Fated mates.
“You two really
think you were put together by Fate?” Nick asked.
“The
Fates,
and
yes.” Liam frowned. “It’s hard to explain it. Aidan was always my best friend.
We used to get into all kinds of trouble together.” Now he smiled wistfully.
“And then we got older, and one day we looked at each other and it was like
being hit by a tidal wave.”
“Sounds like adolescence to me.”
“That’s what my mother told me, and
Aidan’s parents told him. But we knew better. It wasn’t just coming into
manhood. Yes, I wanted to have sex with him, and he wanted it with me. But we
needed
to be with each other as well. It
wasn’t all about sex. I started teaching him about our laws and old cases the
Elders had adjudicated, and he taught me how to grapple and use weapons
properly. There were so many nights we did nothing but talk, holding each
other. We—” He lifted his hands, slotting his webbed fingers together as far as
he could. “We fit. We balanced each other.”
Something Ian had said niggled at Nick.
“But you don’t have tattoos on your backs,” he said. “Mating marks, right?”
“It’s how we knew we had a third
agapetos
. The fact that the marks didn’t
appear after we started having sex proved it.” Liam frowned. “Although my
mother insisted that it meant Aidan wasn’t my
agapetos
. I finally had to go to the Oracle of the Waters for
confirmation that Aidan and I were mates.”
“Oracle of the—” Nick held up a hand
before Liam could reply. “You know what, never mind. Okay, so you went to see
the Oracle.
And?”
“He confirmed that Aidan and I were
agapetos
, and that we had a third mate.
He also said that our mate would be human. I have to admit, that came as a
shock to both of us.” Liam’s expression turned apologetic. “We just never found
humans all that attractive.”
Nick suddenly felt self-conscious.
Compared to the two gorgeous, athletic mers, he definitely came third in the
looks category. “And you wound up with me,” he muttered. “Sorry.”
“Sorry?” Liam leaned forward, eyes wide.
“For what?
Nick, do you even know how perfect you are?
Aidan said he fell in love with you the moment he saw you.” The admiring look
in the mer’s expression dimmed, turning rueful. “And once I’d calmed down, I
was horrified that I’d hurt you. You’re everything we ever dreamed of,
chuisle
.”
Nick tried to ignore the warmth in his
chest at the praise. “So, this Oracle said you were supposed to be mated to a
human?”
“Yes. Luckily that helped me persuade
the Elders that we needed to search for our other
agapetos
. They gave me permission to come on land and look for
him—you. But I never found you.”
“Probably
because I was over a thousand miles away.”
Liam nodded, sitting back.
“So far away.
We never would have met you. But then you came
down here.”
Barnard’s wound prickled at that. “Did
Aidan explain why?”
The mer turned grim. “He told me what
your former lover did. Aidan wants to kill him for that.” His eyes narrowed. “I’m
going to help.”
Nick sighed.
“Yeah,
no.
I don’t want any of you to get in trouble over Barnard. He isn’t
worth the jail time.”
“You’re assuming your human authorities
would catch us. I assure you, if we can get him in the ocean no one will ever
find the body.”
“Jesus.
Never mind.”
He scrubbed at his face. “Forget about Barnard. We need to talk about what
happened last night.”
“Of course.”
Liam slid to
the floor, kneeling penitently again. “You need to give me my penance.”
“Yeah, except I’ve never done anything
like this before,” Nick said. “I mean, did Aidan tell you ... about me?”
“Yes.” Liam looked up at him, hazel blue
eyes solemn. “I know you prefer to submit. But I harmed you, Nick. I laid hands
on you in anger. I deserve to be punished for that. If you can’t bring yourself
to do it, I’ll ask Lord Bythos to do it.”
“No, I don’t want Bythos punishing you,”
Nick said, frustrated. “It was a mistake. A big one, yes, but I know why you
did it. I can’t blame you for wanting to protect Aidan. If I’d been in your
position, I probably would have done the same thing. It’s just—” His pride
balked at admitting the big mer scared him more than a little.
Liam winced, as if hearing his thoughts.
“I don’t want you to be afraid of me. I never want that from you.” The regret
and desperation in his voice were tangible. “Please, Nick, if you won’t punish
me, then
tell
me what I can do to earn your
forgiveness.”
For the first time in his life, Nick
wished he was a switch. That way, he could spank or flog the mer, giving him
the relief of punishment and letting him start off again with a clean slate.
But I can’t do that—it’s just
not who I am.
“I forgive you, Liam. But it’s going to take me some
time to feel comfortable with you. Can you deal with that?”
The mer paused, thinking. Then he
nodded. “Yes. That will be my penance, to work at earning your trust.”
“Okay. And in the meantime, I guess we’ll
get to know each other better.” He studied the handsome male kneeling in front
of him. If they’d met in a bar—or even better, a BDSM club—he would have
immediately gravitated to Liam. As well as being undeniably stunning, the mer
had that calm sense of command that appealed to Nick’s submissive side.
If he hadn’t thrown me around last night,
I’d be happy to switch places with him right now
His thought must have been playing out
on his face because Liam’s body language changed, becoming more focused. “You
don’t like seeing me on my knees, do you?” he said softly.
“No,” Nick said, just as softly. “It
doesn’t seem right for you.”
“I have to admit, it does feel strange.
But if you don’t mind me being honest,” Liam’s gaze dropped to his groin, “I
rather enjoy the view.”
Nick’s mouth went dry at both the words
and the low, sexy tone they were delivered in.
Dom voice.
Holy shit, he’s good.
“Thank you.”
Jeweled eyes flicked back up, then down
again meaningfully. “I’ll also admit I’m jealous of Aidan. He said that you
were delicious. I wonder … would you give me the same boon?”
“I—” The air in the room seemed to
disappear, and Nick struggled to breathe. “Y-you,” he stammered, “
you
want to—”
“Open your pants, take out your cock,
and suck it,” Liam said, lips curving up in a dark little smile. “I want to
feel you getting hard in my mouth, savor the softness of the skin on your cock,
smell the musk of your body,
taste
your pleasure. I
want to make you come in my mouth, Nick. Will you let me do that?”
Well, that’s
definitely one way to get to know each other.
Blood started pooling in his
dick, plumping it against the fly of his shorts. “You don’t have to do this,”
he said raggedly. “I mean—”
“I know. I want to.” Liam edged forward,
slowly sliding his hands onto Nick’s knees. They felt like brands on his skin,
they were so hot. He made a soft, needy noise in the back of his throat as Liam
gently pushed his knees apart. “And you want me to, as well.”
This time Nick did groan, fighting off
images of those chiseled lips wrapped around his shaft, the wet velvet of a
warm tongue licking along the underside. He hadn’t had a chance to come the
night before, and his now-aching balls reminded him of that fact. “Yes. God, please.”
“I’ll make this good for you,
chuisle
, I promise.”
His hands slid up Nick’s thighs, thumbs
teasing his balls with a light brush before going to the fly on his shorts. The
rasp of the zipper was audible, and Nick sighed in relief as his briefs-covered
shaft expanded through the gap.
Liam made an appreciative noise,
stroking the firm ridge. “I can see why Aidan was singing your praises,” he
said. With care, he peeled down the elastic waistband, exposing Nick’s aching
dick to the warm air. Licking his lips, he leaned down and ran the point of his
tongue under the corona, along the sensitive underside.
The brush of hot, wet friction exactly
where Nick wanted it was perfect. He watched, spellbound, as Liam licked him
from balls to tip, slowly tracing the branching veins with the tip of his
tongue. Then the mer took the head in his mouth, playfully sucking and letting
it pop in and out of his mouth.
Liam pulled back a bit, smacking his
lips. “Gods, Aidan didn’t praise your taste nearly enough.”
“Thank-oh-GOD.”
The mer had leaned forward, abruptly
taking him in to the root. Wet heat engulfed him, and his head dropped to the
back of the seat as Liam worshipped his cock with single-minded abandon.
Unexpectedly, tears welled up, and he let them trickle down the sides of his
face. The last time a Dom had sucked him off was Aaron. And not even his lost
master had been as good as this.
Too soon, the buzz at the base of his
spine built, encouraged by the hot, wet suction of Liam’s mouth. He dug his
fingers into the arm rests. “Liam, please, I’m close!”
He whimpered when Liam pulled off,
giving his cock head a brief lick. “Such a good boy,” he purred. “For letting
me know you were going to come, I’m going to give you a special treat.”
Nick quickly found out that the mer’s
definition of “a special treat” was to bring him right to the brink of orgasm
with that astounding mouth before backing off and letting him cool down. By the
third time his climax began to build, he gave in. “Please, sir, please,” he
begged, “let me come. I’ll do whatever you want, just please!”
Liam hummed in approval, sucking hard as
one large hand came up and gently tugged Nick’s balls. White heat exploded
through his groin, and he came hard, voice cracking as he shouted. The mer
swallowed around him, working the shaft with a hand and slurping obscenely.
Nick finally had to beg Liam to stop as
sensitivity set in, shivering on the edge where pleasure met pain. The mer
insisted on licking him clean, giving each ball and the tip a kiss for good
measure. “How was that,
chuisle
?” he
rumbled.
Nick sagged in the chair, boneless with
afterglow.
“Totally amazing.
I don’t think I can walk
now.”
“I’m sure it’ll come back to you.”
Grinning, Liam wiped a stray droplet of semen from the side of his mouth and
sucked his thumb clean. “I’m glad I pleased you.”
Still panting, Nick looked down and saw
Liam’s cock standing hard and proud against the mer’s belly. The cowled
foreskin was just pulling back from the head, exposing slick maroon flesh. His
mouth watered at the sight. “Can I, uh, return the favor?”
Liam glanced down at his shaft, loosely
clasping it and pulling his hand up in a gentle stroke. “It’s up to you, but
I’d prefer to wait.”
“Why?”
The mer sat back on his heels, still
stroking himself. “When the time comes for you to taste me, I want you naked
and on your knees in willing submission. And you can’t give that to me yet, not
until I’ve earned your trust.”
The post-orgasmic haze dissipated.
“Okay, I see your point,” Nick said, straightening up. “But I don’t like
leaving you with blue balls.”
“Oh, I don’t intend to suffer. Sit back
and keep your hands on the arm rests.”
He obeyed. Liam wriggled a bit, getting
comfortable in his kneeling position, then lifted his hand and licked a broad
stripe across the palm, soaking it with saliva. Nick imagined what he
was tasting
, and had to swallow as his salivary glands went
into overdrive.
Smiling, the mer started stroking his
cock again, but this time it was done with a firm grip meant to stimulate
instead of tease. Drops of pre-cum formed in the slit, and he scooped them up
with his thumb, smearing them over the bulbous head and onto the shaft.
Nick swallowed again, trying not to
drool from the insanely hot sight not two feet from him. “Sir, please—"
“Shh. Just watch.”
Liam’s hand sped up slightly, keeping up
the deliberate pace. A red flush crept over the skin of his chest and stomach,
staining it a mottled pink. After a few minutes of this he sucked in a harsh
breath, his muscles going rigid. Creamy white semen spurted over his fist,
landing on his hand, belly and thighs. Nick squirmed, his own cock twitching as
he watched the mer milk himself before settling back onto his heels with a
contented sigh.
Keeping his eyes on Nick, Liam scooped
the sticky whiteness off
himself
, then lifted his hand
and slowly licked it clean. Nick heard a high, reedy noise, and realized the
whine was coming from his own throat. “God, that’s not fair,” he moaned softly.
Liam smiled at him. “I never said I was
fair,
chuisle
. But hopefully you can
have a taste soon.”
A sudden trill made them both jump.
Flushing, Nick dug in his shorts pocket for his phone. To his relief, Ian’s
name was on the screen.