The Wolf Who Hatched an Egg (4 page)

Liam’s hands reached for Shiloh’s head, strong fingers threading through his hair as the wolf started fucking his mouth. Shiloh breathed through his nose and focused on simply giving the man in front of him pleasure. He knew he gave great head, but, for whatever reason, he wanted to make this particular blow job spectacular. He allowed Liam all the way into his throat and swallowed, his arousal sky-rocketing when the wolf howled his name.

Desperate, Shiloh reached for his own pants and struggled with the zipper, gasping in relief when his own fist enclosed his prick. He jacked himself furiously, the lust flowing over him in waves. Liam continued to thrust his cock in and out of his mouth, and, oddly, it seemed to Shiloh that he could almost feel Liam’s pleasure as well, as if the man was broadcasting the sensations coursing through him. The thought almost distracted him, but the ecstasy was too powerful to be contained even by such strange ideas. Shiloh just accepted it all,
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accepted the bliss Liam gave him, and offered everything he knew in return.

With another howl, Liam came, filling Shiloh’s mouth with his seed. The taste of Liam’s sperm and the knowledge of the wolf’s pleasure brought Shiloh over the edge as well. He found his peak, his cock spurting all over the grass, and, funnily enough, Liam’s shoes.

Liam however, didn’t seem to mind. Instead, he picked Shiloh up, effectively tearing him away from his prize. Shiloh would have protested, since he already yearned for Liam’s prick in his mouth. But then, Liam pressed their lips together in a kiss that made his toes curl, and Shiloh melted, barely even remembering why he’d wanted to protest. His body still buzzed with the aftermath of his orgasm, and his every nerve tingled from Liam’s proximity. He was drowning in Liam, and he didn’t want to be saved.

At last, they broke apart, and Liam smiled at him. Shiloh started to smile back, but as he looked up at Liam, he realized a terrible thing. If he wasn’t careful, he could easily fall for this addictive man. He couldn’t under any circumstances do that. For Liam, he was just a fuck and nothing more.

* * * *

Liam couldn’t believe his luck. The last thing he’d expected when he’d come here to visit was finding his mate. Who’d have thought it would be Shiloh Holden? If only he’d known earlier, he’d have already claimed the man a long time ago.

He’d been exploring the forest when he’d heard the high-pitched voice singing something that sounded like a lullaby. It was quite bad, but in a sense, Liam had felt the emotion the singer put into it. It called out to him, and he’d followed the voice, only to find himself faced with the hottest sight ever, a gorgeous, willowy blond, with a body that seemed carved by the gods.

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Liam couldn’t remember everything he’d said to Shiloh. He knew he’d fallen into his old habit of teasing when he was flustered, but his mate seemed to have understood it was good-natured bantering and nothing more.

He grinned at his mate, and for a few moments, he thought Shiloh would smile back. But then, the swan’s expression closed off and he stepped away from Liam. He started to clean himself up and arranged his clothing in quick, efficient movements. “Okay. There. Problem solved.”

Liam blinked in confusion. Problem solved. What the hell?

“Shiloh, what?”

“You wanted some quick fun right?” When Shiloh looked at him again, he did smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. In fact, those beautiful black orbs looked as cold as the darkest night. “There you have it.”

Liam gaped, wondering how he could have misinterpreted his mate’s behavior so badly. “So are you going to turn your back on me, just like that?” he asked in incredulous shock.

Shiloh arched a brow at him. “What? You expected anything else?”

Blood roared in Liam’s ears. His dreams of a happily mated life were crumbling around him. He remembered Shiloh slept around a lot, and anger coursed through him at the realization that his mate was, essentially, done with him now that they’d fucked.

Liam took a deep breath, struggling to calm down. This wasn’t about Shiloh’s previous romantic habits. Whatever happened, Liam would not allow his mate to get back to that. They could be great together, he just knew it.

Alas, Liam had completely messed up with his teasing. Shiloh obviously didn’t understand Liam hadn’t meant to make fun of him.

Not to mention that, regardless of their friends’ lives, Liam and Shiloh were still predator and prey. It was natural that Shiloh would be reluctant to befriend him. Liam needed to backtrack as soon as possible and, hopefully, get another chance. “Look, I’m sorry, all
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right?” he said. “We began on the wrong foot. Can we maybe start over?”

Shiloh frowned at him. “Why in the world would you want that?

What do you even want with me?” He let out a deep sigh. “Look, if you want my ass, you’re gonna have to wait until tomorrow. Brody, Carson, and the kids must be wondering where we are, and I don’t want to get back to the house smelling more of sex than I already do.”

The no-nonsense approach took Liam aback. Did sex really mean so little to Shiloh? Did he give his body away to everyone who wanted him? Why? Sure, they were shape-shifters, and they took their pleasure whenever they could, but somehow, this seemed different.

The wolf inside Liam whined, and he sensed a hidden pain inside Shiloh. Perhaps his mate had enjoyed the physical aspect of what they’d done, but he certainly didn’t like Liam too much right now.

Liam swallowed against the knot in his throat as he realized he’d behaved like an asshole and used his mate.

“No, it’s not like that,” he rushed to say. “This was a mistake.”

For a few moments, Shiloh’s seductive façade faltered. Liam caught sight of the sorrow behind the mask. But then, the wall was back up, and Shiloh shrugged. “Oh, okay, then. Let’s get back. I’m sure Carson and Brody will be pleased we made nice with each other.”

Shiloh turned, obviously intending to go, but Liam caught his hand and stopped his mate. “Don’t. Wait, please. I’m sorry.”

Shiloh didn’t look at him. “You have nothing to be sorry about. It was just no-strings sex.”

“Can I at least make it up to you somehow?” Liam asked desperately. He was losing more and more ground. He cursed his own stupidity for having spoken like that to Shiloh in the first place.

Much to his surprise, this time, Shiloh did turn toward him again.

“Actually, yes. Don’t ever bring up my singing to anyone. In fact, let’s just be civil to each other while we stay here and then pretend we’ve never met. And we should keep this entire episode from Carson
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and Brody, too. No sense making them anxious over nothing, right?

I’ll be leaving soon anyway, so it shouldn’t be too hard.”

Liam felt like he’d been hit by a truck. When Shiloh moved away from him, he couldn’t even make his muscles move. Completely frozen, he just watched as his mate disappeared into the forest again.

How could things go from perfect to trashed in only a few seconds?

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Shiloh made his way back toward the house, still in a daze.

Behind him, he heard the occasional wolf howl, and his heart ached whenever the sound echoed through him. It seemed to hold so much loneliness and pain, and it sang a story of sorrow and abandonment.

But Shiloh forced himself not to think of such things. It was stupid.

He must be imagining things because of his weird meeting with Liam.

He needed to get the man out of his head and calm down.

He stopped by a little brook to clean himself up better, then resumed his trek. Finally, he reached Carson and Brody’s home. The lights were on, and Shiloh let himself in. “Hi,” he shouted. “I’m back.”

“In the kitchen,” Carson replied pointlessly. Shiloh had already figured out his friend’s location.

When he reached the cooking area, he caught sight of Angel and Clark playing in the adjoining room, just within sight of their parents.

“Uncle Shiloh,” Angel greeted him with a smile. “You’re back.”

He flung himself at Shiloh and embraced him enthusiastically.

Clark hugged Shiloh as well. “Will you play with us? Daddy says we can’t go out if we’re not supervised.”

He sounded quite put out by the fact, but Shiloh understood Brody’s protectiveness. Angel and Clark were still very young. Even if they’d passed through more things than other kids their age, they couldn’t just go around roaming in the forest without an adult to look after them.

“Let’s see what your parents say first,” he answered.

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“After dinner,” Brody shouted, having obviously heard the exchange. “We’re having steak, rare, just the way our favorite lion likes it.”

“And spinach strawberry salad, for our dear antelope,” Carson added.

The kids cheered, and Shiloh shook his head, amused. He ruffled their hair then headed into the kitchen. The two boys would be good after the promise of the feast to come. Brody was keeping busy next to the stove, expertly flipping steak. Judging by the strong smells, the meal would be ready soon.

“Need help?” he asked automatically. He wasn’t much of a cook, but he did know his way around salads and various vegetarian dishes, and he did occasionally dabble with fried fish.

Carson shook his head. “It’s fine. You’re a guest. And besides, we’re almost done.” He gave Shiloh an inquiring look as he gathered some ingredients in a bowl, beginning to make a salad. “Brody’s friend Liam came over. He was supposed to go find you. Did you run into him?”

Shiloh nodded, struggling to push back his discomfort. Carson’s words had brought back his conflicting emotions he’d managed to push away while focusing on the kids. “We met, yes. He should be coming back soon, as well.”

“Why didn’t you return together?” Brody asked. “Anything wrong?”

Thankfully, Shiloh was not forced to lie to his friends. All of a sudden, Brody turned away and tilted his head. Shiloh instantly knew Liam had arrived as well. “There you go,” he said. “He’s here, too.”

And with that, he fled the kitchen and returned to the kids’ side. It was cowardly of him to hide behind their innocence, but what else could he do? Carson knew him well, and the last thing Shiloh wanted was to bring his drama into his friend’s home.

* * * *

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When Liam arrived back at the house, he found his friends in the middle of dinner preparations. He headed toward the kitchen, intending to offer Brody a hand, and at the same time knowing Shiloh would be in that direction. When he reached his destination, he froze in his tracks.

In the room adjoining the kitchen, Angel and Clark were rolling around, laughing with Shiloh. The swan allowed the two children to climb over him, tickling them, looking carefree and beautiful.

If Shiloh’s naked body had aroused Liam’s base instincts, seeing this called out to him differently. He imagined Shiloh with their child.

Sure, it would be a bit difficult until they managed to adopt or something, but Shiloh would be a great parent. Liam wanted that. He wanted a family with his mate.

And then, Shiloh looked up, and for a brief second, their gazes locked and held. Liam had the impression that Shiloh knew exactly what he was thinking. However, the moment broke when Shiloh averted his eyes and Liam became aware of Brody’s voice calling out to him.

“Hey, man. We were just wondering where you’d gone.”

“Just admiring the sights,” Liam said. “It’s amazing.”

He realized he’d inadvertently tossed an innuendo at Shiloh and winced. Thankfully, the swan seemed focused on the children and didn’t react. “It is,” Brody answered. “Hey, the kids were missing you earlier. Why don’t you go say hi? Dinner will be ready in a bit.”

Liam would have laughed at the domesticity of it all, except Brody’s words effectively sent him in Shiloh’s proximity. While Liam couldn’t imagine a better place to be, he didn’t think his mate liked him very much right now.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t exactly say “no.” First of all, Brody would realize something wasn’t quite right, and second, he didn’t want to. He joined the kids and Shiloh and sat cross-legged on the floor. A few seconds later, Angel pounced on him with his typical
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enthusiasm. “Uncle Liam! You were gone a long time. Where were you?”

Liam chuckled and stole a look at Shiloh, uncertain as to what to say. His mate had wanted to keep their meeting under wraps, and Liam wasn’t sure if he should mention it. “Your uncle Liam met up with me, Angel,” Shiloh helped him.

It seemed Shiloh wouldn’t deny their meeting and contact. Well, that would be easier to work with, at least. “Yup,” he added. “But you have me all to yourself now.”

Angel laughed, and Liam began to tickle his friend’s son. “Who’s my little tyrant?”

The four of them played together for a few minutes until, finally, Brody appeared in the room. “Dinner’s ready. Come along, kids.

Let’s go wash up.”

Angel and Clark obediently followed after Brody and left the room. With the children gone, awkwardness fell between Liam and Shiloh. They got up and stared at each other.

“I think—” Liam began to say.

At the same time, Shiloh spoke as well, “Maybe—”

They stopped, stared at each other some more, and then Liam took a deep breath and added, “You go first.”

“No, that’s fine,” Shiloh said. “You first.”

Liam would have insisted, but he knew they could just go on like this forever without achieving a result. He’d originally intended to say they should go wash up, too, but now, he figured he could use this opportunity to apologize. “About earlier…I didn’t mean to offend you.”

Shiloh sighed. “Look, I already said it’s fine. Besides, I don’t walk to talk about that. Come on. We should get ready for dinner as well.”

Liam would have laughed at the fact that obviously they’d been thinking the same thing, but Shiloh’s dismissive attitude cut into his
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