He did notice how much Sam trembled when his tongue scraped over the bite mark on the nape of Sam’s neck. He started to grin then stopped. Instead, he licked at the bite mark again, slowly, letting his tongue gradually rake over the bite mark.
Sam groaned and arched his back, pressing his ass back toward Jesse’s groin. Jesse ran his hands down Sam’s arms as he leaned closer to whisper into his ear. “Someone likes that, don’t they?”
“Yes,” Sam hissed.
He tilted his head to the side, baring more of his neck. Jesse took it for the invitation that it was and started nibbling along the corded muscles on Sam’s neck. He hungrily ate up every single shudder, every moan that fell from Sam’s lips.
Every time his gaze met Sam’s, Jesse’s heart turned over in response. The longing in Sam’s smoldering amber eyes drove Jesse’s desire to new heights. Sam’s very nearness was overwhelming.
Jesse took Sam’s face in his hand and held it gently, tilting it toward him. “I love you, Sam,” Jesse whispered just before he lowered his lips to Sam’s. Jesse’s kiss was slow and thoughtful, sending shivers of desire racing through him.
He traced the fullness of Sam’s lips with his tongue, groaning when he felt Sam’s tongue dart out and brush against his. Jesse deepened the kiss, his tongue pushing in to explore the recesses of Sam’s mouth as he gave himself freely to the passion pounding through him.
Jesse’s hand moved down Sam’s neck to his chest, searching for pleasure points. He wanted Sam to feel everything he was feeling through his touch. His hand slid along Sam’s silken chest to one hardened nipple.
Jesse felt Sam’s sharp inhale as he tugged at the little nub, rubbing it between his fingers. His touch was light and teasing, meant to drive Sam to forget everything except the man loving on him.
“I can’t wait to feel my cock in your ass,” Jesse murmured into Sam’s ear. “Your ass is so tight, so perfect. The way you hold me…you were made for me, sunshine.”
“Yes,” Sam cried out. “Now, please.”
“Soon, baby. I have to get you ready first.” Jesse wanted nothing more than to sink his aching cock as deep inside of Sam’s ass as it would go, but he would never do anything that caused Sam harm. As much as it pained him, he had to wait.
Jesse’s hand slid down Sam’s rounded stomach to the swell of his hip and then up the length of his thigh, gently pulling it up to Sam’s body. Taking Sam’s hand, Jesse guided it to his thigh, right above his knee.
“Hold it there, baby.”
Rolling over quickly, Jesse grabbed the lube out of the nightstand drawer. He popped the lid open as he rolled back over and poured some out onto his fingers. “Are you ready, sunshine?”
Sam’s head nod was vigorous and uncoordinated. He lay there panting, his chest heaving. Jesse lightly traced a path over Sam’s silky skin until his fingers brushed against Sam’s puckered hole. Sam cried out and pressed back against Jesse.
“Feel how tight you are,” Jesse said as he gently pushed one finger into Sam’s quivering opening. He started pushing his finger in and out of the tight circle of muscles until they loosened enough that he could add another finger. “You’re going to feel so good wrapped around my cock.”
Jesse scissored his fingers back and forth until he could add a third finger. Once he could easily get three fingers into Sam’s ass, he pushed them in deep, searching around until the tips of his fingers brushed against a walnut-sized gland, and Sam cried out.
“There, that’s the spot I was looking for.”
Jesse smiled as he rubbed Sam’s sweet spot. Watching the man come apart in his arms was the most erotic thing he had ever seen. Sam’s low moans grew louder, more forceful. His body squirmed beside Jesse’s as if he was seeking something more.
Jesse planned on delivering exactly what Sam wanted. He grabbed the tube of lube and poured just a bit more out into the palm of his hand. He dropped the bottle back onto the bed and then slathered the lube over his aching cock.
He pushed the head of his cock against Sam’s tight opening and then reached up to grab his face, turning his head once again so he could see into Sam’s expressive golden eyes. “I love you so much, Sam. More than you could ever imagine.”
As he spoke, Jesse reached down and grabbed Sam’s hip, holding it still as he slowly pushed into the man’s silky depths. The pleasure was pure and explosive, igniting a raging fire inside of Jesse that only Sam could put out.
“Jesse,” Sam whispered on a broken breath.
Pleasure pounded through Jesse as his cock was encased in hot silk. His body felt as if it was burning up from the inside out. He started moving, pushing slowly at first, his eyes never breaking contact with Sam’s.
Each time he pulled out, Sam’s muscles seemed to tighten around the head of his cock as if trying to keep him locked inside the man. When he thrust back in, Sam’s eyes fluttered like the pleasure he was experiencing was beyond what he could handle.
Jesse felt the tremble in Sam’s hand as it covered his where he was holding on to Sam’s hip. He could feel Sam’s breath stutter in his chest. As he roused Sam’s passion, his own grew stronger.
Jesse reached between Sam’s thighs and wrapped his hand around the man’s hard erection. The moan that slipped past Sam’s lips as he began stroking him almost sent Jesse over the edge.
Sam’s eager response to him sent Jesse’s senses spinning out of control. He started thrusting harder, deeper. He could feel the heat of Sam’s body course down the entire length of his and the fire burning so deeply inside of him spread to every cell in his body.
“Come for me, love,” Jesse demanded hoarsely.
Sam’s eyes gleamed with an indescribable light. He bent his head forward and pulled the hair away from the nape of his neck. “Claim me, Jesse, make me yours again.”
Jesse cried out in delight and leaned forward. He stroked his tongue over the coarse scar and then sank his canines deep into Sam’s neck. Sam’s response was instant and earth-shattering. He cried out even as his cock pulsed and hot seed shot out, covering Jesse’s hand.
Jesse moaned aloud at the erotic sight. He quickly withdrew his teeth and licked the bite mark closed and then buried his face in Sam’s neck as he slammed into his mate over and over again. Each thrust drove his passion higher and higher until it culminated in a fiery burst that made sparks ignite behind Jesse’s eyelids.
“I love you, Jesse.”
The words whispered across Jesse’s skin, leaving a tingling ache in their wake. Jesse roared, abandoning himself to the whirl of sensation Sam created in him as shot after shot of his release filled Sam’s ass.
Jesse curled his arm around Sam and pulled him back into the curve of his body. His fingertips lazily trailed across Sam’s heated skin. Sam had drawn him to the heights of passion he never knew existed. A deep feeling of peace entered Jesse.
He raised his hand and stroked it down the side of Sam’s face, smiling when Sam leaned into the gentle touch. “Sleep, sunshine,” Jesse whispered. “I’ll watch over you and our baby.”
Sam snuggled back against Jesse as their legs intertwined. Jesse laid his head down on the pillows and lightly caressed the soft swell where their child lay. He held his entire world in his arms, and no one was going to take it away from him.
That was a promise.
* * * *
Jesse opened his eyes even as he sniffed the air. Something was wrong. He could feel something menacing crawling along his skin like flames licking at the edges of an inferno. Danger was near, and it was growing stronger.
He gently pulled his arms from around Sam, bending down to kiss the man’s temple when Sam whimpered in his sleep. Once Sam settled, Jesse rolled to the side of the bed. He grabbed his jeans off the floor and pulled them up his legs, buttoning the bottom two buttons.
His steps were silent and sure as he made his way across the room. He looked out one of the windows first. Except for the light in the bunkhouse, he couldn’t see anything outside. It was eerily quiet. He couldn’t even hear the cattle.
Jesse moved to the door. He listened first then eased the door open when he didn’t hear anything. He grinned and shook his head when he saw Nate lounging in a chair outside his door. The man wasn’t asleep, but he looked bored out of his mind.
“Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“I’m on guard duty,” Nate replied.
“Outside my door?”
Nate shrugged. “I’m not going to let Sam or my nephew be taken again.”
Jesse grinned. “It could be a niece.”
“Oh, hell, no. What would I know what to do with a girl baby? They’re, like, breakable and shit.”
Jesse chuckled softly. He started to go back inside the bedroom when the strange smell that had woken him grew stronger. “Do you smell something?”
Nate stood and lifted his face into the air. His nose twitched. Fear, stark and vivid, glittered in Nate’s eyes when he lowered them to look at Jesse. “Something’s burning.”
Jesse’s chest felt like it would burst with fear as he turned and ran back into the bedroom. He jumped onto the bed and shook Sam’s arm. “Sam, baby, wake up.” Hearing a noise behind him, Jesse turned, his claws extending as he prepared to defend his family.
It was only Nate.
“Go get the others,” he said quickly, trying not to let his fear into his voice. “Wake everyone up. I want everyone to meet in the entryway.”
“Jesse, wha—”
“Just go, Nate!” Jesse snapped. When he turned back to Sam, the man was staring up at him, fear darkening his amber eyes. “Baby,” Jesse said as he scooted to the edge of the bed and reached down to the floor for Sam’s clothes. “You need to get up and get dressed.”
“What’s wrong, Jesse?” Sam asked as he pushed himself up into a sitting position.
Jesse so didn’t want to tell Sam and burst the happy little bubble they had created a few hours earlier with their mutual loving. “Please, baby, just get dressed. I’ll explain everything in a few minutes.”
Jesse held out his hand and helped Sam to the edge of the bed. Sam wasn’t moving as fast as he used to. Jesse would have to remember that. He handed Sam his pants and then searched around for his shirt. When he couldn’t find it, he grabbed one of his clean cotton T-shirts and pulled it over Sam’s head. He grabbed another one for himself and pulled it on and then went searching for their shoes.
Once they were both fully dressed, Jesse wrapped and arm around Sam’s waist and escorted him out of the bedroom as fast as he could, which wasn’t that fast considering Sam was down to waddling at this point. The instant they hit the hallway, Sam inhaled deeply and started to cough.
The hallway was full of smoke.
“Jesse,” Sam cried out, “the house is on fire.”
“I know, baby. We need to get downstairs.”
When they reached the stairs, Jesse swung Sam up into his arms and carried him down to the first floor. The front door flew open just as they reached the entryway, Rocky and the other ranch hands spilling inside.
“Jesse,” Rocky said quickly as he rushed forward, “there are flames going up the back of the house.”
“I know. We need to get out of here.” Jesse started for the front door, his only thought to get Sam to safety. And then another one hit him. He turned toward Rocky. “I need a favor. If you can make it, would you go to my office and get my mother’s journal and those books you found in the library. If the house burns down, that’s the only evidence we have of who our mother was.”
Rocky nodded. “I’ll get them,” he said right before he hurried down the hallway toward Jesse’s office.
“Gabe, go with him. Make sure he gets out safely.”
Gabe nodded and took off after Rocky. Jesse turned and carried Sam out the front door and down the steps to the yard in front of the house. He set Sam on his feet and then turned back toward the house. Flames were leaping off the roof, smoke billowing out of every upper-floor window.
“Jesse,” Nate said, “Father is still in the basement.”
“Fuck!” Jesse turned toward Sam.
Sam leaned up and planted a kiss on Jesse’s lips. “Go.”
Jesse swallowed hard. “Love you, sunshine.” He glanced at Nate, appeased when his brother nodded and stepped closer to Sam, and then turned and ran back into the burning house. As much as he hated his father, he couldn’t allow the man to burn to death in the basement.
Jesse pulled his shirt up over his mouth and nose as he ran toward the basement door. The smoke was filling the house and visibility was getting dim. His eyes burned. His throat ached with the need to swallow. Jesse could barely see.
He stumbled down the stairs to the basement level, feeling along the wall for the cold steel doors that led to the cell where his father was housed. The cell was in the basement for when they had a feral wolf or one that was shifting for the very first time. Not all Lycan could do so without going a little crazy. It seemed poignant that it now held his father prisoner.
When Jesse reached the door, he felt around until he touched the lock. He almost dropped the cloth from his face when he realized that the door was not only unlocked but open. Jesse peered inside the cell, looking for signs of his father. The cell was empty.
Except for the small opening on the far side. The wall on the other side of the room had a four-foot-tall doorway right in the middle of it. Jesse crossed the room and looked through the opening to find that it led to a brick hallway.