"This time I really didn't mind that he interrupted the laundry. I was very happy to hear your news, Holden. How do you feel?"

"Dazed. Elated. Scared. Happy. h.o.r.n.y." Holden could have gone on longer but he figured those five things covered the majority of his emotions.

There was a definite snicker in Careen's laugh now. "You have a way with words," she snarked.

"So I've been told." Holden grinned, thinking of Garret saying those very words only an hour before.

"Well, mating is hard to do. Your emotions will level off soon. It's tough in the beginning because being h.o.r.n.y all the time just throws your brain all out of whack. You can't be logical about anything that has to do with your mate," she told him.

"That's truer than you know," Holden said on a long sigh. "And since when weren't you and Sean not h.o.r.n.y all the time? The two of you are the most insanely h.o.r.n.y people I know. Nothing on that front has changed that I've seen in the five years you've been together."

Careen giggled. "Okay, I'll concede that. What I really meant was that before you actually mate the urges and the pull inside you makes things worse. After you mate, you level off inside.

Your fears disappear and you can really focus on who your mate is. Trying to figure it all out before you mate is not a task for the weak minded."

His sister-in-law's tone grew sharp and Holden knew that her warning was for his own good.

"Don't over think it at this stage, Holden. It just is. Mate him and the rest will fall into place. Our ancestors weren't burdened with the cultural claptrap that we are. They found their mates. They mated them. No wondering about compatibility and merging finances and deciding where to live or how many kids to have and whether they loved each other. They just did what their instincts told them to and everything worked itself out." Careen laughed a little. "It still ends up being that way so the stressing is a total waste of time."

Holden stared out the windshield of the truck. d.a.m.n. She was right. In spades. "I'll take your advice to heart, Careen," he said gratefully. "This whole having a man for a mate thing threw me, but I think I'm over the worst of my confusion."

A soft sound escaped Careen. "You love him already."

Closing his eyes on a wave of emotion, Holden whispered, "Yes."

"We're lucky to have him in this family. Anyone who can make you sound like that is special."

Careen cleared her throat then. "Now, was there something else you wanted?"

Drawing a deep breath and opening his eyes, forcing himself away from the visions in his head of himself and Garret wrapped around each other, loving each other, Holden told his sister- in-law about the penthouse. Luckily, spending his money excited her and it made it easier for him to get past the huge lump in his throat and set aside the emotions that threatened his composure.

By the time Garret returned pulling a large suitcase behind him, Holden had given Careen carte blanche on the condo. Well, other than the fact that she needed to run some things by Garret too. Holden had no worries that between Garret and Careen, he would be returning to a real home, not a bachelor pad. Walking into the penthouse with Garret had Holden's heart pounding as if he'd run a marathon. He watched in silence as his mate went to the wall of gla.s.s that overlooked the coastline. For a long moment, Garret stood there, hands on his hips staring first north then south.

Finally, he turned and Holden held his breath.

"It's spectacular." Garret sighed, his chest expanding his t-shirt. Holden couldn't look away from him. The pleasure and love in those green irises drew him like a lodestone. "I couldn't have chosen anything more perfect. The view is like flying."

Relief flooded Holden. "That's why I wanted it. I love to fly, but I work a lot and rarely get the chance. This room is the next best thing to being naked in the air with the wind on my scales.

Why do you think the couch faces the windows instead of the TV?"

Garret walked over to him. Holding his mate's gaze, Holden felt him slide one hand up his arm to grasp his bicep. Fire licked along every nerve ending in Holden's body. This was his mate, his home-their home-and he wanted to show Garret just how committed he was to the relationship. Leaning closer, his chest brushing Garret's, Holden captured his lover's mouth in a pa.s.sionate kiss.

Reaching down, he ran his hands over Garret's hips and thighs, stroking over his tight b.u.t.tocks before cupping them. He pressed Garret toward him, their hips banging together.

Beneath his jeans, Holden's c.o.c.k surged into a full blown erection. Hands on Garret's a.s.s, he pushed his lover against his hard body, rubbing against him and feeling the hot rush of his response. Ripping at Garret's clothes, a single thought dominated Holden's actions.

Mate me!

The shared thought fueled the haste with which they removed their clothes. Once naked, Holden maneuvered them toward the gla.s.s doors. With a m.u.f.fled growl, Garret pulled away and reached for his suitcase. Holden grabbed his arm, dragging him back against his naked chest.

They kissed again, Holden's damp lips sliding across Garret's. Flicking his tongue against his mate's, Holden broke the kiss and reached for his jacket, his hand emerging from the pocket with a tube of lube.

Garret shivered, the pupils of his eyes elongating as they stepped out to the wide balcony.

Holden nipped at his mate's jaw line, feeling his dragon fangs extending inside his mouth. The soft afternoon breeze caressed Holden's skin as Garret touched him, palms stroking over the slabs of muscle on his chest and abdomen. By the time Garret's fist closed around Holden's straining erection, both of them had begun to tremble.

Now, Garret. I want to mate you now.

No foreplay? Garret teased.

f.u.c.k! The whole G.o.dd.a.m.ned drive down the mountain was foreplay. I want to mate you. I don't want to wait anymore. I know who you are. I know who I am. I know we belong together. Please don't tell me no.

Garret's eyes glowed a deep dark green as smoke trailed from his nostrils. I can't say no. I want this as much as you do. It's only fitting we do this here, in our home, yet out in the open air.

Holden kissed his mate, taking his time, letting their tongues tangle with growing heat. I'm going to f.u.c.k you and bathe you in my fire until every part of you belongs to me.

Possessive. G.o.ds, yes!

Garret's eyes filled with emotion. Holden trembled a little as he turned his lover around, pressing him against the wall that ringed the balcony. Bent at the waist, Garret glanced over his shoulder at Holden. Ripping the cap off the tube of lube, Holden squirted it into his hand. First he slid his palm against his c.o.c.k, his fingers curling over it, making sure it was slick. Another squirt from the tube slathered his fingers and he pressed Garret's knees apart, opening him.

Holden's fingers slipped over Garret's a.n.u.s and his lover shivered in reaction, moaning loudly.

"No one will see. No one will hear. It's just you and me up here, Garret," Holden murmured as his fingers stroked the entrance to Garret's dark hole. "No other condos on this floor. No other buildings this height on this block. We're all alone up here and I am going to f.u.c.k you so good you will scream my name to the clouds."

"Do it," Garret panted harshly. "Put your c.o.c.k in me, Holden."

Holden smiled, his fingers pressing for entrance. He worked the lube into Garret, ignoring his lover's moans of delight. Pulling his fingers free, he replaced them with his c.o.c.k, the head pressing steadily against Garret's sensitive flesh. Placing one hand on Garret's clan mark, Holden thrust into his mate, hearing the satisfied growl of his dragon inside his head.

Smoke poured from Garret as he pushed back against Holden's hips. Knowing that he would be bathing Garret in his fire within minutes, a primeval sense of possession, almost of ownership, came over Holden. This was his mate, his lover, his man and no one else would ever possess him.

As he leaned over Garret's back, the ridges of his lower abdomen rubbed Garret's clan mark.

His tongue snaked out to tease the lobe of his lover's ear as he whispered, "You. Are. Mine." Each word was punctuated with a thrust that pressed Garret into the low wall.

His hands absorbed the shudders that racked Garret's lean body. He dug his fingers into his lover's muscles, feeling them flex as Garret's o.r.g.a.s.m neared. With one hand he stroked Garret's thigh then reached for his c.o.c.k. Feeling his own o.r.g.a.s.m coming almost too soon, Holden stroked the thick length of Garret's c.o.c.k, his fingers gliding over the flesh easily because of the lube and pre-c.u.m. Garret groaned as Holden continued to pump his c.o.c.k into Garret's tight channel.

Nuzzling the thick muscle between Garret's shoulder and neck, Holden's curved dragon fangs sc.r.a.ped Garret's collarbone. Pleasure poured into him as Garret's mind opened, letting him feel and hear every emotion and sensation that racked Garret's body. He stroked his lover's c.o.c.k with deliberate movements, inciting him to come. The tight heated pa.s.sage that cradled his c.o.c.k began to rhythmically clutch his flesh.

Yeah, baby. Come for me, Garret. Can you feel what you do to me? I'm going to come and it's just for you. Only you...

Harder, Holden. f.u.c.k me harder. I can't get enough of you!

Holden's hand squeezed and slid along the thickness of Garret's straining erection. He pressed harder against his lover, feeling the pre-o.r.g.a.s.mic tremors that shook Garret's frame.

Sc.r.a.ping his fangs along Garret's flesh, he breathed in his spearmint scent, the scent that seemed to fill the air around them. A buzz began in his b.a.l.l.s, spreading to his groin followed by an intense heat that rose in his body. With a dragon roar, Holden's o.r.g.a.s.m exploded as he thrust into Garret. Shaking, he felt Garret's c.o.c.k jerk in his grasp. As his lover's c.o.c.k began pumping out c.u.m, Holden pressed his face to the crook of Garret's neck. Swiftly, he struck, his fangs sinking deep into Garret's flesh.

Crying out, Garret turned his head as Holden raised his face, blood dripping from his fangs.

Garret slashed at Holden's shoulder his own fangs grabbing onto muscle and bone. With a groan, he released Holden only to find his mouth taken in a kiss so filled with pa.s.sion his knees grew weak. The blood on their fangs mingled in their mouths as their tongues twisted together. With a flash of bright white light, they each released their dragonfire.

Intense heat enveloped them, sending a cloud of smoke into the air. Garret went rigid beneath Holden and for long moments they stood frozen as dragonfire raced through their bodies. Finally, their o.r.g.a.s.ms faded, tumescent flesh became soft again, and the smell of brimstone left the air.

Holden kissed Garret on the back of the neck. As he pulled away from his mate, he saw the dark lines of a clan mark swirling up from the one Garret had in the small of his back. On his own back he felt a p.r.i.c.kle and knew his mark was changing too. Soon the marks would be identical.

After licking up the drops of blood on Garret's shoulder and making sure that the wound had begun to close, Holden took a step backward catching Garret's hand.

"We are mated now. You are my present and my future," he said softly, gazing into Garret's bright green eyes.

"As you're my mate now. You are my forever."

They came together in a kiss so filled with emotion that Holden thought he would burst.

Happiness spilled through him and a sense of being complete settled in his heart.

"I didn't think the day would ever come that I would have a mate, let alone one who understands me, understands my work and my devotion to my family." His eyes never left Garret's as he spoke the words in his heart. "Someone who can be my partner, my lover, and my best friend. I can't believe I found you, Garret."

His mate chuckled, his emerald eyes sparkling with happiness. "You didn't. Alfred did."

Holden tugged on Garret's hand and led him into the condo. "We'll send him a thank you gift. Some new golf clubs or something," Holden said with a laugh. "We owe him."

"I think you're right. I know I'm feeling very grateful to Alfred Stone right now," Garret agreed. He looked Holden up and down, his gaze a.s.sessing. "Did you say you had a Jacuzzi tub?"

With a nod, Holden led the way to the bathroom. Garret's eyes gleamed. "I always wanted to see if my dragonfire would make the water boil. Care to try out my theory? I know you like being bathed in my fire," he teased.

"We have all night to test the waters of our mating." Holden spoke the bad joke while grinning wickedly. "No reason not to start here."

He turned on the faucet and looked over his shoulder at Garret, his emotions suddenly raw and close to the surface as he stared at the man he would share his life with. Swallowing hard to push back the lump that had formed in his throat, he said, "I know the past few days have been tough. I know my vacillations and confusion made everything more complicated than it should have been. But Garret, I cannot deny what I feel in the very marrow of my bones..."

Garret went very still, his gaze holding Holden's steadily. "You don't have to..." Holden shook his head, cutting off Garret's words. "I do have to. I need to tell you that I love you, Garret Renquist."

His quiet confession turned Garret's face into an expression of such sheer joy that Holden's heart tumbled in his chest. "I love you too, Holden."

The rush of emotion he felt from his mate overwhelmed him. "Then let's see if we can make the water boil," he said gruffly, turning off the taps.

As he turned back to Garret, his mate caught him by the chin and pulled his face close. "You make my temperature rise. You make me so hot, if I wasn't a dragon, I'd have melted long ago," he whispered fiercely.

Their mouths crushed together and they both moaned at the exquisite sensations that rocked their bodies. Holden pulled back, his thumb rubbing over Garret's wet lower lip. "Come on, lover.

Our science experiment awaits," he said in a low voice filled with emotion. "We have all night and half the day tomorrow to talk about love. I'm going to make love to you in this tub. Then again in my bed-our bed-as long as you can take it. I'm making memories so that while I'm gone, I'll be able to think of you lying naked in my bed, wrapped in my scent."

Garret stepped into the tub. "You know, I might have been joking before, but I'm not now,"

he replied in a voice filled with desire. "You really do have a way with words, Holden Antaeus."

Holden's emotions felt raw and exposed as he stood beside the limo, knowing that both his brother Declan and Garret's boss Emily were inside. At the same time, he just didn't care. He and Garret belonged together and he didn't give a s.h.i.t who knew it. Garret stepped toward him, pressing him against the side of the limo. They touched from breast bone to thighs, every muscle and sinew straining. Holden's body screamed for Garret's, wanting only to be naked, to take his mate.

Garret's beard roughened jaw sc.r.a.ped Holden's as they kissed with a feverish frenzy. Hands stroked and tugged, slipping under shirts, into waistbands. Hips rubbed, teasing already sensitive engorged c.o.c.ks separated by the annoying layers of their clothes.

Holden moaned. "They're... watching... us," he panted as he licked Garret's lips.

The wet smacking of their kisses and licking at each other's mouths filled the air around them. "No... they're not," Garret replied, his fingers teasing the waistband of Holden's boxer briefs.

With a shudder at the touch of flesh on flesh, Holden rubbed his hips against Garret's.

"Everyone else on the street is looking," he groaned, then flicked his tongue along Garret's, sliding it into his lover's mouth, letting the teasing kiss push him to the point where he was about to tell his brother he'd take a later flight.

A shrill screech forced their mouths to part as they both turned to see a tall, dark haired woman in a designer dress stalking toward them across the sidewalk.

Holden's stomach clenched and anger shot through him. "What are you doing here, Gina?"

he asked harshly.

The brunette stopped in front of them, her chest heaving, her beautiful face set in an expression of outrage. "I came to see you. To talk to you about the bracelet you sent me and ask you why you broke up with me," she replied in an angry voice. Her dark eyes flashed. "But I can see now why you did." "Gina, if you'll give me a moment I can explain," Holden said in an even voice, hoping to placate her enough that she'd shut up and go the f.u.c.k away.

Garret's body stiffened against him and Holden knew that he had somehow stepped into deep waters.

"I don't need an explanation from you, Holden Antaeus. I have eyes. I can see quite clearly that you dumped me because you're a f.a.g!" she retorted in a scathing voice, her eyes sweeping over them with a dismissive glare.

Every muscle in Garret's body turned to stone. Holden could feel it quite clearly since that body still pinned him against the side of the limo. Frustration and anger boiled over inside him.

"Gina, I'm not gay. Garret is..."

"f.u.c.k you!" she screamed, her face contorting into a mask of fury. "You dumped me for a...a...little f.a.ggot! You're nothing but a c.o.c.ksucker, Holden!" She took two steps backward. "How many years did you lie to yourself, pretending you were straight when you were f.u.c.king women's a.s.ses? Did you fantasize that I was him when you f.u.c.ked my a.s.s? Is that how you managed the lie?"

Holden shook with rage. He pushed Garret aside with a growl and grabbed Gina by the arm.

"You don't know what the f.u.c.k you're talking about, Gina. I broke up with you because the only thing you ever cared about was my d.a.m.ned money. I wasn't ever going to marry you and you knew it," he snarled, dragging her down the sidewalk toward a BMW convertible parked behind the limo. "You're not my mate. He is! And if you ever come around here again, I'll call building security and the cops."

Gina glared around him at Garret who stood frozen on the sidewalk, his body stiff as a board.

"Go on back to your b.u.t.t buddy. I don't want you anymore. I prefer to be with a real man not some a.s.shole who spouts 'gay for you' mate bulls.h.i.t and can't even admit he's a f.a.g," she said in a venomous tone. "Have a nice c.o.c.k sucking life, Holden!"

Jerking her arm from his hold, she got in the BMW and slammed the door, gunning the engine. Holden stood shaking on the curb as she pulled away, tires smoking. When he looked up, he saw Declan standing beside the limo with the door open and a worried expression on his face.

"I'm coming," he said grimly to his brother as he walked toward Garret.

He reached out and touched the side of Garret's face, but his mate stiffened and turned away.

"Garret?" His hand tried to catch his lover's. Garret backed away.

"I'll speak to you in a day or two." The clipped British accent was completely formal and panic began to bubble in his veins.

"Garret, I'm sorry." Holden wasn't sure what to do or say to make up for the horrendous scene that had just occurred.

His mate nodded briefly, but his face remained impa.s.sive. "I am too."