“I’ll show ya how,” Craeg assured.
Then Craeg decided he’d been patient enough.He dipped his head down and gently pressed his lips to Silas’s.Keeping the kiss light, rubbing their lips together gently, Craeg flicked out his tongue for just a hint of a taste.
Craeg barely bit back his groan of pleasure.
Delicious.
* * * *
SILAS COULDN’T HOLDback his gasp of surprise when Craeg pressed his lips to Silas’s.The pressure was firm, yet soft, creating a rush of heat that flooded down his neck and through his chest, warming him from the inside out.The way Craeg’s beard hairs tickled his lips caused tingles to trickle up his jaw to his ears, making the hairs on his nape stand on end.
When Craeg took advantage of Silas’s slightly parted lips and teased his tongue along his bottom lip, a shudder worked through him.He let out a whimper-moan that was part surprised, confusion, and lustful.Silas’s body flamed, his nipples beaded, and his prick swelled.
Silas knew it was arousal.He’d felt it before.Except, he’d never felt it so intensely or swiftly...and certainly not for any one person exactly.
Finding a movie star or guy in a magazine attractive had definitely never had his body react in such a way.
Clenching his fingers into fists, Silas didn’t know what to do with them, so he clutched them to his chest.In the back of his mind, he realized that Craeg wasn’t deepening the kiss.It was light, and chaste, and made Silas’s blood burn all the more with the gentleness of it.
“Well, using pleasure to counter the pain is a great idea,” a deep voice sounded from nearby.“Nature’s painkillers.”
Even with the clear teasing in the man’s tone, Silas still gasped and cringed, ending the beautiful contact, as he curled into Craeg defensively.
While Silas had been living in a cave for the last several years, he’d still seen and heard the sneers and verbal jabs made by the kids in the group homes at people who werefags—all too often led by Cameron.
Being different wasn’t welcomed by others.
“Hey, relax,” Craeg crooned, rubbing his bearded chin over the top of Silas’s hair.“You’re fine.You’re safe.”
Between that and Craeg’s hand sliding up and down his back, Silas felt his spike of tension begin to ease.
Craeg crooked his forefingers under Silas’s chin and urged him to lift his face.When he met the big man’s gaze, he saw the man’s warm smile.Silas also noticed the worry in his vibrant green eyes.
“I told ya I’d never let anythin’ happen to ya,” Craeg reminded him.Although, Silas couldn’t remember when those exact words had passed Craeg’s lips, he did recall the big man assuring him that he was safe on more than one occasion.Tilting his chin toward the speaker, Craeg continued to focus on him as he stated, “That’s Solomon, Doc Anthony’s mate.Looks like he was carryin’ the doc’s bag for him.”
“Oh.”Silas didn’t know what else to say.He still felt like he was missing so much.
Craeg gently traced his thumb along Silas’s jaw as he continued to smile while nodding at him in encouragement.
“Sorry to worry you, little man,” Solomon rumbled, drawing Silas’s attention away from Craeg’s nearly hypnotic gaze.Silas thought he could stare at the handsome man for ages.“I was with Anthony when Seri put in a call to him.Figured I’d enjoy a swim with him.Didn’t mean to startle you.”
Silas followed Solomon’s gaze as he focused on a shark fin that was circling the pool.His blue eyes twinkled as he called, “Gonna shift, handsome?We’re waiting.”
What was obviously a hammerhead shark drew close to Solomon’s side and bumped into him as he passed.Solomon didn’t appear at all concerned, and he even ran his hand along the sleek, dark-gray body.A calm smile curved his full lips.
“I know, handsome,” Solomon rumbled.He indicated his wetsuit-clad body.“We’ll have time to swim together once we see to Craeg’s mate.”
Then, to Silas’s amazement, the hammerhead shark ducked under the water and shifted into a dark-haired man...who took a pair of shorts Solomon handed him and must have put them on, for when he eased out of the pool and onto the rock ledge beside them, he was wearing them.
When Anthony caught him staring at the shorts, the guy grinned.“Hi, I’m Doctor Anthony Keller, and that’s Solomon Lynch, my mate.”He winked and told him, “Handling nudity is a fact of shifter life, since most of us have to get naked to change or we’ll end up destroying our clothes,butwith Solomon being human, I try to be respectful of that fact and do my best not to flash everyone any more than I need to.”
People kept sayingmateas if it meant something important, and Silas just wasn’t getting it.“Mate?”he repeated, frowning.He glanced between them as he cocked his head.“So, you’re friends then?”Silas looked around the group.“You’re all...friends?”
The guy who’d been an orca before had returned, and his brown eyes widened as his lips parted in obvious surprise.“Uh, wait.You—”
“No, Seri.Silas doesn’t know,” Craeg cut in, shaking his head before bussing a kiss to Silas’s temple.It was so platonic, but Silas found himself really liking the attention.Craeg continued talking.“Silas wasn’t raised by shifters, so we have a few things to explain.”Then he grimaced and muttered, “Or, uh, well...everythin’ to explain.”
“Oh,” the blond, who must be Seri, murmured.Then he grinned widely.“Well, congrats to you both.”Leveling his attention on Silas, Seri told him, “Craeg is a great guy, and he’ll help you out while you acclimate.”
