To Have A Human (7 page)

Thoughts vanished from Carey’s head as passion overwhelmed him. He forgot everything except the texture of Broden’s fingers stroking his skin. He pressed closer, trying to add more contact between them.

“Get a room,” Eaton said, laughter lacing his voice.

Broden broke away from the kiss. “I have one. Want to come home with me?”

Entwining his fingers with Carey’s, Broden pulled Carey along after him and through the crowd. Carey nodded to the regulars he recognized and the people who waved to him as he passed. They paused at the door when Feather’s owner appeared out of the crowd, barring their way.

“Hey, Carey, not leaving without your funds, are you?” Tim asked. A condor shifter in his animal form, Tim stood six-foot-four-inches as a human. He might be able to meet Broden eye-to-eye, but he still didn’t ooze the magnetism the cat shifter exuded naturally.

“Thanks, Tim.” Carey accepted the envelope the nightclub owner held out to him.

“No problem, you know I love it when you boys play. My bar tabs always triple when you’re here. We still set up for next month?”

“You bet,” Carey agreed happily, tucking the fat envelope into his jacket pocket. That should cover the utility bill.

“He’ll call you.” Broden wrapped his arm around Carey’s waist as if staking his claim. Typical obsessive shifter behavior Carey had observed in the past, but never toward him.

Tim gave Carey a knowing look, but didn’t say anything. Instead, he stepped to one side and let them pass with a wave of his hand. “Enjoy your night.”

“Thanks, Tim, see you soon,” Carey said as Broden moved him quickly out the door.

Carey didn’t say anything until Broden started leading Carey to his Mercedes. Carey stopped in the middle of the parking lot. “I need to take my truck.” He pointed to his battered vehicle. “I don’t want anyone to tow it.”

“Good point. Follow me and you can park in my garage.”

Carey’s father had taught him to never give anyone control of his method of transportation. You can’t make a quick getaway if you have no way to run.

“Sounds good,” Carey agreed.

* * * *

It took little time to take the elevator up to Broden’s condo from the parking garage and soon they were stepping into Broden’s sterile home. Carey suppressed a shudder at the personality-free abode.

“I’m going to hold you to that promise of dinner at your house,” Broden commented as if sensing Carey’s dislike of his condo.

“I share a place with my band. You might not like the crowd,” Carey commented, trying to put Broden off a bit. He wondered if Broden would be offended if he suggested he hire Harris and Denton to redo his place. Combined, the pair could do their own design show, though Denton would rip out every one of his crocodile teeth before he admitted it.

“Hmmm. Maybe not, but I’d still like to see where you live. You aren’t ashamed of me, are you? Your band mates seemed to have mixed emotions about me.” The insecurity in Broden’s eyes surprised Carey.

He tapped his cheek a moment as if considering. “Tall, dark, gorgeous man with a successful business. You might be acceptable enough. I mean I am scraping the bottom of the barrel, but I guess you’ll do.”

* * * *

Broden laughed. “Have a seat. Would you like a drink?” He could be a good host. Jumping on the man immediately would probably be bad form.

Carey sat down on the couch, his legs spread wide apart and displaying his erection. Broden licked his lips.

“I’ll take some water,” Carey said.

“Water, I can do that.” Broden pulled his gaze from Carey’s cock to meet his mate’s eyes.

Carey’s slow smile warmed Broden and eased his concerns. “You’re okay with this, right?”

“Absolutely. I’m glad you came tonight. I was worried I’d miss you if your call went late,” Carey confessed.

“How could I not?” Isaac was going to pitch a fit when he learned Broden had cut short the customer call in order to attend Carey’s gig. He’d rather lose all the clients he had, than disappoint his mate.

Broden stared at Carey. He couldn’t remember the last time someone threw him off guard. Carey slid off his tank top, exposing an enormous tattoo with an eagle, a bear and a crocodile designed in a circle.

“You didn’t have that last time.”

Carey smiled down at the tattoo. He ran a hand over the intricately detailed mark. “I’ve been waiting for the money to have it done. I wanted a picture of my family.”

Broden let out a snort. “Your family is an eagle, a bear and a crocodile. You have a weird ass family.” He knew they represented Carey’s band, but he had to admit the lack of a cat in the tattoo hurt a bit. Once they were officially mated, he’d damn well add a giant jaguar to his lover’s body. Maybe cover his entire back.

The cold look he received for his teasing would’ve done credit to the crocodile. Carey stood and, even though he barely reached Broden’s nose, the animosity crackling off him would’ve made a saber tooth tiger proud.

“You’ve met my band.” Carey informed him. “They’re my family. Well, them and my father.”

Broden held his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “Sorry. I didn’t realize you guys were that close. I knew you were band mates and lived together, but usually completely different shifter species don’t join as a group.”

Their relationship fascinated Broden. Another reason he wanted to see Carey’s place, to understand the interaction between the friends.

“We have special circumstances. I’ve known them all since I was a child. It’s a long story,” Carey said.

“I’d love to hear it some time,” Broden said before he went into the kitchen and came back with a glass of water. Getting information from his lover was difficult. Carey was like a high security safe with a triple encryption code.

“I’ll share it some time when all my brain cells haven’t travelled south,” Carey offered.

Even knowing Carey was purposely distracting him didn’t deter Broden from falling for the hot look sent his way. He carefully set the glass of water on the table before sitting beside Carey on the couch.

“I’ll be happy to help you with your little problem,” he purred.

“Little?” Carey raised an eyebrow, daring him to continue.

Broden grinned. His mate did have a point, there wasn’t anything little about the erection pushing for room inside Carey’s tight pants.

“Did I say little? I meant huge problem,” Broden soothed.

“That’s what I thought you meant,” Carey said.

Broden grinned. He would be happy to come home to find this half-naked man on his couch every day.

Carey took a sip of water before pushing off his shoes and stripping off his pants. Stark naked, he settled back on the couch with a come-get-me look in his eyes. Broden had never received a better invitation.

“Nice.” No matter how many times Broden saw him naked, Carey still took his breath away. Broden smiled at the fang mark on Carey’s shoulder. He’d done well there. The man belonged to him.

Now he just had to figure out how to integrate a human into his world without his entire pride freaking out over it. Having Carey work with the pride had helped some. Getting them familiar with a human in their midst took away some of the fear ingrained in them from their parents. Humans hadn’t always been kind to the shifter world, and many pride members had bad memories of tortured childhoods or frightening knife- or gun-filled encounters.

Carey’s cheery personality and helpfulness had done a lot to pave the way to better human-shifter relations, but they still had a way to go. Pushing thoughts of his pride away, Broden quickly stripped off his clothes before Carey’s interested gaze.

“You are the most fascinating person I’ve ever met,” Broden whispered as he climbed onto the couch, placing a knee on either side of Carey’s hips. “And you’re all mine,” he hummed.

“You had me before,” Carey reminded him.

“Yeah, but now you can’t escape,” Broden grinned triumphantly. His inner cat loved to play and since Carey was used to being around shifters, he knew the young man wouldn’t freak if claws and fangs came out.

“Who said I wanted to escape?” Carey licked his lips as he regarded Broden with lust-filled eyes.

“Mmm, not me.” Broden settled on Carey’s lap, pleased when his human easily took his weight. It helped that Carey was quite strong for a human. Although Broden enjoyed being the aggressor, he liked it even better that Carey wasn’t a fragile flower.

“Kiss me,” Carey insisted.

“Pushy boy,” Broden teased. He slid his tongue along Carey’s lips until Carey allowed him inside. Heat pooled through his body, making his cock harden. Moaning, he rubbed against Carey’s body, letting their erections bump and grind together.

He wrapped his fist around Carey’s cock, pumping gently. Sliding his thumb across the tip, he spread pre-cum across the top before licking his finger to relish the taste. “Let’s get the lube. This is one spot you don’t want chafing.”

Carey laughed. “I can’t argue with that. You should keep a tube in here.”

“If you come over more often, I’ll consider it,” Broden agreed.

Broden slid off Carey’s lap, then without warning, he picked up his mate and flipped him over his shoulder.

“Hey! What is it about you and treating me like a sack of potatoes,” Carey protested.

Broden slapped Carey on the ass. “I like potatoes.”

Something about Carey always raised his spirits. No matter how much stress he had during the day, just seeing his mate’s face made everything better. Working with him just increased his happiness.

Broden dropped Carey onto the bed. He froze as the beauty of the moment grabbed him by the throat. Love took away his breath, but Broden brutally held back the words. Carey wouldn’t appreciate hearing those three little words quite yet. When it came to feelings, his human was more fidgety than a cat in a room full of puppies.

“Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to fuck me properly,” Carey complained.

“Properly?” Broden asked. “No, I plan to fuck you very improperly.” He grabbed the lube from the drawer. “Roll over. I want to screw you hard and I don’t want to have to bend you in half.”

“But I’m very bendy,” Carey teased.

“I know you are. Now roll over.” Broden used his commanding voice, the one the cats in his pride immediately responded to.

Carey raised an eyebrow. “Did you just try to alpha me?”

Broden sighed. “Just roll over before you totally ruin the mood.”

Giving that notion the attention it deserved, Carey rolled his eyes. “I somehow doubt you’ll lose interest.”

Despite his words, Carey turned onto his stomach and shook his ass. “Does this help resurrect your flailing interest?”

“Definitely, your ass could be the next Viagra, able to make a man hard with a single shake.”

Carey looked over his shoulder at Broden. “I don’t know if I should be flattered or appalled by the imagery you just put in my head.”

“Let’s go with flattered,” Broden said.

Broden prepped his lover carefully before slicking up himself. Without further warning, he pushed his cock inside Carey’s well-lubed hole, relishing the first moment of entry. The second he entered Carey, he paused to savor the initial body-to-body interaction. He’d had many lovers in his past and none of them had ever felt as good as Carey. When they connected, it was as if their souls bonded.

Leaning forward, he wrapped his body entirely around Carey, surrounding his lover with his heat. In slow, dreamy movements, he slid in and out of Carey, cherishing every brush of skin, every second of heat surrounding his cock and every gasp he pulled from his mate like sweet music.

“You feel so amazing wrapped around me. I want to keep you here forever,” Broden whispered in Carey’s ear.

“It might make time at the office a little awkward,” Carey answered with a hitch in his breath.

“Mmm, I’ll chance it.” Broden plunged his teeth into his mating mark, reinforcing his claim. “You’re mine. The sooner you agree, the quicker we can start planning our life together.”

“But no pressure.” Carey tightened around Broden, making him buck from the sensation. “And stop biting.”

“More pressure,” Broden groaned. “And I’ll bite you until everyone knows you’re claimed.”

The thought of everyone knowing Carey belonged to him even when he danced half-naked on the stage shone as a tantalizing dream. Broden wrapped a hand around Carey’s cock, pumping him to completion.

With a cry, Carey came and shot across the sheets. The smell and feel of Carey coming sent Broden over the edge. His cock pulsed out his release, flooding his lover with his scent and reinforcing his mating claim.

Carefully disengaging from his mate, Broden toppled sideways. He pulled Carey into his arms as he tumbled away from the mess.

“I’ll clean it up in a minute,” Broden said.

“We need new sheets,” Carey muttered.

“Rest. I’ll get them in a bit,” Broden reassured him.

“Okay,” Carey agreed, his voice already sleepy.

“My mate,” Broden whispered, nuzzling the back of Carey’s neck.