His Imperfect Mate 26 (8 page)

He whimpered as he pulled his legs closer to his chest.

“Are you still beating yourself up about this?” Chance asked. “I already told you, it was an accident.”

“You can say that. It wasn’t you who turned the stove on.”

“Trust me, I’ve screwed shit up before. Why do you think I’m not allowed in the kitchen anymore?”

“You almost burned the house down?” D asked as he looked over at Chance.

“Hell, no, but have you tasted my cooking? Pa said I could be charged with attempted murder from trying to feed anyone that crap.”

“It’s not the same thing, dork.”

“Give me a break here. I’m trying to cheer you up.”

“Not working.”

“Talk about a tough crowd,” Chance grumbled. “It’s not your fault. Well, maybe it is, but shit happens. Get over it. At least you can say you baked your first cake.”

D gaped at the bear. “I nearly burned the house down!”

“We all have to start somewhere. I bet you won’t fall asleep again.” Chance snickered.

“Whatever.” D turned back around. He was so not amused.

It didn’t matter how many times the bear told D that it was an accident. It wouldn’t register in his mind. All his life his father had told him what a disappointment he was. How Magnum wished D was more like him or Raven. In his heart D knew that a parent shouldn’t tell a child such things, but after hearing the criticism for so long, D started to believe those words.

And today, he had proven them.

“He’s fine, D. Chauncey took Sloane upstairs, and your mate is resting.”

D glanced over at Chance, seeing the smear stains from the soot of the smoke all over the man’s face, blackest at his nose. “You should shift and heal as well. Your voice sounds like shit.”

Chance smiled. “I’ll be fine.”

D rolled back over, staring at the brick wall that needed a good paint job. His eyes focused in on the small cracks running up the wall and disappearing into the floor beams overhead. The only thing he wanted at this second was Sloane. His mate was everything a man should be and more. He made D feel safe, and good. The day had slipped by, and D was no closer to finding out if his mate was fully healed or not, even though everyone kept reassuring him that his mate was fine.

They both turned their heads when someone opened the basement door and began to walk down the steps. D had heard the firemen leave early this morning, so it had to be Chauncey.

“You two okay?”

His heart felt as though it had grown too large for his chest when he saw Sloane appear in the doorway, looking as though he hadn’t collapsed right in front of him from smoke inhalation. D had never been so scared in his life when his mate crumpled to the ground, and he never wanted to see something like that again. The man stood there tall, proud, with a black T-shirt on that stretched across his chest and a pair of black stonewashed jeans hugging his thick thighs.

A whimper left his lips as tears began to roll down his face.

Sloane was okay. He was unhurt from inhaling so much smoke. Even his voice was normal, steady, telling D that his mate had survived. He brushed away the tears, knowing his face was going to be stained red, but he didn’t care, not when he had a chance to drink the man in.

“We’re fine,” Chance said as he got to his feet, dusting the dirt from the floor off of his ass. “But your mate needs therapy.”

D glared at Chance as the bear exited the room.

“What was that about?” Sloane asked as he stared down at D, his eyes flickering over D’s face. He knew his mate was looking for signs of the blistering, but D was healed, thanks to the bears feeding him.

“Nothing,” he said softly, averting his eyes. D couldn’t even look Sloane in his face after what he had done. How could he? He had nearly killed the man.

“You ready to go upstairs?”

“How?” D asked as his eyes shot back up. “There’s still some daylight left.”

“I have a blanket with me.” Sloane jerked his head toward the door. “It’s on the steps. I fixed the curtain that fell in the bedroom, so you’ll be safe.”

How the hell could the guy not be yelling at D right now? He had damn near burnt the man’s house down, and Sloane stood there talking calmly like D had just been hiding in here, nothing more. He cocked his head, taking a really good look at the wolf’s eyes, seeing nothing but concern swimming in their emerald-green depths. “Aren’t you mad at me?”

“For trying to bake me a cake? No. Although I think I’m cool on the cake thing now.” His mate chuckled softly as the corner of his lip lifted.

Before he knew what was happening, a smile broke out on D’s face as a small laugh fell from his lips. Somehow Sloane had made him laugh. It was something he didn’t think possible at this point. “It was chocolate.”

“It’s about that color. Maybe a little too crunchy for me, though.”

D chuckled as he stood, smiling at the one man in the world that didn’t make him feel like an all-around disappointment. Magnum would have had D reduced to tears by now, wishing he was never born, but not Sloane. The man simply amazed him. “How bad is it?”

Sloane gave a lazy shrug, looking as though his house almost burning down was no big deal. “A fresh paint job and a new stove should fix it. It’s all good.”

“You’re really not mad at me?”

“Did you do it on purpose?” Sloane asked and then left the room, coming back a few seconds later with a thick blanket in his hands.

“I didn’t do it on purpose, Sloane. I swear. I just wanted to do something nice for you,” D said as he walked over to his mate, letting Sloane wrap the blanket around him. His instincts had him reaching out to grab Sloane as the wolf lifted him off of his feet, but the blanket prevented his hands from grabbing anything. He felt silly being wrapped up like this, but D was also tired of the storage room.

He’d seen enough of it to last him a lifetime.

“Then there’s nothing to be mad about. We’ll get the kitchen back in order.”

How could he have such an understanding mate? Sloane didn’t seem fazed by anything. Okay, maybe when D’s brothers came after him, but…

“Here we are,” Sloane said as he laid D down. “Safe and dark.”

D peeked outside of the blanket to see that he was back in
their
bedroom. He smiled at the thought of this house being theirs. It would be the first time he had something of his own. He had lived with his father his whole life, and then the Lakelands. “It doesn’t seem real.”

“What doesn’t seem real, hon?” Sloane asked as he pulled the blanket from around D.

Hon.
God, D loved that word. It felt like it was invented just for him. He wanted to roll around and bathe in that word. No one had ever given him an endearment, except for the shortened version of his name, but that was more of a nickname.

And Sloane had given him one. It may just be a word Sloane tossed out, but D was spinning in circles in a daisy field with the sunshine basking him in warmth, metaphorically of course. “Call me that again, please.”

“What?”

“Hon.”

Sloane gave him a lazy, half-cocked smile as he crawled over D, cupping his face. “You like when I call you hon?”

D closed his eyes, shivers coursing throughout his body as tingles of sheer delight spread across his skin from the warmth of Sloane’s body. He loved being held by Sloane. It was the best feeling in the world, next to tasting the man. His weight was welcome and wanted.

“God, yes.”

Sloane smiled as he nibbled across D’s jaw, his tongue flicking out every so often, as if Sloane was taking pleasure from just licking him. D’s cock twitched from the smell of man and earth, with a hint of musk. Sloane had a unique scent that was driving D absolutely batshit crazy. He wanted to become a shifter just so he could rub his body all over the man and carry his scent. D wanted Sloane to mark him in the worst sort of way.

Sloane’s hands left D’s face and traveled down his arms, flames licking his flesh in their wake. He wanted to feel this sexy man buried deep in his ass. He wasn’t brave enough to voice his desires, so D showed him another way by grinding his now-hard cock into Sloane’s firm abdomen.

D was panting as Sloane’s hands trailed back up his arms and his wolf’s fingers curled around D’s wrists, holding them in place as he slowly made his way down D’s slim form. Was Sloane going to suck his cock? D could feel pre-cum soaking his underwear at the thought.

He bit his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood when Sloane used his teeth to undo D’s pants, the zipper clinking down as it opened. That was the sexiest thing he had ever seen! D was going to pass out just from the erotic way Sloane was moving down his body.

“You smell good enough to eat,” Sloane murmured as he rubbed his cheek over the skin exposed around D’s navel.

“I smell like burnt toast.”

Sloane grinned as he kissed D’s belly and then nudged his lips past the waistband of his underwear until the head of his cock was showing. D swallowed hard and then hissed when Sloane swiped his tongue over the head.

The verdict was in. D was going to pass the hell out.

“You taste even better.”

D’s legs fell to the side as his head rolled back. This was too much. Sloane’s tongue was teasing his cock as the wolf lapped at his shaft, running his tongue along the length. He wanted to shout for Sloane to put it in his mouth, but D wasn’t going to ruin the moment.

But begging would be okay.

“Please, Sloane. Please, please, please.”

His mate paid him no mind, licking him like a damn treat. “This may not be as good as your supreme blow job.”

Was Sloane nervous? He could have sworn he heard it in his mate’s voice. D wasn’t sure what he should say. The only reason he had mad skills was because he had practiced forever in anticipation of sucking Sloane off, not because he was trying to outdo the man. He chose not to say a word as he waited, the air stilling in his lungs.

It whooshed out of him when warm, moist heat wrapped around his cock. D shouted, his hips slamming forward at the contact.

Sloane’s hands left his wrists and pressed into his hips, stilling him from lodging his cock down his mate’s throat again.

“Sorry. I got a little excited.”

Sloane winked at him and then locked eyes with D as he opened wide and went back down on him. D’s legs shook as he watched his cock disappear into Sloane’s mouth.
Oh hell, oh hell, oh hell.
Was it too early to come?

His back arched, and he cried out when Sloane slid a finger into his ass, making his cum erupt in spurts of white ribbons. D’s head rolled back, his mouth hanging open as his orgasm took over. He was powerless and mindless right now as the feeling of lightning shot through his body.

Sloane had been totally wrong. This blow job was the winner, hands down. He’d never come so quickly in his damn life. His mate pulled back, licking at the head of D’s cock before he stood, unsnapping his jeans.

Both their heads turned toward the bedroom door when someone knocked on the front door. More like banged on it like they were in dire need.
Now? Really?
D wanted to wrap his legs around Sloane and pull him close, stopping the man from leaving the room and taking the promise of hot, mind-altering sex with him.

“I better see who that is. They sound like they’re about to bust the door down.”

D was about to bust somebody’s head.
Damn it!
He rolled, straightening his pants as he caught up with his mate. The sun had finally set, freeing D to walk downstairs.

The banging came again, more urgent this time.

“Hold on, goddamn it. I’m coming,” Sloane shouted as he reached the bottom of the steps. He swung the front door open, and D shouted, racing down the steps just in time to knock Sloane out of the way as his brothers rushed in.

Chapter Seven

Sloane growled, shifting into his wolf form and rushing between the three vampires in his living room and his mate. He wasn’t sure what D’s brothers were going to do to his mate since he hadn’t kept his word and left Sloane alone.

Yeah, he knew about the brothers being told to leave Sloane alone by Maverick, but now was not the time to be thinking about it. He needed to keep his thoughts on the three men standing there hissing at him.

“No!” D shouted as he ran around Sloane, throwing his arms out as if to protect him. Sloane growled, pushing his nose into his mate’s side, trying to make him move back. “No, Sloane. I’m not going anywhere,” D snapped at him before turning to his brothers. “If you’ve come to kill him, you’ll have to kill me first.”

That was the second time today D had tried to give his life for Sloane. The bears had told him about earlier, when D had demanded that they get Sloane to safety as he stayed behind. Sloane had been shocked at the self-sacrifice. To him, that had voided any hard feelings he may have still been harboring toward the vampire. Sloane was even willing to feed the man now.

“Tell him to back off.”

“No, Raven. You are the ones who stormed into
his
house, so you back off,” D shouted. “I won’t let you hurt him.”

Sloane wanted to roll his eyes. It was true that vampires were strong, but Sloane was sure he could handle his own without his pint-sized mate trying to help. If the situation wasn’t so damn serious, Sloane would show D his appreciation in so many different ways.

Raven slowly backed toward the door, his eyes never leaving Sloane’s. “We’ve backed off. Now tell the wolf to shift back to his human form.”

“Uh, no,” D said as he moved closer to Sloane, waving a hand at him. “He’ll be naked if he does and I’m sorry to say this, but if you see my mate naked, I’ll have to make you go blind.”

Sloane let out a small snicker.

“Believe me, I don’t want him.”

“That’s not the point, Raven. Why are you here?”

Sloane sat back on his haunches, but his muscles were coiled tight, ready to leap at the first sign that these bastards were going to hurt D. He didn’t trust them. They may be his brothers-in-law, but they had already come after him once already.

Raven let out a long sigh. “Father sent us to do the job right.”