Love, Always, Promise [Wolf Creek Pack 5] (9 page)

“What?” he asked quickly. “What is it?”

Ethan’s tear stained eyes looked up to look at Jace. “I can’t—I don’t bend like that anymore.”

“Do you want me to stop?” Jace asked.

Ethan shook his head. “No, but how—” Ethan stopped, his face burning red.

Jace grinned. “Not to worry, sweetness, I have an idea.” He quickly slid out of Ethan’s body and rolled the man onto his side. He patted Ethan’s hand as he cuddled up behind him. Grabbing a pillow, he placed it between Ethan’s legs, then moved in again.

Jace clasped the hand cuffed to him and wrapped it around Ethan’s body, Ethan’s head lying on his arm. He used his free hand to grab Ethan’s hip, then slowly pushed his cock back into Ethan’s hot grasp.

“There are a lot of different ways that we can do this, sweetness,” Jace whispered into Ethan’s ear. “Half the fun will be figuring out which ones work for us.”

Ethan turned his head to look back at Jace. “You’re not mad?”

“Never. This position is just as good as any other, maybe even better,” Jace replied. “This way I have something to hold onto while I fuck you.” To back up his words, Jace reached around and grabbed Ethan’s cock with his free hand. He began pumping it as he thrust into Ethan from behind.

Jace felt Ethan’s hand tighten around his. “Is this okay, Ethan? You’re not hurting?”

“No, I’m good.” He sounded breathless. “I—oh, oh, right there, Jace.”

Jace grinned. He stroked Ethan faster. He thrust faster. Ethan’s little moans of delight sent Jace through the roof. He just knew his cock would explode any moment. The warning tingle began to tickle his spine.

“Ethan, I want to claim you again.”

Jace held his breath as he waited for Ethan’s response. He wouldn’t blame him in the least if Ethan said no or that he wanted to wait. The air in his lungs came out in a huge sob as Ethan tilted his head to the side, baring his neck to Jace.

“Ethan,” he whispered right before he leaned forward and sank his teeth into the soft skin between Ethan’s neck and shoulder. A sweet, tangy blast of taste shot into his mouth as he claimed Ethan again. It went straight to his cock, sending Jace over the edge of ecstasy.

He couldn’t believe he would ever forget the taste of claiming his mate. There was nothing like it on earth. It was better than running free through the woods, better than sniffing the calm cool air. It was almost better than sex. He had been such a fool to ever think he could give this up.

Jace felt the knot in the end of his cock extend and take root inside of Ethan. He distantly heard Ethan cry out and felt hot seed pour over his hand. He didn’t have the strength to do more than withdraw his teeth and lick the small bite mark closed before he curled around Ethan and fell into an exhausted sleep, still connected to his mate.

* * * *

Consciousness came to Ethan in an instant. One moment he slept. The next, he was awake. He opened his eyes, briefly wondering where he was as he did most mornings. He still wasn’t used to sleeping at Joe and Nate’s house. He doubted he ever would. Still, it took him a moment to remember.

Then the events of the previous night flooded Ethan’s head as his body filled with a few aches and pains. He glanced back over his shoulder to find Jace staring back at him.

“Still here, sweetness.”

Ethan remembered the handcuffs and wondered if that explained why Jace was still here. He looked back at his arm, surprised to find he was no longer handcuffed to Jace. Turning back to Jace, Ethan raised his eyebrow in query.

Jace chuckled. “Joe came in earlier and released us.” He reached back and grabbed something off the nightstand. Turning back to Ethan, he let the silver handcuffs dangle from his fingertips.

“He did say we could keep these if we wanted.”

Ethan felt his face flush. He dropped his eyes from Jace’s intense stare and rolled over to face away from him. He was a little stunned that Jace remained here. He fully expected him to be gone, handcuffs or not. The fact that Jace was still here confused Ethan as much as it thrilled him.

“So, what do you say we get some breakfast and then go see this place Nate told me about?” Jace asked.

“Jace, are you sure you want to do this?” Ethan asked hesitantly.

“Get some breakfast or see the ranch?”

Ethan felt Jace cup his face, turning his head back to look at him. His finger grazed down the side of Ethan’s face, over the bridge of his nose, then across his lips. Jace leaned down and gave Ethan a small kiss.

“Yes, I’m sure that I want to do this, Ethan.”

Ethan took a deep breath and let it out slowly as he regarded Jace for several moments. Finally, he nodded his head. “Okay, then. Get me my crutches. I need to visit the little boy’s room.”

Jace grinned. He swooped down for another kiss before rolling to the side of the bed. Ethan squeaked when Jace turned around, reached back, and picked him up before carrying him into the bathroom.

“Jace, you can’t carry me everywhere,” Ethan insisted as Jace set him on his feet.

“Who says?” Jace asked as he slipped out of the bathroom and shut the door behind him.

Ethan rolled his eyes and turned to do what he needed in the bathroom. After flushing the toilet, Ethan grabbed the metal hand bars that Joe put in and moved to the sink. He washed his hands then brushed his teeth. Looking at himself in the mirror, Ethan wondered what he got himself into.

Was he really going to let Jace stay? Ethan wanted him to. He dreamed of nothing else for months, but could he trust that Jace would stick around? Ethan’s life changed a lot in the last several weeks.

There were days Ethan felt so much pain he couldn’t even get out of bed. And doing anything that took a lot of walking or physical work was out of the question. That was all part of Ethan’s past.

Would Jace get fed up and leave when things got hard? Ethan wasn’t even close to being a normal werewolf anymore. He’d never shift or run through the woods. He’d never be able to join the pack on a full moon hunt. He didn’t even know if he would ever be able to participate in the full moon mating as other mates wolves did.

Basically, Ethan didn’t have anything to offer Jace. Ethan shook his head, filled with despair. If he truly cared about Jace, the best thing he could do was to give Jace his freedom. Jace needed to find someone else to mate with, someone normal.

Ethan used the metal bars again and moved to the toilet, sitting down on the seat as the strength seemed to leave his body. Jace claimed Ethan again just last night. Once a mate had been claimed, that bond could only be severed by the death of one of the mates. That only meant one thing. Ethan was in trouble.

Ethan jumped when someone knocked on the bathroom door. “Are you about done in there, sweetness?”

Sweetness!
Ethan swallowed past the lump in his throat. “Yeah, I’ll be right out.” He took a deep breath and heaved himself into a standing position and stepped toward he sink. He quickly wet a washcloth and wiped his face. He ran a brush through his hair and then took a deep breath.

Holding onto the grab bar, Ethan carefully moved to the door. He plastered a serene look on his face and opened it. Jace sat on the side of the bed waiting for him. Ethan pointed to his crutches. “I need those.”

“You need me,” Jace replied as he stood up and crossed the room. Ethan heaved a huge sigh as Jace picked him up and carried him over to the bed. When Jace set him down, Ethan glared up at him.

“Jace, you can’t keep doing this,” Ethan said. “I have to get used to using the crutches.”

Jace squatted down in front of him and cupped his hands around Ethan’s face. “Ethan, I hate the fact that you have to use those damn things, but I—”

Ethan pulled Jace’s hands away from his face. “Jace, I told you what it would be like. This is my life now.” He gestured to the crutches. “Those are my life now. That’s not going to change just because you don’t like it.”

Jace opened his mouth to say something then snapped it closed. He reached for Ethan’s hands and grasped them. “I know that, Ethan. Do you think I don’t? But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“No,” Jace said, shaking his head, “you listen to me this time. I get it that you will probably have to use those damn crutches for the rest of your life, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have the right to make things as easy as possible for you.”

“I don’t want you to feel like you—”

“I don’t
have
to do anything, Ethan. I want to. You’re my mate. If carrying you everywhere makes things easier for you and gives me an excuse to hold you in my arms, what does it hurt?”

Ethan just didn’t have an argument for that. What could he say?
Don’t hold me
when he wanted it more than anything?
Go away
when that scared him the most? Ethan knew he wanted to be with Jace. He just didn’t know if
he
would be enough.

“Promise me you’ll tell me if it gets to be too much for you? Don’t keep it from me because you feel guilty and think you have to stay with me. I don’t want you here out of pity, Jace.”

Jace was silent for a moment, but then he nodded. “I don’t pity you, Ethan. Yes, I feel responsible for what happened to you. Nothing in this world is ever going to change that. I did this to you. I have to live with that. But I’m here because I want to be here, nothing else.”

Jace chuckled. “And I will tell you if it gets to be too much for me.” Jace held up his hand. “Promise.”

“Now,” Jace said, “I want you to promise me something.”

“Promise me that you’ll give us a chance. Stop thinking I’m here out of some misguided sense of guilt. Accept the fact that I’m here because I want to be here.” Jace patted Ethan’s leg. “These? They’re only a part of who you are, a small part. I want to get to know the rest of you, what you think, what you want, even what you don’t want.”

“Oh, Jace, I—” Ethan’s voice trailed away under the powerful intensity in Jace’s gaze. He felt like an idiot when tears prickled the corner of his eyes. He seemed to do a lot of crying around Jace.

“I want everything, Ethan. I want to be there with you when you go through your physical therapy. I want to learn how to care for you at home. I want to make your life easier, and it has very little to do with what happened to you. I want it because you’re my mate. I would have wanted these things even if you didn’t get injured.”

“Okay,” Ethan said. There wasn’t really any other way for him to answer. Jace seemed to want him despite everything. Ethan knew he would be stupid to throw it all away because of his fears. He’d just have to deal with them one day at a time and hope Jace didn’t leave in the meantime.

Jace leaned up and gave Ethan a kiss. He stood to his feet and grabbed Ethan’s crutches and handed them to him. “So, what do you say we get dressed and then we’ll go grab something to eat and see that ranch Nate told me about?”

Ethan’s voice wobbled as he let out a little laugh. “Why don’t you get me something out of the dresser to wear, then? I also need my pills off of the top of the dresser. If you want to learn this stuff, you might as well start now.”

“I can do that,” Jace said as he walked to the dresser. “I just have one question.”

Ethan raised an eyebrow at the heated flush filling Jace’s face. “What?” he asked cautiously.

“How do you feel about going commando?”

Chapter 6

Jace grinned as he flipped an egg in the frying pan. He watched Ethan shuffle across the kitchen on his crutches and lean against the counter. This morning was going better than he could have ever imagined.

He knew Ethan had misgivings about letting him stay. He was scared. Jace knew Ethan had every reason to be frightened. Not only had he been responsible for Ethan’s injuries, but he denied their mating and left Ethan.

Jace wouldn’t be surprised if Ethan changed his mind at any moment and kicked him to the curb. He wouldn’t blame him, either. Jace just hoped in the time Ethan gave him that he would be able to show his mate that they had something worth fighting for. Jace would do everything in his power to prove just that.

“Hard or runny?”

“Huh?” Ethan asked in confusion.

Jace chuckled at the small frown that came over Ethan’s face. “Your eggs, sweetness, do you like the yolks hard or runny?”

“Oh,” Ethan grinned. “Sunnyside up, I guess.”

“Slightly runny, then.”

Ethan propped his crutches against the counter and reached for a loaf of bread. He opened it up and pulled out a couple of slices before casting a curious glance at Jace. “Wheat or white?”

“Sourdough, if I have a choice, otherwise white,” Jace replied.

“Sourdough isn’t bad, but do you know how bad white bread is for you?” Ethan asked, his face scrunched up in disgust. “It’s terrible for your body, nothing but filler.”

Jace chuckled. Ethan practically shuddered with revulsion. “Guess I’m not much of a nutritional eater. You’ll have to keep me in line.”

Ethan pointed the butter knife in his hand at Jace. “No more junk food for you, mister. You just wait until I get you on a proper diet. You’ll see how much better it is for you, how much better it makes you feel.”

Jace couldn’t help himself. He grabbed Ethan around the waist and lifted him up to sit on the butcher block counter. He stepped in close between Ethan’s legs then leaned down to nuzzle Ethan’s neck with his lips.

“What will you give me in return?” Jace murmured.

Ethan did shudder this time, but Jace doubted he did so with disgust. His head fell back, giving Jace unobstructed access to the silky skin of his neck. Ethan’s cock perked right up, ready to come out and play.

“Anything you want as long as you promise never to stop doing that,” Ethan gasped. Ethan’s arms wrapped around Jace’s neck. Jace raked his canines across the mating mark in Ethan’s neck. Ethan’s hands clenched in Jace’s hair, pulling him closer.

Jace groaned. Fuck, Ethan was hot. He was so damn responsive to Jace’s touch. Jace just needed to touch Ethan and the man seemed to go up in flames. If that didn’t turn a man on, Jace didn’t know what did.