Unleashing Angel - 1

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and
incidents either are the product of the author's imagination
or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events,
locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely
coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or
the publisher.

Unleashing Angel
TOP SHELF
An imprint of Torquere Press Publishers
PO Box 2545
Round Rock, TX 78680
Copyright 2010 by Mel Spenser
Cover illustration by Alessia Brio
Published with permission
ISBN: 978-1-60370-980-4
www.torquerepress.com
All rights reserved, which includes the right to reproduce
this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever except
as provided by the U.S. Copyright Law. For information
address Torquere Press. Inc., PO Box 2545, Round Rock,
TX 78680.
First Torquere Press Printing: May 2010
Printed in the USA

Unleashing Angel - 2

Dedication

For my friend, Lisa Swan. She’s got the best ideas…

Special thanks to my brother, Barry, who is always
supportive, and ensures that I actually write something; and
to my friend, Ali Magnum, who gave me that final push I
needed to finish this book. Also, thanks to my friend,
Michael Thomas Ford, who gives excellent advice; and,
whether he realizes it or not, was the catalyst for this book.

Unleashing Angel - 3

Unleashing Angel

by Mel Spenser

Chapter 1

Angel turned the Jeep off the main highway onto an
unmarked dirt road. Even if the moon hadn't been full,
illuminating the night, he still would have been able to find
his way. He'd driven this road many times over the last few
years.

A clearing opened up before him. It wasn't a parking lot,
yet there was an assortment of six pickups and cars.

Angel pulled up next to the one on the end. He cut the
engine and sat very still for a moment. The top of his Jeep
Wrangler was off and he listened intently. Waiting.

Then he heard it. The howl came from his left, perhaps a
half mile away. Within moments, another howl mirrored it
off to his right. Satisfied, Angel settled down in the driver's
seat to wait. He'd been through this routine many times.

For almost an hour he sat and listened to the night sounds.
He had almost dozed off when he heard the unmistakable
sound of running. He sat upright.

The first wolf came into sight at the edge of the clearing.

Unleashing Angel - 4

As it came forward, two smaller ones appeared. Angel got
out of the Jeep and stood next to it, watching them. The
largest one with a black head and lighter body was in the
lead. It stopped and raised its muzzle, sniffing the air.

Three more wolves, these lighter in color and smaller,
about the size of German shepherds, bounded into the
clearing. They stopped when they became aware that Angel
was standing there. For a moment, the wolves and Angel
were still. All was quiet until, in the distance, more howling
could be heard.

As Angel watched, the lead wolf transformed. Fur
disappeared. Paws morphed to hands and feet. The head
changed until a recognizable face appeared where the wolf
face had been. The process was very quick, perhaps
seconds.

The face grinned at him.

"Angel!"

"Hola, Hector," Angel said.

"Hola! When did you get back?"

"Around dinner time."

Hector walked over to one of the trucks and picked up a
pair of jeans that was lying on the open tailgate. Angel
looked away as Hector got dressed. The other wolves, two
males and three females, had transformed and were heading
to their cars for their clothes.
"Did you guys have a good run?"

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"Oh, man! It was great!" Hector said. As he pulled on a T-
shirt, he added, "You're still not ready to come with us yet,
are you?"

"No."

"You just need to get the job done. That's what all of us
did. It's no big deal." He gestured toward the girls who
were now dressed. "Any of them would be okay with
helping you out. I don't know why you've waited so long,
anyway."

"I'm just not ready yet."

"Well, you need to do it soon. You don't know what you're
missing. We need to get you laid, man. And soon."

Not likely, Angel thought.

Unleashing Angel - 6

Chapter 2

"Where are you going this time, Brian?"

Brian tensed. He hadn't heard Sam walk into the room
because he was intent on packing. By Sam's tone, he knew
that he was in for another argument.

"I have to go to Arizona," Brian said. "I'm going to do a
land survey for a large contract that we just won."

"Were you even going to tell me that you were going?"

"I would have, but you're never here," Brian said, not
looking at Sam. "I never know where you are anymore, or
if you're even going to come home."

"I was having fun," Sam said.

Brian didn't respond to that and continued to pack. Sam
walked over to the tall dresser and started picking at his
perfectly styled hair with his fingers.

"When are you coming back?"

"Five weeks," Brian said.

"Five weeks! Summer will be over with by then! What am I
supposed to do while you're gone?"

"Just do what you always do," Brian said. Then he said
under his breath, "Whatever that is."

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"I can't believe that you are just leaving me alone like this,"
Sam said. He was beginning to whine, which recently had
started getting on Brian's last nerve. "You never think of
me. You just do whatever you feel like."

Brian stopped packing, and they looked at each other's
reflections in the mirror.

"In case you hadn't noticed, I'm the one with the job. I'm
the one who pays for everything. One of us has to be
responsible."

"I've been looking for work," Sam said. "I just haven't
found anything."

"Nothing? In eight months? This is LA. There are lots of
jobs out there."

"I haven't found anything that I like."

"No, the truth is that you don't want to work. You're happy
with me paying for everything while you go out and party
all night," Brian said. "Sometimes I don't see you for days
at a time."

"I like to have fun."

"Well, I'm not having fun, Sam."

Brian closed his suitcase and put it on the floor with the
others. "I think it's time that you found another place to
stay," he said.

Unleashing Angel - 8

"You're kicking me out? But I don't have a job. Where
would I stay?"

"You might try one of the friends who you've been
spending so much time with," Brian said. "Maybe they
have a place where you can crash."

"I thought that you loved me," Sam said.

Brian knew that Sam was going for Brian's weak spot. It
usually worked, but this time it wasn't going to.

"I thought that I did too," Brian said. "But..."

Sam stopped primping in the mirror and looked at Brian's
reflection.

"But, what?" Sam asked when Brian didn't complete the
sentence.

"Look, Sam. It's not working," Brian said. "We want
different things. I had wanted to settle down and be with
one person. You want to party. It's just not going to work."

"Yeah? Well you know what, Brian?" Sam asked, finally
turning around to look at Brian. Brian could tell that Sam
was getting mad. And when he got mad, he got petulant.
"You're boring. That's right. You never want to go out. You
don't get high. You work all the time. We're both young,
man. You're acting too old."

"Sam, we're pushing thirty. We're not kids anymore," Brian
said. "I like to have fun. I just have other ideas of what fun
is. Getting high and crashing at someone's apartment isn't

Unleashing Angel - 9

my idea of a good time."

"So you're just leaving?" Sam asked, following him out to
the driveway. "What am I going to do?"

"You need to find another place to live," Brian said. "I'll be
back at the end of summer. That should give you enough
time to be out."

"Just like that. You're kicking me out."

"Well, it is my house," Brian said.

"You prick."

Brian ignored him and got into the SUV. He backed out of
the driveway, and as he was pulling away, he saw Sam
walk back toward the house. Brian hoped that when he got
back, Sam would be gone.

What Brian had said was true. He did want to find someone
and settle down. He had spent years cruising bars and
getting into bad relationships. Sam was just another
example of his bad judgment. Maybe there wasn't anyone
out there for him. At any rate, Brian knew that the last
several months had been a waste. He decided that he wasn't
going to make the mistake of hooking up with anyone else
again for a long time.

***

As soon as he cleared the Los Angeles area and headed east
on the San Bernardino freeway, he felt the tension finally
leaving his body. As the traffic became less congested and

Unleashing Angel - 10

the landscape changed, he started looking forward to the
next several weeks.

He was heading down to a remote area in Greenlee County,
Arizona. Their client, Kreodyne, was a large company, and
was willing to pay a lot for the land survey that Brian had
been contracted to do. From what he understood, they
wanted to see if the land was usable for a manufacturing
plant. Brian's job was to test the suitability for such a
project and to provide an estimate of the value of the land.

He looked forward to the trip for a variety of reasons. The
obvious reason was getting away from Sam and their
deteriorating relationship. But what he was really looking
forward to was being away from the city for a while. Part
of his survey would take him to areas so remote, that he
would have to rent a guide and horses to get there.

He loved going out into nature, and had done a lot of day
hiking before he met Sam. He wasn't too great with horses,
but he figured he could manage well enough.

In addition to the SUV full of surveying equipment, he had
also brought his camera equipment. He planned to take
photographs of wildlife and develop them in the darkroom
that he had set up in his house. He would be near the Blue
Range Wolf Reserve, an area that was set aside to re-
introduce the Mexican wolf that had almost gone extinct. If
he was really lucky, he might spot one of the wolves and
get a picture of it.

He hadn't arranged anything beforehand, but he figured that
he would be able to hire a local person who knew the area
well. The place where he was staying was adjacent to the

Unleashing Angel - 11

remote area, and he had at least done his homework in
order to know that he could rent horses nearby.

Yes, he was looking forward to a nice relaxing month away
from the city, and from any drama with ex-boyfriends.

***

Several hours later he had made it to Phoenix. The trip was
too long to comfortably make it in one day, and he was in
no hurry. Since he'd gotten a late start, he had booked a
room at a motel for the night, intending to finish the trip the
next day. He found the motel easily enough. Once he
checked in, he got settled and took a shower. Then he set
off to find food.

When he walked into a nearby diner, he was immediately
greeted by a pretty blonde hostess. She turned on the
charm, flirting with Brian as she led him to his table. She
was replaced by a waitress who was also young and pretty.
She made it perfectly clear all through dinner that there was
more on the menu than just the food. When Brian finished
his meal, he left, leaving her a nice tip. She seemed
somewhat confused that he wasn't going to take her up on
her obvious offer. However, Brian politely feigned
ignorance and then got the hell out.

He was heading back to his motel when he remembered a
gay club that he had noticed the last time he had passed
through town. He hadn't gone there then because he had
been in a relationship with Sam. However, a lot had
happened, and he decided to go check it out.

He supposed that he had been in denial for some time

Unleashing Angel - 12

where Sam was concerned. He had fallen for Sam hard.
Sam had seemed to be everything that Brian had wanted in
looks and personality. Sam was a petite brunet and was
very stylish with a tan complexion. Brian had always had a
weakness for that physical type to begin with. Sam also had
a lot of friends, was always the life of the party and ready
for the next one. However, Brian quickly grew tired of the
night life, wanting to spend more time alone with Sam and
slip into a comfortable relationship. Sam, on the other hand,
kept looking for the next party.

Brian suspected that Sam had been cheating on him for the
last couple of months. It didn't take a rocket scientist to
figure out what had been going on. At first, Sam had started
hanging around with friends when Brian worked late. Then
Sam had started coming home later and later. Brian could
smell the alcohol and pot on Sam's clothes. Sam also
smelled of other things that Brian didn't even want to think
about. Then Sam didn't even bother to come home at night.
Lately, he had been disappearing for days at a time. It had
gotten to the point where Sam had stopped returning
Brian's calls. Then, after several days of not hearing from
him, Sam would show up.

As a result, they hadn't had sex in ages. Well, at least Brian
hadn't had sex in ages. And now that he had finally broken
it off with Sam, Brian was more than ready to get laid. That
was Brian's main thought as he turned into the parking lot
of the club. He was going to get laid, damn it. It had been
way too long.

When he walked into the club, he looked around, checking
out the atmosphere. It was busy for a Thursday. Several
guys were dancing while others stood around trying to talk

Unleashing Angel - 13

over the loud music. Brian went to the bar and ordered a
drink. Once he got it, he turned around and leaned on the
bar to check out the crowd. There were a lot of good-
looking guys, and he decided that he wouldn't have much
trouble finding what he needed.

He didn't have long to wait, as he was immediately cruised.
The muscular blond was nice, but not what Brian was
looking for. Being every bit of six foot three, Brian
preferred small men. He liked his partners to be petite and
almost delicate. Blond and fair was okay in a pinch, but he
liked brunet and tan. And there were so many guys in the
place, he decided to be a little choosy.

He hadn't done a pick-up in a bar in a long time, but it was
amazing how easily he slipped back into the game. After a
few drinks, Brian started to get into the spirit of the chase.
Soon, he spotted someone that he liked. The guy was
exactly how Brian liked them. Brian smiled, and the guy
immediately came over to him.

"Well, hi there, tall, dark and handsome," the guy said,
smiling up at him. "I wondered if you were here just to
look, or what."

"Or what," Brian said. He vaguely thought that maybe he
had had too much to drink. It felt like he had a stupid grin
on his face.

"Or what is good. I'm Gary, by the way. And you are?"

"Brian."

"It's definitely nice to meet you, Brian. I haven't seen you

Unleashing Angel - 14

here before."

"Just passing through," Brian said.

"Passing through is good, too," Gary said.

Gary moved close and leaned back against the bar next to
Brian. When Brian felt a hand on his ass, he laid an arm
across Gary's shoulders. Then he felt the hand slide into the
back pocket of his jeans and stay there.

Brian fleetingly thought again about how fast and easy all
of this was moving. He also had a buzz going on in his
head. The alcohol and long day of driving were starting to
take their toll.

When they finished their drinks, Gary took Brian's hand
and started leading him through the bar. They went down a
hallway and into a dimly lit back room. Brian could make
out several couples together. Some were sitting on sofas or
chairs that were strategically placed in semi-private areas
separated by curtains hanging from the ceiling. Others were
standing around the room in darkened alcoves. Over the
muffled music, Brian could hear moans and other sounds
that indicated that this was not a room for conversation.

Gary led him to one of the curtained-off areas. Inside was
an oversized stuffed chair with rolled arms. Gary flopped
down onto it and pulled Brian with him. Once Brian was
next to him on the chair, Gary didn't waste any time. He
leaned Brian back and pressed his body against Brian's. He
kissed Brian aggressively as he ran his hand over Brian's
chest through the shirt’s fabric. Brian instinctively put both
arms around the smaller man, pulling Gary to straddle

Unleashing Angel - 15

Brian’s lap

Brian leaned back and let Gary have at it. Gary’s hands
worked on Brian’s belt and zipper as they kissed. It didn't
take long before Gary had pulled out Brian's cock and
began stroking the underside of it. Then Brian felt a
different heat against his cock. He realized Gary’s cock had
been freed from it’s confines and was rubbing against
Brian's as they continued kissing.

Brian's hands slid into the back of Gary's jeans and cupped
his ass. There wasn't much room in the tight jeans, so Gary
straightened up on his knees. When he did, Brian used both
hands to push Gary's jeans down to his thighs. Then Brian's
hands went to work squeezing Gary's ass and running
fingers along the crease. Gary leaned over and kissed Brian
as he wiggled his hips. Then Gary froze when Brian's
fingers found his hole. Brian was surprised to feel that Gary
was already lubed up and ready to go. Gary smoothly
rocked against Brian's hand as Brian's fingers pushed into
him over and over.

Gary finally broke the kiss and straightened up on his knees
again. He fished around in his pocket and removed a
condom. He tore open the package and rolled it onto
Brian's cock. Then he stood up with his jeans around his
thighs, pulling Brian to stand as well.

Gary turned away from Brian and then rubbed bare ass
cheeks over Brian's groin while holding onto Brian's thighs.
Brian ran his hands up under Gary's shirt and caressed the
slim chest. Then Gary bent over and rested both elbows on
the chair, offering that cute ass to Brian. Brian put a hand
on each of Gary's ass cheeks and spread them wide. He

Unleashing Angel - 16

stepped close, pressing his crotch against Gary's ass and
rubbed the underside of his cock against Gary's hole. Gary
wriggled and pushed against Brian almost frantically. Brian
took his cock in hand and lined it up with Gary's hole.
Brian worked his cock against the tight opening until he
was able to get the head of it past the ring of muscle. Gary
relaxed some more and Brian pushed in. Gary was tight,
and Brian felt the squeeze as he sank deep.

Once fully inside, Brian paused for a moment. Gary was
exquisitely tight, and Brian was almost overcome by the
heat gripping his cock. It vaguely registered with Brian that
he was in a public place having sex with a stranger. Since
he'd gotten older, this was so unlike him. However, at that
point, he was powerless to stop. It had been too long for
Brian, and Gary's ass just felt too good.

Brian slowly withdrew almost all the way, and then he slid
back in until his crotch was pressed up against Gary's ass.
He stood still, looking down in the half light at his dark
trimmed pubes up against Gary's white ass. When he didn't
move, Gary bucked into him, obviously trying to get Brian
started. Brian took the hint. He gripped Gary's hips and
started thrusting.

It had been so long since Brian had sex that he just started
pounding away at Gary's small, tight ass. As Brian rammed
him over and over, he could feel Gary jacking himself off.
The whole atmosphere of the place was surreal. The music,
the couples around them having sex, and the sensation of
Gary's tight anus on his cock quickly became
overwhelming.

Before long, Brian came hard and Gary was right with him.

Unleashing Angel - 17

They didn't have the luxury to take the time to come down
off of their high. When he was done, Brian pulled out,
holding onto the condom. Gary straightened up and turned
toward him. Brian looked down at Gary's smiling face in
the dimness of the room.

"God, Brian. That was intense," Gary said as he pulled up
his pants, tucked himself away, and adjusted his clothes.

"It's been awhile," Brian admitted. He pulled off the
condom and tossed it in a nearby trashcan.

"It may have been a while for you," Gary said. "But, baby,
you know how to give a boy a good ride."

"You're not so bad yourself."

"Got any plans for tonight?" Gary asked. He was obviously
offering more of the same, but Brian had gotten what he
had come for.

Gary was nice, but Brian was not interested in more than
just a hook-up right then. It was almost as if Gary was his
final break from Sam. Having been faithful to Sam while
they were together, this brief coupling with Gary took on a
symbolic split to the relationship. It was officially over with
Sam, and now Brian could move on.

"I've got to get some rest," Brian said. "I have to leave early
in the morning. But thanks."

"Oh, my pleasure," Gary said. "If you pass back through,
stop by. I'm usually here on the weekends. Sometimes I
work the bar during the week. You can just ask for me."

Unleashing Angel - 18

"I'll keep that in mind, Gary," Brian said. "Thanks."

Brian left the bar shortly after that and went back to his
motel. He took another shower, and had barely flopped
across the bed before he was asleep.

Unleashing Angel - 19

Chapter 3

Brian saw signs for the place that he would be staying at as
he got closer to the area.. Blue Range Cabins was four
miles past the town limits. He followed the signs and then
turned down a nondescript road. There were no street
names, and Brian was thankful that they had thought to put
out directional signs.

He finally spotted the entrance and then drove in. Oh, man,
Brian thought as he turned the SUV into the parking lot.
The place reminded him of something out of a movie. The
site consisted of about twenty individual small cabins. RVs
were parked near the back of the property. He noticed that
at least they were well spaced out, so he shouldn't have a
lot of noise from the tourists at night.

Near the entrance was a building that held the office, and
behind it was a building that probably contained washing
machines and other services for guests. Off to the side of all
of that was a very large swimming pool surrounded by
lounge chairs. He had to admit that the place did look
homey, though. He had read on its website when he had
made the reservation that it was family-owned.

It was a good thing, because this was going to be home for
the next few weeks, he thought as he pulled into the
parking spot next to the office door. As he got out of the
car, the intense, dry heat immediately hit him. He didn't
waste any time going into the motel office.

Compared to the oppressive temperature outside, the office

Unleashing Angel - 20

lobby was very cool. He stood for a moment letting his
eyes adjust to the change in light. When he could see, he
noticed an older man standing behind the counter.

"Can I help you?" the man asked, smiling.

"Hi," Brian said.

As he stepped up to the counter, his foot bumped
something soft. He looked down and saw what appeared to
be a dog on the floor. At least, that's what it looked like,
although he wasn't sure. The creature was lying on its side
and was completely still. Whatever it was, it seemed dead.
Brian leaned over to get a closer look. The animal was
covered with splotchy fur in a mixture of gray, brown, and
black. The ear that Brian could see was poking up at a odd
angle away from the head. Its eye was partially open, as
was its mouth, and its tongue lay in a wet puddle on the
floor.

Suddenly it gave a spastic stretch, and Brian jumped. When
it relaxed, there was an audible fart followed by a sound
similar to air escaping from a tire. The beast thumped its
tail twice on the floor, groaned, and went still.

"Oh, that's Lester," the man behind the counter said. "Don't
mind him."

A nasty stench began filling the air, and Brian fanned in
front of his face with his hand.

"He's old," the man added, as if that explained everything.
"What can I do for you?"

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"My name is Brian Stewart. I booked a cabin here for the
next four weeks."

"Welcome, Mr. Stewart," he said. "I'm Juan Diaz. We're
happy to have you stay with us."

They made small talk as Juan checked him in. At one point,
Lester let out a series of puffs from under his lips. Then his
feet began twitching on the floor, his toenails clicking.

Mr. Diaz looked over the counter at the dog. "Looks like
he's chasing rabbits. Which is funny because the only
movement he does these days is to get up to go lie
somewhere else. He's my son's dog."

As they watched, Lester rolled over on his back. With his
front feet in the air, the dog's back legs flopped open.
Brian’s nose wrinkled as a new series of smells affronted
them. When the dog relaxed, his mouth fell open and his
tongue lolled out, sliding to the floor.

Once they were done, Mr. Diaz gave Brian his key. Brian
started to leave, but then remembering, he stopped and
turned back to man behind the counter.

"I was wondering..." Brian said. "I'm here to do some land
surveys. I can't do it all by myself. Do you know of anyone
available who I could hire to help me while I'm here? It's
not hard work. Basically standing around holding things
while I do calculations. I mostly need another set of hands."

"Of course," Mr. Diaz said, smiling. "My son can help you.
He's home from college for the summer. He works for us
here, but he should be able to help you when he's done."

Unleashing Angel - 22

"I'm also going to need to rent horses and hire someone to
take me out to some of the more remote areas. Those would
probably be overnight trips."

"My son can help you with that, too. He rides. Our family
has owned much of the land around here for generations.
All of my children grew up here and know the area well.
One of my wife's brothers has horses that you can rent."

"Is your son around?" Brian asked. "May I talk to him?"

"Yes, let me see if he's close by. Angel," Mr. Diaz called.
"Come out here, son."

"Coming," Brian heard a male voice say.

They both turned toward the door that led back to the
office. They watched as a kid, who apparently was Angel,
came into the room. To Brian, he looked to be about
seventeen. If his father hadn't just said that Angel was in
college, Brian would never have guessed it. He wasn't tall,
and probably came to Brian's chin, at the most.

Angel had a mass of shiny dark curls that were loosely tied
back. Several tendrils of hair had come down and framed
his face. He had a delicate nose, full lips, and unusual, light
gray eyes framed with lashes as dark as his hair. Brian
thought he was beautiful. Angel, indeed.

Juan introduced them.

"Mr. Stewart is looking to hire someone for the next four
weeks, Angel," he said.

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After Brian gave Angel an idea what he needed, he said, "I
also need someone to help me find my way around. Do you
think that you would be interested?"

"Sure," Angel said, shrugging slightly.

"So can I meet you down here in the morning?" Brian
asked. "Say around seven? I'll get us some breakfast and we
can talk more about what I need to do."

"Okay," Angel said.

Not one for talking, Brian thought. The kid was cute. All
right, he was beautiful, Brian admitted. Not that Brian was
going to do anything about it. But obviously, Angel didn't
have much going on upstairs. It was just as well. The last
thing that Brian needed was to get involved with the hot,
small-town teenager.

"All right," Brian said. "See you tomorrow then."

***

It took Brian a while to unload his SUV. He left the
surveying equipment in the car, and brought in his personal
things and camping equipment. He had sorted all of his
camping gear, and it was strewn on the floor of the small
cabin.

Before long, he noticed that it was starting to get later in
the afternoon. He realized that he was hungry, and decided
to go into to town to find food. He got his keys and headed
out to his SUV.

Unleashing Angel - 24

As he was driving out, he passed the swimming pool. He
glanced over and saw Angel standing at the very edge of it.
Lester was lying nearby, legs in the air, feet dangling.
Angel was holding a long pole, cleaning the sides of the
pool, wearing nothing but a pair of cargo shorts that sat low
on the hips. There was a slight breeze, and the loose
tendrils of Angel's hair fluttered around his face as he
looked intently down at the water. Brian couldn't help
himself. He slowed the vehicle and stared.

Brian gave a sharp intake of breath when he noticed the
tattoos on Angel's flat stomach. What looked like two birds
were low on either side of Angel's belly, framing his navel.
They had their wings spread and were flying downward,
into the waistband of Angel's shorts. They looked like
swallows, or maybe bluebirds. Jesus, Brian thought as he
licked his lips.

Brian gave himself a mental shake. He had to stop staring
at the local jailbait. With that thought, he accelerated and
headed out in search of food.

***

Later that evening, as Brian was driving back to his cabin,
he passed a bar. It was a Friday night and there were a lot
of cars in the parking lot. It was too early for bed, so he
turned into the lot.

The sound of the music hit him as soon as he got out of his
SUV. When he walked in, he stopped at the entrance for a
moment to get his bearings. A few people looked at him,
but no one really paid him much attention. Although, as he

Unleashing Angel - 25

headed to the bar, several of the ladies smiled at him. He
found a seat at the end of the bar and ordered a beer.

He sat and looked at the crowd. The music was loud, and
the people gathered there were loud as well. They were all
having a good time, blowing off steam on a Friday night.
Brian thought back on the previous night, a gay bar with a
very different clientele. He actually liked the feel of this
place. Everyone seemed to know each other.

As he looked around the room, he spotted a mass of curls.
The person was turned away, but Brian just knew that it
was Angel. When the person’s head turned, it confirmed
Brian's thought. Brian wondered how someone that young
was allowed in a bar. Heck, Angel even had a beer.

Angel was with several guys. He was apparently telling a
story, and he had the attention of everyone at the table. He
was very animated, giving broad sweeping gestures, using
his arms as he spoke. Brian couldn't help it and smiled.
When he got to what must have been the punch line, the
group started laughing, and Angel grinned at their
appreciation. Brian thought that Angel was beautiful
before, but saw that the kid was absolutely breathtaking
when he smiled.

Man, he needed to knock this off. He had just broken up
with his boyfriend. Gotten laid by a stranger, the night
before. And now he was ogling the local straight boys.
Brian felt like a dirty old man. He decided that he just
needed to get this job done, turn in his data, and collect the
money. And try not to get involved with anyone in a small
town in the middle of nowhere in the process.

Unleashing Angel - 26

***

Very early the next morning, Brian was outside in front of
the cabin, stretching before his run. Anxious to start the
day, he had gotten up at an ungodly hour. When he saw
how the moon, although not completely full, lit up the sky,
he decided to go for an early morning run. Coming back
from dinner last night, he had checked out a couple of
routes and had marked the mileage on his odometer.

After a few more stretches, he headed off at a jog. He
couldn't help but glance at the pool as he went by. Of
course, no one was there at this time.

By the time he was out on the main road, he already had a
steady rhythm going. The road was illuminated in front of
him. Once off of the cabin property, he headed away from
town where there were no other buildings.

It wasn't long before his thoughts went to Sam. He
wondered if Sam was going to take him seriously and be
gone by the time Brian returned. Then his thoughts drifted
to Gary and their brief time together in the back of the bar.
Gary seemed nice enough and was cute. Brian decided that
he would look Gary up on his way back through Phoenix.
Gary would be good for another hook-up at least. However,
Brian was not going to get involved with Gary, or anyone
else for that matter. Not for a while, anyway, he amended.

Brian had always had the notion of finding somebody and
settling down. His parents had always had a great
relationship. His older brother and sister had both gotten
married, had children, and were happy. Even though he was
gay, Brian just assumed that he would find a guy and live

Unleashing Angel - 27

happily ever after. Maybe not in suburbia, but somewhere
where gay guys could live together openly. He had even
bought his house near West Hollywood. He knew that he
was subconsciously building a nest. Sometimes he felt like
such a nerd. He was basically kind of a romantic at heart,
but he couldn't help it.

Sure, he had done his share of cruising, but not as much as
a lot of gay guys he knew. He was really kind of behind
most of his friends, who always seemed to be dating and
talking about their latest boyfriends.

At least he wasn't so hopeless that he fell in love with every
guy he met. When he had found Sam, though, he thought
that he was in love. They couldn't keep their hands off each
other in the beginning. They had seemed to have a lot in
common. When Sam lost his job, Brian let Sam move in
with him. Brian saw it as the next logical step in their
relationship. But then look how that had turned out.

Brian was mulling over his track record with dating and
boyfriends when he heard a sound off to his left. Because
the visibility was very good, he had no trouble spotting
what had made the sound.

Over on a low rise, he saw them. A pack of five large dogs
were standing together about thirty yards away. He could
clearly see their silhouettes and the moonlight shining on
their fur. At least, he thought that they were dogs. They
didn't look like coyotes. They weren't skinny enough. They
were just standing there watching him. They made no effort
to hide or come toward him.

Wait a minute... maybe they were wolves. Maybe they

Unleashing Angel - 28

were part of the Mexican Wolf Recovery program. Brian
got excited at the thought of seeing the rare animals. He
wished that he had at least thought to bring his small
camera with him. He probably could have gotten a shot of
them with the moon as bright as it was.

Brian continued to look at them as he ran. Finally, as if on
cue, the five of them turned and trotted in the opposite
direction. The whole interlude thrilled Brian, and he
decided to ask one of the locals about them later.

***

After his run, Brian took a shower and then headed off to
meet the beautiful Angel. That was how Brian thought of
him now: the beautiful Angel. He was such a dork
sometimes.

When he drove up to the office parking lot, Angel was
already there waiting for him. Of course, Brian
immediately noticed that mass of unruly hair. Then he
noticed the cargo shorts that Angel had on, and the memory
of seeing Angel by the pool the evening before came
rushing back to Brian. This morning, however, Angel had
on a T-shirt that covered any artwork on that gorgeous
abdomen.

When Brian pulled up, Angel came over and climbed into
the SUV.

"Morning," Brian said. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes," the kid replied.

Unleashing Angel - 29

As Angel buckled up, Brian glanced down and noticed
Angel's shorts tighten across the thighs. He gave himself a
mental slap. He needed keep his mind on business, and not
on debauching the local hot teen.

"Okay," Brian said. "Show me where we can get some
food."

Angel directed them to a diner in town. They went in and
had barely sat down when a cute young waitress came over
to their table.

"Hi, Angel." She was all smiles.

"Hi, Carmen."

"I don't usually see you in here for breakfast," she said.

"No," Angel said. "Not usually."

Brian watched the two of them. Carmen was smiling at
Angel, really turning on the charm. It was obvious that she
had a crush on him. Angel, however, didn't seem all that
interested. He wasn't even making eye contact. In fact, he
seemed irritated that Carmen was being so friendly to him.
Brian thought that Carmen was a pretty girl, and she
seemed nice enough.

When it became painfully obvious that Angel wasn't going
to chitchat, Carmen took their order.

Brian watched Angel as Carmen walked away. Angel had
turned his head to look out the window, as if purposely not
watching the girl's retreating backside.

Unleashing Angel - 30

"Nice girl," Brian said.

Angel turned his head and looked at Brian. The look on
Angel's face was unreadable, almost blank.

"What?"

"Carmen. I said that she seems nice. Is she your girlfriend?"
Brian asked.

"Carmen? Hardly," Angel said. "Not even going there."

Brian thought that an odd response. Brian was feeling
nosey, plus he wanted to get Angel to talk, so he decided to
press it.

"Why not? She's cute," Brian said.

"I've known Carmen all of my life. We grew up together,"
Angel said. "Everyone thinks we're going to get married or
something. It's never going to happen. Ever." Angel seemed
irritated.

Well, that sounded final. They sat and looked at each other
from across the table.

Changing the subject, Brian said, "So, kid. Your dad said
that you were home from school for the summer. Where are
you going? Junior college?"

Angel leaned back in the seat and frowned at him. Oh,
great, Brian thought. Not only is the kid simple, yet very
cute, he's also a surly teen.

Unleashing Angel - 31

"Angel," he said. "Not kid."

"Sorry."

"Caltech," Angel said.

"The California Institute of Technology?!" Brian asked,
practically choking on his coffee. "In Pasadena?" He
picked up a napkin and blotted his shirt. "JPL?" The kid
must be kidding.

Angel was now in full scowl, his arms folded across his
chest, frowning at Brian from the other side of the table.

"What's your major?" Brian asked.

"Physics," Angel said.

Brian just stared back at him open-mouthed.

"How old are you, anyway?" Brian blurted out.

"What's it to you?" Angel asked. Brian could tell that he
was good and pissed now. "How old are you?"

"Uh, twenty-nine," Brian said and could feel himself
blushing. Not only was the kid cute, he obviously was
smart, too if he was going to Caltech. Brian was definitely
getting off on the wrong foot here, and didn't need to be
pissing off the hired help.

"Hey," Brian said. "Sorry, man."

Unleashing Angel - 32

Angel was still leaning back in his seat with his arms
crossed, and he was still frowning. About that time, a
different waitress brought their food to them. They started
eating in silence.

Finally, Angel said, "Twenty-two."

"Huh?" Brian asked.

"I'm twenty-two," Angel said. "I'll be twenty-three in
January."

"You look..." Brian trailed off.

"Yeah, I know," Angel said. "I look like a kid."

"Sorry," Brian said again.

"Forget it," Angel said. "Everybody thinks I look like a
kid."

They ate in silence for a while. Then Brian asked, "So
you're going to Caltech, huh?"

"That's right."

"I live in LA," Brian said. "Near West Hollywood,"

For the first time, Angel looked at him as if Brian might
actually be interesting.

"Oh yeah? WeHo?" Angel asked.

Obviously Angel had enough savvy to know that WeHo, as

Unleashing Angel - 33

it was referred to, was the gay area in LA. Brian could
almost tell what Angel what thinking. It was written all
over his face.

"That's right. I own a house adjacent to that area," Brian
said.

Brian watched Angel as that bit of information registered.
A flicker of acknowledgement crossed Angel's face. Then,
just as quickly, it was gone. Brian had seen a lot of
reactions from people in his day, ranging from disgust to
very interested. But he had never seen anyone just go
blank.

The question was, did Brian want to fill Angel in on his
preferences? This was a small town after all. He could only
imagine how a gay guy would go over here. Better to keep
that little tidbit of information to himself. Before he could
think on it much longer, Angel changed the topic.

"I'm in a dorm," Angel finally said. "Well, they call them
houses at Caltech. I'm in Ricketts. I'm on a full academic
scholarship, and part of the deal is that I have to stay on
campus. It was okay at first, but now I'm one of the older
ones and I really don't like being around the freshmen and
their silliness."

"I don't blame you. When I was in college, I got an
apartment as soon as possible."

"I only have until December, then I'm done," Angel said.

"You're finishing up early."

Unleashing Angel - 34

"Yeah."

"Then what?" Brian asked.

"Right now I have the choice of JPL or staying on as a grad
student doing research. I haven't decided yet. But I do
know that I don't want to stay around here, that's for sure,"
Angel said. "And I'm not going to marry Carmen and have
a bunch of kids."

"So what do you want to do then?" Brian pressed. He was
surprised that he was actually interested in what Angel's
plans were.

"I want to stay in California somewhere. Get a job out there
eventually," Angel said. "But I'm not sure how that would
work out, considering..."

He trailed off and looked out the large window. When he
didn't say anything else, Brian asked, "Considering what?"

Angel's gray eyes met Brian's. Angel had a wary look, like
maybe he had given Brian too much information. It was
obvious to Brian that Angel had caught himself and was not
going to offer any more. Angel was saved from responding
by Carmen. She had come over to refill Brian's coffee and
make another futile attempt at small talk with Angel.

When she went away, Angel asked, "So what are you doing
here, anyway?"

"My company sent me out to do a land survey. I'm told that
our customer wants to build a plant down here."

Unleashing Angel - 35

"What kind of plant?"

"I'm not sure. I think that it's some sort of manufacturing
plant," Brian said. "I don't know all of the details yet. My
job is to gather the info on the land and then submit the
results to our client."

"There are a handful of families that own most of the land
in this area. Our land has been in the family for
generations."

"That's what your father said. My company has already
rented a small cabin out at a place called Dietz Lake. I need
to drive out there in the morning to drop off my equipment
and set some of it up. That's supposed to be my base camp,
so to speak. Do you know where it is?"

"Yes, I know," Angel said. "I've been there. That cabin is
pretty rustic. I mean, it's got windows and locks and all. So
your stuff should be okay. But it's only one large room.
There's not even a bathroom. It has cots to sleep on. And
any power is from a generator."

"Will it be okay for what I need it for, you think?" Brian
asked.

"Sure. But you don't want to have to stay out there more
than a night or two," Angel said. "It's not comfortable.
There's no running water. Plus there are all sorts of wild
animals out there."

"Wild animals?" Brian asked. "That reminds me. While I
was out running early this morning, I saw what looked like
a pack of wolves."

Unleashing Angel - 36

"Really? Are you sure that's what they were?"

"Well, I don't know," Brian said. "But they sure looked like
it."

"Might have been," Angel said. "But the reserve is about
fifty miles north."

"That is so cool," Brian said, getting excited. "I like to take
photographs of wildlife."

"So you like being out there?" Angel asked.

"Love it. I can hardly wait," Brian said. "Sometimes I go
out into the Mojave desert near LA so I can get out of the
city and take pictures."

"Huh," Angel said. He looked at Brian thoughtfully, but
offered nothing else.

Well, Brian thought, at least Angel wasn't frowning at him
anymore.

"Do you know what areas that you need to go to?" Angel
asked.

"Yes," Brian said. "I have a map here somewhere."

Brian began rummaging around in his pack. While he did,
Angel moved the dishes out of the way. Finally, Brian
produced a map and spread it out on the table. He pointed
to several areas on the map, showing Angel the places that
he needed to go to. Angel seemed familiar with all of the

Unleashing Angel - 37

places that Brian pointed out.

"Here's where your base cabin is," Angel said, pointing.
"It's not hard to find. But we're going to need horses to get
to this other lake. We'll follow this canyon to get there."

"You father said that you know where we can rent horses."

"I have an uncle who has some. He will even bring them
out to the cabin, and we can leave from there. It will take us
a day in and a day out. How long did you want to stay
there?"

"I probably only need one day at the site," Brian said.

"So we're talking two nights."

"That's right," Brian said. "I brought camping gear. We'll
just need horses for us, a pack horse, and food supplies."

"Uncle Manny can get all of that for us," Angel said. "No
problem."

"Great," Brian said as he started folding the map. "I
appreciate you helping me with this. And I can't wait to get
out there with my camera."

"It can be remote, but it's pretty out there," Angel said. "I
think that you'll like it."

Brian looked at Angel's light gray eyes with their
impossibly long lashes, and thought that he was going to
like it a lot.

Unleashing Angel - 38

***

The rest of the first day together, Brian and Angel went
over the map and planned out their schedule, figuring in the
time that Angel had to work at the motel. Finally, Angel
had to leave in the afternoon to go do some work for his
mom.

That evening, as Brian headed out to find a place to have
dinner, he spotted Angel walking across the grounds. Lester
was walking behind him. Rather, it could loosely be called
walking. The dog moved stiffly and at times his rear end
threatened to overtake his front.

Brian slowed the SUV to a crawl and watched Angel from
a distance. Several times, Angel turned to wait for the dog
to catch up. The wind had picked up, causing some of
Angel's hair to come loose, and it was blowing around his
face. Brian also noticed that the wind had caused Angel's
T-shirt to hug his body and outline his slim torso.

Brian watched Angel and Lester until they disappeared
from sight behind some cabins. As Brian accelerated,
continuing on his way, he noticed that his cock was half
hard. He realized that he had gotten hard just from
watching Angel walk. Then he thought of himself and
Angel out at a campsite. Sharing a tent. Miles from
everyone. Alone. Before he knew it, he was almost
completely hard. He adjusted himself through his shorts as
he drove off of the property, then headed into town.

***

Brian found a place to eat called, of all things, the White

Unleashing Angel - 39

House. There was no indication as to why. It was a small
place in the downtown area in the middle of the block.

When Brian went through the door, he saw that he had two
choices. To his right was a small bar with a pool table and a
handful of booths. To the left was a very small diner that
had two booths and a long, L-shaped counter that could sit
about a dozen people. There were three customers, all
sitting at the counter. Two flat-screen TVs hung from the
ceiling in the small room. One had on a news channel, the
other was showing a Mexican soap opera.

Brian chose the diner side, sat down, and ordered dinner.
Later, as he was finishing up, a group of guys came in.
They filed into the bar side, and the last one through the
door was Angel. Angel spotted him instantly, smiled, and
gave a little wave, then came over to Brian.

"Hi. Getting something to eat, huh?"

"Yes. It was pretty good, actually," Brian said. "I was just
finishing up."

"If you don't have any plans, you can come over on the
other side and grab a couple of beers with us," Angel said.
He looked a little uncertain and then added, "That is, if you
want to."

"Sure, I'd like that," Brian said. "Let me close out here and
I'll come over."

Angel gave him a big smile and then went to the bar side.

When Brian went to the other side a few minutes later, they

Unleashing Angel - 40

were all sitting in one of the oversized booths. Three of the
guys sat on one side of it. Angel and another guy sat on the
other. It looked like the only spot available to sit was next
to Angel so Brian slid into the seat next to him.

Angel introduced the others and Brian discovered that they
were cousins. They appeared to be the same group that
Angel had been with the night before. After a while, three
of them got up to go play pool, leaving Brian, Angel, and
his cousin Hector sitting across the table.

"Angel told me that you're here to do some land surveys,"
Hector said.

"That's right," Brian said.

"What you really need," Hector said, "is someone who
knows the area."

"Well, I hired Angel."

"Oh, hell, Angel couldn't find his ass with two hands and a
flashlight. "

"Hector, you're so full of it," Angel said. "He's one to talk.
Hector is always getting lost."

"Bullshit!" Hector said.

"Remember that time we were coming back from Tucson?"
Angel asked. "And you said that you knew a shortcut? We
kept driving and driving. We finally ended up a hundred
miles south of here in Bisbee."

Unleashing Angel - 41

"One time!" Hector said.

"More than one time," Angel said. "Remember when we
were driving to Albuquerque?"

"Okay," Hector said. "Never mind."

"I fell asleep and we ended up in El Paso. Over two
hundred miles in the wrong direction!"

Hector ignored the good-natured ribbing and said to Brian,
"You let me know if you need any more help, okay?"

"Thanks," Brian said. "I'll keep that in mind."

Brian heard Angel mumble, "Oh, no."

Hector looked back over at his shoulder to see what Angel
was talking about. Carmen and a girlfriend had come into
the bar. Hector smiled and waved them over to their booth.

"Shut up, Hector," Angel said.

As Carmen slid in on the other side of Angel, he scooted
away from her until his thigh was practically touching
Brian's. The other girl sat next to Hector.

"I didn't know that you guys were going out tonight,"
Carmen said. "I saw Angel's Jeep out front, so we thought
we'd stop."

Angel didn't say anything. He was looking down at the
table, his good mood apparently gone.

Unleashing Angel - 42

"Hey! No problem," Hector said, all smiles. "Not sure why
we stopped by here tonight. We were heading over to the
Swinging Door, but Angel wanted to stop all of a sudden."

Angel quickly glanced up at Hector, then at Brian. He
blushed and looked back down at the table. Brian wondered
what had made Angel want to stop at the White House.
Maybe he had seen Brian's car parked out front...

"We were heading over there, too," Carmen said.

Brian kind of lost track of the conversation for the next
twenty minutes or so, because Angel was sitting so close to
him. The heat of Angel's thigh next to his had all of his
attention. He wondered why he was having this reaction to
Angel, who he didn't know, and was way too young for him
anyway.

After a while, it became obvious that Angel wasn't going to
talk anymore. And Hector seemed to be running out of his
limited repertoire of small talk. Carmen and her friend got
up to go talk to the guys at the pool table.

"Why did you invite them over?" Angel asked Hector, once
they were out of hearing range.

"Ah, they're nice," Hector said. "Carmen is cute."

"That's what I told him," Brian said.

"Who asked you, anyway?" Angel asked, turning to look at
Brian.

"Well, she is," Brian said.

Unleashing Angel - 43

Brian couldn't help but grin at Angel because he actually
looked like he was pouting. Angel looked at Brian for a
moment longer, and then all of a sudden smiled back. Brian
melted.

"See? I've been telling him that for years," Hector said.
"But he won't listen to me."

"If you like her so much, Hector, why don't you date her?"
Angel said, turning his attention back to his cousin.

"Maybe I'll just do that. But she's always had the hots for
you."

Carmen came back over to their table, effectively ending
their conversation.

"We're all going to go over to the Swinging Door before we
go out for a run," she said. "Are you guys coming?"

"Oh, are you a runner, too?" Brian asked.

Brian saw Hector's eyes open wide as he looked at Carmen,
obviously trying to send her an unspoken message.

"Uh... not really," Carmen stammered.

"Sure. Let's go," Hector said. He stood up cutting the
conversation short.

Angel looked at Brian, "Do you want to come?"

"No, I'm going to head back, but thanks."

Unleashing Angel - 44

When they all walked out of the White House together, half
of them got in Carmen's car. The rest of them got into
Angel's red Jeep.

As they pulled away, Angel waved at Brian and said, "See
you tomorrow morning."

Walking to his SUV, Brian replayed the last bit of
conversation in his head. They all went running at night?
That seemed odd. But what seemed more strange was
Hector's reaction and obvious change of subject. Hector
wasn't exactly smooth in his transitions of conversation.

Brian had no idea what any of it meant, and had all but
forgotten about it by the time he began driving back to the
campground. What he did remember vividly, however, was
Angel's warm thigh next to his. And Angel's smile directed
at him.

Unleashing Angel - 45

Chapter 4

"Turn up here," Angel said, pointing.

Following his directions, Brian turned off onto a dirt road.

"Now we follow this for about six miles," Angel said. "It
doesn't sound like much, but because of the conditions, it
will take a long time. It's going to take over an hour just to
get there."

Brian took it slow, careful not bounce them around too
much on the uneven road. As it was, the going was rough,
and it did seem to take a while just to go one mile.

After what seemed like forever, Angel said, "There it is."

Brian looked in the direction that Angel was indicating.
Sure enough, there was a cabin sitting off in the distance.
And it was small. Even as they got closer, the cabin didn't
look any larger. After winding around at times almost on
itself, the road finally ended in front of the cabin.

"Here we are," Angel said.

When they came to a stop and Brian turned off the engine,
they both just sat in the car looking at the building.

"Man. That is small," Brian said.

"Told you," Angel said as he unbuckled his seat belt.

Unleashing Angel - 46

The cabin had a porch with two wooden rocking chairs on
it. As they walked across the porch, Brian got out the key
that he had been given. He unlocked the door and let Angel
go through the door first.

"You weren't kidding," Brian said.

The cabin was one large room about thirty feet across and
twenty feet deep. A fireplace at one end had an old sofa and
an overstuffed chair in front of it. Two camp beds were at
the other end of the room. A makeshift room divider made
from a curtain hung from the ceiling. What could loosely
be called a kitchenette was in one corner that held a
freestanding stove, some cabinets, and a small counter
space. In the center of the room was a large table with two
ladder-back chairs. A light bulb with a metal shade hung
over the table. Old curtains hung at the four windows, and
several braided oval rugs were scattered around the room.

"This cabin is mostly used during hunting season," Angel
explained.

"Bathroom?" Brian asked.

"There's an outhouse," Angel said.

"Oh, right, you told me that. Water?"

Angel pointed out the door, "The lake. You have to boil
your water. Fortunately, though, we brought bottled water.
We can use it to drink and cook with."

"Man, you weren't kidding," Brian said again. He stood
looking at the room, his hands on his hips. "This is rustic."

Unleashing Angel - 47

"Are you okay?" Angel asked.

"Sure," Brian said. He didn't want to appear like a complete
city boy in front of the kid. He was used to hiking, but man,
he hadn't expected the cabin to be this primitive. "Let's
unload and get set up."

***

They spent the next hour bringing in their personal gear.
They put sleeping bags on the beds and unloaded the
cooking supplies and food. Then they decided which pieces
of surveying equipment to set up and started bringing it in
from the SUV.

They were carrying the last of the equipment into the cabin,
when both stopped to watch as a car came toward them.
The car kicked up a cloud of road dust behind it as it
steadily progressed along the secluded road.

"Who is that?" Brian asked.

"Whoever it is, they're coming here," Angel said. "Because
this is the only place that this road goes."

They watched as the car got closer. Angel noticed that the
driver was going too fast for the uneven road, which caused
the small vehicle to bounce as it went along. Finally, it got
to them, slowed down, and stopped. Dust swirled
everywhere, causing Brian and Angel to fan around their
faces with their hands.

"I don't believe this," Brian said when the dust cleared.

Unleashing Angel - 48

"What?" Angel asked him.

Instead of answering, Brian walked over to the car. Angel
followed.

"Sam, what are you doing here?" Brian asked as a guy got
out of the car.

Angel noticed that the guy, who Brian referred to as Sam,
looked like he had stepped out of some fashion catalog.
And his hair was gelled and spiked. Angel wondered what
a guy like that was doing out here in the middle of
nowhere.

"Well, that's a nice greeting," Sam said.

"Hi," Brian said. "But what are you doing here? How did
you find this place?"

"I got on a plane and rented a car," Sam said. "And here I
am."

"But why?" Brian asked.

"I came to see you," Sam said.

Then Sam looked at Angel and raised an eyebrow. An
eyebrow that Angel swore looked plucked. And why was
this guy looking Angel up and down?

"And you are?" Sam asked Angel.

Then Sam gave Brian a kind of pointed look, a look that

Unleashing Angel - 49

Angel didn't understand, but didn't like nonetheless.

"Oh sorry," Brian said. "This is Angel. Angel, Sam."

Sam barely acknowledged Angel and turned his attention
back to Brian.

"Look. We need to talk," Sam said. "You got anything to
drink around here? Maybe bottled water or something?"

"Sure," Brian said. "Let's go inside."

The three of them headed toward the cabin. However, when
Brian and Sam went inside, Angel decided not to follow
and sat on one of the rocking chairs on the porch. He
sensed that they were going to need some privacy.
However, once they got inside, it was difficult not to
overhear them. Their voices were already raised, and
besides, Angel was curious as to what the hell was going
on. He sat alone on the quiet porch, and their voices carried
out to him.

"So why are you here, Sam?" Brian asked.

"I came to see if we can work this out."

"You came all the way to Arizona? How did you possibly
find this place?"

"I talked to a few locals. Everyone knows everybody else in
these hick towns," Sam said. "I asked directions. ‘Turn
right a half mile after the Ace Hardware billboard.' And
here I am."

Unleashing Angel - 50

Angel could only imagine the stir that Sam had caused in
the small town.

"Look, I know that I hadn't been around much--"

"You would disappear for days at a time," Brian said,
cutting him off.

"Well, I realize now that you could have taken it wrong,"
Sam said.

"Taken it wrong?" Brian sounded incredulous. "When two
people are in a relationship, one doesn't just disappear and
not call to let the other person know what's going on."

In a relationship? Angel wondered if he had heard right.

"I know that you are kind of clingy," Sam said. "I should
have realized that it would bother you."

"Clingy! Normal people don't behave like that," Brian said.
"If they love each other, they spend time together. They
respect each other. And they don't come home smelling like
smoke and sex. That is, when they finally do decide to
come home."

Love? Brian and Sam? Now Angel was really paying
attention.

"But I do love you," Sam said.

"You sure have an odd way of showing it," Brian said.

"I came all the way out here, didn't I? Don't you love me

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anymore, Brian?"

There was silence. Angel wasn't sure why it mattered, but
he strained to hear Brian's answer.

"No, Sam. I don't."

More silence. The longer the silence dragged on, Angel
wanted to yell from his rocking chair for somebody to say
something already.

"Your actions killed my love for you, Sam," Brian finally
said. "I really wanted it to work. Maybe too much. I wanted
a commitment. But I guess that you just weren't ready."

"I've changed, Brian," Sam said "I'm ready to settle down."

"What's changed in the three days since I've been gone,
Sam?" Brian asked.

Good question, Angel thought. Sam didn't answer.

Then Angel heard Brian say, "You're not here because you
love me, are you? You're here because you can't find a
place to crash."

Sam didn't deny it.

"Now I get it. All I am to you is a meal ticket, aren't I?"
Brian asked. "Well, I'm not falling for it, Sam. It's over.
And what I said stands. You need to be out by the time I
get back to LA."

For some inexplicable reason, Angel was pleased with

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Brian's response. He felt butterflies in his gut and was kind
of giddy. Weird.

"You prick," Sam said. And Angel almost giggled out on
the porch.

"Ah, here we go," Brian said. "The real Sam comes out."

"Oh, I get it now," Sam said. "You're attracted to that kid."

Kid? Angel thought. Does he mean me?

"That's not true," Brian said.

"He's exactly your type, too," Sam said. "Cute and petite.
Very pretty. You've probably already had him, haven't
you?"

Had me? Angel thought.

"Sam. Stop."

"You better watch out, though, Brian. He looks like
jailbait."

"Goddamn it, Sam. Stop it. He can probably hear you."

Their conversation was interrupted by the high-pitched
sound of a siren inside of the cabin. Angel jumped at first,
and then recognized it as the battery-powered weather alert.

"What the hell is that?" Sam said loudly over the sound.

Angel got up and went into the cabin. Without saying a

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word, he walked past the two of them and pressed a button
on the alert. The alarm stopped and they all listened as the
warning came out for a storm heading their way.

"Looks like we're stuck here for a while," Angel said. He
pressed the button, silencing the endless loop of the
weather report.

"What do you mean?" Brian asked.

"This storm that's coming," Angel said. "It's severe, and it's
heading right for us."

"Well, I need to get out of here, then," Sam said.

"No, you can't," Angel said. "They also said flash flooding.
It's very dangerous."

"Well, that's just great," Sam said. He went over and
plopped on the chair in front of the fireplace. He sat and
glared at Brian.

"How long is the bad weather supposed to last?" Brian
asked.

"The warning is for the next four hours. But then it will be
dark, and he can't risk going out," Angel said. "So it looks
like we are all stuck here for the night."

"I don't think so," Sam said. "I'm not staying in this shit
hole in the middle of a storm."

"It's the safest place to be right now," Angel said. Frankly,
he didn't want Sam there either. The guy was a jerk.

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"Look," Brian said. "We've got enough food, and it's just
overnight. There are two beds here and a couch. We can
make do."

They all looked toward the window as they heard thunder
off in the distance.

"We better make sure that we have everything we need
inside, and make sure the windows are up on the cars,"
Angel said as he walked to the door.

While Angel and Brian finished bringing things in, Sam sat
on a rocking chair on the porch, pouting.

When they were out next to the SUV, and out of Sam's
hearing range, Brian said to Angel, "I'm sorry about this."

"It's not like you planned it or anything," Angel said.

"Yeah... but still."

"It's okay," Angel said. He wasn't sure why, but he was
irritated. "Oh. We need to make sure that the generator is
going. I'll go out back and check it."

Angel busied himself closing up the SUV.

"Angel."

Angel turned and looked at Brian. Brian looked kind of
upset, like he wanted to say more. Angel waited.

Finally Brian said, somewhat lamely, "Sorry."

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"Whatever," Angel said as he brushed past Brian on his
way to the cabin. "But I'm not giving up my bed."

Angel looked down at Sam on his way into the cabin. Sam
glared back up at him from the rocking chair. Angel picked
up the tools he needed and headed out the rear door of the
cabin to check on the generator. As he worked on it, he
thought about all that had happened in the last half hour.

So Sam, the asshole, was Brian's ex-boyfriend. That
logically made both Brian and Sam gay. Then Angel
remembered that Brian had said he owned a house near
West Hollywood. Well, this was just getting more and
more interesting.

Angel already knew that he didn't like Sam. The guy was a
jerk. To top it off, they were all stuck here overnight in a
six hundred square foot cabin in the middle of nowhere. It
wouldn't be so bad if Sam weren't here. If it was just him
and Brian.

Yeah, he might as well admit it to himself. Brian was hot.
He had thought so the minute that he had laid eyes on the
guy. At first, he had thought that Brian was kind of an
arrogant jerk. It seemed Brian had treated Angel as if he
were a kid. Like Angel was just the hired help. Although,
Angel had to admit, when they got to know each other a
little more, Brian's attitude toward him changed. Brian had
become less of a jerk the more time that they were together.
Or maybe it was just Angel's attitude that had changed.

To be honest, Angel had to admit that Brian wasn't bad at
all. Brian did seem like a nice guy, once they had gotten to

Unleashing Angel - 56

talking. He had a similar sense of humor and was interested
in wildlife, so he couldn't be all bad. Plus Brian was pretty
damn good-looking. Tall, dark, and handsome were the
words that came to mind. Really tall. Brian had to be about
six three. And he was a runner, with a runner's lean body.
To top it off, Angel had just found out that Brian was gay,
too. And apparently not attached to anyone right now.

The whole secluded cabin setup was starting to sound
pretty good. Except for the fact that the ex-boyfriend was
spending the night. The three of them together. How cozy.

Thunder, much closer now, brought Angel out of his
musings and reminded him that he needed to get the
generator going. With the approaching storm, it was
starting to get dark earlier than it normally would, and they
were going to need light soon.

Once Angel got the generator running, he went back into
the cabin, where Brian was lighting the candles that were
on the mantle. And Sam, the asshole, was now camped out
on the chair in front of the fireplace. Angel walked to the
middle of the room and pulled the string on the light bulb
that was over the table. Fortunately, it worked, and dim
light filled the cabin.

"Oh," Brian said when he saw the light come on. He looked
back at the candles that he had been lighting.

"That's okay," Angel said. "We'll need them if we lose
power."

"Are you guys getting hungry?" Brian asked.

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Sam didn't say anything.

"Sure," Angel said. "Let me show you how the stove
works, and we can get something started."

Brian and Angel worked side by side in front of the small
stove and counter area, preparing the dinner. It wasn't a
fancy meal, just some sloppy joes, chips, and beer. They
made small talk while Sam sat and did nothing, listening to
music on his headphones. By the time that they sat down to
eat, the storm had arrived and the rain was pelting the metal
roof of the cabin. Angel and Brian ate at the table while
Sam remained glued in his chair, eating and tuning them
out with his headphones.

When they were done, Brian and Angel cleaned up. As the
evening wore on, Angel's patience was wearing thin. He
had had enough of the stilted conversation and watching
Sam, the asshole, sulk from across the room.

"Sounds like the storm is letting up," Angel said. "It should
be okay to leave in the morning."

"Okay," Brian said. Sam, of course, didn't even
acknowledge Angel.

"Anyway," Angel said, "I think that I'm going to bed.
There's not much to do out here once it gets dark."

"Okay," Brian said again. "I'm going to go over some of
these maps for awhile. Good night."

Angel went around behind the makeshift curtain to the
beds. He stripped down to a T-shirt and boxers. He lay

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down on his back on his sleeping bag, propping his head
with his hands. He lay there for a while, thinking about the
weird situation he was in. Here he was, stuck in a remote
cabin with two fighting ex-boyfriends. One thing was
certain, this summer break was turning out to be more
interesting than he originally expected.

***

"Believe me, as soon as I get my shit together, I'm leaving.
I don't even know why I bothered."

Angel blinked awake, only half hearing the voices. Then it
all came back to him. He could hear that Sam and Brian
were already up. And by the sound of it, bickering. Again.

"Do you want something to eat?" Brian asked.

Angel couldn't believe that Brian was actually offering the
asshole some food. Just let him leave, Angel thought. Don't
be nice to him.

"No, I'll get something in town," Sam said.

Good luck with that, Angel thought. It was a Sunday
morning and nothing would be open. But Angel wasn't
going to offer any suggestions. He just wanted Sam gone.

When Angel heard them go out the front door of the cabin,
he took the opportunity to get up to put some clothes on.
While he was pulling up his jeans, he heard a car leave.
Shortly after that, he heard the cabin door open and close.
Angel came out from behind the room divider, pulling his
T-shirt over his head. When his head popped out of the

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neck of the shirt, Angel saw Brian standing there staring at
him.

"What?" Angel said.

"Huh? Oh, nothing," Brian said. He cleared his throat and
walked over to the counter. He started fixing coffee, using a
pan of water on the stove. "Good morning."

"Morning."

"Sam left," Brian said.

"I figured as much."

"Would you like some?" Brian offered.

"No, thanks, I'll just have a water."

"Look," Brian said. "I'm really sorry about last night. You
shouldn't have had to listen to that. "

"It wasn't your fault," Angel said.

"Yes, it was. It was because of me that he came here in the
first place." Brian turned back to the stove and added, "He
was rude to you, and that pissed me off, too."

Brian turned back around and faced Angel. He looked
vulnerable. It was obvious to Angel that Brian was
embarrassed, and maybe even wondering what Angel
thought about him.

"Man," Angel said. "I can't believe you were ever with

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him."

"Why?" Brian asked. He started to look, and sound, a little
defensive. “Because he's a guy?”

"No," Angel said. "Because he's an asshole. I just figure
you could do better."

With that comment, Angel decided to head outside on the
pretense of getting something out of the SUV. He wasn't
ready for the gay conversation to continue. And he
certainly didn't want to play his hand by letting Brian know
that Angel was attracted to him. Angel thought that he
detected some interest from Brian, but he wasn't sure.
Maybe though, Angel would just see how interested Brian
was. As he walked out to the SUV, Angel thought of ways
to get a rise out of Brian, so to speak.

***

Brian looked out the window and watched as Angel went
out to the SUV. He had no idea what the conversation
they'd just had meant. Angel didn't seem remotely bothered
by the gay thing. But it was obvious that Angel disliked
Sam. And what did Angel mean about Brian doing better?
It was all too confusing.

But one thing was for certain, Brian had just about lost it
when he came in and was face to torso with a half-naked
Angel. God, the kid was beautiful.

Swallows. It was a pair of swallows that were tattooed low
on Angel's stomach. In black work. In the few seconds of
exposed Angel flesh, Brian also noticed Angel's lean body,

Unleashing Angel - 61

tan skin, and dark nipples. The only hair on the kid's front
was the thin treasure trail of hair that went from the navel
and then disappeared into the waistband of the white boxers
that were sticking above the jeans. Amazingly, Brian had
taken all of that in, in a matter of moments, and had filed it
away in his brain. Brian wondered if Angel had caught him
staring.

Sam was right about one thing, Angel was exactly Brian's
type.

***

During the morning, Angel helped Brian survey the
immediate area. They took a break to eat, then went out to
finish up. As it got later in the afternoon, it had gotten
much warmer outside.

Angel was driving Brian crazy. It had started right after
lunch. It had gotten so warm that they had both started
sweating. Every so often, Angel would lift the hem of his
T-shirt and wipe his forehead. He would often do it while
standing next to the target rod just as Brian looked through
the level. It would immediately break Brian's concentration,
causing any calculations that Brian had been thinking about
to vanish. What consumed Brian’s thoughts, instead, were
the flashes of the tattoos on Angel's stomach. Brian had no
idea why those damn tattoos had such a strong effect on
him.

Then, late in the afternoon, Angel decided to cool off in the
lake. Brian took the opportunity to get his camera and take
some pictures of the area. Brian must have gotten turned
around, and at one point, found himself west of the lake. He

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saw that Angel was swimming. Brian wasn't going to hang
around, but curiosity got the better of him.

He lifted the camera and focused the telephoto lens on
Angel. About that time, Angel came out of the water. Brian
was disappointed when he saw that Angel had left his
boxers on. However, they were white cotton and clung to
Angel's body. The wet fabric outlined Angel's cock, giving
Brian a pretty good idea what Angel was packing.

Brian was unable to look away while Angel sat down on a
flat rock to dry off. When Angel reached down and
adjusted himself inside the wet fabric, Brian sucked in his
breath. Brian felt a stirring in his groin and suddenly he felt
like a pervert spying on Angel. He turned and retraced his
steps, heading back to the cabin.

***

When Angel came back from the lake a little while later,
Brian couldn't help but notice that Angel was carrying the
wet boxers. Brian quickly jumped to the realization that
Angel was going commando inside his jeans. Brian's cock
tried its damnedest to stand up and wave hi.

Not wanting to announce his growing hard on, Brian
continued sitting in the rocking chair. Although he about
lost it when Angel hung the boxers over the rail to dry.

"So, do you want to head back or stay another night?"
Angel asked.

"Uh..." was all that Brian managed to say.

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"Brian? Are you okay?"

Angel was standing there looking at him, waiting for an
answer.

"Well, if we stayed one more night, I could finish up here
with today's reports. Then we could survey the area to the
south in the morning before we leave. Do you have to get
back? "

"No, I don't have any plans," Angel said, giving him a little
smile. "I'll call home so they don't worry. I'll go get my
cell."

Brian knew that it was a mistake the moment the
suggestion left his mouth. He just kept wading in deeper
and deeper, until soon he would be in over his head.

***

They made dinner and sat down to eat across from each
other at the small table. Brian was very aware of Angel and
being alone together way out in the middle of nowhere.
And to top it off, he was tongue-tied and kept blushing. He
had no idea why he had reverted to being fifteen.

"I wonder if Sam made it back okay," Angel said.

Brian felt himself blush. So much for avoiding unpleasant
topics.

"I assume so. I'm sure I would have heard if something had
gone wrong."

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The silence returned and stretched out between them.

Finally, Brian asked, "What do you like to do for fun?"

"Well, as you can probably tell, there's not much to do
around here. When I'm not helping my mom, I spend my
free time hanging with my cousins."

"How about when you're at school?" Brian asked.

"I study and do research," Angel said.

"What else do you do? Any sports?"

"No. I'm not really a fan of sports."

"Me either," Brian said. "How about friends?"

"I guess my best friend there is Jen," Angel said. "We both
started at the same time and are in the same house."

"Is she your girlfriend?" Brian asked.

"No," Angel said. "She's my friend."

"What do you two do?"

"Mostly we hang out. Go to movies. Shop," Angel said.

"Shop?" Brian asked.

"Well, yeah. Don't you shop?"

"I suppose so," Brian said.

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"Oh. So you think it's weird that I have a girl that's a friend
who I shop with," Angel said, frowning.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I..." Brian said.

"I'm kidding," Angel said, smiling now. "Dork."

"Dork? " Brian said. "Look who's calling who a dork.
Twerp."

"Goof."

"Nimrod."

***

"Well, I'm going to go to bed," Angel announced.

Brian's reaction almost made Angel laugh out loud. Brian
had turned beet red.

"Oh. Yeah. Okay," Brian stammered around. "I'm going to
finish up here, then I'll come to bed. I mean, go to bed..."

Angel turned away, smiling to himself.

"Okay then, Brian. Good night."

"Night."

Angel went behind the makeshift curtain and stripped down
to a T-shirt and put on his now dry boxers. He lay on his
cot with his hands behind his head, looking at the ceiling.

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He thought back over the day. Brian's reactions during the
afternoon and this evening were amusing. Angel thought it
was adorable when Brian stammered and blushed. He
smiled when he remembered seeing Brian watching him at
the lake earlier and then disappearing back into the
chaparral. Oh... he had seen Brian standing there, all right.
Angel had only wished that he had skipped the boxers.

At least Angel knew that Brian was interested. There was
no doubt about that now.

***

A sound woke Angel, and it took him a moment to get his
bearings. Thunder rumbled in the distance. When his eyes
adjusted, he remembered that he was in the cabin. It was
late, however, moonlight shone through the windows. As
he lay there, he listened to the approaching storm.

Then he realized what had awakened him. Brian had come
behind the curtain and was getting ready for bed. Angel
shifted and lay on his side facing Brian. He pretended to be
asleep as he watched Brian take off his clothes in the
moonlit room. When Brian removed his shirt, Angel stared
at the muscled chest with its dark nipples. Brian's lean
abdomen was a testimonial to the daily running. When
Brian's fingers went to the waistband of the jeans, Angel
felt himself starting to get hard in anticipation. Angel felt
kind of bad watching Brian, but there was no way in hell
that he was going to stop looking. As he watched, Angel's
hand slowly drifted to his crotch. He adjusted his rapidly
filling cock through his boxers as he watched Brian remove
the jeans.

Unleashing Angel - 67

Once Brian had peeled down to only a pair of boxer briefs,
he lay down on the other bed, not four feet from Angel.
They were so close together Angel could smell the faint
scent of Brian's soap and the masculine scent of his skin.

Angel wondered if Brian could tell that he was awake.
Angel tried to remain as quiet as possible as his hand crept
under his T-shirt and then under the waistband of his
boxers. Quietly, Angel curled his fingers around his rigid
cock. He looked at Brian's profile in the next bed, as pale
light from outside illuminated Brian's chest, and the dark
hair on it.

Angel lay there, looking at Brian's prone body while
gripping his own hard cock in one hand. He silently rubbed
his thumb over the slit, picking up pre-come and sliding it
over the tight head.

Then Angel noticed that Brian's boxer briefs were tenting
as, apparently, Brian's cock was also hard. Angel stifled a
sharp intake of breath when Brian's hand came down and
adjusted himself through the fabric. When Brian's hand
went under the waistband into his own briefs and Brian
began fondling himself, Angel gave a shiver. He must have
made a sound, because Brian paused and looked toward
Angel. Angel remained perfectly still, trying to make his
breathing even so that Brian would think that he was
asleep. He must have been convincing, because Brian
turned his head and looked back up at the ceiling. While
Angel watched, Brian began stroking himself. It was all
Angel could do not to shoot.

The rain began pelting the metal roof of the cabin. The
sound was enough to cover Brian's movements as they

Unleashing Angel - 68

became more urgent. Before long, he tensed. As Angel
watched, Brian came. He was quiet about it, but Angel
could see Brian's hips rise.

When Brian was done, Angel rolled over with his back to
Brian. As quietly as he could manage, and under the cover
of the sound of falling rain, he stroked himself until he
spilled over his own hand. Even after he was through,
visions of Brian getting off stayed with him. He knew that
what had happened was something he was not going to
forget for a long time.

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Chapter 5

Over the next three weeks, Brian would pick up Angel in
front of the office every morning. They would have
breakfast and then head out either to the cabin, or to an area
that Brian needed to survey. Then they would part in the
afternoon or evening so Angel could help out at the motel.

One particularly hot afternoon, Brian decided to go try out
the pool. As he went through the gate, he spotted Angel
lying on one of the chaise lounges. Lester was lying there
too, half under Angel's lounge.

Brian teetered for a moment, trying to decide whether he
should stay or leave. His rational side said to leave. Angel
had been driving him nuts and it was getting worse every
day. Between being so close to him, and the fact that Angel
would take off his shirt when they were out, surveying was
starting to take its toll.

Of course, Brian walked over and took the chaise next to
him. As if he had had a choice in the matter.

"Hi."

Angel raised his head, shielding his eyes with his hand.

"Decided to cool off?"

"Yes. We've been going at it pretty good. I'm ahead of
schedule, so I thought I'd take a break. You?"

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"I just finished cleaning the pool."

Damn. Missed it, Brian thought.

Lester woke up, probably because he heard the voices. He
must have forgotten that he was lying under something. He
tried sit up, causing the chaise, with Angel on it, to lurch.
Angel grabbed the arms of the chair to brace himself.

"Geez, Lester," Angel said.

The dog scrambled around in confusion for a few moments,
half crawling under the chair. Finally, he backed out,
treating Brian to a close-up of his dusty rump. Once free,
the dog turned around in the tight space between the
lounges to face Brian, laying his head on the chair arm so
Brian could pet him.

"Not too many people here right now," Brian said, petting
Lester's head.

"They tend to clear out around dinner time," Angel said.
"Lester likes you. He usually just ignores everyone else."

Angel was right. For some reason, Lester had taken a liking
to Brian. The dog would often show up at Brian's cabin,
lying on the porch. The first morning the dog was there,
Brian had practically tripped over him. Brian was almost
used to the dog's odor.

"I've always liked dogs," Brian said. "I'd like to get one, but
I travel a lot. It probably wouldn't be bad if I had someone
reliable living with me."

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"Are you looking for a roommate?"

"No," Brian said. "Nothing like that. More of a partner.
That is, if I ever find the right guy."

"Sam?"

"Ah, no," Brian said. "Not Sam. I need to find someone
who wants the same things I do."

"And that is..." Angel prodded.

"Nothing much. Just someone who likes me. Wants to do
things together. Create a life together."

"Sounds nice," Angel said. "I'd like that, too. But I'm not
sure I'll ever get it." He sat up. "I'll be right back."

Angel walked to the deep end of the pool and then dove in.
Brian watched as Angel swam toward him. When he got to
the shallow water, he stood up. Brian tried not to stare as
water rolled down Angel's body.

"You ought to cool off, too," Angel said to him. He tilted
his head slightly and added, "Isn't that what you came here
for?"

What did I come here for? Brian thought. As if he didn't
know the real answer.

Brian cleared his throat, and said, "Uh, yeah."

Brian got up and headed to the other end of the pool. Angel
waded alongside in the water until he had to tread, and

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watched as Brian dove in.

When Brian came up for air, Angel was a couple of yards
away from him.

"Feels good, doesn't it? Angel asked.

"Great."

Angel glanced around. "Looks like everyone else has left."
His gaze met Brian's directly and added, "It's just us."

It finally clicked in Brian's thick skull. He's flirting with
me! Or am I imagining it? He decided find out.

"So we have the pool to ourselves?" Brian asked.

"For a little while. But you never know when someone will
show up."

Angel went under the water and then came up almost
directly in front of Brian. For a few moments Angel had his
eyes closed, and Brian watched the water roll down his
face. Brian couldn't help stare at a water droplet on Angel's
lip, wanting badly to lick it off.

Angel opened his eyes and their gazes held. Brian was
overcome by how beautiful his eyes were up close. Angel
lifted an eyebrow and his gray eyes seemed to be sending
out a dare. A challenge that Brian was more than ready to
meet.

"Are you doing anything tonight?" Angel asked.

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"Not really. Just the usual," Brian managed to say. "Finding
dinner somewhere. How about you?"

"No plans."

"You're not going out with your cousins?"

Brian noticed that Angel hesitated, then said, "They have
something they need to do. I can't go."

"Sounds mysterious."

"Hey, Angel!"

They both turned toward the voice.

"Hola, Hector," Angel replied. He looked back at Brian and
gave a little shrug.

When he hesitated, Brian asked, "So, do you want to grab a
bite later?"

"Yes. I'll come by your cabin. I'll bring pizza," Angel said
quickly before he dove under the water.

Somewhat surprised at what had just happened, Brian
watched Angel swim to the edge to greet Hector.

As Brian waded toward the shallow end where they were,
he kept replaying in his head what had just happened. He
was pretty certain that Angel was flirting with him. But
how could that be?

Angel wasn't gay. Or was he? The only girl that Angel ever

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talked about was his friend, Jen. And Angel certainly didn't
have any interest in Carmen, as attractive and nice as she
seemed to be. Brian still didn't know the full story about
Angel. They talked about everything. But Brian could tell
there were some things Angel was holding back.

When he got closer, Brian overheard Hector say to Angel,
"You're missing out, man. We need to get you laid."

Angel gave Hector what appeared to be a warning look. He
glanced at Brian. Then he said something in Spanish that
Brian didn't understand. They spoke to each other in
Spanish for a few more moments.

"Okay, then. I'll see you tomorrow night at the gathering,"
Hector said as he started to leave.

When Angel looked at him, Brian got the impression that
Angel was wary.

"Gathering?"

Angel waded past him to the pool steps.

"It's just a community meeting. They have one every
month."

Brian got the feeling that he was being given a partial
explanation. Angel wasn't telling him something. He could
tell.

"I have to do a couple more things for my mom. Then I'll
come by," Angel said as he picked up his towel. "Is that
still okay with you?"

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"Yes. See you in a couple of hours, then."

Unleashing Angel - 76

Chapter 6

Later, back at his cabin, Brian was sitting in a rocking
chair, waiting for Angel to show up. Lester had sought him
out and was lying on the porch, stinking up the general
vicinity. Brian had no idea why, but he was nervous. It had
seemed obvious that Angel had been flirting with him at the
pool earlier. If he'd read all the signals correctly, they were
going to be doing more than eating pizza and talking about
land surveys. However, until today, Angel had never given
any indication of being gay. Maybe Angel was bi.

He was mulling over these thoughts when the object of his
obsession pulled up in the red Jeep. He stood up as Angel
came toward the cabin carrying a pizza box.

"Let's eat inside. It's too hot out here," Angel said

.

"The

bugs will start coming out soon. And besides, Lester
reeks."

When they moved inside the small cabin, Brian sat on the
bed and Angel took the only chair. They pulled the table
between them and put the pizza on it.

"Smells good, " Brian said when Angel opened the box.
"I'm starving."

As it turned out that they did talk about land surveys while
they ate. But then they switched onto more interesting
topics.

"Can I ask you a personal question?" Brian asked, when

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there was a pause in the conversation.

"I suppose."

"I've heard your cousin make a couple of odd comments."

"Like what?" Angel asked, looking a little guarded now.

"Just a couple of offhand comments about you."

"Like..."

"Usually it had to do with you needing to get laid, as he put
it."

Angel relaxed a little.

"Well, I don't have much experience. "

"A good-looking guy like you? You should have had a lot
of girls interested at college."

"Oh, I did," Angel said. "Never went out with any of them,
though." He picked a mushroom off a piece and popped it
in his mouth.

"You've mentioned Jen before."

"She's just a friend," Angel said, staring at the pizza on the
table between them.

Brian noticed that Angel had completely stopped looking at
him. There was something that Angel wasn't telling him.

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"Are you scared?"

"No."

"Is it a religion thing where you can't do it until you get
married?"

"No."

"So what's the holdup?"

"I guess I just never found the right guy yet." Angel had
said it so softly, that Brian almost missed it.

"Wait a minute. Are you saying you're gay?"

Angel looked up at him, eyes apprehensive.

"Who else knows?"

"Jen does," Angel said. "And some of the people at school."

"But no one here."

Angel shook his head.

"Well, that explains a few things," Brian said. "And you've
never done anything with a guy before?"

"Some things. But not much."

"Never gone all the way?"

Angel looked down and shook his head again.

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"Why not?"

"I'd never found anyone I wanted to do it with," Angel said.
Then he added "Until now."

Brian looked at him for a few moments, trying to absorb
what Angel had just told him. Then it hit him. Angel
wanted him.

"Are you sure?" Brian asked.

"Yes."

"Me?"

"Yes."

"Here? Now?"

"Well, if you don't want to--"

"Of course I want to," Brian said, cutting him off. "But why
me?"

"Because I like you."

They looked at each other for a few moments in silence.
The gorgeous guy sitting across the small table was gay.
And if Brian was reading things right, Angel wanted Brian
to help him with his little virginity problem. Brian was
more than willing to help out.

"Well, okay, then," Brian said. He got up and moved the

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table out of the way, then sat back down on the edge of the
bed. "Why don't you come over here next to me?"

Angel got up and moved to sit next to Brian. He sat looking
down at his lap. Brian tentatively put an arm around his
shoulders, noticing that Angel felt very tense.

"We don't have to do anything you don't want," Brian said.
"If you feel uncomfortable at any time, tell me to stop."

"Okay."

"We'll take it slow," Brian said. "Trust me?"

Angel looked up at him, and their gazes held. Then Angel
leaned in toward Brian and stopped before their lips made
contact. They sat side by side on the bed, faces mere inches
apart. Angel's gaze lowered as he looked at Brian's mouth,
and he licked his lips. Finally, Brian put his hand behind
Angel's head and pulled him until their lips touched.

Vaguely, Brian wondered what the hell he was doing.
Angel was a kid. And a virgin. But he couldn't stop
himself. He gathered Angel up in his arms, practically
crushing Angel's smaller body against his larger one.

Angel gave a small sound, and his hands clutched Brian's
shirt, bunching it. Brian thought that he was hurting him,
and let him go.

"God, Angel," Brian said. "I'm sorry."

Angel just looked at Brian. Then got up, toed off his shoes
and sat, straddling Brian's legs. He wrapped his arms

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around Brian's neck.

"Don't be," Angel said, before he kissed Brian again. He
pulled back and said, "I want this."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Angel said. "Show me what to do."

Brian groaned and pulled Angel tight against him. His
hands gripped Angel's ass and pressed their crotches
together. He could feel Angel's erection against his and
knew that Angel was telling the truth.

Brian leaned back on the bed, taking Angel along. Brian
figured that with Angel on top, he could back off if he felt
like it. Although Brian hoped that he wouldn't.

Angel didn't. Angel straddled Brian's larger body,
practically dry humping Brian through their clothes as they
kissed. Brian thought that he better slow things down or
Angel would be done before they even started.

Brian put his hands on either side of Angel's head and
broke the kiss. Angel looked down at him, eyes were dark,
almost black with desire. Angel's lips were wet and swollen
from being kissed. Oh, God. Brian was in so much trouble
here.

"Hey," Brian said. Angel looked down at Brian as if to ask
why in the hell they had stopped. "Let's get more
comfortable. I want to see you."

Angel looked at him, dazed for a moment, then his face

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cleared. He straightened up onto his knees, still straddling
Brian's body. In one movement, he removed his T-shirt.

Brian looked at the young man sitting on top of him.
Angel's hair had come loose and curls hung around his
face. Brian looked at Angel's tan chest and dark nipples. He
took his hands and ran them up and down Angel's sides.
When he ran his palms over the nipples, Angel shivered
and gave a sharp intake of breath.

Brian rolled over until they were going in the right
direction on the bed with Angel underneath. He began
kissing Angel's face, and then worked his way down
Angel's jaw.

Angel pushed his head back into the pillow when Brian
started kissing his neck, offering it up. Brian gave soft
kisses to Angel's throat. Brian's lips rested for a moment at
the pulse point where Angel's neck met the shoulder.
Angel's pulse fluttering wildly beneath Brian's lips, and
Brian resisted the urge to suck at the delicate skin. Instead,
Brian continued on, kissing Angel's collarbones.

Brian moved farther down, kissing Angel's chest, and he
moved to one nipple to lick it. The nipple pebbled instantly,
causing Angel to moan and arch his chest as his back rose
off the bed. Brian slid both hands under Angel's back while
lightly plucking at both nipples with his lips. When he felt
Angel tense under him, he stopped giving attention to the
sensitive flesh.

He moved down to Angel's flat stomach, pausing a moment
to look at the swallow tattoos there. Finally, he could touch
them. Brian traced his shaking finger tips over them before

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pressing his lips to first one, then the other.

Brian had to see him.

He was powerless to stop as his fingers moved to undo the
buttons on Angel's jeans. When he parted the fabric, he
glanced back up at Angel's face. Angel was looking at him
with hooded eyes, lips parted. Getting no indication that
Angel wanted him to stop, Brian's fingers curled on the
waistband. Angel's hips lifted as Brian slid the jeans and
boxers down Angel's legs, then tossed them to the floor.

Brian pulled his own shirt off as he got up to stand next to
the bed. He stood looking down at Angel as he undid his
jeans and slid them off. He saw Angel's eyes widen when
he slipped his boxer briefs down and his cock was revealed.
Brian paused again, looking for any sign of hesitation from
Angel. Instead, Angel raised a hand, beckoning Brian to
join him on the bed.

"Be right back," Brian said. He went into the bathroom to
get the condoms and lube. He came back into the room and
set them on the bed.

As he moved to get into the bed, Angel spread his legs.
Brian rested back on his heels between Angel's legs and
looked down at the young man laid out before him.

Angel's dark curls were spread out on the pillow,
contrasting with the white pillowcase. Tan skin outlined
muscles and delicate features that made up Angel's perfect
body. Brian had never seen anyone so beautiful, nor had he
ever desired anyone as much.

Unleashing Angel - 84

His hands shook slightly as he reached out. He placed his
hands on Angel's sides, ran them up over the ribs, and then
back down Angel's front.

Angel's cock was rigid and weeping. Brian was amazed,
and thankful, that Angel hadn't shot yet. He leaned over
and ran his tongue up the underside of Angel's cock.

"Oh, God," Angel said, and his body trembled.

Brian took Angel's cock lightly in one hand and guided it to
his mouth.

When Brian's lips closed around the tight head and tasted
the hot flesh, Angel gave a strangled sound. Angel’s cock
swelled further and Brian didn't get much warning before
Angel came with a shudder. Brian knew that he shouldn't,
but he couldn't help himself. Brian was desperate to taste,
and he kept his mouth on Angel's cock, taking it all as
Angel came. He felt Angel's hands fluttering around his
head as he milked Angel's cock.

Once Angel was done, Brian licked his cock, then leaned
up and kissed Angel on the lips.

"Are you okay?" Brian asked.

"Oh, God," Angel said again, only this time more
breathless.

Brian smiled into the kiss. He propped himself on his hands
as he kissed Angel. He felt his own aching cock rub across
Angel's belly and he felt Angel's feather-light touch along
his thighs and hips.

Unleashing Angel - 85

Angel broke the kiss and looked up at Brian.

"Can... can I touch you?" Angel asked.

"Please..."

He moved and lay on his back next to Angel.

Brian felt Angel's hand hesitantly touch his chest. His eyes
closed as Angel's hand drifted down his front and did a
slow circle on his abdomen. Angel's touch was
excruciatingly light.

When Angel's hand brushed against Brian's cock, they both
gasped. Brian waited tensely a few moments, every nerve
on alert, and then sighed when Angel's fingers curled
around his cock, holding it in a light grip. When Angel's
hand slid down the length of it, Brian lifted his hips off of
the bed, trying desperately to increase the pressure.

As Angel ran a hand along the shaft, Brian's hand joined in.
Brian wrapped his hand around Angel's, showing Angel
how he liked it. Angel got the message and tightened the
hold on Brian's cock.

Angel ran a hand clumsily along Brian's cock, brushing the
fingertips across Brian's balls. When the touching abruptly
stopped, Brian’s eyes opened and he lifted his head off of
the pillow to look at Angel.

Angel was moving down between Brian's legs. Brian knew
what was coming next, and pressed his head back into the
pillow, waiting for it. When Angel's lips touched the head

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of his cock, he almost lost it. When Angel began licking it
and the tip of the tongue dipped delicately in the slit,
Brian's entire body tensed. When Angel's mouth went
around his cock, he shuddered.

"Angel, I'm going to come," Brian said, warning him.

Angel took his mouth off of Brian's cock and held it in his
hand, watching it intently as Brian pulsed, come erupting
from it and spilling over Angel's hand.

Before Brian was done coming, he reached down and
pulled Angel up for a kiss. Brian rolled to his side and they
lay kissing. As they kissed, Brian rubbed his hand over
Angel's back and smooth ass while Angel ran his fingers
through the hair on Brian's chest.

Angel pressed the length of his body against Brian as they
kissed. Brian felt Angel's erection, as hard as it had been
not long before, slide along his thigh. It was yet another
reminder of how young Angel was: getting it up again so
quickly.

"Brian?" Angel asked.

"Yes?"

"Will you show me the rest?"

"Are you sure?"

"Oh, hell yes," Angel said.

Brian chuckled. As they kissed, Brian rolled Angel over.

Unleashing Angel - 87

Then he sat up on his knees between Angel's spread legs.

Brian grabbed a pillow and lifted Angel's hips, putting the
pillow under him so that Angel's ass was elevated.

"Here," Brian said. "Put your legs back."

Brian guided Angel's legs back so that Angel's knees were
almost by his head. Brian looked down at the spread ass in
front of him. Angel's dark pucker clenched and unclenched
as Brian looked at it. He moaned deep in his chest, and then
leaned over.

When Brian's tongue touched his asshole, Angel jumped as
if he had been shocked. Angel's arms flew out to his sides
and his hands gripped the sheets.

Brian ran the flat of his tongue over Angel's entrance, and
nibbled at the ass cheeks on either side of it. Angel kept up
a nonstop litany of groans, his head thrashing back and
forth on the pillow. When the tip of Brian's tongue started
fucking his asshole, a high-pitched sound came out of
Angel. Brian paused and smiled.

"Do you like that?" Brian asked.

Angel gurgled.

Brian gave a little laugh as he reached over and picked up
the lube. Since Angel's ass was at such a delightful angle,
Brian poured some lube directly onto Angel's spread
crease. Then Brian ran his fingertips over the hole, causing
the unintelligible sounds to come from Angel again.

Unleashing Angel - 88

His finger inched in, and Angel's hole gripped his finger.

"I need for you to relax for me," Brian said.

It took a bit of coaxing, but finally Angel relaxed enough to
allow Brian's finger to slide in. Brian pushed his finger in
and out several times. When Angel relaxed the tight ring of
muscle even more, Brian added a second finger.

"Oh, God," Angel moaned.

"Do you want me to stop?" Brian asked. "We don't have to
do this."

"No," Angel said.

"No, what?" Brian asked, confused.

"Don't stop," Angel replied.

Thank God, Brian thought. He had gotten hard again,
himself. He wouldn't force Angel into doing anything,
reminding himself that Angel was a virgin, and had
virtually no experience. But he was really hoping that he
was going to get to fuck that sweet ass.

Brian reached over, got a condom, and put it on. He put
some lube in his hand and started slicking up his sheathed
cock. Better to have too much lube than not enough for
Angel's first time.

"Let's try this," Brian said.

Brian maneuvered them again until he was on his back with

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Angel straddling him again. Angel leaned forward on
Brian's chest and they began kissing. Brian's hips started
rising and lowering in a steady rhythm. His cock was
sliding between Angel's spread ass cheeks, gliding along
the sensitive hole.

It didn't take Angel long to get the idea. Breaking the kiss,
he rose up on his knees. Reaching behind himself, he
grasped Brian's cock between his thumb and fingers,
guiding it to his hole.

When the blunt head of Brian's cock put pressure against
Angel's hole, they both froze. Then Angel gradually
lowered himself on Brian's cock. Angel gave a sharp intake
of breath when Brian breached him, and he stopped.

Angel rose slightly, and then lowered himself again. He did
this several times. Each time, Brian's cock made farther
progress inside of him until finally Brian was buried balls
deep.

Once Brian was all the way in, Angel stopped, his eyes
closed.

"Are you okay?" Brian asked.

Angel's eyes opened. Eyes almost black with desire looked
back at Brian. Instead of answering, Angel braced his
hands on Brian's chest and began to ride Brian’s cock.. As
he did, he dropped his head, his hair brushing along Brian's
chest.

Brian held onto Angel's hip with one hand as Angel's
movements increased. With his other, he took Angel's cock

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in his hand and stroked. He could tell that Angel wasn't
going to last long.

When Angel came, it was intense, come shooting out onto
both of their chests. His already unbelievably tight hole
clenched around Brian's cock. The smell of Angel's come
and the ripples from his muscles massaging Brian's cock
was all it took. Brian came as well with a deep moan.

Angel collapsed on Brian's chest. They lay there panting,
trying to catch their breaths for a few minutes. Then Brian
rolled them over. He held onto the condom as his softening
cock slipped from Angel. He removed it and tossed it in the
general direction of the trashcan. Then he cleaned them
both up the best that he could with the edge of the sheet.

Brian maneuvered them until they were spooning. He held
Angel up against his chest and buried his face in Angel's
hair, inhaling Angel’s scent. After a while, Angel's
breathing evened out, and Brian could tell that he was
asleep.

As he lay there, the enormity of what had happened came
crashing down on Brian. He had just had sex with a virgin.
Not only that, he felt like he was very much in danger of
falling in love.

***

Brian said goodnight to Angel way past midnight. Angel
walked back to the main house, Lester tagging along. He
hadn't wanted Brian to go with him, so Brian let Angel
leave without much fuss. It was not like Brian needed to
walk him home from a date or anything.

Unleashing Angel - 91

Brian was just damn near giddy with the thought of Angel.
It did nag at him that he had told himself that he wasn't
going to jump into another relationship. And here he was
not even a month later, as excited as a teenager with a new
boyfriend. He couldn't help himself. Was he that much of
an incurable sap?

As unrealistic as he knew it to be, Brian turned his attention
to how they could make it work once they both got back to
LA. At first, they would probably only be able to see each
other on the weekends, or when Angel's classes didn't
interfere. Then they could discuss what they wanted to do
next. Apparently, Angel only had one more semester, as he
would be graduating in December. If they were still
together, and Brian had every intention of that happening,
they could decide the next step then. Maybe they would
move in together. Or maybe they would get jobs in another
city and move.

Brian could pretty much live anywhere. His work was
mostly contract, and he was sent on jobs. It would all
depend on where Angel found a job. Brian didn't like snow,
but heck, if Angel liked it, he would even move to Boston.
Of course, it would be ideal for them to move up to the San
Francisco area where they could live as freely as they
wanted.

Brian caught himself. Here he was making all of these
plans with someone who he didn't know all that well. Was
it just the rush of a new relationship? Hell, was it even a
relationship?

But he didn't see Angel as a one-night stand. Brian didn't

Unleashing Angel - 92

see Angel as just something to pass the time while he was
here. He was already thinking about the fall, when Angel
would be returning to Caltech. It was only a month away.
Brian didn't live that far away from Pasadena, and they
could work out something so that they could be together.

Brian couldn't help but feel that he was jumping the gun.
But this time it was different. He knew Angel was the one.
He just knew it.

***

Angel's mind was racing as he made his way from Brian's
cabin back to the main house. He couldn't believe what
they had just done. It was by far the most amazing thing
that had ever happened in his life. He had gone out with a
couple of guys in college over the last few years. They had
done some kissing and fumbling around while sitting in
darkened cars after a date. But never anything remotely like
what he and Brian had done. He had never wanted to go
that far with anyone before. But with Brian, it just seemed
right.

It had felt fantastic. Sure, his ass hurt, but even that was a
reminder of what had happened. He had actually been in
bed with a real man, feeling another man's body. And that
man had been touching him back. Angel gave a shiver as he
remembered.

And Brian... Oh my God, Angel thought. The man was
gorgeous. Angel vividly remembered every detail of
Brian's body: his chest, his stomach, the hair on his body,
that cock. Especially Brian's cock. Angel had never gotten
to really look at and handle another man's cock like that

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before. The hand jobs in the cars had been fun, but this was
different. This was real. Angel couldn't help but compare
the way Brian's dick felt compared to his college dates.
They were boys. Brian was a man. Brian's cock was the
thickest, not that he had that many to compare it with. And
the weight and fullness of Brian's balls... He really liked
Brian's balls.

Angel blushed when he remembered what Brian had done
with his mouth. Angel vaguely remembered hearing about
rimming, but he had never thought much about it. Now he
was thinking about it, that was for sure. A lot. And Brian
had sucked Angel's cock. No one had done that to him
before, either. He didn't know which one he liked better.
Definitely the blow job, he decided. He wondered if Brian
minded that he didn't last very long.

Brian hadn't seemed to mind. In fact, Angel remembered
the way Brian looked at him. Angel had seen pure desire in
Brian's eyes. Angel was amazed that a grown man who was
as gorgeous as Brian would want him. It amazed him that
he could have that effect on anyone. Him, a scrawny kid
from a hick town.

But Brian didn't look at Angel like he was a skinny dweeb.
Angel had seen several emotions on Brian's face. It was
obvious that Brian desired him. But it was also evident to
Angel that what they had done meant more to Brian than
just getting laid. Had Angel seen another emotion there? Or
was it just wishful thinking?

Angel tried to bring himself to his senses. But he couldn't
help it. He was crazy about Brian. And it wasn't just
because Brian was the first guy to fuck him. Angel had

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never even come close to wanting someone to do that to
him before. It's not something he had ever trusted someone
else with.

Who was he kidding? Angel wasn't anything to Brian. They
didn't even know each other that well. But what if...? Angel
was willing to find out. He intended to find out if he was
just imagining it or there was something more going on
between him and Brian.

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Chapter 7

Angel walked into the kitchen as his mom was getting
dinner ready.

"Hi, baby," she said. "Could you start setting the table for
me?"

"Sure," he said as he went toward the cabinet were the
plates were located.

Only, he didn't make it. A searing pain shot up his spine
and then down his limbs. He fell to the floor.

"Angel!" He vaguely heard his mom call his name.

He held up his hand and looked at it. Only it wasn't a hand,
it was a paw. It was then that he passed out.

***

When he woke up, Angel was in his bed. His mother was
standing there with a worried look on her face. His dad was
standing next to her, his face grim.

And the family veterinarian was there. What the fuck?

"Ah," Dr. Sanchez said. "Here he comes."

Angel looked up at them. They were all in black and white.
He noticed the intense smells in the room. He could hear
his brothers and sisters playing out in the yard. Everything

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was amplified. Except his eyes. Everything looked so odd.

"Angel," Dr. Sanchez said. "You've gone through your
change. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

His change? Angel looked around. His face felt odd. His
tongue flicked out and licked his muzzle.

Muzzle?

Now he got it. He had finally gone through his first wolf
change. But something was wrong. He knew it. Why was it
daylight?

He looked at Dr. Sanchez. The man was hard to focus on,
being so close, and Angel's muzzle was making him almost
cross-eyed.

"He understands," Dr. Sanchez said, looking over his
shoulder at Angel's parents. He turned back to Angel and
continued.

"You've had a quick and violent change, Angel. What we
need for you to do right now is to concentrate so that you
can change back. You shouldn't have any trouble. Just think
about it, and it will happen naturally."

Angel laid his head back on the pillow. He closed his eyes.
He felt a vague numbness, then a surge of power course
from his center out to his limbs. He opened his eyes.
Everything was in color.

"What's wrong with me?" he asked when he was able.

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"Nothing," Dr. Sanchez said. "You did very well."

Angel looked at them. The doctor and his parents were
smiling now.

"But it's daylight," Angel said.

"Precisely," the doctor said, smiling even more broadly.

"Don't you know what this means, baby?" his mother
asked. She was smiling, too. It was like she was proud or
something.

Angel just looked at them, not getting it.

"Son," his dad said. "Only the most powerful wolves can
change during the day. You will be able to change
whenever you want to, not only at night or when the moon
is out, like the rest of us. No one else can do it. The last
wolf who could do it was my father's uncle."

Angel looked at his mother again. She was beaming. Angel
understood, then. Their son was the most powerful
werewolf that their family, and probably the area, had seen
in seventy-five years.

"How are you feeling now?" the doctor asked.

Angel thought about it for a minute.

"Fine, actually," Angel said. "In fact, I feel great. I'm
starving."

"I'll go fix you something to eat," his mom said, and then

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she left the room.

The doctor went with her, leaving Angel alone with his
father.

"We have a gathering tonight," his dad said. "You'll need to
come to that. The others need to know."

"Okay," Angel said.

"And Angel," his dad said before he left the room. "It's a
small town. It's good that you're strong."

Angel looked at his dad, not comprehending. However, his
father didn't offer any more.

"We need to leave after you get something to eat," his dad
said as he left.

***

Later, Angel and his father pulled into the parking lot of the
meeting hall.

"What's with all of the cars?" Angel asked. "I've never seen
so many at a gathering before."

"They are here to see you," his dad said. "Word has already
gotten out."

"Me?"

His dad parked the car and they went in together. As they
walked in, Angel could feel people looking at him. Oddly,

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it didn't make him nervous. In fact, he heard several people
call out to him in greeting. He stayed with his father for an
about an hour as the others came up to congratulate him.
He didn't pick up bad vibes from anyone. They all seemed
to accept him and the power that he was supposed to have.

Finally, he spotted his cousins and went over to them.

"Hey, Angel," Hector said.

"Hi."

They walked outside together to get away from the crowd.

"I just wanted to let you know," Hector said. "I think it's
cool."

"Thanks," Angel said.

Hector gave him a punch in the arm.

"But you're still a pipsqueak," Hector said teasing him. "So
what's her name?"

"Her?" Angel asked.

"Of course, her," Hector said. "That's what usually triggers
the wolf gene. The endorphins from getting off for real for
the first time."

"What?" Angel asked.

"You know," Hector said. "Getting laid, man."

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Angel blushed. Crap, he had forgotten about that part. So
now everyone was going to know that he had finally gotten
laid. And they were all going to want to know who the girl
was. Only it wasn't a girl. It was a dude. Oh, God. He was
so screwed.

"So, who popped your cherry, Angel?" Hector asked. "You
must have given it to her good, man. Really let her have it,
for you to be able to change during the day."

"Hector, you're so crude," Angel said, irritated.

"Come on. Was it Carmen?" Hector persisted. "Tell me
about it."

He got up to leave. "I've got to go."

"Whatever, dude," Hector said. "See you later."

Angel went to find his dad. When he found him, he asked,
"Is it okay if I leave?"

His father looked at him, concerned.

"Are you feeling all right?" his father asked. "Has anyone
bothered you?"

"No," Angel said. "I'm okay. I just need to leave. I thought
that I'd walk back."

"You can go if you want to," his dad said. "I'll catch up
with you later."

Angel walked back to the motel. Once there, he went to the

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office. He started pacing back and forth, trying to think.

Okay. Here was the situation as he saw it. He had been
hanging around this town most of his life, working in his
family's motel. He had been waiting for something to
happen in his boring life. The break he got from going to
school in LA was great, but he figured that he would have
to return when it was done. Yet, even though he liked his
cousins, he had never really felt like he fit in. He wasn't
interested in what the other guys were into. He didn't like
sports. He didn't like girls. He was a nerd who liked science
and physics.

And he had finally gotten laid. By a fucking dude.

Now everybody was going to know that he was gay. They
would all hate him. There was no doubt about it, he had to
leave town before anyone found out.

So where the hell did a werewolf go live and not get shot
the first time that he changed?

And what about Brian? What was he going to say when he
found out he'd had sex with a wolf? Angel didn't expect
that little bit of information to go over well.

Oh, God. What was he going to do?

"You're going to wear a path in the carpet if you keep that
up."

Angel jumped when he heard the voice. He stopped pacing
and turned to see Brian standing in the doorway looking at
him. Angel stood still, wringing his hands, looking at

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Brian.

"What's got you so upset, Angel?" Brian asked.

"I..." Angel didn't finish the sentence. He just shook his
head and waved one hand vaguely off to his side.

"Come here, baby," Brian said.

Angel took a step toward Brian, then stopped.

"No," Angel said.

"Why not?"

"I can't," Angel said softly. He could feel his heart
breaking. He had to get Brian out of there before he did
something stupid.

Neither of them said anything, looking at each other across
the small office.

"Angel?"

"I... I can't talk right now," Angel said. "I can't be with
you."

"Angel, tell me what's going on."

When Brian came toward him, Angel took a step back, then
turned and scurried around the desk, putting it between
them.

"You need to leave."

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"Angel, is it because we're guys?" Brian asked. "You're
going back to LA in a few weeks. You can leave earlier.
With me, if you want to. You'll be away from this place. It
won't matter."

If only he could go with Brian. If only it were that easy.

"I need to think," Angel said. "And I can't think with you
here. Can you just go now? Please?"

Angel practically shouted the last at Brian. He saw the hurt
stamped all over Brian's face. When Angel couldn't look at
Brian anymore, he looked down at his hands, which he was
wringing in front of his stomach.

"Okay," Brian said softly. "I'll go for now. But we're not
done talking about this, Angel."

When Angel looked up again, Brian had gone.

Angel felt like shit because of the way he treated Brian. He
sat down in the chair and rested his head in his hands.

"Angel."

Angel looked up to see his dad standing in the doorway of
the office.

"What's wrong?" his dad asked.

"Nothing," he said, putting his head back down.

"Something is obviously bothering you, son," his dad said.

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"I can't talk about it."

"Did you and Brian have a fight?"

Angel looked up at his dad.

"I heard a little bit of it as I was coming in," his dad said.

"It's nothing," Angel said. "It doesn't mean anything."

"It sounded like something to me," his dad said.

When Angel didn't offer any explanation, his dad said, "I
need to go outside for a smoke. Come keep me company."

His dad walked out of the office, and Angel reluctantly
followed. They ended up by the pool, and each took a chair.
Lester appeared from the dark and came to lie between
them. Angel leaned his head back and looked up at the stars
in the clear sky as his father got a cigar ready.

"My Great Uncle Matteo was a powerful wolf. I remember
him from when I was growing up. He was a small man. He
worked a little ranch on the family land. He had a friend
who lived with him for thirty years and worked it with him.
His friend wasn't a wolf, but he didn't mind that Matteo was
one."

"He?" Angel asked.

"Listen, son. I need to tell you something," his dad said.
"Has it occurred to you why there aren't more powerful
wolves like you? Why do you think that the gene that

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makes you powerful is so rare? Have you thought about
that?"

"Not really. It's all too new."

"I'll tell you why. Those powerful wolves were always
hombres que como hombres. Homosexuals. They didn't get
with the women, so they didn't pass on their genes."

Angel turned his head and looked at his father, who was
watching at him.

"If they had impregnated the females, there would be
plenty more of them, that's for sure," his dad said. "But they
didn't, so the gene remains dormant and only shows up
every so often. And in a way, it's a good thing that these
men were so powerful. It kept anyone from giving them
trouble. They didn't have to worry about narrow-minded
people.

"One of the good things about this, Angel, is that you can
do anything you want. Being strong gives you the freedom
others don't have. You don't depend on the moon. You
don't have to live here. You can live anywhere and change
whenever you want. You can live in the city."

"But don't I have to lead the pack or something?” Angel
asked.

"No, you don't. Just because you're physically the strongest
doesn't necessarily mean that you have to be pack leader."

"I don't?"

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"No. It's not like it was in the old days. It used to be that
everyone in the pack had different abilities that were used.
We all depended on each other, and everything that was
done was for the good of the pack. It used to be we were
wolves first, humans second. Now it's different. All of this
new technology has made things easier for all of us. We
lead lives more as humans these days. We don't need to
hunt for food anymore. We rarely kill anything. In our wolf
forms, we mostly run as a pack and just enjoy the night.
The pack is still important, but mostly because we are all
still vulnerable due to the lunar cycle."

His dad stopped to puff on his cigar.

"You, though, can be as independent as you like. You can
live your life anywhere. If you ever feel need to be around
your own kind, all that you have to do is come visit. But
someone like you, Angel, will probably do better in a big
city. This town is basically full of good folks, but there are
a few prejudiced ones out there. If you decided to stay here
and have any kind of life, you would need to be strong. So
it's good that you are. You would be able to defend yourself
and whoever you chose as a mate. Whether it's Brian or
someone else. But I think that you'll be okay."

It was then that Angel realized that his father knew. Of
course, Angel guessed that it was pretty obvious, but he had
assumed that they were talking in generalities. His father
was telling him that he knew Angel was gay. Not only that,
but his father knew about Brian, and he was okay with it.

"What about grandkids?" Angel blurted out.

Angel wasn't sure what had made him ask it. It sounded

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kind of stupid once he heard it voiced. But it made his
father laugh out loud.

Lester sat up between them and barked. Angel placed his
hand on the dog's head to calm him. "Shhh, Lester."

His father indicated Lester with his cigar. "That animal
smells to high heaven. He needs a bath."

"I'll give him one, but you know it won't help."

"Angel. You have four brothers and three sisters. Do you
think that your mother and I are going to have any trouble
getting grandchildren?"

"You've got a point," Angel admitted.

"What about Brian?" his dad asked.

"What about him?"

"Angel, I'm getting old, but I'm not blind."

"Oh."

"Are you going to tell him?" his dad asked.

"I don't know."

"Why?"

"I'm afraid to tell him."

"You're afraid of what he will say when he finds out?"

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"Yes."

"Angel, don't you think he has the right to know?” his
father said.

Instead of answering, Angel asked, "You don't think I'm a
freak?"

"Son, I could never think that. You are who you were
meant to be," his dad said. "I'm so proud of you. You are
the first of us to get a college education." Then he added,
"I'm proud of all of my children. All of you are healthy,
good kids. Not a bad one in the bunch."

Angel, overcome with emotion, felt tears in his eyes. He
hadn't realized the pressure and fear that had been building
up in him. However, with only a few words, his father had
made everything okay, just as he had when Angel was a
little boy.

"Besides, we're werewolves," his dad added with a chuckle.
"None of us are what you would call normal."

"Gracias, Papa," Angel said.

"Papa? You haven't called me that since you were little."
His father gave a contented sigh and added, "Just remember
that we love you, hijo."

***

That son of a bitch, Carmen thought.

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She had seen Angel leave the gathering and had come
looking for him. When she found Angel and his father
together, she decided to hang back until they were finished.

And she had heard plenty.

All this time, she had been waiting for Angel to come
around. She had been patient. Sure, she had done her share
of partying. But she and everyone else knew that they were
supposed to be together. She had just been waiting for him
to grow up.

And now she had just gotten the shock of her life. The guy
that she'd been waiting around for, like, forever, was gay.
Not only that, he'd lost his virginity to another guy. And his
dad seemed okay with it. What the hell was going on?

Temporary insanity. That must be it. Angel was confused.
What she needed to do was get that Brian guy out of the
way. Then she could continue to work on Angel until he
came to his senses.

As Carmen headed back to her car, she saw Brian jogging
off of the property toward the main road. She looked up at
moon. Once she got to her car, she stripped off her clothes,
changed to her wolf form, and went hunting.

***

Angel came from the pool area, heading to Brian's cabin.
Now that his father had made him see things more clearly,
he couldn't wait to talk to Brian. That is, if Brian still
wanted to talk to him.

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He didn't have a clue as to how he was going to tell Brian
that he was a werewolf. And would that little bit of
information turn Brian off? Would Brian go screaming into
the night, never to be seen again? How about if Angel
never said anything? Supposedly, he had control over
transforming. He wondered if it worked like that. He could
just keep it a secret. Granted, it would be a huge secret.

Maybe it would be better just to find out how Brian felt
about Angel first. No sense jumping into the whole wolf
thing if it wasn't necessary. Kind of take it slow, and get the
lay of the land, so to speak. That sounded like a plan. He
would just talk to Brian and see where it went from there.

Angel was walking toward the cabins, thinking about what
he was going to do, when he spotted Carmen's car in the
parking lot. He thought that it was odd that her car was
there, but she wasn't around. He glanced toward the
entrance of the property in time to see a small wolf exit the
gate and begin heading down the main road.

He recognized the wolf as Carmen. An alarming thought
struck him, and he began pulling off his clothes. Within
moments, he had shifted as easily as if he had been doing it
all of his life, and was chasing after the smaller wolf.

***

Brian watched the stripe in the road in front of him. The
rhythmic sound of his shoes hitting the pavement was
almost mesmerizing. The night was clear, and the moon lit
up the sky, illuminating everything in his path.

When Angel had told him to leave, he had gone back to the

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cabin. His first instinct was to get into his SUV and drive.
Most likely to a bar. But he decided to run instead. He was
pretty upset about the whole thing, and more than a little
pissed off.

As he ran, his thoughts, of course, turned to Angel.
Remembering the scene in the office brought him nothing
but confusion and despair. He had gone looking for Angel,
eager to spend time with him. When he got to the office,
however, it was as if he had come face-to-face with a
stranger. The last thing that he expected was rejection from
Angel.

Here he had just gotten out of a bad relationship. Then, out
of the blue, he met Angel and had gotten caught up in the
excitement of the whole thing. Angel wasn't like anyone
Brian had ever been with. The sex had been intense, not
like any that Brian had ever had before. Brian poured all of
his energy and affection into their lovemaking. It had been
amazing. For Brian, it was a turning point.

Brian didn't see Angel as a one-night stand. He had been
thinking about the fall when Angel would be returning to
Caltech. Brian didn't live that far away from there, they
could work out something so that they could be together.

But all of those thoughts had vanished when he came face
to face with Angel earlier. He remembered that at first,
Angel had seemed happy to see him. Angel even started
toward Brian, but then stopped and backed off. It had
seemed like Angel had wanted to say something, but
couldn't. Then Angel had told Brian to leave, so he had left.

The more Brian thought about it, the more hurt changed to

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anger. He was mad at himself as well as Angel. He had
been stupid to rush into something so soon after breaking
up with Sam. He knew better. He had even told himself not
to get involved with anyone. And what did he do? He came
to a small town, and the first chance he got, he fucked the
local hot boy. Not only that, Brian felt like he was falling in
love with Angel.

Brian thought that he should give Angel some space.
Maybe Angel was freaked out by what they had done. But
no, Angel had seemed perfectly okay with everything.
Brian had made sure that he hadn't forced Angel to do
anything.

No, something had happened between their time together
and tonight. Something had caused Angel to back off. And
Brian was determined to find out what it was. And then not
get emotionally involved with anyone ever again. He was
not going to get hurt again.

As he continued on down the moonlit road, Brian replayed
the scene in the office in his head. Angel had rejected him
and told him to leave. But there was something Angel
wasn't telling him. He didn't think that Angel wanted to
break it off. Brian didn't believe it. He refused to believe it.

Brian couldn't help going over it in his mind in an endless
loop.

It was about that time that Brian noticed the sound of
something running in the mesquite. It sounded like an
animal. And it sounded like it was running along with him,
keeping his pace. Whatever it was, he couldn't see it, even
in the bright moonlight. He listened intently as he ran,

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glancing around.

He heard some puffing breaths as the thing kept pace with
him. He figured that it must be an animal. He wracked his
brain trying to think of what types of animals were in the
area. Coyote? Some kind of big cat? Then he had an
alarming thought: if the animal was big enough to be heard
and keep pace with him, it was probably a predator. That
thought sent a shot of panic through Brian. He tried to
think. Did coyotes attack people? He didn't think so.

Brian increased his speed, and whatever was running
parallel with him increased its speed, keeping pace. Brian
slowed down, and the thing running next to him slowed
also. He had the strangest feeling that the thing was
stalking him.

He slowed even more until he was walking. He walked in a
circle with his hands on his hips, trying to catch his breath.
He looked out into the darkness, straining to hear any
sounds.

He saw a blur before he actually heard anything. A dark
shadow erupted from the brush alongside of the road.
Before he could react, he felt fur and muscle slam against
him as he was knocked to the side.

Brian landed on the ground hard and his wind was knocked
out of him. He put his hands up in a defensive gesture as
the animal snapped at him. Everything was moving so
quickly, but he could tell that whatever was attacking him
looked like a big dog.

Suddenly, the animal snapping in his face was gone. With a

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yip, the animal was no longer on his chest and had
disappeared from sight. He struggled to sit up so that he
could see what was happening. Another animal appeared to
be attacking his predator.

They both looked like dogs. But they were too large and
exotic looking to be dogs. One was much larger, almost
dwarfing the other. It looked black in the moonlight,
whereas the smaller one was much lighter in color The two
animals were moving so quickly, it was hard for Brian to
make out what they were. However, it was pretty clear
from all of the snarling that they were fighting.

It was all over quickly. It was obvious that his attacker was
no match for the new arrival. His attacker broke away from
the fight and took off running. Instead of following, his
rescuer stopped and looked at Brian. Brian stood up,
dusting the dirt and rocks off of himself. All the while, his
rescuer watched him. Brian had the strangest feeling when
the animal looked at him. Then, a few moments later, the
animal turned away and followed the first.

Brian stood alone in the middle of the deserted road, trying
to figure out what had just happened. He knew one thing
for sure: he was heading back. Now. Enough running for
one night.

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Chapter 8

The next morning, Brian was sitting in a booth at the diner.
He had spent a sleepless night thinking about Angel and the
way that Angel had pushed him away. He had gotten
angrier the more he thought about it. Then he thought about
getting attacked by some wild animal. He kind of blamed
that one on Angel, too. If Angel hadn't been a jerk, Brian
wouldn't have been out running last night. He would have
been having sex. A lot of it. Thoughts of Angel rotated in
his brain with memories of being attacked by a wild
animal.

Brian had just ordered his food when Angel walked
through the door. Even though his feelings were hurt and
he was still pissed, Brian perked up when he saw Angel.
However, when Angel didn't even glance his way, Brian
felt his mood getting even worse.

Brian watched as Angel went up to Carmen. The moment
that Carmen saw Angel, her eyes narrowed, and she glared
at him. Brian could see that Angel was also pissed off and
frowning. When Angel got close to her, they started
arguing. Brian wondered what had happened, and wished
that he was close enough to hear.

As he watched them, he saw Carmen gesture angrily in
Brian's direction. When she did, Angel turned and looked at
him. Angel barely acknowledged Brian before turning back
to Carmen and continued arguing. That pissed Brian off
even further.

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It appeared to Brian as if he had come between Angel and
Carmen. For all of his protesting, Angel and Carmen
seemed to be pretty close. They probably really were a
couple. Maybe Angel was bisexual. Anyway, somehow,
she had found out that her boyfriend liked boys. It seemed
as if Angel was playing them both and had been caught.
Well, it was a good thing that Brian had come to his senses
and was not going to get involved emotionally.

Brian watched as Carmen threw up a dismissive hand,
turned, and walked away from Angel. Angel made an
equally dismissive hand gesture to her, and then started
walking in Brian's direction. Angel came up to Brian's table
and looked down at him.

"Is it okay if I sit down?"

"If you want," Brian said. He was mad, but he wanted to
know what the little shit had to say by way of explanation.

Angel sat in the booth across from Brian, still looking
agitated and pissed off from his confrontation with Carmen.
Brian watched Angel fidget around with the silverware on
the table for a minute. When Angel didn't look as if he was
going to say anything, Brian decided to give it a try.

"Well?" Brian asked.

Angel still didn't reply. But it was obvious to Brian that
Angel had something on his mind.

"Do you have something to say?" Brian asked.

"I went to see you last night," Angel said. "But you weren't

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there."

"I went running," Brian said.

"Yes, I know."

"You do?"

"I figured it out," Angel said.

"Oh," Brian said. Then he added, "I got attacked by some
kind of animal. A dog or coyote or something."

Brian saw a flicker of what looked like alarm in Angel's
eyes. Then Angel glanced nervously in Carmen's direction.

"Don't worry. Your girlfriend went back to the kitchen,"
Brian said. "She can't hear."

Brian watched as anger flared across Angel's face.

"I told you that she's not my girlfriend," Angel said.

Angel looked really pissed. But so what? Brian was pissed
himself and confused. And hurt. Brian didn't want to talk
about this right now, not in a restaurant with everybody
sitting around them.

"Look, do you even want to work with me anymore?"
Brian asked. "I still need your help."

"Yeah, I do."

"I need to ride up to Canyon Lake tomorrow."

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"I already set it up with my uncle," Angel said. "The horses
will be at the cabin in the morning."

"Fine," Brian said. He got up, tossing more than enough
money on the table for his uneaten breakfast and a tip.
"Well, I need to get to work. I'm going to be doing some
paperwork at the cabin today. So I guess that I'll meet you
tomorrow morning."

"Oh, okay."

Angel seemed disappointed that Brian was leaving. Brian
couldn't keep up with him. Well, now Angel knew how
Brian felt.

"See you tomorrow morning then, Angel," Brian said, not
waiting for a response, and left the diner.

When he got in his SUV, Brian sat for a couple of minutes
without starting the engine. He felt like shit. That hadn't
gone well at all. The stress of seeing Angel had taken its
toll. He had an upset stomach, and he felt a headache
coming on. He didn't need this crap. He didn't need any of
this shit. He was just going to finish the job and go home.

***

Brian set down his pen and rubbed his face with both
hands. He had been at the cabin doing paperwork for most
of the day and needed a break. Getting up from the table, he
grabbed a fresh bottle of water from the cooler and headed
out to the porch.
He sat down on one of the rocking chairs. Of course, it

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wasn't long before he started thinking about Angel again.

Was Angel playing him? The truth was, Brian didn't know.
He hadn't given Angel a chance to explain himself. Angel
had come to tell him something, to offer an explanation.
But Brian had been such a jerk that he hadn't let Angel talk.
So now Brian was no better off and was still in the dark.

Brian was just kind of gazing off into space when he first
noticed the animal. It was standing about a hundred feet
away. It looked an awful lot like a wolf. And it was staring
right at him. With a rush of excitement, Brian decided that
he wasn't going to let this opportunity pass. Not making
any sudden moves, he stood up and went back into the
cabin to get his camera.

Once inside, he moved quickly, gathering his equipment.
He got his SLR camera, making sure that he had enough
film in it. Then he changed out the lenses, putting on the
telephoto lens. When he had it together, he went to the
window and peeked out. He was excited to see that the
animal was still standing where it had been earlier. Brian
took a few quick shots of it through the window. He didn't
think that the quality would be that great through the
window, but he wanted to get something in case he scared
off the animal.

Then he went back outside. He sat back down on the
rocking chair and held the camera in his lap. After a while,
he slowly lifted the camera and began focusing on the
animal. It was definitely a wolf. Its fur was very dark,
appearing black, and it was too large and muscular to be a
coyote. Coyotes tended to be lighter in color and almost
skinny looking. Although bigger, this animal was very

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similar to the pack of animals he had seen when he had
gone running that first morning.

The wolf was looking away from him while he continued
focusing the camera. He was able to take a few pictures.
Then, as he was ready to take the next picture, the wolf
turned its head and looked right at Brian. Brian was able to
take a perfect face-on shot. The face and eyes of the animal
were amazing. Brian lowered the camera and looked
directly at it. They stayed that way, staring at each other for
a few moments. Then the wolf turned and trotted away.
Brian watched it until it was out of sight.

Brian looked down at his arms that had broken out in
gooseflesh. He had definitely felt some sort of the
connection with the animal. What it was, he had no idea.
However, the animal seemed to have an intelligence about
him that was unmistakable to Brian.

Brian looked at the camera and noticed that he only had
two frames left on it. He stood and quickly took two
landscape shots to finish up the roll of film before going
back into the cabin.

He was excited about seeing the animal and couldn't wait to
tell Angel about it. Brian had wanted to ask Angel about
wolves in the area, but had been so pissed off this morning,
he had missed the opportunity.

Hell, he didn't even know if he could talk to Angel
anymore. Angel's rejection, and his apparent relationship
with Carmen, kind of took the wind out of Brian's sails. To
top it off, Brian had acted like a complete asshole this
morning. Just a couple of days before, they had been able

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to talk about anything; now there was just this strange,
negative vibe that hung in the air between them. Brian
didn't know if the void between them could be fixed. Then
Brian remembered what he had decided about not getting
involved with anyone; but, damn it, he couldn't stop
thinking about Angel. He was helpless to do anything else.

***

It was late by the time Brian made it back to town that
evening. Instead of going straight back to his room, Brian
decided to head out to the Swinging Door. He had been
there a few times since that first night he arrived in town.
Maybe he would grab a bite there. He had already gone by
the White House and hadn't seen Angel's Jeep around. Not
that he was looking for him.

However, when he got to the Swinging Door, there were
very few cars. It wasn't packed like it had been the other
times he had been there. He didn't see Angel's Jeep, either.
He quickly lost interest in stopping. Instead, he drove
through a burger joint and took the food back to his cabin.

***

Angel followed the line of cars as they turned off the
highway onto the dirt road. About a mile later, they were in
the makeshift parking lot. He pulled his Jeep up next to
Hector's truck and got out.

Hector walked to the back of his truck and put down the
tailgate. He was taking off his shirt as Angel walked up to
him.

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"Hey, welcome to the club, cuz," Hector said, smiling.

Angel stood for a moment watching his cousins, male and
female, taking off their clothes. He had seen it many times
before and it didn't bother him. However, this was the first
time for him to be stripping down in front of them. He
glanced around as he took off his own T-shirt. No one was
paying any attention to him. He took off his shoes and
tossed them on the tailgate. He looked around one last time,
then pushed his jeans and boxers down. He tossed them
onto the truck bed along with everything else.

"You ready?" Hector asked, smiling at him.

Angel nodded.

"You know how to do it, right?"

"Yes."

"Well, do it so we can go," Hector said, encouraging him.

Angel concentrated, and with very little effort, he shifted
into his wolf form. Immediately, his senses intensified.
Smells and sounds were almost overwhelming. He looked
up at Hector, who was now in black and white. As he
watched, Hector shifted.

He felt something at his side and one of his cousins was
standing next to him. He glanced around as the rest of the
pack joined them. With very little communication, Hector
turned and ran toward the mesquite. The others, along with
Angel, moved as a pack, following Hector.

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Hector was taking the lead that night. Angel knew that
when wolves were newly changed, the others would look
out for them and protect them. His cousins flanked Angel
as they began to run. Before long, three wolves veered off
from the original pack. There were five of them that
continued on. Hector was still in the lead, with Angel and
his cousins following.

Angel's heightened senses caused everything to be
amplified. At wolf's level, he viewed everything
differently. Objects appeared quickly, and then were gone
as the wolves continued on. The smells from the ground
and air were almost intoxicating in their intensity. Aware of
the others in the pack around him, he could hear their
breathing as they ran.

As they silently ran, they bounded over obstacles on the
desert floor. The power, agility, and grace he felt in his
body and muscles were exhilarating. He was finally
experiencing firsthand what all the fuss was about. And he
loved it.

Lost in sensations, he began to run harder. With little effort,
he broke away. Before long, he had put distance between
himself and the pack until he was alone in the desert,
running free. His movements were fluid, without restraint,
and he felt the wind flowing over his fur. His senses alive,
he smelled the night air as he never had before. It was him
and the night. He felt like he could go on forever.

Eventually, he found his way back to where the cars were
parked. He slowed and approached cautiously. When he
was sure the way was safe, he trotted into the clearing and
over to Hector's truck. No one else was around as he shifted

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back.

After he put on his clothes, he sat in his Jeep as he had
many nights before, listening the wolves calling to each
other. He noticed that everything was duller now. His
hearing and sense of smell barely picked up anything by
contrast. He decided that nothing compared to running free
through the night.

Before long, the others returned. They entered the clearing
cautiously at first, as Angel had done. Still panting from
their run, they went over to their cars. Angel got out and
walked over to Hector as he transformed.

"What took you guys so long?"

"Man!" Hector said. "You took off! We couldn't keep up
with you. I've never seen anything like it." He looked past
Angel's shoulder and said, "Uh-oh."

Angel looked in the direction that Hector indicated.
Carmen had entered the clearing and was heading for her
car. They looked away as she shifted and got dressed.

"What happened between you two?"

"Nothing."

They both glanced over toward her. She looked their way
and curled her lip up at them.

"Wow, somebody's mad. She's majorly pissed," Hector
said. "I thought you guys would be all lovey-dovey."

Unleashing Angel - 125

Angel avoided eye contact, and Hector noticed.

"What are you not telling me?"

"Nothing," Angel said again. "There is nothing to tell."

Hector stared at him for a few moments. Angel saw
Hector's face change as realization set it.

"It wasn't her!" Hector practically yelled.

Angel cringed. "Will you keep it down?"

Hector stepped closer to him and spoke in a lower tone. "It
wasn't her, was it? That's why she's so mad."

"Will you stop?"

"You've got to tell me who it was," Hector said. "You can't
hold out on me."

"Hey, Angel, Hector," one of their cousins shouted. "We're
heading over to the Swinging Door. We'll meet you there."

Angel took the opportunity to escape any more questions,
and headed for his Jeep.

"I'll see you guys there," Angel said. He quickly got in,
started his Jeep, and left.

As he drove along the dirt road back to the highway he
fretted over his conversation with Hector. Fortunately, they
were interrupted. This time. He knew that he couldn't put
Hector off forever. And Carmen knew. It was a miracle that

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she hadn't said anything yet. Angel figured that she had her
own reasons for not telling, and that gave him another
reason for feeling apprehensive. As he turned onto the
highway and headed for town, he realized that it wouldn't
be long before everyone was going to find out about him
being gay. He feared that his dad had been right. It was a
good thing that he was powerful.

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Chapter 9

The next morning, Angel was waiting for Brian outside by
the office as usual. When he climbed into the SUV, they
mumbled a greeting to each other. They didn't say much of
anything other than for Brian to ask Angel if he was
hungry. They drove the rest of the way to the diner in
silence.

When they went inside, they were greeted by a sullen
Carmen, who handed them two menus and told them to sit
wherever they wanted. Angel led the way to their usual
booth with Brian following silently in his wake.

Brian looked at Angel sitting across from him. Angel's
body language spoke volumes. His arms were crossed, and
he was leaning back against the seat. It reminded Brian of
the first morning that they were together. It was hard to
believe that this was the same person that he had made love
with just a few nights ago. This whole thing was leaving
Brian confused, hurt, and now just plain tired. He couldn't
take the silent treatment anymore.

"I spent yesterday at the cabin," Brian said.

Angel finally made eye contact with Brian. Brian was
struck again at how beautiful Angel's light gray eyes were.
Especially how they contrasted with those dark lashes.

"I know," Angel said.

"Huh?" Brian had forgotten what they were talking about.

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He had become mesmerized by Angel's eyes.

"I know that you went to the cabin," Angel said.

"How did you know that?"

"You told me yesterday morning that you were going to
go."

"Oh. Yeah," Brian said.

"So did you get a lot done?" Angel asked.

"Yes, I did."

They lapsed back into silence again.

"Are there wolves around here?" Brian asked.

Brian thought he saw a flicker of interest, or maybe
something more like alarm, flash across Angel's face. Then
it was gone.

"Why? Did you see something?"

"I've seen a few things," Brian said.

About that time, Carmen slammed a couple of water
glasses down in front of them. She glared at both of them.

"What do you want to eat?" she asked.

After they had given their order and Carmen had walked
away, Brian said, "Angel, I know what's going on."

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"You do?"

"I've figured it out," Brian said.

"What is it that you've figured out, Brian?" Angel asked.
He seemed a little wary.

"I mean, Carmen is pissed off. It's obvious that she found
out about us. I imagine it's hard for her to have her
boyfriend be with another guy."

"Carmen is not my girlfriend," Angel said, his voice tight.
"She has never been my girlfriend. She will never be my
girlfriend."

Angel was getting louder, and other people in the restaurant
looked their way. He caught himself and lowered his voice.

"I will never have a girlfriend," Angel said. "Will you get
that through your thick skull?"

Oh. Well. Now that just pissed Brian off.

"Well, what the hell am I supposed to think, Angel?" Brian
asked. He lowered his voice when he noticed someone
from another table glance their way. "You run hot and then
cold. And you won't tell me what's going on. I'm not a
fucking doormat."

"I tried to tell you yesterday, but you acted like a jerk,"
Angel said. "And then you left me sitting here by myself.
Do you have any idea how that felt?"

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Brian felt a rush of guilt.

"Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was?" Angel
asked. He had tears in his eyes.

The last thing that Brian had wanted was to make Angel
feel small. He had been so caught up in his anger that he
hadn't even realized the hurt that he had caused.

"Angel," Brian said. "I'm sorry."

Angel wiped the back of his hand over his face, and then
looked out the window. Brian could see that Angel was
trying to get his emotions in check.

"How about we get something to eat?" Brian said. "Then
we can talk once we're alone, okay?"

Angel gave a big sniff, and then said, "Okay."

By the time Carmen brought their breakfasts to them, they
had both calmed down and were at least talking civilly to
each other. Brian was thankful for that. He was actually
starting to look forward to the next few days on the trail,
and being alone with Angel.

***

When Brian and Angel arrived at the cabin, there was a
large pickup truck with a horse trailer attached. Next to it
was a man and three horses. Two of the horses were
saddled, and the third was loaded with equipment.

As they pulled up, the man waved to them and smiled.

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"Hola, Angel."

"Hola, Uncle Manny. This is Brian Stewart."

"Hi," Manny said to Brian. "I got you all set up here. You
should have more than enough supplies."

"Thanks," Brian said. He unloaded the camping equipment
and, with the help of Manny, strapped it to the supply
horse.

When they got underway, it took Brian a bit to get used to
the horse, but after a while, it wasn't so bad. Angel's uncle
must have given Brian the most docile horse ever created.
The animal took its cue from Angel's horse and plodded
along next to it.

The ride to the lake took much of the day. They stopped
once for sandwiches and to let the horses rest. By the time
that they reached the lake, it was late afternoon.

Conversation between the two of them had been stilted all
day. Together, they got the camping gear sorted and
managed to get the tent up easily. However, the way that
Angel had been tossing and slamming things around, Brian
knew that Angel was still upset.

Brian wished that he knew what to do or say to make things
the way that they had been. He knew for sure that things
were still not okay when he looked up at one point and
discovered that Angel was no longer at the campsite. Brian
stood up straight and looked around.

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He finally spotted Angel down by the water, facing away,
looking out across the lake.

Brian finished putting things away and went to join him.
Angel must have heard Brian coming, because he glanced
around. Then turned his attention back to the water. Brian
came up and stood next to him.

"Hey," Brian said. "What are you doing?"

Angel shrugged and said, "Just standing."

"It looks like everything is set up. I'll make something for
us to eat later."

"Okay," Angel said.

Brian couldn't take the silent treatment anymore.

"I'm really sorry for the things I said. And for leaving you
sitting in the restaurant," Brian said. "I'm sorry that I made
you feel bad."

Angel continued to look out at the lake.

"I know that I shouldn't have any right to expect anything
out of you. I mean, we just met less than a month ago,"
Brian said. "I walked in to the middle of something you had
going on."

Brian realized, too late, that he had probably said the wrong
thing, because Angel's lips clamped together in a frown.
Brian tried to backpedal.

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"Wait. I'm sorry. I didn't mean that either," Brian said.
"What I meant to say was..." Brian floundered around for a
minute. "I'd really like for us to get back to where we were.
I've missed you."

Angel turned to Brian, and he could see that Angel was still
angry. His eyes were dark and he was flushed. Brian wasn't
expecting it when Angel launched into him, however.

"First of all, this is the last time I'm telling you that I'm not
with Carmen. Second of all, I'd like to get back to where
we were, too. But you've been such an asshole that you
wouldn't even let me explain what made me back off,"
Angel said. "If you had let me talk, you would have found
out why. But no. You had to jump to conclusions, thinking
you know the answers to everything. Well, let me clue you
in, you wouldn't even be able to guess in a million years."

"Angel, I'm sorry," Brian said again. His apology even
sounded lame to him.

"Don't you ever leave me hanging like that again, Brian,"
Angel said, and gave Brian a shove.

Brian staggered back. Before he could say anything, Angel
continued.

"Don't turn and walk away, or just leave me sitting in a
fucking restaurant by myself."

Angel gave him another shove. Brian staggered back some
more. Brian couldn't believe how strong Angel was for
such a small guy.

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"And you listen to me when I'm trying to tell you
something," Angel said. "Got that?"

"Uh, sure?"

"Because if you do it once more, you will never see me
again."

By this time, Brian had regained his footing and was able to
brace himself against Angel's onslaught. However, Angel
was up in Brian's face.

Did he just growl? Brian thought. As he looked at Angel,
Brian could have sworn that something weird happened to
Angel's eyes. It was like they changed, and then went back
to the way that they were supposed to be. It was only an
instant, but whatever it was, it had been intense.

Brian marveled at this aggressive version of Angel. In his
mind, he had envisioned Angel as just that: a sweet,
beautiful kid. The person in front of him now wasn't being
sweet. In fact, Angel was being downright dominant.
Rather than being a beautiful kid, Angel was a gorgeous,
pissed off man. Brian went hard as stone.

Before Angel could say any more, Brian grabbed Angel's
wrists, pulling the smaller man to him. Brian's mouth came
down hard on Angel's as he held on and forced Angel's
hands behind his back. After a moment's hesitation, Angel
responded with an aggressive kiss. Their wet tongues were
almost dueling, the intensity of it taking Brian's breath
away.

When he released Angel's wrists, Angel's arms went around

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Brian, pulling him as close as possible. Brian could feel
Angel's hard cock through the layers of fabric. He put both
hands on Angel's ass and pushed on it so that the contact
between them would increase.

They melded together, arms around each other, desperately
kissing each other, sliding their mouths across one
another's, their tongues invading. They were almost
devouring each other in their desperation to get as close as
possible to the other person. It was part passion, part power
struggle out on that shore by the lake.

Finally, Brian broke the kiss to come up for air. Panting,
they looked into each other's eyes. He barely had time to
catch his breath before Angel was right back at him, mouth
locking with Brian's.

Brian's mind was reeling. He was doing what he could to
hold his own, but Angel's passion was becoming
overwhelming. It was like some sort of animal had been
unleashed from inside of Angel. The power surge from the
smaller man was heady stuff, and Brian was about ready to
come just from kissing. He had never had anything like it.

They broke the kiss again and Brian looked down in a daze
to see Angel's hands undoing Brian's jeans. Brian decided
to speed along the process by removing his own shirt. Then
he set to work pulling off Angel's T-shirt.

Angel stepped back and pulled off his boots and socks.
Then he undid his jeans and pushed them off. He stood
before Brian naked, with his cock fully rigid, pre-come
glistening on the tip.

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Brian took in the sight. His gaze traveled over Angel's
tanned skin, now golden in late afternoon sun, the lithe
body, the dark nipples, and those swallows. God help him,
the swallow tattoos on Angel's flat stomach got Brian every
time.

Without taking his eyes off of Angel, Brian quickly
removed the rest of his own clothes, until he too stood
naked on the muddy shore. Brian watched, fascinated, as
Angel looked at him. Angel's gaze traveled over Brian's
body almost hungrily. Brian could have sworn that he saw
that odd flicker in Angel's eyes again. But it was so quick,
it may have been the way that the light was hitting them.

After a moment's hesitation, they closed the distance
between them. They clutched at each other as they kissed,
hands frantically roaming over skin. Brian felt himself
being pulled down. Angel sank to the ground, taking Brian
with him, until they were both on their knees in the mud.
They stayed that way, kissing, while they rocked their hips
against each other. With every sway of their bodies, their
hot cocks rolled together across the other's skin.

Angel broke the kiss and turned away from Brian. Angel
dropped down on hands and knees and it was obvious to
Brian what Angel wanted. Brian laid his hands on the tight
mounds of Angel's buttocks, ran his hands up Angel's back
and then down the sides, stopping to caress Angel's ass. As
Brian's hands kneaded Angel dropped to his elbows in the
mud.

Brian looked at the perfect ass spread in front of him.
Angel's hole was just too tempting. Brian ran his thumbs
over the tender skin, while at the same time reaching

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between Angel's legs, fondling Angel's cock and balls.
Angel rocked toward Brian, offering himself up.

Brian knew that he shouldn't. He knew that he was clean
and that Angel, until recently, had been a virgin. But, God
help him, he couldn't stop. He rubbed the head of his
leaking cock over Angel's pucker. The more he did it, the
more intense his need became.

After slicking the way with his pre-come and spit, Brian
lined up his cock up with Angel's hole, gripped Angel's
hips, and sank into Angel's body. He stopped when his
balls rested against Angel and looked down at where they
were connected, his pubes resting against the perfect globes
of Angel's ass. Angel was so tight, it was like Brian was
being held by a strong fist.

"Angel, we've got to stop," Brian said through clenched
teeth.

But Brian didn't want to stop. He didn't know if he could
stop at this point. He had already gone too far. What little
rational thought he had remaining left him when Angel
bucked up against Brian, as if trying to get Brian
jumpstarted.

It worked. Brian held Angel's hips and began moving. As
Brian thrust, Angel pushed up onto his hands to brace
himself.

It was like Brian was possessed. He just kept ramming at
Angel. Mud was starting to get everywhere. Spatters on
their skin only served to drive Brian on. He felt like an
animal in rut out by that lake.

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Brian reached around and gripped Angel’s cock in one
hand, stroking it in time with his thrusting, rubbing the pre-
come around the head with his thumb. When he started to
hear unintelligible sounds coming from Angel, Brian took
it to mean that Angel was close.

Well, Brian was close himself. He changed the angle and
gave a few more shallow thrusts, pegging Angel's gland
each time. Angel came hard, giving a yell that was a wild
guttural sound, almost a howl. Before he came, Brian at
least had enough sense left to pull out at the last moment.
Stroking himself hard, he came as well, leaving ribbons of
come across Angel's back and ass.

Brian held his cock and rubbed the head of it over Angel's
ass until his tremors subsided. Then he leaned over and
rested his chest against Angel's back. He trailed his hands
along Angel's sides, while kissing Angel's shoulder blades.

"Are you okay?" Brian asked, still trying to catch his
breath.

Angel nodded as he moved away and sat in the mud. He
looked up at Brian, pushing hair out of his face with the
back of one hand. He was panting slightly, and his face was
flushed. Brian thought that he looked beautiful. Brian
leaned forward and kissed him gently.

"Are you okay?" Brian asked again.

He was a little worried because Angel hadn't said anything.

And then Angel smiled at him. One of those beautiful

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smiles that lit up Angel’s face and eyes. Brian gasped at the
sight of it. Brian hadn't realized how much he had missed
Angel's smiles. He was filled with awe, overwhelmed by
the mud-spattered person sitting in front of him.

"We're a mess," was all that Brian managed to say.

"Come on, then," Angel said as he stood up and held out a
hand.

Before Brian could resist, Angel was leading the way into
the cool water of the lake. When they were about waist
deep, Angel dove and swam under the water before
surfacing several yards away from Brian. When Angel
came up out of the water, he shook his head, flinging
droplets from his hair that sparkled in the sunlight. The
surreal beauty of it felt dreamlike to Brian. Brian was
captivated as Angel stood and pushed his hair from his face
with both hands, rivulets of water rolling down his body.

Finally, Brian snapped out of it, and then dove under the
water himself. Then they cleaned up the best that they
could in the lake, getting the mud and come off of them.

***

That evening, Brian made dinner over the campfire. As
they ate, he was still trying to figure out what had happened
earlier by the lake. Angel had completely taken him by
surprise. Angel hardly seemed like the unsure virgin from
the other night. Angel had been aggressive. And strong.
The whole thing was odd, but it was a complete turn on.
Brian had felt like an animal going at it down by the lake in
broad daylight, and blushed remembering it.

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Then Brian winced when he remembered doing it with no
lube. He hadn't meant to hurt Angel. Along with that
thought was the fact that they had done it without a
condom. It was like he had lost his mind. Thank God he
had the sense to pull out at the last minute. He glanced at
Angel, who saw him looking and smiled back. Angel
seemed okay.

"How are you doing?" Brian asked. "I hope that I didn't
hurt you."

Angel looked at Brian like he was surprised.

"I'm fine," Angel said. "I mean, I definitely felt it. But it
was fucking hot."

Brian blushed again. He had never heard Angel swear
before. First the aggressiveness and now the cussing. These
were facets of Angel's personality that he needed to pursue
further. Brian felt his cock twitch. Up until now, he
wouldn't have thought that he could get it up again after
that scene by the lake. Brian shifted on the log he was
sitting on. Damned if he wasn't perking right up. He
wondered vaguely if Angel was up for anything later.

"Angel, I'm sorry about not using a condom."

Angel waved his hand that was holding the fork in the air.
"Oh, no problem. You wouldn't have done it if you weren't
clean. I trust you."

Brian felt a stab of guilt. Why should Angel trust him?
Brian had been behaving like a cretin.

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"Well, yes," Brian said. "I am clean. But the point is, I
shouldn't have done it. I'm the older and more experienced
of us. I should have been using my head."

"You did," Angel said, giving him a wink. "And very well,
too, I might add."

Damned if Brian didn't blush again. What was going on
here? Whatever had happened, he liked Angel's newfound
self confidence. He had to admit, it seemed to put them on
a more equal status.

When they finished eating, Angel stood up and stretched.

"That was great," Angel said. "Thanks for making that for
us."

"No problem," Brian said.

"Really?"

"Yes. I used to hike all of the time. I was hiking the
Appalachian Trail, taking my summer vacations and doing
it in sections. I still have a third to go. I haven't gotten a
chance to go this season, though. Sam hated being outside.
So that's why I run. To keep in shape."

"I haven't done the hiking," Angel said. "But I'd like to. The
most I've done is gone out on our land on horses."

They talked as they cleaned up. Brian finished putting
things away while Angel went to check on the horses.
Brian didn't know why he was feeling nervous. Maybe he

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didn't know what Angel expected from him. He wasn't sure
if Angel wanted more sex or wanted to be left alone. He
was hoping for the sex. But he would take his cues from
Angel.

"Well, the horses are okay."

Brian jumped. He hadn't heard Angel return.

"I don't know about you," Angel said. "But I'm going to
turn in."

Angel stood next to the tent and looked at Brian as he took
off his boots. Brian had no idea how to respond. Then
Angel disappeared through the flap.

Brian walked over to the tent and stood next to the
entrance. He was nervous and had no idea why. It wasn't
like they hadn't been together before. Deciding, he removed
his boots and crawled into the tent.

***

The next day, they seemed as if they were back on track.
The previous night, Angel had been assertive. Well,
actually, it was more like aggressive in what he wanted
Brian to do with him. It had been fast and hot. Now, today,
they were tired but content.

They spent the day surveying the area. Angel trotted around
and patiently held the target rod while Brian looked though
the level and made notes. They got along well enough,
talking and joking. Things seemed relaxed and back to
normal between them. Brian had even taken some time out

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to take photographs of the landscape, and quite a few of
Angel.

That evening they sat by the fire after having finished a
light dinner that Brian had made for them.

Angel was feeling much better about everything. Brian had
seemed truly sorry about the way things had gone. Angel
also admitted to himself that it wasn't entirely Brian's fault,
either. He wondered if they were back on track and if it
would be a good time to bring up his little secret. He
honestly had no idea how Brian would react. Brian would
no doubt run screaming into the night. Or laugh at him.

As if on cue, the sound of a wolf howling carried through
the canyon to them. It was answered by another. Obviously,
some of them had decided to go out tonight.

"Did you hear that?" Brian asked. He had gone perfectly
still, and was straining to hear. A third wolf chose that
moment to respond to the first two.

"Yes," Angel said.

"What are they?" Brian asked.

"Wolves,” Angel said. He might as well get it out.

Brian looked at him, clearly excited.

"For real? Are they Mexican wolves from the Blue Range
Refuge?"

"Not exactly," Angel said. "But they are wolves."

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"What kind are they?" Brian asked. "This is so cool."

Angel wondered how cool Brian would think it was when
he learned the truth.

"There are legends around here about wolves," Angel
started.

Brian looked at him expectantly. No, that wasn't any good.
Angel tried again.

"The land around here is owned by three main families.
They have owned it for generations. They've managed to
hang on to it this long because no one wants it. It's pretty
much uninhabitable as it is, and it would cost a fortune for
anyone to develop."

"What has this got to do with wolves?" Brian asked.

"I'm getting to that," Angel said. "The families pretty much
stay here. They're born here, they marry and stay together
for life, raise their families, and then die here. The story is
that the wolves are linked to the families."

Angel stopped and waited.

"What do you mean?" Brian asked. "Do these people take
care of the wolves?"

"You could say that."

"But wait a minute, the only wolves that are supposed to be
anywhere near this part of the country are the Mexican

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wolves that they reintroduced at Blue Range."

"That's what the official story is, anyway," Angel said.

"You mean the Blue Range wolves aren't real?"

Angel was beginning to wonder if Brian was dense.

"But I've seen them," Brian went on. "More than once. I
even think that I was attacked by one."

"Oh, the Blue Range wolves are real, all right," Angel said.
"And that's turned out to be convenient, actually. When
people start saying that they are spotting and hearing
wolves, it can be blamed on the Blue Range wolves."

"Convenient?" Brian asked.

"Yes. It keeps people from coming in and snooping around.
It allows the families to live in peace."

"I still don't get what the families have to do with the
wolves," Brian said.

He might as well get it over with, Angel thought. No more
beating around the bush.

"The families are the wolves," Angel said.

He watched Brian's face in the dim fire light. Angel could
almost see the wheels turning in Brian's head. Angel could
see the instant that it clicked in Brian's brain.

"What are you saying? Werewolves?! Like in the movies?!

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You've got to be kidding," Brian said.

Angel didn't reply. He sincerely hoped that he wasn't
blowing this.

Brian looked at the sky.

"It's not a full moon," Brian said. "Explain that."

"The full moon only applies to the young ones. As they get
older, they can shift any night of the lunar cycle."

"Shift?"

"That's when they change into their wolf forms," Angel
explained.

Angel watched Brian's face as he processed what Angel
had told him.

"I saw a wolf during the day. In broad daylight. At the
cabin. A big black one. I even got pictures," Brian said.
"Ha! Explain that."

"There are very rare wolves that can change at any time.
They can skip generations before one is born. They are
very powerful. There is only one known in the area right
now."

"So you're telling me that what I've been seeing are
werewolves?"

Angel just looked at him. Finally, Brian's face changed
again. Like he was in on the joke. He smiled broadly.

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"Oh, man!" You almost had me," Brian said. "Here we are
sitting by a campfire, out in the middle of nowhere. With
wolves howling in the background.

"Look at my arms," Brian said, holding his arms out in
front of him. "Well, it's dark... But you gave me chills."

Angel knew that this wasn't going to work. At least, not
right now. Unless he shifted, Brian wasn't going to believe
him. But he couldn't take it if Brian was grossed out by it.
He watched as Brian got up and started putting things
away.

"You really had me going," Brian said, chuckling.

Angel got up and helped put things away. Brian didn't seem
to notice that Angel wasn't laughing also.

***

When they finished cleaning up, Brian walked over and put
his arms around Angel. Angel came willingly enough, but
it seemed to Brian that something had changed. Some small
nuance was different. Angel was back to being stiff and
unsure with him again. He wracked his brain to try to figure
out what had caused such a quick change. It was subtle, but
he was starting to become more attuned to Angel's moods.

As he held Angel with one arm, Brian took his finger and
lifted Angel's chin. Angel's gaze met his, and without
speaking Angel licked his lips, waiting for Brian to make
the next move.

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Brian leaned down and kissed him. Angel responded and
Brian wrapped his arms around Angel, pulling him close.
Closing his eyes, Brian and brushed his lips over Angel's,
lost in the soft skin against his own.

Holding Angel's body against him while taking his time
kissing was getting Brian very aroused. His cock pushed
against his jeans and he tried to find more contact by
pressing his crotch against Angel.

"Do you want to go into the tent?"

"Yes," Angel answered. It was said so softly that Brian felt
the word against his lips, rather than heard it.

Brian held Angel's hand as he led the way to the tent. Once
inside, they both removed their boots and socks and set
them outside.

Angel scooted out of the way while Brian zipped the mesh
flaps. When Brian turned around, Angel was sitting at the
back of the tent and the unsure look had returned.

Brian silently cursed himself and wondered what he had
done to bring about this change in Angel.

"Hey. What are you doing way over there?" Brian asked.

Instead of answering, Angel looked down. His hand was
nervously fidgeting with the zipper tab of the sleeping bag.

"Angel, if I've said something to upset you, please tell me."

Angel responded by slightly raising one shoulder toward

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his ear.

"Do you want me to leave you alone?"

Still looking down, Angel shook his head.

"We don't have to do anything if you don't want. I would
never force you. But I would like to hold you if that's okay.
Can I just hold you, at least? Then maybe you can tell me
what's gotten to you all of a sudden."

Brian knew that it sounded like he was begging. But he
didn't care. He wanted the carefree Angel back.

Angel looked up and met Brian's gaze.

"I'm not sure what I should do," Angel said.

Brian remembered another time when Angel had said
something similar. It was during their first time making
love. Angel had been on the edge of a new experience, and
he had trusted Brian to be his teacher. Now, however, Brian
wasn't sure what the words meant.

Brian reached out a hand. Angel looked at it, and Brian
held his breath as he waited. Finally, Angel reached out and
closed the distance across the tent. Brian felt a flood of
relief when their hands touched.

"Hey. Come here, huh?" Brian gave the slightest of tugs for
encouragement, and Angel came to him.

Brian cupped Angel's face in both hands and looked into
his eyes briefly. Then Brian kissed him. When Angel

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responded, Brian put both arms around Angel and pulled
him close.

As they kissed, Brian gently urged Angel back until they
were both lying on their sides facing each other. They lay
there, clothed, holding and kissing each other, their jean-
clad legs wound together as they become more urgent.
They began pressing their crotches together in an attempt to
get closer. But still, they only kissed, making out like a
couple of teenagers.

Brian wanted Angel badly, but there was no way that he
was going to move too fast and scare Angel off. Something
had happened tonight that he didn't understand. Something
that made Angel back off again. He wanted to win Angel's
trust back, and somehow he didn't think that jumping
Angel's bones while the guy was vulnerable was going to
do it.

So Brian contented himself with kissing, relishing the taste
and the smell of Angel. He explored Angel's mouth as their
tongues wetly caressed. He got to know the sensitive spots
on Angel's neck. He felt Angel tremble under him when he
moved Angel's hair and paid special attention to one
delicate ear.

When Brian felt Angel's hand on his cock through his
jeans, he groaned. Angel's touch was excruciatingly light,
and Brian canted his hips in an attempt to increase the
pressure. Angel responded by rubbing the heel of one hand
more firmly along the bulge in Brian's jeans. When Angel's
rubbing became more insistent, Brian gave up on the
kissing and rested his forehead against Angel's.

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They lay that way, foreheads together, Brian panting
slightly while Angel rubbed. When Angel's fingers found
the button to Brian's jeans, Brian went still. He held his
breath while Angel ran the zipper down. Angel's fingertips
went under the waistband of Brian's boxer briefs and
brushed the swollen head of his cock.

It took every ounce of control that Brian had not to just
give in and pounce on Angel. Somehow, he managed to
keep himself still and waited passively as Angel's hand
fumbled inside of Brian's underwear. When Angel's fingers
wrapped around Brian's cock and held it, Brian gave an
involuntary jerk of his hips.

It didn't take Angel long to realize that there wasn't much
room in Brian's jeans for both Brian and Angel's hand.
Angel began pushing the jeans out of the way as Brian
lifted his hips. Once Brian's cock was free, Angel's hand
went right back to it, alternating between stroking Brian's
cock and cupping his balls. Through his haze of desire,
Brian noticed that Angel seemed to really like to fondle
Brian's balls. Not that he was complaining.

Angel scooted down until his face was level with Brian's
crotch. Then Angel held Brian's cock in one hand while
rubbing his lips around the head. Brian groaned when
Angel’s tongue probed his slit.. Then Angel's cheek grazed
Brian's cock before he took it into his mouth and began to
suck it.

Angel rested an arm over Brian's hip and caressed his
exposed ass while sucking Brian's cock. Brian forced
himself not to give in and just start fucking Angel's mouth.
Instead, he lay still, his hand gently fondling the curls on

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Angel's bobbing head.

What Angel lacked in technique was made up in
enthusiasm. Brian didn't care. Having Angel's mouth
around him felt great. His beautiful Angel could do no
wrong. Before Brian could process more of that thought,
Angel picked up suction and speed. When a hand was
added along the shaft, Brian knew that he was losing it.

"Angel, I'm going to come."

Brian felt himself swell and go past the point of no return
as Angel came off of him with a wet pop. Angel held
Brian's cock while he came. When his tremors passed,
Brian set up on one hip, pulling Angel with him.

He gave Angel a kiss and said, "Let me get rid of these,
okay?"

Brian wiggled the rest of the way out of his clothes and
then sat cross-legged in front of Angel, naked. Angel
reached out and ran a hand across Brian's chest.

Brian started to pull up Angel's T-shirt. Then he stopped.

"Is this okay?"

Instead of answering, Angel removed the shirt himself, then
moved around in order to lean back and take off his jeans
and boxers.

"Stop," Brian said, his voice tight. "Stay there."

Angel lay before Brian naked. The moonlight was coming

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through the mesh of the tent, casting a glow on Angel's
skin, illuminating his body.

"God, you're beautiful," Brian said.

And he was. Angel's body was even more perfect than
Brian remembered. Angel's cock was rigid. The head was
dark and swollen tight. The end glistened in the half light.

Brian really didn't think that Angel was going to last long.
He wanted to make Angel feel as good as possible in the
short amount of time that they had before Angel blew.
Brian decided to go straight for Angel's cock.

Brian circled his thumb under Angel's balls and his fingers
over the base of the cock, holding it in a firm grip. He, in
essence, made a cock ring, hoping that he could get Angel
to last a little longer in order to enjoy what Brian was going
to do.

Brian bent over, opened his mouth, and took Angel in. As
Brian's mouth worked Angel's cock, Angel's head tossed
from side to side on the sleeping bag, his wild hair coming
all the way loose. Angel's hips rose to meet Brian's mouth.
When Angel froze, Brian knew Angel was coming.
Removing his mouth, Brian pumped Angel's cock while
come spilled over his hand.

When the orgasm was over, Brian crawled up and lay
behind Angel, pulling Angel against his chest. He could
feel Angel's heart beating under his hand.

They stayed that way, not speaking. Brian was still
confused by what had changed Angel's attitude, causing the

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withdrawal. He thought back over the conversation they'd
had at dinner, but couldn't think of anything. Just talk about
werewolves. He couldn't imagine how that would get Angel
upset. Finally, he fell asleep, with no answers to the
questions he kept running over in his mind.

***

The next morning, Angel woke Brian up with a blow job.
That was finished off by some energetic morning sex.
Whatever was bothering Angel the night before seemed to
be in the past and Brian decided not to question it.
However, he vowed to be on the lookout for any signs of
withdrawal in the future.

They were lying side by side, cooling down, when Brian
asked, "Do you have any plans for this weekend?"

"Not really," Angel said. "The only thing that I need to do
is clean the pool."

Brian's worn-out cock gave a token twitch when he thought
of Angel cleaning the pool. He made it a point to be sitting
in a chaise lounge when that was going to happen. He
wanted a front row seat for that.

"A friend of mine is having a big get-together this
weekend. His boyfriend is coming to visit. They have been
dating long distance for a while. Now he is going to have a
party so we can all inspect the guy and give our opinions.
Everyone I know will be there," Brian said. "Would you
like to go to LA with me for the weekend?"

Angel had been rubbing his hands along the hair on Brian's

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forearms. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at
Brian.

"You want me to go with you?"

"Well, yeah,” Brian said. "I'd like for my friends to meet
you."

"Does that mean that they will be dissecting me, too?"

"I won't let them," Brian said.

"So you want me to go," Angel said. "For real?"

"Uh-huh," Brian said, pulling Angel closer. He kissed
Angel's curls, then ran his cheek over them. "Then you can
see where I live."

Angel was quiet, and Brian thought that maybe he had
fallen asleep.

Then Angel said, "Sure. I'll go."

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Chapter 10

Once they made it to the LA area, traffic got bad. Finally,
Brian signaled and got off of the Santa Monica freeway.
After they exited, it took what seemed like forever to go
only a short distance. Then Brian finally turned onto a quiet
street with a row of bungalows.

"I got lucky on this house," Brian said. "I had been renting
it for a few years. When the owner retired, he decided to
sell all of his property. He gave me a great deal on the
place. Much less than it was actually worth.

"Here we are," Brian said as he pulled into a driveway.

When they got to the door, Brian unlocked it and let Angel
go in first. It was a nice, tidy little place with hardwood
floors. There was not much in it, and on the walls were
framed photographs of landscapes and wildlife.

"Well, it looks like Sam has moved out." Brian said, as he
reached down and picked up a key off of a table next to the
front door.

Brian walked through the small dining room into what must
have been the kitchen, and then back around to the living
room where Angel still stood.

Angel couldn't help but feel a little like he was the
replacement boyfriend.

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"Here, let's take our stuff to the bedroom," Brian said as he
leaned over to pick up their bags. "I hope that you don't
mind... You'll have to sleep with me. The other bedroom is
my darkroom."

"Oh, I think I'm okay with that," Angel said, smiling.

Angel followed Brian to the bedroom. When they set their
things down, Brian turned to Angel and pulled him close
for a hug.

"I'm glad that you came," Brian said, smiling down at him.
"And I hope that you like being here. I want you to make
yourself at home, okay?"

Brian gave him a kiss. Angel instantly felt the surge of
adrenaline that coursed through him whenever Brian
touched him. He couldn't help himself.

Brian's strong arms held Angel close. As he leaned against
Brian's firm, muscular body. Brian's hand came up and
petted Angel's curls. Angel looked up at Brian, and their
gazes held.

"Hey, you," Brian said, and gave Angel a little smile

As Brian's face leaned closer to him, Angel closed his eyes
and his lips parted slightly. When Brian's warm lips
touched his, Angel sighed. Brian gave a series of soft, full
kisses to Angel's lips, pulling Angel tightly to him until
their bodies were flush.

The kisses became deeper and their tongues languidly
caressed. Brian pulled away slightly and looked down at

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him.

"Do you realize how difficult it is to sit next to you for so
long in the car and not be able to touch you?" Brian asked.

Before Angel could respond, Brian kissed him again,
resuming the deep kisses, then switched to nibbling at
Angel's lips.

"Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" Brian
asked.

"Me?"

"Yes, you," Brian said as he nuzzled Angel's hair aside.

Angel shivered when Brian began paying attention to
Angel's neck below his ear.

They were interrupted when Brian's cell phone rang. Still
kissing Angel, Brian fished around in his shorts pocket
until he found the phone. He held it up and glanced at it.

"I'd better get this," Brian said.

Still holding Angel close with one arm, Brian answered the
phone.

"Hi, Phillip," Brian said. "We just made it in."

He listened and then said, "Okay. We'll be there soon. See
you."

When he disconnected the call, he said to Angel, "Well, I

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guess we'd better get ready and go. But I want to continue
this conversation later."

***

"I thought that we could walk to the party," Brian said. "It's
only a few blocks away, and it would be easier than trying
to find a place to park."

Angel looked at Brian standing in front of him. Brian was
dressed completely different than when he had been out in
Arizona. Brian had put on jeans and an expensive looking
lightweight pullover sweater, with a white T-shirt peeking
out at the neck. Brian looked mature and like he had
money. And he looked damned hot.

Angel looked down at himself.

"Am I dressed okay?"

"You look fine," Brian said. "I wouldn't have you any other
way. Well, except maybe with nothing on."

Brian winked as he picked up the keys from the table. He
opened the door and said, "Shall we?"

By the time that they got there, the condo was full of
people and the party was in full swing. Brian took Angel's
hand and led him through the crowd until they found their
host in the kitchen.

"Brian! I'm glad you could make it," the guy said.

Angel couldn't help but notice that the guy was very good-

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looking. He was Angel's size and quite striking, with his
styled dark hair and pale blue eyes. He was in the process
of putting some food on a tray.

"Hi, Phillip," Brian said.

"I'm sorry. I'd give you a hug, but my hands are messy."
Phillip said. "And who have we here?" he asked, looking at
Angel.

"Phillip, this is Angel," Brian said. "Angel, Phillip."

"Angel?" Phillip asked. He gave Angel a once over. He
looked at their clasped hands and smiled broadly. "Indeed."

Phillip gave Brian a wink.

"I'm happy to meet you, Angel," Phillip said.

"Thanks," Angel said. "Nice to meet you, too."

"Well, it's good to know that Sam is out of the picture,"
Phillip said to Brian. "He was a slut. I'm glad that you
finally came to your senses."

"How come no one ever told me about him messing
around?" Brian asked.

"Oh, you know how it is," Phillip said. "People usually
have to find out for themselves. And I think that you really
knew it. You were just in denial."

"I suppose you're right," Brian said. "So where is this new
boyfriend of yours? What is his name again?"

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"His name is Jason," Phillip said. "He's around here
somewhere."

"Now, how did you guys meet again?" Brian asked.

"I planned his cousin's wedding," Phillip said.

"Phillip is a wedding planner," Brian explained to Angel.

"At first, I thought that he was a real jerk," Phillip said.
"But I've since changed my mind. When I'm done here, I'll
introduce you. In the meantime, get something to drink and
go mingle."

Brian got them each a beer. Then he took Angel's hand
again and led the way back through the living room. When
Brian came across one of his friends in the crowded condo,
they would give each other a quick kiss on the lips in
greeting. Then Brian would introduce Angel. Each time,
Brian would put an arm around Angel and pull him close.
Angel noticed that Brian was introducing him as his
boyfriend, not just a date. And that possessive arm around
him indicated that no one else had better hit on Angel,
because Angel was taken. Angel wondered when they had
crossed over to that. Had he missed something? Not that he
was complaining.

About that time, a guy pushed through the crowd toward
them. He walked up to Brian, and instead of the quick peck
on the lips that everyone else had done, this guy laid one on
Brian. The longer it went on, the more irritated Angel
became. Brian finally had to push the guy away.

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"Rusty..." Brian said. He was blushing and kind of
breathless.

"Brian, my God!" the guy, who was obviously Rusty, said.
"I heard that you and Sam broke up. It's about time. He was
a slut."

"So I'm hearing," Brian said.

"Now that you're single again, we should get together,"
Rusty said.

"Well, I'm with someone now," Brian said. "Rusty, meet
Angel. Angel, Rusty."

Rusty smiled as he looked Angel up and down. Then his
smile turned into a pout.

"Oh," Rusty said to Angel. "I can't compete with you.
You're just too cute. Exactly Brian's type. He likes them
petite and cute." Rusty turned to Brian. "Brian, I'm never
going to catch you between boyfriends, am I?"

Now that pissed Angel off more. Before he could stop
himself, a small growl escaped. Fortunately, there was too
much noise in the room for anyone to notice.

"Sorry, Rusty," Brian said.

"Oh well, can't blame a girl for trying," Rusty said, and
then disappeared into the kitchen.

Brian looked at Angel and said, "Sorry about that. Rusty is
kind of... unique."

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Angel just frowned.

They met a few more people. Brian's friends were okay.
They were even nice to Angel and talked to him. However,
there were a few in the crowd who made some comments
that were starting to get to Angel. Most of the comments
had to do with Brian changing out boyfriends. Angel was
starting to feel like he was the twink of the moment. Was
that what Brian thought of him? He hadn't gotten that
impression. Until now.

As they walked through the house, they were stopped by a
guy who was rail thin. The guy's bleached hair contrasted
with his black eyebrows.

"Brian!"

"Hi, Chet."

Brian introduced the two.

Barely acknowledging Angel, Chet said, "How have you
been? You look fantastic."

"Thanks," Brian said.

"I saw Sam last weekend. Apparently Gordy took him in
when you threw him out."

"I didn't exactly throw him out," Brian said.

"Well, anyway... however it happened, you being on the
market again is the big news around here."

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"I'm not on the market, Chet."

Chet finally seemed to notice that Brian and Angel were
holding hands.

"Oh! I see," Chet said. "Now I understand."

Chet looked around and spotted someone across the room.

"There's Trevor," Chet said. "I'll talk to you later."

The evening continued on with Brian's friends being nice,
mixed with comments from some of the guys that were
pissing Angel off even more.

After, like, the fifth guy made a similar comment, Angel
had had enough. He shrugged off Brian's arm and headed
toward the stairs. He was angry and wanted to be alone. He
was to the point where he just wanted the party to be over
so they could leave.

Angel walked upstairs. Not knowing the layout, he ended
up on a balcony overlooking the backyard and pool.
Standing there, he felt a hand on his ass and looked around.
Brian was behind him. Angel frowned and then brushed by
Brian, going back inside.

"What's going on?" Brian asked.

Angel didn't answer, and kept walking through the crowd.
He went down a hall where he knew a bathroom had to be.
He just needed to be alone.

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Finding an empty bathroom, he stepped inside and closed
the door. However, it was stopped before he could close it
all the way. Brian was blocking the door and looking down
at Angel. He backed up as Brian pushed it open and came
into the room. Brian shut it behind him, locked it, and then
stood in front of it.

"Now, tell me what's going on," Brian said. "What has
gotten you so mad?"

"Am I just a twink to you? The flavor of the month?" Angel
asked before he could stop himself.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Brian asked. Angel
could tell that Brian was starting to get irritated.

"It seems like half of the guys down there have been with
you at some point," Angel said. "Apparently you're always
starting something new."

"What?" Angel could tell that Brian was good and pissed as
well.

"Never mind," Angel said. "Maybe this wasn't such a good
idea." He tried to get around Brian to reach for the
doorknob.

"Oh, no, you don't," Brian said. "You can't just throw that
out there and then walk away. Remember what you told me
about walking away?"

Angel tried to make Brian move so that he could get to the
door. Angel was getting too upset, and he didn't want to
lose it in front of Brian.

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"Just let me out," Angel said.

Brian grabbed Angel and spun him around until Angel's
back was against the door. When Angel struggled, Brian
took hold of Angel's wrists and pinned them to the door on
either side of his head.

"What makes you say that?" Brian asked.

"Your friends are making it pretty obvious that you start
something new all the time," Angel said. "That I'm your
latest twink."

"Is that what you think? You're believing them?" Brian
asked. "Well, if you were paying attention, you would have
noticed that my friends didn't say anything of the kind. It
was the idiots like Rusty who said those things. My friends
were all nice. Those are the people that I wanted you to
meet. I can't help it if some assholes showed up to the
party."

Saying nothing, Angel glared back up at him.

"You need to get over that," Brian continued. "Because it's
just not true."

Before Angel could come back with a smartass answer,
Brian bent down and kissed him. Angel was mad and didn't
respond. However, Brian wasn't having it and continued
kissing him, running his tongue over Angel's lips.

Angel didn't want to, but couldn't resist. When Brian's
mouth slanted over his, demanding to be let in, Angel

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relented. He began kissing Brian back just as hungrily.

Obviously satisfied that he had Angel's attention, and
Angel wasn't going anywhere, Brian let go of Angel's
wrists and put his hands against the door on either side of
Angel's head. Brian wasn't restraining him, but Angel was
still pinned against the door.

At that point, Angel didn't care. His hands reached up and
he interlaced his fingers behind Brian's neck. Brian
responded by snaking an arm around Angel's waist and
pulling him close.

They broke the kiss and looked at each other. At first,
everything was in black and white. Then, a moment later,
Angel's vision cleared. Brian gave a sharp intake of breath
and Angel saw the look on Brian's face. Brian had noticed
something with Angel's eyes. It vaguely registered with
Angel that when he was emotional, his vision flickered
between wolf and human. It must be visible to Brian, too.

Obviously, Brian didn't care, if the erection poking against
Angel's hip was any indication. Brian gave a moan and
dipped his head down to claim another kiss. Angel gave a
small growl and kissed him back.

Abruptly, they separated. Brian took a step back and they
began undoing each other's pants. They quickly had each
other's cock in their hands. Brian rested his forehead
against Angel's, and they both looked down at their hands
stroking each other.

Brian stepped close again and gripped both of their cocks in
one hand. With the other hand, he repeatedly ran his palm

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over the heads of their cocks. Every few strokes, he would
dip his thumb into Angel's slit.

"Do you think that I would do this with anyone else?"
Brian asked as he stroked them. His head was beside
Angel's, and he was panting. He added, his throat sounding
tight, "Lose control like this? I've never been like this.
You're not a short-term fuck. I can't get enough of you
Angel. You're all that I think of."

At Brian's words, Angel felt the anger fade away. He
closed his eyes and gave himself over to the sensations of
his cock against Brian's, and of Brian's hands on them.
Brian relentlessly rubbed and stroked them. Angel began
swaying with the rhythm of the strokes.

"Come on, baby," Brian said next to his ear. "Come for
me.”

Angel opened his eyes to black and white. He closed his
eyes again and clutched at Brian's shoulders, trying to keep
himself upright as they both came. Brian held their
throbbing cocks together as their combined come spilled
out over his hand.

When they were done, Brian supported Angel around the
waist with one arm while reaching over to get some tissue
to clean them both up. Angel was still weak in the knees,
but Brian managed to keep him upright.

Brian held him close and stroked Angel's hair. He inhaled
Angel's scent and kissed his hair.

"This is my world, Angel. I live in a gay community. All of

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my friends are gay. I'd like for you to be part of it. That's
why I brought you home with me. To show you," Brian
said. "Do you want to be part of it?"

"I'm sorry, Brian," Angel said. "For being an insecure jerk."

"Don't be sorry," Brian said. "Just be with me. Will you?"

Someone knocked on the bathroom door and they both
jumped.

"Will you?" Brian asked again.

"Yes."

***

Angel walked into the kitchen and found Phillip working
on another tray. Phillip looked at him and smiled.

"I should have catered this," Phillip said. "I know better. I
don't know what I was thinking."

"Do you need any help?" Angel offered.

"No, I'm okay. I'm almost done."

Angel stood and watched Phillip work.

"I've know Brian a long time. Since college." Phillip said.
"We even dated a couple of times."

Angel felt another stab of jealousy. From what Angel had
been hearing about the type of guys that Brian liked, Phillip

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was exactly right.

"But it didn't work out," Phillip continued. "We discovered
that we make better friends than lovers.

"Brian is a great guy. I went through a rough period a
couple of years ago. A one-night stand gone bad. Brian was
there to help," Phillip said. "He's a sweet guy. Kind of a
romantic. He has this notion of long-lasting love. Sorry, I
don't mean to scare you off."

"I'm not scared," Angel said.

"He seems different with you." Phillip paused and looked
off into space. "Actually, I've never seen him like this
before. Kind of possessive and protective. And attentive.
It's cute." Then Phillip looked at him and asked, "Do you
like him?"

"Yes. I do," Angel said without hesitating. "Very much."

Phillip stopped what he was doing and looked at Angel. It
was as if he was scrutinizing him. Then Phillip nodded as if
in approval.

"I believe that you do," Phillip said. He picked up a towel
and wiped his hands. "In my business, I've seen a lot of
couples. I've seen people who should not be together
getting married. But then I've seen couples who belong
together. They've found their soul mate."
Phillip folded the towel and set it on the counter. He turned
toward Angel and looked directly at him. His face was
kind, and he almost had tears in his eyes.

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"I think that Brian has finally found what he's been looking
for." Phillip gave a sniffle and shook his hands out to his
sides.

"Okay, enough of this. I need to put out this tray. These
boys can eat a lot," Phillip picked up the tray and walked
toward the dining room, where he had set up a buffet.
"Have you met my Jason yet?"

"Not yet," Angel said.

"Let's go find him."

Phillip led the way though the living room and went out to
the back patio. Brian was out there talking to a very good-
looking guy, and again Angel felt the sting of jealousy.
Phillip walked toward them, and Angel followed. When the
guy saw them, he smiled and reached out an arm. Phillip
went into the guy's embrace and they kissed. Then Phillip
turned toward the others, the guy keeping his arm around
Phillip.

"I see you two have met," Phillip said. "Jason, this is
Angel. He's with Brian."

"Nice to meet you, Angel," Jason said, smiling.

"Hi," Angel said.

Brian reached out and pulled Angel toward him. He noticed
that their arms went around each other as smoothly as if
they had been together for years. It's like we fit, Angel
thought.

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"Jason lives in Chicago," Phillip said. "For now."

"Phillip planned my cousin's wedding," Jason said. "He
didn't want anything to do with me at first."

"That's true."

"In fact, he called me an arrogant prick," Jason said.

The others laughed and Phillip winced.

"Well, I've since changed my mind," Phillip said.

"And I'm glad," Jason said. The two men looked at each
other and smiled.

There. That was what Angel wanted. He didn't know what
it was until he saw it right in front of him. He wanted to be
in a relationship. And he wanted it to last. He wanted a guy
who looked at him like Jason and Phillip looked at each
other. They were at ease and relaxed, confident in how each
other felt.

Angel had never thought about it before. But now he sure
was. This must explain all of the emotional upheaval that
he had been experiencing the last few weeks. The jealousy.
The insecurity. The wanting and needing. It was because he
wanted someone but he was scared that he couldn't have it.

Not just anyone. He wanted Brian. But did Brian want him
as well?

***

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"I'm sorry about getting pissed off," Angel said later when
they were alone.

They were back at Brian's, getting ready for bed.

"It's okay," Brian said. "Look, you can't let my old
boyfriends bother you, Angel. They're not going away. But
they don't mean anything to me. I mean, we're friends, but
we don't have sex anymore. If I had wanted to be with any
of those guys, I would still be with one of them. But I don't.
So I'm not.

"Unfortunately, it's one of the things we gay guys do. We
have a lot of hook-ups. And when we date, we almost
always have sex. But then we remain friends a lot of the
time after we break up. That is, if the break-up isn't ugly,"
he said. "There's a theory that it's because the gay
community is small, and we all have to rely on each other. I
don't know if it's true. I mean, they also say that gay men
cannot be monogamous. That it's not possible. I definitely
don't think that is true. I know a lot of gay couples who
have been together for years. And they remain faithful to
each other."

"Like wolves," Angel said.

"Huh?"

"Wolves. They mate for life."

"I think that I've heard that," Brian said, confused.

"Anyway," Angel said. "I guess that I'm not used to it."

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"That's why I wanted to bring you here. So you could see
what my world is like. To see if you would want to live
here."

Brian abruptly stopped what he was saying. He had just
come awfully close to saying something stupid. Something
he was not sure that Angel was even remotely considering.
Instead, he went over to his nightstand and pulled out some
papers. He handed them to Angel.

"What is this?" Angel asked, looking at them.

"They are the results of my latest tests. It shows that I'm
clean. I wanted you to see them. To set your mind at ease.
Especially after what happened by the lake.”

"I wasn't worried," Angel said. "I trust you."

Brian felt a twinge. Trust. Angel had said it before at the
campground. Brian wondered if he was really going to be
worthy of that trust.

***

"Is is okay if I take a shower before we go to bed?"

"Sure. Go ahead," Brian said. "You don't have to ask my
permission. Mi casa es su casa."

Angel smiled at Brian's butchered Spanish accent.

"There are towels in the bathroom."

Angel started the shower and took off his clothes as the

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water heated. He kept thinking about the party, running the
evening over in his mind.

All of those guys that Brian had been with. Could Angel
get past that? Brian had said that he didn't want to be with
any of them. Angel had no choice but to believe him. Or go
crazy worrying about it.

Although... Angel couldn't help but feel inadequate around
all of those older, more experienced guys. He felt like a kid
around them.

He stepped into the shower and stood under the spray,
letting the water flow over him. Putting both hands against
the wall, he bowed his head under the flow and looked
down at his body. Angel thought that he looked scrawny
compared to all of those good-looking guys. He honestly
didn't know what Brian saw in him.

Brian was so good-looking. His body was perfect. Angel
closed his eyes and envisioned Brian. As he conjured up
Brian's image, his hand strayed to his cock. He was still
mostly soft. However, the thought of Brian, combined with
touching himself, was all it took to get Angel fully hard.

With one hand still on the wall, he used the other to stroke
his rigid cock.

"You don't have to do that with me here."

Angel jerked his head up when he heard the voice. Even
though water ran down his face, he could see that Brian
was nude and standing outside of the shower, watching
him.

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Brian opened the shower door and Angel backed up to
make room. Without saying anything, Brian knelt in front
of Angel.

Brian took hold of Angel's cock in one hand and kissed the
head. He continued kissing it, alternating with rubbing his
lips over the swollen flesh. Brian encircled Angel's cock by
gripping the base and putting his thumb under the balls.
Then he took just the head in his mouth and sucked hard.
Angel practically went up on his toes, and had to brace his
hands against the shower walls to keep from toppling over.

As if that wasn't enough, Brian took Angel's cock all the
way in. Angel groaned as Brian deep-throated him. The
things that Brian did to him, he hadn't known were
possible. Before his thoughts could fully catch up with the
sensations, Brian's mouth began sliding up and down along
the shaft, lips tight.

Angel couldn't move because of the tight grip that Brian
had on his cock. He couldn't even come. All of his attention
was focused on that one central spot on his body. He
managed to open his eyes and looked down at Brian's head
bobbing in front of him. He was overcome by the wonder
of this gorgeous man practically worshipping his cock.

It seemed like it went on forever. The intensity of Brian's
lips along his shaft was great, but the feeling of Brian's
tongue swirling around the head of his cock and dipping
into his slit almost did him in. But he couldn't come. Brian's
grip on the base of his cock assured that he would stay rigid
and at Brian's whim.

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Finally, Brian did ease up on his grip around the base of
Angel's cock. He added his hand, sliding it along the shaft
with his mouth. It was all too much. With a sound
bordering on desperation, Angel felt himself getting ready
to come. Brian must have sensed it, also.

"Do it," Brian said, as he briefly removed his mouth from
Angel's dick before taking it in again.

And Angel did do it. He came hard. The first pulse shot
into Brian's mouth, and he couldn't stop. To Angel's
amazement, Brian swallowed and kept sucking as Angel
pulsed a second and third time. He had emptied his load
into Brian's mouth, yet Brian continued to lightly suck on
Angel's incredibly sensitive cock as his tremors subsided.

When he finally started getting soft, Brian sucked a few
more times and then gently released him. Brian stood and
pulled him close. Brian's still rigid cock pressed against
Angel's stomach as they stood holding each other under the
stream of water.

This was a whole different world for Angel. The city life
and the socializing with Brian's friends. The question was,
did he like it? Did he think that he could be in Brian's
world, if that's what Brian wanted?

The answer to that was yes.

***

The next morning, Brian and Angel walked to a nearby
coffee shop on a corner of Santa Monica Boulevard. The
place was huge, and it was full of gay men. There were

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couples, groups, and some guys just reading the paper
while sipping their coffee. The crowd spilled out onto the
sidewalk to sit at the tables there. Several of them who sat
outside had dogs with them. The dogs, obviously used to
the routine, lounged on the sidewalk next to feet and chairs,
oblivious to the activity.

The whole atmosphere was that of a community. Many of
the men knew each other, and a few called out to Brian,
greeting them as they walked up to give their order. When
they sat down, Angel caught bits of conversations around
him. Talk ran the gamut from politics to reality TV. He had
never been anywhere like it.

They hadn't been there long when Phillip and Jason came
in. Brian waved to them, and after they got their drinks,
they joined Angel and Brian.

"Great table," Phillip said as he sat down. Their table was
by the window and they had a view of the entrance and of
the tables on the sidewalk. "Now we can see who shows up
together this fine morning."

Brian and Phillip talked awhile, catching up on gossip.
They included Jason and Angel in the conversation, doing
their best to make the newbies feel at home.

"Is that Jon?" Brian asked, looking out the window.

The others turned and looked as well. A nice-looking man
with a small backpack was walking along the sidewalk.

"Yes, it is," Phillip said. "Oh! Bad boy. He's smoking
again."

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"I thought that he had stopped," Brian said.

"He had,” Phillip said. “But then he started dating that
fellow who smoked. Remember the French painter? Claude
or Pierre or something along those lines. That didn't last
long."

"They're not together anymore?" Brian asked.

"No. Jon traveled too much."

"Jon is a writer. He writes travel books," Brian explained.

"They couldn't keep a relationship going because Jon
would be gone sometimes for months," Phillip said. "And
Jon has always been a naughty boy. His travels take him all
over the world, and he can never resist sampling the local
flavor, so to speak."

They all watched as Jon continued up the sidewalk and
disappeared from view.

"Well, we need to be going," Phillip said. He and Jason
stood.

"So what do you guys have planned for today?" Brian
asked.

"Maybe some shopping," Phillip said. "How about you? "

"We'll probably hang out at my place," Brian said. "We
need to head back tomorrow afternoon. Monday morning at
the latest."

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"So we probably won't be seeing before you leave," Phillip
said. "It was nice meeting you, Angel. I'm sure I'll be
seeing you again."

***

Dull, dull, dull, thought Hector.

Sitting behind the registration counter at the motel, he was
bored out of his head. Why had he agreed to this? Here it
was, Saturday morning, and he was up way too early.

He was staring off into space when he noticed a car pull
into the parking lot. Carmen got out of it and walked
toward the office. Hector perked up immediately. He had
always liked Carmen, but she was hands off because she
and Angel were supposed to get married someday.
Everyone knew it. However, since Angel's change, she
didn't give Angel the time of day anymore. Hector was fine
with that.

"Hola, Hector," Carmen said as she came through the door.

"Hi."

"Is Angel's mom here? I have some things I need to give
back to her." Carmen was holding a couple of photo
albums. "I won't be needing them now."

"They went into town. They should be back soon, though, I
hope because I want to leave."

"Why are you working today?"

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"I took Angel's shifts. He went to LA this weekend."

"Oh, really," Carmen said. She walked around the counter
and set the albums on a shelf. "Did Brian go, too?"

"I know he left for the weekend, but I don't know where he
went," Hector said. "Why?"

"Did it ever occur to you that they went together?" she
asked, as she sat on the other stool behind the counter.

"No, why should it?"

"I've found out the hard way that things aren't what they
appear to be."

"What are you talking about?"

Carmen looked back toward the office.

"There's nobody back there," Hector said. "Tell me what's
going on. "

She leaned closer to him and said, "Let me clue you in on a
few things. I should tell everyone this and make life
miserable for the little twerp, but I haven't yet."

Hector leaned closer to her, as if she was going to share a
big secret. They both jumped apart when the door opened.
It was the FedEx guy making a delivery.

"I have a delivery for Brian Stewart. Do you know him?"

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"He's staying at the motel," Hector said. "But he's out of
town this weekend."

"Can I leave this with you?"

"Sure."

"I need you to sign for it."

"I can do that," Hector said.

"I noted on here that the envelope got damaged in delivery.
Can you initial next to that?" The guy pointed at the receipt
that was on a clipboard as he handed it, and a pen, to
Hector.

When the delivery guy left, Hector stood looking at the
envelope on the counter.

"What?" Carmen asked. She got off the stool and stood
next to him.

"It's torn," Hector said.

He picked it up and they looked closely at the cardboard
outer envelope. He stuck his finger in the tear and peeked
inside of it.

"There's papers in here," he said.

"Well, that would make sense."

"No. What I mean is, the stuff inside isn't in another
envelope. It's just... there."

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He stuck another finger in the tear, making it bigger.
Shortly, he had fingered it until the hole was large enough
for a hand. Well, a small hand, anyway.

"I wonder what it's about."

"Hector, you are one nosey fucker."

"I'm just curious," he said. He held the envelope toward
her. "You have small hands, see if you can get it out
without mangling it."

She sighed and frowned at him. However, curiosity must
have gotten the better of her.

"Let me try."

He watched as she worked her hand into the hole. While he
squeezed the sides of the cardboard envelope, she was able
to roll the papers inside and pull them out without
damaging them. She laid them on the counter and they
peered at them.

"What does it say?" she asked as Hector spread out the
papers.

"It looks technical. Lots of stuff about minerals and
percentages," Hector said. "I don't know what it means."

Carmen had picked up the cover letter and started reading
it.

"Look at this."

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He started reading over her shoulder. His eyes widened as
he read it. He couldn't believe was he was seeing.

"What does this mean, lowball?" she asked.

"It's saying that they liked the results Brian has sent so far.
Then it says something like they don't want him to disclose
the information in the reports to the locals because their
intent is to come in with a deliberately low estimate for an
offer."

They looked at each other, and then Hector added, "It
means that Brian and his company are trying to screw us
over for the land."

Hector looked at the letterhead. "I'm going to look this
company up online," he said, going into the office to use
the computer.

It didn't take him long to pull up the company. His search
also brought up news articles about it. He started scanning
them.

"Look at this!" he said, pointing at the monitor. "This
company is always in the news. It has a bunch of lawsuits
against it."

He opened another article and they read it together.

"They buy up land cheap, usually screwing the people who
owned it. They go in and strip mine the area," Hector said.
"They're accused of all sorts of environmental infractions.
People living around these areas get sick. Brian works for

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these fuckers!"

"I knew he wasn't any good," Carmen said, shaking her
head.

"He's been playing all of us. And we've been helping him!"

"I knew he was trouble," Carmen added. "Something wasn't
quite right. I told Angel he wasn't any good."

Hector picked up his cell and called Angel.

"Shit. His phone isn't even on."

Carmen mumbled, "I bet his phone won't be on all
weekend. He's under something he likes, and he's hung out
the do-not-disturb sign out."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm sayin', he's not going to answer his phone. He's with
Brian this weekend."

Hector looked at her, not comprehending.

"They are together," Carmen said slowly, as if she was
talking to a halfwit. Hector had no idea why she was
talking to him that way.

"So, how are we going to let him know?"

"Tell him when he gets back."

"Well, if he's with Brian and he's not going answer his

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phone, we need to do something," Hector said.

He thought for a moment. "I got it! I'll drive to LA. I can
drive straight through and be there by tonight."

"Are you nuts?"

They heard the outer door open and came out of the office.
Angel's family was back.

"Everything go okay?" Angel's dad asked him.

"Fine," Hector said.

"Thanks for helping out."

"Anytime," Hector said, picking up his keys.

"Do you want stay for lunch?" Angel's mother asked.

"No thanks," Hector said as he headed toward the door.
"I've got to take care of some things."

"What are you going to do?" Carmen asked, as she
followed Hector to his truck.

"I'm going to drive to his college. I've been there before. I
know where he stays."

"What if he's not there?" Carmen asked, trying to keep up
with him.

"Where else would he be?"

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"You are nuts," Carmen said again.

"Well, I'm going to LA," Hector said, getting into his truck.
"I'm going to stop by home and get a couple things. Then
I'm going."

Carmen got in on the passenger side.

"Then I'm going, too," she said. "I want to see this."

***

Later that evening, Brian and Angel walked hand in hand
along Santa Monica Boulevard, trying to choose a place for
dinner. Many of the restaurants were small and extended
their seating out onto the sidewalk. They stopped often to
read menus that were posted.

They we standing outside of a sushi restaurant when
someone called Brian's name. They spotted a couple of
guys who were already seated.

"Hi, Ira," Brian said, waving.

"Come join us."

Brian looked at Angel and asked, “Is that okay with you?
They already have a table, so we wouldn't have to wait.
Plus, I've known Ira for a long time."

Angel had decided that he intended to become immersed in
the area and experience as much as he could in the short
time that he was going to be there. "Sure, that's fine with
me," he said.

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When they sat down, introductions were made and they
ordered their food.

"Tommy here has written a book that I'm sending out," Ira
said.

"Ira is a literary agent," Brian explained to Angel. "Have
you had any luck?"

"We've had some interest, but things are tough right now so
it's hard to get a contract," Ira said. "Even the bigger names
are lucky to get an extension on their contracts right now.
Tommy was in town, so here we are, getting a bite to eat.
What have you been up to, Brian?"

"I've been down in Arizona working on a job," Brian said.
"That's where I met Angel. We just came back for the
weekend to go to Phillip's party."

"Oh, he gives the best parties. He always has fantastic
food," Ira said. “So you met the new boyfriend. What's he
like?"

"He's a nice guy," Brian said.

"I wish that I could have been there. But I had a meeting
that was unavoidable. Pity I missed it," Ira said. "And what
do you do, Angel?"

"I'm a student."

Ira raised an eyebrow.

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"He goes to Caltech," Brian explained.

"Oh! You do know that you look incredibly young, don't
you, darling?" Ira asked Angel. "You're lucky. When you're
as old as I am, you'll probably still be carded. What are you
taking?"

"Physics."

"What does one do with that, dear?" Ira asked.

"Well, I could stay on with JPL, or I could go into their
graduate program. I've been offered both. I haven't decided
yet."

"JPL. You've got yourself a smart one, Brian," Ira said. "As
well as cute. Better hang on to this one."

"I dated a guy once who went to Caltech," Tommy said.
"He gave me syphilis."

Angel and Brian were getting ready to take a bite of food.
They both stopped with chopsticks halfway to their mouths
and stared at Tommy. Angel saw Ira frown from across the
table.

"I'm okay now, though," Tommy said.

There was an awkward silence.

Then Ira chimed in with, “My friend Derek got giardia
once from rimming a guy. He didn't know how he'd gotten
it until I explained it to him. He was sick as a dog for
several days."

Unleashing Angel - 190

Out of the corner of his eye, Angel saw Brian set his
chopsticks on his plate. Angel had kind of lost his appetite
himself.

"Derek always was an ass hound," Ira added.

"Are you done?" Brian asked.

"I'm just saying..."

***

"Here's where we get off," Hector said when he saw the
sign. He signaled to exit the Foothill Freeway in Pasadena.

"Finally," Carmen said, sitting up in the seat. She yawned
and stretched, having just woken up from sleeping for most
of the drive. "Do you know where you're going?"

"Yeah. I've been here to visit him a few times over the last
few years."

Hector found a space on the street to park. They got out and
started walking onto the Caltech campus. He had been
trying to call Angel all day during their drive to LA.

"Here's where he stays."

They went into the courtyard where there were a handful of
students, but no Angel. The students all stopped talking and
looked at them.

"I'm looking for Angel Diaz," Hector said.

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"I haven't seen him all summer," one of the guys said.

The girl next to him said, "You might ask Jen."

"Does she still stay in the same room?" Hector asked.

"Yes," the girl replied.

"Jen? Who the hell is that?" Carmen asked as they walked
toward the archway.

"Angel's friend."

"You know her?"

"I've met her a few times."

"Well, I'm just finding out all sorts of things this summer,"
Carmen said. She sounded put out.

Hector stopped at the third door and knocked. A small, cute
blonde girl opened the door.

"Hector!" she said when she recognized him. "What are
you doing here?"

"Looking for Angel. Is he around?"

"No! He's at home in Arizona. He doesn't come back for
another two weeks."

"But he said he was coming to LA."

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"Well, he's not here," Jen said. "Have you tried calling
him?"

"A lot. But his phone keeps rolling over to voice mail,"
Hector said. "Where could he be, you think?"

"I don't know. LA is pretty big. He could be anywhere."

"Damn."

"I'm Jen, by the way," she said to Carmen.

"Hi."

"Well, I'm getting ready to go out," Jen said to them. "If
you don't have any plans for tonight, we're having a party
in the courtyard. Who knows, Angel might appear. "

"Sure," Hector said. "Okay, thanks."

They left Jen and walked back down the hall toward the
courtyard.

"Where could he be?" Hector asked.

"I didn't think he'd be here," Carmen mumbled.

"You keep saying that," he said. "What do you mean?"

"I tried to tell you," Carmen said. "About Angel and Brian.
But you just didn't get it."

"Get what?" Hector still didn't have a clue what she was
talking about.

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"They are together," Carmen said slowly. She was
enunciating the words like he was some sort of idiot or
something.

"Together?"

"They are a couple."

"A couple of what?" Hector asked.

"Jesus, Hector. For somebody who's so good-looking, you
can be dense sometimes."

"Tell me what the hell you're talking about!" He was really
getting frustrated. As far as he could tell, she was talking in
code.

"Come here," she said, grabbing him around the wrist. She
led him over to a little retainer wall. "Sit.

"You know that it's over between Angel and me, don't
you?" She looked down at the ground. Then she added,
"Well, actually, it never really got started."

"I always thought you and Angel were supposed to get
together. Everybody did."

"I thought that, too. But now it won't be possible."

"Now I'm really confused. I just assumed that you and
Angel finally hooked up, and he changed. Then I figured
you guys had a fight. If you didn't bring about the change in
Angel, then who did?"

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"Brian did," she said. Then she sighed and added, "They
are gay," emphasizing the last word.

Hector looked at her. What was she saying? Brian did
what? Finally, it dawned on him. Brian and Angel were
gay. Not only that, they were having sex!

"Holy shit!" he yelled.

The other people in the courtyard stopped setting up for the
party and looked over at them.

"Now he gets it," Carmen said, mostly to herself.

"When did Angel turn gay?" Hector asked, speaking more
softly. He leaned closer to her and asked, "How come I
never knew this?"

"He didn't just turn gay. He must have always been that
way," Carmen said.

Hector thought back when they were growing up together.
Angel had never been interested in girls. And he had said
over and over that he wasn't interested in Carmen.

"Well, that explains a lot of things," Hector said. "What
about you? What are you going to do?"

"I don't know what I'm going to do. I've spent all this time
waiting for him. I guess I have to rethink things," Carmen
said. "I was plenty pissed when I found out. I still am, but I
feel better telling someone. I guess I'll just have to start
looking for someone else."

Unleashing Angel - 195

In a flash, Hector saw his chance. But first, he needed to
grease the skids, so to speak.

"I need a drink," He went over to the keg and got a couple
of beers for them.

They spent the next couple of hours partying. Carmen
started to relax and enjoy herself. They even shared a few
dances together. Finally, Hector said, "I'm tired. I got up
way too early. Then I drove ten hours... I need to crash."

"Sure. Okay. Where do we go?"

"Let's drive out toward the freeway," he said. "We're bound
to find some cheap-ass motel."

They got back to the car and drove. Hector was right.
About twenty minutes away, they found a motel and he got
them a room. When they walked in, Carmen threw her bag
on a chair. Then she got some things together and took a
shower.

After she was done, it was Hector's turn. When he came out
of the bathroom after taking his shower, she was sitting
cross-legged on one of the double beds, drying her hair. He
stood there naked, looking at her as he dried off his torso
with a towel.

She flipped her long dark hair back and saw him standing
there. She stopped what she was doing and really looked at
him. Hector saw her eyes shift briefly. That was a good
sign.

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"Damn, Hector. Have you been working out?"

"I'm the same as I've always been," he said. He turned away
from her and tossed the towel on the counter. He faced her
again and stood proudly in front of her. He was trying to
give the impression that it was no big deal for him to be
naked in a hotel with a hot girl. He tried to play it cool.
Well, cool for him, anyway. "You see me all the time."

"Yeah, but I never get to see you in the light."

"We do things together all the time. You were so busy
chasing after my gay cousin, you just never paid any
attention."

Turning his back to her, he walked over to his bag to get a
clean pair of shorts. He was standing there, rummaging
through his clothes, when he felt her behind him.

"Hector," she said softly.

She was so close, he could feel her breath on his shoulder
blade. A rush of adrenaline shot through his body. Then
everything shifted to black and white.

He blinked a couple of times, trying to compose himself.
When he turned around, she was right there in front of him
wearing only a white tank T-shirt and panties. He saw that
her eyes had shifted and were staying that way. He had
always thought she was beautiful. He never thought he'd
get this opportunity. Never in a million years. He couldn't
help it, his cock quickly began filling.

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They looked at each other a few moments more. She
looked at his mouth. Her lips parted and the tip of her
tongue peeked out to moisten them. Hector reached out and
pulled her body to his. She didn't resist. At that point, he
knew it was on. He growled softly and went for it.

***

Later, they lay diagonally across one of the beds, spent.
They were both on their backs, breathing hard and trying to
cool off. Hector looked at the lampshade that was askew.
Their animal instincts had taken over, and they had pretty
much trashed the room during the throes of sex.

Finally, Carmen said, "You dragged us all the way here for
nothing."

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it nothing," he said as he
rubbed his hand on her thigh.

"How did you possibly expect to find him in LA?"

"It seemed like a good idea at the time," he said.

They lay there quietly for a few more moments.

"I want to go to Disneyland tomorrow," she said.

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Chapter 11

Angel and Brian made it back to Arizona early Tuesday
evening. When they pulled into the motel parking lot, they
could hear music coming from the pool area.

"What's going on?" Brian asked.

"Sounds like a fiesta."

"What's the occasion?"

"They don't need one. Let's see what's up."

They pulled into a parking space, and Angel continued to
sit instead of getting out.

"Something on your mind?" Brian asked.

"Yes." Angel was looking down at his lap, where he was
wringing his hands.

"Do you want to tell me what it is?"

"That night in the office, when we argued, my dad heard
us."

Brian realized that Angel's dad must now know that Angel
was gay.

"Angel, I'm sorry," Brian said. "I never meant to out you to
your family."

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"No, that's all right. He's okay with it."

"Really?" Brian wasn't expecting that. "Then what is it?"

"My dad told me a lot of things about our family. He told
me about a great uncle that was a lot like me. He talked
about how this uncle and his friend were together for, like,
thirty years. He told me about my importance in the family
and a bunch of other stuff."

"Well, that sounds good."

"It was. Helped me put a lot of things in perspective,"
Angel said. "But one of the main things he told me was that
I should talk to you. He pretty much figured out what was
going on between us. He thought that I owed you some sort
of an explanation."

"An explanation for what? I just figured that you regretted
what we had done."

"It wasn't that," Angel said. "After I talked to him, I went to
find you. I needed to tell you some things. But you had
left."

Brian felt a pang of guilt. Mostly for those times that he
had jumped to conclusions and hadn't let Angel tell his
side.

"I went running."

"Yeah, I know," Angel said, kind of waving one hand in the
air. "Then, when we went camping, I tried to talk to you.
To tell you. But that didn't come out right, either."

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"What do you mean?" Brian asked. "What were you trying
to tell me?"

"About the families around here."

Brian was trying to think back to those nights they went
camping. He vaguely remembered Angel saying something
about three families owning the land.

He didn't get to think on it anymore because they were
interrupted when a car pulled up. It was just starting to get
dark, and headlights blinded him. Brian put his arm up to
shield his eyes.

"Angel!" Hector said, getting out of his truck. He rushed
over to them as they got out of the SUV. "We have been
looking everywhere for you, man."

"We?" Angel asked.

That's when Brian saw Carmen coming up behind Hector.

"I've been to LA. I told you where I was going."

"I know. We went looking for you." Hector said.

"You went to LA looking for me? What for?"

"Because of him," Hector said, pointing at Brian.

Brian noticed that people who were going to the party had
stopped and were standing in the parking lot. They
obviously wanted to see what all the commotion was about.

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Assuming that Hector was about to out Angel right there in
the parking lot in front of his family and friends, Brian said,
"Hey, if this is about Angel and me, let's take this
somewhere else to talk about it,"

"No!" Hector said. "Everybody needs to hear it."

"This isn't the time or place to talk about this," Brian said.

"Hector," Angel said. "What are you doing?"

"This!" Hector said, holding up the FedEx envelope. "It's
all here. It tells who he works for and the plans they had for
us."

"What is that?" Brian asked.

"It came for you. It's from your work."

"You opened my mail?" Brian asked. He couldn't believe
this.

"Your boyfriend works for Kreodyne," Hector said. "They
go into areas, force people to sell, and then strip mine. They
basically turn the area into a hazardous waste heap by the
time they are done. I found it on the Internet, man!"

"He doesn't," Angel said. "I don't believe you."

"He does so. Ask him. "

Brian could feel Angel looking at him. He noticed that a
bigger crowd was beginning to form.

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"Can I have my mail?" Brian asked as he held out his hand.

Hector handed it over. As Brian read the reports, he could
feel everyone looking at him. He looked over the mineral
percentages and the other pages of technical data. However,
the most damning piece of paper was the cover letter telling
him about the plans to lowball the locals. He could see how
the reports, along with the letter, could be taken wrong.

"This is not what it seems," Brian said.

"It looked pretty obvious to us," Hector said. Carmen,
standing next to him, nodded her head in agreement.

"I admit, to the layperson, this looks bad," Brian said.

"What does it mean, then?" Angel asked. "Do you work for
that Kreodyne company? The one that screws people out of
their land?"

"I do work for them, "Brian said. "But I didn't know about
this."

"Are you trying to steal from my family?" Angel asked. "Is
that what this is all about? Were you using me?"

Brian could hear the crowd starting to murmur around him.
He saw Carmen smirking at him. He heard her say, "I told
you he was no good."

"Angel, it's not what it seems."

"He's been lying all this time, " Hector said.

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"You son of a bitch," Angel said softly. Brian could see the
hurt on his face.

"It's not like that."

Angel backed away from him, and then turned and went
into the building.

"Angel," Brian said. He tried to follow him, but his way
was blocked by Hector and some of the male cousins.

"You need to get your shit and get out of here," Hector
said. "You go tell your boss that we're not selling."

***

Driving back to his cabin, Brian realized that he had no
choice but to leave. It seemed as if the town was about
ready to tar and feather him. He would try to talk to Angel
after things calmed down.

By the time he pulled up, it had gotten dark. When his
headlights shone on the front of the cabin, he saw Lester sit
up.

He grabbed his things and got out of the SUV. He was
midway between the vehicle and the cabin when he saw the
wolf standing about twenty feet away. It made him jump
because it was so close.

It growled, baring its teeth, the hackles on its shoulders
raised. This wasn't good at all.

Brian looked toward the cabin, which was still some

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distance away. He didn't think he could make it before the
animal would catch up with him.

Glancing back at the SUV, he saw the other wolves. Two
more were standing next to it. Lester began barking at the
wolves and came down off the porch to stand next to him.

Alarm coursed through Brian as he realized he had been cut
off. He frantically searched his brain for options. He had no
weapon, and there were three of them. They were big. If
they chose to attack, he wouldn't stand a chance. And now
he had Lester's safety to worry about.

Just as he was about to make a mad dash to the cabin, the
sound of an engine registered in his panicked brain. The
situation dramatically changed when a red Jeep pulled up.
It was Angel.

Instead of being afraid of the Jeep and leaving, the wolves
stood their ground. As if they were waiting. Brian watched
in amazement as Angel got out and walked toward him.
Ignoring the wolves, he walked between them, his attention
focused on Brian.

Brian could tell by his expression that Angel was still very
angry. However, Brian sensed something else. Angel
exuded power. The small man before him, with the once-
angelic smile, radiated a menace so great that Brian took a
step back.

Without speaking, Angel came and stood directly in front
of Brian. Lester, who had always adored and shadowed
Angel, now gave a whimper and cowed down in front of
him, exposing his throat. Ignoring the dog, Angel looked

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only at Brian. When their gazes met for a brief moment,
Brian could see the anger, hurt, and even hatred in Angel's
eyes. Then Angel turned his back to Brian, facing the
wolves.

The animals growled, baring their teeth. Their ears lay back
close to their heads. The threat was obvious. Incredibly,
Angel took a couple of steps toward them, keeping himself
between them and Brian. All three stopped, their ears now
high and alert. It seemed to be some sort of standoff. Brian
sensed a power coming off of Angel that he had never
experienced before.

Suddenly, Brian experienced what felt like an extreme
energy shift in the air around him. He looked to his right,
and where Lester had been standing was a very old man.
He was bent over and wasn't wearing anything. He raised
one thin arm, shook his fist, and said to the wolves, "You
boys get on out of here."

***

Brian woke up alone in his cabin with a major headache.
He was dressed and lying on the bed. He had no idea how
he had gotten there. He wracked his brain, trying to
remember what had happened. Then it came back to him:
the wolves surrounding him, Angel showing up, and Lester.

Lester! What the hell had happened? He got up and rushed
to the door of the cabin. Lester was lying there as usual.
When Brian came out onto the porch, the dog raised his
head, farted, and thumped his tail twice on the boards.

It must have been a dream. The whole ugly scene in the

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parking lot had taken its toll. Somehow, Brian must have
made it back to his cabin and fallen asleep. The wolves,
Angel, Lester... none of it had happened.

***

Late the next day, Brian made it to Phoenix. He checked
into the same motel that he had stayed in a few weeks
earlier. After showering and getting something to eat, he
decided to go back to the gay bar that he had gone to
before.

When he pulled into the parking lot of the club, he could
tell it was busy. He imagined that Gary would be there. It
would be nice to see a friendly face. And maybe have a
hook-up. Anything to get his mind off of Angel.

He went in and headed straight to the bar. When he got his
beer, he turned around and leaned against it. He was
scanning the room when he heard a familiar voice.

"Brian? Is that you?"

He turned toward the voice and saw the petite man standing
next to him.

"Hi, Gary."

He looked just as cute as he had the last time Brian had
seen him.

"So, are you passing back through?"

"Yes, I'm heading back to LA," Brian said. "I thought I

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might find you here."

"You came looking for me? Oh, baby, did you make the
right decision," Gary said. "Here, let me order us fresh
drinks."

Gary sipped his drink and prattled on about what he had
done during the summer. Then he asked, "How was your
trip?"

"Hmm?" Brian couldn't seem to follow the conversation.

"Your trip. Did you have a good one?"

"It was good for the most part," Brian said. "But then, it
just tanked."

"Boy problems?"

"You might say that."

"Well, then it's a good thing you ran into me. I can make
the bad feelings go away."

Gary set his drink on the counter. He grabbed Brian's wrist
and started leading the way toward the back room.

"Step into my office."

Brian let himself be led. This was what he had come for,
right? A hook-up with Gary? Someone to take his mind off
of how miserable he felt. But was that what Brian really
wanted? To fuck somebody in the back of a bar? No, it
wasn't. In spite of everything, he still wanted Angel.

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However, it had been made painfully obvious that Angel no
longer wanted him.

He stopped midway down the hall. Gary tugged on his
wrist, but Brian didn't move.

"Come on, cutie," Gary urged.

"I can't, " he said. "I want to, but I can't."

Gary looked at him like he'd gone nuts. Maybe he had.

"I need to go. Sorry."

When Gary reluctantly released his wrist, Brian walked
back through the club and out to his SUV. He sat there for a
moment looking at the steering wheel. He wondered how
everything had gone so horribly wrong over a
misunderstanding. It seemed like everyone overreacted.
And Angel hadn't even given him a chance to explain. So
he must not care about Brian.

Brian realized that the last time he'd been at this same bar,
he had just broken up with someone. Now here he was
again. Was he going to keep making the same mistakes?
Jumping into relationships and getting hurt?

Never again, he decided, starting his SUV. He left the
parking lot, heading toward LA and farther away from
Angel.

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Chapter 12

When Brian got home from work, he noticed a large
envelope in with the bills and flyers. It was from the
geology testing company he had sent samples to. Some
unusual conditions in the Arizona terrain had made Brian
want to do additional testing. It wasn't part of the contract,
so he had paid for it himself and had the results sent to his
house.

After all that had happened, however, he had lost interest.
He tossed the mail on the kitchen table on his way to his
bedroom to change. He made dinner and when he finally
settled down to eat, he noticed the mail still sitting on the
table. He went through it while he ate, sorting the junk mail
from the real mail.

Finally, he came to the envelope from the testing company.
With a sigh, he opened it, took out the report, and began
reading it. He was reading the technical jargon when it
jumped out at him. Copper. The land was rich in copper.
His hunch had been right.

***

"Mr. Diaz. This is Brian Stewart."

"Hello, Brian." Although formal, at least Angel's father
hadn't hung up on him.

"I know that I didn't leave on the best of terms. But I
wanted to tell you some things that I found out while doing
my survey. I think that you'll be interested in hearing
them."

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Mr. Diaz hesitated. "Well, if you're all right with Lester, I'll
hear what you've got to say. Go ahead."

"First of all, I looked into it when I got back and found the
company that contracted me was going to use the land to
build a contaminated waste storage area. For the record, I
did not know that at the time. However, in the survey that I
did, and the report that I gave to the customer, the data
determined that was not going to be an option. I did a
variety of land surveys, approaching the area from different
combinations. Because of the proximity of the wolf rescue
area and the national forest, the proposed area and the
approaches to it were just not going to work. As a result,
they've lost interest in locating a site there. Now they are
looking at Nevada. I will not be doing that survey for them,
now that I know what their intent is.”

"So they aren't interested?"

"That's right," Brian said. "I want to make it clear to you
and your family that I did not know what Kreodyne
intended to do with the land. They implied that they wanted
to build some sort of manufacturing facility. I guess that I
should have done my homework about the company. But
the only excuse that I can give is that my small company
was excited about winning the contract. I won't make that
mistake again."

"Thank you for telling me. It's a shame that you left town
with all of the turmoil."

"Yeah, well... There's something else that I need to tell
you," Brian said. "I found something else. The land in that

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area is rich in copper. Your family owns what could be
probably one of the biggest copper lodes in eastern
Arizona."

"Dios mio."

"Mr. Diaz?" Brian asked. "Are you still there?"

"Si. Yes."

"I didn't include the copper findings in my report to
Kreodyne. It wasn't relevant to the job contract that we had
with them."

"What are you saying?"

"Only you and I know about this."

"Dios mio," Diaz said again.

"Mr. Diaz? Are you okay? "

"Si. I'm just in shock. What do I do?"

"Don't tell anyone until we figure out what to do with the
information. I personally don't have a clue, but I'll ask
around and see what I can find out."

"Okay. Angel doesn't know any of this?"

"No, sir. We haven't spoken since I left there," Brian said.
He didn't really feel like talking about Angel to his dad.
"Well, I need to go now. Those were the main things that I
needed to tell you. I'll get back with you in a few days to let

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you know what I found out."

"Brian?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Gracias."

"De nada," Brian said, before hanging up.

Well, at least Angel's family wouldn't hate him anymore.
Brian felt good about that. But it was overshadowed by the
fact that Angel still hated him. He wondered if it would fix
things between them if Angel knew the truth. Maybe. But
then Angel had pretty much rejected him. Besides, if Angel
had felt the same way Brian did, they could have talked
about the problem when it had happened.

But no, Angel had been quick to turn on Brian. Sadly,
Brian came to the conclusion that Angel didn't feel as
strongly about Brian if he was willing to just kick him to
the curb without getting the whole story first.

Unleashing Angel - 213

Chapter 13

As Angel left the research lab, he checked his cell phone.
He noticed that he had a missed call. He looked at the
number and felt a shot of adrenaline when Brian's name
popped up. Even though he had been pissed at Brian, he
had not deleted the number from his cell. It had been
almost a month since they had last talked. Since the big
fight. Angel still couldn't believe that Brian had been
playing him. And Angel had fallen for it. He had fallen
hard.

He noticed that there wasn't a voice mail and wondered
why Brian had called. It didn't matter. It was too late.

His thoughts were interrupted by his friend, Jen.

"Hi, Angel. Are you heading to lunch?"

"Sure. I could eat."

As they walked together across campus, Jen said, "You're
being checked out."

"What?"

"Over there," Jen said, with a jerk of her head.

Angel looked in the direction she indicated and saw two
young girls looking at him. They giggled between
themselves when they saw him looking. He looked away
and picked up the pace.

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"Wait. Don't you at least want to go say hi?" Jen asked.

"Very funny," Angel said as he kept walking.

She laughed as she tried to keep up with him.

"Well, how about him, then?" she asked.

A very good-looking guy was heading toward them on the
sidewalk.

"Nice, but no," Angel said.

"What's with you anyway? Ever since you got back, you've
been different. Like something's bothering you."

"It's nothing," Angel said.

"It sure seems like something."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"I knew it! There is something," Jen said. "Angel, you
know that I'm just going to nag you until you tell me. So
you might as well cough up."

He didn't say anything as they kept walking.

"Let's see... It's not school because all the profs love you. I
doubt if it's something with your family or you would have
told me."

As they walked into the cafeteria, he said, "There is nothing

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wrong."

They went through the line, got their food, and sat down.
He was hoping that Jen had forgotten about it, but realized
that was futile when she started in on him again.

"You've been this way since you've gotten back."

He did his best to ignore her by busying himself with his
food.

"So it's something that happened over the summer."

He must have made a face because she said, "I'm close. I
can tell."

"Oh, really," he said. "What makes you think that?"

"Because you did that thing with your mouth. Where you
clamp your lips together like you're trying to keep from
telling me off."

"I wasn't aware that I did that."

"Oh, yes, ever since I've known you," she said.

She held one hand up while ticking off things with her
fingers.

"Irritable. Can't sleep. Won't hardly eat. Moping around
like someone who's lovesick..."

He made the mistake of looking up at her.

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"Oh, my God!" she practically screamed. Heads swiveled at
every table around them. Angel could feel himself
blushing.

"You should see your face," she said. At least she had
lowered her voice.

"It's true, isn't it?"

"What?" he asked, making one last effort to put her off the
scent.

"You're in love."

"Nice try, Jen," Angel said.

He wished he hadn't agreed to lunch. He didn't think that he
could get any redder.

"And something happened," she continued.

He involuntarily cringed. She noticed.

"You broke up," she said, sounding sad. "Oh, Angel, I'm
sorry. Do you want to tell me about him?"

Angel looked up at her. He knew that he had tears in his
eyes, but he couldn't help it. The sympathetic look on her
face was almost too much. He looked back down at his
food, trying to get himself under control.

Suddenly, he was tired. He was tired of not having anyone
to talk to about what had happened. He was tired of being
angry and sad.

Unleashing Angel - 217

"His name is Brian."

Then he proceeded to tell her everything. Well, there were
a few things that he left out. But it was a relief getting it all
off of his chest. To know that someone was sympathetic
with how miserable he had been. Was. When he had
finished telling her, he felt like he'd had a catharsis. He
looked at Jen, and she was frowning.

"He used you?!"

"It would appear so," Angel said.

"That son of a bitch," she said. "Have you talked to him?"

"No. But I had a missed call from him earlier today."

"Did he leave a message?"

"No," Angel said.

"I wonder what he wanted."

***

They parted after lunch. Angel was walking back to his
room when his cell phone rang. He jumped and then
scrambled around until he pulled it from his pocket. He
looked at the caller ID and was disappointed when, instead
of seeing Brian's name, it was his dad's.

"Hi, Dad."

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"Hola, hijo," his dad said. "How are you doing?"

"Bueno," Angel said. "Just fine."

"Are your classes okay?"

"Yes, no problem there."

"The reason I called is to tell you that I talked to Brian
yesterday."

"What?"

Angel suddenly stopped, then slowly walked over to a
nearby bench and sat down.

"I said that Brian called yesterday," his dad repeated.

"I heard that part," Angel said. "Why did he call?"

His dad told Angel everything. As his father talked, Angel
came to the sick realization that he had been wrong. That
he had been wrong about everything.

Brian had been telling the truth and had been honest with
Angel all along. With a sinking feeling, he knew that he
had blown it.

His dad must have asked him something, because he asked,
"Did you hear what I said, Angel?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

"So what are you going to do?"

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"I don't know, Papa," Angel said. "What should I do?"

"Well, you call him, of course."

"I couldn't..."

"Why not?"

"What if it's too late? What if he tells me to get lost?"

"You won't know unless you talk to him."

"But..."

"Angel. You listen to me, son," his dad said. "If nothing
else, you owe him an apology. He deserves at least that
much."

Angel sat on the bench clutching the phone, his eyes
closed.

"Angel?" his dad asked. "Are you there, hijo?"

"Yes." Angel said. "I... I need to go."

"Okay. But you let me know what happens."

***

"Can I come in?" Angel asked.

He was standing in the open doorway of Jen's room. She
was sitting on her bed, using her laptop. She looked up at

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him and smiled. However, he must have had a look on his
face, because her smile vanished.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I just talked to my dad."

"Are things okay at home?”

"Yes," Angel said. "He told me that Brian had called him."

"What did he want?" she asked, frowning.

"I think I may have fucked up big time," Angel said.

Then he filled her in on what his father had told him.

"You mean, he wasn't playing you after all?" she asked.
"He was telling the truth?"

"Yes."

"And you told him to get lost. Plus the whole town was
pissed at him."

Angel cringed and said, "Yes."

"Well, this changes everything," she said. "You know what
you have to do, don't you?"

"What?"

She rolled her eyes and said, "For someone who's so smart,
you can be kind of dense sometimes."

Unleashing Angel - 221

"Gee, thanks."

"You have to get in touch with him, of course," she said.

Then she opened her eyes wide and said, "He tried to get in
touch with you. I wonder what he wanted."

"I don't know," Angel said.

"Don't you see?" she asked, getting excited. "That's a good
reason to call him back!"

"You think?"

"Yes!" she said. "Are you kidding? You have the perfect
excuse. Call him now."

"I will later."

"Uh-uh. You will do it right now,” she said. “If you get a
hold of him, I'll leave the room so you can have privacy.
But I'll want a complete rundown. Now do it."

Angel got out his cell phone. He stared at it as he held it in
his hand. Finally, he punched the programmed number for
Brian. As the phone rang, he and Jen stared at each other.
When he heard Brian's voice, his stomach did a flip. Then
he realized that it was voice mail. He hung up and frowned
at Jen.

"Why didn't you leave a message?"

"I don't know. I'd rather talk to him. Besides, if I leave a

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message, he can avoid me."

"Well, that makes a lot of sense," she said. "He's got caller
ID, too. He's going to know you called anyway."

"Shit," Angel said. "You're right."

They both sat there thinking.

Finally, Jen said, "Okay, this is what you're going to do.
You know where he lives, right?"

"Yes."

"You go to his house. You could say that you were in the
neighborhood, so you thought you'd stop by."

He gave her his best exasperated look.

"I tell him that I was in the neighborhood?"

"Okay. Maybe not," she said. She scrunched up her face,
thinking.

"How's this?" she asked. "You just happen to show up at a
restaurant that he's at."

"I don't even know his routine," Angel said, getting more
fed up. "And you call me dense."

"Okay. You're right. No good," she said.

Angel got up and started pacing back and forth in the small
room.

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"I've got it!" she said. "Do you know any of his friends?
Someone you could call who would help?"

"I remember his friend, Phillip." Angel said. "He was a
pretty nice guy."

"Do you know how to get in touch with him?"

Angel thought for a minute.

"I remember! He's a wedding planner. I could look him
up."

"Good," Jen said. "Now, this is what I think you should
do..."

***

"Well, I must say, Angel," Phillip said, "I was surprised to
get your call."

They were sitting on Phillip's back patio.

"Thank you for helping me out with this."

"Normally, I wouldn't be involved. But this is just so
romantic. And I know Brian has been miserable. I never did
get the whole story."

"Huge misunderstanding," Angel said. "I accused him of
something. Now I found out that I was wrong."

"Ouch," Phillip said.

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"Do you think he'll listen to me?"

"I hope so. You know, he's never been like this before over
a breakup. He's usually pretty good about moving on. But
this time he has been completely inconsolable. And he's not
getting over it."

They both heard the doorbell and looked at each other.

"That's probably him," Phillip said. "You stay here and I'll
send him out to the patio. Then I will make myself scarce."

Phillip went into the house. Angel could make out voices as
they headed through the house toward him. When Brian
came out the back door and saw Angel, his face registered
disbelief.

"Angel!"

"Hi, Brian."

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you. I wanted to talk to you."

"You could have just called me," Brian said.

Now Angel felt like a dope.

"Well, I didn't know if you'd listen to me. I wanted to talk
to you in person."

"What's this about?"

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"I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry," Angel said. "I treated
you like crap."

"Okay... What made you change your mind?" Brian asked.

"My dad called. He told me the truth."

"Let me get this straight. You believe me now because your
dad told you about our conversation?" Brian asked,
frowning.

Angel wondered if this was a trick question. It seem
innocent enough, but the frown on Brian's face told a
different story.

"Yes..." Angel said.

"You didn't believe me when I told you, but now that the
circumstances have changed, you do?"

"Yes?"

"I see," Brian said, standing up. "Is there anything else you
wanted to say?"

"Well... I was wondering if you were seeing anyone."

"Why? Are you interested now?"

"Huh?"

"Easy question,” Brian said. "Are you interested in me now
that you know I'm not a liar who's out to get the family

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land?"

"That's not the way it is--"

"Oh, really? It seems that way to me."

Angel felt the whole conversation spiraling out of control.

"Brian, I'm sorry. I fucked up."

"Yes, you did," Brian said. "If there's nothing else..."

Brian walked into the house and Angel followed. They ran
into Phillip, who was heading toward the kitchen.

"Hi, you two."

"Angel was just leaving."

Phillip looked between the two of them as if he was trying
to figure out what was going on. Instead of answering,
Brian walked back toward the patio.

"What happened?"

"He doesn't want me," Angel said.

"That can't be true. He doesn't know what he's saying,"
Phillip said. "His stupid ego is getting in the way."

"Well, he seemed pretty definite."

"Look. You go ahead and go for now. I'll talk to him,"
Phillip said. "You still want him, right?"

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"Yes."

"Just checking." Phillip gave him an encouraging smile.
"It'll be okay."

"I hope so," Angel said before he left.

***

Brian was sitting in a chair on the patio. Seeing Angel
again had shaken him, and he was trying to figure out what
had just happened. He felt as if he'd been blindsided, but he
also suspected that he'd made a major mistake.

"Why did you let him go?" Phillip asked, coming outside.

“You helped set this up, didn't you?"

"Of course I did."

"Why?"

"Because it's obvious that you two belong together. Just
like it was obvious that you and Sam didn't. Look at you,
you're miserable. So when Angel called, I said that I'd
help."

"It's over," Brian said. He leaned forward with his elbows
on his knees and rested his face in his hands. He felt ill.

"What happened?"

"He tried to apologize. I was still hurt and pissed. I told him

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it was too late."

"Is it?"

When Brian didn't answer, Phillip came and stood in front
of him. Brian looked up.

"Now it might be."

Phillip rolled his eyes and said, "I can't believe you. You've
been moping around here for the last couple of weeks.
Then, when you're given another chance, you blow it."

Brian dropped his hands and leaned back in the chair.
"What am I going to do?"

"Do you still want him?"

"Yes."

"Then you're going to have to swallow your pride, go find
him, and tell him."

"What if he doesn't want me anymore?"

"I'm positive that he does, but you're going to have to do
some fancy talking to convince him to trust you. If you
hadn't acted like such an ass--"

"Okay, I get it."

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Chapter 14

Days later, Brian was still obsessing about the whole thing.
It was one of his bad habits and, usually, working in his
darkroom helped to relax him. Once he got to developing
film, his thoughts were solely on the processing.

He had taken seven rolls of pictures while he was in
Arizona, and he had spent an afternoon developing the
negatives the other day. He had kept working until
negatives of landscapes, wildlife and Angel hung around
the room. They turned out to be good quality, and he had
been satisfied.

Almost half of them were of Angel, however. At the time,
he hadn't been sure if he could even look at them yet, but
then he decided he would go crazy if he didn't at least get
the negatives developed.

Now there were several of the pictures that he wanted to
enlarge. Brian went to his darkroom and set everything up.
Once ready, he got the first set of negatives that he had
decided to enlarge and went to work. There were several
close-ups of Angel on it. He started with those, and before
long, there were pictures of Angel hanging from clips,
drying. He stopped for a moment and looked at them. So
much for getting his mind on other things.

As he came to the next set, he realized that it contained the
pictures he had taken that day at the cabin. The day that the
wolf had been standing outside. He already knew that the
first few shots taken through the window were crap. The

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next series that he had taken from the porch were much
better. He set to work enlarging some of those.

As the prints developed, Brian could see that the telephoto
lens had picked up the details of the animal's fur
beautifully. The wolf looked like it had been close enough
to touch. Brian watched as the wolf's face came into focus
on the paper. As the image became sharper, he knew that
he had gotten a great shot. When the animal's eyes came
into full focus, Brian frowned and looked more closely at
the photo.

He gave a sharp intake of breath. It couldn't be. The
animal's light gray eyes looked back. Eyes that were
familiar to Brian. Eyes that he had looked into countless
times during the last few weeks. Sure, he was looking at an
animal, but there was no mistaking the soul that was within.

Brian turned and unclipped a close-up photo of Angel from
the line. He laid the two pictures side by side on the table.

The eyes. In one photo they were lined by dark lashes, and
in the other, outlined in black fur. He couldn't believe what
he was seeing. He grabbed the loupe and examined the
irises in both photographs closely. Suddenly, he dropped
the loupe as if it were hot and practically jumped back from
the table.

Brian knew that Angel had been keeping something from
him. Angel had always kept an emotional distance between
the two of them. Like he didn't want to get too close.
He remembered the night by the lake. Brian now realized
that it was his own fault.
All of that talk about werewolves. Angel had been trying to

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tell him then, but Brian had made jokes. He realized that
was when Angel had backed off for good. They had still
had some good times and sex together, but Angel had
withdrawn.

Angel had a sadness about him after that. He had probably
concluded that Brian wasn't going to be able to handle it.
Then there was the comment about wolves mating for life.
Angel had been hinting around the very thing that Brian
had been looking for in a relationship. Long-term
commitment. Angel had overheard Brian and Sam fighting.
He knew that Brian was looking for a long-term partner. It
made sense now.

Brian had a rush of excitement. Then he stopped himself. If
this whole crazy thing was true, could Brian handle it? He
thought about it.

Surprisingly, the wolf thing didn't gross Brian out. Of
course, he hadn't actually seen the change happen. What if
he went to Angel, convinced him to try again, and then
Brian couldn't deal with it? Could he do that to Angel? And
to himself?

Brian thought about it some more. If Angel was really this
way, then his family must be the same way, too. Angel had
said that three families were involved. Angel was part of
one of those families, so that means his parents were the
same way. And Lester! Maybe Lester changing wasn't a
dream, after all.

Angel's dad seemed reasonable enough. At least the man
didn't hate Brian anymore. Maybe, if Brian called him
first… maybe, if Brian could convince Angel's dad to let

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him watch... Brian wondered when the next full moon
would be. He hadn't a clue. He would have to look at a
calendar.

What about this full moon business? Everyone knew that
werewolves changed during a full moon. Brian tried to
remember all of the movies that he had seen with
werewolves in them. They had definitely only been able to
change during a full moon. It was a fact. Well, those were
movies... But anyway.

But then he remembered that Angel had said something
about only the young ones being dependent on the full
moon, and as they got older they could change any time
during the lunar cycle. 'Shift' was the word that Angel had
used.

Now that he thought about it more, Brian realized that he
had seen this Angel wolf in broad daylight. He tried to
remember what Angel had said. Angel had said that a wolf
that could come out in daylight was rare, and powerful.
And Angel had said that there was only one.

Brian stared down at the two pictures again. Werewolf. He
shook his head. The word sounded absurd. The whole thing
was crazy.

Brian had turned away from the table and was looking at
the enlarged photographs hanging from their clips. He saw
one of the two landscape shots from the same roll of film.
He remembered that he had taken a couple of quick shots
just to finish off the roll, and he had only enlarged those
because they appeared to be good landscapes.

Unleashing Angel - 233

Something in one of them caught his eye. He snatched it
from the line and set it on the table. Yes, he could definitely
see something red off in the distance. He picked up the
loupe and peered at the picture. The red thing was clearly a
Jeep. Angel's Jeep.

He turned and grabbed the other landscape that was taken
shortly after the first. The Jeep was in that picture also.
Only, in this photo, there was something else. Walking
toward the vehicle was a person. The person was naked and
had a mass of dark curls.

Had the wolf been Angel? Was the nude man going to the
Jeep Angel after he had changed back? And what about
Angel and the standoff with the wolves? Did Brian really
believe any of this?

Brian knew in his heart that it had been Angel. And yes,
Brian did believe all of it.

Unleashing Angel - 234

Chapter 15

Brian knew that he should have probably called Angel's
cell first, but he wouldn't have been able to take it if Angel
had told him to get lost. So he decided to drive over to
Caltech. He remembered that Angel had said that he'd lived
in Ricketts house. Brian figured that it wouldn't be too hard
to find him. He would just go there, tell Angel what he had
to say, and then leave.

"Last I saw him, he was in the courtyard," the guy said,
pointing.

"Thanks."

When Brian went out to the courtyard, there were a handful
of students, but no Angel. They all stopped talking and
looked at him. He was sure that he looked out of place
compared to the young kids sitting around in jeans and T-
shirts.

"I'm looking for Angel Diaz," Brian said.

"He was just here," one of the guys said. "I don't know
where he is now."

The girl next to him smacked him on the arm with the back
of her hand.

"You never pay attention," She said. Then to Brian she
said, "Angel was going over to the lab. He went to his room
to get his backpack first. You might be able to catch him."

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"Which way?" Brian asked

"He's down that hall." She pointed to an arched entry.
"Third door."

"Thanks," Brian said. He had already started walking
toward the archway.

Once inside, he found that the hallway was dim compared
to the bright courtyard and paused to let his eyes adjust
before walking down the hall to the third door. He stood
there for a moment and rubbed his damp palms on his pants
before knocking lightly on the door.

A door down the hall opened and Brian practically jumped.
A small blonde girl came out of a room. She locked her
door, and as she turned, she saw Brian standing there.

"Looking for someone?"

"Angel Diaz," Brian said. "Do you know him?"

"Yes." She looked at him for a moment and then asked,
"You're Brian, aren't you?"

"How did you know?"

"Oh, I've heard about you," she said. "I'm Jen. Angel's
friend."

"Nice to meet you," Brian said. "Actually, I've heard about
you, too." He hesitated and asked, "Do you know where he
is?"

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She looked at her watch. "He should be in the lab."

"Do you think you could show me where that is?"

She looked him up and down. For someone so small, she
was certainly intimidating. Brian got the feeling that he was
on trial.

"Sure," she said, walking past him. "Come on."

He followed her down the hall and back out into the bright
daylight.

"You know he's pretty upset, don't you?" she asked, as they
walked across campus.

"He is?"

She came to a halt. When he realized that she had stopped,
he did as well and turned toward her.

"You're not here to hurt him further, are you?" she asked.

"I don't plan on it."

"Because, if you are, I'm not taking you to him."

Brian put his hands on his hips and looked off to the side as
he talked to her. "Look. I'm aware of how badly I screwed
things up."

"I'll say."

Brian ignored her comment and continued. "But I'm going

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to try to make things right. So I need to talk to him."

"You couldn't have just called him?"

"I was afraid he wouldn't talk to me."

She gave a little chuckle. "He said the same thing." She
started walking again. "Come on."

They walked together toward a large building. When they
got there, she led the way through a labyrinth of halls and
stairs. He realized that he never would have found it on his
own. Finally, she stopped outside of a closed door. She
stopped so abruptly, he almost ran into her.

"Here we are," she said. "He should be in there."

He stood there for a moment in order to calm the butterflies
fluttering madly in his gut.

"Don't make me wish I hadn't led you to him," she added.

The door opened and Brian froze. He held his breath. A girl
come out of the room, then turned and stood in the
doorway.

"Thanks, Angel. I really appreciate your help."

Brian could vaguely hear a response.

"My friend Terry is looking for a tutor. Can I give her your
name?"

"Sure. No problem," Brian heard Angel said.

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The girl left, and with a look at Jen, Brian stepped into the
room. Angel was standing at a table with his back to the
door, putting his things away. Brian watched as he zipped
his backpack and then hiked it onto his shoulders. Angel
turned to leave and saw Brian standing there. His
expression was one of shock.

"Hi, Angel," Brian said.

"What are you doing here?"

Oh, shit, Brian thought. He sincerely hoped that he had not
made a huge mistake.

"How did you find me?" Angel looked past Brian. Brian
turned to see Jen peeking into the room. "Oh."

"I ran into him outside your door," Jen said. "So I brought
him here. I hope that's okay."

"Yeah," he said, setting his backpack on the table. "I'll see
you later. Okay, Jen?" Angel was speaking to her, but
looking at Brian.

Jen looked from Brian to Angel as they stood facing each
other from across the room. Obviously satisfied, she left,
closing the door behind her.

"How have you been?" Brian asked him after she was gone.

"Not that good. Pretty shitty, in fact."

Ignoring the comment, Brian asked, "Can we talk?"

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"Why? You told me you weren't interested when we were
at Philip's."

"I know," Brian said. "I'm sorry about that. "

Angel said nothing, staring at him from across the room.
When Brian took a step toward him, Angel folded his arms
and frowned. Not exactly the best body language, but Brian
decided to forge ahead.

"I've been miserable."

"Yeah, well, join the club."

Losing patience, Brian closed the distance between them.

"You know, I got treated badly, too," Brian said. "I was
accused in front of everybody. Not given the chance to
explain. You just automatically assumed that I was out to
screw your family. To top it off, I almost got attacked by
wolves. "

Brian noticed the comment about the wolves got a reaction.
Angel dropped his arms and turned away, facing the table.
In the silence that followed, Brian could hear people talking
and walking by in the hall.

He stepped closer to Angel and asked softly, "Can't we get
past this? It seems like ever since we met, we've had
misunderstandings and arguments." He brushed up against
Angel and felt him shiver. "Yet every time, we've made
up."

Unleashing Angel - 240

He moved Angel's curls aside with his fingertips. When he
leaned down to place a kiss on Angel's neck, Angel tried to
pull away.

"You really hurt me," Angel said.

Brian held Angel by the arms. "You haven't exactly been
honest with me."

He turned Angel toward him. Brian put a finger under
Angel's chin, trying to get Angel to look at him. However,
Angel continued to look down, not meeting Brian's eyes.

When Angel wouldn't make eye contact, Brian said softly,
"Hey. Look at me."

He raised Angel's chin. As Angel's head came up, his gaze
met Brian's. The beautiful gray eyes were guarded. Brian
ached, knowing that he was the cause of Angel's wariness
and hurt.

Brian's gaze traveled over Angel's face, trying to memorize
every feature. With a sick feeling, he realized that he had
almost lost this. Because of his stupid ego, he had
practically pushed Angel away for good. And because of
Brian, Angel's face now carried a new cynicism that
shamed Brian.

In the silence, Angel licked his lips and seemed to be
waiting for Brian's next move. He was obviously holding
back, no doubt unsure of himself now because of Brian.
Brian chided himself even more for dampening Angel's
spontaneity.

Unleashing Angel - 241

Brian lowered his head and brought their mouths together.
He gently brushed his lips across Angel's before he went in
for more. Angel tentatively kissed him back. Brian's tongue
probed Angel's mouth until Angel's lips parted, letting
Brian's tongue slide in. When Angel's tongue shyly met his,
Brian sighed into the kiss, and his hand went up to lightly
hold Angel's jaw.

Overcome with emotion, Brian let his kisses become more
intense. His hand moved to cup the back of Angel's head.
To Brian's relief, Angel responded, and he felt adrenaline
shoot through him when Angel's kisses became more
demanding as well.

Brian couldn't hold back any longer and pulled Angel
close. Resisting now, Angel pushed at him, breaking the
kiss, and said, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Refusing to break his hold, Brian bent down and kissed
Angel again. Having Angel in his arms again increased his
sense of urgency. Angel tried to push him away, but ended
up relenting and kissed Brian back almost hungrily. When
they broke the kiss, Brian said, "Angel, I know everything."

He felt Angel tense in his arms. "What is it you know?"

"I know about you, the wolves, everything."

Angel began pushing at Brian again, trying to get him to let
go. "You think you know something, but you don't."

Still holding on, Brian said, "I took pictures of you when
you came to the cabin that afternoon. I know it was you."

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"How?"

"Your eyes. I recognized your eyes."

Angel stopped struggling and looked at Brian from mere
inches away.

"You know this, but you still want to be with me?" Angel
asked.

"Yes."

"What if you can't handle it?"

"I think I can," Brian said.

"You think you can," Angel said, somewhat sarcastically.

Brian pulled him close until their bodies were flush. "Don't
be that way with me. I came here because I know. I came
here because I love you."

When Angel didn't say anything, Brian continued, "Now,
do you want to stay here, or can we go somewhere more
private?"

Angel looked at him for a few moments and then said,
"Let's go."

Brian let go of him and Angel picked up his backpack,
putting it on as he left the lab. Brian caught up with him
and they walked to Angel's room in silence. When they got
there, Angel unlocked the door, pushed it open, and went
inside. Brian followed.

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Angel stood across the room from him. "Lock it," he said,
indicating the door.

"So you think you can handle it?" Angel asked. "The reality
of me being a wolf."

"Yes, I believe that I can. I'm willing to try."

"Do you realize that I go running with a pack? "

"I get that."

"I transform."

"Yeah?" Brian wondered where Angel was going with this.

"You mean you're not going to freak when you seen me
change?"

Of course, Brian had thought about it. However, he tended
to think about it in terms of all the movies he'd seen. He
figured he could handle it. Or at least get used to it.

"Do you want all of me?" Angel asked as he took off his
shirt. He kicked off his shoes and took off his shorts.

Brian was starting to get a little nervous. He could sense the
power building in Angel. Maybe he needed to take this a
little slower.

"Well, I hope you're ready," Angel said. "Because this is
what I am."

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Within seconds, Angel transformed right in front of him.
Brian felt himself slipping away.

The next thing Brian knew, he was lying on the floor.
There was a pillow under his head and Angel, who was
dressed, was hovering over him with a cool washcloth.

"What happened?"

"You fainted."

"How long was I out?"

"About ten minutes."

Brian sat up, rubbing his head. Angel leaned back on his
heels next to him.

"Well, it's nice to know I handled that like a man."

Angel looked concerned. Brian got up and sat on the bed.
He pulled Angel to sit next to him.

"I'm not going to lie to you," Brian said. "That was pretty
intense. It happened so fast. Not like the movies at all."

"Did it gross you out?" Angel asked, looking apprehensive.

Brian thought about it. Had it been disgusting? Was he
repulsed by it? He recalled the buildup of the energy in the
room, and then the quick transformation. He wasn't really
grossed out.

"No," he said, deciding. "It didn't."

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Angel looked somewhat relieved, but not yet convinced.

"It was like my senses were overloaded." Then he
realized... "Kind of like when Lester... He did change,
didn't he? I didn't dream it."

"Yes."

"But he's a dog, " Brian said.

"Lester's an oddity. He's a mix, and therefore not as strong
as the rest of us. He's very old, and his rusty brain forgets
how to change back."

"Except that night."

"He kind of shocked all of us," Angel admitted.

"Okay. I think we should try it again," Brian said. "I mean,
can you do it that soon after?"

"Sure. I can do it anytime and anywhere. "

"Well that's kind of disconcerting."

"It's not like I don't have control over it," Angel said. "And
I'm not like the others. I'm not dictated by the lunar cycle."

"Well, let's give it another try."

Angel stood up and started taking off his clothes again.

"So, is getting naked required?" Brian asked.

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"Not really. But I don't want to ruin my clothes."

"I guess that makes sense."

"Why don't you stay sitting down this time?" Angel
suggested.

"I've got it under control," Brian said. However, he
remained seated just in case.

"Here goes," Angel said.

Like before, there was a ramping up of energy in the room.
This time, though, Brian was ready for it. He watched the
transformation. One moment, Angel was standing in front
of him. The next, a large black wolf was in the room with
him. The awesomeness of it almost took his breath away.

"Amazing," he said softly.

The beast stood looking at him. It was then that Brian
noticed its eyes. They were gray, just like Angel's.

"Can you understand what I'm saying?" Brian asked. When
the wolf didn't respond, he said, "I guess you can't exactly
talk when you're like that, can you?"

Brian felt the air around him change slightly, and Angel
came back to him.

"Yes, I can understand you," Angel said, bending down to
pick up his shorts. "And no, I can't talk. I can howl,
though."

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He pulled on his clothes, and then sat next to Brian on the
bed.

"How was it that time?"

"Much better."

"At least you didn't faint," Angel said.

"Smartass," Brian said. He put his arm around Angel and
added, "You can be sure of one thing..."

"What's that?"

"I won't want to be pissing you off."

"I could kick your ass pretty easily," Angel said, smiling. "I
would make you submit."

"Sounds kinky. Can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure."

"Please don't ever do it when we're in bed together, okay?"

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Chapter 16

Brian turned off the highway onto a dirt road. Even though
it was full, the cloud cover obscured the moon. He took it
slow as the SUV's headlights picked out the way along the
narrow road through the mesquite.

When he got to the clearing, he spotted a white pickup
truck and pulled in next to it. He cut the engine, got out of
his SUV, and went to sit on the open tailgate of the truck.

He waited, listening intently. Then he heard the howl.
Satisfied, Brian settled in to wait. He'd been through this
routine many times over the last couple of years. As he sat
in the dark, he thought over the things he needed say. There
had been a lot on his mind lately, and now it looked like
things were going to be changing.

It wasn't long before he heard the unmistakable sound of
running. He sat upright and peered into the darkness at the
edge of the clearing. A large wolf with a dark head and
lighter body came into sight. It stopped, raised its muzzle,
and sniffed the air. Then, as it came forward, five more
smaller ones appeared.

As Brian watched, the wolves begin to transform. When
they began changing into naked humans, he looked away.

"Hola, Brian!"

"Hi, Hector."

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The others greeted Brian as they went to their cars to get
their clothes. Even though he'd seen this many times, he
still felt somewhat embarrassed by the nudity. Although it
didn't seem to bother them in the least. They were all so
casual about it, he tried his best to ignore it also. As if
everyone he knew walked around naked in mixed
company.

"He's coming," Hector said, as he started putting on his
clothes.

"Thanks," Brian said. "How's Carmen?"

"She's doing good," Hector said, pulling on his T-shirt.
"The baby's not due for another couple of weeks. It's a girl
this time."

"Congratulations! One of each."

"Yeah, from now on, it won't matter if it's a boy or a girl,"
Hector said. Then he had a panicked look on his face. "Not
that it mattered. Don't tell her I said that!"

"Too late, Hector."

Brian turned toward the voice. Angel was walking up to
them.

"I'm telling," Angel added, smiling. He walked over to
Brian, and they exchanged a quick kiss.

"She's sweet, but she can kick my ass," Hector said. "She's
a pistol."

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"You knew that when you married her."

"Yeah. That I did," Hector said, smiling.

"Did you just get in?" Angel asked Brian as he got dressed.

"Yes. I drove straight through."

"You must be tired."

Dressed now, Angel walked up and gave Brian a hug. They
kissed and then kissed some more.

"Oh, geez," Hector said. "Here we go again."

Without letting go of Brian, Angel said, "As if you and
Carmen aren't the same way."

"I've got some big news," Brian said softly. "I couldn't wait
to tell you."

"You could have just called."

"Well, yes... But this is big."

"What is it?" Angel asked.

They were interrupted by Hector.

"Hey! We're heading over to the Swinging Door. It's
karaoke night."

Angel looked at Brian and rolled his eyes.

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"You guys coming?"

"You go on ahead," Angel said. "We'll catch up with you."

After the others had left, Brian leaned back against the
SUV. He pulled Angel's smaller body close until they were
flush. As they kissed, Brian ran his hands on Angel's back.
They ended up on Angel's ass and stayed there.

"I've missed you," Brian said.

"Missed you, too," Angel said. "How did the trip go?"

"Great! But I'm glad to be back."

"I can tell," Angel said, wiggling his hips a little. Brian
knew Angel could feel his erection against his own.

"Hey," Brian said. "Something came up on the trip."

"What?"

"I got a call from my friend Bernie. The company he is
with is interested in me coming to work for them."

"Where are they located?"

"Well, here's the good part. They are near Springfield,
Massachusetts. The job is primarily surveying the
mountainous areas. I know you've been putting off making
a decision on the job offer at that lab in Framingham. So I
contacted them a week ago. They are really anxious for me
to come."

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"For real?"

"This means we can move together. And we'd both have
jobs waiting for us," Brian said. "You don't think it's too far
away? I mean, will you miss your family?"

"Uh, no. There are such things as email, phones, and
airplanes these days."

"There are quite a few reserves and mountains that aren't
too far away. So you'd be near some wilderness when you
needed to go out and run. "

"I've heard that there's a pack up there."

"Really?"

"You didn't think we were the only werewolves, did you?"

"I guess I didn't think of it," Brian said.

"There's plenty out there."

"You know... marriage is legal there."

Angel stared at him for a moment, then asked, "What are
you saying?"

"I'm just saying, that it's legal there... if ... you know... we
ever thought about... you know."

"No, I don't know," Angel said. "What is it you are
saying?"

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"I thought maybe we could, you know... if you wanted to."

Angel just stared at him. Brian realized that the little shit
knew what he was getting at, but was going to make Brian
say it.

"What I'm trying to say is..."

When he tapered off, Angel raised an eyebrow.

"You're being difficult," Brian said.

"Me? What did I do?"

Brian sighed. Angel had the nerve to laugh.

"Married! I was thinking we could get married if you
wanted to."

"Do you want to?"

Oh, now he was just being a smartass. "Oh course I do,"
Brian said. "I wouldn't have brought it up."

"Brought what up?" Angel asked, smiling.

"You're a pain in the ass, you know that?"

"And you love it."

"Yes," Brian said, holding Angel tight. "I do. And I love
you." Brian leaned down and kissed him. Then kissed some
more. "God, I've missed you."

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Brian pulled up Angel's shirt and put his hands down the
back of Angel's shorts, cupping his butt. "I missed this ass."

"It missed you," Angel said.

"Did it?"

"A lot."

Brian kneaded Angel's ass as they kissed.

"How much?" Brian asked, softly, between kisses.

"So much, it wants you to fuck it right out here."

Brian's erection was at full mast now. He swooped down
and kissed Angel aggressively, his hands becoming more
demanding. Angel gave a little growl, and the sound of it
set Brian off. He broke the kiss and pushed Angel back far
enough to undo his shorts. Angel did the same, and shortly
they both had the other's cock in hand.

They kissed while their hands stroked each other. Brian
kissed Angel's neck and Angel tilted his head back to allow
better access. Again, a low growl escaped from Angel.
Brian felt the vibration under his lips.

"I'm going to fuck you right here," Brian said as his hand
started pushing down Angel's shorts. He stopped with one
arm around Angel's waist. He moved them aside so he
could open the back of the SUV. Once open, he helped
Angel into it. With Angel sitting just inside, Brian pulled
the shorts the rest of the way off of him. Angel lay back

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and bent his knees. Brian could see Angel's cock was as
hard as his own.

With his own shorts pulled down, Brian stepped close and
rubbed the head of his cock over Angel's pucker. When the
pre-come wasn't enough, he used spit, working it into
Angel's hole with his fingers.

With more spit, Brian was able to work the head of his
penis in past the tight ring of muscle. Angel must have
relaxed further, because Brian was able to sink in. Angel
felt so wonderfully tight. Brian hadn't seen him for two
weeks and craved Angel's body. He never got enough of
him, even after all this time.

He had meant what he'd tried to say. He wanted to be with
Angel for the long haul. He wanted to make the
commitment. This was what he'd been looking for his
whole life, but had never really had the right person before.
With Angel, he was sure.

Brian looked down at where they were joined. He watched
his cock sink in to Angel's body and then reappear as he
pulled back. He gripped Angel's cock and began jacking it
while he thrust. He knew he wouldn't last long, and he
didn't. He froze and came, pumping his load deep in Angel.
Angel must have felt it, and within moments came also, his
come spilling over Brian's hand and on his own flat belly.

Brian stood for a moment, still inside, their bodies locked
together. He could see the wetness on Angel in the pale
light. When he looked up at Angel's face, Angel was
looking back at him with those beautiful eyes.

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"I love you so much," Brian said.

"I love you, too," Angel said. "I've missed you. I've missed
this."

Brian withdrew and helped Angel sit up. He handed Angel
his shorts, and they cleaned up and got dressed.

"So, does that sound like a good idea? " Brian asked. "Us
going to Massachusetts?"

"Sounds great to me."

They got into the SUV and started heading back to the
main road.

"Do you want to head over to the Swinging Door and meet
up with the others?" Brian asked.

"Sure."

"Do you think you'll be able to survive living somewhere
else without listening to Hector sing karaoke?"

"True, I'm going to miss some of these fantastic nights out,"
Angel said. "But I'll try to be tough. "

END

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