The Moonlight Breed 8: Leap in the Dark by Gabrielle Evans (chrysanthemum read aloud .txt) 📕

his features. His heart pounded a quick staccato that Xander could both feel and hear, and a symphony of deliciously erotic sounds poured from his mouth.

Leaning back just slightly to give Braxton more leverage, Xander fisted his lover’s bouncing prick and jerked the length in long, quick strokes. They enjoyed a healthy sex life, but having Braxton wrapped around him like a silk glove after going weeks without was wreaking havoc on his stamina.

His balls rolled, his sac tightened, and flames of need and desire enveloped him. Though Braxton was doing most of the work, sweat beaded across Xander’s forehead and rolled down his chest. His breathing was reduced to quick, short pants, accompanied by the occasional growl, and he wasn’t going to last much longer.

Upping the tempo, he worked Braxton’s shaft through his slippery fist, paying special attention to the sensitive flesh just under the crown. “You’re going to make me work for it, aren’t you, baby?”

Braxton shook his head quickly. “Close. Fuck!” His movements became jerky and uncoordinated as he dropped his forehead to Xander’s shoulder.

To Xander’s surprise, a familiar tingle tickled his gums, and his canines lengthened as his eyes shifted to that of his beast. Apparently his tiger couldn’t deny their mate, either. Abandoning the attention to Braxton’s cock, Xander fisted his hand in his lover’s hair and jerked his head back to expose the slender curve of his throat.

He struck hard, embedding his fangs through the supple skin and groaning deep in his chest when the first splash of blood bathed his tongue. A long, garbled cry burst from Braxton’s lips, and his body went rigid as ropes of creamy seed jetted from the tip of his cock.

His tight channel convulsed in waves, massaging Xander’s length and demanding his release. Extracting his canines, he looped his arm around Braxton’s waist, pulled him down firmly on his lap, and shuddered violently as a torrent of sticky semen filled his mate’s depths.

“Thank you,” Braxton panted as his arms encircled Xander’s neck, and he nuzzled against the side of his throat. “I love you so much, and I’m glad you’re back.”

Yeah, it had been touch and go for a while, but Xander had too much to live for to continue his downward spiral into the abyss. He was smart enough to know that it wouldn’t all be smooth sailing. He’d struggle with his depression, and some days would be better than others, but he’d lay down his life for Braxton. What was one little arm in comparison?

“Love you back, Braxton.” Even when he’d given up on himself, Braxton never had, and Xander was determined to be worthy of that devotion. “By the way, I like your hair.”

Soft lips stretched into a grin against his neck, and Braxton wiggled closer. “I wasn’t sure you noticed.”

“I was a little preoccupied what with you almost dying, but yeah, I noticed. It looks good.”

Braxton squeezed him hard, and a quiet breath floated over Xander’s skin. “We should probably shower.”

“Why?”

His lover leaned back and gave him an incredulous look. “Are you serious?”

Xander grinned devilishly and wiggled his eyebrows as he lowered Braxton back to the mattress and hovered over him. “The shower can wait.”

“Oh,” Braxton said with wide eyes. “Again?”

Chuckling under his breath, he lowered his mouth to slant it against his lover’s in a light, teasing kiss. “And again, and again, and again.”

Chapter Four

Even with the threat of some crazed goblins bent on exacting revenge looming over their heads, Braxton’s life was getting progressively better. Xander still couldn’t move his right arm, but in the week since he’d begun sessions with Dr. Araceli, his attitude about it had changed dramatically.

There were still times when Braxton would catch him staring off into space, or feel a hint of frustration floating off his lover. He supposed it was to be expected. No one just got over a life-changing event as though it had never happened, especially when Xander was plagued with a constant daily reminder of what he’d lost.

Logically and intellectually, he knew this. Emotions were anything but rational, however. It didn’t matter to him if Xander couldn’t move his arm, his leg, or anything from the neck down. He just wanted his love to be happy. Xander was getting better. He smiled more often and rarely snapped at his friends anymore. Braxton wasn’t deluding himself that everything was back to normal, though.

Logan and Talon had taken Xander out to do a little sparring. They’d practically had to club him over the head and drag him out of the dorm, but Braxton knew it would be good for his mate. If Xander wanted to return to his duties as an Enforcer, he was going to have to strengthen his weak arm and learn a different way of fighting to compensate for his disadvantage.

Braxton wasn’t sure how Xander was going to cope with the approaching full moon, either. Sure, the guy could take an Inhibitor and spend the night at home, but somehow, he felt that would create more problems than it would solve. Technically, there wasn’t anything saying that Xander couldn’t shift, but for some reason, he was being very stubborn about the whole thing.

“You ready?”

Braxton looked up from the contemplation of his coffee cup and bobbed his head at Keeton. “Yep, I guess we should go do the whole Welcoming Committee thing.”

The werewolf pack in Tennessee had finally released the captives from The Hive—the captives Xander had been helping rescue when he’d been shot. They’d been in Haven for nearly forty-eight hours, but with the recent security breach that had resulted in Oscar’s kidnapping, a two-day quarantine was necessary until it was established that they could be trusted.

Now that they’d been brought to the cabin next door to set up residence with Oscar and his friends, it was Braxton and Keeton’s job to welcome them to the pack and help the new members begin acclimating to life outside of the lab. Though they weren’t really shifters themselves—they couldn’t even shift their fingernails—it