite the moon lighting up the beach, Loren still needed help navigating.
“My eyes just suck.”
“Your eyes are fucking gorgeous.”
“Thank you, but I meant functionally, not aesthetically.”
“I guess I don’t need to tell you the obvious.”
“No.” Loren sighed. “I wish I could say something to Channing, but that might only make things worse.”
“Probably.” Stone huffed a breath. “Gods, I feel like a total asshole.”
“Why?”
“Because Jon is having trouble and all I can think about is my own damn self.”
“That’s normal. If you were a saint, you might be able to put everyone ahead of yourself, but you’re not.” Loren chuckled. “Thank God you’re not. I don’t want to mate with a saint.”
“Why not?”
“An entire lifetime of missionary position and self-loathing? No thanks.”
“Yeah, that doesn’t sound good.” When they reached their cots, they moved apart.
“Do you mind if I watch?” Loren settled on the edge of his cot.
“No.” Stone shrugged. “Why would you want to, though?”
“I saw you turn back last night. I guess I just want to see what it’s like the other direction.” Loren shook his head. “Does that make me weird?”
“Makes you curious.” Stone leaned over and kissed Loren goodnight then stepped back and shifted.
Loren’s gaze stayed riveted. He didn’t shrink back or freak out. He seemed almost like a scientist, observing without emotion. “Goodnight, Stone.”
Stone nodded his big furry head then jumped up onto his bed. He breathed a sigh of relief as he settled on his cot. He could smell Loren, and while he smelled intoxicating, he didn’t want to do anything with him. Mercifully, not being the same species put a lid on their almost insane level of attraction. But how long would they be able to resist during the daylight hours?