Nicky gave Marco a dark look before turning to Cade and giving him a brilliant smile. “I apologize, Cade, if I appearto be nosy. I really don’t mean to.”

A snort from Rory caused everyone to look up at him. “All evidence to the contrary,” he said.

When Marco gave him a sharp look, Rory covered his mouth with his hand and dropped his gaze. Casey poked him in the side with an elbow.

Nicky narrowed his gaze, but continued. “I just never heard of this bloodlust before. What is it? What do you mean by a different kind of blood match?”

“I said we’ll discuss it later, Nicky,” Marco said firmly, and Nicky subsided back into his chair, casting Marco a furious glare. Marco turned back to Cade. “Let me show you to your rooms,then, so you can get settled in for the night. We’ll get an early start in the morning.”

“I want to go along too,” Gabe said, and Nicky straightened up again.

“Yeah. Me too. If Jax and Gabe get to go, then why can’t we all just go? I really need a little break, Marco.”

“From what, Nicky?” Rory said. “Those magazines you read all the time getting to be too heavy to carry up to your room?”

“Put a muzzle on your pup, Casey, before I swat him on the nose with a newspaper,” Nicky said, clenching his fists.

“Quiet, both of you,” Marco said firmly, and glared at the two of them.

Zack took Gabe’s hand in his. “Since Jax is going along, Marco, I don’t really see the harm in Gabe going too. You make up your own mind about Nicky, of course.” He looked up at Gabe. “As long as you realize we’ll be camping rough. We’ll have some small tents and sleeping bags, but that’s about it.”

Gabe nodded. “You know I’ve done that before. I’ll be fine.”

Nicky spoke up beside him. “I have too, and not all that long ago.” He gave Marco a significant look. “I was on my own too, with only a small tent. You may remember that, Marco.”

Marco looked uncomfortable. “Yes, baby, I remember. If Jax and Gabe are going, you can go too. Just know thatwe’ll be moving fast. Since you and the other mates are coming, we’ll take the ATVs as far as we can, but we’ve had a lot of rain lately. The creeks will be swollen, so we may even have to hike the last leg of the trip.”

“I can do that,” Nicky said confidently.

Marco looked a little dubious, but he nodded and turned back to Cade. “So it’s settled then. We’ll leave early in the morning, right after breakfast. We have plenty of camping gear, so don’t worry about that. ” He stood up. “Rory, could you show our guests to their rooms? And Nicky, you can come with me and help me start planning what we’ll need to take on the ATVs.”

Everyone stood up and began to drift off in different directions. Cade stopped to talk to Marco on his way out of the room and reached down for Jax’s hand. He was absent-mindedly rubbing his thumb over the back of it, when he felt Nicky’s intense gaze on their joined fingers and glanced over at him. Nicky looked up and smiled back at him brightly enough, but it seemed to Cade that the smile didn’t quite reach those sapphire eyes. Nicky was standing close to Marco, but Cade had a feeling there was some kind of invisible gulf between them that was pretty wide.

Cade moved toward the stairs, following Rory and put an arm around Jax’s waist, pulling him close to his side. When they got to the top of the landing, he glanced back and saw Nicky still standing below them, gazing up at them with a look almost of longing before he turned and followed Marco from the room.

Chapter Five

Jax lay on his back in the middle of the bed, looking up at Cade. Mason had been given an adjoining room and he was sound asleep. It was close to midnight, and they’d stayed up much later than they’d meant to, considering how early they had to get up in the morning. There had been wine with dinner, though Cade would only let him have a sip or two out of his glass. Jax didn’t really mind—he didn’t like the taste anyway, and it made him feel good, like Cade was looking out for him. He wasn’t used to anyone being possessive over him or acting like they cared one way or the other, really, so while it felt different to have Cade boss him around, and he wasn’t sure if he liked it or not, a part of him loved every second of it.

They’d retired early, leaving the other couples at the table, Cade claiming he was still tired from traveling. Jax thought the real reason was so Cade could be alone with him. Almost as soon as he’d settled Mason and walked back into their room, Cade pushed him against the wall and kissed the shit out of him. He ended up on his back in the bed, looking up at Cade. Jax watched Cade as he splashed lube into his hand and over his rigid cock, his eyes never leaving Jax’s face.

“Gonna make love to you, Jackson Cody Monroe,” he said, almost purring at him, sliding his hand down Jax’s chest and onto his stomach, just beneath his belly button. He pressed in a little and his hand massaged him gently. “Sweet boy. There’s no one else for you but me. Only me, cher.” His hand trailed possessively lower, along the line of Jax’s hip, and a shiver ran through Jax as Cade brushed his skin.

“I love you,” Jax said, and Cade’s eyes changed as he bent to kiss him. Jax noticed Cade didn’t say the words back to him, but his breathcame harder at the first touch of Cade’s lips. This feeling had been growing in him since their time together in the motel in Atlanta, and now it felt like the feelings might burst out of him soon and go flying around and around the room like a deflating balloon if he didn’t say them. He knew it was quick—maybe too quick, but he didn’t care. He wasn’t even sure if he knew what the words meant, not when he said them to someone like Cade. Mason was the only other person he’d ever said the words to, not even his mama— maybe especially not his mama. But Mason was his little brother, and his responsibility. It was easy to love Mason, with his soft doe-eyes and his trusting little hand that stole into his when he was near him. Cade was different. Butthen Cade hadn’t said the words back.

He knew it shouldn’t bother him. That stuff was for girls, right? Men didn’t talk so much about love. Cade leaned over him and gave him another kiss, a longer, deeper one this time. He rested his weight partially on top of Jax, holding his weight up off him with one hand, while the other slid into Jax’s hair. Jax spread his legs under him and then moved them around Cade’s waist, squeezing his ribs with his knees. Cade hooked his arms under Jax’s knees and pressed himself against him, rubbing his thick cock against Jax’s.

Jax could actually feel his heart throbbing and wondered if Cade could feel it too, feel this excitement thrumming through him. Cade leaned over and bit into Jax’s neck, the sharp incisors slicing in almost without pain, but he felt it like a throbbing that moved from his heart down to his groin. His cock twitched, and he strained to get closer. He desperately needed Cade to be inside him and he pushed up against him, moaning softly.

Pleasure curled again in his groin when Cade licked at the wound on his neck to close it up and pulled his head away, his lips stained red with Jax’s blood. He pushed himself inside Jax and Jax grunted with the pain. Then Cade rocked against him, easing himself in, flexing his back and hips to start a rhythm. “I need you, sweet boy, mon cher, mon ange.”

Jax knew he needed him —he could read it in his mind and in every move he made against him, in the very air they breathed. He pressed his face against the hollow of Cade’s neck and clenched hard at his shoulders. “I love you,” Jax whispered again against the skin of his throat, and he didn’t even care if he sounded like a sap. He didn’t even care if Cade didn’t say it back— it didn’t make it any less true.

Cade rocked his hips and Jax lost himself to the motion. Cade reached for his cock and wrapped his hand around it, moving up and down in a sensuous, steady rhythm, his hand sliding slick between their bellies.

The movement of his hand, the weight of his body, the rocking and thrusting of his hips built up around him until he thought he’d go crazy with need. His orgasm came over him with a crash, his entire body seeming to tighten and spasm as he came, crying out Cade’s name. Cade yelled out as the impact of Jax’s emotions hit him hard. His breathing came in harsh, sharp gasps as his own orgasm overtook him. His body seemed to lock up, and he rocked in short thrusts even as he climaxed. Cade sagged over on top of Jax, pushing him into the mattress. An aftershock made him shudder and groan again, as he pressed his lips to Jax’s for a brief moment before collapsing down on him. He pulled his arm up to his mouth and bit down, making sure the blood was flowing well before he pressed his arm to Jax’s lips. Jax sucked it in, looking up with shining eyes at his lover.

Had anything ever been this perfect in his life before? Jax pulled hard on Cade’s wrist, the honeyed liquid like molten lava on his tongue, burning a path right down his throat, all the way to his heart. He would make Cade love him. He’d be perfect for Cade and show him he hadn’t made a mistake in taking him for his bloodlust mate. He wouldn’t let Cade regret it like his grandparents had done when they had this chance. And even if he didn’t love him, it was okay. He loved enough for both of them, and it would be fine. It had to be.

The next morning dawned bright and sunny, a welcome change after the rain and clouds from a few days before. The morning air was cool, though, so Jax had a lightweight jacket on, along with a baseball cap, jeans, and tennis shoes.

Marco and Nicky led the way on a big six-wheeled vehicle, painted in camo colors. It had a bench seat that accommodated two passengers, with a cargo rack on the back that now held their camping equipment. It was designed to even go across shallow ponds and streams, and in the winter, Marco had told Cade, they could add tracks to it for deep snow. It was a real workhorse, and they would use ATVs like this one to transport some of the building materials when the time came. From time to time Nicky would glance back at the others, a big grin on his face as he bounced along on the rough trail. Jax began to use him as a kind of barometer for the roughness of the trail. Whenever he saw Nicky bounce up and grab the handrails he knew to tighten his hold on Cade’s waist.