“I doubt you will be able to kick his ass. But thanks, you’re such a sweet guy. I hope the mate you find will appreciate that about you, because I do as a friend.”
He leaned up to kiss Donald on his cheek but froze when he heard a low growl and looked around to see if Scott had come down and was watching their interaction. When he didn’t see the vampire, he chalked it up to it all being in his mind.
“Aw, you’re going to make me cry,” Donald said.
“You’re also an idiot.”
“That is true.”
They walked out to his backyard and stripped like he did every morning. Quintus let the magic of his shift take over. He felt different. His transformation was quicker, as if his cheetah wanted to show himself off to someone. Once he was in his animal form, his cheetah turned around and looked up to the window leading to his bedroom and wasn’t disappointed when he saw Scott looking down at him. Quintus purred and stretched, then took off, feeling more energetic than he had in a long time.
* * *
Scott sighedas he watched the cheetah dash off into the trees and out of his natural sight. He could use his vampiric abilities to track Quintus on his run, but that would be too intrusive.
He’d gotten out of bed because his bladder had been screaming at him, and he’d heard Quintus and Donald talking. Ignoring their conversation, he’d gone to take care of his business. On his way back to bed, he’d stepped on the buttons on his jeans and growled when it pressed into the bottom of his foot.
When he’d heard the door close, he’d walked over to the window and watched the cheetah strip down, completely forgetting about his foot when he saw the enticing sight in the backyard. Olive brown skin, toned muscles, and an asshe just wanted to bury his face in, simply to see the man come undone fucking his tongue.
Deciding it was way too early, Scott headed back over to the bed. He passed the mirror and stopped when he saw a new expression on his face.
I’m smiling. Well I’ll be damned.
It wasn’t an expression he wore normally, but he’d spentless than a day with Quintus and he couldn’t stop smiling. The night before he’d wanted to fuck Quintus with every fiber in his being, but the thought they could be mates wasn’t far from his mind.
Scott took the word mates seriously, just as he did being a dominant. Both took commitment, not to mention their lives would change considerably once he claimed his mate. With a submissive, a contract is drawn for a period of time and when the time was up, they negotiate or separate.
Being mates meant he and his partner would be together for life. And he needed to hear Quintus say the word with confidence, say that they were indeed mates, and was ready to commit to him. Scott also acknowledged he was taking the chicken’s way out and didn’t want to be wrong.
Even if they weren’t mates, it was good to smile again. Shaking his head, he went back to bed and got comfortable pulling Quintus’s pillow to him. Sniffing it as he fell back to sleep with a smile still on his face.
* * *
Scott moanedwhen he felt soft kisses on his chest. Reaching down his fingers touched wet hair, causing him to crack one eye open.
“Hey,” he whispered.
“Hey yourself,” Quintus said looking up at him.
“How was your run?”
“Good, but I cut it short this morning.”
“Really, why?”
“Do I need to answer?”
“Yeah, you do.”
Quintus crawled on top of him, and Scott grunted when he sat directly on his erection, sandwiching it between his butt cheeks. “Well, let’s see. I had a sexy vampire still in my bed, waiting for me to return.”
“Sexy, huh?”
“Oh yeah,” Quintus whispered. “Plus withyour tattoos...I can’t help but admire your body.”
“You flatter me,” Scott told him, claiming his lips, rolling them over, and putting Quintus on his back.
He kissed his way down Quintus’s chest, stopping at his nipple before pulling the brown pebbled nub between his fangs. He bit down without drawing blood. Quintus hissed at the pain but didn’t pull away, instead he pressed his chest up.
