Chapter 9

I’d watched Riker leave with a smile in place. I had to keep a lock on the fury pushing at me to hunt down the graves, to piss on them, of those who tormented him when he was a kid. Pride had settled under my ribs at knowing he killed them all, but I couldn’t help the annoyance that there was no one left for me to take on.

Hell, I couldn’t even be pissed at the brothers he now had since, under Ruth’s watch, they’d accepted him, cared for him, and watched over him.

Although, the anger over them shooting and stabbing Riker easily surfaced. I hated the thought of anything harming him. Even if he could heal better than humans.

“If Riker slips up and says shit that annoys you or gets your animals pissed, you come to me to take care of it from now on,” I said, dragging my gaze from the doorway Riker had gone through to Deacon and Nox. “I don’t give a fuck if he can heal. No one hurts him. No one makes him bleed. You have an issue, talk to me, and I’ll sort it.”

All of them stared at me. The mates gaped, but the brothers’ scowls were gone and instead, I wasn’t positive, but they seemed to be considering me in a different light.

It was Ruth who shocked me. Hell, she even startled me when she threw herself at me and hugged.

I awkwardly patted her back when I heard her sniffle.

“Thank you. Thank you, thank you. Oh my God, thank you.” She pulled back and cupped my cheeks. I watched as her tears welled and fell. “You really are the best person for our Riker.”

I bristled at her calling Riker theirs.

He was mine.

I patted her arm, hoping she would release me. She didn’t. Ruth sniffed again and said, “If you ever need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Ruth, I don’t think Corbin’s exactly comfortable with you being in his face,” Rio called.

She ignored him. “I always worried someone would take advantage of him. He’s kind and trusting, even after everything that happened. But I know you’ll be good for him, you?—”

“Mom, please back off,” Riker said tightly. His hard gaze was partially hidden by wet strands of his hair.

Ruth stepped away and clasped her hands in front of her, smiling softly at her son.

Riker’s tension swept away on a snicker as he brushed his hair back with a hand. “I guess I will get prickly when my mate is concerned because I was about ready to tear your eyes out, Mom.” He skipped over to my side and dropped a bag to the floor. “Even when I love you, I was ready to throw hands for being in his personal space and touching him.” Riker glanced to his brothers. “I get it now. Sorry for being a dick. Though, it was fun at the time.” He laughed again.

Ruth hugged him before she went to sit down. “Sorry for getting too close to him, sweetheart. Are you sure you don’t want to stay for dinner?”

“There’ll be plenty of food,” Rio said.

“And you might need the energy,” Deacon teased as he tipped his chin up at me. I knew it was his peace offering. I supposed I couldn’t be too stubborn since Riker didn’t hate them. I hesitantly returned the gesture. Still, I’d keep an eye on both of them.

“But we understand if you have to go,” Kieran put in, his cheeks turning pink.

Nox wrapped his arms around Kieran’s shoulders and ducked to whisper something in his mate’s ear that had Kieran’s blush spreading.

Yeah, I didn’t want to know or care what that was.

Standing, I curled Riker into my side and drew in his fresh, clean smell.

A pressure of urgency rose inside me to get Riker home. I needed to be inside him, have his teeth sink into me while I emptied my cum into him to complete this bond.

I didn’t want to go another day without locking us together.

He had to know I wanted him, and I was in this for life.

It didn’t matter we hardly knew each other. That shit would come. Fate picked us for each other. I knew I was meant to be with him to show him love and acceptance like no one else could, and he completed me in other ways.

Riker. Was. Mine.

And we had things to do. Mainly each other. So we wouldn’t be staying.

Next time, I wanted to see Riker’s room. I wanted to know where our space would be for when I moved in with him. But for now, I needed to get us out of there and home for privacy.

Leaning down, I picked up his bag and threw it over my shoulder. “Thanks for the offer, but we’ll grab somethin’ on the way back to my place.”

“Bye, bye, everyone,” Riker called brightly.

There were a chorus of “byes” as I managed to get him back outside, where night had fallen, and into the car without any delays.

When I was in the driver’s seat, Riker faced me, grinning wild and widely. “What’s the hurry, hunny-lumpkin?” He cackled when I screwed up my face at his choice of pet name.

My lips twitched as I started driving and tried to hold in a chuckle. “First off, it’s a no to that name, sunshine. You can keep tryin’ or I’m happy with sir.”

He scrapped his top teeth over his plump bottom lip. I dragged my gaze back to the road.

“I like sir. I’d like to use it more when you’re controlling me in bed. When you’re choking me, fucking me, ruining my hole.”

Jesus motherfucking Christ. A wave of arousal thickened my cock. I gripped the steering wheel, so I didn’t pull over, park, and have him riding me then and there.

“Gonna fuck you when we get to the house, Riker,” I stated roughly.

A noise, almost like a purr, rattled his chest as he rolled out a whispery, “Yes, please.”

Another wave tingled along my spine and spread through my lower gut.

I pressed my foot on the accelerator. I hadn’t been this fucking turned on where, even at my age, I worried I’d come in my pants.

But Christ, I had to touch him.

“Get your dick out for me. Wanna see if you’re hard.”

His noise amped up. He moved to lift his hips and force his jeans and underwear down to his thighs.

His erection sprang free and before he could touch it, I had my hand wrapped around him. He let out a shuddering breath around the noise still vibrating his chest and peered up at me through his lashes.

Goddamn, he was stunning.

As I ran my palm up and down his length, he gripped the sides of the seat, arching his back.

“Sir,” he whispered, his tone full of desire. Legs spread, hips jutted up, he pressed his back into the seat and panted as I jacked him off.

My gut tightened in annoyance when I had to divert my attention from Riker to the road. Back and forth it went while all I wanted was to just stare at him. Watch how he lost himself to my touch, to the approaching orgasm.

He bit his bottom lip, and when I glanced back to him again, I noticed blood welling on it before it tipped over, running down his chin.

“Riker,” I clipped.

His tongue swept out and swiped over his blood. His eyes closed and he moaned.

Fuck.

I pulled the car over, put it in Park, and undid my seat belt so I could use my other hand to drag his head my way to take his mouth in a metallic, heavy, and hard kiss.

He shuddered. I fingered and played with his balls, drawing them down from his body, noting he was close. Then I went back to jacking him.

My own cock throbbed for attention just before a hand ran up and down it over my jeans. I released his hair to lay my free hand over his.

I tore my mouth from him and nipped at his ear. “I ain’t comin’ in my jeans, sunshine.”

He moaned and then offered, “I could lick you clean after.”

Christ.That was tempting.

The thought had me jerking him faster. His eyes rolled, and he moaned again before muttering, “Corbin.”

I nipped and suck at his earlobe. “Later, gonna have you full of my cum, sunshine. But right now, I want yours. I wanna see you messy, knowin’ I caused it. Knowin’ you loved my hand, my touch, my attention. Fuckin’ come, boy, so I can get inside you faster.”

His hand tightened over my junk, and he slammed his eyes down to my hand working him over in time to see the first shot of his cum land on his tee. More erupted with his cry of pleasure. It dribbled down over my skin, his cock, his thighs.

When he tipped his head back with a dreamy smile, I kissed him lightly and licked over his lips.

“Don’t make yourself bleed again, Riker. Unless I ask you to. Hear me?”

His cock twitched in my hand, trying to come to life again. “Yes, Sir,” he breathed.

“Good.” Releasing my hold on him, I grabbed some wipes out of the glove compartment, cleaned my hand, then ran some over Riker, getting most of his mess with a smug smile.

My cock throbbed once again. I really needed to lose my load, but I didn’t want to until I was buried deep inside my sunshine.

The rest of the drive took too long. I was tight with tension and desire. I needed to get my hands on him. They twitched at the thought of marking his ass with a red haze from my palm.

How could I get it to work? How could I get Riker to misbehave?

When I got through the front door, I dumped his bag beside the couch, took off my cut and placed it carefully over the back.

Turning, I crossed my arms over my chest. “Run, little fox, because when I get you, I’ll have you and I won’t be gentle.”

He made a small yip with an excited jig before he dashed off down the hall. I pulled my tee off on the slow walk to my bedroom. I undid my belt and slid it from my jeans, depositing it on the floor with a clank before I stored my wallet, keys, and gun in the drawer of the stand and locked it. I’d move my weapon to a better spot later, when I wasn’t fighting with the burning hunger I had for Riker.

Slipping the key into my pocket, I walked down the hall as I undid the button and zipper of my jeans.

Inside my room, I removed my boots and socks as I eyed Riker sitting on the end of the bed, still clothed.

“Give me a safe word, Riker.”

He squirmed and grinned. “Foxy.”

“I want you to promise me to use it if you don’t like somethin’ I do or if you’re in pain that’s not pleasure.”

“But I can take?—”

“It ain’t about what you can take. I don’t want to cause my mate any pain that you don’t like. Please, sunshine, for me. Be honest, even in the bedroom.”

“I promise to tell you, my mate,” he said softly.

I knew that when his gaze had flared over me calling him my mate for the first time that it meant something to him.

Good.

I’d wanted it to be special because I needed him to listen to me about this. I never wanted him in pain in any form. Not from me. Not from anyone. The thought of something happening to Riker had me swallowing fast as my gut churned.

“Get undressed, boy,” I ordered to change the direction of my thoughts.

He cocked a brow and cheekily asked, “And what if I don’t?”

Turned out, I didn’t have to do anything for Riker to act up. My sweet sunshine wanted a punishment as much as I wanted to deliver one.

Smirking, I stalked toward him with a damn thrill in my lower gut at my eagerness to teach him a lesson.