Two Mates for a Magistrate (3 page)

“Oh. Things must really be different now.”

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Scarlet Hyacinth

Dietrich couldn’t help but chuckle, and he acknowledged it with a distant shock. He hadn’t laughed in far too long. But he couldn’t help it. Fritz’s words really hit the bull’s-eye. “Are you calling me old?” he asked.

He heard his own flirtatious tone, but he refused to take back the words. Something inside him screamed this was dangerous, but for the first time in many years, he felt comfortable enough to laugh with someone. Fritz grinned back. “Not at all,” he said. “But perhaps I should apologize better. Would you like to have another drink with me when I’m off work?” He smiled apologetically. “A real beer.”

Alarm started screeching in Dietrich’s head. He knew he shouldn’t get involved with this human. Already, the attraction between them threatened the barriers of his control. Casting aside the glum thoughts, he decided to accept. “Sure.”

For a few more minutes, they sat there, chatting about nothing in particular, until at last, the time came for Fritz to get back to work.

“Meet you in a few hours in the Plaza?”

Dietrich nodded. Everyone, tourist or local, knew how to get there, and Dietrich doubted its location would have changed, even after four hundred years. “I’ll be waiting.”

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As Dietrich Dupont walked away from the construction site, Fritz stared, unable to tear his eyes away from the man. Even when Dietrich disappeared into the crowd, he continued to stare, hoping he might get another glimpse.

The voice of one of his coworkers forced his gaze away from the mass of people. “Fritz, what are you doing? Come on, we still have a lot of work to do.”

Irritated with both himself and his colleague, Fritz grumbled an agreement. What in the world was he doing? Flirting with a man, and here, no less? He hadn’t been very overt about it, or at least he didn’t think so. His coworkers shouldn’t notice anything wrong with him giving a beer to the man they’d almost killed with a falling beam. But one never knew, and in work environments such as his, being openly gay wasn’t exactly smart.

Fritz long ago reached the conclusion each country had its share of bigots, and he’d been unlucky enough to become a worker in a company full of them. As luck would have it, they also showed no respect for the importance of their work. Building was like giving birth and the structures that rose from their hands needed to be strong and reliable for their country to prosper and outlast whatever problems emerged in the future. So many lives depended on it. Sick people would come to be treated in this hospital once it was finished, trusting the building to be steady and unbreakable. With the mistakes the workers made, this looked more and more unlikely. He might have considered new employment, but jobs in small towns were rare.

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Scarlet Hyacinth

Following this idea, he returned to his job and he forced his mind away from Dietrich’s smile and to the matter at hand. He’d have to write a report on the accident. No one had been injured, but that didn’t change the seriousness of the situation. Fritz’s heart fell as he realized he might not even be able to get to his meeting with Dietrich with all the work he’d have to do.

Predictably, by the time he finished his daily tasks, including the report for the foreman, the time for their tentative first date had long passed. Fritz rushed to the plaza regardless, hoping against all hope the other man would still be there. He didn’t know why it was so important to him, but he wanted to see Dietrich so badly. Something in Dietrich’s smile made Fritz want to decipher the mystery behind those unfathomable dark eyes.

At last, the plaza was in view. Fritz scanned the area, and his eyes fell on a silhouette standing in front of the statue. Even with all the people milling around them, Fritz identified it with ease. Relief coursed through at the realization Dietrich had not left.

Fritz made his way there as quickly as he could. Because of the angle of Dietrich’s position, he couldn’t see the other man’s face and he didn’t know the extent of Dietrich’s annoyance with him.

When at last he reached the statue, he greeted Dietrich. “Hi,” he said. Dietrich turned toward him, and Fritz blurted out an apology.

“Sorry I’m late. I got delayed at work.”

Dietrich offered him a small smile. “I figured that might happen.

Because of the accident, right?”

Fritz nodded, astonished at Dietrich’s understanding nature.

“Come on,” Dietrich continued. “Let’s get a beer.”

“Agreed,” Fritz replied. “Follow me. I know an excellent place.

It’s a bit far, but it’s worth it.”

“Lead the way. A walk would be great anyway.”

Fritz took Dietrich to one of his favorite bars.
Nur Bier
offered quality products at reasonable prices, in spite of its more “out of the
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way” location. Tourists didn’t know about it, so it was also more discreet, a fact that its regulars greatly appreciated.

“So did you get into any trouble because of the fallen beam?”

Dietrich asked as they walked.

Fritz shook his head. “Not really. I just needed to deal with the guilty party. It’s not easy.” He supervised the construction site when the foreman was away, and this responsibility made him unpopular.

He disliked having to reprimand the workers, and this time, he suspected the man guilty for the accident would lose his job. In these difficult times, it would be a very bad thing, but it couldn’t be helped.

Fritz refused to take chances with the safety and lives of others. Hell, he still didn’t understand how the beam could have fallen next to Dietrich, since the other man had been outside the risk area designated by the construction workers.

“You’ve had a really difficult day,” Dietrich mused. “Let’s not talk about it. Tell me something else about yourself.”

By the time they reached
Nur Bier
, Fritz learned his companion shared his taste in music, as well as his respect for all things living and his work ethic. They simply clicked, and Fritz forgot all about the stress of his day, surrendering to the temptation of Dietrich’s black gaze. He ignored the little voice in his head that said this man was too good to be true. Fritz had taken a chance before, and he still remembered the way it turned out. But this time, it would be different.

He just knew it.

Inside the bar, they ordered their drinks and sat at the most private table they could find. As the bitter taste of the brew hit his taste buds, Fritz sighed in relaxation. Good beer and a good man, his idea of heaven. Of course, he didn’t know Dietrich very well yet, but he had high hopes already.

“This is a great place,” Dietrich commented.

“It is,” Fritz replied. “Best beer in town.”

Dietrich smiled in that roguish way of his. “And people who know when to look away, right?”

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Scarlet Hyacinth

Fritz couldn’t have felt happier for the dim lights of
Nur Bier
. His face heated up at Dietrich’s suggestive tone. What the fuck was wrong with him? When had he turned into a blushing virgin? He was an adult, for crying out loud, and he could deal with this in a reasonable manner.

He shouldn’t have any expectations from Dietrich. For all he knew, the man would get tired of Trier and move on to greener pastures again. But they did have tonight, and Fritz wouldn’t let the moment pass without taking advantage of it.

“They do, indeed,” he replied. “Although there’s nothing like the privacy of your own home when you need it.”

He squeezed Dietrich’s knee under the table, heart hammering. He hoped he’d read the other man right. If not, this evening would end on a really poor note.

His fears proved to be unfounded. “I agree. So, do you live close by?”

Fritz didn’t have to be a genius to understand the less-than-subtle hint. “Close enough.”

The throbbing cock in his jeans belied his nonchalant words. His hometown wasn’t that large in the first place, but in this particular moment, even five minutes seemed too long. An unbearable ache grew inside him, the need to touch and be touched so intense he thought he would scream.

They got up and paid the bill at the bar, then headed out.

Nervousness coursed through Fritz at the realization of what he intended to do. Would he really bring this man, this stranger, into his home?

Dietrich’s concerned voice snapped him out of his daze. “Are you all right? We don’t have to do this, you know. We could just go back and have another beer.”

Fritz turned to look at the other man. The lights on the street made Dietrich’s eyes shine with an almost inhuman glow, and yet, Fritz saw the warmth in that gaze, the genuine emotion. It was time to take the
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plunge, to rebuild his life and forget about his fears. One year after his stupid failure of a relationship, and still he had trouble trusting. He needed to let go already.

“No,” he said. “It’s okay. I’m fine. Just a bit anxious, I guess.”

Dietrich’s smile was so gentle it almost made Fritz melt right then and there. “There’s no pressure, seriously. Nothing to be anxious about. I like spending time with you no matter what we do.”

Fritz felt like an idiot. Something about this man made him turn into a teenager with his first crush. It bothered him that he showed such weakness in front of Dietrich.

So, in spite of Dietrich’s comforting words, Fritz said nothing. He just led Dietrich toward his small apartment. In spite of its rather unsatisfying size, the place boasted a gorgeous view of the Moselle, the reason for which Fritz had gotten it in the first place.

“Well, here it is. Home sweet home. Come on in.”

He took Dietrich’s jacket and gestured toward the living room.

“Make yourself at home. Do you want another beer? See a movie?”

“Sure,” Dietrich replied casually. “Why not?”

They sat together on Fritz’s small couch. The slight awkwardness that appeared because of his self-conscious nature dissipated into a sense of familiar comfort. Fritz inserted a movie in the DVD player, choosing an action flick at random. He didn’t think he could concentrate on anything better than lots of explosions and brainless ass-kicking.

At one point during the movie, the star began to heat it up with his rescued damsel in distress. Fritz had never been particularly aroused by scenes like this, and for the same reason he preferred to avoid porn. They held no honesty. But this time, Fritz imagined himself and Dietrich in the place of the main characters on the screen, their bodies entwined, slick with sweat, cock sliding against cock. Why were they even watching a movie in the first place?

Fritz abandoned his beer on the coffee table, went with his instinct, and simply attacked Dietrich.

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Scarlet Hyacinth

Their first kiss was even more delicious than Fritz expected.

Dietrich took everything Fritz offered and gave back with an equal amount of ferocity. Their tongues tangled in a battle for dominance that made Fritz delirious with pleasure. He ended up on top of Dietrich on the narrow couch, rubbing against the other man in wanton despair.

Their pants flew off in a flurry of material. Fritz broke their kiss to admire his soon-to-be lover. The man was sex incarnate and perfect all over. A hard cock nudged against Fritz’s thigh and bronze nipples peaked as if begging for Fritz’s mouth. Grinning, Fritz lowered his lips over the tiny nubs of flesh, biting and suckling, making the other man groan in pleasure. Dietrich arched against him, pressing even closer to Fritz. Fritz made a mental note the man’s nipples were a sensitive spot. He’d have lingered more on them, but he wanted to go further. He wanted to taste Dietrich’s very essence, to bring their bodies together and fuck all night long. His cock in Dietrich’s ass, or the other way around, it didn’t matter. But first, he needed to sample that delicious prick.

Fritz licked over Dietrich’s muscled abdomen, following the treasure trail that led to his prize. When he reached Dietrich’s shaft, he engulfed the hard length in his mouth, moaning at the taste that exploded over his taste buds. He massaged Dietrich’s testicles and reached between the man’s ass cheeks to rub at the tempting hole.

Dietrich’s groaning turned into some sort of growl, almost animalistic. It turned Fritz on like crazy, and he took Dietrich deeper, all the way into his throat. Over and over, he bobbed his head up and down the other man’s cock, loving the weight of it on his tongue. It felt so right, so amazing, and Fritz forgot about everything except the here and now, his body and the man beneath him.

* * * *

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Dietrich struggled to hold his instincts in check as his mate sucked his dick. It was impossible, especially with the way Fritz took him, so passionate, the most amazing experience of Dietrich’s life. Dietrich had never thought his mate would be a danger to his control, but even now, he could feel the wolf straining to break free, demanding to couple with his mate.

So far, he’d managed to keep it in check with the help of his mother’s training, but its power seemed multiplied by Fritz’s presence. And Dietrich could not push Fritz away, as much as his consciousness screamed “danger.” His entire being ached to be with the other man—and fuck, Fritz was far too talented with his mouth.

The sight of those full lips stretching to suck Dietrich in like a vacuum looked sinful, and Dietrich would have gladly died and gone to the hell humans spoke of as long as he kept it always in his mind.

The sensations took him to the brink of orgasm all too soon, the wolf within howling in satisfaction.

In the background, an explosion sounded from the direction of the television, but it was nothing like the one that swept over Dietrich. It shattered his every barrier, all the walls he’d set in place to keep his beast at bay. For the first time in centuries, he and his wolf were one.

It felt so liberating, so amazing to at last accept the other part of him through the pure pleasure Fritz offered.