Nicky jumped to his feet and crossed to the window, his hands fisted by his side. Staring outside, he mumbled something vicious-sounding under his breath.

“Calling me names doesn’t change anything, Nicky.” Marco sat back on the sofa, waiting him out.

“Damn it! Marco, please promise me things won’t go back to the way it used to be around here. If it does, I swear I’ll…”

Marco walked up behind him and ran a finger down his back, making him shiver. He’d been longing to touch this back since he’d first noticed it downstairs. This was his, damn it. “You’ll do what?”

Nicky slumped in defeat and turned around to face him. “I hate this, Marco.”

“What is it you hate? The name? Or they fact that you’re my mate? If it’s so hateful to you, I won’t force you.”

Nicky took a step closer to him, his eyes blazing with passion. “Is that what you want? Are you trying to tell me you want out? You don’t want me as your mate?”

“Don’t put words in my mouth. I’m more than willing to accept you as my mate. You’re the one who seems a bit ambivalent. I’m only trying to be honest with you, Nicky. I don’t remember what we had together—the doctors said it might come back, but if it never does, could you still be happy?”

“If you never l-love me again?” he said, his lips trembling for real this time.

“I’m attracted to you. I want you to belong to me. Love could come in time.” He held out a hand to him. “I’m willing to give it a try, if you are.”

Immediately Nicky took his hand. Marco smiled down at him. Got you! “Will you be my pet, sweetheart?”

Nicky nodded, dropping his head. “I’ll try.”

“Good. There won’t be any more discussion of it then. Now, no more flirting with other men, all right?”

Nicky was clenching and unclenching his hands, and Marco could see the struggle inside him. It was delicious watching him struggle against Marco’s control over him. Marco’s cock was as hard as a rock. “Nicky? Do you agree?”

Nicky blew out a huge breath. “Yes,” he said, gritting his teeth. “But I never flirted. Not really. I can’t help it if men come on to me. It’s attention I never invited, but I’ve had it all my life.”

“I can imagine. You’re very attractive, Nicky, and then too, some men like the challenge of taking you away from the alpha. One thing I would like to do to help control that is to have you wear my collar.” He held up his hand at Nicky’s expression. “I figured you’d probably hate the idea, but it shows that you belong to me, and perhaps will remind others to keep their damned hands off you. Do you have one, or do I need to get one for you?”

“There’s one in your dresser drawer,” he said softly, not looking up.

“Will you get it and bring it to me, please?”

At the expression on the boy’s face, and the real internal struggle he seemed to be going through over obeying his command, Marco almost felt sorry for the boy. When he finally stepped around Marco to go to the bedroom, though, he could barely walk for the bulge in the front of his jeans. Marco bit his lip to keep from smiling. Maybe his boy did like a little kink after all. Perhaps he was more of a submissive than he admitted, even to himself, if the idea of a collar got him that hard.

Nicky came back in with a soft leather band in his hand and crossed over to hand it to Marco. Marco grabbed his hand and pulled him down to his knees in front of him. The minute Nicky knelt down, the delicate, yet sexy fragrance coming off his skin, the way he turned to look up at Marco from under the curtain of hair falling into his eyes—all made Marco’s cock strain against his pants. Marco took the collar from him and put it around his neck. Nicky turned his head a little to allow him to buckle it on him, an act of submission that made Marco’s wolf leap within him.

“You look beautiful, Nicky. Would you feel comfortable wearing this for me?”

Nicky sighed in surrender. “Yes, I suppose I could do that.”

Marco leaned forward, forcing himself to pat Nicky gently on the shoulder, only barely resisting the urge to bite into his neck and take his blood, marking him as his. He hadn’t intended to let himself feel so attracted to the boy. He pushed him gently away. “Maybe you should sit over there, Nicky.”

Nicky ignored his request and turned his face back up to gaze at him. “I was thinking…”

“Yes?” Marco asked warily.

“Well, maybe we should try to get to know each other again. Maybe it would help your memories return.”

Marco felt a smile playing around his lips. “How would you suggest we do that, Nicky?”

“Mmm…maybe by kissing a little? Just to see if anything comes back to you?”

Marco felt his cock jerk at the idea. “All right,” he said softly. “Purely in the name of research…”

“Of course.” Nicky closed his eyes and tilted up his head. He parted his lips slightly, waiting for Marco to take the next step. Smiling a little and ignoring his pouting lips, Marco leaned over to kiss him gently on the side of the neck, unprepared again for the sweet scent radiating off his skin. What was that? Was he wearing some kind of cologne? Marco moved his nose down to the hollow beside Nicky’s neck and breathed in deeply, surprised to hear a little moan coming from his own throat. He raised his head in surprise, and found his lips only inches from Nicky’s.

Nicky leaned forward into a kiss and slid his hands under Marco’s shirt, finding his sensitive nipples and twisting one gently in his fingertips. He pulled his head away and not quite touching Marco’s lips, he whispered, “Did you like it? We could try another one if you want.”

Marco smiled and captured Nicky’s mouth, parting his lips and barely touching his tongue to Nicky’s. Nicky opened up to him, his little tongue hot and inviting. Marco growled possessively and stood up, pulling Nicky to his feet beside him. He stepped in closer to him and put his hands under Nicky’s ass, pulling him up so his crotch touched Nicky’s. He ground his erection against the one in Nicky’s tight jeans. Deepening the kiss, he pressed tighter. Nicky’s arms stole around his neck, and the tips of their tongues met again. Nicky pulled back and smiled up at him.

“Either you’re enjoying the kiss or you’ve got a very large pistol in your pocket.”

Marco laughed, pulling Nicky closer. “Little brat,” he whispered in his ear. “Yeah, I’m enjoying the kiss. Maybe we should experiment a little more since this has gone so well.”

Nicky pressed a chaste little kiss on his neck that sent chills racing down Marco’s spine. With a growl, Marco wrapped his arms tightly around Nicky, pulling his legs up to wrap around his waist. He began walking toward the bedroom, bending down to kiss him and holding the kiss as he moved forward.

He walked the few steps to the bedroom and lowered him to the side of the bed. “Take off your clothes, Nicky,” he said in a voice that was ragged with need.

Marco undressed, his eyes never leaving Nicky’s body as Nicky stripped. Nicky lay down on his back and regarded Marco solemnly. Marco let his eyes roam up and down Nicky’s body, amazed that he belonged to him. He was perfection—a muscled torso, tapering to a small waist and beautiful abs. His cock was large, and a dark shade of pink, riding high on his stomach, the head gleaming with a few drops of pre-cum. His golden curls were spread against the pillows and his lips were parted and ruby red from where Marco had kissed him. The black collar lay snugly against his pale skin, marking Nicky as his. All his.

“God, look at you, laid out and ready for me. You look like an angel with those blond curls —only a debauched and fallen angel, one that I’m about to fuck into the mattress.”

“Promises, promises,” Nicky said softly, his lips curving into a small smile. Marco crawled onto the foot of the bed and prowled up toward him.

“Oh, it’s more than promises, sweetheart. I’m going to eat you up. When I get through with you, I’ll have put my mark on every inch of your body. I’m going to spread my cum all over you, so nobody will ever question again whom you belong to.”

“My, my,” Nicky drawled. “I hear a lot of bold talk, but I haven’t seen much action yet.”

Marco gave him feral smile and engulfed his whole cock in his mouth in one move. Nicky made a surprised, gasping sound. Marco sucked his cock down, starting with a soft, steady suction that he slowly increased as he moved one of his free hands to Nicky’s balls, holding the hot flesh. He began to add his teeth to the pressure on his cock, slowly skimming his teeth up the shaft, squeezing his balls, waiting for Nicky’s scream of pleasure. He didn’t have long to wait. Nicky thrashed beneath him, his whole body rippling with need, his hands buried in Marco’s hair.

Marco hummed around the shaft as he licked up the underside with his tongue. When he came back up to the head of Nicky’s cock and thrust his tongue down into the slit, Nicky raised off the bed, and his scream was fucking perfect. He thrust his tongue into Nicky’s slit again and again until Nicky came with another hoarse shout, and his spurts of cum sprayed onto his chest and even his face.

Marco licked cum from his face and kissed Nicky so he could taste himself. Nicky had collapsed back against the pillows, but Marco had no intention of letting him off so easy.

“Put your hands on the bedstead and don’t move them.”

Nicky did as he was told, his big blue eyes trustingly looking up at him. Marco palmed Nicky’s sweet prick and moved his mouth up to Nicky’s nipples, sucking first one and then the other into his mouth and tugging on them with his teeth, until he felt Nicky’s cock fill out again in his hand.

Nicky moaned with sensual pleasure at the pressure of Marco’s teeth on his nipples. Marco pulled his head back a little and blew on his nipples, making Nicky cry out. “That’s right, baby. Get hard for me. Show me how much you need this. How much you need me.” He reached into the drawer by the bed and got the oil he knew was there, without even questioning how he knew it.