Halloween Howl
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Mate | Cecilia Ryan
2
LOGAN growled lowly and crawled his way up from the end
of the couch, stalking Richard at first, and then covering his
body to keep him still. He leaned down to sniff at his neck,
then licked a long stripe up it, tasting soap and sweat and
feeling for a pulse under the delicate, pale skin. Pleased with
this state of affairs, he set his teeth to the other man s throat
to hold him. Underneath him, Richard woke with a start,
and then relaxed on seeing who it was.
 You all right there? Richard asked with only the barest
hint of nervousness.
Purring, Logan settled on top of him, leaning his full
weight onto the other man and trapping him under the
greater bulk of his own frame. He sighed and then relaxed,
giving the skin beneath his mouth another lick.
 I figure if you re going to dress me up as a wolf later, I
should start practicing now, he explained, voice muffled
against Richard s neck.
 And this is you practicing, is it?
 Of course. You re my mate, aren t you?
Richard paused at that question, unsure whether
 mate was the word he d want to use, and then nodded
upon spotting the puppy eyes he was being given.  I guess
so. I didn t know wolves mated.
Mate | Cecilia Ryan
3
A raised eyebrow alerted him to the stupidity of what
he d just said, and he cleared his throat to correct himself.  I
know they mate to make little baby wolves, I just didn t know
they stuck together. They do stick together, right? This isn t
the world s most roundabout way of telling me you think of
me as a casual shag, is it?
Logan blinked and then shook his head.  That was the
strangest train of thought I ve ever heard you think. Wolves
mate for life. Like swans, sort of, except with less frightening
equipment. So no, this is me saying that you re my mate.
 Oh. Right. I guess that s okay, then. Richard relaxed
and shifted a little to take Logan s weight more comfortably.
 That s probably the most romantic thing you ve ever said to
me, he added eventually.
 Yeah. And it went right over your head. Logan grinned.
 Shut up. Richard swatted at his backside. Logan gave
him a slow, predatory smile and growled in a close imitation
of a real wolf.
 Do you really want to wake the wolf up? he asked with
a hint of warning.
 How long until we ve got to get out of here?
The clock on the wall, when Logan looked up, read half
past four.  About two hours. Two and a half, if you don t
mind being fashionably late.
Richard grinned, and then in a move that took Logan
completely by surprise, threw him off and was at the foot of
the stairs in a flash.  Then the wolf can catch me.
Mate | Cecilia Ryan
4
Collecting himself from the floor, Logan tore up the
stairs after Richard to find him in the bedroom, standing just
inside the doorway. He smiled, baring his teeth, and backed
Richard into the corner slowly, making a low sound in his
throat the whole time. Once there was nowhere either of
them could go, he stopped and leaned in to sniff Richard s
neck.
 Please don t hurt me! Richard begged dramatically,
shifting his hips forward so Logan could feel his erection
under the tracksuit bottoms he was dressed in. Forcing
himself not to laugh, Logan licked his neck again and then
turned him around forcefully, pressing him against the wall
just hard enough not to hurt him, but so that he couldn t
move away.
 Pretty, he growled in Richard s ear.  Mate.
Grabbing the elastic roughly, Logan pulled the back of
Richard s trousers and underwear down with one hand,
while fumbling in his pocket for the little sachet of lube and
the condom he d stuffed in it earlier.
 You planned this! Richard cried out indignantly with
his nose pressed to the wall.
Logan made a small, animal sound that may have been
a confession or a denial while he continued what he was
doing. From where he was, Richard could hear the sound of
Logan s jeans dropping to the floor. He shivered in
anticipation of what he expected to be a rough ride and
braced his hands against the wall.
The bare minimum of preparation was over faster than
Mate | Cecilia Ryan
5
was probably a good idea when they were about to be out
with company for the evening, but with the front of his
underwear already wet with pre-come, Richard had a hard
time making himself care. He grunted softly as Logan pulled
his fingers out and took a deep breath.
Bracing himself against the wall as well, Logan shoved
in with one swift movement, wincing at the slightly pained
gasp Richard gave as he did so.  You all right? he
whispered, reluctant to break the mood, but more concerned
over Richard s safety.
 I will be if you get on with it, Richard grumbled.
Logan rolled his eyes at the completely typical response
and decided that this probably meant he d just been
surprised rather than seriously hurt.  I m gonna get you,
blondie, he growled in Richard s ear, sinking back into
character effortlessly. A sudden thrust sealed it, and he felt
them both slip back into the game at once.
Richard tried not to moan too loudly at the rough
strokes, but he d always had a thing for sex that just
bordered on too rough, and this was it. He knew Logan was
always afraid of hurting him and held back because of it
which was fine, since he didn t really want to get hurt,
either but it was a nice change to have him let go. Closing
his eyes against the urgency starting to build in his balls,
Richard panted against the wall and focused on not finishing
too soon.
With a roar that felt like it had started somewhere near
his belly button, Logan made one last, hard thrust, lifting
Richard onto his toes for a moment, then snarled and
Mate | Cecilia Ryan
6
collapsed against him, completely spent. He felt Richard
tense around him and just managed to hear the relieved
little sigh that meant his timing hadn t been too bad.
In the spirit of playing, Logan licked Richard s neck
again and then pressed his nose against it from behind,
breathing in the familiar scent happily. In his mind, his
imaginary tail wagged at being close to his mate.
 Pity Halloween only comes once a year, Richard
mumbled.  Might have to dress you up like a wolf more
often.
Mate | Cecilia Ryan
7
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Cecilia Ryan hails from the land down under, which as you
know means that she is well accustomed to fighting off man-
eating spiders and a variety of poisonous snakes before
breakfast. She also has the use of a pair of very obliging
possums in the roof space, who offer late-night literary
criticism, and a very small dog who helps her type.
When not battling the native wildlife of the sunburnt
country, you can guarantee she s writing something, or
indulging her addiction to boys, caffeinated beverages and
so-bad-they re-good movies. Possibly all at once.
Visit Cecilia s web site at www.ceciliaryan.com, follow her on
Twitter, or e-mail her at [e-mail]
Mate ©Copyright Cecilia Ryan, 2011
Published by
Dreamspinner Press
382 NE 191st Street #88329
Miami, FL 33179-3899 USA
http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the
authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead,
business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Cover Art by Anne Cain [e-mail]
Cover Design by Mara McKennen
This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is
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request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press at: 382 NE 191st Street
#88329 Miami, FL 33179-3899 USA http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/
Released in the United States of America
October 2011
eBook Edition