Scorch: M/M Gay Shifter Mpreg Romance (Dragon's Destiny: Fated Mates Book 2) (3 page)

“
T
ell me about Devin
,” I said to Sarah, my voice bouncing off the slides and swings in the children’s play area with an echoing resonance that made Dane frown at me.

“Stop it,” Wes said under his breath, smacking my arm. “This is a playdate.”

I turned away from them for a second, trying to quell the rising tsunami of urgency inside me. This woman knew my mate. She was
married
to the man. I needed to know what she knew. I needed to convince her that she didn’t want him. I needed… I needed
Devin
, and the need was starting to border on desperation.

I wasn’t used to feeling this way about anyone, and it was making me crazy. I remembered how wrecked Dane had looked, when he’d run from his fated mate after first claiming him. I hadn’t understood at the time, even though I’d tried to be sympathetic. Men were enjoyable, but not essential.

Not before now.

I rubbed my arm where Wes had smacked me, embarrassed that I’d given in and used my power on Sarah. Even more embarrassed that my friends had caught me pushing.

I rarely used my dragon’s power to compel humans with my voice. When I had done so in the past, it had generally been for mutual enjoyment or harmless convenience. I hadn’t intended to compel Sarah just now, but my dragon had grown impatient and seized the opportunity as soon as she showed up.

My otherself was getting impatient. Earlier in the morning, when I’d overheard Wes tell Dane that he was taking Elise to the park to meet up with Sarah and her daughter, my dragon had surged within me. I’d invited myself along, the words bursting out of my mouth without thinking as my otherself pushed me to do whatever it took to claim my mate. My spontaneous outburst had left both men staring at me blankly. They’d looked baffled, as if I’d spoken in a foreign language.

“You want to come to the park?” Wes had finally asked, cocking his head to the side with a quizzical look. He clearly had no idea why I’d be interested in spending the day with a couple of toddlers.

“I thought you were heading back to your own territory today,” Dane had added.

It had been two days since I’d found my mate, and I still hadn’t told my friends about Devin. I wasn’t sure how to bring it up. As desperate as I felt to hurry up and claim my mate, I’d never wanted to be a home wrecker, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to go about making him mine without ruining the lives of the young family that Devin already had.

Ty had been surprisingly perceptive about my reluctance, and the outgoing soldier had kept his mouth closed about it when we’d returned to the party room the other day. I’d appreciated his discretion, but this morning, as Dane and Wes had stood there staring at me, I’d realized that I had to tell them.

Sarah was friends with Wes. Even if I did manage to track Devin down on my own, they’d find out eventually. And the truth was that I felt completely out of my depth. I didn’t know what to do, and I could really use their help.

I honestly didn’t know how Dane and Wes would react. On the one hand, they would understand the driving need I felt for Devin better than anyone. On the other hand, though, they were parents themselves, and married. I couldn’t imagine them wanting to help me destroy that for someone else… but I had no idea how I would go about claiming my mate without doing just that. Just thinking about it made me want to groan.

My emotions felt too raw, the situation too impossible, and the idea of sharing it with the two men who already had what I wanted was painful. I wasn’t used to this kind of strong emotion, and I knew I wasn’t handling it well.

I hadn’t let anything get to me like this since I had been forced to abandon my brother when Dane and I fled from our homeland centuries ago. There had been nothing I could do about that old hurt, and I’d successfully suppressed those feelings for years, happy that my true nature required avoiding any potentially painful involvement with the men who had come and gone in my life since.

But fate wasn’t going to let me off the hook this time.

“I can’t leave,” I’d finally admitted to Dane and Wes this morning. “My fated mate is here. I found him, and now I need to find a way to win him over.”

“You shouldn’t have any trouble with that,” Wes had said, grinning. “Trust me, you’ll be irresistible to him. In fact, if you’ve already found him, I can’t believe you haven’t already…” he’d let that thought trail off as his cheeks flushed. The look he’d shot at Dane made it clear that he’d been thinking of the inevitable outcome of a dragon claiming his mate.

But for once, Dane hadn’t been looking at Wes.

“Who is it?” he’d asked me, frowning. “Where did you find him?”

Even without knowing the details, Dane had instantly understood that it wasn’t always as straightforward as it should be to complete the bond with the man fate had chosen. If it
had
been easy, I wouldn’t have been standing in their kitchen talking about it—I would have already claimed him.

“It’s Sarah’s husband,” I’d told them.

Dane had groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head.

Wes’s eyes had widened, and he’d started chewing on his lip nervously. “That’s… not good.”

The understatement of the century, and a sentiment I completely agreed with.

Wes felt understandably protective toward his friend Sarah, and when they’d agreed to let me come along to the park to help me find out more about Devin’s situation, Dane had decided that he needed to come, too. I wasn’t sure if he was more motivated by wanting to keep an eye on me, or if he just wanted to offer his support. Probably a little bit of both.

As we’d headed to the park, I’d wondered if Sarah would pick up on the tension radiating off the three of us, but in the end she didn’t have a chance. As soon as she’d shown up, my otherself had pushed the words out of my mouth—
tell me about Devin—
compelling her to do my will and answer my questions.

I wasn’t proud of it, but I didn’t take it back. I needed to hear what she had to say.

“I love Devin,” Sarah answered now, her glazed eyes telling me that she was responding to my dragon’s power—which meant that what she said was the truth. My heart sank. “I just wish he’d find himself a boyfriend,” she continued.

“What?” I asked, startled.

“A boyfriend?” Dane echoed, raising his eyebrows.

“Devin
is
your husband, right? The guy we met at Elise’s birthday party?” Wes asked, his brow furrowing. He snapped his fingers in front of her face, trying to bring her out of her dragon-compelled daze. “Sarah, what are you talking about?”

She blinked, her gaze moving between the three of us in confusion. “I was talking about… Devin?” She turned her attention to me. “Did you just ask about my husband?”

I nodded. “You said you wanted him to find a boyfriend,” I reminded her in a normal, non-compelling voice. I was proud of myself for that, especially with my dragon still pushing me to take control and make her tell us everything she knew about my mate.

Sarah gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. “I said that?” she asked, the words coming out muffled. She groaned, rolling her eyes and lowering her hand. “Please forget I said that,” she added, her cheeks flushing. But then something in my expression must have given me away. “Wait. Are you
him
? The guy?” she asked excitedly. “Were you at Elise’s birthday party?”

“Sarah, what’s going on?” Wes asked, touching her arm to get her attention. “The way you’ve always talked about your husband, I assumed the two of you had a great relationship.”

“Oh, we do! Devin is my best friend. I love him.” She paused, chewing on her lip. “Can you tell me why you’re asking about him?” she asked me, sounding oddly hopeful.

I couldn’t very well tell her that he was
mine
.

“I want, uh…” I paused. What was I supposed to say? I wasn’t used to feeling at a loss, and a desperate sense of urgency started to rise up inside me as I searched for the right words.

Sarah was definitely sending out some odd signals. She seemed to
want
me to be interested in Devin… but even if I was reading her right, how was I supposed to go about telling her that I wanted to fuck her husband? And not just that—although it was true—but that I wanted
more
. That I wanted to claim him, to fill him with my heat and give him my dragon’s fire, binding him to me forever. That I wanted him to carry my child, and hear him say that he was mine, and never, ever let him go.

I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Yeah, no. I definitely couldn’t say all of that to her.

From a human’s perspective, Devin and I were strangers. Sarah would have no reason to believe me if I told her that even though we hadn’t actually met, Devin and I were destined for each other. There was no way to make her understand that I
knew
, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that I would love the man, would lay down my life for him, would cherish him every day that we were together.

Telling Sarah the truth would just end up sounding obsessive, and creepy, and possibly a little stalker-ish.

Even though I hadn’t given her an answer, she seemed to see something in my face that satisfied her. She smiled, nodding decisively as if she’d come to a decision, then said, “Listen, Dev wouldn’t want me to tell you everything, but the truth is that he’s gay, and the other day I think he finally met a guy that he’s interested in. Since you’re asking about him, I’m hoping that maybe that guy was you.” Sarah paused, obviously hoping I would say something.

I gave her a small nod, ridiculously pleased to hear her confirm that Devin had felt something, too. The way he’d run away had fed my doubts, and I wasn’t used to feeling uncertain around men. My dragon rumbled inside me, clearly amused at the idea that fate could have made a mistake.

Sarah smiled and went on. “I don’t know what happened between you two since he only stayed at Elise’s party for a minute, but you obviously made an impression on him. I just don’t want him to give up on this—on
you
—before he gives it a chance. I know he’s worried about being able to take care of me and Holly and the baby, but I don’t want us to stand in the way of his happiness. Why don’t you let me properly introduce you to him, and we’ll see where it goes?”

I still didn’t understand how Sarah could be so open to the idea of letting me have her husband—whatever the circumstances of their marriage—but that was obviously the case. I felt the tension drain out of me, and my lips curved up in a smile.

Maybe this wasn’t going to be as hard as I’d thought.

“
I
’m not interested
,” I lied, trying to slow my racing heart.

Over the last couple of days, it had been hard to keep my mind off the blond stranger who had made me feel things I’d never imagined—or maybe it was more accurate to say, imagine things that I’d never actually felt—but now he was here, in my home, sitting next to my
wife
.

His name was Maks, and he had just told me that he wanted to take me out on a date, which made keeping my mind off of him utterly impossible. But I could still do the right thing.

I had just come home from work, and all day I’d felt out of sorts. It had been hard to concentrate on the coding I’d had to get through when I couldn’t seem to stop thinking about That Man. Or, more accurately, about getting fucked by him. Oh, Lord. Ever since I’d first seen him, I had felt feverish and restless and so fucking horny I almost couldn’t stand it. Even when I’d been attracted to other men in the past, I’d never imagined anything as graphic as the visions my mind kept insisting on playing for me every time I closed my eyes over the last couple of days.

And sometimes even when they stayed open.

I’d come home today to find a strange car in the driveway, and even before I’d opened the door I’d somehow known that it would be him. I’d sensed it—the same way I’d been able to feel him moving across the room when I’d run away, before—and it felt inevitable, and
right
… but that still didn’t mean that I had the right to say yes, even if saying no was the hardest thing I’d ever done.

“Dev!” Sarah said now, rolling her eyes at me. “Don’t be ridiculous. You know you want to.”

She wasn’t helping. And
he
wasn’t helping, either. Maks was looking back at me like he knew about every one of my fantasies, and wanted nothing more than to make them come true. Which, really, made no sense. For one thing, we’d barely spoken two words to each other. For another, the man was gorgeous. Definitely not the type who would generally look twice at someone like me. Or even once.

I pushed my glasses up higher on the bridge of my nose, swallowing nervously. I was holding my laptop bag in front of me, hoping it hid my raging erection and trying to talk myself out of tossing it aside and crossing the room and climbing all over the man who, beyond all reason, seemed to want me, too.

I didn’t do things like that. I didn’t even normally
think
things like that. But now, even with Sarah—my
wife
—sitting right next to Maks, I had to bite my lip to keep from begging him to fuck me.

And he looked like he would do it in a heartbeat, if I asked. That look…
God
, it was so hot. I started to feel like I was going to lose my inner battle. Luckily, before I gave in and did something embarrassing, little Holly toddled down the hall from the nursery and saved me.

“Up, Dev,” she demanded, one hand rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and the other reaching for me.

This
was why I shouldn’t, I reminded myself as I willed my cock to calm down and then scooped up my step-daughter. No, not ‘shouldn’t.’
Couldn’t
. I’d promised to take care of Holly and Sarah, and I wouldn’t desert them just because my libido had suddenly gone from zero to sixty.

“I just want to take you to dinner,” he repeated, standing up with a sexy little half-smile dancing over his lips. The words sounding much more innocent than the raging heat in his arctic-blue eyes. God, they actually looked like they were
burning
.

I shook my head, hiding behind the child in my arms.

“How about going out for coffee, then?” Maks asked, his smile slipping a bit and his eyes glowing hotter.

“I can’t.”

Sarah stood up, too, giving me a disappointed look. She came and took Holly out of my arms, heading toward the kitchen.

“Stop it,” she whispered as she left the room. Left me alone with Maks. “He just wants to get to know you, honey. No one is going to think our marriage is a sham just because you spend an hour in a coffee shop with a hot guy.”

And then she was gone, and Maks was still there, and I felt like I was quite literally going to die if the man didn’t touch me. But I also knew that if that happened, it wouldn’t be enough. I would want more.

I took a step back, letting out a slow breath and tightening my grip on my laptop bag to keep from reaching for him.

“I’m married,” I said, then had to clear my throat.

“Your wife doesn’t mind,” Maks said, crossing the room and standing close enough that I could feel the heat of his body.

Torture.

Maks was looking down at me as if I was everything he’d always wanted. He was looking at me the way that Luke used to look at Sarah, the way I’d never imagined anyone would look at
me
, least of all a man who made me feel like
this.

I shook my head, not trusting the right answer to come out of my mouth if I opened it.

Something like pain flashed across Maks’s face, and he reached out and cupped my cheek. “I need you,” he whispered. “How can you not feel it?”

Oh, God. Ohgodohgodohgodohgod. I didn’t break promises, I reminded myself, starting to panic. I wasn’t free to say yes, no matter how much I wanted to.

Maks suddenly dropped his hand, taking a step back and rubbing the back of his neck with a sigh of pure frustration.

“Shit. I’m scaring you,” he muttered. “I’m not going to… to
force
myself on you.”

With my cock engorged and my body on fire, the only thing I was scared of was never feeling that touch again… but then I came to my senses. No, that wasn’t the only thing I was afraid of. I was also scared that Maks would make me forget everything that was important to me, would talk me into indulging myself and taking what I wanted—what a part of me insisted I
needed
—regardless of the consequences to the people I cared about.

“I can’t, Maks,” I said again. “I’m
married
.”

And he turned away, his whole body radiating a tension that I could literally feel as he walked away from me. It made my stomach hurt. And it made me say something I probably shouldn’t.

“I’m married,” I repeated. And then, softly enough that I could almost convince myself he wouldn’t hear, I added, “for now.”

But Maks did hear. He was already halfway out the door, but he stopped and turned back, smiling. It was a dangerous, wicked smile that promised to give me all the things I was trying not to ask for.

“Then I can wait,” he promised, the words licking at me like flames.

And then he left.

I
couldn’t sleep
.

I’d been tossing and turning for hours, and with a frustrated sigh I flung the blankets off, too hot and bothered to be able to stand it. I couldn’t stop thinking about Maks. Not just thinking about him… wanting him. Fantasizing about him.
Burning
for him.

I didn’t usually do that.

Even though I’d been attracted to other men in the past, this was the first time I’d met someone who I quite literally couldn’t get out of my mind. I was practical. Responsible. Smart. I didn’t normally feel
things—sexual things—this intensely. I didn’t
want
like this.

My hand drifted up to my face, covering my cheek where his hot hand had rested that afternoon. I could still feel the heat from the brief contact earlier, as if I’d been branded. A delicious shiver went through me at the thought. Maks made me want to surrender myself to him. To have him claim me in every possible way. To make me his.

Maybe it was weird for someone my age, but I’d never given that much thought to sex. It had always seemed like something I’d get around to, but I’d never really thought about what I’d
want
. About things I might like to do… or have done to me. I’d always taken my responsibilities in life seriously, but suddenly the thought of giving up responsibility, of giving up control and just letting someone else—
him
—have his way with me, was intoxicating.

If I closed my eyes, it was easy to let the pulsing heat that had filled me since I’d met him rise up and become my whole world, blotting out reality and making it feel like he was really here. Like we were connected.

I rarely touched myself, but now I felt almost possessed, imagining that my hand was
his.
Letting it drift down from my cheek and over my throat, imagining that it was both rough and gentle at the same time, big and hot and taking control of my body in a way that I’d never imagined I’d enjoy, but that now made me whimper with need.

I wanted Maks to
own
me, to stroke those strong hands over every part of me, lighting me on fire. I sucked in a sharp breath as my nails grazed my sensitive nipples. An electric jolt shot straight down to my cock, and even though I hadn’t touched myself there yet, my hips jerked off the bed.

I had never been with another man, so I shouldn’t be able to imagine what it would feel like quite so vividly. I didn’t want to have to imagine it, though. Even though I’d told him no, I desperately wanted to find a way to say yes. I wanted Maks
here
, covering me with that large, hard body... touching me everywhere… pressing me down into the mattress… taking charge of this raging lust that was pounding through me.

I wanted it to be
his
hand wrapped around my leaking cock,
his
thumb slicking over the sensitive head and then stroking me firmly, finding a rhythm that made me pant with need, that made me bite down on my knuckles to stifle the moan that forced its way out of my mouth.

I wanted Maks to be the one taking control, looking at me the way he had that afternoon.

Unbidden, I remembered his voice—
I need you—
and the memory made sounds tumble from my mouth that I didn’t recognize. Sounds I couldn’t hold back. Sounds of pure, raw need.

I needed
him
. I needed Maks to be the one driving me toward the explosive climax that was tightening, coiling, burning within me. My hand moved faster and faster. I was going to come, but I didn’t want it to be like this. I wanted it to be with
him
. I wanted to feel him inside me, filling me, taking me hard and fast in a relentless rhythm that wouldn’t let up, wouldn’t let me deny him. I wanted him to fuck me like he
owned
me, dominating my body, my senses, my mind and heart and soul, until I could forget why I’d ever thought I should say no, until nothing existed except the man who I knew could burn away all my inhibitions and make me feel… oh… God…
just
…
like
…
THIS
.

I gasped Maks’s name as I came, shooting over my hand and coating my chest with the result of my fantasies… and it was good, but it wasn’t enough. Even as my body relaxed in the afterglow of my orgasm, an overwhelming wave of despair squeezed the breath from my lungs.

I’d made promises, and I wasn’t at all sure how long it would take me to keep them, or when I’d be free to say yes to the man who I suddenly needed like air.

Or—despite what he’d said about waiting—whether he’d really still want me once I could.