Scent of a Mate 6
PRE-ORDER TODAY!AVAILABLE: Thursday, February 19th
For six years, Sawney Marshall was unable to claim his mate
due to political maneuvering and pride boundaries. He bided his time, plotting
and planning. When the call comes that Ricky is in trouble, Sawney races to
save him despite the consequences.
Ricardo de Luca had all but given up. It seemed like his
life had been a series of heartaches from being subjected to abuse by his pride
mates to not being able to be claimed by his mate. When his father’s protection
is removed and the abuse he has suffered for years escalates, Ricky despairs of
ever seeing his mate again.
When Sawney claims Ricky, he sets into motion a series of
events that will test their bond as well as those between prides. Can he depend
on his brothers to help him rescue Ricky or will he be alone as he goes after
his omega born mate?
STORY EXCERPT
"I talked to Sawney today."
Ricardo ‘Ricky’ de Luca stilled, his fingers spreading as
soil slid through them. His heart pounded hard causing his chest to ache. It
had been so long since he had heard that name or allowed himself to even think
of the man that haunted his dreams for so very long.
"He asked about you."
Ricky swallowed roughly. "Yeah?" His voice sounded
worn. He was tired. It took too much energy most days to merely function. He
didn’t have the strength to do more than that. He certainly didn’t have the
strength to give into the desires that constantly ate away at his control.
Only when he was
asleep and his guard was down were his desires strong enough to break through
the wall he had frantically built around himself just so that he could survive
to breathe another moment.
"He wanted to know how you were."
Ricky turned his head until he could see the vivid pink
flowers on his sister’s skirt. She did so love wearing the brightest colors she
could find. "What did you tell him?"
Maria shrugged. "What was there to tell him?"
Maria’s voice was sour, bitter, yet resigned. "You wake up. You play with
your plants. You go to bed. Sometimes in between you eat, but not nearly
enough. There wasn’t much else to tell."
"Maria—"
"Whatever." Maria turned and started back toward
the door of the greenhouse. She paused at the doorway, glancing back over her
shoulder, her angelic face lined with worry. "I love you, Ricky. You know
that. But I’m tired of watching you fade away to nothing. If you want to
continue to kill yourself, you’re on your own. I’m going to go stay with Aunt
Clara."
"No, wait, I…Maria, please!" Pure, unadulterated
panic shot through Ricky’s system like a run-away freight train heading for
broken track. He needed Maria. He couldn’t function without her. She was the
only bright spot in his life, the only reason he continued to draw in breath.
Without her…"Maria, you can’t—"
Maria’s caramel-colored eyes were suspiciously bright and
glossy when she replied, "I can and I am. Call me when you decide to come
back to the land of the living."
Maria turned and walked away before Ricky could find the
words to reply. When he finally did, they came out in a soft cry that slowly
turned to heart wrenching sobs that shook Ricky’s body until his muscles seized
and he finally collapsed on the ground.
Hours passed, moments ticking by at a snail’s pace. Time
came and went. The sun rose, light filtering through glass panes high up on the
roof of the greenhouse. Darkness eventually settled over the valley, blanketing
the sky with points of light a million miles away and still Ricky lay on the
ground, unmoving.
He had nothing to move for. Maria was gone. Sawney Marshall
was beyond his reach. His mother had been gone for more years than he cared to
remember. Only his loneliness and despair remained, clinging to Ricky like a
second skin. It never left him, always holding on, permeating his every move,
his every thought.
He had nothing but the stars in the night sky to keep him
company until he faded into nothingness. It shouldn’t take too long. He was
practically dead already and had been for months. His body just hadn’t gotten
the message yet.
"Come on, baby." Gentle hands reached for Ricky,
pulling him off the ground, cradling him close to a wide muscular chest wrapped
tightly in a black cotton T-shirt. A loose tendril of hair on Ricky’s cheek was
lightly fingered. "Time for you to come home."
Ricky inclined his head in compliance, turning his face
until his lips brushed against warm skin that tasted of musk and man and
everything right in the world. He inhaled deeply letting Sawney’s strong scent
invade his senses and sink into his soul. Sawney’s hands were rough on his sore
body yet gave Ricky a sense of protection he hadn’t felt in forever.
He tilted his head back to gaze up into eyes that had the
ability to steal every thought from his head. Sawney’s dark smoky blue eyes
were startling against his golden skin and thick coal black hair. There were
touches of humor lines around his mouth and near his eyes. He was even more
stunningly virile than ever.
"Sawney," he whispered on a slip of sound,
wanting, needy as he rubbed his face against Sawney’s skin.
"I’m here, baby."
Ricky wiped his tear-stained cheeks with the back of his
hand. He wasn’t wiping away the evidence of his breakdown. It was too late for
that. Everyone knew he was fragile, on the verge of falling off the edge of
reality and never coming back. He was strung too tight, his emotions chaotic
and out of control. But his cheeks were cold.
Sawney stood, lifting Ricky’s slight from his arms. There
was a disgruntled twist to his lips that spoke of his displeasure in how skinny
Ricky had become. Sawney didn’t make a sound, though. He simply headed for the
door of the greenhouse, the same door Maria had exited hours earlier.
"Oh, Sawney, I can’t—what if—" God, he was
terrified. The thick emotion consumed him.
Sawney’s dark eyebrows slanted into a frown, a muscle
flicking angrily in his jaw. "Let me take care of everything, Ricky."
He always had.
Ricky remembered the moment he became Sawney’s obsession. He
had been nineteen, a young man just learning about life. Sawney had been a
beautiful man from the neighboring pride, meant for things far greater than
Ricky.
Sawney had been on a mission for his alpha. Ricky had been
working at his part time job at the local general grocers. He had been sweeping
the walkway in front of the small brick building when Sawney pulled up on his
motorcycle. He had sat there and looked around, the king of all he surveyed.
And then his smoky blue eyes had landed on Ricky, and Ricky’s
world changed forever. The heat that had instantly ignited in Sawney’s eyes
singed Ricky to the bone. He still had the scars, at least on the inside. They
were burned into the very fiber of his being.
"I’m tired, Sawney." He could barely lift his
eyelids to look up at Sawney. It took effort, energy, and he had just enough
left to cling to Sawney, curling his fingers around the man’s shirt.
"I know, Ricky." Sawney’s chest began to rumble, a
deep purr filling the air, cocooning Ricky in its soft welcoming sound.
"Close your eyes and rest. I’ll keep you safe."
"No one can keep me safe."
And therein lay his problem.
ADULT EXCERPT
"You could touch me now…" Ricky stared at Sawney
with such longing that it took his breath away. "If you want to, I
mean."
"Is that what you want, Ricky?" He would never do
anything that would make Ricky uncomfortable.
"I just want to be yours." Ricky’s voice was a
mere whisper.
"Hey." Sawney grabbed Ricky’s chin and tilted his
mate's head back. "You are mine, Ricky. You’ve always been mine and no
power on Earth will ever change that."
Ricky’s eyes dropped, and then darted back up. Every time
their eyes met, Sawney’s heart turned over in response. Ricky looked so
nervous, the slow lick of his lips giving Sawney sensual fantasies that made
his cock hard and aching.
"Does that mean you don’t want to touch me?" The
smoldering flame Sawney saw in Ricky’s eyes startled him.
Sawney knew he needed to be careful with Ricky, but at the
same time he wanted to devour the man. Ricky was everything Sawney had ever
wanted in his life and hadn’t known he wanted until the man stood right in
front of him. Since that first day, Sawney had never even envisioned being with
anyone else. His world revolved around Ricky and finding a way to bring him home.
"Oh, Ricky, you have no idea how much I want you,
but—"
Ricky pressed his fingers against Sawney’s lips. "No
buts," he said in a voice that trembled. "Just kiss me."
Sawney groaned as he sank his fingers into Ricky’s honey
brown curls and tiled his head up, his tongue tracing the soft fullness of
Ricky’s lips.
Sawney slanted his mouth over Ricky’s, trying his best to
devour the man. He gently pressed into Ricky, becoming familiar again with the
sexy mouth he'd been dreaming about for the last several months.
Ricky’s hard cock pressed against him as he took the man’s
lips in a kiss rife with need. His own cock jerked in anticipation. He couldn’t
seem to get enough of Ricky. He wanted to consume him. He was delighted with
Ricky’s eager response when their tongues slid together and tangled.
Ricky whimpered when Sawney lifted his head. As much as he
wanted to go on kissing his mat, he had other plans for the gorgeous little
man.
Sawney watched Ricky’s eyes widen and then fill with delight
as he lifted his shirt and pulled it over his head. Ricky inhaled a shaky
breath, his eyes riveted on Sawney’s chest.
Sawney grinned as he grabbed Ricky’s hand and brought it to
his chest, pressing the palm against his hot skin. "You can touch me as
well, angel."
The soft stroke of Ricky’s fingers on his flesh sent
pleasant jolts through Sawney. He held his breath and stood still as Ricky
explored, moving from his collarbone down to the gentle swell of his pectoral
muscles, and then to his nipples. The little buds firmed instantly, shivers of
delight following Ricky’s touch.
"You’re so strong," Ricky whispered absently as
his fingers moved over Sawney’s muscular chest. His eyes dropped to his own
thin pale chest. "I’m not—"
"You’re perfect," Sawney argued.
Ricky gasped when Sawney cupped his face, pulling it toward
his once again. Sawney’s eyes locked onto Ricky’s luscious lips. They were
perfectly made for kissing, they were made for him.
Sawney’s hands slid up Ricky’s sides, and then wrapped
around him, pulling his body closer as he pressed their lips together. Ricky
opened, allowing Sawney’s tongue to do whatever the hell it wanted.
A moan of ecstasy slipped through his lips as their body
rubbed against each other, the friction maddening, and not nearly enough. Sawney’s
hands slid down Ricky’s body to the buttons of his pants. The sound of a
zippered being lowered ricocheted through the small bathroom like a shot.
Sawney lifted his head and stared down into Ricky’s
caramel-colored eyes. What passed between them in that moment was more than
desire. Sawney could see his soul reflected in Ricky’s smoldering eyes. There
was an awareness there, a deep connection that seared Sawney and inflamed him.
"Love you, Ricardo."
Ricky’s eyes shone bright in the pale bathroom light, slowly
beginning to shimmer with unshed tears. "Don’t ever stop," he
murmured on a broken breath. "Please don’t ever stop."
Sawney trailed a knuckle over the soft skin along the curve
of Ricky’s cheekbone. "Promise."
A weary sob fell from Ricky’s lips as he reached for Sawney.
The cold knot that had formed in Sawney’s stomach six years ago when he
realized he couldn’t claim his mate, slowly unfurled and faded away as he drew
Ricky into his arms.
"I’ll always love you, angel," Sawney whispered
against Ricky’s neck. He couldn’t conceive of ever not loving Ricky. The man
had held his heart for so long, he couldn’t remember when it didn’t belong to
Ricky.
Sawney lifted Ricky then set him on his feet. He unzipped
his pants and pushed them down his legs, Ricky stepping out of them. When Ricky
covered his groin with his hand, Sawney shook his head, dropping to his knees.
"Nu uh, sweetness, this is mine now."
Ricky’s face flamed red as he slowly dropped his hands back
to his side.
Sawney inhaled a shaky breath. "I’ve felt it through
your pants, babe, but I never really got a good look at it. That is one damn
impressive cock you have there."
Ricky’s thick erection stood proud, jutting out of a nest of
honey colored curls like it was waving hello. Just on a hunch, Sawney reached
up and encircled the wide girth with his hand.
"Damn, baby." His fingers didn’t touch. Ricky
wasn’t terribly long but he more than made up for that in thickness. "I
can wait to feel this beautiful thing pound my ass."
Ricky gasped, his eyes growing wide. "You’d let
me—"
Sawney cupped the side of Ricky’s face. "You’re my
mate. I’d let you do anything." In fact, he looked forward to it. Before
he met Ricky, no one had gotten into his ass, but he was starting to believe he
had just been saving himself for his mate. "You’ll be my first."
Ricky’s cock jerked.
Sawney grinned. "You like that idea, don’t you?"
The blush in Ricky’s face deepened. "Maybe."
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