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“No?” he said, even though he surely knew the answer.

I already showed him physically how much he meant to me, but I made a mental note to make sure I said it more often. My strong, brilliant, self-confident little bird was a bit high-strung and more than a bit high-maintenance, which pleased me to no end. With him, I’d always be needed and I’d never get bored.

“I’m staying here for you, Vy.” I tangled one hand in the back of his hair and wrapped the other around his throat. “You’re mine, remember?”

The green in his eyes bled out to gold, and his nostrils flared.

“No way am I leaving you. Doesn’t matter where you want to live—I’ll be by your side every day and in your bed every night.” Lowering my face until our lips were a breath’s distance apart, I rasped, “You can count on that, rely on it, because I am never letting you go.”

His sigh was full of relief. “I love you.”

I slanted my lips over his, held him in place, and plundered his mouth, sucking on his tongue, then twirling mine with it and making sure he could feel my hunger for him, my desire in every touch. Letting go only so we could breathe, I panted and looked into his eyes.

“Tell me we’re done fighting and it’s time to make up.”

“We’re done,” he confirmed.

“Excellent.” It didn’t take us long to rid ourselves of our clothes, and then I sat back on the couch and pulled Vy onto my lap. He planted his knees on either side of my hips and humped his groin against mine. Grasping his ass with both hands, I pulled him closer, kneading and massaging, encouraging his movements.

“Robert,” he said breathlessly. “I’m close.”

“You want to cum like this the first time?” I slid my fingers into his crease and over his puckered skin.

“First time?” He kept rocking, rubbing our cocks together.

“Mmm-hmm.” I dipped my face and licked at the mark on his neck. “I figure makeup sex should include at least three orgasms.”

He trembled. “’Kay.”

“Ready for number one?” I increased the pressure of my fingertip against his rosebud.

Clutching my shoulders and humping against me faster, Vy groaned and nodded.

In one move, I shoved my finger into his hole and bit his neck, piercing the skin and claiming him all over again.

“Robert!” he shouted as liquid heat pulsed between us.

“Mmm,” I moaned and slid my hand over his belly, rubbing his seed into his skin. “That was number one.”

I swooped him into my arms and carried him to the bedroom. We slid between the cool sheets and back into each other’s arms. Vy hooked his leg over my hip, I licked his lips, and we got started on the next round.

“R
OBERT
?” V
Y
was cuddled against me, most of his body on top of mine, resting his head on my chest.

“Uh-huh.” I combed my fingers through his silky hair.

“What are you going to do about your job? How will you do it without traveling?”

“Oh, I’m not. I put in my notice already. They know this is my last assignment.”

His smile was huge. “Yeah?”

“’Course. And I have a new job all lined up.”

“You do?” he asked in surprise. “When did that happen?”

“Just this morning, actually. Well, I’ve been working on it, but I got the call this morning.”

“A job here in Elk River?” he squawked.

“Yup. Ginny Jade is best friends with the principal over at the high school.” I caressed his arm. “Did you know she’s a vegan?”

“Uh, no.”

“Well, she is. And she needed someone to teach AP biology and coach a sport. Turned out they were a little short in both areas. So Ginny invited the two of us to lunch, I talked to her, and today she called and gave me the job.”

“That’s perfect for you,” he said excitedly, practically bouncing. I loved his energy. The man had cum three times in two hours; the fact that he was still awake, let alone alert, was amazing. “The teenagers in the ket already worship you. What are you coaching? Football? Basketball?”

“Yoga,” I said and waggled my eyebrows.

“Uh, yoga?”

“Uh-huh.”

“They have yoga at the high school?”

“Nope. But they will now.”

“Yoga?”

I nodded. “Want me to show you?”

Though he didn’t look completely certain, he said, “Okay, sure.”

“Great.” I hopped out of bed. “We’ll start with downward dog.” I paused and smiled at him. “Do you know what that is?”

“Uh-uh.”

We were already naked, which was going to make the lesson so much more fun.

“Don’t worry,” I assured him. “I’m a professional.”

Then I arranged my little bird on his hands and feet with his body in the shape of an upside down V and his ass in the air. With me standing and him on the bed, his delectable backside was at mouth level. Resisting temptation like that was impossible, so, as it turned out, we had to cut our lesson short. Even so, it was the most fun I’d ever had doing yoga. And the makeup-sex orgasm count went up to four. I added another item to the long list of reasons I adored my little bird’s fiery disposition.

“E
XPLAIN
IT
to me again,” I asked as we drove to the Reyes’s house.

“What is there to explain?” He darted his gaze to me and then back to the road. “It’s a ket meeting.”

Sure, sure. A ket meeting. I’d been to those, oh, never. I’d never been to a meeting of any shifter group. Spending a lifetime avoiding shifting and any long-term relationships sort of had that impact.

“You said that, but, Vy, I have no clue what it means,” I reminded him. “Like, is there an opening oath or prayer or something?”

His eyebrows nearly touched his hairline. “An opening prayer?” he repeated incredulously.

“So that’s a no on the prayer, then?” I bobbed my head. “Okay, we’re finally getting somewhere. What about a dance. Is there an opening dance?”

He flicked his gaze toward me. “You’re fucking with me now, right?”

On that last one, yes, I was. “If you’d just tell me the agenda, it might help.”

“The agenda?”

“Yes. It’s a meeting. Meetings have agendas.”

“This isn’t work.” He reached his hand over and squeezed my knee. “The ket is like a family. We get together, eat, mingle, chat, and if there’s something everyone needs to hear, Lou screams at them to sit down and shut up, and then I fill them in.”

The visual of that made me smile. “Sounds fun.”

“It is.”

The town was so small it didn’t take long to get anywhere, so by the time I had a better understanding of where we were going, we were already there. The house was bigger than I expected, and I guessed that had to do with the number of people living there.

“I count six bicycles, two Big Wheels, and a scooter,” I said. “Are those duplicates or do these people have nine kids?”

“Ten.” Vy put his truck in park and pulled out the keys. “The baby’s not quite one yet. I’m sure they’ll get him some sort of riding toy just as soon as he can walk.”

“Wow.”

Vy chuckled.

The second we stepped out of the truck, Vy was swarmed by men and women asking questions and needing advice. As he was swept away in a sea of people who seemed to hang on his every word, I leaned against the truck and watched him in his element. His back was straight, his head held high, and his expression serious and focused. There was no doubt he took his responsibility seriously and that his ket greatly respected him.

Feeling proud, I smiled just as he glanced up and met my gaze. He arched one eyebrow in question, presumably asking why I was smiling.

“I love you,” I mouthed.

He flushed, and even from a distance, I could see gold seeping into his eyes.

“Robert,” he called. “C’mere. Let me introduce you.”

Taking in a breath of the clean evening air, I hustled over to the group with Vy at its center.

“Who’s that?” a man I’d never met asked.

“I’m Vy’s mate.”

My little bird trembled in reaction to my easy announcement, and the gold swallowed his eyes. Grasping his hand, I stood by his side, lending my quiet support and making sure he was safe and happy. That day and every one going forward.

C
ARDENO
C
.—CC to friends—is a hopeless romantic who wants to add a lot of happiness and a few “awwws” into a reader’s day. Writing is a nice break from real life as a corporate type and volunteer work with gay rights organizations. Cardeno’s stories range from sweet to intense, contemporary to paranormal, long to short, but they always include strong relationships and walks into the happily-ever-after sunset. Cardeno feels that characters write their own stories and just hopes to find enough time to get those stories on the page.

Cardeno’s Home, Family, and Mates series have received awards from Rainbow Awards, the Goodreads M/M Romance Group, and various reviewers. But even more special to CC are heartfelt reactions from readers, like, “You bring joy and love and make it part of the every day.”

You can learn more about Cardeno’s writing at

http://www.cardenoc.com/.

M
ARY
C
ALMES
lives in Lexington, Kentucky, with her husband and two children and loves all the seasons except summer. She graduated from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, with a bachelor's degree in English literature. Due to the fact that it is English lit and not English grammar, do not ask her to point out a clause for you, as it will so not happen. She loves writing, becoming immersed in the process, and falling into the work. She can even tell you what her characters smell like. She loves buying books and going to conventions to meet her fans.

http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com

The Home Series
by
C
ARDENO
C.