Love, Always, Promise [Wolf Creek Pack 5] (8 page)

“Ethan, if you don’t want to have sex with me, fine. I won’t make you, but that doesn’t mean there will be a string of people in my life, either. I take being mated very seriously. I would never be unfaithful to you.”

Ethan sat up, staring at Jace in total confusion. “But, I thought—you said—but, you’re not gay. You said so at my apartment.”

“Is that what this is all about?” Jace asked in shock before he started laughing. “Sweetness, I said I wasn’t gay because I was still in that
I’m going to be the alpha of my pack
mode. Alphas in my pack can’t be gay. That’s one of the reasons I left. Ethan, I’m just as gay as you are.”

“You’re gay?” Ethan whispered.

Jace stared at Ethan. The expression on his mate’s face was almost comical. He looked astounded. Jace wanted to laugh. Instead, he grabbed Ethan by the shoulders and pulled him up, pressing his lips against his as he drew him in for a long, passionate kiss.

He heard Ethan whimper as his tongue moved out to caress his lips. He pulled him closer, wrapping his arms around his back even as he delved deeper into his mouth. He could feel Ethan’s hands pressed against his chest, his cock hardening against his hip.

Lifting his head, Jace looked into Ethan’s dazed eyes. “I’m very gay, Ethan. I’d really like the chance to prove it to you. But this time, there are no excuses, no silver poisoning, no forgotten memories. This time, we’ll both know what we’re doing.”

Ethan nodded his head slowly. Jace leaned in and kissed him. He promised himself that he would make this the best experience of Ethan’s life, even better than the first time, which could be hard considering Jace didn’t remember the first time, but he was willing to try.

Jace rubbed his hands down Ethan’s smooth chest. As his palms grazed over Ethan’s nipples, he heard a small hitch in Ethan’s breathing. His hands stayed, his fingers tugging on the small pale brown nubs. Ethan whimpered and Jace felt like a god.

He pulled his lips away from Ethan’s and scooted down Ethan’s body. Ethan’s body looked beautiful, so perfectly formed. Jace couldn’t understand how he could ever forget making love to him. He felt an urgent need to map out every square inch of flesh he could find just so he’d never forget again.

With that single thought in mind, Jace pushed Ethan’s boxers down his legs and flung them across the room. He grinned up at Ethan feeling wild and free for the first time in a very long time, then lowered his lips to Ethan’s body, ready to get the exploration started.

Chapter 5

Ethan squirmed beneath Jace’s larger body as the man began to lick him. He was stunned Jace was even here, that the lips gently sucking on his nipples belonged to the man he thought he would never see again, let alone be intimate with.

He just couldn’t believe that an hour ago he figured he would be alone for the rest of his life. Now, Jace was here, loving on him, saying they would be together as mates. Ethan still wasn’t sure he believed that. Too much happened.

But the alternative, being without Jace for the rest of his life, just didn’t seem worth considering. Jace was everything Ethan always wanted in a mate. Ethan needed to believe this was real. If he didn’t, he might actually lose his mind for good. He wasn’t so sure he hadn’t started to.

Ethan moaned as Jace tugged gently on one nipple before moving to the other, giving it the same treatment. He remembered how good it had been with Jace the first time. He also remembered Jace being gone when he woke up.

“Sweetness? What’s wrong?” Jace asked as he lifted his head. “Are you not enjoying yourself?”

Ethan frowned. “What do you mean?”

Jace lifted his body up and pointed to Ethan’s semi-hard cock which had been rock hard moments ago. “Am I hurting you?”

Ethan felt his face flush. He shook his head.

Jace crawled up the bed to stretch out next to him, leaning on his elbow. Ethan closed his eyes, filled with embarrassment. He just knew he was going to fuck this up. Jace would leave and he’d never see him again. Ethan turned his face away to hide the sudden tears that prickled his eyes.

“Ethan?” Jace whispered close to his ear. “Do you want me to leave? I’ll go if that’s what you want. I don’t want to do anything to hurt you, not again.”

Ethan shook his head rapidly. No, he didn’t want Jace to leave. That seemed to be his whole problem. He wanted Jace to stay forever. He just wanted Jace to want it, too, and he felt terribly afraid that he’d wake up in the morning and Jace would be gone again.

Ethan felt Jace’s fingers caress the side of his face. “Please tell me what’s wrong, Ethan. I can’t fix it if I don’t know what’s wrong.”

Ethan wiped his eyes then turned to look at Jace. “Will you be here when I wake up?”

“Is that what this is all about?” Jace asked looking decidedly confused. “Ethan, I told you that I’m here for good. I’ve left my pack to be here with you. I’m not going anywhere.”

Ethan shook his head. “No, you didn’t.”

Ethan held his breath as a perplexed look came over Jace’s face. Would he leave now? Would he decide that Ethan was too needy and leave? Ethan’s heart thudded in his chest as Jace suddenly jumped up from the bed and grabbed his jeans. This was it. Jace was leaving. Ethan didn’t know if he could bear it.

He held his breath to keep from sobbing as he watched Jace pull his jeans on. He prayed that he could keep his sorrow locked safely behind his lips until Jace left. He wanted some dignity. He didn’t want Jace’s last memories to be of him begging.

“I’ll be right back,” Jace said, pointing a finger at Ethan. “Don’t move from that spot.”

Ethan watched Jace race out of the room, his jeans barely buttoned. He pushed himself up farther on the bed and pulled the blankets up to cover his naked body. He didn’t understand what Jace was up to.

Before he could continue with his thoughts, the bedroom door swung open and Jace came back in. Ethan rolled over to watch him strip out of his jeans and climb back onto the bed.

“Give me your hand,” Jace ordered.

Ethan held out his hand feeling even more confused and maybe just a bit frightened, when Jace slapped a handcuff on his wrist. Then Jace clicked the other end to his own wrist. He looked up at Ethan, a wide grin on his face.

“Now you know I’m not going anywhere without you. Joe has the only key, and he won’t come in to rescue us until morning.”

Ethan held up their cuffed wrists, his eyebrow raised. He glanced over at Jace. “Into kink, are you?”

“No,” Jace said, shaking his head. “Can’t very well go anywhere without you like this, now can I?” Jace shook their bound wrists. “As for the kink angle? Never thought about it before, but I’d be willing to give it a shot. What do you say, sweetness? Should we buy a set for ourselves?”

Ethan nearly choked. He gaped at Jace in astonishment. “You want to get handcuffs?”

“It could be fun.” Jace chuckled and then his face grew serious. “Can I stay, Ethan?”

“You’re asking me?”

“You’re the only one who matters.”

Ethan gazed into Jace’s face as he tried to consider his answer. Jace seemed to be leaving the decision in his hands, but what about in the light of day? What happened when the cuffs came off?

“Jace, you know I’m never going to be normal, don’t you?” Ethan asked. “I’ll never shift, never be able to run with you. I’ll always need a little extra help. Hell, I’ll probably have to use those damn crutches for the rest of my life.”

Ethan watched Jace’s green eyes darken with pain. “I know, and I can never tell you how sorry I am for that, Ethan. I swear I never meant to hurt you.”

“I don’t want to be with you if you’re only here out of some misguided guilt trip,” Ethan stated vehemently. “I’d rather be alone for the rest of my life than be a pity fuck.”

Ethan didn’t think it was possible, but Jace’s eyes darkened even more only this time they darkened with anger. “You do remember that I came back here to be with you before I even knew you had been hurt, right?”

Ethan swallowed past the lump in his throat then nodded.

“I came back because I wanted to be with you. I gave up everything, my home, my status in my pack, even my pack, to be with you. Just because things are a little different now doesn’t mean I’m going to leave, Ethan.”

“But—” Jace’s finger covered Ethan’s lips.

“No buts, Ethan. You’re my mate, for better or for worse. The only way you can get me to leave is to tell me you don’t want me.” Jace’s brow furrowed. “Is that it, Ethan? Do you not want me?”

Ethan’s mouth dropped open in shock. “You can’t be serious.”

“I’m perfectly serious. If you don’t want me, tell me now, and I’ll go. I’ll never bother you again.”

“Jace, I looked for you. I looked for you every damn day.” He waved his hand, only remembering that they wore cuffs when Jace grunted. “I searched everywhere, the hospital, the hotels, the bars. Hell, I even searched the damn ditches looking for you.” He let their chained hands fall back to the bed. “You’re my mate, the one person I waited my entire life for,” he said quietly, almost a whisper. “The way you made me feel that night…I…I…”

“What, sweetness?” Jace murmured. “Just say it.”

“You made me feel special, like I mattered to you.”

“You do matter, Ethan,” Jace said. “Why do you think we’re handcuffed together?”

Ethan smirked. “Cause you’re weird.”

Jace chuckled back. “True as that may be, we’re handcuffed together so that you know I’m not going anywhere without you. It’s just you and me now, sweetness, as long as we live.” Jace’s eyes dropped. “Unless you don’t want me and would rather I leave.”

Ethan watched Jace, realizing his mate felt just as unsure about things as he did. He reached up with his free hand and cupped the side of Jace’s face. “I want you. I’ve wanted you since the first night I saw you.”

“And if I wasn’t your mate?” Jace asked, his eyes rising to meet Ethan’s.

“I’d still want you.”

Jace seemed to let out a relieved breath then he grinned up at Ethan. “Then can we get on with this show? My nuts are about to fall off.”

“Please, by all means, continue the show. I wouldn’t want to be the cause of your nuts falling off,” Ethan said. He scooted down the bed as fast as his injured back would let him. “I’m all yours.”

“You bet your sweet ass you are,” Jace growled fiercely as he moved to cover Ethan’s body with his. The way Jace looked down at him made Ethan feel like the prey to a hunter. It was wild, aggressive, powerful. It made Ethan’s toes curl.

“Jace,” Ethan groaned. Jace grinned and then leaned down to swipe his tongue across Ethan’s nipple, then the other one. Ethan squirmed, hot passion overwhelming him, but Jace’s hands held him firm.

Ethan spread his legs as Jace licked and nibbled down his body. His skin ached everywhere Jace touched. He burned. He wanted to be consumed. He wanted Jace to fuck him until he couldn’t walk. Well, at least until he couldn’t walk without feeling it.

Ethan clenched his fingers in Jace’s hair and pulled. Foreplay felt good, but he wanted to get down to the really good stuff. “Jace,” Ethan pleaded, “need you.”

“Gonna get me, sweetness.”

Ethan understood exactly what Jace meant when his hard cock was enveloped in hot moist heat. Ethan bucked against Jace’s mouth. His mind reeled with the sensations shooting through his body, sensations he never felt before.

His world spiraled out of control when he felt two lubed fingers push into his ass. Between the mouth around his cock and the fingers in his ass, Ethan felt so stimulated he knew he could fly to the moon.

“Jace!” Ethan cried out. “I can’t—I can’t—Aahhh!” Fingers pushed into his body once again and curved inward, touching the hidden button inside. Ethan saw sparks of light flash before his eyes as his seed erupted into Jace’s mouth. Then the world went dark.

* * * *

Jace swallowed all of Ethan’s release then cleaned him up with his tongue. Once done, he slowly licked his way back up Ethan’s body, his fingers till moving inside Ethan’s tight ass. Ethan had come. Now it was his turn.

He pulled his fingers from Ethan’s ass and squirted some more lube on his cock. He wanted to make things as easy as possible for Ethan. No pain, only pleasure. He scooted up between Ethan’s legs and pushed the head of his cock against Ethan’s hole. Then he looked up.

Jace’s mouth dropped open in surprise. Ethan was out cold. For a moment, Jace worried that he hurt Ethan in some way. His heart pounded as he leaned over Ethan and tried to shake him awake, his hard cock forgotten.

“Ethan? Baby?” He said softly. “Ethan? Come on, wake up.”

Ethan’s eyes fluttered.

“That’s it, come on, sweetness, open those beautiful blue eyes for me.”

Ethan’s eyes fluttered again, then opened, a dazed look in them. “What happened?” Ethan asked, looking around as if confused. As he looked down, his face suddenly flooded with color. “Oh lord, I passed out again,” Ethan groaned. “I
have
got to stop doing that.”

“You’re okay?” Jace asked, still concerned. “I didn’t hurt you?”

If possible, Ethan’s face blushed even more as he shook his head. “No, you didn’t hurt me. If anything you—well, you didn’t hurt me.”

Jace watched Ethan for just a moment then chuckled. “We’re going to have to work on your stamina.”

Assured that Ethan was okay Jace’s body started to notice the sexy man it pinned to the bed. Jace’s cock hardened right back up, wanting its turn. Jace grabbed his cock with his free hands and pushed against Ethan again.

“You ready for me?”

Ethan grinned. That was all the invitation Jace needed. He slowly pushed his way in, watching Ethan’s face for any sign of discomfort. When one didn’t come, Jace thrust the rest of the way in until he was seated to the root.

Oh, he was in heaven. Ethan’s grip around Jace’s aching cock felt better than anything he ever felt. Jace began to slowly move. Each gentle thrust took him higher. He knew they were meant to be together. Ethan’s body fit his perfectly.

Jace grabbed Ethan’s leg with his free hand and lifted it up to place it over his shoulder when Ethan suddenly cried out. It didn’t sound like a cry of pleasure. Jace froze and looked down at his mate.