Keller Read online

The biting and finding out Horace was his mate might have hit Keller from left field, but the longer he thought about it, the more he liked the idea that Horace was his and that they had a shot at having a family.

  “Did you ever love me?” Keller asked.

  “What kind of question is that?”

  “Just answer me.” Not that he and Marcus had a future together. That was over. It had been over for a long time, but Keller had refused to accept that. He’d turned a blind eye too many times to Marcus’s indiscretions. He’d pretended that they’d never happened. Keller had wasted two years of his life on a guy who would never give him the love he deserved. Keller already knew the answer, but he wanted Marcus to face reality.

  “It’s more complicated than a simple yes or no,” Marcus said.

  “No, it’s not,” Keller replied. “Either you loved me or you didn’t. It’s just that simple.”

  “Why are you using past tense?” Marcus asked. “You’re seriously dumping me? I thought you were pissed and needed to blow off some steam, like you’ve done before. Are you really breaking up with me?”

  “Like I’ve done before,” Keller said. “You just made my point. How many times before, Marcus? Once, twice, or ten times? Can you even tell me how many times you betrayed my trust?”

  The love that Keller had felt toward Marcus, that need to be near him, that yearning to be the only man in Dr. Taft’s life, wasn’t as strong as it was before. In fact, all Keller wanted to do was go back upstairs and tell Horace that he did care about him, that it was Horace who Keller wanted, and not his ex.

  He might not love Horace right now, but Keller knew that wasn’t impossible. Horace was sweet, funny, and gorgeous. He made Keller feel relaxed, not anxious like Marcus had made him feel so many times. He didn’t have to worry about what Horace was doing when they were apart, if his mate was seeing someone else. He doubted Horace was the cheating type and prayed that was true.

  “It wasn’t that many times,” Marcus argued.

  “Give me a number.”

  “Stop acting so immature,” Marcus snarled. “We’re good together and could be even better if you chose a specialty instead of wasting your talents in the ER.”

  Most surgeons had a god complex, but Keller didn’t. He liked being around those less fortunate, taking his time to talk with them because a lot of people were just lonely. He liked brightening their day or night and making them feel as if he truly cared, which he did. His interactions were what kept him humble, though there were times when Marcus rubbed off on him and Keller acted like an ass.

  If that was how he would be around the guy, Keller wanted no part of him. “What I wasted was my time with you,” he said.

  “You’ll regret this,” Marcus said. “Nobody dumps Dr. Marcus Taft.”

  Keller rolled his eyes. “Get over yourself.”

  He hung up, hoping Marcus got the message and left him alone. He didn’t doubt that Marcus would cause a stir at the hospital, but Keller didn’t care. He wanted to start his own practice in Kendall, catering mostly to panthers, but he wouldn’t turn humans away. Kendall had a decent-sized hospital but no clinic.

  Keller planned on changing that. He’d spotted a few buildings in town that were for lease, and now he knew what he wanted to do with some of his inheritance.

  With his plan in mind, Keller went back inside and climbed the stairs. He found Horace sound asleep. It seemed the soup had helped. He was glad Horace could finally get some rest.

  Keller stripped to his boxer briefs and climbed into bed. He wanted to be the first person Horace saw when he woke. They had a lot to talk about when his mate was up and not in pain.

  His mate. Keller smiled. He liked the sound of that. It was growing on him, and he couldn’t stop grinning. As feisty as Horace was, he wasn’t going to kick Keller aside.

  That wasn’t going to happen.

  He must have dozed, because, when he woke up, the sun was shining brightly in his room and Horace was awake, watching him sleep.

  “Am I drooling?” Keller wiped at his mouth. He’d been known to do that from time to time.

  “You didn’t bring me any cleaning supplies,” Horace said.

  His mate was being too calm, and that concerned Keller. Horace should be shouting at him, not stating a fact.

  “Because you needed your rest.”

  “Why are you naked?” Horace’s gaze roamed down Keller’s bare chest before his attention snapped back to Keller’s face. Horace blinked a few times, rubbed at his eyes, then looked back at Keller.

  “I have my underwear on.” That was all Horace had on, as well. After the two baths he’d given his mate, and as hot and sweaty as he had been, Keller hadn’t wanted to dress him again.

  “Why are you in bed with me?” Horace’s gaze slid down Keller’s body again, and Keller could scent his mate’s arousal. The heat would kick in, and soon Horace would beg Keller to fuck him.

  This wasn’t how Keller wanted things to be. He’d wanted Horace but in his right frame of mind, not suffering from the heat that would soon engulf him.

  “Why am I so horny?” Horace threw back the covers and pointed to his cock. “I’m still pissed at you, but god, I can’t stop thinking about all the naughty things I want you to do to me.”

  Keller explained what Horace was going through.

  “Are you serious?” Horace sat up, his hair sticking up everywhere. He looked adorable as hell. “So I’m gonna stay this way until you impregnate me?”

  “Why do you think I kept apologizing?” Keller sat up. “This isn’t fair to you, but unfortunately, that’s how my world works. I think it’s Mother Nature’s way of ensuring our survival.”

  “Mother Nature sucks.” Horace fanned himself, and Keller couldn’t stop staring at his mate’s erection trapped under his pink boxers. There was a large wet spot on the front of his underwear, and Keller was dying to taste Horace.

  “Why aren’t you threatening my life?”

  Horace pursed his lips. “I’m not the arguing type, and last night gave me a killer headache. So, I’m still very angry at you, but I’m going to talk in a calm voice.”

  “I’ll leave if you really want me to,” Keller said. “This isn’t fair to you.”

  “You can’t close the gate after the horses have escaped,” Horace groaned. “And I’m not staying like this. I’m so horny I’ll hump your bedpost.”

  “But you could get pregnant.”

  Horace’s hand stilled. He licked his bottom lip as he gazed at Keller. There was a look in his eyes that Keller couldn’t decipher. Did Horace want to have sex or kill him? Either was a possibility at this point.

  “And how does that make you feel?”

  “Me?” Keller was shocked Horace was thinking about someone besides himself. “How does it make you feel? That’s what’s important.”

  Horace looked so dejected that Keller’s heart ached. “But you don’t even want me.”

  Keller started to say that it was complicated, but he didn’t want to use Marcus’s excuse. “Fate thought we would be a good match, and I want to give this a try.” He brushed his knuckles over Horace’s cheek. “So far I like what I’ve found out about you.”

  Horace closed his eyes and leaned into Keller’s hand. “Like what?”

  “I like your sense of humor. You had me laughing on your porch, and I haven’t laughed like that in a very long time.”

  And hadn’t Keller just thought that earlier? That no one had made him laugh like that. But Horace had and more than once.

  “And?”

  “I like your quirky personality.” Keller leaned in and brushed his lips across Horace’s. “You’re gorgeous, too.”

  Horace’s eyes flew open. “You think I’m hot?”

  “You don’t?”

  “I’m sweaty.” Horace smiled, and that grin did Keller in. He rolled Horace to his back. “Tell me to get out. Tell me you don’t want this.”

  Horace pursed his lips, and for a second,
Keller thought Horace would do just that. “Since you’re using me for a family, I’m gonna make you my sugar daddy.”

  Keller pulled back, and Horace laughed. “I was joking! But I do expect to be pampered since you rearranged my insides and want to knock me up. I won’t be able to work for long, and I’ve got bills to pay.”

  “Can we discuss all of that later?” Keller was focused on one thing, and his brain wasn’t letting him think about anything else. A knot of need twisted in his groin, and Keller was desperate for relief.

  “Are you about to do naughty things to me?”

  “Very naughty.” Keller winked. He slid down Horace’s body and pulled his mate’s boxers off, tossing them aside. He heard Horace suck in a breath seconds before he licked the crown of his mate’s cock.

  “Do your naughty worst.” Horace spread his legs in invitation.

  Keller’s heart jolted and his pulse pounded as Horace’s pre-cum seeped onto his tongue. He wanted to devour the slim male, to consume Horace until they were bound together.

  “I-I’ve never had anyone do this for me.” Horace panted his words. “I’ve been missing out on so much.”

  Keller pulled back. “You’ve never had a blowjob?”

  Horace looked down at him as he narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you dare make fun of me.”

  “I’m not.” He arched a brow. “Are you a virgin?”

  Horace chuckled. “Not in the slightest. I’ve had my fair share of lovers but nothing serious. Can you get back to what you were doing and we can talk about this later or not talk about it at all?”

  “Sex between two people is a natural thing.”

  “Don’t you dare get all clinical on me, Dr. O’Brien.”

  Horace ran his hand through Keller’s hair, and Keller engulfed his cock again. He reached up and lightly touched Horace’s hardened nipples, tweaking them and smiling around his mate’s cock when Horace cried out.

  His panther let out a loud purr as Keller took the cock all the way down his throat. He tightened his throat muscles, squeezing the hard flesh then worked his way back up Horace’s length.

  Keller pushed his finger inside his mouth, right next to Horace’s cock, and wet the digit before inserting it into Horace’s ass.

  His mate thrust upward, pumping furiously with short, uneven strokes. Keller had to hold his mate’s hips down to stop the frenzied movements. The guy needed to learn pacing. But then again, the heat was a driving force, and Keller would give Horace whatever he needed.

  He crocked his finger, grazing it over Horace’s prostate. Seconds later, Horace was crying out Keller’s name and damn if it didn’t sound beautiful on his lips. Keller drank Horace’s seed, licking the head clean before he kissed his way up his mate’s body.

  “Did you enjoy your first blowjob?”

  “I need you to do it a few more times before I make a decision.” Horace grinned. Keller swept down, capturing Horace’s mouth, tasting himself on his mate’s tongue.

  “So far very naughty,” Horace said when they pulled apart.

  Keller chuckled. “I’m glad you approve.” He stretched out next to Horace, petting his mate and drinking in the view.

  “Really loved how your beard scraped against my skin. It made me tingle.”

  “I bet I can make other places tingle.” Keller grabbed Horace and pulled him atop him. “But right now I want to bury my dick in your ass.”

  Horace’s entire body flushed. “First you have to take your underwear off.”

  With Horace still straddling him, Keller made quick work of shoving his boxer briefs down his legs. He kicked them off and nodded. “Done.”

  Horace scooted back and drank his fill of Keller’s hard-on. It lay flat against his stomach, pulsing with the rhythm of his heart. Keller hissed when Horace curled his fingers around his length.

  “Careful,” he said. “It just might go off.”

  “As much as I would love to see that, I’m too horny and selfish. I want you to come inside of me.”

  The guy was out to kill him. Keller’s body jerked, and his cock twitched at Horace’s words. “Then climb onto the beast.”

  Horace looked around. “Condom and lube?”

  He liked that his mate used precautions when it came to sex, but they weren’t needed. “Condoms would be useless since your body has changed and the heat is affecting you.”

  “Really?” Horace crinkled his nose. “I’ve never gone bareback before.”

  Another first Keller was delighted to have with his mate. “And I come with built-in lube.”

  Horace’s gaze lowered to Keller’s dick. “How?”

  “Climb on and I’ll show you.”

  Horace moved upward and lifted his ass. He looked down at Keller. “You better be telling me the truth.”

  “I promise.” Keller loved the fact that Horace was willing to trust him, that he was putting his health in his hands. This was the first time Keller was having sex without a condom, as well. But this was his mate, his partner for life, and he didn’t want any barriers in the way.

  He held the base of his cock as Horace lowered himself. “Just wait. Let the tip touch your hole.”

  Horace planted his hands on Keller’s chest and did as instructed. His eyes widened a second later when Keller’s pre-cum shot out a tiny squirt.

  “This is so cool.” Horace grinned. “Just think of the money we’ll save on lube.”

  “It gets better.”

  Horace cocked his head to the side. “How?”

  “No pain.”

  “Seriously?” Horace began to lower his ass, impaling himself on Keller’s cock. They groaned in unison until Horace bottomed out. Keller’s mate panted, and Keller gritted his teeth, telling himself to let Horace set the pace because all Keller wanted to do was turn them over and pound hard and fast into Horace’s body.

  The feel of Horace’s ass gripping him sent waves of pleasure through him. It had been so long since he’d had anyone ride him, and fuck, he’d missed that feeling.

  He refused to think about Marcus, how his ex-boyfriend had always wanted to be on his hands and knees, no intimacy whatsoever. Keller loved looking into Horace’s green eyes, loved seeing the raw pleasure on his face.

  Finally, Horace began to move, bouncing up and down. Keller pulled his mate down to him, taking his lips in a hot, passionate kiss that left him breathless.

  Unable to resist, he spun them, putting Horace on his back. His mate slid his thin legs around Keller’s waist and held on as Keller pistoned inside him.

  Horace broke the kiss and shouted, clawing at Keller’s back. He met him thrust for thrust, his body flushed with need. Keller grabbed Horace’s bobbing cock and stroked him, watching as his mate fell apart.

  “God, yes!” Horace pressed his hands against the headboard and fucked Keller’s hand. “Don’t stop. Keep doing that naughty thing.”

  “You like when I jack you off?”

  Horace’s eyes widened. “Dirty talk! Yes!”

  “You love how my dick is pounding into your tight ass?” Keller let Horace’s cock go long enough to spit into his hand. He grabbed it again as Horace’s eyes rolled to the back of his head.

  “Love it,” Horace groaned. “You’re so damn thick. I think you’re splitting me in half.”

  Horace was good for Keller’s ego, considering it had taken a beating over the past two years. And sex with Horace was fun, exciting, and damn if Keller didn’t want more of it.

  He lowered his head and sank his canines into Horace’s shoulder as he purred. That had been something Keller couldn’t do with others. Marcus hadn’t had a clue that Keller was a panther shifter. It felt amazing to let go of that part of himself, to let his cat enjoy this moment just as much as Keller was.

  Horace bucked beneath him, his hole tightening as he came again. Keller pulled his canines free, licked the wound, and threw his head back, shouting Horace’s name as he emptied his seed inside his mate.

  He slowed his movements,
sweat covering his body as he turned and fell to the bed, taking Horace with him. Keller’s cock was still buried in his mate’s ass, and Keller spooned Horace, making sure it stayed that way.

  Horace was in heat, and if he hadn’t just impregnated him, Horace would be ready to go again.

  “That was fantastic,” Horace said with a chuckle. “I’m sore in all the right places.”

  Keller reached around his mate and felt how hard Horace still was. His mate threw his head back and moaned. “I’m horny again.”

  For the next twenty-four hours, Keller let Horace use him however he wanted and enjoyed every second of it.

  Chapter Seven

  “I know that look,” Nash teased when Keller walked into the kitchen. “Every inch of your body hurts and you feel like your back has been thrown out.”

  Horace was finally out of heat and fast asleep, and Keller needed an energy drink to keep him standing upright. “Brother, you ain’t never lied.”

  He accepted the drink from Nash and took a seat at the table. Keller winced when he sat. Even his balls ached. He stretched his legs out in front of him in hopes that it would help stretch his muscles.

  What he needed was to go for a run. That would help work out all the kinks.

  Quinn chuckled as he grabbed an apple from the bowl on the table. “I didn’t have as much fun as you guys. Stevie didn’t go through the heat.”

  “You’re lucky.” Nash took a sip from the water bottle he was holding. “I think my back and balls are still recovering, and it’s been months.”

  “Stop acting like you’re an old man,” Quinn said around his mouthful. “Keller’s the oldest. I can see if he needs joint cream, but you should be ready to jump back into action at a moment’s notice.”

  “Hey!” If Keller had had the energy, he might have tried to kick Quinn. “I’m thirty-three. That’s not old.” He set his can aside. “I’m going for a run before my muscles lock up on me.”

  “See!” Quinn grinned as he moved out the way when Keller stood. “Go for a run, old man.” His smile faded. “But be careful. That cythraul is still out there. Hayward has been keeping an eye out for it, but so far, he hasn’t spotted it again.”