Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Sawyer

Sawyer didn”t remember the bed being quite so firm the last time he”d sat on it. In fact, Miss Maggie”s beds had been perfectly soft. But that had been when Sawyer didn”t have a rosy red bottom and muscles that ached in all the right places. He wrapped his arms around his middle, shivering as Roscoe checked the locks on his window. He wasn”t even gone yet, and Sawyer missed his warmth.

”I could just stay inside your cabin?” he said, trying again to get Roscoe to let him stay at the camp with him.

Roscoe jiggled the window and then grabbed a screwdriver. ”You know I don”t want to be separated from you, Sawyer. If I could tape you to my side, I would.”

”Perfect, I”ll just ride on your back.”

Roscoe chuckled warmly. ”I”m pretty tall, you”d always be bumping your head on things.”

Sawyer scowled. ”You sure do get to have your way. Love them and leave them to love again?”

That got Roscoe to drop the screwdriver and come over to him. Uh oh. Judging from the glint in Roscoe”s eye, Sawyer worried he”d gone too far. Except, the thought of being bent over with Roscoe”s hand against his bottom again filled him with zero fear. His cock hardened, and he did nothing to hide it. ”Love them and leave them? You got half of that right.”

Sawyer”s tongue dried to the roof of his mouth. They had an undeniable connection and being near Roscoe made Sawyer fill complete, but were they already in love territory? ”You are leaving,” he said instead.

”Mate,” Roscoe warned.

Just the word made Sawyer want to moan. Combined with Roscoe”s deep rumble and Sawyer was a goner.

Roscoe sat down on the bed with a sigh. He patted his lap and Sawyer obediently climbed on him. He stopped shivering immediately. ”You act so sure all the time, I keep forgetting how new this all is. Really, really new. When shifters mate, it means something more than it does with humans. When I claimed you, I carved a place for you in my soul. You”re glued in. That isn”t something that can be easily changed. Believe me when I say that leaving you here is hard for me. But I believe it is safer for you to be here with Maggie and her brother. They”ll watch over you. They”ll—”

”Tell you every step I make.”

Roscoe grinned, and Sawyer wanted to die in his sweet dimples. ”Maybe. It will soothe me to know where you are and what you are doing.”

”You”d know better if I went with you.”

”I can”t put you in that kind of danger. Not until I know for sure that I have the support of my pack. Garth”s theatrics combined with my disappearance may have changed some things. But, it won”t take me long. I”ll be back here before you can even begin to miss me.”

”Liar,” Sawyer said into his wide chest. ”I miss you already.”

Roscoe”s warm palms rubbed Sawyer”s back. At first, Sawyer thought it was meant to be comforting, but it didn”t take long for the touches to adopt a new reason. His fingers dipped below the waistband of Sawyer”s pants and rubbed around to the front where he grasped Sawyer”s hard dick. ”Missing you doesn”t begin to describe how I will feel without you by my side, Sawyer.” He pumped Sawyer”s cock and then stopped abruptly to kiss him. Sawyer hissed, his hips flying up in an attempt to create more friction. ”Your body is only beginning to change. I”ll be back long before your cravings start. But there are stories of a mating stopping.”

”Why would that happen?” Sawyer asked. He never wanted to stop feeling like this. Whole.

”From what I have heard, it happens when mates are separated and another alpha steps in. The mate”s body stops the process, purging itself of the original alpha”s essence so it can accept the new alpha as mate.”

”Well that will never happen,” Sawyer said, beginning to thrust his hips again. ”I”ve never felt this way.”

”You haven”t had long to make that statement.”

Sawyer pushed back, but Roscoe kept him where he was on his lap. ”Again, with the age thing? You are older than me. So what? A lot of the world is.”

”No, not again with the age thing. I”m being dramatic. I told Gaia this wouldn”t take very long and was supposed to be back at the camp two hours ago. I can”t seem to pull myself away from you.” Roscoe nuzzled into him in a move that was so very bear-like, Sawyer smiled.

”Something to remember me by?” Sawyer said, scrambling across Roscoe”s lap to reposition his body so that his face was waist level. Roscoe allowed him to take the lead, reclining back on the bed so that Sawyer had more room to open Roscoe”s pants and pull his erection out. This was the first time Sawyer was getting a clear, unobstructed view of Roscoe”s massive dick. He was shot with equal parts anticipation and trepidation.

He”d fit that inside of him? How? Sawyer licked his lips. ”I don”t mean to sound crude, but you really have the hugest dick I have ever seen.”

He felt as well as heard Roscoe deep chuckle. ”You can sound crude as much as you like. As long as it is only with me.” Roscoe punctuated his words by grabbing Sawyer”s hips and moving him so that he was splayed over his body. Sawyer”s face was still up against Roscoe”s erection, but his ass was closer to Roscoe”s face. He pulled Sawyer”s pants aside.

Sawyer, not to be undone, opened his mouth wide and got to work on Roscoe”s enormous cock. His mouth could hardly fit around it, but he did as well as he could, licking and stroking the rest that wouldn”t fit.

Roscoe slipped his lips around Sawyer, and he moaned at the perfect warm heat surrounding his length. He”d meant to give Roscoe something to remember him by, but it hadn”t taken long for Roscoe to take control. Sawyer knew now to expect it. But he was determined to get Roscoe to come first. He sucked as much as he could, nearly choking on his length as it hit the back of his throat. Roscoe was long enough to go deeper, but Sawyer wasn”t sure he had the ability. Something to improve on. He used his hands for the rest of him, stroking his dick in time with his bobbing head.

Roscoe groaned and continued slurping on Sawyer”s dick. His massive hands grabbed Sawyer”s hips, lifting Sawyer”s body up and pulling him down rather than moving his own head. Sawyer felt as light as a feather around Roscoe, but the feeling didn”t make him feel vulnerable. There could be no safer place than in his lover”s mouth as he manhandled his body. His orgasm was fast approaching, and Sawyer sucked Roscoe with desperation. He had to get him to come, he needed it. He swallowed a few more inches, taking him deeper down his throat than any man had ever been. And yet, Sawyer”s balls tightened as his orgasm washed over him. He groaned in frustrated pleasure, and the vibration of his groan seemed to be what Roscoe needed to push him over the edge. Copious amounts of fluid-filled Sawyer”s mouth and after some leaked down his chin, Sawyer adjusted and had no trouble swallowing every drop. Roscoe didn”t taste like any other man either. His essence was somehow sweet and familiar, like a dessert he”d had before. And he wanted more.

But, Roscoe pulled him away, hauling his body up so that they could bring their mouths together and share the moment and taste. Roscoe leaned back and wiped the proof of his desire off Sawyer”s chin so that he had a glob of it on his finger. He proceeded to rub it into Sawyer”s chest.

”You dirty dog,” Sawyer said while his body warmed up for round two.

”Not dog,” Roscoe said, his tone steady. ”I”m all bear, baby and I can”t help it. I need you to smell like me, taste like me. I won”t be satisfied until it is obvious to any shifter that comes by that you are taken. That you”re mine.”

”I am yours,” Sawyer said, his throat clogging with sudden emotion. ”Just don”t forget me.”

Roscoe got up and put himself away. He straightened his clothes and then did the same to Sawyer. ”Not a possibility.”

Outside Sawyer”s door, there was a pounding noise, like someone running up the stairs. ”Ross, there is some lady here,” Maggie”s voice yelled through the door. ”I wasn”t sure if you knew her and she is…well…are you finished?” Sawyer heard Maggie curse quietly. ”No, I don”t mean finished. Like it isn”t my business, I meant…oh fuck it.”

Roscoe looked at Sawyer, and they both started laughing at the same time. ”We”ll never be finished, but I”ll be right out. Tell Gaia to hold on.”

Despite everything, all the reassurances, Sawyer”s gut still tightened at the mention of Gaia. He couldn”t help it. Roscoe and Gaia looked as right together as Sawyer felt with Roscoe. And it would make things so much easier for their bear pack. Except, Sawyer had tried to step aside, and look where that had gotten him, ass up in the forest. ”How did you know it was her?” Sawyer asked quietly.

”I smelled her the moment she got here.”

”Like you smell me?”

Sawyer had tried to sound nonchalant, but Roscoe gave him a long look. ”No, mate, not like you. But I”ve known her since she was a cub.”

”Oh yeah, of course,” Sawyer said, smoothing his clothing down.

”Sawyer?”

He gave Roscoe a bright smile. ”If you don”t leave now, I”ll never be able to let you go.”

Roscoe stepped up so close he was all Sawyer could see. He wrapped Sawyer up in his arms and held him there before kissing him deeply. Sawyer tried not to let it affect him but the more he tried, the more devastating Roscoe”s lips felt against his. He moaned, and Roscoe stepped back, giving Sawyer”s bottom lip a little nip. ”Be good,” he said before shutting the door behind him.

***

Inside Maggie”s greenhouse, the air was warm and humid but Sawyer knew the moment he stepped out he would start to shiver. Staying warm was a near impossible task despite his new habit of wearing layers that included wool leggings, three shirts, a winter hat, and gloves. In the greenhouse, he could do without the gloves and sometimes near the fire in Maggie”s sitting room he could even do without the winter hat. If he was sitting directly in front of the hearth. He had no question on why he was so cold. He knew why. Roscoe.

Roscoe.

It had been four days without a single word from Sawyer”s big, bulky mate and Sawyer was beginning to get antsy.

Antsy wasn”t quite the right word. He was more easily irritated. Sounds and smells affected him more than they had before and then there was the constantly being cold thing. He thought he could have handled all of that if it weren”t also for the fact that he was consistently turned on. He”d masturbated more in the past four days than he had ever. And yet, it never seemed to soothe the raging need inside of him. Sawyer wasn”t stupid. He knew what his body needed. What he didn”t know was how long Roscoe was going to make him wait to get it.

Sawyer bundled up and stepped out into the frigid air. He trekked across Maggie”s backyard and through the back door, stomping off the dirt and leftover snow on the rug just inside. He found Maggie where she often was, in the kitchen making food for her guests. In addition to her brother, Heath, and Sawyer, Maggie had renters in two other rooms, which put her inn nearly at capacity. In one room was an elderly couple who were staying at Maggie”s while their dream home was being built and the other was some extreme outdoors person. Sawyer had never seen the man and suspected he rented Maggie”s room as a place to keep all his equipment while he was out.

”Hey Sawyer, did you bring the kale?”

Sawyer held it out for her. She thanked him, putting it in a colander to rinse.

”Dinner is going to be ready in fifteen minutes if you want to wash up?”

Sawyer mumbled his reply. While living on the streets hadn”t been fun all the time, especially before he”d decided to take to the less populated areas and camp, it had never reduced him to this life of jacking off, then eating, then jacking off again. On top of it all, he felt miserable. If this was what mating was, Sawyer didn”t want it.

His heart clenched at that thought. It was a lie. He did want it. But he wanted it with Roscoe. Not alone, placed on a shelf where he wouldn”t get hurt.

When Sawyer ambled back down the stairs, Maggie was coming out of the elderly couple”s room with an empty tray.

”They”ve decided to eat in their room, so it will just be us three at the table,” she said with a smile.

She”d been doing that a lot. Smiling. Sawyer would have asked what was up, but he feared it would just highlight his own foul mood.

Sawyer sat down at the table. Moments later, Maggie set a plate of steaming lasagna and fresh salad in front of him. He took a dutiful bite.

”Bro, you”ve got to buck up.”

Sawyer blinked. At some point, Heath had joined them and was staring at Sawyer like he was an abused puppy. ”What?” Sawyer said with his mouth full.

”Like, I get it, man. But, you gotta stand straight.”

”I think what my brother is trying to say, so ineloquently is that we are worried. Roscoe said he would be back. Why are you so…” She waved her hand vaguely in his general direction.

Sawyer had to remind himself that neither Maggie or her brother knew what Roscoe was. What he”d done to Sawyer. Great, now you are talking like he assaulted you or something. ”I just miss him.”

”But, he”ll be back,” Maggie said warmly. ”I spoke with—” She clamped her mouth shut so quickly Sawyer heard her lips smack together. ”I mean, he said he would be back.”

”Who did you speak with?” Sawyer asked. If Roscoe had been by without seeing him, Sawyer was going to chop his balls off.

”No one, I just…Heath! What were you telling me earlier? Some shindig tomorrow night?”

Heath set his fork down and launched into an animated description of some party that was going on in the town over at some biker bar. ”You”ll be my wingman, right?” Heath asked Sawyer, with huge earnest eyes.

Sawyer blinked and looked behind himself. There was no one there. ”Heath, you realize I”m gay?”

”Yeah, like my sister.”

”No, your sister likes women, that”s the thing I don”t like.”

Heath rolled his eyes and shoved the entire slice of lasagna in his mouth. ”I know what kind of gay you are.” He stopped to swallow which was good since Sawyer didn”t want to do the Heimlich. ”You don”t look gay though,”

”That is so offensive!” Maggie shrieked.

”Sorry. I mean, girls would think you are cute. Probably. Maybe. I don”t know.” Sawyer would have made fun of him if Heath”s cheeks weren”t already a scarlet red color. ”I”m just saying, you could help me bring in the ladies without actually wanting one for yourself. More Chachi for my Joanie.”

Sawyer stared at Heath as he tried to understand what the hell he was talking about. Was this how straight guys talked, and Sawyer had somehow been removed from them for so long he didn”t know? But, he was the twenty-year-old here. ”Heath, Joanie was the girl.”

Heath shrugged. ”More pockets for my peen. More beaver for my belt. More vajayjay for my—”

”Please stop. I”m going to vomit.”

”Besides, it isn”t like you are super busy around here.”

”I help!” Sawyer said. He sounded a bit more defensive than was needed but staying at Maggie”s without paying was a bit of a sore spot for him already. He tried to keep his moods to himself and help her out whenever was possible.

Maggie nibbled her lip. ”I don”t know if that is a good idea, Heath. Ross said Sawyer was supposed to stay here.”

Sawyer wanted to say that he was more mature than to let something like what Maggie said make him want to do the opposite. Roscoe already went on and on about their age difference. But how long could settling his pack really take? Longer than four days, apparently. ”Maggie”s right. As much as I would like to help you, I should at least stay in Noel. If this party is at a biker bar, you may be out of luck anyway. I”ve popped into a few of those, and if you aren”t in the motorcycle club, you aren”t going to see much action.”

Heath seemed to consider this with the same level of care a toddler would give a bucket of play dough. ”It”ll be fine,” he said with a disregarding swipe of his hand.

***

The next day Heath roped Sawyer into helping him with his errands, citing that if Sawyer couldn”t even help him pick up the ladies, the Bro Code insisted he help him get ready. Sawyer had wanted to tell him that by being out and proud he was exempt from the Bro Code but actually, it felt nice having Heath”s exuberant energy to distract Sawyer from how much he missed Roscoe.

”I heard the bar has great food. Like, real food, not that crappy healthy stuff Maggie makes.” Despite his bravado, Heath looked around as if worried Maggie was there to hear him. ”Burgers, onion rings with beer batter…”

”Sounds like crappy bar food,” Sawyer replied, putting the bag of dried beans in the cart Heath pushed. ”Which brings me to my second reason, I”m not twenty-one.”

Heath stopped the cart and leveled Sawyer with a come-on gaze. ”You”re trying to tell me you don”t have a fake?”

Sawyer blushed. ”I do,” he mumbled.

”Exactly. You just don”t want to go because you are pussy whipped.”

Sawyer sighed loudly. ”Heath, that term really doesn”t apply to me.” And yet, he wondered what the alternative would be. Cock whipped? That brought certain images to his mind that were not comparable to the original phrase.

Oh great, now Sawyer was getting hard with the straightest man he knew in a small-town grocery store. He bit his cheek and stared at the pleasant-looking elderly woman on the box of noodles. That did it.

”Maybe the biological term is wrong, but the sentiment is the same, my man. You”re doing what he says like he rules you or something? He hasn”t even been back. I mean, I don”t want to cause trouble, but that is sidedick behavior. Not how you would treat the love of your life.”

If Heath was beginning to make sense, Sawyer had problems. He contemplated this as he grabbed the maple syrup, the last item on Maggie”s list. When he turned to put it in the basket, he stopped short, nearly running directly into Gaia.

Her shiny brown hair was down, and she had a big smile when Sawyer spotted her. ”There you are,” she said in her throaty voice. ”Mag—Miss Maggie said you were here.”

Sawyer got on his tiptoes looking past her. ”Is Roscoe with you?” He hated how eager he sounded.

”No, but he wanted me to tell you he is almost done,” she said, flicking her hair back over her shoulder.

Sawyer”s heart fell into his stomach. He hadn”t seen her neck at first because her hair was draped in front of it, but when she flicked it back, he saw what was clearly a dark, maroon mark on her skin. One made from a mouth sucking at her neck long enough to bring the blood to the surface.

A hickey.

He stared at it even when he thought he was going to be sick. He couldn”t stop staring at it, even when she realized what he was looking at and mumbled something before moving her hair forward. She left, at some point. Sawyer could still see the hickey in his mind, only now, he was imagining Roscoe giving it to her. He thought about the way she would have arched back, giving him access as a throaty moan tore from her lips.

Heath bumped him with cart, knocking him out of his daze.

Sawyer turned around, his eyes were surely wild with fury. ”I”ll go with you.”

***

Maggie hovered over his shoulder like a mosquito. Or, like the good angel. Sawyer didn”t want to listen to his good angel. This was why he had waited until they were about to go before he even told her he was planning on going. Heath couldn”t be more psyched. Sawyer had learned earlier that he had come out to Noel to help Maggie. She”d asked him before Roscoe had stepped up and he”d shown up after the problem was solved. Their family back home wasn”t that great, so he had stuck around with his only ”sane sister.” He did a lot of the maintenance work around the house and worked out like crazy. He got bored though. Tonight would be good for him.

And for Sawyer? He just hoped to survive. Anytime he lost his nerve, he remembered that mark on Gaia”s neck and the only person who could have given it to her.

”I rented a movie though,” Maggie said. Sawyer knew she hadn”t. She didn”t even have a blue-ray player.

Sawyer was ready though, and Heath was already in the car. Sawyer walked down the pathway to where Heath was waiting and climbed into his bulky, loud truck. ”Look, Maggie, I know Roscoe helped you, so you feel indebted to him. That”s you. He dropped me off here, not once, but twice. And now his betrothed or whatever she is is traipsing around with a hickey. I”m not a fool.” He shut the door leaving Maggie to think about what he”d said. Her eyes widened, and her mouth opened as if to speak, but Heath drove away, the radio blaring as he made an excited whoop while punching the roof of the truck.

The next town over was only a thirty-minute drive that Sawyer spent convincing himself he”d made the right choice. He tugged on his shirt, wishing he hadn”t gone for the top that was so tight. His clothing selection was limited since he carried everything he owned on his back, but he still had one going out outfit he wore when he was trying to get some love. Black skinny jeans and a tight black tee. He hoped he wasn”t about to get his ass kicked at this biker bar, though Heath had vowed to protect him. For whatever that ended up being worth.

It wouldn”t be anything like the protection he got from Roscoe. Before or after he sucked on Gaia”s neck? Yes. That was right, he needed to keep his anger high.

When Heath finally pulled into the gravel parking lot outside of the tavern, it wasn”t quite as bad as Sawyer had thought it would be. There was a line of bikes parked in front of the building, but the parking lot was also full of trucks as banged up and outdated as Heath”s. There was a collection of people smoking outside, and none of them made any aggressive moves towards him. One woman even winked at Sawyer as he passed. He stood up a little taller and caught Heath”s gaze who just gave him an, I told you so look.

Inside, rock music blared and a handful of people danced. Most of the tables were full, but a few stools at the bar sat empty, so Heath and Sawyer took those spots. Heath ordered them a couple of beers, and the bartender didn”t look twice at him—much less consider asking for ID-- before setting a pint down in front of him. Sawyer took a small sip. The effect was instant. He stopped shivering, and his skin felt a thousand times more sensitive like he could feel every fiber of his shirt rubbing against his skin. His pants were too tight around his dick that wanted to be released so badly it pressed against his zipper, likely making an indent on the skin.

He pushed the beer away. Clearly, it was too strong for him.

”That didn”t take long,” Heath said out of the corner of his mouth as a pretty young lady sidled next to them. She stood there for a moment, pretending to look at the drink menu despite having a full drink in front of her.

”I never know what to get,” she said loudly, clearly trying to get Heath to interact.

Heath blinked at Sawyer dumbly. ”You should suggest something,” Sawyer whispered, and Heath straightened, turning in the girl”s direction.

”Oh yeah, I could help you decide…what to put in your mouth.”

Sawyer rolled his eyes and waited for the girl to slap him, but she just giggled.

”Oh really?”

Heath put his hand up to block the girl from seeing him mouth, ”Thank you,” to Sawyer before suggesting he and the girl find someplace more comfortable.

Sawyer smiled and waved them off. Heath didn”t need a wingman. Not when he was in a place where pick-up lines like his were effective. And now, Sawyer was alone and horny as hell in a weird place. The bartender set down a short glass of whiskey on the rocks in front of him. ”No, I”m sorry, I didn”t order this,” he said.

”From the gentleman at the end, honey,” the bartender said, pointing at the end of the bar to an attractive middle-aged man wearing a leather jacket.

Warning bells rang in his head. Bikers weren”t the most accepting of people, normally. So then, why was this one picking him up? What did he really want? Maybe he just thinks your attractive, Sawyer!It is possible that someone else would want you.

He remembered Roscoe once saying that he wanted it to be obvious to anyone looking who Sawyer belonged to. Apparently, it wasn”t obvious to the biker tipping his glass in his direction. That saddened him. And then, the fact that that made him sad made him angry. He picked the drink up and took the smallest sip possible.

As he suspected, the liquor affected him much more strongly than it used to. Though, he”d never been much of a drinker. He”d preferred weed that got him high but at a mellower level. Except, Roscoe had destroyed his weed. Along with his integrity and independence.

Suddenly, there was a body next to him, the biker from the end of the bar. ”Is it my lucky night?” the biker said, his voice rich and inviting.

”What do you mean?”

He looked Sawyer up and then down. And then back up again. ”You know what I mean, but I am glad to spell it out. Finding someone as attractive as you in a place like this.”

Sawyer played with the straw in his glass, twirling it through the ice. ”There are plenty of attractive people here.”

”Plenty of attractive gay people?”

”Is this a trap? I admit I am gay and you have your buddies kick my ass?”

The man set his drink down. ”My buddies wouldn”t care if you were gay. And while I have plenty that I”d like to do to your ass, kick it isn”t one of those things.”

Well, that was as subtle as a neon sign. But then, this wasn”t the type of place to be subtle. Sawyer didn”t have any idea at that moment what the fuck he was doing there. He wanted to leave and crawl under the covers in his bed at Miss Maggie”s. But, Heath drove them there, and he was busy sucking the face off some girl.

He had no interest in this biker. Worse than that, his body felt repulsed by his nearness, as if it would respond to only one man and this man clearly wasn”t the one. He seemed nice enough, and maybe he was telling the truth about not wanting to kick Sawyer”s ass. But he wasn”t Roscoe. A fact that irritated Sawyer endlessly.

He was cock whipped.

”Thanks but—”

”Baby, I don”t mean to scare you, but do you know that guy?” the biker asked looking at someone over his head.

Sawyer followed his gaze, and it was as if his vision narrowed until all it could see was the massive shape that was Roscoe standing just inside the tavern door. He was looking right at Sawyer with an expression that Sawyer couldn”t quite describe. Furious would be a word that could come close, intimidating and possessive were next on the list.

Sawyer recalled the image of the hickey before turning from Roscoe and telling the man next to him, ”I used to know him. But then he did something I never would have expected, and now, I don”t think I know him at all.” He knew that Roscoe would be able to hear him, despite being on the other side of the bar.

”Wanna make him mad?” the biker said with mischief in his eyes. He settled his hand on Sawyer”s.

Sawyer hissed but because there was a particular sort of wrongness that overcame him at the other man”s touch. ”That is not a safe plan.”

”Would he hurt you?” the biker asked, his hold tightening as if he actually cared.

”Not me. You.” Sawyer gave him a rueful smile. ”Best sit this one out, bodyguard.”

His chest puffed out as he drained his drink. ”I”m not scared.”

”Sawyer.”

Sawyer closed his eyes as a shiver traveled down his spine. He felt like an addict and Roscoe was his drug. Just hearing his name come from Roscoe”s lips was a tiny hit of that feeling he craved. ”How did you find me?”

In an unusual move by Roscoe, he actually answered Sawyer”s question. ”Maggie told me. Let”s go.” He grabbed Sawyer”s wrist and tugged lightly.

But, Sawyer felt another hand on him as the biker grabbed his other arm. ”I don”t think he wants to leave,” he said obstinately.

Roscoe shook, visibly vibrating with anger. ”I believe my boy already warned you about what would happen if you don”t back off.”

”If he was your boy, why is he in a place like this looking like that?”

”Hey now—” Sawyer began, but Roscoe”s growl drowned out his words.

In half a second, the biker was on the ground. For a horrible moment, Sawyer didn”t see him moving but then he rolled over and rubbed his jaw. It took the people around them that much longer to realize something had happened more than dancing, drinking and flirting.

”Are you okay?” Sawyer asked him, but that just made the situation worse.

Roscoe had him at his side, his heavy arm over his shoulders keeping him there. The moment the biker”s crew realized who had been punched down, they assembled behind him ready to defend their friend. There were five of them and yet, Sawyer still worried for their safety. Roscoe felt like a live wire ready to blow, he was wound so tightly beside him.

”Hold up,” the biker called to his friends, perhaps as worried as Sawyer was for their safety. ”This is all just a misunderstanding.” He looked at Roscoe and then Sawyer. ”Right?”

”The misunderstanding is that you tried to touch what is mine.”

The way the bikers reacted, Roscoe seemed to be speaking a language they understood. But it just made Sawyer angry. He was good enough to stand by Roscoe”s side in a random bar but not good enough to stand by his side with his pack? He slipped out from under Roscoe”s arm. ”Fuck you!” he hollered at Roscoe. ”And fuck your ownership!”

The moment Sawyer”s world turned upside down he caught sight of Heath”s concerned face, the only person left in the bar other than the biker and his buddies. Except, it wasn”t his world, it was only Sawyer. Roscoe had reached down and hauled him over his shoulder so that his upper half was draped across the back of Roscoe and his ass was under his palm. Sawyer knew what was going to happen a fraction before it did and not nearly soon enough to stop it. Though, he doubted any amount of foresight would have stopped Roscoe”s palm from colliding with his butt. He was still fully clothed, but that didn”t stop the mortification from being flung over Roscoe”s shoulder and spanked in public.

Sawyer fought and squirmed even after he felt his erection poking into Roscoe”s chest. He screamed at Roscoe calling him every name he could think of while pounding his fists against his back. But Roscoe did not stop until Sawyer had run out of anger. He”d screamed himself empty, and now without anger, he was just horny. On the last spank, Roscoe grabbed a handful of his ass and proclaimed to the bar, ”Mine.”

He took them outside, bursting a path through the people who had fled at the first sign of violence and put Sawyer in the front seat of an unfamiliar car. He drove them a few miles down the road before skidding to a stop on the shoulder, spraying gravel up on the windshield. ”Are you okay?” he asked quietly.

Sawyer folded in on himself and faced the window. He felt so conflicted. Was there an emotion that described the feeling of being happy, angry, furious, ecstatic, complete and fractured? Having Roscoe with him made his body sing, but thinking about what he had done with Gaia, tore Sawyer in two.

”What happened, baby? What were you even doing in a place like that?”

Sawyer angled his body away and wiped a tear.

”Will you please talk to me? I hate myself for thinking about how I might have hurt you in that bar. Baby, they weren”t shifters. They couldn”t smell me on you.” He leaned over and inhaled. ”Even though my scent is very clearly woven into yours.” That seemed to calm him as he was able to take a breath that didn”t shudder from adrenaline.

He wanted to tell him exactly how he”d gotten there. But saying the words would make them true. ”What would you smell like?” Sawyer barked. ”Whose scent do you carry?” He turned from the window, wiping the moisture from his face. ”I”m not a shifter either so you could smell like anyone and I would never know.”

There was no clarifying then guilty moment on Roscoe”s beautiful face. No moment of realization. He just stared at Sawyer, his eyes still dark with anger and perhaps desire. ”Does that bother you? I smell like you, baby. That”s the point. Our scents have mixed and—”

”You don”t smell like Gaia?” Sawyer asked, unable to hold it back any longer. Who cares if it made it real? It was already real enough to drive him crazy.

There was no anger or irritation or even guilt from Roscoe. Just confusion. ”Why would I smell like Gaia?”

Sawyer crossed his arms. ”So sucking someone”s neck doesn”t mean anything in the shifter world?”

”Baby, I have no idea—”

”I saw her hickey! She was so weird about it too. Probably was embarrassed to be standing in front of me with the proof of your infidelity marked clearly on her skin!”

”Are you done?” Roscoe asked when Sawyer stopped screaming.

His blood had been at a rolling boil, Roscoe”s question caused him to boil over. ”Am I done? Am I done? Yeah. I”m fucking done, with you!” He opened his door, but Roscoe reached over and closed it just as quickly. ”Stop doing that,” Sawyer ordered.

”So only you get to say your piece and then what, storm out like a belligerent child?”

Sawyer had never been so angry. In the back of his mind, he knew this wasn”t a completely natural reaction. Yeah, he should feel some anger, but also some sadness.

Except, Sawyer was just white hot, blazing fury. He wanted to hurt Roscoe like he had hurt him. ”Just let me go. You aren”t the only one who gets to have some action this week.”

”I don”t care what you think you know, Sawyer. You”ll never feel another man”s arms again.”

”I won”t be your sidedick!” Sawyer screamed.

And then, a light did click in Roscoe”s expression. He smiled but then had the sense of self-preservation to stop before Sawyer elbowed him in the balls. ”I know what”s happening,” Roscoe said, reaching out to grab Sawyer and pull him to his chest.

Sawyer resisted, but not for very much or for very long. ”What are you talking about?” he said, his words muffled against Roscoe”s chest.

”I”m sorry, baby. This is my fault. I thought we still had more time before it started.”

”Stop talking like a popsicle stick riddle.”

”Your heat. You”re going into heat.” He stopped and sniffed Sawyer”s head. ”I would have sensed it earlier if I wasn”t so clouded.”

”Well, this feels horrible,” Sawyer replied.

”The heat doesn”t make you feel like this, it just heightens everything. The anger and betrayal that you would have felt if you thought I was physical with Gaia is heightened exponentially. You poor thing.” He kissed the top of Sawyer”s head, and Sawyer had to bite his tongue to keep from purring at the contact. ”I didn”t, by the way, not that I should have to tell you. I don”t know how Gaia got a hickey. She didn”t have one when she left this morning, and I didn”t see her when she came back. I only knew where you were after Maggie drove down to the highway and started screaming for me. She scared me to death. I thought you were hurt.”

”Oh no, is she okay?”

”She went back to her inn after telling me where I could find you.”

”And then you found me.”

Roscoe growled as he likely remembered how he had found Sawyer.

”You really didn”t do anything?”

”I need you to believe me. I need you to trust me, mate.”

A tingle of sensation shot through his balls to his tummy at hearing Roscoe call him his mate again. ”I”m an idiot,” he said, the anger snuffed out as quickly as it had burned brightly.

”No, you aren”t. You are mine.” He pulled Sawyer against him again, as if needing to touch him as much as Sawyer needed to be touched.

”I”m yours and an idiot,” he conceded.

”Get in the back seat, Sawyer. I need to fuck you.”

A thrill bubbled inside his body, and he bit his lip. He opened his mouth to speak, but Roscoe wasn”t there. He”d gone around the outside of the car into the back seat. When Sawyer didn”t immediately join him, he pulled him gently over the back of the seats. Roscoe had his pants down and upon seeing Sawyer fully clothed he growled low. A ripping noise filled the car before Sawyer felt the cool air against his lower half.

”Hang on, those are my going out clothes!”

”You can go out in anything,” Roscoe said against Sawyer”s lips.

”But those were for picking up the guys,” Sawyer said with a smile. Roscoe”s next kiss rumbled, and then Sawyer stopped joking as the head of Roscoe”s cock pushed against his ass. He knew perfectly well how huge he was, and the knowledge made him scared.

”Shh, baby, let my body do the work. Do you feel that? I”ve got everything you need right here all in one package.”

Sawyer paused and waited as Roscoe had asked him to do. Sure enough, Roscoe”s dick leaked and the fluid smeared over his hole, relaxing the bud so that he could accept Roscoe”s huge size. He waited a moment longer before guiding Sawyer down on his cock, letting his body adjust, watching his face and paying attention to his body as he pushed his sweet mate down his length. Sawyer wanted to think that this time hadn”t taken as long as the last, but he couldn”t be sure. He also couldn”t form entire coherent thoughts with Roscoe”s dick shoved so deep inside him. Any breath, tremble or breeze reminded Sawyer of how utterly stuffed he was.

Roscoe reached between their bodies and began stroking Sawyer”s hard length, whispering sweet comments about how good he was doing and how great he felt.

Great couldn”t begin to describe how Sawyer felt. For once in days, he was warm. Condensation rolled down the windows reminding Sawyer of a certain romantic movie he had seen as a young man.

”Why are you smiling mate?” Roscoe asked, smiling himself as he did.

”Car sex,” Sawyer managed to say. ”My first.”

Roscoe beamed, and Sawyer wished he could always make him look like that. ”We”ll have many more firsts because you are my only.” Roscoe began to thrust up, and Sawyer wailed. He held on to Roscoe”s shoulders as he pushed in and pulled back out. Sawyer came, surprising them both. He hadn”t had a chance to think about aiming, and it splashed over Roscoe”s shirt, his chin and lips. Roscoe licked his lips and groaned, increasing the tempo of his thrusts.

He was so big, and it felt so amazing, Sawyer”s vision began to go spotty. He came again, this time under Roscoe”s talented hand. Sawyer rubbed his hand over Roscoe”s gathering his own fluid he pulled Roscoe”s shirt up and rubbed it into his chiseled abdomen.

”Mine,” Sawyer said with the energy he had left.

Wrapping his arms around Sawyer”s back, he pulled him tight against his chest, all the while his hips flexing upward. As his dick swelled, lodging him in place inside of Sawyer. Unable to pull out and thrust any longer, Roscoe emptied his seed inside of Sawyer”s eager body, biting down on his neck while mumbling the one phrase Sawyer thought he”d never hear again. ”I love you.”