Don't Read in the Closet: Volume Four (70 page)

man in awe. Then a million questions came into his head and he

started babbling.

****

Xan’s little mate looked at him and blinked slowly several times,

then started drilling him with questions. “Are you like a real wolf?

Can you do that whenever you want? What is it like to run in the

forest? Do you kill animals? Do you have to change on a full moon?

What….”

Xan chuckled and interrupted the rant. “Hold on, hold on. I know

you have a lot of questions, and I will answer them all, but take a walk

with me. If I don’t get you out of here right now, I am going to pounce

on you, and there are other things you need to know first.”

He picked up his pants where they had slipped from him when he

changed over and pulled them on, before grabbing Ro’s hand and

leading him out the door. That had gone a whole lot better than he

thought it would. He had expected a lot more screaming and running,

and maybe a little bit of passing out as icing on the cake.

As they walked through the woods, Xan told Ro everything.

About shifters, mating, claiming, and how when he bit his little mate

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while they made love, it bonded them together for the rest of their

lives.

“Like marriage?” Ro asked.

“Stronger than marriage,” Xander said with a grin. “You will be

mine forever, just as I will be yours.”

“That sounds like heaven to me.”

Xan couldn’t have said it better himself. He felt like he could fly.

He kissed his Ro deeply, feeling a weight lift off of him; one he

hadn’t known was there until it was gone. He was so happy that he

wanted to run, wanted to jump and dance and celebrate. He stepped

back and shifted. Ro gasped and then chuckled.

Xander loved that sound. He yapped and bounced toward his

human before running to the side, then repeated the action again. Ro

started belly laughing and playing with him. He found his mate, and

the man accepted him, wolf and all. This had to be the happiest

moment of his life.

****

Ro was excited and awed. He’d had no clue that this stuff was

real, and to meet an actual shifter, amazing. And this awesome man

was his. He was so thrilled that he didn’t know what to do with

himself.

He ran around and played with his man, looking like some bad

remake of Dances with Wolves. He was having too much fun to care.

Xan growled and stalked him low to the ground, before pouncing

toward him and then darting away. Ro felt a thrill go down his spine.

It was both scary and exciting to goof around with a huge, full-grown

wolf.

All of a sudden, his wolf’s ears shot back and his head went up as

he froze. Xander glanced around before letting out a ferocious sound

that changed Ro’s exultation to terror. The world slowed down to a

crawl, like one of those slow motion scenes from a movie. A loud

bang sounded, echoing through the woods, as his wolf jumped and

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landed on Ro’s chest. They both hit the ground hard, crashing through

some bushes as they went.

Ro tried to get his breath back.

“JESSIE??” He heard someone yell, but he was in a fog. What

happened?

He lifted his hand and it was covered in blood. “Oh, god!” Xander

was hurt.

“Jessie, are you alright?” A hand grabbed his arm, and Ro looked

up into his best friend, Camdon’s face.

Jessie Rohen. That was his name.

Everything came back to Jess in a rush. He remembered it all, but

none of that was important. The love of his life was injured.

“What did you do, Cam?” Jessie yelled.

“That wolf was going to attack you, so I shot him.” His friend

sounded so matter of fact. Like it was nothing. Little did he know, it

was everything.

“He wasn’t going to….” Jessie’s heartbeat was in his throat.

“Just…help me. Gently.”

Camdon helped roll the wolf off of Jessie’s chest. There was so

much blood. Tears prickled his eyes as he tried to find where his mate

was bleeding from. “Where did you shoot him, Cam? Where is the

god damn wound?”

He found it in Xan’s shoulder. “Damn you, Camdon!”

“What the hell are you yelling at me for? I saved you! What are

you doing out here anyway?” Cam yelled back.

“I was driving to see you and got lost. I had an accident and I

couldn’t remember anything, till I saw you.”

“You’re on the wrong fucking mountain, Jess.” He wished his

friend would just shut up and help him already.

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“Yeah, well, that’s what lost means, douche. Now listen to me

very carefully. The wolf you just shot is….. a friend of mine. He

helped me, so now we are going to do the same for him.”

He grabbed Cam by the shirt, looked him dead in the eyes and

used his most threatening tone. “Got it?”

“Yeah, man. God. Stop yelling at me.”

They carefully lifted the wolf and started carrying him back

toward the cabin. Jessie looked down and realized that the bullet

wound looked better and that the bleeding had stopped. That was

good. Hopefully his man would be okay. He couldn’t even consider

the alternative. As it was, he was struggling not to sob like a girl.

When they got back to the cabin, Jessie and Camdon carried the

wolf into the bedroom and gently laid him down on the bed. Then Jess

looked back at Cam. “Thanks. Now get out!”

“What? Everyone has been looking for you for weeks, Jess. You

need to come with me and get things straightened out, tell the police

you are alive, and get back to your life. I’ve been worried sick about

you, man.” His buddy looked hurt, but Jessie couldn’t deal with that

right now. He had more pressing concerns at that moment.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t do it on purpose. Listen, leave your number

with me, ‘cause I lost my phone. When I’m done here, I’ll call you

and we’ll have that vacation week, alright?”

Cam just stared at him for a long moment before he nodded, left

his number and walked out the door.

Once they were alone, he ran back over to the bed. “Xander?

Baby?”

Xan changed back into human form and wrapped his arms around

Jess. “It’s okay, my love. Did I mention that I am a fast healer too? By

the way, your friend’s aim sucks.”

Jessie pulled away, trying to hold back the tears again. “You

scared me to death, you fucker!”

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Xander chuckled. “Come here.”

How could two words make his dick spring up in his pants? He

didn’t know, but the commanding tone in Xan’s voice when he said

them, did just that.

****

Xander looked in his mate’s eyes and saw the heat in them. Oh

yeah, his man wanted him. Wanted everything he had to give. “Ro…”

“It’s Jessie.” He looked down at the little man in confusion.

“What?”

“My name. It is Jessie Rohen. In high school I was a football

player and my jersey said Rohen. So, people would chant Ro, when I

was doing well. But I never go by that. My name is Jessie.”

Realization dawned on Xander, and then sadness overwhelmed

him. “You remember everything then?”

“Yes.” His mate grinned up at him, but he just couldn’t feel the

same happiness he saw in his man’s eyes. Xan supposed Jessie would

be leaving him now. His heart felt like it was being ripped out of his

chest.

Xander shoulders fell and he went to get up, but Jess stopped him.

“Where are you going?”

“I thought…..” He was confused. What did his mate want from

him? “You have a life…and…”

Jessie kissed him, deep and hard, before looking up with so much

love that it made his chest ache. “Yes, I do. With you…Mate.”

Xan’s breath caught in his chest and he pushed his man flat on his

back on the bed. “You mean it? We can’t take it back once it’s done,

Jess.”

“Mark me, Xander. Make me yours” Jessie’s voice was filled with

awe and joy. This time, Xan felt that happiness too, and knew his

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dimples were deeper than ever, but he couldn’t help the grin that he

wore.

Xan used his claws to carefully tear Jessie’s clothes from his

body, and then his own. His patience was gone and he needed to bond

with his mate, now. Once his beautiful man was lying on the bed in all

of his glory, he covered the man’s body with his own, holding as

much weight off of him as possible to keep from injuring his still

healing ribs.

Xander leaned down and kissed Jessie with all of the passion and

emotion inside of him, devouring his mouth. The little man groaned

low, and it made Xan harder. He felt like his balls were going to fall

off if he didn’t get some relief and soon, but he wouldn’t rush this.

Finally, he would claim his mate, and he wanted it to be perfect. His

hips thrust forward, grinding their cocks together, as he kissed and

sucked along Jessie’s jaw line and up his neck. He pressed his lips

against Jessie’s ear and whispered, “I love you, Jessie Rohen.”

When he just moaned, Xan accepted that as an answer. After all,

they had been holding off on this long enough to give them both blue

balls from hell. There wasn’t enough blood left in either of their

brains for much thought. And that was just fine by him.

Xander made his way across Jessie’s neck and used his canine

teeth to scrape a line down his throat. He licked and sucked along his

mate’s collarbone and down to his little beaded nipple. Grasping the

pebbled bud with his lips, he took it in his mouth and flicked it with

the tip of his tongue, before giving it a gentle nip.

Jessie nearly threw him off as he arched up off of the bed, looking

for more. He probably would have fallen, if his mate hadn’t chosen

that moment to fist his hair, drawing his head even closer. Xander

could hardly breathe, but who needed air anyway?

He used his canines to scrape the nipple in his mouth and Jess

groaned again, humping his hips up for more friction on his neglected

cock. Both of them moaned in unison as their erections rubbed

together and Xan had to concentrate not to cum. All of his good

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intentions of taking things slow flew out the window, and his hand

scrambled to search the bed for the lube he had used earlier.

Finally finding it, he squeezed some of the goop onto his fingers

and spread Jessie’s legs further apart. He had to keep his shit together

long enough to get his mate ready. He didn’t want to hurt him.

Using one finger, he gently prodded at the puckered entrance,

until Jess pushed back and the digit went in to the first knuckle. Jessie

groaned and Xander looked up to see total ecstasy on his man’s face.

He gently pushed further inside and started fingering the tight little

hole.

“God love, you’re so tight.”

His beautiful mate grunted and sighed before moving his hips and

riding Xan’s finger. Holy shit that was hot!

“More, Xander. Add another one.” He did as requested, without

question.

“Spread me. Scissor your fingers.”

“Like this?” He open and closed the digits.

“Yes, Oh God…yes!”

Xan couldn’t take anymore. “Are you ready? Because I need you.

Please tell me you are ready.”

Jessie moaned hoarsely and then answered with the most

wonderful words in the world. “Yes, take me, Xander. Claim me.”

He carefully flipped Jess over on to his stomach, lifted his hips

and sunk deep in one thrust. Jess cried out again and Xan froze. Was

that pleasure or pain?

“Are you okay, love?”

“Don’t stop!” His mate sounded annoyed and was rocking back

onto him. Well, that answered that question.

Xander pulled back and thrust hard, making Jessie cry out once

more. “Yes. That. More.”

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