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ChapterThirty-TwoEzraI stare at him,
waiting for an answer. He is the most over-opinionated person I know. Who
always has to throw in his two cents worth or some unnecessary comment, and now
he is speechless? He's staring at me like I grew two heads and tentacles.“Just
mark him already,” Maddox orders, becoming annoyed
that he wasn’t answering.A growl escapes me,
which seems to snap him out of wherever the hell he just went. This is hard
enough for me because he is a man, I am not sure if I want to kiss him again or
kill him for the weird things he is stirring up within me.“Is he alright? Has he
suddenly changed his mind? Did he just get us to switch sides for no reason?” Maddox snarls, becoming
anxious at the thought. “I don’t want to be gay if
he doesn’t want us. This was not part of the plan, Ezra. He can’t back out!”“We haven't switched
sides. There just aren't any when it comes to him,” I correct Maddox.“Mark him. He looks
stunned,”
Maddox snaps.Kat stares at me,
alarmed, and I realize she can feel Maddox thinking Mateo is rejecting him.“I did not cross any
boundaries for him to chicken out now, Mark him Ezra, or I will,” Maddox threatens.Kat moves off his
lap, sitting beside him, giving me plenty of room for what I need to do.
“Mateo, I'm going to mark you now." I don’t give him a choice because he
can’t even form a sentence. Yet it feels wrong somehow, I don’t want to mark
him and have him regret it, despite Maddox pressing beneath my skin urging me
forward.I sigh, and pull
away to glance at Kat, hoping for some answers. She can feel him better than I
could.Mateo finds his
voice and grabs my arm, staring at me, eyes searching. “You want to mark me?”
he whispers, voice trembling. We had already spoken of it before, so why is he
shocked about it? I told Kat I would mark him after her. I said it in front of
him, for God's sake.“Yes, Mateo. You're
my mate, too,” I assure him with a growl.“But you're
straight,” he objects.I roll my eyes.
After what we'd already done together, marking him is what tripped him up?
“Yes, Mateo, I am straight, but you are mine. I am not exactly going to start
checking out other men or anything, they do nothing for me. Only you do."“But do you want me,
or are you doing it for Kat?” He argues, waving a hand toward her. He genuinely
thinks I am doing this just for her.“No, I am doing it
because I want to, Mateo. I may not be gay or bi, but I still want you and
Kat." The thought of being with other men disgusts me, yet he is
different. I don’t know what that makes me.“Confused,” Maddox suggests, the thought of being with a man repulses him too, but
even he feels the attraction to Mateo now that we recognize the bond.“Why are you
questioning this? I just kissed you. I wouldn’t have kissed you if I didn't
want you,” I point out.He turns to Kat,
looking for confirmation like he thinks I am about to burst out laughing and
tell him it is a joke. I step closer, and Mateo leans away from me, hands
gripping the sheets.I snarl at him
before straddling his lap and jerking him closer by gripping his neck. “But
just so we are clear, nothing is going near my ass. It's off-limits,” I warn,
and he gives me a weak chuckle.I press closer, my
erection rubbing against his abs. “Is that enough proof I want you?” I growl
next to his ear. Mateo shudders, and I run my tongue over Kat’s mark on his
neck. I smile before I sink my teeth into him, and even though I bite down
until I hit the bone, he groans lewdly and grips my thigh, making my cock
twitch. His blood runs into my mouth, and I savor the taste. He tastes like
Kat, just as enticing as her, when I feel his emotions rush into me, nearly
taking my breath away.A weight lifts off
him, and I understand how heavy a secret it had been for him to carry. How much
it killed him to love me from afar, and the guilt smashes me. He is always so
energetic and full-on that I never realized he was hiding behind a mask. I have
always known he was bisexual, but living through every feeling I have made him
feel over the years was a lot to carry. I deprived him of his happiness, all
because I couldn’t accept him as my mate. But, on the other hand, I get to
experience how much he loves Kat with every fibre of himself, how she awoke the
hope of being happy in him.I pull my teeth from
him, running my tongue over his mark before gently kissing it. I try to swallow
back his emotions rushing through me. “I’m sorry,” I whisper thickly to him,
and I truly am.For years, I only
saw him as my best friend, yet staying stuck by my side, loving me secretly,
has been destroying him. He doesn’t feel worthy of me, but now I don’t feel
worthy of him, after understanding the damage I'd done. Every day to him was
like being rejected, making me wonder how he endured it.I inhale his scent,
mine mingling with his, it feels right, like I belong with him, just like I do
with Kat. I just regret not realizing it sooner, and by how quiet Maddox has
fallen, he does too.Mateo drops his head
against my shoulder and lets out a shaky breath. My fingers tangle in his hair,
and I tilt his head back, forcing him to look at me. His eyes are glassy, and
he tries to turn his face away, averting his gaze to Kat.Gripping his chin, I
force his gaze back to mine. My lips crash against his, tongue forcing its way
through his lips as I kiss him deeply. My tongue sweeps through and dominates,
trying to show him just how much I want him, accept him, and love him; all the
things I can't put into words. Pulling away, I tug on his bottom lip with a
soft nip before letting go.“Your turn,” I offer, baring my neck to him.Mateo continues to
tremble but slowly leans forward, sweeping his nose down the slope of my neck.
In doing so, his shaking stops as if he is gaining confidence from being so
close. He sniffs where Kat's mark is and a deep purr escapes from him before he
kisses the spot, it is my turn to shiver under its effects. His canines press
against my skin, and his teeth sink into me, sliding through flesh and muscle
until they hit bone. His tongue laps at the newly formed mark, and I shiver,
pressing closer to him as he seals it.Relief floods
through both of my mates at the same moment. I suppose, despite all of my
assurances, they were both worried Maddox would flip out on them.Mateo gently kisses
the mark before pulling away and taking another shaky breath. "I've wanted
to do that for so long," he whispers, as if confessing. A tear trails down
his cheek.He's so vulnerable,
all I want to do is hug him and tell him that everything is going to be okay. I
brush the tear away with the pad of my thumb. "I know." I put a palm
to his cheek and pull him toward me, my lips softly kissing him this time. My
tongue skates across his lips, and he moans beneath me, kissing me back harder.The bond is filled
with sparks from both of my mates as our excitement feeds into each other, and
Kat's sweet scent of arousal perfumes the room. I will get to her later, right
now, my other mate needs me. I nip gently at his questing tongue, and he flashes
me such a hurt look, I laugh against his lips."Ezra," he
whines."Relax," I
scold. "We're making up for missed time. I promise, Kat isn't going
anywhere." As if to emphasize my point, she came up behind Mateo, gently
kissing his back and rubbing his shoulders. "See? Let us spoil you for
once."Mateo shivers again
before the tenseness drains out of him, and he sags against me and nods as best
as he can. There is no smart ass comment from him this time, just submission.
Maddox peers out, clearly amused. "Do you think we can
shut him up like this more often?"It is good to hear
some of his spirit return. I don’t want him upset over what we'd done to Mateo
all this time, for too long, not when we have so much to make up for. I take my
time kissing him, keeping it nice and slow, letting him know I am the one setting
the pace.Kat continues her
soft kisses across his back when out of the corner of my eye, I see one of her
hands sneak around his thigh to grab at his cock and give it a gentle squeeze.
The little vixen is getting ahead of us.Mateo moans into my
mouth, and my own cock twitches. Mateo's hand reaches down under my towel, and
he palms my dick, slowly rubbing it and drifting his thumb over the tip.
Instead of being repulsed, it only served to heighten the want that flows
through me. I kiss Mateo harder, the hunger taking me over, and Mateo's grip
tightens in return.Kat bites down
lightly on his shoulder, and Mateo's entire body twitches. Through the bond, I
can tell just how close he is, our gentle touches are enough to send him
dangerously close to his own edge.Mateo strokes my
cock again, hard enough to make me pull away with a gasp, and despite myself,
my hips rise to meet his touch. Kat takes the opportunity to put a finger under
Mateo's chin and turn his neck to the side, so she can take her turn capturing his
lips. Mateo melts against her for a moment, before he tangles a hand in her
hair, pulling her head back to kiss her thoroughly.My eyes fall to
Kat's arched back, and I smirk, leaning over and flicking my tongue across her
nipple until it hardens.Kat fights her way
free and pants. "Hey, no fair, you aren't supposed to gang up on me,"
she protests, giving Mateo a mock-glare.Mateo laughs at her.
I tweak her nipple again, getting her attention. "What do you want,
Kat?" I whisper. The bond is like a secret cheat-sheet, I will always know
what she wants, but I want to hear her admit it.“I want both of
you,” she breathes, and I pull away from her, making sure I had heard her
correctly. Her eyes are closed, and the sparks of the bond dance across her
skin.Mateo tugs her head
back by her hair, and she cries out, but by her scent growing more powerful and
how wet she is getting, it is easy to see she enjoys the roughness.Mateo leans down,
capturing her lips, and I smile before nipping at her chin and neck, my hand
palming her breast.She is perfect for
us and is ours. Nothing has ever felt more right than realizing we are hers
too.