After he’d primed him, Caleb entered him in one thrust.
McBride clutched his hands into fists, wadding up the fitted sheet as he uttered a howl of surrender. Caleb proceeded to fuck him hard, fast, and so driven he was like a man possessed. McBride hung on, loving the way his mate went a little mad with control. If he could change anything, he would put a mirror up so he could see his face as he dug his fingers into his hips and fucked with all his might.
With a vicious thrust, Caleb growled and climaxed. Before McBride knew what he was doing, Caleb rolled him over, pulled his cock into his mouth, and sucked him with the same vicious intent with which he’d fucked him. McBride buried his hands in Caleb’s beautiful hair and climaxed. After drinking everything he had to give, Caleb released him, climbed onto the bed, and collapsed.
They twined their hands together but stayed silent. No words were needed after that. In all his dreams, McBride didn’t think he’d ever find anyone who accepted all the different facets of his personality. Rough, tender, brutal, and loving. Caleb embraced them all.
After a long time of simply being together and recovering, Caleb asked, “So what did the little thrall have to say?”
“Nothing much. He was kept on display where they could touch him but not drink from him or fuck him.”
“I already knew that.”
“Right. He said they want you a lot. It was all Gage could talk about.” McBride rolled over so he could look at Caleb. “Timon claims that Gage thinks you’re the key.”
“To what?” Caleb traced a circle on McBride’s arm.
“He had no idea. But whatever it is, Gage is determined to see it through.” McBride moved closer so he could rest his head near Caleb’s. “I think we need to rethink our strategy.”
Caleb automatically bristled at McBride’s suggestion to change how he would approach the slammers. But rather than allow his quick anger to rule him, he took a deep breath and considered. “I don’t see why what that thrall said should change anything.” There. He’d stated his point without undue anger. Caleb mentally congratulated himself. Maybe this wouldn’t be so difficult after all.
“I don’t trust him.” McBride continued to stroke his fingers through Caleb’s hair. Just as he’d always suspected, he had a total fascination for it.
“The thrall?”
“Gage. What’s to stop him from just taking you?”
“He’s hardly big enough to carry me off.” Caleb paused. “If anything, I could take him. I could have him on his back with my cock lodged in his backside long before—”
“Caleb, please be serious.” McBride leaned up. “There’s something about this that pushes every lawman button I have.”
“We’re going to meet just like we did before. I was close enough to the house that if he tried anything, he’d get shot.”
“And so might you.” McBride’s touch tightened on Caleb’s shoulder. “We just finally got things straight between us. If he hurt you…” McBride took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
He didn’t have to finish for Caleb to know exactly how he felt. “It’s mutual.”
“Then we need to reassess this.”
“Did you waylay me with sex to get me in a more receptive mood?”
“No.” McBride moved up until he was able to kiss Caleb’s lips. “That was just a bonus.”
“Tell me something.”
“Anything.”
“The other night at dinner. You held my gaze and there was this expression on your face like you were seeing into the future and happy with what you saw. But then it seemed to darken. What was going on?”
It was clear McBride didn’t want to tell him, but he did anyway. “I couldn’t believe that after so much sex I still wanted more. And then I wondered if we’d still be randy for one another when we were old.”
“And you didn’t think we would be?”
“Oh, I know we would be.”
“Then what made you sad?”
“That it would be just us.”
“You want to add another to the mix?”
“No.” McBride laughed, but his smile faded fast. “I thought how sad it would be that we could never have children.”
Caleb felt exactly how much that hurt his mate. McBride was reserved in most of his dealings, but once he opened up to Caleb, he discovered that McBride was deeply passionate, caring, and he had enough love for a mate and houseful of men. But having children to love and rear would make him complete in some way that Caleb didn’t quite grasp.
“If I could give you children, I would.”
“I know. And maybe someday we’ll find a way.”
“There’s an old breeder out in the shed.” It had taken Caleb a solid month to figure out what it was. It had been another month for him to realize it needed DNA samples from two similar animals to work. The sex didn’t matter, only that the two specimens be unique but of the same species. That way, if all the farmer had was two male pigs, he could still breed them.
“That’s for farm animals.”
“Sure, but maybe I could make it work.”
“Maybe.” McBride let it go because it was clear he didn’t think some old machine from two hundred years ago would ever work to breed humans. He was probably right, but it wouldn’t hurt for Caleb to tinker with it. Given how good Easton was with machines, he’d set him to the task. Although, considering what he’d done with the milker, Easton would probably turn it into a sex machine. “But we’re getting away from what we really need to talk about.”
All afternoon they had discussions broken up by steamy interludes that led to arguments that turned into raunchy encounters, but in the end they were back in one another’s arms. Reluctantly, they’d agreed on a course of action. Caleb still wanted to have more control over things, but since McBride simply wouldn’t let go, he stopped bringing it up. When he was out there on the road, he would do what he thought was best. Since they weren’t able to plan a strategy for every outcome, they’d developed some hand gestures that Caleb would be able to flash behind his back without anyone being wise to what he was doing. Only McBride would be able to interpret his signals.
“It’s not perfect, but it will have to do.”
“But you trust me, right?” That mattered more than anything to Caleb.
“I do.” McBride left off getting dressed to turn and plant a solid kiss on Caleb. “I trust you completely.”
Even though he’d gotten confirmation, Caleb believed he wouldn’t really know if what McBride said was true until it was tested. He had a feeling tonight was going to test all of them.
Reluctantly, McBride left him so he could shower and get ready. It was clear from his expression he wanted to stay near him right up to the moment he stepped out to meet the slammers, but it was just as obvious he didn’t want to cling to Caleb and crowd him. McBride seemed to intuitively understand that Caleb needed some time to put his head together.
Caleb showered and dressed, but unlike the previous time they’d met, tonight he wouldn’t be wearing his dress slacks. He dressed for comfort. Into the multiple pockets of his pants he slipped various items with a kind of blind intuitiveness. He didn’t know why, but he saw himself going with them. Wisely, he hadn’t shared this tidbit with McBride. Knowing him as well as he did allowed Caleb to instinctively grasp that McBride would erupt at the mere idea of Caleb going, and he might go so far as to bind him up so he literally couldn’t go. What McBride didn’t realize was that Caleb would never go far. Their bloodbond was binding, but moreover, love was far more compelling. Leaving McBride would be like cutting off a part of himself. Caleb simply couldn’t do that and live.
Methodically, he cleaned his room. He picked up all his dirty clothes and even changed the sheets. Then he sat down on his neatly made bed and went through his art book. Page after page of the images he’d captured went by. His brothers, his life, and then there was his obsession. McBride could have gone through the entire book, and Caleb wouldn’t have stopped him, but he was glad McBride wasn’t that nosey. He’d only wanted to understand the crux of the issue between Caleb and Jonas. Now that he’d had his curiosity stated, he would turn his brilliant mind to other things.
“And I can keep some of my most private things private.” Caleb flipped slowly through all the pages, but he found himself lingering on the back pages. Those were filled with McBride. His lust for the man had driven him to spend long evenings sitting at the kitchen table, candle flickering in his room as he looked toward the big house, waiting for McBride to stride across the yard. Lust had driven him to draw erotic images of McBride using him or him using McBride, but longing had pushed him to depict tenderness in their acts. Eventually, even the most depraved scenario he could imagine had a look of love shining in their eyes. Reviewing all of that now put a bittersweet smile on Caleb’s face. He was sad that they’d wasted so much time to get where they had, but he was glad they’d finally gotten to a better place.
After a last lingering glance at his work, he tucked it back in the closet. If anything happened to him, McBride would get his most sacred possession. He’d offered it out, and McBride had been quick to anger because they’d agreed nothing was going to happen with the slammers. Caleb was going to offer to help them, but he would not go with them. That was what they’d agreed to, but not what Caleb intended to do.
Lying to McBride twisted him up in knots, but every time he’d tried to tell him what he honestly felt needed to be done, McBride threatened to put the brakes on the whole venture. However, when Caleb instantly gave in to everything McBride wanted, he became even more suspicious. Caleb acquiescing only heightened his misgivings. So Caleb had danced a dangerous two-step of resisting just enough to make McBride think he was slowly convincing Caleb to do things his way. As awful as it felt, it was an effective strategy.
Something big was waiting for him tonight. Caleb was ready to face it. He just had to get through dinner with his brothers, their mates, and McBride.
As he exited his tiny home, he looked down the long drive. There was no hint of the men, and there wouldn’t be for several hours. He would be able to have a leisurely meal before he went out to meet his fate. When he entered the big house, the smell of food wrapped around him like a blanket. Ollie was clearly pulling out all the stops. Caleb and McBride had told them just enough that they were ready, willing, and able to offer their brother protection, but they didn’t know all the details. Even McBride didn’t.
Caleb entered the parlor where most of the men were. They were seated in couples, so when he saw an empty spot near McBride, he moved toward him. But McBride was on his feet before he could settle in.
“I’ll get you a drink. Whisky okay?”
“Yeah.” Caleb sat down feeling oddly shunned. That sting of rejection vanished when McBride returned with two drinks and sat down close to Caleb’s side.
“If you need some space, I can—”
“No.” Caleb transferred his drink to his left hand then put his right on McBride’s leg. “I want you close.”
“Good.” McBride slid his hand along Caleb’s leg. “I want to be close.”
They sat in silence, sipping their drinks. Everyone was chatting quietly, but there was a subdued kind of energy in the group. They all knew what was coming. After this afternoon, there was really nothing left for him or McBride to say. He’d heard the term
companionable silence
, but he’d never understood exactly what it meant until now.
When Ollie called them into the dining room, everyone finished up their drinks, or left them where they were, and went in.
“I know it’s not customary, but I’d like to change the seating arrangements.” McBride took his seat at the head of the table, but he pointed to the chair to his right. “I want my mate to sit by me rather than across from me.”
It seemed everyone else agreed, because the rest of the men quickly took places next to their mates. As the food was passed from man to man, Caleb felt more and more like this was a good-bye dinner. He knew the others probably didn’t feel that way, but given how McBride kept touching him, it certainly felt that way to the two of them. They lingered as long as they could, but when the bell rang, Caleb was on his feet before the first peal faded away.
“What in the hell is that?” McBride was up, too, his expression one of shock as he looked upward.
“I gave the valet an old bell I found in the shed.”
The butler entered, informing them that the slammers were back. The bulk of the men were where they had been yesterday and only a lone man was coming up the drive.
“That will be Gage.” Caleb nodded to his brothers and their mates. They rose and went to their positions.
“Are you ready?”
Caleb nodded. He was, but he also felt a burning ache in his heart. He wanted to pull his mate close and tell him everything he hadn’t said today, but in the end, he distilled all his complicated thoughts down into three simple words. “I love you.”
A battle between longing and fear waged over McBride’s features. Clearly, he was concerned at Caleb’s sudden emotional state, but he seemed to come to the same decision Caleb did and kept his words brief and to the point. “I love you.”
For some reason a kiss just didn’t seem right, but a mighty hug did. Once he had his arms around McBride and felt his solid strength, he didn’t want to let go. But he did. And then he left the big house.