Manuscript Wednesday: Fox and Hunter collide.

Thanks to everyone who signed up for my ARC team. It means a lot to me!

I'm currently working on The Blood Scion: Prince of Thorns and Dusk Book One, so I'm knee deep in a stand off between vampires and the Fae. Good times!

It's sort of like this, but without shiny pants.

Or like this: 

Here's another peek at Fox Hunt!

The last thing he expected as he stepped out of the bathroom was Edward staring at him. Max hadn’t heard him open the door of the spare room, which was a massive oversight on his part. 

The fire still burned around Edward’s irises, though it was more of a smolder now. The intensity was different and it was aimed directly at him. 

Max saw it in Edward’s eyes a few times before. Now, it seemed distinctly out of place.

"What did I do wrong this time?" Max crossed his arms and met Edward's gaze.

Edward didn't have his phone, but he put his hands on his hips, as if Max was supposed to guess what he meant.

He probably wanted the bathroom.

Max stepped out, tried to move past him, but Edward blocked his way.

“You want to hit me? Punch me? Fine. Avoid my wounded side. And if you hit me in the eye, my team is going to know you did it. They won’t believe I’m that fucking clumsy.”

Edward balled his hands into fists, and Max planted his feet and waited for the blow.

Then Edward moved forward—shifter quick. He grasped Max's braid and yanked him down to Edward's level. His lips smashed against Max's. The kiss knocked the breath from his lungs, more teeth and pressure and a hot slick tongue that set fireworks off behind his eyes. 

But his cock didn't seem to mind.

Max was too caught off guard to kiss Ed back, and Edward pulled away, chest heaving.

Max licked his lips. 

Sucked in a breath that smelled like the fox. 

“Edward," he said, his voice a low growl. 

A plea. 

Maybe a question too.

Because what was he thinking?

And why the hell wasn't he putting a stop to it?

He could always say, ‘hey, I'm not gay.’ And leave it at that. But it wasn't the whole truth.

Now he knew what keeping the truth from Edward did. It's not like Edward would have given away the spot of the crossbow if Max had told him about it in advance. He was just being stubborn. Like usual. Trying to do things on his own. The way he did before he built his team. How, he’d still do things if he could avoid getting the team involved. Getting them hurt. 

If he got injured, it wasn't as bad as seeing it happen to one of them. Max was the leader. He deserved the pain.

But this was different.

Edward tilted his chin up, his mouth set into a dare. A slight quiver traveled through his shoulders, like he expected Max to shove him aside. To reject him the way who knows how many other people had.

And—shit—Max couldn't.

What did that mean?

Edward leaned forward again, more tentatively this time, and pressed his chest against Max's own. He wore the same thing he had on their walk. T-shirt. Jeans. The socks that always got baggy in the toes after he took off his shoes.

The second kiss wasn't as hard as the first. Edward’s lips burned as they pressed into Max's own and sucked the air from his lungs.

Max kept his hands at his sides but relented to the mouth pressed against his.

As if this was some price he had to pay. 

Or Edward—God no!

"You don't have to do this. You're not paying me back for saving you—" 

Edward cut him off. Teeth snagged at his bottom lip and pulled. A sharp jolt mingled with  lasting pleasure, and Edward's body crashed into his. His hips writhed against Max as his hand snaked over Max’s bare chest, carefully avoiding his wound, but that hand didn't seem to have as much apprehension about his boxers. Edward lifted the band, and Max sucked in a sharp breath as those hot slender fingers groped for his cock.

Found it and squeezed gently.

Fuck! 

How long had it been? Max didn't even want to think about that. Louise kept telling him he needed to get laid, but she probably never imagined it like this. 

He hissed through his teeth and thrust his tongue into Edward's mouth. Not battling for dominance, that wasn't fair since Edward was already at a distinct disadvantage. But Max could give as well as he could take. 

No use fighting his own desire. 

As Max’s cock hardened in Edward’s grip, Edward pulled back from the kiss. His mouth pink and full. Then he tugged Max forward, one hand on the band of his boxers and the other still tangled in Max’s braid. 

Edward pushed him against the wall and stared at Max’s chest for a long moment. As if he were deciding where to take his next battle—the battle for Max's body.

It didn't take long for Edward to make up his mind.

Max’s chest heaved—his brain reminding him this was a terrible idea. It was one thing to let a shifter into his house for protection’s sake. It was a whole other thing to have sex with that shifter. Especially someone so young—

But if this is what Edward wanted . . .