Fighting Temptation [Brac Village 11] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (14 page)

Once he was done riding, he would seek Cecil out. His mate always brought him comfort. The man may be a hellion most days, but fate knew what it was doing when it paired him with the human.

Cecil understood Maverick’s inner demons and never judged him, always consoled him. And that was exactly what he needed.

* * * *

“I think I have a head rush,” Turi said as he grabbed his temples.

Carmine chuckled as he kissed Turi on his neck. “You’ve had too much sugar. That’s not good for someone who isn’t used to eating the stuff. I told you to slow down.” Carmine hadn’t stopped smiling since bringing Turi to the city. His mate had run from one place to the next, eating everything he could get his hands on and drinking down every different flavor of soda Carmine would buy him.

“I should have listened,” Turi groaned. “I feel like I’m going to be sick.”

They walked through the mall, mostly window shopping, unless Turi spotted a food stand or another drink he hadn’t tried yet. It was refreshing to be with someone who didn’t care what other people thought. Turi whooped and laughed as loudly as he could.

Carmine loved it.

They had stopped at a sex store, Carmine investing in new toys. He explained to his mate what the different things were and let Turi pick out what he wanted to try. It figured he picked out the flavor lubes. The man seemed to have one big sweet tooth now that he knew what sugar was all about.

“What is that?” Turi asked, his eyes widening as he watched the mall train circle close to the department store. His green eyes were sparkling and Carmine knew he was about to ride the damn train.

“That’s for the toddlers, Turi.”

“But I see adults riding it,” Turi argued. “Why can’t I ride it?”

Knowing his mate had lived in the village his entire live—aside from when he was kidnapped when he was younger—never experiencing anything modern, Carmine relented, although he hoped like hell none of his fellow detectives caught him riding a damn kiddie train.

Carmine paid their fare and Turi jumped on, bouncing in his seat. How could he deny the man such a simple pleasure? Turi looked as if he were going to explode with excitement. Carmine slid in next to his mate and placed his arm behind Turi, tugging at his long strands of black hair. “Are you having a good time?”

Turi was grinning from ear to ear as he nodded. “The best.” He gave Carmine a quick kiss. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

That goofy ass smile made Carmine riding a damn kiddie train well worth it. He just couldn’t believe that he had agreed. God, his mate was turning Carmine into a softy. Any other time, Carmine wouldn’t be caught dead riding this thing.

The train began to move and Carmine thought he was going to have to nail Turi’s ass to the seat. He kept leaning out, wanting to touch everything. Twice the conductor had to stop the train to tell Turi to keep his head and hands inside.

It seemed his nausea was forgotten as Turi waved to everyone they passed. Anytime they passed a toddler, Turi blew that annoying ass whistle, giggling as the child waved back at him. The man was bubbling with excitement, his face flushed. Carmine thought him the most handsome man alive. He felt years younger just hanging out with Turi.

He had also found out that Turi was years younger than him, even by paranormal standards. Carmine could care less. Turi was an adult and he was Carmine’s mate. That’s all that mattered to him.

“Look at that!” Turi said exuberantly, trying to climb from the moving train when he spotted a clothing store with bright orange tennis shoes in the window. Carmine had to grab the guy and stop him from leaping from the train.

He pulled Turi back down into his seat. “The ride is almost over. We can go back and take a look.”

Turi turned toward him and then looked down at Carmine’s feet. His expression was reflective. “I’ve only ever worn sandals.”

“What about winter?” Carmine asked. There was no way in hell Turi’s father was that coldhearted to make Turi wear sandals—wait, he was talking about Delyn. Carmine had a feeling the man had made Turi freeze in the winter. That thought made Carmine wish he could bring the man back to life so he could kill him again.

“I wrapped cloth around my feet.” Turi said it like that was a normal thing to do. He caught his jaw before it hit his chest. Never before had Carmine been this thankful that he had been born a shifter and not a Wood elf.

The train came to a stop and Turi was up and off the damn thing in the blink of an eye. The man was wearing Carmine out. He grabbed his mate by his arm before Turi took off. “Let’s go look at those shoes.”

Turi looked as if he had forgotten about the things. Carmine hadn’t. He had seen the way Turi’s eyes had lit up as soon as he spotted them.

Yep, he was going to buy the loud things for his mate. Carmine could already see that spending money on Turi just to see the man’s face light up was in his future.

Did he regret what was to come?

Hell no. Turi deserved that and so much more.

“Thank you,” Turi muttered, his face flushed. “I know that ride was more for small humans, but thank you for indulging me.”

Carmine couldn’t kiss Turi the way he wanted to since they were in a mall, but he smiled as he cupped his mate’s cheek and winked at his gorgeous man. “Anything for you, Turi.”

God, being in love made Carmine do things he normally wouldn’t do. But he couldn’t find it in himself to say no. Turi wasn’t demanding anything, just enjoying what most took for granted or were too paranoid to try. A train ride had cost him nothing as far as his pride or manhood and Carmine knew he would do it again in a heartbeat.

Egon glanced over his shoulder, making sure that he wasn’t followed. He had bribed someone into taking him to the demon realm. He was certain that no one would look for him here. If Delyn wasn’t dead, he would kill his brother himself.

He had been grooming Turi to be his mate for years. He was pissed as hell that the little dimwit had found his mate. That would be just Egon’s luck. But he knew who Turi’s father was—his biological father—and Egon was going to use that information to benefit himself.

He just wasn’t sure how yet.

He had been working for Marino for years, but had yet to meet the man. Shanta may have funded the lab where they had been experimenting with Liquid Wrath, but it was Egon who had run the place. He had been careful to keep his comings and goings a secret. Not even his idiotic brother had known he was running the lab.

It had infuriated him when the small infant, Cole, had been taken away. Egon had needed that blood, but since the child was well protected by those bears, he had to turn to other sources for his experiments.

Seeing The Melting Pot, Egon headed that way. He knew that Marino Malone hung out there. Even though Delyn wasn’t Turi’s flesh and blood, the man had kept tabs on Marino, always plotting and trying to come up with a way to make money off of his knowledge. Egon should have put his brother out of his misery eons ago.

He had been nothing but a pain in Egon’s side, always trying to seem important, yet always asking for money. It was a burden that he tried his best to avoid. The only reason Egon hadn’t done anything to Delyn was because he wanted Turi.

That plan was shot to hell.

“May I help you?” a man asked as soon as Egon walked through the door.

“I’m here to see Marino Malone.” He glanced around the restaurant, unsure of what Marino looked like.

“I’m sorry, but Mr. Malone is not dining with us today.”

Fuck.
Egon was getting pissed. It seemed he was going to have to lay low until he could find the damn man. He would go after Turi and take the man, considering all the work he had put into the guy, but Egon wasn’t foolish enough to go up against the
Ultionem
. He had resisted joining them, because he had his own agenda, but a fool he was not.

Walking back outside, Egon decided to find a place to stay until he could figure out his next move.

* * * *

“I have a surprise for you,” Carmine said as he leaned his shoulder into the doorframe, watching as Turi put his new things away. His mate had babbled the entire ride home, thanking Carmine for the wonderful gifts he had received.

Sad thing was, Carmine had only bought him a pair of shoes, two shirts, and some jeans. It was nothing extravagant or big, but Turi had acted like it was Christmas. The man sorely lacked someone spoiling him rotten and Carmine was determined to make sure Turi never went without again.

“But you’ve already done so much for me,” Turi said as he closed the dresser drawer. “Are you sure you’re not still trying to get me to take candy from you?”

Carmine couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. It was their personal joke now and he planned on using it for years to come. Fate had blessed him with Turi and Carmine was going to show the man every damn day that he was grateful for what he had.

“You’ll have to follow me to find out.” He knew that would get Turi’s attention. The man looked curious as hell as he followed Carmine from the room. Carmine had to admit, he was a bit nervous. This was his mate and he wanted everything to be right between them—especially their sex life. Although he loved his kinky side, he knew that he wouldn’t be happy unless Turi was.

Stopping at the door at the end of the hallway, Carmine rested his hand on the doorknob. Turi tucked his hair behind his ear, showing off that perfect point. The man was simply adorable when he worried his bottom lip. “Am I going to like this?”

“I hope so,” Carmine said before he opened the door. He had built this room in hopes of having the perfect play partner, but had never brought anyone in here, until now.

Turi crossed the threshold, his eyes flickering from one thing to the next. “What is this?”

Carmine walked up behind his mate, pressing his chest into Turi’s back as he wrapped his arms around the man. “Our playroom.”

Carmine had invested in a spanking table, a cross, and so many damn toys that he could open his own shop. Everything was in order, nothing out of place. That was because he had never used the room. He was hoping to change that.

He would ease Turi into this as slow as the man needed Carmine to be. They had the rest of their lives to explore each other and what they liked and disliked. For now Carmine would be happy just to paddle the man’s ass. His cock got hard at the image as he dropped a kiss on Turi’s neck. “Want to try it out?”

Turi turned his head toward him and Carmine licked at his mate’s lips, nibbled at them, and drew Turi’s tongue into his mouth. His mate arched closer, tilting his head fully back as Carmine tasted the man.

One hand spanned over Turi’s abdomen as the other sank lower, massaging his mate’s denim-covered cock. He ground his shaft into Turi’s ass as his mate opened wider for him. Carmine wanted Turi mindless, ready to explore new avenues in their relationship. He didn’t want to rush his mate into this.

Turi pulled back, his eyes liquid pools of lust as he gazed up at Carmine. “You indulged me today, so I want to return the favor.”

Releasing the man’s hard erection, Carmine curled his fingers under Turi’s shirt and lifted the fabric over his mate’s head. His long black hair cascaded over his shoulders, making Carmine want to play with the silky strands.

“You have to tell me what I need to do,” Turi said as he took a step back and unsnapped his jeans. The little imp was smiling wickedly at him! Carmine growled, taking a step forward, crowding his mate as his cock grew thicker.

“Take your clothes off.”

Carmine started breathing harder when Turi turned, bending over and displaying his nice backside as he slipped his sandals off. The man was doing that on purpose. Carmine couldn’t wait to sink his cock into that tight little ass, but he had other plans first.

He pointed over to a table. “Fold your clothes and place them over there, along with your shoes.”

Turi bent down and picked up his shirt, folding it as he walked over to the table. Next he grabbed his sandals and set them beside the shirt. Carmine watched closely as his mate wiggled out of his jeans. There was no need to wiggle. The fabric wasn’t tight, but he had a feeling his mate was giving him a show.

A show Carmine was thoroughly enjoying.

Once he was naked, Turi turned and Carmine saw just how hard his mate was. His cock curved toward his stomach, the head engorged. He had to stand there for a moment and rein in his lust. The man was temptation on two legs and Carmine was thankful he was no longer fighting the guy. What a damn fool he had almost been. Passing this up would have been the biggest mistake of his life. Missing any part of being with Turi would have been pure tragedy.

Turi stopped smirking at him, his brows growing deep. “What?”

Carmine crossed the room, running his hand over Turi’s sides. “Have I told you how much I love you lately?”

Turi’s lips parted as he stared up at Carmine like Carmine was his moon and stars. He swallowed a few times before he shook his head. “Not today.”

Carmine brushed his hand over the side of his mate’s face, giving Turi an emotional smile, letting the man see in his eyes just how sincere he truly was. “I love you, Turi.”