Winnie threw his head back and laughed. The rush. The pure thrill of a man wanting him this badly. He rested his cheek against Wallace as they burst through the secret wall. Now he could see Wallace’s gray-green eyes. A fire full of need scorched them.

  When Wallace let him go, Winnie rolled until he was in the center of the bed. Wallace narrowed his eyes as his sharp teeth appeared. Winnie gasped at how animalistic the guy appeared.

  “Are you afraid of me?” Wallace kicked his shoes off then stripped out of his clothes from the waist down.

  Winnie waited for him to finish, but Wallace left his long-sleeved shirt on. He climbed into bed, crawling toward Winnie like a deadly predator.

  Winnie’s heart thundered. His cock hardened. His breathing became shallow as he backed up, playing the predator-prey game.

  “My, my, Mr. Winter. What a big cock you have.”

  Wallace’s grin was so damn erotic that Winnie nearly orgasmed.

  “The better to fuck you with.” He grabbed Winnie’s shoes and tossed them over his shoulder. Next Wallace yanked Winnie’s pants and underwear off. When he reached for his shirt, Winnie grabbed the hem and stopped Wallace from removing it.

  Winnie shook his head. “Show me your scars, and then I’ll show you mine.”

  Wallace backed away. “What makes you think I have any?” He looked Winnie over, as though he were trying to see where Winnie’s old wounds were located.

  “Because.” Winnie touched the front of Wallace’s crisp, white shirt. “There isn’t any other reason to keep this on.”

  When Wallace didn’t budge, just knelt there staring as if they were having a contest of wills, Winnie slid his shirt off and turned over.

  He was no longer embarrassed by the crisscrossed slashes that covered most of his back. Winnie had accepted them as a part of himself a long time.

  “My dad used to get wasted and beat on my mom. When I was about seven I jumped in front of her so he couldn’t hurt her. I got the brunt of his anger that night, and many nights afterward, because I wouldn’t stop defending her.”

  “Your own father did this to you?” Wallace traced his fingers over Winnie’s back.

  “He walked out when I was twelve. I haven’t heard from him since. After that it was like my mom’s soul was crushed. I’ll never understand how she could mourn the loss of such a monster.”

  Wallace had stretched out beside him, petting Winnie’s back. “What happened to her?”

  Tears sprang into Winnie’s eyes. “She killed herself when I was fourteen.”

  This was not how Winnie wanted things to go. They were supposed to be fucking like bunnies, not bringing up painful memories Winnie would rather forget.

  “Fuck.” Wallace scrubbed a hand through his hair. “That’s…I’m sorry you went through that.”

  Winnie looked at Wallace’s arm. “And you?”

  Gorgeous Eyes looked as if he’d rather be disemboweled than talk. “Was blitzed from behind. A knife laced with silver. I didn’t see who had done it, either. I’m guessing I was supposed to be stabbed in the heart, but I twisted and the knife sliced through my arm, instead. The doctor had to cut out muscle in order to save me.”

  Winnie flipped over and sat in front of Wallace. They never broke eye contact as Winnie pushed the buttons through the eyelets. He went slow, giving Wallace every opportunity to stop him.

  When the buttons were free, Wallace grabbed Winnie’s wrist. He swallowed tightly. “It’s hideous.”

  “Let me see.” Winnie leaned up and kissed Wallace, distracting the guy as he slid his hands over Wallace’s shoulders and eased his shirt down his arms.

  “Damn.”

  Wallace tried to pull away.

  Winnie stopped him. “I was referring to your chest. Holy fuck. You’re hot! How many muscles do you own?”

  “My arm.”

  Winnie ripped his gaze from Wallace worship-worthy chest to look at his arm. There was mangled skin where his bicep should’ve been. “It doesn’t look that bad.”

  It looked horrendous, like his skin had been made of clay and someone had smashed a grapefruit on it, leaving a permanent, rounded indentation. Like someone had used an ice cream scooper and scooped his bicep right out.

  But who was Winnie to judge? He’d looked at his back countless times in the mirror. Although he no longer reacted to the sight, the scars were ugly.

  “The headaches?” Winnie moved closer, unable to keep his hands to himself.

  “You’re very observant. The migraines started around the same time as the attack. I still don’t know who did it. They were wearing too much cologne, so I couldn’t catch their scent.”

  “You didn’t see them?”

  Wallace shook his head. “I was in too much pain.”

  Winnie slid his arms around Wallace’s neck and pulled him down. He spread his legs in invitation. “We need to change the subject. I’m still horny, and this conversation is depressing as hell.”

  That simple grin was going to be Winnie’s undoing. “Consider the subject changed.”

  And it was. Wallace attacked him with passion, their lips colliding, their limbs tangling. And oh, god, that purr! Winnie couldn’t get enough of the rumbling noise as he flipped over, Wallace rolling to his back. He stared down at Wallace’s cock—more like an unleashed beast—and licked his lips.

  Winnie gave Wallace a devilish smile before he sucked Wallace all of the way down his throat, as far as it would go, until his nose was buried in Wallace’s pubic hairs. And then he swallowed. Hard.

  Wallace cried out. Then he moved Winnie until his cock was in Wallace’s face. Wallace ran his hands over Winnie’s ass, his fingers playing at Winnie’s hole, and then one lone finger slid inside him.

  Winnie pushed back, desperate to feel more. He groaned around Wallace’s cock, and his lover growled around his.

  Winnie grinned.

  Wallace must really like that. He moaned again and then had to press Wallace’s hips down to stop the man from shoving his cock down the back of Winnie’s damn throat.

  Winnie massaged the delicate sac as he flicked his tongue over the slit of lover's cock and was rewarded by the tightening of Wallace’s body.

  Using his tongue, Winnie laved the tender depression beneath the swollen crown and then tongue-fucked the tiny slit, licking away the salty taste of Wallace’s desires.

  “Fuck!” Wallace spun them, placing Winnie on his hands and knees, and grabbed some lube from the nightstand. Why on earth was there a bottle in there to begin with? Winnie didn’t know and wasn’t coherent enough to ask. He just wanted to get fucked.

  Wallace wet Winnie’s hole, diving his fingers inside Winnie’s ass, stretching his fingers as Winnie bucked and kicked, lost in the moment, lost in the anticipation of what would come next.

  “Are you ready to belong to me?” Wallace snarled into his ear. “All mine?”

  Winnie couldn’t control his breathing, no matter how hard he tried. The moment was too raw, too real. “Yes.”

  Whatever it took to get Wallace’s fat cock inside him.

  Wallace pulled his fingers free and replaced them with the blunt head of his cock. He pushed his cock into Winnie, slowly, drawing out the ecstasy.

  Winnie closed his eyes, braced his hands against the headboard, and pushed back. He gasped, moaning as the thick length of Wallace’s cock stretched him, sliding in deep.

  “This bond can never be broken.” Wallace rested his head against Winnie’s back, his rough whisper sounding tortured. “You can never leave me. You’re my one chance at happiness, and I’ll never let that go.”

  Wallace sounded almost desperate, as if he were willing those words into existence. Winnie wasn’t sure what to think, so he chose to ignore them as Wallace curled his arms around him.

  He would think about their gravity much, much later. Right now he was too wound up to focus.

  Wallace began to move inside of Winnie once his cock was completely buried, slowly at first, pulling almost completely out and then pushing it back in.

  It was as if Wallace was trying to make love to him instead of flat-out fucking. But Winnie couldn’t deny the pleasure the slow movements brought him, how heightened everything felt. The brush of Wallace’s lips over his back, the low moans escaping, their combined breathing. Everything felt magnified.

  Winnie had to admit he was completely fascinated with Wallace. Everything about the man was mysterious, intriguing, and swept Winnie under like a tidal wave crashing into him. He couldn’t explain why he was so drawn to the man or why he wanted to belong to Wallace.

  His thoughts shattered when Wallace reared back and gripped Winnie’s hips as he began to move harder, faster, and deeper. Winnie clawed at the headboard, meeting Wallace’s thrusts, his prostate getting nailed over and over again.

  Then Wallace did the unimaginable. He sank his sharp teeth into Winnie’s shoulder. Winnie cried out, his body tight, reaching, desperate.

  His eyes rolled back. He thrashed his head then screamed Wallace’s name as he came hard. The pulses of immense pleasure centered in his chest. Winnie gasped. It felt as if Wallace was inside him, truly inside him. Something rippled through him, making Winnie’s head spin as Wallace pulled his teeth free and roared his release.

  Winnie had no clue what had just happened, but his gut told him his life would never be the same.

  Chapter Seven

  Wallace had left Winnie sleeping in the other room as he returned to his after showering and dressing.

  He stared out the balcony doors, an early riser, appreciating the sunrise. For reasons he wasn’t sure of, his migraine was manageable today. Maybe it was the mating. Wallace couldn’t be certain, but one thing was for sure. He would forgo his tea today and grab himself a robust cup of coffee.

  Gibson had left his breakfast tray on his table in the corner. Wallace was hungry after last night, but he wanted to take Winnie out to breakfast. It was a dangerous thought, but he wanted his mate to be happy, not feel like a caged bird.

  Wallace opened his bedroom door and waved Chapman into his room. His bodyguard came quietly, but Chapman’s gaze was everywhere, as if a threat would pop out at any second.

  “You need something, sir?”

  This was the only guy on Wallace’s security detail that he semi trusted. Not that the other employees had done anything to warrant Wallace’s suspicion. He just wasn’t a trusting man. “I have a few things I need to do today. I would prefer you drove instead of Gibson.”

  If something went down, Wallace wanted muscle backing him up, not a guy who creaked when he walked. He was also going to look into hiring a younger butler. Not that Wallace was replacing Gibson, but he wasn’t going to be around forever, and why not find someone for Gibson to teach?

  “What about your guest?” Chapman looked toward the bathroom. Aside from Gibson, he was the only one who knew about the adjoining rooms. Wallace had had the wall knocked out and the door added. At the time it was so he had two rooms to pace, as if his own bedroom wasn’t large enough already.

  Now Wallace was glad he’d had the work done. Not even Lucky knew about it.

  “He’ll be joining us. Today your job is to shadow him, not me.” Wallace wasn’t taking any chances. He could defend himself, even with a fucked-up arm and migraines, but it always helped to have backup.

  “Whatever you want.” Chapman moved toward the door. “I’ll have the car brought around front.”

  Cold and brutal. That was the way Wallace had always been. Yet this morning he felt something stir inside him. The same stirring he’d felt whenever Winnie was around.

  Speaking of.

  Winnie entered Wallace’s bedroom, his hair disheveled, and he was rubbing his eyes, yawning. Wallace’s body hardened as soon as he laid eyes on him. “Good morning.”

  Winnie blinked several times, and the most adorable smile lit up his face. “Coffee. Tell me you have some. Need…now.”

  Wallace grinned as he licked his bottom lip. He wouldn’t mind going a few more rounds. He could still taste his mate on his lips. If he didn’t get them out of there, they’d never leave the room.

  “Get dressed and you’ll have as much coffee as you’d like.”

  It must’ve taken a moment for Wallace’s words to register. Winnie furrowed his brows, and then they shot to his hairline. “We’re going out?”

  Hope shimmered in his eyes. Wallace loved that look on his face. He crossed the room, cupped his mate’s cheeks, and kissed him as if he hadn’t gotten enough of him last night. “Hurry.”

  Winnie moaned, nipped Wallace’s lower lip, and then turned and ran into his room. While they were out, Wallace needed to get his mate some more clothes. Breakfast and shopping weren’t the only things on his agenda. He had to meet with Jack Raperty. He was Wallace’s accountant, and there were some things Wallace wanted to liquidate.

  Wallace had enough money to last three lifetimes, and he was getting tired of dealing with disreputable men. His grandfather had left his legacy to him, even though Wallace hadn’t wanted it.

  That kind of life wore on a person, aged them faster than anything else.

  Now was the time to spend with his mate, get to know him, and devote…wow. What the hell had gotten into him? Since when had Wallace grown so soft? Overnight? Because of Winnie?

  He rubbed his chest, noticing that he wasn’t rubbing his temples. If being around Winnie managed his migraines, Wallace would spend every waking moment with him. His arm still hurt, but he could deal with that pain.

  Gibson entered the room and looked at the untouched tray. “Bad day, sir?”

  “No, just going out for the day.”

  “You should drink your tea, at least.” Gibson went to the table and picked up the cup, trying to hand it to him. “It helps.”

  “Maybe with dinner.” Wallace went to the bathroom to check on Winnie. Before he could enter his mate’s bathroom, Winnie was hurrying toward him, a flush to his cheeks.

  He was so damn handsome. Wallace couldn’t help but kiss him again, slower this time, enjoying his mate’s body pressed against his. Wallace’s tiger agreed. It purred and wanted to take Winnie back to bed. Wallace had to resist. His mate needed to eat first.

  Winnie pulled back and covered his mouth. “I need to brush my teeth. I don’t know how you deal with the smell.”

  Wallace pressed his forehead against his mate’s. “You taste amazing, even if you scorched a few of my nose hairs.”

  Winnie slapped Wallace’s chest. “Rude. Let me brush my teeth and we can get out of here.”

  Wallace let Winnie go but didn’t leave the bathroom. He slid his hands over his mate’s hips and looked at him in the mirror, still amazed he’d found him.

  “I’ve been able to brush my teeth since I was a kid. I don’t need you watching me.”

  Wallace nibbled Winnie’s soft neck. “You’re telling me that you don’t want me touching you?”

  Toothbrush hanging from his mouth, Winnie pursed his lips. “I didn’t say that.”

  This felt…normal. Like something couples did all the time, something Wallace had never experienced before now. He’d had plenty of sex partners, but they’d never shared an intimacy quite like this.

  And Wallace wanted to experience it all with Winnie.

  “I’m not gonna move fast if you keep feeling me up,” Winnie warned. “You’re hindering my progress.”

  “Fine.” With a smile, Wallace backed up and held his hands up in a surrender gesture. “How’s this?”

  Winnie rolled his eyes, but he had a smile on his face. “One foot away?”

  Wallace placed a hand over his heart. “It’s all I can bare to be away from you.”

  Fuck, he really didn’t know who he was this morning. He never talked like that. He wasn’t the type to joke around or moon over someone. He just couldn’t make himself leave the bathroom, even when his mate took a piss. Wallace simply grabbed his own toothbrush from the other bathroom, came back, and brushed his teeth while Winnie washed his hands.

  Domestic. That was what this felt like. Wallace’s chest was warm with endearing emotions, and his tiger was purring. He’d heard that a mate could change one’s life, but Wallace had always been skeptical. His parents hadn’t been a shining example. They’d acted as if being together had been a chore. They’d been cold and distant from each other, his father cheating, his mother throwing parties so she could pretend her life was perfect.

  But with Winnie, Wallace knew things would be different.

  They made their way downstairs. Wallace looked around the entire time, praying Lucky didn’t show up or any of his other staff paid them too much attention.

  Chapman smiled at Winnie as he opened the back door for Wallace and Winnie to slide into the car.

  “Gorilla seems like a nice guy.” Winnie turned pink. “I mean Chapman. Sorry, that nickname is stuck in my head.”

  Wallace gave a soft laugh. “We’ll let that stay between us. Where do you want to go for breakfast?”

  “Maple Grove,” Winnie said. “The Diner Train makes all their food from scratch. Oh my god. You’ve got to taste their blueberry waffles.”

  Wallace’s mistrust raised its ugly head. He couldn’t help it and tried to keep his anger under control. “Are you sure that’s the only reason why you want to go back to Maple Grove?”

  Winnie frowned, and then his brows shot up. “Oh, the kidnapping!”

  Wallace didn’t like that word, but it was true. “Yes, that.”

  His mate laughed then got real quiet. He crossed his arms. “You don’t have to sound so pissy. Clearly I’ve forgiven you and Gorilla.”

  Chapman had gotten into the driver’s seat and was now turning to look over the seat at them. One brow was arched.

  “I guess it’s no longer between us,” Winnie whispered.

  “Where to, sir?” Chapman asked.

  “Maple Grove.” For the first time in a very long time, Wallace put his trust in someone else’s hands. It was truly frightening, to open himself up like this and leave himself vulnerable.