Leopard's Spots 2: Oscar (11 page)

“He wasn’t stronger,” Oscar snapped. “He’s not a shifter.”

“And you could have torn him into a thousand pieces,” Josiah murmured, impressed with Oscar’s restraint as a bullied child. He didn’t think he’d have been able to hold back. Richie Burrows would have been broken and left in a heap of blood, tears, snot and shit. Then things clicked together in Josiah’s head and he took a chance he hoped wouldn’t backfire on him.

“But you didn’t, Oscar. You knew you could have put an end to the bullying, you could have done some serious damage to that kid, yet you didn’t. Somehow you kept yourself safe,” he paused, “and under control. So if”—and here was the tricky part—“if you did do something that haunted you later on, I know it had to be for a very good reason. You wouldn’t just strike out and hurt someone, Oscar.”

Oscar sobbed, but took another step back when Josiah reached for him. “No! You don’t know that! Look what I did to you.” Oscar’s gaze darted right to Josiah’s shoulder, making him aware of the blood oozing from the wound.

“It doesn’t hurt.” It didn’t, not really. If it weren’t distressing Oscar so much, Josiah was pretty sure he’d be getting off on the dull throb from it along with the other various parts of him that felt well-used. “You didn’t hurt me. You marked me. Claimed me.” And he couldn’t help his voice from dropping, not when just saying those last two words had caused his cock to twitch.

Oscar finally looked him in the eye, and some of the anguish there seemed to have dimmed. Josiah lifted his hands and cupped Oscar’s face, tracing the path of tears with his thumbs.

“Tell me,” he said, because he thought Oscar needed to, needed to say it and know that Josiah wouldn’t castigate him for anything. If Oscar knew and understood the mate bond, he’d never question Josiah’s loyalty. “Oscar, please. Trust me, just with this if you can.”

“I—” Oscar started to turn his head, but Josiah kept his hands there, holding Oscar in place. “I want to. I think…I can’t trust myself. I’m afraid to trust myself. I bit you like…like I did someone when one of Cole Tavares’ sons tried to kill Lyndon.”

Josiah didn’t think so and he gave a sharp shake of his head. “No, you didn’t. What you did to me was a very erotic thing, making sure our beasts knew we belong to each other. I’ll mark you the same way, don’t doubt that. I won’t feel bad about it, either, because it’s part of what we are, who we are. Neither of us are fragile little things, Oz. We won’t break each other, and I think that’s part of why I wanted you to fuck me, why it burned me up with need when you bit me, or pinched me, even when you slapped my ass so hard my ears rang from it.”

Oscar hiccupped out a laugh and leaned into Josiah, who held him close and rested his chin on Oscar’s head. “It made me hard all over again when you said you’re gonna mark me too.” As if Josiah didn’t feel the stiff dick jutting against his thigh. “And all the rest, I want that too. I did what I’ve fantasised about doing. What I thought you liked, from how you reacted.”

“Oh I did,” Josiah said, managing a purr of his own, although it wasn’t nearly as sexy as the one Oscar had used earlier. “I loved everything you did to me, and yeah, I want to do everything to you, with you. But not yet, I don’t—”

Oscar snapped his head up and nearly clipped Josiah’s chin when he did so. “You don’t want to what?” The narrow-eyed look he levelled at Josiah promised unpleasantness if that sentence went the wrong way.

Which was probably the way he’d been heading with it, Josiah realised. If he truly believed Oscar was strong, capable, all the things he’d said he believed Oscar to be, how dare he turn around and recant by saying he was afraid Oscar couldn’t handle what he was asking for? Josiah sighed and smiled timidly.

“I’ll learn not to be such an idiot, if you give me a chance.” He bent until he could nuzzle Oscar’s neck, and once Oscar hummed his approval, Josiah bit. Not as hard as Oscar had bitten him, but not a nip, either.

“Ah!” Oscar hissed as he clutched at Josiah’s arms and rubbed on him. “Jo!”

Josiah let his teeth drop enough to break the surface of Oscar’s skin, and Oscar writhed frantically, his hips driving forward as he humped Josiah’s leg. He reached around and grabbed a handful of ass, encouraging Oscar to rut harder. He delved his fingers into Oscar’s crack and prodded at Oscar’s hole.

Oscar keened and wet heat sprayed Josiah’s leg. He sucked on the spot he’d bitten, using pressure and his tongue to drive Oscar wild. Oscar’s keen broke off into a round of cursing Josiah had rarely heard the likes of before, and it made him snicker softly as Oscar shot another round of cum on him.

Once Oscar had stopped cussing and thrusting, he sagged against Josiah. He caught his mate and, hoping he wasn’t about to get his ass kicked, he scooped Oscar up and carried him to the bed. His own cock was erect and thumping his belly when as walked to the bathroom, but he could wait. Oscar wanted to be fucked, but Josiah wanted to see those pretty plump lips wrapped around his dick, wanted to feel Oscar take him into his throat.

“Not helping,” he muttered as he picked up a washcloth. At the rate he was going he’d spurt all over himself when he tried to clean up. Josiah stepped over to the sink and turned on the hot water. He looked into the mirror and saw the mark Oscar had left behind.

Mark, hell. That’s a full-on snow leopard bite, and it’s the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever worn.

Josiah poked at it experimentally and yep, it hurt. He smirked at his reflection for a second before he dipped the washcloth under the water. “I’ll be right there to clean you up, gonna get this off my ass and thighs first.” And he wanted to clean his shoulder and hip, anywhere where there was blood that might cause Oscar to freak out.

Well, there was only so much he could do about the bite. It wasn’t going to look pretty—he thought it was sexy, blood and all—no matter what he did. Still, he tried, soaking the cloth and squeezing it out over the wound. Pink-tinged water ran down his chest and Josiah repeated it until the water ran clear, then he took care of the rest of his needs. He took a fresh cloth and went out to clean up Oscar, only to find him sleeping soundly.

Josiah debated for a moment, but decided to go ahead and wipe Oscar down, because otherwise he’d wake up sticky and itchy, and he needed to tend the bite he’d left on Oscar, too. And they needed to talk. Or, more importantly, Oscar needed to talk and Josiah needed to listen, and when he was done doing that, he needed to reassure Oscar.

Oscar grumbled through the wipe down after hissing when Josiah cleaned up the bite mark. But by the time he got to Oscar’s cock that particular part was trying to fill all over again. Josiah told himself not to get distracted and he quickly cleaned Oscar’s parts. A swipe over both thighs in case there was spunk on them, then Josiah tossed the washcloth towards the bathroom and plunked down beside Oscar. The mattress bounced from his weight and Oscar cracked open an eye just enough to show Josiah a hint of blue.

“You’re not gonna let me sleep, are you?”

Josiah tapped Oscar’s bottom lip just because he had to touch him. “Nope. I want you to trust me, and I think if you just listen to your instincts, you’ll know you can. We’re mates, Oz. That means—”

“I don’t know what exactly it means,” Oscar said with a huff. “You were making fun of me earlier—”

“I was not!” Josiah started to move away, but thought that might just be Oscar’s goal, even if he didn’t know it. “I was asking in a roundabout way, I guess, because I don’t understand how you don’t know about this, especially this. Mates are…” Josiah sighed, feeling like a teenage boy with his first crush just from saying it. “Everything.”

Oscar propped himself up on one elbow and glared at Josiah. “Well, I don’t know anything about them because my family doesn’t know jack about what we are, basically. I’d never even heard a thing about mates until Grandma Marybeth mentioned that maybe such a thing was possible. She wasn’t sure that she might actually be remembering. Her entire family was slaughtered in the Himalayas, where she was born. She was only like six, so she didn’t remember much. Eventually she met my grandpa and moved to America and there ya go. An almost total loss of our history as shifters.”

Josiah had quickly started to feel like shit as Oscar talked. He hadn’t known all of that, but they hadn’t had a lot of time to share their life stories yet. “Okay, I can see where you thought I was being a smartass, but you could have just said.” He rolled to his back and grabbed Oscar. “Come here.” He wasn’t going to baby him. Josiah pulled and manoeuvred them both until he had Oscar half laying on him, then he stroked Oscar’s back and hip until he felt him relax.

“Now, tell me what happened when Albert died.”

He’d known the question was coming and had thought he’d be prepared for it. But as always, when Oscar tried to think about the night he’d killed Albert Tavares, his mind recoiled from going there.

Josiah seemed to know this, either picking it up through their link or hell, for all he knew, Josiah could smell the fear and disgust that threatened to consume Oscar.

“Shhh, stay calm. It’s okay, Oz. You don’t have to go into detail if you prefer not to, but I want to know why you’re punishing yourself for doing something I don’t think you had a choice in.”

“I did have a choice. It was either kill Albert or watch Lyndon die.” And
then
kill Albert, because the sick fuck would have probably come after Oscar or his family, or both.

Josiah’s touch stayed steady, firm but not harsh. He nuzzled the top of Oscar’s head and rumbled from deep in his chest. Oscar felt his pulse slow and his mind became calmer the longer he laid there with Josiah, and finally he started to speak.

“He came onto our land and set an ambush for us. When my brothers, Orion and Drake, and Mom and I went out trying to find Albert—we didn’t know his name at the time, but he’d been on the property earlier. Left a disgusting animal carcass strewn all over. Shit and pissed and clawed up our trees. Totally came in and invaded, you know?” He rolled his neck until he could kind of see Josiah’s face.

“That would be incredibly offensive in itself,” Josiah agreed. “In fact, it’d be reason to kill in my pack. Wolves are territorial. My father and I can’t even be around each other much just because we’re both alphas. Except I don’t quite seem to be the alpha with you.”

“Equal footing,” Oscar suggested. “Makes sense to me, because I don’t think I’m cut out to be anyone’s follower.”

Josiah laughed, his chest heaving when he did so and jostling Oscar. “No, you’re definitely not a follower, and I am so glad for that. Destiny knows what she’s doing when she pairs up mates. Sometimes people are surprised to find the person perfect for them isn’t anything like the one they fantasised about.”

Oscar felt a tingle of trepidation as he pushed up on one arm to better see Josiah. “Am I?”

Josiah didn’t even pretend not to understand. “For the most part, yes. And before you get hurt by that, let me explain.”

Oscar wanted to roll away in a huff, but Josiah didn’t deserve such immature behaviour, and Oscar was better than that, too. He just needed to remember he was. “Okay. I’m listening.”

Josiah pulled him back down and resumed petting him. “Okay. I didn’t even know gay shifters had mates. Not everyone has them, and I just… Well, there’d been a debate in most of the packs over whether or not the LGBTQ shifters should even be allowed to remain with ‘het’ packs. Once that stupidity got settled, there were still some shifters bitching that gay shifters would remain mateless as proof of them being freaks against God. Which”—Josiah’s voice became thick with sarcasm—“I’d like to point out, there’s plenty of God-fearing humans who’d flip the fuck out and kill every one of us shifters if they knew about us.”

“No shit,” Oscar muttered. “That’s, like, everyone’s fear in my family. Grandpa Vincent wasn’t a shifter, so when he passed away he was just a human, no worries over DNA and such. But what happens to the rest of us?”

He felt Josiah’s shrug. “Whatever form we die in, that’s what we are, through and through. We’re taught it’s our spirit that makes us shifters or dual-natured, whatever one wants to call it. Once it’s gone, all that’s left is a husk, a shell we used for a time.”

“Huh.” Oscar liked that theory. “How sure are you of this?”

“No one’s ever busted us shifters, have they?”

Oscar chuckled. He couldn’t wait for Grandma Marybeth to hear this. “No. That should take a load off my family’s mind.”

“I imagine it will.” Josiah hugged him fiercely before releasing him only to continue rubbing and talking. “But, back to mates. I fantasised about a man who could take me to heights no one had before, sexually, emotionally, every way. He’d be strong, handsome, brilliant, kind—everything you are, Oz.” He felt Josiah kiss the top of his head. “But I wasn’t expecting to ever meet you, or for you to exceed my fantasies. I’d never seen a face in those, but you are more gorgeous than I’d ever have been able to visualise. I’m not good at imagining things in detail, except for what I want to do to you. No problem there.”

Oscar was tempted to roll fully onto Josiah and just rub until they both lost their minds, but he knew part of him wanted to evade the conversation he’d inadvertently derailed. He did want to tell Josiah one thing, though, and he wanted to look him in the eyes when he did so. Oscar went ahead and climbed on top of Josiah, straddling his waist. He bit his cheek to keep from whimpering at the way Josiah felt under him, his hairy stomach hard and hot against Oscar’s balls and ass.
Focus!

“You’re everything I ever wanted.” So far, at least, although Oscar was beginning to believe that’d remain the case until they died. “Physically, you are everything I beat off to.” Josiah’s lips twitched and he got a smug look that dragged a laugh out of Oscar. “Yeah, you know you’re one sexy mother fucker.”

“Ick!” Josiah mock-shuddered, “let’s not even go there!”

Oscar goosed him in the ribs. “You know what I mean.” He tried not to, but he finally allowed his gaze to be drawn inexorably to the bite he’d left on Josiah’s shoulder. If he’d moved much further to the left, he might have nicked an artery. The thought terrified him and smothered any amusement he’d felt. A bitter taste sprung up in his mouth and Oscar fought the urge to gag.