The Littlest Read online

  “Edgar,” Riley nodded.

  “Son.” Edgar nodded to the chairs and they both sat.

  “So, why is it you wanted to see me? You haven’t even wanted me to visit you.”

  Edgar sat back and eyed his son.

  “I didn’t want you to see me in here. I have no choice now.”

  “Meaning what?”

  “I’m dying, Riley. Prostate cancer.”

  Riley stiffened. “Have you seen a doctor?”

  Edgar nodded. “It’s well past what they can cure. I’ve accepted it and I just want to say a few things to you.”

  Edgar smiled weakly at his son. Riley had grown into a fine man. His hair was short, cut in the newest style, and his eyes blazed blue. He’d filled out a bit as well.

  “First off, you need to make sure you see a doctor regularly.”

  “I do. I’m sure you didn’t bring me here to discuss medical advice.”

  “No. I brought you here to apologize. God knows I wasn’t the best father; I had no idea what to do with you once your mother passed away.” Edgar noticed his son’s smirk. “Yes, I know I could have handled things better. It killed me to know how much she loved you. It was like I didn’t even exist. I had to fight for her attention when it came to you.”

  “It’s called being a parent, Edgar.” Riley crossed his arms.

  Edgar raised his hand. “Trust me; I’ve had a lot of time to think in here. I do love you, Riley; I always have. I was raised in a different time; homosexuality was wrong. I lost out on too many years with you because of the way I was raised.”

  “So what? Now you’re just fine with me being gay? I’m sure my husband will just love hearing that since he didn’t give a rat’s ass what you thought of him to begin with.”

  “You’ve got a good man, Riley. He loves you.”

  Riley started in the chair.

  “Oh yes, he came to see me when I asked. Was a lot rougher than you, though,” Edgar chuckled. “He’s quite scary.”

  Riley couldn’t help the smile that rose to his lips. “Mateo can be very scary when he’s mad.”

  “Well, he tore me a new asshole that’s for sure.” Edgar tilted his head, regarding his son. “He loves you something fierce. I didn’t get that before; I get it now. I want to leave in peace, Riley. I want to go knowing that I tried my best to mend things with you. I love you, Riley, and I’m so sorry I didn’t show it enough.”

  Riley took a deep breath and tried to hold back the flood of tears threatening to spill. No matter what, this was his father.

  “How long?” Riley whispered.

  “Three months? Maybe?” Edgar reached across the table for his son’s hand. One of the guards coughed. “Could I, please?”

  Riley grabbed his father’s hand. It was cold and Riley looked into his eyes.

  “I forgive you, Dad. I’ll get in touch with some doctors, okay? We’ll get a second opinion, hell, even a third one if we have to. Mateo and I are going to be parents; I want you to meet your grandchildren.”

  “Children?” Edgar’s mouth dropped.

  “Yes,” Riley beamed. “We’re having twins. A boy and a girl. We’re naming the girl Maggie.”

  Edgar nodded. “After your mother. And the boy?”

  “Matty.”

  Edgar’s brows rose. “That was your idea, wasn’t it?”

  Riley flushed. “Yes. I wanted to name him after Mateo, but a friend of ours said if we have another namesake in the group, he’s leaving the country for good.”

  Riley had to smile. FBI agent Devin Lyons had recently found out he was actually Tanner McKinley, an associate of the Youngbloods. The Youngbloods group was a very close-knit unit involved in the same line of work as the Skull Blasters and their colleagues – ridding the world of the most hideous criminals. When he’d gone to Texas to meet the group, he’d found out most of them were named after their fathers or grandfathers or some other male relative or friend. Too many people with the same name had given Devin a headache and he forbade Riley to name their son Mateo.

  So, Matty it was.

  “So you have to hang on, okay?” Riley squeezed his father’s hand.

  “I’ll try, I really will.”

  ~*~

  Riley sat in his car and let the tears come. His father was going to die within months. He caught his reflection in the rearview mirror. Time was marching across his features, as well as Mateo’s, and now they were having twins. He’d spent a lot of time with Dakota over the last few months. The younger man had stopped aging the day he’d been turned into a werewolf. Sam still looked young, for the same reason.

  Riley fingered the lines by his eyes and brushed a hand through his hair. How long would he and Mateo be around? Since their surrogate was a werewolf, there was a good chance one of their children would carry the gene – which meant they’d be around for God knows how long. Riley looked at his watch. He had a meeting at work and then he would go home. Riley started the car and sighed. He wished Mateo was back from his mission. He really needed him right now.

  ~*~

  Riley stood at the head of the table and eyed his team. They got shit done, and they got it done faster and better than anyone else. April was right around the corner and the military had just placed another guidance chip order with them. He lifted a brow at Mitch Devan and the younger man stood and handed out papers. Nothing needed to be said. Not really. Riley didn’t waste time and he expected his time not to be wasted.

  The men all grabbed at the papers, looked them over, nodded, and then left the room one by one.

  Riley crossed the room to the coffeemaker and poured a very large cup. Mitch was still sitting at the conference table, head tilted to the side. He had been Conner Maccon’s administrative assistant before coming to work for Riley. Since Mitch was mated to Locke, one of the werewolves, he’d moved to be closer to the man.

  But they hadn’t even been out on one date. Locke, who spent a lot of time hunting rogue wolves, was so worried about Mitch being fatally bitten by a rogue seeking vengeance, he was working overtime trying to protect him.

  “Locke talking to you?” Riley grinned.

  Locke Renfro was the alpha of the Boston pack – and Mitch’s mate. The fates – or gods – whichever one you want, had decided that the humans mated to werewolves would be given the power of telepathy. It was their way of keeping the humans of the pack safe. Mitch seemed to snap out of his daze and smiled at him.

  “Yes, he’s so worried about me.”

  “Can’t be helped, not with that Petey guy on the loose.” Petey, or Peter, Kransisky was a rogue wolf, and was once Pierce Barnes’ right hand man. Pierce had been the leader of the rogues, unbeknownst to his ex-boyfriend, Chance Christianson. When Pierce tried to get back into Chance’s good graces so he could take advantage of the young warlock’s powerful skills, his plan fell apart and he went after Chance’s mate, Logan. Angered beyond control of his powers, Chance had incinerated Pierce; Petey and his lackey, Carl, had gotten away.

  “You ever worry about them coming after you?” Mitch asked.

  Riley shook his head.

  “Nah, not really. Mateo taught me how to shoot a gun – among other things.” Riley had to smile; Mateo had taught him how to use a grenade launcher. Thank God they had been in the middle of the desert.

  He smiled at Mitch. “Thanks for staying overtime last week. With the whole office sick, we had to play catch up.”

  “No problem. Since I didn’t get the bug, I felt I should be here.”

  “You got lucky. That was the worst two days of my life and the rest of the guys had it for a week.”

  A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts and he turned to face it.

  “Come in.”

  Mateo strolled into the room and looked around. His eyes landed on his husband and lit up.

  “Hey.”

  “You’re back!” Riley ran to Mateo and jumped on him, wrapping his legs around his husband’s waist.

  “So, I’ll
just…’” Mitch stood up and quietly left the room, closing the door behind him.

  “God, I missed you so much,” Mateo growled against Riley’s lips.

  “I missed you, too. I need you so much, Mateo,” Riley breathed.

  “Let me just lock the door.”

  Mateo held Riley’s ass as he walked backwards and turned the lock on the conference room door, their lips never separating. The office windows were tinted; you could see out, but not in. A large couch occupied one wall and Mateo walked over to it, Riley still affixed to him like glue. They’d been apart for a week. It felt like a year.

  Mateo eased Riley onto his back, and then climbed on top of him, his fingers making quick work of Riley’s button and zipper.

  “I love you in your power suit,” Mateo nipped at Riley’s lips. “I love you even more out of it.”

  Riley’s hands were all over him, unzipping his pants and then pulling at his shirt, like he couldn’t make up his mind which piece of clothing he wanted off first. Mateo helped by dragging his T-shirt over his head, leaving Riley’s hands to work with his zipper. His jeans slid over his ass and Riley’s hands were stroking his cock.

  Damn, it felt good.

  Mateo dragged Riley’s suit jacket off then yanked his pants down. His teeth made quick work of the buttons on Riley’s dress shirt. Riley moaned underneath him as he spit one of the buttons across the room.

  “I’ll buy you a new shirt.” Mateo took Riley’s mouth.

  They kissed as if they needed each other for nourishment, and Mateo knew that’s exactly what he’d found in Riley. They rolled off the couch naked and Mateo landed on top of his husband. His fingers searched his jeans for the small packet of lube he’d stashed in a pocket and Riley broke the kiss with a smile. In his hand, he held a bottle of flavored lube. Mateo’s eyebrows rose.

  “Where did that come from?”

  Riley popped the lid and dropped some into his hand.

  “I hid some in the couch cushions.”

  “Smart man,” Mateo grinned, taking Riley’s lips again. Cold lube spread over his cock and he inhaled sharply through his nose as Riley’s hand stroked him, pulling him closer to his hole. “Riley, it’s been a week; slow down! I don’t want to hurt you.”

  Riley rolled them over again and straddled Mateo. “Butt plug all week.”

  And with that, Riley lowered himself onto Mateo.

  “Oh fuck!” Mateo grabbed for purchase on the conference room carpet.

  His husband’s flushed face was beautiful as he lowered himself slowly, clenching his ass muscles tightly. Mateo held Riley’s hips as they started to move together. Riley’s fingers played with his nipples as he rode him slowly.

  The man who had been a virgin when they met was a fucking expert in driving him crazy now. Mateo spread his legs out further and pulled Riley’s thighs in. He snapped his hips, jerking them upward faster and faster. Riley’s cock bobbed on his abs leaving a sticky trail of precome.

  Riley’s eyes were closed, and a fine sheen of sweat beaded his temple. His mouth was partially open, moans of ecstasy escaping. Damn, the man was beautiful. Mateo gripped Riley’s cock and stroked upward, while Riley covered Mateo’s hand with his own.

  “Gonna come without it…harder,” Riley rasped. “Faster!”

  Mateo gripped Riley’s hips harder and slammed into him. His own orgasm coiled in his spine and he let loose with a loud cry; Riley came undone on top of him, jets of cream spurting up his abs and chest. His hair was matted against his temple with sweat and his breathing was labored. He collapsed on top of Mateo and sighed. Mateo chuckled, kissing his neck.

  “Now that’s a welcome home.” Mateo held his husband close. “What’s wrong?”

  “What makes you think something’s wrong?” Riley buried his face in Mateo’s neck.

  “I’ve been married to you for over ten years. I know when something’s wrong.” Mateo lifted Riley’s face with his fingertips. “Talk to me.”

  “I saw my dad,” Riley whispered.

  Mateo frowned. “Did he upset you?”

  “Yes, but not in the way you think. He’s dying, Mateo. He wanted to see me one last time to apologize.”

  Mateo held Riley closer to him. “I’m so sorry, babe.”

  “He said you went to see him.”

  Mateo nodded. “Yes, he asked me to and I went out of curiosity. He wanted me to talk to you on his behalf and I told him no. Whatever he needed to say, he’d have to say it to you. He owed you that.”

  “Well now I know,” Riley sighed.

  “Something else is bothering you.” Mateo searched Riley’s eyes.

  “Just knowing he’s going to die – it brought up my own mortality, you know? What if one of our kids is a werewolf and the other isn’t? One child will live a long life having to watch us all die. What if I get sick the same way my dad did? I can’t stand the thought of leaving you and our kids behind.”

  Mateo sat up and looked at Riley closely.

  “You want to be changed.”

  “I hadn’t really thought about it too much up until now. I’d want us to both agree, though; it has to be mutual. We do this together.”

  Mateo’s brows furrowed.

  “Making love to you forever? There’s a choice?” he grinned.

  “Let’s not rush into it, okay? We’ll talk about it some more and look at the pros and cons.”

  “All right.” Mateo looked at his watch. “We need to head home.”

  “Shower time?” Riley waggled his brows.

  “Oh, hell, yeah.”

  ~*~

  Once they had gotten cleaned up and dressed – Riley always made sure he had an extra set of clothing in his office – they made their way out into the building. Most of his workers knew that when Mateo came back from a ‘trip,’ Riley was not to be disturbed. Mitch smiled at them as they made their way by his desk.

  “Don’t work too late, Mitch. It’s Friday,” Riley said.

  “You bet.”

  Riley’s cell phone rang and he looked at the caller ID. Maccon, Wayne. His head snapped up to find Mateo, and the hand holding the phone trembled.

  “What is it?” Mateo looked at Riley’s phone. “Well? Answer it.”

  Riley pushed talk and closed his eyes. After months of waiting to see his and Mateo’s children, he couldn’t take it if it was another false alarm.

  “Hey, Wayne.”

  “Y’all better get your asses to Ireland. The women are getting restless and Evangeline says Josephine is contracting. I don’t know all the mumbo jumbo about childbirth, but I guess something’s happening with her cervix.”

  “We’ll be right there. Did you call Dakota and Sam?”

  “Nope, figured you’d want to call Dakota, seeing how the two of you have gotten so close.”

  Riley grinned. He and Dakota had gotten closer. They were both on pins and needles waiting for the birth of their children. They talked at least once a week, usually more.

  “I’ll call,” Riley said.

  ~*Chapter Two*~

  Dakota rolled over to watch Sam sleep. Damn, his husband was fine! Dakota couldn’t help the small chuckle that left his lips. Being married to Sam Waters was the best thing that had ever happened to him, and now they were having a child together. A child who would be pure werewolf.

  Dakota ran a finger down Sam’s expansive chest, trailing lower to the dark patch of hair at his pelvis. He’d never forget the night they met. Sam had hit him with his truck as he crossed the street in his wolf form. It was fate that put him in the middle of the road that night – he knew that now. He was destined to marry Sam Waters.

  Sam’s copper-colored skin shimmered in the sun that peeked through the curtains. Dakota moved closer, his hand reaching out to touch the face of the man he loved. Sam’s eyes opened slowly as Dakota explored his face.

  “Hey,” Sam smiled, his hand gliding over Dakota’s hip.

  “Morning.” Dakota leaned in and touched his lips to Sam’s l
ightly. “I didn’t hear you come in last night. Everything go okay?”

  “Yeah, Mat and I worked with Josh and Troy, so of course it all worked out well.” Sam smiled, palming Dakota’s face. “I missed you, though. How was it hanging out with Sawyer?”

  “How is it anytime I hang out with Sawyer?” Dakota chuckled.

  Sawyer Quinton Bishop was married to Troy. Their love story had begun the minute Troy had stepped foot back on the reservation and spotted Sawyer. Troy hadn’t been aware of the werewolf population at the time. Now he was a werewolf himself. Changed at the cusp of death, Troy had embraced the werewolf lifestyle – just as Sam had. It had become custom for the humans of the Skull Blasters to be paired with a werewolf on all missions.

  “I saw Preston’s Jeep out front. He and Wyatt visiting?” Sam stretched out in the bed.

  “Yes, your mom begged and you know how Wyatt is; he’d do anything for Nay.”

  Wyatt was the youngest of the four Quinton boys. He’d been mated to Preston Dalton at the tender age of seven, when Preston was thirteen. After a rocky start many years later, the two of them had come together for life.

  “Well, she had a big part in raising him.” Sam pulled Dakota on top of him and cupped his face. Dakota was absolutely breathtaking. His light eyes stood out against his dark hair. His skin was soft as silk. Dakota grinned and Sam realized his thoughts were ‘on.’

  “You’re not so bad yourself.” Dakota kissed Sam’s nose. His hair was longer, reaching the tips of his shoulders. Sam’s Native American roots shone in his features: high cheekbones, full, sensual lips and a thin nose. The minute he’d laid eyes on Sam Waters in the middle of the road, he’d felt a connection. Sam had taken him in as a wolf and had treated him better than his own parents had as a human.