Dillon was packing for his trip to Midnight when he heard a knock. He crossed the apartment and headed for the door—yet paused. Sensing who was behind it… he hesitated.
He’s better off without me. He’s better off without me.
Dillon placed his hand on the knob, telling himself not to open it.
Yet he was weak. Wrenching it open, he stood back before laying eyes on Cotton.
The omega stood there silently appraising him.
“I’m glad you stopped by,” Dillon said after a moment. “I wanted to say goodbye.”
“How long will you be gone?”
Dillon shrugged as he leaned on the door. His fingers itched to drag the male inside. He wanted to kiss and hold Cotton close, especially before he left. “A week or two, I suppose. Possibly a little longer, but I won’t know until I get there.”
He’s better off without me.
“I wish you weren’t going,” Cotton whispered.
Take him with you. He shook his head, knowing that was a terrible plan. “I’m excited about the trip. Midnight’s supposed to be a wild place. You know how I like it wild.”
Cotton rolled his eyes slightly and crossed his arms over his chest. “Yep. I do.”
“Don’t be like that,” Dillon said, pulling Cotton’s arms apart. “Please.”
He pulled Cotton closer, even when he knew he shouldn’t. Lowering his head, he stole a kiss, a kiss that didn’t belong to him. Dillon didn’t care who it belonged to, for now it was his.
He’d always been a little thief, good at stealing things.
The second Cotton mewed against him, he dragged the omega closer and kicked the door closed. He pinned the male against the door and feasted. Dillon was starved for these kisses, even though it had only been a day and a half without them.
That was too long.
He wasn’t sure how he’d survive the time in Midnight without Cotton.
“I want a proper goodbye,” Dillon said after dragging his lips from the omega’s. “I need you, Cotton.”
He was a selfish bastard, yet he didn’t care about that, either. He wanted… Cotton apparently wanted, as well. What was so wrong about that?
“We shouldn’t,” Cotton murmured before lifting his head and reclaiming the kiss.
The omega’s hands roamed his chest before lowering to grip his hard cock through his jeans.
“No, we shouldn’t,” Dillon said. Somehow that only made him want it all the more.
Cotton trembled against him when he took the omega’s mouth again. He pulled the male away from the door and guided them both toward the bedroom, never breaking the fierce kiss they shared.
Once they arrived, there was a flurry of clothing being ripped away and falling to the floor before he pushed Cotton down to the bed. Dillon knelt between his lover’s thighs and gripped the thick tool that was hard and ready for his touch.
Cotton moaned loudly as he circled the head with his tongue, and moaned even louder when he swallowed a few inches of the shaft between his lips.
“Dillon,” he groaned, his whole body coming up off the bed for a moment before melting back into the sheets.
He was ravenous, needing to see Cotton come. Dillon needed to taste his omega’s desire on his tongue, and he wouldn’t leave until he had it. He worked the shaft over and over, delighting in the sounds of Cotton’s desire reverberating around the room.
Dillon lifted one of Cotton’s legs higher, baring one ass cheek. With a swipe of his hand, he spanked the firm flesh as he continued to suckle the omega’s thick root. Cotton groaned, his body tensing, and Dillon was happy to deliver another… and another.
Cotton’s body shook violently after a few more minutes of the treatment, his gasps and sighs filling the air.
“By the gods, take me, Dillon.”
Dillon wanted to taste Cotton’s release, but knew he still could. After sliding up his lover’s body and a quick swipe of lube to coat them both, he pressed the head of his cock against Cotton’s hole.
“Is this what you want?” he teased, just pressing in a fraction of an inch.
“Yessss,” Cotton hissed.
Dillon could see Cotton’s hole stretching to accommodate his thick shaft. He teased the passage again, and again, toying with the male.
“Damn you,” Cotton whispered. “Fuck me.”
Dillon smiled, getting exactly what he’d wanted. He slowly stretched Cotton open, watching as his cock speared Cotton wide. When he was finally planted deep inside his omega, he paused.
Cotton felt perfect… made for his body.
He lifted both of Cotton’s legs up, bending his little omega in half before leaning in to be nose to nose. “Tell me what you told me yesterday.”
Cotton’s face scrunched up. “What?”
“Tell me… what you told me yesterday.” He needed to hear it again. No matter how damaging it could be to the both of them.
Cotton’s expression changed… as if he realized what Dillon was asking. “I… love you?”
Dillon closed his eyes for a brief couple of heartbeats before opening them again and meeting Cotton’s stare. “Yes. But this time… not a question.”
Cotton was silent a moment, his eyes growing bright. “I love you, Dillon McCreary.”
Dillon captured Cotton’s mouth, swallowing all the emotion he felt in those words and then some. He took…and then he lifted his hips before coming back to give. He funneled everything he felt for Cotton in those languid strokes, telling Cotton how he felt without words.
The selfish bastard that he was, he couldn’t say them himself without breaking.
He’s better off without me.
Dillon thrusted deep, over and over, straining to release and make his mark on this male he loved. It was all he could give… all he could do…
I’m not good enough for his love.
He reached between them, grasping the root of Cotton’s cock and began to stroke, needing to feel his omega shatter right along with him. Meeting the same rhythm, he coaxed Cotton higher.
They strained together, writhing in the bed they’d shared over and over again.
When Dillon’s body tensed, he held back as much as he could, refusing to come until Cotton had. Hastening his pace, he urged Cotton along, silently begging for the omega’s release.
Which he was soon rewarded with. Cotton’s body jerked seconds before a thick load shot from the head and coated Dillon’s hand. Freed, Dillon roared and let loose, allowing the orgasm he’d been holding back to take over. He came hard, filling Cotton’s body with everything in him.
He fell to the bed beside Cotton, their bodies entwined.
Once his breathing calmed, he brought his hand to his lips, licking the omega’s seed. The taste of it made him groan and his body tighten, ready for a second round. Cotton met his stare, heat flashing in the depths.
A knock came to the door, interrupting their moment.
“Are we leaving or are you spending all day in bed?” Colm asked sarcastically from behind it.
“I’m coming,” Dillon spat.
“Sounds like you already came,” Colm muttered before walking away.
Cotton sighed beside him. “Your brothers don’t seem to approve of us.”
Dillon knew it wasn’t that at all. “They don’t understand.”
Cotton lifted on one elbow and looked at him. “Apparently, I don’t either.”
Dillon sighed before scrubbing his face with both hands. “If I could clarify things, I would.”
“So… nothing’s changed? You ask me to tell you that I love you… and nothing’s changed?”
Nothing had changed. He loved Cotton. Cotton loved him. And there was nothing either one could do about it. “Can we talk about this when I get back?”
Cotton shook his head. “One of these days, you’re going to have to face this and admit you feel something for me. Because I know you do, even if you can’t say the words.”
“Words won’t matter if your mates come.”
“Or yours,” Cotton murmured.
Dillon climbed from the bed and began pulling his clothes on. “You deserve happiness, Cotton.”
“You make me happy,” Cotton said.
Dillon pulled up his jeans before sitting on the bed. He brushed a few strands of hair from Cotton’s forehead. “I want nothing more than to make you happy, Cotton. I do… I… I love you.”
Dillon swallowed, amazed he’d said the words. A slow, syrupy smile crossed Cotton’s lips.
“I love you, and I’m afraid you’ll walk away from me soon.”
“I won’t,” Cotton said, gathering Dillon’s head in his hands. “Promise.”
They shared a tender kiss that quickly became heated.
“Dillon!” Colm cried from behind the door.
Dillon pulled away. “I’ve got to go. We’ve got a helicopter waiting on us.”
“Oh, I heard the Zed guys got a new toy. Lucky you.”
Dillon jumped to his feet and began tossing a few more things into his duffle. “I’m not excited about flying, but it beats driving cross country.”
“How long will it take you to get there?”
“After talking to the pilot, we’ll have to make several stops to refuel—it’ll likely take twelve hours, if not more. Still better than three or four days in a car, driving nearly non-stop.”
“The faster you get there, the faster you get back home,” Cotton said. “To me.”
Dillon smiled before crossing the space between them and giving Cotton a kiss. “I won’t be gone too long, I promise.”
He returned to his bag, tossed in a couple more items before grabbing the textbooks and jamming them in. After throwing the bag over his shoulder, he smiled. “I’m off.”
Cotton slid from the bed and closed the gap between them. He wrapped his arms around Dillon’s body and hugged him tight. Dillon wasn’t sure if there was a better feeling on earth. He drew Cotton even closer, inhaling the male’s scent.
“All I smell on you is me.”
“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” Cotton said, chuckling.
“It’s not,” Dillon growled before sweeping down and stealing another kiss.
“Dillon!” came Colm’s angry cry.
“Lock up for me,” Dillon said before sneaking one last kiss.
* * * *
Cotton fell back on the bed, smiling to himself. Dillon had admitted what he’d known all along.
Dillon loved him.
He lay there on the bed they’d shared, enjoying the scent of their encounter. The sun began to fade, and he realized he must’ve drifted off to sleep. Jumping up, he pulled on his clothes before checking each room to make sure the place was cleared and ready to lock up. Just before reaching the front door, he heard a knock.
Cotton hesitated. This wasn’t his apartment… but he wasn’t going to stand waiting in there, hiding, either. Opening the door, he saw Tyler there.
“Cotton?”
“Yes,” he said.
“I was looking for Colm.”
“He left with Dillon.”
“To Midnight?”
Cotton nodded.
“Damn, I needed him.” Tyler frowned. “I didn’t know he was going. Why doesn’t anyone tell me anything?” he muttered the last more to himself.
“Can I help you?” Cotton asked. No time like the present to get his brothers to like me.
Tyler glanced his way. “No.” He paused and turned back. “Actually, maybe you could. How well do you know Bear Mountain?”
“Born and raised, so about as good as anyone else, I suppose.”
“We have newcomers, two bear shifters. They need a tour of the area—all the main spots in town—a little history—the basics about how we do things. Just general stuff. You interested?”
Cotton shrugged. “Sure, I guess. When?”
“Meet them at the Bear Mountain Inn tomorrow morning at eight? It’s a paying job. A piece of silver for the day.”
He had the day off from the mine with nothing better to do now that Dillon was gone, and money was money. “I’m your guy.”
Tyler grinned. “Great. That’s one less thing on my to-do list today.” He fished something out of his pocket and then handed over a card. “If you have any issues or can’t make it, please call and let me know immediately.”
Cotton pocketed the card. “Sure thing.”
Tyler turned to leave. Cotton locked the knob and was about to leave, when he looked up to see Tyler had returned.
“Are you and Dillon…” Tyler paused. “I know that isn’t any of my business… but he’s okay, right?”
Cotton smiled. “He’s okay.”
Tyler grinned. “I know he thinks I’m a busybody and in everyone’s business… it’s only because I worry about my brothers.”
“I’m sure they realize that,” Cotton said, stepping outside and pulling the door shut. He tested the lock before turning to Tyler. “Dillon’s not good with expressing himself.”
“Unless you count sarcasm.”
“He’s getting better at it,” Cotton said with a smile.
Tyler’s smile grew a little. “Glad to hear it. Maybe I’ll see it someday.” Tyler’s phone rang, and he pulled it from his pocket and glanced at the screen. “It’s the alpha—I need to take this. Thanks again,” he said before hitting a button and lifting the phone to his ear. “Yes, my alpha?”
Cotton watched Tyler walk away with a little wave of his hand and smiled.
One brother down, a million more to go.