If anyone had tried to tell him before that he would be able to spend nearly two full days with Aidan without wanting to commit violence, he would have laughed them out of the room. Yet, the two of them were ending day three of sharing one another’s presence, and Kyle found overall that he was okay with it. Sure, there were moments when he wanted to kick the man, or at least throw something at him, but it was an improvement on his previous hatred for the alpha. He’d yet to admit it, but he was actually growing to appreciate having Aidan around.

Their day was ending with the two of them watching the sun set as they made themselves comfortable on the beach near the dock. Aidan had barely spoken since they arrived at the beach, contenting himself to run his fingers through the rough sand as the soft sound of the waves filled the air. Kyle had been expecting Aidan to fill their time together with a constant stream of conversation, peppered with his smartass comments and the need to pester Kyle. He’d been surprised when, at moments like this, Aidan sank into a respectful silence. The alpha was keeping to their deal too, maintaining a distance from Kyle as they sat.

Kyle glanced over his shoulder. “Are they still there?”

Aidan chuckled, shaking his head. “They finally gave up about ten minutes ago. I believe we have some peace and quiet for a little while.”

The time they had spent with one another hadn’t gone unnoticed by the rest of the village. It had taken them longer to catch on, but once one person did, it spread throughout the entire village. Even the elders had been staring at the duo with barely disguised curiosity, as they went about their daily business. Neither Kyle nor Aidan had bothered to explain what was going on, letting the village wonder how two people who should barely be able to stand one another could be spending so much time together. Kyle was enjoying watching them try to figure it out, and he suspected Aidan was enjoying it too. It wasn’t often that you were able to keep something from the village, and the two of them were happy to keep it that way for as long as they could.

The wind shifted and once more, he was flooded with the smell of Aidan. As the days went on, Kyle was noticing how much more sensitive he was getting to Aidan’s presence. If he’d thought it had been difficult to behave himself around Aidan before, it was even worse now. He wanted to blame it on the fact that he was just around the man more now, but just listening to his inner wolf told him the real truth. Yes, he had been around Aidan more, but it was the lack of any real physical contact between them that was making his desire for it so strong. Sometimes he felt if he didn’t touch Aidan, he was going to lose his mind. Needless to say, his inner wolf had been almost uncontrollable the longer time went on.

Aidan glanced at him, cocking his head. “Do I need to move downwind?”

Kyle eyed him, detecting the seriousness beneath the cocky humor. “I think I’ll manage somehow.”

Aidan shrugged. “Wouldn’t bother me. I enjoy being on the receiving end.”

That made him snort. “You didn’t strike me as that sorta guy.”

“You know what I mean,” Aidan said with a roll of his eyes.

The casualness of the gesture sent a ripple of fondness and nervousness through Kyle. The more time they spent together, the less Aidan seemed like some arrogant bastard who just liked to get his own way. Neither of them had been emotionally open, being careful to show only so much of themselves to the other. Yet, Kyle had been catching glimpses of the man that lay beneath the pack leader mask Aidan always wore. He didn’t have a clear picture of what might be hidden under it, but the glimpses he did spy had him questioning just how tightly he wanted to hold to his previous judgments of Aidan.

“You mind if I come sit with you?” Kyle blurted out before he could stop himself.

Aidan had the grace to look surprised. “If you’d like.”

He knew it was probably a bad idea, but he’d already put it out there and didn’t want to take it back. The whole point of their agreement was to try to get to know one another, so that maybe they could learn to trust one another. Kyle had been the one to place the limits on physical contact, which meant it was up to him to ease past those limits. He’d been privately shocked to see that Aidan had been behaving himself. It was up to him to at least reward the alpha’s patience and respect of the established rules of their agreement by pushing the envelope a little.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself up from the beach and paced over to where Aidan sat. He felt more self-conscious of his movements than he’d ever been before with Aidan’s eyes on him the whole way over. Aidan hadn’t moved, waiting to see what Kyle would do. It was a good question, since Kyle didn’t really know what he should do. It would be safer to simply sit a little way from Aidan, close enough to reach out to touch without there being bodily contact. He also knew what he wanted was to sit between the man’s legs, to lean back into him and soak in his strength and warmth.

The inner voice rose up, chiding him for being so indecisive. He cursed the voice roundly before settling himself right next to Aidan. Before he had a chance to make himself comfortable, Aidan’s arm wrapped around his waist and pulled him close. The warmth of Aidan’s skin warmed his right side, and he could feel the man’s muscles shifting as he adjusted to the new position. Kyle tensed, waiting to see if Aidan would push further than that. Other than to rub his fingers in small motions over Kyle’s covered stomach though, Aidan simply sat there with him.

“Was that difficult?” Aidan asked after a moment.

Moving closer to Aidan hadn’t been nearly as hard as simply sitting there was proving to be. The smell of him was overpowering, and it washed out the scent of the nearby lake. Kyle was hyper-aware of Aidan’s hand on him, and the warmth pouring off him. A habitual part of him wanted to resist the pull of the man next to him, to fight the alluring effect that came from being so close to him. His wolf cried out for him to stop resisting, and Gaia help him, even his human side was wanting to give into it. Being pulled against Aidan, reveling in his strength, breathing in the scent that was so essentially Aidan, all of it just felt so…right.

“Um, no. I guess it wasn’t that hard,” Kyle said, hearing the tightness in his voice.

Aidan’s fingers flexed against him. “I don’t think I’ll be able to do this for very long however. This is becoming…taxing for me to maintain.”

“Not a big cuddler, huh?” Kyle asked, trying to laugh to ease his own tension.

“It’s difficult to resist how perfect you feel against me,” Aidan said softly.

There it was, another glimpse under the mask of Aiden’s ego. Kyle was confident that those moments were genuine, trusting his own instincts and in the effects of the bond to tell him if Aidan was playing him false. There were moments, like that, where Kyle could see Aidan was struggling to come to terms with the Joining as well. Kyle wasn’t completely sure what Aidan’s personal struggle with it was, but part of it he guessed was that Aidan wasn’t sure how to deal with someone on equal terms. He was hoping he might be able to guide Aidan toward not treating this like an alpha and omega relationship, and with statements like that, Kyle believed the sentiment was finding fertile ground in which to grow.

Kyle closed his eyes, knowing what was going to come out of his mouth and fearing it. “Kiss me.”

Aidan’s head jerked toward him, brow shooting up. “Pardon?”

Kyle didn’t open his eyes. “You heard me, like you did in the storehouse.”

Aidan’s hand cupped his chin, turning his face toward him. “Open your eyes.”

It was a command, but it was so softly given Kyle couldn’t help but obey it. What he saw in Aidan’s gaze as it washed over him sent a soft shiver through his body. Aidan’s green eyes were infused with a light that had nothing to do with the setting sun. There was a hunger there, yes, but the passion that fed it was far more obvious. Aidan wanted to do exactly what Kyle had told him to do, but the omega could see the man was holding himself back, looking for something.

Silently, Aidan nodded, turning himself so he could lean in to kiss Kyle. All doubts about his decision were washed away when their lips met. Kyle’s hands sought to hold on to Aidan’s body instinctively as their mouths opened against one another. The alpha’s hand drew tighter around him, almost pulling him into his lap as their tongues met. Aidan groaned softly, and the noise resonated deep within Kyle, pulling at something inside him that he’d never felt with anyone else.

It was need. At that point, he needed Aidan more than he had needed anything else before. The taste of him mixed with his scent built on the feeling of the alpha’s strength and how right it felt to have him holding him, with a grip that was both passionate and demanding. He allowed Aidan to pull him up and into the alpha’s lap, nestling himself so he could wrap his legs around Aidan’s waist. They were both hard. Kyle’s arousal pressing against Aidan’s stomach, and Aidan’s pushing against the curve of his ass. His attention honed in on where his ass connected with Aidan’s crotch, and a soft laugh bubbled up from his throat.

Aidan broke the kiss to stare at him. “What’s so funny?”

Kyle shook his head. “Sorry. Just, for some odd reason, I couldn’t help but think Gaia decided that if you were going to be big, she really meant it.”

Aidan nuzzled against Kyle’s jaw, running his teeth along the sensitive flesh of his throat. “I don’t want that right now. I just need to touch you. Just let me have that much.”

He’d had no intention of letting Aidan fuck him into the sand, but by Gaia if the alpha hadn’t won Kyle over with those few words. Kyle wouldn’t have believed himself to be a sappy person, but his chest warmed at the thought of the big, bad alpha needing to just simply touch him. A small admittance of weakness from Aidan, and Kyle found himself pressing tighter against him, taking his mouth against his once more.

His fingers roamed Aidan’s upper body as they kissed. First, he simply traced the feel of his body over his shirt, memorizing the shape of him with his clothes on. It didn’t take long before his hands slipped beneath Aidan’s shirt, groaning softly as skin met skin. Everything about Aidan spoke of strength and power, and the feel of his muscles moving as he held onto Kyle was the same. His fingertips found the raised, puckered skin of scars along the alpha’s body, and he tried to etch their locations in his memory. Gaia, he was bonded to a warrior, one who had experienced enough bloodshed and fighting to the point that it affected his personal scent, and Kyle loved it.

When his hands reached the top of Aidan’s pants, he felt the alpha tense with surprise. Kyle smiled against the kiss, feeling emboldened by the man’s open emotion. Aidan apparently hadn’t expected anything but a bit of groping, and Kyle was happy to surprise him as he undid the man’s pants. Aidan had to break the kiss so he could lean back, giving Kyle easier access. His green eyes had gone nearly as dark as moss with lust, watching as Kyle’s grip found his cock and wrapped around the thick girth.

Kyle’s bottom lip was caught between his teeth as he pulled Aidan’s cock free, appreciating it with both his touch and his gaze. The tip was leaking, and Kyle ran his thumb over the head, smiling a little when Aidan pressed up into his touch. His hand roamed over the length of Aidan’s shaft, stroking back and forth in lazy motions as he tried to learn every inch of his arousal.

Kyle watched Aidan’s restless motions and chuckled softly. “You just that turned on by me, or have you not been taking care of yourself?”

Aidan looked back, a flicker of hesitation in his face. “Bit of both?”

Kyle hummed, trying to hide the disappointment that it wasn’t solely because of him. “You probably should’ve gotten yourself off. Would have helped take the edge off.”

“I didn’t want to, not until you were the one to do it,” Aidan said bluntly.

The unabashed honesty of the statement gave Kyle pause. If it had been said with the expected tone of dominance and possession, Kyle would have rolled his eyes. Aidan had said it like it was the simplest thing to understand, as if him wanting Kyle completely should have been obvious. There was a need in his voice that matched the look in his eyes perfectly and Kyle couldn’t help but believe the words coming from his mouth.

“You seriously waited until I decided to do something with you to get off?” Kyle asked, his movements pausing.

The shadows of the fading sunlight gave Aidan’s face a more intense cast. “You bet I did. I can be patient.”

Kyle’s smile was hesitant, and he wasn’t sure if he should continue or try to find something to say. Aidan didn’t move, watching him carefully as Kyle tried to decide what to do. It wasn’t the first time Aidan had looked at him like he was prey, or just a target that he found interesting. It unnerved Kyle as it always did, but he found that part of him was beginning to enjoy it.

“I guess I shouldn’t keep you waiting,” Kyle finally said, feeling Aidan throb in his hand.

He was losing sunlight quickly, but he could still feel the length of Aidan in his grip. The alpha’s breath hitched slightly when he resumed his slow strokes. Kyle felt a sense of wonder as he ran the tips of his fingers over the soft skin, feeling it harden further under his attention. Smiling a little, he bent his head to lay a series of kisses on the man’s inner thigh, feeling Aidan stretch himself out with a low sigh.

His kisses led a trail up Aidan’s leg, easing up slowly until he reached the base of Aidan’s cock. Without hesitating, he continued his path, kissing his way up the shaft. Aidan rumbled softly when he ran his tongue down, and then back up before wrapping his lips around the thick head. There was no way Kyle was going to be able to take Aidan completely in his mouth, but he knew how to compensate for that. He shifted his grip to the base as he slid his head forward, feeling Aidan’s cock slide deeper into his mouth.

It felt like he was going too slowly, being too hesitant to dive into things. Aidan didn’t seem bothered by it, the werewolf groaning softly, resting his hands on Kyle’s shoulders. There was no insistent tug or push from the alpha. He was allowing Kyle to do whatever he wanted, content to go along for the ride.

Emboldened by Aidan’s passive approach, Kyle pushed more of Aidan’s cock into his mouth. The muscles of his throat worked, trying to fight against the sudden intrusion and serving to squeeze the sensitive head. He pulled back and dove forward again, working up to a rhythm. His hand never stopped as he tried to take Aidan deeper, his grip moving on the parts of Aidan’s cock that he couldn’t reach with his mouth.

Some part of his mind remained hyper-aware of what he was doing. That he was laid out before Aidan in the sand, with the alpha’s cock inching its way deeper into his throat. Any one of the nosy villagers or Aidan’s pack members could wander back again, and see how eager Kyle was to take Aidan deep, or hear the soft noises coming from Aidan’s mouth. It was intensely private, hearing those low noises of eager pleasure from Aidan, and as much as the idea of being found sent a thrill of pleasure through Kyle, he wanted no one but himself to hear those noises.

Aidan’s breath hissed out above him, shaking. “Kyle.”

He had never heard someone use his name in the middle of any kind of sex before. The weakness in Aidan’s voice, laced with need and a trace of warning, curled a ball of need in Kyle’s gut. He didn’t know if Aidan was trying to give him the chance to pull off his cock or not, but it only drove him down with more vigor than before. It became his mission in that moment to see Aidan get off, to feel the man’s body give into his release.

Aidan’s body went taut, his breath shuddering as his hips jerked up toward Kyle’s mouth. Kyle felt the man’s cock swell slightly in his mouth and Aidan gasped softly. Kyle’s fingers gripped tightly to Aidan’s hip as the alpha poured into his mouth and throat, unable to help the moan that escaped him. He wasn’t the one getting off, but he would swear that he was experiencing an orgasm of his own. A heady rush passed over him as Aidan’s body pressed closer to him in its release. It was a sensory rush with the scent of the alpha filling his nose completely, the feel of his body trying to wrap around him, the taste of him in his mouth, and the controlled, but needy sounds coming from Aidan. It felt like he was getting drunk off Aidan’s orgasm.

He pulled his mouth free when it was over, giving a small gasp for air. Aidan was laid out on the beach, his broad chest rising and falling rapidly beneath his shirt. His hands were still on Kyle’s shoulders, his grip slack. His eyes however, were locked onto Kyle’s face, his half-lidded gaze watching him with an intensity Kyle was finding more and more appealing with every passing day.

“Very much worth the wait,” Aidan told him with a slow smile.

Kyle gave a shaky chuckle. “I’m so glad that I could please.”

“I think you enjoy pleasing more than you let on,” Aidan told him.

Kyle’s smile faded and he watched Aidan carefully, looking for signs of the alpha’s returning arrogance. It never came, and that scared him more than if Aidan had fallen back into a predictable pattern. Aidan had stated what Kyle considered to be a private and hidden facet of his personality, but he’d said it with something Kyle was afraid to think of as affection. The alpha was gazing at him fondly now, and Kyle squirmed under the warmth he saw in his face.

Kyle looked away. “We should probably get back, before someone comes looking for us again.”

Aidan chuckled. “I imagine they would. They seem far too curious.”

Kyle stood up, allowing Aidan to dress himself again. “Can’t say I blame them. The illustrious war hero starts spending time with a packless omega who made a spectacle of them both at a Showing? It’s bound to attract a lot of curiosity in a place where not a lot happens.”

“Let them wonder. This has nothing to do with them,” Aidan told him.

Kyle chuckled nervously, taking a step toward the village. “Yeah. So, tomorrow then?”

Aidan didn’t move, letting Kyle retreat. “As agreed.”

Kyle couldn’t think of anything to add to that, other than to nod before walking away. He didn’t like that Aidan wasn’t being cocky, or trying to get a rise out of him. The alpha looked content in a completely innocent way. It wasn’t the look of a man who had gotten exactly what he wanted, and was feeling smug about it. It was the look of someone who had found some measure of peace and contentment from the simplest pleasure. It terrified the hell out of Kyle, and he wanted to get as far away from it as possible.

An arrogant, manipulative Aidan he could deal with, but what in all of Gaia’s creation was he supposed to do with an Aidan who might be genuinely falling for him?