A Prideful Mate (3 page)

Kevin gave him an indulgent look, like Payce was a not particularly bright child. “The solution is obvious.”

“It is?”

Kevin nodded. “Don’t think.”

Then the sneaky lion swooped in and kissed Payce, driving every freaking thought out of his mind. In that moment he knew he would do anything Kevin wanted as long as he got to feel that gorgeous cock filling his ass.

He broke away from their kiss to speak, only to have Kevin slide strong hands into his hair and yank him back. The slight pain made him even harder.

Shit!

In ten minutes the sexy lion had already discovered his kink. He loved being mastered.

He wasn’t into a lot of whips or chains, but a strong man who could hold him down while he was fucked within an inch of his life, pushed all his buttons double time.

“Like that do you?” Kevin leant back and gave him a wicked smile with a tip of a fang showing through. The lion slid off his lap. “Strip,” he commanded.

Payce stood and took off his shirt, pleased at the small whimper he heard from the other man. When he glanced at Kevin, the lion’s expression was calm but unmoved. Maybe he’d imagined the noise.

“Pants,” Kevin barked.

Smiling, Payce stripped off his denim pants, slowly revealing to Kevin that he wasn’t wearing any underwear.

“Ni-i-i-ce.” That southern drawl was back, the sound of it heating Payce from head to toe. It was a voice he could get used to while he was bound motionless to his bed with the sexy southerner standing over him.

“Where are you from?” He had to know.

“I’m a Louisiana boy. Now stand properly. You know what I mean.” Kevin’s soft drawl hardened and so did every part of Payce’s body.

Standing straight, Payce gripped his left wrist with his right hand behind him, placing his feet a shoulder length apart.

Still dressed, Kevin walked a complete circle around him. “Very nice. No tattoos or piercings?”

A PRIDEFUL MATE

Amber Kell

18

“No, sir.”

It felt natural to call the other man sir. It calmed his Jaguar. Inside the beast had been raging to escape ever since Kevin walked through the door. Now it curled up into a happy kitty, all but purring under the lion’s regard. Maybe that was the trick. Maybe he needed someone the jaguar knew was a stronger cat. Kevin was one of the few people on this planet who could subdue him, something no human could do, no matter how strong the Dom.

For the first time in a long while, Payce felt calm. He knew even if he freaked and shifted into a jaguar, his mate’s animal was bigger, stronger and could take him down before anything bad happened.

“Now we need to establish a few rules in this relationship.” Kevin’s drawl was all but gone.

It was a relief that the lion had such a strong tell. Payce would always be able to gauge the emotional position of his mate by the sound of his accent. He cleared his mind and focussed on Kevin’s words.

“You are mine and if anyone else touches you I will kill them, understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“If you touch them, I will kill them, understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I’m an easy-going guy and I expect you to be an equal partner in our life together but I will be in charge in the bedroom. Now,” Kevin held up a hand as if to stop Payce’s words,

“that doesn’t mean I will always top. I like a man inside me as much as I like to top, but I might tie you down first. You have any objections?” The image in his mind of Kevin riding him while Payce was tied to the bed was too much for Payce. His body convulsed as cum shot out of his cock, splattering onto the wooden floor.

“I’ll take that as a no,” Kevin said, his drawl slow and easy.

“You can take that anyway you want, as long as you take me,” Payce gasped through his orgasm.

“Bedroom,” Kevin snapped.

Payce broke formation, grabbed Kevin’s wrist and dragged him down the hall. He could clean up the mess later.

A PRIDEFUL MATE

Amber Kell

19

“Maybe we need to review who’s in charge again,” Kevin said.

Payce heard the amusement in his voice.

“We’re not in the bedroom yet.” Payce let go of the werelion as soon as they crossed the doorframe. “Now we’re here. You can be in charge.” Kevin gave him a wicked smile that sent shivers of desire down his spine, and miraculously, his cock struggled to rise again. He looked at it in astonishment.

“Lions mate twenty to forty times a day when we’re in heat,” Kevin said matter-of-factly as he stripped off his sea blue shirt, exposing a fine tight body and making Payce wonder again what Kevin did for a living.

“I’m not a female lion, and if you try to fuck me forty times, I will crush your skull.” Kevin tilted his head. “That’s very specific.” Payce shrugged. “It’s a jaguar thing.”

“Huh.”

Payce noticed that his words had no effect on Kevin’s intention to mate with him as the man continued stripping, exposing a body Payce was more than willing to explore entirely with his tongue.

“On the bed.”

Shaking with excitement, Payce turned and slowly climbed on the bed. He made sure Kevin got a good look at his ass as he moved.

The low growl behind him said his ploy was noticed.

“You’re playing with fire, boy.”

Payce rolled over, trying to look more confident than he felt. It had been a long time since his last lover, and forever since his last shifter sex.

The tender smile Kevin gave him eased his nerves. “You just tell me if there’s somethin’

you don’t like.”

Payce returned the other man’s charming smile. “Do I need a safe word?” Laughing, Kevin crawled up on the bed and settled on all fours over Payce’s body.

Payce’s cock rose to greet him.

“We’re not doing a scene, darlin’, just some man on man lovin’. There’s nothing I’m gonna do that’ll make you do anything more than scream my name.” A PRIDEFUL MATE

Amber Kell

20

Payce smiled at the confident man above him. “What makes you think I’m going to scream?”

“Honey, they always scream.”

Payce couldn’t stop the growl his jaguar pushed through his throat. The thought of anyone else being in the same position he was, made him want to kill something. Now he knew what Kevin meant. Before he thought the lion was just being dramatic.

Guess not.

“Calm darlin’, calm.”

Kevin’s voice pulled him back from his urge to shift. The lion’s hands pinning his wrists calmed him, suppressing his rage.

“Your kitty is close to the surface, isn’t it, love?”

“Yeah,” Payce panted. Breathing in the scent of the man he knew was his mate soothed him more than any shifter anger management session. He’d attended enough to know.

Kevin leant down, rubbing his cheek alongside Payce’s, first one side, then the other, marking Payce with his scent. Breathing in Kevin’s pheromones settled his jaguar completely. Sighing, Payce went boneless beneath his mate.

“I’m not a virgin,” Kevin said, his eyes sparkling. “That’s not a problem for you, is it baby?”

“Baby? Really?”

Kevin’s smile got bigger. “Snookums? Baby Cakes? Snickerdoodle? Love Kitten?”

“You have to sleep sometime,” Payce reminded the lion.

Kevin laughed.

Payce didn’t think he’d ever met such a happy person. Despite his big, handsome exterior, the other man was just a big, goofy lion inside. This made him even more attractive to Payce, who never had much laughter in his life.

Here was a man who knew how to have fun and could bring some fun into Payce’s life.

A sharp bite on his nipple snapped his attention back to the lion.

“Pay attention, kitten,” Kevin teased.

“I will off you,” Payce warned, but he couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face. He really liked this guy.

A PRIDEFUL MATE

Amber Kell

21

“But think of all the fun you’d miss,” Kevin said in a wheedling tone. The lion leant down and bit Payce’s other nipple.

Payce arched beneath the werelion’s mouth.

Shit, when had they become so sensitive?

“Where’s the lube?”

Payce scrambled for his bedside table, grabbing at the small bottle inside. He let out a shout when it slipped out of his hand, hit the table and slid beneath the bed.

Payce turned to look into Kevin’s astonished eyes, and both men burst into laughter.

Kevin rolled off of him. “You might want to get that, darlin’. I’m big enough you’re not gonna want to go without lube.”

Looking appreciatively at the werelion’s body, Payce had to agree. “A lot of lube.” Leaning over to retrieve the lube, he caught it between his fingers until a smack on his ass had him dropping the bottle.

“Hey.” He glared at Kevin over his shoulder.

The lion had the gall to smile at him, showing a set of shiny white teeth. “Sorry, darlin’

but I can’t resist that kind of temptation.”

“Is there any temptation you
can
resist?”

“Few and far between,” Kevin agreed. “Now get the lube so I can appreciate that fine ass of yours.”

Payce was certain his cheeks were redder than his slapped ass.

Snatching up the lube again, he flipped onto his back and held out the bottle.

“What am I gonna do with that?” Kevin asked, giving him a wink. “Get yourself ready for me, I’m not ashamed to say you’ve got me all worked up, if I touch you before I fuck ya, I’ll lose control.”

Payce was both disappointed and pleased. He’d never had a man want him that much, but then he’d never met his mate before.

Liberally smearing the cold liquid onto his fingers, Payce plunged two fingers into his hole, loosening up the tight bud so he could take his lover. His long fingers brushed against his prostate making him whimper from the sensation.

“Hey, don’t get off without me.” Kevin grabbed Payce’s wrist, pulling Payce’s fingers away only to replace them with his thick cock.

A PRIDEFUL MATE

Amber Kell

22

“Ahhh,” Payce sighed at the feel of the werelion sinking inside him. Heaven. Nothing had ever felt so good. Looking into his lover’s eyes, Payce tilted his head. “Bite me. Make me yours.”

A low growl greeted that statement. Before he could recant his lust-induced request, fangs pierced the spot between shoulder and neck. Where he’d been expecting pain, joy filled him. It was as if the other half of his soul slid into place and he was now complete. His jaguar purred at the connection.

Just as he felt his cat half relaxing, his body jerked like a marionette, pulsing cum out of his body in short spastic spurts of pleasure.

His vision faded. Before it went completely black, he heard Kevin’s slow, southern drawl above him. “You’re mine now.”

A PRIDEFUL MATE

Amber Kell

23

Chapter Three

Kevin woke with a new awareness of another person. He’d had lovers before and even slept beside them, but he’d never had a mate. After marking Payce the night before, he now knew the difference. To complete the mating cycle, Payce still needed to bite him back, but Kevin didn’t worry. He could already feel the connection.

The alarm clock blared, disturbing the gentle silence of the morning.

Payce jolted up out of sleep and slapped the machine so hard Kevin heard the plastic crack.

Why would anyone want to be woken that way?
Kevin’s favourite way to wake up was from the tickling fingers of his little boys. They smelt of cereal, peanut butter toast and that indefinable smell of small children everywhere. Waking up next to the naked body of his mate could become his new favourite.

“Morning.” Payce’s voice was gravelly from sleep, making Kevin’s morning wood ten times harder. He couldn’t believe his luck in finding a mate that liked being ordered around in the bedroom.

Kevin leant over to kiss Payce only to be interrupted by the ringing of a cell phone.

“I think that one’s yours,” Payce said. His smile was huge as Kevin growled at him.

“I’ll be right back, darlin’. Hold that thought.” Kevin wouldn’t have answered it last night, but this early in the morning it could have something to do with his kids.

After searching through his pants, he answered his iPhone. The images on the screen revealed his two boys. Five-year-old Chase and seven-year-old Quinn looked back at him with excited gold eyes.

“Daddy!”

“Mornin’ boys, how are y’all doin’?”

“Mom said we could call,” Quinn said, his chin tilted defiantly.

“Did not, we took it outta her purse,” Chase said with a gamin grin.

“That’s fine, boys. What did ya call for?”

A PRIDEFUL MATE

Amber Kell

24

His cock was quickly deflating as he looked into the dear faces of his children. They looked a lot alike, with a nice mixture of Tia’s lighter gold hair and his own more masculine features.

“I miss you, Daddy,” Chase said with a dimpled smile.

“Did you find your mate?” Quinn asked.

Quinn was the serious one of the pair. While his younger brother bounced through his day, Quinn examined everything with a thoroughness that said he was aware of his surroundings. Despite only a two-year age difference, Quinn was the leader of their pack of two. Kevin was convinced Quinn would be the one to leave the family and create his own pride.

“Yes, I did. Wanna meet him?”

“Yes!” they chorused.

Kevin turned around to find the bed empty. Huh, maybe his mate had to use the bathroom.

“Sorry, boys. Payce had to get ready for work,” he stalled. “I’ll bring him home soon.

Now be good to your mama and don’t steal anything else outta her purse.”

“Yes, Daddy,” they said together.

Kevin cut the connection and went to find his mate. A quick search found Payce in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal.

“Yah know, it would be more nutritious to eat that box,” Kevin said, leaning against the counter. He was a little peeved to see Payce was already dressed, but he did have to get to work so Kevin suppressed his annoyance.

Payce glared at him.

“What?”

“You have kids.”

Kevin shrugged. “So.”