Though Liam wanted Gunnar's hands on him, had fantasized about it since their first phone call, Liam still hadn't known if he would be bold or foolhardy enough to invite the alpha inside. But now, with Gunnar so close, his scent making every touch tingle with an additional promise, Liam had no room for fear. He wanted Gunnar.

Liam led Gunnar up the stairs to the apartment. At the landing in front of his apartment door, Gunnar pushed Liam against the wall and ravaged his mouth. Fear sparked for a moment as Gunnar fiddled with the top button of Liam's shirt, trying to undo it, but Liam ruthlessly tamped it down. Gunnar wouldn't hurt him. He pulled the alpha closer and gloried in the feel of the ridge of his hard cock through the fabric of their clothes.

On the other side of the door, Lucky started to bark.

Damon had hated that, and at Liam's old house, he insisted Liam put the dog out on the porch or in the yard before going inside the house. When he visited all.

How fucked up had that been? And how screwed in the head had Liam been to allow it?

Gunnar nibbled on Liam's ear. "I'm guessing we're going to get some doggie kisses when we go through that door?"

"Lucky's my family," Liam snapped.

"I know. I get it. I was hoping we could keep him out of the bedroom though."

Gunnar wasn't Damon. Why couldn't Liam get this through his head? He'd made one mistake, and he couldn't shake it. "Of course," Liam said. "I don't want him watching either." Or deciding to tackle them to see what all of the fun was about.

"I don't want anyone watching. This is between the two of us."

Liam smiled, and the bubble of warmth and desire that had briefly been tamped down by his fears grew hot again.

"No," Liam said. "Just us."

They kissed again, slower and softer but no less passionate. With Gunnar’s shirt open, the thick triangle of soft, dark brown chest hair begged for Liam to run his hands through it. Gunnar’s nipples were light tan and pebbled from both the core rush of air conditioning and hopefully, arousal. Liam was so turned on. This close, Liam noted the sweep of Gunnar's dark lashes over his deep brown eyes. Eyes that were mostly iris now.

Gunnar kept his hair short, an almost military cut that made him seem even more commanding, even as his plump lips promised a certain sweetness.

A flash of Gunnar's full mouth around Liam's cock made his breath catch, but he dismissed it as quickly as it surfaced. Damon hadn't liked giving head. None of the other flings Liam had managed to squeeze in between his studies and a few, painful visits to campus gay clubs where he was both too fat and too shy to be noticed for more than an anonymous handjob in the stalls, had made him expect any different from alphas in general. It wasn't a problem. Liam loved the feel and taste of an alpha cock in his mouth. The other was just a fantasy.

Lucky barked again and began scratching and whimpering at the door.

"He'll be fine once I settle him down," Liam said.

"Then let's get him settled. I'm a little too old to be fucking hot omegas on stairwells. At least, not on a first date."

Liam smiled, and then with what he felt was incredible self-discipline, stepped away from Gunnar and unlocked his apartment door.

Lucky cheerfully barked and jumped, his paws hitting Liam's legs as Liam said, "Hey boy! It's good to see you too. I know, I've been gone a whole two hours. You must be jumping out of your skin."

From the sofa, the cat yawned.

"I have a friend," Liam said, dropping to squat beside his dog and putting a hand on Lucky's collar. He realized, with an odd feeling of carbonation tickling his gut, but this was also a moment of truth. When lucky had met Damon, the dog had growled and snapped at the air. Liam had always regretted not taking that as a sign. But dogs could also be territorial. So maybe it hadn't meant anything. Or maybe, Liam was just so desperate for something to go right, he'd make a fantasy for himself and pretend he believed it until it was almost too late.

"Lucky, do you remember me from the clinic?" Gunnar squatted, and slowly extended his hand, fingers down, palm out. "I had a chocolate lab when I was growing up. Her name was Mocha, and we were great pals. And I bet you got to know my kitten Puff when she spent the night here." As Gunnar spoke, he inched closer and closer to Lucky until the dog extended his muzzle and licked his hand.

Gunnar asked, "Can I pet you, girl?"

Liam felt like there was a large lump in his throat. It was like night and day. Lucky pushed his head against Gunnar's hand. Liam smiled, "Go ahead. I don't think I could stop you."

Within a minute, Lucky was on the ground, belly up, making soft sounds of pleasure in his throat as Gunnar showered the dog with compliments.

"I'm so glad you two are getting along," Liam said.

Gunnar looked up. "Does he have problems with houseguests?"

"He didn't like my ex."

"I don't like your ex, and I've never met him." Gunnar rubbed Lucky's belly again as the dog rolled back and forth. "Good boy," Gunnar said. "Animals are great judges of character. Well, most of the time. My aunt had a Chihuahua who was dumb as a rock. He tried to bite everyone except her."

Though Liam's arousal had faded to a slow simmer, his joy at watching Gunnar and Lucky more than made up for it. He wanted more than a quick fling. But even in those brief months when Liam had deluded himself into thinking he might have a future with Damon, he'd known that future would always include his menagerie. He thought over time Damon would warm to his pets. Now, he knew how wrong he had been. Gunnar didn't need warming. He already understood.

Liam wanted to kiss him so badly. Softly, and slowly as a pure expression of this indescribable feeling that was coming over him.

Not love. It was too soon for that. But hope.

"When you look at me like that, I just want to take you to bed," Gunnar said.

"I think we spoiled Lucky enough." Liam stood, and feeling oddly formal, he held out his hand. Gunnar took it and stood.

Lucky rolled over and onto his feet, and looked up at them both and let out something between a yip and a bark, but clearly a complaint.

"I'm just going to put a little squeeze cheese into his bone, and he'll be occupied for a while."

"And then I'll get my treat? Give a dog a bone?" Gunnar raised an eyebrow.

Liam groaned. "That wasn't even good enough to be a dad joke."

"Dad joke!"

"I call them like I hear them."

"You're lucky you have a cute ass. And an even cuter dog."

Liam quickly filled Lucky's bone with cheese and gave it to him. The dog grabbed it and held it down with his paw, gnawing at the end.

"Let's go," Liam said.

"You have condoms, I hope."

"A couple." They’d traveled with him across the country, and hopefully weren't expired, but he kept them in the nightstand with the lube. More out of hope, and maybe a little caution, than any expectations.

"It's been a while for me. Since Adam. But I’m going to make it good for you. I promise."

"Same." It wasn't like Liam had never bottomed. He'd had a fling in vet school with a beta student. They'd taken turns, taking each other, and it had been good. Liam had enjoyed the tight heat of the other man's ass, but he loved bottoming more.

Would Gunnar give Liam his knot tonight? The thought had Liam hardening again. The dildo was supposed to simulate the experience, but nothing would be as good as the real thing. The scent of pine and sandalwood, the tiny, erratic movements that no piece of plastic, no matter how well designed, could simulate.

Hopefully, Liam's inexperience wouldn't be too off-putting. Gunnar was a father, and he’d already had a husband. Presumably, he and his husband had dated and fucked before tying the knot. Liam desperately wanted to make Gunnar happy. He knew he wouldn't be able to match up to what Gunnar had already experienced, but he wanted to at least make an impression.

If Liam was honest with himself, he'd say he wanted Gunnar to forget everyone he'd been with before Liam, just as Liam wanted to forget everything that happened before this moment. He wanted it to be just the two of them. He wanted for something to go right, even if it was just for one night.

Liam had made his bed, and straightened up, again more from caution than expectation. At least the veterinary journals were on the dresser and not spread out on the bed, and all of his clothes were in the hamper, instead of the floor.

Thankfully, the apartment had come furnished. While the antique cherry wood dresser and nightstand and the felt rendering of a daisy framed in glass over the bed were not really an expression of his character, at least he hadn't spent his first month living out of boxes and on an air mattress. Liam shut the door and twisted the lock on the knob. Lucky had figured out how to turn the knob with his paws, so better to be safe.

Gunnar slipped his arms around Liam's waist and murmured in a voice that sounded too much like sex already, "Your dog can open the door, can't he?"

Liam laughed. "He's really smart."

"Like his master." Gunnar nibbled along the shell of Liam's ear and downward, pressing a kiss at the curve of his jaw.

Gunnar's cheek, slightly rough even though the alpha still smelled faintly of aftershave, mingled with his unique scent, and the sensation only made Liam want him more. Gunnar ran the tip of his tongue downward, brushing Liam's pulse. It tickled, and wasn't itself unpleasant, but as he brought his hands up to finish unbuttoning Liam shirt, the feel of something against his neck in combination with being constrained by Gunnar's arms made Liam's stomach sour.

No. No memories.

Liam turned, shimmying around so that they were chest to chest, eye to eye. "Kiss me," he said.

They kissed, and Gunnar pulled off Liam's suit jacket and tossed it in the direction of the hamper. If Liam had come home alone, he would have taken the suit off carefully and hung it by the door to go to the dry cleaner, but now he couldn't care less. He reached up to Gunnar's shoulders to help pull his jacket off, but Gunnar said, in the same commanding tone he'd used over the phone to reduce Liam to jelly, "You first. I want to unwrap you."

Liam swallowed. He’d be more comfortable if they turned off the light, but as Gunnar’s fingers deftly undid the last two buttons of Liam's shirt, a mix of nervousness, anticipation, and pure lust kept Liam locked in place, unable to tear his gaze from his lover's face.

They weren't lovers, not yet, but soon. Liam couldn't wait.

Though Liam hadn't been heavy enough to need surgery, faint white stretch marks marred his waist. He hoped Gunnar didn't notice. They were so much a part of him now, Liam hardly paid them any attention, but it was different with a lover. Damon hadn’t seen them. Preet hadn't cared, but he was a beta. Betas were more laid-back about things.

Gunnar brushed his tongue over Liam's cheek. "I knew you were hot, but… God, I want you."

The taught band of nervousness in Liam's chest relaxed as Gunnar unbuttoned his pants and pulled them down. Before Liam could move or think, Gunnar was on his knees, tonguing at the head of Liam's cock through the fabric of his briefs.

Liam moaned. His hips hitched, control slipping at the shock of it, an alpha, this man, on his knees doing something he'd barely allowed himself to fantasize about. "You don't have to if you don't want to," Liam sputtered out.

Gunnar looked up and, pulling away just an inch, so Liam could almost feel the alphas breath as he said, "I promised you I'd get it nice and wet, didn't I? If you don't like it – –."

"I like it."

"Thought so," Gunnar said and pulled the waistline of Gunnar’s briefs down just enough so that the head of his cock was peeking out over the band. Then he licked it, first teasing with the tip of his tongue at the slit.

Liam squirmed, desperate for more sensation even as pleasure pulsed through him.

"Keep your hands at your sides. Or you can put them on my head, but I'm not going to swallow you down until I'm ready."

Gunnar swirled his tongue around the head of Liam's cock, and Liam couldn't help but whine. It felt good. Almost too good, all of that intensity focused in such a small place. Even though Gunnar was on his knees for him, Liam knew he was in the alpha’s control, and he relished it. Gunnar cupped Liam’s balls through the barrier of his underwear, and Liam, the head of his cock dripping and the rest of it desperate

to be freed and held tight and pulled hard, thrust his hips. The band of his underwear teased the sensitive skin beneath his cock head, but it wasn't enough. "Please," Liam moaned.

"Yes," Gunnar said. "I'm going to take such good care of you."

Liam rested his hand on Gunnar's head as Gunnar wrapped his full lips around the head of Liam's cock. Forgetting all manners with his need, Liam tried to push up, trying to go deeper. Gunnar put a hand on each of his ass cheeks and squeezed as he sucked his cheeks in.

It was a delicious torture. Liam wanted to jerk himself so bad. He wanted Gunnar to swallow them down. He wanted to touch more of the alpha’s skin than just the soft prickle of his hair.

Finally, Gunnar pulled Liam's underwear the rest of the way down and took him in one effortless movement.

Liam's eyes fell shut as every part of him focused on his cock, swallowed by that wet heat. Gunnar hummed, moving his mouth up and down the shaft until Liam's balls drew up. Then, suddenly, Gunnar pulled away.

Gunnar grinned and pressed a soft kiss to his inner thigh. "I want to come inside of you," Gunnar said, grazing his teeth along the skin to the crease where Liam's leg and crotch met. "I want to give you my knot and feel you come around it."

"Yes," Liam managed to gasp. He wanted to come, but he wanted that even more. He wanted to cum with Gunnar inside of him. "Want your knot."

Gunnar stood, and, wrapping one arm around Liam's waist and the other around his legs, just beneath his ass, picked Liam up and carried him to the bed. Sitting Liam on the edge, Gunnar stood in front of him and said, "Unbutton me."

With shaking hands, Liam undid the button and zipper to his slacks and pulled them down. Gunnar wore loose boxers, and his cock, large and hard, tented them

with an enticing, delicious smelling bulge.

"Underwear too. I want you to get me nice and wet."

Liam didn't need to be asked twice. He pulled the boxers down, and his mouth watered. Gunnar's cock was thick and solid, tilting very slightly to the right with a large, pulsing vein along the underside. Liam couldn't wait to feel it inside. His skin tone gave the flushed head a beautiful, ruddy tint.

Gunnar threaded his fingers through Liam's hair. "I love that you keep it a little long."

Liam licked the underside of Gunnar's cock first, following the vein from the base to the head before taking it in hand and wrapping his lips around the head.

Gunnar moaned, and his fingers clenched in Liam's hair.

Liam took it deeper. He enjoyed giving head and prided himself on his ability to take a cock deep until he was practically gagging on it. Preet had liked that, and Gunnar seemed to as well, his breath hitching as Liam sucked him down to the base while using his free hand to pull Gunnar’s balls gently, one and then the other.

"God, you're so good," Gunnar said with a gasp.

Liam went at him in earnest, licking, sucking, and then using his hand to give a few hard jerks as he sucked on the head until Gunnar was leaking steadily.

Gunnar grabbed his hair and pulled him up. "Not yet. Inside you."

They both lay back on the bed, and Gunnar kissed Liam again, slowly this time, but thoroughly. Liam floated in a soft pool of arousal, wanting more, but with the urgency blunted as Gunnar ran his palm down Liam's waist to cup his ass. Gunnar squeezed it as their cocks brushed against each other, a delicious spark of pleasure.

"Where are the condoms?" Gunnar asked.

"I'll get them." Liam rolled over and fumbled around the bottom drawer of the nightstand until he came back with a foil wrapper and the tube of lube. After today, he'd need to buy more, if they did this again, which he desperately hoped they would.

"Prepare yourself for me. I want to see it."

Damon had never really wanted to look at Liam when they were alone together. When they were out, and Liam was a prize or a trophy, Damon had worn him with pride. But alone, Damon had preferred to ignore the messier parts of lovemaking, as he called it. He'd always kept tissues in his pocket for when Liam came, which rarely happened on the bed but rather when both men were upright and mostly clothed.

Gunnar's interest was unmistakable. His cock was hard and straight, but beyond that was simply how he looked at Liam. His pupils were wide, and as Liam squirted the lube onto his fingers and began to finger his hole, Gunnar took his own cock in hand and stroked it once. "That's right, tease yourself."

Liam's face warmed. His legs were open wide, his knees up as he pushed his middle finger inside. Just the tip. Even with the lube, it burned a little. He’d done this over the phone, but it wasn’t the same as with Gunnar actually watching.

“Does it feel good, baby?”

Liam nodded. Between the lust and embarrassment, he wasn’t sure if he had it in him to form coherent sentences.

He pushed his finger in as far as he could, and then pulled it out and then back in, working the lube in. When he was in heat, he wouldn't need this, and his ass clenched with the thought of knotting with Gunnar again and again for days. Suppressors took the edge off, but with Gunnar, he wouldn't need them. Slick now, he slipped a second finger in. It felt good, the initial burn turning to pleasure as the tip of his finger brushed his prostate. His cock jerked.

"You're so hot." Gunnar's hand stilled on his cock. "Want you on your knees."

"Yes." Liam rolled over and on his hands and knees, pushed his ass in the air. Behind him, Liam heard the crinkle of Gunnar opening the condom.

Gunnar said, "I want to take you deep, and I want to feel you come around me and in my hand."

If Gunnar kept talking like this, in that low sexy voice, Liam feared he wouldn't make it through the first thrust. In his mind, he recited the symptoms of Giardia. He went through the list, desperate to hold his orgasm back until Gunnar was firmly inside. Liam had never taken a cock this large, but his body would know what to do. He wanted it. He needed it.

Gunnar put his hands on Liam's hips and slowly, too slowly, teased at Liam's hole with the head of his cock. Gunnar must have coated it with more lube because after what seemed like the barest push, Gunnar's head was inside. The burn was stronger now, but Liam felt too good to care. He pushed back, wanting Gunnar to go deeper. Wanting to take the whole thing.

Gunnar pushed in slowly, so slowly, one arm sneaking around Liam's torso while the other, slick with lube, grabbed his cock.

Liam moaned. He pushed into Gunnar's hand, and then back, and they fell into a rhythm of thrust and push. Liam was moaning and begging, a string of almost nonsense syllables punctuated by Gunnar's name.

"Yes, yes." Gunnar murmured, kissing Liam shoulder.

"Harder," Liam begged.

And Gunnar gave it to him, hard and fast, too much and yet somehow not quite enough. Gunnar bit down on Liam's shoulder, and the sharp pain and sudden feeling of being marked, owned, sent Liam tumbling over the edge. The pleasure crested, and Liam dropped onto his elbows on the pillow, ass in the air, cock spilling hot and hard into Gunnar's slick fingers. "Want your knot. Knot me."

Gunnar's cock grew as he came, thickening at the base as Liam clenched around him.

This was the knot. Was it? Yes! The pleasure of being filled grew even as his orgasm ebbed. Liam closed this eyes, lost in the sensation. He’d never felt so close to another person. Gunnar was still cumming inside him, his cock twitching, and Liam didn’t want it to end.

They fell together onto the bed. Gunnar pulled him close. The tightness of the alpha’s embrace should have scared him, but Liam was too happy to be afraid.