The Seahorse Who Loved the Wrong Lynx (8 page)

better. Now that Layton had truly accepted Preston as his mate, his

heart opened up to all the pleasure Preston offered. He thought that he could almost feel Preston’s pleasure, so close, yet so far away, just like his own orgasm.

His mate tortured him, the sensual suction a delicious agony.

Layton hovered over the precipice of an amazing climax, his gaze

fixed on the sinful sight of Preston bobbing his head up and down,

when the wet heat around his prick vanished.

Preston shot to his feet and rushed away from him. Dazed, Layton

couldn’t quite figure out what was going on, and he experienced a

brief moment of fear when he actually thought Preston had changed

his mind. However, that panic faded when Preston returned to him,

carrying a tube of lubricant.

Preston dropped on the furs, his grin all but feral. “Come here,

lovely.”

The temptation to obey was very strong, but as much as Layton

would have liked to let his mate devour him, the urgency inside him

didn’t allow it. Layton snatched the lubricant from Preston, finding secret satisfaction when his mate’s eyes widened. He pushed Preston

down and opened the tube of lubricant. He squirted a liberal amount

on his fingers and reached over to Preston’s cock.

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Preston hissed at his touch. “Fuck, lovely. If you keep on doing

that, I won’t be able to hold back.”

“I don’t want you to,” Layton replied. He coated Preston’s prick

with the slick liquid. When he was satisfied, he reached behind

himself and inserted two fingers inside his own passage. His own

touch was a poor substitute for Preston’s, but Layton had completely run out of patience. It just seemed like he’d waited to have Preston forever, and the foreplay had only increased the tension inside of him.

“Fuck, lovely.” Preston cursed under his breath. “If you could see

yourself. You’re so beautiful.”

“Thanks,” Layton breathed out. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

The final words came out as a moan as he accidentally brushed his

fingers over his prostate. It was so good, but oh, not enough. The only thing that could get him off was Preston fucking him, preferably hard and fast.

With that in mind, Layton removed his fingers out of his own ass.

Holding his mate’s gaze, he positioned himself over Preston’s prick.

Preston’s hands landed on his hips and steadied him. With the lynx’s help, Layton’s slowly lowered his body over Preston’s cock.

His consciousness dissolved into pure pleasure as Preston’s dick

pierced him. The feeling of being impaled, stretched to the maximum, took over his senses. Layton thought that surely, he could not take the whole of his mate’s cock, even if he’d been proven wrong before. But with each second that passed, more of Layton’s hard prick penetrated him, until, at last, he bottomed out, feeling Preston’s pubic hair

against his ass.

Preston didn’t move a muscle, the only signs that betrayed his

need the strain in his jaw and the heat in his eyes. He allowed Layton to get used to the feeling of being invaded. Layton was thankful for it, not because the penetration hurt. There was some discomfort, but not enough to deter Layton. However, if Preston moved now, it would all

be over before it began. Layton was so close to coming he could feel the orgasm already buzzing through him.

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55

He took a few moments and consciously pushed the pleasure

back. Then, slowly, he lifted his hips and, in one hard motion,

impaled himself on Preston’s cock once again. They both gasped at

the same time. The heat, the friction, the mere sensation of being

joined with his mate in the most intimate way two men could be, they all got to Layton’s brain, threatening his already frayed control.

Thankfully, from that point on, Preston took over. With a growl,

he started thrusting inside Layton’s ass. Layton met his every move, riding Preston’s cock furiously. Preston guided him down harder and

harder, his hands clenching around Layton’s naked hips. Claws

pressed against Layton’s fresh, and he loved the realization that at last, Preston had let go and lost control with him.

They lost themselves in the rhythm, in the passion and the pure

perfection of the moment. Layton fucked himself on Preston’s prick

harder and harder, his cries rising in volume, joining Preston’s grunts.

And still, Layton hung on, instinctively knowing there was something else he needed.

All of a sudden, Preston pushed him back against the furs,

changing their position. His cock never left Layton’s body. He started pounding Layton so hard the fur rug threatened to leave burns on

Preston’s back. Every thrust of the lynx’s cock against his prostate sent him flying closer to heaven. Preston thrashed under his mate,

now out of his mind with the need to come.

At last, Preston took pity on him. Sharp fangs suddenly struck,

embedding themselves in Layton’s neck. A scream echoed in the

room. Layton thought it might have been uttered by him, but he

couldn’t be sure. His mind and body were swallowed by a supernova

of ecstasy, too intense for him to hope to contain or even survive.

His consciousness began to fade into something different, and

Layton actually felt his connection with Preston click into place. He sensed the moment Preston came, both through his own body and

through their mind bond. Streams of hot spunk filled Preston’s

channel just as incredible pleasure exploded over him, Preston’s

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pleasure. It was both carnal and spiritual, and if Layton had kept any doubts regarding Preston being his mate, their shared climax swept

them all aside. Their thoughts, memories, and emotions came

together, and for a single, perfect moment, they were one.

Alas, nothing quite so beautiful could last forever. Finally, the

nirvana began to fade into a pleasant afterglow. As they both started to recover, Preston startled Layton by saying one word. “Pregnant?”

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57

Chapter Four

“I’m sorry,” Layton said for the millionth time that day as he

absently stirred his cup. “I was going to tell you. I just got distracted.”

They’d gotten dressed and Preston had made them both hot

chocolate, hoping the brew would smooth the way through an

obviously difficult conversation.

They sat together in front of the still-roaring fire. Preston had

some trouble processing the fact that he was going to be a father.

He’d just gotten a few facts from his bond with Layton, and he didn’t know how this pregnancy had happened.

Layton’s apologetic expression turned a bit amused. “How do you

think it happened?” he asked teasingly. Apparently, he’d heard

Preston’s mental confusion. This connection would take some time to

get used to.

“So, it’s true then,” Preston said. “You are going to have my

baby.”

Layton nodded. “Yes. I mmmfff—”

Preston cut off whatever Layton wanted to say with a kiss. He

honestly felt like he’d won ten lotteries the same day. At last, the impossible had happened. He was mated with Layton, and they had a

mind link. And to top it off, soon, Preston would be a father.

Unlike before, the passion in the kiss was restrained and satisfied, a celebration rather than an urgency. Preston broke away, giving his mate an anxious look. “Tell me everything. Have you seen a doctor?”

His eyes widened as realization struck. “Were you even supposed to

be having sex?”

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Layton snorted. “Calm down. According to the doctor, my

pregnancy could last anything from two months to two years, but it

seems to be leaning toward the longer side of the spectrum. And as

long as I don’t strain myself excessively, I’ll be able to live as before, and that includes having sex.”

Preston started breathing again. “Okay. Just…Tell me if I ever

fuck up.”

Layton smiled gently. “I won’t have to tell you anything,

remember? We have a bond now. And besides, it’s highly doubtful

that you could ever fuck up as much as I did.”

Preston pulled his mate close, embracing him fiercely. “Don’t

think about that anymore. I don’t want to. We’re starting a new life together today, you, me, and our baby. No more regrets.”

His mate nodded, but Preston could tell the remorse hadn’t left

Layton’s mind. He doubted it would ever completely disappear. In

fact, their separation would most likely still be a sore topic for a long time. Preston had resented it for too long for him to be able to simply wipe it away. Preston could only hope that, in time, they’d forget

about what had happened together. He was too grateful for finally

being granted what he’d wanted for so long. It was time to let go of the past.

“You’re right,” Layton said. “And you know what the first step

for that is.”

Preston nodded. He’d been ignoring his brother’s attempts to

reach a truce for far too long. In the end, Corbin had been a jerk, but it wasn’t his fault Preston’s mate had fallen for him. And while during these past years, Preston had allowed himself to be filled with

resentment, today, it was finally time to bridge the abyss between

them. After all, Preston’s son needed his uncle.

With a trembling hand, Preston reached for his phone. He speed-

dialed his brother and waited for the call to connect. And waited. And waited. No response.

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59

Preston frowned as he ended the call. “Maybe he didn’t hear it,”

Layton suggested.

“Maybe,” Preston replied dubiously. “Come on. We’ll pay him a

visit.”

They left their mugs in the kitchen of the small apartment and

headed out. As they climbed into Preston’s car, Preston’s mind went

from the happiness of having his mate by his side to the concern over his brother’s welfare. When he’d last seen Corbin, the other lynx had been a mess of guilt. At the time, Preston hadn’t been much better off, but now, he wondered if he’d acted correctly. He’d blamed his brother for Layton’s accident, even if intellectually, he’d known it hadn’t only been Corbin’s fault. Alexis Whitaker was guilty of causing Layton’s

emotional vulnerability. Then there was that bitch Cherise, and

Preston himself. He should never have waited to see what happened

once he felt Layton’s volatile mental state.

“It was my fault, too, you know,”
Layton’s voice appeared in Preston’s head.

Preston was startled, but took it in stride.
“You blame yourself for
too many things, lovely,”
he replied.
“It’s time you stopped
shouldering all the burdens.”

Layton chuckled.
“And you’re likely to coddle me and keep me

from all my responsibilities. We make a fun pair, don’t we?”

The conversation continued, distracting Preston from his concern.

Finally, they reached his brother’s shop. Preston parked in front, and they left the car. They heard music from inside, and Preston also felt his brother’s presence. Corbin was safe.
Thank God.

The music stopped as they entered the shop. Corbin met them at

the door. “Hey,” he said with an awkward smile. “Nice to see you

here. What’s up?”

He was fidgeting, as if not knowing what to do with himself. It

was something quite unlike his self-assured brother. Corbin had

always known what to do. He’d always been the decision maker in

their duo, ever since they’d been kids planning pranks for their

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babysitter or their adoptive father, Nicolas. But Preston knew the

truth. Behind the façade, Corbin was a very caring person. He just

didn’t know when to shut up and how to say “I love you.”

His heart invaded with fondness, Preston pulled his brother into a

hug. For a few moments, Corbin seemed shocked, but then, he hugged

Preston back fiercely, thumping his back for good measure. When

they broke apart, they were both grinning. “So how’ve you been?”

Corbin inquired, this time more relaxed.

“I’m fine. I’m great. Better than ever.”

Corbin blinked at his enthusiasm. “Okaaay. Anything I should

know about?”

Preston nodded. “Actually, yes. I’m mated, and I’m going to be a

father.”

In retrospect, Preston realized all too well he should have been

more tactful. Corbin gaped at him. “Say what? Who? When?”

“Me,” Layton piped up, his voice steady and warm. “The mating’s

recent. The baby, from the day of the accident.”

Corbin’s expression grew furious. “I thought better of you,

Layton. If you hated me so much, you should take it out on me, not

use my brother as a replacement. And to straddle him with some kid?

Christ…”

The words hurt, especially since it was the same thing Preston

himself had thought before claiming Layton. If not for the mind bond, Preston didn’t even know if he could have trusted that Layton truly loved him. But Corbin truly was taking things too far, and Preston

would not allow his brother to insult his mate or his child.

He opened his mouth to answer, but to his surprise, Layton took

action before he could utter one word. Faster than the eye could see, Layton shot forward and punched Corbin straight in the face. “Fuck

you,” he snapped at Corbin. “You can say anything you want about