“I’ll take him,” Titan said, smiling even though he had shadows under his eyes. “This is the first time I’ve smiled in a good long while. Thanks.”
Hamilton clicked his tongue and gave Titan a double thumbs-up. “I’ll be back to help you draft a contract, if you need that.”
“Thanks.”
Mathlin leaned sideways so he could press his face against the asphalt without squishing Jannie. Then he turned his head and gave the ground a kiss. “There, this is the love of my life. Now no one can say anything bad about me, because the parking lot is my alpha.”
“If there’s no tongue involved, it’s not counted,” Titan said dryly. “Tongues mark the depth of passion.”
Mathlin scowled.
Titan met his gaze unwaveringly.
“The parking lot has no depth I can plow with my tongue! Unless you find me a pothole.” Mathlin stuck his tongue against the asphalt and gagged. “Ew!”
“Hey, don’t shame the love of your life.” Titan coughed, his shoulders shaking. He waslaughingat Mathlin.
“Why don’tyoulick the parking lot,” Mathlin growled. “Let’s see how muchyoulike it.”
“Are you sure? Would it count as cheating if I lick the great love of your life?”
“I should’ve named my butthole the love of my life,” Mathlin blurted. Then he moaned, horrified at himself.
Titan was biting his lower lip, his eyes sparkling. He glanced at the ground and back at Mathlin. “Icouldlick the ground.”
“Would you really?”
The alpha nodded. “But I might not be able to get back up, if I bend that low. Both my arms don’t work.”
“I’ll help,” Mathlin said mulishly. “Just to see you lick the ground.”
A handsome, boyish smile tugged at Titan’s lips. “Promise?”
“Promise.”
Titan stepped away from the bakery’s entrance and paused in front of Mathlin. Mathlin scrambled to his feet. This close, the alpha was two heads taller than him, and twice as broad. He was intimidating.
Instead of threatening Mathlin like other alphas had, Titan went down on his knees, spread them wide open, and carefully lowered his chest to the ground. He hovered his face an inch above the asphalt, glancing back up at Mathlin.
And his pink tongue peeked out, dragging against the parking lot’s rough surface. Mathlin winced in sympathy.
Titan grimaced and spat, dirt sticking to his tongue. “Ugh. Haven’t done this since I was a pup.”
He stuck his tongue out, trying to get it clean.
“Here, you can lick me instead,” Mathlin said. Then he wanted to smack his face. He shuffled over to grasp Titan’s shoulders, pushing him upright—not that Titan seemed to need it at all.
His shoulders were very broad and warm against Mathlin’s hands. Mathlin turned to offer Titan his shirt.
Titan blinked. “You want me to... lick your shirt?”
“Yeah, to get the dirt off your tongue.”
“I could just rinse it out at the sink.”
“Oh.” Mathlin thought for a bit. “But can you turn on the faucet?”
“Damn it.”
