Chapter 8
8
CONNOR
Shit. There was only one bed, and Ben was already in it. I'd wanted to talk to him about the sleeping arrangements, especially after our conversation about consent. I could have shifted and slept on the floor in my wolf form, but I craved stretching out as a human after the day's stressful activity.
"Aren't you ready for bed yet?" Ben sat up and stared at me with a vacant look.
"Are you still asleep?"
He lay down and closed his eyes, patting the bed beside the curve of his ass. "Come on."
"Okay," I said, "but I meant what I said. I won't do anything until you tell me."
"Good," he huffed. "I'm telling you to get in this giant bed and cuddle me so I can sleep."
How could I resist?
Five hours later, I wished I had slept elsewhere. Ben smelled like strawberry shampoo and mint toothpaste. He was tucked so tightly against me that my morning wood slid against his crack with his every move.
He moaned, and I froze. I tried to pull my arm away, but he pulled me against him, leaving no space between his back and my front. He let my arm drop, and my thumb brushed his pert nipple.
"Fuck, yes." He bucked against me, and I groaned. My cock was so hard and ready to blow after the night's half-remembered erotic dreams.
He clenched his cheeks, squeezing my cock just right. "Oh, Connor."
I dropped my forehead to his shoulder and hung on, gripping him tight as I made a mess in my shorts. I hadn't come so hard since I was a teenager.
"Connor?" Ben's voice was much clearer now, and a little alarmed. "What's … what are we doing?"
"I'm so sorry!" The words came out as a jumble as I rolled toward the open side of the bed to hide my burgeoning knot. Forgetting the peaked ceiling, I knocked my head against the rafter when I tried to sit up. Whining, I rolled the rest of the way off the bed and crawled to the bathroom on all fours.
It was my turn to lock myself inside while I assessed the damage. This was my only pair of shorts, thanks to that thief, Shen. He'd taken my other pair, and I was pretty sure he lifted my wallet from my pants before abandoning us at the motel.
I should have known better. Any friend of Hank's was probably a swindler just like Hank. Well, it served him right. The only money I had on me was from our business account, and I'd almost emptied it with the first-class tickets.
He could probably get that money back from the airline because our last flight had been canceled. I sighed. Even when I tried to screw Hank over, I couldn't win.
Then I remembered the plane Shen had crashed due to his negligence. In the moment, it had been scary as fuck, but now, looking back, Shen would have to explain to Hank how he'd forgotten to refuel. Knowing Shen, he wouldn't mention it.
I stripped out of my soiled shorts. Thankfully, they had an inner lining like a pair of swim trunks, but I'd still left a big turquoise wet spot on the light blue fabric. I tossed them in the sink with some cold water and let them sit for a minute while I took care of the rest of my business. My knot had flagged from the pain of hitting my head, but my cock was still half-hard from being so close to Ben. I willed my eagerness away. I wanted him, yes, but I could wait.
Afterward, I washed my hands in the bathtub. Then, I wrung the shorts out and left them to air dry on the shower curtain rod. I grabbed my damp towel from the night before and wrapped it around my waist.
I caught a glimpse of my bruised forehead in the mirror. No broken skin, but I'd have a dark spot at my hairline unless I shifted to get rid of it.
I couldn't risk that. In my wolf form, I would be too tempted to break down the bathroom door and jump all over Ben. My wolf wanted to scent mark him, to rub my jaws and fur all over him until he smelled like mine. Then, I wanted to bite him while I shoved my knot inside him, claiming him in every way possible.
Nope. Couldn't think about that right now. I could deal with a minor bruise for a day.
I walked out of the bathroom and into Ben, who stood at the door with his hand hovering near the door handle. His hand brushed against my towel and he pulled back. "What happened?"
"Wardrobe malfunction?" I tried to shrug it off, but his gaze was a tractor beam pulling me in.
"Oh no! Did I … I didn't mean … I was grinding against you. I'm so sorry."
I felt bad for him as I watched the emotions flicker across his face with each realization.
"Best orgasm I've had in a while," I whispered.
"Don't say that! That's even worse!"
"Why?" I asked. "Is it really so terrible that I enjoyed you rubbing against my morning wood? It happens."
"Next time, I want us both to enjoy it." He inhaled, his eyes wide and a little dilated. "I mean … not that there's going to be a next time."
I couldn't watch his conflicted emotions anymore. I gently turned him sideways so I could fit through the doorway and grabbed my phone off the dresser.
Ben closed and locked the bathroom door, leaving me alone. Loneliness seeped into my chest.
I had my phone, my lifeline to the outside world. I sank onto the foot of the bed and typed a message to Shen.
"You'd better leave my wallet at the motel front desk in the next ten minutes. I'll pick it up before we leave."
Then, I dashed a quick text to Hank. "Shen crashed the jet in Utah. Forgot to refuel in Denver."
"New phone who dis?" Shen responded. Then, he texted a picture of my completely destroyed wallet floating in a toilet bowl. The wallet was a cheap leather bifold, but the pictures of NFTs inside had been some of my favorite artwork around the world.
"Fuck you, man," I responded.
"Hank said I should have let you die."
Ouch. So much for my found family.
"What the fuck did I ever do to you?" I texted Hank. No response. No surprise.
I heard the sink faucet, and then the blow dryer. I didn't take Ben for the type. His hair was a little shorter than mine and cut so it would fall perfectly around his face, no matter how bad the wind was blowing.
But what did I know about haircare? My hair was always in a state of disarray, from the way I ran my fingers through it with every setback. Yesterday had been full of setbacks.
I couldn't think that way, though. I'd met my fated mate.
The bathroom door opened, and my shorts flew out, hitting me in the chest. They were warm and dry, like they'd just come from the clothes dryer.
"You're welcome," Ben said. "How I'm supposed to get clean with your spunk all over the sink is beyond me."
I probably wasn't supposed to hear that last part. Wolf hearing was fabulous. So amazing, I thought I could hear Shen typing as the three dots rolled across my text screen while I waited for his next insult.
"Connor?" Ben called from the bathroom a few minutes later. The door was still open a crack, but I couldn't see him.
"Yes?"
"Could you come here, please?"
When he asked so politely, how could I resist?
I dropped my phone and tapped the door open. He rushed me, climbing up my bare torso and wrapping his toned legs around my towel-clad waist.
"Good," he mumbled against my lips. "I was hoping you hadn't put your shorts on yet."
He kissed me, all soft lips and velvet tongue. He tightened his grip on my shoulders as he claimed my mouth. I gripped his ass, holding him to me as I rubbed my thickening cock in the crook of his groin. He felt so good against me, exactly where I wanted him. I knew I should question the complete reversal from the night before, but I didn’t want it to end.
He groaned and slid back to his feet. "You taste so good."
"You say that like it's a bad thing."
He shook his head. "Not a bad thing. I'm irritated because we don't have much time before the bus leaves."
Right. We needed to take the bus to Vegas and then catch a flight to Orange County, or wherever my omega's home was.
"I shower in the morning," he whispered. "This morning, I thought I could shower with you. Maybe we could rub one out together."
Even though my whole body trembled with anticipation, my voice remained calm. "Whatever you want, my omega."
He leaned against my chest and sucked my nipple into his mouth. He departed with a gentle kiss on my sensitive, puckered bud. "I love how your body reacts to me."
He yanked the towel from my waist and looked me over with a hungry gaze my wolf recognized.
"Like what you see?"
He smirked. "I could be on board with fated mates, if this is what fate brings me."
He stripped out of his shorts, and it was my turn to stare. My mate was stunning. Dark tattoos wrapped over his shoulder and continued down his torso. He was built like a swimmer, but his tailored suit, and even his loose sleep shirt, had hidden his chiseled shoulders and abs.
I reached for him but stopped short. "May I touch you?"
He nodded and stepped closer, resting his hands on my hips while I explored him with my palms.
"You're gorgeous." I couldn't get enough of his soft skin beneath my callouses. He had thicker muscles than most omegas, and he didn't miss leg days. I wanted to explore every line and crease.
I massaged his chest, flicking his nipples with my thumbs, and he whimpered. "Shower, or I'm going to come on the bathroom floor."
I got the water ready for us while he grabbed toiletries from his bag. I helped him under the spray first, since I'd already taken a shower the night before. He wasted no time shampooing his hair and rinsing it, but when it was time to wash his body, he shoved himself into my space and wrapped his soapy hand around my cock.
"Your cock is so big," he said. "Thicker than any I've taken. Do you want to knot me, alpha?"
I couldn't remember how to form words, so I nodded.
"Later," he mumbled. "After I find my nephew a birthday present so I can show my face at his birthday party."
He stroked my cock again, and stars sparked behind my eyelids. I was going to lose control again too soon.
I forced my eyes open and grabbed the bar of hotel soap from the ledge. I lathered my hand while Ben continued to stroke me.
His hand slowed when I wrapped my fingers around his cock and gave it an experimental tug. His cock was almost as long as mine. I swiped my thumb over his pink tip, gathering the drip of precome and slathering it around the mushroom head of his cut cock.
"That feels wonderful." He leaned against me so the tips of our cocks brushed against each other as we stroked.
"Can I try something?" I asked.
"Mm-hmm."
I pried his fingers from my cock and took us both in hand. I snaked my other arm around his waist to hold him in place and give him leverage to thrust against me as I stroked.
He moaned against my chest as we both neared our release. I flicked my thumb over his tip again and he froze against me, his cock pulsing in my grip. The slide of my cock through his release brought me back to the edge. Two more strokes, and I added my cum to the mess between us.
Ben whimpered against my chest and closed his hands around my growing knot. "Now I'm a mess."
"I'll clean you up," I said, wiping my still-soapy hand across his chest.
"My hole is dripping," he whispered. "And your knot …"
"I'll be fine after a few minutes," I said. "What do you usually do about your slick?"
He sighed. "I don't. It's never been like this."
"I can take care of it for you," I said. "After I clean us both up."
I soaped and rinsed us off twice. Then, I dropped to my knees before Ben in the shower.
"What are you doing?"
"Taking care of you. Turn around."
His face flushed a pretty pink, but he did as I asked. His ass was just as luscious as it had looked last night in bed. I squeezed his cheeks before pulling them apart and staring at his tight pucker. His crack and the back of his balls shone with slick. I drew my fingers over his balls, his taint, and across his hole, making him hiss.
He turned to frown at me, and I stuck my fingers in my mouth, taking my first taste of him. His slick was sweet, like nectar. I followed the path of my fingers with my tongue next, and he squirmed. I gripped his firm cheeks and speared my tongue into his hole, gathering his slick at the source. His musky scent mixed with the heavenly flavor to become my new obsession. I would never get enough of Ben's slick, nor the needy sounds he made while I worked my fingers inside his tight hole to tap his prostate.
"Nungh—not gonna last!"
I kept working my fingers as I turned him back around. I glanced at the drip of precome on his tip and then gazed up at him. "May I?"
He glanced down at me and his entire body flushed from the tips of his ears to his belly button. "Yes, please."
I licked the drop of precome, appreciating the salty taste before taking him to the back of my throat.
"Fuck, Connor, I'm gonna …"
I pulled him closer and relaxed my throat to take him even deeper. I felt his dick twitch in my mouth as he came down my throat. His knees gave out. I held him up and milked his cock with broad strokes of my tongue until he laughed and shoved my shoulders.
"That's enough," he said.
I eased off his cock and gave the tip a little kiss. "I'll never get enough. You taste so good."
The water had run cold while we played. Ben turned it off and soaped us up. Afterward, we rinsed off in record time. I doubted we saved a single minute by taking a shower together, but afterward, I felt like I'd made progress with my mate.