The Seahorse Who Loved the Wrong Lynx (4 page)

25

At last, Preston reached his destination. He used the back door to

go inside and went to the topmost floor, where his small apartment

was. He placed Layton on the bed, panting as he cupped Layton’s

cheek. “Okay?” he asked.

Layton nodded, grimacing. “Hurts.”

“You gotta stay with me, all right? Let me look over your ribs.”

Preston rushed to his bathroom and found some rarely used

bandages. He returned to his room, only to find Layton leaning

against the headboard, a grimace of pain on his face. “Leave the

bandages,” he said. “Just get me in some water.”

Of course!
He was such an idiot. If Layton shifted, the broken ribs would mend on their own. Preston dropped the bandages and rushed

back to run water into his tub. Leaving it to fill, he returned to the room. “Let me help you out of your clothes.”

Layton nodded, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he watched Preston

approach. Preston knelt next to the bed, and his hands trembled as he started working on Layton’s clothing. He did his best to be gentle, but the motions still caused Layton pain. Preston hated every second of it.

It was actually quite ironic. He’d always lusted after Layton and

wanted to see him naked. He’d never thought that the day it would

actually happen, it would be like this.

At last, Layton was nude. Swallowing around the lump in his

throat, Preston took his mate in his arms and slowly walked to the

bathroom. Slowly, gently, he lowered Layton into the tub and waited.

Almost instantly, Layton’s form melted into that of a seahorse.

Preston couldn’t help a small smile as he watched the tiny sea

creature swim in the tub. There was just something about Layton,

both in shifted and in human form, that made Preston’s heart swell

with affection. A hidden strength lurked under the delicate nature of the seahorse, along with a temperament worthy of the Cunningham

name.

A few minutes later, Layton changed back into his legged shape.

He looked a million times better, but he also seemed exhausted.

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Scarlet Hyacinth

Wordlessly, Preston took Layton out of the tub and rubbed him

dry with a large, fluffy towel. He then carried Layton into the

bedroom and placed him on the comfortable mattress. Thankfully,

shape-shifters didn’t get concussions, so it would be safe for Layton to sleep. Layton’s eyes were already drifting shut as Preston tucked him in. “Thanks, Corbin,” Layton murmured.

Preston pushed back the pain he felt at hearing his brother’s name

on Layton’s lips. “My pleasure, lovely,” he replied. “My pleasure.”

As his mate surrendered to sleep, Layton pulled up a chair next to

the bed. He couldn’t be Corbin, but he could be by Layton’s side

when his mate awoke. He stole a look at the phone and wondered if

he should let anyone know. Layton’s family? Perhaps even Corbin

himself.

No. Layton would decide what to do when he woke up. For now,

Layton needed his rest. If that meant Preston would have him to

himself for a few hours, well, it couldn’t be helped, could it?

The Seahorse Who Loved the Wrong Lynx

27

Chapter Two

There was something about being a shape-shifter that didn’t allow

any of them to stay down for long. Layton’s family had always

benefited from particularly strong abilities, and when he opened his eyes, for a moment there, he couldn’t quite remember why he was in

bed in the first place. Then, a throbbing headache exploded at the

back of Layton’s skull. His throat was dry, and he rubbed his eyes,

struggling against the dizziness.

A glass of water appeared in his line of sight, and Layton snatched

it, gulping down the cool liquid. “Easy,” a gentle voice said. “Take it easy. You don’t want to make yourself sick.”

Layton obeyed and finished the water slower. He looked at his

companion, surprised when he saw Preston.

“Preston? What? Where am I?”

“You’re at my place,” the lynx replied. “Do you remember what

happened?”

Layton nodded reluctantly. He wished he could forget. He’d had

an argument with Corbin and had been so stupid and angry that he’d

gotten into a car crash. He’d managed to leave his car in time to avoid getting blown up with it. But after that, everything was a blur. He could swear that at one point, he’d felt his mate there. His instincts remembered it. But Corbin didn’t seem to be around. God, he was so

confused.

“I remember the accident, but after that, I can’t figure out much.”

“It’s okay.” Preston reached out to him, took the glass, and placed

it on the nightstand. Their fingers touched briefly in the process,

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causing an odd sense of awareness to course through Layton. “You’re

safe now,” Preston added. “Don’t strain yourself. It’s not important.”

Layton shook his head stubbornly. “What about Corbin? Is he

around?”

“He…uh…” Preston fidgeted uncomfortably. “He had to leave for

a bit, but he’s coming right back.”

Layton eyed Preston, sensing the man was hiding something. But

as he looked at Preston, he felt strange. Something inside him was

different. All of a sudden, Preston seemed different.

The lynx had always been a great friend to him, almost like a

brother. He’d been the one Layton had always run to when Corbin

rejected him. Oh, he had other friends he cared about deeply, like

Angel and Clark Williams-Wade. Clark in particular had always been

great to him, and recently, Layton had finally figured out the reason—

Clark’s affection for his adoptive brother. But in spite of all of this, no one had truly been as comforting as Preston.

This feeling, however, was entirely different. It was like he saw

Preston there and someone else. Intellectually, Layton had always

known Preston was gorgeous, but now, much to his dismay, he found

his body responding to it.

His heart started to race as their gazes met, and his palms began to sweat. His headache had disappeared completely, but there was a new

ache now of an entirely different nature, this time settled in his groin.

Layton realized in shock that he was hard. Because of Preston.

He might have pulled away, or tried to run. The new sensations

frightened him, and he didn’t know what to make of them. But then,

Preston spoke again. “Layton, are you okay? Do you need me to take

you to the hospital? Talk to me.”

The memory of the same voice whispering different words

slithered through Layton’s consciousness.
Just don’t move, lovely. I’ll
take you to a hospital.
Realization struck. “Corbin was never here, was he?” he asked.

The Seahorse Who Loved the Wrong Lynx

29

Preston ignored his question. “Just lie back down, Layton. The

accident was really bad, and you’re not fully recovered yet.”

His hands were warm as he tried to coax Layton to relax on the

pillows again. It was in that moment that Layton realized he was

naked, with Preston just inches from him. And Preston smelled so

damn good. There were many advantages to being a shifter, and one

of them was detecting arousal. Layton had never really used it, going so far as shutting it down except with Corbin. But now…Now, every

instinct inside him seemed awake. Just that light touch of the lynx’s fingers on his shoulders made his head spin, this time with lust. He couldn’t bear it. He couldn’t hold back.

He pulled Preston closer and crushed his mouth to the other

man’s. Preston gasped, and it gave Layton the opportunity to thrust his tongue in the lynx’s mouth. His fingers threaded through Preston’s hair as he tasted Preston, and oh, God, it felt so good and so perfect.

He wanted to go on kissing Preston forever. And Preston kissed him

back almost greedily, as if he couldn’t get enough.

But all too soon, Preston broke away from him. “Layton, what are

you doing?” Preston’s eyes were glazed with passion, but his voice

held an underlining trace of despair. “Calm down. You need to get

some rest.”

“I don’t need to rest,” Layton replied stubbornly. “Please, come

here.”

“I’ll get Corbin for you, okay?” Preston smiled tightly, shaking

his head. “Maybe that’s what you want.”

Layton bit his lip, torn between what his body demanded and what

his mind told him. Corbin was his mate, wasn’t he? Layton had

always known that.
Then why…
Why did kissing Preston feel so right?

Looking at Preston, he knew it would be foolish and selfish to

demand another kiss. If Preston did indeed want him, it meant putting them both in a very difficult position, especially with Corbin in the middle. Besides, remembering what had happened earlier, Layton

wasn’t sure if he could trust himself. It just seemed that Alexis’s

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seduction had fucked him over, and he could no longer tell which way was up.

“No, don’t,” he told Preston hastily. “I’ll be fine. You’re right. I just…I just need to be alone for a bit.”

Preston didn’t look convinced. “Are you sure?”

“Positive.” Layton struggled to offer Preston a smile. “And don’t

tell anyone about the accident yet. I don’t want to worry my family.

They have enough problems already.”

Preston’s expression immediately turned more concerned.

“What’s happened, Layton? Does it have anything to do with why

you came here?”

If there was anyone he could tell about Alexis, it was Preston. It

was very unfair of Layton to straddle Preston with all his problems, but he found himself blurting it all out, even things that he should have kept quiet.

“I kissed Corbin for the first time, and he felt good,” he explained,

“but then I kissed you, and it’s better. I don’t know what to do

anymore. Did that incubus break me somehow? I don’t understand a

single thing.”

Preston listened patiently, not making a single sound even when

Layton stupidly compared him with Corbin. Layton only realized

what he’d said after everything was out and off his chest. “Oh, God, Preston. I shouldn’t have said all that. I…I’m so sorry. I don’t want you to argue with Corbin on my account.”

Preston sighed. “Don’t worry about me and Corbin, okay? We’ll

be fine, once he gets his head out of his ass. As for me, I’m always here for you, and I’m happy you chose to trust me with this.”

He smiled, and Layton realized that Preston was, indeed, happy,

but also somewhat sad. He really didn’t know what to say to make it

better. He was such a fuck up.

Much to his shame, he realized his vision was blurring as his eyes

filled with tears. Angrily, he fought his treacherous body. He never cried. It just wasn’t his way. Breaking down once today was more

The Seahorse Who Loved the Wrong Lynx

31

than enough. Already, he’d embarrassed himself in front of both

Corbin and Preston. Weeping like a damsel in distress would be the

cherry on the cake.

Preston pulled him in his arms, gently shushing him. “It’s okay,

lovely. It’s going to be fine. You need to talk to Alexis, ask him what he did. I have no doubt that your brother will eventually find him.”

“I suppose.” Layton sniffed, allowing himself to relax in Preston’s

embrace. But that could take forever. What would he do in the

meantime? He couldn’t live with this uncertainty. He’d lose his mind.

Mentally, he tried to retrace his steps to the moment he’d first

realized Corbin was his mate. God, he couldn’t even remember. From

the first moment he’d been aware of his sexuality, he’d been drawn to Corbin, to his raw sensuality and the way he so effortlessly seduced everyone around him. He’d been convinced that this pull meant

Corbin was his mate. Could it be something different?

The doubt shook him, threatening to crumble the boundaries of

Layton’s existence. Sure, Layton was his own person, but throughout

his life, he’d always had a few certainties. The love of his parents, his bond with his twin, his affection for his friends…and Corbin, his

mate. The feeling that he might be mistaken about just one of them

made him want to run away and hide, something he’d never done

before. This was a particularly bad time for this to happen since his bond with Morgan was also being tested.

Without even realizing he was doing it, Layton climbed into

Preston’s lap. He only figured it out when he felt Preston tense. A

shudder went through Preston’s body as Layton settled into his arms.

Layton couldn’t help a little tremor of his own when he felt Preston’s hard cock against his ass.

Okay, so there was clearly a powerful attraction between them. At

a different time, Layton might have denied it, but suddenly, he

couldn’t hold back. His reason might be questioning everything he’d

considered real, but his body knew better, and his heart sensed this was real and true.

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Layton didn’t know who reached for whom first. Perhaps they did

so at the same time. It didn’t matter. They were so close to each other now that they acted as one.

Their lips crushed together, and this time, Layton didn’t allow

himself to overanalyze things. Instead, he surrendered to the passion, moaning as Preston’s tongue thrust into his mouth. Slowly, Preston

lowered him on the bed, removing the blanket that shielded Layton’s