Marked Northern Shifters 1

so the head of his cock was in. Alec was surprisingly open to him. He lifted Alec’s knees higher to get better access. Pushed deeper. Alec’s eyes rolled back in his head.
Liam filled him to the hilt and Alec was restless now, adapting to the invasion. Liam stopped moving, leaned forward and kissed Alec. Slow and thorough, lapping and nipping.
“Do you believe me?”
“Believe?” Alec repeated, bewildered. Liam loved how Alec responded to him, how he became so wholly absorbed by their lovemaking that he couldn’t think.
“I don’t get disease.” Liam withdrew slowly, then pushed in again.
“Christ. I don’t know.”
“It’s true.” He thrust again and Alec gave a sob of emotion. “I wouldn’t fuck bareback if it weren’t true. I care too much about you.”
Alec thrashed his head and said, “Too much,” and Liam didn’t know if that was an echo, or if Alec was feeling too much.
Again Liam pushed in and rested there, though he longed to move. “I should slow down?”
“No.”
“I love your mouth, Alec.”
“Huh?”
Stroking one heated cheek, Liam murmured, “So beautiful.”
Alec snorted in disbelief. “You’re the beauty, golden boy.”
Liam gave a faint smile. “Do you believe anything I say?”
Pushing down against him, Alec urged him to move. “Right now, I don’t care.” “I care.”
Alec pushed again.
“I’m clean, okay? Always will be.” Liam could see Alec didn’t entirely believe him, but was overwhelmed. Next time they made love Liam was not going to overwhelm. He swore it. “Also, I’m falling in love with you.” Hard .
“Don’t say it,” Alec begged.
“Why not?” he asked softly, trembling with the effort not to move.
“I just…can’t be disappointed right now. There’s been too much .” Alec emphasized the words, as if there was a wealth of meaning behind them and Liam should understand.
“Okay. I won’t say it again. But I wanted to explain—”
“I want you to move, Liam. Don’t make me beg.”
Liam smiled. Kissed Alec without really moving. He touched Alec’s two brown nipples and Alec groaned loudly, coming, spurting between them and jerking slightly with the effort.
Finally Liam moved. He’d waited because he was too hard to last, but he’d wanted their connection. He waited until Alec was spent and then Liam came, too, filling Alec who trembled beneath him. Shaking, he gathered Alec up and, thank God, Alec clung, making these incredible sounds in his throat. To Liam they were sounds of love.
When they both quieted, Alec pulled back to meet Liam’s gaze.
Liam brushed fingers over Alec’s damp brow. “You need to stop attacking me every time you want to make love.”
Alec flushed. “I can’t help it. You scare me.”
“Have I always scared you?”
“You don’t scare me now.”
“This is after.”
“I know,” said Alec, his expression wry.
Liam swallowed once, then blurted, “You’re my mate, you know.” So much for keeping quiet on the matter.
“Mate?” Alec bit his lip and Liam had to kiss him. When they stopped, Alec said, “As in…friend?”
“No. We werewolves mate for life. You’re mine. I’m yours. That’s what Seth meant.”
“Oh.” Alec’s eyes were wide, dark and beautiful. And unreadable.
“Sorry. Werewolves are always happy to congratulate others about their mates. They tend to get a bit maudlin. That’s why Seth kept smiling about it.” He was babbling. Liam didn’t know how Alec was taking this latest in a long list of developments.
A distant look on his face, Alec traced Liam’s collarbone. While Liam wasn’t sure what Alec made of this explanation, the light touch of his finger seemed promising. They still remain connected, though soon Liam would slip out.
“How can you mate a non-werewolf?” Now Alec traced the matching collarbone.
Liam nuzzled Alec’s neck. “Very easily.”
“ Nothing about this is easy .”
“Nothing? Once you stop wanting to beat me up—”
“I do not want to beat you up.”
“—it seems very easy indeed.”
Liam kissed Alec again, long and deep, so his lover went boneless in that way Liam loved. “We’ll figure this out as we go.”
Alec turned his head to the side. “You sound very sure of that.”
Of course. I can’t bear to lose you. But Liam knew he’d said enough and he kept quiet.
Chapter Twelve
    They showered together before they slept, tangled in that way Liam adored. This time Alec woke first and began nibbling the tendon where Liam’s shoulder and neck