Page 24 of Cuddles for the Bear
“I have seen it, actually.” Devon’s voice deepened. “You were naked when you shifted back to your human form while you were sleeping. I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable when you woke up, so I dressed you.”
“Oh yes. Thank you.” Wren tilted his head and sniffed Devon’s neck again. His gums were tingling, and he was starting to think that having an orgasm could happen just from inhaling Devon’s scent. “You smell so good. What else has to happen for this claiming sex business?”
Devon groaned. “You have no idea what you’re doing to me, babe. Let me think for a minute. Your scent is doing things to me as well.” A shuddery breath later and Devon said, “Sex can take many forms, so I’ll just give you a rundown of the basics. There’s masturbation – mutual or self-administered - where hands are used on cocks to reach an orgasm. Oral sex is where one partner puts their partner’s dick in their mouth and manipulates it that way.
“Rubbing off, also known as frottage, is where two bodies rub together, and orgasm happens from cock stimulation that way, and then there’s anal sex. That’s where one member of the couple puts his dick in the butt of his partner. Just for the record, I’m fairly sure oral sex wouldn’t work for claiming because shifters get a strong urge to bite to make the claim, and biting a cock is not a good idea. In fact, it can be particularly painful, although I’ve heard vampires really enjoy doing it, but then they have sharper fangs than a shifter would, so...”
“Bear, are you embarrassed talking about this? Why would I need to know about vampires if I’m with you?” Wren realized his mate was babbling.
“I’ve never had to explain sex to anyone before,” Devon said with another groan, rubbing his free hand over his face. “Sex is usually a pretty natural thing that occurs between two consenting adults - or more, but we won’t get into that because we’re mates, so there won’t be anyone else for either one of us. At its core, sex is natural, and it just happens. A lot of it is instinct and making sure each other feels good.
“When I was a teacher, I taught physics, mathematics, and even English literature for a while. I understand the basics of biology. My mom told me the facts of life, which is what a sex-ed talk is usually called, but I’ve never had to explain it to someone else before. But you need to know about these things before we do any of it.”
“Are you sure? About the talking, I mean.”
“Yes.” Devon was back to being firm again and Wren felt a shiver run right down his back – it was delicious. “I doubt your grandparents ever taught you about normal bodily functions.”
Wren shook his head.
“And you said Michael only talked about sex he was having with women. When it comes to sexual acts there are some similarities between having sex with men and with women, but when both partners have a cock, there are times when a bit more prep is required.
“Anyway, that’s the basics on how shifters claim each other,” Devon continued, “and if your next question is do I want to claim you, I’m sure I made it plain in the glade, and again in this room, that I definitely do. That will never change. I want you so badly, my balls are ready to burst because of it, I’m sure of it.”
Mine, too.Reaching down, Wren tugged at where his sweatpants seemed glued to his balls. “I want to do things with you. I’m just not sure what I’m meant to be doing,” Wren explained. “I even talked to Pax and Flint about it, and that was a few days ago. Flint was going to find some website links for me, to help show the sorts of things I need to know. I was just waiting for my computer to come so I could look at them.
“Flint did say some things about sex on the internet were a bit... Well, he said I didn’t need to know about them. But he was sure there was other stuff there that would be more informative, and then I could know about sex, meaning I’d be ready to have sex with you. The way I want to.”
“You could’ve talked to me, babe. I could’ve shown you those things on my own computer. We could’ve talked about them together.”
Wren looked up at Devon – who was looking down at him. The man had the most incredibly warm eyes. “I wasn’t sure how to talk to you about it without you thinking I was pushing for a claim for the wrong reasons. I’m scared that after what I’ve been through, you’re not going to think I’m worth having. I don’t know what happened to my parents. I know that as soon as I put one foot wrong, my grandparents threw me out of the house. And Michael…” Wren stopped himself. He didn’t need to be thinking about Michael.
“Forget about him. He’s nothing. There’s been nobody in my life up until this point who has actually wanted to keep me around. I think that’s why I overacted about the clothes issue. I truly wanted to be accepted and cared for, even though I like soft pink clothes and rainbow shoes.”
“You have every right to wear whatever you want – whatever makes you feel good about yourself.” Devon’s finger traced downthe side of Wren’s face. “The only justification I can give for being pushy with my opinions is that I thought if you dressed in quiet, sober colors, then that was part of protecting you, too. If you weren’t noticeable then no one could take you away from me, and see…right there. That sounds creepy and stalkerish, but it’s part of being mates.”
“I don’t want anyone taking you away from me either.”
“They would never be able to. In the meantime, I’ll buy you an entire wardrobe filled with bright colors and soft materials.” Devon’s finger brushed over Wren’s lip, ever so lightly. “I will buy you a pair of rainbow sneakers for every day of the week. I’ll find you rainbow boots and shoes as well. You can dress with all the sparkle, all the color, and all the comfort your wonderful heart desires. I just want you to be happy, and I lost sight of that in my efforts to protect you. That was on me, not you. You were right, I didn’t listen, I made assumptions…”
“I think you should kiss me now, if you felt you wanted to,” Wren said, breaking in what was probably going to be a fairly long monologue on how Devon thought he had done the wrong thing. In Wren’s head, it was clear. He’d made mistakes, Devon had made mistakes, they could work on it. But right now, Wren’s instincts were clearly indicating it was time for action, not more talking.
“You need to kiss me, you need to hold me, you need to sex me, and claim me,” Wren said, making sure each word was perfectly clear. “That’s what I’d like. What about you?”
Devon’s groan was deep and sent those lovely shivers down Wren’s spine again. “How about we start with a kiss, then a massage, and go from there. How does that sound?”
“Perfect.” Massage had to mean touching with no clothes on, and Wren had wanted that since he’d seen Devon naked in the glade.He lifted his face as Devon leaned down to meet him, closing his eyes as he felt the brush of Devon’s lips on his for the first time.
Chapter Sixteen
One of the most underrated elements in social and familial interactions was the power of touch. When delivered harshly, it can scar a person for life, even if a blemish isn’t left on the skin. When used softly and kindly, or with passion and love, it helps cement a bond between two or more people, especially outside of a sexual sense.
A baby learns and thrives from being held by a parent or caregiver. Children blossom under the positive hugs, especially if they’ve been hurt in some way. Devon remembered the comfort of his mother’s hugs when he used to fall over as a cub so many decades before.
Wren, in a lot of ways, had been touch-starved, especially skin-to-skin. Shifters were extremely tactile by nature. Before Wren came into his life, Devon used to spend time curled up with Flint sometimes - Flint in his snake form and Devon in his bear. The snake seemed to gravitate toward Devon’s furry warmth and would often slither up his back and curl up between his shoulders when Devon was taking a bear nap in the sun. There was never anything sexual or romantic between them, but as friends who both lived alone, sometimes that physical connection was welcome.
Which was why Devon suggested the massage to his mate. He knew he was going to have to be careful, because he was also hyperaware that some people who had only ever been touched with harshness struggled with any form of touch at all. It was up to Devon to let Wren set the pace, giving him plenty of room to pull away if he felt he needed to.
He kept their first kiss slow, although the moment his lips touched Wren’s, Devon wanted to beat his chest and smother the man into the mattress, rutting like a bear and covering his matein his come.Maybe next time.Devon did his best to take things slowly.
