Clayton paced the office, telling himself that he needed to calm down. What was really making him angry? Was it the fact that Sparrow had made out with Josh, or the fact that Sparrow had pretty much slapped Clayton in the face on this one? Was the guy sending some sort of twisted message? "Why, Sparrow?"

"I don't have to explain a damn thing to you." Sparrow moved around his desk, getting dangerously close to Clayton. His fingers itched to pull that rubber band free and tangle his hands in the sheriff's long, black hair. Sparrow always wore his hair smoothed back and tied. He was dying to see what the man would look like with the strands flowing freely around his shoulders.

He just knew Sparrow would be even hotter.

"Both Josh and I are bears. What makes him so different that you'd make out with him, but act like I don't exist?" And then Clayton realized where some of his anger was coming from. It turned him on to think of Sparrow and Josh together. What kind of sick fuck was he? Clayton didn't share. End of story. Yet he was spitting mad that Sparrow and Josh had gone behind his back.

Jeez. Clayton needed his head examined.

"Fine, I'll give you the truth," Sparrow said.

But was it going to be a truth Clayton could handle? He wasn't sure coming here had been the right thing to do. If Sparrow flat-out told Clayton that he wasn't interested, it would crush him.

"Go ahead." He watched Sparrow watch him. The sheriff's eyes held such pure heat that Clayton felt branded.

Sparrow shoved his finger into Clayton's chest. "At least with Josh, I don't have to worry about him getting me pregnant."

"You are such a basket case, Sparrow." Clayton shoved the man's finger away. "As long as I don't fuck you, then that won't happen. Hell, you might not even be my mate."

Clayton was seven kinds of confused. His bear wanted both men. But that was unheard of. No shifter was in a menage relationship.

None that he knew about.

And he'd had a feeling since meeting the sheriff that Sparrow was his mate. Clayton knew about the scent and what it meant. Every time he was around Sparrow he was reminded of the ocean.

But Josh had a fruity fragrance the reminded him of citrus and strawberries. How could two distinct smells affect him this way?

"Look, Clayton. You just need to-"

"Kiss you," Clayton finished before he grabbed Sparrow and shoved his tongue down the man's throat. Sparrow tried to push him away, but Clayton refused to be rebuffed.

Then things began to change and Sparrow was shoving Clayton against the wall and there was nothing gentle about it.

It almost felt like months and months of pent-up frustration were coming to a head. Sparrow grabbed Clayton so roughly that the guy nearly pulled Clayton off of his feet.

But Clayton wasn't being gentle either. He was pulling at Sparrow's hair, tugging the strands hard as he angled Sparrow's head for a better position. Their tongues were at war, their teeth clashing as both men ripped at each other's shirts.

Clayton was determined to get the man naked. He wanted skin and he wanted it badly enough that he ripped Sparrow's work shirt down the back, the sound of tearing fabric filling the room.

Clayton was so turned on that his cock hurt. He was primed and ready for whatever Sparrow wanted to do. This was what he'd been waiting for. Some kind of reaction out of the guy.

"You swear to me that I can't get pregnant?" Sparrow asked as he bit Clayton on his neck. The pain ripped through Clayton, making him moan in pleasure.

"Swear."

"Then you're about to get something that's been a long time coming."

Clayton laughed. "I hope it hasn't been coming that damn long. I don't need it spent before I can get to it."

Sparrow grunted before he backed up, looking like he'd just gotten into a fight with a hellcat as he crossed the room and locked the door. He turned to Clayton, pointing his index finger at him. "Don't you dare scream in here."

"No promises," Clayton teased as he kicked his boots off and dropped his jeans, showing Sparrow exactly what he had to offer. This had to be some kind of psychotic dream. This was not what Clayton had expected to happen when he'd come here.

But hell if he was turning Sparrow down.

They'd talk about Josh later.

Much later.

"Impressive." Sparrow winked at Clayton before he unzipped his pants, palming his own erection. Clayton nearly swallowed his tongue. Damn, the man was well hung.

He would say hung like a horse, but because of Clayton's line of work, that was too weird.

"You need to come to me," Clayton said as he began to stroke his hard shaft, not only teasing Sparrow, but himself as well.

"Why?"

"Because my pants are around my ankles. And unless you want me to fall over, bring me that big dick of yours." Clayton licked his lips to entice the sheriff to come over to him. The man's nostrils flared before he crossed the room.

Sparrow grabbed Clayton's cock.

Clayton grabbed Sparrow's.

Damn, the man had a much wider girth than Clayton. But he wasn't complaining. Hell no. Clayton's head hit the wall as his eyelids fluttered closed and his lips parted. It had been too long since a hand besides his own had jacked him off. But he wanted more.

Much more.

Clayton shoved Sparrow's hand aside. "Got any lube?"

Sparrow's brow quirked. "Depends on why you want it."

Clayton leaned forward and bit Sparrow's ear. "I want you to fuck me, handsome."

For a human, the growl that left Sparrow was impressive. "I got a bottle of lotion in my desk."

Clayton grinned. "I'm not even going to ask."

Sparrow rolled his eyes. "Dry skin, perv."

"I'll bet." Clayton pulled his pants up just enough so that he could hobble over to Sparrow's desk. He swiped his arm across the desk, knocking the contents to the floor. The noise had to have traveled outside the office.

"Didn't I tell you to keep it down?" Sparrow rounded his desk, grabbing the bottle of lotion from the top drawer before returning to Clayton.

Clayton shook his head. "You told me not to scream."

A shot of lust coursed through Clayton when Sparrow shoved him over the desk. The man wasn't playing around, but neither was Clayton. He'd waited on that sweet dick for too damn long and his body was aching to feel the man inside of him.

He pressed his hands into the cool surface of the desk as Sparrow shoved two fingers into his ass. Clayton groaned loud enough to wake the dead.

"Don't make me gag you," Sparrow threatened as he scissored his fingers before adding a third. The sheriff wasn't wasting any time. Clayton breathed through the burn of the stretch, gritting his teeth as Sparrow fucked him like the man's dick was already inside of Clayton.

"You keep that up and I'm going to come."

"Lightweight."

Clayton bucked backward. "Hardly."

The sound of a wrapper crinkling filled the air and Clayton knew the man was using a condom. He wasn't going to try and convince the sheriff of anything. Clayton allowed Sparrow to feel as safe as he wanted to. There was no way in hell he was going to end up in an argument with the guy when he was this close to being fucked.

One strong hand gripped Clayton's shoulder before Sparrow drove home. His cock stretched Clayton wide, making the burn intensify to an almost-painful pleasure.

Clayton breathed out through his mouth, closing his eyes as the sheriff started to thrust deep and long. Even if Sparrow hadn't used a condom, there was no threat in Clayton getting pregnant. A bear had to bite his mate in order for conception to take place. And since Clayton was currently in no position to bite Sparrow, that wasn't an issue."

But the man sure knew how to make Clayton fly. Sparrow didn't let up. Once again, it was as if the man was taking out months and months of frustration. The desk scooted a little and the sound of wood scraping across the floor filled the air.

Clayton started to moan louder and louder until Sparrow slapped a hand over his mouth. "Damn it. Shut the hell up before you get us both in trouble."

He licked Sparrow's hand, sucking on one of the man's fingers like it was a tiny dick, inhaling the masculine scent as he tried to spread his legs further apart. But the fabric of his jeans at his ankles prevented him from doing that.

Soon, Clayton forgot his struggle as the tension inside his balls began to mount. He reached down and grabbed his cock, jerking it to the deep thrusts. Clayton hissed, moving his hand faster as Sparrow tried to fuck him to within an inch of life.

"Shit," Sparrow ground out. "Close."

"Me too," Clayton said on a ragged breath.

And then Sparrow did something wholly unexpected. The man bit into Clayton's shoulder, his blunt teeth clamping down so hard that Clayton came, his cock exploding as he howled out his release.

Sparrow's hand slapped back over Clayton's mouth as the man moved faster, releasing Clayton's shoulder. "If we ever have office sex again, I'm gagging you."

Sparrow began to piston inside Clayton until the man's moves became erratic. And then Clayton heard the sheriff grunt loudly, his hips knocking Clayton harder into the desk.

Clayton collapsed, his breaths ragged as he enjoyed the last vestige of his orgasm. He felt Sparrow pull free but was too tired to turn around. "Why did you bite me?"

Sparrow didn't answer him, which made Clayton turn his head. The man tossed the condom into the wastebasket before fixing his pants. There was a peculiar look on his face before he said, "I have no fucking clue."

The following day found Josh in Sparrow's office. The blond wasn't coming on to him like he had the day before. In fact, Josh was standing just inside Sparrow's door, looking like he was ready to flee at any moment.

"Can I help you with something?" Sparrow asked. He was still kicking himself in the ass for giving in to Clayton yesterday. After all the time spent fighting against his attraction, one damn kiss and he'd fallen like a house of cards. Sparrow was still puzzling over his need to bite Clayton.

Worse-depending on how one looked at things-it had been the hottest damn sex Sparrow had ever had. The danger of being caught was a thrill that had him daydreaming about what had taken place in this office yesterday.

"I wanted to invite you to lunch."

Angelina had been complaining that Sparrow had no personal life and now he had it in spades. In all honesty, part of Sparrow's daydream had involved this little blond minx. He couldn't understand his attraction to both men. "Have a place in mind?"

Josh smiled and then nodded. "I made us a picnic."

Well, I'll be damned. Sparrow had never had anyone go this length before just to spend time with him. He was both flattered and confused. Were Clayton and Josh in cahoots together, setting him up for the way he'd acted toward both of them? He wouldn't put it past Clayton, but he didn't know Josh well enough to make that call.

"I'll let the front desk know I'm heading out." Sparrow stood and was walking out with Josh at his side when he spotted Dunham walking into the station. The deputy's eyes immediately went to Josh, assessing the man before Dunham looked away.

Sparrow wasn't going to ask the deputy what his problem was. The guy wasn't worth the wasted conversation.

"I'm taking my lunch," he said to Harold.

"Gotcha." The man hadn't bothered looking up from the magazine he was leafing through.

Sparrow led Josh out of the building and into the bright sun of the early afternoon.

"Harland dropped me off so I could pick up my brother's car," Josh commented. "I had to talk him into it, considering you were trying to sink me."

"I wasn't trying to sink you," Sparrow said as he led Josh to his motorcycle. He'd driven it in this morning, and secretly, Sparrow wanted to feel the man's arms wrapped tightly around him. "I was just doing my job."

He had to be losing it because the fact that Josh and Clayton were bears was becoming less and less important. And since Sparrow had found out that he couldn't get pregnant by fucking Clayton, well, that changed a lot of things.

He'd never bottomed before and Sparrow didn't plan on trying it now. Not with the risk involved. But he was pretty sure he could still make Clayton scream. He smiled as he remembered how loud Clayton had been in his office the day before.

"Why are you smiling?" Josh asked as he grabbed the picnic basket that was sitting just outside the station door. Sparrow had had one of the other deputies pull the car out front, in anticipation of someone coming to pick it up. He just hadn't expected that someone to be Josh.

He took the basket and secured it to the back of his bike before swinging his leg over and sliding his sunglasses into place. "Because it's a beautiful day to ride."

And he planned on doing some very naughty things to Josh on their little outing. If he was going to throw caution to the wind, he might as well go all the way. He and Clayton weren't exclusive and Josh had fascinated Sparrow since the sheriff had first seen him on that backcountry road.

"Liar," Josh said as he climbed behind Sparrow, snuggling close as he snaked his arms around Sparrow's waist. "I smelled you all over Clayton last night. You two had sex, didn't you?"

Sparrow was at a loss for words. He normally didn't discuss his sex life with anyone and he wasn't about to start now, but lying to Josh seemed...wrong. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because if you two have something going on, I'll back off." But Josh's voice told a different story. The man sounded downright dejected. Sparrow patted Josh's hands before he started the motorcycle.

"Nothing to back off from."

"Really?" Josh sounded skeptical. "If screwing around with you is nothing stellar, maybe I should take this lunch and have it with the local wildlife instead."

"You mean have a picnic by yourself?" Sparrow pulled out of his parking space and drove onto the road. "That sounds pretty pathetic to me."

"My life story." Josh leaned his cheek into Sparrow's back and didn't say another word until Sparrow found a remote place to pull off and park. They were far enough from the road that no one would see them, and the open field was perfect for an afternoon of eating and fucking.

Thankfully, he'd grabbed a travel packet of lube and a condom from his desk drawer before leaving his office. Things might not pan out that way, but it was better to be prepared.

Josh took his time laying out the blanket as Sparrow walked over to the small stream a few feet away. "Tell me, Josh. What is a mate?"

He'd been thinking about that one word ever since Clayton had brought it up. He knew what it meant for animals in the wild, but Josh and Clayton weren't wild animals. Maybe it had a different meaning for their kind.

"It means fate handpicked two people to be together," Josh explained as he pulled a container out of the basket. "Why, where did you hear the word?"

"As long as I don't fuck you, then that won't happen. Hell, you might not even be my mate." Clayton's words spun around in Sparrow's mind. "So how do you know if someone is your mate?"