Chapter 22 Boy Heat
Boy Heat
Thorne nudged me, waking me. Scowling at him, I tried to roll away, but he grabbed my shoulder. Jerking his head, he silently asked me to come with him.
Despite the cold, I followed him onto the front porch. Our breath came out in little clouds, and a shiver worked its way down my spine.
“Oh, love, I’m sorry it’s so cold,” Thorne murmured, wrapping his arms around me.
“Why did you drag me out here?” I grumbled, irritated enough to ignore the desire stirring in my gut at his proximity.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, peering down at me.
Huffing, I leaned my cheek against his chest, needing to touch him. “I’m fine.”
Taking a deep breath, Thorne continued. “How does Sawyer feel through your bond?”
It took a moment for me to tell. Closing my eyes, I felt that warm, comforting bond connecting us, and turned into what I could sense of Sawyer. He was asleep, so things were peaceful, except for a needy, lusty feeling emanating through our bond.
“That’s weird,” I said. “He feels like he’s horny. Maybe he’s having a sexy dream.”
“That’s what I was worried about,” Thorne said, his exhale hissing through his teeth.
“That Sawyer was having a sex dream, really?” I said, bracing my hands on my hips. “Weird thing to worry about, but okay.”
“No. He’s feverish. I felt his skin when I woke up and it was way too hot. He’s going into heat. We need to get you away from here.”
“Woah, woah,” I said, pressing my palms against his stomach. His abs flexed under my hands, and a thrill rushed through me that I stubbornly ignored. “Explain.”
“Did we discuss heats? Yeah, we did. There’s so much to explain. I don’t even know where to start,” Thorne said, dragging his hand through his hair. “Let’s go for a walk and talk. I need to get you away from Sawyer before it affects you.”
After retrieving jackets and shoes from the cabin, Thorne held me steady while I shoved my feet into my sneakers. His hands were blazing hot on my skin, and I wanted them all over me. I almost whined when he released me and took my hand.
Through the window, I could see Sawyer’s sleeping form. He rolled over and threw his arm over his head. Even through the hazy glass, I could see a flush on his already ruddy skin.
“Ready?” Thorne asked.
Despite not knowing what the hell was going on, I trusted my fated mate. Hand in hand, we descended the stairs and strolled past his truck.
“Okay, please break this down for me. I remember you guys saying a heat was something that would happen to me, and it was when I could get pregnant. Which is still freaking me out, by the way.”
Leaves crunched under our feet as Thorne considered his words. “Yes, it happens twice a year, roughly. And typically, your mate or mates will go into rut, which is a hormonal response to your heat. We’ll mate over and over, giving you the best chance of getting pregnant.”
“That sounds…” I bit my lip. “Like a lot.”
“It’s intense, from what I’ve seen. Eventually we will get to experience that,” he said, taking a pause to smile at me.
“So how could it be happening to Sawyer?”
We took a few more steps.
“We don’t exactly take a class on this, and I’m not trained as a healer or anything. And I’ve never seen this happen, so I’m going off hearsay.”
He was dancing around his answer, and I had the sudden urge to bite him. I could climb him and close my teeth around his neck and—
“Autumn, are you really okay?”
I blinked, pulled out of my fantasy. Clearing my throat, I squinted at him. “Just tell me, Thorne.”
“Males can also go into a version of heat in certain circumstances. Especially where the fated mate bond isn’t accepted and fulfilled, despite being in close contact. I think being under a huge amount of stress plays a role too.”
“Exactly like Sawyer and Cole,” I summarized.
“It’s so much for the body to handle, and the hormones go crazy. I guess technically it’s rut, but it's proactive instead of reactive. If that makes sense.”
My feet stumbled to a halt, images of Sawyer and Cole together flooding my mind. I was desperate to know if I was correct. “So what does this mean, in practical terms?”
“My best guess?” Thorne gave me an apologetic shrug. “He’s going to be super horny and desperate for sex for two or three days, maybe longer.”
My thoughts were sluggish, that needy feeling in my gut growing by the second. Through sheer willpower, I focused on the problem we faced. We needed solutions.
“Does it have to be with Cole? Because I don’t think he’s ready for that,” I said, wrapping my arms around my middle.
“I don’t want you getting between them,” Thorne said sharply. “They’ll be frenzied. And if you are too close to Sawyer, it’s likely to set off a pseudo-heat in you. And then we’re really in trouble.”
“Oh,” I said. “So, what would that be like?”
My hands wandered to his chest, slipping under his jacket and over his tense muscles.
“Autumn?”
“Mmnmm?” I answered, leaning into him so I could suck in his scent.
“Vixen, how are you feeling right now?” His hands went to my waist, and I wanted to purr.
I needed Thorne. Giving into that desire, I pressed my lips to his collarbone and then up his neck in a row of soft kisses. “I feel like I need you to fuck me.”
My blunt statement shocked me out of my haze. Leaning back, I blinked at him. “I don’t know, maybe my bond with Sawyer is making me crazy, but yeah, I’m feeling really, really turned on right about now.”
“Dammit,” Thorne growled.
A rush of surprise echoed through my bond with Sawyer, causing me to jerk away.
“I think he’s awake, and he’s… I don’t know. Shocked? Oh, fuck!” An echo of pain ricocheted down our bond. “He’s hurting, Thorne!”
“I’m sorry, love.” My fated mate gathered me against his chest, and I clung to him, whimpering. “You’re going to have to let him and Cole work things out. If you go in there, it’s not safe. You could trigger yourself, or even get hurt.”
“Trigger myself?” I laughed. “I think that’s too late, babe.”
Thorne kissed my temple. “I know. I wish there was something I could do.”
“If you’re not going to let me go help him, then you’d better fuck me, because shit, this is not fun.”
A flush filled my cheeks and down my neck. I could feel my skin getting hotter by the second. The cold mountain air had been keeping it at bay, but it wasn’t enough.
Sagging into Thorne, I let him take my full weight. “I don’t feel good. I’m really hot. How did I miss it? I feel like I’m burning up.”
“I’ll make it better, I promise.” He pressed a kiss to my temple.
“Sawyer needs me!” The desperate thought took hold, despite all reason. Pushing at Thorne’s chest, I tried to get back to the cabin on unsteady legs.
“Autumn, let me help you. We talked about this,” Thorne begged, wrapping an arm around my middle.
Snarling, I turned my anger on him. “Take me to him right now.” Digging my nails into his arms, I fought to get away from him.
“I want to help you, but I can’t if you won’t let me,” Thorne said, holding onto me as tight as he could without hurting me.
It would be so easy to kiss him, drag him down and let him fuck me until this feeling faded, but I could feel Sawyer through the bond.
His distress was growing by the second, calling out to me.
“Thorne,” I said, trying to be reasonable despite the chaos in my body and mind. “I understand the risk, but he’s my mate too and I have to help him. I feel like I’ll die if I don’t.”
“I can’t take the risk that he hurts you,” Thorne said.
“It’s not your choice. But you can come and try to keep me safe. That’s the best I can do,” I argued.
Thorne’s grip relaxed as he accepted defeat. Shoving away from him, I dashed back the way we came.
Stumbling toward the cabin, a wave of lust washed over me. Hot desire curled through the bond, leaving me breathless. Thorne must have felt the echo of it because he let out a groan behind me.
Closing the distance between us, Thorne gripped my waist, holding me upright. Thoughtlessly, I twisted to face him, grabbing his face and kissing him. An inferno roared to life between us, whatever was happening within me stoking the same desperation in him.
My hand fumbled with his pants, undoing the button before I remembered what I was doing.
“Cabin,” I panted, turning and dragging him toward the door.
We stumbled up the stairs, both drunk on hormones and mate bonds. I had no idea what we would find inside, but the chaotic swirl of emotions coming from Sawyer told me something was happening.
I shoved the door open, and we tumbled inside.
Sawyer lay on the bed, Cole kneeling over him with one hand bracing beside his head as he stared down at him.
Both were shirtless. I swallowed, taking in the spidery neotribal tattoos over Cole’s pale chest melting into the black outline of a ribcage over his anatomy.
Twin silver barbells glinted at his nipples.
“Oh, shit,” I murmured, twisting Thorne’s shirt in my hand.
Neither of them looked up at us, and I couldn’t help but stand there and stare. Sawyer was gorgeous with his flushed, gleaming skin, dark eyes, and parted lips. Cole looked down at him like he was deciding how he wanted to devour him.
“I know you don’t want me,” Cole growled. “And I’m not trying to take advantage of whatever the fuck is going on with you.”
“Please,” Sawyer whined. “I need you.”
Teeth bared, Cole shoved off of him, rising to stand at the foot of the bed. “Fuck your other mate, then. And if you can think clearly for five damn minutes and still want me, I’ll reconsider.”
Sawyer glanced my way, and my lungs constricted. I couldn’t get a deep breath as he stared with his glassy eyes, pupils blown.
“Please, Autumn,” he said softly.
My pulse pounded in my ears, the desperation pounding through our bond making it impossible to think. Thorne’s hands tightened on my hips, cautioning me. He dipped his head, pressing his lips to my shoulder before biting down lightly.
“I’m here,” I said. “It’ll be okay, I promise.”