Chapter Twenty-One Liam

A ll thoughts of Buckley, his threats, and my old life had been washed away that morning when Cory and I had finally gotten into the shower together. Well, maybe pounded away was a better way to put it. We'd certainly done plenty of that.

I was a little sore if I was being honest. But it was the kind of soreness that not only turned me on but called back memories of how I'd gotten there in the first place. Needless to say, I spent the better part of my morning sitting around in tented shorts trying to distract myself so my cock would finally settle down.

But that was hard to do when you were still full of your mate's seed. Already I could smell his dark cherry scent leaking through my pores. In a matter of hours, I'd gone from smelling like my normal Alpha self to being permanently scent-marked by Cory. Not that I minded of course. I fucking loved it. Maybe a little too much. It was making concentrating on anything else extremely difficult.

Not to mention, I was still in a state of awe. A month ago, I thought I'd never see Cory again. And now, just a few tumultuous weeks later, we were staring down eternity together side by side. It was everything I'd ever dreamed of. Nothing could make it better. Well, except maybe winning the lottery. But that was gonna be hard to do when neither of us played. Besides, the money wasn't important. I already had everything that was important to me, anything else we needed to do to build our lives was just secondary. As long as I had Cory at my side, I was already home. Building a life in Shifter Grove was my fondest dream come true and I was more than grateful for this wonderful turn in my life.

And because of all that, I felt like we needed to celebrate. Of course, Cory was the type to keep to himself. But I believed that good things required food, drinks, and friends to celebrate with. Cory would supply the friends, and I was pretty sure I knew who would furnish the rest if asked very nicely.

So, once I had all my sexual urges under control, I left the room and headed to the lobby. From what I'd been told, if there was one guy in Shifter Grove that could pull off a last-minute celebration, it was Sam. When I stepped into the lobby, I found him sitting at the front desk with a book in his hands as usual. This one was new, but still sported a steamy cover of two shirtless men wrapped in one another's arms. One was wearing a cowboy hat.

"What's this one about?" I asked gesturing toward the book.

Sam didn't look up as he finished his page. "Two guys who meet on a trip to Chicago and get over one another. Ones a cowboy from Wyoming and the other is a CEO from Miami. They're trying to have a fake relationship for Christmas but they're getting very intimate."

"Ooh. I might have to borrow that when you're done."

"If you can get the pages apart, be my guest."

My mouth fell slack, but I saw that grin curling over his features as he glanced up at me over his book.

"That's disgusting," I chuckled. "Do you talk to all the guests like this?"

"Only the ones that I can hear getting railed all morning down the hallway."

My cheeks turned bright red. "H-How do you know it was me?"

"I didn't," he smiled. "You just told me."

"Tricky," I muttered. "I'll remember that."

"I've got a reputation for knowing things I shouldn't. I wouldn't want my record tarnished."

"From what I've heard, you're a grade A meddler."

"You must've spoken to Matt."

"Yep."

"He's never gonna forgive me for giving him the love of his life, is he?"

"He doesn't strike me as the forgiving type."

"That instinct is correct," Sam chuckled. "But we're good friends, anyway. He and Ace are so happy, I don't think he could be upset about it if he tried."

"Speaking of deliriously happy…" I began.

"You and Cory?"

I nodded, grinning like a kid from ear to ear.

Sam returned the smile. "I knew you two had chemistry. It was only a matter of time. Granted, I didn't know the backstory at first, but it's even cuter now that I do."

"Good enough for a cheap romance book?"

"Maybe."

I reached up, combing my fingers through my hair. "So… uh… I wanted to ask a favor."

Sam put his book down. "Oh boy. What is it now?"

"I sorta wanted to throw a party for Cory."

"A party? What's the occasion?"

My cheeks were flushed with heat. I could feel it radiating from under my collar. "We're… uh… official?"

"Is that a question?"

"No. We are… I just…"

Sam leaned forward, breathing deeply through his nose. "Well, considering you smell to high heaven of him, I'd say he's marked you finally."

"Y-Yeah. That."

"So, you want me to throw a party because Cory put his dick in your butt?"

"I…" I suddenly realized it really did sound that way. And kind of ridiculous. Here I was asking Sam to go through all the effort to find food and a venue and drinks and pay for everything just because Cory had finally fucked me.

"So that's a yes," he laughed.

"Sorry… it's stupid…"

"It's not stupid," he assured me, a hand going to my shoulder. "I think it's sweet. But how about instead of a big banner that says ‘ I got railed ' we just throw a Christmas party instead? It's only a couple weeks away at this point and I'll just tell everyone you two are official at the same time. Deal?"

"Yeah," I nodded. "Yeah, that makes more sense."

"Lucky for you, I was already planning a Christmas thing just for the guys. Cory was already invited, I just hadn't told anyone yet."

"Are you sure you don't mind?"

"Not at all." He gave me a big smile, letting go of my shoulder. "Besides, we all like having you around. Cory has never smiled like he does around you. I've been watching that boy sulk for two years and I'm happy to see him finally loosening up a bit. You both deserve some happiness after all you've been through." His voice darkened. "Nobody should ever have to go through that. Especially not kids like you two."

The seriousness in his voice caught me off guard. It wasn't just that he disapproved of what our families had done. But more like he's experienced it himself. I wanted to ask, to know what his story was. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. The last thing I wanted was to force him to relive painful memories he'd clearly tried so hard to leave behind. Instead, I opted for lighter conversation.

"We're not kids," I joked, giving his arm a nudge. "I'm old enough to drink… almost."

Sam lifted an eyebrow. "I'm thirty-five and I resent the fact that you just said that to me. You two are pups . Barely."

I nudged him again. "Well, this pup is very thankful that you're willing to help him. And I'm glad Cory has such an amazing family to celebrate with."

"You're part of the family now too. Don't forget."

"I won't," I smiled. "Now all I need is a job and I'll be on the road to a normal life, whatever that means."

"You could always work here. I know I'd like to babysit this front desk a little less."

"Back hurting, old man?"

"Not enough to stop me from laying you out, pup. You might be an Alpha but you're a skinny thing. I think I could take you."

I lifted an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. Tell me about this job."

"Later," he said. "Go enjoy your mate. I'll get you started after the new year."

"Thanks, Sam."

I gave his hand a pat and headed back toward my room. I'd only gotten a few feet before I stopped.

"Oh, and can you do one last favor for me?" I asked, turning back to Sam before I headed back down the hall.

He huffed in faux annoyance, but I saw the grin pulling at his lips. "I mean, I'm only planning an entire party now. What's one more favor?"

"Okay, but it's just between you and me, alright?"

"I think I can keep a secret."

I walked back to the desk, holding out my pinky. "You swear?"

He laughed, wrapping his pinky around my own. "Promise."