Of all the things Isa imagined he’d be doing today when he woke up this morning, arranging for Demir to be out of the house with Layne for roughly three hours so Isa and Liam could have sex was not one of them.

Not that Isa asked for that particular reason, but Demir was a smart kid and he read between the lines. He seemed excited by the idea—not only because he supported them as a couple, but because he understood how hard today had been. Liam confronting the man who’d abused him in his previous heat. Needing to be close to his bondmate.

They shared an early dinner, and then Demir left with Layne at five o’clock. He was going to study with his brothers, and they’d all share baby duty. Liam watched with longing as the front door closed, leaving them alone for the evening.

And as they did the dishes together, Isa washing and Liam drying, Isa’s nerves started getting the better of him. He hadn’t had sex in more than two years, hadn’t done more than jerk off to the memories of his times with Herris. And Herris had been his only lover, from his first heat, to their last morning in bed, rubbing off together, before Herris got too sick.

Isa had been nervous about his first time penetrating Herris post-heat, but not as nervous as he was tonight. Liam had a much different history than Herris. Liam’s first experience with sex had been a traumatic one, even if Liam didn’t remember much about it. Isa wanted time to relax Liam, to make sure this was what Liam really wanted and not simply a reaction to the custody meeting.

“Pretty sure it’s clean,” Liam said.

“What?” Isa looked at the plate in his hands, which was dripping clear water. “Oh, sorry.”

“You went miles away for a minute. Are you nervous, too?”

Isa met Liam’s eyes as he handed over the plate. “Yes. I always want to do right by you, Liam.”

“Same. And that’s why I’m ready. We’re in love, we’re committed, and it’s going to be wonderful, because it’s us. And yes, I’m nervous too. It’s my first time, and I’m so glad it’s with you.”

Those lovely words buried deeply into Isa’s heart, and he stole a quick kiss before finishing up the dishes. Then he poured them each a glass of wine and led Liam down the hall to the bathroom. They’d never been naked together before, and taking a hot bath seemed like a nice way to ease into things.

Liam watched with complete trust and adoration as Isa filled the tub and sprinkled in some scented crystals Demir had given him for his birthday. The scent was supposed to alleviate stress. Then Isa took the lead and began to undress. His shirt first, one button at a time, until he could push it off. Then the undershirt, baring his chest. Liam stepped closer and pressed his palm over Isa’s heart, eyes mapping his skin.

Isa hadn’t been embarrassed by his spare tire for years, and he waited for that emotion to rise, given the careful way Liam was studying him. The honed muscles he’d long since lost, the dark hair sprinkled with gray that covered his chest and round belly and forearms. He was a hairy beast compared to Liam, but Liam seemed enamored by it all.

“Touch anywhere you like,” Isa whispered.

Four words that made Liam blush, but he also began exploring. Trailing his fingers through Isa’s chest hair, tracing around his nipples, tickling past his ribs. Fingers that went lower and worked at Isa’s belt buckle for the second time that day. This morning’s blow job felt like a lifetime ago, and Isa desperately wanted Liam’s cock in his mouth.

Soon. Don’t rush him.

Liam undid his pants, then slid them down Isa’s legs. Isa stepped out of them and grinned when Liam remained squatting to remove his socks, leaving Isa in only his boxers, which were already tented from the light touches.

“I love your body,” Liam said, trailing a finger just above the waist of his boxers. “I love how big and strong you are. A great big bear of a man who loves me.”

“I do love you. So much.”

Liam took a step backward and whipped his own t-shirt off, baring his pale chest. He was slim, but his arms had perfectly defined biceps and triceps, and the barest hint of his baby pooch peeked over the top of his pants. Smooth, dark skin, dusky nipples Isa couldn’t wait to bite. He wanted to know all of Liam’s erogenous zones, so he could spend time making his bondmate crazy.

“It’s just a bath to start,” Isa said. “No pressure.”

That jolted Liam into action. He quickly removed his pants and underwear at the same time, leaving himself completely bare, so Isa did the same. The sight of Liam completely naked made Isa’s mouth water. So much flesh to nibble and taste. Liam’s cock was half-hard and hung heavily against his thigh, already an impressive size.

Isa drew him into a gentle kiss, teasing his lips with nibbles and licks, luxuriating in his maple sugar scent. Liam grabbed his hips and stepped closer, until Isa’s cock rubbed against Liam’s belly. He pressed a thigh against Liam’s crotch, happy that his cock swelled more under the pressure. Liam deepened the kiss, licking into Isa’s mouth with intent. It left Isa breathless when Liam let go. Liam grinned up at him, cheeks red and mouth wet.

“Do we really need to take a bath?” Liam asked.

“Brief one. I’d hate to waste the water.”

Liam pouted, then grabbed his wine and eased into the hot water. It was a soaking tub and big enough for two, so Isa climbed in behind him. He sat with his back to the wall and pulled Liam onto his lap, exactly where he wanted him. They clinked their wine glasses and sipped. Liam, the wicked thing, started wiggling on Isa’s lap, purposely grinding his ass against Isa’s erection.

“You play dirty,” Isa said.

“Bath tub seems like a great place to get dirty.”

Isa rubbed the palm of his hand across Liam’s soft belly, arrested by the image of it once again stretched with child. Isa’s child.

Mine.

“May I join in the fun?” Isa asked.

“Yes, please.”

He explored lower, teasing the light scattering of hair nesting around Liam’s cock, before fisting his prize. Liam cried out and nearly dropped his wine. Isa teased Liam with light touches and strokes, rubbed his thumb over the head, down to that bundle of nerves, absorbing every gasp and moan he urged from his omega. Liam put his wine glass down and grabbed Isa’s thighs under the water.

“Feels so good,” Liam said. “Oh goddess.”

“No one’s ever done this for you before?”

“No. You’re my first, Isa. Mancini doesn’t matter. You’re my first and only.”

Yes.

Isa licked the side of Liam’s neck, then nibbled his earlobe while he never stopped stroking Liam’s dick. “Do you want to get off?”

“I…I’m not…”

“Trust me, I can get you hard more than once tonight.”

“Okay.”

Isa silent cheered, because in that moment, he needed to see Liam come more than he needed air to breathe. Needed his bondmate to fall apart, needed to taste his spend. He pulled the plug on the drain as he redoubled his efforts. As the water drained out, it bared wet skin, and Isa watched Liam’s foreskin slide back and forth, faster and faster. He sucked on the side of Liam’s neck, then slid his free hand around to roll Liam’s balls.

“Fuck!” Liam shot over his fist, some come landing in the last of the water, but Isa caught most of it with his hand, unwilling to waste more than a few drops.

He worked Liam through the orgasm, then raised his hand to taste his omega for the first time. Liam’s familiar maple sugar scent burst on his tongue, along with the bitter notes of spunk, and Isa licked his hand clean. Oh yes, he was addicted to that flavor combination. “Goddess, you taste wonderful.”

Liam angled his head for a sloppy, sideways kiss. “We should rinse off, then get in bed.”

Isa laughed, adoring this free-spirited side of Liam that wasn’t afraid to play, or to ask for what he wanted. They rinsed off in the shower, and Isa dried them both. Then he held out his hand to his omega.

Liam took it and allowed his alpha to lead him into their bedroom.

He couldn’t put his finger on the exact moment when Liam lost all his anxiety over having sex. Maybe it was the way Isa looked at his naked body with lust and desire. Maybe it was the wine and scent of the bubble bath. Maybe it was him instinctively knowing Isa was his mate and that he was safe, wanted, and loved. It didn’t matter, because Liam’s body was alive and singing, and he couldn’t wait to see what came next.

Isa had the blanket and sheet pulled down, and a bottle of artificial slick sat on one pillow. Excited, happy, and perfectly at ease with the man, Liam yanked Isa’s towel from around his waist, and then gave him a playful shove, toppling Isa over onto the bed. Liam tugged off his own towel and pounced on his alpha. Rubbed his slowly recovering dick against Isa’s erection, loving the heat of skin on skin, and the way Isa’s body hair tickled his own bare chest and legs.

Instead of touching, Isa left his hands by his sides, allowing Liam to run the show. Knowing Isa could easily overpower him and take what he wanted burned hotly in Liam’s gut and stoked his arousal. His alpha was playing the submissive one for now.

So Liam took his time and explored his alpha’s body.

He licked and tasted hot skin, bit at hard nipples, even pressed his nose into Isa’s armpit and inhaled his alpha’s spicy, cedar scent. Then he rolled Isa onto his stomach and explored his back and shoulders. Spine and small of his back. He played with the meaty globes of Isa’s ass, then tickled the backs of his knees with his tongue.

Isa gasped and trembled, and occasionally moaned, but he made no move to take over. He hadn’t taken a single thing Liam hadn’t willingly offered, and that meant the world to him. He rolled Isa again, then crept down his body to take his alpha into his mouth. After only a few hard licks, Isa cried out and came, and like the first time, Liam drank down every drop.

Once he recovered, Isa tugged Liam up for a long kiss, and they lay together for a while, simply kissing, fingertips skating across damp skin, neither in a hurry to the next step. They kissed until Isa was hard again, and then Isa started kissing his way down Liam’s body. He paused to lick his nipples, which made Liam’s belly quiver with want. Need. Love and desire for this big, beautiful man.

Isa spent time kissing his belly, playing with his navel, and generally driving him nuts before finally descending. He clasped the root of Liam’s cock, then looked up the length of his body. Liam met his feverish eyes and held them as Isa took his entire length into his mouth. The hot, wet pressure made Liam cry out and clutch at the sheet. He’d never felt anything like it. Ten times better than a hand on him, the suction of Isa’s mouth left Liam dizzy, his lower body bucking up, needing more. Isa kept him still with a firm arm around his hips, while he proceeded to ruin everything Liam thought he knew about blow jobs.

And goddess, it was perfect and too much, and not enough, and another orgasm threatened to overtake him. The combination of their mixed scents drove Liam even higher, because this was right. This was everything Liam had ever wanted, and now he had it.

Somehow Isa knew he was close, and he pulled back, spit-shiny lips quirked into a knowing smirk. “You do realize,” Isa said, “now that I’ve had you in my mouth, it will happen often going forward.”

“Yes, please.” Liam couldn’t imagine going back to the platonic partnership they’d had up until now. He’d tasted Isa, been tasted by him, and there was no going back.

Because we’re mates. Period.

Isa growled, then launched himself up the bed to press Liam into the mattress and kiss him senseless. Liam pushed up against him, needing friction on his dick, feeling Isa’s rubbing against his stomach. He hitched his legs up by instinct, giving Isa a proper channel in which to rut. But this wasn’t how they were going to get off. Not their first time together. He needed his alpha to fully claim him.

“Want you in me,” Liam said between kisses. “Please, my alpha.”

“Goddess, yes. Need to prep you first.”

“Okay.”

“Hands and knees will be easiest for this part.”

A vague sense of being on his hands and knees for another man flashed into Liam’s mind, but he shoved those thoughts away. They weren’t allowed in the bedroom with him and Isa right now. Instead, he rolled and presented himself, feeling a bit embarrassed to be shoving his ass into the air for another man.

Until Isa spread his cheeks with his hands and licked from Liam’s balls to the small of his back. Liam squeaked at the shocking, amazing sensation of a tongue against his hole, as Isa stabbed and lapped and shattered Liam’s mind. He’d never imagined an alpha would do such a thing, or that it could feel so good, but Isa made sounds as if he’d never loved anything more in his life.

When Isa traded his tongue for a slicked finger, Liam stopped breathing. The sensation of being breached and filled was odd, but not painful or scary. A small part of Isa was inside his body, stretching him, preparing him to take his cock very soon. Loving him with every press and twist.

Two fingers burned more than the first had, but Isa helped that by curling them and hitting a spot inside of Liam that made him see stars. “Oh there, please,” Liam panted. “Oh.”

Isa continued to brush that spot as he fucked Liam with two fingers, and Liam barely noticed the third enter him. It was too much and not enough, and how would he ever take Isa’s entire cock? Was it physically possible? Those three wicked fingers worked him over and over, until Liam was begging. Babbling. Needing everything all at once and unsure what he was even asking for, but certain Isa would know and help.

The fingers tugged loose, and Liam cried out at their loss. He was too empty now and needed to be filled again. Strong hands turned Liam onto his back, stuffed a pillow under his butt, and tipped his ass into the air. Then Isa was there, kissing him breathless, while blunt pressure nudged at his entrance.

That pressure turned into an incredible stretch. Liam bit Isa’s lip as he bore down and accepted this gift into his body. A gift from his alpha, the man in his arms, making him feel so incredible. Safe. Cherished.

Isa pushed inside in small thrusts of his hips, deeper and deeper, until Liam wasn’t sure he could take anymore. And then Isa stopped, fully seated, and Liam wanted to weep for its perfection.

“Not gonna last long, little one,” Isa said. “You feel too good.”

“Make love to me, my alpha, please.”

“Gladly. I love you.”

“Love you too. Please. Claim your omega.”

Isa growled, pulled back, and then thrust deep inside. Liam shouted as loudly as his broken voice allowed, his entire body wracked with pleasure. Isa set a steady pace, his thick erection sliding in and out of Liam’s body, pushing them both closer and closer to orgasm. Liam grabbed his own cock and jerked, and he released a hoarse cry as he came, coating his belly and chest with his spend. Going impossibly tight around Isa’s cock.

“Oh, Liam, fuck.” Isa pushed deep, his cock pulsing in Liam’s ass as he let go.

It didn’t matter to Liam that he wasn’t in heat, or that this wasn’t an official mating. As he accepted Isa’s gift into his body, Liam also accepted him as his mate. His one and only, true mate. His alpha. His heart.

They stayed together, their bodies connected, for as long as possible, until Isa slipped out. Even then, all Isa did was pull the covers over their bodies and wrap Liam up in his arms. Tangle their legs together. Entwine their fingers. As close as possible, for as long as humanly possible.

We found each other, and I’m never letting him go.

Liam would rather die than be parted from his alpha, but he would so much rather live for his alpha and their son. He pressed his lips to Isa’s and silently vowed to fight for what they had. As long as Liam had breath in his body, he’d fight for the life he wanted. The life he deserved.

The life they both deserved, with each other.

As mates.