Fixer-Upper: A Summer Romance (Vale Valley Season 3 Book 15) Read online

  Jonah chuckled and pulled his shirt up and off, far more gracefully than King. And King might have minded, except Jonah shirtless was a damn beautiful sight he was never going to get tired of. Kicking his jeans and underwear across the room, King pressed close. “Need you in me,” he purred, rubbing a hand down the wide, lightly-furred expanse of Jonah’s chest and stomach to palm the considerable bulge behind the denim. The two of them made quick work of Jonah’s pants, and then they were both naked at last. “Want you to fuck me until that cheap-ass headboard cracks in two.”

  “Gods, that sounds so good.” Jonah grabbed King by the ass, lifting him up. King took advantage of the height and wrapped his legs around Jonah’s waist, rubbing their bodies together as Jonah carried him across the small room. “I’ve been dreaming about fucking you for so long, it’s a miracle I have any lube left at all.” He tensed suddenly, stopping in his tracks. “Oh, shit.”

  King lifted his mouth from where he’d been working at the juncture of Jonah’s neck and shoulder. “That doesn’t sound good. What’s wrong?”

  “It’s been a long time since I’ve hooked up. More than a year.” Jonah cleared his throat and very gently set King down on his feet. “I don’t have any condoms. We can’t—unless you’re on birth control, I mean, we’re going to have to find another way.”

  A wild and reckless part of Kind wanted to say fuck it and take the chance, but he was far too old to do something so irresponsible. It didn’t matter that Jonah was probably his mate, the last thing either of them needed was to tie themselves together right out of the gate. Still… “There are plenty of ways to fuck that won’t get me knocked up,” he said, winding his arms around Jonah’s neck once more. “If you’re interested in giving them a try.”

  Jonah’s hands slid down King’s body, leaving a trail of fire in their wake. “I’m very interested in anything that involves you and sex, baby. What are you thinking?”

  Nerves fluttered in King’s belly, and to buy time, King pulled him down into a long, filthy kiss, their tongues twisting together. For a few, glorious minutes, King just let himself drown in the taste and feel of Jonah. But the idea of what he really wanted was still there, and Jonah was waiting to hear it.

  “I could always fuck you,” King finally said when they broke apart for air, their bodies pressed together, Jonah’s cock digging into King’s stomach. As soon as the words were out there between them, they both froze. While Jonah had never once given him a reason to think he’d go all sexist caveman at the suggestion of him taking it, King had never dared suggest such a thing to an alpha before. Hell, he’d never trusted an alpha to even consider bringing it up.

  But I trust him. The thought scared King stupid, but he still held Jonah’s light brown gaze proudly.

  “I’ve never…” Jonah’s voice was strangled, but King could see his pupils going wide at the thought. “I know we talked about it before, but no one’s even…” He swallowed. “I want it. But I’ve only had, you know, toys. What if I’m bad at it? I don’t want to disappoint you.”

  “Fuck,” King breathed, shuddering at the thought that he’d be the first one to fuck this big, strong, gorgeous alpha. He’d be the first to break Jonah apart like an omega in heat, maybe get him to beg for King’s cock like it was the only thing that could keep him alive. King’s ass clenched in want, slicking itself for the fucking it wasn’t going to get. He grabbed Jonah’s waist and steered him to the bed, a steady stream of promises babbling out of his mouth even as they tumbled to the mattress together. “Fuck, Jonah, there’s no way you could disappoint me. None. I know you’re going be perfect. So beautiful, and you’re going to feel so damn good for us both. My perfect gods-damned alpha, taking care of your omega. Giving me a fantasy like only you could. Going to take such good care of you, you’ll see.”

  “Shhh…” Something about King’s babble must have settled Jonah’s nerves, because Jonah rolled them over, one large hand cradling the side of King’s face. “I know you’ll be good to me. Just breathe deep, baby. We’ve got to get me ready if you’re going to fuck me like you’re trying to breed me.”

  King shuddered. “Keep saying things like that and I won’t be fucking you in any way. You’ll make me come all over us both.”

  “Can’t have that,” Jonah said on a chuckle, and pulled away, reaching for the bedside drawer. He pulled out a well-used bottle of lube, blushing as he added, “I’ve been jacking off almost nightly since I met you. Want you anyway I can have you. Only seems fitting it’ll be like this. Always knew you were different.”

  So many complicated emotions twisted inside of King at that, but he went for the simplest of them all right then: lust. Plucking the bottle out of Jonah’s hand, King distracted his alpha with hot, drugging kisses until he managed to get his finger slick enough to draw a teasing line over Jonah’s heavy balls, pushing back to press lightly on his taint. “Let me know if it’s too much,” he murmured into their kiss, and then moved back, using just the tip of his finger to tease at Jonah’s tight, fluttering hole.

  Instead of resisting the intrusion, Jonah breathed out and relaxed into the touch. “Won’t break, baby,” he said, a blissed-out look overtaking his face as King sank his finger two knuckles deep.

  “Yeah?” King kissed Jonah’s neck and chest, everywhere he could reach with them side-by-side in bed. “Are you familiar with this part then?”

  Jonah hummed, spreading his legs wider in invitation. “Oh yeah,” he said, hissing a breath in through his teeth when King added a second finger. “Do this to myself sometimes, when I’m thinking about you.”

  “Fuck, Jonah,” King groaned, pushing three fingers in a little harder than he meant to. Not that Jonah seemed to mind, if the way he arched his back and griped the sheets were anything to go by. “You’re killing me here.”

  “You’re the one taking too long over there,” Jonah said, bearing down on King’s hand and drawing him deeper. “Come on, Kingston. It’s good enough. Breed me up.”

  He knew it likely wasn’t enough for someone who’d never done this before, but King wasn’t about to tell Jonah what he could and couldn’t do. Instead, he pulled his fingers free, loving the needy sound Jonah gave, like he couldn’t stand being empty even after just that much. Then King climbed between Jonah’s legs, wiping lube on his own desperate cock before lining up.

  “What are you waiting for?” Jonah asked, and King blinked, looking up into that soft, adoring gaze.

  “It’s been a while,” King admitted. “And never with—” someone as important as you “—an alpha. Not like this. It’s a little…much.”

  “I’m nervous too,” Jonah said, hooking his ankles behind King’s thighs. “What do you say we fuck the nerves away?”

  King laughed with him, and pushed in before either of them could tense back up. Jonah’s mouth hung open, eyes rolling back a bit, but his dick stayed hard as King worked his way in with short, hard thrusts until they were completely locked together. King had to bite his lower lip as he struggled against the urge to pound hard and fast until he came, all but overwhelmed by how amazing Jonah felt already. “Oh gods, Jonah. You’re so hot. So tight.”

  After a handful of seconds that felt like an eternity, Jonah’s face cleared and he reached for King, pulling him close. “Come on, then, baby. Give it to me. Want you to make me come.”

  “Fucking hell, the mouth on you,” King groaned, but he could feel his control slipping regardless, so he fell forward, hands on either side of Jonah’s shoulders. His eyes falling shut, King started moving, sliding in and out of Jonah’s perfect body. His scalp tingled from the unbelievable pleasure of being inside his alpha, and his own ass squeezed in envy with every thrust deep into Jonah, but King held on to the hard, steady pace as long as he could. Gods knew when he’d get to do this again, and he was damn well going to enjoy every last second of it.

  “You love it,” Jonah gasped. “Makes you hot to hear how badly I wish you could knot my ass while you fuck me.”<
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  “Jonah!” King cried out, slamming harder until he lost his grip on his already tenuous control. It didn’t matter that he’d wanted to draw this out, not any more. All that mattered now was the both of them coming. He leaned on one hand and wrapped the other one around Jonah’s beautiful, thick cock. “You close?”

  Jonah nodded and reached up, grabbing fistfuls of the pillow behind his head. “Feels so good,” he whined, lifting up to meet each of King’s hard thrusts, forcing himself through the tight clasp of King’s hand each time.

  “Yeah. You do.” King squeezed Jonah’s cock, amazed how it felt even bigger than a moment ago. “Next time, I’m riding this. For hours, if I fucking feel like it.”

  “Baby, I don’t know—” Jonah panted, eyes screwed shut as writhed under King, beautifully lost to the pleasure. Suddenly, his knot popped under King’s fingers, startling the both of them. “Fuck! What?”

  “Oh fuck, you’re knotting for me.” King had never done a knot before, but he worked it as best he could, squeezing tighter to drive Jonah out of his mind. “That’s so gods-damned hot. Come on, big strong alpha. Come for me with my dick inside you. Let your omega make you come.”

  That seemed to do the trick, sending Jonah over the edge, coming long and hard, making a mess over both of them as his strong body clamped down around King, drawing him in deeper every time King pushed back in, desperate to find his own orgasm. Jonah’s orgasm went on and on, pulsing around King’s cock, milking him until he finally tumbled over too, coming so hard King’s vision went as dark as the furthest deeps of the ocean.

  Shuddering, body confused by the lack of a cock in his ass, King collapsed on the sticky mess between them, distantly aware as Jonah gave few more shots of come, gasping as he emptied at last. For a few long moments, King could only cling to Jonah, the only thing that made sense in the world despite all the screaming impulses to beg his alpha to accept him as his mate, to do that all over again but the other way around so King could finally be Jonah’s like fate had declared.

  Finally, King had enough control over his body to slowly withdraw from Jonah’s. The mess of their come had both of them sticky, but Jonah in particular. King pushed him back against the bed with a gentle nudge before Jonah could sit.

  “Easy. Let me take care of you,” he said, scrambling off the bed and grabbing his t-shirt. They’d need showers with as much come as Jonah had shot, but this would do to get the worst. King took his time wiping up his lover, but suddenly found himself too shy to meet Jonah’s eyes even when Jonah covered his hand and took the shirt away.

  “Hey, what is it?” Jonah asked, but the lightness in his voice seemed forced. Everyone knew what a knot meant, and as surprised as Jonah’d been it was probably the first time it had happened to him. Non-shifter alphas only knotted when they had sex with potential mates, after all. “Look, just because my body thinks you’d make a good mate, doesn’t mean we have to…”

  “Trying to give me an out? King asked, wishing he didn’t care so much about the answer.

  “No, baby,” Jonah said. “But you’ve told me how you feel about seers having a say in your life. I can only imagine how you feel about magical mate-detecting cocks.”

  King snorted with laughter, looking up despite himself. Jonah sat up and crawled closer, pulling King into his arms. And King let him, because he couldn’t deny any longer how everything in the world was so much better, so much more right, when Jonah was holding him. And it didn’t have as much to do with the low-key buzzing sensation that was finally starting to fade into the background every time they touched as it did with the fact that no one had ever made King so comfortable with his own baggage before.

  “I don’t know,” he finally said, because Jonah was a good man and he didn’t deserve more lies on top of the half-truths Kin still hadn’t cleared up. “I think your magic cock might be right.”

  Jonah’s arms tightened around him, pulling King even closer like he’d been waiting to hear that. But all Jonah did otherwise was kiss King’s neck. “You think?” he asked mildly.

  “Yeah. Maybe.” King shrugged, like it didn’t matter to him, but they both knew it did. “It’s worth thinking about.”

  “We can do that,” Jonah said. He kissed his way up King’s neck and captured his mouth in a sweet kiss. “Stay the night?”

  King sighed happily, melting into his alpha’s arms for a moment before stiffening. He felt the tingle of magic rushing up his back and over his shoulder, centering over his heart, and closed his eyes in mortification.

  “What’s wrong? Did you want to leave?” Jonah nuzzled King’s face, so perfectly sweet that for the first time in decades, King hated where he had come from.

  He smiled and willed Jonah not to notice the mating mark. Just let me have tonight. I’ll figure out how to tell him tomorrow. “No, I just…” He snuggled close, grateful for the dark room and the dark of his skin. “I just realized I used my shirt to clean us up. You’re going to have to clothe me in the morning for my walk of shame.”

  “No.” Jonah pulled him into a kiss. “No shame in this. I’ll lend you a shirt, but I’d be proud for people to know I’m yours.”

  That was enough to distract King into smiling. “That so?”

  Jonah must have liked what he saw, because he laughed softly and pulled them down, stretched out on the bed together. “Oh yeah. Now get some sleep, baby.”

  Sighing happily, King settled into his mate’s arms, distantly aware of the faint sound of rain pattering against the window.

  Chapter Ten

  Jonah

  Jonah woke up to an empty bed and the sound of the radio playing in the kitchen. Slipping into a pair of worn and paint-splattered jeans, he padded barefoot down the hall. A quick glance in Anya’s room showed him it was empty too, and now he was closer, Jonah could hear the faintest of singing along to the music. He scratched absently at his chest and headed further toward the sound, unable to resist the smile tugging at his mouth at the sweet lilt in King’s voice.

  Despite all the evidence, Jonah wasn’t entirely prepared for the effect of seeing King dancing around the kitchen, bare chested and holding Anya close in a brightly-colored fabric sling like he’d always been there. It hit Jonah in the stomach with a sudden, fierce burst of emotion and Jonah knew right then and there he was in love with the prickly mess of a merman in his kitchen. He sagged against the wall, equal parts elated and terrified; loving the man Jonah was sure was meant to be his mate was pretty damn handy, but he couldn’t help worry that of the three-word phrases to make King run for the hills, “you’re my mate” was only slightly less sure-fire than “I love you.”

  King paused in his swaying dance to stir whatever was in the steaming pot on the stove, then straightened abruptly when a timer went off, grabbing a pot holder and pulling a tray of biscuits out of the oven one-handed while he kept the other hand secure against Anya’s back. Then he turned and saw Jonah and stopped singing, suddenly shy.

  “Hey,” he said, fingers twitching against the sling. “I made breakfast. Should be ready soon. Coffee, too.”

  Smiling helplessly at how this was literally more than he’d ever dared dream of, Jonah drifted closer. “I didn’t know I had the fixings for breakfast,” he said instead of giving voice to all the floating, happy emotions running unchecked now that King was within touching distance.

  “You didn’t, but the store did,” King said, and Jonah bit his lip instead of losing his cool over how unbearably sweet it was that his omega was trying to settle in his den with food and that sling Jonah still hadn’t figured out. Not to mention the cookware Jonah knew for a fact he didn’t own yesterday.

  “What’re you making?” he asked instead.

  “Corn porridge,” King said. “Should be easy enough for her to eat, and I made enough biscuits we can have some with lunch, too. If you don’t get sick of me and send me home by then, that is,” he added in a rush, spinning away cutting up some banana, offering a small piece to An
ya in an obvious ploy to keep from meeting Jonah’s eyes.

  “Hey,” Jonah said softly, waiting until King gave in and looked at him. “I want you here pretty much all the time. When you leave, I start thinking about when you’ll be back again. I just didn’t want to freak you out by being too clingy.”

  King’s smile was so unbearable sweet, there was no way Jonah could have resisted the urge to close the distance between them, so he didn’t even try. One hand on the back of King’s neck, he drew his lover in for a lingering kiss, only breaking away when Anya giggled and smeared banana in Jonah’s morning scruff.

  “Little imp,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “Let me wash up and we can eat?” he looked at King. “Maybe you can tell me what your plans are for that lunch you were mentioning while we eat.”

  “I know you’re a big, strapping alpha,” King said, rolling his eyes, “but how about one meal at a time?” Still, he leaned closer, stealing a quick kiss. “Go shave.”

  “Yes, boss,” Jonah said, and hurried off to the bathroom to do as he was told. If maybe part of his hurry was to get back before King changed his mind and bolted, well, Jonah figured it was understandable.

  When he came back, though, King not only had stayed, but he had Anya in her high chair pulled up next to his stool at the breakfast bar and was carefully blowing on a spoonful of porridge before offering it to her. It was so perfectly domestic, Jonah couldn’t help but wonder what King’s children would look like. Then again, with Anya’s dark coloring, thanks to her mother, she almost looked like she really was King’s, and Jonah wanted with an ache that definitely had a tinge of guilt. Suddenly, his convenient lies about Anya’s parentage felt like a cage he had no way out of.

  Then King looked up at him and smiled brightly, that dimple making an appearance, and Jonah could almost forget how he had to come clean and soon. Smiling back, Jonah sank into the seat next King’s, dropping a kiss on King’s bare shoulder like this was already their routine. He paused, looking more closely at the tattooed art all over King’s body.