Pleasure built in Ian’s body; he shuddered, leaking onto the bed.
When Brad stroked Ian’s shoulder, Ian grabbed his hand, pulling it in front of his face.
“Ian...?” Brad panted, his length rocking inside.
Ian kissed up Brad’s forearm. Then he paused at Brad’s wrist, where Brad’s scent gland was, smelling like musk and walnut.
Ian kissed the sensitive spot; Brad went still. Through the mirror on the dresser, Ian glimpsed Brad’s face—his eyes wide, his mouth falling open. “Ian—”
“Yes?” Ian whispered, dragging his teeth against Brad’s skin. He wanted to mark Brad, and Brad groaned, pressing his forehead against Ian’s back.
“Yeah,” Brad rasped. “I’m all yours.”
So Ian sank his teeth into Brad’s wrist, right into his scent gland, deep enough that he drew blood.
Brad jerked against him, panting, musk coiling between them both. “Fuck, Ian. Just—fuck.”
Brad grew thicker inside Ian, and his breathing became ragged, his hands clumsy, desperate on Ian’s skin. “Need to—” Brad panted “—need to make you mine.”
His strokes grew deeper, harder, and Ian’s nerves sizzled with Brad’s touch.
Brad caught Ian’s hand, fumbling. Then he pulled Ian’s hand toward himself, and Ian’s heart skipped.
Like Ian had done, Brad kissed Ian’s wrist, where his scent gland was. He licked over it, his tongue damp and soft. Then the points of his teeth scraped Ian’s skin, and Ian’s breath shuddered out of him.
Brad would mark him again.
“Mine,” Brad whispered.
“Yours,” Ian answered, his pulse thundering. He wanted to be Brad’s; gods, yes he did.
Brad sank his teeth into Ian’s scent gland, and pain and pleasure twisted through Ian’s body, going right down to Ian’s cock. Ian gasped, his body alight, his need intensifying. Brad had marked him again. “More.”
“Yeah?” Brad rolled his hips, plunging deeper into Ian. “All of my cock?”
“And your knot,” Ian panted. “Please.”
Brad growled, anchoring his hands on Ian’s hips. Then he began to build a rhythm, grinding his cock against Ian’s prostate, sometimes hitting it, sometimes missing. With every stroke, Ian’s cock throbbed, and his balls ached, needing to release his come.
“I wanna taste you,” Brad panted, anchoring Ian against him, his cock ravenous in Ian’s body. “Wanna fill you up. My omega.”
“All yours.” Ian groaned, his body squeezing around Brad. Brad bit into Ian’s shoulder, his strokes growing faster, harder. “Brad—A-ah, f-fuck!”
Brad reached down, closing his hot fist around Ian’s cock. Ian shuddered with pleasure, his cock pulsing in Brad’s grip.
“Mine forever,” Brad rasped in Ian’s ear.
It triggered something inside Ian; he didn’t know what.
Ian’s climax crashed through him, bright-white and blissful, and all he felt was Brad surging inside him, Brad’s body curved possessively around his own. Ian cried out and shuddered, his spine arching, his body clenching.
Brad swore. Ian felt the moment Brad came, when Brad’s hands tightened around him, and he drove deep inside. Then he stopped, his come spurting hot into Ian’s body, his knot beginning to swell.
“Fuck,” Brad panted, leaning his forehead against Ian’s nape. He tightened his grip around Ian’s chest, pulling him close. “Mine. Feels so good to have you back.”
Brad’s chest heaved against him, damp with sweat. He rolled them both onto the bed, and Ian twisted around, needing to see his alpha. He fumbled, his belly getting in the way.
Brad pulled his cock out; Ian whined.
“I’ll give it back,” Brad murmured. He turned Ian onto his back, opened Ian’s legs, and fitted himself between them. Then he slid his damp cock back inside Ian, slowing down when his growing knot pushed against Ian’s hole, stretching him wider. Pleasure hummed through Ian’s body; they both groaned.
Slowly, Brad eased his knot into Ian. It swelled further, locking their bodies together. Ian purred. This, too, felt like home, when his skin smelled like his alpha, when Brad had thoroughly claimed his body, when their baby lay between them, in Ian’s belly.
“Now the bed smells like you,” Brad murmured, pressing their foreheads together. “Been a while since it felt right.”
Ian blushed. “I’m sorry for leaving.”
“And I’m sorry I didn’t give chase.” Brad stroked Ian’s hair away from his face, caressing his cheek. “But you marked me.”
He smiled then, delight filling his eyes, and Ian’s heart swelled.
“Yes, I did.” Ian’s cheeks warmed. He’d marked Brad on impulse. But now there was drying blood on Brad’s wrist, in the shape of Ian’s teeth. Brad truly belonged to Ian now, and it was... new. Amazing.
“Mine,” Ian whispered, awed by the alpha that leaned over him, Brad’s eyes warm, filled with love.
Brad leaned in, kissing Ian softly on the lips. “I might not be the best,” he murmured. “But I promise I’ll be the best person I can be.”
Ian pressed his palm to Brad’s chest, feeling the thump of his heart. “Do you still feel guilty? About those children.”
Brad blew out a breath. “I probably always will.”
Ian didn’t want that for him. It was a great weight, carrying guilt around. “What if I said that, with every life you save, you’re repaying your debt to those children? You’re still saving people. Still doing good in this world.”
Brad thought about it for a minute. “Maybe. I could try to believe that.”
He’d agreed so much quicker than Ian had with Brad’s request, that Ian thought maybe he should be a little more like his alpha. A little more forgiving on himself.
“There’s so much to love about you,” Ian murmured. “You’re brave. You don’t hold grudges, and you... see so much about everyone.”
“Including you.” Brad smiled wryly. “I’ve told you, you’re so much better than you think you are.”
“Maybe I’ll believe that.” Ian cracked a smile. “If you can... I should be able to, as well.”
“So do it,” Brad said. “Say, ‘I am worthy.’”
Ian swallowed, suddenly nervous. Agreeing to something, and doing it, were completely different beasts.
Brad raised his eyebrow. “Well?”
Ian rolled the words on his tongue. I am worthy. It almost sounded like a lie. But maybe Ian could lie to himself, too.
