Free His to Claim by Alice Cain Page A

vow.
    Alex blinked back the tears filming his
eyes. It annoyed the crap out of him to be so emotional around this man, but it
also felt pretty incredible. He couldn't help making a small joke though. He
ran a hand over the extra-large cock pressing against the zipper of Kyle's
pants and gave his lover his best lascivious wink. "Maybe you shouldn't
make promises you can't keep."
    But instead of taking the bait and laughing
with him, Kyle pulled him closer, nearly cutting off his ability to breathe.
When his man held him he often brought a whole new meaning to the words
"bear hug." As always, Kyle let go in plenty of time for Alex to take
a deep breath before he passed out.
    "It's a promise I will keep," Kyle said in a determined tone. "We'll make
sure you're relaxed and ready and properly stretched and…"
    Alex pressed a kiss to his lover's mouth,
pushing his tongue inside when he thought Kyle might try to talk again. When he
thought he had his lover's worries thoroughly derailed, he broke the kiss and
gazed into his mate's eyes. " Ky , I'm not
afraid."
    "Can I be?"
    "Be what?" Alex asked, not quite
sure what his mate was asking.
    "Can I be a little bit afraid?"
Alex was pretty certain he was wearing his "what the fuck?"
expression, because Kyle leaned in to kiss him briefly again before explaining.
"I want to be buried inside you more than I've ever wanted anything in
this world, but I don't want to lose you."
    "You think I'll leave if I don't like
it?"
    Kyle gave him a lopsided smile that
suggested that was exactly what he was thinking.
    "You know I'm not that shallow,
right?" Alex asked, unable to hide his annoyance.
    Kyle shook his head but quickly stopped when
he realized he was answering the wrong question—at least that's the way Alex
hoped he was thinking. There was no doubt about it. They were going to drive
each other completely insane. It was only a matter of time.
    Alex tried to take a step away, but Kyle
held on tighter, using his strength—an advantage he used very rarely when they
were together—to hold Alex to him.
    "I mean," Kyle said in a tight
voice, "I know you're not shallow. It's just that if my choice is having
you or keeping you then I can live without have and keep you instead."
    Yeah, Alex was wearing his "what the
fuck?" expression again.
    "Babe, I'm lousy with words."
    "No kidding."
    "But I am trying to give you an
out."
    "I see what you mean by 'lousy with
words,'" Alex teased, even though he was pretty sure this time he
understood what Kyle was trying to say.
    "Babe," Kyle said in an
exasperated tone.
    Alex smiled, placed a hand over his lover's
mouth, and nodded in understanding.
    "This isn't the same as asking me to
ride a desk the rest of my career." And oh wow, they'd had more than one
argument over that—especially when Kyle's brother, Adrian, had assigned Alex to
an overnight prisoner transfer the first week on the job.
    Kyle closed his eyes, perhaps still a little
raw that it was the one thing Alex couldn't compromise. At his core he was a
protector. Cop, bodyguard, paranormal security detail—it didn't matter what the
actual job description was, it was simply who he was as a person. To stop doing
it simply because his lover feared for his safety was not a good enough reason
for Alex.
    " Ky , this
isn't the same. I'm not going to grow to resent you for guilting me into it because this is something I actually want to do with you, for you. I
trust you, Ky. I trust you with my heart and my body."
    "Does that mean you love me?"
    Alex laughed softly. Whoever coined the
phrase "bull in a china shop" had never witnessed his grizzly bear
shifter try to plow his way through a conversation.
    "I've only known you for three
weeks," Alex said, trying to be sensible. He understood a little more
about the paranormal world now than he had when they'd met, and he loved living
with and sharing a bed with Kyle, but by human standards it seemed far too
early to use the "L" word. They were still learning