Trickster (5 page)

“This what?”

“You, sneaking around and following
me everywhere.” He scowled at Delaney’s groin. “Especially with another fucking
hard on.”

For some reason, that cheered the
shifter. “You noticed, huh?”

“Helen Keller would have noticed
it, all right? Does it ever go down?”

“Not since this morning. I can’t
help it, babe. I smell you and I get wood.”

“Oh, Jesus.” Mark edged next to the
bed, clutching both towels now and looking hunted. “Look, I’m tired. I just
want to put on some pajamas and crash, all right? I’ve had a really bad, weird
day, so how about we can talk about shapeshifters
and
,
" he waved vaguely
between them, "that other thing
in the morning.”

Delaney ignored the slap of
disappointment and nodded. “Okay. We’ll talk later when you’re not tired.”
Although you weren’t too tired to jerk off
in the shower.

Mark’s cheeks blazed to life. “You
listened
to me?”

Oh, shit, he can hear my thoughts already?
“I didn’t mean to, but coyotes have really
good hearing,” Delaney said defensively. “At least you got off. My balls are
aching so much I can barely walk straight.”

“So go to your own damn bathroom
and rub one out there!”

“It’s not about getting off, dammit!”
Delaney yelled back, before catching himself. “Okay, it’s not just about
getting off. God, I really wish you were a shifter. Then you’d understand.”

“Well, I’m
not
a shifter,” Mark snapped, “so you’re just going to have to
explain it to the stupid human.”

“I -- Jesus.” Delaney sucked in a
deep breath, forcing himself to calm down and find the right words. “Being
drawn to a mate, it isn’t just physical. It’s emotional and spiritual as well.”
He gestured at his groin. “Yes, I want to fuck you. That’s pretty damn obvious.
I also want to
know
you. I want to talk
to you, find out everything about you—where you grew up, what your family’s
like, whether you like sports, what your favorite food is, your opinion on
Steven Moffat, what you want to do with the rest of your life, all that. And I
want you to get to know me, too.”

Mark wasn't
interrupting him, so he plunged on. "I’m originally from Phoenix,
I
love movies with big chase scenes, I collect action figures,
The Lord of the Rings
bored me shitless
in book form although the movies rock, and I think the Tea Party needs to be
sent to its own little island where they can’t hurt anyone. And I really want
to make breakfast for you tomorrow morning because I make killer pancakes, and dinner
tomorrow night, then take you back to bed and watch
The Avengers
while we eat it. I always wanted to do that with
someone.” He paused. “God, please tell me you like
The Avengers.
”

“Yeah.” Mark’s scowl had eased
during Delaney’s monologue, but he still looked skittish. “Wait—
back
to bed?”

“I’m trying to be optimistic here.”
He ran a hand through his hair. “What I’m trying to say is, this isn’t just
about sex. It’s so much more than that. And I know this is way too fast for
you, and if it’s any consolation this is scaring the shit out of me, too. But sometimes
that’s just the way it happens for us. Shifters, I mean.”

That was all he had. If it wasn’t
enough to convince Mark, he didn’t know what else to do. “I’m sorry. I swear to
God, this isn’t how I wanted it to happen,” he said quietly. “I’ll let you get
some sleep. We can talk about everything in the morning.”

He turned to go.

“Wait.”

****

Mark clutched at the towel around
his waist. He knew he was acting like an abrasive asshole. It was his default
mode when he was nervous as hell. The logical part of his brain said that he
should be pissed off at being stalked by a freaky coyote shapeshifter who
claimed Mark was his mate, then getting talked into staying overnight in the
shifter’s guest room. Not to mention the hard-on Delaney kept springing every
time they were alone together.

The rest of his brain was screaming
at him to drop the towel and walk into Delaney’s arms. During his shower
jerkoff session, he couldn’t stop thinking about the handsome executive and his
lean, chiseled body. He had tried fantasizing about Caren, he honestly had. But
Delaney, with his sexy hands, broad shoulders, and perfect mouth, was the one
who kept coming to mind. And the sudden, blazingly hot mental image of Delaney
kneeling down on the wet tile and using that perfect mouth to swallow his cock to
the root had made Mark come so hard he’d almost blacked out.

It made no sense whatsoever. He
didn’t
know
anything about Delaney
Smith, apart from the fact that the man was built like an underwear model and still
managed to be smart, funny, and a fellow geek. And dammit, he still wasn’t gay.

But no matter what he did, his
brain kept spiraling back to thoughts about Delaney. Who had risked his own
life to save Mark from being kidnapped. And then there was the kiss at the
apartment...

Mark shivered. The kiss was when
everything changed, if he was honest with himself. When Delaney kissed him,
something deep inside his soul clicked, like a key turning in a lock.
Like meeting the love of your life.
Yes,
he was still annoyed at the shifter for behaving like a jerk. But he also
enjoyed Delaney’s snarkiness, and found the unexpected aspects of the man’s
personality interesting. And yes, that blatant, balls to the wall statement of
desire was hot as hell.

And underneath it all was a primal
attraction so hot and deep that it scared him, and so utterly alluring that he
just wanted to sink into it and bask. Somehow it didn’t matter anymore that Delaney
Smith was not only a man, but a coyote shapeshifter as well. Illogical or not, Mark
wanted —no, he
needed
to be in
Delaney’s arms.

He just wasn’t sure how to do it.

Delaney paused, waiting on him.
Mark cleared his throat. “I grew up in Waxahachie,” he said slowly. “I’m an
only child, my dad’s a machinist and my mom volunteers with the PTA. I like
football, enchiladas verdes, and I think Steven Moffat’s a good show runner but
I wish he’d stop killing off my favorite characters. And I don’t know what I
want to do with the rest of my life, but I’m starting to think that ... having
you in it would be good.”

Swallowing hard, he dropped the
towel. “And if you still want me, then let’s go to bed.”

Chapter Five

Delaney stared at his nude mate,
mouth flooding so quickly with saliva that he was on the verge of drooling. Mark’s
cock was dusty pink and cut cleanly, the vein-wrapped shaft already swelling
and rising from a sizeable sac.
Oh, fuck
me blind. He’s gorgeous. And he wants me.

The shifter decided then and there
that he’d do whatever Mark wanted. “You call the shots, all right?” he said,
voice husky. “You say stop, we stop.”

Mark gave him a shaky smile. “What
if I don’t want to stop?”

“Then we don’t stop. Which is going
to be a hell of a lot easier.” He opened his arms. “Can I hold you?”

“God, yes.” Mark stepped forward,
pressing flush against him. Delaney’s heart turned over when he felt the fine
tremor running through the other man’s body, and wrapped his arms securely
around his mate. Their lips met, and this time Mark’s tongue slipped into his
mouth, licking hotly against the sensitive inner flesh of his lips. He wanted
to howl with pure happiness.
Mine. All
mine.

The height difference meant that
Mark’s erection bumped against Delaney’s balls in a delicious tease, rubbing
against him through two layers of cloth. “God, I hope you know what you’re
doing,” Mark muttered. “I am totally clueless here.”

“Yeah, I’ve got a pretty good idea.”
Delaney hadn’t been to bed with another man for some time, but he was confident
he still remembered the basic principles. “Let’s get in bed.”

Instead of sliding into bed, Mark
tightened his grip, pulling Delaney off balance and tumbling them both to the
mattress. They both laughed as they bounced, and Mark attacked Delaney’s
clothing with relish, almost yanking the buttons off his Oxford shirt. “Off,
get this off,” he chanted.

“All right, all right.” Delaney
popped the remaining buttons, peeling out of the shirt and tossing it away.
Shoes and pants followed, and he relaxed back on his elbows as Mark pulled off
his boxer briefs, letting his cock thump back against his belly. “You like?”

“Yeah.” Mark’s eyes were dark
again, and he reached for Delaney’s cock, then hesitated. “Uh....”

“Touch it. Just like you’d touch
yourself.”

Mark did, wrapping his hand under
the plump mushroom head and squeezing softly. Delaney let his head drop back
and groaned. His mate’s hand began to stroke up and down, stoking what was
already a blaze into a Yosemite-sized inferno.

The familiar pressure built up in
Delaney’s balls, and he grabbed Mark’s wrist. “Babe, stop,” he panted. “I’m
gonna blow.”

“So blow. We’ve got all night.”

“You sexy sonofabitch.” He flipped
over, rolling Mark onto his back. “I want to do it inside you. If I don’t, my
head’s going to explode.”

A flicker of apprehension crossed
Mark’s face, and Delaney kissed him quickly. “I meant it when I said we’ll take
it slow. You say stop, I stop.”

Biting his lip, Mark nodded.
Delaney grabbed one of the pillows at the head of the bed and pushed it under
the smaller man’s ass to lift it, before rooting inside the bedside table’s
drawer. “I know I left some here—aha.” He rolled back with a bottle of lube.

One of Mark’s eyebrows went up as
he eyed the container. “Condoms?”

“Shifters are immune to human
disease, and I can smell that you’re healthy anyway, plus you just took a
shower so everything’s clean. Also, I meant it when I said I had to come inside
you. It’s part of the mating bond. First things first, though.” He tossed the
supplies on the bed and moved until he was kneeling between Mark’s spread legs,
arranging them so that they rested over his own thighs. Delaney stroked his
cock, gathering up pearls of precome on his fingertip. Reaching between Mark’s
thighs, he pressed his slick finger against the dark pink hole there. He could
feel the tiny iris twitch against the pad of his finger, then dilate just a
bit.

Mark hissed at the sensation. “I
think you’re supposed to use lube?” he said, sounding slightly panicked.

“I will, trust me. But this will
help.” Delaney pressed until the muscle opened a bit more, then slid his
fingertip inside his mate. Slick, moist heat greeted him, and his cock throbbed
in anticipation.

Mark’s breath caught, then expended
in a low, ragged sigh as Delaney’s fingertip slid in further. “God, that’s good,”
he said, slurring slightly. “Why does that feel so good?”

“Lots of nerve endings. Ass play can
be amazing if it’s done right.” Delaney grabbed the lube and popped the cap,
dribbling a stream of thick fluid over Mark’s crease and working it into his
hole. He slid his finger deeper, searching.

Mark suddenly arched off the bed
and let out a noise that could only be called a wail. “Oh God, what—fuck!” he
gasped. “What
is
that?”

Delaney grinned. “Prostate. Glad
you like it. Means you’re gonna love this.”

He started playing with the small
knot of tissue, gently stroking it, then rubbing circles into it. Mark writhed
on his finger, babbling and clutching at the blanket. After a bit Delaney slid
in a second finger, wrapping his free hand around Mark’s cock and stroking it
to take his mate’s mind off the stretching burn. It didn’t seem to faze Mark; in
fact, the additional finger only increased his wriggling and pleading.

Carefully, Delaney added a third
finger, eyeing the pink rim dilating and stretching around his fingers. For
someone who wasn’t gay, it seemed that his mate was a born bottom.
Good. Last thing I want to do is hurt him
when I fuck him into the mattress tonight. And this week. Well, month. Rest of
our lives, really.

****

Mark closed his eyes and shivered
at the electric thrum of pleasure radiating from the fingers in his ass. “Why
doesn’t this hurt?” he panted. “This should hurt, I know it should.”

“My precome,” Delaney said, pulling
his fingers out. Mark was appalled at the whimper he made at the sudden
emptiness. “It helps your muscles relax. Your body needs mine, just as much as
I need you, and now all your muscles are easing, letting me in.”

“Fuck.” Mark pressed his head back
into his pillow as Delaney scootched closer. Something larger than fingers pressed
against Mark’s hole. There was a moment of burning pressure, and he sucked in
air.

Delaney backed off, then tried
again. “Push back against me.”

Mark did, feeling the pressure
build to the point of pain. He pushed back again, and gasped when the head of
Delaney’s cock popped inside him. “Ah!”