The Duty of a Beta (6 page)

He continued to stare at Gunnar until the beta looked pointedly towards the other stones that needed to be moved. Talbot didn’t even hesitate. Gunnar had smiled at him. The older wolf was pleased with him. Suddenly, fighting to move stones that were twice as heavy as anything any other wolf in the pack would have ordered him to tackle was the only thing Talbot could possibly want to do with his day.

Stealing occasional glances at Gunnar, and inevitably finding the beta watching over him with what felt suspiciously like ever-increasing approval, Talbot ignored the way his arms and his back began to ache. He paid no attention to the knocks and scrapes that flourished across his hands and forearms as he threw himself into his task with more enthusiasm by the moment.

The more work he did, the more pleased Gunnar would be with him and—

“That’s enough.”

Talbot set down the stone he’d been moving. “But I haven’t finished…” he looked towards all the other stones that he still needed to transfer away from the base of the wall before he could start to rebuild it.

Gunnar shook his head. He reached into the backpack he’d brought with him and took out a bottle of water. Setting it on the ground by his feet, he nodded to the grass next to it. “Sit.”

With one last, regretful glance at the remaining stones, Talbot did as he was told.

After digging around in his bag once more, Gunnar extracted another bottle of water and a large packet of neatly wrapped sandwiches that must have been provided by the wolf on kitchen duty that day. Sitting down next to Talbot, the beta silently unwrapped their lunch and handed him one of the sandwiches.

“Thank you,” Talbot’s words were more than a little hoarse. Quickly opening his bottle of water, he took several big mouthfuls of the refreshing liquid. After being left in the shadow of the wall all morning, it was gloriously cold as it slid down his throat, soothing and quenching him at the same time.

As he took the bottle away from his lips, Talbot leant back against the cold stone wall and turned to face Gunnar. He was just in time to see the beta take a long drink from his own bottle of water. His lips moved against the plastic. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed it down.

All at once, Talbot was back in the middle of the thoughts that had kept him awake for most of the night. Only, in his fantasies, it was his mouth caressing the tip of the beta’s cock. In his mind it was his throat moving over velvety soft skin, and it wasn’t mere water he was swallowing down…

“You’re stronger than any of them give you credit for,” Gunnar suddenly announced. “You’re not a pup. You’re not an invalid. There’s no reason for them to fuss over you the way they do, as if you’ll break under the slightest pressure.”

Talbot stared down at his sandwich for a moment, not sure he’d be able to look at the other man without coming in his jeans, let alone stare at him and think clearly at the same time. They weren’t in the laundry room any more—he’d be stuck in his sticky jeans for the rest of the day unless he quickly learnt some control.

“You’re better than that,” Gunnar went on, apparently completely unaware of the thoughts running through Talbot’s head. “Omegas aren’t weak. They’re submissive—there’s a difference. It’s time someone taught you that.”

Talbot risked a glance at the older man out of the corner of his eye. Gunnar had pulled one knee up in front of him, and was resting his forearm on it. He was also staring back at Talbot very intently. It was the look in the beta’s eyes as much as the way Gunnar’s cock disturbed the denim covering his crotch that made Talbot sure he knew what was going to happen next.

His pulse began to race. He licked his lips as they went dry with nerves. Gunnar might not have realised what Talbot was thinking, but suddenly Talbot was completely sure the thoughts in the beta’s head weren’t all that different.

Gunnar was obviously capable of thinking about sex while talking about something else. The older man smiled slightly. Talbot had no idea why he should—unless, just maybe, Gunnar wanted him almost as much as he wanted the beta. Almost was as close as it would ever get, though. Talbot had no doubt it was impossible for someone to want an omega as much as he wanted Gunnar right then.

Water and half-eaten sandwiches quickly forgotten, the other wolf brought their lips together.

Talbot’s eyes fell closed. His mind shut down. All that existed was the kiss as Gunnar’s tongue slid past his lips and danced against his tongue. Talbot whimpered against the other man’s mouth, desperately trying to keep up with the more experienced wolf’s technique. It was impossible, but the attempt still sent pleasure racing around his body fast enough to make his head spin.

Gunnar’s hands roved over Talbot’s body, the beta apparently not the least bit concerned by the mud and dirt coating his clothes. Fireworks exploded beneath his skin wherever the older man caressed him, but all Talbot could do in return was cling helplessly to the larger wolf’s shirt as he found himself rolled onto his back against the grass. Within seconds, he felt Gunnar’s hand against his fly.

Yes!

Even as part of him whimpered with pleasure at the thought of imminent release, Talbot knew that he couldn’t let that happen. Whatever else might occur between them in the shadow of the wall, it couldn’t be that.

“No!” The word was half muffled by the kiss, almost unintelligible.

Talbot pressed his palms against the beta’s shoulders, trying to push the larger man away from him. Gunnar’s fingers continued to fumble against his crotch for several seconds, before he seemed to realise that Talbot was desperately trying to get his attention.

No?

It took far too long for the single syllable to sink into Gunnar’s brain. Pulling back, he blinked down at Talbot, trying to make sense of the word.

The omega gasped for breath as he stared up at him, wide-eyed and gorgeous. Gunnar frowned as he pulled further back from the smaller man in an effort to make his brain think of something besides sex.

Gunnar shook his head at himself. He should know better than to pounce on someone as inexperienced as Talbot. The omega needed far more gentle handling than that.

He might be capable of doing heavier work than the other members of the pack were willing to give him, of being treated like a full-grown wolf rather than a pup, but that didn’t mean he was suited to getting screwed at the drop of a more dominant wolf’s hat.

All his knowledge of what it meant to be a good beta told him he’d be a fool to show any weakness to another wolf, but as he sat up, Gunnar knew the words couldn’t be avoided. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”

Talbot scrambled up from his prone position as if he couldn’t bear to be in such a vulnerable position in front of a man who’d just betrayed his trust at the first opportunity. But he didn’t beat a hasty retreat the way Gunnar expected him to. He…came closer?

The omega’s somewhat grubby hand came to rest on his arm. “I didn’t mean…”

Gunnar scowled at the younger man, looking from Talbot’s hand to his face and back again. “No isn’t a word that’s easy to misunderstand.”

As soon as the words left his lips, Gunnar knew his tone was all wrong. He’d meant it to be reassurance or maybe a simple statement of fact. But it sounded far more like an accusation—as if he didn’t think that Talbot had the right to say no to him, to anyone he didn’t want to have sex with. Gunnar mentally cursed himself. That was the last idea he needed to put into Talbot’s head.

“I just meant…”

Gunnar forced himself to stay silent, to wait as patiently as he could as Talbot struggled to find whatever words he wanted to say to him.

“I always…I mean…Last time you didn’t even… Isn’t there something I can do for you instead?” the omega finally stuttered out.

Gunnar studied the younger man in silence for several long seconds.
“Such as?”

Talbot looked down. He blushed, but apparently, it wasn’t just an omega’s natural inclination to drop his gaze that took his attention to Gunnar’s crotch. Talbot licked his lips, in that way that seemed to have become his favourite habit of late.

A moment after that, the younger man lifted one slightly muddy and stone-battered hand and brought his fingertips to his lips.

“You’re offering to suck me off,” Gunnar said, determined there wasn’t going to be any room left between them for misunderstandings.

Talbot’s blush deepened, but he managed to nod. “If you…do you like…?”

Gunnar didn’t laugh, but only because it was so obviously an honest question. Talbot really seemed to think it was possible that he wouldn’t want the omega’s mouth wrapped around his cock, that he wasn’t desperate to feel his tongue lick delicately against his shaft and see his eyes looking up at him as Talbot dipped his head over his crotch and—

“Yes,” Gunnar said, a little more roughly than he intended. “I like it.”

“With me?”
Talbot checked.

He was such a sweet little thing, so wary, and so uncertain of everything. Gunnar reached out and stroked his knuckles down his cheek. “Yes, with you.”

He couldn’t think of anyone he’d rather be with. And that was the problem, wasn’t it? He should be doing this with Alfred.
Except, as Gunnar’s fingers wandered to Talbot’s lips, it was barely even possible for him to remember that there was such thing as a wolf other than Talbot.

The omega instantly opened his mouth in acceptance. Gunnar stroked across Talbot’s bottom lip with his thumb, sliding the digit a little way into his mouth. The omega’s lips instinctively closed around it. His tongue licked against the tip of his thumb. His cheeks hollowed slightly as he began to suckle. Gunnar clenched his other hand into a fist as he fought against the desire to tear his fly open and tug Talbot down towards his shaft.

It had to be Talbot’s choice. Gunnar had no right to let things be any other way. Taking his hand away from Talbot’s face, Gunnar dropped it to the ground at his side and forced himself to keep it there no matter how desperate he was to feel the other man’s skin beneath his fingertips.

Talbot blinked at him as his eyes slowly opened. His breaths were still unsteady as his attention dropped straight to Gunnar’s fly. Talbot reached out. He gently traced the line of Gunnar’s shaft through the denim with his fingertips, leaving a smudge of mud in their wake.

Gunnar didn’t move. He barely dared to breathe. Talbot lifted his gaze. Their eyes met, but there was no challenge in the younger man’s expression, no reason for Gunnar to want him to lower his eyes in due respect to his rank within the pack.

Talbot’s touch grew bolder as he seemed to sense Gunnar’s acceptance, both of his touch and his submission. The heat from his palm soon seeped through the fabric. There was no room behind the garment for Gunnar to harden any further.

The younger man seemed to realise the same thing just a second later. His fingers went to the button at the top of Gunnar’s fly. He fumbled a little, but he finally managed to push the metal through the fabric. The zip was drawn carefully down.

Talbot’s focus was all on what he was doing, but Gunnar’s attention stayed on the other wolf’s face. He saw the way the omega swallowed down his nerves as he felt Talbot carefully free him from the fabric.

His hands were small, his touch very cautious, very tender. Gunnar’s larger fists wrapped around the blades of grass on either side of him as he did his duty by the less experienced wolf and let him move forward at his own speed, no matter how loudly part of him howled its frustration and demanded to be allowed to tell him to hurry the hell up.

The fragile blades of grass were crushed within his grip as Talbot finally bowed his head over Gunnar’s lap.

The little wolf’s tongue flicked out to tentatively taste the head. Pre cum had already gathered there in expectation. The omega whimpered his pleasure. The vibrations from the sound caressed the tip of Gunnar’s cock.

Quickly rechanneling all his self-control to his hips, Gunnar somehow managed not to thrust forwards and bury his shaft deep inside Talbot’s mouth, but he couldn’t keep his hands at his sides as well.

The best he could manage was to settle his hand on the omega’s shoulder rather than on the back of his head. Somehow, he found himself able to keep his touch gentle, too. He didn’t grip the smaller man’s shoulder. His palm and fingers rested flat against Talbot’s back as he caressed his way down the smaller wolf’s spine. The front of the omega’s T-shirt might have been smeared and battered by the stones he’d moved but the back of it was still pure and white.

The younger man dipped his head a little further, taking the tip of Gunnar’s cock into his mouth for the first time. As Gunnar’s hand reached the waist band of Talbot’s trousers he tugged at his shirt and freed it from the denim. Quickly sliding his hand underneath the fabric, Gunnar stroked his bare skin, eager to deepen the connection between them.

At almost exactly the same moment, Talbot wrapped his fingers delicately around Gunnar’s shaft, holding it steady as he suckled ever so gently around the head. His tongue was clumsy, his technique nonexistent. But his enthusiasm was undeniable, and that alone seemed able to make it feel better than anything Gunnar had ever felt while wasting his time with higher ranking wolves.

Minutes passed in a blur of bliss. A little confidence seemed to seep into Talbot’s attentions to his cock, but it didn’t bring with it any apparent attempt to take control of anything that happened between them. The desire for that simply didn’t seem to exist inside the younger wolf.