Holden b.u.mped his head against Garret's again. We wouldn't. I'd make you lick it up for scaring me with those d.a.m.ned spikes, he teased.

Garret thumped away from Holden. You and what army? He snorted and flames shot from his nostrils.

Holden's neck arched and he went into a fighting stance. Garret did the same. When Holden rushed him, Garret let his bulkier mate bounce off the armor plated scales of his chest. He swept his tail beneath Holden's feet trying to make him stumble. Holden's wings snapped out and lifted him off the ground away from Garret's spiked tail. They spent a few minutes mock fighting across the glade, tussling with each other and laughing.

Finally, Holden stretched out his wings and began to shift. The golden confetti shimmers filled the air around him until every molecule of his dragon form dissolved into the human form Garret knew best. Holden grinned up at him, hands on hips, his erection boldly arcing toward his belly b.u.t.ton.

"Better hurry. I'm headed to the hot springs now," he said with a laugh as he gathered up his clothes and backpack.

Garret shifted, happy in the knowledge that even in dragon form, he and Holden seemed compatible. Grabbing up his things, he strode after his mate. His arousal hadn't lessened one bit and he hoped like h.e.l.l that Holden had thought to bring the lube.

Someone had made the hot springs more a.s.sessable to people by placing flat stones all around the edge of the triangular shaped pool. Handholds and benches were bolted to the rock sides in the pool. Garret figured that the uneven bottom made the handholds a necessity.

Holden knelt at the side of the hot springs, his hand in the bubbling water. He glanced up as Garret dropped his clothes on the flagstones. "It's a little smelly but I bet it feels awesome," he remarked. "Too hot for humans," Garret observed, his gaze taking in the clouds of steam that rose from the surface of the water.

Holden stood up. "I would think so. It's nearly boiling temperature which makes it perfect for us."

Garret looked at Holden. The pupils of his eyes were still elongated. They gazed at each other in silence for a moment, not even sharing a thought. The s.e.xual tension stretched between them, drawn so tight Garret could barely breathe. It snapped with a flurry of movement as their bodies came together with an audible slap of hard muscled flesh grinding against each other. Garret kissed Holden with every ounce of expertise he had while letting go of the leash he'd had on his emotions and thoughts.

Hands cupped around the back of Holden's head, fingers in the short, soft inky strands of his mate's hair, Garret felt as if he was free-falling. The rush of adrenaline and loss of control that occurred when falling through the sky wasn't any different from how Holden's touch made him feel. His body pushed roughly against Holden's as their tongues danced together with heated urgency. Mindless with l.u.s.t, Garret ground his hips against Holden's, the stiff thrust of his mate's c.o.c.k rubbed against his with euphoric abandonment.

Somehow, and Garret was never quite sure afterward how exactly it happened because he could swear they never broke that kiss, they ended up on the flagstones beside the hot spring.

Garret had Holden beneath him, kissing him deeply as their c.o.c.ks pressed together with exquisite friction. Holden held him tightly, one hand gripping Garret's a.s.s cheek while the other stroked his dragon clan mark. Their moans and pants grew louder than the bubble and splash of the hot spring as their pre-c.u.m kicked up the friction of their c.o.c.ks to a volcanic level.

Holden nipped Garret's tongue, causing Garret to finally break the kiss. He stared down at his mate seeing the smoke trailing from his nostrils and the pa.s.sion that darkened his eyes.

"What?" he rasped, feeling Holden's fingers tracing the lines of his clan mark. He shivered as l.u.s.t streaked through him, going straight to the throbbing c.o.c.k he had pressed against Holden's.

With a flashing grin, Holden rolled Garret to his back, rising above him, their c.o.c.ks still grinding together. "I never knew that grindage could be so f.u.c.king good," he murmured on a soft laugh. "Last night and now today."

"It's partly the connection," Garret panted as he peppered Holden's shoulders with hot open mouthed kisses and caresses. "Everything feels better when you can feel what your lover feels."

Shifting over onto his hip, Holden reached down and wrapped his fist around Garret's c.o.c.k.

Bolts of l.u.s.t threaded through Garret and he groaned. The sounds of his pleasure seemed to please Holden because his amber eyes began to glow. Garret's heart thundered as he watched Holden. His mate stared fixedly at his hand stroking Garret's c.o.c.k. He seemed almost mesmerized by the movement. Either that or he was studying the c.o.c.k itself. Garret wasn't sure which and certainly wasn't in any mental condition to ponder the possibilities.

Holden bent and tentatively licked the tip of Garret's c.o.c.k. The touch of his lover's inexpert tongue on his heated flesh sent a huge wave of emotion through every cell in Garret's body. He went completely still, waiting to see what Holden would do next. One hand reached down and cupped Garret's b.a.l.l.s. They drew up tight in Holden's light grasp as Garret's arousal spiraled higher. Spreading his thighs wider and leaning back on his elbows, Garret gave Holden complete access to his c.o.c.k, b.a.l.l.s, and a.s.s. The tableau before Garret was like a painting. Filling the foreground was Holden's muscular, golden toned body, his cla.s.sic profile topped by inky hair with an unruly shock that fell over his brow. The background of lush green trees dappled with sunlight made the whole scene seem almost surreal. Their stillness in this moment of discovery as Holden took his first steps toward true s.e.xual reciprocity burned a snapshot of the interlude in Garret's mind forever. For the rest of his days, he would remember this moment and the awe that crept into his heart as the black dragon tried to show how he felt.

Holden glanced up and their eyes met. Garret could see the overwhelming l.u.s.t that fired Holden's gaze, and he could also see the uncertainty lurking there. He reached out a hand and brushed the unruly spill of black hair back from Holden's brow.

"It's okay. Take your time. I want you to do only what you're ready to do," he murmured. "My body loves your touch. My heart craves it. But I never want you to regret a single moment with me."

Garret saw Holden's jaw clench at his words. His tongue came out and licked his lips, but his gaze didn't falter, holding Garret's steadily. "I'm not sure what I'm doing. This is all completely instinctual. I-I want to be with you. I crave it as much as you do," he said, his voice low and unsteady.

Holden's handsome face crinkled briefly in a self-mocking expression. "I want to do this, Garret, but you're going to have to help me a little. All I know about sucking c.o.c.k is what I like. I don't know the logistics of it." A rough chuckle escaped him. "And afterward, I'm probably going to be on fire to f.u.c.k you."

A sense of inevitability fell over Garret. Holden wanted him. Everything would be okay. "Did you bring lube? I didn't think about it."

Holden laughed again, the sound still self-deprecating. "Yeah, I did. It seems my mind can't get over how good it was to f.u.c.k you last night. It keeps telling my c.o.c.k to do it again."

Garret sucked in a breath. Fire licked at him from the writhing of his dragon inside. "Then do it. I loved the feeling of your c.o.c.k inside me."

The dark head of his lover shook in a negative. "Not yet. I have to do this. I need to." Holden drew a shuddering breath. "By the G.o.ds, I want to, Garret."

With that, Holden bent and ran his tongue the length of Garret's c.o.c.k. Pure bliss filled Garret's veins. He stroked his hand along the bulge of Holden's bicep as his lover used the flat of his tongue to tease Garret's c.o.c.k. Holden's tongue explored every inch of Garret's hard flesh from the slit that oozed pre-c.u.m to his achingly tight b.a.l.l.s. By the time Holden lifted his head again, Garret shook from trying to stay still, trying not to frighten his new lover with the depths of his l.u.s.t.

"Don't hold back, Garret. I'm not afraid of you. I'm afraid of what I feel and of not doing this right, not pleasing you," Holden growled with a little shake of his head. "I'm doing what I like to have done to me. Otherwise, I have no clue what the f.u.c.k I'm doing. I just know that I want this."

With that, Holden's head dropped and the heat of his mouth enveloped the thick head of Garret's c.o.c.k. A loud moan escaped Garret and his eyes closed briefly on a wave of intense pleasure. Then he realized his mate struggled with something new and alien to him. Not just his emotional feelings for Garret but his s.e.xual ones as well. Holden didn't know how to suck a c.o.c.k, yet there he was, slurping away at Garret's. A sense of unadulterated admiration came over Garret. He opened his eyes as Holden's mouth slid further down, taking more of the thick erection. Letting his heart and mind open fully to his mate, Garret brushed his fingers over Holden's hair, encouraging him...loving him.

"Easy, love. Don't rush it," he whispered. "Get used to the taste and the texture. Think about how much pleasure you're giving me. Can you feel it? You're my mate, my lover, the person I'm meant to spend my life with. Your touch inflames me and brings me more pleasure than I've ever known."

Holden paused, his golden eyes blinking unfocused at Garret for a moment. Garret didn't think he'd ever seen anything quite as erotic as the beautifully sculpted and incredibly handsome face and form of Holden Antaeus as he tasted c.o.c.k for the first time. Held in the grip of l.u.s.t, his mouth wrapped around Garret's thick erection, his thoughts bleeding out in a rush of pleasure, confusion, and unbearable pa.s.sion, Holden was everything Garret had ever dreamed of in a lover.

And he let Holden know that by not holding back a single thought or feeling.

The feverish glitter in Holden's eyes told Garret everything he needed to know. His lover wanted him fiercely, from his emotions and thoughts, to the stiff flesh Holden's mouth now caressed.

Tell me what you like, Garret. Help me suck your c.o.c.k.

Holden's thoughts nearly made Garret come. He'd never known what someone was thinking or feeling while sucking his c.o.c.k, but now he did in spades. The wonder and l.u.s.t in Holden's head nearly sent Garret into a pleasure-induced coma. Knowing how much Holden liked sucking him, regardless of the differences between them, totally turned Garret on. It wasn't the most expert of b.l.o.w. .j.o.bs nor was it without the hesitancy one would expect of a newbie to the art. Holden sucked him with an innocent earthiness that fired Garret's pa.s.sion for the man.

He gagged a few times and Garret had to explain how to relax his throat muscles, but Holden understood and put into practice all the advice. In fact he did so well, twisting his tongue around the length of Garret's c.o.c.k while sucking, that Garret could hardly believe he'd never had a d.i.c.k in his mouth before. There were some awkward moments and a slight sc.r.a.ping of teeth at one point, but Holden learned quickly and seemed to enjoy the act.

Some minutes after he'd first taken Garret's c.o.c.k in his mouth, Holden looked up. Garret saw the intense heat in his mate's gaze and felt how aroused Holden had become from sucking his c.o.c.k. He shivered as Holden's long fingered hands slid along his thighs caressingly. In that moment, staring into Holden's l.u.s.t filled face, his c.o.c.k sliding easily into his mate's mouth; Garret knew he was going to come.

He sucked in a harsh breath, his body tensing. "Holden. I'm going to come," he warned in a low breathless voice. "If you don't want your mouth filled, you'd best remove it from my d.i.c.k now."

Holden winked at him and Garret felt the tip of his mate's tongue flick over the crown of his c.o.c.k. Garret lost control. He sank his fingers tightly into Holden's silky black hair and thrust wildly into his lover's eager, untutored mouth. His c.o.c.k swelled and then exploded, releasing a torrent of hot seed into Holden's mouth and throat. To give the man his due, he tried to swallow it all. A trickle escaped the corner of his mouth.

Garret collapsed on the flagstones, chest heaving, watching as Holden licked his now deflating c.o.c.k. He couldn't remember ever having a b.l.o.w. .j.o.b that made him feel so weak, and yet, so triumphant. He could tell from Holden's thoughts that his mate was pleased with himself. And truth be told, Garret was pretty proud of Holden too. He'd overcome a lot to get to the point of reciprocity so quickly.

Holden's hot body covered Garret's urgently. Wrapping his arms around his mate, Garret kissed him hard, their tongues twisting in a pa.s.sionate dance of l.u.s.t. He couldn't believe how turned on he was, even though he'd just had a huge o.r.g.a.s.m.

Tearing his mouth away, Holden panted, "I need to f.u.c.k you, Garret. Sucking your c.o.c.k just made me want you more. Seeing your dragon form, feeling you touch my c.o.c.k while we were shifted turned me inside out. I want to f.u.c.k you so badly."

"Then do it," Garret told him with a smile. "I want whatever you want, Holden."

With a growl, Holden got up and dug in his backpack. As Garret sat up, Holden returned with the lube and their towels. He grinned at Garret and gestured toward the hot spring. "I think we'll try this with a little more than just lube."

Garret rose to his feet. "What did you have in mind?"

Holden dropped the towels and lube at the edge of the hot springs and stepped down into the steaming water. c.o.c.king a brow up at Garret, he sat on one of the benches and spread his arms out along the rim of the pool. "I'm just gonna sit here. You're gonna sit on me, facing me."

The picture flashing through Garret's mind was hotter than the naturally heated spring. He stepped onto the ledge that Holden sat on. "If you want to do this, you're gonna need to get the lube out now, before I sink down into the water onto that c.o.c.k of yours," he told his mate.

Holden reached for the lube and Garret bent at the waist, exposing himself to his lover. He heard Holden suck in a harsh breath. "f.u.c.k. I don't know how long I can wait," he muttered.

Hiding a pleased grin, Garret said, "Then hurry. I can't wait to feel you inside me."

The cool slippery feel of the lube on his a.s.s told him Holden didn't want to wait either. First one of his mate's fingers, then a second eased into his a.s.s, spreading the lube carefully. The feel of Holden's fingers stroking him had his c.o.c.k at half mast in moments despite having just come.

Garret pulled away from Holden's hand and straddled his thighs. Bracing his hands on Holden's shoulders, he slid down, his torso rubbing against his lover's. Desire lit flames in the black dragon's eyes as Garret slowed his descent, letting the head of Holden's c.o.c.k brush his a.n.u.s.

"You steer," he breathed roughly, leaning into Holden's chest as gravity pressed his a.s.s against the thick c.o.c.k of his mate.

One of Holden's hands grasped Garret's hip, the other slipped between their bodies, guiding his c.o.c.k. Garret tilted his hips against Holden and drew a deep breath as the thick head of his lover's erection pressed past the tight ring of muscles into the hot, wet heat of his a.s.s. He slid down inch by slow torturous burning inch until Holden's c.o.c.k was firmly seated. Chests pressed together, they stared at each other wide eyed.

"You're amazing," Holden muttered.

"You're so f.u.c.king deep inside me, so close to me, I can feel your heartbeat," Garret said in soft amazement as Holden's hands slid up his wet back. He shivered.

Licking the side of Garret's neck, Holden murmured, "Shut up and let me f.u.c.k you already." With a sly smile, Garret kissed Holden, his tongue stroking boldly, his mouth devouring as Holden's c.o.c.k pressed deep within him. Their rhythm began slowly. Holden's hips rising, with Garret pressing into his mate's chest. Their kisses grew hotter. Their hands roamed every inch within reach whether wet or dry. The natural effervescence of the water lent itself to their slow, deliberate movements. Steam wrapped around them, mixing with the smoke that poured from their nostrils as their thrusts became harder.

Garret's dragon clawed at him from the inside. His dragon wanted out, wanted control, wanted to release his fire on Holden and sink his fangs into the thick muscle of his shoulder. He wanted his mate, wanted to belong to him completely.

Thrusting against Holden, feeling the thickness of his lover's c.o.c.k spearing his a.s.s and pressing against the exquisite bundle of nerves known as his prostate, blood filled Garret's groin and his own c.o.c.k rose once more. As his mate f.u.c.ked him, his swollen member rubbed against Holden's hard abs. The friction with the silky feel of the water all around made Garret moan in pleasure.

Holden nipped the underside of Garret's jaw. "Dear G.o.ds. Your a.s.s is so tight and hot. I could f.u.c.k you like this forever," he growled, his golden eyes dazed with l.u.s.t.

"You can," Garret replied breathlessly. "I'm your mate. You can f.u.c.k me whenever you like."

Holden's thrusts grew stronger and the water splashed more violently around them. Pleasure rocketed through Garret's body with every thrust. His every sense was tuned to the feel of Holden's c.o.c.k in his a.s.s. They kissed with fierce abandon, their bodies heating as only dragons could, adding to the steam in the air with great billowing puffs of smoke.

Drenched in sweat and mineral water, Garret's muscles strained as he rode Holden's thick c.o.c.k. His lover growled, clutching the firm muscles of Garret's b.u.t.tocks. Beneath Garret's hands, Holden trembled, his body shaking. Garret knew his mate was about to come. From the way he shook and moaned, Garret figured Holden would completely lose it.

He wasn't wrong.

Fingers digging deep into the flesh of Garret's a.s.s, Holden thrust upward mightily, his head slamming back against the flagstones. His body shook like a tree in a hurricane force wind.

"Garret!" he yelled as he went rigid.

Riding the thick, spasming c.o.c.k inside him, Garret felt the heated splash of his lover's c.u.m fill his hot pa.s.sage. One last press against his prostate, one more wet, twisting glide of his erection against Holden's ridged abs, had Garret crying out as his o.r.g.a.s.m hit.

"Holden! Oh, G.o.ds!"

Shaking convulsively, his mind a dazed blank, Garret collapsed on Holden's chest. He nuzzled his lover tenderly, wanting to bite him too, taste his blood, bathe him in his fire, and mate him. The need to mate Holden was relentless. It fired his blood at the smallest whiff of Holden's lime scent or the mere thought of his taste or touch.

The hot spring bubbled around them, the hot water soothing against their over-stimulated skin. The point of Garret's chin rested on Holden's shoulder. He closed his eyes, savoring their closeness in the aftermath of their lovemaking. And for Garret it wasn't f.u.c.king. It was lovemaking. Emotions swelled within him and they revolved completely around Holden. What they had done had been anything but just s.e.x. "I could stay up here all day," he murmured groggily.

A chuckle rose from Holden, making his chest vibrate. "Just like this? With my c.o.c.k in your a.s.s?'

"Why not?" Garret sighed, feeling completely content. "You brought a whole tube of lube."

"Baby, your a.s.s is bound to get sore after a bit. I've been f.u.c.king you hard."

Garret raised his head and his eyes met Holden's. "I'm not fragile. I won't break. I'm as strong as you are if not stronger."

Holden shifted uncomfortably. "This is not a repeat of last night, Garret. It was just a comment, mostly a joke. I'll f.u.c.k you just as much as you want me to."

"Really." The word wasn't even a question. It was more like a gauntlet tossed down between knights.

Black brows rose in a speculative expression. "Oh, yes. Really."

They stared at each other for long moments and Garret felt the emotion that coiled within Holden. Not everything was cut and dried for him the way it was for Garret. The conflicting emotions Holden bled out made Garret long to soothe his mate, but he knew Holden had to figure it out on his own.

With a sigh, Garret raised himself off Holden's body and floated on his back in the hot spring, feeling the soothing heat of the water seep into his pores. A splash indicated that Holden had left the bench. A hand brushed his thigh. He turned his head and met the golden eyes of his mate.

"I like being with you like this. The non-s.e.xual, non-emotional moments," Holden said in a low voice. "I never had a best friend before. I like how this feels."

Astonishment whipped through Garret. "You've never had a best friend?"

Holden's shoulders moved in the water in what could have been a shrug. "No. Just my brothers and Eden." His eyes sharpened then. "Do you? Have a best friend?"

Garret sighed. Confession time. "No. I did have one once as a kid. However, he used me and it was all over after that."

"Used you?" Holden's eyes turned a.s.sessing.

Garret knew that the deepest secrets of his soul would be safe in Holden's keeping. The man was the epitome of integrity, but it was still difficult to tell those secrets. "I'm rather a brainiac, if you hadn't figured that out. All my life people have wanted to use me, exploit my intelligence to benefit themselves," he confessed. "Early on, I learned to surround myself with lots of friends.

Good people, nice people. But they were people I never got particularly close to. They may have thought they were, but I always kept them at an emotional distance. My life is better if I never give people an opportunity to use me."

Holden's brows knitted in a fierce frown. "I'm so sorry, Garret. I would never use you." A wry smile tilted his mouth. "Your a.s.s maybe, but I'd never use you for that whiz kid brain."

A laugh burst from Garret and he shocked himself at how carefree it was. "It will be nice to have a best friend, Holden." His mate nodded. "I know. I like it a lot already. I never realized how much I envied Sean having two best friends. He, Declan, and Eden were always enough for me and I never understood why he was so close to Alfred and Marius."

"Alfred Stone and Marius Granville?" Garret asked a little surprised. A man like Sean Antaeus seemed like the last guy who'd have a best friend.

"Yeah. They've been best buds for years. They play golf twice a week." Holden replied. "Every industry event, the three of them have their heads together in a corner somewhere."

Garret filed the information away in his head to process later. He smiled at Holden then.

"Why don't we head back since you're not a nature boy?"

"I wondered when you'd bring that up." A laugh escaped Holden as he maneuvered over to the bench. He climbed up and out of the water, steam rising from his wet, naked body. He reached for a towel as Garret climbed out of the pool.

They dried off and dressed, then headed back down the trail. Since they had to walk single file more than half the way down, they were silent, sharing a thought now and again. A warmth he'd never felt before spread through Garret's body. He could hear and sense Holden close on his heels. That nearness, the companionship they shared, how it had felt being goofy in their dragon forms in the glade, it all added up to a total sense of fulfillment within him. A self-satisfied smile spread across Garret's face as it dawned on him that he had never been so comfortable with another person on the planet, not even his parents.

Chapter Eight

For all that his comfort level with Garret had become fairly high, a core of confusion reigned inside Holden, and he kept it carefully locked away from his mate. He had questions for which he didn't think he could find answers. He definitely had the sense he was feeling his way around in the dark. Yet, at the same time, he felt confident that Garret was his mate, and his growing feelings for the green dragon were completely real.