Charlie Richards Wolves of Stone Ridge 10 The Wolf Biker's Mate

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

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

A straight-laced marketing executive, Tom doesn’t

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

Can Kade convince Tom that he can help him and

his family? Or will Tom fold under the pressure?

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The Wolf Biker’s Mate

ISBN: 978-1-77111-237-6

Cover art by Angela Waters

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The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Wolves of Stone Ridge: Book Ten

Charlie Richards

To my fans. Your energy, encouragement, and

enthusiasm keep me going.

Chapter One

need a favor.”

Kade grinned as he leaned back in his office

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

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

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

That had his brow lifting. His foster sibling had

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

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

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

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

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

“I

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

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

What was that last part?”

Theresa blew out a frustrated breath. “Pay attention,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tom really likes the place.”

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

for me tonight,” she scolded.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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off,” she explained.

Throwing his head back, Kade let out a belly

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

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

something wrong?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He picked up his razor and got to work, carefully

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

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

—

and the bike, he decided.

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

Grinning, he finger combed the tousled mop of long

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

He found Todd finishing up an oil change on a beat

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

The fellow wolf shifter looked him up and down and

whistled. “Hot date?”

Kade grinned and shook his head. “Dinner with my

sister and her friends,” he admitted.

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

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

He knew the small wolf was already mated, but

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

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

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

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

good closing up tonight?”

Todd beamed, obviously pleased that Kade trusted

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

“Great,” Kade responded, slapping Todd on the

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

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

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

Laughing, Kade lifted a hand in a wave of

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

He thought of Nick, wondering if his friend and his

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

After fitting the helmet to his head, he brought his

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

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

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

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

Locking up his helmet and leathers, he stretched his

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

The hostess gave him an enquiring look, but he

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

He saw his sister just as she glanced up and spotted

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

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

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

Pulling away he finally turned to look at the couple

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

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

He turned to look at her date, and almost swallowed

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

A current of electricity shot through his body,

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

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

voice dropped an octave and came out a bit gruff.

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

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

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

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

With his mate sitting across from him occupying his

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

she teased.

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

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

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

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

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

shifter nose wasn’t mistaken, arousal. His words

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

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

“Yeah.”

Kade had to grit his teeth to keep from growling at

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

A pinch to his leg had him focusing on Theresa.

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

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

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

He followed Theresa around to the other side of the

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

Kade grimaced. He propped his back against a wall

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

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

sorry!”

Growling softly, he focused on his sister. “You

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

She blinked up at him, her expression clearly

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

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Patricia. She practically has them married already.”

A snarl escaped him before he could get a hold of

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

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

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

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

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

Theresa nodded. “Right, I can understand that.

Anything else?”

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

down outside my shop?” he muttered dryly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Chapter Two

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

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

Banishing that thought, he tried to focus on what

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

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

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

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

focus to the menu.

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

Patricia’s father was an important man in the local

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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nothing for him.

Keeping his smile firmly in place, he teased,

“Excellent. More for me.”

He piled a serving on both their plates and took a

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

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

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

Kade chuckled, and Tom had to suppress a shiver.

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

The way Kade practically purred his name sent all

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

The waiter must have been watching, since Phil

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

Kade grinned up at the man and waved a hand to

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

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

Once Phil left again, Theresa leaned her elbows on

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

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

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

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

further.

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

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

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

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

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

The sly look Theresa gave Kade, and Kade’s

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

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

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

Tom curled his lip. “Sure palms were greased,

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

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

even farther across the expanse of the table.

His blood zinged through his veins. Excitement

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

Kade opened his mouth to reply, but Patricia huffed.

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

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arguing about that stuff?”

Irritation coursed through Tom that the woman he

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

Theresa finished chewing the chip she’d just put in

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

Seeing the mock shock on Kade’s face was worth

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

He gave a mental shrug and turned back to the man

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

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

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

And the jealousy he felt seeing the flirting that

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

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

For the remainder of the meal, Tom focused on his

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

All Tom wanted to do was get home and forget this

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

Kade strapped on a pair of leather chaps which clung

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

He might have been talking to Patricia, but Tom

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

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

Patricia answered, shaking her head.

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

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

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direction of his thoughts. Damn!

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

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

“Do you really like hiking and running and cross-

country skiing?” Patricia asked.

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

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

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

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

Tom cringed inwardly. Do I have anything in

common with this woman?

When they pulled up to her house, Tom dutifully

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

He knew she meant to be seductive, but Tom felt

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

Quickly getting behind the wheel, Tom turned

toward home and a bottle of Scotch.

Shit, what the hell am I going to do?

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Chapter Three

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

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

As Kade made his way back to Stone Ridge, he

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

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

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

He hadn’t even reached the porch when the front

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

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

Charlie Richards

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

Reaching the door, Carson stepped back and ushered

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

Kade paused in the entry hall and turned to face the

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

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

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

Kade’s jaw nearly dropped when he reached the

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

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

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

Movement out of the corner of his eye had Kade

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

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

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

“I apologize for interrupting,” Kade quickly replied,

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

That brought Jared up short. He straightened and

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

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

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

He expected the cussing, since he’d essentially just

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

Not really understanding, he asked, “You bet on

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your sister?”

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

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

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

Jared muttered.

Kade knew what Jared meant, since it was fairly

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

Jared leaned against the desk and crossed his arms.

“How so?”

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

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

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

anyway,” Jared said, waving a hand dismissively.

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

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

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

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

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

Kade glanced between the muttering human’s seated

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

He swept an arm toward the stairs, and Kade

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

Carson nodded. “I was actually going to seek you

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

Pausing in the hall, Kade turned his focus to his

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

Smiling, Carson’s eyes twinkled with mischief.

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

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

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

Amazement and pride flooded Kade. Just the idea

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Chapter Four

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

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

Rising from his seat, Tom stretched his arms over

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

He strolled down an aisle of camping equipment,

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

Several men had shirts over their arms as they

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

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

After ten minutes, there was a lull and no more

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

The rumbling voice sent shivers down his spine and

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

Kade wore a blue t-shirt advertising a bike repair

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

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

ask.

Shrugging one broad shoulder, he smiled sensually,

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

Tom did not feel disappointed by that response. He

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

Somehow, as if reading his thoughts, Kade moved a

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

ear, “And I came to see you, Tom.”

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

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

The sound acted like a bucket of ice water to his

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

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

nervously.

Kade cocked his head, his deep green eyes

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

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

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

Turning, he forced himself to stride calmly through

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

He heard the door click closed behind him, locking

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

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

much better.”

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

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

Kade nuzzled the back of his neck then started

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The man’s confidence was sexy and stimulating, but

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

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

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

Tom hissed in appreciation. Fuck, the man knew

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Charlie Richards

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

Then the arms were gone from around him. Tom

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

Tom dropped into the chair in front of his desk and

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

Reaching behind him, he flipped the lock on his

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

His breath coming in soft pants, he pressed his

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

He wondered what it would be like to give in to

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Sparks were already spreading down his spine and

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

Giving in to temptation with a groan, Tom eased the

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

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

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

Tom grunted as one last stream pulsed from his dick.

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

Groaning in disbelief, he thumped his head against

the chair. “Fucking hell!”

Charlie Richards

Chapter Five

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

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

He tossed back the shot of tequila and picked up the

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

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

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

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

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

Groaning, he thumped his head on the counter once,

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

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

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

He strode up the walk and rang the bell. Patricia

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

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

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

He watched the woman’s eyes narrow and her lips

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

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

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

Charlie Richards

complicated.

Patricia swallowed hard, blinking her eyes quickly

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

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

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

Lifting her shoulders in a jerky shrug, Patricia

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

Tom stepped forward and grasped Patricia’s hand,

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

After she nodded, Tom leaned forward and pressed a

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

He squeezed her hand once more and she gave him a

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

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

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

Either way, Tom soon found himself sitting in

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

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

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

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

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

He tried to lean back into the shadows even farther

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

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

Without asking for permission, the guy sat down in

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

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

How’d you find me here?”

Jared grinned at that, his amusement clear. “Nice

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

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

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

Smirking, Jared shook his head. “I bugged my

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

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

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

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

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

“Dangerous people?”

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

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

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

beer.

Jared pushed the glass of…something…toward

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

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

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

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

have here, anyway.” He shrugged.

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

know Kade?”

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

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

That was an interesting analogy, and Tom felt

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

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

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

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

marry Patricia to get.”

Once again, Tom found himself sputtering. How the

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

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

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

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

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

He turned away and downed the rest of his drink,

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

The man in question slid into the booth next to Tom

without invitation. He set another couple drinks on the

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

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

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

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

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

Jared’s eyes narrowed and he leaned across the table

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

Tom furrowed his brows. “If you know about our

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

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

Charlie Richards

Chapter Six

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

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

Deciding a distraction was in order, and desperately

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

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

from the booth. “But—”

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

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

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

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

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

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

Tom blinked blearily up at him, his pupils blown

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

Kade let him go with a resigned sigh. Working this

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

Knowing he wasn’t going to get a straight answer

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

Tom took the glass, his brow creasing as he frowned

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tom glanced down at their twined fingers with

surprise on his face.

Grinning, Kade led his reluctant mate to the dance

floor.

Instead of starting face to face, Kade positioned him

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

Kade’s cock pressed insistently against the cleft of

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

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

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

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

Slipping the tips of his fingers beneath the waistband

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

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

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

It took very little prodding to maneuver Tom so that

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

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

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

It was then Kade realized Tom was trembling. He

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

His mate wanted him, wanted him with an intensity

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

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

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

Rocking his hips, he rubbed his denim-covered dick

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

Tom’s shocked gasp had him pulling his head back

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

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

filled him when Tom didn’t answer right away.

Tentatively, Tom moved a hand from Kade’s

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

Kade fought through a shudder as he realized Tom’s

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

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

His dick leaking, his body trembling, Kade had to

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

To his pleasure, Tom did as he asked without

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

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

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

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

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

Kade licked his lips in anticipation, then dropped to

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

A muffled groan sounded above him, and as he

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

Smiling around his mouthful of cock, Kade doubled

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

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

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

His panting gasps and blown pupils told of his

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

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

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

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

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

Tom’s hands gripped his shirt and he mewled

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

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

some more?” he asked softly.

The sound of his voice seemed to pull Tom out of

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

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

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

After a quick peek into the bathroom proper, he saw

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

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

find Carson and Jared still there. Although, from the

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Turning the vehicle into the indicated parking

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

“Thank you,” Tom whispered. Kade cocked his

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

Kade didn’t like that his man was embarrassed to

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

After staring at him for several seconds, Tom

whispered, “Okay.”

Excitement and anticipation coursed through him.

“Excellent. I’ll see you then.”

He stepped from the vehicle, Tom copying him.

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

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Instead, he turned and walked away, his head cocked

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

Meeting Jared on the street, he took his keys and

helmet.

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

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

He knew better than to snarl at the higher ranking

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

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

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

Jared just laughed and headed toward a Porsche

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

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

rich.

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Chapter Seven

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

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

Tom’s dick had been half hard since Kade had

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

He waved toward his car. “Maybe we should take

my car.”

“Nonsense,” Kade replied immediately, already

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

Charlie Richards

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

raised seat behind him in answer.

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

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

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

you’ll love it.”

He held out the helmet again and this time Tom took

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

Laughing, Kade looked over his shoulder at him.

“Comfy?”

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

nice!”

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

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

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

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

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

the reasons I enjoy bikes so much.”

Before Tom could think up a reply, Kade threw the

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

After a forty minute ride, Kade turned into a parking

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

Tom hesitated, then pulled the heavy coat Kade had

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

They remained mostly quiet, occasionally pointing

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

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

just thought I smelled something. Campfire smoke or

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tom opened immediately, enjoying the way Kade’s

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

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

against him. His erection, which had softened during

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

He felt the rumble vibrate against his chest before

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

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

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

Tom’s eyes widened as he realized what Kade

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

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

sounding uncertain.

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

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

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“Yeah,” Tom replied, pleased that the man

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

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

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

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

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

He’d never considered himself into piercings, but the

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

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

single word.

Then he heard booted feet pound up the trail after

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

A glance over his shoulder showed Kade charging

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

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

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

By the time the lake appeared between the trees, his

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

A body slammed into him from behind and he found

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

A low growl, almost like an animal, had Tom

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freezing in place

—

well, as much as he could, since he’d

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

The big biker stared down at him, and Tom smiled

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

Kade cleared his throat and shook his head, as if

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

Tom threaded his fingers through Kade’s hair,

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

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

handle trouble,” he growled.

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

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

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

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

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

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

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

words, and it almost seemed like a vow.

Tom shivered at the sound. Excitement coursed

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

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

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

A low growl of excitement rumbled through Kade’s

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

Charlie Richards

Chapter Eight

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

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

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

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

Those thoughts had enough of his control returning

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

He moaned softly, but managed to pull away. Tom

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

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

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

Tom nodded, although his eyes were dilated with

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

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

Tom.

There was no hesitation from Tom as he moved into

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

Tom had a lean runner’s build, something that

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

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

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

Unable to deny himself any longer, Kade eased away

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

“I was never into tattoos or piercings,” Tom

admitted, “but these…these are amazing.”

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

of permanent.”

Tom laughed softly, then lifted his second hand and

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

He felt his balls begin to contract, forcing him to

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

chest.

“Does that hurt?” Tom whispered, uncertainty filling

his expressive blue eyes.

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

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

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

out as he licked them. “Really?”

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

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

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

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

Swallowing hard to get saliva flowing through his

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

Kade eased down on the blanket, sprawling next to

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

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

Tom moaned softly and tucked his head against

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

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

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

The soft moans of pleasure coming from his mate,

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

Tom panted roughly as he moaned indistinct words.

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

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

faster and faster against Kade.

Kade pressed more firmly against Tom’s testicles,

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

Taking away the need to make a choice, Kade

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

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

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

Once Tom stopped trembling, Kade gently slipped

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

He gave a full body shudder when slender fingers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A warm, wet mouth wrapping around his cock’s

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

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

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

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

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

He tried to hold on, to prolong the agonizing

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

Once he regained some semblance of control, he

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

He brought the spunk to his own mouth and sucked

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

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

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

Worrying that doing that would freak Tom out, Kade

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

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

In return, Kade tackled Tom and sucked his cock

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Chapter Nine

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

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

Kade thought about the right-for-position challenge

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

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

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

The nap did wonders for his energy levels, and after

the sixteen ounce rare steak he grilled himself for

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

After parking on a service road, Kade headed into

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

He arrived in a large clearing and spotted Carson

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

Striding over to them, he greeted Phillip and Kyle

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

The two men laughed, although Kyle rolled his eyes.

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

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

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

Barking out a laugh, Kade slapped him on his back

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

“Hey, congratulations!” both men offered at the

same time.

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

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

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

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

“What about the closet?” Carson asked, joining

them.

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

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

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

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

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

Kade?”

Kade spun around and quickly inclined his head,

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

He immediately dropped to one knee and bowed his

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

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receptive to me, I planned to tell you.”

Declan lifted his hand, giving Kade permission to

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

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

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

Declan move to the middle of the clearing and

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

Kade stepped forward, along with five other men.

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

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

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

Doing as instructed, Kade moved to the edge of the

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

* * * *

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Righteous indignation filled Tom, and he turned his

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

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

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

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

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

night,” the guy said.

Tom found it a bit odd that the guy was dressed

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

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

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

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

McGraw.”

The guy nodded as if he knew him and smiled at

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

“Tom,” he answered automatically as he followed

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

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

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

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

Human?

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

it made him sound like an ignorant idiot.

Raven stopped and looked over his shoulder at him.

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

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

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

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

Twenty minutes later, Raven stopped and listened.

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

Once more, Raven signaled for silence. After Tom

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

Then the other man strode to the middle of the

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

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

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

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

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

The guy leaned close and whispered, “Just wait for

it. You won’t want to miss this.”

Glancing over his shoulder at Raven, Tom frowned.

“Do you know all these people?”

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

been watching them for months. Just watch.”

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

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

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

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

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

amongst us and most humans never even know.”

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

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

“They prefer to be called shape shifters. They claim

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

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

know about them?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

Unease worked through Tom. “Why are you telling

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

should he?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Raven chuckled low in his throat, the sound easily

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

“What?” Tom had showered before going to the

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

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

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

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

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

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anything a wolf would do in the wild.

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

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

With the fighting done, the wolves changed shape

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

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

hopes for a quick escape.

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

replied far too cheerily.

Tom took a step away from the man, whose eyes

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

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

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

Tom let out a startled squawk as Raven shoved him

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

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

“What are you doing here?”

Working through his options quickly, Tom knew his

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

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

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

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

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

Tom really wished he could, but Raven shook his

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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here.”

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

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

Kade growled and stepped toward him, giving Tom

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Chapter Ten

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

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

When gunshots echoed through the trees, Kade

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

He spotted a massive snake coiled nearby. The

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Before he could think up a response, the massive

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

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

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

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

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

Following his alpha’s orders, Kade strode through

the forest to where they’d parked. Manon followed

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

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

truck,” he added, pointing.

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

Your garage?”

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

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

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

guy strode away.

For a second, Kade wondered about the shifter. He

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

Focusing on his task, he settled Tom’s unconscious

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Manon gave him a sympathetic smile, his dark eyes

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

Kade appreciated the subject change. He grinned,

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

The other shifter shook his head, his dark hair falling

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

Spotting the shadow that passed over the man’s

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

Manon saw his hesitation and lifted his shoulder in a

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

Kade nodded, understanding. “I felt the same about

the military,” he admitted.

Manon gave him a toothy grin. “Mother die in

arms?” he teased.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

about how I got here.”

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

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

“I saw everything. The whole fight. Raven explained

a lot.”

Charlie Richards

* * * *

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

Kade’s question sounded like it had been ripped

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

Ignoring Kade’s question, he crossed to the kitchen

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

He returned to the living room and the waiting

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

Kade remained where he was on the other side of the

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

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

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

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

so far?”

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

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

Downing the rest of his drink, Tom forced himself to

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

“You know I would never hurt you?” Kade

murmured, rising from the sofa.

Charlie Richards

Tom couldn’t help his tension as Kade approached,

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

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

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

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

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

From the corner of his eye, he saw Manon shaking

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

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

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

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

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

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

now, let me handle this.”

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

hand.

Kade refocused on Tom. “Yes, my instant attraction

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

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

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

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

muddied with lust.

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

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

The warm breath across his skin sent a shiver down

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

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from Raven?”

Kade frowned and dropped his gaze. “One of my

pack-mates attacked Raven from behind.”

Confusion filled him. “Why would he do that for

me?”

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

anything? What’s it to him?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

got together.” It made perfect sense now.

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

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

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

African American is your leader?”

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

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

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

reassuring.”

“Relax,” Kade crooned.

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

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

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

“We do have a pack beta. His name is Shane Alvaro.

No omega, at least not in Declan’s pack. Our alpha
refuses to let shifters in his pack treat one member like
shit just because he’s submissive.”

Tom frowned, uncertain how to take that

information. He could feel his brain starting to shut
down, so tried to figure out what he needed to know
right away. “Two more questions. What were you
fighting for? And what does it mean, other than that we
can’t seem to stop touching each other, that we’re
mates?”

Kade chuckled. “Excellent questions. First, there are

pack enforcers. Carson is the head enforcer, and for a
long time he was the only one. Recently, Declan
decided his pack was large enough to have a couple
more, so he asked a number of his more dominant
wolves if they’d be interested in the position. The fight
you witnessed tonight was to earn the right to be one of
the two new enforcers.”

Tom could hear the pride in Kade’s voice and

smiled. “So, you won the right to be an enforcer?” Kade
nodded. Tom pointed at Manon. “And he’s the other
one? I saw you both shift back after the fight,” he
admitted, fighting a blush as he remembered the two
men’s nakedness.

Manon chuckled, which earned him a growl from

Kade. Manon shook his head. “I’ve no cause to poach,
mon ami. Your mate obviously cares for you.”

“And the mate thing?” Tom murmured, redirecting

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Kade’s attention to himself.

Kade cleared his throat. “Well, my wolf and I really

want to claim you,” he admitted, and to Tom’s surprise,
he noticed a slight flush working its way up the sexy
man’s neck. “I do that during sex,” Kade whispered, his
jaw clenching and unclenching. “When that happens,
the saliva from my claiming bite will mix with your
human biology and extend your lifespan to match mine.
My wolf and I will want to keep you near.” Kade
finally met Tom’s gaze. “I want you to move in with
me. If we need to find a place halfway between Stone
Ridge and Colin City, I’d be open to that.”

Tom’s jaw dropped. Somehow, he’d known he’d get

a serious info drop from one of those two questions. He
swallowed. One thing caught his attention. “You want
to bite me? I, uh, would I become a shifter, too?”

Kade shook his head quickly. “No. You have to be

born a shifter. A human can’t be turned into one.”

A throat clearing caught both their attention, and

they looked toward Manon. The shifter grimaced. “Not
entirely true, mon ami. Take Lyle for example.”

Tom lifted his brows when Kade shook his head.

“That was a special case.”

“What was?” Tom couldn’t help asking.
Kade eased back on the couch. “Lyle is a detective

who was captured and experimented on by the scientists
Raven spoke of, without Lyle’s permission. He almost
died, but was saved by the mate of a panther shifter.
The human was changed into a monitor lizard shifter,”
Kade admitted.

“Wow,” Tom whispered, uncertain how else to

respond to that.

The Wolf Biker’s Mate

“I wouldn’t let that happen to you,” Kade

immediately snarled. “We have people with inside
information now. People who can help us free anyone
kidnapped.” Kade stiffened, realizing what he’d
insinuated. “Not that I’d ever allow you to be taken by
them!”

Tom lifted a hand, stalling any more reassurances.

“Hey, easy. It’s okay,” he whispered.

Kade’s expression brightened. “Then you’ll let me

claim you?”

Tom’s face flamed, and he cleared his throat. “Uh,

yeah.” He glanced furtively at Manon, not certain he
wanted to be having this conversation in front of
another. “Yeah, I guess,” he added upon seeing Kade’s
pleading look.

Evidently, Manon picked up on Tom’s nerves,

because the shifter rose from his chair. “Well, I’ve an
errand or two to run. How about I bring back some
supper in a couple hours, oui?”

“Thanks,” Kade responded without taking his gaze

from Tom.

Manon chuckled and jingled Tom’s keys. “I’ll be

takin’ the car then. See you in a while.”

With the slamming of the door, Tom realized he was

now alone with a man, a shifter, who had every
intention of claiming him, which had to happen during
sex. Tom fixed his gaze on Kade and saw the lust in the
big man’s green eyes. He gulped, anticipation zinging
through his veins.

Charlie Richards

Chapter Eleven

ade licked his lips, his mind running rampant
with all the things he wanted to do to Tom now

that the truth was out there and he’d been accepted. But
he could see Tom’s nerves surfacing in the way he
twisted his fingers in his lap, and his gaze looked at
Kade and then danced away again.

Lifting a hand, Kade cupped Tom’s jaw. “I want

you, but I can wait if you’re not ready,” he murmured.

Tom shook his head, and Kade forced himself to

accept the human’s decision. He eased back on the
couch, hoping he had enough control to just hold the
man. “No,” Tom said softly, touching Kade’s lips
gently. “I don’t want to wait. I know we haven’t known
each other long, and maybe I’m accepting everything
too easily, but with you, I finally feel like I can be
myself.” Tom rose to his knees and straddled Kade’s
lap.

His hands immediately went to Tom’s ass as he

watched the man work through what else he wanted to
say. Kade flexed his fingers, enjoying the way the firm
globes fit in his palms. His cock twitched in his sweats,
and he struggled against the low growl that wanted out

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of his chest at the feel of Tom’s firm shaft pressing
against his own.

“I like it. A lot,” Tom whispered breathily. His mate

rocked against him, rubbing their erections together
more firmly. A blush worked up Tom’s neck, and Kade
desperately wanted to rip off the man’s shirt and see
how far down the redness went. “I’ve never—never
done this before,” Tom admitted. “Will it hurt?”

Kade’s heart swelled. Just the idea that he would be

the only one to touch his mate like this had a shiver of
anticipation working through him. Unwilling to lie to
Tom, he stated, “The first time can be painful, but I’ll
prepare you as much as possible to keep that to a
minimum.”

“Okay,” Tom replied.
The trust in his voice went straight to Kade’s heart,

making it swell with affection and love. For a second,
he buried his face against Tom’s neck and just relished
that notion. It’d been so long since he felt love for
anyone other than his family.

After letting out a slow breath, he placed gentle

sucking kisses against Tom’s neck. He massaged Tom’s
ass and pressed his fingers into the man’s cleft where
the cloth of Tom’s slacks covered his hole. Once the
man melted against him, moaning his pleasure at the
soft touches and kisses, Kade heaved them both off the
couch.

Tom let out a squeak of surprise and wrapped his

legs tightly around Kade’s hips. Kade moved one hand
from Tom’s ass to wrap it tightly around his waist. He
had no intention of dropping his mate anywhere but on
a bed. “Which room, babe?” he asked, moving toward

Charlie Richards

the hallway.

“Second on the left,” Tom murmured.
Kade almost stumbled when his human drew his

earlobe into his mouth and sucked strongly. Tom’s
hands clutched at his shoulders and he tried to rock his
hips against him as Kade walked. From the aroused
scent coming from Tom, Kade knew he wasn’t the only
one desperate for their coupling.

“Tom,” he growled in warning, and he quickened his

pace. He slammed the door shut with the heel of his
foot. He dropped the man on the bed, pleased by the
way Tom’s eyes snapped open to pin him with a heated,
lust-filled look.

Kade wasted no time slipping Tom’s shoes and

socks from him. When he reached for the enclosure on
Tom’s slacks, his blood heated further when he saw
Tom undoing the top couple buttons of his shirt. He
wriggled his hips, helping Kade pull his slacks and
underwear down his legs even as he slid the shirt over
his head.

Once his mate was gloriously naked, sprawled

across the bed, Kade paused and stared at the man. The
pale skin of Tom’s sexy runner’s build called to Kade.
He wanted to mark it with love bites, so even humans
would know this man was taken.

Tom moved restlessly on the comforter, and Kade

swallowed hard as he palmed his cock through his
sweats and squeezed. He knew he needed to get hold of
himself so he didn’t go too fast with his lover. He
needed to take care of him, not maul him. Those
thoughts had him sobering enough to feel he was ready
to strip his sweats and crawl onto the bed.

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100

His mate watched him as Kade leaned over and

opened the nightstand drawer. He grunted with pleasure
upon seeing the tube of lube. Then he spotted an
unopened box of condoms. Kade held it up and grinned,
the question in his expression.

Tom blushed. “It’d been a while before I dated

Patricia and I couldn’t seem to bring myself to…” his
words faded and he shrugged one bare shoulder.

Not liking how uncomfortable he’d managed to

make his mate, Kade tossed the box back in the drawer
and said, “Shifters can’t get or pass on diseases, my
mate. You’ll never have to worry about condoms
again.”

Tom’s eyes widened in surprise, but a shy smile

curved his lips. “Okay,” he whispered.

He tossed the lube onto the bed and crawled over the

man. Kade settled his larger frame over Tom’s and
pressed a soft kiss to the man’s lips. “It’s been a while
for me, too,” he whispered, “And I want to make this
good for you. Just let me take care of everything.
Okay?”

His breath catching in his throat, Tom buried his

hands in Kade’s hair. He used the hold to bring Kade’s
head down for another kiss, and Kade didn’t fight him.
Tom swept his tongue into Kade’s mouth, and Kade
sucked on it gently. Tom’s moan had some of his
control slipping, and Kade let his hands roam over the
firm flesh of the man beneath him.

Tom spread his legs wider, and Kade settled into the

vee of his body, allowing their cocks to rub together.
His mate gasped, his smaller body bucking up against
him. Kade let out a grunt of his own and reached for the

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101

lube. There was no way he’d be able to hold on much
longer. He needed inside his mate, and soon.

Shifting slightly, he continued to kiss Tom, taking

control and sweeping his tongue deeply into the man’s
mouth. Reaching a hand between them, Kade rubbed
the tender skin behind Tom’s balls.

Tom mewled and Kade swallowed the man’s needy

sounds, feeding Tom some of his own. He broke the
kiss for a second to murmur, “Just relax,” before diving
back in. He rubbed a lubed finger over Tom’s taint, not
pressing, just touching. He felt Tom stiffen slightly,
then hands clutched his shoulders as he tilted his pelvis
and tried to relax.

Kade pressed one finger into Tom’s hole, just to the

knuckle. He stilled, letting Tom get used to the feeling.
When the tight ring of muscle relaxed a bit, Kade slid
his finger in farther, held still for several heartbeats,
then pulled it out.

He continued to work his mate slowly open with his

finger as he started kissing his way along Tom’s neck,
over his shoulders, and down his chest. Tom’s body
bowed under him when Kade latched onto his nipple.
He used the distraction to add a second finger. Tom
grunted at the added pressure. Kade crooked his fingers
and searched for the spongy gland buried in Tom’s
channel.

When Tom arched off the bed, shouting his pleasure,

Kade knew he’d found it. Then Tom shuddered, the
hands gripping his shoulders, squeezing hard, and warm
cream splattered against Kade’s chin. Lifting his head,
Kade stared down at his mate in surprise. He rubbed
Tom’s gland again, encouraging more pleasure to flood

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102

his mate’s body, heightening the man’s orgasm.

Before Tom’s ragged pants could even out, Kade

licked up the cum cooling on Tom’s chest, loving his
man’s salty taste. He stroked his tongue over his
softening shaft and delved his tongue into the slit,
probing for more creamy goodness. Tom moaned,
writhing under him, and Kade settled his palm over his
stomach to hold him still.

He pulled the man’s dick into his mouth, sucking

gently on the sensitive skin, pleased when Tom began
to firm back up. Kade worked a third finger into Tom’s
channel, his own cock leaking pre-cum. Fighting his
desire to rut against the bed, knowing he was too close
to losing it, Kade stared up at Tom through his lashes.

“Please,” Tom whispered. “I need—”
“I know what you need,” Kade murmured after

letting Tom’s dick slide from his mouth. He pulled his
fingers gently from Tom’s ass, and Tom groaned and
shifted restlessly. Grabbing the lube, he slicked up his
cock as he crooned reassurances to his mate.

“Now. Take me now,” Tom pleaded.
Kade lined up his dick to Tom’s entrance and smiled

down at him. “Bossy little thing, aren’t you,” he teased,
making Tom huff in annoyance. Kade used the
distraction and pressed forward, popping the crown of
his dick past the loosened guardian muscles.

Tom tensed beneath him and his channel clenched

down on him. He grunted from the intense pressure,
fighting his urge to thrust into the hot, tight grip. “Just
breathe, sweetheart,” he whispered, resting his forehead
against Tom’s. “You need to relax, Tom,” he urged. “I
don’t want to hurt you.”

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103

Nodding against him, Tom let out a breath. “Feels

odd,” he said.

“It’ll get better,” Kade promised. To his relief,

Tom’s anus relaxed, and Kade pushed forward. He
didn’t stop until he was buried balls deep, his testicles
resting against his mate’s crack. It took every ounce of
self-control he had left, but Kade froze in place and
waited, waited for his mate’s signal that it was okay to
move.

It didn’t take long, for which Kade was incredibly

grateful. He felt Tom shift beneath him, grunting in
what sounded suspiciously like frustration. Kade
pressed a kiss to Tom’s lips, then stared intently at him
as he slowly slid his shaft halfway out of the man
before gliding back in.

Tom’s eyes rounded, his mouth ohed in pleasure as

Kade rubbed across the man’s prostate. Kade smiled,
loving the look of bliss seeping into his mate’s features.
He decided to make it his mission in life to see that
particular look as often as possible. Kade pulled back
and thrust again.

It didn’t take long for his own need to take control of

his movements. His cock throbbed within the hold of
Tom’s body. His spine tingled, heralding his coming
orgasm. Kade felt his teeth ache with the need to sink
them into Tom’s neck. When his balls pulled tight to
his body, he growled gruffly. “May I claim you, my
mate?”

Tom’s eyes widened. “Yesss,” he hissed right before

tilting his head, revealing his neck submissively.

Instantly, Kade struck. He sank his teeth into the

fleshy part of Tom’s shoulder, sucking the sweet life

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104

force of his mate into his mouth, swallowing it down,
binding them together for eternity.

His mate shouted his name. Tom’s cock exploded

between them, coating their stomachs and chests with
his pearly essence. Kade felt Tom’s inner muscles
clamp down on his cock, and it was too much, and not
enough, and then his orgasm overwhelmed him. His
body shuddered as his dick erupted, soaking his mate’s
channel with his seed, making Tom his in a primal way
that pleased Kade even more than the bite on his neck
did.

Pulling his teeth from Tom’s shoulder, Kade roared

his pleasure. He dropped forward, just remembering to
catch himself before crushing his mate. Once he
managed to get his breathing under control, Kade licked
away the blood still oozing from Tom’s shoulder. His
saliva would help the wound heal more quickly, and in
a few days, the mark would be a scar proclaiming to
every shifter that Tom was taken.

As gently as he could, Kade eased his softening shaft

from Tom’s channel. Tom moaned softly, but it wasn’t
an unpleasant sound. Dropping next to him, Kade
pressed a kiss to Tom’s temple. “Gods, you’re
amazing,” he murmured.

Tom snickered. “Glad you feel that way. You’re

kind of stuck with me.”

Kade grinned and cracked an eyelid open to look at

his smirking mate. “Nothing pleases me more than
knowing that.” He grew serious before stating, “You
know I love you, right?”

Tom’s eyes widened. “You do?”
“Oh, yeah. Very much.”

Charlie Richards

105

A smile curved Tom’s lips. “So, when do we start

house hunting?”

Kade levered up onto one elbow and stared down at

his mate. “You’re serious? You want to move in
together?”

Tom nodded and lifted a hand to cup Kade’s jaw.

“That’s what people do when they love each other, isn’t
it? When they’re partners?”

He couldn’t see it on the man’s face, but Kade could

scent Tom’s uncertainty. He wanted to put that to rest.
“Yeah, that’s what partners do.” Then the man’s other
statement caught his attention. “You love me, too?”
God, could he sound any more like a fucking girl?

Tom rubbed his thumb over Kade’s bottom lip, and

he immediately sucked it into his mouth. Tom smiled.
“Yeah. I love you. Fell hard and fast for my tattooed
biker,” he whispered.

“Good,” Kade grunted. He pecked a kiss to Tom’s

lips, then rolled from the bed. “I’ll get something to
clean us up.” He winked. “Then we can nap while we
wait for dinner.”

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106

Chapter Twelve

om rolled over, reaching for the warm body on the
other side of the bed, but he came up empty. Prying

open one eyelid, Tom glanced around the room. The
sheets were cool to the touch, telling him Kade had
been gone for a while. He shoved himself to a sitting
position, his back against the headboard, and rubbed a
hand over his face. A glance out the window showed
the sun was already high in the sky. He’d slept through
the night and then some. “Damn, I must have been
tired,” he grumbled, his voice still tight from sleep. Or
traumatized, but he didn’t want to think about that.

Before he could convince himself to climb from bed

in search of coffee, the bedroom door swung open.
Kade strode into the room, his big body all masculine
power and sensuality. It still amazed him that Kade
wanted him. Who gave a shit what he said about Fate
deciding mates. Tom would take his good fortune.

And good fortune it was, for Kade held up a mug

and quirked an eyebrow. “You ready for coffee?”

Tom held out a hand and wiggled his fingers.

“Gimme,” he ordered.

Kade laughed and handed him the cup. Then he sat

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107

down next to him and kissed Tom’s forehead. Tom
ignored him in favor of taking his first sip. The bitter
liquid flowed across his tongue, laced with just the right
amount of smooth sweetness. “Mmm,” he moaned at
the taste. “How did you know one spoonful of sugar
and a dash of cream?” he asked curiously after finishing
half the mug.

The other man shrugged. “I could tell from your

taste yesterday morning,” Kade admitted. “When I
kissed you before we went hiking.”

“Wow! Really?” Tom couldn’t hide his amazement.

That was some trick!

Nodding, Kade answered, “A shifter has pretty good

taste buds. Our other senses are heightened as well.
We’re stronger than humans, quicker, heal faster.”

“Huh,” he muttered. He took in the tight t-shirt

covering Kade’s chest, wondering where he’d gotten it.
He didn’t recognize the band name on the front, so
knew it wasn’t one of his. None of his would fit Kade
anyway. His gaze riveted to something else. “What
about your piercings?” he asked.

Kade frowned. “What about them?”
Tom licked his lips, remembering what it felt like to

tug the steel bars into his mouth and suck on them. He
shook his head, trying to clear it. “What happens to
your piercings when you turn into a wolf?”

A grin split Kade’s wide mouth, and it was obvious

the guy enjoyed the affect he was having on Tom.
“They’re still there.”

“Can I see?” The request was out before Tom could

think better of it. Did he really want a massive wolf in
his bedroom? From the look of pleased surprise on

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108

Kade’s face, Tom knew it was too late to take the words
back.

“Really?” Kade asked, probably more out of

politeness since he was already drawing the hem of his
shirt over his head. Tom nodded, not trusting his voice
as tattooed skin was revealed before his eyes. Then the
man’s jeans were shoved down his legs, but he didn’t
have time to ogle long, because the man’s shape began
to change.

First he dropped to his knees, then his legs slimmed,

bones cracked, tendons popped, and joints realigned.
Fur sprouted from smooth bronzed skin. Less than a
minute later, a large brown wolf stood in the middle of
his bedroom.

“Wow,” he whispered. Tom gulped, struggling to

control his natural instinct to flee the massive beast in
front of him. “You’re, uh, you’re not going to hurt me,
right? You really are aware when you’re a wolf, right,
Kade?”

The wolf’s head dropped and he sniffed loudly. Then

he dropped his haunches to the floor, his tongue rolled
from his mouth, and his tail thumped on the floor. For
all intense and purposes, Kade looked like a dog asking
for attention.

Swallowing hard, Tom set down his coffee cup and

eased to his knees on the floor. Kade stood and moved
toward him slowly, as if sensing Tom’s trepidation.
Finally, Kade stopped a couple feet in front of him and
waited. Tom reached out a hand and touched him,
surprised to find the animal’s fur softer than he thought
it’d be.

He scratched the wolf’s ruff, then rubbed his head.

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109

Feeling brazen, and a large measure of curiosity, Tom
screwed up his courage and moved his hand to Kade’s
chest. His brows shot up when he felt the metal bar
embedded in the skin under Kade’s fur. Kade growled,
although there was no heat in it.

Tom still withdrew his hand. Holding them both up

in surrender, he grinned. “Couldn’t resist.”

Seconds later, a naked Kade, back in human form,

knelt before him. The man frowned, but amusement
danced behind his green eyes. “Very funny,” he
grumbled, making Tom laugh. “Get over here,” Kade
snapped. The big man grabbed Tom’s wrists and
yanked him against Kade’s naked chest.

The kiss was hungry, possessive, feral as Kade thrust

his tongue into Tom’s mouth. Pressed flat against his
lover, Tom could think of nothing more wonderful than
the feel of his waking shaft rubbing against Kade’s.

Kade reached between them and gripped them both

in a tight hold. “This isn’t going to take long,” he
growled in warning.

Tom mentally agreed. What came out of his mouth

was a moan of pleasure. His hips snapped forward and
back, pushing his cock through Kade’s fist, rubbing
against the other man’s dick. Kade rotated his hand,
squeezing their heads, and flicked his thumbnail into
the slit of Tom’s cock head, all in a manner of a few
seconds. It was too much. His balls pulled tight and his
body jerked. His cock shot stream after stream of seed
as he moaned into Kade’s kiss. Seconds later, Kade
followed him into bliss.

When Tom finally regained awareness, his head had

dropped to Kade’s shoulder. Their bodies were pressed

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110

together, skin slicked with semen. He grunted as he
pushed away from the bigger man. “Holy shit what a
way to wake up. I’m ready to go back to bed now,” he
admitted.

Kade shook his head. “Sorry, sweetheart. It’s nearly

one o’clock in the afternoon. Declan and a few others
are going to be here soon. We need to hop in the
shower.”

Tom groaned, but that was the only protest he made

as he followed Kade into the bathroom.

At least they brought food. Tom sat on the couch, his

body tucked close to Kade’s as they munched cinnamon
rolls and drank coffee. The wolf shifters were talking
about Raven. With help from some non-wolf shifters,
they’d managed to subdue Raven and were now holding
him while they figured out what to do with the man.

Tom wasn’t certain he wanted to know what

happened to the guy.

He glanced around at the men filling his living room.

He already knew Carson, Jared, and Manon, and he’d
been introduced to Declan McIntire, the man’s mate,
Lark, as well as the beta Shane Alvaro. It amazed him
that the wolf shifter alpha was actually gay, and his
people had no problem following him. It was a
testament to the mountain of a man’s strength and
integrity.

Tom had just risen to get the carafe of coffee so he

could refill his mug when the buzzer for his door
sounded. He turned and looked at Kade. “Are you
expecting anyone else?”

Kade shook his head. “No, sweetheart.”

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111

It still amazed him that Kade was so open with his

endearments, not at all concerned with what others
might think that he was gay. Tom hoped he could get
used to it, adopt it even. That thought brought a smile to
his lips and he opened the door. The smile froze. “Dad.
What are you doing here?”

“We need to talk about your marketing ideas before

the Monday ten o’clock meeting,” his father, Harvey
Bristol stated.

He cocked his head. They’d never done that before.

“We do?”

“Yes,” Harvey said, entering without an invitation.

“I don’t like the display for—”

His father’s voice stopped when he saw the room

crowded with men. Tom closed the door and stepped
around his father. “Father, these are my friends.” He
went around the room rattling off names. When he got
to Kade, he paused. His lover’s eyes held understanding
warmth, as if telling him it was okay if Tom didn’t want
to reveal their status yet.

Tom didn’t want to take the coward’s way out. He

held up a hand and motioned toward Kade. “This is my
boyfriend, Kade McGraw,” he said, taking the plunge.
“Everyone, this is my father, Harvey Bristol.”

For a second, his father just stood there, but then he

leveled a hard look toward Tom. “What’s the meaning
of this? You’re not gay,” he snarled.

Kade rose, but Tom lifted a hand, silently telling his

lover that he could handle this. To his relief, Kade
stopped, although he didn’t sit back down. “I am gay,
Father. It’s who I am, and there’s nothing you can do to
change it.”

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112

He watched the older man’s face turn a mottled

shade of red, his gaze sweeping around the group of
men. It was only then that he noticed Lark was curled
up on Declan’s lap. He curled his lip in a sneer and
returned his focus on Tom. “No son of mine is gay,” he
snapped. “You go this route, and you’re done at the
store. You’re fired!”

Tom’s spine stiffened. “You can’t fire me for sexual

orientation. It’s against the law!”

“I’ll find another reason. Don’t you worry,” Harvey

promised, loathing in his tone as he eyed his only son.
There was nearly a minute of silence, where Harvey
obviously thought Tom was going to change his mind
and renounce his earlier statement. Tom fought back a
shiver as he watched his career tank in front of his eyes,
but he had no intention of denying the love he felt for
Kade. Not for anyone, least of all his father, who was
supposed to love and support him no matter what.

“Fine,” Harvey finally snapped. “Clear out your desk

first thing in the morning.”

Harvey was halfway to the door when Jared spoke

up. “You fire your son, and I foreclose on the loan.”

Tom’s father spun, his face once more going red.

“What! You can’t do that! We don’t owe anything for
three months.”

Jared’s lip twisted into a smirk. “Did you forget the

little clause about me approving management? You fire
your son, I can guarantee I won’t approve of any other
marketing director you hire,” he stated languidly before
taking a sip of coffee from his mug.

Damn, I’d completely forgotten about that.
“Why would you do that?” Tom asked, confused.

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113

Jared was lined up to make quite a bit of money on this
deal.

The lithe brunet rolled his eyes. “I’m not in the least

bit altruistic, Tom. I saw your financials. It wasn’t until
after you were promoted to marketing director six
months ago that your store started bringing in a profit
again. If you leave, I pull out.” Jared shrugged, then
focused cold hazel eyes on Harvey. “It’s as simple as
that.”

Harvey looked from Jared to Tom and back to Jared.

His face went from red to purple. Not a good look, and
Tom feared his father was gearing up for another heart
attack. “You manipulative, controlling bastard,” he
snarled.

Jared raised his coffee mug. “Guilty.”
Tom’s brows shot up. Harvey sneered one more

time, then stomped his way out of Tom’s apartment,
slamming the door behind him. Kade was at Tom’s side
instantly, pulling him against him.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. Maybe he’ll come around,”

Kade crooned, trying to sound hopeful.

After pressing a soft kiss to Kade’s lips, Tom smiled

sadly. “He won’t, but it doesn’t matter. I knew he’d
react like this. It was a long time in coming,” he
admitted.

“If he continues to give ye trouble, ye let me know,”

Declan said, drawing attention. “Though technically not
me territory, I’m not without friends in Colin City.”
Declan gave him an understanding smile. “I keep me
own safe.”

“He’ll insult and maybe encourage others to do so,

but he won’t be violent,” Tom said, certain of his

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114

words. “It’s really not in him,” he added with a shrug.
His father really was a follower. His ideas of
homosexuality had been drilled into him by Tom’s
grandfather for decades. It wasn’t going to disappear
just because Harvey’s father had passed several years
ago.

“Well, if that changes, ye have me number,” Declan

still insisted.

Tom nodded, knowing when to give in. “Yes,

Alpha.”

The concession seemed to please the man, and after

a few minutes, the conversation returned to the one that
had been interrupted. Raven. Tom headed to the kitchen
for the carafe of coffee. He stood at the counter, staring
at nothing, and smiled. Seconds later, strong, tattooed
arms wrapped around him from behind. Tom felt a
press of firm lips against his neck and he tilted his head,
offering more room.

He couldn’t ever remember feeling more free, and

damn if it didn’t feel wonderful!

About the Author

Charlie lives on a mini ranchette in Utah with her
husband and furry, four-legged children. She started
writing fantasy when she was eight, and after stumbling
onto her first erotic romance at age nineteen, she
realized her true calling. She now focuses on writing
erotic romance, normally of the paranormal variety,
with heroes and heroines of all kinds. You can often
find her curled up with her laptop and a cup of tea or
glass of wine, creating her next adventure. Charlie
enjoys exploring the mountains on horseback, 4-
wheeler, or motorcycle. Her favorite exercise is
jumping lessons with her Arabian gelding Apache or
her Thoroughbred mare Repo. And she can’t get
enough of sexy highlanders with their kilts and swords.
Right now, she and her muse are working with
dedication on her Wolves of Stone Ridge series and
Kontra’s Menagerie series.

She can be reached at ch.richards2010@yahoo.com
Or visit her at www.charlie-richards.com