Don't Drink the Holy Water (17 page)

Then West gentled the kiss, his lips caressing instead of pressing, his tongue sweet instead of demanding. Axel tried to get closer, wanted to crawl right into the man and stay with him forever.

West sucked on his bottom lip and rubbed the hand on Axel’s hip in small circles.

The tenderness West was displaying moved Axel in a way nothing else ever had. He wasn’t just a fuck, a meal, or a convenience. West loved him, all the way down to his soul.

Axel felt as close to crying as he ever had. He willed the tears back. He’d never understood what tears of joy were until that moment.

Then West startled him by stepping away and nudging Axel back a step.

“What—” Axel began, only to lose the ability to speak when West dropped down to one knee. He held a pretty silver velvet box in one hand.

Axel swayed. He’d expected—not this.

“Axel Majors,” West began, his voice clear and firm as he looked up at Axel. “Will you do me the honor of becoming my husband?” West opened the box and displayed the thick gold band.

Axel had expected to be asked about his decision, to be accepted as a mate. But this? This he hadn’t even contemplated.

And he’d never known how much he wanted it until that moment.

But his voice squeaked and he had to clear his throat. Axel licked his lips and tried again. “Yes. Yes, I will.”

All around them, clapping and shouts rang out. Axel hadn’t been aware of an audience, and even though he couldn’t miss the fact that they had one now, they were only there in a peripheral manner to him.

Because everything was West—the brilliant smile, the shining eyes, the smooth glide to both feet as he reached for Axel once again.

And the sweet, powerful kiss they shared standing beside their bench.

Epilogue

“No, you do it like this,” Sadie said rather loudly to Cleo.

West beamed as his sisters, walking side by side down the aisle, scattered rose petals all over. They were wearing matching pink dresses, and Vera had styled their hair in fancy buns decorated with pink and white flowers. They were breathtaking, and West was so full of joy he felt like it must be shining out of every pore.

He looked at Axel, standing beside him. There was an abundance of love in the gaze they shared. West took Axel’s hand and turned with him to watch as the girls made their way up the aisle, followed by Case and Joseph.

The boys carried the rings and smirked as they waved at people, as if they were in a parade rather than a wedding. Axel’s snicker was almost silent.

West couldn’t possibly have been any happier than he was in that moment. He had his love, his family, and his coven with him. Granted, that last one might have once terrified him or pissed him off, but now it added a layer of security to his life.

There were even some vamps and people there from his first coven. Claude and Abernathy, Augustine and Tony, just to name a few of them.

And of course, Augustine gave a wolf-whistle that made everyone’s ears ring.

Claude shushed him. Augustine winked then gave West and Axel two thumbs up.

Herve cleared his throat.

West and Axel faced him. They’d gone for traditional with their vows—to a point. The obeying part wasn’t going to work for either of them.

“We are gathered here this evening…” Herve began, his voice strong and clear.

No, no obeying. But the rest? To love, honor and cherish? “Yes,” West said when it was his time to speak. “I promise to love, honor, and cherish you, Axel Majors, for eternity.”

Axel’s eyes welled and he made his vows. In another minute, they were wed.

When West kissed his husband, the shouts that rang out from the guests were likely heard throughout Portland. West cupped Axel’s nape and framed his jaw with his other hand.

Sweet and tender, the kiss sealed their vows to each another.

“That’s so gross,” Joseph muttered.

“You’re gross!” Sadie’s voice was quite loud.

West and Axel parted, both immediately seeking to prevent a squabble.

“Nuh-uh, girls are gross,” Joseph said vehemently. “You all have cooties!”

“You’ll all have a week without TV if you decide to continue arguing,” West informed them, trying very hard not to laugh.

Sadie
humphed
, and Joseph gave him a belligerent look before huffing. “Boys are better. You think so too.”

“I could just ground you,” West told him. “Sadie stopped.”

“Because girls are smarter!” Sadie threw a rose petal at Joseph then ran down the aisle with Cleo, both girls giggling like mad.

Joseph stuck his tongue out at them. “Come on, Case, we can run faster than them!”

West and Axel spent a good ten minutes accepting congratulations, then they all moved into the reception hall.

It was a good evening, filled with love and laughter, but by midnight, West was ready for the festivities to end.

“We could sneak away,” Axel suggested, waggling his eyebrows. “That’d be rude, though.”

“Or we could dance again.” West liked that option, too, and he really liked the way the suggestion pleased Axel.

With the lights dimmed and the kids in bed, West and Axel didn’t have to do anything but enjoy each other as they moved on the dance floor with several other couples. “
Take me into your loving arms
,” West sang softly to Axel. “
Kiss me under the light of a thousand stars
.”

Axel pressed closer against him. West sighed contentedly. There had never been a more perfect moment in his life.

The song ended, and Herve picked up the microphone. “We need to let the newlyweds have their night together. West, Axel, we shall continue to celebrate here while you two celebrate in private.”

The salacious way Herve said that last bit had everyone laughing.

West and Axel waved and blushed at the catcalls they received as they left the reception hall. It was a short trip up to the rooms they had for the night, and since the kids were being watched by some of the coven members, West didn’t have to worry about his private time with Axel being interrupted.

The door had been decorated with banners and streamers. West laughed along with Axel, then they were finally inside, alone, and West was done waiting.

So was Axel, because he had West pushed against the door and was kissing the breath out of him a second after the door closed.

West scrambled to get Axel’s jacket off. They had on entirely too many clothes. Tuxes looked nice and all, but they were damned complicated to get out of when all he could think about was how much he wanted Axel.

Axel was just as desperate to get to him.

West had to nudge him back a little before they both screamed in frustration. “You get yours off, I’ll get mine.”

Axel nodded. “But—bedroom.” He grabbed West’s hand.

West felt younger than he had in ages as he and Axel ran to the bedroom. Someone had gone to a lot of trouble in there. Electric candles lent a sensuous ambiance to the room, as did the rose petals scattered about.

But nothing could compare to Axel as he began removing his clothes.

West kicked off his shoes, staring at Axel. He took off his own clothing without tearing his gaze away from Axel’s fine form.

Axel was naked first, and he slowly stroked his own cock while he watched West. “God, you’re fine,” Axel murmured. “So fucking fine.”

“No, you.” Well, coherence wasn’t important. West couldn’t think past the need rising up inside him. It was stronger than he’d ever experienced before. Maybe because Axel was his in more than just the vamp way.

And he was Axel’s.

West’s fangs were already dropping when he shed the last piece of clothing. He held a hand out to Axel. “Make love with me.” He felt kind of corny saying it, but it was what he wanted, and he’d never be ashamed of wanting Axel.

Axel stopped stroking himself and instead took West’s hand. “Gladly. I can’t wait to feel you inside me.”

West licked his lips, nervous and turned on. “Can we— Would you want to— I mean—” Boy, he was going to strangle on his own words!

Axel’s eyes widened. “You want me to top?” he asked hoarsely.

West bobbed his head. “Yes?” And tried again. “Yes. I do. If you want to.”

“Yes.” Axel kissed him again then turned and sat on the bed. He pulled West along and soon West was on his back, sprawled comfortably, with Axel crawling over him to lay more kisses on him.

All the hot, hard length of Axel’s body aroused West more than should have been possible. His dick was already dripping pre-cum when Axel lowered his bottom half down so that his shaft was aligned with West’s.

“Ohh,” Axel sighed before moving.

West’s eyes rolled before he closed them. He held on to Axel while they rutted and rubbed against each other, leaving wet trails on each other’s skin.

All the while, Axel kept kissing and loving on him. West felt cherished, desired, needed, in a way he’d never felt before. He’d known Axel loved him, yes, but this was different, whether because of their marriage, or what they were doing, or both.

He stopped thinking about it when Axel licked over his Adam’s apple.

West mewled and his legs parted wider, seemingly of their own volition. A great, hot ball of arousal was rolling through him, stirring the need in him until he didn’t think he could bear it anymore.

Axel slid down his body and, without hesitating, took the tip of West’s cock into his mouth.

West bucked and keened, burying his hands in Axel’s hair.

And to his utter embarrassment, he came, curling up, abs tight, cock spurting before he could even try to get control over the act.

His embarrassment was short-lived. Axel sucked down the last drop of spunk, then raised his head. “So fuckin’ hot, West. You have any idea what that did to me?” He came up to his knees and squeezed the base of his cock. “God, I’m so close just from that. Just from you.”

West was still panting, his thoughts scattered, body in chaos, when Axel lowered himself down again and started nuzzling his balls.

At the same time, he slid his hands under West’s butt, then used his thumbs to part West’s cheeks.

All of it registered in a sort of pleasurable haze. West wasn’t nervous, not now. He knew Axel would take care of him.

Axel sucked on his sac, tugging one ball into his mouth and loving on it until West’s breaths became short and his shaft twitched with renewed interest.

He barely heard the pop of the lube cap coming off. His other ball was laved and suckled, the warmth of Axel’s mouth and tongue doing wondrous things for West.

Then Axel ran his hands along the backs of West’s thighs before pushing them up, rolling West’s butt up off the bed. He rubbed his nose along the skin below West’s balls, and that hot, talented mouth went right over his hole.

West moaned and grabbed onto the backs of his legs, offering himself up to Axel. Every lick and nibble fed his need for Axel, made him warm and jittery inside.

When Axel pushed his tongue into West’s hole, West’s whole body went taut and he might have screamed. His throat ached, his chest heaved, and he couldn’t get more than half of Axel’s name out as he tried over and over.

And it only got better. Axel tongued him until West was making garbled sounds, the want and hunger pouring from him. The slick glide of a finger penetrating him only increased the ache he had inside. He needed his mate, needed his husband, now.

“Now,” he even managed to say.

Axel nipped his thigh and touched a spot inside West that made him light up even more.

“Axel!” He pushed Axel’s name out, eyes shooting wide open as pleasure ramped up to a higher level of intensity.

“Soon,” he heard Axel say as his hole was stretched wider. The burn was exquisite, not scary like he’d feared it would be. Axel kept touching his gland, pushing West closer and closer to a new depth of ecstasy he’d never known existed.

Just as he was about to go over that wondrous precipice, Axel pulled his fingers out and surged up the length of West’s body.

West let go of his legs and instead wrapped them around Axel’s hips.

“Now,” Axel said, repeating West’s earlier demand. The blunt, slick tip of his cock prodded at West’s hole.

West arched, needing, needing.

Axel sank his shaft in, pushing moans from them both. A ragged, harsh sound from Axel followed.

West clenched his ass and tried to take more of Axel’s cock in, faster. He writhed and tightened his legs, urging Axel to
move!

Axel rocked back, then slid the rest of the way home, his cock filling West up perfectly.

“West,” Axel whispered. He lowered more of his weight onto West and kissed him. Then he began to move.

West arched and wiggled, unable to keep still. The sweet, burning thrusts were driving him out of his mind.

Axel moved his legs and did something with his hips, and his next stroke in brought his cock into contact with West’s gland.

West jolted and keened, shoving a hand between them. His cock was slick with pre-cum and sweat. He gripped it, hard, and moaned at the sensations shooting through his body.

Axel grunted and fucked him faster, harder.

West’s fangs ached. He left off holding his cock and instead pulled Axel down, brought that sweet spot closer until he could scrape his teeth over it.

“Yes, oh fuck, do it,” Axel rasped.

West did, biting deep, fast, tasting blood and sweat and need.

Axel’s cock throbbed in him as Axel went still, liquid heat jetting into West.

West clung to him, his own climax barreling through him, turning him inside out on a sexual and intimate level unlike ever before.

Later, as he lay with Axel, staring into the eyes of the man he loved, West knew their future together was going to be a long, loving one. “I’d have never believed I’d have this,” he said, pulling Axel closer to cuddle with. “Never knew there was anyone so incredible out there for me. I love you, Axel.”

Axel smiled at him. “I love you, too, West. I want to spend a million nights with you, then spend a million more. At least.”

“At least,” West agreed. “At least.”