~excerpt from Bound by War (Laken and Torin's story. This is a WIP and I don't have a release date as of yet.)
WHEN THE clothes hit
the floor, Laken couldn’t help himself. He peeked… then nearly choked as he
tried to stop his surprised gasp. Down the center of Torin’s back was a thick
ridge of… nodules?
No, no, not nodules. It
was more like ridges. Laken swallowed as it dawned on him what he was looking
at—Torin had a thickly ridged spine. His gaze followed the graceful arch downward.
Gods above, even his muscular buttocks were ridged. They’d look good with bite
marks.
While they were definitely
worth close study, along with the various scars, the number of bruises on that
pale lilac skin was horrifying. Scars he found sexy, and there were several. But
getting them? Not so much.
It was a peculiar turn-on
for him, and he had no idea why. His gaze traveled back up Torin’s body. As he
stepped into the shower, Laken noticed the wound on Torin’s shoulder was
particularly wicked-looking and fairly new.
As the water drenched
him, Torin groaned. It was not a painful sound, by any means. Delicious and
gravelly, the noise arrowed straight to Laken’s gut. He wanted to join Torin
under the water, get soapy, then clean every naked inch of him. After that,
he’d kiss all that lovely purple skin.
Possessiveness rose,
and the urge to mark what was his was nearly overwhelming. Everyone should know
who this male belonged to. It was suddenly hot in there, and not just from the
steam. He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts, and the bells in his
hair chimed softly.
This uncontrollable need
shook him up. He didn’t react like this. He’d been attracted to both males and
even some females through the years, but this low-grade hum that flowed through
his body was new. This urge, this neediness to dominate was a little
frightening.