Xavier Read online

  “Those are humans, though. Not all of them believe in soul mates.”

  Andy waited, anxious to see what Xavier was going to do now that everything was on the table. Was he going to want to wait? Was he going to reject Andy again?

  “Could we... can we, you know, do... without you claiming me? I mean, can we wait for that and just... you know.”

  Andy was tempted to laugh and tease Xavier, but he stopped himself. The man was way too cute for his own good. “You’re asking if we can make love without me claiming you?”

  Xavier nodded.

  “Of course we can. Claiming usually occurs during sex, but sex can be done without claiming. It might not be easy for me to stop myself, but if that’s what you want, I’ll do it.”

  “And you don’t think I’m a slut for wanting to have sex with you after only one day?” Xavier’s voice was full of worry and doubts.

  “Of course not. It’s not like you’re sleeping with a different man every night, not that you’ll ever sleep with any man who’s not me from now on,” Andy said with a little growl and was relieved when Xavier chuckled. “You’re feeling the mating pull and the growing bond between us, and it’s probably pushing you to do something you wouldn’t in a normal situation. We don’t have to have sex if you’re not ready, though.”

  Xavier finally lifted his head from Andy’s shoulder and looked at him straight in the eyes. His face was flushed and his eyes huge as he said, “I want to do it.” He then rolled his hips so that their cocks, both hard and still cloth-covered, slid against each other.

  Andy groaned. “I can feel that, sweetheart, but... as much as your body wants it, it doesn’t mean you’re ready.” Andy wanted to be sure. He didn’t want to ruin their relationship by rushing into it if it wasn’t what they both wanted.

  Xavier’s face fell a bit and he looked down at Andy’s chest. “You don’t... you don’t want me?”

  Andy growled and locked his arms around Xavier, pulling him up and laying him down on the couch before plastering their bodies together and growling a bit. He pushed their groins together, hissing at the hard contact. “I want you more than words can say, Xavier. You’re a gorgeous man, even if you don’t think so, and this,” he said, pushing again with his hips until Xavier gasped and clutched at his shoulders, “this is the proof of that. You’re the one making me so hard with only a glance, with only a thought about how your delectable body looks naked. Don’t ever doubt that.”

  Andy waited for Xavier to agree with him. He knew Xavier probably didn’t believe him, that he still thought he was unattractive, and that it would take a long time for him to get over his self-esteem problems and see the truth, but he was going to make him believe it one day. One day Xavier would see himself for the wonderful man he was, and Andy would be there to see that.

  Xavier finally nodded, his gaze fixed on Andy’s chin as he tried to avoid his eyes. Andy could see he was nodding just to calm him down, and it would do—for now.

  Andy growled a bit, just enough to make Xavier look up at him, and once he had his attention, he leaned down, pressing their lips together in a heated kiss.

  * * * *

  Xavier made the conscious decision to let go, something he didn’t usually do. All his life he had let doubts and fears stop him and make him keep a distance with every single boyfriend he’d had. Only Andrew had been able to get through, but even then it hadn’t felt so... right. Xavier knew why now. Andrew was a good friend, but just a friend.

  This, though... ? Feeling Andy’s lips on his, his tongue in his mouth, caressing and sucking while his hands moved on Xavier’s body... it was right, and Xavier was done trying to run away.

  He locked his hands around Andy’s neck and held on tight while the man ravaged him with his mouth. Andy was so strong and warm, so powerful, and it was hard to believe he was choosing Xavier. But he was, and Xavier had decided to give the man a chance—to give them a chance.

  It might go wrong.

  Maybe Andy would discover he didn’t like Xavier after all. Maybe some time in the future things between them would end. It would hurt, but at least Xavier wouldn’t have to live with what ifs. He wouldn’t have to wonder what would have happened if he had decided to be with Andy. He wouldn’t have to regret being too scared to even try.

  So he held on tight, even as Andy separated their lips and looked at him. “You’re beautiful, sweetheart. All flushed with passion, your lips red and swollen, your eyes wide. You look like you belong in my arms.”

  Xavier blushed and pushed up until their lips locked together again. He couldn’t think right now, couldn’t let his fear rule him once again, so he tried to lose himself in Andy. Their tongues dueled and danced, but soon it wasn’t enough anymore. They separated again, their gazes meeting as they both panted.

  “You sure?” Andy asked, and Xavier nodded. He had never been surer of anything. Andy smiled at him. “Hold on tight, then.”

  Before Xavier could ask what he meant, Andy wrapped his arms around him and got up from the couch. Xavier yelped and hooked his legs around Andy’s waist, incredulous at the sight of the man holding him up like that. Xavier wasn’t the lightest man around, and it amazed him that Andy could manhandle him like that. Maybe it meant they really were made for each other.

  So instead of focusing on how heavy he was, and on how he should be ashamed, Xavier let his lips wander down Andy’s jaw. He nipped his chin before licking a path down Andy’s neck, enjoying the groan that made Andy’s chest vibrate. He could feel all the vibrations echoed in his own chest, and it thrilled him to think that he, Xavier, normal guy with a normal life, was able to elicit such a reaction in a man as extraordinary as Andy.

  Xavier latched on the soft skin between Andy’s neck and his shoulder, and this time Andy had to actually stop walking. He pushed Xavier against the wall, their hips grinding together as Xavier continued sucking what was going to be a big hickey on Andy’s neck. Andy set a pace with his hips that Xavier was happy to submit to, and he let his head fall back as the pleasure sparked from where their groins were pressed together. Xavier had never felt anything so incredible, and he knew it was because it was Andy he was doing this with.

  Their mouths met again, and he was just about ready to drop his pants and offer himself to Andy right there in the hallway when Andy finally decided to move. Xavier tightened his hands around Andy’s neck and let his mate end the kiss. Andy started walking again, this time faster, and Xavier used the time to try to get his breathing under control. He laid his head on Andy’s shoulder and just enjoyed his lover’s scent. He could see the edge of one of Andy’s tattoos peeking just there, on his collarbone, and he couldn’t wait to peel Andy’s T-shirt away and see the elaborate designs hidden under it, maybe follow them with his tongue. He hadn’t really seen them the day before after Andy had shifted back. He’d had too many things to think about then.

  He briefly wondered just where they ended, but by then Andy had opened the door that led to his room and walked inside, and Xavier had more pressing things to think about. Andy put him down on his bed, then stood back up. He looked down at Xavier, and while Xavier might have decided to let his insecurities go, he couldn’t help but feel them raise their ugly heads a bit as Andy’s gaze moved on his body. He had the strong impulse to wrap his arms around his waist, just to try to hide the fat there, but he got distracted by the sight of Andy’s hands moving on the seam of his T-shirt.

  Xavier watched as Andy removed it, his mouth dry at the sight of the span of muscles, tanned skin and beautiful designs. He had already seen the tribal tattoos Andy had on his arms. He loved how the one on the right arm extended to cover the pectoral muscle and stopped right above his nipple. His pierced nipple. Oh god. Xavier groaned and raised a hand as if to touch the small piece of metal, but he stopped himself. He wanted to look first, and Andy was standing there, still, just for his eyes to see, so Xavier did just that.

  The tattoo he’d seen peeking
over Andy’s shirt was a wolf. It was right above his heart, slightly turned to the side, its gaze lost in the distance. It was beautiful.

  “Like what you see, sweetheart?”

  “Oh, umm, yeah. I like.” Xavier wanted to beat himself up. He just couldn’t seem to manage to talk normally when Andy was around, but from his mate’s smile, it didn’t seem it was a problem for him.

  “What about you? Do you have any tattoos?”

  Xavier shook his head. “No, but I like yours. The wolf is... ”

  “Yeah, I know. It’s kind of obvious, but I felt like giving my other half a place on my human body.”

  “It’s incredibly beautiful.”

  Andy kneeled on the bed and prowled to Xavier until he was hovering above him. “You’re beautiful.” He then reached for the first button of Xavier’s shirt and quickly undid them all. Xavier held his breath, hoping his shirt wasn’t revealing too much, too soon, even though he knew he would have to take it off at one point.

  Once all the buttons were open, Andy looked up, a question in his eyes. Xavier took a deep breath and nodded, closing his eyes when he felt Andy’s hands sliding under the shirt and on his skin, creating goose bumps on it as they stroked Xavier’s chest. He shuddered and resisted the impulse to suck his stomach in when Andy pushed the shirt aside and stopped moving.

  Xavier opened his eyes, ready to see a frown on Andy’s face, a sign that he didn’t like what he was seeing, but there was none of that. Andy’s eyes were burning just like before, maybe even more, now that Xavier’s upper body was bare. “Just like I thought, babe. You’re perfect.”

  Andy stroked one finger down from Xavier’s sternum to his navel. “So soft and smooth. Perfect.”

  Damn, Andy knew exactly what to say to make Xavier feel better. It was so much easier to push his fears away.

  Xavier reached for Andy, pulling him down and kissing him as if there was no tomorrow. He felt Andy’s hands moving on his skin and he pushed up a little, just enough so Andy could slide his hands around and put them on his shoulder blades. Their chests touched and Andy’s warmth seeped into Xavier, making him sigh in happiness. The kiss became hotter, more impatient, and soon it wasn’t enough anymore. Xavier needed skin, more skin. He needed to feel Andy in him.

  He pushed up again, this time enough to shrug his shirt off. He kept his gaze away from Andy’s as he moved his fingers to his pants and popped the button open.

  Andy wasn’t moving, and it made Xavier nervous, but now he was in, and he was going to get to the end of it. He lay back down on his back and pushed his butt up before sliding both his pants and his underwear down. He kicked them off and lay there, completely naked under Andy’s gaze.

  He finally gathered the courage to look up. Andy’s gaze was fixed on him. He was licking his lips as if he was about to devour Xavier, and maybe he was.

  Andy smiled before finally moving. He leaned down, latching on Xavier’s right nipple and sucking hard. Pleasure shot from the small nub straight to Xavier’s leaking cock. He desperately wanted Andy to go down, to suck him, but his mate was taking his time, moving across Xavier’s chest, licking every inch of skin as if he treasured it.

  He could see in Andy’s eyes that this was going to be torture. A sensual, delightful torture. Damn.

  * * * *

  Andy watched as Xavier’s back bowed, smiling around the nipple in his mouth. God, his mate really was beautiful. His skin was pale and soft, nearly glowing in the sunlight that streamed in from the window. Andy could feel muscles moving under his mouth, his hands, but they weren’t defined, and he loved that. He loved that Xavier was soft, that his hands didn’t touch bones when they moved on Xavier’s hips. He loved that Xavier wasn’t hard under his fingertips—well, except for where it counted.

  Andy could feel Xavier’s cock where it was trapped against his chest. It was leaving a trail of stickiness on Andy’s skin, but he loved it. He loved how hard he made Xavier, how he made the man forget to be so self-conscious.

  Andy moved down, following the light trail of blond, soft hair down to Xavier’s navel. He circled it with his tongue before dipping it in, enjoying the pants and moans that rose from his mate’s throat. It seemed that Xavier was a noisy lover, and Andy liked that. He liked knowing that Xavier enjoyed what he was doing to him.

  Andy gave one last nip at Xavier’s navel before sliding down again. He settled himself between Xavier’s legs, trapping his aching cock against the mattress. The thing wanted out, but he was enjoying exploring Xavier’s body way too much for it to finish this soon, and that was what would happen if he did free his dick.

  Andy looked at the beautiful prick in front of him. Okay, it sounded weird to think it was beautiful, because come on, dicks weren’t beautiful. Still, he really did like this one. It was long and slender, jutting from a small patch of blond pubic hair. The tip was dark pink and leaking, and Andy just couldn’t resist sticking his tongue out. He caught the glistening drop that threatened to slide down Xavier’s length, smiling when Xavier moaned and buried his hands in Andy’s long hair. Xavier pulled a bit, trying to get Andy’s mouth on his cock, and Andy was more than happy to comply.

  He wrapped his hand on Xavier’s cock and his mouth around the dark tip and sucked lightly. Xavier’s taste exploded on his tongue, bitter and salty. He sucked a bit harder, wanting to taste more, and Xavier seemed to be right on the same page. He pushed his hips up, sliding his dick a bit deeper, and Andy used his tongue to map the veins on the shaft, to twirl around the tip before sucking on it again. He could feel Xavier’s legs tremble against his arms, and he knew his mate was close to coming. He couldn’t wait.

  Andy sucked harder while sliding one finger under Xavier’s heavy balls to massage his taint. Xavier’s legs opened wider, giving Andy access to his mate’s most private place, and Andy took the opportunity. He moved his finger between the rounded cheeks, finding the puckered opening with ease. He massaged it, feeling it clench under his fingertip, and he couldn’t resist.

  Sucking hard on the hard dick in his mouth, he slid the tip of his finger in Xavier’s channel, searching for the tiny bud he knew was there. His finger was dry, and he was afraid of hurting his sweet mate, but Xavier didn’t seem to mind, especially once he did find Xavier’s prostate. He pushed lightly on it, and Xavier bowed, lodging his shaft deeper into Andy’s mouth as he came. Andy backed away a bit, letting the hot spurts hit his tongue, savoring his mate’s release.

  Once Xavier settled back down, panting, Andy let his softening cock go with a smack of his lips and looked up. His mate was absolutely magnificent, his face flushed by passion, his mouth open on a pant, his hands still in Andy’s hair. Their gazes met and Andy smiled, trying to reassure his lover, but it wasn’t necessary. Xavier just smiled back, content and sated, and let Andy look at his body without any sign of unease.

  “Feeling better?”

  Xavier nodded before his eyes widened. “Shit, I’m sorry! You didn’t, uh... ”

  Andy chuckled. “No, I didn’t, but I will, as soon as you’re ready for round two.”

  Xavier blushed. “I don’t know if I can, I mean, I’m not eighteen anymore, you know.”

  Andy smiled what he knew was a predatory smile. “Oh, you will, believe me. It’s one of the perks of being mated to a shifter.”

  Xavier’s eyes were wide, especially when Andy got up and finally, finally, chucked his pants. Xavier’s eyes latched on his erection. “You’re uncut.”

  Andy laughed. “Yeah. We don’t really care about circumcision, since we don’t get most diseases and infections it’s supposed to help against.”

  “Is it... how does it feel?”

  “I’m not sure how to answer that, it’s not like I know how being cut feels. The skin is very sensitive, though.”

  Andy fisted his cock and slowly moved his hand up and down, exposing the head as his foreskin slid against it. Xavier seemed captivated by that small bit of skin, and it m
ade Andy oddly happy that he still had it, especially when Xavier rose on his knees and leaned forward to touch it.

  His lover slid one finger on the foreskin, fingering the glans where it peeked from it and making Andy moan.

  “Babe, if you keep that up you’ll have to wait even longer for round two.”

  Xavier blushed, but he stopped teasing Andy. “Sorry. It’s just... weird, I guess. I mean, I’m not a virgin, but it’s not like I have a lot of experience, and I’ve never seen... ” Xavier gestured toward Andy’s cock.

  “Well, I’m happy you like it, and you’ll have the opportunity to touch it all you want, but later, okay? Right now I want to make love to you.”

  Xavier shivered and beamed up at him before turning around, leaning his shoulders down on the bed and presenting his ass to Andy. Andy groaned, barely resisting the urge to palm his mate’s sweet ass. “This is what you want? For me to take you?”

  “Huh uh.”

  “You know that you can make love to me, too, right?”

  Xavier froze, then slowly straightened. He turned his head around and looked at Andy. “Really? You’d let me do that?”

  Andy nodded. “Sure. I don’t expect you to do anything I wouldn’t be eager to do for you.”

  Xavier thought about it for a few seconds before shaking his head. “Maybe next time. Right now I... I really want to feel you.” With that he lowered himself again and waited.

  Andy didn’t know what he had done to get himself a man this perfect for him, but it didn’t really matter. He moved around the bed, grabbing the lube from the nightstand, and walked back to face Xavier’s ass. He could see his lover was blushing, because the pink hue was extending to his body, and it was gorgeous.

  Andy got on the bed and settled on his knees just behind Xavier. He couldn’t resist the small pink entrance that was exposed to his gaze, and why should he? Grabbing one ass cheek in each hand, Andy delicately separated them and bit lightly on the right one, loving the yelp Xavier gave in response. He didn’t give his mate the time to ask what he was doing, though, because he knew Xavier would be self-conscious about this.