Shaking his head, Reeve replied, “Not at all…I knew you were innocent, but I couldn’t claim you until Josiah was in custody.”
“Why would my father have anything to do with our mating?”
“Conflict of interest,” Reeve explained. “His lawyer could use our relationship to sow doubt about your father’s guilt.”
“Leave it to my father to fuck up my mating,” Kahn said, snorting. “So what happens now? Does his death mean you’re free to claim me?”
“Do you want me to claim you?” asked Reeve, holding his breath.
Kahn thought for a moment before answering. “I grew up with a father who didn’t believe in the Fated Mates nonsense, as he put it. So I never expected the Fates would give me one, especially since I’m an anomaly…a gay artist who’s an Alpha wolf. Or is it an Alpha wolf who’s gay and an artist?” Shrugging, he continued, “I’m sure you can understand why I never expected to have a mate unless it was a bonded one. And I wasn’t interested in that. My art is my passion, my life, and as necessary to me as the air I breathe, and I won’t give it up…even for a Fated Mate. So if you have an issue with that, then I think it’s better if you don’t claim me.”
“I don’t,” Reeve said softly.
“You say that now, but will you feel the same when I spend hours…even days…in the studio painting only to collapse on my bed and sleep for twenty-four hours? What about when I’m depressed because my muse has taken a vacation and I’m panicking because I think it has left me for good? Do you really want to put up with the emotional mess I can become?”
“Yes.”
Kahn looked at Reeve skeptically, then said, “I find that hard to believe. Why would you put up with someone like me when there are others out there that won’t ignore you for days on end while they paint?”
Reeve studied his mate for a moment, before walking over to him and running a finger down Kahn’s cheek. “I can’t figure out if you’re trying to convince me I shouldn’t claim you or if you are trying to convince yourself not to claim me. If it’s the former, then you can save your breath. Nothing you say will change my mind about you. A relationship is made up of two souls, both with their own needs and desires, but the love they have for eachother makes sure neither of them loses the essence of who they are.”
Kahn gasped. “It sounds like you love me already, but you don’t even know me.”
“I already know you’re strong, kind, loving, and fucking talented beyond belief. The rest will be fun to discover…such as how good you are at sucking my cock…or how quickly I can make you shoot your load. See? Lots of fun times ahead.”
Laughing, Kahn leaned his forehead against Reeve’s. “You should know I love cock and no one has ever been able to make me come quickly. Anticipation is everything, you know.”
“Oh, a challenge! Wanna bet I can make you come when I want you to?”
“Nope, that wouldn’t be right since I already know I’d win.”
Smiling, Reeve said, “It’s gonna be fun proving you wrong.” Then, his expression turned serious as he tenderly cupped Kahn’s face. “When you are depressed about your muse taking a vacation, I will be there at your side, assuring you it will return…and when you are painting, whether for hours or days, I promise to feed you, clean the house, shop for groceries, do the laundry and anything else that needs to be done…and when you are exhausted from creating beauty, I will undress you and tuck you into bed. And I also promise to listen to you bitch about any assholes who criticize your paintings and, through it all, my love for you will be steady and true.”
“You would do all that for me?” Kahn whispered, a tear slowly running down his cheek.
“Always,cariño.”Brushing the wetness away, Reeve lovingly kissed his mate. “Always and forever,cariño.” The Fates haddeemed him worthy and he vowed never to make them regret their decision.It had been a long and painful journey for him, and sometimes he wasn’t sure he’d make it, but the angel who found and rescued him promised he would. So he never gave up, even during times when the nightmares of his youth haunted his dreams. Even as the years passed, he’d kept his angel’s words in his heart. And now, the agony of his youth was gone and, in its place, stood his future with the one who was made just for him—someone to love, cherish, and protect from harm.
Chapter 34
“Someone’s calling you, again,” Kahn whispered against Reeve’s lips.
“Fuck ‘em,” Reeve murmured, diving back in to taste more of his mate’s soft, plump lips.
Kahn was enjoying himself way too much to disagree with his mate. He couldn’t get enough of his mate’s talented tongue, but needed more than just that. Reaching down to the prize that was waiting for him, Kahn found Reeve’s bulge and wrapped his fingers around the long, hard cock imprisoned there, squeezing it firmly. But his mate’s moaning response that would surely result in an orgasm wasn’t Kahn’s prime objective at the moment. Reluctantly pulling his hand away, he stared at Reeve, sensing his mate’s confusion. “Claim me…now!” he demanded.
“Are you sure,cariño?”
Taking his mate’s hand, Kahn placed it on his hard cock. “Doesn’t that feel like I’m ready?”
Removing his hand, Reeve murmured, “Ready for me to fuck you, yes, but what about your doubts about me? Are they gone? Are you ready to claim me, too?”
Kahn hesitated. He wasn’t expecting his mate to say anything other than ‘hell, yes’, but instead Reeve had turned the tables on him.Am I ready to claim Reeve?The mere fact he had to think about it was probably proof that he wasn’t.But where does that leave us? Will Reeve change his mind?
“I’m not going to change my mind,” Reeve said, smiling, “and don’t worry, I can’t read your thoughts.”
“Then how…”
“Babe, I’ve spent a lifetime learning how to read people…first with my father and then later in my job with the High Council. It comes in handy when interrogating suspects.”
