Justice (11 page)

When he finally thought he had all the day’s ugly feelings out, Paul sighed and nuzzled against Justice’s chest. “Thank you,” he croaked, his throat aching from what he’d put it through then and earlier in the therapy session. It’d been a day of relieving some of his most horrific injuries, ones that still scarred his skin. Paul had been stressing over Justice seeing them and thinking him hideous, because the ones that had got infected, or had been reopened just for his torturers’ enjoyment, looked nasty still.

Pink and puckered, jagged, thick, Paul hated every fucking scar they’d given him. Justice could probably feel them through his shirt, if he pressed a little harder.

But Justice kept his touch light. Paul didn’t want him to. He wanted Justice to touch him so he’d ask Paul about the scars. Bring it up first, because Paul didn’t know how.

Justice slowed his caresses down. He kissed the top of Paul’s head, then he unerringly settled one hand on the worst scar. “I know where they are, Paul. I felt them when you came into my arms. They don’t matter to me. They won’t make you unattractive, but I can’t guarantee I won’t be very angry when I see them. Can’t guarantee I won’t want to kill the shifters who did it to you.”

“I want to kill them,” Paul ground out. He needed a drink, badly. “Kitchen?”

“Anywhere you want to go,” Justice told him. He eased away and Paul reluctantly let go of him.

“I’m sorry I lost it like that. It’s been a rollercoaster day for my emotions.” Paul looked at Justice’s hand. Could he hold it?
Well, why the fuck not? I’ve touched his dick, twice.
Paul slid his hand in Justice’s and started towards the kitchen. Justice curled his hand around Paul’s. “I was explaining the scars to Vivian, and how I’d gotten each one. How much I dreaded showing you them.”

“There’s no rush, and I told you, the scars won’t change the way I see you.”

Paul glanced at him and started to speak, but his voice cracked. He walked to the sink and had to let go of Justice then so he could grab a couple of glasses. Justice took the ice trays from the refrigerator and popped some cubes lose. He dropped them in the glasses, then Paul filled them with water. He handed one to Justice.

“Thanks.” Justice brought the glass to his lips and drank deeply. Paul watched and probably drooled, he was so entranced. He swiped at his mouth and chin, relieved to find no saliva on either. He took a drink of his own water.

“You know I meant what I said, no pressure,” Justice informed him, setting down his glass.

“I know, but you’re going to leave and I…” Paul took another drink before setting his glass on the counter. “It’s stupid, but I feel like if you leave, something bad will happen, either to you, or to me.”

Justice tenderly stroked his arm. “That’s our bond. It’s hard on mates to part, especially like we are, with nine hundred miles soon to be between us. The thing is, a mate wants to do what’s best for his other half. That means, right now, me going back to Phoenix, and you staying here.”

“But—” Paul began, only to close his mouth. He knew Justice was right.

“On top of the therapy, which I hope is helping, the fact is, you’re safer here. Levi and Lyndon will be back tomorrow, along with Oscar and Josiah. I know that might not be a good thing to you right now, but I’ve met Josiah before. I swear to you, he’s a good man,” Justice said earnestly. “He is. Not a cruel bone in his body, and maybe, if you give him a chance, you’ll be able to see that it’s wrong to blame the whole breed of shifter, just as it’d be wrong to blame a whole race of people if a few of them had hurt you.”

“They scare me,” Paul admitted quietly. “I hate it, hate being scared. It makes me feel weak, and I know that I am when compared to a shifter. I mean, look.” It was easier to whip his shirt off over his head and present his back to Justice. “How can I forget this? I can’t even stand to look at a damned Chihuahua!”

To his credit, Justice didn’t gasp or growl or anything like that. He was as quiet as a statue. Paul dared to glance over his shoulder.

Justice traced the worst scar, the one where Terence had ripped through skin and tissue with sharp claws.

“He wasn’t even in human form,” Paul scraped out. The shame of that admission, of what had been done to him regardless of his begging and pleading, was threatening to take Paul to his knees.

Justice did make a sound then, like he’d been stabbed with a dull blade between his ribs. He moved and in one step he was plastered against Paul’s back. “It wasn’t your fault. You don’t have to feel ashamed, Paul. They should. No decent person, whether human or shifter, takes advantage of their strength and uses it to harm others. That you’re here, and whole, and in my arms, is proof of how much they underestimated you. Your strength is greater than theirs. It’s greater than anyone I’ve known.”

Paul was going to cry again if he wasn’t careful. Justice’s words were a balm to his wounded soul, at least temporarily. Whether or not they’d stick was hard to tell. Paul turned around in Justice’s arms. He looked up at him.

“Kiss me?” Two words, but they meant so much. Paul was asking Justice to lead, to take control, at least for the moment.

Justice bent down and brushed his lips back and forth over Paul’s. Paul closed his eyes as he settled his hands on Justice’s shoulders. He parted his lips and moaned when Justice kissed him properly, the way he wanted, with tongue and divine pressure. At the same time, Justice began caressing his back again with those gentle touches that were unravelling all of Paul’s worries and insecurities. At least the ones in regards to Justice wanting him still.

Justice’s tongue licked into his mouth, teased and twined around Paul’s. Paul rose up onto his toes, seeking more. More what, he wasn’t sure, but he knew Justice wouldn’t fail him.

Justice slid his mouth down Paul’s chin and nibbled at where his jaw met his ear. Paul shivered at the delicious sensation, then Justice was moving again, lowering himself down as he licked and kissed a path to Paul’s right tit. Paul opened his eyes and looked at his nipple.

There were scars there, too, where he’d had rings put in against his wishes. Having them torn out had fucked with his sensitivity there, but Justice’s mouth still felt amazing when he began to suckle the scarred flesh.

Paul cupped his hands around Justice’s head, not pulling, only holding on. Justice used one hand to gently pluck at the other nipple. Paul could barely feel it, and he growled in frustration.

“Harder?” Justice asked.

Paul bobbed his head. “I think so. I don’t know. The scar tissue, the damage there, I can’t feel as—oh God!”

Justice had pinched and nipped with enough force that it made Paul’s knees weak as lust shot from his tits to his ass, then to his cock and balls. He curled his fingers against Justice’s short hair and panted as his nipples were given plenty of attention. Paul’s cock ached for a touch. It leaked pre-cum as Justice kept stimulating those taut nubs.

“Please,” Paul rasped, afraid he was going to fall over.

His pants were opened with a quick move of Justice’s hands. The second Justice’s lips touched his cockhead, Paul gasped and hunched over Justice’s head. The move drove his cock farther into Justice’s mouth.

Justice hummed, his approval obvious in the sound and in the way he tapped Paul’s hips.

Paul wasn’t going to last, and his willpower was shot. No one had sucked him off raw in ages, and even so, the past blow jobs couldn’t compare to the tight, wet seal around his cock now.

A deep thrust in, given slowly, had his crown breaching Justice’s throat. Justice swallowed and Paul pulled back, loving the drag of those wet muscles around his shaft. He thrust back in, slow, deep, not stopping until his balls were pressed to Justice’s chin.

That was the rhythm he kept for as long as he could, which wasn’t long at all. His balls soon drew up and his body warmed, blushing with arousal and his impending orgasm.

Paul sped up just a little as he ran his hands up his chest and pinched at his tits. He had to do it pretty hard to feel it, but that was okay, it was damned good.

He tipped his head back and moaned as Justice tongued his slit. That was something he liked and hadn’t experienced before. Justice did it again, then he came off Paul’s dick. Paul started to protest, but his balls were licked and sucked and that felt fucking amazing.

Justice sucked on his sac then took Paul’s cock in to the base. He growled or rumbled somehow, and Paul’s world was well and truly rocked. He came so hard it was like a punch to the gut, knocking all the air from his lungs as he shot his load.

Justice suckled, moaning off and on until Paul finally pulled his dick from Justice’s mouth. Justice fumbled with his shorts.

“Let me,” Paul said. Justice stilled his hands. Paul pushed them aside and unfastened the first button. “I want to suck you.”

“Gods,” Justice groaned. “If you say that again, I’m coming to make a mess in my shorts.”

Paul shoved the material down, pleased that Justice had gone commando. Justice’s cock was thick and long, uncircumcised. Paul hadn’t even noticed before, but he hadn’t exactly been studying Justice’s shaft last time he’d seen him naked.

“Beautiful,” Paul said as he carefully eased the foreskin back. “Look at that beautiful prick.”

Justice leant back, slapping his hands to the floor behind him. “Please, Paul. Touch me, do whatever you want, but let me come.”

“I’m not stopping you,” Paul murmured. He dipped his head down and sniffed, taking in the odour of Justice’s need. Then he licked over the leaking slit.

“Fuck!” Justice’s arms quivered.

Paul raised his head. “Lay back before you fall. I sure don’t want that happening when your dick’s in my mouth.”

Justice cursed again and pinched his shaft. “I’m too close,” he offered by way of explanation. He eased himself down and manoeuvred his legs until he was flat on the floor.

Paul eyed his dark balls, the skin wrinkled and plum-coloured. He leant down and licked over them and Justice shivered as he parted his legs.

Paul hefted his balls in one hand. He pulled them up and saw the tiny, tight swirl of Justice’s asshole. Had anyone ever fucked Justice?

“Paul,” Justice whined, moving his legs restlessly.

Paul licked up the length of Justice’s cock. He took the head in and sucked until his jaws ached. With one hand, he stroked Justice’s nuts. As he took in more of his length, he moved his hand lower until his fingertips brushed over that hidden spot nestled between Justice’s cheeks.

The moan that got him was intriguing. Paul rubbed that hole with a little more pressure as he flicked his tongue along Justice’s length. Justice didn’t thrust—the man had more self-control than Paul ever would. Paul waited until he was able to take Justice into his throat before he pushed the tip of his finger into Justice’s pucker.

Justice made a garbled sound and his cock swelled in Paul’s mouth. Paul felt the thickest vein on the underside throb against his tongue and he raised his head, keeping only the crown in his mouth as he wiggled his finger in deeper.

Justice thrashed and his cum spurted in hot jets of salty, bitter liquid. Paul drank it down, almost sobbing with the relief of actually tasting his mate. His finger was gripped by those soft inner walls. Paul wished he’d had more time to explore Justice’s ass. He’d have liked to have found his gland and driven him wild that way.

He eased his finger out then rubbed over Justice’s ring until he knew every wrinkle of that snug hole. As much as he’d have liked to suck on Justice’s cock all day, he finally let that thick length slide from his mouth. Justice’s shaft wasn’t even soft, but then again, neither was Paul’s.

What he wanted wasn’t another round of sex just then. He wanted to sleep, and he wanted to do so with Justice. “Come to bed with me?” he asked.

Justice took his hand. “Anything you want.”

Chapter Nine

A week, that was all it’d taken for Paul to become the most important part of his life. Justice even considered taking a leave of absence or quitting his job just so he could stay with Paul. That wasn’t rational, it was foolish, but the intrinsic need to be with his mate was very powerful.

Justice wasn’t going to quit a job he’d always dreamt of having. Paul wouldn’t want to live at Grandma Marybeth’s forever. Vivian wouldn’t either, though she would remain behind to work with Paul. Justice wished he could stay and help Paul through the healing process, but he’d be there as much as he could. Hopefully their mental link would still be possible over the miles separating them.

He was going to miss the freedom to run, too. Justice stretched his legs, taking bounding leaps through the dense foliage. It was another bright, sunny day but the trees sheltered him from most of the heat. The sun’s rays slipped through and dappled the ground with bits of yellow and white. There was a slight breeze, just enough to keep everything interesting, bringing Justice scents of rodents and larger animals along with the verdant plants growing in the area.

There was even the hint of water on the air. Justice chuffed at that. It’d be a good day to play in the stream. Paul was with Vivian, and Justice needed to keep his own mind in a state of easy flow. He didn’t want to add to Paul’s stress.

Paul hadn’t wanted to go today. It had filled Justice with a warm fuzzy feeling to know that Paul wanted to spend the entire day with him, but his duty was to make sure Paul had what he needed. Paul needed the sessions with Viv and Justice wasn’t going to be selfish.

At least he was outside, smelling the crisp forest air, hearing the birds sing in the distance. There were other sounds, too, the clicking and whirring of insects, the scurrying of tiny feet and panicked heartbeats. Justice didn’t intend to kill anything during his outing. He’d eaten well beforehand, remembering his hesitancy over the buck.

So he had his full belly, and was feeling lazy even as he loped along. It’d been a long time since he’d had such a sense of contentedness. Runs were rare in Phoenix. Nonexistent, really. He had to take trips to neighbouring mountainous areas so he could shift and run. That took time he didn’t always have. His work schedule varied, but he rarely had two days off in a row. Maybe once he had more time in, that would change.