It didn’t take long for River’s pants to grow louder. Strong fingers grabbed his hair, holding him in place while his hips gave little punches forward, as if he were trying to remain still, but his control was slipping. Wyatt lifted his free hand to cup and tug lightly on River’s balls before sliding behind them. He pressed one finger against River’s hole, teasing those tight muscles.
“Oh, fuck!”
It was Wyatt’s only warning, and then River was coming down his throat. He swallowed every drop, loving the taste of him. Loving the way he shivered with pleasure between the broken gasps.
Only when he’d licked him clean did Wyatt let River slip from his mouth. He looked up and his heart beat harder at the sated, crooked smile and flushed cheeks. River was completely blissed-out and relaxed.
His own cock throbbed and demanded his attention. He’d love nothing more than to turn River around and plunge deep inside him, finding his release. And River would love it. But tonight, he wanted this. Quiet and relaxation. A feeling of safety they hadn’t enjoyed in far too long.
“Gimme a sec,” River said, his words adorably slurred.
“Later. I want to enjoy you just like this for now.” Wyatt pressed a kiss to the inside of River’s hip before pushing back to his feet. He grabbed up the shampoo and quickly washed his own hair, then the rest of his body.
His companion was just coming out of his stupor when he shut off the water. They wordlessly dried off and walked into the bedroom but stopped at the sight of two small piles of clothes on the end of the bed. Wyatt looked over to find that the bedroom door was closed, but they’d left the bathroom door open.
“Do you think he heard us?” River asked, his voice barely over a whisper.
“Probably.” Wyatt chuckled and wrapped an arm around River’s waist from behind, pressing his face into his wet hair. “But I don’t care. Best he understands now that you belong to me.”
River snorted. “I think his only possible interest in me would be for dissection.”
Wyatt wasn’t so sure he agreed with that. There had been something in Bel’s gaze that was more than simple curiosity. There had been something appraising. Something…enraptured by River, which wasn’t surprising. River when he was laughing and free was a very intoxicating creature. He’d certainly won Wyatt, heart and soul.
There was also something very curious about Bel. The vampire called to him in ways he couldn’t quite explain and was slightly afraid to explore. Was this linked to the vampire’s ability to speak to animals?
Wyatt kept those thoughts to himself. He didn’t want to upset River when he was still so uneasy around the vampire.
Besides, they still needed to convince Bel to let them stay.
5
Bel rubbed his eyes. His vision was growing bleary, making it hard to read his own handwriting in the notebook. It was silly to write so many of his notes by hand. He’d only have to transfer everything to the computer, but over the years, he’d found that his thoughts came out so much clearer when he wrote them out longhand first.
And there were so many things he had to think about when it came to Wyatt and River.
Werewolves!
Honest to God, real werewolves.
Not only did they exist, but they were asleep in his house.
They’d done a whole lot more in his house, judging by the cries coming from the bathroom. Of course, he hadn’t tried to invade their privacy. He’d knocked on the door, but there had been no answer, so he ducked inside to place the clean T-shirts and sweat pants on the bed.
But as he turned to leave, River’s voice had lifted up above the sounds of falling water, cresting in a delicious shout of pure pleasure.
Cheeks blazing, Bel had hurried out of the room and down to his lab. He certainly didn’t begrudge them a stolen moment of happiness. They’d suffered enough at the hands of this Brett and the MacPherson clan. They’d suffered enough from their own kind.
His fist tightened around the pen and shook. He drew in a deep breath and forced his fingers to relax. He didn’t believe in judging other races and peoples when it came to their culture and beliefs, but what they’d done to Wyatt and River was…was…well, it was simply insane.
From what he’d seen during their short time together, they were intelligent, kind, funny, and loyal men. They’d fought with and followed Brett because they’d struck a bargain with him.
Now Brett was dead, and they had a chance at freedom again, but freedom also meant their lives were in danger.
Bel sighed and dropped his hand from his face. Could he in good conscience agree to be their new “master”? Especially when turning them away meant putting them back in danger.
He wasn’t anyone’s master. What the devil was he supposed to do with them? He had important research to complete. His family needed him. What were they going to do with themselves while they were stuck with him? He didn’t want Wyatt and River trapped when they undoubtedly had their own hopes and dreams.
A low chiming rose from his phone, growing in volume until he finally picked it up and turned it off. His daily reminder. Sunrise was one hour away. The shades over the windows would be sliding into place within the next thirty minutes. The metal shades and special locks would be engaging ten minutes after that unless he hit the system override.
If the wolves were going to leave, he needed to get them out of the house now. It was a pain in the ass to override the system and then reset everything.
Shoving the phone into his pocket, Bel walked over to the wall of windows just behind one of his worktables. The snow had stopped falling a few hours ago, but everything had a nice, heavy coat. A bitter cold had settled over the area, dipping down into single digits.
While he felt horrible, he wasn’t sure he could sleep with them in the house. Would he feel safe?
He didn’t realize he was walking until he was halfway up the stairs to the second floor. As silently as possible, he crossed to the guest room he’d always left for Rafe. His twin didn’t stay over during the day too often. In fact, it had been a couple of years now since he’d last passed the daylight hours at Bel’s, but he always kept a room ready for him.
At the door, he could hear soft snoring from one or maybe both of the men. Quietly, he opened the door and stepped inside the dark room. His eyes instantly adjusted to the lack of light, and he could make out two bodies curled up together under the blankets. It looked as if River was lying on his side with Wyatt wrapped around him. The clothes he’d brought into the room were still neatly folded and had been moved to the dresser.
The blankets were tousled about them so that he could make out a hint of bare skin, but for the most part, there was only a sense of warmth and closeness. They looked safe. Content.
Bel had never given much thought to mates and love. His work had always occupied his brain. But now that he watched Marcus so happy with Ethan, even Rafe falling for his Philippe, Bel found himself wondering what it would be like to have a pair of strong arms waiting to wrap around him at the end of each night. To have someone to talk to about his failures and triumphs. Someone who needed him.
But finding that someone? Well, he hadn’t a clue as to how he should go about such a thing.
And as he told Wyatt and River, now was definitely not a good time.