Haven 4: Back Roads (12 page)

“Ah, The City of Light.”

“Yes! Have you been there?” Galen practically vibrated in his enthusiasm.

“I have.”

Before Galen could even ask him, Bannon closed his eyes and reconstructed the dream so that they were standing hand in hand atop the Eiffel Tower.

“Oh, it’s beautiful,” Galen whispered reverently. His slim fingers wrapped around Bannon’s forearms and dug in as he stared out over the city. “Thank you.”

It wasn’t as good as the real thing, but it was pretty damn close.

Once things calmed down and they each had a chance to just breathe, Bannon promised himself that he’d make his little mate’s dream come true for real.

Clutching Galen close, he brushed a kiss over the top of his head and smiled. “I’m glad ya like it. I wish I could give ya more.”

“Hush,” Galen chastised as he began rocking back and forth.

“There is only one thing that could make this any more perfect.”

“And what is that?” All Galen had to do was say the word and it was his. Bannon would make sure of it.

Leaning his head back on his shoulders and looking up with a mischievous smile, Galen winked at him. “Kiss me. Right here on the Eiffel Tower, looking out over the most beautiful city in the world, I want you to kiss me.”

Well, it certainly wasn’t a hardship. “Ah, the things I suffer for ya, Mr. Charles,” Bannon teased as he cupped his lover’s face, dropped his mouth to Galen’s, and sought entrance to the warm depths within.

Galen’s arms came up to curl around his neck, and he opened right up, giving a soft little whimper when their tongues met. There was no battle for dominance, no sweet surrender. They were equals in every way as their lips and tongues slid and melded together.

Instead of his dick growing rock hard as it normally did every time he was within sniffing distance of Galen, Bannon found it was his heart that swelled this time. His entire body tingled, a lump formed in his throat, and even the lights of Paris couldn’t compete with the treasure in his arms.

When the kiss ended, the world around him still remained blurry, leaving only him and Galen. It was just a dream, but real or make believe, Bannon couldn’t imagine a more flawless moment.

He’d have loved for it to go on forever, but he had a job to do.

Luckily for him, Galen was always so understanding.

“We need to wake up now, don’t we?” There was no disappointment in his voice, and Bannon adored him even more for it.

“We can stay for a few more minutes,” he answered, turning Galen so that they could look out over the Champ de Mars.

Galen snuggled into his side and sighed. “You need to get back to work. I understand.” He looked up and pursed his lips for a quick kiss. “Thank you so much for this. It’s amazing. Even if it’s not real, it’s real to me. No one has ever done anything like this for me.”

“Anything for ya, darlin’.”

“I know.” Galen smiled coyly and took a step back. “I’m really starting to see that.” His head cocked to the side, and he frowned.

“Our chauffeurs aren’t going to be very happy with us, though.” Bannon had an inkling that the men who’d been assigned to drive them around while they slept and searched for the faerie and witches were never happy with
anything.
“They’ll get over it.”

“Probably, but I want to get this over with and get back home. I miss my bed.” Galen took Bannon’s hand and brought it to his lips where he placed a chaste kiss in the palm. “Thank you again for this.” Bannon swallowed around the constriction in his throat and nodded. “Slow and easy, right?”

Galen gave him a little smirk. “Yeah, but not too slow. Naked is still definitely on the menu.”

* * * *

For the rest of the week they drove up and down the coast of New England. Galen didn’t know who the two drivers were, but he did know that they were shifters, and he thought maybe wolves.

Some paranormals he could get a clear reading on, but others were harder. These guys weren’t very clear broadcasters, but he did get the sense that they’d rather be anywhere else in the world than driving him and Bannon all over the countryside.

Not that he could blame them. He doubted they’d volunteered for the job. Hell, he didn’t even know what pack they were from. Stavion trusted them, and more importantly, Bannon trusted them. That was good enough for Galen.

He just wished they were a little more communicative. They rarely talked except to grunt out orders. They probably had names, but he’d yet to learn them.

They stopped five times a day to eat, wash up, and refuel. That was it. Apparently, their reluctant drivers were every bit as ready to get the task over with and get home as he was.

Galen was beginning to go stir-crazy trapped inside their rolling hotel. To make matters worse, Bannon slept most of the time. Other than the one special dream date he’d created, Bannon refused to allow Galen into his dreamscape because it was too dangerous. Galen understood, but it still sucked, and he was lonely.

When Bannon wasn’t sleeping, they talked. Galen wanted the man to fuck his brains out, but instead, they talked. He’d have even settled for a pity fuck inside one of Bannon’s dreams, but the man refused, saying Galen deserved better than that. While he appreciated the sentiment, it did little for his overactive libido.

Bannon asked the strangest questions about everything from Galen’s favorite cartoon character to when he’d had his last medical exam. Had he had his wisdom teeth removed? What was his favorite color? Did he prefer sliced or blocked cheese? On and on it went like some strange episode of Family Feud.
Survey says…Bannon has lost
his mind!

Two nights of amazing sex wasn’t nearly enough to quell the fire that burned inside him for his mate, though. In fact, it only pushed his desire to new levels that he wasn’t sure he’d ever recover from if something didn’t happen between them soon. And yes, sometime during the course of the week as he watched Bannon sleep, curled up in his lap, or answered a string of inquiries, he’d come to the conclusion that the man was definitely his mate.

More importantly, he’d finally accepted that somewhere in his family tree lurked a shifter who’d somehow passed his genes on to Galen. No one could want someone as much as he wanted Bannon without the help of animal magnetism. Other than his burning desire, there was something calming and peaceful about being close to his lover.

During the long hours when the road seemed to be never ending, and the only sound was the thrum of tires against the asphalt, Galen swore if he closed his eyes and concentrated, he could hear Bannon’s heart beating in sync with his. Bannon no longer allowed Galen into his dreamscape, but that didn’t stop Galen from dreaming about his gorgeous lover.

Twice he’d woken up with cum-soaked boxers. Though all of his dreams had been erotic in nature, the chance that he’d wake up with sticky shorts seemed to have a direct correlation to dreams that involved Bannon biting and claiming him. If that didn’t answer the question of their mate status, he didn’t know what would.

“I want ya to come with me tonight,” Bannon said out of the blue as they sped along some godforsaken back road in Pennsylvania, traveling north now, though farther inland.

“In your dream?” Galen bounced a little in his seat. While he appreciated Bannon’s desire to protect him, he was bored out of his ever-loving mind and could definitely use the distraction. Besides, he was supposed to be helping—something Bannon had allowed him to do very seldom since their trip began.

“Aye, but I’m wantin’ your promise that you’ll do exactly as I say.”

“You know I will. Let me help, Bannon. You’re exhausted, and you look like shit. You need me.” He probably could have worded that a little more delicately, but it was the truth. Bannon looked like death sautéed over medium heat.

Bannon sighed and leaned across the seat to kiss Galen on the lips.

“That I do. I miss ya, Galen Charles. I’m sittin’ right beside ya every day, but I need to feel ya in my arms without all these bothersome clothes.”

Galen snorted and rolled his eyes. “You’re just horny.”

“That, too.” Bannon grinned boyishly and shrugged. “Can ya blame me?”

Groaning as his cock began to swell between his thighs, Galen rubbed the hard mound with the heel of his palm and shook his head.

“I know the feeling well.”

“Then let’s get this over so I can pay proper attention to my mate.”

“I don’t know if I can wait that long,” Galen mumbled, earning him a derisive snort from the wolf-shifter behind the wheel. The passenger glanced over the seatback, but didn’t comment on Galen’s predicament.
Smart of him.

As with all new relationships, the physical attraction was intense, and the need to lick, bite, suck, and fuck was overwhelming. If he wasn’t thinking about the fifteen different ways Bannon could screw him into the next week, then he was salivating to get his lips wrapped around his mate’s enormous cock.

On the bright side, he could now confidently tell Willow that, yes, Bannon was definitely hung like a horse.

“Are ya needin’, my darlin’?” Bannon grabbed ahold of his hips and hauled Galen into his lap so that he straddled the man’s muscular thighs. “We can’t be havin’ that, can we?” Galen glanced over his shoulder and right into the amber stare of the shifter perched in the passenger seat. “He’s watching me, Bannon.”

Long fingers gripped his chin, coaxing his eyes back to his lover.

“Right here, Galen. Look right at me. It’s just us, no one else.” His hand moved around to cup the back of Galen’s head and pull him down into a searing kiss.

His other hand fumbled at the button on Galen’s jeans, and before he could even think to stop it, Galen felt his cock pop free of its confinement and the cool air brush over the straining length. He shivered involuntarily, but made no move to pull away from Bannon’s mouth. When that strong hand wrapped around his erection and began stroking him to the rhythm of Bannon’s tongue, Galen was in heaven.

Moaning into his lover’s mouth, Galen rocked his hips, thrusting his rigid shaft through Bannon’s tight grip as the world around them melted away. Damn, he needed this. Not just the orgasm that was barreling toward him, but he needed to feel the connection with his mate. Just more proof that they were meant to be together. He literally hurt from being denied Bannon’s touch for so long.

Releasing his mouth and trailing his lips up to Galen’s ear, Bannon quickened his strokes as he raggedly whispered deliciously naughty words. “I know what ya want, Galen. Ya want my fat cock up your ass, stretchin’ and fillin’ ya. That’s what my baby wants, isn’t it?”

“Yesss,” Galen hissed, dragging the word out as his head fell back on his shoulders.

“Soon, sweetheart. This is just to take the edge off. Ya need me, though, don’t ya?”

“Yes. I need you, Bannon. Please.” Galen was growing louder with every word, but he didn’t care. If the two men up front insisted on keeping them locked up in the stupid car for days at a time, then they could very well just get the fuck over it if they didn’t like it.

“I’m right here. Not gonna let ya fall, now am I? Come for me, baby. Let go of everything else, and come for me.” That was exactly what Galen did. Pushing everything else out of his mind, he focused on the intense pleasure Bannon was giving him and gritted his teeth together as his climax ripped through him. Semen shot up his shaft and through the slit to cover Bannon’s shirt in his spunk.

Shivering through the aftershocks, Galen finally opened his eyelids and smiled into Bannon’s eyes. “Thank you.” Bannon returned the smile and pecked at Galen’s lips. “Mmm, my pleasure. Do ya think ya can sleep now?” Galen was pretty sure he could sleep through a tsunami at that point. “You are very tricksy, sir.”

Shrugging unrepentantly, Bannon tucked Galen back into his jeans and winked. “I don’t hear ya complainin’.”

“Can we stop so I can get cleaned up and changed?”

“We’ll stop in a couple of hours to get fuel,” the driver more or less grunted at him. Apparently, he still didn’t like his job very much.

“Where are you from? I mean, what pack do you belong to?”

“Cloud Peak,” the passenger also grunted.

Galen arched an eyebrow and smirked. “Bannon, can I see your phone, please?”

Bannon didn’t even question the reason as he lifted Galen off his lap and dug into his pocket for his phone. He passed it over, shrugging when Galen gaped at the cracked screen and chipped off pieces of plastic. “It had a little accident.”

“Does it still work?”

“Of course.”

Rolling his eyes, Galen powered on the display screen and scrolled through the contacts until he found the number he was looking for. Then he pressed the phone to his ear and waited as it rang.

“Bannon?”

“Hey, Blaise,” Galen answered, grinning innocently when both shifters shot him a startled look. “It’s Galen. Are you the one who sent these idiots to drive us around? Because, I gotta say, you suck.” Blaise groaned over the line, and there was a long pause before he spoke again. “I take it that they’re being less than cordial.”

“That’s an understatement. I just want to stop, take a shower, and eat a real meal that doesn’t involve using my fingers as utensils. Is that really too much to ask?”

Blaise grumbled but didn’t give any further response.

“We stop to get gas, relieve our bladders, and swing by some gross fast food chain, but only on their schedule. I don’t mind helping, but I’m exhausted, I smell, and I’m starting to get migraines from all the craptastic food they keep shoving in my face.” Bannon frowned, obviously unhappy that Galen had kept the news from him. Smiling apologetically, Galen pushed up in his seat and kissed Bannon’s cheek. “I’ll be fine,” he mouthed to his lover.

“They’re not the friendliest guys in the world, and they’re used to doing things their way. Plus, I kind of bribed them into taking the job.

They’re the best, though, and that’s what Torren asked of me.” Blaise was being oddly vague, which seemed to be a reoccurring theme with everyone related to The Council.

“Dude, I’m not whining or trying to tattle. I just want a damn shower and possibly a salad without Commando Joe Bob growling like I morally offended his mother. I’m not asking you to send them to their rooms, either. I just want to know why we’re being treated like prisoners.”