Page 9 of Mated to the Human: Volume One

“Come on,” Derek said, grabbing the legs of Hollis’s pants. “Lift your hips.”

Hollis did, mostly because he was still stunned at the glorious sight of a naked Derek in front of him and sex drunk on the best orgasm he’d ever had in his life.

Derek stripped him, gaze heated as he took in Hollis’s skinny legs and lacking-in-muscle upper body. He tried really hard to not feel embarrassed. Derek obviously liked what he saw, but drowning out his uncle’s voice in the back of his head was sometimes impossible. That’s not how men look, Hollis. Don’t you ever go to the gym?

“Stop it.”

At Derek’s words, Hollis’s eyes snapped open. He hadn’t realized he’d closed them.

Derek slid forward, licking a stripe over Hollis’s softening cock. The oversensitive sensation made him squirm and made Derek chuckle. Derek moved up to his belly, licking up one of the long streaks of cum he’d left.

He settled over Hollis, holding his face between his hands again and kissed him, opening his mouth and sharing the mixed salty flavor of them on his tongue.

Hollis’s cock gave a valiant twitch.

Derek lifted up with a soft smile. “Whatever you were thinking about. Don’t.” He slid his thumbs over Hollis’s cheeks. “You’re perfect just as you are.”

“How do you—”

“Your scent.” Derek shrugged one shoulder. “It gives me an unfair advantage, I know, but I promise, I’ll do my best to communicate to you as much as I can.”

Hollis thought that over. “Okay. How do you feel right now?”

Derek’s smile was smug and full of heat. “Satisfied.”

Heat rose in Hollis’s cheeks.

With a chuckle, Derek leaned down and kissed each cheek and the tip of his nose, before pressing a soft kiss to his lips. “And grateful. I tend to be a stubborn asshole about certain things, and if the council hadn’t insisted, I may never have found you.”

Nodding, Hollis lifted his hands to Derek’s face, holding his cheeks the same way Derek was doing to him. Learning the shape of him. “It’s crazy, isn’t it? We just met, but…I feel the same way. Grateful. Disbelieving, but grateful.”

“The disbelief will fade. If you could smell the way our scents blend together—” He paused to take a deep breath through his nose—“you wouldn’t have a doubt.”

Warmth like the sun bloomed in Hollis’s chest. He may not have the same surety Derek obviously did, but he believed Derek was telling the truth. Derek didn’t have a doubt and, for now, that was enough.

5

Monday came too soon.

Derek wasn’t ready to let Hollis out of the apartment and get back to the real world, but neither of them really had a choice. Derek needed to get back to work, and Hollis was set to start his new job in the council building.

They’d spent the rest of the weekend on the couch or in bed, never going further than they had the first night. They watched movies and ate too much food and talked a lot about all the things they liked. Neither of them were picky eaters. Hollis had a major sweet tooth. Derek liked to watch American football, and Hollis didn’t find sports with balls of any kind entertaining, unless he was going to a stadium for a baseball game.

Hollis’s only family was his uncle and cousins. Derek’s family was all chosen, and the majority of them lived right there in the same building.

They’d woken early that morning. Hollis fixed a quick breakfast of eggs and toast for both of them. Now, they were on Derek’s motorcycle on their way to the Paranormal Council Building so Hollis could officially start his new job—Human Liaison Officer.

He hadn’t said anything, but Derek knew he was nervous. He didn’t want to make it worse by pointing it out, but he was sure Hollis would do just fine no matter what Lenette had in mind for the new position.

When the building came into view, all steel beams and glass, Derek pulled the motorcycle to idle in the No-parking Zone in front of the main entrance.

Hollis slid off the back of the bike, unfastened his helmet, and stowed it in the saddlebag. He looked up at the building and then back at Derek. “Wish me luck.”

There was a hesitance written all over Hollis’s face. Perhaps he wasn’t sure how Derek felt about displays of affection in public. It was one subject they hadn’t touched on. He kept his gaze on Hollis’s pretty brown eyes and said, “Come here, and I will.”

With wide eyes, Hollis stepped back up to the bike. Derek slid an arm around his back and pulled him close, kissing him deep and slow for all the world to see.

“Derek,” Hollis said as he pulled back, cheeks pink and curls falling over his forehead.

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