Sweet Sutton Read online

  "How do you and my m—uh, Sutton—know each other? What kind of relationship do you have?"

  "We're very close."

  I ignored the growl from the gorgeous, half dressed man to my right and glared at my best friend. "Foster! Don't be gross! We're just friends. Have been for years."

  I don't know why, but I felt like it was very important to assure this man that there wasn't anything romantic between my best friend and me.

  And judging by the snarky smirk on Foster's handsome face, he knew it, and thought it was funny.

  Stop bein' an ass! I mouthed glaring.

  Shrugging, but still smirking, he directed his attention back to my neighbor. "Sutton has been my closest friend for about five years now. Nothing romantic between us at all."

  It was strange, but I could have sworn my sexy neighbor sagged in relief. Probably just my imagination, but it honestly felt like his warm body melted a little further into mine.

  "I could be wrong, but judging by Sutton's reaction to seeing Syn and I shift, he had no idea shifters existed," Thompsyn's hot boy-next-door boyfriend said, wrinkling his brow in confusion. "You're telling me, your closest friend for five years, didn't know you were a fox shifter? How is that possible? Ridley knew within a month of being my best friend." When we all looked at him, clearly waiting for the rest of the story, the leopard smirked and shrugged. "He had the best area behind his house for chasing bunnies."

  "I have to wonder that same thing, Fos," I said quietly, not exactly angry, but definitely feeling the sting a bit. "Ya had to know I'd never tell a soul. I mean, who 'm I gonna tell? Burke? He's the only family I got."

  Foster sighed, finally showing the room the man behind the attitude. The man I knew.

  "Not just my closest friend. The closest person in my entire life." He looked pointedly at me, letting me know how sincere he was by the intensity in his eyes. "But it's a little more complicated than just telling you something like that, Sutton.

  "It would also be convincing you not to go poking around, looking for other shifters. For a human, your curiosity could rival a cat's." Foster smirked at the man beside me, confirming he was probably a leopard too, and then chuckled when the guy flipped him off. Bennett just rolled his eyes.

  "Why wouldn't you want me around other shifters? Do ya think I'm not good enough, or something? Is it embarrassing to have a human as a friend?" That would probably hurt my feelings a little, but I didn't know anything about shifter culture.

  Maybe it was a sign of weakness, or something. I definitely wouldn't want Foster being treated bad just because he was my friend.

  "Of course not! Geez, Sutton! I wasn't implying that." Sighing heavily, Foster plopped down on the other end of the couch, putting me between him and my neighbor.

  Running an agitated hand through his hair, he took another deep breath, and focused on me again. "Shifters aren't much different than humans when it comes to human nature. We have good ones and bad ones. But in whole, we're generally good. Unfortunately, there are bad seeds. It's my job as a special faction of the FBI to take care of those.

  "Because of the fact that I deal with some pretty nasty people on a daily basis, I tend to be a bit…jaded. I'm constantly looking for the bad in everyone. All I can see is how dangerous a power hungry shifter can be for someone like you."

  I frowned, glancing sideways at my neighbor before looking at my friend. "Someone like me?" I whispered. "What's wrong with me?"

  "Absolutely nothing," the half naked man I still had yet to get the name of, said on a growl beside me.

  Turning to look at the man again, I smiled.

  "What's your name?" I finally asked when I spent far too much time staring into his gorgeous, nearly black eyes.

  With a smile on his firm but bitable lips, the man leaned closer, his sweet breath brushing over my face as he whispered, "Barron Franks, but I go by Ronny."

  I couldn't seem to stop smiling at this man. I felt like I was in some kind of trance.

  There was a snort across the room where Thompsyn and his boyfriend sat in a chair that one would think was barely qualified enough to hold one of the large men, more less both of them stacked on top of each other.

  "Your name is Barron?" Bennett threw his head back and laughed, making me glare at the man and then my best friend as he joined in.

  "Barron is a lovely name," I growled, far more protective of a man I barely knew, than a normal person should be.

  "You are so not a Barron," the man continued. "That name sounds like it belongs to some blond-headed, sweater-tied-around-his-shoulders, tennis playing rich boy. Not some jeans, boots and plain white tee wearing, grease monkey!"

  When Barron stiffened beside me, I jumped from my seat, already in motion toward the leopard shifter that probably out weighed me by a good hundred twenty pounds, and his huge boyfriend who could easily shift into a giant grizzly, and shred me into tiny, little Sutton pieces, with one swipe of his huge claws.

  I have no idea what I was going to do once I got there, but there was something inside me that I couldn't control, telling me that I had to protect what was mine.

  Mine? Like Barron was mine? Wow, that was a pretty possessive thought to have for a man, who I'd literally just learned the name of.

  Thankfully, strong arms wrapped around me from behind, and pulled me off of the ground, before I could make it very far. When I once again found myself in the lap of my delicious neighbor, I decided not to fight it and instead glared over at Bennett who was reaching up to rub the ear his boyfriend had just flicked.

  "Ben, maybe you should calm down on the teasing until Sutton gets to know you a little better. He's going to be feeling a bit protective of Ronny for a while, and I don't want him poisoning you with some kind of flower because he doesn't like the way you talk to his mate."

  I was too busy agreeing with Thompsyn to bother worrying about what he meant by mate. Rationally, I had known Bennett was only teasing my man, but the way Barron had stiffened, told me the thoughtless jerk had struck a nerve. There was no way he could have realized it, but it still pissed me off.

  "Don't worry about him, sweet Sutton. Benny thinks he's a comedian."

  Bennett cleared his throat, sending me a rueful smile. "Sorry Sutton. I didn't mean to offend your maaa…uh. Man!"

  My eyes widened and I could feel the blush start in my cheeks and ears, and bloom out, reaching the top of my head and down my chest.

  Trying to be surreptitious, I turned my head slightly and looked out of the corner of my eye at the man who was still holding me on his lap, trying to determine how he felt about Bennett's statement.

  Catching me completely, the big man just smirked, making me blush harder.

  CHAPTER TWO

  The sexy blush on my mate's perfect, porcelain skin was making it hard to ignore the fact that his round, bubble butt was a slight shift away from rubbing against my straining cock. The urge to grab his hips, and jerk him back into my fevered dick, was almost too much. Even with the small fact of my living room being full of people, and my absolute certainty that I would come with embarrassing speed, right in my pants, didn't stop my hips from giving a minute thrust.

  The lack of friction that action got me, frustrated my dick, my leopard and me

  And the fact that Sutton nearly attacked Bennett, when he could tell I was bothered by what the young leopard had said, made him all the more sexy. I had been gifted far more than I deserved. I was terrified someone up there working the joy sticks of life, would notice, and Sutton would realize I really was just a plain old grease monkey.

  Unable to resist, I leaned forward and pressed a chaste peck to one bright red cheek, before sighing and leaning back, pulling Sutton with me and working hard to keep from jizzing all over myself when his delectable ass pressed against me.

  Clearing my throat, I turned my head toward a slightly disgusted looking fox. No doubt, he could smell my need in the air.

  "Why don't you tell us what you meant when you s
aid someone like Sutton. And be careful, fox. I'm a little on edge at the moment."

  Wrinkling his face up further, Foster cringed. "So I smell." Glancing around the room, he finally let his gaze settle on his friend. "You are something special in the shifter world, Sutt. That birthmark on you side is more than just a random birthmark."

  My body became both hot and cold at the same time, and I think I squeaked. I must have made some kind of noise, because every head in the room swiveled in my direction. My sweet mate even leaned forward so he could spin slightly on my thighs.

  Looking at Foster with my jaw probably pretty close to resting on the surface of the couch, I asked quietly, "birthmark? Like, a chosen mark?"

  Nodding, but frowning slightly, he turned back to Sutton. "It means you're chosen. You are one of the beings that are made special for a shifter. You'll be able to give your mate children. Children you'll birth."

  "Excuse me?!" My mate's voice squeaked, making me cringe slightly. "Foster, are you messing with me? Of course you are!"

  Clearly agitated, my mate sprang to his feet, and immediately started pacing the room.

  "Can't you just be serious?! These people are clearly trying to get answers. They don't need your bullshit right now!"

  "Can you show me your birthmark, Sutton?" I asked, scooting to the edge of the couch, and reaching out to snag a belt loop on his navy slacks as he passed. "It's really important."

  Stilling in front of me, my mate met my gaze with wild, slightly unfocused eyes. We'd maybe pushed him one revelation too far. It looked like shock was starting to set in.

  He nodded, but I wasn't sure if he knew what he was even agreeing to since he never made a move to pull his crisp, button-down shirt from his pants. Slowly, I raised my hand to the material. I pulled the shirt out with care, not wanting to spook the young man.

  I tried not to be a complete pervert, but this was my mate. As soon as the tight pale skin was revealed, I struggled not to lean forward and nibble the glorious flesh before me. I maybe let my fingertips linger on the taught velvet of his exposed hip, as I continued to raise his shirt along his side.

  Finally, I was able to reveal the perfect mark I was looking for. A mark that said if I managed to convince my perfect mate to accept me, I could one day have little, part Asian babies with silky black hair and deep green eyes. Maybe they would have southern accents and sweet smiles.

  The warmth that overtook my body, as I looked up the sexy little torso to meet those emerald green depths, brought the stupidest smile to my face.

  I heard a whispered, "Is that how stupid I looked when I found out?"

  The grunt that followed told me someone had been pinched, kicked or nudged with an elbow, but I didn't care what anyone said. I was ecstatic.

  "I really was born with it," Sutton whispered. "The family that adopted me when I was ten thought I put it there…mostly because it's almost identical to my adopted brother Burke's, just in a different place."

  A gasp from Foster's direction was ignored by all.

  "That's when the problems started with 'em. They saw it for the first time when I was about thirteen and Burke was ten almost eleven. I was a very private kid, and didn't feel comfortable in my own skin, or around anyone until that point. I'd never let any of 'em see me unless I was fully dressed. We went swimming that summer, and Burke talked me into finally gettin' down to my trunks instead of wearin' a t-shirt.

  "I didn't copy 'im! I didn't even know Burke had one! Hell, it's on his ass. I had no desire to see his ass."

  Foster's barely perceptible, "shit" almost stole my attention, but then my mate gave a bittersweet laugh.

  "Burke thought it was the coolest thing ever. Said it proved we were supposed to be brothers. My parents did not agree.

  "To be fair, they thought I'd burnt it into my skin. Which you have to admit, sounds crazy as shit. But I had to go to all kinds of therapists and stuff. And my parents never looked at me the same again. They basically thought I was obsessed with my brother, and wouldn't let us spend any time alone.

  "Not that it really stopped us. By then he was my brother in more than just name. We had a connection, and neither of us wanted to be separated. He really is my brother. Even if we don't share blood."

  "Why didn't you tell me Burke had the same mark?" Foster sounded agitated, and we all turned to glare a little at the pacing man. "Now I have to worry even more about the moron! What if a shifter finds out about his mark?"

  "You're really gonna be an ass right now about secrets? You and Burke fight like cats and dogs, anyway. Like I'm just gonna volunteer a secret that doesn't belong to me, 'bout my brother's ass to someone who constantly calls him Nerdy Boy Bander."

  Foster stopped pacing to face his friend with a smirk. "NBB. And that is exactly what he looks like. How am I not supposed to point that out, when he sasses me all the time?"

  I could almost feel the growl in Sutton's voice. "What does it matter anyway? He never leaves his dorm unless it's to go to class. It's very unlikely someone is gonna see his birthmark. And even if they did, how likely is it to be a shifter?"

  Nodding a bit, but clearly still worried, Foster started pacing again. "Still, now I'll have to send someone to keep an eye on him. Have you been sending him the flowers?"

  "What is with you and those damn flowers? They're just filler flowers." Not liking how agitated my sweet mate was getting, I pulled him back down onto my lap, burying my face in the nape of his neck, smiling when he started to relax against me.

  The fox smirked and looked around the room, shrugging. "It's an old fox trick from centuries ago. Delphinium masks scent. Makes it nearly impossible to smell someone. Your mate is different. You'll always be able to smell your mate. Even if it's faint."

  That explained why I'd only been able to smell him when I had finally gotten close to him.

  "Or if you have an over developed sense of smell," Thompsyn said, clearly relieved about something. "I could smell Sutton, but barely. I almost felt blind every time I walked into that fucking shop."

  Foster tilted his head like a dog would to a strange noise, and then went back to pacing. "Are you a chosen child?"

  "Yes," Thompsyn said hesitantly. Like he wasn't sure he should admit that.

  "Are you one of the two percent?"

  "Two percent?"

  Foster stopped directly in front of the bear and his mate cuddled on the chair. "The two percent of chosen children that are also chosen?"

  Thompsyn's eyes widened, and Bennett's mouth dropped open.

  "I thought you might be. I was told the alpha found his chosen. Probably every new couple for a while in your leap will have a chosen. It must be time for nature to start replenishing your numbers."

  "We didn't know that was a thing. We were actually going to talk to Flynn about talking to some of the older members of the command. I thought I was an anomaly."

  Foster shrugged, turning to start pacing again. "Nope. Just rare."

  "So, ya'll are serious?" Sutton looked down at his hands with his brows furrowed. "Burke and I are part of some shifter baby makin' thing?" I could smell the sudden panic coming off my sweet mate. "Are ya'll gonna make me some kind of breeder?"

  The growl that ripped from me had my mate jumping, and trying to scramble off of my lap.

  "Sorry, sweet Sutton," I rumbled, pulling him back securely against me. "Nobody will be making a breeder of you. You're my mate. I'll be the only one impregnating you. And only if that is what you want."

  "You?!" he squeaked, eyes wide and face shocked. "For real?"

  Was that good shock or bad shock? His actions so far told me it might be a good thing, but insecurity had me worrying it might be the other.

  Foster snorted, clearly enjoying my speechlessness, as I stared at my mate with my mouth hanging open.

  I mean, I was well aware I was kinda plain. I wasn't ugly, but I wasn't like super handsome either. Just an average guy with brown hair, brown eyes and slightly bronzed skin. Nothing like
my gorgeous mate who could easily stop traffic with his looks. But I guess I'd kinda hoped that the whole mate attraction thing would be mutual.

  "Uh." I looked around the room, hoping someone, anyone knew what to say.

  Foster was watching us both like the devil himself, proud of the havoc he'd created.

  "That's a pretty good deal, right Sutt?" Foster asked, finally breaking the unsure silence. "Then you'd get to see him naked whenever you wanted."

  Sutton's eyes rounded in horror as he spun on my lap and looked pointedly at the fox. "Shut up, Foster," he said through clinched teeth.

  "It would be a whole lot better than sitting in a dark room like a creeper, trying to catch a peek of his—"

  "Foster!" Jumping to his feet, my mate spun, throwing his hands in the air like he was warding off trouble. "I'm not a creep. I swear!" Cringing, he cocked his head to the side. "Usually."

  "True," Foster said with too much mirth for a situation I couldn't seem to grasp. "But now that we know you guys are mates, it actually makes sense."

  Dropping his bright red face to his hands, Sutton mumbled into his palms, "nope. There is truly no sense to be made of my actions."

  I could smell and hear my mate's distress, and it was making my leopard yowl in my mind. I wanted to reach out to him and gather him into my arms, but I wasn't sure how welcome I would be.

  Had he rejected me? Or was there a chance he could get to know me and maybe grow attracted to my personality?

  "Sutton, will you please come sit down. You don't have to sit in my lap if it makes you uncomfortable," I tried to reason, patting the cushion beside me. "My leopard is freaking out a little. It doesn't like how upset you are."

  His eyes widened, the smell of fear tainting the air. "Your leopard?! Will he attack me?"

  "Never!"

  My shouted denial made Sutton jump.

  "Sorry, sweet Sutton," I said, calmer. "My leopard would never hurt my mate. He will protect you, forever."

  Sutton took a deep breath and relaxed. Smiling shyly, he moved toward me, gingerly taking the cushion next to mine.