A Full Moon - 1. Chapter 1

Moving to Salem Massachusetts had never been my idea. I'm California born and bred. Sun, surf and sexy babes in bikinis were my thing. Not snow, skiing and sexy babes you couldn't tell were sexy cause of the damned parkas. But I was here because I was getting paid big bucks to do this work exchange with our parent company here. An extra fifteen grand at the end of the year was nothing to laugh at when that was a 20% raise just for moving. I remember stepping off the company plane and looking at the cold gray sky above me when I had left a beautiful blue one behind. “Welcome to Salem, Mr. Davenport,” some stuffy suit said with a nasal voice I found grating on my ears from just those five words. Me? I wear a suit to work, what corporate exec doesn't, but only cause I had to. Hell I never wore shoes unless I had to. Looks like shoes would be a must when I could lose my toes to frostbite. “My name is Carl Hansen and I was assigned to drive you to our office.”

I nodded and when he turned I mimed shooting myself in the head. There was a snicker from the pilot who knew me very well as for about an hour of the flight her copilot had taken over and she had helped me “relax” during the flight. It never failed me. Get close to a girl and she would be mine. Happened since I was thirteen. I was blessed with good looks, a winning smile, quick mind, great genes for a perfectly sculpted body and something else that drove women crazy: a deep and resonant voice. More than one chick had begged me to rumble in their ear while I banged 'em. The pilot was no different and for almost the entire trip she was all over me like bitch in heat...darn! “Maybe you'll still be flying for the company when I go back,” I said and I watched her pelvis twitch and her lips quiver. I had given her one hell of a ride since I was also blessed with a big dick and the knowledge of how to use it.

I looked at the limo they had waiting for me and hopped in the back seat to find another guy there, this one in a casual suit of cream. He was a big dude. I'm pretty big at 6'3” and 215 pounds but this guy would tower over me by at least four inches and outweighed me by a hundred pounds of muscle. Flaming red hair and gnarly mutton chops he would look at home in a kilt. He had a jolly smile on his face...but his eyes were colder than the weather out there and an eerie yellow green. “Welcome to Massachusetts Jon. The name is, and I know how bad this sounds, Angus.” I laughed. His voice was so accented with Scottish that it was that funny. “Gets 'em laughing every time.”

“Sorry. I was expecting more people like Hansen up there. Nice to see someone who doesn't take himself too seriously.” Except he did. He knew how to put someone at ease, sure, but he was only playing a part. This guy was no one to turn your back on no matter how cool he seemed.

“Actually most of the people are like him. I'm just better at acting like I'm not.”

“Point for honesty.” He tipped an invisible hat. “So will my duties be the same as in California?” I asked as he poured himself some bottled water. The company was adamant about drug testing and that included alcohol. He offered me one and I nodded.

“Mostly. Some regional differences will have to be taught, but you will mostly handle the same duties.” I nodded. So I was still the heavy, still in charge of layoffs. Which could get as bad as its sounds since I'm only twenty-four and most of the people I fire are old enough to be my parents or were my age. My other duties were in sales which is where I would need to be retrained as I was taught to sell to the West Coast not the Great Lakes and North East. I needed to know how to sell if I was to be in charge of checking up on employee sales records.

When we got to the office I was taken up to the fifteenth floor and shown to what would be my office for the next year or two. The walk across the lobby was an exercise in keeping my face straight because every chick I passed looked at me hungrily...and so did a few guys. I knew there had to be a few gay guys around which was more flattering than anything else. I got not problem saying I've let a few go down on me in college. Damn great head too. Nice to know I still had it! In the elevator I was standing next to a woman my age who looked at me like she would have jumped me right there had Angus been absent, but she just moved to the other side of the car out of what looked like deference mixed with a bit of fear.

There was something else I was noticing on my way up. Everyone here, including the men, were all athletic and all good looking. I mean the ugliest person was still adorably cute. I fit in well here so I didn't think too much on it, but when I looked around I saw not one fat person or buck toothed or even average. Even the janitor, who was well into his sixties, was in great shape and reminded me of a dapper Sean Connery. Angus led me to my office which had a great view of nothing since it was overcast but it had a mini bar, fantastic furniture I knew I could use for extracurricular activities, and a desk I would not feel slighted to be behind. The desk alone screamed authority. “This is your office. I won't bore you with the tour. I'll leave that to your OA.” Angus left the office with something like a stalking march and I shook my head. The guy was intense.

Setting my briefcase on the desk I picked up my phone and dialed my friend Dean who had brought most of my stuff by moving truck a few days ago. “Yo, dude, you find the place okay?” I asked when he picked up my home line.

“Dude, this place is freaking huge. Like mondo huge. Got most of it unpacked save your skivvies.” He laughed on the other side of the line. He could not unpack what I did not own. No underwear for me since I needed easy and free access. “So I can scat back to the sun?”

“Yeah. Thanks for the help, dude.” He would be taking the jet back since he did work for the company as my last office assistant. We started out as bitter rivals since I got the job he wanted, but when he was put as my OA we got to know each other and we got on great. “Don't grump at the suit that replaces me for the time.”

“I won't, dude. Take care bro.”

When we hung up I dialed my OA's extension. “Yes, Mr. Davenport?” came a man's query. His voice was soft pitched and neither low nor high.

“Could you come to my office please?”

“Right away.” I hung up and not five seconds later my OA stepped into the room. Like everyone else here he was handsome and in great shape, but unlike the rest he was short. Barely five feet eight he was the shortest person I had seen, women included, but he looked like he could bench press a semi truck. I got big arms but his were bigger. White blond hair and pure blue eyes, the guy would stand out in any crowd. There was something about him I liked immediately. He was maybe a year or two older than I was, though he looked maybe in his bare twenties, and I could tell we would get along.

“Close the door and have a seat.” He nodded and was in his seat with more speed than was necessary. “First things first. Screw company policy and call me Jon, or Jonathan if that's too informal. What is you name?”

“Patrick Farris.” He took the lack of formality in stride. “I must say that in certain circumstances I must call you Mr. Davenport.”

“I understand. Other than those times I hate formalities.” I glanced at my desk and my monitor which was on and displaying the company logo. “All the work I need is here right?” I asked as I gestured to the screen and he nodded. “Great. One last question and then it is your show. Where is the grub I'm starving.” At this that calm demeanor cracked and he grinned. Oh yeah, this guy was a chick magnet. That smile was one I would love to get as it still screamed wholesome and sweet while mine was more like devilish and sultry.

“I can take you there on our tour.” I nodded and I dropped off my jacket. We left the office and instantly all the women were looking at me like I was on the menu. Patrick on the other hand never got a single glance and in fact he seemed to walk very small.

On the elevator I asked him, “Patrick, why do you walk like that in the halls? Like someone who was inferior.” I needed to know these things because I had to work here now and I did not want to deal with that type of shit.

“I'm just an OA. I don't matter to them.” His eyes were downcast.

“Dude, chin up. Stand up straight and walk like you are the king of the world and people will start treating you like it.”

“Jonathan, since you seem to dislike formality I believe I can speak freely, right?” God who did he work for last? A Nazi asshole?

“Patrick, you can say whatever you want. Tactfully but speak your mind.” I could not handle working with people without spines and it looks like I had to give one to a guy who should have had one just by sheer size...but then he was so far the runt around here.

“Were I as tall as you I would still be low wolf in the pack.” There was something he was not and could not tell me. Maybe he had screwed up and cost the company a lot of money, making him a pariah of sorts. That would make me walk small too.

“Hmm. There's back story to this, but here's what we do. Since you now represent me in this office you will stand up straight and walk like you're alpha wolf. If anyone calls you on it tell them to talk to me. Don't care if it's Angus or the owner of the company.”

“Mr. McLeod is the owner.” I snickered and shook my head. I had been escorted to my office by the owner and I had not even known it.

“Guess I missed that memo. I thought a guy named Andrews owned it.”

“He did until last year when he sold it off and retired early.” There was something in his tone that said he missed the old man. Maybe a favorite uncle or they had been teacher and student. Who knew why, but Patrick did not like working for Angus McLeod. There was something creepy about his cold eyes.

“Still. If Angus calls you on it tell him I expect proper behavior, which includes posture, from those who are assigned to work for me. That should shut him up long enough for you to escape.” Patrick grinned but it fell off his face as the doors opened up. This must have been our stop cause we started the tour and he was back to mousy quiet even if his back was perfectly straight. Oh well, I would work on that.

After the tour and lunch we were back in my office and I was going over my workload with Patrick. One on one he seemed to be a confident if somewhat reserved person which I found more appealing than the mouse he turned into as he stepped out of my office. “So what kind of night life does this backwoods place have?”

“It can be pretty wild. Just last night the cops had to be called for a fist fight in a bar.” I gaped at him in shock. The cops get called for a fist fight? Then he smiled and I felt stupid. “There are clubs and bars and everything else, Jonathan. This may be a smaller place than you're use to but it's still a city.”

“Yeah, ya got me. Nice to see we'll be getting along, funny guy. Any place you'd recommend?”

“Not really. I don't do clubs or bars. I prefer hiking and mountain climbing.” I could tell he was an active person, no one with his body was a couch potato, and the thought of hiking suddenly appealed to me. I hadn't been in the mountains since I was a kid.

“Then lets get away this weekend. Go hiking and shit.” He looked at me like I was making fun of him. “Dude, I'm serious. I just got to this place and I don't really know anything about it past what's in the city and even then all I know about it is the Witch Trials from centuries ago.” Every kid knew about the Salem, Massachusetts Witch Hunts. I wondered how many innocent women died in those times and if any were actually witches. “Or does Angus not like company members associating outside of work?”

“Actually he encourages it, but no one has ever asked to hang out with me.”

“Bunch of cranky bitches. If that's their attitude they can go fuck themselves.” He got an alarmed look in his eyes like someone might overhear but he was grinning from ear to ear. “Yeah, I went there. My last OA and I were pretty close and we hung out as much as we could. So, we on for Friday night to Sunday afternoon?” He nodded. “Epic. Now lets get to work. I have until Friday to learn what I can to make me a better asset to this company.” We got to work.

Friday at quitting time Patrick and I made a bee line to my place to change out of our suits and into our normal clothes. It was, I was told, unseasonably warm for late September. A blazing 67° with a clear blue sky that was fading to a rose. I pulled on a pair of jeans, tucking the Man in to make sure he was comfortable, and a tank top. My boots were laced and my pack ready with the necessities. When I jaunted down stairs I saw Patrick quickly tugging on his shorts, but I had caught a glimpse of his bare backside. I'm secure enough to say the man had a great ass. Not a feather on it and had enough meat on the muscle to make it round. A lot like mine and I know the chicks loved my ass. He was still shirtless and I just openly appraised his torso. The man was built. I'm in great shape but this guy could enter any Mr. Hardbody competition and place in the top three without trying. “Dude, gym bunny much?”

He looked over his shoulder at me. “Actually no. I work out twice a week. The rest is genetics.” He turned and I saw closely trimmed body hair covered his chest, abs and a bit of his shoulders. “You look to keep in shape too.”

“Yeah. Three times a week over there.” He must have noticed the equipment in the other room since it took up a whole room. Free weights, Bowflex, tread climber...the works. “So lets do this thing.” He smiled and he pulled on his own tank top. Slinging his bag onto his back we went out to his Hummer since I drove a Lexus. The tent and food were already in there so we just started her up and we were gone. “So, is there a prospective future Mrs. Farris?” I asked as we pulled away from the curb.

“No, too much work to keep.” I laughed and nodded knowingly.

“So you play the field.” He grinned at me. “Closet man whore.”

“Nope, openly a man whore.” That had me howling. Patrick was a completely different person when not at work and I liked this side of him. “There a future Mrs. Davenport?”

“Hell no. I'm not one for settling down yet and too many women want me. I swear I walked into the building that first day and every chick looked like she wanted to rip off my clothes and ravish me right there.”

He grimaced at that. “Must be nice being you. All those bitches, a few guys I'm sure, want you. I know that Connie in accounting wants to catch you alone during the filing days.” The company took three days off every twenty-five days so they could catch up on filing. Kind of odd, but it makes sense when you handle accounts for over twenty countries and this was the main office.

“I'd ask if she was cute, but everyone there seems to be hot. You too, dude. I ain't afraid to say you're a good looking dude and I know you gotta be pulling your fair share of bitches.” He actually turned a bit darker. “Whoa, did I just make you blush? I did! Oh my god! Not used to guys thinking you're good looking?” I asked jokingly.

“Not used to good looking guys thinking I'm good looking. All I get are the fat ugly old ones.” I laughed and thumped him on the shoulder.

“Ouch. Sorry about your luck. Well dude, you just got told by a hot guy you're hot, how does that make you feel?” I asked with a cheesy TV anchorman voice and held an imaginary mic to his face.

“Hot,” was all he said and we both laughed. His laugh was like a mix of puppy bark and deep growl and I had to admit it was kinda cool. We shot the shit as we drove into the night to a place he said was great for hiking and some decent climbing where you did not need a rope. Turns out he graduated at the top of his class in college and landed this job right out of it. He was twenty-nine although he looked about twenty-one. He said he had a few cousins who were all my size or bigger.

“Being the smallest guy seems to be your thing.” He nodded with a sneer. “Dude, height don't mean shit nowadays. My best bud Troy is like 5'2” and a scant hundred pounds but he pulls women all the time with something you got too. Brains. He knows how to talk to people, how to treat them and no one cares if he looks like he should be back in the eighth grade. You got that too if you'd just look at it. The only place size matters are here and here,” I said pointing to his head and his chest. Then I dropped the mushy stuff. “And here,” I said grabbing my crotch.

“The first two I have...not so much the last.” I played the world's smallest violin for him.

“Poor guy. Has to settle for fat old guys cause he got no equipment.”

“You know what, Jonathan, fuck you,” he said with a laugh.

“No thanks, my ass is exit only.” That made him snap his fingers in an ah shucks sorta way.

“But thanks Jonathan. Not too many people take the time to realize I have a brain. The ones I have slept with were only interested in me because I look the way I do. Or what they think they could wheedle out of me because of who I work for.” Being the OA for the layoff guy could be a good place for the more corrupt. I doubt Patrick was that type.

“No problem dude. If you ever need a pep talk, you know where I live and work.” He gave me a thumbs up.

The site was too dark to see much past that it had trees and bushes around a decent clearing. There was no moon since it was new and the stars could not get past the trees to shed what light they could. Leaving the Hummer's lights on we set up the tent and everything before turning in for the night. “I'm warning ya, dude. I don't wear skivvies, so if you don't want to feel inferior look away.” He rolled his eyes and looked away while I slipped off my jeans and pulled on some sleeping shorts. “There, you can now look and not feel like a child.”

“Okay, Jonathan, now I'm curious.” He rolled over in his sleeping bag and propped himself on one elbow. “Think you got a big dick? Lets see it.” I shrugged and got up on my knees and pulled down the front of my shorts. It was cold but it still hung there five and a half inches long and just over five in circumference. He just stared with his mouth open. “Damn,” was all he said. “Women must howl when you throw that thing into them.”

“That they do. Then they call me back the next day for another round or ten.” I was watching his eyes, seeing the pupils get huge. Like taking over the blue of his eyes huge. I know some peoples pupils got big when turned on and it being so dark that added to their size. The way he breathed very shallow was familiar. “You can touch it if you want.” He looked up at me. “Dude, if you weren't such a cool dude you would have already tried to get your hands on it. So you like dick, who cares.”

“You mean you don't care that I like guys too?” This seemed to be completely foreign to him. So Massachusetts was not as open as California but I didn't think the company was that narrow minded since Troy also worked for the same branch I had and he was openly and loudly bisexual. First guy to give me head and was my friend still six years later although we grew out of the bj part.

“Patrick, Troy is bi and my cousin is as gay as that purple Teletubby.” That made him laugh. I slipped my shorts off. “Listen, I can tell you're attracted to me. I've let guys go down on me before so no problem there.” He could not believe what he was hearing. “But if you don't want to, I understand. We just met...” I shut up when he scooted over and wrapped his hand around my cock. I started getting hard instantly since all it took was contact to get me that way. “Man whore,” I said and he smiled.

“This thing is freaking huge. What does it get to?” His hand was softer than I thought it would be. He had to have some callouses on them, but no.

“Just under ten inches but the Man don't get much thicker.” He whimpered and licked his lips. “Dude go ahead. He don't bite, just spits.”

“I...do bite. So,” I put my hand on the back of his head and pulled him gently down to the tip. I had had some experienced cock suckers gag, but Patrick deep throat-ed it all in that first gulp. I thought he had soft hands... wow. His mouth and tongue were slick and soft and I knew I would let him blow me again. There was no use of teeth unless he meant to use them and then it was like a light grazing.

“Oh fuck. There's a first.” He chuckled, that deep rumble vibrating along the shaft. I just laid back and let him do what he wanted. I usually closed my eyes when a dude was blowing me, but this time I watched and I gotta say it was getting me hotter faster. He would drag his soft tongue up from the base where my balls met my dick and then toy with the head just a bit before licking back down, nibbling when he got down there. He had said he liked to bite and I liked a bit of pain. He seemed to know exactly where to bite and how hard cause he had me panting. “Okay, dude, you are hands down the best I have ever had and that is saying something.”

“I just can't help it. You are so hot and I can't believe you're here with me like this.” He dove back down and bit down harder than before and I groaned, pressing down on his head to let him know I was liking that. His hands began to explore my legs and stomach, caressing my flesh and kneading my muscles in an erotic massage. I was so turned on that I wondered if I would ever last. His mouth was so soft that it felt like the inside of the tightest pussy ever except when he would bite and that only sent more surges towards my balls telling them to unload. I let up on the pressure on his head and he pulled up panting. “Give me limits. I don't want to go out of your comfort zone.”

“No kissing on the lips and I ain't letting you penetrate anything. The rest is up for experimentation.” He grinned and began to lick his way up my abs to my nipples. He was having a hard time since he was trying to stay in his sleeping bag. “Dude, lose the bag. I ain't gonna make fun of you even if you got the smallest dick in the world. In fact lose the bag and the shorts. Get more comfortable.” He smiled shyly and slid out of the bag and I saw he wasn't wearing his shorts anymore. I got a good look at his pecker and I wondered who he compared himself to to think he was small. Six inches was not bad for length, especially on a guy with his muscle mass, but damn if that thing wasn't thicker than mine. “Nice. Bet the girls and guys howl when you put that log in them.”

“The women yeah, but no guy has ever let me.”

“I can see why.” He smiled again and went back to his exploration of my chest with that tongue I was coming to like very much. I gasped when he nibbled on my nipple and I dug my fingers into his powerful back. This was all new to me and I wondered why Patrick was having this effect. “Man that feels fantastic. The other one is jealous.” Patrick leaned over me and attacked the other one first with his tongue and then his teeth. I could feel his cock pressed up against my leg and he was almost humping it but I didn't care. I could tell he was juiced and horny and the pre-cum trails he was leaving on my leg only added to this hyper awareness I was having. I looked at his bare ass as he chewed on my nipple and humped my leg. Those muscular orbs were flexing and making me think of things I had never done with a guy. Was a guy's ass tighter than a chicks? I'd banged a few chicks in the ass and it was great...was a guy's ass different?

Patrick nibbled his way to my neck and my earlobe. “God do you have a road map to where I like it?” He chuckled and it sent chills down my spine that ended up in my balls. I pulled him fully on top of me and was wondering if I would break my own rule of not kissing. I was that far gone that I wanted to kiss him, that into what he was doing to my body that my brain was not thinking. He whispered something in my ear and I had to pull his head away. “What?”

“Will you fuck me?” There was a look in his eyes that said if I didn't he would take my dick.

“On your hands and knees.” His grin was almost feral as he rolled off of me and did as I said. That ass was pointed right at me, that hole looking like it had never been tampered with at all. “Have you ever done this?”

“Oh yeah. I just heal up nicely.” I was running my hands along those fleshy orbs and dove face first into his crack. He whimpered and ground his ass into my face while I lapped at the hole I was going to invade. He tasted great, like something tangy and sweet. God I was here with this hunky guy and I was doing things I never thought I would...and I had never wanted anything more than to taste his ass, to feel it quiver as my own tongue slid around and into it. “Oh god Jon! Either never stop that or fuck me now cause I'm getting too close to hold back.” I got on my knees and aimed right for it. I pressed in gently, knowing I was big, but like when he got his first taste of the Man he just went for it and slammed back until I had eight inches buried in that hole.

I fell atop him as that velvet vice gripped my dong. Nothing, ever, had felt this good. I stayed there a moment to enjoy the feeling of my first man ass. So tight, so hot, so much better than the chicks I usually banged. When I sat back up I pulled out to the tip and eased back in. “Don't tease me Jon. I want to get fucked like a bitch in heat.” I slammed in the rest of the way, all nine plus inches rammed up in him and he whined. “Again, please.” So I did. Pulling all the way out I slammed back in and he began to jerk himself off. I slapped his hand away and broke another record as I wrapped my hand around his dick and began to stroke him. “Jon, please don't stop.” I didn't. The feel of his rock hard cock was similar to my own when I hit one so it was nothing new, but I realized he was uncut when the sheath kept slipping over the head. That made this a whole new ball game. Also the amount of pre-cum was amazing and that added a lot of lubrication.

I was driving into his ass while I jacked him off and I felt that familiar churning in my balls. “Do you want it inside of you?” He nodded. Without pulling out I flipped him onto his back and leaned all the way forward while he wrapped those massive legs around my waist. His nails were digging into my back but that only made me pound that tight hole harder. Both of us were breathing hard and I could tell he was as close as I was to blowing his wad. Closer in fact as his balls leaped up and his breathing stopped. Those blue eyes clamped shut and the first volley dribbled over my hand but the next five hit his face, shoulder, chest and upper stomach. But that ass, that vice on my dick, squeezed even tighter with each volley and I lost it. I buried every inch in him and I felt like I was exploding through the head of my cock. I don't know how much juice I shot in him but I know I had never shot that much before. I swear I heard him howling as I fell atop him.

After a moment we both began to chuckle. “Jon, that was...”

“I know. Patrick, dude, if nothing else that was best damn lay ever.” I felt something shift in him, something that said he did not fully like my comment. “But I never thought I would ever go this far with any guy. You're a special guy, Patrick.” That feeling drained away as he kissed the side of my neck. Guess that was right. I rolled off of him, and out, and lay back on my pillow staring up at the roof of the tent. I turned my head to see him gazing at me with a soft smile on his face. “Are you trying not to cuddle, dude?” He nodded. I pulled him closer and he laid his head on my shoulder. Another thing new. I never cuddle even with chicks. I bang 'em and kiss a bit after and then go shower. “Was this your sinister plan to get me alone in the woods and seduce me?” I asked with a big grin.

“Rats, you found out my evil plot.” I couldn't help but laugh. “I would say it was a hope, but not part of my agenda.” He was playing with my chest and I had to say this was something I could get used to. A little pillow talk could be added as long as they knew this would not be a permanent thing.

“Well, agenda or not, dude, I would not be adverse to another go when we can find time. Sounds kinda slutty, and I don't wanna offend you,” He silenced me by kissing my neck.

“Jon?” I grunted as I tried to find a comfortable position. He had clawed my back pretty good but I really didn't care past trying to sleep. “Thank you. I don't know why you've been so nice to me this week or why you went farther with me than any other guy, but thanks.” I squeezed his bicep in a sort of welcome and shifted. “Rock under you?”

“Nope. Someone clawed my back.” I chuckled as he bolted upright.

Patrick grabbed the Coleman lantern and lit it. “Turn over.” I did and he looked at the scratches. “Oh fuck I am so sorry.”

“Dude, I'll heal.” But he was not listening. He crawled out of the tent and was back with some gauze, medical tape and two bottles. “They're just scratches.”

“No such thing. They could get infected. God please don't let them get infected.” I tried to roll over to let him know I was fine but he gently pressed me back down. With a sigh I let him tend to it. “This first one will sting like hell.” I nodded and I smelled some strange almost antiseptic scent that alarmed me for some reason. He poured some on a gauze pad and dabbed at the wounds. At first I thought it was bearable but then it stung so fiercely as it began to bubble.

“Son of a bitch what is that?” I knew better than to roll over or that stuff may run to my more sensitive areas.

“It will kill anything that may have been under my nails.”

“What's in it?”

“You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Or why.” I bit into the heel of my hand to keep from screaming as he wiped and dabbed for almost fifteen minutes. “I hope I got it in time,” he mumbled quite a few times. Then I smelled the cleaner scent of Neosporin as he applied that and bandaged me up. It quit stinging like hell after that and just felt scratched. “I am so sorry, Jon. Really, I don't know what came over me. You just smell so good.”

“I smell good?” I asked. This was new to me.

“Yeah. That's why women find you so irresistible. Your smell is intoxicating although I doubt most women you've been with knew why they had to have you.” He set the stuff aside and slid into his sleeping bag.

“Seriously? I thought it was cause I'm hot.”

“Looks are nothing, but what you got...it's more primal. All the bitches at work smell you as strongly or better than I.”

I turned my head to look at him curiously. “Why?” He just turned away. “Patrick, what aren't you telling me?” He stayed silent. “Hey dude. I think I need to know. What the hell is going on?”

He looked back at me and I could swear his blue eyes were glowing in the dim light of the lamp. Glowing like an animal's eyes. “There was marigold and puffball mushroom spores in that to stop the bleeding and help coagulate the blood. Datura to kill the pain,” that I scoffed at, “and wolfsbane.” I nodded before I really heard what he said.

Then it clicked. “Wolfsbane? As in werewolf?” I said it with a snicker but he nodded. “Yeah right, dude. Nice try.” He just looked at me with those eerily glowing eyes. “You really think you're a werewolf?”

“I'm not a wolf, Jon, but I am a Lycan...we all are.” I laughed until all our conversations came rolling back into my mind. He always called them bitches, talked about howling, being low wolf in the pack.

It crashed on me like a wave. I knew enough to know that a scratch or bite from a werewolf would turn me into one. “Am I...will I...?” I knew it was ludicrous to believe in werewolves, but what if?

“That's why I hope I got to it in time. It's a new moon, the virus is at its weakest and the wolfsbane should kill it. Should.” He looked at me with such sorrow that I could not be mad at him. “If you do change come the next full moon then you'll find yourself with a new OA.”

“Would Angus fire you for...infecting me?”

“No, he'd kill me.” The plain and blunt way he said it made me cringe. “He may fire me still when he finds out I scratched you and drew blood. Not the best way to transmit it, but still possible. Saliva is second to blood and I know you're not bleeding anywhere else or I would smell it.”

I took mental stock of what I knew of Lycanthropes. Silver killed them, lost their minds during a full moon...then I wondered why I was giving credence to this. “This is insane! You're insane to think you're actually a werewolf.”

“I told you I'm not a wolf.” I looked at him in triumph. “Not a wolf as you know it. Not Canis Lupus.” I shook my head. “Well, you'll know soon enough if I got it out of your system. Like in two weeks when the moon is full.”

“Whatever. Lets just get some sleep. We got some hiking to do tomorrow.” I turned my head and rolled onto my side with my back turned to him, a clear sign I was not happy. I heard him sigh and roll the other way.

The next day dawned and I was not surprised Patrick was up before me since I was still mostly on California time. I stretched and regretted it as I felt the scratches again. That brought back the conversation after that simply amazing sex. Dude was whacked out of his mind. A werewolf! But he said he was not Canis Lupus...was there any other type of wolf? It was all so crazy...but some part of me knew he believed it. I pulled on my pants and a long sleeve shirt, boots and my jacket cause it was freezing out there. When I got out of the tent Patrick was standing there with no shirt on and in a pair of jeans. God, insane freak that he was he was still one hunky dude and I knew I would still bang that tight ass. “Sleep well?” he asked me without looking up. I had not made much noise at all.

“Yeah. Some hunky dude wore me out last night.” He stood and smiled. I walked over to the stump to sit down while he finished cooking breakfast. My job was dinner. On the way I gave him a pat on his ass and he chuckled a bit.

“Not mad at me for the scratches?”

“Never was. That anti-wolf gunk was harsh dude. That I'm mad at you for.” He looked at me on the verge of speaking when he stopped cause I was grinning like a fool.

“Fuck you.” He was laughing at my dopey smile.

“Nope, but I wouldn't mind getting yours again. If you're not too sore.” Patrick came over and kissed the side of my neck and my ear. I shuddered because that spot always got me so hot that I would not think...just like last night. But since I had already done all that with this guy I would not feel so bad about doing it again...and again. “Don't start if you won't finish.”

Standing he chuckled and went back to cooking. “I know you don't believe me, Jon, but thanks for being so cool about it all.”

“So you're a lunatic whack job. Still a cool dude,” I said with a snort and he flipped me off. “You know what? Why can't you be this relaxed at work. I mean some decorum must be adhered to, but I like you better like this than that mousy low wolf schmuck.”

“Yeah, well, I am that schmuck because I'm not Lupus. The pack is very strict about hierarchy and my kind is almost dead last just above dingos and poodles.” I laughed at the serious but merry twinkle in his eye. He believed it so I would not refute it, but it was still funny. “If you get my Lycanth infection you will be shunted out of management and into a menial job. Janitor or mail boy, anything other than a powerful place.”

He served up some eggs, bacon and fried potatoes that were better than anything I could make. The subtle flavors were great, adding one more brick to his credibility. Nothing with superior senses wanted bland or nasty food. “What about you. You're an OA. That's middle management.”

“Angus is scared to demote me.” I raised a brow. “My kind are known to be erratic. We do not get the full Lupus form during the moon. Hybrids.”

“You mean like in Underworld?” I loved that movie series. The Lycans from them were freaking awesome. I watched the making of stuff and wished I could have that costume come Halloween. I knew someone who worked in the industry and while she did not work directly on the film her office did. And Kate Beckinsale was just hot.

“More or less. More human, less wolf, but still we retain most of our human side which means conscious thought mixed with animalistic ways. The worst stories about Lycanthropes have been about my kind.” I ate slowly, enthralled by this fantasy he had created. It was thorough enough to be real. “But he's scared to demote me specifically.” Again I raised a brow in question. “Once in a while there is a Lycan born rather than infected. We as a species are sterile, we infect rather than breed. But it happens maybe once a human generation that a Lycan male successfully breeds with a human female and she bears the child, dying since we come out in our hybrid form with teeth and claws.” That would be torture on the poor woman. Ripped literally from the inside. “These children, which I am one, are so rare that they are almost set apart to protect them because half of us can breed. I can breed if I wanted, but since I have yet to find my lifemate, and won't so long as Angus is in power, I have yet to breed.”

“Hence the bisexuality.”

“Mostly. I'm attracted to whoever smells good.” He grinned at me in a way that was purely predatory and the Man began to stand up. Another first since I was never one to get hard without direct contact. “But I'm rare even for my rare kind. I can change outside of a full moon to some degree.”

“Then change for me. Make me believe.” I was calling his bluff.

“Okay, but I get more sensitive to everything when I'm at that halfway point. I'm giving you a chance to take it back because I will probably take you by force. You smell that good.” I wondered if he was actually serious. He was probably stronger than me even if he was not a Lycanthrope so while I may put up a good fight he could probably rape me...so why did this idea not repulse me?

“Later then. I want to go hiking before I get raped by a ravening beast.” He laughed and nodded. “If nothing else, Patrick you are awesome to hang out with. You've a helluva imagination, dude, whether it's real or not. You should write a book.” I was being honest. I liked him, a lot. Enough to consider making our private time something more than just a fling in the woods. If we could stay friends and fuck on the side it was awesome.

An hour later we were on the trails. I'd set aside my jeans and jacket for shorts and tossed my bag over my shoulders. It was a clear day and warming quickly so the temp plus my moving kept me warm enough. Patrick seemed to lose himself in his hike, inhaling often and deeply to revel in the scents of nature. I would watch him dash to the side and squat to gently lift a flower to his nose with a smile on his face. So innocent an act from a man who could rip apart your average guy from sheer strength; it made me smile. A few times he would come up behind me and wrap his big old arms around my waist and kiss my neck. I would never hear him coming and I never told him to stop since by this time I knew his sense of smell was very good and I knew quite a bit about pheromones. The smell thing was obviously true. He would then pull away with an apologetic look in his eyes and I would smile at him to let him know I was okay with him doing it. It had not occurred to me that we were not even talking but we were communicating through postures and looks. No lies, no muddy truths, just simple communication with nothing to cloud the meaning. I could tell he wanted to kiss me by the way his eyes would drop to my lips, but he would not do it without me saying yes.

Midday came and we were fishing for our supper on a rock in the middle of the stream, sun-warmed and flat. Our shirts and shoes were off it since it was hot enough to not need the shirts and the shoes had gotten a bit damp coming out here. I had already caught a good sized trout but it would be best if we caught a few more so we could eat like kings tonight and tomorrow before we headed back to reality. I was feeling good, better than I had in a long time. Something about the mountains, the clean freshness, was enough to make me glad to come here. Plus I had a great friend already. Now if only that nagging feeling that he was tell the truth about Lycanthropes would go away. I smiled over at him and Patrick returned it. Then the wind shifted and the smile fell off his face. “Jon, could you stand to get in the water?”

“I guess, why?”

“Get in up to your neck and don't make a sound.” I opened my mouth to protest but he fixed me with a look that said he would force the issue if I did not. I set down my pole and slid into the bracing cold water, gasping softly. I looked back to see Patrick take of his shorts. Then something leaped the thirty feet to the rock and he went splashing into the water. I was about to call out and go after him when another form landed there. What I saw took my breath away.

It stood eight feet tall on its hind legs with gray fur and maddened red eyes. From its toothy maw came dripping saliva and its snout tried to get a scent of me from where I had been. Its shoulders were hunched and easily four feet across, his paws and claws bigger than the span of my spread hand, and his tail fluffed out in rage. I watched as this Lycan beast's nose twitched as it tried to get my scent and I guessed it was not very much for seeing since I was less than ten feet away. He was telling the truth! All of it had to be true and here was proof. From the water on the other side came Patrick...at least I hoped it was. Obviously male he stood seven feet tall and so massive that I knew he outweighed the monster on the rock. A cross between a man and the monster before me, it had furry cheeks like overgrown mutton chops, white blond fur covered him from shoulder to groin. His nearly human muzzle had blood on it and those stunning blue eyes, Patrick's eyes, caught mine and warned me to stay there. I nodded once. Then he leaped for the beast.

I could not follow the fight. It was too fast, too furious. I could only see gray and white blurs, heard only snarling and howls of pain and I could not tell who it was who was hurt. Blood splattered the rocks and our gear, splattered across my face and as shocked as I was I recalled he said blood was the worst so I ducked under the water and scrubbed it off furiously before it got into my own bloodstream. When I surfaced I saw something that scared me. Patrick was bleeding and on the ground, the monster facing away from me. He was hoisted up and off the ground, held aloft by the beast. Without thinking I was out of the water and pulling the hunting knife from the side of my pack. I leaped, hoping it did not scent me, and scored a stab in the monster's side. It howled in pained fury and dropped Patrick to the stone. It spun faster than I thought it could but aimed too high. It was going for a slash against a Lycanthrope not a tall-ish human. This gave me one chance. I drove the knife up and under the creature's jaw, slamming with every ounce of strength I had, driving the blade into it's brain and twisting for good measure. Its eyes bugged out like it could not believe the audacity of a mere human disabling it. Watching it topple was satisfying. Keeping it in my sight and my pitiful senses open in case their were more, I moved to Patrick's side. He looked up at me. “Get in the water now.” His voice was much deeper than normal and it came out with more growl than anything. I was torn between wanting to help and sense.

Sense won. I slipped back into the water and waited. After a very long time I was losing consciousness from the cold water and hypothermia. I recall feeling someone haul me out of the water. That was all until I woke late that night in the tent and Patrick was curled around me, once again human. We were sharing one bag with the other draped over us, anything to keep me warm. The strangest thing was I knew he was as much a monster as those others, just as capable of tearing me apart, but I didn't care. I felt safe. “Patrick?” I asked quietly and his eyes flickered open. “You okay?”

His smile was the most beautiful thing I had seen in a long time. “About as healed as I can be in so short a time. You have got to be the dumbest, bravest human alive to take on a feral with only a hunting knife that was not silver.”

“I could not let it kill you...or whatever it was planning.” I placed my hand on his cheek and kissed him. It was soft and loving as any kiss with a woman and he did not try to ravage me like I was half expecting. “But you're fine?” He nodded. “Don't scare me like that again, dude.” He chuckled without much humor. “Why did you ask me to get back in the water?”

“I'm a masochist. Pain turns me on...and I could smell you that close to me.” I grinned and turned him around to hold onto him as he had held me. He sighed and relaxed back against me. We were naked with his ass pressed against my groin. “You okay with me being Lycan?”

“Gives new meaning to the words doggy style.”

“Okay, point of advice. Never call a Lycan a dog. Good way to get killed.” But he was smiling at me, his blue eyes radiant in the soft light of the campfire outside banked for the night. “But I'll be your bitch any time.”

“I'll hold you to that, Patrick. Those...ferals. Are they dead?” I had to ask. I would not stay in these woods a second longer if they were still around.

“By now they should be. I may be a lowly OA but I have some pull with the former pack leader.” He grinned slyly. “He is my father after all.” I chuckled, knowing a little bit more about how he survived in a place where he was a pariah. “I let him know there were ferals in the area and he discreetly told the hunters. If there were anymore of them they are dead or fled by now.”

“And does Daddy know about your seducing the new guy?” I asked nuzzling his neck and kissing his ear.

“He should since he and two hunters are sitting around the fire right now chuckling at how fast I work.” My jaw dropped and he nodded.

“You mean they...” I trailed off as I felt my face flush. While I was unconcerned with them knowing I had sex with Patrick, I was scared that they might know I may have been infected.

“My father knows everything since he willing stepped down before his prime had passed and I keep him abreast of everything within the company and pack. He knows you banged the shit out of me last night. He could smell you on me.” I groaned and heard a soft chuckle from outside.

“Pipe down voyeurs,” I barked and they all laughed. I ended up laughing too which only made it funnier. I leaned as close as I could to his ear and barely breathed out, “Thank you for saving my life.” He shivered and nodded. “Should I put some clothes on? I want to meet your dad.” He looked amused. “No?”

“You're a human and you incapacitated a feral. That shows a lot of mettle. You could go naked in front of him to show you are not afraid of him but do not come bearing weapons.” He whispered this last part so quietly I almost could not hear him. I nodded and climbed out of the bags and smiled down at him. Leaning forward I kissed him again, this time he kissed back. So much for that rule, but then Patrick was special, had been the moment he came into my office, and now I knew why. I slipped out of the tent naked as the day I was born except for the bandages on my back.

I could tell who his father was even without the other two packing hunting rifles. Save for the different hair color Patrick was a dead ringer for his dad and I found myself thinking his mother, who I realized was dead from his birth, would have fallen fast and hard for this man with that easy smile and merry blue eyes. “Jonathan Davenport, welcome to Massachusetts. I do hope my son has been... accommodating.” I shook his hand when he offered. He was a taller version of his son, almost as big as Angus in height but broader in the shoulders.

“In every way, Mr. Andrews. You've got quite a fine son and I hope that we become even closer friends in the future.”

“Oh gag!” came one of the hunter's voice. I looked at...her. “Pop, he's banging my bro, do I have to listen?” He had a sister? She looked nothing like him at all...except in the shape of the nose. She was not even all that pretty and I realized she was not Lycan. He had a human sister? Older, she had to be near thirty-one or two.

“No, but he is a very respectful man. Covertly asking for my blessings for him to pursue my son, which I give since he put his own life on the line to save him.” He turned back to me with a final nod. “I can tell you have feelings for him that you do not know how to put into words. Mariam over there cannot smell you as we can and I must say Patrick was right. There is a part of your natural scent that even makes me pay attention and I have no desire for male company. He fell for you the moment you walked off the elevator.” I couldn't help but grin as Patrick put his arm around my waist and smiled up at me like a love sick puppy.

“Patrick's a very special guy, Mr. Andrews. I would not have been so open were he not.” This was new to me and I realized that I could hide nothing from the man. He could smell my emotions and sift through them like I would search for a phrase in my computer at work. He could tell I was already struggling with something I barely knew was there.

“I believe that when the time comes you will find a true friend in each, truer than either of you know or have seen so far.” Cryptic much, but I wondered if he wasn't right. I cared for Patrick and I knew he cared for me. I didn't even know why I cared so much about him to do the things we had, I only knew that I was falling for him and I was willingly traveling down a road I never would have gone with any other guy. “Now both of you need your rest to heal. Lycanthropes may heal very fast, Pat, but you need your rest.” He nodded and slipped back into the tent. “We shall be standing guard through the night so you need not fear. Isaac, please give Jonathan the gift.” The silent hunter came over and pulled a silver wolf's head medallion out of his pocket with a gloved hand. “That item should keep whatever last traces of the infection from gaining hold until your body can fight it off. Wear it to work and in open view if you wish to be left alone. The sight of it will deter all but the most adamant pests and the touch of that will hurt any Lycan, not just wolves,” he said and then smiled. “Just don't use it on my son if he gets too grabby.”

“He's had every chance in the world to take advantage and has not. I doubt he ever will.” I nodded my farewells and slipped into the tent, the pendant going into my bag openly in front of Patrick so he would know where it was. Then I slipped into the bag beside him and wrapped my arms around his broad chest, exploring his body and learning what it was like to hold a man. We fell asleep with me playing with his chest hair.

Sunday dawned a sparkling blue with white clouds wispy overhead. I could hear Patrick talking to his dad softly as I pulled on my clothes. I left my shirts off and walked out to sit next to the fire. “Morning gentlemen.”

“How do you feel this morning, Jonathan?” asked Mr. Andrews.

“A little sore but that's only across my back.” Patrick dashed to the tent and came back with the first aide kit. He gently removed the old bandage and looked at the scratches. Mr. Andrews came around to look and I heard him audibly sniffing them.

“I smell no infection, Lycan or otherwise, in his back.” Patrick heaved a sigh of relief and let it air out for a while. “You are lucky my son cares for you so. Not many Lupus would have cleansed your scratches.”

“He said Angus would be pissed if I was infected by him. Why is that?” Patrick gave me breakfast which also came with a kiss.

“Execs are trained and cultivated so they can be infected. That is what the outlying branches are for in reality.” Human farms? My mind easily grasped the idea and found it shrewd. “Likely candidates are brought here for closer inspection for traits we like. One is the capacity to breed as only a certain genome is needed which you have.” I nodded like I was impressed with myself. “There are a few others but that is the one I put in the founding charter of the company. I want Lycans to be their own people not infecting to multiply. That virus tends to corrupt the host, bringing out their worst parts. With each breeding pair we have we come one step closer to actually having our own race not dependent upon humans anymore.”

“Not to interrupt but that sounds like a great idea, from the view point of a human. So if Patrick infected me and I came out like him, which I doubt would be a bad thing in my opinion all things considered, I would have been wasted breeding stock and wasted money. At least to Angus.” I got a few nods. “I knew I didn't like him. Patrick is worth ten times all those flea bitten mongrels we work with that treat his kind like trash.” Patrick looked scandalized and Mr. Andrews just laughed. “I'm serious. None of them have shown the slightest bit of worth other than a few bitches who just like me cause of my smell.”

Even I could see the admiration in the former pack leader's eyes. His posture said he was proud of the way I was holding his son in high esteem and had he a tail I knew it would be wagging. “Well said. This loyalty is one of those traits I look for. I could wish you were a female for the breeding reason, but this closeness is better for him now and I think you as well. Here is the question though. Would you, now knowing, consent to being infected?”

“Not by them! If not Patrick then you as I doubt you'd do it painfully. Blood in my food? Saliva? I can think of a few non-violent ways to transmit it. There is still that chance that I am infected right?” Both nodded. I could not believe I had just said that but it was how I felt. There was something with the way these two were that made being infected by them okay in my mind. “Then we wait until after the full moon. If me being Lupus means a place in the company then I don't care.” I reached over and took Patrick's hand. “I just don't want to lose this guy.”

“Not even Angus would fire you or kill you. Breeders are too rare.” I smiled at Patrick who kissed my fingers. “I have dallied too long. It was a pleasure to see you are better than your company profile, Jonathan.” We all stood and Patrick gave his father a big rib cracking hug. I would have been ground to dust but the old wolf just grinned and returned it. “Do come around the house for Thanksgiving, the both of you.” I shook his hand and I was startled that there were twelve hunters that melted out of the foliage to jump in the two SUV's along with Mariam and the silent one.

“Oh they're good.” We waved as they drove off. “Think we could go bathe? I feel grimy?” He nodded and we grabbed some towels and some natural soaps he used to not hurt the environment. I looked at the pendant in my bag.

“Bring it just in case,” he said and I did, putting it around my neck. I leaned forward, kept it from swinging and touching him, to give him a kiss. “I wonder why I am so special to you.”

“Maybe to my human nose you smell good.” He laughed that adorable laugh and we went down to the stream and a deep pool that had formed behind a few large boulders. Stripping naked we eased into the water and dunked ourselves. I grabbed the soap from him and began to lather up his body as we waded to the shallow end. He was growling in content, not afraid anymore to let his natural reactions come out. I ran the bar along his chest, paying close attention to those eraser like nubs and he shivered as I gave one a light pinch. I circled around behind and pressed up against him as I washed his hard abs and lats, trailing tender kisses and nibbling along his neck and shoulders.

“Oh Jon, you are going to be in trouble if you don't stop that. I don't want to run the risk of hurting you again.” But he didn't stop me. I slipped my hands around to wash his back, being more utilitarian. I gotta say his back reminded me a lot of the waves at Santa Cruz. Gently rolling and powerful at the same time. It was almost too perfect. I was getting hard and I backed off to slip my hands to those fleshy orbs. I massaged and caressed his ass cheeks while I tickled that pucker which felt like I had not invaded it at all. Fast healing indeed. “Jon...oh Jon stop teasing me and...oh!” He stopped as I shoved in, every inch slamming into that ass. Patrick looked over his shoulder with those blue eyes telling me to do my worst.

“Not this time. This time I want you my way.” He nodded and I just kept the pace slow and steady, deep strokes that I could keep up for close to an hour. My hands did not stop their washing either and I moved them around and grasped that rigid pole, pulling back the foreskin and washing the head. Patrick began to squirm and whimper. “Like that?” He only nodded, too lost in the sensation I was giving him. I knew how sensitive I was when someone just played with the tip and his would be ten times as sensitive because of his Lycanthropy. He was squirming and grunting, writhing in a few minutes what would have taken me almost a half hour. I grabbed the base of it to keep as much blood in the shaft and head as I could and then really polished his knob. He was loving every touch and wanting it to last but he was being tortured. “Got to make sure it's clean.” I let go and he finally sagged a bit in relieved disappointment.

“Why?” he asked softly while I rinsed it off. I pulled out of his ass and turned him around. His eyes almost popped out of his head as I leaned forward and took the head in my mouth. His body trembled as I ran my tongue around the tip tasting not only the soap but a unique flavor that had to be him. “No, if you do that I may infect you.” He tried to pull out but I wrapped my hands around his ass. He could easily dislodge me but I was letting him know in no uncertain terms I wanted to suck his cock. The feel of it was almost cool, strangely cool. Patrick quit trying to fight and just let me explore his dong. I pulled the skin all the way back and licked around the tip which had him quivering again, his breathing erratic. “Jon, please stop. I don't want to infect you.”

I stood up and kissed his mouth tenderly. “Patrick, you didn't hear me when I was talking to your dad. I don't care if I get infected so long as it's by you or maybe him.” He looked at me like I was speaking Hawaiian. “If I get infected, I get infected. I don't want it to be by claws or fangs, and this... I want this.” He swallowed heavily and nodded. I went back down to that thick rod and took more than the head. I had never sucked a cock before in my life but I knew what I liked and tried to do the same. My jaw would not open far enough to let me get more than half in but that seemed enough for him. I was sucking a dick and I was hard as a rock! God I was loving the velvety hardness of the meat in my mouth and I wanted more, but I couldn't do it yet.

“Jon, I think I should tell you I got a hair trigger.” I smiled up at him with his cock in my mouth and put a finger up his ass. His howl was soft but carried for quite a distance as I worked that finger in and out of that chute and licked my way down to those hefty orbs that were churning in his sac. I took one in my mouth and his hand went to my head. Instead of applying pressure he just played with my hair. “Oh god no one has ever done this to me, Jon.” I took one in my mouth and sucked gently while pulling it away from his body until there was the slightest of pain. “And you thought I had a road map?” I released it with a pop from my mouth and took the other one to do the same, all the while my finger was sliding in and out of the place I really wanted to be in. “Oh fuck! I'm gonna cum.” Like a striking snake I whipped my head up and wrapped my lips around the rigid dong, catching the first volley in my throat.

My only thought was I wanted more. I wanted everything he could give me. He was howling loudly now, pulling my head into his crotch with more force than I really could handle but I stayed there for him. It filled my mouth and I swallowed, feeling it slide down my throat and into my gut. I lapped it all up and when his knees finally gave way I caught him and eased him back against the rocks. “I got to say this.” I kissed him passionately and pulled back. “I love you Patrick. I want to be with you. If that means I get infected then awesome.”

“You...love me?” I nodded and he smiled and kissed me back. “Tell me you love me again.”

“I love you.” He kissed me with such fire and desire that he did not have to say the words. I knew he loved me. A thought ticked into my head and I pulled back. “What about lifemate?”

“Company policy. Not an actuality except in some very, very rare cases among Lycan birds.” I almost asked but left it alone. So I would not lose him to some breed bitch. “Jon, I...” I kissed him softly to let him know he did not have to say a thing.