11. Tristan

Tristan

Chapter 11

I rolled over yet again, the soft sheets clinging to my damp skin. The guest room was nice, far nicer than the hotels I usually slept in when I came to the city, and a far cry nicer than my cabin in the woods. I should've slept like a baby on this cloudlike mattress. But as exhausted as I was, sleep was nowhere in sight. My mind was still doing cartwheels after dinner. I didn't like to talk about what happened to my moms and sister. The wound was always festering just under the surface, and now that the scab had been pulled off, it was bleeding freely all over again. And if my spinning brain wasn't enough, my body? Oh, shit. My body was ready to go another ten rounds in the ring. I was like a pharmaceutical ad for restless leg syndrome the way I was flopping around.

Groaning, I rolled onto my back and blinked up at the ceiling. "This is so pointless," I said out loud to my wolf, but he clearly didn't agree, since the only reply I got from was a soft snore. "Traitor," I mumbled. "We're supposed to suffer together, remember?"

I'd left the curtains pulled back and the balcony doors open, blowing in a fresh breeze, hoping it would clear my head. I felt like I was being pulled in two different directions at the same time, the tug-of-war tearing me straight down the middle. On the one hand was my home, my family. Pack had been everything to me growing up—until I met my mate. Now, I was no longer the man I was just a few days ago. My priorities had shifted so that even my own Alpha wouldn't recognize me anymore. Dylan was the only thing that could've made me consider leaving my pack behind. I didn't want to, but I would, because he was my future, my entire world, whatever that looked like going forward.

For the first time ever, I wished I had a cell phone so I could talk to Shan about it. He was the only one I knew who'd experienced a fated bond. He would understand.

I was mid flip when I heard a sound, like a twig snapping, from the open balcony doors. I tensed, sitting up, the sheet falling around my waist. Are you asleep? I asked my wolf. Normally, he would've been on high alert to any threat, of which there were many now that I'd painted a huge-ass target on my back, but he snorted sleepily at me, oblivious to any potential danger. But then, the breeze carried a scent now as familiar to me as my own. Lily of the valley.

"Dylan?" I whispered, creeping out of bed. The floor was cool, the air kissing my bare backside as I padded over to the balcony. "Dylan, are you—"

There was a rustle, a crack, and then sudden movement from overhead. I opened my arms right as a body came dropping out of the sky. "Oof!" Dylan grunted. He was wearing nothing but a pair of flannel sleep pants. Trying to regain his composure, he smoothed his dark hair back. "You didn't have to catch me, you know. I would've landed on my feet."

I chuckled softly, shifting his weight in my arms and carrying him into my room. "Sure thing, kitty cat, but maybe you belong in my arms. Do I want to ask why you're climbing the vines outside my window when my room has a perfectly good door?"

He huffed, smirking. "My dad likes to keep a close eye on me, especially at night… especially when my fated mate is under the same roof, just down the hall." He hooked his arm around my neck and nuzzled closer, tracing a line across my skin with his nose, breathing me in. "You'd better be taking me to your bed," he murmured, his voice raspy.

"At your command," I purred, kneeling on the bed to lay him down in the middle of it. Then I followed my forward momentum and lay across him. His warmth heated my skin, his wandering hands raising goosebumps all the way down to my bare ass, and when he arched his back, he ground his hard length into me, the only thing between us a thin layer of flannel. It would be so easy to just slip the elastic waistband down and…

But then his words sank in, and I froze, my lips close enough to his to feel his breath skating over my tongue. I propped myself above him, gazing down at him. His skin was glowing beautifully with a blush, eyes heavy-lidded with lust. "Wait… Why would your dad be keeping an eye on you? You said you were 21. Please tell me you're legal."

"Oh… Yeah, I am." He bit his full lower lip, a crease forming between his brows, amber eyes filled with guilt, and my heartbeat started to stutter. "Um, so, it's all part of the prize for the competition. Whoever wins gets some very lucrative business deals with my dad and gets me as their mate… and my v-virginity." His voice squeaked a little at the end, and his gaze skittered off to the side.

"You're a virgin?!" I shouted too loudly, before I could stop myself. We both turned our heads to the door to listen for a second, and when no one came barging in, I lowered my voice to a whisper. "Are you serious?" He nodded, and I groaned, dropping my forehead to his shoulder. "Just when I thought you couldn't get better…" My cock twitched against him as if begging for a chance to change his virginal status, and it squeezed out a dribble of precum. I'd assumed we could have sex as long as there was no marking, but this…

I rolled off him and grabbed a pillow to cover my aching hard-on. Rubbing my hands over my face, I groaned again. "You didn't give head like a virgin."

He pinched the corner of the pillow and dragged it off slowly, the friction of the fabric like a delicious kind of torture. "I might be lacking in experience, but you should see all the fantasies I conjure up in my mind, all the sinfully wicked ways I want you to take me…" He tossed the pillow aside, his gaze focused on my raging boner. He licked his lips, and the tether on my restraint nearly snapped.

I closed my eyes and breathed through my mouth so I didn't get pulled in by his fragrant aroma, but now I swore I could taste it instead. From there, it was just a hop, skip, and a jump to thinking of all the other different flavors his body might yield. Focus, dammit! "Dylan, shit, you deserve someone better than me. I'm… I'm not a good guy. I'm like an anti-virgin. Is that a thing?"

The mattress wiggled as he moved closer, his arm brushing mine. His voice was tentative as he asked, "Do you want someone else?"

My eyes snapped open, and I glared at him with bright eyes that I knew must reflect my wolf. "Never. You are the only one I will ever want for as long as I live." It was insane! We'd just met, had barely had a full conversation, but I just knew he was it for me. This was full-on, romance-novel instalove! My wolf and I were fully on the same page about this.

His smile was like a sunrise from my own personal sun. "Then you're perfect, because I plan to reap the rewards for all that experience."

I swallowed hard. "You're sure? It's not too late to change your mind, we haven't marked each other yet. I could leave, and you could find someone more worthy." Except as I said the words, I was already reaching for him, already anticipating his reply.

"No one is more worthy than you," he whispered as he brought his mouth to my chest and laved his tongue across my nipple. His tongue was textured, his panther rising up to the surface, and holy hell, I'd never felt anything like it.

I carded my fingers through his short hair, intending to pull him off, have him wait for a second so I could think straight, but instead, I held him right where he was as he administered a proper tongue bath.

"You know," he mumbled against my chest as he crawled overtop of me, straddling my hips. "Just because we can't have sex, that doesn't mean we can't fool around."

"Mm-hm, that's good," I said, eyes rolling back into my head, thoroughly distracted by what he was doing with his mouth. I could die a happy man as long as he kept doing that.

He moved his ministrations up my chest, my neck, nipping at my pulse point in a show of trust. My hands coasted over his back, kneading my fingers into his lean muscles. I loved his body. He wasn't bulky, but I could sense his strength lying in wait. I couldn't wait to meet his panther. Me too, my wolf agreed.

With our bodies flush, chest to chest, he leaned over me. "Mine," he purred, amber eyes flashing, before he gripped my jaw and owned my mouth with his. His flavor filled my senses as he licked through my mouth with that rasping tongue. All coherent thought fled my mind, leaving behind only Dylan.

As the kiss deepened, I slid my hands lower, down the back of his soft pants to squeeze the perfect globes of his ass, holding him in place so I could grind against him. My fingers met his slippery excretions dripping from his crack, and I moaned into his mouth. This was going to be harder than I thought. "Are you sure we can't have sex?"

He shook his head. "I'm not sure of anything anymore," he panted. "What's my name again? I can't seem to remember."

I laughed, shaking my head trying to clear it. We were playing a dangerous game. It would be so easy to give in to the mating call. Our hearts already knew we belonged together, our souls cut from the same piece of cloth, and now our bodies were trying to take the lead and complete the bond, with or without our permission.

Dylan's claws were already out. I could feel them raking over my skin, and part of me wanted him to just mark me, lay claim, to hell with everything else. But what would his father do if I took advantage of his hospitality and disrespected him like that? What would Azar do if he felt he'd been cheated?

But beyond all the politics involved, I knew one thing for certain—at the very least, I owed my mate a blowjob.

I grabbed hold of Dylan's hips and rolled until he was under me. "Grab hold of the headboard," I instructed Dylan, and like a good boy, he did as he was told. Then I slithered down his body, took hold of those soft pants, and whipped them straight off.

Oh, was he ever a sight to behold, with his arms stretched over his head, his body long and taut. There'd been other bedmates in my past, a parade of temporary distractions, none of whom had meant anything to me. Dylan had swept into my life like a hurricane, blowing the memories of my past away without even trying. Now, all I could see was him. His skin was flushed, lips kiss-swollen, hair standing in all directions like a sex-wrecked god. I couldn't wait to see what he looked like after we finally did the deed.

And then, of course, there was his glorious cock, so smooth and perfect and weeping. As I watched, it bobbed with anticipation, and I grinned, all predator. I prowled back up the bed, pushing his thighs apart so I could settle on my stomach between them.

He watched me, his gaze ravenous. "Tristan…" he whispered. It was a plea.

I took one long swipe of my tongue from root to tip, flicking the crease at the top to collect the precum. I closed my eyes in total bliss, savoring the salty goodness. "Oh, Dylan, I don't know what I did to deserve you, but damn, I am going to leave an offering at every god's altar in thanks, just to make sure."

Gripping the base of his cock in my fist, I slipped the smooth, thick head between my lips, going slow to keep a leash on my urges.

I wasn't even halfway down before Dylan abandoned his good behavior, releasing the headboard to fist my hair. "Holy shit," he cursed, pressing me down the rest of the way. "That is… so good." He gave a little tentative jerk of his hips, trying and failing to restrain himself.

I drew my mouth back up, following with a tight fist to spread my saliva. I lingered at the top until I heard his breath catch, and then I plunged straight back down. Dylan let out a long whine and thrust up into my mouth. "I need more," he growled.

Gods, my mate was needy, and I loved every second of it. I couldn't wait to see him lose total control. I let him slip from my mouth long enough to say, "Take what you need from me, mate. The harder the better." Then I sheathed him straight back inside my warm, wet mouth.

His claws were still out, and in the end, I decided it would be safest if I held his wrists, one in each hand, to keep him from breaking the rules he'd set for us. At least this way I wouldn't be tempted to bury my fingers inside his channel.

Dylan was careful at first, probably worried about going too hard, too deep, but when I moaned around his shaft, goading him on, his movements got faster. I relaxed every muscle, loving the feel of him gliding over my tongue. The head of his cock nudged the back of my throat, but I'd practiced this enough that I was able to open up and invite him in deep. Soon he was fucking my throat.

"More," he begged, his voice getting louder. "Please, I need more! I need you to fuck me, Tristan!"

My wolf, too, wanted more. He wanted to bite, to claim our mate once and for all, none of this competition nonsense. Who did these other alphas think they were, vying for our mate? He was ours! My gums ached as my canines threatened to elongate. Shit, I could imagine no worse place for a mating mark than where I was currently situated, but I was so godsdamned horny! I bucked my hips, my eyes clenched tight, as I searched for friction against the mattress beneath me. My jaw ached, saliva making everything glide just right.

Dylan begged and pleaded, trying to pull his wrists free from my grip. He was so close, his entire body tense, but his beast was also riding him hard to claim.

This was a bad idea, but also… so very good.

The more he fought, the deeper he plunged, stretching my lips wide. I did my best to add pressure, hollowing my cheeks, and so help me, it was the hottest thing I'd ever experienced in my life, the way he fought. My own orgasm was racing toward me. I was going to come all over the mattress like a beginner without him even laying a finger on me.

Pressure built, heat ignited, and my balls squeezed up so tight I thought they would implode, until just when I couldn't hold it in for even a second longer, Dylan cried out, "Fuck! Tristan, I'm—" and with a final jerk of his hips, he unloaded into my mouth. Thick and warm and like ambrosia on my tongue, I swallowed every drop, just in time to pull my mouth off, because when my climax hit, I couldn't guarantee I wouldn't mark him. I groaned long and low, pumping my own wasted seed onto the mattress beneath me.

We both lay there entirely wrung out, no sound but our panting breath. "Shit, Dylan. You're going to be the death of me," I mumbled, laughing into his stomach where I'd dropped my forehead. I felt him tense under me, and when I looked up his body, his eyes had shuttered, the light that had been there moments ago extinguished. "Hey, where'd you go? Did I say something wrong?" I released his wrists and moved carefully to his side, stroking a finger along his jaw and tilting his face toward me. "Was I that bad?"

He choked out a reluctant laugh, earning me a smile. "As if you don't know that was the single most erotic thing I've ever done in my life." He shook his head, the brief smile slipping. "It's just… what you said, it could happen, you know. My mother. She died, and it was my father's fault." My guard came up, and he quickly amended, "He didn't cause it directly. One of his colleagues thought they would show him who was boss by forcing my mom's car off a bridge, except she… she couldn't get out in time, and she drowned."

Dylan's eyes turned glassy with tears, his chin quivering. "My dad has been extra protective ever since. He blames himself for her death, and he thought he could protect me by forging some new powerful alliance by setting up this competition. Except now that you're here, I feel like history is destined to repeat itself. I don't want someone to target you or your pack because of me. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you."

I wanted to promise him that nothing would happen, that we would live happily ever after, but that wasn't something I could do. Not when there was a very good chance he was right. I'd already been through more than my share of scuffles. "Would it help if I said I had no interest in your father's business?" I asked, resting my forehead on his. "I don't know exactly what he's up to, but I know enough to say I don't want anything to do with it."

"Maybe?" he replied, and I could hear the hope in his voice. He wanted to believe we had nothing but peace in our future, and I made a vow to myself that I would do everything in my power to give it to him. After the fight with Azar, of course…

"Come here," I said, tugging him closer, and he curled himself around me, hooking his leg over mine and laying his head on my chest. I pulled the blanket over us and ran my fingers through his hair lazily until I felt his whole body begin to relax. There was a gentle vibration emanating from his chest, and I paused my movements, smiling. "Are you… purring?" I had the urge to giggle. "It's just like having a pet cat."

"Shut up," he muttered, half asleep, but I could hear the amusement in his voice. "I'm not my panther's keeper. He can purr if he wants to."

"No, I like it. Don't stop." I went back to petting him. This was everything I'd ever wanted but didn't know how to ask for.

Dylan yawned. "I should go. I need to let you sleep, but I don't want to miss a second with you." He was fighting a losing battle, his eyelids drooping shut. I should've agreed with him, told him to leave, let him slip out the way he came in, but I couldn't seem to force my arms to release him.

"Just five more minutes," I said. And in less than one, we were both sound asleep.