Chapter 15
fifteen
MAVERICK
Cade and I take a long shower, touching and kissing under the cold shower spray. To heat him up, I gave him a blowjob that almost shorted the circuits of his brain, but he wasn’t complaining.
After we got out, I slid on underwear and hurried to the kitchen to clean up after us. There was cum left on the counter from where it leaked out of me and I knew for a fact the vegetables and bacon were a wash.
Feeling icky because it’s so unsanitary to fuck in a kitchen, I gather the food and toss it in the trash. Cade comes around the corner, laughing at me as he leans against the refrigerator, clad only in a pair of briefs.
I give him a dry look and throw out more bacon. “This is all your fault. You and your magic fingers and magic dick.”
He hums, pushing off the fridge, making his way over to me.
I hold up a hand in a stop motion. “No, absolutely not. My ass is sore, but I know I can take you again. If you get any closer, I will. We have a party to get ready for.”
With a dirty smirk on his face, he steps back, hands held high in surrender. “Okay. I’ll pick you out something to wear.”
“Black pants with—”
“That lavender shirt you love?” he finishes and I smile at him. “I got it, baby.” He steps closer and kisses me once on the lips. “I’ll get dressed too. When you’re done here, your clothes will be ready.”
I watch as he saunters out of the kitchen, his shoulders rolling and that firm ass flexing in his underwear. I’m the luckiest man alive.
Smiling, I grab a new sponge and clean up the cum and oil from the counter and the floor. Did I really just have the most amazing sex of my life pressed against a counter with the scent of bacon in my nose?
Yes, yes I fucking did.
Well, it was mostly Cade’s scent, wrapped around me like a warm embrace, but the bacon got through if I leaned too close to it.
I fucking blurted out I loved him after only a week and I’m not sorry.
Cade and I were made for each other, even though he’s technically a man in his sixties.
Maybe that’s the reason shit didn’t work out with me and Walt—I was meant to build myself up after my breakup so I could be the man that Cade needed.
With him still learning the ways of the world, he needs someone patient, someone that will allow him to just be so he can figure out who he is in this century.
With the kitchen clean and sparkling—with no traces of cum to be seen—I start to set up the table for the party.
First, I grab the crockpot of meatballs, then the charcuterie board from the fridge and put them on the table. I buzz about, grabbing all the food and items I need for our guest.
Our guests. I love the sound of that so much.
When I moved into this apartment, I had no intention of sharing the space with anyone, especially since I was so excited to live alone for the first time in my life, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t love that Cade was here now.
In this short time, he’s become someone I can’t live without, someone that I depend on for my peace of mind.
It sounds co-dependent as fuck, but whatever.
I need him beside me to make my day complete.
His arms go around me, pulling me back to him. “Get dressed. I’ll finish up here.”
Twisting in his arms, I hug him close. “Thank you, baby.”
I skip to my room, floating on cloud nine as my ass gives a small twinge of satisfaction.
“Great turn out, huh?” Sawyer says when he comes over to me, holding a small plastic champagne glass with sparkling cider. Most of the guests are drinking beer or actual champagne, but Sawyer has to drive home, and Katrina won’t allow him behind the wheel if he’s touched the stuff.
I look around at everyone in attendance, friends from high school, culinary arts school, even some people that I met through Walt.
Most of them heard that he cheated on me and chose me in the breakup. It’s sweet, really.
“Yeah, it is.”
“They really like Cade.” Sawyer’s eyes are sparkling as he looks at me over the rim of his glass.
He’s right about that. Right now, there are a few people circled around him, listening to him talk about the video game idea he told me about this morning. Everyone is hanging on to his every word, either because what he’s saying is interesting or because they find him as attractive as I do.
If I were the jealous type, it would probably eat me up that people keep drawing him away from me, but I’ve never been that way. Besides, I can feel his love for me through the bond we share. I have nothing to worry about.
Grinning, I nod, rubbing a thumb over my claiming mark. It twinges under my touch, then warmth spreads across my skin. I never want the feeling to go away.
Sawyer grabs my chin and tips my head to the side. “Hickeys? What are you, twelve?”
I bat his hand away, my face hot as fire. “It’s not…” I look around to make sure we’re alone. “It’s not a hickey. It’s…it’s a claiming mark.”
Sawyer glances around as well, then steps closer. “Is that because he’s a couch?”
“Recliner,” I emphasize. “And yes. Because we’re mates. It has something to do with him being a shifter, but I don’t know the ins and outs of it.”
Like I thought they would, Sawyer’s eyes light up as he looks over at my man. My recliner. Whatever.
“Oh, I need to know the biology behind that. Be right back.” He hands me his plastic cup and hurries away, dragging Cade away from the crowd.
I smile at his antics, then walk around for a bit to mingle with my guests.
I make sure everyone is okay and have what they need, then I meander outside to the patio, breathing in the warm night air.
I rest my arms against the railing and look out into the distance. The night is quiet and still, besides the voices drifting from inside. In one of the trees nearby, I hear hooting from an owl and I close my eyes, tipping my head back.
I’m not sure what kind of owl it is, but I’m sure Cade would know just from its hoots.
He told me he was forced to learn about them—and it serves him right after what he did—but I don’t think he minded.
Cade loves to learn. Even if it’s something people would think is as mundane and boring as the flight paths of an owl. He—
“Mav, hey baby,” an eerie voice says from the darkness and I shriek, holding my hand to my chest.
Then I recognize the voice. “Walter?” I ask, narrowing my eyes so I can see better.
He steps from behind a tree like some kind of creepy fucking movie villain and walks toward me. “Yeah, it’s me. I heard you were having a party. You remember how much I love parties.”
Anger flows through me as my heart still thuds at how he just scared me. “I don’t give a fuck what you love, Walt. We’re not a couple anymore.” I pause, then rear back. “How the fuck do you know my address?”
“Overheard some people talking at work.” He says that like it’s completely normal for him to stop by my place when he wasn’t invited. And like the fucking weirdo he is, he hops over my patio railing, walking closer to me. “You look good. Better than I remember.”
“Walt, get the fuck out of here. My boyfriend won’t appreciate you showing up uninvited.”
He waves me away with a pssh noise. “Yeah, okay. ‘Boyfriend.’” The fucker has the nerve to air quote the word. “No one will have you but me, Mav. Especially with your…shallow hole problem.”
Embarrassment and a strong, primal anger almost make me claw at his fucking face. How dare he show up like this after he cheated on me and got my address because he overheard it? He’s lost his damn mind.
“You need to leave,” I say through clenched teeth, my fists balled up at my side. “Now. Or I’ll get—”
“Come on, Mav. We were good together. Even the sex stuff is fixable. I’ll teach you. Take it slow like you wanted. And then we can start our future together. You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” He steps closer to me and I walk backward until I hit the wall. He crowds me, rubbing a hand down my face.
I slap it away as hard as I can. “Don’t fucking touch me.”
“Stop playing these games. I know you miss me as much as I miss you. The house isn’t the same without you. And that couch.”
Before I can stop myself, my hands are shoving at his chest, pushing Walt a few feet away from me. “Are you fucking kidding me? You’re here about the fucking couch? The one you fucked someone else on?”
He has the audacity to look guilty. “I mean, I miss you too. That couch was just really comfortable.”
“Get the fuck out of here, Walt,” I seethe, barely able to contain my anger. “Before I fucking kill you.”
He shakes his head and takes another step closer. “No, we belong together. You’re—”
“I believe he asked you to leave,” Cade’s voice sounds behind me, rage lacing his tone. “He doesn’t want anything to do with you.”
Cade steps in front of me, protecting me with his body. More people venture outside, almost forming a barrier around me, Sawyer wrapping an arm around my shoulder. I smile up at him but quickly focus my attention back to Cade and Walt.
My man looks as if he’s grown larger, more looming as he glares Walt down.
Walt looks around Cade to me. “Who the fuck is this?” he asks, peeking back over at Cade. I see the hint of attraction in Walt’s eyes, how he can’t keep his stare from shifting back to Cade.
“I’m his mate,” Cade spits, “and he wants you to leave. So get the fuck out of here before I make you leave.”
“Make me leave? No, I think I’ll stay. I have something to say to Maverick and no mate is going to—”
Before he finishes his words, Cade takes a step forward and grabs Walt by the throat, tossing him over the railing of the patio. Walt lands in a heap of dirt, sputtering as leaves and shit gets into his mouth.
He flips over and glares at me and Cade, shooting daggers at us. “Maverick, I just wanna know why you left me.”
I throw my hands up. “Walt, you know why. You cheated on me. And you’re not even sorry about it.
” I sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose.
“What is it that you want? Is it because someone finally broke up with you instead of the other way around?” He looks to the side, dusting leaves from his clothes.
“Go ahead then Walt. Break up with me. Get it over with so you can move on with your life, and I can move on with mine.”
He stands and squares his shoulders, popping his hands on his hips. “Fine. Maverick, this is over. We’re done.”
“Great,” Cade growls, his fists clenched at his sides. “Now get the fuck out of here before I rip off your balls and wear them as earrings.”
Half of our guests wince, hands going down to cover crotches. No one wants the visual of balls as earrings.
Walt gives me one last look, then waves me away like he’s washing his hands of me. Then he hurries into the darkness, brushing off more leaves.
When the night swallows him up, Cade turns to me and gathers me close. “You okay? I felt your anger through our bond, but I was in the bathroom. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. And I’m good. Walt is more annoying than he is scary.”
Sylvia, one of Walt’s co-workers that cut him off for cheating on me, steps forward, her hand over her heart.
“I’m so sorry, Mav. He heard me and Dev talking about the party and I read Dev your address.
I made Walt promise not to show up here, but he’s also a liar, so I shouldn’t have believed him. I’m sorry.”
I roll my eyes. “Of course he’s a liar. But don’t beat yourself up. You didn’t know he’d be an unhinged weirdo that was holding a grudge.”
We take the party back inside, everyone talking about the spectacle Walt made of himself. After a while, we break into groups, playing a few games and having a great time.
A few hours later the guests start filtering out until only Sawyer and Katrina remain. “Walt is a dick. Glad Cade put him in his place,” Sawyer says, looking like he wished he was the one to toss Walt on his ass.
“Me too.” I look over at Cade as he cleans up the living room. “I really lucked out with him.”
Katrina threads her fingers in Sawyer’s. “He’s a good guy, Maverick. And an awesome storyteller. He told me his parents bought him an Atari. How cool is that? I wonder where they found a retro game console like that.”
I have to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. It wasn’t retro when Cade had it.
Turning back again, I see Cade has a slight smile on his face, so I know our words have drifted back to him. He’s probably thinking the same thing as me about the retro bit.
Sawyer and Katrina say their goodbyes and Cade and I are left alone for the first time in hours. I lean against the door, exhaustion dragging at my limbs. I had a great time, but entertaining is tiring.
Cade steps in front of me and I open eyes I didn’t know I closed. “That was fun.”
He grins and places his hands on either side of my head. “Yeah, it was. The best part was handing your ex his ass.”
I lean my head back and close my eyes again, replaying how Walt went ass over elbow over the railing. It was glorious. If he hadn’t run away when we were packing, Sawyer would have done the same thing. I’m not one for violence, but Walt deserved it.
“That was so fucking hot,” I murmur, leaning into him.
“Made me want you inside me the whole time all those people were here.” My hand drifts down to his cock, gripping him through his pants.
His pupils blow wide as he licks his lips, lust written all over his face.
“Now that they’re gone…” I unzip him and dive inside, circling my hand around his shaft. Cade hisses, pushing into my palm.
Then I drop to my knees, pull his shaft out and take him into my mouth. We both groan, the taste of him on my tongue indescribable.
His thick fingers card through my hair as I take him deeper, pulling him as far down my throat as I can.
I peek up at him, watching his eyes glaze over as I bob up and down on his shaft. He’s so hard and thick, throbbing in my mouth as I try to suck out his soul.
“Now that they’re gone,” he repeats, a groan breaking off his speech for a moment. He curses and fucks my mouth as I suck him harder. “Now that they’re gone,” he says yet again, “I can show you what sex with a partially shifted recliner is like. Wanna see?”
I pull him from my mouth and nod, stroking his wet cock. “Fuck yes,” I groan, then slap his cock on my tongue before sucking him back down.
Just as he starts to tremble above me, his orgasm looming, I pop off his dick and stand to my full height, gripping him at the base. “Show me what it’s like to fuck a recliner.”
“I love you,” Cade whispers, planting a hard, filthy kiss on my lips.
“Not as much as I love you,” I reply before he kisses me again.