“If by herbs you mean an invasion of ragwort and knotweed, then it’s absolutely fucking thriving.”
Pember chuckled. “So you’re saying we won’t be having a strawberry harvest this year?”
“I can bury some strawberries if it’d make you feel better?”
Pember snorted and shook his head. “Speaking of knotweed.” He pressed his hand between Blake’s palms, sliding his forefinger along the crease of his thumb. “How’re you feeling?”
Blake’s hips shifted, his tight black tennis shorts doing absolutely nothing to hide the hard line between his legs. His hair had grown lighter in the summer, both him and his wolf taking on a dusted cinnamon colour. It was thicker, too, and his eyes were dark and wild. His wolf was front and centre, had been for several days.
Blake’s toned thighs twitched, and he ran a hand up Pember’s arm. “Not bad. But I’ll probably have to go inside soon.”
His omega wolf shivered, and Pember had to stop himself from clambering into Blake’s lap. Up until then, Blake had dealt with his ruts on his own as he didn’t trust his wolf not to accidentally knot Pember.
In the two months they’d been living together, his lupine side had become more persistent, making his ruts last longer and his body run hotter. He was moodier when they went out in public, and just the other day Pember had thought he was going to take the poor cashier’s hand off when it brushed against Pember’s at the greengrocers. It’d been difficult for them both, but they’d made it work.
Blake leant forwards, giving Pember a slow, open-mouthed kiss. His fingers brushed over Pember’s Adam’s apple before closing around the nape of his neck.
Something had changed in the last week. Blake seemed wholly unable to stop touching Pember’s throat. When they cooked, met up for coffee at work, walked the dogs, sat in the car or on the sofa. Blake’s fingers were there, all over Pember’s scent gland. It was maddening, and it made Pember want to wrench the alpha’s jaws open with a car jack so he could lay his throat beneath his fangs.
Pember gave a playful smile, leaning back in the deckchair. Wetting his lips, he spread his knees a little, letting his shorts strain over his own burgeoning erection.
Blake’s eyes darkened in a way that was all wolf. “Pem,” he said, voice so low it made every hair on his body stand on end. He brushed his fingertips over Pember’s ankles, immediately twitching as electricity prickled between them.
Pember couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment he knew he wanted to be knotted. Perhaps it was in the way his wolf calmed every time Blake was near. Perhaps it was because they made love in the middle of the night with nothing but the moon and the stars looking down on them. They woke up together every morning. Cleaned their teeth shoulder to shoulder. Walked the dogs and ran together in the woods. Every little brush of their skin solidified what he already knew. Blake was his, and he wanted it to be in more than deeds on a house.
Pember raised an eyebrow, spreading his legs wider until they dangled over the arms of the chair. He ghosted a hand over his own thigh, tugging at the hem of his shorts. He wasn’t wearing underwear, so he was pretty sure Blake was getting an eye full of his crease.
Blake’s throat rumbled, and he leaned forwards to bury his face between Pember’s legs. Inhaling, he opened his mouth andsucked the skin, leaving a deep red love bite on the inside of his thigh. “You’re fucking lucky we don’t have neighbours yet,” he said, nudging Pember’s shorts with his nose.
Pember huffed out a laugh. “About that,” he whispered, running his hands through Blake’s hair. “Today might be the last time we have the woods to ourselves. The new tenants move in tomorrow morning, right?”
Blake sighed. “Unfortunately.” His voice was muffled by Pember’s crotch.
“Well, what if I had an idea?”
“Mhm?” Blake mumbled, kissing his midriff.
Pember tilted his hips so his cock rubbed against the seam of the denim. “Why don’t we go for a walk? Pick some apples for a strudel?”
Blake hummed against his belly. “I’m not really in the mood for strudel, Pem,” he said, pushing up Pember’s T-shirt to take one of his nipples into his mouth.
Pember shivered. “Oh? That’s too bad.” He rubbed the top of his foot between Blake’s legs, feeling how his cock leapt at the touch.Fuckhe was hard. “Ireallywanted to try and find that little grove again.”
The alpha groaned, then let out a long breath. “Fine. But don’t complain if I have to crack one off in the bushes.”
Pember laughed and bit his lip. “Perhaps I’ll just report you to the wildlife officer. Pervert spotted in the woods.”
Blake smirked, biting Pember’s hip. “I’ll get the dogs.”
Pember gently tugged his hair. “I think we’ll leave the dogs at home today.”
Pember walked ahead, Blake stalked behind. Having the alpha at his back alone in the woods was doing all sorts of funny things to Pember’s tummy. His skin tingled, and his tongue felt too large in his mouth. He had the compulsive urge to run and let Blake chase him.Oh no… you caught me.
Glancing over his shoulder, he found Blake staring at him with blown-out eyes. In fact, he was pretty certain Blake hadn’t taken his eyes off him since they entered the woods.
It was cool under the thick canopy, the earlier humidity dropping away. But it didn’t stop the tingle or the growing heat in Pember’s groin. Turning his eyes back to the path, he subtly squeezed his aching cock over his shorts, feeling how it twitched against his palm. He’d been horny outside of heats, but notthisfucking horny.
Sparing one last glance at Blake, he grinned and began peeling off his T-shirt. His nipples stung when the fabric brushed over them, the rest of his skin pebbled with gooseflesh. Blake was breathing hard at his back, a tight ball of compressed energy across the bond.
