Liam’s blood was boiling. He’d heard the expression before and always considered it someone’s overly dramatic response to an angry situation. But no, this time he genuinely felt as though his blood was bubbling through his veins. His skin was heated and that had nothing to do with the captivating flames flickering over Beau’s skin. So much skin housing a gentle heart and a strong soul. Liam wanted to pinch himself, being blessed with someone so perfect to stand by him through life.
But that would be a dorky move and his cock was letting him know if he didn’t get moving shortly, there was going to be an eruption of epic proportions. Dropping his towel, Liam bit his lip to stop from gasping as their skin came together for the first time. He was experienced; probably not as much as his older phoenix, but he did know his way around a man’s body. If only he hadn’t known how old Beau was before this moment. Between his lion wanting out so he could rut and roar and the overwhelming urge to make this right; Liam’s mind was sending him into paralysis.
“Hey,” Beau’s voice was raspier than usual and that could have something to do with the smell of sex filling the room. “I can hear you thinking.” Warm arms, still alive with blue flame, pulled Liam down and he went, if for nothing more than to feel Beau’s cock nudging his. “You can’t do this wrong,” Beau whispered against his hair. “We have a lifetime to perfect our techniques. Your warmth, your caring and your loving heart is all I need to make this moment perfect. Well, that and lube. I can use magic….”
“Not this time,” Liam reached as far as his arm would let him, knowing there was lube under his pillow from the night before. Snatching it, he leaned back, hoping his eyes conveyed what his mouth couldn’t.
“You are so special.” Holding onto his gaze, Beau rolled them onto their side and hitched his leg, so it covered Liam’s hip, opening himself up. Now Liam was on familiar territory, coating his fingers and curving the clean ones around Beau’s tight butt.
“Have you ever?” he asked as his fingers grazed the ripple in Beau’s crack.
Beau shook his head and Liam was more thankful than ever he’d said no to the magic prep. While that might be fine once they knew each other, and needed a quick release, a first time should always be special, and Liam was determined to make it so. Breathing deeply, letting Beau’s horny scent soothe him the way no other could, he nibbled down the arch of his mate’s neck; his lion chuffing in his head at their stronger mate submitting to him. Beau’s leg, hooked over his hip, rocked them together as his hips twitched in tune to Liam’s fingers.
The dampness caused by two leaking cocks was enough to have Liam’s balls bursting, as their abs created delicious friction. But he focused on rubbing gentle circles around Beau’s hole; pressing every so often, testing the muscles for any sign of relaxation. It didn’t take long, Beau clearly needing as much as he was, but even so, when Liam slipped the tip of his finger inside that incredible heat, Beau’s body clamped around it.
“Sorry, not sorry, but,” Beau wiggled his ass, “definitely weird.”
Leaning back, Liam stroked Beau’s hair with his free hand; his other one still imprisoned in Beau’s hole. “I’m guessing from how incredibly tight you are, you haven’t used toys either,” he said keeping his voice low and bending to brush a kiss against Beau’s facial hair. “You don’t have to do this. You can fuck me and I can bite you then. It’ll work just the same.”
“I wanted to do this for you,” Beau bit out, clearly still struggling with the invasion and Liam’s finger was barely past his first knuckle.
“Not all men enjoy anal sex,” Liam said, determined to hide his disappointment. Gently easing his finger free, he cupped his hand around Beau’s butt cheek instead. “Those that do, usually work up to taking a cock using butt plugs and smaller toys first. I’m not small. It’s a lot to ask when you’ve been used to doing it the other way. Beau, look at me,” Beau turned his head and Liam could see his face reddened with embarrassment. “It doesn’t matter. This is just one of those things we’ll work up to over time.”
The relief on Beau’s face made Liam’s disappointment worth it, but he was determined to revisit the toy idea at a later time. He had a draw full of them and as Beau wasn’t averse to the idea of ass play, he consoled himself with images of how his mate would look with a plug in his ass.
/~/~/~/~/
Beau was pissed at himself and yeah, trying to not let that show was a feat in itself. Why hadn’t I ever prepared for this day? Oh yeah, because I never believed I’d have a male mate. How stupid was I thinking anal sex would be as easy as slapping the lube on and bending over? Fuck. Fuck. Fu…. Liam’s hand around his cock snapped him out of his mental castigating and he pressed into the touch, his need flaring along with the flames on his skin.
“Are you going to fuck me?” Liam purred along his jaw line, “or will our claiming be mutual bites and rubbing off? I’ve got to say, I don’t have a problem with you smelling of my spunk, but I’d far rather have yours inside of me.”
“I can…I will…I want….” Damn it. Beau was thinking too much, and he knew it, although Liam was doing all he could to derail his thinking process completely. It’s just, if he couldn’t suffer through a bit of discomfort to let his mate claim him, then what right did he have to take his mate? Unfortunately, he waited too long to form a coherent answer.
“You don’t want me that way,” Liam huffed, and Beau’s body chilled as his mate rolled off him and slid of the bed. “Should’ve guessed. I have one psycho mate who just wants to enslave people and one mate with a loving heart who can’t even be bothered to fuck me during the claiming. What the hell did I ever do to deserve this?” He shook his fists at the ceiling and Beau’s heart shattered as he saw tears tracking down his mate’s lovely face.
“It’s not like that at all.” Beau lurched up, grabbing for Liam who evaded his hands. “Damn it,” Beau let a bit of his own frustration show. It didn’t help that Liam’s lovely thick cock was pointing at him like an accusation. “I had dreams of my mating too,” he didn’t mention that he thought at least one of his partners would be a woman. In fact, he believed he’d be like his father with two female mates. “I wanted candles, a nice dinner, soft lighting and a romantic setting. Over a hundred years I’ve waited for this night.”
“Then why the hell did you bring up me claiming you at all?” Liam’s arms were still rigid across his broad chest. “You have been with men before, right? You do know the first time is often uncomfortable. You also know enough about me surely, to know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you.”
“I do know that.” Beau’s anger disappeared faster than water in the desert. “And no, I haven’t been with a man before, not that it bothers me at all,” he added quickly when Liam’s eyes narrowed. “All phoenixes are bi. I just had more female offers than male, that’s all.”
Liam huffed. “Take a look in the mirror, I doubt that’s the case at all. You’ve probably had offers and just never noticed them, too busy swimming in female company.”
Beau wanted to preen over Liam’s obvious compliment but hurt still lingered in his mate’s eyes. Crawling over to the edge of the bed, he held out his hand. “I want to fuck you so badly, it hurts,” he said bluntly. “I just didn’t feel I had the right to ask for that, when I clammed up so badly when you wanted to prep me.” He was still embarrassed about that. If Noah ever found out, he’d be teased for months.
“Anal sex requires a lot of trust,” Liam took one step closer and reached out for Beau’s hand. “Maybe it’s different for your kind, but I trust everyone from first meeting, until they give me cause to think it’s misplaced.”
“After all you’ve been through, that shows just how strong you are.” Beau tugged lightly on Liam’s hand. Another step closer and now Beau could feel the heat of Liam’s body; his cock close enough to lick. “I’m truly sorry I messed this up and caused you to doubt the feelings I have for you. I’ve only recently come to understand how this situation with Theo has been so hard on you.”
Liam stiffened at Theo’s name, but Beau pressed on. “I know I came across as arrogant with what I said to Ra, but honestly, I was blind to the situation then. It was wrong of me. Really wrong and you deserve so much better than me. But I give you my word, on my animal spirit, that I will never presume to know more than you again, especially about a situation that involves all of us. I vow to listen to you and to truly hear what you’re saying. May my phoenix leave me, and I drop dead if I’m lying.”
“I want to bite you so bad,” Liam confessed, his eyes studying the floor. “But I’m scared. I didn’t think that mates could ever hurt each other and yet first Theo left and then you did too. I know, I know I told you to meet Theo before making a decision about mating with me, but you made it seem so easy when you left.”
“It was the hardest thing I’d ever done, and I knew I was coming back.” Beau rubbed his face along Liam’s stomach; Liam’s cock was painting the bottom of his chin. “Please, Liam, mate. Please give me another chance?”
“Are you going to be all right, with only one mate? You said your kind always has two.” A strong wide hand cupped his chin and Beau looked up. “Even if we find out Theo wasn’t responsible for his actions because of witchcraft or psychological disorder, he still faces a long jail sentence for what he did to Hal.”
“I know.” Beau searched his insides for any feelings of grief at the idea of losing Theo, but it wasn’t there. But then wanting to kill his other mate wasn’t common phoenix behavior either. He made a mental note to shift later and find out what was going on. But for now, Liam was close, his heat intoxicating and before he knew what he was doing, he had a cock in his mouth. Definitely different, but wow, in the best possible way. Liam’s throaty groan was the best sound to hit his ears in decades.