Hondo was relieved when Chris smiled brightly at him. “Good, I got the extended version.” He held the small white bag up proudly.
He inwardly groaned. Where was a good fight when he needed one? “Then let’s get back to my place and watch it.” That reminded Hondo of the talk he needed to have with Chris. As much as he loved the home Chris had created for himself, he wanted his mate with him.
It was forbidden to live outside of their apartment building. No one, not even Chris, knew that the warriors’ strength came from them dwelling together in that building.
The keeper had spells and wards placed on the brick and mortar, and that was where they drew their strength from. Chris would have to give up his home if they were to live together.
They climbed the three flights of stair to Hondo’s unit. “I’ll get the popcorn ready,” Hondo said as he set his keys down by the door and kicked his shoes off.
“I’ll set the movie up.” Chris zipped past him to the television, humming a happy tune. What could he do when his mate was so happy?
Hondo will sit through the movie, that’s what.
He walked into the kitchen and grabbed the bag of un-popped kernels, dialing his phone while he made the popcorn. “I saw Falcon with Leam about ten minutes ago, standing outside the bank together.”
“Did you hear anything they were saying?” Panahasi asked.
“No, but they seemed to be in a heated debate. Leam didn’t look too happy about it either.” Hondo took down a bowl to dump the popcorn in, grabbing some salt and butter.
“I’ll send someone to keep an eye on Falcon. I’d like to know what he’s up to. Keep me posted.”
“Will do.” Hondo hung up the phone and grabbed the bowl, heading into his living room. Chris was sprawled out on the couch, leisurely stroking his exposed cock. Well, this was new. He was expecting to see him in his usual ball, sitting at the edge of the couch and covering his face.
Hondo liked this change.
He set the bowl down on the coffee table and knelt by the couch.
Chris blushed when he looked up at him, but kept lazily moving his hand up and down that nicely exposed cock. “Do you need help?” Chris licked his lips and nodded.
“Do you want me to suck you or fuck you?” Hondo unsnapped his own jeans, running his fingertips over the head of his cock.
“Can you do both?” Chris ran his free hand over his slim chest, pinching his own nipples as his eyes closed and his lips parted.
Hondo felt his skin heating up. His little demon was putting on an erotic show that threatened to take Hondo over the edge before they got started. His hand joined Chris’s as he teased and plucked at the brown disc. Chris’s body moved around, writhing as he moaned.
Hondo’s fingertips trailed down Chris’s chest to his abdomen. His hand rested on the tight planes, feeling the muscles below his fingers tighten.
Chris lifted his hips when Hondo reached down and slid his jeans to his ankles. Hondo licked his index finger, getting it nice and wet before lowering it and pressing it between Chris’s legs. His mate’s knees fell to the side, opening himself up as Hondo inserted his finger into Chris’s tight hole.
Hondo moved Chris’s hand out of the way and parted his lips, taking the head of Chris’s cock into his mouth. The salty taste of his essence exploded on Hondo’s tongue.
“Y–you do that good,” Chris panted.
Hondo smiled around his cock and sucked it in until the head was tapping the back of his throat, using the muscles to work his mate’s cock.
“Hondo, I love you,” Chris screamed as his seed pulsed down Hondo’s throat. That was one hell of a way to declare it.
Hondo pulled Chris from the couch, pulling his jeans the rest of the way off. “Put your hands against the window.”
“But, there’s no curtain there.” Chris protested.
“Exactly.” Hondo rid himself of his clothes, grabbing his mate around the waist and turning him around.
“What if someone sees me? My cock is hanging Free Willy style.” Hondo chuckled at Chris. “Then they will be extremely jealous of what I have.” Hondo grabbed the ottoman and shoved it in front of the floor to ceiling window and set Chris on it. He pressed the tip of his cock to Chris’s hole, letting the natural lube prepare his mate as Hondo kissed the back of Chris’s neck. Chris’s head fell forward, the protest forgotten.
Chris stuck his ass out further, trying to impale his ass on Hondo’s cock. Hondo snaked his hand around Chris’s waist and played with his cock as the tip of his shaft breached the ring of muscles.
Chris lifted his left leg up, trying to lay it against the window.
Hondo helped him out, hooking his left arm under it as he rocked in and out of his mate.
“It feels so damn good.” Chris’s arm landed on the window, his forehead resting on it.
Hondo leaned back, trailing his tongue down Chris’s back, groaning at the feel of his mate’s body wrapped around his shaft. “I want to share my life with you, Chris. Come share my home, my life, and my heart. You’re all I need.” Hondo didn’t know where the words were coming from, but a raw deep-seated need to express them had taken over.
“Hondo,” Chris called out in a tear-smothered cry.
Hondo exploded in a downpour of fiery sensation as he came.
Chris’s orgasm triggered his, bringing Hondo onto the tips of his toes.
He pulled Chris away from the window, laying them both on the couch as he petted and kissed his mate.
* * * *
Chris put his apron on as the first customer came in. It felt good to get back to work. Jake’s Java looked really nice now. Chris especially loved the double espresso machine. Jake had taken all morning showing him how to use the updated equipment.
“Do you think you have it now?” Jake did a sweep of his hand toward the new equipment.
Chris nodded his head. “I think so. I guess we’ll see.” He went over the instructions in his head as the first customer approached the counter. “Welcome to Jake’s Java, what can I get for you?”
“I’ll have a tall, nonfat, no-whip latte.” Oh, this was an easy one. Chris made the coffee drink and slid it across the counter, ringing the customer out. He wondered what Hondo was doing. They’d been having a lot of fun lately. Who knew his mate could be such a romantic?
"Give me all your money.”
Chris’s head snapped up.
Snooke began laughing. “Had you for a split second, admit it.” His friend picked up one of Jake’s Java gift cards, turning it over between his fingers. “People really buy these things?” Chris stood there staring at Snooke like he had two heads. “How can you just walk in here like nothing ever happened?” Chris looked around when his voice began rising. “I was worried about you. One minute you’re on my couch, and then two days later you show up joking. What gives?”
“I had things I had to take care of. No big deal.” Snooke tossed the card back into its display bracket. “I’ll take a small coffee.” Chris grabbed a cup, ticked that Snooke just walked in here like nothing ever happened. “It was a big deal. You’re my friend, and friends worry about each other when they just up and disappear.”
“Chill out, dude. It’s cool. What time do you get off?”
“Five, but Hondo said he’s going to pick me up.” Chris would love to hang with Snooke, but Hondo had promised to take him to the human realm for a night of drive-in fun. They were to rent a car and make out like two horny teenagers, fogging up the windows. Chris was not about to pass that up.
“Guess I’ll catch up with you later then.” Snooke downed the rest of his coffee and tossed the paper cup into the trash can.
“Wait, I want to know who that was chasing us the other night. I have a right to know,” Chris added on when he saw Snooke heading toward the door. He ran around the counter to catch up to his friend when two more customers came in. Not wanting to lose his job, Chris had no choice but to let Snooke walk out as he went back behind the counter to serve the customers.
“I’ll tell you about it when we hang out again,” Snooke called over his shoulder as he left the coffee shop.
Chris wanted to wring the guy’s neck. There was no way Snooke could say he didn’t know who it was because he had recognition on his face when he saw the one that chased them. He was going to get to the bottom of this. Chris didn’t have to be a warrior to solve a mystery, just outsmart the one trying to hide something from him.
He pushed Snooke to the back of his mind by five o’clock.
Excitement took over as he thought about Hondo and their date. Sure, he’d been to the human realm plenty of times. Who hadn’t? But he was going with his mate. The minute hand seemed to slow down on the clock the closer it got to quitting time. Chris silently begged it to move faster, wanting to see his mate after a long day at work.
He beamed when Hondo walked through the door. Chris hurried and cleaned down the counters at his assigned work area. He didn’t want to keep his mate waiting. Giddiness filled him at the sight of Hondo’s hard muscles, beautiful black hair, and ox-blood red eyes.
Eyes that zeroed in on him as soon as Hondo spotted him.
“Hey, babe.” Hondo leaned over the counter and gave him a quick peck on the lips. Chris’s lips followed his when Hondo began to lean back, wanting more of that scrumptious taste.
The other employee, Trenton, chucked as Chris blushed and pulled back. “I’m almost done. Do you want something before we leave?” He busied the rag over the counter, making sure everything was straightened and in place. Jake was very fickle when it came to how his shop looked.
“You,” Hondo teased him, his eyes twinkling with devilishness.
“I’ll go take a seat until you’re done.” Chris nodded and watched one fine-looking butt walk away and grab a seat at the nearest table. He sighed, loving the fact that they had crossed from friends to lovers. How perfect it was that Hondo turned out to be his mate.
“If you don’t stop drooling, you’ll never get out of here,” Trenton said as he pushed Chris toward the time clock. “Go have fun. I’ll take care of the clean up.”
“Thanks.” Chris knew Trenton didn’t have a mate. Most people didn’t in the demon realm, so they settled on dating someone in hopes to finding happiness anyway. The demons were the only breed that didn’t know who their mate was when meeting them. They had to sleep together to find out. Chris would rather settle for a meaningful relationship than sleep around. Thank goodness he didn’t have to.
“I’m ready,” he said to Hondo as he untied his apron. “Can we stop at my house so I can do a quick change?”
“You do stink,” Hondo teased, dodging out of the way when Chris swatted a hand at him. Hondo reached down and swung Chris up and onto his back. A move Chris had wished Hondo had performed before. He clung to his mate’s back as they made their way to his house.
“Are you all right back there?”
“I don’t know, I think I’m suffering from lack of oxygen up here.” Hondo’s body shook with laughter as he waved to a couple of shifters walking by. They stared at the two strangely and began to whisper to one another.
“What’s that all about?” Chris asked as he watched the shifters point at them as they huddled together talking.
“I think our performance the other night didn’t go unnoticed.” Chris felt embarrassed when he realized what Hondo was talking about. These people had seen their sexual adventure. At the time, he hadn’t cared who saw them, but now that people were staring, it was slightly embarrassing.
“Hondo.” Chris gripped his hands tighter around Hondo’s neck.
“How can I look anyone in the face now?”
“Do you care what they think?” Hondo hiked Chris higher on his back, giving a look of disapproval at the shifters who were gossiping about them. “I sure as shit don’t.”
“My mom is going to kill me if word reaches her ears.” Chris pouted, dreading that phone call. His mom was very open-minded.
She didn’t care that Chris was gay, but to be told her son was up in a window being wanton in full view of the neighborhood would have her going on and on for hours about keeping their mating business behind closed doors. “If she calls me, I’m handing the phone to you.”
“I love talking to your mom.” Hondo didn’t seem the least bit put out by the threat. Chris had to admit, the two got along fabulously.
His mom adored Hondo and would probably take his side over Chris’s. That fact didn’t bother Chris. He loved that his mom got along so well with his best friend.
“Here we are,” Hondo said as he climbed the front porch and fished out the spare key Chris had given him eons ago. Most of the time Hondo didn’t use it anyway, preferring to enter Chris’s house through a shadow.
“Give me ten minutes, and I’ll be ready to go,” Chris said as Hondo lowered him to his feet. He zipped up the stairs, wondering what he should wear on their date. He rushed to the bathroom, taking a quick shower and grabbing a pair of slacks and a nice button-down black shirt.
Chris slapped some body lotion on once he came from the shower and then ran a comb through his hair, looking in the mirror and declaring himself ready.
He spun around when a Wood Elf shimmered into his bedroom directly behind him. Chris recognized the man. He hung out a lot at Diablo’s.
“Be careful, little demon. All is not what it appears to be. Guard yourself.” The man gave the warning and then shimmered away.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Chris asked as he stared at the spot the elf had just stood in. Chris ran the warning in his mind over and over again as he descended the steps to the living room.
Hondo was kicked back watching television, quietly laughing at something.
Chris stood there for a moment, mesmerized by the sight of his best friend and mate. He felt so fortunate. Most people settled for a relationship with another that wasn’t their mate. Some found their mates but didn’t have a friendship. Chris had both.
He grinned when Hondo looked over at him and his eyes lowered to slits. “You look good enough to eat,” he growled softly.
Chris’s cock began to fill at those words. He would never get enough of Hondo’s approving looks and sexual talk. “You can eat me when we get back, or in the car. Your choice.” He giggled.