In the Wild

Halloween Howl Free Story from Dreamspinner Press. http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php

In the Wild | Devon Rhodes 2

One Wish Series #2.5

“DO you feel as ridiculous as I do, standing out here waving in the wind? And if they don‟t hurry up, I‟m going to get a sunburn on my ass.” Benny rolled his eyes at Rory‟s good-natured grumbling before stretching and taking in a long, deep breath with his singing-trained lungs. He would never have figured himself for a “nature boy”, but somehow the combination of the beautiful mountain setting and the breeze curling teasingly around his bare cock and balls was amazing for his libido. “And quit that! Curtis is going to be beyond pissed if he shows up and you have a hard-on with me right here. From what Jared has said, his control still isn‟t the greatest as it is!” Rory rubbed his arms and glanced worriedly at the sky, then frowned and turned his gaze to the treeline. “Where do you think they are?” “Relax, Ree. They‟ll be here soon.” Benny gave Rory a knowing smirk. “And I‟m not the only one getting fired up out here.” He dropped his gaze pointedly to the familiar—but now off-limits—groin area of his bandmate. Benny and Rory, the frontmen for the band One Wish, were the best of friends and had also been lovers in their past. But that had been until the summer solstice exactly one year ago, when they‟d played a private concert series for

In the Wild | Devon Rhodes 3 a mysterious, wealthy organization up at the beautiful and remote mountain lodge which they could now just see the roofline of from where they were standing. The leader of the group, Jared, had immediately snagged Rory‟s attention— and his heart. From that first meeting, Benny had been just as taken with Jared‟s nephew, Curtis, but their path to togetherness had been more circuitous. The heir to what the stunned rockers had found to be a clan of shapeshifters, Curt had been on the brink of coming into his powers and learning to control them when they‟d met—not the ideal time for the young shifter to find his mate. Curtis had kept Benny at arm‟s length for months afterward, much to Benny‟s frustration. Oh, he knew now that Curtis had only been trying to protect him—from himself. Apparently, the “wilder” side of his lover required that he learn iron control before becoming intimate or forming a commitment. But Curt‟s timetable had been forced twice along the way. The first time had been last summer when first Benny, then Curtis had been kidnapped by their former manager, Richard. That was when Benny and Rory had first learned of the clan‟s nature. The most recent had been last November, when Richard—from in prison—and his brother had infiltrated the close-knit band by bribing their drummer‟s boyfriend, Skip, with a large payoff to lure Benny into being captured and held for ransom. Buzz had been left devastated and heartbroken by Skip‟s betrayal. Benny felt a wave of melancholy at the thought of their

In the Wild | Devon Rhodes 4 formerly perpetually-happy sticks man, who was now morose and had secluded himself in a room here at the lodge where Benny and Rory lived between tours. A touch to his arm brought him out of his thoughts, and he met Rory‟s concerned gaze. “What‟s wrong, babe?” “Oh, just thinking about Buzz. He really needs to get out of here and rejoin the land of the living.” Rory nodded soberly. “He‟ll have to next week, when we head back to hit the studio. We‟ve all stretched our time off here long enough. Not that I‟m complaining—I love being with Jared every day—but I‟m getting antsy. Ya know?” Rory fingered the frets of an air guitar with a flourish, and Benny grinned at his antics. Especially since Rory was completely naked and surrounded by nature. If someone had told Benny a year ago they‟d be standing in the shadow of the Rockies—buck naked—waiting for two dragons to appear, he would have given them a placating smile, a wide berth, and absolutely no eye contact. After all, that‟s what you do when crazies start spouting insanity, right? Even last winter, knowing for a certainty that there was something “different” about both his own lover, Curtis, and his bandmate‟s man, Jared, the same information would have given him a curl of apprehension. Dragons? They couldn‟t be just plain old werewolves or something “normal”, right? But since he‟d saved Benny from the second kidnapping, Curtis had made it blindingly clear that he was devoted to Benny and wouldn‟t harm a hair on his head. This would be the first time Curtis was allowed to be in his

In the Wild | Devon Rhodes 5 base form around Benny, and instead of feeling any fear, Benny was thrilled and excited—in more ways than one. A gust of wind tossed his shoulder-length dark hair around his face, and he absently pushed it back. Then, as another gust played havoc with his efforts, he noticed Rory‟s expression of wonder and want… directed at something upward and over his shoulder. He spun around and froze in awe and wonder. Hovering just a few yards away from them were two… dragons. Even knowing ahead of time what to expect and having seen Curtis take on the shape of a wolf before, he was stunned at the reality of the two “mythical” creatures before him. His eyes were drawn to the slightly larger golden dragon on the left, and his insides tightened with want, his cock firming to a full erection even in the cool ambient air. A moment of doubt crept over him, and he glanced at Rory, wanting to make sure he wasn‟t perving over the wrong man… uh, dragon. But no, Rory‟s lustful gaze was fixed firmly upon the darker form to the right. Relieved, he looked back to see an almost human disgruntled expression on his dragon. He apparently hadn‟t liked losing Benny‟s attention. Stifling a laugh, he took a step forward. “Is it okay to touch them?” he asked with a sideward glance to Rory. “Of course you can touch me. And quit looking at him when he’s naked,” came Curtis‟s familiar voice in his head. First Curtis and then Jared touched down lightly and stilled their oddly small wings, which didn‟t look as though they should be able to lift their mass aloft.

In the Wild | Devon Rhodes 6 His dragon snorted and the heat—though no flame, thankfully—washed over Benny. “And now you’re disparaging my wing size? I’ll have you know I’m quite wellendowed.” “Oh yes you are. I should know.” Benny gave Curtis a lascivious wink and walked up to him confidently, his erect cock leading the way. He reached out and Curtis obligingly lowered his neck, allowing Benny to run his hands along the surprisingly warm scales plating his head and chest. “You‟re so warm,” he marveled aloud. “And you’re not. Except for one part.” “I know!” Rory agreed, stroking Jared as he rubbed against him like an overgrown cat. “It‟s like touching an electric blanket.” He snuggled up to the large creature and gave him a kiss on the neck. Jared suddenly went aloft and then gently picked up Rory with wicked-looking talons. Benny gave a gasp of alarm, though Rory didn‟t seem worried. “It‟s okay,” he called down from his ever-increasing height. “I‟m safe with Jared. See you later! Have fun!” This last was barely audible as Jared gained speed and was out of view around a mountain face in no time. Benny turned back to Curtis. “Um, are we going to be doing that too?” He had a sudden thought. “Should I grab my clothes?” He waved a hand to indicate the pile of his and Rory‟s clothing at the top of the trail they‟d followed. “Yes, we’re doing that. And no. We’ll get them later. Now, just relax. Don’t make any sudden moves. I don’t want to nick you.” As he was speaking in Benny‟s mind, Curtis had risen into the air and approached. He noticed that the talons

In the Wild | Devon Rhodes 7 closing around him were more like very scary fingernails, and Curtis seemed to be easily keeping them out of the way, using only the finger pads of his… claws? hands?… to touch Benny. He felt himself tilting slightly backward. It was somewhat like riding on a ski lift chair. Curtis chuckled in his head, and Benny felt his relief. He realized Curtis had probably been worried that Benny would be scared or uncomfortable. He gave the scaled skin within reach a tender caress. Soon he could see they were heading toward an opening about a third of the way up a sheer rock face on the side of a mountain that reminded him of Half Dome in Yosemite. Curtis arrowed toward the dark crevice, tucking Benny up against his chest as he entered. Inside, it opened up to much larger than he‟d have guessed from the size of the entrance. Benny looked around in wonder as he was carefully lowered to his feet—which touched carpet. “Is this your „lair‟?” It was an oasis of hedonism, with a huge round bed-like cushion covered with pillows and blankets, throw rugs, a couple of small chests, and a table with—incongruously enough—a huge red and white cooler setting beside it. “Yes, well, the cooler doesn‟t match the décor, but it makes it easier to get the food and stuff up here and keep for a while.” At the sound of his now-human lover‟s voice aloud, Benny turned back and took two steps into his muscular arms, wrapping his own around Curtis. “It‟s wonderful,” Benny murmured against his smooth chest before focusing in on one of the hardened nipples right

In the Wild | Devon Rhodes 8 at mouth height. He received a groan for his efforts, and a large hand came up to cup the back of his head. “We can only really use it in the summer,” Curtis explained hoarsely. He gasped as Benny worried the nub with his teeth and then soothed it with a stroke of his tongue. Their erections jousted and rubbed between their bodies until Benny took a step away… toward that bed. “Then let‟s not waste any time.” He tugged a willing Curtis along for a couple of steps, then his lover picked him up with a growl and covered the remaining distance in three strides before tossing him down on the cushion. Benny let out a breath as he hit the bed. In the next moment, Curtis was atop him between his spread legs, covering him from head to foot and rubbing his sizeable erection along his stomach. He reached down and gently tested, then penetrated Benny‟s opening. His eyes darkened. “You prepped yourself?” Two fingers curled inside him, zeroing in knowledgeably on the exact place that made Benny moan and a zing of pure pleasure go straight to his cock, which felt harder than iron. “Uh,” was all he could manage aloud. “Of course. I had a— oh!—a feeling you’d be ready to go.” “Good boy,” Curtis praised teasingly before sliding down and engulfing Benny‟s straining cock in the soft warmth of his mouth. The combination of his relentless suction and the large fingers fucking slowly in and out drove Benny quickly to the brink. “Almost. Oh God, don‟t stop!”

In the Wild | Devon Rhodes 9 “Shh, I‟ve got you.” Curtis pulled away just long enough to squeeze a dollop of lube onto his fingers, slicking his cock and rubbing the excess tauntingly along the outside of Benny‟s hole. “Oh for fuck’s sake, fuck me!” “My pleasure.” Curtis‟s smug thought was countered by his groan as he thrust into Benny‟s waiting opening. Benny embraced the familiar twinge before his body opened to fully welcome his lover. They rocked together, whispering words of love and praise until Benny couldn‟t hold back any longer. Arching, he came between their abdomens, clenching around Curtis a moment before his lover froze and then jerked his hips. Warmth flooded Benny, and the pleasure and love he felt at that moment was beyond anything he‟d ever dreamt of. After coming down and a quick clean-up, they were back in the bed holding one another close. A nagging question prompted Benny to break the sated and comfortable silence. “So, the one thing I don‟t get is, why did we have to be naked?” Curtis‟s chuckle rumbled his chest under Benny‟s ear before he confirmed Benny‟s suspicions. “You didn‟t. But it was hot as hell coming over the ridge and seeing you there that way.” He mentally added, “Nature boy.” Benny smiled contentedly and shrugged. “When in the wild….”

In the Wild | Devon Rhodes 10 Find all of Devon Rhodes‟s titles here. Save 15% on any of Devon Rhodes‟s titles by entering the code Rhodes473 at checkout.

DEVON RHODES started reading and writing at a young age and never looked back. After a creatively sapping career in the business world, she gratefully took some time off to be at home. At thirty-nine and holding, Devon finally figured out the best way to channel her midlife crisis was to morph from mild-mannered stay-at-home mom to erotic romance writer. She lives in Oregon with her husband and two girls, who are (mostly) understanding of all the time she spends on her laptop, aka the black hole. Visit her web site at http://www.devonrhodes.com and her blog at http://devonrhodes.blogspot.com/. You can contact her at [email protected].

The One Wish Series by Devon Rhodes:

www.dreamspinnerpress.com

In the Wild ©Copyright Devon Rhodes, 2011 Published by Dreamspinner Press 382 NE 191st Street #88329 Miami, FL 33179-3899 USA http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/ This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. Cover Art by Anne Cain [email protected] Cover Design by Mara McKennen This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press at: 382 NE 191st Street #88329 Miami, FL 33179-3899 USA http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/ Released in the United States of America October 2011 eBook Edition