Mate

Halloween Howl Free Story from Dreamspinner Press. http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php

Mate | Cecilia Ryan 2

LOGAN growled lowly and crawled his way up from the end of the couch, stalking Richard at first, and then covering his body to keep him still. He leaned down to sniff at his neck, then licked a long stripe up it, tasting soap and sweat and feeling for a pulse under the delicate, pale skin. Pleased with this state of affairs, he set his teeth to the other man’s throat to hold him. Underneath him, Richard woke with a start, and then relaxed on seeing who it was. “You all right there?” Richard asked with only the barest hint of nervousness. Purring, Logan settled on top of him, leaning his full weight onto the other man and trapping him under the greater bulk of his own frame. He sighed and then relaxed, giving the skin beneath his mouth another lick. “I figure if you’re going to dress me up as a wolf later, I should start practicing now,” he explained, voice muffled against Richard’s neck. “And this is you practicing, is it?” “Of course. You’re my mate, aren’t you?” Richard paused at that question, unsure whether “mate” was the word he’d want to use, and then nodded upon spotting the puppy eyes he was being given. “I guess so. I didn’t know wolves mated.”

Mate | Cecilia Ryan 3 A raised eyebrow alerted him to the stupidity of what he’d just said, and he cleared his throat to correct himself. “I know they mate to make little baby wolves, I just didn’t know they stuck together. They do stick together, right? This isn’t the world’s most roundabout way of telling me you think of me as a casual shag, is it?” Logan blinked and then shook his head. “That was the strangest train of thought I’ve ever heard you think. Wolves mate for life. Like swans, sort of, except with less frightening equipment. So no, this is me saying that you’re my mate.” “Oh. Right. I guess that’s okay, then.” Richard relaxed and shifted a little to take Logan’s weight more comfortably. “That’s probably the most romantic thing you’ve ever said to me,” he added eventually. “Yeah. And it went right over your head.” Logan grinned. “Shut up.” Richard swatted at his backside. Logan gave him a slow, predatory smile and growled in a close imitation of a real wolf. “Do you really want to wake the wolf up?” he asked with a hint of warning. “How long until we’ve got to get out of here?” The clock on the wall, when Logan looked up, read half past four. “About two hours. Two and a half, if you don’t mind being fashionably late.” Richard grinned, and then in a move that took Logan completely by surprise, threw him off and was at the foot of the stairs in a flash. “Then the wolf can catch me.”

Mate | Cecilia Ryan 4 Collecting himself from the floor, Logan tore up the stairs after Richard to find him in the bedroom, standing just inside the doorway. He smiled, baring his teeth, and backed Richard into the corner slowly, making a low sound in his throat the whole time. Once there was nowhere either of them could go, he stopped and leaned in to sniff Richard’s neck. “Please don’t hurt me!” Richard begged dramatically, shifting his hips forward so Logan could feel his erection under the tracksuit bottoms he was dressed in. Forcing himself not to laugh, Logan licked his neck again and then turned him around forcefully, pressing him against the wall just hard enough not to hurt him, but so that he couldn’t move away. “Pretty,” he growled in Richard’s ear. “Mate.” Grabbing the elastic roughly, Logan pulled the back of Richard’s trousers and underwear down with one hand, while fumbling in his pocket for the little sachet of lube and the condom he’d stuffed in it earlier. “You planned this!” Richard cried out indignantly with his nose pressed to the wall. Logan made a small, animal sound that may have been a confession or a denial while he continued what he was doing. From where he was, Richard could hear the sound of Logan’s jeans dropping to the floor. He shivered in anticipation of what he expected to be a rough ride and braced his hands against the wall. The bare minimum of preparation was over faster than

Mate | Cecilia Ryan 5 was probably a good idea when they were about to be out with company for the evening, but with the front of his underwear already wet with pre-come, Richard had a hard time making himself care. He grunted softly as Logan pulled his fingers out and took a deep breath. Bracing himself against the wall as well, Logan shoved in with one swift movement, wincing at the slightly pained gasp Richard gave as he did so. “You all right?” he whispered, reluctant to break the mood, but more concerned over Richard’s safety. “I will be if you get on with it,” Richard grumbled. Logan rolled his eyes at the completely typical response and decided that this probably meant he’d just been surprised rather than seriously hurt. “I’m gonna get you, blondie,” he growled in Richard’s ear, sinking back into character effortlessly. A sudden thrust sealed it, and he felt them both slip back into the game at once. Richard tried not to moan too loudly at the rough strokes, but he’d always had a thing for sex that just bordered on too rough, and this was it. He knew Logan was always afraid of hurting him and held back because of it— which was fine, since he didn’t really want to get hurt, either—but it was a nice change to have him let go. Closing his eyes against the urgency starting to build in his balls, Richard panted against the wall and focused on not finishing too soon. With a roar that felt like it had started somewhere near his belly button, Logan made one last, hard thrust, lifting Richard onto his toes for a moment, then snarled and

Mate | Cecilia Ryan 6 collapsed against him, completely spent. He felt Richard tense around him and just managed to hear the relieved little sigh that meant his timing hadn’t been too bad. In the spirit of playing, Logan licked Richard’s neck again and then pressed his nose against it from behind, breathing in the familiar scent happily. In his mind, his imaginary tail wagged at being close to his mate. “Pity Halloween only comes once a year,” Richard mumbled. “Might have to dress you up like a wolf more often.”

Mate | Cecilia Ryan 7 Find all of Cecilia Ryan’s titles here. Save 15% on any of Cecilia Ryan’s titles by entering the code Ryan284 at checkout.

Cecilia Ryan hails from the land down under, which as you know means that she is well accustomed to fighting off maneating spiders and a variety of poisonous snakes before breakfast. She also has the use of a pair of very obliging possums in the roof space, who offer late-night literary criticism, and a very small dog who helps her type. When not battling the native wildlife of the sunburnt country, you can guarantee she’s writing something, or indulging her addiction to boys, caffeinated beverages and so-bad-they’re-good movies. Possibly all at once. Visit Cecilia’s web site at www.ceciliaryan.com, follow her on Twitter, or e-mail her at [email protected]

Mate ©Copyright Cecilia Ryan, 2011 Published by Dreamspinner Press 382 NE 191st Street #88329 Miami, FL 33179-3899 USA http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/ This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. Cover Art by Anne Cain [email protected] Cover Design by Mara McKennen This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press at: 382 NE 191st Street #88329 Miami, FL 33179-3899 USA http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/ Released in the United States of America October 2011 eBook Edition