Mutegi’s Sweet One

Mutegi  Atieno  is  shocked  to  discover  the  man
stranded on the side of the road in a broken down
truck  is  his  mate.  When  his  first  assumption  is
proved  incorrect  and  he  learns  the  woman  and
baby  with  Ben  Moore  are  not  his  wife  and
daughter, Mutegi realizes he actually has a shot at
claiming  the  human.  But  first  Mutegi  and  his
friends  need  to  save  the  trio  from  Ben’s  sister’s
sadistic  ex-husband.  It  was  a  difficult  task.  The
man  had  already  chased  Ben  and  Cassie  across
three  states  in  an  attempt  to  steal  his  daughter
back, ignoring the court’s ruling that had deemed
him unfit. If Mutegi manages to find a way to save
the siblings from the madman, can he also figure
out how to tell his human mate that he’s a shifter?

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Mutegi’s Sweet One

ISBN: 978-1-77111-132-4

Cover art by Martine Jardin

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Mutegi

’s Sweet One

Kontra

’s Menagerie: Book One

Charlie Richards

Chapter One

utegi Atieno roared down the freeway, his
hog rumbling between his thighs as he led his

alpha’s gang along the winding road. He thought
back to the breakfast party they’d just left. His
friend, Brad Nadeau, had found his mate and
chosen to stay with the man’s pack. Mutegi would
miss him. They’d been part of the same biker gang
for over twenty years, ever since he’d joined them
after getting banished by his family for being gay
and found himself stranded in the United States.

He glanced in his rearview mirrors at all the

men surrounding him and smiled. Mutegi and his
friends  had  proved  other  shifters  prevalent  ideas
wrong. Many bigots thought it was impossible for
shifters to be gay, but everyone in their gang was
gay,  all  thirteen  of  them.  Another  ridiculous
notion  was  that  inter-species  groups  didn’t  mix,
but none of them in the gang were the same breed
of  shifter.  They  were  all  welcomed  by  Kontra,
their de-facto alpha, and they all worked together

Charlie Richards

just fine.

Riding point that morning, he spotted a truck

broken down on the side of the road several bends
ahead. The hill they’d just crested gave him a good
opportunity  to  study  the  stranded  vehicle.  He
hadn’t  seen  any  other  traffic  on  the  winding
mountain roads, so the raised hood of the beat up
‘56  classic  pick-up  made  a  forlorn  contrast  to  the
pristine, towering trees on either side of them.

“Kontra, there is a vehicle pulled off at the

bottom of the hill. It appears to be disabled. The
hood is up and I see two adults standing nearby.
Would you like to stop and see if we can help
them?” he asked into his helmet mike.

After a pause, Kontra’s deep voice replied,

“Sure, Mutegi. I’ll send Adam and Yuma up to
you. The rest of us will stop fifty feet back. No
sense scaring them by descending en-mass.”

The massive grizzly bear shifter’s heart of gold

never  ceased  to  amaze  Mutegi.  The  man  tried  to
hide  it  behind  his  tattoos,  goatee,  and  fierce
appearance,  and  the  man  could  be  fierce,  scary
fierce.  He  was  a  grizzly  after  all.  But  from  the
occasional haunted look in the man’s eyes, Mutegi
knew  there  was  some  heavy  shit  in  the  shifter’s
past.  Kontra  Belikov  always  stopped  to  help
whenever  he  could,  and  more  than  once,  Mutegi
wondered if Kontra viewed it as doing penance.

Reaching the bottom of the hill, Mutegi slowed

Mutegi’s Sweet One

his bike and eased it to a stop ten feet behind the
truck. As he swung his leg over and pulled off his
helmet,  he  knew  he  had  the  human’s  attention.
The  two  people  exchanged  a  look,  and  then  the
man  walked  slowly,  warily  toward  him.  Mutegi
knew many people found bikers intimidating.

He lifted the corners of his lips in a smile,

hoping  to  relieve  some  of  their  nerves.  “Hello,
there,”  he  greeted,  keeping  his  tone  even  and
welcoming. “Run out of gas?” If it was something
simple  like  that,  they  could  help  easily  enough.
Each  biker  carried  a  two-gallon  gas  tank  in  one
saddlebag.  It’d  be  a  bitch  in  an  accident,  but  the
practice  had  saved  them  from  being  stranded
more than once.

“No. It overheated coming over that hill, so we

pulled off to let it cool. The truck started again, but
then began blowing smoke, so we stopped,” the
man admitted reluctantly.

Mutegi nodded, hearing his fellow shifter’s

bikes shut down behind him. “My friend Adam is
a mechanic. Would you like him to take a look?”

Still the human hesitated, so he stepped

forward, closing the last five feet and holding out
a hand. “My name is Mutegi Atieno. We will not
charge you. There is not a town for thirty miles in
either direction and traffic is light on this road.”
He grinned. “We may be a rough looking biker
gang, but we only would like to help.”

Charlie Richards

Finally, the man smiled and took the last step

separating them. He settled his hand in Mutegi’s.
“Yeah, sorry. It’s just been a bad day. I guess I
shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, huh? I’m
Ben. Ben Moore.”

The words made no sense to Mutegi. His brain

had shut down as  soon as the human’s  calloused
hand settled in his, and the human’s scent slipped
into  his  nostrils.  Mate!  His  animal  screamed  its
desire  to  claim  the  man.  Mutegi  struggled  to
control  his  warthog,  admonishing  it.  He  couldn’t
just  jump  the  human.  It’d  surely  freak  the  man
out. Besides, there was a woman standing near the
hood of the car and if the sound of crying was any
indication, a baby lay in a car seat strapped in the
middle  of  the  small  truck’s  bench  seat,  probably
his wife and child. Shit! Just my luck!

Evidently, he’d been staring too long, because

the man was discreetly tugging his hand. Coming
back  to  himself,  Mutegi  released  it  and  nodded.
“Right.”  He  turned  and  looked  at  Adam  and
Yuma,  who  both  had  interested  looks  on  their
faces. “Adam, he says it overheated. After they let
it cool, it ran for a few minutes, but then it started
smoking.”

“Well, fuck me. That sounds like a cracked

head,” Adam muttered gruffly. “I’ll take a look.”

Adam headed up to the hood, which brought

the woman around toward them. She rested a

Mutegi’s Sweet One

hand on Ben’s arm, catching the guy’s attention.
Ben turned toward her. Mutegi tried not to growl
his jealousy, but he knew he didn’t quite succeed
when Yuma’s brows rose.

He stared into the trees, unwilling to meet the

small shifter’s questioning gaze. Yuma turned to
Ben and grinned. “Where are you headed?”

“Minneapolis, Minnesota. My parents live up

there,” he said, the wary look returning to his
eyes.

“Oh, that’s a beautiful area. I love it in the

winter,  all  the  snow  and  ice.  So  pretty.”  Yuma
grinned,  his  gaze  taking  in  the  woman’s  slender
frame. “I bet your wife would look great in a pink
and green snow suit,  clinging to you on the  back
of a snowmobile. Absolutely stunning picture.”

The woman’s eyes widened and she looked at

Ben. Ben glared at the small shifter. “What the hell
is that supposed to mean?”

Yuma’s brows lifted in surprise, and he covered

his  mouth  with  his  hand.  “Oh,  I’m  sorry.  My
friends are always telling me I need to  censor my
words.  I  seem  to  have  no  brain-to-mouth  filter.”
Then  he  giggled.  “I’m  gay,  so  don’t  think  I’m
hitting  on  your  wife.  I’m  not.”  He  winked  at  the
woman.  “No  offense,  sweetie,  but  I  wouldn’t
know what to do with you!”

That had the woman laughing right along with

Yuma. “I can see how that would be a problem,”

Charlie Richards

she replied. “I’m Cassie,” she added, holding out
her hand. “Cassie Moore.”

Instead of shaking her hand, Yuma folded it

into his elbow and headed them toward the
truck’s cab. “I see you have a little cub in the
truck. How old is she?”

“She’s eight months…”
The rest of the conversation was lost to Mutegi,

because Ben took that opportunity to move closer
to him. “Huh. You’d think they were long lost best
friends,” he said, cocking his head and watching
Cassie interact with Yuma.

Mutegi smirked. “Yuma has that effect on

people.”

“And you don’t have a problem with him

being…” Ben waved his hand vaguely, but Mutegi
knew what the man asked.

“No. Yuma is a good man,” Mutegi insisted.

Well,  didn’t  that  just  suck?  Not  only  was  he
married  with  a  kid,  Ben  was  a  homophobe.  He
resisted the urge to sigh. Not only had his family
screwed  him,  leaving  him  alone  and  without
funds in the United States, and no way to return to
his home in Africa, but Fate had screwed him, too.
He glanced over his shoulder. At least he still had
his shifter pack.

Adam saved him from having to figure out

how to make small talk. “Well, I’ve got good news
and bad news.”

Mutegi’s Sweet One

“Better hit me with the bad news first,” Ben

muttered, his shoulders drooping.

Mutegi resisted the urge to wrap an arm

around  the  man  and  comfort  him,  knowing  the
contact  wouldn’t  be  welcome.  Adam  wiped  his
hands  on  a  rag  he’d  pulled from  his  back  pocket
and  replied,  “You  fucked  up  a  head  when  the
truck  overheated.  You’re  pouring  antifreeze  into
your gas supply, which is what caused the pretty
smoke display. You’ll need a tow truck.”

Ben’s face paled. “Then what’s the good news?”
Grinning, Adam said, “Once we get it to a

town, I can fix it for just the cost of the part. It
won’t even take that long. Maybe a day or so.”

“Why would you do that?” Ben asked, eyes

narrowing. “You don’t even know me!”

“Awe, a pretty girl like this needs a tender

touch,” Adam quipped, looking at the truck. “I’d
love to get under her hood,” he added with a
wink.

“You want to hit on Cassie?” Ben snapped,

clearly shocked.

Mutegi stifled a laugh, which earned him a

glare from Ben. Adam completely ignored the
comment, instead running a hand over the rusted
body of the classic old truck. “No,” Mutegi finally
managed to get out. “Adam wants to get his hands
on your truck, not your wife.” Realizing what he’d
said, his mirth faded.

Charlie Richards

Ben opened his mouth, obviously to say

something, but Mutegi’s helmet speaker crackled,
drawing his attention. “Hold that thought,” he
said, heading back to his hog. He picked up his
helmet and pulled it on. “Yes, Kontra?”

“How’s it going down there?”
“Got a shitload of problems, but I cannot

explain it all now,” he said.

That earned him a pregnant pause. “And the

stranded humans?”

“Are in the middle of them.”
“What’s Adam doing?”
Mutegi looked back toward the truck and

smirked. “Drooling over the truck.”

That had Kontra laughing. “Well, that doesn’t

surprise me. Are we taking them to the next
town?”

“Yes. Adam offered to fix the truck. He said it

would take a day or so.” He hesitated, then added,
“Is that acceptable?”

“You know it is,” Kontra replied. “Although it

means we’ll need to split up. The rest of us are
coming down. We’ll see you in a minute.”

Kontra’s words reminded Mutegi of why

they’d  left  Brad  in  such  a  hurry  that  morning.
Their  fellow  shifter,  Gallo  Ricci  had  left  the  gang
so he could visit his sister for a few days. Now he
was  missing.  They’d  learned  from  his  sister  that
he never made it to Amarillo. They needed to find

Mutegi’s Sweet One

him and make certain he was all right.

Mutegi walked back to the group while

buckling his helmet. “Get what you need for the
next several days. We will take you to the next
town and help find a tow truck.” He forced a grin.
“It looks like you get your wish, Adam. Kontra is
willing to send a few others ahead. You get to play
with the new toy,” he added dryly.

“Oh, hell, yeah!” Adam grinned like a kid

who’d just received the best present ever. “Get
your shit together.” Both he and Mutegi eyed the
cub for a second before exchanging a glance. “One
of you will have to carry the cu…cute kid. Do you
have one of those chest basket do-hickies?”

Cassie laughed. “What?”
Yuma rolled his eyes. “Adam means a chest

carrier. Heart of gold, but not the most eloquent.”
Then he grinned evilly. “Great with his hands
though,” he teased, sidling closer to the big tiger
shifter.

Adam laughed and smacked Yuma’s ass. “You

know it, twinkie.”

Watching Ben’s eyes widen would have been

funny,  if  it  hadn’t  been  for  the  fact  that  this  was
his  mate  who  seemed  so  shocked  at  seeing  two
men  openly  expressing  themselves.  At  least  his
scent didn’t give off any disgust.

Roaring engines heralded the arrival of Kontra

and the rest of the gang. Mutegi introduced their

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leader and Lamar, who rode a flashy gold and
green, top of the line 2012 Goldwing.

Adam grinned and crossed to the lean shifter

astride the big bike. “He may not look like much,
but he’s an excellent driver, and he has a comfy
bitch seat. I recommend whoever carries the babe
should hop behind him.”

Kontra gave a subtle nod, agreeing with the

tiger and giving permission at the same time.
Lamar smiled thinly. “I’d be happy to assist you.”

Cassie turned to Ben and said, “Can you take

Tessa? I want to ride with Yuma!” When Ben
opened his mouth, probably to protest, she
quickly added, “Please!”

“All right,” he replied and sighed. They walked

to  the  truck  and  fitted  a  carrier  to  Ben’s  chest.
While  adjusting  straps,  he  murmured,  “We  need
to  hurry.  We  don’t  know  how  far  behind  us
Stanley  is  and  I’m  worried  we’ve  lost  whatever
lead we had.”

If he weren’t a shifter, Mutegi never would

have heard Ben’s whispered words. Worry
slammed through him, and he fought the desire to
ask Ben exactly what the hell he was talking about.

Who is Stanley? Why are they running from him? Are
they in danger? Wanted by the law? So many
possibilities crowded his mind that when next he
focused, Adam was helping Ben and Tessa up
behind Lamar.

Mutegi’s Sweet One

He snarled at the hands Adam had on his mate

and  without  thought,  took  an  angry  step  toward
them.  A  hand  on  his  shoulder  stopped  him,  and
he turned to glare at whoever held him. His  fury
faded  when  he  saw  Kontra’s  concerned  gaze.
“Mutegi? What’s wrong?”

Sighing, he released as much tension as he

could.  “Ben  is  my  mate,”  he  muttered  under  his
breath,  praying  his  words  didn’t  carry  to  the
others.  He  wasn’t  yet  ready  to  share  the
information  that  his  mate  was  a  married  straight
human.

“I see,” Kontra murmured. “We’ll keep an eye

on them for a few days and see if he feels the
connection, too.”

Mutegi grimaced. “Even if he does, he is

married and straight. There is no way I will break
up a family.”

Kontra nodded, but didn’t say anything. They

watched Cassie leap onto the Triumph
Thunderbird Storm behind Yuma, a borrowed
helmet on her head and a grin on her face.

Adam walked over and slapped him on the

back. “All set here. Let’s rock.”

“Why did you offer to fix their truck for cost?”

Mutegi asked as they walked to their bikes. “That
is very generous for you.”

Grinning, Adam pulled his helmet over his pale

blond locks and leaned toward him. Keeping his

Charlie Richards

voice low he said, “Awe, I could fix that head in a
couple of hours, but this way, you get a chance to
claim your mate.”

Mutegi stood in stunned silence as Adam

winked and brought his Harley to life. Feeling
better than he had since realizing Ben was his
mate, he chuckled and settled on his bike. Revving
his hog, he sped forward, again taking point and
leading the group down the road.

Mutegi’s Sweet One

Chapter Two

en folded the blanket over his niece’s head.
Holding her tight to his chest, he hunched

over and leaned close to the man in front of him to
block  the  wind.  He  saw  his  sister’s  arms  wound
tightly  around  Yuma’s  body,  chattering  away  to
the man. He didn’t understand how she could be
so relaxed after everything she’d been through. He
was  wrapped  tighter  than  a  spring  and  looking
forward  to  hiding  out  at  his  parent’s  for  a while.
He  spotted  Mutegi  in  the  distance  ahead  and  his
pulse  sped  up.  His  strong  attraction  to  the  exotic
African didn’t help.

He’d been shocked to see the big biker’s ease

with his friend’s homosexuality, but there was no
way Mutegi would want a plain, gawky guy with
no work prospects and family problems crushing
on him. The guy exuded masculinity. Fortunately,
the bikers thought he and his sister were married.
If they looked too closely, they’d see the family

Charlie Richards

resemblance, but he couldn’t imagine them caring
enough  to  do  so.  They  were  just  being  kind  to
strangers,  which  went  against  everything  he’d
ever  heard  about  bikers.  Of  course,  he’d  never
really  hung  around  them,  so  what  did  he  know,
right?

“Are you all right back there?”
“Yeah. Thanks for letting us hitch a ride,” he

replied, grateful they’d had a helmet that fit him.
The intercoms between them were really cool. “Do
you know how far to the next city?”

“I just spotted a sign for La Junta in twenty

miles.” Mutegi’s accented voice came over the
intercom, sending Ben’s heart tripping into double
time. “How is your babe holding up? We know
this is not the best mode of transportation for her.”

The man’s strict pronunciation and the way he

didn’t use contractions told Ben English wasn’t his
first language. He thought it sounded sexy as hell.
With a mental shake of his head, he forced himself
to reply. “She’s fine. We appreciate your help.
Who knows how long we’d have sat there, if you
hadn’t come.”

Adam’s voice piped through the system next.

“How long ago did you and the little woman get
hitched?”

Before he could come up with a lie, Cassie did

the unthinkable. She corrected them. “Oh, we’re
not married,” she laughed. “Ben’s my brother.

Mutegi’s Sweet One

Tessa is my daughter.”

Mutegi’s bike swerved, eliciting a gasp from

Ben. A deep, gravelly voice he recognized as
Kontra sounded through the system. “You okay
up there?”

“Yes. Rock in the road,” came Mutegi’s clipped

reply.

Ben immediately tensed. He’d only been on a

motorcycle  once  before,  and  these  roads  were
narrow  and  winding.  “Oh!”  he  murmured,  fear
filling  him  as  he  pulled  the  blanket  hiding  Tessa
from the wind tighter around her.

“Don’t worry,” Lamar assured. “I’ll be careful.”
“You had better be.”
Ben wondered at the growled comment. The

accent was pretty thick. It sounded like Mutegi,
but why did he sound so possessive
and…worried?

Lamar glanced over his shoulder at him, his

eyes narrowed in a look of curious interest.
Evidently, he wasn’t the only one who was
surprised by Mutegi’s tone.

They lapsed into silence. A while later, an eager

tenor he didn’t recognize came over the intercom
system. “We got a tail, boss. Want me to check it
out?”

“How do you know it’s a tail?” Kontra asked.
A man in full body leathers and shielded

helmet zipped up, weaving between the other

Charlie Richards

bikers,  chuckling  manically.  “Well,  they’ve  been
following  us  for  the  last  ten  minutes,  always
keeping  the  same  distance.  We’re  moving  pretty
slowly,  for  obvious  reasons.”  He  paused  next  to
Lamar’s bike and lifted one hand in salute to Ben.
“They could easily have passed us.”

“Okay, Payson, go check them out,” Kontra

ordered.

To his surprise, the man shot forward on his

bullet bike. Once he was in front of the others, he
slammed on his breaks, put down a foot, and
swung the back end of the bike around in a one
eighty. Then he gunned the engine and shot back
in the other direction.

“Holy shit!” he whispered before he could

censor his words.

Adam laughed. “Yeah, Payson’s a bit out there,

but if those guys are really a tail, he’ll confirm it.”

“Really? How?”
Even Ben’s stuffy driver chuckled. “Turn

around and watch. Just be careful.”

After checking the blanket was still firmly in

place,  Ben  tightened  his  hold  on  his  niece  and
carefully  twisted  around.  He  watched  the  speed
demon on the bullet bike zip back down the road
and  disappear  around  a  bend.  Every  once  in  a
while,  when  the  road  straightened  enough  or  the
trees  broke  just  right,  he  could  see  the  dark  SUV
about a hundred yards behind them.

Mutegi’s Sweet One

Once Payson passed the truck, he did another

screeching one eighty, then sped toward the SUV.
He  rode  up  beside  the  driver’s  side  door  and
wrapped  on  the  window.  When  that  didn’t  get  a
response,  he  slowed  down,  swung  around  to  the
other  side  and  repeated  the  action  on  the
passenger  window.  The  truck  suddenly  swerved
toward  him.  Somehow,  the  man  avoided  going
into the ditch. The guy must have reflexes like a cat!

The man gave a barking laugh.
Okay, not a cat. Something else. Before he could

decide  what  Payson’s  laughter  reminded  him  of,
Ben  saw  Payson  shoot  back  after  the  truck.  The
man again approached the driver’s side door. His
barking  laughter  came  through  the  helmet’s
speaker.

Knocking once more, he flipped up his visor

and taunted, “Is that the best you can do?”

To Ben’s shock, the window of the truck rolled

down and out leaned a head he knew very well.
“Peter,” he hissed.

“You know this jackass?” Payson asked, leering

at the driver.

“Yes.” He squeaked when he saw the gun Peter

stuck out the window at Payson.

“Is this better?”
The voice was faint and distorted, but Ben

could still hear the sneer in the man’s tone.

“Tell your buddies to pull the fuck over. I want

Charlie Richards

her.”

“Ass!” Yuma snarled. “As if I’d let them take

you.”

“It’s not me he wants,” Cassie whispered into

her mike. “It’s my daughter.”

A coldness crept into Payson’s voice, giving it a

manic  edge.  “I  don’t  think  that’s  going  to  be
happening today.” In a maneuver almost too swift
to  follow,  Payson  sat  up  on  his  bullet  bike,
grabbed  the  gun  from  the  driver’s  hand,  and
pointed it right at the guy’s face.

“Easy, Payson,” Kontra growled.
“Very well.” He swung the gun and took out

the rear tire followed swiftly by the front tire. The
truck swerved, screeching to a halt on the side of
the road. Payson laughed again and gunned his
engine.

Ben’s jaw dropped. The man had actually

sounded put out. Would he really have shot the
driver? Naw…that can’t be right. He must have been
trying to scare him.

“That’ll keep them busy!” Payson quipped,

catching up with the rest of the group.

“Thank you,” Cassie whispered.
“Sure thing, sweet cheeks,” Yuma replied
A sigh came over the intercom. “Why do I get

the feeling you’ve pulled my gang into something
dangerous?” Kontra said.

“Hey!” Ben growled. “We didn’t ask you to

Mutegi’s Sweet One

stop!”

“Easy, Ben,” Kontra growled back. “We just

want to know what we’ve gotten involved in,
that’s all.”

“Sorry,” he muttered, falling silent. His

thoughts  jumbled  together,  thinking  about  how
Stanley’s  men  had  found  them  so  easily.  He  and
Cassie  had  taken  back  roads,  used  cash,  and
hadn’t told anyone where they were going.

“Do not worry, Ben,” Mutegi soothed. “You are

safe with us.”

He pronounced his name Been, which shouldn’t

have aroused him, but it did. He couldn’t think of
anything to say, so he focused on Tessa, who’d
begun to squirm. “Easy, Tessa,” he murmured,
rubbing her back and trying to calm her.

“Is she okay?” Cassie asked.
“Yeah. She’s just getting cranky. Riding like this

doesn’t have quite the same calming effect as a
car.”

“We will be there soon,” Mutegi said.
Five minutes later, a couple of houses appeared,

followed  by  a  couple  more.  They  slowed  and
pulled to a stop in front of a small garage. Adam
parked  his  bike  and  held  up  a  hand.  “Give  me
your  keys,  dude. I’ll  have  your  truck  towed.  You
oughta get that cub inside.”

Ben raised a brow but handed over his keys.

These guys said some of the oddest things, but

Charlie Richards

what  was  even  odder  was  that  he  found  himself
trusting them. After lifting a hand in a mock salute
at  Kontra,  Adam  disappeared  into  the  building.
Kontra led the way to a small café. They all piled
inside,  filling  three  tables.  Ben  found  himself
seated between Mutegi and Cassie. How the hell did

that happen?

Just being near the African made his dick

harden  and  his  pulse  speed  up.  He  smelled  the
man,  male  musk,  clean  sweat,  and  an  earthy
undertone.  From  the  road  dust?  It  shouldn’t  have
turned him on so much. But it did, and Ben had to
fight  the  urge  to  adjust  his  dick  into  a  more
comfortable position.

Ben relinquished Tessa to his sister and stood,

stretching  his  back.  The  move  placed  his  semi-
erect  cock  right  in  front  of  Mutegi’s  face.  The
man’s  eyes  zeroed  in  on  the  bulge,  which  of
course, made Ben’s dick grow right in front of the
guy’s  eyes.  Heat  bloomed  over  Ben’s  cheeks  and
neck,  and  he  quickly  sat  back  down.  For  a  brief
second,  Mutegi’s  gaze  settled  on  him,  and  Ben
thought he saw heat. Then the moment was gone,
and  he  focused  on  the  menu,  trying  not  to  make
things worse, or embarrass himself any further.

After they’d placed their orders, Kontra said,

“Why don’t you tell us what you’ve gotten me and
my men into? I’m certain we haven’t seen the last
of your friends.”

Mutegi’s Sweet One

He exchanged a look with his sister and let out

a  ragged  breath.  “It’s  my  fault.  Everything  is  my
fault.” He glanced around at the curious looks. “I
used  to  work  with  this  guy.  Stanley  Parker.  He
seemed like a really nice guy. I introduced him to
Cassie.”  He  buried  his  face  in  his  hands.  “God,
what a mistake.”

To his surprise, he felt a hand on his lower

back, rubbing softly. He tensed for a second, then
relaxed into Mutegi’s touch. It gave him the
courage to continue. “He married her, but when I
brought my date to the wedding, he flipped out.”

“Why?” Kontra asked.
The moment of truth. “I thought he knew I was

gay. My date was a guy.”

The hand on his back froze, and Ben’s tension

returned. To his surprise, Mutegi slid his hand up
Ben’s back to his neck, massaging gently. The man
shocked the hell out of him even further when he
leaned close and kissed his temple. “There is never
any way of knowing how someone will react,”
Mutegi murmured. “All we can do is hope that the
people we care about will accept us for who we
are, for better or worse.”

For some reason, Ben had the distinct

impression  the  African’s  words  were  from
experience,  an  experience  that  hadn’t  turn  out  so
well.  Mutegi  still  had  a  grip  on  his  neck,  and  it
suddenly hit Ben, the man had kissed his temple.

Charlie Richards

Could this hot biker actually be gay, too?

He lifted his head from his hands and turned to

look  at  Mutegi.  “Yeah.  The  problem  is  that  we
didn’t  know  Stanley  had  flipped  until  after  the
honeymoon. He tried to keep my sister away from
me.  He  started  abusing  her  to  control  her.  She
nearly lost the baby.”

A low growl sounded across the table, and Ben

snapped his head around to stare at Kontra. Rage
blazed behind the huge man’s brown eyes, and he
trembled in his chair. Ben was sure he’d piss
himself if that anger was ever directed at him.

“Easy, Ben,” Mutegi crooned. “We will protect

you. You said the name Peter. Who was that?”

Cassie was the one who answered. “Stanley has

lots  of  friends  who  feel  the  same  way  he  does.
And there are others who don’t really care but are
more than happy to beat someone for money.” She
curled  her  lip  for  a  second  before  resting  a  hand
on  Ben’s  arm.  “And  none  of  this  was  your  fault.
You’re  not  the  only  one  he  duped.”  She  flushed.
“I’d  say  I’m  sorry  I  ever  met  him,  but  then  I
wouldn’t have Tessa,” she added, kissing  the top
of her daughter’s head.

“How can you say that?” Ben asked, surprised

by his sister’s admission. “He broke your arm!
Your life is in upheaval because of him!”

She shrugged. “So I had to get a restraining

order and move in with mom and dad for a while.

Mutegi’s Sweet One

It’s no big deal. At least I found out sooner rather
than later. I’ll land on my feet.”

“Are you really going to Minneapolis?” Yuma

asked slyly.

Ben flushed, embarrassed at being caught. “No.

Our parents live in Leoti. It’s a small town just
across the border into Kansas. We would have
been there tomorrow if we hadn’t broken down.”

“Well, I for one am glad your truck broke

down,” Kontra growled. “It gives us the
opportunity to teach those bastards a lesson.”

“It’s nice of you to bring us here and offer to fix

the truck, but why would you help us at all?” Ben
asked, confused about what these guys actually
wanted. “This isn’t your problem.”

Kontra’s dark eyes narrowed. “This may come

as  a  shock  to  you,  Ben,  but  all  of  us  are  gay.  It
pisses  me  off  that  someone  would  try  to  destroy
your  lives  because  of  something  beyond  your
control.”

“Figures,” Cassie muttered, rolling her eyes.

“Are you sure none of you sexy studs swings my
way?”

“Sorry,” Mutegi replied, chuckling.
Ben gasped in shock, glancing around at

everyone. Some of them, yeah, he could definitely
tell their orientation, like Yuma with the frosted-
tipped black hair, artfully messy do, eye liner, and
lip gloss. His gaze finally rested on Mutegi, and

Charlie Richards

the man winked. He couldn’t stop his whispered,
“Wow!”

Kontra’s grin appeared feral and showed a

surprising amount of pointed teeth, which had to
be a trick of Ben’s imagination. “I’m making it my
problem,” the big biker vowed.

Ben shivered, the man’s words reaffirming

what he’d already decided. He never wanted to be
on Kontra’s shit list.

Mutegi’s Sweet One

Chapter Three

ray of hope wormed its way into Mutegi’s
heart. His mate wasn’t married. Ben was gay.

But was he single? He’d mentioned a date to his
sister’s wedding. Where was this man? He’d never
been great at small talk, so Mutegi decided to take
the direct approach.

Resting his arm across the back of Ben’s chair,

he  leaned  close,  until  his  face  was  only  inches
from  Ben’s.  His  nostrils  filled  with  Ben’s  scent,
and  his  voice  dropped  to  a  purr,  “I  do  not  mind
telling you, Ben, you are a sexy man. I do not like
poaching, so please tell me you are single.”

Ben’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped.

Mutegi struggled to be patient and waited for Ben
to  make  a  move.  As  his  mate  stared  straight  at
him,  he  watched  the  human’s  eyes  dilate.  Ben’s
tongue  slipped  out  and  slid  across  his  lips.
Mutegi’s  gaze  locked  onto  that  pink  tongue,  and
pleasure  flooded  him, knowing  he’d  affected  this

Charlie Richards

man so strongly.

Mutegi watched Ben’s Adam’s apple bob for a

second before he whispered, “Yeah, I’m single.”

“Excellent,” Mutegi crooned. Heedless of those

who could be watching, he gave in to his desire to
taste  the  man  Fate  had  made  for  him.  He  moved
slowly,  staring  at  Ben’s  light  brown  eyes  as  he
closed the distance between them, giving the man
plenty  of  time  to  move  away.  He  didn’t.  Mutegi
pressed his lips to Ben’s in a gentle caress. Flicking
out his tongue, he slid it briefly over Ben’s bottom
lip. His mate tasted heavenly, a mixture of honey
and cinnamon.

Before he could do something stupid, like give

in to his cock’s desire to lift the human onto the
table and fuck them both stupid, he broke the kiss
and settled back on his chair. Ben stared at him,
and Mutegi read the confusion simmering in those
brown depths.

He wondered what Ben was thinking, and it

only  took  a  few  seconds  before  Ben  whispered,
“You  kissed  me.”  Ben  brought  his  fingers  to  his
lips,  as  if  trying  to  confirm  what  had  just
happened.

Mutegi grinned. “Yes, I did.”
“In front of all these people.”
Cocking his head, Mutegi’s brow creased in

concern. “Most of these people are with us, Ben.
Do you have a problem with public displays of

Mutegi’s Sweet One

affection?” Best to know that kind of information
right up front. Please say no.

“N-no.”
“Then what is the problem?”
“Even in San Francisco, couples aren’t usually

that open, unless they know the place they’re in,”
Ben told him.

Ah, now he understood. What kind of assholes

had Ben been dating? Or even been friends with!
Mutegi shrugged. “All these men would have
your back if someone hassled you, Ben, just like I
would have theirs. Perhaps, in time, you will come
to trust them.” Gods, he hoped so.

Ben’s brows shot up, and he glanced around, a

look of wonder slowly flooding his face. “Wow.
You’re lucky.”

At that, Mutegi smirked and leaned close to

Ben’s ear. “Not yet,” he whispered. “But I hope to
be later.”

Ben’s eyes got big again, but he didn’t reply. A

moment later, their server appeared with their
food. She gave Mutegi an odd look, but didn’t say
anything, for which Mutegi was grateful. Just
because he knew the gang would back him didn’t
mean he wanted to cause trouble.

Yuma and Cassie chatted like long lost friends

while  they  ate.  Conversation  between  the  others
fell to a minimum as they  tucked into  their  food.
Mutegi watched Ben out of the  corner of his eye.

Charlie Richards

He knew he was rushing the human, but time just
didn’t seem to be something they had an
abundance of. His dick remained rock hard after
just that brief kiss, and his warthog really wanted
to claim the man.

He wondered how Ben would react to finding

out that not only did shifters exist, but that he was
the mate of one. Finishing his two turkey club
sandwiches and double fries, he glanced at Ben
before looking across the table at his alpha.

Kontra took a sip of his soda and said, “Why

don’t you and Ben look for lodging. Ask the
waitress. There’s gotta be something around
here.”

Mutegi nodded, knowing his leader was trying

to give him a little alone time with his mate. “How
many rooms?”

“Four, if they have it. If not we’ll make do with

the floor or couches. Including our new friends,
there will be eight adults,” Kontra told him.

Rising from the table, he looked at Ben. “Are

you ready?”

“Ah…” Ben glanced at his sister and the baby,

before sweeping his gaze over the other three men
at the table.

Kontra smirked. “Don’t worry, Ben. Cassie and

Tessa are safe with us.”

Ben’s flush made Mutegi wonder how far down

that blush went. His dick pressed harder against

Mutegi’s Sweet One

the fly of his leathers. He struggled to control his
thoughts, knowing that even if he managed to get
Ben in his bed that night, he wouldn’t be able to
claim him. He wondered how his buddy Brad had
managed to control himself.

“Oh, go on,” Cassie encouraged, waving her

hand in a shooing gesture. “I’ll be fine.”

“Okay. Yeah, I’ll go with you,” Ben replied,

rising from the table.

Mutegi stopped the waitress on the way out,

asking if there was lodging nearby. She pointed
them down a side street where a small bed and
breakfast could be found. Mutegi settled his own
helmet on Ben’s head, swung up onto his hog, and
patted the seat behind him.

Ben obeyed the unspoken command, but his

lips tightened in concern. “Don’t you need a
helmet?”

It pleased him that his mate worried for him. “I

will be fine for this short trip,” he assured. He
couldn’t very well tell the man that as a shifter he
really didn’t need one. He’d have to be going over
one hundred miles an hour and get in an accident
for it to do any serious damage to his head. He
only wore a helmet because the law required it.

After rolling the bike backward out of the

parking spot, he brought it to life. He grinned
when Ben instantly grabbed his waist. Turning his
head, he called over his shoulder, “Hold on.”

Charlie Richards

He kept the speed low, only doing about

twenty-five  as  they  made  their  way  down  the
street  their  waitress  had  indicated.  He  hid  his
disappointment  when  they  didn’t  have  any
trouble  finding  the  place  and  Ben  let  go  of  him.
After  dismounting  and  removing  his  helmet,
Mutegi  settled  a  possessive  hand  on  Ben’s  back
and  guided  him  up  the  walk.  Ben  tensed  slightly
under  his  hand,  then  the  young  human  relaxed.
Mutegi  suppressed  his  pleased  grin.  Pleasure
pulsed  through  his  veins  at  finally  being  able  to
touch  his  mate,  and  Mutegi  fervently  wished  he
could  remove  the  barrier  of  Ben’s  jacket  and  t-
shirt.

A woman in her early fifties answered the door.

As she took in Mutegi’s biker leathers and their
dusty appearance, a concerned crinkle formed
between her brows. “May I help you?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Mutegi responded politely. “Our

waitress recommended you to us. I need several
rooms for the night. Do you have any available?”

She swept her gaze over them again, and

Mutegi hoped his politeness would outweigh their
disheveled appearance. Mutegi knew he and his
buddies were good guys, but bikers were often
judged by their appearance instead.

“Please, ma’am,” Ben piped up softly, his

chocolate eyes beseeching the woman. “My sister
and my baby niece really need a place to stay

Mutegi’s Sweet One

while our truck is being fixed. Mutegi and his
friends have been very kind to help us when we
were stranded on the road.”

The woman’s face softened as she took in Ben’s

earnest expression. “I keep three rooms available.
How long will you and your sister be staying?”

Ben glanced Mutegi’s way, and he smiled

encouragingly.  Since  the  woman  seemed  to
respond  so  much  better  to  his  mate,  he  was  fine
with leaving the negotiations with him. Ben’s eyes
widened,  but  he  quickly  recovered  and  returned
his focus to the woman.

“One night for sure, maybe two, and are all

three  rooms  available?  My  friends  need  to  stay,
too,”  he  said.  At  the  lady’s  renewed  concerned
expression,  Ben  hurried  on,  motioning  toward
him. “Mutegi’s friend is fixing the truck for me, so
there’s a few of them.” He nibbled his lip for a few
seconds,  and  Mutegi  had  to  fight  back  a  groan,
wishing  he  were  the  one  doing  that  to  Ben’s
plump bottom lip. “If we paid a deposit, could we
maybe rent all your rooms?”

He hated seeing his man beg, and so he finally

piped up. “My friends and I may look rough, but
we will respect your home,” he told the woman.
“We will only be a couple days, and we are good
for it.” Yuma and Eli had taught all of them how
to trade in stocks. Even Payson had learned, so
money wasn’t an issue for any of them.

Charlie Richards

After agreeing to and paying a sizable safety

deposit,  plus  the  cost  of  three  rooms  for  two
nights, up front, Mutegi grabbed his bag from his
bike  and  took  it  into  a  room.  Only  one  of  the
rooms  had  two  beds,  and  they  put  that  room  in
Ben and Cassie’s name. Mutegi figured it was best
to  keep  from  arousing  the  woman’s  suspicions
that they’d be doing anything more than sleeping
under her roof, although  Mutegi hoped for much
more. Mutegi headed into the smaller of the single
rooms and dropped his bag on a chair.

Mutegi glanced around at the décor, admitting

the nautical theme in sea greens and sky blues was
nice. Pictures of lighthouses and sailing ships
decorated the walls, an impressive ship-in-a-bottle
stood on top of the armoire, and a large conch
shell rested on the dresser. Each room had a small
en-suite. The place was quite a bit nicer than most
of the hotels they’d stayed at.

“You could have at least let me pay for one of

these rooms,” Ben said once they were alone
behind a closed door.

Mutegi turned toward Ben, taking in his

crossed arms and frown. Three strides of his long
legs  had  him  in  Ben’s  space.  He  rested  his
forearms  on  the  door,  one  on  either  side  of Ben’s
head.  The  position  allowed  him  to  lean  in  close
and  breathe  in  his  mate’s  pleasant  scent.  “I  am
certain this will come as a surprise, but I find that I

Mutegi’s Sweet One

like taking care of your needs,” he whispered.

The smaller man’s brows creased, even as his

pupils dilated. Mutegi smelled the man’s arousal.
The heady scent nearly made his eyes cross and he
almost missed Ben’s breathless question. “Why?”

How can I answer that without sending my mate

running  for  the  hills?  He  ducked  his  head  and
nuzzled  Ben’s  neck.  His  sweet  one’s  scent  made
his  brain  sluggish,  and  he  blurted  out,  “Do  you
believe in love at first sight?”

This close, he could hear Ben’s throat muscles

work as he swallowed hard. “N-No,” he
whispered.

“Too bad. I do,” Mutegi replied softly, nipping

the other man’s neck. His gums tingled where his
canines wanted to drop, so he could claim the
man. “How about lust at first sight?”

“L-lust at first sight?” Ben repeated

breathlessly. “Never heard of it.”

“What a pity,” Mutegi said. “I would like to get

a  chance  to  show  you.  Come  to  me  tonight.”
Before Ben could refuse his request, he turned his
head and captured his mouth in a hard, possessive
kiss. His man’s surprised gasp gave Mutegi access
to  Ben’s  mouth,  and  he  swept  his  tongue  inside
the warm recesses, coaxing  it wider. He tasted of
sweet melon and coffee, and Mutegi loved it.

It took everything he had, but Mutegi pulled

back before he gave in to his desire to pick the

Charlie Richards

man  up,  toss  him  on  the  bed  a  few  steps  behind
him, and have his way with the tentative human.
He  nibbled  Ben’s  plump  lower  lip,  thinking  of
how  the  piece  of  flesh  would  look  wrapped
around  his  cock.  Sighing,  he  rested  his  forehead
against Ben’s and waited for  the other guy’s eyes
to  open,  loving  the  glazed  expression  when  they
did.

“We need to go, sweet one,” he whispered.

“Come to me later, and we will continue this.”

Easing away from the man, he watched Ben’s

body  sway  toward  him  for  a  second  before  he
caught himself. Mutegi suppressed a pleased grin.
His delicious human was just as affected by him it
seemed.  Turning  away,  he  locked  himself  in  the
bathroom,  needing  to  get  hold  of  himself  just  as
much as giving Ben a moment to do the same. He
splashed water on his face and waited impatiently
for  his  erection  to  ease  enough  for  him  to  take  a
leak. It took longer than if he’d just given in to his
urge  and  jerked  off,  but  he  didn’t  want  Ben  to
discover him doing that. He wanted to spill in his
mate.

He shook his head and focused on unsexy

thoughts,  like  a  leopard  taking  down  a  warthog.
He  shuddered.  That  did  the  trick.  After  relieving
himself,  he  returned  to  the  bedroom  and  waited
for  Ben  to  take  his  turn  in  the  bathroom  before
they left in search of the rest of their group.

Mutegi’s Sweet One

Chapter Four

en sat on the edge of the bed watching his
sister feed Tessa from a bottle. “So, are you

going to go to him?” Cassie asked.

He didn’t even try to pretend he didn’t know

what she was talking about. “I don’t know. We
just met. Would that make me easy?”

Cassie turned and grinned at him. “Yup, but

who  the  hell  cares?  I  saw  Adam  working  on  the
truck  today,  and  the  man  is  good.  Efficient,”  she
added.  “I  think  the  only  reason  he  didn’t  have  it
finished  today  is  because  he  spent  more  time
talking  to  the  shop  owner  than  actually  working
on the truck.”

“What does that have to do with me?” Ben

asked, frowning.

“He’s giving you and Mutegi time to get it on,”

she said with a waggle of her brows.

Ben groaned, flopped back on the bed, and

pulled a pillow over his face. “I can’t believe you

Charlie Richards

just said that,” he said, his voice muffled by fabric.

“Awe, come on, Ben!” Cassie said. The bed

dipped  and  the  next  thing  he  knew,  the  pillow
was  yanked  from  his  hands.  “The  guy  is  good
looking, and really likes you. God, the heat in that
man’s  eyes  when  he  looks  at  you  could  start  a
bonfire!”

“Which I totally don’t get,” Ben said. “I’m not

much to look at.”

Cassie glared. “What is that supposed to

mean?”

Ben rolled his eyes. “Let’s be realistic. I’m okay,

but  nothing  that  would  draw  the  attention  of  a
guy  like  that!  He’s  ripped,  has  those  sexy  broad
shoulders and amazing eyes.” He couldn’t believe
how his prick turned rock hard any time he even
thought  about  the  man.  He  had  to  sit  up  to  hide
the growing bulge in his flannels. “While I’m thin
and have plain old brown hair and eyes.”

“You’re muscular, toned, and your eyes are a

nice shade of chocolate and your hair just needs to
be cut,” Cassie countered. “Besides, what does it
matter? He wants you. Go have fun!” she urged.
“You could use a night of wild monkey sex.”

Warmth worked its way up his neck to his

cheeks at the thoughts those words conjured, and
Ben just knew he was blushing. “Cassie!” he
admonished, while trying to control the racing of
his heart and get his boner under control.

Mutegi’s Sweet One

“Damn it, Ben, he invited you to his room! He’s

waiting for you! Go!”

“But a one night stand?” Ben wasn’t really that

kind of guy.

Cassie shrugged. “Maybe it’ll turn into

something more. You never know.”

A spark of hope flared at her words, and he

ruthlessly tried to squash it. The man was a biker,
always on the move, and even though that life
sounded exciting, it wasn’t likely the guy would
want him tagging along and cramping his style—
even if it meant convenient sex.

He rose and crossed to the dresser and stared at

himself  in  the  mirror.  Chocolate  eyes?  Was  his
sister  serious?  She  was  right  about  needing  a
haircut,  though.  Cassie  appeared  behind  him,
Tessa on her hip, and she held out a shirt to him.
“Put  this  on.  It  shows  off  your  chest  and  your
arms. Put your jeans back on, then go to the guy.”

He took the shirt from her. It was an old faded,

red and black 49ers t-shirt. He called it his lucky
shirt because it was the one he’d worn when he
went to their game and they’d won. He thought it
was too tight now, but he kept it anyway.

Stepping into the bathroom, he stripped off the

white t-shirt and flannel pants he’d put on after
his shower and pulled on jeans and the old t-shirt.
Looking at himself in the mirror again, he had to
admit, it did show off his fairly muscular chest,

Charlie Richards

flat stomach, and…shit.

“My rings show through this shirt, Cassie.

What if that turns him off?” he asked worriedly.
He’d never been concerned about what other guys
thought about them before, but for some reason he
couldn’t stand the thought that Mutegi wouldn’t
like them.

Cassie smirked. “A biker who doesn’t like

piercings?  Not  likely.  Go  get  him,  stud,”  she
teased,  a  grin  splitting  her  face.  She  must  have
noticed his glance down at his bare feet, then him
looking for his shoes because she grabbed his arm
and  steered  him  toward  the  door.  Damn,  she
could  be  forceful  when  she  wanted.  “You  won’t
need  socks  and  shoes  for  what  you’re  about  to
do,” she teased.

Growling in frustration, Ben wrenched his arm

from her grip and glared. “Fine,” he retorted. “But
leave the door open just in case I need a speedy
exit.”

She sighed and shook her head, obviously

exasperated. “Fine. I’ll leave the door unlocked,”
she promised.

Relieved he’d have an escape route if needed,

Ben  left  his  room,  crossed  the  small  sitting  area,
and stopped in front of the room he knew Mutegi
had  claimed.  He  swallowed  twice  as  a  case  of
nerves  hit  him.  Finally,  he  lifted  his  fist  and
knocked softly.

Mutegi’s Sweet One

A moment later, a bare chested Mutegi opened

the  door.  Ben’s  mouth  filled  with  saliva  at  the
sight  of  all  that  firm,  dark  flesh.  Mutegi’s  gaze
turned  predatory  as  his  deep  brown  eyes  swept
over  Ben  from  head  to  toe.  He  smiled,  and  Ben
thought he recognized lust in the big man’s eyes.
A  shudder  tore  through  his  body  and  he
swallowed.

“Hello, Ben.” Mutegi swung the door wide and

stepped back. “Please come in.”

He obeyed, his feet moving forward on

autopilot, and it took everything in him not to rub
against  Mutegi’s  big  frame  like  a  cat  in  heat.  He
kept  his  hands  firmly  fisted  at  his  sides  to  keep
from  touching  without  permission.  Three  steps
into  the  room,  he  stopped.  He  hadn’t  realized
Mutegi probably wouldn’t be alone, but he should
have, especially with eight adults trying to fit into
three rooms. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t
think…”

Both Yuma and Adam rose from where Adam

was holding the smaller man while lounging in a
chair and watching TV. “Not a problem, man,”
Adam said with a grin. “We’ll see you in the
morning.”

Ben watched as silent messages passed between

the three men, suddenly jealous of their
relationship with Mutegi but not understanding
why. He ignored the odd feeling and after Mutegi

Charlie Richards

closed the door, asked, “Are they a couple?”

“Not really,” Mutegi replied. “Sometimes

Yuma needs…reassurance,” he finished. Mutegi
turned to face him fully. “Enough about them,” he
said, his voice dropping to a deep growl. “I am
very pleased you came.”

Ben found himself backing away, instinct

telling him, the second this man touched him, he’d
lose all rational thought. “I-I don’t normally do
this,” he whispered.

“Do what?” Mutegi asked, still advancing, his

eyes full of sensual promise.

The back of the bed hit Ben’s thighs and he

gasped. Losing his balance, he sprawled on the
comforter. “This…” he managed, waving a hand
between them. “One night stands.”

Mutegi snarled low in his throat, and the big

man  stilled  for  a  heartbeat.  Ben  wasn’t  certain
what he’d said to upset him, but then Mutegi was
standing  over  him.  Mutegi  leaned  down  and
settled  his  hands  on  Ben’s  waist.  His  thumbs
rubbed  gently  over  his  bottom  ribs,  sending  a
shudder he couldn’t stop through his body. “I do
not consider this a one night stand, Ben,” Mutegi
said.

Ben’s eyes widened. “You don’t? But—”
“We will talk about that later,” he interrupted.

“Right now, I want to see these.” He skimmed his
hands up Ben’s ribcage and tweaked a nipple with

Mutegi’s Sweet One

each thumb.

“Oh!” Ben gasped. The small bite of pain from

his nipple rings sent delicious sparks down to his
balls.

“What a surprise, my sweet one,” Mutegi

growled. “Let me see them.”

Only too happy to comply, Ben gripped the

bottom  of  his  shirt  and  quickly  pulled it  over  his
head.  Mutegi  lifted  his  hands  from  his  body  just
long  enough  to  accommodate  the  move,  then
settled  them  on  Ben’s  warm  skin,  and flicked  the
tiny silver hoops in his nipples again. Ben gasped
and  arched  into  the  delicious  torture.  “Yeah,”  he
groaned.

“Very, very nice, Ben,” Mutegi grunted. “Any

other piercings I should know about?”

Trying to collect his thoughts, it took Ben a

second to shake his head. “No. Just these.” He let
out a hiss when Mutegi gripped one ring and
tugged gently. “Arg! That’s good.” His cock jerked
in his jeans and a bead of pre-cum oozed from his
slit. Feeling like he’d end up with permanent
marks on his dick, he dropped a hand to his waist
and popped the first button.

“Mmm, that is right, my sweet. Open those up

so I can see how much my touch affects you.”

The low growled words sent another wave of

pleasure sparking along his spine, and Ben
scrambled to obey, suddenly pleased he’d

Charlie Richards

neglected underwear. Yanking open the button fly
jeans with a practiced twist of his wrist, he let out
a sigh of relief when his cock sprang free. When he
lifted his hips Mutegi helped shove his jeans down
and he kicked them off.

“Yours off,” he gasped as Mutegi gripped Ben’s

cock in one calloused hand.

Mutegi grinned and stepped away. Ben wanted

to complain at the sudden loss of stimulation, but
then  the  big  man  ran  one  hand  down  his  dark
skinned,  broad  chest,  flicking  a  nipple  in  the
process.  His  gaze  was  riveted  to  where  Mutegi’s
hands  rested  on  the  top  of  his  jeans.  Slowly,  he
slipped  the  button  through  the  hole  and  lowered
the  zipper.  The  jean  flaps  spread  open  from  the
force  of  the  thick  erection  encased  in  navy  blue
cotton boxer briefs.

Ben’s mouth watered when he saw the size of

the  cock  in  front  of  him  and  he  desperately
wanted  a  taste.  Sitting  up,  he  reached  toward
Mutegi,  but  hesitated  and  glanced  up  at  him.  He
gasped at the sizzling look on the man’s face.

“Touch me, Ben.” Mutegi’s growl sounded

almost like begging.

He didn’t have to be asked twice. Ben gripped

the edges of the man’s underwear and slipped it
gently down Mutegi’s hips. He couldn’t hold back
the moan at the beautiful sight. “You’re
gorgeous,” he whispered, taking in the thick, nine

Mutegi’s Sweet One

inch uncut cock. He caressed the skin of the shaft,
feeling  the  silkiness  of  the  engorged  flesh.  The
dark  head  had  a  red  hue  and  the  foreskin  had
pulled  away  from  the  crown,  revealing  a  large
pearl of moisture.

His own cock jerked between his legs in

response  to  the  magnificent  sight.  Ben  leaned
forward and scooped up the bead with his tongue.
Mutegi  shuddered,  a  low  moan  escaping  his
throat.  Emboldened  and  amazed  that  this  sexy
guy  seemed  to  want  him  so  much,  Ben  wrapped
his  hand  around  the  dick,  squeezed  firmly,
opened his mouth and sucked in the head.

Mutegi’s shaft was big, and his jaws stretched

to  accommodate  it.  Ben  never  thought  of  himself
as  a  size  queen,  but  just  the  idea  of  having  this
man’s  dick  in  him  had  his  ass  clenching  in
anticipation. He worked the biker’s foreskin, then
the vein, stroking it with his tongue as he slowly
moved  down  Mutegi’s  dick,  fitting  more  into  his
mouth.

Hearing the grunting of the man above him

filled Ben with pride. Mutegi’s hands settled on
his shoulders and clenched convulsively. He could
tell from the tension in the thighs under his hands
that Mutegi desperately wanted to move. He
cupped the man’s balls, rolling the tightening orbs
in his palm, receiving a groan for his efforts.

He released the head, still stroking the spit-

Charlie Richards

slicked shaft firmly with his hand. “I can’t wait to
have you fill me with this,” he whispered.

“Fuck, yes,” Mutegi growled. Grabbing Ben’s

shoulders, he lifted him and tossed him fully onto
the bed.

Ben was impressed by the biker’s strength, but

some innate instinct told him Mutegi would never
use it to hurt him. Mutegi kicked off his jeans and
crawled  on  the  bed  over  him,  straddling  his
thighs.  He  leaned  down  and  rubbed  his  cheek
against Ben’s, humming softly. The move from the
big  man  surprised  him  so  much,  Ben  could  only
lay there.

Mutegi lifted his head and smiled. “You do not

really know how sexy you are, do you?”

His brows creased and he shook his head.

“You’re sexy. I’m just me,” he said, uncertain what
the guy saw in him. Surely he wasn’t Mutegi’s
usual type.

“I will just have to prove how sexy I find you,”

Mutegi stated matter-of-factly.

Ben suddenly felt like he was missing

something,  but  then  Mutegi  wrapped  a  hand
around his cock and all coherent thought fled with
the first stroke. His eyes closed as pleasure zinged
through  his  system.  Mutegi’s  knee  nudged
between  his  thighs  and  he  instantly  spread  his
legs, eager to feel that thick cock slide inside him.
“Want you,” he groaned.

Mutegi’s Sweet One

“You got me,” Mutegi murmured against his

lips before taking his mouth in a deep kiss.

Mutegi’s tongue glided against his own as the

biker  mapped  his  mouth.  The  contact  intensified
the  tingles  racing  through  his  body  and  his  balls
tightened.  Mutegi  scraped  his  thumb  over  Ben’s
cock’s  head,  spreading  the  pre-cum  across  the
sensitive flesh, before pressing his nail into his slit.
He  gasped  into  Mutegi’s  mouth  and  his  cock
pulsed  as  an  unexpected  orgasm  rolled  through
his system, spraying cum over Mutegi’s hand and
Ben’s stomach.

Panting, he cracked his eye lids open and

watched  an  immensely  pleased-looking  Mutegi
lick the cum from his fingers. Ben’s cock started to
fill  again  at  the  erotic  sight,  and  Mutegi’s  smile
turned  feral.  Once  done  cleaning  his  fingers,  he
pulled  a  tube  of  lube  and  a  condom  from  under
the pillow.

Ben’s face grew warm. “Confident much?”
“Hopeful,” Mutegi countered.
Popping the top, he spread a good amount of

the slick cream onto his fingers and rubbed them
together to warm it. Ben’s breathing sped up as he
gripped the backs of his thighs and pulled his legs
up in invitation. The gleam of lust and something
else in Mutegi’s eyes had Ben eagerly anticipating
the man’s touch.

Mutegi didn’t tease. His face revealed his own

Charlie Richards

tension almost as much as the massive erection
jutting from his groin. He slid a finger into Ben’s
ass and Ben moaned. “Yeah. More,” he whispered,
rocking against the invading digit.

The biker took him at his word and slid a

second  finger  in.  Ben  rode  through  the  so-good
burn,  loving  every  sensation  Mutegi  gave  him  as
he gently nudged his prostate over and over. The
third  thick  finger  stretched  him  so  full,  so
wonderfully full.

“Now.” Ben grabbed the condom from where

Mutegi had set it on the bed and handed it to the
man. “I’ll put it on you next time,” he promised.
“Hurry.”

Taking the condom, Mutegi grunted and rolled

the latex on his dick. He slicked up his cock and
poised at Ben’s entrance. “Ready for me, sweet
one?”

“Yes,” Ben whispered, rolling his hips up in

invitation. “I need you, now.”

“Good.”
Mutegi pushed, the head of his cock popping

past Ben’s guardian muscle. He expected the man
to  pause,  let  him  adjust,  but  instead  he  kept
moving  until  he  was  buried  balls  deep  in  Ben’s
ass. His body stretched to accommodate  the thick
shaft  spearing  into  him.  Ben  gripped  Mutegi’s
shoulders,  needing  the  contact  to  ground  him  as
he  forced  deep  breaths  into  his  body.  Goose

Mutegi’s Sweet One

bumps  broke  out  over  his  skin  as  Mutegi’s  huge
flared cockhead brushed across his  sweet spot. A
bead  of  sweat  dripped  down  his  temple,  and  he
rocked  his  hips,  taking  that  thick  cock  just  a  bit
deeper. A low groan escaped him at the delicious
feeling of fullness invading every pore of his body.

“Wow,” he panted, unable to think of anything

more coherent to say.

Mutegi hovered over him, his dark gaze pinned

on Ben’s face. “Your ass was made for my cock,”
he murmured. “Please tell me I can move.”

Ben nodded. “Please move.”
Groaning, Mutegi pulled partially out and

thrust  back  in.  Intense  pleasure  radiated  from
Ben’s ass, beating out the burn, as Mutegi rubbed
over  his  prostate  repeatedly  with  his  bulbous
cockhead. His eyes slid shut and Mutegi growled.
“Keep  your  eyes  on  me,”  he  snapped,  and  Ben’s
eyes  immediately  reopened.  The  intensely
possessive  look  filling  the  biker’s  eyes  shocked
Ben  and  pleased  him,  even  as  it  filled  him  with
confusion.  “Know  who  is  filling  your  ass,  Ben,”
Mutegi grunted, speeding up his strokes.

“Mutegi,” Ben responded around a moan, his

hands  sliding  down  slick  skin  until  his  fingers
clutched  Mutegi’s  heavily-muscled  arms.  As  the
big cock filled him again and again, he wondered
what  it  would  feel  like  to  have  nothing  between
them.  He’d  never  allowed  anyone  to  fuck  him

Charlie Richards

bareback, but for some reason, he wanted this man
to. Too bad it could never happen.

His cock rubbed against Mutegi’s abs with each

stroke,  adding  to  the  sensations,  and  Ben  knew
even  though  he’d  come  once,  it  would  only  be  a
minute  before  he’d  go  over  the  edge  again.  He
desperately  wanted  Mutegi  to  get  off  first,  so  he
rhythmically squeezed his ass muscles every time
the guy pulled out.

Mutegi growled, his eyes wild. Ben thought he

caught  a  flash  of  pointed  teeth  before  the  man
dropped  his  head  to  Ben’s  neck  and  nibbled  the
tendons.  He  sucked  lightly  on  the  skin  behind
Ben’s  ear  and  he  knew  he  was  lost.  Pleasurable
tingles raced to his balls, and the small orbs pulled
tight  to  his  body.  His  cock  leaked  in  anticipation
and  one  more  rub  over  his  prostate  had  Ben
groaning his release.

His ass clenched down and Mutegi growled

into  his  neck  as  he  convulsed  above  him.  He
pulled  Ben  tight  to  his  body  as  he  thrust
spastically and filled the condom. Ben smiled and
hummed  as  endorphins  pinged  through  his
system. He petted the broad shoulders and strong
back as Mutegi nuzzled his cheek and neck. After
several moments, Mutegi carefully pulled out and
discarded  the  condom.  He  grabbed  a  washcloth
off  the  nightstand  that  Ben’s  blissed  out  brain
hadn’t noticed before and cleaned him up, then, to

Mutegi’s Sweet One

his surprise, Mutegi pulled the comforter out from
under them and tucked him close. It had never
occurred to Ben that the man might be a snuggler,
but he was definitely pleased by the discovery.

“You are amazing, mate,” Mutegi whispered,

his face buried in the hair at the nape of his neck.

He was intrigued by the man’s words, but

Mutegi’s even breathing told Ben he’d been quick
to pass out. Giving a mental shrug, Ben settled
into Mutegi’s embrace and let sleep take him.

Charlie Richards

Chapter Five

lowly coming to wakefulness, Mutegi nuzzled
the soft hair on his mate’s neck and inhaled

Ben’s wonderful scent. The only thing that could
make him more content was if he could claim the
man. All in good time. A few minutes later, Ben’s
breathing changed.

“Good morning,” he murmured. “Sleep well?”
Ben looked over his shoulder at him and

smiled. “Yeah.”

“Me, too,” Mutegi said. “What time did our

hostess say breakfast was?”

“Eight.”
“Hmm, then we have a few minutes,” Mutegi

commented, seeing the clock on the dresser read
just after seven.

He reached around and scraped his nails gently

through  Ben’s  pubic  hair,  his  knuckles  brushing
his  human’s  morning  wood.  Ben  looked  over  his
shoulder  at  him  and  grinned  before  rubbing  his

Mutegi’s Sweet One

ass against Mutegi’s erection. “I think I like your
idea.”

“I thought you might,” he said, wrapping his

fist around Ben’s silky hard shaft.

Ben groaned and bucked into his fist before

rocking backward, rubbing his ass against
Mutegi’s shaft again. The feel of his mate’s naked
ass on his cock made him groan. He rocked
forward, sinking his dick into Ben’s crack.

They soon found a rhythm that worked, Ben

thrusting  into  his  fist  then  rocking  back  against
Mutegi,  driving  his  shaft  between  his  cheeks.
Between  the  scent  of  his  lover’s  arousal,  the taste
of his skin, and the feel of Ben’s cheeks against his
dick,  Mutegi  knew  he  wouldn’t  last  long.  He
growled softly, the sound vibrating his chest as his
balls pulled tight.

“I am close, sweet one. Will you come for me?”

he crooned, making certain his warm breath
brushed over the sensitive skin behind his man’s
ear. He tightened the arm around Ben’s chest and
pulled him closer. Mutegi gripped the sexy silver
hoop in Ben’s nipple, twisting it, loving how Ben’s
body arched into his touch.

“Oh…oh, god, yes,” Ben cried. His body

bucked, then his cock swelled and pulsed,
spraying cum across the sheets and Mutegi’s
hand.

The smell of his mate’s cum set Mutegi off, and

Charlie Richards

he sprayed Ben’s back and ass with his own
release. He shuddered, twice more, pleasure
swamping him.

“Now it’s a good morning,” Ben teased.
Mutegi grinned into Ben’s neck before reaching

between them and spreading his cum into his
skin.

“Are you marking me?” Ben whispered,

looking at him over his shoulder.

He froze, realizing that’s exactly what he was

doing. He wanted his scent on his mate, and
knew, even after a shower, other shifters would be
able to smell it. “Uh…”

To his relief, Ben chuckled and rolled over to

give him a quick kiss. “Kinky, but I like it, but
now I need a shower.”

“Interested in company?” he asked, thinking of

the opportunity to see his man naked and wet.

“Okay,” Ben said, staring down at him for a

second with an unreadable expression.

“What is it?” Mutegi asked, worried his sweet

one was already tiring of him.

“Last night you said this wasn’t a one night

stand,” he said, crawling out of bed. “Do you line
up fuck buddies in different areas so you don’t
lack for a bed mate?”

Ben’s words had him seeing red, and he

couldn’t hold back his growl. “You are not just
some fuck buddy to me,” he snapped.

Mutegi’s Sweet One

Ben stepped back and his brows creased. He

sensed  the  man’s  confusion.  Mutegi  knew  he
needed  to  explain,  but  they’d  only  known  each
other a day. He let out a sigh and rolled to his feet.
Pulling Ben into his arms, he held his lover tight.
He  rubbed  his  back,  waiting  patiently  for  Ben’s
stiff  stance  to  relax.  It  took  longer  than  Mutegi
wished, but finally Ben sank into the embrace and
wrapped his arms around him.

Kissing the top of Ben’s head, he said, “It is

going to seem odd, but I already care about you,
Ben. I want to learn everything about you, and I
am hoping that someday you will come to care for
me.”

“Oh,” Ben whispered.
Not really the answer he was hoping for, but at

least his sexy human hadn’t laughed. “Come on.
Let us go get that shower.”

It took more self-control than Mutegi thought

he had, but he managed to keep from pouncing on
Ben  in  the  shower.  He  still  enjoyed  the
opportunity  to  wash  Ben’s  hair  and  body,  loving
the  man’s  toned  flesh  and  the  smooth  texture  of
his  skin.  After  Ben  returned  the  favor,  where  he
had  to  focus  on  unsexy  thoughts,  Mutegi  pulled
on clean clothes. Ben wrapped a towel around his
waist, and they headed to Ben’s room.

As Ben pulled on clean clothes, he noted that

both beds were mussed and he scented Adam and

Charlie Richards

Yuma. It looked like this was where the two
shifters had ended up. That put the other three in
the larger single room.

They headed down the stairs to the dining

room, where they found the rest of the group
already sipping coffee or juice, seated around a
large table.

“So where did the rest of the guys head off to?”

Cassie had just asked.

Kontra took a sip of coffee before saying, “A

buddy of ours rode ahead to spend a few days
with his sister in Amarillo. We haven’t heard from
him, and his sister says he never made it, so we’re
trying to find him.”

“Oh, no! I’m so sorry we’re holding you up!”

Ben immediately said.

“Do not think twice about it,” Mutegi soothed.

“We are happy to help you both.” After getting
coffee for himself and his mate, he settled next to
the man, noting the three scoops of sugar and
dollop of milk Ben put in. Well, that explains why he

tastes so sweet!

“What are your plans after we take care of your

ex for you?” Payson asked bluntly.

Mutegi tried not to cringe. His hyena friend’s

moral compass didn’t quite point north, and they
all knew it.

“Take care of…” Cassie lifted a brow as her

voice trailed away.

Mutegi’s Sweet One

“We’ll find a way to make certain he doesn’t

bother you anymore,” Yuma said gently.

“I already have a restraining order out on him,”

Cassie said. “If the police aren’t able to do
anything, how can you?”

Yuma patted her hand. “We just need to get the

right police involved,” he said.

“Huh?” Cassie’s confusion couldn’t be clearer.
Kontra rested his arms on the table and smiled

grimly. “Small town police are quite a bit more
protective of their own. Where were you headed
again?”

“Our parent’s place is in Leoti, Kansas,” Ben

replied, instantly responding to the demand for an
answer in Kontra’s voice. “They know the sheriff
pretty well, and my father was in the military, so
we were hoping we could hide out there for that
very reason,” he admitted.

“Well, now you have an escort,” Kontra replied.
They cut off the conversation when Mrs. Pelter

walked in with a large platter. “Good morning,
gentlemen, and Cassie,” she greeted them with a
smile. “Did everyone sleep well?”

After a fantastic breakfast, starting with fruit

salad  and  ended  with  of  potato  and  egg  quiche,
the group thanked her profusely. When she asked
if  they’d  need  their  accommodations  another
night,  Adam  piped  up,  “No  ma’am.  I’ll  have  the
old  girl  up  and  running  later  this  morning  and

Charlie Richards

we’ll be on our way. We have a grandbaby who
needs to meet her grandparents,” he said with a
grin.

Mrs. Pelter’s eyes twinkled as she looked

toward the babe. “And Tessa is a very sweet little
girl. Just leave your keys in the rooms and the
doors unlocked, please.”

She picked up several plates and carried them

to the kitchen.

Kontra glanced around at the group. “Adam,

you  and  Eli  get  that  truck  finished.  Mutegi  and
Yuma, make certain everything is packed up and
ready  to  move  so  we  can  head  out  as  soon  as
they’re done. Payson, scout around, but if you see
them don’t engage.” Payson grinned, even though
Kontra  gave  him  a  stern  look.  “Report  it  to  me.”
Mutegi watched Kontra follow the woman out of
the room, knowing his leader would settle the bill.
The other three men dispersed, quick to follow the
man’s orders.

Mutegi shoved his dirty clothes into a plastic

bag and tucked them into his saddlebag. He took
his leathers into the bathroom and brushed them
off in the tub, then folded them and laid them on
top of his bag. He returned to the bathroom and
rinsed out the tub.

“That was nice of you.”
He turned to find Ben leaning against the

doorframe. Mutegi beamed. “After that delicious

Mutegi’s Sweet One

breakfast,  it  is  the  least  I  can  do.”  Then  he
shrugged.  “Besides,  it  is  the  decent  thing  to  do.
We  know  we  are  rough  around  the  edges,  even
often looked down upon. That does not mean we
need to prove them right.”

“You bikers keep surprising me,” his mate

whispered.

Pulling Ben into his arms, pleased when he

didn’t resist, Mutegi settled his lips over Ben’s. He
slipped his tongue into Ben’s mouth, licking the
soft inner tissues and savoring his taste. After
pulling away, he said, “Is that a good thing, sweet
one?”

“Yeah,” Ben whispered.
“Good, I plan to make you loathe the idea of me

driving away from you.”

When Ben’s spine stiffened and creases formed

around  his  eyes,  Mutegi  could  have  kicked
himself. That  is  too  much  too  fast! I  should  not  have
said  anything,  yet.  He  loosened  his  grip  around
Ben’s waist, willing to give the man a bit of space,
even though it was the last thing he wanted to do.
Ben tightened his hold on Mutegi’s arm, stopping
the move.

He saw the questions in his sweet man’s eyes

and watched him swallow hard. “Why would you
want me to miss you that much?” he whispered.

Realizing it was too late to backtrack, he

answered honestly. “Because I want you to come

Charlie Richards

with me.”

Ben opened his mouth, then closed it again. His

brows  crinkled  and  he  held  Mutegi’s  attention.
His  gaze  roved  over  his  face,  searching  for
something. The truth maybe? Whatever it was, he
must  have  found  it,  because  he  reached  up  and
traced the line of Mutegi’s jaw. When Ben’s fingers
moved over his lips, Mutegi kissed the tip before
sucking it into his mouth and nipping it gently.

A smile curved Ben’s lips and a heated look

filled  his  eyes,  replacing  the  tension  in  his  body.
Mutegi’s  cock  jerked  in  his  jeans,  and  pleasure
filled  Mutegi.  His  mate  hadn’t  rejected  him
outright. In fact, he seemed to like the idea, if the
way  Ben  melted  into  him  and  lifted  his  face  for
another deep kiss was any indication.

A throat clearing made Mutegi lift his head and

he found Yuma smirking at him. “Eli brought the
truck over. I guess Adam had actually finished it
yesterday but didn’t say anything.”

Ben frowned and asked, “Why wouldn’t he say

anything?”

Yuma snorted and waved a hand at them. “For

obvious reasons. You two are made for each
other.” He grinned and batted his eyelashes.
“Such a cute couple.”

The heat rolling up Ben’s neck told of his

discomfort, so Mutegi pulled him closer and
growled at Yuma, although he kept it playful.

Mutegi’s Sweet One

“Leave him alone, Yuma. He is not used to our
sense of humor, yet.”

Laughing, Yuma turned and headed from the

room, tossing advice over his shoulder as he went,
“You better get used to it, Ben.”

Ben tucked his face into Mutegi’s neck, but he

could hear that his mate was grinning when he
spoke. “Why are your friends so accepting that
you want to keep me when you just met me?”

Mutegi kissed the top of Ben’s head and prayed

his openness didn’t bite him in the ass. He
whispered, “Because I love you, Ben, and every
time I look at you, all my friends can see it.”

Ben snapped his head up, his eyes opening

wide in shock.

Mutegi gently kissed him. “I do not expect you

to reciprocate right away. Please just take the time
to get to know me. Give me a chance.”

After a second, Ben smiled faintly. “I can do

that.”

Thirty minutes later, everyone strode from the

house. Mutegi would have liked to have Ben
behind him on his hog. He wanted to feel his
mate’s arms around him, but Ben needed to drive
the truck so Cassie could care for Tessa.

Eli and Adam took point, the old truck

following and the rest falling behind them. Kontra
flipped up his visor and, bypassing the helmet
mikes, called, “How’s it going with your mate?

Charlie Richards

Yuma and Adam say things are progressing well.”

Mutegi grinned. “Yes. I have asked him to join

me after we solve Cassie’s problem,” he admitted.

“Already? How’d he take it?”
He heard the concern in his alpha’s voice and

couldn’t stop the grin. “He did not say no. I think
he loves me, too, even if he is not able to admit it,
yet,” he said, knowing hope colored his tone.

Kontra nodded. “That’s real good, Mutegi. Real

good.”

Mutegi’s grin remained as he flipped his visor

back into place. Now he just needed to figure out
how to explain to the human that he was a shifter
and that Ben was his mate.

Mutegi’s Sweet One

Chapter Six

e and his sister spoke of their parents, the
scenery, and how last night in Cassie’s room,

Adam had pulled Yuma out of a nightmare. From
the sly looks, Ben knew what topic of conversation
Cassie really wanted to talk about though. It took
two hours, but finally her curiosity got the better
of her.

“So, you and Mutegi are getting along well,”

Cassie said with a smirk. “Is it serious?”

Ben took a deep breath then grinned. “Yeah. It

is.” His smile faded and he cast a worried look
toward his sister. “Do you believe in love at first
sight?”

“Oh, my god! Are you in love with him?” She

gasped. “Was he that good in bed?”

“Just answer the question,” he growled.
She sobered and stared at him with concern in

her eyes. “I don’t know, Ben. I really don’t. Before
all this happened? Maybe. Now?” She shrugged.

Charlie Richards

Well that wasn’t the answer he was hoping for,

but at least it was honest.

She reached over the car seat and gave his arm

a squeeze. “If he makes you happy, give it a
chance. Don’t let what happened to me cloud your
judgment.”

Her words brought the memory of being held

tight in Mutegi’s arms to the forefront, the way the
big man played his body like an instrument, as if
he knew exactly how to please him and enjoyed
doing it. His smile returned, and he blurted out,
“He said he loves me.”

“Holy shit! Are you serious?”
He cringed at his sister’s screech, which woke a

napping Tessa and set the baby to crying. He
rolled his eyes, then glared at her. “Was that
completely necessary?”

“You can’t say stuff like that and not expect me

to react.” Cassie searched for a clean binky. “What
are you going to do? Where does he call home?
What’s he do for a living?”

Well, she had him there, Ben thought. His sister

had always been pretty reactive. He thought about
her  questions  and  realized  he  didn’t  know  the
answer  to  any  of  them.  “You  know,  I  have
absolutely  no  idea,”  he  admitted.  “We  kinda
didn’t talk about that stuff.”

After a few moments of Tessa crying, Cassie

wrinkled her nose. “I think we need to find a spot

Mutegi’s Sweet One

to pull over. Tessa needs changing.”

Ben glanced at the squalling child. Her face was

scrunched up in frustration as tears leaked from
her eyes, snot dripped from her nose, and loud
wails echoed through the cab of the truck. “Okay.
I saw a sign for a rest stop in two miles. We’ll stop
there.”

When he saw the upcoming turn, he honked to

get  the  attention  of  the  guys  riding  in  front  of
them.  He  slowed  and  turned,  watching  in  the
rearview  mirror  as  the  four  bikers  behind  him
followed his truck into the rest stop. His heart rate
sped up, knowing he’d see Mutegi in seconds and
thinking about the kiss he wanted to give the man.
Turning off the truck, he realized he must have it
bad  if  not  touching  for  two  hours  made  him  feel
this excited.

“Everything all right?” Mutegi asked, causing

him to jump.

He looked at the open driver’s door, not even

sure if he’d opened it or if his lover had. “Yeah.
Fine. The baby just needed changing. I figured this
would be better than on the side of the road. Plus
it’ll give us a chance to stretch our legs,” he added.

Mutegi nodded, reached into the cab, and

unbuckled his seatbelt. Settling his hands on Ben’s
legs, he turned him to face him and insinuated
himself between Ben’s thighs before capturing his
lips in a heated kiss. With Ben sitting in the truck,

Charlie Richards

it put them close in height. Perfect for making out.
Ben welcomed Mutegi’s tongue with all the
enthusiasm of welcoming a long lost love, stroking
it with his own as Mutegi stroked the insides of
his mouth.

His cock immediately took interest, and Ben

rocked  forward.  He  found  an  answering  length
behind  Mutegi’s  leathers  and  whimpered  as  the
hard ridge pressed against his suddenly hard and
needy shaft. He didn’t know why the man affected
him so much. It was  scary and thrilling all at the
same time.

Mutegi separated their lips just enough to

whisper, “We should take a walk and stretch our
legs,”  before  he  captured  Ben’s  lips  again  and
caressed  Ben’s  tongue  with  his  own.  He  sucked
Ben’s  tongue  strongly,  and  his  cock  jerked  in  his
jeans. Ben wondered what that suction would feel
like on the head of his prick.

“Yeah,” he panted. “Let’s take a walk. You can

tell me where your home is,” he added, trying to
get his brain to work.

Mutegi rested his forehead on Ben’s and

nodded. “Sure.”

When he stepped back to let him out, Ben had

to  bite  back  a  mewl  of  distress  at  the  move  that
put  distance  between  them.  Slipping  from  the
truck,  he  shut  the  door  and  followed.  Mutegi
waved at the other guys, and Ben noted the other

Mutegi’s Sweet One

two men had joined them. All five were hanging
around a picnic table talking with Cassie who was
cleaning up a now babbling, happy child.

They slipped into the forest and once

surrounded  by  trees, Ben  found  his  back  pressed
against  a  tree  trunk  and  Mutegi  plastered  to  his
front. He sighed happily, realizing this was exactly
where he wanted to stay—in Mutegi’s arms. How
he’d fallen in love so fast, Ben didn’t know, but he
realized  this  warm,  joyous  feeling  could  be
nothing else.

He twined his arms over Mutegi’s shoulders

and  kissed  him  back  with  everything  in  him,
putting  into  the  kiss  what  he  wasn’t  certain  he
could form in words. Mutegi settled his hands on
Ben’s  ass  and  squeezed.  Ben  groaned  in  pleasure
and  wrapped  his  legs  around  Mutegi’s  waist,
trusting the man to hold his weight as he pressed
him against the tree.

Slowly, Mutegi gentled the kiss, nibbling his

lips  sensuously  before  moving  along  his  jaw  and
up to his ear.  “You asked where I live. I have no
home,  Ben,”  he  whispered  the  admission.  “My
friends  and  I  travel  the  country,  never  staying  in
one place for very long.”

“Oh,” Ben replied, trying to focus on the man’s

words as Mutegi sucked gently on the sensitive
skin under his ear. He pressed his head against the
tree and turned his head, giving Mutegi more

Charlie Richards

room,  wanting  him  to  create  more  delicious
sensations on his skin. The tingles traveling down
his  spine felt wonderful.  Pre-cum  oozed from  his
dick,  soaking  his  boxers.  “What  do  you  do  for  a
job?”  he  murmured,  thinking  what  a  lonely
existence that would be for these men.

“We all trade in stocks,” Mutegi replied softly.

“Lamar and Eli taught us, but we all have our
hobbies, like Adam is a mechanic.”

Mutegi slid a hand from Ben’s ass to the button

of  his  jeans.  He  straightened  and  leaned  back
slightly  to  give  himself  room.  With  a  twist  of  his
wrist,  all  four  slipped  from  their  holes.  Mutegi
rubbed a thumb over the damp fabric covering the
head  of  his  dick,  and  Ben  moaned  at  the  erotic
sight and sensations.

“Wh-what’s your hobby?” He panted, while

Mutegi slid Ben’s shaft through the opening of his
boxers. “Ugh!” Ben grunted, trying not to be too
loud as the pressure of Mutegi’s fist wrapped
around his dick.

Mutegi grinned, his dark eyes glittering with

pleasure at Ben’s predicament. “I enjoy wood-
carving,” he replied softly while stroking Ben’s
shaft slowly and firmly.

Ben’s brain shut down and his eye lids drifted

to half-mast as he watched Mutegi stroke his dick.
His hands clenched Mutegi’s shoulders and soft
mewls of pleasure, that he had no hope of

Mutegi’s Sweet One

stopping, escaped his lips. “That’s…oh, god.”

“Pull your shirt up a bit, sweet one,” Mutegi

crooned. “No need to mess this one.”

It took several seconds for Ben to manage to

uncurl  his  fingers  from  his  death  grip  on  the
man’s  shirt.  He  pushed  the  fabric  up  off  his
stomach, pleased the move showed off the muscle
definition  of  his  abs.  Then  Mutegi  massaged  the
soft  skin  of  his  glans  and  he  groaned.  His  balls
pulled tight, and he knew he wasn’t going to last
much longer.

Mutegi swiped his thumb over the head of his

leaking  cock,  spreading  the  pre-cum  across  his
sensitive head and Ben’s breathing hitched. When
Mutegi  scraped  his  nail  across  his  slit,  Ben  was
lost.  He  opened  his  mouth  in  a  silent  scream  as
cum  burst  from  his  cock  and  his  orgasm  washed
through him in waves of pleasure. Cum splattered
across  his  stomach  in  streams  as  his  body  jerked
and twitched in Mutegi’s arms.

A low growl escaped from his lover, and

seconds  later,  he  found  himself  being  settled  on
still  wobbly  legs  and  turned  to  face  the  tree.
Mutegi  swiped  cum  from  his  chest,  and  shoved
down  his  jeans.  “Need  you,  mate,”  Mutegi
growled  into  his  ear,  as  he  slipped  one  cum
covered finger into Ben’s ass.

Realizing what the man wanted sent a thrill

through Ben. His big lover needed him so badly,

Charlie Richards

he couldn’t wait to find a flat surface, and that was
just fine with Ben. He spread his legs as far as the
jeans around his knees would let him and shoved
his ass back, impaling himself on two fingers that
time.

The slight burn sent a shudder through him

and his cock took renewed interest. “Give it to me,
Mutegi,” he murmured, resting his head on his
forearms.

The head of Mutegi’s cock nudged his hole, and

the  reminder  of  how  huge  that  dick  was  flashed
through his mind. He opened his mouth to ask for
more  prep,  but  Mutegi  pushed  and  that  massive
length was buried inside him.  He hissed sharply,
and  for  a  moment,  Ben  thought  he  was  going  to
die of the pain.

Mutegi pressed against his back and nibbled

the tendons on the back of his neck. The big man’s
hips froze. “I’m so sorry, sweet one. I should have
realized you weren’t ready yet. I didn’t mean to
hurt you.”

Ben heard the self-disgust in Mutegi’s tone, and

he didn’t want that. “I know. Just give me a
minute, big guy. I’ll be fine,” he whispered,
turning his head and catching Mutegi’s lips in an
awkward kiss.

Mutegi reached around with both arms and

fondled Ben’s pierced nipples. Pleasure blossomed
in his chest as Mutegi twisted and tugged the little

Mutegi’s Sweet One

silver hoops. The pain in his rectum faded to
nothing, eclipsed by the wonderful sensations the
big man created, and Ben whimpered. “Please.”

The one word must have been enough to

convey  his  need,  because  Mutegi  moved,  pulling
his thick cock out and pushing back in. The flared
head  scraped  across  his  prostate  and  Ben  bit  his
lip  to  keep  from  crying  out  his  pleasure.  One  of
Mutegi’s  arms  wrapped  tightly  around  Ben’s
chest, holding him steady as he pounded into him.
The other hand continued to work his nipples.

Ben’s cock waved and twitched in front of him,

once more hard and needy, oozing pre-cum. He
didn’t know what it was about the man that did it
for him, but he suddenly never wanted to be apart
and had every intention of telling Mutegi he
planned to accept his invitation to travel with him.
At least, he would once he found his voice.

Mutegi’s calloused fingers wrapped around his

shaft and an orgasm he didn’t know had been
building rocked through his system, sending him
flying high. His body convulsed, his ass clenching
tight around Mutegi’s invading dick.

Mutegi had no such hang-ups about keeping

silent and roared his release. Hot cum splashed
Ben’s rectum as his lover filled him with his seed.
It suddenly occurred to Ben, Mutegi hadn’t used a
condom. Mutegi continued to shudder for several
seconds, his face tucked into the crook of Ben’s

Charlie Richards

neck, and his arms wrapped tightly around Ben,
holding him close.

“Gods, Ben, what you do to me,” Mutegi

whispered. “I do not want to live without you.”

Ben swallowed, overwhelmed by the depth of

emotion  he  could  hear  in  Mutegi’s  voice.  He
turned  his  head  and  kissed  Mutegi’s  temple
gently.  “Then  don’t,”  he  whispered.  “After  we
drop off my sister, I’ll go with you.”

Mutegi’s head snapped up, hope bright in his

dark eyes. “You mean that?”

He smiled, even as Mutegi’s cock slipped from

his ass and cum oozed down his thighs, raising a
whole new set of problems in Ben’s head. He
nodded. “Yeah. I mean that. You’ll just have to
teach me how to do stocks, too,” he said, trying to
lighten the moment.

Mutegi spun him around and pulled him tight

to his chest before claiming his mouth in a deep
kiss. When he lifted his head for air, Mutegi
grinned down at him. “I am a rich hobo, Ben. You
will not have to work if you do not want to.”

Ben chuckled and lifted a hand to Mutegi’s face,

tracing the man’s angular jaw with a finger. “I’d
still like to learn.” Then he cringed as he felt
another drip.

Mutegi frowned. “What is wrong?”
He grimaced before nibbling his bottom lip. Ben

lowered his gaze before bringing his head back up

Mutegi’s Sweet One

and meeting Mutegi’s eyes. If they were going to
do  this,  they  had  to  be  honest,  right?  “Um,  you
didn’t  use  a  condom,  and  I’ve  never  barebacked
before,  and  it’s  dripping  down  my  legs,  and,
um…” His face grew warm.

“Oh, shit. I am sorry, Ben,” Mutegi said,

whipping his shirt from his body and dropping to
his  knees.  Ben’s  face  flamed  hotter,  heating  his
skin  as  Mutegi  cleaned  him.  He  looked  up  as  he
worked, and worry filled those expressive eyes. “I
should have asked. I got carried away. I am clean.
I cannot…” Mutegi frowned, apparently unsure as
he  rocked  back  on  his  heels.  “There  are  things  I
need to tell you,” he whispered.

It was Ben’s turn to be confused. He took

Mutegi’s shirt and finished cleaning up before
righting his clothes. “What is it?”

“I—”
Cassie’s scream interrupted any further

conversation.  Ben  dropped  the  shirt,  but  only
managed  one  step  before  Mutegi’s  strong  arm
wrapped  around  him  from  behind.  “Stop.  There
are others at the rest stop.”

He frowned. “How could you know that?”
“I can smell them.” He grabbed Ben’s hand and

drew him forward. “Come with me.”

Ben followed, trying to remain as quiet as

possible. The question of how Mutegi could smell
strangers echoed through his head. The thought

Charlie Richards

disappeared  when  he  spotted  what  was
happening  at  the  rest  stop.  Four  men  with  guns
were grouped around the bikers, who had circled
Cassie  in  a  protective  ring.  His  sister  held  Tessa
tight to her chest. A fifth man stood off to the side,
smirking cruelly at them. Ben recognized Stanley.

“You didn’t really think I’d just let you get

away with my child, did you?” Stanley mocked.

“You have no rights to Tessa,” Cassie replied.

“The court said—”

“I don’t give a shit what the court said,” Stanley

cut in angrily. “I won’t have my daughter raised
around your deviant brother!”

Ben paled, uncertain what to do against so

many men with guns. He turned to Mutegi, and
the look of pure rage on his lover’s face sent a
shiver down his spine. Mutegi looked at him and
forced a grim smile. “Whatever you see, know that
I love you, and I would never hurt you.”

Before he could question that enigmatic

statement,  Mutegi  kicked  off  his  boots  and  jeans.
Ben’s  jaw  dropped  in  the  face  of  all  that  smooth,
black skin. Then Mutegi dropped to his knees, and
his  body  shuddered.  Ben  reached  for  Mutegi,
ready to ask what was wrong. Just as quickly, he
covered his mouth and stumbled back a step.

His lover was changing. His skin thickened,

turning a dark gray and growing sparse hair. His
limbs shortened, became slender, and his hands

Mutegi’s Sweet One

and  feet  disappeared,  hardening  into  cloven
hooves.  His  head  reshaped  and  elongated,  long,
lethal-looking  tusks  sprouting  from  his  gums.  A
massive  warthog  climbed  to  its  feet.  It  turned  its
head to look at Ben.

He gasped. The eyes were the same. The animal

looked at Ben with Mutegi’s soft brown intelligent
eyes.

Then the warthog turned and trotted through

the trees.

Charlie Richards

Chapter Seven

utegi hadn’t figured out how he was going to
tell his mate he was a shifter, but he never

imagined it would be like this. The shock was to
be expected, and he tried to hearten himself that
there hadn’t been revulsion in Ben’s eyes.

Focusing on what needed to be done, Mutegi

circled the group. Once he felt he was as close as
he  could  get  without  being  seen,  he  charged  the
nearest  gunman,  letting  out  a  loud  high-pitched
squeal.  Confusion  ensued,  just  as  he’d  hoped.  A
gun  went  off.  Roars  filled  the  air,  and  Mutegi
recognized  the  sounds  of  both  Kontra’s  grizzly
and Adam’s white tiger.

He reached his target and slammed his three

hundred  pound  body  into  the  man,  burying  his
foot-and-a-half  long  tusks  in  the  man’s  thighs.
Mutegi  yanked  his  tusks  out,  and  blood  gushed
from  the  massive  wounds.  The  guy  dropped.
Normally  not  a  killing  blow,  it  was  possible  the

Mutegi’s Sweet One

man would bleed out if he didn’t get help.
Looking around, Mutegi didn’t think the guy
would get it.

Kontra’s grizzly stood over a bloody, mangled

body,  as  did  Adam’s  tiger,  and  Payson’s  hyena.
Eli’s  python  was  wrapped  securely  around  a
quickly  suffocating  final  man.  Yuma,  still  in
human  form,  was  trying  desperately  to  soothe  a
panicking Cassie.

Mutegi turned back to the howling man he’d

gored  and  huffed,  uncertain  what  to  do.  They
couldn’t really leave him alive to spread a tale of
men  turning  into  animals  and  butchering  his
friends,  and  when  the  guy  grabbed  for  the  gun
he’d dropped, Mutegi leaped. A tusk through the
man’s heart gave him a quick death.

He heard Kontra’s voice and focused on his

leader as he said, “Take a deep breath, Cassie.
Everything will be all right. No one is going to
hurt you.”

“You—you—there was a bear! A big huge bear!

Where did it go?” she asked, looking around
frantically.

Mutegi spotted Ben and watched his mate run

to his sister. Hurt pierced him that Ben would run
to Cassie instead of him, even though Mutegi
knew it was an irrational feeling. He moved
slowly toward them, and Cassie gasped. “That’s—
that’s—” She stopped sputtering and just pointed.

Charlie Richards

“That’s Mutegi,” Ben whispered. “I think,” he

added.

“You’re right,” Yuma murmured. “That’s

Mutegi.  He’d  never  hurt  you.  He  just  wanted  to
protect you and your baby, Cassie.” Although he
spoke  to  Cassie,  the  small  shifter  swept  his  gaze
over  Ben  as  well,  as  if  trying  to  convince  them
both.

“Is it safe to touch it?” Ben asked, eyeing him

warily.

“It is safe to touch him,” Kontra replied firmly.

“Mutegi is perfectly cognizant in this form, just as
we all are when we turn into our animal.”

“Can I touch the tiger?” Cassie asked suddenly,

staring at the black and white animal’s fur.

Yuma snorted. “Sure. Come here, Adam. She

wants to play with your fur.”

The big animal stopped grooming and lifted his

head. Intelligent blue eyes stared at them before
Adam chuffed in the equivalent of him laughing
while in feline form. He rose with feline grace that
Mutegi secretly envied and crossed to the group.

Mutegi spotted Ben moving toward him. He

refocused on his mate, worried what the human
would say. Would he find this form grotesque? He
knew the warthog wasn’t really an attractive
animal, just an interesting one.

Ben slowly knelt a few feet from him and just

stared for a moment. The others faded a few steps

Mutegi’s Sweet One

away, knowing how important this first contact
would be for Mutegi, knowing Ben needed to
accept his animal. “Are you in there, Mutegi?” Ben
finally whispered.

Not able to verbally respond, Mutegi slowly

lowered  himself  to  the  ground  and  ducked  his
head. He shuffled forward, much like a dog would
inch  along  on  his  belly.  He  felt  certain  it  looked
ridiculous, but he needed to get closer to his mate.
He  stopped  when  he  saw  Ben  tense  and  waited,
praying  to  the  gods  that  Ben  would  close  the
remaining couple of feet.

Finally, after a tense moment that filled Mutegi

with fear, Ben reached out and touched his head.
Mutegi had to stop the shudder of pleasure at his
mate’s touch. Ben gently brushed his fingers along
his forehead, then up through the tufts of hair
making up his mane.

“I don’t understand how this is possible,” he

said. “Can you understand me?”

Needing to explain to Ben, Mutegi initiated his

shift. Concern filled him when Ben yanked his
hand away as soon as his skin began to change. As
soon as he was able, Mutegi lifted his head, looked
his human in the eye, and murmured, “It is still
me while in that form. I can understand you. I am
still the same.”

“But you’re not,” Ben denied. “You’re

different.” He glanced around at the others.

Charlie Richards

“You’re all different,” he whispered, watching his
sister pet a very boisterous hyena. A dressed Eli
had crossed to the bikes and was pulling out new
clothes for everyone else. As a python, he was one
of the few shifters who didn’t shred his clothes
when he shifted. He simply slithered out of them.

Mutegi sighed. “We are shifters, Ben. Just

because  we  can  turn  into  an  animal,  it  does  not
mean  I  care  about  you  any  less.”  He  needed  to
stress  his  devotion  for  the  man,  and  prayed  he
wouldn’t  be  rejected.  “I  love  you.  You  are  my
mate.”

That brought Ben’s attention back to him, and

Ben frowned. “I don’t know what that means.”

Heartened that he was at least willing to talk

about it, Mutegi replied,  “Fate grants each shifter
with  a  true  mate.”  Seeing  Ben’s  confused  frown,
he  struggled  for  words.  “What  you  might  call  a
soul mate, someone who completes you.”

“Love at first sight,” Ben whispered.
He nodded. “Yes. Right. When a shifter meets

that person, they know. Both their human half and
their  animal  half  sense  it.  They  will  claim  their
mate  and  bind  their  souls  together.  You  are  that
person for me. You complete my soul, Ben, and I
do  not  want  to  be  without  you.”  His  last  words
came out a whisper, and he knew he was pleading
for his mate to stay with him, but he didn’t care if
that  made  him  look  weak.  Where  his  mate  was

Mutegi’s Sweet One

concerned, he was weak. Only Ben’s answer
mattered.

Ben swallowed hard. Mutegi could actually see

his Adam’s apple bob, and he had to squelch a
surge of desire to lick his man’s sexy neck.

“What do you mean by claim?”
Mutegi let out a slow breath, and while shifting

closer,  replied,  “One  shifter,  normally  the
dominant  one,  will  claim  the  other  by…well…by
biting them during sex.” He really couldn’t think
of any other way to say it. Ben’s jaw dropped, so
he  quickly  added,  “I  have  been  told  that  it  is
extremely pleasurable for both parties.”

“So you’ve never done it?” Ben whispered.
He shook his head. “No. A shifter will only bite

to claim their mate. No one else.”

Ben nodded slowly, his gaze dropping to the

ground. “Where?”

Mutegi frowned, not understanding. “Where

what?”

“Where do you bite them?”
“Oh,” Mutegi smiled a bit. “On the neck,” he

answered, lightly touching where Ben’s neck met
his shoulder, the place where he longed to sink his
canines.

Ben nodded again. He raised his eyes to

Mutegi. “I need time to think about this,” he
whispered.

It took Mutegi a couple of swallows to wet his

Charlie Richards

suddenly  parched  throat.  Finally,  he  nodded.  “I
understand.”  He  rose  to  his  knees  and  saw  his
mate’s  gaze  rivet  to  his  naked  cock,  reminding
him  that  he  still  needed  to  dress.  He  caught  the
scent of Ben’s arousal and pleasure filled him that
his mate still found him attractive after everything
that  had  happened.  “I  will  need  your  answer  by
the  time  we  get  to  your  parents,”  he  told  Ben
before  leaning  in  and  giving  him  a  soft  kiss.  “I
love  you,  my  mate,”  he  couldn’t  help  but  add
before rising and heading into the woods in search
of his jeans.

Leaving his confused mate sitting on the

ground was the hardest thing Mutegi had ever
done in his life.

Mutegi’s Sweet One

Chapter Eight

en shivered in the suddenly chilly afternoon
air. He glanced over his shoulder just in time

to see Mutegi disappear amongst the trees. If there
weren’t five dead men lying nearby, he wouldn’t
have believed what had just happened, or how the
man still aroused him. It didn’t make sense.

He rose slowly and headed toward his truck. A

glance  around  told  him  Cassie  was  talking
animatedly  with  Adam  and  Yuma  while  still
scratching  the  hyena’s  head.  He  envied  her
seemingly  easy  acceptance  of  the  situation.  Then
again,  one  of  those  men  didn’t  want  to  take  her
with  him  and  keep  her  as  a  mate.  Now  Mutegi’s
occasional use of the word made sense.

“We need to get moving.”
With only one arm in his jacket, he swung

around at the sound of the gravelly voice. He
swallowed as he stared up at Kontra. No wonder
the man was huge. He turned into a damn grizzly

Charlie Richards

bear. As he glanced around, a thought struck him.
“Is Yuma a shifter, too?”

Kontra smirked. “Yes, but that wasn’t really the

question I would have expected from you,” he
said, crossing his arms over the barrel of muscle
he called a chest.

“My thoughts are all over the place,” he

admitted. “I don’t really know what to ask.”

Nodding, Kontra eyed him thoughtfully. Ben

tried not to cringe under the scrutiny. “Mutegi is a
good man,” Kontra finally said simply.

“I know,” Ben replied immediately. That had

never been in question.

“Good. Now let’s go.” He turned and yelled.

“Payson, shift and dress. We’re leaving in two
minutes.”

“What about the bodies?” He couldn’t stop the

shudder that worked through him. “You just
killed five men,” he whispered.

Kontra turned back to him and lifted a brow. “It

was us or them. Besides, did you want us to let
Stanley take your niece?” He scowled. “The world
won’t miss this group of law-breaking bigots.”

Ben’s jaw dropped at Kontra’s cold words. “Do

you really see so little value in human life?”

“It may not seem like it, but I see value in all

life, Ben.” His hard brown eyes pinned Ben with a
glacial stare. “But if I have to choose between my
brethren and another, I’ll choose my brethren

Mutegi’s Sweet One

every time. If you choose to stay with Mutegi,
you’ll get the same loyalty.”

Ben watched the massive man stalk with animal

grace to his Harley and pull his helmet over his
head. A light touch on his arm nearly gave him a
heart attack. Cassie’s smile held concern. “Are you
okay to drive?”

“What? Why wouldn’t I be?” he answered

absently.

Cassie sighed and lifted the second arm of his

forgotten jacket. “You seem a bit distracted,” she
said, helping him into it.

“Can you blame me?” he grumbled, climbing

behind the wheel of his vehicle. “I just found out
my lover can turn into a pig.”

Cassie giggled, and he arched a brow before

helping her fasten Tessa into her car seat. “Would
you prefer he turn into the snake?” she teased.

That had him snorting out a laugh. “Whatever.”
“And Payson is a hoot! He loves to be scratched

while in animal form,” she went on animatedly.
“The other guys think that’s kind of weird. I can
tell.”

He pulled the truck onto the road, gaining

speed and trying to gather his thoughts. He
glanced her way and lifted a brow. “How can you
just accept this so easily?”

Sobering, she shrugged. “There are some things

you just have to accept and not think too much

Charlie Richards

about.  Like  the  fact  that  my  ex-husband  is  now
lying  dead  at  a  rest  stop,  and  there’s  no  telling
who will find him or what will happen when he is
found. Maybe animals, real animals, will drag his
body  into  the  woods  and  no  one  will  ever  know
what happened there today.”

Glancing over, he saw how pale Cassie had

become. “Are you okay?”

“No,” she squeaked, putting a hand over her

mouth. “Pull over. I’m gonna be sick.”

Ben whipped the truck to the side of the road

and  stopped.  Cassie  was  out  in  a  flash.  She  ran
several  steps  to  a  tree  and  emptied  her  stomach
contents onto the ground. When Ben reached her,
he rubbed her back and murmured,  “It’ll be fine.
We’re safe. Tessa’s safe. Everything will be fine.”

As he said the words, he realized how true they

were.  And  as  the  motorcycles  pulled  up  around
them,  Ben  knew  it  was  all  because  of  these  men.
They’d  helped  when  they  didn’t  have  to.  They’d
shared  their  secret,  a  secret  that  could  get  the
shifters  killed  just  because  they  existed.  And  one
of them loved him. And Ben loved him back.

Still rubbing his sister’s back, he turned his

head to seek out Mutegi’s concerned gaze. He
gave the sexy man a reassuring smile.

“Is she okay?” Yuma asked softly.
Ben nodded. “Yeah. The excitement caught up

with her. Will you grab a soda from the cooler in

Mutegi’s Sweet One

the bed of the truck? The bubbles will help calm
her stomach.”

Yuma nodded and hurried to obey, returning

quickly with a can of Sprite. Ben took it, opened it,
and gave it to Cassie. “Here. Rinse your mouth
out and then drink some.”

She obeyed, then looked around the group, a

red hue staining her cheeks. “Sorry, guys. I,
uh…Everything just kind of hit me at once, you
know?”

Kontra nodded. “Understandable. You both

have been through a lot.” He paused, glanced
away for a second, then refocused on them.

Ben knew what he was thinking about and

shook his head. “You don’t even need to ask. We
won’t say anything.” From the corner of his eye,
he saw Cassie nod, seconding his words.

“Thank you.” He cleared his throat and then

headed back to his bike. “Let’s get a move on. I
want to get you to your parents before dark.”

It was another three hours of steady travel to

Ben’s  parents.  After  his  father  retired  from  the
military, they’d bought the good-sized ranch style
home on five acres. At one time, Ben had worried
his father would be disappointed with him, since
he hadn’t followed in his footsteps and joined the
Air Force. Ben just hadn’t been able to stomach the
idea  of  hiding  his  sexuality  for  most  of  his  life.
Fortunately,  his  father  had  put  that  fear  to  rest

Charlie Richards

with his easy acceptance and unconditional love
and support when he’d moved to San Francisco.

His parents stepped onto the porch, probably

drawn by the sound of six motorcycles roaring up
the  road  then  stopping  in  their  driveway.  His
mother  must  have  recognized  them  first.  Ben
heard  her  squeal in  excitement  before  she  started
shuffling  down  the  driveway  as  fast  as  her  bad
knee would let her limp.

“You made it! I’m so happy to see you both!

Where’s my granddaughter?”

His father followed swiftly, an arm out, ready

to catch his wife if she stumbled. “Let them get out
of the truck, Edith,” he admonished kindly. “They
had a long trip.”

Cassie pulled Tessa out of her carrier, then

rolled out of the truck. Ben followed, happy to be
able to stretch his legs again. After the expected
hugs, kisses, and cooing over the baby, his father’s
gaze strayed to the bikers parked behind the truck
and on the street.

Ben motioned the men over, and they slowly

joined  them.  Without  hesitation,  he  went  to
Mutegi  and  took  his  hand.  He  could  see  the
surprise  in  the  big  man’s  eyes,  but  he  let  himself
be  manhandled  as  Ben  maneuvered  him  to  the
front  of  the  group.  “Dad,  Mom,  this  is  Mutegi
Atieno,  my  boyfriend.  Mutegi,  these  are  my
parents, Edith and Patrick Moore.”

Mutegi’s Sweet One

Mutegi’s brows shot up, but he recovered

quickly and held out a hand. “It is nice to meet
you, Mr. and Mrs. Moore.”

Patrick took Mutegi’s offered hand and shook it

firmly. “Good to meet you, son.”

“Oh, very nice to meet you, Mutegi,” Edith

quickly said, bypassing Mutegi’s hand and pulling
him into a hug. Her hands on his arms, she
beamed up from her five foot five height and said,
“You must come in for supper and tell me all
about how you met my boy.”

Ben grinned and motioned to the others. “Mom,

Dad, these are my friends, Kontra, Yuma, Adam,
Eli, and Payson. They were taking a road trip, so
they decided to escort us.”

“Well, that was nice of them,” Edith said.

“Come in everyone. I was planning to make fried
chicken.”

As everyone headed in, Mutegi gripped Ben’s

hand and held him back. His brown eyes held
questions, and Ben hoped he hadn’t overstepped
his bounds. “Your boyfriend, Ben? Does this mean
you still want to go with me?”

He realized the big man was just as uncertain as

he was. Ben reached up and cupped Mutegi’s
cheek. “If you still want me, I would follow you
anywhere,” he whispered.

The grin was instant, lighting his dark eyes,

delight in every line of his face. Mutegi enfolded

Charlie Richards

him in his arms, lifting him in the process, as he
captured Ben’s mouth.

Responding instantly, body, mind, and soul,

Ben  wrapped  his  arms  and  legs  around  the  man
who’d been made for him. He couldn’t seem to get
close  enough,  and  the  thick  erection  rubbing
against  his  own  told  him  exactly  what  Mutegi
needed, too.

“Mutegi, Ben,” Kontra’s deep voice broke

through  their  cloud  of  lust.  Both  men  were
panting when they snapped their head toward the
sound  and  found  Kontra  shaking  his  head  from
where  he  stood  on  the  porch.  “You’re  in  Ben’s
parents’ front yard. Save it for later.”

Heat flushed up Ben’s neck and he carefully

unwound  his  legs  from  Mutegi’s  waist.  His mate
set  him  on  the  ground,  but  even  Kontra’s
interruption  didn’t  stop  his  grin.  “Later,”  he
promised.

Mutegi’s Sweet One

Chapter Nine

he next morning, Mutegi tucked Ben’s bag of
clothes and toiletries into his Harley’s

saddlebags. He watched Ben hug and kiss his
mother’s cheek as Patrick walked toward him.
He’d never met the parents of a lover, so he wasn’t
certain what to say to the man who’d fathered his
mate. Nodding in respect, he held out a hand. “It
was nice to meet you, sir,” he finally decided on.

“You, too, Mutegi. You take good care of my

son,” he ordered. “If I find out he’s being hurt in
any way, I’ll track you down. I may not still be in
the military, but I have contacts.”

Mutegi smiled, for some reason immensely

pleased Ben’s father would bother to threaten him.
It meant Patrick loved his son. “Ben means
everything to me, sir,” he replied honestly. “I will
do everything in my power to keep him happy.”

Patrick searched his face for several seconds,

before saying, “I believe you. Feel free to stop by

Charlie Richards

anytime you’re in the area.”

They shook hands again, then Ben and Edith

joined  them  for  a  round  of  hugs.  Cassie  came
outside  with  Tessa,  and  another  round  of  hugs
and  kisses  ensued.  Finally,  Kontra  crossed  to
them. “We need to ride, Mutegi, Ben. I received a
call from Haben. He has a lead on Gallo.”

“Right,” Mutegi said. He pulled on his helmet

and handed a second one to Ben.

Kontra turned to Ben’s parents. “It was nice

meeting you. Thank you for putting us up for the
night, as well as the wonderful home cooked
meals. It’s not often we get to enjoy such fantastic
cooking.”

“Oh,” Edith murmured. “Well, you boys just

come on back anytime. Ride safe now.”

Ben waved goodbye as they roared away.
They traveled five hours southwest, finally

meeting up with the rest of the group just outside
Sante Fe, and taking rooms at a Motel 6. Kontra
and Payson headed out with Haben for a more
concentrated search of the area.

“Did they figure out what happened to Gallo,

yet?” Ben asked.

Mutegi focused on his mate, who lay sprawled

across  the  room’s  queen-sized  bed,  shirtless.  The
blood in his head immediately flowed south, and
it  wasn’t  until  Ben  chuckled  that  he  realized  he
was  staring.  He  grinned,  “No,  and  there  is

Mutegi’s Sweet One

something else I would like to talk to you about.”

“Yeah?” Ben unbuttoned his jeans. “What

would that be?”

Too caught up in watching his lover’s other

hand work the ring in his nipple, Mutegi took a
second to respond. His cock jerked in his jeans. “I
want to claim you,” he blurted.

Ben paused in his manipulations, and for a

second, Mutegi thought his mate might not be
ready. Then his human smirked. “Then you’d
better get up here.”

A low moan escaped Mutegi and he prowled to

the  bed,  his  eyes  locked  on  the  come-hither  look
on  Ben’s  face.  Grabbing  his  sweet  one’s  leg,  he
pulled  him  closer  to  the  edge  and  yanked  off  his
jeans  and  underwear.  Seconds  later,  Ben
shimmied  up  the  bed  away  from  him,  grinning
like a loon.

“Where do you think you are going?” he

growled, putting a knee on the bed, intending to
follow.

“Ah, ah, ah,” Ben said, holding up a hand.

“This is a no clothes zone. You want to come up
here with me, then get naked,” he ordered.

Mutegi grinned. “Okay.” He whipped his shirt

over his head and froze. In the split second he’d
been blinded, Ben had settled in the middle of the
comforter and gripped his well-shaped seven inch
dick in one hand and started stroking. He

Charlie Richards

groaned, licking his lips as a bead of pre-cum
leaked from Ben’s slit.

Ben swiped his thumb over the cap of his dick,

moaning  softly  as  his  hips  bucked  convulsively
into his fist. It spurred Mutegi on and he stripped
his jeans and socks off in a flash. Leaping forward,
he  swatted  Ben’s  hand  away  from  his  dick,
growling,  “Mine.”  Ben’s  chuckle  morphed  into  a
strangled  moan  as  Mutegi  swallowed  down  his
mate’s dick.

Mutegi wrapped his hands around his human’s

hips,  holding  him  down  as  he  suckled  the
wonderful  smelling  man’s  shaft.  He  teased  the
glans with his tongue before sinking down farther
and  tracing  the  thick  vein  running  its  length.  He
felt his mate’s heartbeat increase through the pulse
of the vein.

“Here.”
Ben’s strangled voice caught his attention and

Mutegi glanced up. Ben held out a condom and a
tube of lube in his trembling fingers.  Right. I have
not talked to him about condoms yet. Planning to do
that  shortly,  he  took  both  before  drawing  back
slightly  on  the  man’s  cock.  He  popped  the  tube’s
lid and poured a generous amount of slick on his
fingers.  Wasting  no  time,  he  quickly  slipped  his
middle finger into his mate’s rectum, pleased how
Ben’s tight heat seemed to suck him in.

When he pushed in a second finger, he pulled

Mutegi’s Sweet One

his mouth off Ben’s dick and grinned, relishing the
wonderful, needy sounds he made. “I need to talk
to you about the condoms,” he said, making
certain his warm breath caressed the wet skin of
his lover’s shaft.

Ben groaned, rocking his hips in an attempt to

get his fingers deeper. Mutegi obliged and
crooking his fingers, brushed Ben’s gland with his
knuckle. Gasping, Ben’s eyelids dropped to half-
mast as he stared down at him. “You want to talk
about that now?”

“They are not needed,” he replied bluntly. “As

a shifter, I cannot get or pass on human diseases.”

Ben blinked several times, as if trying to process

the words Mutegi said. His mouth opened and
closed several times before he muttered. “Okay.
Fine. Just fuck me already. I’ll question you more
about it later.”

Mutegi chuckled, pleased by that response.

Adding more lube, he pushed in a third finger and
quickly finished stretching him. His dick leaked in
reaction  to  Ben’s  tight  warmth  around  his  digits
and  he  desperately  needed  to  replace  them  with
his  cock.  Gently  pulling  his  fingers  free,  he  lifted
his  sweet  one’s  legs  and  rested  them  over  his
arms,  positioned  his  cock  at  Ben’s  entrance,  and
pushed.

His human’s amazing body gave way, and heat

and warmth enveloped his dick. Mutegi groaned

Charlie Richards

in pleasure, overwhelmed how every time he sank
into his mate seemed to be better than the time
before. Leaning forward, he captured Ben’s mouth
with his own while rocking his shaft deeper and
deeper into him.

Licking Ben’s lips, nibbling the plump lower

one,  and  dipping  his  tongue  into  Ben’s  mouth
over  and  over,  he  mimicked  what  he  planned  to
do to the other man’s body in just a few seconds.
Ben’s  hands  tangled  in  his  dreads,  and  Mutegi
liked  the  way  he  massaged  his  scalp.  He  slid  his
cock partway out of his man’s trembling body and
thrust  back  in.  Ben  groaned,  and  he  knew  he’d
pegged his lover’s prostate.

He soon found a steady rhythm, bringing them

both quickly to the edge. He released his mate’s
lips and nibbled his way down Ben’s jaw. His balls
pulled tight, telling him he didn’t have much time.
“Are you ready, my sweet mate?” he whispered
nuzzling his nose against Ben’s neck.

“Yes, yes, yes,” Ben chanted, meeting him

thrust for thrust.

Mutegi grinned. His animal rose to the surface,

his canines extended. He scraped his elongated
teeth down the tendons of Ben’s neck. His body
trembled in need as his cock jerked and twitched
in the confines of Ben’s body.

“Claim me,” Ben whispered into his ear before

nipping it.

Mutegi’s Sweet One

Growling in pleasure, he sank his teeth into his

mate’s flesh. Ben’s blood flowed across his tongue
and he moaned. Underneath him, Ben bucked and
howled,  his  dick  exploding  between  them,
covering their stomachs and chests with his  cum.
Ben’s chute clamped down on Mutegi’s dick, and
the exquisite pleasure combined with the taste and
smell  of  his  man  sent  Mutegi  hurdling  over  the
edge.

His balls pumped his seed into Ben’s body,

completing their connection, heightening Mutegi’s
orgasm  to  the  point  where  dark  spots  flashed
behind  his  eyes.  When  he  finally  regained  some
semblance  of  control  over  his  trembling  body,
Mutegi licked the claiming mark clean. Humming
in  pleasure,  he  gently  kissed  the  blissed-out  grin
on Ben’s face.

He carefully eased his softening cock from

Ben’s body and released his legs. Ben groaned and
stretched, and Mutegi couldn’t resist sucking one
of Ben’s sexy pierced nipples into his mouth and
giving it a light tug.

“You are amazing, my sweet one,” Mutegi

whispered.

Ben smiled. “I love you, Mutegi.”
Mutegi’s eyes widened. He’d known Ben cared,

or he never would have come with him and let
him be claimed, but to actually have his mate
express his love was more than he thought would

Charlie Richards

happen for some time. “And I love you, Ben.
Thank you for coming with me, for leaving your
life to be with me.”

“You’re my life now,” Ben replied solemnly. “I

don’t want to be apart.”

“And we won’t be,” Mutegi vowed.
Ben grinned. “Good. Now help me into the

shower, then feed me.”

Mutegi laughed and rolled from the bed. “Your

wish is my command.” Hauling his grinning man
to his feet, he pulled him close, dropped his head,
and captured Ben’s mouth, sealing his promise
with a kiss.

About the Author

Charlie lives on a mini ranchette in Utah with her
handsome,  supportive  husband.  She  started
writing  fantasy  when  she  was  eight,  and  after
stumbling  onto  her  first  erotic  romance  at
nineteen,  she  realized  her  true  calling.  She  now
focuses  on  writing  erotic  romance,  often  of  the
paranormal  variety,  with  heroes  and  heroines  of
all  kinds.  You  can  often  find  her  curled  up  with
her  laptop  and  a  cup  of  tea  or  glass  of  wine,
creating  her  next  story,  which  could  pair  a  sexy
hero  with  an  adventurous  heroine…or  maybe
with  another  handsome  hero.  Charlie  enjoys
horseback  riding,  jump  lessons  with  Apache,
watching movies with her husband, and listening
to her muse tell her about her next project.

She

can

reached

ch.richards2010@yahoo.com

Or visit her at www.charlie-richards.com