“Yeah.” McBride kissed him, and they rubbed together until Caleb’s prick inevitably slipped free of McBride’s ass.
Groaning, Caleb rolled, taking McBride with him. They stayed entwined, talking of nothing until the white candle on the bedside table sputtered. Slowly, it burned itself out, and then they were alone in the darkness. As Caleb drifted off to sleep, he realized he was going to have to work overtime to make McBride accept his plan. But he would also find out if McBride really trusted him or not.
“You want to what?” McBride was sitting on the edge of Caleb’s bed, pulling on his boots after a long, hot shower when Caleb told him the gist of his plan.
“Hear me out.” Caleb still had a towel wrapped around his hips, but McBride was thinking of yanking it off and sucking his cock.
Damn
. They’d already fooled around in the shower, but it hadn’t been enough. McBride wondered if he’d ever get enough of him. Now that he had the freedom to touch his mate whenever he wished, he thought the urge would abate somewhat, but he was wrong. Somehow, having the right to be with him only heightened his awareness and longing. “If we play this right, we can get them working for us.”
“And you want me to quite literally become your pet.”
“For show.” Caleb pulled a pair of shorts out of his dresser, tossed them on the bed, then whipped off his towel.
“Come here.”
Dubious about his intent, Caleb nonetheless came closer.
“Come on.”
Still a little concerned, Caleb moved nearer, but it was obvious he was ready to leap away at the first sign of trouble.
“I’m not going to hurt you.” When he was within range, McBride cupped his balls, leaned forward, and drew his cock into his mouth.
“Ah, fuck, McBride.”
He pulled away. “That comes later.”
Caleb grinned. “Are you trying to make me change my mind?”
“Maybe I’m practicing to be your pet.”
Caleb pulled away. “That’s not funny.”
“It is. If you’re going to master this leadership thing, you’ve got to lighten up.” McBride compelled him closer and then took him back between his lips. Sucking Caleb was somewhat similar to putting a live wire in his mouth. It was electrifying, but not fatally so. The main comparison was that it certainly charged him up. He’d been exhausted after a night of mostly sex and no sleeping, but now he was wide awake and totally alert.
Somehow, in very short order, McBride’s boots were off, his clothing was tossed back on the floor where he’d found it, and he and Caleb were mouth to cock on his bed. Sometime during the night they’d kicked the bedclothes off. They were hopelessly tangled, and the two of them didn’t need any help generating heat.
Like two wild creatures, they worked each other hungrily. Growling, pulling, grasping, writhing, and grunting, they pushed each other to see who would go over the edge first. McBride was determined to make Caleb succumb. He wanted to taste his surrender, but he also wanted to reassure himself he wasn’t a pet. Knowing that Caleb didn’t see him that way was one thing, but there was still a corner of his ego that needed to prove himself the ultimate alpha. What gave him victory was when he roughly fingered Caleb’s ass.
Caleb came so hard he dislodged his mouth from McBride’s prick. As soon as he was finished, and McBride released him, he went after McBride with an intensity that was almost terrifying. McBride reached an orgasm that would have knocked him out of his boots if he’d still been wearing them. Since he wasn’t, he just turned into a heap of lifeless flesh on the bed.
“I don’t want to move.”
“Don’t. We can stay here all day.”
“We can?” McBride doubted they’d be granted another ten minutes let alone an entire day.
“You’re the big boss man, aren’t you?” Caleb lifted up just enough to flash McBride a wicked grin.
“And you think that means I have more freedom?” McBride laughed. “You’ll find being the leader means you have the least.”
“You know that’s not why I was considering their offer.”
“I know, Caleb. I honestly do understand what you’re hoping to do. I just don’t know what the slammers really want.”
“You don’t think they want me?” Caleb preened just a bit then turned serious.
“Oh, I think they do. And they want you to be their leader, but there’s something else going on here that we need to figure out.”
Caleb was silent for so long, McBride rose up. “What?”
“You said
we
.”
“Yeah. Why?” McBride wasn’t sure what the look on Caleb’s face was about. It was an expression he’d never seen before.
“It’s the first time someone has said
we
and I was included in that very select group.”
And then McBride realized the look on Caleb’s face was gratitude. As much as he’d enjoyed their fast and furious morning climax, McBride took just as much pleasure in turning himself around and holding Caleb. They kissed until McBride knew another minute and the men in the house would come looking for them. After hastily washing up, they dressed and went over to the big house.
Just as McBride suspected, the whole lot of them were up and sitting at the dining room table. Given the way items were stacked in the parlor, they’d burned off the bulk of their nervous energy organizing everything they moved in the night before. From their expressions, it was obvious they’d been wondering where he and Caleb had gotten off to.
“Did you spend the night with that thrall?” Easton’s voice mingled shock and prurient interest in equal doses.
Jared flashed his mate a disapproving look but quickly turned his attention onto McBride. He was just as curious as his mate, but Jared had far more restraint than Easton did.
“Yes. That’s what we did.” Caleb took his seat at the foot of the table. “Do you want a blow-by-blow on the event? Okay, first, we started opening him up with—”
“Never mind!” Easton put his hands over his ears.
“And that’s how you learn to mind your own business.” Caleb took his napkin off the table and placed it in his lap.
McBride laughed and went to the other end. He took his seat at the head of the table. Wisely, no one else asked any more questions about where they’d been all night or what they’d been doing. The butler began bringing out the food, and all conversation ceased as everyone ate. McBride found himself looking down the length of the table at Caleb. He was wearing only a pair of shorts, so since McBride could only see his upper half, he could pretend he was at the table naked. Too bad he wasn’t close enough to play footsie. Perhaps the time had come to have new traditions as far as seating arrangements went. Then again, that seemed like a recipe to have very little food consumed as the mates were more interested in each other.
Caleb met his gaze. He smirked and then darted his gaze upward.
McBride lifted his brows. He was thinking they’d had enough of bedroom activities for now, but maybe not. If they were very lucky, they would never have enough of each other. For some reason, the idea of being a very old man and still randy for his mate made McBride grin. Caleb matched his smile almost as if he’d had the same thought. And then McBride’s image of them as elder men turned sad. They were the last. There wouldn’t be any children. Those who walked the Earth right now would be the final men who would do so.
Caleb frowned, but he was too far away to ask McBride what was wrong. In a way that was good, because now wasn’t the time to put a downer on the group. It would be nice if they could get through one meal without some kind of emotional upset.
“How’s your ear?” Devon was to McBride’s right. After he took another bite of his eggs, he reached out and touched the ragged end of his earlobe. Even all the way across the room, McBride could hear Caleb growl. Clearly, Caleb didn’t like the idea of anyone else touching his secret scar.
“It’s fine. Thank you.”
“It finally stopped bleeding.”
“It just needed a little time.” McBride darted a telling glance to Caleb, but no one seemed to notice. Not that they needed to see them looking and grinning at one another. Everyone knew what they’d been out doing all night. Even the sweetest and most naïve man would be able to figure out what they’d been up to. Hell, a blind man might not be able to see their joy, but he certainly could feel it.
“I want to make an announcement.” Caleb stood.
McBride shook his head. This was not the time to tell them about their plans for the slammers. They needed to get everyone together after a meal and a hard day’s work so they were relaxed and receptive. Tonight would be far better than this morning.
“I know I should probably wait until tonight so I can have a drink in hand, but I can’t wait.”
Everyone stared at him, mouths agape, probably because it was the most Caleb had said in one chunk ever.
“My mate took a huge risk in confessing everything he felt in front of everyone. I want to do the same and tell all of you that McBride and I are official.”
It wasn’t what McBride was expecting at all. He was so shocked he sat at the table in stunned silence. And now he knew exactly what it had been like for Caleb the other night. Becoming the center of attention so suddenly was jarring. After recovering, McBride nodded and lifted his water glass.
“Finally!” Ferris said, lifting his hands. “You two have been like animals circling one another.”
“Why am I the only one who didn’t see this?” Alden asked his mate.
“You don’t know them as well?” Gannon offered, obviously unsure or perhaps unwilling to point out that Alden’s deafness spared him from the way McBride and Caleb talked to one another. There was a lot they said with tone and subtext that Alden simply couldn’t be aware of.
“I knew.” Jared was smug.
“You knew because I told you,” Easton said.
“The point is we’re together.” Caleb sat back down.
Chatter was interrupted by eating, but everyone seemed to be having a good morning. McBride considered Caleb as he ate. What he’d said last night was far truer than McBride had realized at the time. Caleb was no slouch in the brains department. It was quite cunning of him to turn the spotlight on McBride and give him a dose of his own medicine, but it was also wise to announce they were together so that when they discussed their plans tonight, everyone would be more on board with Caleb playing master of the farm.
McBride had yet to puzzle out what the slammers were really up to, but he thought Caleb’s rough plan was feasible. If he turned them down, the slammers might attack the farm to get what they wanted. McBride and his men could take shelter in the big house, but it wouldn’t be long before their confinement wore on them. He wasn’t sure which would give out first between their ability to stay locked up and the slammers’ desire to get from them whatever it was they truly wanted. Because as powerful as Caleb was, there was something more going on than just making him their ruler.
As soon as breakfast was done, most of the brothers and their mates left to tend to the fields, but Ollie stayed to clean up and organize the kitchen for lunch. McBride had suggested they have at least one meal a day together, but Ollie thought that having all their meals together would save everyone time and hassle. Moreover, it would save on wasted food. Also, given the fact they might need to take shelter in the big house, it seemed wise to keep all the food with them. When Ollie laid out his plan, McBride approved.
“There’s just one other thing.” Ollie looked at Easton, who was working in the pantry.
“He’s more hindrance than help?” McBride had guessed as much last night when Ollie had given Easton a rather dubious look when he’d volunteered to work in the kitchen rather than out in the garden.
Obviously relieved he didn’t have to badmouth a man he liked, Ollie nodded. “I know it’s not nice and maybe someday he’ll get better, but…”
“Say no more.” McBride understood that just because a man wanted to do something, and had even book-educated himself in the details of the job, that didn’t mean he would actually be any good at it. Easton managed to do even the simplest task wrong. Ollie had done his best to teach him, but he couldn’t run a kitchen for fourteen men and babysit Easton at the same time.
“I think I might have a solution.” Caleb was leaning against the wall opposite of the stove. He’d tucked his thumbs into the pockets of his shorts, which caused his fingers to point at his cock.
McBride jerked his attention to Caleb’s face. “What’s that?”
“He could help me with the mechanical stuff around the farm.”
“And you think he’d be good at that?” Ollie pulled another bushel of onions from the lower cabinet and put it up on the counter.
“His hands are small enough to reach where I can’t. Also, he’s good with theory but not practice, right?”
“This is true.” Ollie carefully inspected the onions as he pulled them out of the basket and set them near the chopping block. “It’s really quite strange how he knows things, like the way to make a roux, but then pours in the liquid too quickly when he’s thinning it out.”
“I have no idea what that is or why it’s important.”
“Let’s just leave it at he isn’t working out.”