Page 84 of Skin Deep

Shepherd smirked and released me, slithering back into his human persona and locking the monster beneath away, at least for the time being. “Just setting some boundaries.” He smoothed a hand over my shirt before taking a step back. He clapped War on the shoulder as he passed. “I’ll take the first watch with Dad. You get some rest.” And then he was gone.

War frowned and closed the door behind his brother. “Are you okay? Did he threaten you?”

I snorted and rubbed a hand over my face, trying to calm my pounding heart. “Nothing I couldn’t handle. He’s just being protective. You weren’t kidding when you said your family was intense.”

“And they’re all under one roof for the first time in years.” He sighed and came to sit on his bed, pulling off his shoes.

I went to sit beside him. “How did your phone call go?”

He grimaced as if he were in pain and then collapsed on the bed, staring at the ceiling with his hands folded on his chest. “Boone and his guys aren’t cheap, but they’re our only option if we want to find where Sergei’s hiding out. He’s agreed to meet with us.”

I sighed and started gently combing my fingers through his hair. It was soft as silk and shimmered like gold in the light coming through the curtains. “That’s good, right?”

His eyes focused on my chin. He reached up to gently stroke his fingers over my jaw. “One more fight and this is all over. I still can’t believe Nikita and Tatty used me like that.”

War was hurting, and I didn’t know how to make it better. His folks had probably done what they thought was best to try and protect him, but he wouldn’t see it that way. He must’ve felt so betrayed. “Are you okay?”

War was quiet for a long time. “I don’t know. Part of me doesn’t blame them. We’re not a normal family, and pulling a coup on Simeon couldn’t have been easy. I’m not so blind that I’m incapable of taking a step back to admire their strategy, but strategy rarely takes human feelings into account.” He closed his eyes and let out a heavy breath. “I don’t want to think about it. I just want to lay here and let you touch me forever.”

“If I keep touching you like this, neither of us is going to get much rest, and to be honest with you, I’m dead tired.”

He scooted over in the bed and patted the mattress next to him. I smiled and stretched out beside him, curling an arm around his hip while he settled in, resting his head against my other arm. I laid like that for a long time, listening to him breathe. It was a relief to hear after how our morning had gone. I was so sure that we were about to die. We’d come so close… And my biggest fear was that I wouldn’t have more time with him and my girls.

I slid a hand up under the bottom hem of his T-shirt, tracing small circles over his ribs. War rolled onto his back, looking up at me. I drew my thumb over his cheek. We didn’t exchange any words, but a lot was said with that simple touch, with that look. We’d had a brush with death just hours ago, and more were likely coming before this was all over. I wondered what his thoughts had been as he knelt in the dirt, waiting to die. Were they of me? His brothers? His father?

War put his arms around my neck and pulled me down into a kiss. His lips parted, inviting me in, and I went, the taste of him so intoxicating that I forgot all about everything else. All that mattered was having him there with me, feeling alive, feeling him, holding him close.

That morning, when I was sure we were both going to die, I’d realized something. In the wake of losing Maya, I’d been in stasis. I’d been going through the motions of life. I ate, worked, slept, took care of the girls like I had to, but it was like I was stuck. Until I met War, I hadn’t really been living. He’d woken my soul from a deep sleep and made me feel alive again. Something in him called to something in me. Meeting him had been like being pulled from a shadowy nightmare into the light of dawn. I hadn’t even realized I’d been dreaming, but now I was wide awake.

I slid my hand down the front of his sweatpants to find his cock already hard and leaking. As soon as I closed my hand around him, War let out a near feral growl and tore open my pants. Sharp teeth bit into my lip and released, so I bit him back harder. He groaned as I sucked on the bite.

“Paxton,” he panted when we parted. “Fuck me. Please.”

I frowned. “I didn’t pack any condoms, War.”

“Fuck the condoms,” he growled and yanked his shirt over his head. “I don’t care. I need to feel you inside me now.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, even as my cock throbbed at the idea of being inside of him with nothing between us.

War wriggled out of his sweatpants, throwing them aside before he gripped my chin and scraped his teeth over my cheek. “What part of ‘I need you to fuck me right now’ don’t you understand?”

I smirked and shifted to start pulling off my clothes. He twisted and went fishing around under his mattress for something, coming up a minute later with a bottle of lube.

I raised an eyebrow. “How long’s that been down there?”

“Not as long as you’re thinking,” he said, handing it to me. “I stayed here for a few weeks over the winter when I moved back.”

“With nothing but your hand for company. Poor baby,” I teased and poured a generous amount on my fingers.

His lip curled, but before he could snap something smart at me, I had a finger inside him. His eyes rolled back and he let out a muttered curse before drawing his legs up and spreading them wide to give me better access.

I took my time getting him ready for me, closing my lips over his only briefly. I wanted his mouth free so I could hear the little whimpers and small sighs of pleasure. He made the best sounds when I fucked him. Listening to him moan was a pleasure all its own. I thought he’d hold back, considering the house was full of his family, but he didn’t seem to care if anyone heard him, and I wasn’t going to silence him. Not this time.

War whimpered loudly when I added a third finger, stretching him even further. “I’m ready,” he whined. “Fuck me already.”

I smirked and pulled my fingers free of his body to line my cock up with his entrance. We let out a collective groan as I sank into his body. The tight heat of him around me made me want nothing more than to fuck him good and hard, the way I knew he liked it, but that wasn’t what he needed. Not today. War needed to be reminded that he was alive and that he was mine. I paused, giving his body a moment to adjust, until he put his arms tightly around me and kissed me tenderly.

“I don’t want you to leave me,” he whispered, his breath labored.

---