“Much older than that. Do you live here in Louisiana?”
Pierce shook his head before realizing Red wasn’t looking at him. He used his words instead. “No. I live in Tennessee. I come here for Halloween every year. It’s my only treat for myself. I would like to move here eventually, though. People aren’t as accepting where I’m from. If you tried to hold my hand in my town, you’d get a ton of dirty looks, if not outright confrontation.”
“No I wouldn’t.”
There was a definite growl to Red’s voice this time. Pierce thought it over. “Yeah, I suppose people would take one look at you and choose to stay quiet. I’m not very intimidating, though.”
Red stopped walking and met Pierce’s stare. “Are you intimidated?”
Pierce eyed Red’s huge size and searched his heart. Celeste had told him not to be afraid, and he wasn’t. Pierce had always been searching for something, and he had always felt more at home in New Orleans. He couldn’t help but wonder if something had been leading him here. “No,” he finally answered. “I am somewhat confused, though. This woman just appeared from nowhere and handed me a paper with this address on it. Then an Uber I didn’t order arrived to bring me here. The minute I get here, the paper just disappears like all that never happened. I know that sounds insane, especially now that I’m saying it out loud, but that’s what happened. Should I be freaking out? Or maybe you should be since I sound like a crazy person right now.”
A bright smile snapped to Red’s lips. Pierce barely fought back a sigh. The man truly was too sexy for words. “I believe you. You’re not crazy. Everyone here knows Celeste. You won’t find a single person at this gathering who thinks you’ve gone insane. Everything you think is real, is.”
The clouds shifted. The full moon brightened the spot where they stood, highlighting Red’s harsh features. His eyes shimmered—like an animal’s would. Pierce’s heart sped. It wasn’t a flash or trick of the light. Pierce wasn’t imagining things. Red stood too closely for Pierce to deny what he saw. His mouth went dry. He shifted an inch to the right. Some fucked-up late-to-the-game sense of fight or flight kicked in. The hair stood on the back of his neck. Howls rent the air around them—like they were surrounded on all sides. Red’s hungry gaze never wavered from Pierce. The air seemed to sizzle and pop.
“Don’t be afraid.”
Everyone kept saying that. Pierce didn’t want to be. “Maybe I should go.”
Red took a step closer. Pierce tried to take a step back, but his body was frozen in fear. Red leaned closer and inhaled—like drawing in Pierce’s scent. His lips brushed the side of Pierce’s neck. Then he rubbed his forehead against Pierce’s neck. Mine. The claim brushed Pierce’s brain like a soft caress. He unmistakably heard Red’s voice in his head. Red shuffled even closer. He rubbed his forehead against Pierce’s chest—like he was nuzzling him. Mine. Without thought, Pierce’s hands rose. He cupped Red’s face, drawing him closer. Red turned his head and kissed Pierce’s wrist. Mine. Pierce’s body responded as Red’s voice continued filling his head. You’re mine. If you run, I’ll find you.
“I’m not running.”
As the claim left Pierce’s lips, Red invaded his space. His mouth found Pierce’s. Pierce didn’t back down. He opened, allowing Red’s tongue to fill his mouth. Bark bit into his back as Red shoved him against a tree. Pierce found himself pushing the leather vest down Red’s arms. He suddenly didn’t want anything between them. Pierce didn’t recognize himself any longer. Red’s overwhelming kiss broke Pierce down to his most primal. There were no thoughts about Red being a stranger he had met ten minutes ago. Pierce was nothing more but heart and need at that moment.
With the vest gone, Pierce went to work on Red’s jeans. They weren’t hard to unbutton or unzip. It was like Pierce’s strength had doubled or Red’s clothing didn’t stand a chance against Pierce’s will. He didn’t realize, until air brushed the cheeks of his ass, that Red had been peeling away his clothing. They parted only long enough for Red to steal Pierce’s shirt. This time, when their bodies met, nothing stood between them. Pierce gasped as their bare skin collided. It was like a zap of electricity ran through him. He found himself biting at Red’s lips, incapable of controlling his desire to be even closer than skin on skin. Pierce had never felt this crazed. If Red stopped now, Pierce would die.
In a flash, Red spun Pierce in his arms. Pierce didn’t have time to be disappointed about hugging a tree. Red bit a path down Pierce’s back until his teeth sank into Pierce’s ass cheek. A low moan fell from Pierce’s lips. Red dragged his hips backward. A movement in the bushes nearby captured Pierce’s gaze. A huge white and black striped beast leapt from one spot to the next, nearly shaking the ground while chasing after some guy at full speed. Laughter rang through the woods, as if the guy played a game of chase rather than him being about to die.
“Did I just see a white tiger?”
No answer came from behind Pierce. Instead, there was a powerful lick swiping his asshole. Pierce’s eyes fell closed. If he died from a tiger attack, then he died. This was a hell of a way to go. The lapping at his asshole felt way better than he ever expected. Red’s tongue felt kind of sticky. Pierce couldn’t explain his strange thought. No one had ever done this to him. Pierce’s dick was leaking, and he was kind of embarrassed by how much. Was his dick supposed to be this wet when he hadn’t come yet? His mind was a mess. He had never been this turned on in his life. His thoughts were all over the place.
Red fingered him. “So tight.”
Pierce couldn’t open his eyes. Everything felt too good. Red’s voice sounded inhuman—like an animal growling. Red’s fingers were stretching him and gliding in and out—like Red had lube stashed in the tree. Everything about the situation should have been strange, but it was as if Pierce had been drugged. He felt like he was floating on a cloud. Then Red found that internal button and started massaging.
“Tell me you’re mine.”
Pierce would say anything as long as Red didn’t stop. “I’m yours.”
Pierce’s feet left the ground as Red impaled him with a much larger appendage. A yelp escaped Pierce. He hadn’t been expecting the pain or the girth. Red held him against his chest and made soothing noises against his ear. He held still inside Pierce, giving Pierce time to adjust to the invasion. The pain started to ebb.
Red licked his ear. “That’s it, puppy. You can take it. Only a little more.”
More? Goddamn. Had he said more?
“You can do it,” Red said, soothing Pierce as he rocked forward.
Pierce clung to the giant forearm across his chest as Red seemed to grow even wider inside him. He squirmed. Whimpers escaped him as his asshole stretched. Things hit a fevered pitch when Pierce found himself stretched to the point of tears. He bit Red’s forearm, clamping down harder as Red eased his way inside. Blood filled his mouth as he swore a baseball filled his ass. Then Red shoved and Pierce saw stars. The girth he had thought would kill him slammed against his prostate, pushing jets of cum from his cock. Red’s teeth sank into his throat, making Pierce’s orgasm twice as powerful. Pierce’s body jerked and shook as Red held him in place and fucked him senseless. There were no thoughts left in Pierce’s head. He was a slave to his body’s reaction. Waves of ecstasy hit like aftershocks. The primal urge to lick the wound he had caused on Red’s arm overcame him. He swiped away the blood with his tongue. A loud howl sounded at his back. Instead of fear, pride filled Pierce as Red twitched at his back, making sounds Pierce had never heard before.