Holden had never liked sleeping with anyone. Occasionally, he'd tolerate it on a trip with a girlfriend when he knew he'd spend most of the time f.u.c.king anyway. Sharing his bed and having to do the cuddling thing was the price he paid for getting his rocks off. He'd never been unwilling to pay; he just had never enjoyed it.

After Garret had shown him how exciting the grindage could really be, and after they'd cleaned up for what seemed like the umpteenth time that night, they'd settled into Holden's bed to sleep. Holden had lain stiffly on his side, knowing he would probably toss and turn and disturb Garret to the point that the man would retreat to his own room. Why he'd invited Garret to sleep with him in the first place was a mystery. He just felt compelled to do so even knowing how much he hated company when he slept.

Still, when Garret crawled into bed, smelling of his own spearmint scent and some citrus mouthwash, he had nestled his back into Holden's chest spoon fashion and fallen right asleep.

Holden wriggled trying to get comfortable. He pressed his hips into Garret's a.s.s, remembering what it had felt like to f.u.c.k the man. A wave of emotion had come over him and he'd slipped one arm around Garret, sliding the other beneath the pillows. He'd relaxed, his hand absently stroking Garret's hard abs.

The next thing he knew sun spilled into the room as he lay flat on his back with Garret's arm across his chest, one leg between his, and his face buried in Holden's shoulder. The feel of Garret's knee pressing his swelling c.o.c.k had been beyond exciting. Finding that they were sharing a pillow and had apparently been cuddled together all night was disconcerting. With conflicting emotions abounding, Holden had just slid out from under Garret and gotten up.

When they reached the private dining room, Emily again s.n.a.t.c.hed up Garret as if he was a lifeline. Holden found himself seated across the table from his mate and beside his brother Declan. Before Declan and Holden could do more than wish each other good morning, Sean arrived with Vahid and began pa.s.sing out sheets of paper. Holden stared at his in disbelief, not hearing a word his oldest brother said.

Sean's plans for the second day of the retreat annoyed him. He might be an athlete, but he wasn't a fan of nature walks and such. Sean had planned a morning hike for everyone, putting people in groups of two, three, or four. Considering some of the odd groups Sean put together, Holden expected to be in a different group than Garret, but Sean had put them together with no one else. The only other group of two was Vahid and Emily, who tried not to look mutinous and failed.

Seated in the private dining room, as waiters served breakfast following Sean's announcement of the morning's activities, Holden stole a glance at his brother Declan. "Why the h.e.l.l do you and Sean get to sit this out while I have to partic.i.p.ate?" he b.i.t.c.hed.

Declan shook out his napkin with a shrug. "Australia is being a p.r.i.c.k and a half. That's my excuse. I don't know what Sean's is other than the fact that he's a p.r.i.c.k and a half who likes to pull everyone else's chain," his brother replied coolly. "Why don't you wanna go hiking with Wonderboy?"

Holden gritted his teeth, counted to ten, and reminded himself that this was his older brother. The one he liked, not the one who annoyed the f.u.c.k out of him. Although Declan was doing a d.a.m.ned good job of p.i.s.sing him off just like Sean. "His name is Garret," Holden growled in a low voice, his eyes darting across the table at Garret who sat with a glowering Emily.

His brother looked up from his Eggs Florentine, surprise in the depths of his golden eyes.

"You know, Holden, I called him that yesterday and you didn't flinch, but you did smirk, as if you knew something I didn't know," Declan pointed out with cool logic. "Today, you're getting p.i.s.sy with me because I didn't use our newest executive's proper name. What the h.e.l.l gives?"

Lying to Declan never worked. Every time he had in the past, he'd gotten caught and Declan had made him pay in some way. At the same time, he wasn't ready to tell Declan the truth and certainly not at the breakfast table with every executive from Antaeus International within earshot. He could just see the wide eyed shocked faces and hear the whispers.

"Did he just say he f.u.c.ked the new finance guy last night?"

"That's one way to get ahead, give the boss head!"

Holden blinked rapidly, trying to clear the vision from his head. Across the table, Garret's lips twitched as he tried to suppress a grin. Sharing thoughts could be d.a.m.ned inconvenient at times. And what the h.e.l.l could he say to Declan that wouldn't be a lie?

Just tell him you like the way I play tennis. He doesn't have to know what kind of b.a.l.l.s and rackets you're thinking about.

Eyes narrowed, Holden glared at Garret across the table. It doesn't work with b.a.l.l.s and rackets. The euphemism is supposed to be baseball, b.a.l.l.s and bats.

Garret cut into his omelet and offered Holden a glimpse of that smile that always did him in.

Just mention the tennis. He'll pa.s.s everything over for now. But eventually, Holden, your family needs to know.

Holden raised a sardonic brow. Believe me; no one knows that more than I do. He glanced over at Declan again. "I'm just p.i.s.sed about the d.a.m.n hiking. I hate f.u.c.king hiking."

Declan gave him a sour look. "Take a towel with you. There are hot springs up the trail Sean's a.s.signed you. You can go skinny dipping and relax. Nothing like a soak in the hot spring to ease dragon tension. The water's so hot you'll think you let your dragonfire escape," he said in a droll voice.

"Are you nuts? I'm not getting naked when Emily and Vahid could show up any second."

Yeah, getting naked around Garret when any of their colleagues could discover them wasn't Holden's idea of a fun morning.

"Don't you ever pay attention?" Declan asked in an annoyed tone. "You and Garret are the only ones on that trail. Everyone else was a.s.signed a trail on the other side of the lodge. Sean must really want you to bond with this guy."

Holden's hand jerked, spilling his coffee a little. Declan hadn't meant the term bond in an intimate way, but Holden's head processed it that way, giving him visions of himself grasping Garret's taut b.u.t.tocks as he f.u.c.ked him. He glanced across the table at Garret again. He was turned toward Emily, intent on whatever she was whispering in his ear.

She's complaining about Vahid. I'm not paying so much attention to her that I don't know what you were thinking. It's a good thing I don't have to get up from this table right now or everyone would see what I think of your thoughts. The stiffness in his own groin told Holden he couldn't have risen at that moment either. He needed to learn to focus and not get so d.a.m.ned aroused by the least little thing that had to do with Garret. Blocking out Garret's thoughts and shielding his own from his mate, Holden listened as Declan filled him in on the newest problems with the Australian takeover.

After breakfast, Holden and Garret and their trail map went up to their suite to change.

Jeans, t-shirt, hoodie, and beat up sneakers seemed good enough to Holden for a morning spent walking. He grabbed a small backpack, shoved a few things in it, including the lube, and went to the wet bar to grab some water bottles.

When Garret came in, Holden had to admit he was a little impressed. The man had on jeans and a red polo shirt, a windbreaker with reflective strips on the arms, and well worn expensive hiking boots. Apparently, hiking agreed with Garret Renquist.

"Is there a first aid kit in that backpack?" he joked, taking out more water for Garret.

His mate's brows rose. "Of course."

"Well, if something happens, you're in charge. I'm way out of my element in the woods. Torts and trees are two entirely different things."

"I am perfectly capable of taking care of you in this type of environment should something untoward occur," Garret said as his placed several bottles of water in his backpack.

Holden shot him an odd look. "Suddenly, you totally sound like a stuffed-shirt Englishman."

Garret grinned. "I am a stuffed-shirt Englishman."

"You're a bean counter too," Holden said on a chuckle as he held the door open.

Striding through to the corridor, Garret reached out and slapped Holden's a.s.s as he went by.

"I am not a bean counter."

"Are too."

"Am not."

They started down the hotel corridor, both of them grinning at their word play. Holden couldn't remember the last time he'd had such simple fun with someone. Unfortunately, his good humor didn't last. Hiking really wasn't his milieu. The outdoors, other than a tennis court or the beach, wasn't really his thing either. Trees and dirt and nature always defeated him in some way.

On this day, he discovered the trail was steeper and more difficult than he expected. The backs of his legs pulled uncomfortably and his annoyance grew. He didn't want his new mate to see him out of sorts over such a stupid thing, but he'd just had it with the nature stuff. His tolerance for nature went only so far.

Halfway up the mountain, Holden hit his threshold. He stopped and plopped down on a boulder, eyeing Garret with a frown. "I'm not a f.u.c.king nature boy. This sucks."

Garret stared at him wide eyed and Holden realized that his mate had figured out he wasn't going any further. His stomach rolled as he wondered if copping out and quitting would make his mate look at him with disgust.

~* * *~ Garret drew a deep breath of the pine scented air. He could tell that Holden's thoughts were in a bit of turmoil and wondered what had set him off this time. "It's nice out here today. And the hike hasn't been difficult at all. I don't understand what you think is so hard."

"It's not hard. But I'm a city boy. I'm not into all this nature c.r.a.p." Holden scowled, reaching for the bottle of water that hung from his backpack.

As he drank, Garret looked around the trail. It was wide here and a few yards further he could see that the trail branched. He thought he saw a puff of smoke down the right side trail and frowned, hoping no one was smoking. When he saw another plume drifting upward he wondered if one of the other dragons was on this trail although Sean had said that no one else had been given this route.

He drew in another deep breath and the scent of sulfur reached him. He turned to Holden with a grin. "Hey, we've found it!"

"Found what?" his mate said in a grumpy voice.

"The hot springs Declan mentioned." Garret pointed toward the puffs of steam that he'd mistaken for smoke.

"Really?" Holden was on his feet and looking in the direction of the hot springs. He sniffed the air and a grin broke out across his face. "f.u.c.k, yeah. Let's go!"

Pleased that Holden's bad mood seemed to have lifted now that they'd found the hot springs, Garret led the way down the trail, following the tell tale steam. Leaving the trail, they made their way through a thick stand of pines and emerged in a secluded, lush, green clearing. Holden strode into the middle of the glade and set his backpack down.

"It's very green," Garret said looking around. "I thought there was a drought or something."

"Bah. Never listen to the news. They dramatize everything," Holden muttered as he struggled with his clothes.

Garret frowned as Holden's hoodie hit the ground beside his backpack. Next came his t-shirt.

"What are you doing?" he asked, striding across the glade toward Holden.

His mate looked up, golden eyes br.i.m.m.i.n.g with laughter, the pupils elongated. "Getting naked." Holden popped the b.u.t.tons on his jeans and moments later his shoes and socks, jeans and boxer briefs were on the gra.s.s.

A sigh of satisfaction escaped Garret as he watched Holden stretch his arms toward the sky.

The man had the most perfect body Garret had ever seen. He felt his c.o.c.k stir behind his zipper.

Smoke poured from Holden's nostrils, wreathing his head in a growing cloud and Garret realized what was about to happen.

Golden, confetti like shimmers filled the air where Holden stood. Within moments, instead of the hot, naked body of his mate, a huge black dragon appeared before Garret. The dragon let out a loud roar, its curved fangs slashing the air as the roar made the pines tremble.

"Show off," Garret said with a grin.

I heard that, a.s.shole.

Garret stared up at Holden's big black scaled head questioningly. The amber eyes gleamed at him. What? You didn't think you could hear me? You're my mate, no one else can hear me so well when I am in this form. Besides, I can't shield you when I'm in dragon form. If I do, I can't communicate with you.

"That's true." Garret set his backpack down beside Holden's.

Get naked.

Holden's thought had a sly emphasis and Garret stared up at him incredulously. "What? You want me to get naked?"

Holden's big dragon head bobbed.

"Why?" Garret asked and Holden slapped his tail against the ground. The earth rumbled beneath Garret's feet and his eyes widened. "Oh, f.u.c.k. You have to be joking."

Holden shook his big head.

So not joking. And if you don't get naked and shift, the next time I catch you in shifted form, I'll pin you down and f.u.c.k your a.s.s raw.

Startled, Garret looked into Holden's huge golden eyes. There was laughter there but Garret got the sense that Holden wasn't quite lying about the f.u.c.king either. As a threat, it wasn't much of a deterrent, Garret thought, his mind flashing back to the night before. Being f.u.c.ked by Holden had some distinct advantages. Garret pulled off his windbreaker and shirt. It took only a few moments to get down to his skin. Holden's eyes never left him.

f.u.c.k, you're beautiful.

Garret grimaced at Holden's thoughts. Men weren't beautiful. He certainly wasn't beautiful.

Shut up and shift already! And if I say you're good looking, you are. I have great taste.

A chuckle escaped Garret as he concentrated on the shift. Golden sparkles shimmered in the air around him and he felt his dragon stretch, embracing the shift. When his form took shape, Garret knew exactly what Holden saw. A green dragon, slightly longer than Holden's form, but not as bulky, his tail spiked and deadly, the iridescent shimmer of his wings stretching up toward the sky with a wingspan greater than that of Holden's wings. His serpentine head swiveled toward Holden.

Geez, Garret. You coulda warned me. Tinged with amus.e.m.e.nt and admiration, Holden's thoughts entered Garret's head easily even in dragon form.

Warned you about what? Garret folded his wings and took a couple of steps toward Holden, stopping when their chests were but a few feet apart.

Holden snorted, smoke blowing out of his nostrils in a big puff. That you had a spiked tail. I was gonna offer to hold tails with you.

Garret could see the teasing in Holden's eyes, but at the same time, he felt the swell of emotion that rose in his mate. It matched the emotion inside him that threatened to overwhelm his senses. Holding tails was an act of dragon intimacy, like holding hands. However, while someone might hold the hand of a friend, dragons never held the tail of other dragons unless it was their mate or their parent. Even siblings never grasped tails.

Holden, I... Garret broke off his thought and looked away. He felt too much to be able to articulate his emotions to Holden. Just in the short time they'd known each other, he'd come to understand just who Holden Antaeus was. Everything about the man screamed fairness and integrity. That alone drew Garret like a moth to a flame. All his life, he'd been surrounded by people who used one another, who used him. As a consequence, he'd chosen his lovers carefully, nice, easy-going, milquetoast individuals that he could be friends with before and after s.e.x. Nothing in his life had prepared him for a lover like Holden. Nothing had prepared him for falling fangs over tail in love.

Turning away from Holden, Garret stared in the direction of the hot springs. Had he been in human form, his eyes would have been burning from holding back tears of emotion. Looking at Holden made him feel triumphant, yet weak as a kitten. No one had ever made him feel so vulnerable. Fear rose within him as he realized how integral Holden was to his future and his happiness. Even without the mating bonds pulling at them, Garret knew he would have fallen in love with Holden. He needed Holden to make him laugh, to make him relax, to make him trust again. He might be an opened minded individual, but he had kept his heart and his emotions carefully guarded for nearly a century.

Something hit his shoulder hard. Caught off guard, he stumbled, his head whipping around to find Holden close by his side, preparing to b.u.t.t him again with his big black head.

I don't trust many people either, Garret. Antaeus International is a family run business for a reason. My siblings and I rely on each other. For us, blood is thicker than water. So are mating bonds. Very few people get close to an Antaeus. You've earned your place with us aside from the mating bonds that you and I share.

A stream of smoke came from Holden's nostrils as he exhaled on a long breath. When you say that you would have fallen in love with me despite the pull of the mating bonds, something responds inside me. Arching his neck, his black scales gleaming in the afternoon sun, Holden b.u.mped his head against Garret's in a sort of caress. At the same time, the sharp tip of his tail looped over Garret's, carefully avoiding the vicious spikes, but still managing to stroke the sensitive green scales.

A shudder went through Garret. Visions of Holden mating him in dragon form filled his head. Garret wasn't sure if they were the product of his own imagination or Holden's. Smoke billowed from his nostrils as the s.e.xual imagery grew more detailed. His eyes met Holden's.

Garret, I think I would have fallen for you too, even without the mating bonds.

The thought was quiet and self-confident and filled with emotion. Holden b.u.mped Garret's head again and this time, Garret responded by rubbing his head against Holden's neck. Smoke encircled their huge dragon forms as s.e.xual tension rose within them. The urge to bend down and let Holden take him made Garret shake with l.u.s.t and antic.i.p.ation. He wanted to bathe Holden in his dragonfire and mate him.

Not here. We need to do it in private. And we need to know each other better before we share fire. Holden b.u.mped his head against Garret's again, his tail still caressing Garret's spiked one.

Besides, I don't think you really want to mate in dragon form. It's really clumsy and your tail would definitely be in the way of my c.o.c.k.

Holden's eyes gleamed with amus.e.m.e.nt and the tension within Garret eased a little. He blew out a smoke ring, watching as it settled around Holden's neck then dissipated.

I wouldn't want anything to get in the way of your c.o.c.k. I can't wait to feel you inside me again. Holden snorted, his entire body shaking a little, as more smoke and a teaser of flame erupted from his nostrils. Garret knew the lack of control over his fire meant that Holden was aroused.

Aroused? Geez, Garret you have a gift for understatement, did you know that? I have a huge throbbing dragon c.o.c.k at the moment and it's all your fault.

Oh really? Garret's lips curled back from his fangs in a dragon grin. His tail shifted and carefully he slid it beneath Holden's belly. Garret let the part of his tail above the spikes brush against the armor plated sheath that protected Holden's c.o.c.k. At the stimulation, the huge erection slid free of the sheath, rubbing against Garret's tail.

f.u.c.k!.

Garret shivered in reaction, his own c.o.c.k sliding from its sheath. He looked at Holden and found little flames erupting from his mate's nostrils with every panting breath.

G.o.ds, Garret. You f.u.c.king turn me on and scare the p.i.s.s out of me at the same time. The thought of those f.u.c.king spikes anywhere near my c.o.c.k gives me the shivers. But the feel of your tail, your scales, against my erection...it's enough to make me come right now.

Garret laughed, the sound coming out as a sort of hiccupping roar. How would we explain the bucketfuls of dragon c.u.m to the forest rangers?