The Wolf Biker’s Mate

As a retired gay military man, a wolf shifter, and

owner  of  a  bike  repair  shop,  Kade  McGraw  is
comfortable with who and what he is. When Kade does
a favor for his adopted sister, Theresa, he discovers his
mate  is  joining  them,  as  the  date  of  Theresa’s  friend.
The  fact  that  Tom  is  human  and  knows  nothing  about
the  existence  of  shifters  is  only  one  of  many  hurdles.
His  mate  doesn’t  want  to  admit  he’s  gay,  and  Kade
finds  himself  fighting  for  his  future  as  Tom  fights  the
mate-pull.

A straight-laced marketing executive, Tom doesn’t

understand  his  attraction  to  the  tattooed,  pierced  biker
with the  burning green eyes and sensual smile. Tom  is
so deep in the closet, he may as well be chained there.
But Kade turns up at the oddest times, and somehow he
seems  to  know  every  one  of  Tom’s  hidden  desires,
turning  his  body  against  him.  It  doesn’t  matter  how
much  Tom  likes  it,  though,  because  he  has  family
obligations that don’t include revealing his sexuality.

Can Kade convince Tom that he can help him and

his family? Or will Tom fold under the pressure?

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The Wolf Biker’s Mate

ISBN: 978-1-77111-237-6

Cover art by Angela Waters

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The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Wolves of Stone Ridge: Book Ten

Charlie Richards

Chapter One

need a favor.”

Kade grinned as he leaned back in his office

chair. “Sure, sis, what’s up?” he asked into the phone.

“Oh, don’t call me that,” Theresa whined.

“Especially considering what I’m about to ask you.”

That had his brow lifting. His foster sibling had

never had a problem with him affectionately calling her
his sister before. Kade leaned forward and propped an
elbow on his desk. “What’s wrong?”

“I need a date for tonight. Are you busy?”
Kade’s second brow joined his first at his hairline.

“You did not just ask me out on a date, Tessa. I don’t
swing your way and even if I did, the idea of dating you
is just…wrong,” he muttered. “No offense,” he added
quickly. He’d never once gotten the inclination that
Theresa was interested in him like that.

To Kade’s relief, Theresa giggled. “Of course not, ya

big oaf. I’m supposed to be double dating with Patricia
Templeton  tonight.  You  know,  Jared’s  sister?  She’s
introducing  me  to  her  new  boyfriend.  I  guess  he’s  a
friend  of  her  brother-in-law’s.  Anyway,”  Tessa
continued,  and  Kade  smiled,  losing  focus  as  he
imagined  Theresa  waving  her  hand  in  a  dismissive
gesture  as  she  talked.  His  foster  sister  always  talked

“I

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

with her hands. It was entertaining to hold her hands
down when trying to have a conversation with her and
watch her get frustrated. “So, is that okay?”

Shit! He’d totally missed something. “I’m sorry.

What was that last part?”

Theresa blew out a frustrated breath. “Pay attention,

Kade!” she snapped. “I said my date cancelled and I
don’t want to be a third wheel, so I need you to come so
I have someone to talk to while Patricia makes goo-goo
eyes at Tom.”

“Oh, yeah, sure, but you owe me,” he teased. They

both knew he would have done it regardless, but he
might as well get a promise for a return favor out of the
deal.

“Fine,” she huffed, probably rolling her eyes. “Can

you be at Dave’s Ribs & BBQ in Colin City by seven?”

“Oh, nice. Did you pick that place just for my

benefit?” he asked, already looking forward to the
amazing ribs the place was famous for.

Chuckling, she replied, “Afraid not, big guy. I guess

Tom really likes the place.”

“Mmm, a man after my own heart.”
“Hey, Tom is Patricia’s date. You’ll have to settle

for me tonight,” she scolded.

Kade grinned. “Sure, Tessa. I’ll see you later.”
He had started to pull the phone away from his ear

when he heard her shout, “Wait! Bear?”

Uh, oh, she only called him that over the phone

when she wanted something she thought he might
refuse to. “What is it?” he asked warily.

“Can you look kind of intimidating? You know, just

in case this guy’s a douche and we need to scare him

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off,” she explained.

Throwing his head back, Kade let out a belly

laughed. “Ah, baby, have you looked at me lately? I’m
fucking intimidating without even trying!”

“Ah, you haven’t let yourself go have you, Kade? Is

something wrong?”

Kade’s features settled into a smile. “No, Tessa, but

you gotta admit I look the part of a rough mechanic.
Comes with the job.” He loved owning his own repair
shop and wouldn’t trade his job for all the gold in the
world.

“Okay. So long as you’re fine, Bear. I’ll see you

tonight,” Theresa replied, happiness returning to her
voice.

“Bye.”
After tossing the cell phone on his desk, he frowned

at the clock. He’d have to leave closing the shop to
someone else if he wanted to get to Colin City on time,
but that was fine. He had several capable employees.

Kade pushed away from the desk, opened a door to a

dark  stairway,  and  headed  up  to  his  large  apartment
over his garage. He hopped in the shower, using special
soap  to  scrub  at  the  grease  under  his  fingernails.  A
moment later, he stared at himself in the mirror. He did
look  a  little  rougher  than  normal.  Maybe  the  beard
needed to go. He cocked his  head, running  a wet hand
over the carefully trimmed whiskers. A goatee, maybe?
Sure.

He picked up his razor and got to work, carefully

buzzing and trimming the dark hair on his face. Once
done, he ran his hand over the freshly shaved skin,
liking how the new look accentuated his strong jaw and

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

cheekbones.  So  what  if  it  wasn’t  a  real  date.  He could
still  look  nice  for  his  pseudo-sister.  As  far  as  looking
intimidating  went,  all  he  had  to  do  was  wear  a  short-
sleeved shirt and show off his tats for that to work. His
six  foot  four  inch,  heavily  muscled  build  and  piercing
green eyes would do the rest

—

and the bike, he decided.

Spring  was  starting  to  warm  things  up,  but  it  was  still
pretty cool  for the  motorcycle. His  leathers would take
care of the rest of the  look Theresa seemed to want as
well as the chill in the air.

Grinning, he finger combed the tousled mop of long

dark curls he called hair, slicking it back from his face.
Kade  pulled  on  a  dark  green  t-shirt  and  comfortable,
form-fitting  jeans.  After  strapping  on  his  black  leather
chaps, he grabbed  his  motorcycle  jacket, tossed it over
his shoulder, and headed down to the garage.

He found Todd finishing up an oil change on a beat

up Toyota pickup. “Hey, do you want some extra
hours?” he called. “I need to get out of here.”

The fellow wolf shifter looked him up and down and

whistled. “Hot date?”

Kade grinned and shook his head. “Dinner with my

sister and her friends,” he admitted.

“Too bad, ‘cause you look killer in that outfit.” Todd

pointed at his own face as he added, “I like the goatee.
It looks good on you. And the green shirt brings out
your eyes.” He leaned close and checked out the Celtic
tattoos running the length of Kade’s left arm. “Where
did you get these done? They’re awesome!”

He knew the small wolf was already mated, but

Kade still appreciated the compliments. “If you or Lyle
want a tat, go to Reb’s. He’s the best,” he advised.

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Todd glanced around, then asked, “Isn’t he the big

red-headed wolf with the massive dragon on his back?”

Kade nodded. “Yup. That’s the guy. So, are you

good closing up tonight?”

Todd beamed, obviously pleased that Kade trusted

him enough to close on his own. “Yeah. Lyle is
working late tonight, so this is perfect. It’ll keep me
from stewing at home,” he added with an eye roll.

“Great,” Kade responded, slapping Todd on the

back, the impact making the smaller wolf shifter
stumble forward a step. “I appreciate it.”

Giving him a sly look, Todd teased, “You could

always swing by Rooster’s before going home. I’m sure
there’s a bunch of guys that would lick those tattoos for
you!”

Laughing, Kade lifted a hand in a wave of

acknowledgement  and  kept  walking.  He  had  to  admit,
the  smaller  wolf  had  a  very  good  point.  A  couple
months ago he’d finished a three week stint as a guard
that  kept  him  unavailable  every  other  day.  While
catching  up  on  all  the  projects  and  orders  in  his  shop,
Kade  hadn’t  had  time  to  go  out.  Going  to  a  club  and
picking  up  some  cute  twink  would  be  a  great  way  to
blow off some steam.

He thought of Nick, wondering if his friend and his

mate  would  be  up  for  that.  But  then  he’d  have  to
tolerate  Miach.  He  figured  it  was  because  he  felt  like
he’d  lost  his  best  friend  that  he  had  such  a  hard  time
accepting  the  guy.  Nick  was  happy,  that  was  what
mattered, Kade admonished himself.

After fitting the helmet to his head, he brought his

chopper roaring to life. He headed out of Stone Ridge.

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

He  drove  slowly,  enjoying  the  scenery  as  well  as  the
bite  of  cold,  heralding  another  snow.  The  winter  had
been  mild  this  year,  allowing  him  to  get  his  bike  out
more than usual. His high shifter tolerance for cold also
helped  with  that.  There  was  nothing  better  than
romping through snow drifts with other wolves.

His grin remained in place for the rest of the drive.

He parked his bike and pulled out his cell phone,
chuckling when he saw he had a text from Tessa. Booth
in back on right.

Locking up his helmet and leathers, he stretched his

arms above  his  head and popped his  back.  After doing
the  same  to  his  neck,  he  headed  into  the  restaurant.
Walking  inside,  he  inhaled  the  wonderful  smell  of
cooking  meat  and  spices.  His  stomach  growled  in
appreciation.

The hostess gave him an enquiring look, but he

waved her away. “My party is already here,” he told
her, heading in the direction Theresa had told him.

He saw his sister just as she glanced up and spotted

him. She slipped from her side of the booth, a relieved
grin spreading over her lovely blonde features. “Hey,
Bear! You made it!”

Oh, gods, was the date going that badly already?
He lifted an enquiring brow, but pasted a grin on his

face and gave her a hug before kissing her cheek. “Hey,
Tessa, thanks for inviting me.” After smelling the
delicious meat cooking, he really meant that.

Pulling away he finally turned to look at the couple

sitting on the opposite side of the booth. A lovely light
brown haired woman smiled up at him, and he could
easily see the resemblance to Jared. The major

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difference was the eyes. Where Jared’s hazel eyes were
cold and calculating, his sister’s eyes were alight with
the joy of life. She held out a hand and he shook it with
a polite nice to meet you.

He turned to look at her date, and almost swallowed

his  tongue.  The  guy  was  absolutely  stunning!  He  had
auburn  hair  that  was  cut  into  a  respectable  business-
style do. His oval face ended in a slightly pointed chin,
and his nice cheekbones were formed just wide enough
to  keep  his  face  looking  masculine.  Kade  held  out  his
hand, and the other guy took it.

A current of electricity shot through his body,

zinging straight to his groin. His cock jerked in his
jeans, and Kade felt grateful that the constrictive
material would hide his untimely erection. Tom’s scent
hit him, and Kade’s nostrils flared. Mate!

The guy cleared his throat. “Tom. Tom Bristol.”
“Kade McGraw,” he replied, unable to help it if his

voice dropped an octave and came out a bit gruff.

His wolf howled in the back of his mind, and it took

everything  in  him to release Tom’s hand and sit  down
in  the  booth.  Theresa  eyed  him  speculatively.  He
ignored  her.  Kade  grabbed  Tessa’s  water  and  took  a
huge swig. “Did you all already order,” he asked when
he finally had enough moisture in his mouth to speak.

“Just an appetizer,” Theresa told him.
A waiter took that moment to stop at their table.

“Can I get you something to drink, sir?”

With his mate sitting across from him occupying his

attention,  it  took  Kade  a  second  to  realize  his  tattoos
were  being  given  an  appreciative  look.  It  nearly  killed
him that his  mate was sitting across from him, and not

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

next  to  him,  and  on  a  date  with  a  woman,  no  less.  He
needed to know if Tom  felt the  mate-pull at all. To do
that, Kade leaned back in his seat and grinned up at the
cute brunet. “I’d like a Guinness, cutie,” he said with a
wink.  “Got  that  on  tap?”  He  knew  they  did,  but  also
knew the sexual innuendo wouldn’t be missed.

The waiter, Phil his nametag said, gave him a wide

smile. “Oh, yeah, we have that on tap,” he replied.

“Excellent,” Kade purred.
Glancing around the table, Phil said, “Your appetizer

should be ready in just a moment, so I’ll be back with
those in a minute.” Kade watched the man leave,
noticing there was a little extra swish to his hips that
had him smirking.

From the corner of his eye, he saw Tom’s Adam’s

apple bob as he swallowed hard and looked down at his
plate. Was that a slight blush tingeing his neck and
ears? Interesting.

Theresa laughed. “Gods, I can’t take you anywhere!”

she teased.

Kade shrugged. “What can I say? He’s got a cute

ass.” It was true. The guy did have a nice ass. Too bad
Kade didn’t feel even an iota of desire for him now that
he’d met his mate.

“You’re gay?” Patricia asked bluntly.
Kade leaned forward, resting one well-muscled arm

on the table, and grinned. “Oh, I don’t mind looking at
the soft curves of a woman every now and then, but
even you can’t deny that there’s nothing like sliding
your hands up the firm planes of a guy’s chest.”

Yup, that was definitely a blush, and if Kade’s

shifter nose wasn’t mistaken, arousal. His words

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aroused his mate. Kade did a mental fist-pump.

Patricia giggled, tucking her hand into Tom’s arm.

“Yeah.”

Kade had to grit his teeth to keep from growling at

the woman and the way she touched his mate.  Fucking
hell!  He settled back on the booth seat, making certain
he couldn’t reach Patricia as she scraped her nails down
Tom’s  arm.  Kade  didn’t  think  Jared  would  take  too
kindly to him murdering his sister.

A pinch to his leg had him focusing on Theresa.

“I’m  going  to  the  ladies’  room  while  we  wait  for  the
food.  I’ll  be  back  in  a  minute,”  she  told  their
companions  with  a  smile.  The  look that  flashed  in  her
eyes said something completely different to Kade.

He smiled and slid from the booth to let her out. “I

think I’m going to do the same. Long drive,” he stated
as an excuse.

He followed Theresa around to the other side of the

restaurant  and  to  the  hall  where  the  restrooms  were
hidden.  Once  in  the  relative  seclusion  of  the  hallway,
she  rounded  on  him,  resting  her  hands  on  her  hips.
“What the hell is going on with you?”

Kade grimaced. He propped his back against a wall

and slammed his head into the wood trim. “He’s my
fucking mate, Tessa!” He groaned out the admission.

“Oh, Kade!” she murmured, taking his arm. “I’m so

sorry!”

Growling softly, he focused on his sister. “You

know that favor you owe me? Well, I’m cashing it in. I
need your help.”

She blinked up at him, her expression clearly

pensive. “Okay. I’ll help as long as it doesn’t hurt

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Patricia. She practically has them married already.”

A snarl escaped him before he could get a hold of

himself. “I know he feels the connection,” he snapped.
“I could smell his arousal when I started talking
about—” he cut himself off and turned away, running a
hand through his hair. “Fuck!”

“Okay, okay,” Theresa crooned, running her hands

up and down his arms. “What do you need me to do?”

“I need information about Tom,” he replied, thinking

quickly. “What does he do for fun? Where did he go to
school? What does he do for a living? What kind of car
does  he  drive?”  Theresa’s  eyes  widened  with  each
question  he  wanted  to  know  about  his  mate,  and  he
grimaced.  “I’d  ask  myself  but  I’ve  a  feeling  now  that
Patricia knows I’m gay, she’ll get offended.”

Theresa nodded. “Right, I can understand that.

Anything else?”

“Can you figure out a way to have his car break

down outside my shop?” he muttered dryly.

She scoffed. “That might be a little harder.”

Sobering, she frowned. “So what’s with you and the
waiter?”

“I wanted to know if Tom would get upset, aroused,

irritated.” He shrugged and waved a hand. “Just looking
for a reaction to see where he stands,” he admitted.

“Maybe Jared has met him,” Theresa pointed out.

“Tom is dating his sister, and he strikes me as the
overly protective type.”

Kade grunted. “You got that right,” he muttered. He

was  one  of  a  few  wolves  in  the  pack  that  knew  Jared
used  to  work  as  an  assassin.  When  the  human  mated
with  Carson,  he  gave  that  life  up  and  now  worked

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mostly for the pack, procuring information and rescuing
shifters. Kade had been on one such raid with him and
watched the man work. His cold efficiency impressed
Kade almost as much as it scared him. He wondered
how Carson lived with the snarky man.

Refocusing, he let out a long breath. He smiled and

pointed back down the short hallway. “Well, let’s get
this show on the road.” He followed Theresa back
toward his mate.

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Chapter Two

om struggled to keep his breathing even and the
tension filling his body hidden. There was nothing

he  could  do  about  the  stiffness  in  a  certain  member,
though.  Why the hell am I reacting this  way to  the big
man? He was so deep in the closet, his urges buried so
far beneath the surface, he shouldn’t be responding like
this  to  just  Kade’s  handshake  and  voice.  Even  if
everything about the man was sexy as hell.

Banishing that thought, he tried to focus on what

Patricia was saying. He needed to get hold of himself,
and fast. He didn’t want the woman to think his sudden
boner was due to anything she’d done.

“What do you think you’re getting?”
Patricia’s perky voice cut into the tumult of his

thoughts.  He  swallowed  a  gulp  of  beer,  trying  to  get
moisture  into  his  throat  so  he  could  answer.  Tom  still
needed  to  clear  his  throat  to  get  words  out.  “I  always
get their ribs.” He’d already told her that, twice.

“Oh, right,” she murmured absently, returning her

focus to the menu.

Tom wanted to roll his eyes, but resisted the urge.

Patricia’s father was an important man in the local

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banking industry, and a match with her would be good
for his  family. They  desperately  needed a  loan to keep
their family’s sporting goods store open. It had been an
abysmal  season,  and  even  though things  had  started  to
turn around now that he handled  marketing,  it was too
little too late. If he could win Patricia’s hand, he could
talk her father into getting the loan for his store to keep
it afloat because they were family.

What about what’s good for you?
Clenching his jaw, Tom banished his inner voice. It

didn’t  matter  that  he  wasn’t  physically  attracted  to
Patricia. He’d find a way to make it work. Being gay in
his family wasn’t an option. Every time he went home,
his  father  Harvey  was  on  some  tirade  about  how  fags
were  clogging  up  Colin  City.  Tom  wasn’t  even  man
enough to tell his father that Patricia’s brother was gay.
How the hell could he ever admit it about himself?

I can’t.
At least all his self-flagellation had gotten rid of his

erection.  The  return  of  their  waiter  with  the  beer  and
nacho supreme appetizer interrupted his thoughts. Even
as  he  smiled  and  thanked  the  man,  who  looked
disappointed  that  Kade  wasn’t  at  the  table,  jealousy
unlike  anything  Tom  had  ever  experienced  surged
through  him.  This  slender  guy,  who  probably  wasn’t
even legal, was out and proud.

Fuck! Stop thinking about it!
Steeling his emotions, he smiled and handed Patricia

a plate. “Can I serve you some of this?” he asked.

“Mmm, sure. Just make sure I don’t get any olives.

Kay?” she replied, flashing him what she probably
thought was a sultry smile. The problem was, it did

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nothing for him.

Keeping his smile firmly in place, he teased,

“Excellent. More for me.”

He piled a serving on both their plates and took a

bite. Tom couldn’t fathom why the hell a rib joint had a
nacho supreme on their appetizer list, but these were
fantastic. “Oh, delicious,” he muttered, letting out a
hum of approval.

“Oh, now I like the sound of that.”
The deep, rumbling purr of Kade’s voice heralded

the  man’s  return.  And  his  dick  began  to  firm  back  up
just  that  fast.  Tom  offered  him  a  smile  before  quickly
turning  his  focus to the  food. He pointed at the pile of
chips,  cheese,  refried  beans,  flavored  ground  beef,  and
various  other  toppings.  “That  is  fantastic.  I  could  live
on these guy’s nachos and ribs,” he admitted.

Kade chuckled, and Tom had to suppress a shiver.

“A man after my own heart. Hand me a plate there,
would you, Tom.”

The way Kade practically purred his name sent all

kinds of tingles skittering across Tom’s nerve endings.
His tension ratcheted up a notch. Handing the man a
plate, Tom was careful to avoid contact between them.

The waiter must have been watching, since Phil

almost immediately appeared at Kade’s side. “Have you
decided what you’d like?” He asked the question of all
of them, but most of his attention was on the biker.

Kade grinned up at the man and waved a hand to

signal  the  ladies  should  order  first. Tom  couldn’t  help
his feeling of disapproval when Patricia ordered a salad.
A  freaking  salad  for  supper  at  a  rib  joint?  Come  on!
And  the  pleasure  he  suddenly  felt  a  moment  later  had

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nothing  to  do  with  Kade’s  order  of  a  double  rack  of
ribs,  loaded  baked  potato,  and  green  beans.  Could  the
man  really  pack  that  much  away?  Looking  at  Kade’s
size  and  muscle  mass,  something  told  Tom  that  he
could.

Once Phil left again, Theresa leaned her elbows on

the table and focused on Tom. “So, Tom, Patricia tells
me you met her through her brother-in-law. What do
you do for work?”

“I’m the marketing executive for my family’s store,

All Weather Outfitters,” he said. It looked like the
inquisition was going to start before dinner. Ah, well.
He’d expected as much.

“Nice. Have you been doing that long?” she prodded

further.

Smirking, Tom decided he’d just get it over with. “I

graduated  from  Colin  City  University  in  the  top  two
percent  of  my  class  three  years  ago.  I’ve  worked  just
about  every  aspect  of  the  family  business  from  sales
representative, cashier, all the way up to management. I
was  promoted  to  marketing  executive  six  months  ago,
and since then have increased sales by thirteen percent.
I’m  twenty-six.  I’m  five  foot  ten,  and  I  weigh  one
hundred fifty-two pounds. I enjoy running and hiking in
the summer and cross-country skiing and snowmobiling
in the winter.” His long-winded self-talk gave Tom the
audacity to wink at Kade, then he returned his focus to
Theresa. “How about you?”

Kade chuckled softly. “He got ya there, Tessa.”
Tessa glared at Kade, but there didn’t appear to be

any heat in the look. “Shut up, Bear.” Then she grinned
at Tom and shrugged unabashedly. “Gotta make sure

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you measure up. I wouldn’t be a good friend if I
didn’t.”

The sly look Theresa gave Kade, and Kade’s

consequent eye roll, spelled trouble. “What’s your
favorite football team?”

“Green Bay Packers,” Tom answered warily.
That had Kade slamming his beer onto the table.

Good  thing  it  was  nearly  empty  already,  or  he  would
have  made  quite  the  mess.  “What!  How  can  you  root
for  that  sham  of  a  team?”  he  snapped,  leaning  one
elbow  on  the  table  as  he  frowned  at  Tom.  “They
pawned off Favre on us and it’s done nothing but bring
us  down!  Someone  greased  some  palms  there.  I  just
know  it,” he  said, dropping  his  fist to the table to add
emphasis to his words.

Tom curled his lip. “Sure palms were greased,

because the Vikings could never beat the Packers while
Favre was playing for them. Packers are better,” he
stated, adding a negligent shrug just because he knew it
would irritate the man further.

“They most certainly are not,” Kade snarled, leaning

even farther across the expanse of the table.

His blood zinged through his veins. Excitement

coursed  through  him  and  his  dick  throbbed  as  Tom
enjoyed  the  heated  argument  with  the  sexy  man.  That
realization caught him up short. After swallowing hard
to  get  his racing pulse under control, Tom settled back
into  his  seat  and  smirked.  “Superbowl  wins  say  it  all,
Kade.”

Kade opened his mouth to reply, but Patricia huffed.

“As if any of that’s important.” She turned her attention
to Theresa and said, “How can men spend so much time

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arguing about that stuff?”

Irritation coursed through Tom that the woman he

was entertaining the idea of proposing to could dismiss
football so easily. To his surprise, Kade actually
grinned, settled back in his seat, and turned to look at
Theresa in expectation of her answer.

Theresa finished chewing the chip she’d just put in

her mouth. After carefully wiping her lips with a napkin
she replied, “Sorry, Kade. Tom makes a valid point.
Packs have won four superbowls. Vikings, zilch.”

Seeing the mock shock on Kade’s face was worth

any price as he sputtered about betraying the family.
Tom leaned over and pecked a chaste kiss to Patricia’s
cheek. “See, sweetie? Some women enjoy sports.” Tom
knew he’d never change her mind when he saw the look
of disgust on her face.

He gave a mental shrug and turned back to the man

across  the  table,  wondering  if  he  had  any  more  words
on  the  subject.  To  his  utter  shock,  he  found  Kade  was
giving him a look of angry, feral possession so hot that
Tom  actually  felt  a  drop  of  pre-cum  ooze  from  his
erection.

Kade’s deep green eyes narrowed, and for a second,

he seemed to lift his nose and inhale, as if scenting the
air. Then the big man turned to look at their
approaching waiter, and the moment was gone. Tom
felt a shiver run down his spine, but he wasn’t certain if
it was attraction or fear.

And the jealousy he felt seeing the flirting that

passed between Kade and Phil made no sense. Even if
Tom could admit that he wanted use his tongue to trace
the outline of the Celtic tattoos partially hidden by

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Kade’s short sleeves, find out how far up they went,
he’d never act on it.

For the remainder of the meal, Tom focused on his

date, his food, and making certain he mostly spoke with
the women. Still, he couldn’t help noticing when Phil
slipped Kade his phone number written on the back of a
receipt. Nor, could he figure out why it pissed him off
so much when Kade returned the much younger man’s
smile and even leered brazenly at him.

All Tom wanted to do was get home and forget this

date ever happened. Instead, once they made it to the
parking lot, the women gathered around Kade’s
motorcycle for their last good-byes. Kade had agreed to
drop Theresa off at home, since Tom had picked her up.

Kade strapped on a pair of leather chaps which clung

to  his  legs  and  ass  in  the  most  delicious  of  ways, then
he swung his leg over his bike and grinned at them all.
“You  sure  you  don’t  want  a  short  ride,  Patricia?
Nothing  like  the  power  of  a  Harley  between  your
thighs,” he said, holding up a second helmet.

He might have been talking to Patricia, but Tom

couldn’t help noticing the way Kade’s gaze slid over
him like a visual caress. There was no way Kade could
miss the erection filling Tom’s jeans, and Tom didn’t
miss the heat in the biker’s eyes.

“Oh, no. Motorcycles are really not my thing,”

Patricia answered, shaking her head.

I’d love a ride, and not just on your motorcycle.
The thought slipped through his mental guard,

making Tom struggle to keep from blushing. Somehow,
from the way Kade lifted a brow and the glitter of his
green eyes, Tom just knew the man was aware of the

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direction of his thoughts. Damn!

Finally, he was able to get away. Tom just managed

to  keep  from  looking  at  Kade  over  his  shoulder  when
his  big  bike  roared  to  life,  but  nothing  could  stop  him
from  checking  him  out  in  his  rearview  mirror  as  he
pulled out of the parking lot.

“Do you really like hiking and running and cross-

country skiing?” Patricia asked.

“Sure do,” he replied. Pasting a smile to his lips,

Tom said, “My family does own a sporting goods store,
after all. I can get you some great deals on sneakers or
skis if you want to join me some time.”

“Oh, no way,” she replied, waving away his offer.

“I’ll just go get a massage while you’re off doing that.”
Patricia giggled, as if that were the most obvious choice
in the world.

Tom cringed inwardly. Do I have anything in

common with this woman?

When they pulled up to her house, Tom dutifully

walked Patricia to the door. She looked up at him
through her lashes and asked, “Would you like to come
in for a nightcap?”

He knew she meant to be seductive, but Tom felt

nothing, and he sure as hell didn’t want to fake it
tonight. Smiling, he lied, “I’m sorry. I have a marketing
presentation in the morning, and I really need to finish
the presentation.” He gave her a quick kiss on the lips
and then pulled away. “I’ll call you soon,” he promised
even as he hurried toward his car.

Quickly getting behind the wheel, Tom turned

toward home and a bottle of Scotch.

Shit, what the hell am I going to do?

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Chapter Three

fter dropping off Theresa at her townhouse, and
assuring her multiple times that he’d be fine, Kade

roared down the country roads. He wondered what the
hell he was going to do. His mate was a closeted
human. He needed advice, and needed it fast.

As Kade made his way back to Stone Ridge, he

thought through his available options and grimaced
when he realized who he needed to go to. Looking at
his watch to verify that it wasn’t too late, he turned his
motorcycle toward the home of Patricia’s brother.

Kade pulled up in front of Jared’s home and stared at

the  ranch-style  structure.  A  wraparound  porch
disappeared to the left, and an attached three car garage
stood to the right. He shut down his motorcycle, settled
his helmet on the handlebar, and swung his leg over, all
the  while  trying  to  figure  out  how  in  the  hell  he  was
going to tell the other  man that he planned to steal  his
sister’s boyfriend from her.

He hadn’t even reached the porch when the front

door opened, casting a beam of light across the front
yard. “Kade, is something wrong?”

Well, shit, he really should have stopped to call first,

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as  he  saw  the  concern  on  Carson’s  face.  The  Native
American  wolf  shifter  was  the  pack  enforcer  and
Jared’s  mate.  “No,  sir,”  he  replied  quickly.  “I’m  not
here on pack matters.”

Reaching the door, Carson stepped back and ushered

him inside. “Really?” Kade could see the concern
gleaming in Carson’s brown eyes turn to interest.

Kade paused in the entry hall and turned to face the

pack enforcer and ran a hand through his hair. “I have a
personal problem that I hope your mate can assist me
with,” he admitted.

“I see,” Carson replied. “This way.” He followed the

other wolf deeper into the house and down a beautifully
carved wooden staircase. “Jared, are you at a point
where you can pause for a moment?”

Kade’s jaw nearly dropped when he reached the

bottom  of  the  stairs  and  the  large  basement  opened
before  him.  On  the  wall  on  the  left  hung  a  massive
display  of  guns,  old  ones,  from  muskets  to  bayonets.
One long desk took up nearly the entire length of the far
wall,  with  a  safe  kitty-corner  to  the  bookshelves  that
lined  the  wall  on  the  right.  On  the  desk  rested  a
computer  and  several  laptops.  The  bookshelves  were
filled with every reference material known to man.

A redhead sat in a chair in front of one of the

laptops. Upon Carson’s voice, he spun around and Kade
recognized him as Jared’s friend Raul. “Hey man,” the
human greeted Kade before returning his focus to
whatever he was working on.

Movement out of the corner of his eye had Kade

turning toward his right. This time he couldn’t stop his
jaw from dropping when one entire bookcase swung

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

outward into a hidden room. Jared strode through the
gap and into the room, flipping through files as he
walked. As the bookshelf swung back into place, Kade
spotted weapons in the room beyond, illegal ones if he
didn’t miss his guess.

“Close your mouth, Kade. You’ll catch a fly,” Jared

said, a corner of his lip curving in amusement although
he never seemed to even look their way. “I can’t locate
the scientist’s headquarters if I keep getting
interrupted,” he toned.

“I apologize for interrupting,” Kade quickly replied,

giving  the  enforcer’s  mate  the  respect  he  was  due.  “I
have  a  problem  and  I’m  hoping  you  can  help.”  When
Jared  didn’t  respond  and  instead  leaned  over  Raul’s
shoulder to stare at the laptop’s screen, Kade ran a hand
through his thick hair. He pulled the band from the back
and scratched  his scalp. There was  no easy way to say
this. “I met your sister this evening. Patricia.”

That brought Jared up short. He straightened and

tossed the files on the desk. Turning cool hazel eyes on
Kade, he looked him up and down. “Don’t tell me she’s
your mate,” he said dryly.

“No,” Kade admitted. “Her boyfriend is.”
Jared rested his hands on his hips and frowned.

“Tom Bristol?” Kade swallowed and frowned. “Awe,
fuck,” Jared growled.

He expected the cussing, since he’d essentially just

told Jared his sister would have to find a new boyfriend.
What he didn’t expect was for the man to whip out his
wallet, count out several twenties, and slap them into a
very amused Carson’s palm.

Not really understanding, he asked, “You bet on

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your sister?”

Carson chuckled. “Nope. On Tom.” The shifter

pocketed the cash and turned to a scowling Jared. “I
told you he was gay.”

“Well, even if he wasn’t before, he will be now,”

Jared muttered.

Kade knew what Jared meant, since it was fairly

common knowledge that Jared had never even thought
about being with a man until he’d run into Carson and
learned he was mated to the wolf. But in this case, Kade
stated, “He’s definitely in the closet, but that still leaves
me with the problem of your sister.”

Jared leaned against the desk and crossed his arms.

“How so?”

“Well, I’m gonna subtly court the man,” Kade

declared. “I don’t really wanna piss you off because I’m
gonna steal your sister’s man.” He didn’t like poaching
but in this case, Kade didn’t really see a choice.

“Awe, Patricia wouldn’t have ended up with Tom

anyway,” Jared said, waving a hand dismissively.

Kade shook his head. “That’s not what I heard from

my  friend  Theresa.  She  told  me  Patricia  is  talking
marriage  to  Tom.”  He  growled  the  last  few  words,
hating  the  idea  of  what  the  pair  could  be  doing  right
now. His hackles rose at that thought, and Kade had to
fight back his wolf’s desire to track down his mate and
make certain they both went home alone.

“Hmm,” Jared toned, his eyes narrowing. “The

man’s not right for her.” Then he smirked at Kade. “No
offense to your mate.”

He forced out a chuckle. “I agree with you.”
“Well, I guess I have some other research to do,”

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Jared muttered, sliding into a chair and booting up a
laptop.

Kade glanced between the muttering human’s seated

form and Carson. The enforcer shrugged. “He approves
you breaking up his sister and Tom.”

He swept an arm toward the stairs, and Kade

recognized the dismissal. “I appreciate his, um,
understanding,” he said, heading upstairs.

Carson nodded. “I was actually going to seek you

out tomorrow, but since you’re here, I have one other
thing to discuss with you.”

Pausing in the hall, Kade turned his focus to his

enforcer and inclined his head. “Anything I can do to
help.”

Smiling, Carson’s eyes twinkled with mischief.

“This is something that could actually help you, within
the pack anyway.”

“Yeah?” Kade cocked his head in interest.
“As you know, over the last couple of years we’ve

accepted a number of new members as well as granted
asylum to several shifters without a pack,” Carson said.
At Kade’s nod of acknowledgement, Carson continued.
“Declan has decided to offer the position of second and
third enforcer to half a dozen wolves. If you’re
interested, there will be a right-for-position challenge
next Saturday. You’re welcome to come fight for one of
those positions.”

Amazement and pride flooded Kade. Just the idea

that his alpha and Carson felt him a candidate for such a
prominent position in the pack filled him with pleasure.
“Thank you,” he managed to get out. “I’m honored to
be offered such an opportunity. I will be there.”

Charlie Richards

Carson nodded, a smile curving his lips. “Good.

Nine o’ clock at Laremie’s Rock. Come early,” Carson
commanded.

“I will, sir,” Kade responded.
The enforcer opened the front door, and Kade strode

into  the  night.  As  he  straddled  his  bike  and  headed
home,  he  couldn’t  help  but  feel  blessed.  He’d  met  his
mate  and  had  been  offered  the  opportunity  to  increase
his  status  in  the  pack  all  in  one  night.  Now,  how  to
succeed in both areas?

It took Theresa two days to call Kade. Two days of

struggling to concentrate on bike repairs and detailing
fenders. As he listened to her explain what she’d found
out about Tom’s schedule, Kade began to smile.

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Chapter Four

om stared at the sales figures, his brows crinkling.
Although they weren’t quite where Tom wanted

them, they were still climbing. Just not fast enough. The
store would still need the loan, which meant his plans to
get in with Patricia’s family needed to continue.

Rising from his seat, Tom stretched his arms over

his  head  and  popped  his  back.  He  decided  it  was  past
time  to  take  a  stroll  through  the  store.  He  wanted  to
people watch  and see  how the  new  marketing displays
were working out.

He strolled down an aisle of camping equipment,

pleased with the interest he saw in the recently erected
end  display  regarding  new  collapsible  camping  stoves.
The shelves were  half empty, and Tom  made a note to
mention restocking the section to the floor manager. He
moved on toward the clothing department, curious how
the  addition  of  Adidas  and  Nike  to  their  more  local
lines impacted attraction.

Several men had shirts over their arms as they

moved through the racks. He hid a pleased smile as he
watched them check the racks. Who says women are the
only ones who like to shop? Tom turned to a rack and

Charlie Richards

moved shirts as if looking through them for his own
interest while he continued to watch the traffic patterns.

After ten minutes, there was a lull and no more

customers were in the area. He was about to turn and
move to the next section of the store when he became
aware of a presence behind him. “You have a very nice
store here, Tom.”

The rumbling voice sent shivers down his spine and

the hair on the  nape of  his  neck  stood on end. Licking
his lips, he swallowed hard before turning around. Just
as  he  suspected,  Kade  McGraw  stood  no  more  than
three  feet away  from  him. His throat dried up  just that
fast at the delicious looking man.

Kade wore a blue t-shirt advertising a bike repair

shop  on  his  chest,  form-fitting,  faded  blue  jeans,  and
black  biker  boots. Edges  of  tattoos  peeked  from  under
the  top  of  his  t-shirt,  up  his  neck,  and  down  his  arms.
Kade’s hands were tucked into the front pockets of his
jeans,  outlining  his  groin,  and  Tom  had  to  clamp  his
jaw shut to stop from licking his lips at the sexy picture
he made.

“What are you doing here?” he finally managed to

ask.

Shrugging one broad shoulder, he smiled sensually,

if a smile on a man could be called such. “I came to
check out your hiking boots.”

Tom did not feel disappointed by that response. He

didn’t want Kade to come see him. The big man was a
complication he didn’t want or need in his life.

Somehow, as if reading his thoughts, Kade moved a

step toward him, closing the distance between them. He
dropped his head down a bit and growled into Tom’s

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

ear, “And I came to see you, Tom.”

The heat of the man’s breath against the shell of his

ear  had  his  cock  thickening  in  his  slacks.  He  couldn’t
move,  couldn’t  think,  as  all  the  blood  in  his  body
flowed  south.  Kade’s  lips  brushed  against  his  neck,
caressing lightly. He could smell the dark musk of man
on the guy’s skin and Tom’s dick oozed a bead of pre-
cum. A whimper of need escaped Tom’s throat.

The sound acted like a bucket of ice water to his

face, and Tom jerked away from Kade. Hangers dug
into his back and he spun sideways, putting distance
between himself and the man who was so dangerous to
Tom’s libido. How the hell could I forget that cameras
are everywhere in here?

“Cut that shit out,” he snarled, glancing around

nervously.

Kade cocked his head, his deep green eyes

narrowing. The smile grew slightly. “But you enjoy it
so much, Tom,” he seemed to purr, his gaze dropping to
the bulge outlined in Tom’s slacks.

His cheeks heated. It didn’t matter how right Kade

was, he did not need this right now. Somehow, he had
to explain his position to the exasperating man, but he
sure as hell couldn’t tell him in the middle of the store.
“Come with me,” he snapped.

Turning, he forced himself to stride calmly through

the store. He knew the big man followed, not just from
the  sound  of  his  long-legged  strides  and  biker  boots
thumping  on  the  floor  behind  him,  but  from  the  heat
caused  by  how  close  he  stayed  behind  him.  Tom  led
Kade to his office.

He heard the door click closed behind him, locking

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him in with the big man. Suddenly, the walls closed in
on him and the room seemed to shrink. Maybe bringing
him  to  his  office  wasn’t  such  a  good  idea.  His  fears
were  confirmed  when  Kade’s  heat  pressed  against  his
back  and  strong  muscle-corded  arms  wrapped  around
him,  one  around  his  shoulders  and  chest,  the  other
around his waist.

“You’re right,” Kade’s voice rumbled. “This is so

much better.”

Tom shook his head. “This isn’t why I brought you

here,” he forced out. It took everything in him not to
melt against the man and give in to the lust coursing
through his body.

Kade nuzzled the back of his neck then started

nibbling down the tendons of his neck. Tom groaned,
unable to stop himself from tilting his head and offering
the other man more room. “You’ve gotta stop,” he said
with a moan.

“Nooo,” Kade crooned. “We both like it too much.”

To  prove  his  point,  he  slid  the  hand  that  was  around
Tom’s waist to  his thigh and used his thumb to caress
the side of Tom’s hard dick through his pants. While he
did that, Kade gently  bumped  his groin  against Tom’s
ass, rubbing his own erection against his backside.

Tom let out the groan he’d been fighting and finally

pressed back against the man. “I can’t,” he stated, even
as his actions were at odds with his words. “I’m not out.
I’m going to marry a woman.”

“Jared’s sister?” Kade asked with a chuckle. Tom

grunted his confirmation. “No, you’re not. You’re
going to be mine.”

The man’s confidence was sexy and stimulating, but

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

also pissed Tom off. Still, he couldn’t force his body to
pull out of the man’s arms. Kade’s touch felt too good.
His thumb as it slid along his dick had Tom’s words
coming out breathy, with longing. “Not yours. Not
gay.”

“Ah, gonna play that card, are you?” The purring,

chuckled question sent more warm breath ghosting over
the skin of his neck, already moistened by Kade’s
kisses.

Tom hissed in appreciation. Fuck, the man knew

how to seduce someone. “You’re much too tense,
Tom,” Kade whispered, resuming his kisses. “You need
some relief. I can help you with that. All you have to do
is ask.”

As he spoke, one big hand smoothed over his chest,

grazing  his  nipples.  The  other  cupped  his  inner  thigh,
pressing the flesh of his hand against Tom’s balls, and
the  man’s thumb  massaged the soft, sensitive tissue at
the  base  of  Tom’s  dick.  It  was  the  most  delicious
stimulation  his  body  had  felt  in  years,  ever  since  he’d
returned  from college  and  had to put aside  his desires.
Damn it to hell, Tom wanted to give in so badly.

Tears sprang to his eyes as he gripped the edge of his

desk with both hands. “I can’t. Oh, god, I can’t,” he
moaned.

Kade’s hand moved away from his dick to settle on

Tom’s quivery stomach muscles, and Tom didn’t know
if he wanted to cry with relief or protest. The big man’s
grip  loosened  slowly  as  he  nibbled  up  Tom’s  neck  to
the  sensitive  skin  just  behind  his  ear.  “You’re  loyal,”
Kade  whispered  once  he’d  ceased  sucking  lightly.  “I
respect  that.  Break  it  off  with  Patricia,  Tom,  so  you

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won’t feel any guilt when I take you.” A hard nip to his
earlobe had Tom crying out in pleasure, his cock
jerking in his slacks. “And I will take you,” Kade
added, growling the words gruffly.

Then the arms were gone from around him. Tom

stood there for several minutes, his body trembling, the
blood roaring  in  his  ears.  When  he  finally  had  himself
together  enough,  he  turned  to  face  Kade,  his  mouth
opening  to  say  something,  anything,  but  Kade  was
gone.

Tom dropped into the chair in front of his desk and

groaned. “Holy fuck,” he whispered. “What am I going
to do?” His cock jerked, reminding him that there was
something he needed to do, desperately.

Reaching behind him, he flipped the lock on his

door.  Tom  unbuckled  his  belt  and  unzipped  his  pants.
His  eager  cock outlined  his  briefs,  and  he  maneuvered
his  dick  through  the  hole.  A  groan  escaped  him  when
he wrapped his fingers around his shaft and stroked.

His breath coming in soft pants, he pressed his

thumb into his slit, gathered a couple drops of pre-cum,
and then used it to massage the moisture into the soft,
sensitive nerves directly under the head of his dick. He
mewled in pleasure, imagining it was Kade’s thumb
instead of his own.

He wondered what it would be like to give in to

Kade’s ministrations. He’d never gone all the way with
a  man,  even  in  college.  His  experience  was  limited  to
jerking  off  and  blowjobs.  Stroking  his  shaft  firmly,  he
used his other hand to cup his balls, rolling them in his
palm.  With  how  keyed  up  he  was,  Tom  knew  it
wouldn’t take long for him to blow.

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Sparks were already spreading down his spine and

settling in his balls, pulling them tight against his body.
He moved his fingers back, massaging the sensitive
skin between them and his anus. His breath hitching, he
moved farther back, ghosting over his hole.

Giving in to temptation with a groan, Tom eased the

tip  of  his  forefinger  into  his  clenching  hole  while  still
massaging  that  sensitive  patch  of  skin  with  his  thumb.
His  other  hand  worked  his  dick.  Stroking  deeper  and
deeper  into  his  anus  again  and  again,  he  moaned  and
rocked between his hands.

His breathing sped up. Heat flared from his ass to his

balls to his dick. His thighs trembled. His abs clenched.
His testicles tightened and his body convulsed. “Oh
god!” he moaned as cum shot from his dick and arced
toward his desk. Streams of seed spattered on the floor
between his trembling legs.

Tom grunted as one last stream pulsed from his dick.

He  dropped  his  head  against  the  back  of  the  seat  and
panted  softly.  His  hand  stilled  and  his  shaft  slowly
softened. He closed his eyes, enjoying the afterglow of
the  most  amazing  orgasm  of  his  life,  and  Kade’s
sensual smile and burning green eyes swam behind his
eyelids. His penis actually twitched.

Groaning in disbelief, he thumped his head against

the chair. “Fucking hell!”

Charlie Richards

Chapter Five

om decided he was going crazy. For the last three
days, he thought he’d seen Kade everywhere. At

the  gas  station  filling  a  travel  mug  with  coffee,  at  the
grocery  story  picking  out  cantaloupe,  at  the  bus  stop
stepping  off  a  vehicle  headed  downtown,  but  none  of
them  were  him.  In  fact,  Tom  hadn’t  actually  seen  the
object of his lust since the seduction scene in his office
Monday evening.

He tossed back the shot of tequila and picked up the

bottle, intending to refill the small glass. Instead, he set
the bottle back down on his kitchen counter and rested
his forehead on his fist.

Tom knew he couldn’t keep going on like this. He

had a date with Patricia and needed to pick her up in an
hour and a half. He couldn’t do that if he was sloshed,
no matter how much he wanted the liquid fortification.
If he was drunk enough, maybe he could convince his
dick to cooperate, so they could have sex. When they’d
talked on the phone last night, she’d asked him if he
found her attractive.

Tom knew she wondered why he didn’t take her up

on her offers, and if he couldn’t get it up for her while

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

they were dating, how the hell was he going to be able
to  screw  her  after  they  were  married?  He  knew  the
answer.  He  couldn’t.  This  wasn’t  fair  to  anyone,  not
Patricia, not himself, not even Kade. Kade. God, I want
him.  Tom  just  knew  a  night  with  that  man  would  be
amazing.

Groaning, he thumped his head on the counter once,

then he poured that second shot after all and slammed it
back. He grimaced at the burn and put the bottle in the
cupboard. Heading to his bedroom, Tom resigned
himself to his fate. He had to get ready to go.

When he pulled up to Patricia’s apartment, he stared

at the door for several long moments before easing
himself out of the car. He’d come to a decision as he
showered earlier, and he didn’t know if it was right or
wrong, but it had to be done.

He strode up the walk and rang the bell. Patricia

answered the door before the chimes had even finished
ringing, but her smile faded as she took in the jeans and
t-shirt he wore. “Hey, what’s going on?”

“I’m sorry, Patricia. I had to cancel our reservation.

Can I come inside for a minute to talk?” he said quietly.

He watched the woman’s eyes narrow and her lips

press into a firm line. “Okay.” She swung the door wide
and led him into the living room. Before he could even
begin to think of how to begin, she crossed her arms
over her chest and stated, “You’re breaking up with me,
aren’t you?”

After letting out a long breath, Tom nodded. “Yeah,”

he said softly. “I’m sorry, Patricia.” As he said the
words, he realized he truly meant them. If it could have
worked with her, his life would be so much less

Charlie Richards

complicated.

Patricia swallowed hard, blinking her eyes quickly

for a few seconds. “After our conversation last night, I
can’t really say I’m surprised,” she admitted. “We used
to have fun together, but you’ve been distant recently.
Has another woman caught your eye?”

At least, in that, Tom could be honest. “No,” he

replied. “No other woman. You have to admit, as we’ve
gotten to know each other, it’s been painfully obvious
that our interests lie in completely opposite directions.”

Lifting her shoulders in a jerky shrug, Patricia

harrumphed. “I suppose. I certainly can’t see myself
mountain biking or hiking or whatever,” she admitted
grudgingly.

Tom stepped forward and grasped Patricia’s hand,

cradling  it  between  his  own.  “You  deserve  someone
you can be happy with. So do I,” he said, realizing his
words  were  quite  true.  He  did  deserve  happiness.
“You’re  a  wonderful,  sweet  woman.  I’m  sorry  that  it
couldn’t  have  been  with  each  other,  but  we  just  don’t
mesh.”

After she nodded, Tom leaned forward and pressed a

chaste kiss to her lips. “Thank you for the wonderful
times together.”

He squeezed her hand once more and she gave him a

wavering  smile.  Then  Tom  said  good-bye  and  left.  He
paused  on  the  doorstep  and  took  a  deep  breath.  Fear
settled  in  his  gut.  He  knew  what  his  father  would  say
when  he  found  out  about  this.  God,  he  didn’t  want  to
hear  any  condescending  words.  He’d  have  to  find
another way to bail out the store. Rubbing two fingers
over  the  skin  between  his  eyebrows,  he  decided  he’d

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

figure it out later. Right now, he wanted some down
time where he could be anonymous and not have to
think, about anything.

Tom knew it was a gay club, but he’d never had the

courage to enter the place. Maybe it was a masochistic
desire to see what he was missing that made Tom go
there now. Maybe it was a need to be amidst other men
with desires similar to his own.

Either way, Tom soon found himself sitting in

Rooster’s at a back table, both hands wrapped around a
beer  bottle,  as  he  stared  at the  uninhibited  men  on  the
dance  floor.  He  wondered  what  it’d  be  like  to  be
comfortable  enough  with  himself  to  be  one  of  those
men,  letting  the  music  and  press  of  bodies  take  him
away.  He  bet  Kade  would  make  a  sexy  dance  partner.
His  dick  filled  just  thinking  about  having  the  man’s
arms around him as they ground together on the dance
floor.

To his eternal shock, Tom had a few men stop by his

table and ask him to dance. After the first blundering
refusal, Tom discovered the phrase I’m just here to view
the scenery tonight delivered with a smile and a wink
worked great to send the men on their way.

A man leaning against the bar caught Tom’s eye. He

looked vaguely familiar, and tension began to return as
he tried to place the short dark hair, smirking lips, and
lithe build. He wore black jeans and a dark t-shirt, and
looked comfortable in this environment. Does that
mean he comes here often?

He tried to lean back into the shadows even farther

when the guy turned his back to the bar and slowly
swept his gaze over the room. At first, Tom thought

Charlie Richards

he’d succeeded in not being noticed. But then the man
turned back to the bartender, took a beer and a tumbler
full of something else, and headed right toward him.

Without asking for permission, the guy sat down in

the chair next to him and set the drink he’d carried in
front of Tom. “Hello, Tom,” he said, his tone full of
warmth that didn’t quite reach his eyes, hazel eyes, like
Patricia’s.

“Oh, shit,” he whispered. “Did Patricia send you?

How’d you find me here?”

Jared grinned at that, his amusement clear. “Nice

greeting,  especially  after  I  brought  you  a  drink.”  Tom
knew  his  stricken  look  didn’t  change.  Jared  rolled  his
eyes and looked across the room. “Patricia did not send
me,”  he  stated.  “If  you  hadn’t  broken  up  with  her
tonight,  I’d  be  here  to  warn  you  away  from  her,  but
since you already did that, I’m here to help you.”

That had Tom jerking back. “What? If Patricia didn’t

call you, how did you know we broke up tonight? And
why would you warn me away from her?”

Smirking, Jared shook his head. “I bugged my

family’s homes, and do I really need to answer that last
question considering where we are?”

“Why would you bug your family’s homes?” Tom

latched onto the first answer, since he wasn’t ready to
address the second. As he watched Jared’s cool,
assessing gaze, he wondered if he’d even get a straight
answer.

“At times, I deal with many dangerous people. I

need to be certain those choices don’t impact my
family,” he stated bluntly.

“Dangerous people?”

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Jared fastened an inscrutable look on Tom. “That’s

all I’ll say for now. And don’t think I didn’t notice your
evasion of the other part of what we were talking about.
You’re gay, Tom. I have no intention of letting any
closeted man use my sister as a beard.”

“What!” Tom nearly choked on his last swallow of

beer.

Jared pushed the glass of…something…toward

Tom. “Drink it. You’ll feel better. Besides, now that
you’ve met Kade, you wouldn’t have been able to stay
with my sister even if you weren’t gay.”

Tom’s head spun as Jared’s words created more

questions  than  answers.  He  grabbed  the  offered  drink
and  took  a  large  swallow.  The  burn  of  good  Scotch
made  his  eyes  water  as  it  sent  a  warm  trail  down  his
throat to settle in his stomach. “Holy shit, that’s good,”
he gasped out.

“Yeah, it’s all right,” Jared said. “Best stuff they

have here, anyway.” He shrugged.

Still trying to sort things out, Tom asked, “You

know Kade?”

Jared nodded once, sipping his beer.
“What’s he got to do with this?”
“He’s pursuing you,” Jared stated bluntly. “And like

a wolf on the prowl, he gets what he goes after.”

That was an interesting analogy, and Tom felt

certain that Jared chose his words for a reason, but with
the alcohol swimming through his veins, he couldn’t
grasp what it might mean. Instead, he asked, “Why is
he after me?”

Jared shrugged. “You’ll have to ask him. That’s not

what I’m here to help with,” he answered evasively.

Charlie Richards

“Then why are you here?”
“To give you the loan you thought you needed to

marry Patricia to get.”

Once again, Tom found himself sputtering. How the

hell did this guy know about that? He opened his mouth
to ask, but then he saw where Jared’s focus had gone to.
A  pair  of  big  men  weaved  between  dancers,  cordially
brushing aside interested dancers as they headed toward
them.  It took  him  a  few  seconds  to  place  a  name  with
the  face  of  the  Native  American.  Carson  Angeni,
Jared’s  boyfriend?  Partner?  He  wasn’t  sure  of  the
term.

The second man had Tom’s throat going dry and the

blood flooding his groin. Kade grinned at the slight
blond that had a hand on his thigh, dangerously close to
the man’s groin. Even as he watched Kade remove the
pawing appendage, a wash of jealousy unlike anything
Tom had felt before slammed into him. That’s my man!

Tom forced back a groan at the thought. Sure, Kade

seemed to want to be Tom’s man, but did Tom really
want a man? If it’s Kade, hell yeah! Yum!

He turned away and downed the rest of his drink,

wondering where the hell the little inner slut voice had
come from. In his peripheral vision, he watched Carson
lean  down  and  kiss  Jared  before  sliding  into the  booth
next to him. It was a short, hot kiss with a little tongue,
and  Tom  tried  to  figure  out  how  it  could  be  that  even
though the two men were kissing, they didn’t look any
less  masculine. There was  no way anyone would  mess
with either of the men, or Kade for that matter.

The man in question slid into the booth next to Tom

without invitation. He set another couple drinks on the

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

table, a beer for himself and what was probably another
Scotch for Tom, then rested his near arm along the back
of the booth. “Hey, babe,” Kade purred, leaning close.
“I didn’t expect to see you in a place like this, but I’m
pleased by the development.”

A shiver worked its way up Tom’s neck and his dick

jerked in his jeans. He’d always been able to control his
urges before, so what  was so different about this  man?
Not  knowing,  and  realizing  he  couldn’t  figure  it  out
with the object of his obsession pressed against him  in
the  booth,  Tom  needed  a  distraction.  He  returned  his
focus  to  the  men  across  the  table  and  the  interrupted
conversation.

“How did you know the store was trying to get a

loan? And how can you help me get one?” Tom asked,
trying his best to ignore Kade’s arm behind him and
how the man caressed the skin at his neck.

Jared’s eyes narrowed and he leaned across the table

toward him. “I have no intention of telling you how I
know about the store’s financials,” he replied. “And I
told you that I’d give you a loan, not help you get one.”

Tom furrowed his brows. “If you know about our

financials, then you know we were trying to get a loan
for half a million. How the hell could you give us a loan
for that? And why would you?”

“Why is my business,” Jared said. “And I’m rich.”

Charlie Richards

Chapter Six

ade listened as Tom questioned Jared’s reasons
for offering him a loan. He knew why Jared

would  do  it,  and  it  wasn’t  just  because  Kade  needed
Tom  away  from  Patricia.  Once  Kade  claimed  the
human,  Tom  would  be  pack,  and  pack  helped  pack.
That was the way it was.

Deciding a distraction was in order, and desperately

wanting to hold his mate, Kade interrupted. “That’s
enough talk of financials,” he stated. “Come on, baby.
It’s time to dance.”

“Wait, what?” Tom sputtered as Kade pulled him

from the booth. “But—”

He didn’t let the guy finish his protest. Kade pulled

Tom’s body tight against his own and captured the
man’s lips. Tom tasted even better than he remembered,
and he’d done plenty of reminiscing over the past three
days. It was a wonder he’d managed to get any orders
completed at all.

Kade slid his tongue along the inside of Tom’s lower

lip, taking advantage of cutting the man off in mid-
sentence to delve in and taste him properly. Teasing the
other man’s tongue, he encouraged Tom to play with

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

him, nipping, sucking, and licking along the way. Kade
slowly backed off and ended the kiss when air became a
necessity. Unwilling to break off all contact, he rested
his forehead against his mate’s.

“Mmm, I hope you’re not against PDA, because I

could kiss you forever,” he said just loud enough for
Tom to hear over the music.

Tom blinked blearily up at him, his pupils blown

wide with lust. “Huh?” Apparently it took him a second
to realize what Kade had said. Unfortunately, when he
did, Tom began to struggle in his grasp.

Kade let him go with a resigned sigh. Working this

man  out  of  the  closet  was  not  going  to  be  easy.  He’d
thought  his  mate  had  made  a  break-through  when
Carson  had called to tell  him that Tom  had  broken off
with  Patricia  and  headed  to  a  gay  bar.  He  finally
wondered why Tom was here.

Knowing he wasn’t going to get a straight answer

right now, Kade picked up Tom’s drink and pressed it
into his hands. “Finish this, then I’m dragging you onto
the dance floor.”

Tom took the glass, his brow creasing as he frowned

at the liquid. “But, I don’t know how to dance like
this.”

Well, at least that wasn’t an outright no, Kade

decided. He grinned. “Don’t worry, babe. I can teach
you. As long as you’re willing to loosen up, it’s easy,”
he declared.

“I don’t know,” Tom responded dubiously, but he

drank the Scotch and, after setting the glass down, sent
a baleful look toward the dance floor. He worried his
lip with his teeth, and Kade had to fight the urge to pull

Charlie Richards

that plump piece of flesh into his own mouth and suck.
As if coming to a decision, Tom nodded once and said,
“Okay.”

Kade tugged on the hand he still held, a hand Tom

probably hadn’t even been aware he’d been gripping for
dear life until then.

Tom glanced down at their twined fingers with

surprise on his face.

Grinning, Kade led his reluctant mate to the dance

floor.

Instead of starting face to face, Kade positioned him

with Tom’s  back to his  chest. He settled  his  hands on
his  mate’s  hips  and  started  moving  his  body  in  time
with the music. Tom moved stiffly at first, jerking in his
grip. But slowly, Tom gave  in to his obvious desire,  if
the  stiff  cock  trapped  under  denim  Kade  had  spotted
more  than  once  was  anything  to  go  by,  and  his  mate
settled  his  back  against  him.  Tom  lifted  one  arm  over
his  head,  gripping  Kade’s  neck,  and  settled  the  other
hand on Kade’s hip, and they undulated together.

Kade’s cock pressed insistently against the cleft of

Tom’s ass, sending delicious tingles down to his balls.
Gods above, I want  this man.  Clenching his  jaw, Kade
let  out  a  low  growl  that  vibrated  through  his  chest  as
desire  and  need  unlike  anything  he’d  felt  before
warmed his body and settled in his groin.

Kade’s dick jerked and leaked in his jeans, and he

just knew when they  left,  he’d  have  a wet spot on  his
fly.  He’d  be  embarrassed  except  he  knew  Tom  was
enjoying it just as much. When he’d growled, his mate
had  groaned.  It  emboldened  him,  and  Kade  slid  his
hand  under  Tom’s  shirt  and  caressed  his  abs.  Tom’s

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

breath hitched at the move, the muscles of his stomach
twitching and contracting under his touch.

Slipping the tips of his fingers beneath the waistband

of Tom’s jeans, he skimmed across the wet fabric of his
mate’s boxers, caressing the head of his dick with
feather-lite touches. Tom let out a strangled moan, his
head falling back against Kade’s shoulder. “Kade!”

If he hadn’t been a shifter, Kade knew he wouldn’t

have been able to hear his mate’s pleasure-tortured cry.
His balls pulled tight at the sound, and another growl
escaped him. Enough dancing. He needed his mate, to
touch him, taste him, hold him.

It took very little prodding to maneuver Tom so that

he was tucked against his side. In that position, he led
his mate to the men’s room. It wasn’t how he wanted to
please his mate for the first time, but he was desperate,
and from the lusty scents rolling off his mate, so was
Tom.

A quick look around showed him it was empty. Odd,

but fortuitous. Kade led Tom to a stall and pulled him
inside, then locked the door. He pressed Tom against
the door, trapping him with his much larger body.

It was then Kade realized Tom was trembling. He

leaned close, tucked his nose against Tom’s neck and
inhaled. He groaned at the spicy aroma of lust, male,
and Tom.

His mate wanted him, wanted him with an intensity

that took his breath away. For days they’d been fighting
it, keeping their distance from each other, but no longer.
Tom was his, and Kade would prove that to him soon
enough.

Using one large hand on Tom’s ass, he used his

Charlie Richards

shifter strength to easily lift the man from his feet. Tom
quickly wrapped his legs around Kade’s waist, grabbing
his shoulders tightly for balance. Both men let out
hisses of pleasure as Kade pressed into the vee of
Tom’s body and their hard cocks pressed together.

Rocking his hips, he rubbed his denim-covered dick

against  Tom’s.  It  wasn’t  enough,  not  nearly  enough.
Kade’s  free  hand  delved  between  them,  unbuttoning,
unzipping, and pushing  fabric  aside.  As  he worked, he
pressed  open-mouthed  kisses  along  the  thrumming
artery in Tom’s neck, gauging his mate’s excitement by
the  pounding  of  his  heartbeat  and  the  heady  scent  of
arousal.

Tom’s shocked gasp had him pulling his head back

to stare at the man. His concern left him when he
realized what drew his man’s gaze. Tom’s focus was
riveted on Kade’s cock. He knew he was big, nine thick
inches of cut cock, but it didn’t take a genius to realize
that wasn’t what drew Tom’s attention.

“You like them?” Kade murmured. A spike of worry

filled him when Tom didn’t answer right away.

Tentatively, Tom moved a hand from Kade’s

shoulder  to  his  dick.  His  mate  rubbed  a  forefinger
lightly over his sensitive head before gently flicking the
Prince  Albert piercing.  Kade grunted at the sensations,
his  cock  jerking  in  response  to  the  petting,  a  drop  of
pre-cum oozing from his slit. Next, Tom ran his thumb
up  and  down  the  Jacob’s  Ladder  running  along  the
underside of his dick.

Kade fought through a shudder as he realized Tom’s

response was one of wonder and desire. His mate liked
his piercings, thank the gods.

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

“How many do you have?” Tom asked, his voice

thick with arousal. His fingers continued to play with
the small metal balls and rings decorating Kade’s shaft.

His dick leaking, his body trembling, Kade had to

swallow twice before he had enough focus to answer.
“Eight,” he gasped out. “Ah, gods, I love your touch.
Squeeze my dick.”

To his pleasure, Tom did as he asked without

question.  He  wrapped  his  fingers  around  Kade’s  shaft
and  stroked.  He  tweaked  the  Prince  Albert  on  each
upstroke  and  rubbed  the  balls  creating  his  Jacob’s
Ladder  on  the  down  stroke.  It  didn’t  take  long  for
Kade’s  balls  to  pull  tight,  the  tingling  of  his  spine
heralding his impending orgasm.

His canines began to ache, and he had to clamp his

mouth  shut  to  keep  from  sinking  them  into  Tom’s
shoulder. The desire to claim the human was so strong.
Kade had just enough presence of mind to scrabble for
a  handful  of  toilet  paper,  wrapping  it  over  his  dick’s
head before he shot, and shot, his body shuddering and
trembling. He rested his forehead against his mate’s as
he  floated  on  the  heady  endorphins.  “By  the  gods,
Tom,” he whispered absently. “Your touch is amazing.”

Tom’s pained whimper caught Kade’s attention, and

a glance down showed him why. His mate’s shaft was
impossibly hard, engorged red and purple with blood,
leaking beads of pre-cum freely from the wide slit.

Kade licked his lips in anticipation, then dropped to

his knees and sucked Tom’s prick down. The drops of
pre-cum were like ambrosia on his tongue, and he
wanted more. He wanted everything.

A muffled groan sounded above him, and as he

Charlie Richards

caressed  the  pulsing  vein  running  up  Tom’s  shaft,  he
glanced up through his lashes. Tom had stuffed one fist
into his mouth, stifling his sounds as he stared down at
Kade.  The  other  he  tentatively  feathered  through
Kade’s  hair, brushing  a strand  of  black  hair out of  his
way for a better view.

Smiling around his mouthful of cock, Kade doubled

his efforts. He tightened his lips into a suckling ring and
moved  up  and  down  the  shaft.  He  swiped  his  tongue
over  the  man’s  sensitive  cap,  dove  into  his  slit  for
another  taste  of  pre-cum,  then  massaged  the  wrinkled
skin  just  below  the  head.  Tom’s  hips  stuttered  in  his
grasp, his thighs trembling.

Kade softened his hold on Tom’s hips, letting them

move  of  their  own  accord.  A  strangled,  muted  moan
sounded  above  him  as  Tom  gave  in  to  his  desire.
Sinking  his  dick  into  the  warm,  wet  recesses  between
Kade’s lips, Tom fucked his mouth in swift strokes.

His panting gasps and blown pupils told of his

pleasure. Kade reached between Tom’s legs and gently
palmed his balls before rolling them in his fingers. Tom
gasped, his  hips stuttered, and his cock swelled. It  was
all the warning  Kade got before stream  after stream of
warm,  salty  seed  shot  down  his  throat.  Kade  pulled
back  slightly  so  the  next  shot  landed  on  his  tongue,
allowing him to taste his mate’s cum.

I was wrong. This is ambrosia.
Kade continued to suck and lick and work his mate’s

cock,  eager  to  enjoy  every  last  drop  of  jism  his  mate
could  give  him.  After  Tom  stopped  shuddering,  he
licked the softening cock in his mouth clean. He let his
mate’s  dick  slip  from  his  mouth,  before  nuzzling  his

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

nose into the human’s groin, inhaling his scent. Gods,
he smells good.

Rising, he towered six inches over his mate’s height

and settled his forearms against the metal door behind
Tom. He smiled, enjoying the blissed-out expression on
his panting mate’s face. Giving in to temptation, Kade
kissed Tom and slipped his tongue into his mouth for a
quick taste.

Tom’s hands gripped his shirt and he mewled

helplessly as  he pressed closer to Kade.  Knowing they
had to get out of the  bathroom, Kade eased the kiss to
an  end.  He  pulled  Tom  to  his  chest  and  tucked  the
human’s  head  under  his  chin.  This  was  where  Tom
belonged, safe in his arms.

“Are you ready to leave? Or would you like to dance

some more?” he asked softly.

The sound of his voice seemed to pull Tom out of

his orgasm-induced stupor. He pulled away and glanced
around his surroundings, as if taking in the bathroom
stall for the first time. He swallowed hard. “Home,” he
whispered. “It’s time for me to go home.”

“As you wish, babe,” he replied, even though the

idea of dancing a few more songs appealed to Kade.
Well, it was probably purely his desire to hold Tom
some more. “I’ll take you home.”

After a quick peek into the bathroom proper, he saw

luck was still with them. Only one man stood at the
urinals. Kade led the way, keeping himself between the
human and Tom. When the guy glanced their way and
gave him a lustful look, Kade just shook his head.

He led the way back to their table, not surprised to

find Carson and Jared still there. Although, from the

Charlie Richards

sweat glistening on their skin, Kade knew they’d been
on the dance floor. He held up his motorcycle keys and
glanced between them. “Is one of you okay to take my
bike back to Stone Ridge? I need to drive Tom home.”

“Of course you do,” Jared replied with a smirk. Both

men stood and the human snatched the keys from
Kade’s hands. “We’ll follow you.”

Kade nodded. “Thank you.” He didn’t relish the idea

of running in wolf form all the way back to Stone
Ridge, nor did he want to call a cab. It had occurred to
him that he might be able to talk Tom into letting him
stay, but he really didn’t want to push his mate too hard
too fast. This would solve that problem.

It pleased Kade that Tom didn’t fight him when he

took the man’s keys and settled him into the passenger
seat  of  his  sedan.  He  glanced  around  the  interior
curiously, taking in the dust-free dash and clean  floors.
As someone who repaired bikes and the occasional car,
it  pleased  him  to  see  how  well  maintained  the  interior
was.  That  habit  often  transferred  to  taking  care  of  the
vehicle’s mechanics, as well.

He didn’t try to touch Tom as he followed the

human’s directions to his home. Tom seemed to
withdraw a bit, remaining silent, but that didn’t concern
Kade, yet.

Turning the vehicle into the indicated parking

garage, Kade parked in Tom’s reserved slot and shut off
the  car.  He turned  to Tom  and  cupped  the  man’s  jaw,
unable to go another second without touching his mate.
“I know  you’re  still uncertain, so I won’t walk  you to
the  door,”  he  whispered.  It  just  about  killed  him  to
admit  that,  but  he  knew  Tom  still  needed  time.  The

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

human was only now coming to grips with his
sexuality, and Kade didn’t want to scare him away.

“Thank you,” Tom whispered. Kade cocked his

head, wondering if Tom would expand on that. He did.
“I don’t—I don’t know how to do this,” he said thickly,
waving a hand between them. “So your patience helps.
I—I’m attracted to you.” The admission had red
creeping up Tom’s neck.

Kade didn’t like that his man was embarrassed to

admit  his  attraction  to  him.  He  wanted  Tom
comfortable.  “Come  on  a  hike  with  me,”  he  said
suddenly, an idea forming. “We can be alone, allowing
you  to  learn  to  feel  comfortable  with  our  touching
without an audience.” Just the idea of having his mate
all to himself  for a while had his  cock twitching  in  his
jeans. “How about I pick you up Saturday? Nine AM?
We’ll  head  into the  mountains and get some  fresh  air.
You did say  you enjoy  hiking,”  he pointed out, letting
Tom  know  that  he  paid  attention  to  his  words  when
they’d first met at dinner last week.

After staring at him for several seconds, Tom

whispered, “Okay.”

Excitement and anticipation coursed through him.

“Excellent. I’ll see you then.”

He stepped from the vehicle, Tom copying him.

Kade  walked  around  the  vehicle  and  dropped the  keys
into  his  outstretched  hand.  Before  Tom  could  move
away,  Kade  grabbed  the  back  of  his  neck  and  pulled
him in for a quick kiss. He kept it short, not giving Tom
the time to protest, even though every  fiber of  Kade’s
being  screamed  to  drag  his  mate  home  with  him  and
claim him.

Charlie Richards

Instead, he turned and walked away, his head cocked

to make certain Tom made it into the secured apartment
building without mishap. Kade’s wolf howled in
distress, but he hushed his inner animal, reminding the
beast that their mate was skittish and needed time.

Meeting Jared on the street, he took his keys and

helmet.

“He seems to be coming along if that interlude in the

bathroom is any indicator,” Jared teased, his eyes
twinkling with amusement.

He knew better than to snarl at the higher ranking

pack-member.  Jared  might  not  have  been  wolf,  but  he
was  the  mate  of  the  enforcer.  Not  to  mention,  the
human  had  some  freaky  abilities  and  a  scary  lack  of
morality. He really didn’t want to cross the man.

Instead, he smirked. “You’re just sorry you didn’t

think of it first,” he said, pulling his helmet over his
head.

Jared just laughed and headed toward a Porsche

parked a few yards away. Kade couldn’t see through the
tinted windows, but he knew Carson was behind the
wheel. As the powerful engine roared to life and the car
sped away, Kade brought his bike to life, shaking his
head.

Damn, Jared wasn’t kidding when he said he was

rich.

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Chapter Seven

om stared at the motorcycle. Was Kade serious?
He looked around the parking garage, but didn’t

see any other vehicle. Kade, who’d been walking
behind him, set a hand on his lower back and guided
him right to the bike. Ah, shit.

Tom’s dick had been half hard since Kade had

stepped  into  his  apartment  fifteen  minutes  before  and
given  him  a  quick,  chaste  kiss  in  greeting.  He  didn’t
know  if  he’d  been  disappointed  or  relived  by  the
brevity  of  the  contact.  They’d  chatted  about  where  to
hike  over  cups  of  coffee,  then  headed  out  the  door.  It
wouldn’t take much to get a full blown erection and he
sure didn’t want to hike with one.

He waved toward his car. “Maybe we should take

my car.”

“Nonsense,” Kade replied immediately, already

taking  Tom’s  belt  and  tucking  it  into  a  saddlebag.  He
straddled the  bike and  held out a second helmet. “Part
of  the  fun  of  driving  in  the  mountains  is  enjoying  the
scenery. No better way to do that than on the back of a
bike.”  He  winked.  “Don’t  worry.  I  brought  the
Goldwing, so the bitch seat is comfortable.”

Charlie Richards

“Bitch seat?” Tom asked, dubiously.
“Yeah, baby,” Kade answered, patting the slightly

raised seat behind him in answer.

The cloth seat looked well-padded and it had a large

back rest complete with arm rests. It really did look
comfortable. Still. “That’s not very flattering.”

Kade chuckled. “It’s just a term. Come on. I promise

you’ll love it.”

He held out the helmet again and this time Tom took

it. After slipping it on, he buckled it and then swung up
behind Kade. The seat was even more comfortable than
it looked, he realized as he bounced experimentally.

Laughing, Kade looked over his shoulder at him.

“Comfy?”

“Yeah,” he said, pleased. “This is actually really

nice!”

“Glad you think so.” Kade started the bike.
The vibrations went straight to Tom’s balls, making

his cock thicken. He stifled a groan, leaned back against
the rest, and enjoyed the sensations. He wondered if he
could possibly come from just this.

At Kade’s low chuckle, Tom realized the guy was

looking at him over his shoulder. “Enjoying yourself?”
he teased.

“Shut up,” he snapped back.
Kade grinned and winked. “Now you know one of

the reasons I enjoy bikes so much.”

Before Tom could think up a reply, Kade threw the

bike  into  gear  and  steered  out  onto  the  road.  At  first,
Tom’s  grip  instinctively  went  to  the  arm  rests  and  he
held on tight. As they rolled out of Colin City and along
the  country  roads,  he  began  to  relax.  The  scenery  was

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

gorgeous, and he could smell the pine trees. Kade was
right. This was a beautiful way to see the mountains,
even with the chill in the morning air.

After a forty minute ride, Kade turned into a parking

area.  “This  is  it,”  he  said,  settling  the  bike  on  the
kickstand. He swung off the machine and pulled off his
helmet, running a hand through his thick black hair then
tying it back with a rubber band. Tom stared for several
seconds before swallowing hard and pulling off his own
helmet.  Kade  removed  his  biker  boots  and  switched
them out for a pair of hiking boots from his saddlebags.
After  tucking  his  leather  jacket  into  one  of  the  hard
cases, he turned and motioned at Tom’s. “You wearing
that or storing it?”

Tom hesitated, then pulled the heavy coat Kade had

recommended  from  his shoulders. Underneath  it  was a
sweatshirt and a t-shirt, and  he knew  he could pull off
another  layer  if  he  needed  to  later.  Kade  swung  a
backpack  over  his  shoulders,  while  Tom  wrapped  his
belt containing water bottles and fanny pack around his
waist. Kade had said he’d packed a picnic lunch, but it
never  hurt  to  have  a  few  protein  and  carb  snacks  on
hand.  Once  Kade  had  locked  the  helmets  in  the
saddlebags, they started up the trail.

They remained mostly quiet, occasionally pointing

out  an  interesting  bird  or  plant.  At  one  point,  Kade
lifted  his  nose  to  the  wind  and  seemed  to  sniff
curiously,  as  if  scenting  the  wind.  It  was  such  an  odd
move that Tom cocked his head and asked, “Something
wrong?”

Kade glanced over at him and shook his head. “No,

just thought I smelled something. Campfire smoke or

Charlie Richards

something, but the wind shifted and it’s gone now.”

“Really. Is camping allowed in this area?”
“Not sure about that either,” Kade replied, moving

forward again. To Tom’s surprise, he pulled out his cell
phone and started dialing.

“You get service out here?”
“Satellite phone,” Kade responded, then held up a

finger to stall his questions. “Hey, Cliff. Yeah, I’m out
hiking the Fire Spring Trail and about thirty minutes in
I thought I smelled smoke.” A pause. “Yeah, campfire.”
Kade paused and scented the wind again. “Not now, but
the wind shifted. I didn’t know if camping was allowed
through here.” He nodded, almost absently. “Yeah,
man. No problem.”

Once Tom’s companion shut the phone, he could no

longer contain his curiosity. Especially since his date
was calling another man. “Who was that?”

He thought he kept the jealousy out of his tone, but

evidently  he  didn’t  quite  succeed.  Kade  stopped  and
grabbed Tom’s arm, pulling him into a loose embrace.
“Cliff  MacDougal  is  a  friend  who  works  as  a  Forest
Ranger. He’s happily married, and isn’t my type even if
he  wasn’t.” He pressed a soft, lingering kiss to Tom’s
lips.  “I’m  going  to  convince  you  that  you’re  the  only
man I want,” he crooned, sealing his lips over Tom’s.

Tom opened immediately, enjoying the way Kade’s

thick arms felt around him, how his lips massaged his
own, and the feel of his tongue mapping and
dominating his mouth. And Kade’s taste! Tom moaned,
pressing forward, wanting more.

Kade’s large hand gripped his hip, pulling him tight

against him. His erection, which had softened during

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

the  first  ten  minutes,  refilled  with  a  vengeance.  When
he  felt  an  answering  hard  cock  pressed  against  his
stomach,  he  gasped  into  the  kiss  and  ground  his  dick
against the other man’s thick thigh.

He felt the rumble vibrate against his chest before

the growl sounded from Kade’s throat. Tom swallowed
the sound with a groan of his own. The realization that
he was dangerously close to coming shot through him,
and he jerked back.

The big man let him go, his eyes dilated with lust,

though his expression appeared concerned. He held his
hands out, palms up in placation. “I’m sorry, baby. I
didn’t mean to push. Gods,” he thrust one hand through
his thick black hair, “you just feel so good in my arms,
taste so good.”

Tom’s eyes widened as he realized what Kade

thought. “Oh, no,” he said, trying to stop Kade’s  flow
of words, not that he didn’t like hearing how much the
other  man  enjoyed  him.  Tom  wanted  to  reassure  the
man,  and  opened  his  mouth  to  do  so,  but  then  he
remembered  why  he’d  stopped,  and  he  snapped  his
mouth shut. His face flamed.

Kade paused and cocked his head. “Tom?” he asked,

sounding uncertain.

“I liked it,” he whispered. “Just…too much.”
Understanding dawned on the guy’s face, replaced

quickly  by  a  heated  look  of  satisfaction.  “I  see,”  he
purred.  Kade  stepped  close  again,  but  he  didn’t  touch
him. “Then perhaps we should hurry to our destination.
As  hot  as  I  think  that  would  be  to  see,  I’m  sure  we’d
both  rather  it  be  in  the  comfort  of  one  of  our  homes,
hmm?”

Charlie Richards

“Yeah,” Tom replied, pleased that the man

understood, found the  idea of him coming  in  his  cargo
slacks  hot  even,  while  at  the  same  time,  disappointed
Kade  didn’t  drop  to  his  knees  and  suck  him  off  like
he’d  done  in  the  club  bathroom.  That  memory  had
given him jack-off fodder for the last couple nights, and
mornings, and lunch hours. Shit, he’d had to hide out in
the  staff  bathroom  at  the  store  several  times  over  the
last  couple  days.  His  dick  seemed  to  be  wired  to  get
hard at thoughts of Kade.

“Come on, babe,” Kade murmured. He grabbed

Tom’s hand, pulled him close, gave him a quick kiss,
and then started down the trail without releasing him.

Tom knew he sported a huge grin, but he couldn’t

help  it.  It  thrilled  Tom  that  Kade  seemed  excited
enough to drag him to the top of the trail, so they could
explore  each  other.  Tom  didn’t  delude  himself.  He
knew  what  would  happen  when  they  reached  the  lake.
Kade  might  be  bringing  food,  but  it  would  be  used  to
regain  their  strength  after  they’d  explored  each  other.
And Tom really wanted to explore Kade.

He’d never considered himself into piercings, but the

Prince Albert and Jacob’s Ladder he’d seen decorating
Kade’s  dick  had  him  wanting  to  discover  where  the
other three Kade said he had were. And his tattoos! The
idea of getting the opportunity to touch Kade, trace the
tattoos  he  knew  were  hidden  under  his  long-sleeved
shirt,  had  Tom  laughing  and  sprinting  up  the  trail  past
Kade.

“Hey,” Kade shouted, but Tom heard the mirth in the

single word.

Then he heard booted feet pound up the trail after

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

him.  Tom  ran  regularly,  hiked  often,  and  swam  at  a
gym when  he wanted to relax. He knew  he was  quick,
agile,  and  had  great  endurance.  Something  made  him
really  want  to  beat  the  bigger  man  up  the  trail.  He
pumped  his  legs, dodged under branches, around trees,
and over rocks.

A glance over his shoulder showed Kade charging

up  the  trail  after  him,  a  determined  glint  in  his  green
eyes.  Tom  laughed,  increasing  his  pace.  Over  his
shoulder, he glimpsed Kade drawing close. The big man
is  quick!  When  Kade  reached  for  him,  he  twisted
sideways,  out  of  the  man’s  grip,  laughing  gleefully  at
the biker’s growl of frustration.

“I will get you, my mate!”
The roared words had Tom’s step faltering for just a

second. What an odd thing to say! But then he realized
it must be meant as a distraction, and he doubled his
efforts to elude the man. From time to time he felt Kade
breathing down his neck, but each time, Tom managed
to slip through Kade’s fingers.

By the time the lake appeared between the trees, his

lungs burned, his legs ached, and his chest heaved as he
tried to get enough oxygen. He leaped over a tree root
and sprinted toward the bank of the lake.

A body slammed into him from behind and he found

himself  tumbling  forward  onto  the  grass-strewn  lake
bank. In mid-air the body wrapped around him, turned,
and thudded to the ground first, saving Tom from being
crushed beneath a much heavier mass.  Instinctively, he
knew  it  was  Kade  who’d  grabbed  him,  but  that  didn’t
stop him from struggling.

A low growl, almost like an animal, had Tom

Charlie Richards

freezing in place

—

well, as much as he could, since he’d

landed on the other man’s chest and the two of them
were still rolling in Kade’s arms. They stopped with
him on his back and Kade on top.

The big biker stared down at him, and Tom smiled

up  at  him,  thrilled  at  the  feral  heat  glowing  in  Kade’s
green  eyes.  Wait,  are  his  eyes  actually  glowing?  Nah.
“What’s  the  matter?  Don’t  like  being  beat?”  Tom
teased.

Kade cleared his throat and shook his head, as if

trying  to  clear  it.  Then  the  man  refocused  on  him  and
growled  softly.  “You  are  going  to  be  trouble,  aren’t
you,  Tom?”  He  nuzzled  Tom’s  neck,  nipping  lightly
along the tendons. “So much trouble.”

Tom threaded his fingers through Kade’s hair,

releasing the band, relishing the softness. “Maybe,” he
said, admitting what was probably the truth. “If that’s
too much for you, we should probably figure that out
now.”

A low rumble sounded from Kade’s chest. “I can

handle trouble,” he growled.

“I hope so,” Tom whispered, unable to deny the truth

of his feelings regarding Kade’s words. Tom knew he
wasn’t ready to go proclaiming his desires to the
mountain tops, but here, alone, he wanted to grab Kade
and hold him tight, touch him, lick him, taste every inch
of skin he could reach.

Just the ideas had his dick jerking in his cargo pants,

and Tom rocked his hips up, desperate to rut against the
hard body of the man above him. Sparks of white heat
shot from his cock, through his thighs and abs, and had
his muscles clenching in anticipation. Kade lowered his

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

pelvis, thrusting back, proving how hard the other man
was, too.

Kade lifted his head and stared down at Tom. Kade’s

green eyes had darkened with arousal to a rich emerald.
The look of lust and desire on his face took Tom’s
breath away.

“You will be mine, Tom Bristol.” Kade growled the

words, and it almost seemed like a vow.

Tom shivered at the sound. Excitement coursed

through  his  system  at  Kade’s  possessiveness.  He  liked
the  idea  of  belonging  to  this  man,  even  as  the  idea
scared  the  shit  out  of  him.  This  was  a  guy  who  could
stand beside him if his family turned their back on him.

“Kade,” he whispered, at a loss for words.
“A simple yes will do.”
Tom’s eyes widened in surprise. Kade wanted

confirmation. He could do that. Tom quickly nodded.
“Yes. I want to be yours.”

A low growl of excitement rumbled through Kade’s

chest and his face lit up as if Tom had just given him
the best present ever. Then Kade was kissing Tom, his
hands thrust under his shirt, stroking his skin. His brain
began to shut down in lue of the wonderful sensations
Kade created, and Tom happily went along.

Charlie Richards

Chapter Eight

ade knew Tom had no idea what he’d just agreed
to, but that didn’t stop his wolf from howling

happily in the back of his mind. And it didn’t stop Kade
from ravishing the man. Tom tasted so good, like the
woodsy outdoors mixed perfectly with male musk. He
wanted to drown in the scents his mate gave off.

It didn’t help that Tom had charged up the trail,

racing  ahead  of  him,  setting  off  every  instinct  within
Kade to hunt his mate down and take him. His wolf had
wanted to catch the man and force him to submit. It had
taken every  shred of  human control  Kade possessed to
keep  from  shifting  and  bounding  after  his  mate.  That
would  have  been  a  sure  fire  way  of  scaring  off  the
human.  He  had  no  idea  how  to  explain  shifters  to  a
human.  Maybe  he  needed  to  ask  some  of  the  other
mated guys.

Those thoughts had enough of his control returning

that Kade was able to soften the kiss and slow his
thrusting hips. The whole reason they’d stopped making
out on the trail earlier was to avoid coming in their
pants, and now here they were dangerously close to that
outcome once again.

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

He moaned softly, but managed to pull away. Tom

whined his name in protest, and damn if that sound
didn’t cause a drop of pre-cum to ooze from his cock.
He wanted to hear that again, and often.

“Let me spread out the blanket, love,” he whispered,

brushing one more kiss to Tom’s lips. “I want you
comfortable.”

Tom nodded, although his eyes were dilated with

lust, making Kade wonder if his mate really knew what
he was agreeing to. Kade dropped the backpack on  the
ground  and  pulled  out  the  blanket.  He  glanced  around
the  clearing,  looking  for  a  good  place  to  set  up.  He
chose  a  bare  area  near  the  tree-line,  since  it  offered
protection  from  the  sun  and  the  location  would  allow
them  to  hear  or  see  anyone  coming  up  the  trail  before
they entered the area. Plus, it was downwind.

“Come here,” he crooned, holding out his hand for

Tom.

There was no hesitation from Tom as he moved into

Kade’s  arms,  and  he  wanted  to  howl  his  pleasure  that
his  mate  was  becoming  used  to  his  touch.  Gently,  he
eased Tom’s sweatshirt and t-shirt over his head, baring
Tom’s  pale  slender  chest.  He  caressed  the  human’s
shoulders,  then  his  chest,  tweaking  his  nipples  as  he
went.

Tom had a lean runner’s build, something that

explained how quick and agile the man had been
sprinting up the rock and tree-root littered trail. His
mate shivered, but whether it was caused by the cold or
his touch, Kade wasn’t certain. Then he noticed the way
Tom’s breathing had sped up again, his breath coming
in soft, open-mouthed pants, and Kade had his answer.

Charlie Richards

He reveled in the affect he had on Tom. As he

continued to stroke and touch, Kade leaned forward and
placed  open-mouthed,  sucking  kisses  from  Tom’s
shoulder up his neck. When Tom tilted his head, baring
his  throat  and  neck  submissively,  Kade’s  cock  jerked
and  twitched  in  anticipation.  The  man  was  just  too
perfect.  When  Kade  reached  the  soft  skin  just  behind
his  mate’s  ear,  Tom  mewled  in  pleasure,  his  hands
clenching and unclenching spastically where they rested
on Kade’s waist.

Unable to deny himself any longer, Kade eased away

and pulled his own t-shirt over his head. Tom sucked in
a breath and reached out tentatively. Kade paused,
letting Tom take a moment to trace over his tattoos. His
mate’s fingers slid over his flesh, starting at his neck,
working over his shoulder, then down his chest. Tom’s
fingers latching onto the bar piercing one of his nipples
caused a hiss of pleasure to escape Kade’s lips.

“I was never into tattoos or piercings,” Tom

admitted, “but these…these are amazing.”

Kade grinned. “I’m glad you approve. They’re kind

of permanent.”

Tom laughed softly, then lifted his second hand and

tugged  gently  on  the  piercings  in  both  nipples.  Pain
mixed  with  pleasure  zinged  through  Kade’s  system,
tracing  a  direct  line  to  his  cock.  His  shaft  oozed  pre-
cum, jerking in his jeans. The fabric of his boxer briefs,
damp  from  his  secretions,  scraped  across  the  sensitive
flesh  of  his  head,  and  Kade  couldn’t  hold  back  the
moan as Tom continued to play.

He felt his balls begin to contract, forcing him to

grab Tom’s hands and gently pull them away from his

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

chest.

“Does that hurt?” Tom whispered, uncertainty filling

his expressive blue eyes.

Kade shook his head and smiled. “Only in the best

way. You keep playing with them, and I’ll come in my
pants without you even touching me.”

A sly smile curved Tom’s lips and his tongue darted

out as he licked them. “Really?”

Oh, yeah. My mate likes that idea. Kade grinned.

“Yeah, and I’ll let you do it sometime, but not right
now. Right now, I want to see the rest of that sexy body
of yours. Get naked. Now.”

Tom’s mouth gaped for a second, then he glanced

around furtively and scrambled to obey. Kade  watched
Tom  sit  on  the  blanket  and  pull  off  his  hiking  boots.
Thinking that was an excellent idea, Kade did the same.
He  paused  unbuttoning  his  jeans,  opting  instead  to
watch Tom’s slender fingers work open the button and
zipper.  He  nearly  groaned  in  anticipation  as  the  pale
human  shimmied  his  hips  to  push  the  pants  and  briefs
off  his  body,  revealing  Tom’s  long,  slender  prick,
already  hard  and  weeping,  the  engorged  head  a  dark
reddish purple.

Swallowing hard to get saliva flowing through his

mouth again, Kade ripped open his own jeans, suddenly
desperate  to  relieve  the  pressure  on  his  aching  dick.
After  removing  the  last  of  his  clothes,  he  knelt  and
stared  down  at  his  mate.  The  blue  eyes  looking  up  at
him  were  filled  with  nerves  and  uncertainty,  and  that
just wouldn’t do.

Kade eased down on the blanket, sprawling next to

the man. Wrapping an arm around Tom’s waist, he

Charlie Richards

pulled  Tom  against  him,  fitting  them  together  as  they
rested on their sides. He slipped a knee between Tom’s
legs and pressed  it  firmly under  his  balls as  he  cupped
Tom’s  thigh  and  eased  his  leg  forward,  encouraging
him to rest his leg over Kade’s hip.

Tom moaned softly and tucked his head against

Kade’s shoulder, hiding his face. Kissing the man’s
temple, he felt the heat of embarrassment rising from
his mate’s skin. “Hey,” he crooned. “None of that, my
sexy man.”

He shifted his thigh, rubbing it lightly against Tom’s

sack. Tom gasped and rocked his  hips, taking over the
motion,  and  Kade  encouraged  his  movements  by
moving  his  hand  from  Tom’s  thigh  to  his  ass.  It  only
took a few seconds for the man to become pliant in his
arms. Rutting against him, Tom’s head rolled from side
to side.

The soft moans of pleasure coming from his mate,

along  with  the  ever  increasing  scent  of  arousal,  told
Kade how much Tom enjoyed his touch. He shifted his
torso and head slightly, so he could nibble along Tom’s
neck.  Kade  sucked  Tom’s  earlobe  into  his  mouth  and
tugged,  causing  Tom’s  hips  to  jerk.  He  moved  his
mouth to the skin behind Tom’s ear and sucked gently,
just  enough  to  cause  a  riot  of  sensations.  The  goose
bumps  breaking  out  over  Tom’s  skin  indicated  the
human’s  pleasure,  and  Kade  struggled  to  keep  from
sucking hard enough to mark the man.

Tom panted roughly as he moaned indistinct words.

Kade’s fingers brushed the cleft of Tom’s ass, playing
with the sensitive skin there.

“More, please more,” Tom groaned, moving his dick

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

faster and faster against Kade.

Kade pressed more firmly against Tom’s testicles,

giving  him  more  pressure.  The  move  also  shoved
Tom’s  leg  higher,  opening  his  ass  for  Kade’s
exploration.  He  feathered  his  fingers  along  his  crack,
working  his  way  down.  His  first  light  touch  over  the
wrinkled  skin  of  Tom’s  entrance  had  the  man
squirming,  obviously  uncertain  if  he  wanted  to  push
against  Kade’s  finger  or  rock  his  dick  against  Kade’s
abs.

Taking away the need to make a choice, Kade

pressed  forward just enough to breach the tight ring of
muscles.  Tom’s  groan  matched  his  own  as  Kade
imagined  his  dick  sinking  inside  Tom’s  clenching
channel. He worked his finger in and out of Tom’s ass,
massaging the sensitive tissues. Crooking his finger, he
located his  mate’s gland  and scraped  across the  man’s
prostate once, twice.

Tom gasped, and jerked, then shuddered as he let out

a long, low, moan and came. Kade continued to gently
massage the spongy bump, wringing every last bit of
pleasure from the man.

Once Tom stopped trembling, Kade gently slipped

his finger from his mate’s ass and settled the hand back
on his  hip. He  smoothly rolled Tom onto his  back and
smiled  down  at  him,  pleased  with  the  blissed-out
expression  he  saw  on  his  face.  He  leaned  down  and
kissed Tom’s lips, slipping his tongue into the yielding
mouth.

He gave a full body shudder when slender fingers

wrapped around his still aching cock. Kade had done
his best to ignore his own needs as he pleasured his

Charlie Richards

mate, but Tom’s tentative grip had all his desires
rushing to the forefront.

Kade broke the kiss and growled, “Harder.” Tom

complied, massaging his thumb over the Prince Albert,
then squeezing along the Jacob’s Ladder.

“Oh, by the gods,” he hissed through clenched teeth.

His  eyes  fell  closed  as  he  focused  on  the  feel  of  his
mate’s  hand  stroking  him.  Nothing  felt  better  than
Tom’s touch. Suddenly, it was gone, and he wanted to
howl in protest. It took every ounce of control Kade had
left  to  obey  the  insistent  pushing  on  his  shoulder  and
roll onto his back.

He panted harshly, trying to get his brain to function,

so he could remember how to speak. He needed to ask
what he’d done wrong, find out what had happened—

A warm, wet mouth wrapping around his cock’s

head had his eyes snapping open and a howl of pleasure
erupting from his throat. He looked down and struggled
to stay still as he watched Tom’s lips stretch wide
around his dick. Tom sank partway down his shaft, his
tongue massaging the balls on his dick.

The man began to gag and had to back off, telling

Kade of his mate’s inexperience. “Easy, Tom,” he
whispered hoarsely. “Use your hand. You don’t have to
take it all.” Just the fact that Tom was giving him a
blowjob had him close to shooting.

A determined look crossed his mate’s face, and he

slowly  sank down again. This time  he wrapped a hand
around the  base of  Kade’s cock, stroking  in time with
his  sucks.  Tom’s  tongue  tapped  the  Prince  Albert  and
delved  into  his  slit,  encouraging  more  pre-cum  from
Kade’s dick.

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

He tried to hold on, to prolong the agonizing

pleasure, but then Tom’s other hand went to his balls.
The sensitive orbs pulled tight to his body from his
mate’s tentative touches. When Tom slid a finger back
to the sensitive patch of skin behind his balls and found
the guiche piercing there, Kade lost it. His body bowed
as his release erupted from him. He tried to warn Tom,
really he did, but all that came out was a growling roar
of ecstasy.

Once he regained some semblance of control, he

released  his death grip on the  blanket beneath him. He
sank  his  fingers  into  Tom’s  hair  with  one  hand,
caressing  his  mate’s  scalp.  “Holy  shit,  that  was
amazing,”  he  whispered  to  the  wide-eyed  man  who’d
just  rocked  his  world.  “Sorry  I  couldn’t  warn  you.  It
kinda just hit me,” he admitted, reaching up and wiping
away  the  cum  dripping  from  the  corner  of  Tom’s
mouth.

He brought the spunk to his own mouth and sucked

it from his finger. Then he encouraged Tom to come to
him, and proceeded to lick the traces of his release from
his mate’s chin, cheek, and neck. From the looks of
things, once Tom got his first mouthful, he’d jerked
back, so his face had taken the brunt of the next several
streams.

Seeing his essence on Tom’s skin, Kade felt an urge

to massage it in instead of lick it off. That way, any
shifter who got near would smell Kade on his mate’s
skin, and know Tom was taken.

Worrying that doing that would freak Tom out, Kade

instead helped clean the man up, then himself, and
pulled his mate into his arms, cuddling him close. The

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quiet  holding  session  progressed  to  making  out,  then
Tom leaned over him and began licking Kade’s tattoos.
By the time Tom got to his  nipples,  Kade was already
hard again. Five minutes of Tom sucking, nipping, and
massaging  his  nipples  had  Kade  howling  out  another
release without his dick being touched.

In return, Kade tackled Tom and sucked his cock

until  the  man  exploded,  filling  his  mouth  with  seed.
After swallowing every drop, Kade crawled up  Tom’s
body and captured his mouth in a slow, sensual kiss. He
loved  the  way  their  combined  essences  tasted  on  his
tongue,  like  the  finest  wine.  It  was  something  he
wanted to experience again and again.

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Chapter Nine

ade was sorry the afternoon had to end, but they
couldn’t stay up there forever. Hours after they’d

enjoyed  their  sandwiches,  and  each  other, they  packed
up  and  headed  down  the  mountain.  The  trek  back  was
done  much  more  slowly,  their  limbs  lethargic  from
repeat orgasms.

Kade thought about the right-for-position challenge

he had to compete in that evening and knew he’d need a
nap before then to gather strength. He didn’t like having
to lie about his activities for the night, but when Tom
asked if he could cook him dinner, Kade knew he
couldn’t tell him the truth yet.

Asking for a rain check, Kade told Tom that he had

plans to help his foster sister move some furniture that
evening. Tom accepted that, and they agreed to meet
the next afternoon. After a quick glance verified that the
parking garage was empty, Kade gave Tom a deep kiss,
wishing for the day when he wouldn’t have to leave his
mate behind.

The nap did wonders for his energy levels, and after

the sixteen ounce rare steak he grilled himself for

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supper, Kade  felt ready to take on any  wolf shifter. At
eight o’clock, Kade tossed on a pair of sweats and a t-
shirt and climbed into his pickup. The old Dodge might
not have been the prettiest truck on the road, but it still
ran  great.  Plus,  he  didn’t  mind  bouncing  it  along  the
rutted  roads  he’d  need  to  use  to  get  to  the  enforcer
challenge.

After parking on a service road, Kade headed into

the forest. His enhanced shifter vision made it easy to
scope out the trail, and he jogged slowly, using the
opportunity to warm up his muscles.

He arrived in a large clearing and spotted Carson

right away. The man had three other shifters standing
with him, and Kade wondered if they were fighting for
the right to be a pack enforcer as well. He knew all of
them by scent if not by sight, and the other two men
walking toward them he knew personally.

Striding over to them, he greeted Phillip and Kyle

with a slap to each of their backs and a grin. “Hey,
breeders, I wondered if you’d been invited to this shin-
dig.”

The two men laughed, although Kyle rolled his eyes.

“You know I don’t mind swinging both ways if the
scent is right,” he responded.

Kyle’s comment brought Kade up short. “Really?”
His brows lifted when Kyle leered at him. “Sure, big

man, but don’t expect me to get near your hairy ass.”

Barking out a laugh, Kade slapped him on his back

again. “No can do, my friend. I’m a one man wolf now.
I found my mate.”

“Hey, congratulations!” both men offered at the

same time.

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

“Thanks,” he replied.
Jared appeared at his elbow, nearly freaking Kade

out. How the hell the human moved like that, Kade
wasn’t sure he wanted to know. “Speaking of Tom,
where is the man?” he asked.

Kade grimaced. “He doesn’t—I haven’t—”
“Oh, man!” Phillip howled. “Your mate’s a human

who doesn’t know?” He clamped a hand on Kade’s
shoulder and squeezed. “I’m sorry, Kade.”

“What about the closet?” Carson asked, joining

them.

He got a sympathetic look from a shifter he’d met

only  once.  Manon  Lemelle  was  a  Cajun  transplant
who’d  left  Louisiana  after  hurricane  Katrina.  His
explanation  was  that  his  wolf  was  tired  of  the  bayou
heat.  “Ah,  I’m  sorry,  mon  ami,”  he  said,  his  Cajun
accent thick. “That’s a tough stroke.”

Kade shrugged. “I’ve made some headway there,” he

admitted. “He’s grown much more comfortable with
my touch.”

Carson nodded. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“What’s this I hear about ye findin’ yer mate,

Kade?”

Kade spun around and quickly inclined his head,

showing respect to his alpha. Declan McIntire placed
his hand on the back of Kade’s neck and kept it there.
The move told Kade that the alpha was questioning his
actions, namely not coming to him as soon as he found
out that his mate was an uninitiated human.

He immediately dropped to one knee and bowed his

head. “His name is Tom Bristol, Alpha. He’s human,
and he’s in the closet. As soon as I felt certain he was

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receptive to me, I planned to tell you.”

Declan lifted his hand, giving Kade permission to

rise. “Very good. Keep me posted on yer progress.”

“Yes, Alpha,” he replied quickly.
Once Declan moved off, Kade let out a relieved

breath and rose. Looking around the clearing, Kade saw
that over half the pack  had come to watch. Even  some
extended members were in attendance. Kade cocked his
head  as  he  spotted  Casey  Streusel,  an  albino  bunny
shifter,  and  his  vampire  mate  Caspian.  Several  men
Kade  hadn’t  met  were  with  them,  and  he  wondered  if
they, too, were vampires.

Declan move to the middle of the clearing and

cleared his throat, asking for attention. “This gatherin’
is for the right to be an enforcer in me pack. If ye want
that right, stand forward now and be recognized.”

Kade stepped forward, along with five other men.

He glanced over his competition and determined his
odds were pretty good. He didn’t know a lot about
Manon, as he was fairly new to the pack, but the other
wolves he’d at least seen wrestle while in wolf form. A
couple of them Kade had even tussled with himself.

“Here’s how it works,” Declan stated, his Irish lilted

voice echoing through the clearing, and Kade refocused
his attention on his alpha. “This is a double elimination
tournament. The two wolves who finish on top will
fight for enforcer rank, if they wish. Fights are to
submission. No permanent injuries, please, gentlemen,”
he said with a smile. “Go ahead and shift. The first fight
is between Phillip Abernathy and Kyle Rainier.”

Doing as instructed, Kade moved to the edge of the

circle, stripped down, and shifted. His shift took about

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

fifteen seconds, pretty quick in the shifter world. Then
he sat down and waited, watching analytically as the
other wolves fought.

* * * *

Tom  felt  like  a  fool,  but  he  couldn’t  seem  to  stop
himself.  He’d  spent  the  entire  morning  and  early
afternoon  with  Kade,  and  still  he  wanted  to  see  him
again.  To  do  that,  Tom  had  decided  to  take  the  man
pizza  and  beer  on  the  pretense  of  him  and  Theresa
needing refreshment after moving furniture.

He wasn’t one hundred percent certain where he’d

find them, but he remembered Kade telling him that he
lived  over  his  garage.  And  he  knew  where  Theresa
lived  from  picking  her  up  the  night  he’d  met  Kade.
He’d swing  by  both places and see  if they were there.
Irrational, maybe, since Theresa lived in Colin City and
Kade lived in Stone Ridge, but so was going to the store
to work on marketing ideas and then obsessing over his
lover.

So, pizza on his passenger seat and case of beer on

his floorboard, Tom drove by Theresa’s townhouse. He
struck out at the woman’s home. No one was there, so
he climbed back into his car and made the forty five
minute trip to Stone Ridge.

It was easy enough to find Kade’s car and bike

repair  shop,  seeing  as  there  were  only  a  couple  side
streets  with  businesses  in  the  small  town.  Just  as  he
turned onto the street, he spotted an old beat up Dodge
truck. There  wasn’t  a  couch  in  the  bed,  but  Kade  was
driving it.

Charlie Richards

Tom honked, trying to get the man’s attention, but

the guy must have really been focused, because he
didn’t respond. Turning his vehicle around in a
driveway, Tom decided to follow him to Theresa’s and
catch up with him there.

To Tom’s surprise, Kade didn’t turn in the direction

of Colin  City and his foster sister’s. Instead, he headed
west out of  town, toward the  national  forest.  Curiosity
got the better of him, and Tom followed the man. When
the  truck  turned  onto  a  service  road,  he  debated  the
wisdom  of  continuing.  Since  Kade  wasn’t  helping
Theresa move a couch, it was obvious the man had lied
to him.

Righteous indignation filled Tom, and he turned his

car onto the rutted, dirt and gravel track. He wanted to
know  what  was  going  on.  The  indignation  turned  to
anger when he saw Kade’s truck had been parked next
to  many  other  vehicles  in  a  small  clearing  off  the  side
of  the  road  about  three  hundred  yards  into  the  woods.
As  he  stopped  his  car  and  looked  around,  that  anger
melted  into  concern.  What  if  Kade  is  in  to  something
illegal?

Figuring he’d best find out now before he got in too

deep with the man, he exited his car and looked around.
Where would Kade have gone? Tom walked around the
clearing, looking for tracks. He’d been hiking enough
years to recognize several game trails, and wondered if
Kade had headed down one of them?

“Hello there.”
Tom spun at the voice from his left. “Hi,” he

answered warily, watching the dark haired man step
from the trees.

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

“Are you lost? It’s dangerous to be in these woods at

night,” the guy said.

Tom found it a bit odd that the guy was dressed

completely  in  black  and  his  unease  grew.  Then  he
remembered  he  still  wore  a  button  down  shirt  and
slacks  from working at the store, and his pulse settled.
Maybe  not  so  odd.  “I  followed  my  friend,  but  seem  to
have lost him in the woods,” he admitted.

“Oh, you were invited by one of them? Which one?”

the guy asked, cocking his head. Interest lit his brown
eyes.

In for a penny, in for a pound, right? “Kade

McGraw.”

The guy nodded as if he knew him and smiled at

Tom. “Cool. Let me show you where they’re fighting
at. Come on.” The man motioned for him to follow and
headed down the game trail. “My name’s Raven.
What’s yours?”

“Tom,” he answered automatically as he followed

the man, only giving his first name since that’s what his
guide had done. He felt for any man whose mother
named him Raven. Imagine the jokes growing up!

“So, is Kade your mate? It’s unusual for a human to

be at these things if you’re not mated to one of them,”
Raven said conversationally.

Okay…Tom had no clue what Raven meant. Mate?

Human?

“Huh?” He couldn’t stop the question, even though

it made him sound like an ignorant idiot.

Raven stopped and looked over his shoulder at him.

“Kade didn’t tell you what’s going on?” he asked.
Evidently the answer was written all over Tom’s face,

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because the dark haired man started grinning in a way
that Tom wasn’t sure he liked. “Oh, you’re in for a
treat! Come on. We wouldn’t want to miss anything.”

With that, Raven grabbed Tom’s wrist and led him

off the trail. Tom didn’t have any choice but to follow
him. This guy’s grip is strong!

Twenty minutes later, Raven stopped and listened.

Tom didn’t hear anything, but he nodded cautiously
when Raven held a finger to his lips. Waving a hand for
Tom to follow, Raven crept forward. It took another ten
minutes before Tom actually saw movement ahead and
realized they were coming to a clearing.

Once more, Raven signaled for silence. After Tom

nodded  again,  Raven  shifted  a  tree  branch  out  of  the
way  and  pointed  toward  the  men.  Tom  immediately
spotted  Kade.  He  was  kneeling  on  the  ground  while
another man, a huge African American even broader in
the  shoulders  than  Kade,  rested  his  hand  on  his  neck
and  spoke  quietly  to  him.  Tom  couldn’t  make  out the
words,  but  whatever  Kade’s  murmured  response  was
must have been okay, because the guy released his hold
and Kade rose.

Then the other man strode to the middle of the

clearing and spoke. This time Tom had no problem
hearing the words.

“Here’s how it works,” the man stated with a

noticeable  Irish  accent,  drawing  the  attention  of  the
twenty  or  so  people  milling  around.  “This  is  a  double
elimination tournament. The two wolves who finish on
top will fight for enforcer rank, if they wish. Fights are
to  submission.  No  permanent  injuries,  please,
gentlemen,” he said with a smile. “Go ahead and shift.

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

The first fight is between Phillip Abernathy and Kyle
Rainier.”

Tom’s brows shot up. Wolves? Was Kade involved

with dog fighting? He almost rose from where he
crouched, but then Raven’s hand landed on his
shoulder, forcing him to keep still.

The guy leaned close and whispered, “Just wait for

it. You won’t want to miss this.”

Glancing over his shoulder at Raven, Tom frowned.

“Do you know all these people?”

Raven shook his head. “Not personally, but I’ve

been watching them for months. Just watch.”

Okay, that’s just creepy. Tom wondered how he

could  get  away  from  this  guy,  who  was  obviously
stalking  one  of  these  men.  But  then  his  gaze  snapped
back to Kade when his lover moved off to the side and
began to strip right there  in  front of everyone. His  jaw
dropped  as  the  biker  revealed  his  magnificent  body  to
anyone  who  cared  to  see,  sending  a  surge  of  jealousy
ripping through Tom. Once again, he started to rise, and
Raven held him in place.

He almost snapped at the guy to let him go, but then

words died in his throat. Kade’s body began to change.
Between one moment and the next, his lover, his human
lover was gone, and in his place sat a massive brown
wolf. “Holy shit,” he hissed.

“Amazing, isn’t it?” Raven whispered. “They walk

amongst us and most humans never even know.”

“Wh—What are they?” What is my lover? He

glanced up at the rising moon, but it wasn’t full. “Are
they werewolves?” he asked anyway.

“They prefer to be called shape shifters. They claim

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to be perfectly cognizant in that form, but I wasn’t real
sure. The only time I’ve ever faced them in animal form
is  when  I  was  fighting  them,”  Raven  stated  blandly.
“From what I’m seeing though, they really do think and
reason  when  they’re  animals.”  The  smile  on  Raven’s
lips  was  anything  but  reassuring.  In  fact,  it  reminded
Tom  of  a  scientist  analyzing  a  particularly  interesting
bug under a microscope. “Simply amazing.”

Still, the guy seemed to have answers. “How do you

know about them?”

It took a minute for Raven to answer, as the man’s

gaze was fixed on a pair of fighting wolves. The
animals circled each other warily before coming
together in a flurry of growls, teeth, and claws. “I told
you. I’ve been watching them. That’s my job.”

“Your job? What do you mean?” He asked the

words, but couldn’t keep from raptly watching the fight.
One  of  the  wolves  managed  to  get  hold  of  the  other’s
leg,  flip  his  opponent  over,  and  grip  the  other’s  neck.
The downed wolf instantly submitted, going limp under
him.  To  Tom’s  surprise,  the  winner  didn’t  tear  the
other’s  throat  out,  but  instead  released  him.  Kyle  was
named victor, and the next fight began.

“I work for a group of scientists who would like to

harness  some  of  these  guy’s  abilities,”  Raven  stated
calmly.  “They’ve  given  me  and  a  few  other  guys
increased  strength  and  speed  through  experiments
they’ve  done  on  them  and  us.  They  really  are  quite
remarkable creatures.”

Unease worked through Tom. “Why are you telling

me this?” Surely there were rules about involving
civilians, right? Tom shouldn’t have this knowledge,

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

should he?

“Just watch the fight. I want to see who wins.”
Raven waved his question away, making Tom even

more uneasy. “I think it’d be best if I go,” he muttered.

“Naw, stick around. You wouldn’t want to miss your

boyfriend fighting.” Tom’s eyes widened in surprise.
How did this guy know? “See, he’s next. He’s facing
Franklin, that big tawny wolf. Let’s see how he does.”

“What makes you think he’s my boyfriend?” Tom

whispered, racking his brain for some way the guy
could know. If he was watching these guys, these
shifters, had he seen him and Kade in the woods today?
Just the idea had embarrassed heat suffusing his cheeks.

Raven chuckled low in his throat, the sound easily

drowned out by the growls and grunts of the fighting
wolves. “You smell of him.”

“What?” Tom had showered before going to the

store. How could he still smell like, well, sex? He
blushed again.

The other man spared him an amused look. “Relax.

Normal humans wouldn’t be able to tell, but shifters
would. Extra sensitive sense of smell is another gift the
scientists gave me,” Raven told him.

“Oh.”
They lapsed into silence, watching the animals fight.

It  was  like  watching  deadly,  choreographed  dancing.
The  animals were graceful, powerful, and swift, barely
causing  injury  to  the  other  as  one  wolf  managed  to
subdue the other. Tom had to admit, it really did  seem
to  appear  like  the  animals  were  fighting  with  human
brains,  especially  when  Tom  saw  Kade  perform  a  roll
that  appeared  more  like  a  wrestling  maneuver  than

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anything a wolf would do in the wild.

To his surprise, and pride if he were to admit it to

himself, Kade won. He earned the title of second
enforcer, whatever that was, with a guy named Manon
titled third enforcer.

With the fighting done, the wolves changed shape

again, turning back into humans. Tom grew nervous. “I
should go,” he whispered, once more trying to rise. To
his relief, Raven pulled his hand away and let him.

“No, you can’t go now,” Raven said, dashing Tom’s

hopes for a quick escape.

“Why?” he whispered.
“Because I’m going to use you as bait,” Raven

replied far too cheerily.

Tom took a step away from the man, whose eyes

took on a decidedly psychotic quality. “Bait?” He tried
to control his breathing, but his voice came out a
squeak.

Raven’s grin turned nasty. “Yup. You’re fucking

Kade, and shifters are possessive. He’ll come after
you.” He grabbed Tom’s arm and steered him toward
the shifters. “Come on. Let’s go let him know.”

Tom let out a startled squawk as Raven shoved him

through the trees. The noise drew the attention of every
one of the men.

“Tom,” Kade’s deep voice was laced with concern.

“What are you doing here?”

Working through his options quickly, Tom knew his

only chance was to get Kade over here to help him.
God, did that mean he trusted the shifter more than the
human? Shit! Better the devil you know. “I—I needed to
talk to you. I—What the hell is going on?” He put as

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

much confusion and disbelief into his voice as he
thought he could get away with.

Raven stepped out behind him, and he felt the man’s

presence like a brand. “Excellent acting, Tom,” the guy
murmured  so  only  he  could  hear.  Raising  his  voice,
Raven  stated  snidely,  “I  told  you  to  keep  watching,
didn’t  I?  Isn’t  it  obvious,  Tom?  These  men  aren’t
human. They’re abominations. They all deserve to die.”

“Tom, baby,” Kade crooned softly, “I need you to

come here. Let me explain.” He held out a hand,
beckoning Tom to come to him.

Tom really wished he could, but Raven shook his

head ever so slightly and twitched the hand nearest him.
Oh, fuck! He has a gun! He let out an unmanly squeak
and backed toward Raven when the man crooked a
finger at him. “I—I don’t understand what’s going on.”
Damn it! How dense could the man be? Kade had to
come to him!

Unfortunately, Kade didn’t. Instead, the big guy

who’d  been  calling  the  shots  stepped  forward  and
growled.  “We  are  not  abominations,”  he  said.  The
words  were  gruff,  but  even,  as  if  trying  to  control  his
reaction to the accusations. “That’s a bigoted attitude of
someone  who  doesn’t  know  what  they’re  talking
about.”

Tom felt the gun press into him. Probably Raven’s

way of warning him to remain silent. He swayed away
from it before catching himself.

“I’m not here to discuss that with you,” Raven said,

his tone negligent. Next, Tom felt Raven’s hand on his
shoulder, squeezing tightly. “My name is Raven, and
I’m looking for Miach. Our friends don’t like him

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here.”

Well, shit. Somehow, he’d managed to stumble into

a feud between these shifters and Raven’s scientists. He
swallowed as a wave of fear and panic washed over
him. Tom had no idea how he could get away. Raven
wasn’t kidding about increased strength, and the grip on
his shoulder was almost painful.

Kade growled and stepped toward him, giving Tom

a measure of hope for a split second. But then the
African American, who Tom pegged as some kind of
leader, held up a hand and his lover paused.

“Ye can’t think we’re gonna let ye out of here with

Tom, Raven,” the leader said coldly. “Tom has nothin’
to do with this.”

From the corner of his eye, Tom saw Raven shrug.

“I don’t plan to harm Tom.” Okay, that has to be a total
lie. The guy never would have told me all those things if
he hadn’t planned on killing me! This was all too much,
and  Tom  could  feel  his  brain  shutting  down  under  the
stress.  He  barely  comprehended  Raven’s  continued
speech.  “Have  Miach  meet  me  on  Lake  Renue.  I’m
staying on a houseboat at the west end of the lake. I’ll
hang a green  flag on both sides. Tell  him  to come  in a
canoe, and he better be alone,” Raven ordered.

Once more the gun was pressed to his side, this time

hard enough to urge him sideways. “Come along,
Tom,” Raven said.

Yup, too much. Tom felt his eyes roll up into the

back of his head at the same time his knees buckled. As
darkness descended, Tom prayed he’d wake up in his
bed Sunday morning and discover this was all a bizarre
dream.

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Chapter Ten

ade watched in horror as Tom’s body crumpled to
the needle-strewn forest floor. Seconds later, all

hell broke loose. A small wolf burst from the trees and
latched  onto  Raven’s  arm.  While  the  guy  was
distracted,  Kade  rushed  forward  and  swept  his  mate
into  his  arms  and  carried  him  away  from  the
commotion.

When gunshots echoed through the trees, Kade

paused  and  glanced  back.  The  wolf  that  he  now
recognized as Sam  Bailey was unconscious and tossed
over  Raven’s  shoulder.  Raven  pressed  a  gun  to  the
shifter’s  head,  his  gaze  sending  warning  of  his  lethal
intent  to  the  shifters  gathered  around  them,  some  in
human form, others in wolf form, as he backed through
the trees.

He spotted a massive snake coiled nearby. The

creature’s flat-eyed gaze was pinned on the retreating
couple. Red marks on the animal’s body showed where
it’d been shot more than once.

No one wanted to put Sam’s life in jeopardy, and the

stalemate continued until Raven reached a car and
shoved Sam inside. “Ten o’clock tomorrow morning,”

Charlie Richards

Raven called. “Follow my instructions or the wolf
dies.” Then the guy settled into the driver’s seat and the
vehicle peeled out, racing down the service road.

A feeling of failure invaded Kade’s heart. As an

enforcer, even a brand new one, it was his job to protect
the members of his pack. Instead, all he’d been able to
think about was saving his mate.

Declan was by his side instantly. “I’m assuming this

is  yer  mate? Tom Bristol?”  At Kade’s  immediate nod,
Declan  grunted.  “Ye  did  the  right thing.  An  unwitting
human  should  not  be  caught  in  the  cross-fires  of  our
war.”

Before he could think up a response, the massive

snake appeared and shifted into a clearly irate man. The
guy started toward Kade, and a low growl escaped him,
his wolf deciding the bleeding man could be a threat to
his mate.

“Take Tom away from here. Ye and Manon’s first

duty as new enforcers is to explain things to Tom and
make certain he won’t be a threat to our kind,” Declan
stated.

“Oui, Alpha,” Manon responded.
Kade had no clue when the other shifter had joined

them. He realized  he  needed to figure out how to  split
his  attention  when  his  mate  was  around.  Hopefully,
once  he’d  been  able  to  claim  Tom,  he  could  manage
that.  He  watched  Declan  and  a  massive,  tattooed  guy
decked  in  leathers, who  must have come on one of the
motorcycles he’d seen parked in the clearing, intercept
the snake shifter.

Following his alpha’s orders, Kade strode through

the forest to where they’d parked. Manon followed

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

silently, watchfully. He recognized Tom’s car, and dug
into his mate’s pockets. He handed the keys to the
Cajun.

“That one’s his car. Can you follow us? I’m in the

truck,” he added, pointing.

Manon nodded. “Where are you going, mon ami?

Your garage?”

Kade shook his head. “I think it’d be best to have

this conversation in surroundings comfortable to Tom. I
want to head to Colin City, to his apartment.”

To his relief, Manon didn’t argue. “As you say.” The

guy strode away.

For a second, Kade wondered about the shifter. He

must have been highly spoken of by his former pack
alpha to have been offered a chance as an enforcer by
Declan so quickly.

Focusing on his task, he settled Tom’s unconscious

form  onto the  bench  seat  and  jogged  around  the  front.
Kade  pulled  an  extra  pair  of  sweats  from  behind  the
seat, yanked them on, and climbed inside the truck. He
lifted his mate’s head onto his lap, brushing his fingers
through  the  silky  strands  of  Tom’s  auburn  hair  for
several  seconds,  just  staring  at  his  unconscious  mate.
As  he  drove  to  Colin  City,  Kade  wondered  how  Tom
would react when he woke. The man had acted fearful,
confused,  and  looked  like  he’d  been  ready  to  run.  He
didn’t really want to have to chase his mate down, but
he  would,  Kade  decided  firmly.  Tom  was  his,  and
somehow, he’d make the human understand that.

His goal firmly in mind, Kade parked in the garage’s

visitor section, then directed Manon to Tom’s parking
space. It wasn’t until they were safely in Tom’s

Charlie Richards

apartment, the man in question laid across his bed with
a blanket draped over him, and the shifters settled down
to wait in the living room, beers in hand, that Manon
spoke.

“What you plan to say?”
Kade swallowed the mouthful of beer he’d just taken

and leaned forward, elbows on his knees. “Gonna play
it by ear,” he admitted.

“He is your mate, oui?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I was wooing him slowly, him

being in the closet and all,” he said with a grimace.
“Didn’t want to make him face too many hurdles at the
same time, ya know?”

Manon gave him a sympathetic smile, his dark eyes

watching him serenely. The man eased back in the easy
chair and stretched. “I gave you a run for your money,
no?”

Kade appreciated the subject change. He grinned,

lifting his beer in salute. “You did at that. You been in
the military or something?”

The other shifter shook his head, his dark hair falling

over his face. He brushed it back carelessly. “No, but I
learned martial arts from my maman. She could kick
my ass til the day she died.”

Spotting the shadow that passed over the man’s

eyes, Kade paused, the question on the tip of his
tongue.

Manon saw his hesitation and lifted his shoulder in a

shrug. “She died saving three cubs during the hurricane.
I stayed for a while, helped with clean up, made certain
the pack was safe, but I couldn’t stay. Too many
memories.”

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Kade nodded, understanding. “I felt the same about

the military,” he admitted.

Manon gave him a toothy grin. “Mother die in

arms?” he teased.

Chuckling, he shook his head. “No. Lover.”
“Ah, I’m sorry, mon ami.”
He shrugged. “He was human. Didn’t know about

shifters. He wasn’t my mate, so it wouldn’t have lasted
forever, ya know? But I still cared about him. Having to
hide how badly I was affected by his death was really
the deciding factor.” Staring at his beer for a second, he
smiled. “And now I’ve found my mate.”

“Oui, you think Tom’ll be a tough one to convince?”

the Cajun asked, cocking his head in a very canine
move.

“Convince me of what?”
The sound of Tom’s wary voice had Kade leaping to

his feet. He just managed to keep himself from running
to the man standing in the hallway. Instead, he forced
himself to still and asked, “How are you feeling?”

“Okay,” Tom replied slowly. “A little confused

about how I got here.”

Kade nodded. “That’s understandable. I drove you

here.  Do  you  remember  what  happened?”  he  asked,
wondering how much he’d need to explain to Tom. In
all actuality, Kade had no idea how long Tom had been
hiding  in  the  woods  with  Raven.  How  had  the  man
gotten there?  How  much  had  he  seen?  How  much  had
Raven  said to him?  It didn’t take  Kade  long to get his
answer.

“I saw everything. The whole fight. Raven explained

a lot.”

Charlie Richards

* * * *

Tom wasn’t certain what Kade had wanted to hear
when he’d asked his question, but evidently that wasn’t
it. His lover’s eyes narrowed and his expression took on
a wary look. “Raven explained shifters to you?”

Kade’s question sounded like it had been ripped

from  his  throat.  Then  Tom  remembered  all  the  things
Raven had said while facing Kade and his friends, that
wolves  were  abominations,  that  he  was  there  to  take
Miach,  whoever  that  was,  away  from  them.  Okay,
maybe  mentioning  the  guy  wasn’t  Tom’s  smartest
move, but he’d just woken up from a dead faint. A little
slack would be nice.

Ignoring Kade’s question, he crossed to the kitchen

and snagged a beer of his own. He was about to pop the
top  when  he  decided  after  everything  he’d  been
through, getting shit-faced sounded so much better. He
put  the  beer  away  and  rooted  out  a  bottle  of  Scotch
from  the  back  of  his  cupboard.  Tom  was  even  kind
enough to grab three highball glasses.

He returned to the living room and the waiting

shifters  and  plopped  onto the  couch.  “Look,  I  get that
Raven is your enemy,” he said, pouring two fingers into
a  glass  and  downing  it,  relishing  the  burn  as  it  slid
down  his  throat.  He  refilled  his  glass,  then  splashed
some  into  the  other  two  glasses  and  waved  a  hand  at
them, telling the men without words to help themselves.

Kade remained where he was on the other side of the

couch. The other shifter, whom he couldn’t remember
the name of, leaned forward and picked up the offered

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

drink. After a sip, he grinned. “Your mate has good
taste, no?”

Ah, the Cajun. Manon. Tom set the bottle on the

coffee table and settled into his seat. “Okay, here’s how
it is. Raven explained that you’re shifters, that you can
turn into animals at will, and that you’re still cognizant
while in animal form.” Kade’s brows lifted, obviously
surprised.

Tom took another sip of the Scotch. “How’d he do

so far?”

“Surprisingly well,” Kade grumbled.
He couldn’t stop the smile at seeing how disgruntled

his  lover was becoming. Shit, his  lover wasn’t human.
Tom wanted to think about how he  felt about that, but
with the man in the living room near him, all he seemed
to be able to focus on was the fact that the guy was only
wearing  sweats,  loose  sweats,  and  no  shirt.  Kade’s
tattoos  drew  his  attention,  and  he  licked  his  lips,
remembering how they felt under his hands, his tongue.
And  the  bars  in  Kade’s  nipples  called  to  him,  making
his fingers twitch.

Downing the rest of his drink, Tom forced himself to

go  on.  “I  watched  you  fight.  I  know  you’re  not  just
crazed beasts when you turn into an animal.” He ran a
hand  through  his  short  hair,  trying  to  decide  how  he
really  felt  about  all  this.  “I  don’t  think  you’re
abominations. Damn it, no one should be experimented
on,” he snarled. He leaped to his feet and began to pace,
finally snapping, “I don’t know what to think! Why the
hell does everyone keep calling me your mate?”

“You know I would never hurt you?” Kade

murmured, rising from the sofa.

Charlie Richards

Tom couldn’t help his tension as Kade approached,

never having expressed desire for another man in front
of another, but at least he managed not to shy away
from Kade when he settled his big hands on Tom’s
shoulders.

“The mate of a shifter is another name for their soul

mate,  their  other  half,  the  one  who  completes  them,”
Kade  murmured  softly,  his  green  eyes  darkened  with
sincerity.  Tom  started  to  open  his  mouth  to  question
what  the  hell  that  meant  for  him,  but  Kade  shook  his
head  quickly  and  continued.  “A  shifter  gets  only  one,
decreed by Fate, and they aren’t always blessed to find
that person,” he admitted. “But if they do, they will do
everything  in  their  power  to  ensure  their  happiness.”
Kade’s  hands slid up to cup Tom’s  jaw.  “You are that
person for me, Tom. You are my mate. My everything,
sweetheart.”

Tom couldn’t hide his frown. “That’s why you

pursued me? You didn’t have a choice?” Well, wasn’t
that a crushing blow to his ego? “Fate decreed it, so you
had to?”

From the corner of his eye, he saw Manon shaking

his  head.  “What  is  it  with  humans,  mon  ami?  They
never  understand  how  important  this  is.”  The  broad
shouldered  man  crossed  his  arms  over  his  chest  and
rolled his eyes.

Tom glared at the other man, well at least as best he

could with Kade still cupping his head. “Well, excuse
me for asking for clarification!”

“Tom, please focus,” Kade said. Glancing over his

shoulder, Kade added, “When you find your mate, you
can tell him about mates any way you want, but for

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

now, let me handle this.”

“S’excuser,” Manon replied contritely, holding up a

hand.

Kade refocused on Tom. “Yes, my instant attraction

to  you  was  Fate’s  doing.  No,  not  all  mates  end  up
happy  together,  although  the  possibility  is  there.  The
two  people  still  have  to  work  at  it,  they  still  need  to
learn to compromise, to accept their other half’s  flaws
and  limitations.”  Kade  dropped  a  hand  to  Tom’s  hip
and pulled him closer. “You’re a kind, sexy man, Tom.
Anyone  would  be  honored  to receive  your  attentions.”
He  pressed  a  soft  kiss  to  Tom’s  lips,  and  Tom  found
himself  opening  immediately,  helplessly  surrendering
to  Kade’s  mastery.  If  this  was  what  it’d  be  like  to  be
mated to the man, he could see few drawbacks.

Kade eased the kiss to an end, giving his lips one

more lick before lifting his head. “There are many
things I need to explain. Will you give me a chance?”

Tom nodded. “Yeah,” he whispered, his head still

muddied with lust.

“Thank you,” Kade said, sounding like he really

meant it. After tugging Tom down onto the couch next
to  him,  the  big  biker  pulled  him  close  and  kissed  his
neck.  “Seeing  you  near Raven had  my  heart thumping
wildly,  baby.  I  never  want  to  feel  that  way  again,”  he
whispered against his skin.

The warm breath across his skin sent a shiver down

his  spine,  and  Tom  said  the  only  thing  he  could  think
of.  “I’m  sorry.  I  saw  you  leaving  your  garage  and
thought I’d follow you to Theresa’s, but you didn’t go
that  way.  I  got  curious.”  He  met  Kade’s  eyes  as  he
straightened and grimaced. “How did you get me away

Charlie Richards

from Raven?”

Kade frowned and dropped his gaze. “One of my

pack-mates attacked Raven from behind.”

Confusion filled him. “Why would he do that for

me?”

“You’re my mate,” Kade replied simply.
Tom scowled. “What does that have to do with

anything? What’s it to him?”

Suddenly, Kade smiled. “Ah, I see your confusion.

You being my mate means you’re extended family. It’s
one of the reasons Jared gave you the loan.”

“The store…wait. What? Jared knows about you

guys?” Tom’s eyes rounded. “Is he a shifter, too?”

“No,” Kade replied, still smiling. “Jared’s mate is

Carson. The big Native American. Carson is a shifter.”

“Oh,” he murmured. “Yeah, I did wonder how they

got together.” It made perfect sense now.

Kade shook his head. “Oh, no. I’ll admit, they had a

rough start, but they’re completely devoted to each
other.”

Tom waved a hand. “Okay. I get that. So, the big

African American is your leader?”

Nodding, Kade replied. “Right. His name is Declan

McIntire.  He’s  the  pack  alpha.  He’ll  swing  by
eventually.”  Tom  wasn’t  certain  he  looked  forward  to
that  meeting,  but  he  kept  his  mouth  shut.  Somehow,
Kade  must  have  picked  up  on  his  nervousness.  He
rubbed Tom’s arm and kissed his temple. “Don’t worry.
He’ll welcome you as long as you keep our secrets.”

Tom drew back, his brows shooting up. “Oh, that’s

reassuring.”

“Relax,” Kade crooned.

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Tom let out a sigh and nodded. “Okay, so he’s your

alpha. Do you have a beta? Or an omega? Or something
like that?”

“We do have a pack beta. His name is Shane Alvaro.

No omega, at least not in Declan’s pack. Our alpha
refuses to let shifters in his pack treat one member like
shit just because he’s submissive.”

Tom frowned, uncertain how to take that

information.  He  could  feel  his  brain  starting  to  shut
down,  so  tried  to  figure  out  what  he  needed  to  know
right  away.  “Two  more  questions.  What  were  you
fighting for? And what does it mean, other than that we
can’t  seem  to  stop  touching  each  other,  that  we’re
mates?”

Kade chuckled. “Excellent questions. First, there are

pack  enforcers.  Carson  is  the  head  enforcer,  and  for  a
long  time  he  was  the  only  one.  Recently,  Declan
decided  his  pack  was  large  enough  to  have  a  couple
more,  so  he  asked  a  number  of  his  more  dominant
wolves if they’d be interested in the position. The fight
you witnessed tonight was to earn the right to be one of
the two new enforcers.”

Tom could hear the pride in Kade’s voice and

smiled. “So, you won the right to be an enforcer?” Kade
nodded.  Tom  pointed  at  Manon.  “And  he’s  the  other
one?  I  saw  you  both  shift  back  after  the  fight,”  he
admitted,  fighting  a  blush  as  he  remembered  the  two
men’s nakedness.

Manon chuckled, which earned him a growl from

Kade. Manon shook his head. “I’ve no cause to poach,
mon ami. Your mate obviously cares for you.”

“And the mate thing?” Tom murmured, redirecting

Charlie Richards

Kade’s attention to himself.

Kade cleared his throat. “Well, my wolf and I really

want to claim you,” he admitted, and to Tom’s surprise,
he  noticed  a  slight  flush  working  its  way  up  the  sexy
man’s neck. “I do that during sex,” Kade whispered, his
jaw  clenching  and  unclenching.  “When  that  happens,
the  saliva  from  my  claiming  bite  will  mix  with  your
human biology and extend your lifespan to match mine.
My  wolf  and  I  will  want  to  keep  you  near.”  Kade
finally  met  Tom’s  gaze.  “I  want  you  to  move  in  with
me.  If  we  need  to  find  a  place  halfway  between  Stone
Ridge and Colin City, I’d be open to that.”

Tom’s jaw dropped. Somehow, he’d known he’d get

a serious info drop from one of those two questions. He
swallowed. One thing caught his attention. “You want
to bite me? I, uh, would I become a shifter, too?”

Kade shook his head quickly. “No. You have to be

born a shifter. A human can’t be turned into one.”

A throat clearing caught both their attention, and

they looked toward Manon. The shifter grimaced. “Not
entirely true, mon ami. Take Lyle for example.”

Tom lifted his brows when Kade shook his head.

“That was a special case.”

“What was?” Tom couldn’t help asking.
Kade eased back on the couch. “Lyle is a detective

who was captured and experimented on by the scientists
Raven spoke of, without Lyle’s permission. He almost
died, but was saved by the mate of a panther shifter.
The human was changed into a monitor lizard shifter,”
Kade admitted.

“Wow,” Tom whispered, uncertain how else to

respond to that.

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

“I wouldn’t let that happen to you,” Kade

immediately  snarled.  “We  have  people  with  inside
information  now.  People  who  can  help  us  free  anyone
kidnapped.”  Kade  stiffened,  realizing  what  he’d
insinuated. “Not that I’d ever allow you to be taken by
them!”

Tom lifted a hand, stalling any more reassurances.

“Hey, easy. It’s okay,” he whispered.

Kade’s expression brightened. “Then you’ll let me

claim you?”

Tom’s face flamed, and he cleared his throat. “Uh,

yeah.” He glanced furtively at Manon, not certain he
wanted to be having this conversation in front of
another. “Yeah, I guess,” he added upon seeing Kade’s
pleading look.

Evidently, Manon picked up on Tom’s nerves,

because the shifter rose from his chair. “Well, I’ve an
errand or two to run. How about I bring back some
supper in a couple hours, oui?”

“Thanks,” Kade responded without taking his gaze

from Tom.

Manon chuckled and jingled Tom’s keys. “I’ll be

takin’ the car then. See you in a while.”

With the slamming of the door, Tom realized he was

now  alone  with  a  man,  a  shifter,  who  had  every
intention of claiming  him, which had to  happen during
sex. Tom fixed his gaze on Kade and saw the lust in the
big  man’s  green  eyes.  He  gulped,  anticipation  zinging
through his veins.

Charlie Richards

Chapter Eleven

ade licked his lips, his mind running rampant
with all the things he wanted to do to Tom now

that the truth was out there and he’d been accepted. But
he could see Tom’s nerves surfacing in the way he
twisted his fingers in his lap, and his gaze looked at
Kade and then danced away again.

Lifting a hand, Kade cupped Tom’s jaw. “I want

you, but I can wait if you’re not ready,” he murmured.

Tom shook his head, and Kade forced himself to

accept  the  human’s  decision.  He  eased  back  on  the
couch,  hoping  he  had  enough  control  to  just  hold  the
man.  “No,”  Tom  said  softly,  touching  Kade’s  lips
gently. “I don’t want to wait. I know we haven’t known
each  other  long,  and  maybe  I’m  accepting  everything
too  easily,  but  with  you,  I  finally  feel  like  I  can  be
myself.”  Tom  rose  to  his  knees  and  straddled  Kade’s
lap.

His hands immediately went to Tom’s ass as he

watched the man work through what else he wanted to
say. Kade flexed his fingers, enjoying the way the firm
globes fit in his palms. His cock twitched in his sweats,
and he struggled against the low growl that wanted out

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

of his chest at the feel of Tom’s firm shaft pressing
against his own.

“I like it. A lot,” Tom whispered breathily. His mate

rocked  against  him,  rubbing  their  erections  together
more firmly. A blush worked up Tom’s neck, and Kade
desperately  wanted  to  rip  off  the  man’s  shirt  and  see
how  far  down  the  redness  went.  “I’ve  never—never
done this before,” Tom admitted. “Will it hurt?”

Kade’s heart swelled. Just the idea that he would be

the only one to touch his mate like this had a shiver of
anticipation  working  through  him.  Unwilling  to  lie  to
Tom, he stated, “The  first time can  be painful, but I’ll
prepare  you  as  much  as  possible  to  keep  that  to  a
minimum.”

“Okay,” Tom replied.
The trust in his voice went straight to Kade’s heart,

making it swell with affection and love. For a second,
he buried his face against Tom’s neck and just relished
that notion. It’d been so long since he felt love for
anyone other than his family.

After letting out a slow breath, he placed gentle

sucking kisses against Tom’s neck. He massaged Tom’s
ass  and  pressed  his  fingers  into  the  man’s  cleft  where
the  cloth  of  Tom’s  slacks  covered  his  hole.  Once  the
man  melted  against  him,  moaning  his  pleasure  at  the
soft touches and kisses, Kade heaved them both off the
couch.

Tom let out a squeak of surprise and wrapped his

legs tightly around Kade’s hips. Kade moved one hand
from Tom’s ass to wrap it tightly around his waist. He
had no intention of dropping his mate anywhere but on
a bed. “Which room, babe?” he asked, moving toward

Charlie Richards

the hallway.

“Second on the left,” Tom murmured.
Kade almost stumbled when his human drew his

earlobe into his mouth and sucked strongly. Tom’s
hands clutched at his shoulders and he tried to rock his
hips against him as Kade walked. From the aroused
scent coming from Tom, Kade knew he wasn’t the only
one desperate for their coupling.

“Tom,” he growled in warning, and he quickened his

pace. He slammed the door shut with the heel of his
foot. He dropped the man on the bed, pleased by the
way Tom’s eyes snapped open to pin him with a heated,
lust-filled look.

Kade wasted no time slipping Tom’s shoes and

socks from him. When he reached for the enclosure on
Tom’s  slacks,  his  blood  heated  further  when  he  saw
Tom  undoing  the  top  couple  buttons  of  his  shirt.  He
wriggled  his  hips,  helping  Kade  pull  his  slacks  and
underwear down  his  legs even as  he slid the  shirt over
his head.

Once his mate was gloriously naked, sprawled

across the bed, Kade paused and stared at the man. The
pale skin of Tom’s sexy runner’s build called to Kade.
He wanted to mark it with love bites, so even humans
would know this man was taken.

Tom moved restlessly on the comforter, and Kade

swallowed  hard  as  he  palmed  his  cock  through  his
sweats and squeezed. He knew he needed to get hold of
himself  so  he  didn’t  go  too  fast  with  his  lover.  He
needed  to  take  care  of  him,  not  maul  him.  Those
thoughts had him sobering enough to feel he was ready
to strip his sweats and crawl onto the bed.

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

100

His mate watched him as Kade leaned over and

opened the nightstand drawer. He grunted with pleasure
upon seeing the tube of lube. Then he spotted an
unopened box of condoms. Kade held it up and grinned,
the question in his expression.

Tom blushed. “It’d been a while before I dated

Patricia and I couldn’t seem to bring myself to…” his
words faded and he shrugged one bare shoulder.

Not liking how uncomfortable he’d managed to

make his mate, Kade tossed the box back in the drawer
and said, “Shifters can’t get or pass on diseases, my
mate. You’ll never have to worry about condoms
again.”

Tom’s eyes widened in surprise, but a shy smile

curved his lips. “Okay,” he whispered.

He tossed the lube onto the bed and crawled over the

man.  Kade  settled  his  larger  frame  over  Tom’s  and
pressed a soft kiss to the man’s lips. “It’s been a while
for  me,  too,”  he  whispered,  “And  I  want  to  make  this
good  for  you.  Just  let  me  take  care  of  everything.
Okay?”

His breath catching in his throat, Tom buried his

hands in Kade’s hair. He used the hold to bring Kade’s
head down for another kiss, and Kade didn’t fight him.
Tom  swept  his  tongue  into  Kade’s  mouth,  and  Kade
sucked  on  it  gently.  Tom’s  moan  had  some  of  his
control slipping, and  Kade  let  his  hands roam over the
firm flesh of the man beneath him.

Tom spread his legs wider, and Kade settled into the

vee of his body, allowing their cocks to rub together.
His mate gasped, his smaller body bucking up against
him. Kade let out a grunt of his own and reached for the

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101

lube. There was no way he’d be able to hold on much
longer. He needed inside his mate, and soon.

Shifting slightly, he continued to kiss Tom, taking

control and sweeping his tongue deeply into the man’s
mouth. Reaching a hand between them, Kade rubbed
the tender skin behind Tom’s balls.

Tom mewled and Kade swallowed the man’s needy

sounds, feeding Tom some of his own. He broke the
kiss for a second to murmur, “Just relax,” before diving
back in. He rubbed a lubed finger over Tom’s taint, not
pressing, just touching. He felt Tom stiffen slightly,
then hands clutched his shoulders as he tilted his pelvis
and tried to relax.

Kade pressed one finger into Tom’s hole, just to the

knuckle. He stilled, letting Tom get used to the feeling.
When the tight ring of muscle relaxed a bit, Kade slid
his finger in farther, held still for several heartbeats,
then pulled it out.

He continued to work his mate slowly open with his

finger as he started kissing his way along Tom’s neck,
over  his  shoulders,  and  down  his  chest.  Tom’s  body
bowed  under  him  when  Kade  latched  onto  his  nipple.
He  used  the  distraction  to  add  a  second  finger.  Tom
grunted at the added pressure. Kade crooked his fingers
and  searched  for  the  spongy  gland  buried  in  Tom’s
channel.

When Tom arched off the bed, shouting his pleasure,

Kade  knew  he’d  found  it.  Then  Tom  shuddered,  the
hands gripping his shoulders, squeezing hard, and warm
cream splattered against Kade’s chin. Lifting his  head,
Kade  stared  down  at  his  mate  in  surprise.  He  rubbed
Tom’s gland again, encouraging more pleasure to flood

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102

his mate’s body, heightening the man’s orgasm.

Before Tom’s ragged pants could even out, Kade

licked  up  the  cum  cooling  on  Tom’s  chest,  loving  his
man’s  salty  taste.  He  stroked  his  tongue  over  his
softening  shaft  and  delved  his  tongue  into  the  slit,
probing  for  more  creamy  goodness.  Tom  moaned,
writhing under him, and Kade settled his palm over his
stomach to hold him still.

He pulled the man’s dick into his mouth, sucking

gently on the sensitive skin, pleased when Tom began
to firm back up. Kade worked a third finger into Tom’s
channel, his own cock leaking pre-cum. Fighting his
desire to rut against the bed, knowing he was too close
to losing it, Kade stared up at Tom through his lashes.

“Please,” Tom whispered. “I need—”
“I know what you need,” Kade murmured after

letting Tom’s dick slide from his mouth. He pulled his
fingers gently from Tom’s ass, and Tom groaned and
shifted restlessly. Grabbing the lube, he slicked up his
cock as he crooned reassurances to his mate.

“Now. Take me now,” Tom pleaded.
Kade lined up his dick to Tom’s entrance and smiled

down at him. “Bossy little thing, aren’t you,” he teased,
making Tom huff in annoyance. Kade used the
distraction and pressed forward, popping the crown of
his dick past the loosened guardian muscles.

Tom tensed beneath him and his channel clenched

down on him. He grunted from the intense pressure,
fighting his urge to thrust into the hot, tight grip. “Just
breathe, sweetheart,” he whispered, resting his forehead
against Tom’s. “You need to relax, Tom,” he urged. “I
don’t want to hurt you.”

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103

Nodding against him, Tom let out a breath. “Feels

odd,” he said.

“It’ll get better,” Kade promised. To his relief,

Tom’s anus relaxed, and Kade pushed forward. He
didn’t stop until he was buried balls deep, his testicles
resting against his mate’s crack. It took every ounce of
self-control he had left, but Kade froze in place and
waited, waited for his mate’s signal that it was okay to
move.

It didn’t take long, for which Kade was incredibly

grateful.  He  felt  Tom  shift  beneath  him,  grunting  in
what  sounded  suspiciously  like  frustration.  Kade
pressed a kiss to Tom’s lips, then stared intently at him
as  he  slowly  slid  his  shaft  halfway  out  of  the  man
before gliding back in.

Tom’s eyes rounded, his mouth ohed in pleasure as

Kade  rubbed  across  the  man’s  prostate.  Kade  smiled,
loving the look of bliss seeping into his mate’s features.
He  decided  to  make  it  his  mission  in  life  to  see  that
particular  look  as  often  as  possible.  Kade  pulled  back
and thrust again.

It didn’t take long for his own need to take control of

his  movements.  His  cock  throbbed  within  the  hold  of
Tom’s  body.  His  spine  tingled,  heralding  his  coming
orgasm.  Kade  felt  his  teeth  ache  with  the  need  to  sink
them  into  Tom’s  neck.  When  his  balls  pulled  tight  to
his  body,  he  growled  gruffly.  “May  I  claim  you,  my
mate?”

Tom’s eyes widened. “Yesss,” he hissed right before

tilting his head, revealing his neck submissively.

Instantly, Kade struck. He sank his teeth into the

fleshy part of Tom’s shoulder, sucking the sweet life

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104

force of his mate into his mouth, swallowing it down,
binding them together for eternity.

His mate shouted his name. Tom’s cock exploded

between  them,  coating  their  stomachs  and  chests  with
his  pearly  essence.  Kade  felt  Tom’s  inner  muscles
clamp down on his cock, and it was too much, and not
enough,  and  then  his  orgasm  overwhelmed  him.  His
body shuddered as his dick erupted, soaking his mate’s
channel with his seed, making Tom his in a primal way
that pleased  Kade even  more than the  bite on  his neck
did.

Pulling his teeth from Tom’s shoulder, Kade roared

his pleasure. He dropped forward, just remembering to
catch  himself  before  crushing  his  mate.  Once  he
managed to get his breathing under control, Kade licked
away  the  blood  still  oozing  from  Tom’s  shoulder.  His
saliva would help the wound heal more quickly, and in
a  few  days,  the  mark  would  be  a  scar  proclaiming  to
every shifter that Tom was taken.

As gently as he could, Kade eased his softening shaft

from Tom’s channel. Tom moaned softly, but it wasn’t
an unpleasant sound. Dropping next to him, Kade
pressed a kiss to Tom’s temple. “Gods, you’re
amazing,” he murmured.

Tom snickered. “Glad you feel that way. You’re

kind of stuck with me.”

Kade grinned and cracked an eyelid open to look at

his smirking mate. “Nothing pleases me more than
knowing that.” He grew serious before stating, “You
know I love you, right?”

Tom’s eyes widened. “You do?”
“Oh, yeah. Very much.”

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105

A smile curved Tom’s lips. “So, when do we start

house hunting?”

Kade levered up onto one elbow and stared down at

his mate. “You’re serious? You want to move in
together?”

Tom nodded and lifted a hand to cup Kade’s jaw.

“That’s what people do when they love each other, isn’t
it? When they’re partners?”

He couldn’t see it on the man’s face, but Kade could

scent Tom’s uncertainty. He wanted to put that to rest.
“Yeah, that’s what partners do.” Then the man’s other
statement caught his attention. “You love me, too?”
God, could he sound any more like a fucking girl?

Tom rubbed his thumb over Kade’s bottom lip, and

he immediately sucked it into his mouth. Tom smiled.
“Yeah. I love you. Fell hard and fast for my tattooed
biker,” he whispered.

“Good,” Kade grunted. He pecked a kiss to Tom’s

lips, then rolled from the bed. “I’ll get something to
clean us up.” He winked. “Then we can nap while we
wait for dinner.”

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106

Chapter Twelve

om rolled over, reaching for the warm body on the
other side of the bed, but he came up empty. Prying

open  one  eyelid,  Tom  glanced  around  the  room.  The
sheets  were  cool  to  the  touch,  telling  him  Kade  had
been  gone  for  a  while.  He  shoved  himself  to  a  sitting
position,  his  back  against  the  headboard,  and  rubbed  a
hand  over  his  face.  A  glance  out  the  window  showed
the sun was already high in the sky. He’d slept through
the  night  and  then  some.  “Damn,  I  must  have  been
tired,” he grumbled, his voice still tight  from sleep. Or
traumatized, but he didn’t want to think about that.

Before he could convince himself to climb from bed

in  search  of  coffee,  the  bedroom  door  swung  open.
Kade  strode  into the  room,  his  big  body  all  masculine
power  and  sensuality.  It  still  amazed  him  that  Kade
wanted  him.  Who  gave  a  shit  what  he  said  about  Fate
deciding mates. Tom would take his good fortune.

And good fortune it was, for Kade held up a mug

and quirked an eyebrow. “You ready for coffee?”

Tom held out a hand and wiggled his fingers.

“Gimme,” he ordered.

Kade laughed and handed him the cup. Then he sat

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107

down  next  to  him  and  kissed  Tom’s  forehead.  Tom
ignored  him  in  favor  of  taking  his  first  sip.  The  bitter
liquid flowed across his tongue, laced with just the right
amount  of  smooth  sweetness.  “Mmm,”  he  moaned  at
the  taste.  “How  did  you  know  one  spoonful  of  sugar
and a dash of cream?” he asked curiously after finishing
half the mug.

The other man shrugged. “I could tell from your

taste yesterday morning,” Kade admitted. “When I
kissed you before we went hiking.”

“Wow! Really?” Tom couldn’t hide his amazement.

That was some trick!

Nodding, Kade answered, “A shifter has pretty good

taste buds. Our other senses are heightened as well.
We’re stronger than humans, quicker, heal faster.”

“Huh,” he muttered. He took in the tight t-shirt

covering Kade’s chest, wondering where he’d gotten it.
He didn’t recognize the band name on the front, so
knew it wasn’t one of his. None of his would fit Kade
anyway. His gaze riveted to something else. “What
about your piercings?” he asked.

Kade frowned. “What about them?”
Tom licked his lips, remembering what it felt like to

tug the steel bars into his mouth and suck on them. He
shook his head, trying to clear it. “What happens to
your piercings when you turn into a wolf?”

A grin split Kade’s wide mouth, and it was obvious

the guy enjoyed the affect he was having on Tom.
“They’re still there.”

“Can I see?” The request was out before Tom could

think better of it. Did he really want a massive wolf in
his bedroom? From the look of pleased surprise on

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108

Kade’s face, Tom knew it was too late to take the words
back.

“Really?” Kade asked, probably more out of

politeness since he was already drawing the hem of his
shirt over his head. Tom nodded, not trusting his voice
as tattooed skin was revealed before his eyes. Then the
man’s jeans were shoved down his legs, but he didn’t
have time to ogle long, because the man’s shape began
to change.

First he dropped to his knees, then his legs slimmed,

bones cracked, tendons popped, and joints realigned.
Fur sprouted from smooth bronzed skin. Less than a
minute later, a large brown wolf stood in the middle of
his bedroom.

“Wow,” he whispered. Tom gulped, struggling to

control his natural instinct to flee the massive beast in
front of him. “You’re, uh, you’re not going to hurt me,
right? You really are aware when you’re a wolf, right,
Kade?”

The wolf’s head dropped and he sniffed loudly. Then

he dropped his haunches to the floor, his tongue rolled
from his mouth, and his tail thumped on the floor. For
all intense and purposes, Kade looked like a dog asking
for attention.

Swallowing hard, Tom set down his coffee cup and

eased to his knees on the floor. Kade stood and moved
toward him slowly, as if sensing Tom’s trepidation.
Finally, Kade stopped a couple feet in front of him and
waited. Tom reached out a hand and touched him,
surprised to find the animal’s fur softer than he thought
it’d be.

He scratched the wolf’s ruff, then rubbed his head.

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109

Feeling brazen, and a large measure of curiosity, Tom
screwed up his courage and moved his hand to Kade’s
chest. His brows shot up when he felt the metal bar
embedded in the skin under Kade’s fur. Kade growled,
although there was no heat in it.

Tom still withdrew his hand. Holding them both up

in surrender, he grinned. “Couldn’t resist.”

Seconds later, a naked Kade, back in human form,

knelt  before  him.  The  man  frowned,  but  amusement
danced  behind  his  green  eyes.  “Very  funny,”  he
grumbled,  making  Tom  laugh.  “Get  over  here,”  Kade
snapped.  The  big  man  grabbed  Tom’s  wrists  and
yanked him against Kade’s naked chest.

The kiss was hungry, possessive, feral as Kade thrust

his tongue into Tom’s mouth. Pressed flat against his
lover, Tom could think of nothing more wonderful than
the feel of his waking shaft rubbing against Kade’s.

Kade reached between them and gripped them both

in a tight hold. “This isn’t going to take long,” he
growled in warning.

Tom mentally agreed. What came out of his mouth

was a moan of pleasure. His hips snapped forward and
back,  pushing  his  cock  through  Kade’s  fist,  rubbing
against  the  other  man’s  dick.  Kade  rotated  his  hand,
squeezing  their  heads,  and  flicked  his  thumbnail  into
the  slit  of  Tom’s  cock  head,  all  in  a  manner  of  a  few
seconds. It was too much. His balls pulled tight and his
body  jerked. His cock shot stream after stream of seed
as  he  moaned  into  Kade’s  kiss.  Seconds  later,  Kade
followed him into bliss.

When Tom finally regained awareness, his head had

dropped to Kade’s shoulder. Their bodies were pressed

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110

together, skin slicked with semen. He grunted as he
pushed away from the bigger man. “Holy shit what a
way to wake up. I’m ready to go back to bed now,” he
admitted.

Kade shook his head. “Sorry, sweetheart. It’s nearly

one o’clock in the afternoon. Declan and a few others
are going to be here soon. We need to hop in the
shower.”

Tom groaned, but that was the only protest he made

as he followed Kade into the bathroom.

At least they brought food. Tom sat on the couch, his

body tucked close to Kade’s as they munched cinnamon
rolls and drank coffee. The wolf shifters were talking
about Raven. With help from some non-wolf shifters,
they’d managed to subdue Raven and were now holding
him while they figured out what to do with the man.

Tom wasn’t certain he wanted to know what

happened to the guy.

He glanced around at the men filling his living room.

He  already  knew  Carson,  Jared,  and  Manon,  and  he’d
been  introduced  to  Declan  McIntire,  the  man’s  mate,
Lark, as well as the  beta Shane  Alvaro. It  amazed him
that  the  wolf  shifter  alpha  was  actually  gay,  and  his
people  had  no  problem  following  him.  It  was  a
testament  to  the  mountain  of  a  man’s  strength  and
integrity.

Tom had just risen to get the carafe of coffee so he

could refill his mug when the buzzer for his door
sounded. He turned and looked at Kade. “Are you
expecting anyone else?”

Kade shook his head. “No, sweetheart.”

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111

It still amazed him that Kade was so open with his

endearments, not at all concerned with what others
might think that he was gay. Tom hoped he could get
used to it, adopt it even. That thought brought a smile to
his lips and he opened the door. The smile froze. “Dad.
What are you doing here?”

“We need to talk about your marketing ideas before

the Monday ten o’clock meeting,” his father, Harvey
Bristol stated.

He cocked his head. They’d never done that before.

“We do?”

“Yes,” Harvey said, entering without an invitation.

“I don’t like the display for—”

His father’s voice stopped when he saw the room

crowded  with  men.  Tom  closed  the  door  and  stepped
around  his  father.  “Father,  these  are  my  friends.”  He
went around the room rattling off  names. When he got
to Kade, he paused. His lover’s eyes held understanding
warmth, as if telling him it was okay if Tom didn’t want
to reveal their status yet.

Tom didn’t want to take the coward’s way out. He

held up a hand and motioned toward Kade. “This is my
boyfriend, Kade McGraw,” he said, taking the plunge.
“Everyone, this is my father, Harvey Bristol.”

For a second, his father just stood there, but then he

leveled a hard look toward Tom. “What’s the meaning
of this? You’re not gay,” he snarled.

Kade rose, but Tom lifted a hand, silently telling his

lover that he could handle this. To his relief, Kade
stopped, although he didn’t sit back down. “I am gay,
Father. It’s who I am, and there’s nothing you can do to
change it.”

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112

He watched the older man’s face turn a mottled

shade  of  red,  his  gaze  sweeping  around  the  group  of
men.  It  was  only  then  that  he  noticed  Lark  was  curled
up  on  Declan’s  lap.  He  curled  his  lip  in  a  sneer  and
returned his focus on Tom. “No son of mine is gay,” he
snapped.  “You  go  this  route,  and  you’re  done  at  the
store. You’re fired!”

Tom’s spine stiffened. “You can’t fire me for sexual

orientation. It’s against the law!”

“I’ll find another reason. Don’t you worry,” Harvey

promised,  loathing  in  his tone as he  eyed his only son.
There  was  nearly  a  minute  of  silence,  where  Harvey
obviously  thought  Tom  was  going  to  change  his  mind
and renounce  his  earlier  statement. Tom  fought back a
shiver as he watched his career tank in front of his eyes,
but he  had  no  intention of denying the  love  he  felt  for
Kade.  Not  for  anyone,  least  of  all  his  father,  who  was
supposed to love and support him no matter what.

“Fine,” Harvey finally snapped. “Clear out your desk

first thing in the morning.”

Harvey was halfway to the door when Jared spoke

up. “You fire your son, and I foreclose on the loan.”

Tom’s father spun, his face once more going red.

“What! You can’t do that! We don’t owe anything for
three months.”

Jared’s lip twisted into a smirk. “Did you forget the

little clause about me approving management? You fire
your son, I can guarantee I won’t approve of any other
marketing director you hire,” he stated languidly before
taking a sip of coffee from his mug.

Damn, I’d completely forgotten about that.
“Why would you do that?” Tom asked, confused.

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113

Jared was lined up to make quite a bit of money on this
deal.

The lithe brunet rolled his eyes. “I’m not in the least

bit altruistic, Tom. I saw your financials. It wasn’t until
after  you  were  promoted  to  marketing  director  six
months  ago  that  your  store  started  bringing  in  a  profit
again.  If  you  leave,  I  pull  out.”  Jared  shrugged,  then
focused  cold  hazel  eyes  on  Harvey.  “It’s  as  simple  as
that.”

Harvey looked from Jared to Tom and back to Jared.

His face went from red to purple. Not a good look, and
Tom feared his father was gearing up for another heart
attack. “You manipulative, controlling bastard,” he
snarled.

Jared raised his coffee mug. “Guilty.”
Tom’s brows shot up. Harvey sneered one more

time, then stomped his way out of Tom’s apartment,
slamming the door behind him. Kade was at Tom’s side
instantly, pulling him against him.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Maybe he’ll come around,”

Kade crooned, trying to sound hopeful.

After pressing a soft kiss to Kade’s lips, Tom smiled

sadly. “He won’t, but it doesn’t matter. I knew he’d
react like this. It was a long time in coming,” he
admitted.

“If he continues to give ye trouble, ye let me know,”

Declan said, drawing attention. “Though technically not
me territory, I’m not without friends in Colin City.”
Declan gave him an understanding smile. “I keep me
own safe.”

“He’ll insult and maybe encourage others to do so,

but he won’t be violent,” Tom said, certain of his

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114

words. “It’s really not in him,” he added with a shrug.
His  father  really  was  a  follower.  His  ideas  of
homosexuality  had  been  drilled  into  him  by  Tom’s
grandfather  for  decades.  It  wasn’t  going  to  disappear
just  because  Harvey’s  father  had  passed  several  years
ago.

“Well, if that changes, ye have me number,” Declan

still insisted.

Tom nodded, knowing when to give in. “Yes,

Alpha.”

The concession seemed to please the man, and after

a few minutes, the conversation returned to the one that
had been interrupted. Raven. Tom headed to the kitchen
for the carafe of coffee. He stood at the counter, staring
at nothing, and smiled. Seconds later, strong, tattooed
arms wrapped around him from behind. Tom felt a
press of firm lips against his neck and he tilted his head,
offering more room.

He couldn’t ever remember feeling more free, and

damn if it didn’t feel wonderful!

About the Author

Charlie  lives  on  a  mini  ranchette  in  Utah  with  her
husband  and  furry,  four-legged  children.  She  started
writing fantasy when she was eight, and after stumbling
onto  her  first  erotic  romance  at  age  nineteen,  she
realized  her  true  calling.  She  now  focuses  on  writing
erotic  romance,  normally  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  adventure.  Charlie
enjoys  exploring  the  mountains  on  horseback,  4-
wheeler,  or  motorcycle.  Her  favorite  exercise  is
jumping  lessons  with  her  Arabian  gelding  Apache  or
her  Thoroughbred  mare  Repo.  And  she  can’t  get
enough of sexy highlanders with their kilts and swords.
Right  now,  she  and  her  muse  are  working  with
dedication  on  her  Wolves  of  Stone  Ridge  series  and
Kontra’s Menagerie series.

She can be reached at ch.richards2010@yahoo.com
Or visit her at www.charlie-richards.com