1. A Backward Kind Of Flirting

1

A BACKWARD KIND OF FLIRTING

Telos watched with bated breath as Mav paused in front of Major Licking’s frozen meals.

He shouldn’t give in to the urge.

They were on a mission.

To rescue babies.

They had to eat food that was hearty and filling. Food that healed your soul and bulged your muscles. Food that soothed your eye bags and made your pecs stand up perkily.

In short, anything except Major Licking’s. Especially that last box of Four Cheese Ravioli that Mav was eyeing.

It was a vile, unspeakable box of crap. Who knew how long it had been sitting in the old, clanking convenience store freezer?

“Don’t touch that, that’s mine,” Telos said so loudly, his voice filled the store. “The Four Cheese Ravioli with Tomato and Chicken is the best Major Licking has to offer.”

As expected, Mav glanced at him suspiciously.

Telos strode down the cramped aisle, puffing out his chest. “The others taste like crap, but not this one,” he said, lowering his voice so he sounded serious, for once. “The tomatoes are sun-dried with some intense flavor. The chicken pieces are huge. And the cheese filling is made with quality cheese. Hands off that box.”

“Really,” Mav said, his eyes narrowed. After the centuries they’d known each other, Telos could almost count down to the exact moment Mav added, “This is a trick.”

“If you think it’s a trick, then back off and let me have it.” Telos stepped closer.

It was his secret guilty pleasure to prowl into Mav’s space, to catch the split second of heat wafting off Mav’s muscular body, before the other alpha braced his forearm against Telos’ chest and shoved him back.

“You’ve tricked me thirty times,” Mav said, amber eyes flashing dangerously. “This is probably one of them.”

“So let me have it. It was voted the nation’s best. Recommended by doctors and chefs. It’s expensive, for a TV dinner. But so damn worth it.” Telos raised his chin.

They were the same height, almost the same size. But where Telos had deep brown eyes and ink-black hair, Mav had amber eyes and sand-colored hair. Telos used to hate that Mav was handsome, the most handsome in their group of friends.

These days, he found pleasure in taunting that aggravating face.

Mav pushed him again. Telos used that momentum to spin on his heels, reaching around Mav to grab the cooler door. “If you’re not taking it, it’s mine.”

Mav snarled and shoved his hand into the cooler, snatching up that last box of Four Cheese Ravioli. “Too late.”

“Fuck you,” Telos spat, biting down the gleeful smirk that threatened to erupt across his face. “And fuck your stupid flat ass.”

Mav raised a thick eyebrow. “Lowering yourself to childish insults?”

“That’s what you say when you don’t want to admit your ass is flat,” Telos retorted.

Mav’s ass really wasn’t flat. In fact, it was round and firm, enough to bounce a coin off, but there weren’t many parts of him that Telos could insult. Especially when his shoulders were broad, his pecs so full that his nipples strained against his shirt, his biceps stretching his sleeves. His pants fitted him so well, it was indecent, the way it hugged his ass, his thick thighs, and especially the sizable bulge between his legs.

Nope, not going there right now.

Telos flattened his large hands against Mav’s warm back and shoved, hard enough that Mav was forced to take two steps forward. And now the cooler of Major Licking’s was Telos’ to peruse.

“Don’t let out all the cold air,” Mav threw over his shoulder with a roll of his eyes. “I know such concepts are beyond your Ice Age understanding.”

“Ha ha, that’s hilarious,” Telos said flatly.

Mav moved further down the row of coolers, putting space between them.

Telos waited until Mav had grabbed a few more frozen things and left to pay. Then he promptly turned his back on Major Licking and picked up two frozen pot pies, from a different— better —brand, a third frozen meal, and the ingredients for a midnight PB the car was too small for two people their size. At least it still had decent horsepower; he would’ve had some choice words for the rental company otherwise.

Telos reached for the radio dial to change it away from classic rock; Mav promptly slapped his hand away.

“That’s the only station we can agree on,” Mav muttered. “Unless you want to be murdered right here.”

“Ah, your death threats warm the rock-hard cockles of my heart.”

“I’d roast them over a fire.” Mav checked his blind spot and changed lanes, his hands steady on the steering wheel. Also hot. Damn it.

“What would you season my cockles with?” Telos waggled his eyebrows.

“Salt and pepper. Something spicy to smother the taste.”

“Aw, I’m disappointed that you don’t want to taste me.”

Mav snorted.

The real reason for the radio was so it would drown out all the sounds in the car. Mav’s breathing, his heart thumping. The way his clothes rubbed against his skin, every rustle too intimate for this enclosed space.

But it couldn’t hide his scent. Mav had been using the same cologne for decades, something wonderfully marine with citrus and sage; woodsy notes mixed with a hint of salt.

Telos owned a bottle of it. That was a secret, too.

He turned back to his chips and crunched on them, occasionally throwing a piece at Mav.

Mav snarled. “Quit it.”

“I’m feeding you, darling. You should open your mouth wider.”

The other alpha gritted his teeth, tightening his fists on the steering wheel. Telos grinned and settled further into his seat.

Eventually, they pulled into the parking lot of a small hotel, with a brightly lit lobby and lamps next to every room’s entrance. Mav left the car to check them in.

Telos watched his pants stretch taut over his ass.

A short while later, Mav emerged from the lobby with two card keys. Telos stepped out of the car and caught the key Mav flicked at him.

“Which room?” Telos asked.

“It’s on there.” Mav didn’t look at him, instead turning to the trunk to grab his overnight bag.

Telos flipped his card around. On a bright pink sticky note, someone had scribbled the words Room 69.

He snorted. Then he began laughing hysterically, because of course the gods had to play him like this. “I don’t suppose it has a king-sized bed.”

Mav rolled his eyes. “Twin beds.”

“You can’t be serious. With a room number like that? Room 69 should’ve been the honeymoon suite.”

“No. That isn’t even a romantic position.” Mav grimaced.

“What number should the honeymoon suite be, then?”

“Room 11.”

Telos stared, trying to figure out why. “You can’t possibly mean... missionary. Who the hell does missionary on their honeymoon?”

“I don’t know, people who want to stare into each other’s eyes?” Mav said, extremely sarcastically. “Instead of getting a face full of cock?”

Telos winced. “That sounds like two incredibly boring people getting married.”

“You can’t possibly think romance means mounting someone doggy-style and going at it like animals.”

“If you love someone, you fuck them the right way,” Telos retorted. “Guess that escapes you.”

“I don’t even know why I’m having this discussion with you.”

Telos grabbed his bags. “Me neither. The last thing anyone wants, would be to marry you.”

It was a lie, of course. And Telos had found a way to make his heart not skip, so Mav couldn’t tell he was lying.

“Yeah, like your opinion matters so much,” Mav muttered.

Telos looked away and focused on keeping his pulse even.

In the room, they set their bags on the dresser. Mav nodded at the microwave on top of the mini fridge. “You gonna heat up your dinner first?”

The memory of Major Licking’s Four Cheese Ravioli shot into Telos’ mind. This was what he’d been waiting for: Mav’s reaction to the worst TV dinner that ever existed. “So you can rub your dinner in my face? I think not.”

Mav reached into his bag to grab his frozen meal, but Telos was faster. He ripped open his box of beef pot pie and leaped over to the microwave, slamming it in. Mav reached him a split second later, teeth bared.

“Too slow, so sad.” Telos clucked his tongue and punched in the time for the microwave.

It spoke volumes about Mav’s character, that he didn’t open the microwave to throw out Telos’ pot pie. Instead, he stepped back, eyes narrowed. “I bet no one calls you back for your fast performance.”

Telos ignored the flush creeping up his neck. “I’d prove my abilities to you, but you’re so much of a prude, it would burn your eyeballs.”

“Go ahead and think that.” Mav turned away, stripping off his shirt.

Telos froze. He’d seen Mav shirtless several times over the centuries, but not like this. Not without their friends, and not in a room all by themselves.

Light played across Mav’s shoulders, highlighting the sheer beauty of his body. His muscles rippled, his biceps flexed. A black tattoo of a serpentine dragon stretched along his spine, its white eyes prominent, as though watching Telos.

Mav reached for his belt buckle. Fuck.

Apparently Telos hadn’t controlled his reaction well enough, because Mav glanced over his shoulder. “Something wrong?”

“Five out of ten for the striptease, do not recommend.”

Mav scoffed and undid his belt, his fly rasping. Then the pants slid down his underwear-clad ass, and he bent over to get it off his ankles.

Holy fuck.

Those boxer-briefs hid nothing. They hugged the generous globes of his cheeks, the heavy balls between his thighs. Mav lifted his leg to remove his boot, and Telos’ blood rushed south.

Never thought I’d see him with his legs spread, in front of me like this.

It was everything Telos couldn’t have, and his teeth ached.

He needed to tear his eyes away. But Mav put his foot down and lifted his other leg, an unwitting invitation. Telos’ ears rang.

It would be so easy to step between Mav’s legs, grind up between his cheeks. Let him feel how hard he’d made Telos. Push him down onto the bed, rut against him until they both came.

Telos wrenched his attention back to the microwave, watching Mav from the corner of his eye. Especially when Mav turned, and the boxer-briefs hugged the thick curve of his bulge.

Hold off until showertime, Telos told his aching cock.

The microwave dinged loudly. He jumped.

Mav snorted. “Scared by a little bell?”

“If only you knew,” Telos muttered darkly. He retrieved his pie and dug through his bag for a plastic fork, then retreated to the twin bed further away.

Mav popped Major Licking’s Four Cheese Ravioli into the microwave.

The rotating bowl took painfully long to heat up. Telos broke open his pie crust to let the filling cool, discreetly watching as Mav rummaged through his own bag to decide what he’d eat next.

Finally, the microwave dinged. Telos made himself calm down. This was payback. “You shouldn’t be eating that. It’s mine.”

Mav smirked and opened the microwave, grabbing the tray. He’d barely looked at it when he paused. “What is that?”

Telos knew what he was looking at. The raviolis were tiny, mostly pasta with a tasteless, fingernail-sized glob of filling, and the chicken slices were shriveled and pathetic. There were probably two chopped-up pieces of tomatoes, and it looked nothing like the picture on the box. “Four cheese ravioli, wasn’t it?”

Mav cut him a suspicious look. He peeled off the plastic film and speared a steaming ravioli with his fork, putting it into his mouth. He chewed. And frowned. “It’s tasteless.”

“I’m sure your taste buds are malfunctioning. It’s delicious.”

Mav scowled and put two more pieces into his mouth. He chewed again. “This is crap.”

Telos bit down his grin. “I’m sure it just needs to sit longer in your mouth. The flavors will begin to explode.”

They stared at each other, Mav’s eyes flashing.

“You tricked me,” the other alpha growled.

Telos quit holding it in. He hugged his pot pie closer and cackled. “You snatched it from under my nose. I told you it was mine.”

“You fucker.” Mav dropped the tray and lunged.

Telos barely managed to shove himself further up the bed. Then Mav was on him, grabbing his shoulder, slamming him down as he straddled Telos.

“You’re gonna ruin my pie,” Telos squawked, holding his pie as far away from Mav as he could. But pieces of crust were already falling onto his pillow.

“If I have to suffer through a shitty meal, then so do you,” Mav snarled, grabbing at the pie.

He was big. Heavy. Telos stretched his body and pushed his pie away from Mav’s snatching fingers, his mind blowing a little because Mav’s abs were almost in his face. Mav’s thighs were girthy and solid on either side of him, and he was lunging forward, his bulge inches from Telos’ mouth.

If he leaned closer...

Telos almost dropped the pie, he was holding it so far away.

Mav snarled and lunged, and that warm bulge shoved into Telos’ face, soft and musky and a thousand times better than Telos’ wildest imagination.

His brain short-circuited. That scent was all over his face. Mav’s bulge was pressed against his mouth, separated from him by a thin piece of fabric.

Holy fuck!

He released the pie and shoved both hands against Mav’s solid abs, pushing him back.

Mav surged forward for a split second, the increased pressure of his bulge going straight between Telos’ legs.

What the hell, Telos thought desperately.

Then Mav sat back, Telos’ pot pie clutched in his hands, and the look on his face was extremely triumphant.

“What,” Telos snapped, scrambling to deal with this. A semi-naked Mav on his chest, the scent of his cock all over Telos’ face.

Do you even know where your cock was? Telos wanted to ask. Instead, he said, “You fucking asswipe!”

He grabbed Mav’s wrist. And shoved, so hot beef and gravy smashed all over Mav’s ample chest.

“You fucker!” Mav snarled, recoiling.

“You started it,” Telos hissed. He watched the meat and diced vegetables slide down Mav’s abs, biting hard on his tongue so he wouldn’t lick his lips.

Mav scowled and sat back. Any further south, and he’d be right on top of Telos’ rock-hard secret. Mav scooped the gravy off his pecs, licked it off his hand, and grabbed some pie filling. This left his chest and lips glistening like some kind of erotic photo shoot.

“Get the fuck off me,” Telos snapped.

Mav raised an eyebrow, and sat down harder.

This was too dangerous. Telos grabbed Mav’s ankle and twisted; Mav snarled, rearing up to fight.

It gave Telos an opening. He used Mav’s momentum against him, shoving him off so he was no longer pinning Telos.

“I’m taking a shower,” Telos growled.

He only realized then, that his phone was ringing. With another glower at Mav, Telos answered the call. “Hi?”

“Telos,” a woman said on the other end of the line, sounding frantic. Her voice sounded familiar. “Sorry, I just have bad news all around.”

Telos grimaced. “Who is this?”

She sighed gustily. “Samantha. We met at a bar almost a year ago, remember?”

“Oh.” Yeah, he remembered now. She had been a one-night stand. Easygoing, didn’t want to be involved. They’d both had a good time, and they’d exchanged numbers, but Telos never called her again. Uneasily, he asked. “What’s your bad news?”

“So I got pregnant after that night,” she said heavily.

Telos froze. “It’s mine? I thought you were on BC.”

“I was. It failed. I thought I wanted to keep the baby, but it’s been a rough few months. I was traveling down to give her to you.”

He really did not like where this was going. “What happened?”

“Your daughter’s been kidnapped.”