The Defiant Claim (The Claim: Book 2) LGBT

Chapter 35 - Mik (Part 2)

Sam blushed feverishly, adding more heat that elicited a low growl of want from Mik's chest.

This male...

Sam was always thinking about them. Why did it take so long for him to see that?

"I don't deserve you," Mik whispered, nuzzling into Sam's neck and staying there as Sam's scent enveloped him.

"Stop saying that."

"But it's true. You're always thinking about us. I don't deserve that kind of love."

"Stop it. You deserve love. I'm sorry I'm not female like you were hoping—"

Mik growled. "I don't care if you're male or female. You're mine and I want to love you and take care of you forever. You and you alone. Everyone else can go fuck themselves."

"Really?"

Nodding, Mik brushed his nose over Sam's neck. He wanted this. Needed this. This softness. This gentleness. This male who always saw him for more than he was. This male who believed in him. Took care of him. Cherished him.

A faint rumble from his chest purred out his inability to verbalize his affections.

"Do you love me?" Sam asked, his voice low and soft.

Mik swallowed. Did he? What was love? What did he know about love? The closest time he came to love was what he felt with Jez. But was that love? She used him, that he was sure of. She didn't take care of him the way Sam had. She didn't encourage him in anything beyond sex the way Sam had. She gave him butterflies and erections but most females he fucked did too. And they didn't care about him and he didn't care about them either. Sexual transactions were all they were that carried on for a few days or weeks and then they left. He never stopped them. Never cared enough to try.

His father... His father must have cared in his own way. Out of duty, he supposed. But when a female crossed their path, Mik might as well have been invisible.

But Sam...

Whether Mik deserved it or not, Sam had always been there for him. He listened and encouraged him. Took care of him when he didn't have to. He smiled at Mik in a way no one had before and it made his heart skip a beat, his stomach to flipflop, and warmth to spread throughout his body. Sam made him feel things no other female had, not even Jez. He wanted to take care of him. He wanted to see Sam get strong and fulfill his dream of becoming a nurse. He wanted to see Sam's face light up and hear him laugh. He felt comfort and peace and a fierce urge to protect him when he held Sam in his arms and brushed his nose across Sam's neck. He wanted to touch Sam in more intimate ways but he was afraid to. He'd hurt Sam so much, he couldn't imagine Sam allowing him to touch or caress him.

The only language of love he understood was through two extremities: violence and sex.

Everything was different with Sam. He was pure and innocent, everything Mik wasn't.

"I don't know," Mik confessed, "because I never had what you had. The closest I ever came to love was with my father and Jez. You have Cameron, Luna, and Noodin. They all love and take care of you in ways I never had."

The only times he felt good was when he fucked. Riding hard and flying high, cumming and making females cum... He was only good at that. And then when the rush had passed, everything came crashing down. A hollow, sinking, empty feeling dug deeper into the marrow of his bones. He aimed to please but he never allowed himself to get emotionally attached. Not since Jez. The pain wasn't worth it.

He pressed his nose into Sam's neck and closed his eyes. The need to hold him closer gripped him. An ache within surfaced as he remembered how close he came to losing him.