“Please follow me.” Blake broke free and walked back to the shed. He led Graham over to something in the corner, covered in a tarp. When he pulled the cloth back, he exposed a cradle made of dark wood. “I’ve been working on this in my free time using leftover pieces.”
Crouching down, Graham ran his hand over the smooth edges and rocked the cradle. “It’s amazing you’ve done all of this in only a few days.”
“I still need to sand it finer, stain it and I want to stencil the sides. Tripp likes flowers, so I figured that would be a good decoration.”
Graham straightened. “He’ll love this.Ilove it. Thanks.”
“I want to leave something of me behind.” He gave Graham a watery smile. “Please don’t tell Tripp they’re coming for me.”
“I’ve already decided not to. It’s possible they won’t find you and my mate doesn’t need the extra time to worry, regardless.”
Blake nodded and re-covered the cradle.
The sound of the dinner bell reached them. They left the shed side-by-side, saying nothing more because there wasn’t anything to say. They both knew Blake had only a few more days before retribution caught up to him. Losing his brother was going to send Tripp into a frenzy of misery. The only thing Graham could do for his mate was to shower him with attention until the terrible time came, and hold him close when the inevitable happened.
****
Tripp lay flat on the bed, his heart racing and his breath labored. He wondered if he would ever become used to the incredible pleasure his mate lavished on him. It was still hard to believe that a dominant would want to suck his cock and empty his balls. But the grin Graham shot him as he crawled up to lie beside him left no doubt. The man had enjoyed himself, too.
His mate turned to face him, wrapping his arm around Tripp’s belly. “Mmm, that was delicious.”
“You really do like doing that, don’t you?”
Graham nuzzled his neck. “Of course. It makes you happy and I enjoy seeing you get aroused and come. Having that effect on you makes me feel powerful.”
Tripp place his hand over his mate’s. “You don’t find it…demeaning?”
“Why should I?” He nipped at Tripp’s jaw. “That’s what you learned back in your old life. You were given a warped view of what it means to be mated. I know it’s hard but try to put it aside.”
Tripp turned so that his lips brushed his mate’s cheek. “I will. It’s easier than you think because I trust you.” He’d almost said what was truly in his heart now.I love you.The ache he’d been feeling almost since the beginning had now taken shape into a stark truth. It was frightening on some level, yet reassuring on a more important one. He wasn’t sure Graham would want to hear about such sentiment, so he kept it to himself.
Clasping Tripp’s chin, Graham held him in place to kiss him deeply. The beta moaned loudly into his mouth and the man’s hard length pressed against his side. With his arm trapped between them, it was impossible to grab hold of his mate’s cock. Tripp wanted to reciprocate. An idea popped into his head, a wicked one, but one his mate would surely like.
When his lips were free, he made his offer. “Can I suck your cock?”
Graham’s dick jumped against his skin even as the man otherwise froze. “You don’t have to do that. I have had plenty of my own fun these last few days. Ignore my erection and try to get some sleep.”
Tripp tried to turn on his side. “But I want to. Really! May I? Please?”
Graham chuckled. “Okay. If you really feel up to it… We’ll need to position you in a way that isn’t awkward given the pup mound.”
Sitting up, the beta stared at him for a while before starting to reposition him. All of the pillows were piled up behind him, and Graham helped him rise a bit in order to recline against them. The man’s dick bobbed in front of him, red and the head shiny with pearls of cum. Tripp licked his lips at the thought of tasting his mate.
Graham grunted. “The way you look at me makes it hard not to come right now.” He palmed his shaft. “This is difficult to control, more so now that I’ve sunk it inside you. I know it can hurt you but I promise to keep from doing so. You need to trust me to guide you through this.”
With his gaze transfixed on the hard dick, Tripp nodded. “I will. I do.” He forced himself to look his mate in the eye. “Please, Graham, show me how I can pleasure you.”
Graham ran his fingers over the bulging mound of pup. “She makes this awkward but I’ll be mindful of her, too.”
With that promise made, the beta slowly straddled Tripp’s chest. The heat of the man hit his face in a wave and his musky scent caused Tripp’s nostrils to flare. He closed his eyes to savor the smell, but when the blunt head of his mate’s dick brushed against his lips, he opened them again. He wanted to see as much of what he was about to do as possible.
Graham held his cock downward with one hand and clasped the back of Tripp’s head with the other. As he pressed forward to breach Tripp’s mouth, he gently pushed his head to bridge the gap. Tripp opened wide to take the broad head in, but his mate didn’t allow him to do anything more than welcome the very tip. The satiny smooth skin slid easily past his lips and a burst of salty bitterness hit his tongue. Surprisingly, he found he liked the taste and was eager for more. He tried to take the dick in deeper. His mate held him in place, however, forcing him to be content with suckling on only this tiny amount. He compensated by licking the slit.
Graham groaned long and low, his eyes narrow and his chest heaving. “Gods, what you do to me. I’m going to let you try to take a little bit more. Open wide, baby.”
Tripp unhinged his jaw as much as he could, the corners of his lips strung tight. The rest of the beta’s wide cockhead filled his mouth, sitting heavily on his tongue. He swished it around and was rewarded with more cum dribbling out. He swallowed, his teeth grazing the part of the shaft lying behind them. His mate hissed and Tripp immediately jerked his mouth wider and tried to pull back in order to not hurt his mate again. Except Graham wouldn’t let him, holding him firmly in place with his hand.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. A little bit of pain can enhance the pleasure.” His voice was strained and he breathed heavily, almost painfully. “Fold your lips over your teeth.” He tipped his head back, the corded muscle of his neck jutting out as if he were straining. When he trained his gaze back on Tripp, he grinned. “You test my restraint as no one ever has. I’m going to fuck your face now—slowly. I won’t go so far as to choke you, but you should inhale as I pull back. Understand?”