Winter’s Caress(Brac Village 19)(14)

Dasani smiled as he used his hands when he spoke, whirling them around, back and forth, and every other direction. “There was this one time we were exploring when we heard something. Sheba whispered that there were aliens just beyond the brush.”

“And were there?” Winter smiled as he drew circles over Dasani’s stomach.

“No!” Dasani’s arms flailed around. “It was a boar. The dang thing chased us to the edge of the woods. I swore once or twice that I felt its tusks graze the backs of my legs. I was scared out of my mind but laughed the whole way. So did Sheba.”

“It sounds like you and your sister are close.”

“We are.” Dasani’s voice grew solemn. “My father told us that we were to mate, that we were destined to be together because of our bond.”

Dasani’s confession had Winter’s anger rising. This little elf was his, no one else’s. Regardless of what his mate’s father said, Winter was going to claim Dasani, and that would be the end of it. “And what did you say?”

When Dasani tensed, Winter skimmed his hand over the man’s chest and felt Dasani’s heartbeat racing. “I ran,” Dasani said. “And Sheba did, too. But both of us went back home. We try our best to stay out of our father’s way.”

“Tell me another happy memory.” Winter was seconds away from asking Dasani to stay with him, but the choice had to be Dasani’s. He wanted his mate confident enough in what was between them to make that choice on his own.

Dasani shook his head. “Your turn.”

As Winter spoke, he skimmed his hand down Dasani’s stomach, going lower and lower toward the hard erection laying against his mate’s abdomen. When his knuckles brushed the weeping head, Dasani sucked in a breath. But Winter moved his hand upward. He had told the truth when he said he would go slow. Although he wanted to take his mate right here, right now, with Dasani being so inexperienced, that wouldn’t be wise. He had to ease his mate into this.

“My father gave me most of my fond memories,” Winter confessed. “He was a strong man who worked hard to provide for us, but it was the times when he invited me to hang out in the garage that I cherish the most.”

“He sounds like a great dad,” Dasani said.

“He was.”

“Was?” Dasani frowned.

Winter didn’t want to go there. The memories of what had happened to his parents would only kill the mood, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. “He loved working with his hands. He had this old Buick that he loved, and he would tinker with it on the weekends. I was his official helper. I learned all about fixing cars from him. He had me crawling through the engine by the time I was nine.”

“Did he ever fix it?” Dasani asked.

“He tried,” Winter said. “But with money so tight, he could never really afford the parts. He had many projects he worked on, though. I helped him build my fort in the backyard. It wasn’t fancy, but I cherished it and slept many nights out there in the summer. Once in a while he camped out with me, and he’d tell me stories of when he was growing up.”

“I wish my father—” Dasani sighed and shook his head. “I would have loved to have met him.”

“He would have liked you,” Winter said, and it was the truth.

“Any siblings?”

“Nope, just me,” Winter said as he brushed his hand over the head of Dasani’s cock. His mate groaned and scooted closer.

“W–what about Ryker?” Dasani asked, his voice a mere whisper as he slid his hand down Winter’s bicep. The man was relaxing, and that was exactly what Winter wanted.

“We hung out when we could, but his parents—especially his mother—didn’t like their only son associating with people beneath them.”

“But you’re cousins!” Dasani tilted his head back until he was staring into Winter’s eyes. The green in his mate’s eyes reminded Winter of dark emeralds. “Why would they forbid the two of you from bonding?”

Winter shrugged. “White Bengal tigers can be arrogant and haughty. Most are. But I was blessed with great parents who had their feet planted firmly on the ground. They didn’t believe they were above others. My dad’s best friend was a wolf shifter. That alone pissed my aunt off.”

“Language,” Dasani reminded him. “That’s too bad, though. But it seems you two are close now. I mean, he lives here, right?”

“We try,” Winter said. “But Ryker is more of a recluse. Always has been. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s just who he is.”

When Winter wrapped his fingers around Dasani’s cock, his mate moaned and thrust his hips. Winter lowered his head and brushed his lips over Dasani’s before he plunged his tongue deep. His mate opened to him, parting his lips as his hand curled around Winter’s arm.