Wolves of Stone Ridge 06 - Goading the Enforcer

Jared Templeton returned to Colin City for one reason, to make it through his sister’s wedding.

After that he wanted to return to his home in Massachusetts and go back to his blessed solitude and
his life as an assassin. He didn’t plan on attending a viewing for a deceased mentor, agreeing to help
his shifter friend rescue a blind man, or learning that he had a shifter mate, a male shifter mate. He’d
never been attracted to a man before, but he couldn’t deny that he lusted after this one. And he had no
clue what to do about it, or how he could fit the wolf shifter into his life if he did give in to his
desires.

Carson Angeni is the enforcer for the Stone Ridge wolf pack. He’s followed his alpha’s

commands and obeyed him without question, even to the point of taking lives to ensure the safety of
his pack. When he’s faced with a mate who kills for money, with no remorse and no conscience, he
questions Fate’s choice. How can he accept someone who seems to get his jollies by goading those
around him, not to mention Jared lives halfway across the country? But as he gets to know the man,
Carson learns that there is more to him than Jared’s brash exterior displays. There’s definitely a
connection between them and both have trouble denying it, but Carson can’t accept Jared’s work as
an assassin. And when Carson discovers that Jared knew from the beginning that he was Carson’s
mate, it creates even more tension between them. Can Carson learn to trust his mate while trying to
convince Jared to give up the only life and the only job he’s ever known, to settle with him in Stone
Ridge?

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by Martine Jardin

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Chapter One

ared stared up at his childhood home. Ten years was a long time to stay away, even though he

knew it was for the best. He didn’t want his life as an assassin to touch his parents or sisters. But
when his mother had told him his older sister was getting married, he’d had no choice but to make the
trip to Colin City. Jared took a deep breath and climbed out of his rented Porsche, prepared to put on
the façade of his life.

He hadn’t even reached the porch when the door swung open and Patricia stepped out and rested

her hands on her hips.
“You are so giving me a ride in that!”

Grinning up at his sister, he drawled, “Oh, yeah? Who says?”

He was ready when she screeched and launched off the porch and into his arms. He swung her around
in the air, laughing the whole time. She pecked his cheek before pulling back and grinning. “Welcome
back to Colin City. Hasn’t changed much, has it?”
“Nope, it sure hasn’t,” he replied, setting her back on her feet. “Where are Mom and Dad?” he asked,
his gaze straying to the empty doorway.
Patricia  immediately  sobered,  making  alarm  bells  go  off  in  Jared’s  head.  His  sister  rarely  did
serious,  which  meant  this  was  big.  “Mr.  Giovanni  was  killed.  They  thought  you  were  coming  into
town tomorrow, so they’re at the viewing.”
He  frowned.  “What  happened?”  he  asked  as  he  headed  back  to  his  car  to  grab  his  bag,  already
thinking of what dark shirt he had to go with the black jeans he wore. He was glad he hadn’t checked
into his hotel yet and still had his clothes with him.
She grimaced. “It’s kind of weird, really. The story is he was out jogging and got hit by a car. Hit and
run. The police haven’t arrested anyone though.”
“Well, if it was a hit and run, then they wouldn’t know who it was,” Jared pointed out, dropping his
bag on the dining room table and pulling out a black sweater. He whipped the light blue button-down
shirt he wore over his head and quickly replaced it. Catching Patricia’s expression, he lifted a brow.
“What?”
“Why are you changing?” she asked.
“I  knew  Mr.  Giovanni  growing  up.  I’m  going  to  pay  my  respects,”  he  replied.  He  picked  his  keys
back up and eyed his sister. “Where is it at?”
Letting out a sigh, she said, “Give me a sec and I’ll come, too.”
Five minutes later Jared was back in his car, driving toward Colin City Memorial. Patricia turned to
look at him. “I only saw him a few times growing up. Why did you spend so much time with him?”
“He taught advanced computer courses when I was in high school. He’s the one who helped me get
ahead  and  win  that  technology  scholarship.”  He  grimaced,  knowing  the  man  wouldn’t  approve  of
what he’d ended up doing with his skills, but he could still pay his respects to the deceased. “I kept in
touch with him for a number of years.”
“That was him, huh?”
Nodding,  he  fell  silent,  thinking  how  his  life  had  changed  after  he’d  gone  to  college.  During  his
second  year,  he’d  saved  a  woman’s  life,  taking  the  life  of  her  attacker  in  the  process.  In  his  panic
over what he’d done and afraid of getting charged, he’d hid the body and made it look like the man
had  run  away  instead.  That  had  been  the  first  of  many  deaths  to  dirty  his  hands,  but  the  money  was
good and he really didn’t mind the work as an assassin. He didn’t know what that said about him, but

there it was.
He  pushed  those  thoughts  away.  He  was  on  vacation.  It  was  a  mandatory  vacation,  but  a  vacation
nonetheless.
They arrived at the memorial center and headed into the building, quickly locating the viewing. Jared
stood in line, listening to those around him tell stories of the man. When he reached the side of the
grieving sister, he offered his condolences.
“How did you know my brother?”
Jared reached out and took one of her hands in both of his, offering comfort. “He was my teacher in
high  school,”  he  explained.  “He  tutored  me  and  helped  me  get  a  scholarship.  The  world  has  lost  a
truly great man.”
“Aye,” the man standing next to her replied when it became apparent the woman was too choked up to
answer. “Kyle was a great man. He’ll be missed.”
Releasing  her  hand,  Jared  turned  to  study  the  speaker.  A  large,  shaven-scalped  African  American
with dark brown eyes returned his gaze and Jared had the distinct impression he was being measured.
He nodded, forcing himself to move aside. Then he stepped up to the casket.
Jared’s  eyes  narrowed.  He  was  familiar  with  killing  blows  and  the  marks  they  left  on  a  body.  Mr.
Giovanni’s death was not the result of a hit and run. Although mostly hidden by the suit jacket and tie,
Jared  still  saw  the  thin  discolored  line  around  Kyle’s  neck,  which  told  him  a  completely  different
story. Someone had garroted the man.
“What  the  hell?”  he  muttered,  forcing  his  body  to  get  moving  again.  He  regarded  the  crowd,
wondering if anyone else had noticed the discrepancy. As he strolled toward the bar, his gaze locked
onto a pair of ice blue eyes that stared right back at him.
Sucking in a surprised breath, he raised one brow and lifted his chin toward the bar. He didn’t have
long to wait until the huge blond appeared next to him. “Tanis,” the other man growled.
“Grady.” Jared grinned for a second before schooling his features into a more appropriate expression
for attending a viewing while he remembered the mission where he’d met the detective. He’d ended
up sick as a dog in the middle of a foreign country, which allowed some insurgents to capture him. If
it hadn’t been for the man next to him, he would have been killed. He spotted his sister headed toward
him, leading his parents and turned to the man who’d rocked his world by shape-shifting into a tiger.
“Better call me Jared here,” he murmured quietly. “And hit and run my ass.”
He spotted the flicker of amusement in Grady’s eyes before the shifter could hide it. “Jared then and
you’re right.”
Patricia  draped  a  wrist  through  Jared’s  arm  and  smiled  coyly  up  at  the  big  detective.  “Hello,
Detective Stryker. My brother’s not in trouble, I hope.”
Jared wanted to roll his eyes, but resisted the urge. First, this was in no way the place to flirt. Second,
the man didn’t look like he played for the other team, but Jared knew Grady was gay. His sister was
barking up the wrong tree.
Grady gave a respectful nod. “Of course not, Miss Templeton.” Before he could say more a slightly
heavy man with steel gray hair pulled into a queue that ran down his back stopped beside Grady and
wrapped  a  proprietary  arm  around  his  waist.  Grady  smiled  fondly  at  the  man  and  the  gray-eyed
stranger’s face made something click in Jared’s memory.
Two months ago, he’d done research for Grady on a Doctor Gordon Digby, a psychiatrist. He’d sent
his tiger friend most of the information he’d located, but kept a few details to himself. Like a recent
picture he’d located as well as a few details of the man’s—shifter’s—likes and dislikes. He hadn’t
thought it pertinent at the time. Now he knew he’d been mistaken.

He  ignored  his  sister’s  surprised  gasp  and  stuck  out  a  hand.  “I’m  Jared  Templeton.  You  must  be
Doctor Gordon Digby. I’ve heard so much about you. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
Gordon’s  brows  shot  up  and  he  glanced  at  Grady  before  taking  Jared’s  hand.  “Nice  to  meet  you,
Jared. I’m afraid I can’t say the same.”
Grinning, he shrugged. “Can’t say I’m too surprised. Not much to say about me really.”
Grady snorted, quickly covering it with a cough.
“I’m in town for my sister’s wedding. I hope we can catch up,” he said to the detective, letting his
hazel eyes meet Grady’s for a second, requesting information and offering aid at the same time.
For a second, he didn’t think the big man would take him up on his offer, but then Grady wrapped an
arm  around  Gordon’s  shoulders  and  grinned.  “Sounds  like  a  plan.  We’re  playing  poker  tomorrow
night at my buddy’s place. I’ll text you the address if you’re available.”
Jared smirked. “You’re texting now? Well, how about that?”
“Yup. I’m moving up in the world,” Grady teased goodnaturedly.
“Will  miracles  never  cease,”  he  quipped  back,  remembering  how  he’d  had  to  bust  Grady’s  balls,
figuratively  of  course,  to  get  the  man’s  promise  that  if  he  ever  needed  anything  he’d  call.  The  tiger
hated technology. After chuckling over Gordon’s snort, Jared grinned and said, “Yeah. I came in early
to make sure I had extra time. You have my number.” He winked at Gordon and added, “I’ll bring the
Hefeweisen.”
As he turned away and greeted his parents, he heard Gordon mutter, “Who is that and how the hell
does he know what kind of beer I like?”
He almost felt bad for causing trouble for the tiger. Almost.
Wrapping his arms around his mother, he said, “Patricia told me where you were. When I heard, I had
to come and pay my respects.”

He didn’t think they were really going to play poker, but he’d picked up a twelve pack anyway.

Carefully following the instructions Grady had sent him, he turned his Porsche onto a gravel driveway
and stopped, staring at the ruts and holes. “Well, damn,” he grunted, easing the car forward, doing his
best to avoid bottoming out.

From the state of the driveway, he expected the building to be a rustic little cabin in a weed-

strewn clearing. He couldn’t have been more wrong. The massive lodge with beautiful stone trim
shocked him. He parked next to a truck and headed toward the impressive building.

The door was opened after only a few seconds by a short blond man with vibrant blue eyes. Jared

had never found himself attracted to a man before, but even he had to admit that this guy was cute. He
grinned and held out a hand. “Hello, handsome. I’m Jared Templeton. Grady invited me,” he said.

The man took the hand and chuckled. “I’m Lark and don’t let Declan hear you say that to me.”

“Too late. I heard,” an accented voice snarled.
He  released  Lark’s  hand  and  lifted  it  in  placation,  chuckling  softly.  “Don’t  worry.  I’m  not  gay,  but
even I can appreciate that your…” he paused, realizing the large man who now had a possessive arm
around Lark’s waist had been at the funeral. He’d assumed he was the sister’s husband or boyfriend.
He’d been wrong. This man oozed alpha male from every pore. “Let me guess. You’re a shifter and
Lark is your mate?”
The  growl  from  Declan  almost  drowned  out  Lark’s  shocked  gasp.  Suddenly,  Jared  found  himself
pinned against the door, an angry two-hundred-fifty pound male holding his throat. “How do ye know
about us? Who the hell are you?”
He  grinned,  flipping  through  the  different  moves  he  could  use  to  break  the  bigger  man’s  hold  and
wondering if they’d work on the shifter. Instead he held out a hand, never breaking eye contact. “I’m

Jared Templeton. You must be Declan McIntire. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
“Whoa! Whoa, Declan, wait!” Grady rushed into view. “I was gonna tell you about Jared earlier, but
it kinda slipped my mind with everything going on,” he said in a rush, resting one hand on Declan’s
shoulder and the other on the man’s arm. “He can help us.”
Declan’s lip curled. “How can this human help us?”
An indignant huff sounded from Lark. “Excuse me, big guy. Human standing right here. Do you want to
sleep upstairs tonight?”
Slowly, the hand around his neck eased and dropped away. Declan stepped away and pulled his mate
into  his  arms,  a  sheepish  expression  on  his  face.  “Sorry,  baby,”  he  whispered.  He  gave  Jared  one
more scowl before heading into the house.
Grady turned to Jared and shook his head. “Are you trying to get yourself shredded?”
Jared shrugged. “Of course not. How’s Gordon? Is he here?”
“Yeah, he’s in the other room and thanks for your comments last night. It took me an hour to convince
him I’d never fucked you,” Grady muttered, leading the way into a large study.
Laughing, Jared followed.
Twelve  people  crammed  into  the  room  made  the  study  seem  much  smaller  than  it  really  was.  He
already  knew  Gordon,  Lark  and  Declan.  Grady  introduced  the  others.  Travis,  Rainy  and  Cliff
MacDougal—it  didn’t  escape  his  notice  that  Travis  and  Rainy  were  clearly  a  couple—  sat  on  a
leather  couch.  On  an  easy  chair  sat  Shane  Alvaro,  who  Declan  introduced  as  his  beta.  Todd
Abernathy  was  curled  up  in  Lyle  Sullivan’s  lap  in  a  matching  recliner.  Nick  Greely  and  Carson
Angeni sat on another, smaller sofa. The several inches between them told Jared that they were not a
couple. And he made thirteen. Jared grinned. My lucky number.
His  gaze  returned  to  Carson.  With  long  black  hair  framing  classic  native American  features  and  a
bump in his nose telling him it had been broken at least once, add in a firm, tone body, bronzed skin
and piercing brown eyes, the man was truly stunning. He stared unashamedly for a second, watching
Carson stare right back at him. He suddenly found himself reevaluating his earlier statement about not
being gay. In the span of ten minutes he’d found himself appreciating the features of two different men
and this second guy definitely made his prick take notice. Huh, maybe I’m bisexual.
His grin widened further and he turned to where Lark now sat curled up on Declan’s lap. He waved a
hand between them. “Okay, ya got me. Lark is handsome, but this guy’s stunning. He just might make
me  reconsider  my  sexuality,  because  he’s  definitely  fuck-worthy,”  he  finished,  giving  Carson  a
lascivious wink.
Ignoring the shocked silence caused by his rather sadistic sense of humor, Jared settled into a chair
and focused on Grady. “So, since it’s obvious this isn’t really a poker party, why don’t we cut to the
chase?” His gaze turned predatory as he focused on Grady. His lips curved into a malicious smile and
his voice lowered as he asked, “Who do you want me to kill?”

Chapter Two

arson forced his breathing to remain slow and even, refusing to react to Jared’s words. It didn’t

help that the very mention of fucking between them had his dick so hard it hurt. Good thing he wore
loose pants or he’d be hurting.

The second the muscular, light brown haired human had stepped into the room and he’d caught

Jared’s scent, Carson had known. This man was his mate. Then Jared had opened his mouth and all
Carson’s hopes were dashed. Not only was Jared not gay, or even bi, regardless of his barbed words,
he was a damn assassin. What the hell is Fate thinking?

As Declan’s enforcer, Carson spent his life upholding shifter law. How can this happen? What

can I do? He’d looked for his mate for almost seventy years and then to be saddled with this man, a
man with no conscience and an obvious knack for raising ire in others, if the snarled words said by
his alpha while in the hallway that the entire room had overheard, was any indication.

It only took two seconds for Carson to realize that, if he decided he wanted the man, he’d have to

fight not only Jared, but the man’s profession as well. Slowly rising, he wondered if the human would
be worth it. Fate only knew. “Fuck-worthy, huh? What makes you think I’d sully myself with someone
like you?”
That drew Jared’s attention. The human lifted his gaze until he looked Carson in the eye. He had the
audacity to wink. “Oh, I’d be the best lay you ever had, Injun.”

Carson certainly couldn’t argue that. The man was his mate, so of course he’d be the best lay he

ever had, but the Injun comment stung. And it didn’t take a genius to realize that was why he’d said it.
It just confirmed that the human enjoyed riling people. Taking a second, Carson narrowed his eyes
and studied the human. In his line of work, being a good judge of character was essential. He saw
things others often missed, usually able to peg a person’s personality within five minutes of meeting
them. The skill allowed him to quietly advise his alpha of possible problems in the pack.

Still, Carson almost missed the wary gleam in Jared’s eyes that made him realize the man didn’t

really mean anything by his comment. It was his mate’s way of keeping people away. He kept his face
impassive as understanding dawned. The human just may care about others after all. Jared just
couldn’t show it.

A small smile curved Carson’s lips. In the next second, he grabbed Jared’s shoulders, hauled him

to his feet and pinned him to the wall with his body. “I doubt you could handle me,” he growled.

He slammed his lips down on his mate’s, knowing instinctively that he’d surprised the man and

that didn’t happen often. Jared probably didn’t expect him to willingly demonstrate his sexuality in
front of all these people, but these were his pack-mates and he knew they had his back no matter what.

When Jared moved his hands to Carson’s shoulders, presumably to push him away, Carson

grabbed the man’s wrists and pinned them to the wall above his head. Then he pried the man’s mouth
open with his lips and tongue and sank into the warm, wet heat. An explosion of masculine flavors hit
his senses and Carson growled low in his chest in appreciation of Jared’s unique taste.

Seconds later, he felt Jared’s tongue begin to duel with his as the man fought for dominance even

while pinned to the wall. It took everything in Carson to keep from rutting against his mate. Instead, he
kept his hips away from Jared’s body, hiding his obvious desire for the human.

They came up for air, both of them panting. Jared somehow managed to find his tongue first.

“Well, all that proves is you can kiss, Injun,” he teased. “I’ve found that plenty of great kissers suck in
bed.”

Carson growled, not wanting to hear about his mate’s other bed partners. Before his lust-infused

manage to compose a thought, Declan “Enough. We’re here to plan a rescue for compare dick sizes.
Carson, sit down!”

Releasing Jared, who still grinned like a loon, he returned to his seat. Jared did the same, openly

adjusting a nice sized erection. When Carson glanced down at it and then back up to his face, Jared
winked again.
“Carson, tell us what ye’ve learned,” Declan ordered.

Tearing his stare away from Jared, Carson swept his gaze over the others in the room, seeing

expressions that ranged from curiosity to amusement. Giving himself a mental shake to refocus on the
purpose of their meeting, he eased forward in his seat and rested his forearms on his knees. “The
complex is three times what we originally thought. There are three levels underground, in addition to
the one we can see.”

He picked up his laptop and pulled open a file as he spoke. “The ground floor is offices and

conference rooms, nothing to raise suspicion if authorities were to check the place out.” He swung his
laptop around so the others could see. “In this office here, which is occupied by the senior accountant,
there is a sliding panel hiding a door to an elevator.

“The first underground floor is comprised of labs. The brain could commanded,
Dagus, not second and third are made up of exam rooms, cells and cages.” He twisted his lips in

disgust as he said the words. His stomach churned. “Currently, Dagus is being held in one of these
cells on the east wing of the second floor.”
“Who’s Dagus?” Jared asked mildly.

“He’s the brother of a friend,” Carson snapped, irritated at being interrupted.

Jared cut in again. “And what do you want with him?”
Grady answered, “We need to rescue him. This building is owned by a company called the Crystal
Lake Corporation. They’re a research company, but what they research on the sly is how to combine
shifter DNA with human. The shifters are held against their will,” Grady growled. “Dagus is a human
they took to trade for one of their own that we are holding. We want Dagus out and don’t want to give
up Miach. He’s too valuable a resource if we can get him talking.”
That had Jared’s brow lifting, but he only asked, “Got a picture?”
“I’ll find you one,” Grady replied.
Jared nodded.
Lifting  a  brow  as  he  watched  Jared,  Carson  waited  to  see  if  he  had  any  other  questions.  He  got  a
smirk and a wave of his hand for his trouble. He fought against the urge to roll his eyes and returned
to his monitor. “The security is tight. Employees have pass-cards they scan, logging when they enter
and  leave  the  building.  Guests  must  have  an  appointment.  Even  pizza  delivery  is  monitored,”  he
added dryly.
“To access the hidden elevator, there’s a fingerprint scanner, along with the pass-card and they must
match. Now, we have a contact on the inside who is willing to get us in the building, but since Pascal
Ignoto is an accounting assistant, he doesn’t have access to the elevator.” Carson ran a hand through
his long black hair, feeling the frustration welling again. “We don’t yet have a way of getting the door
open so we can reach the elevator once we’re inside.”
Jared leaned forward, his scent intensifying as he closed the distance between them and stared at the
map. “What is this?”
Carson  had  trouble  focusing  on  the  man’s  words,  let  alone  what  his  mate  pointed  at  and  he  felt
grateful  that  the  laptop  hid  his  twitching  erection.  Looking  at  the  screen,  he  spotted  the  box  Jared

pointed at and answered. “It’s an air vent.”
“How big is it?”
“Uh,  let  me  see,”  he  replied,  swinging  his  computer  back  around  and  flipping  through  a  few  more
schematics. “Fortyeight inches by eighteen inches.”
“I can get through that.”
His head jerked up. “What?”
Jared  had  the  audacity  to  grip  the  laptop  and  pull  it  closer.  “Right  here  it  connects  to  the  elevator
shaft. I can slide through the vent system and—”
“No,” he interrupted quickly. “It’s way too narrow. You could get stuck.” There was no way in hell
he wanted his mate trying to squeeze through that.
Jared’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t think that’s your decision, Carson.” He relaxed back in his seat and
looked around the group. “The only other man in this room that could possibly fit is Lark and I’ve got
a funny idea that Declan isn’t letting his mate anywhere near this place.”
“Ye’re right about that,” the big alpha growled.
Grinning, Jared said, “You didn’t have a way into the elevator and I just gave you one. In fact, I have
the computer skills to rewire the damn thing so we can use it without cutting out someone’s eyeball.
There’s no reason to refuse me. Besides, I’ve been in tighter places than that,” he scoffed.
Carson had to fight back his initial reaction, to confess that the man was his mate and he didn’t want
him putting his life at risk. Instead, he turned his head and stared at Declan. “Then we have a way into
the elevator,” he said, but he couldn’t hide the tension in his jaw and he knew Declan noticed. He’d
have some explaining to do later.
They made plans to enter the facility the day after next, knowing they’d need a little time to schedule a
last  minute  meeting  with  their  contact.  As  much  as  Declan’s  decision,  prompted  by  Grady’s
suggestion, to send Jared into the meeting alone irked him, Carson had to admit that Jared would be
the least likely to raise suspicions, since he wasn’t familiar to people in the area and he was familiar
with covert operations. They wouldn’t know his face.
After sending all the information they had to Jared’s secure email so he could study it over the next
day, Carson wanted to jump out of his skin. He couldn’t touch the man, since Carson wasn’t certain he
wanted to try to pursue him. On the other hand, the kiss notwithstanding, he wasn’t even certain Jared
would welcome his advances. There were a lot of hurdles and he needed time to think. To do that, he
needed space away from the man.
He put away his laptop and left Jared talking with Lyle, Grady and Gordon. Before he could make a
clean get-away, his alpha caught up with him.
“Come  with  me,”  Declan  ordered,  leading  the  way  into  the  empty  living  room.  Carson  swallowed
hard as he watched his alpha pace for a moment. After a moment, Declan turned toward him and said,
“That  was  quite  a  display  ye  made  before  the  meeting  started.  I’ve  never  seen  ye attack  someone
quite like that. Care to explain?”
Carson cleared his throat and ran a hand through his long hair before confessing, “He’s my mate. It
was a little hard to…focus.” He hated having to admit that.
That had Declan’s brows lifting. “And yet ye were just about to leave without speaking with him. I
know that he knows about shifters and mating, so why is that?”
“Because I haven’t decided if I’m going to pursue him,” he answered honestly. “I need time to think.”
“Not certain?” Declan’s glare surprised Carson. “What aren’t ye certain about?”
“He’s an assassin… And straight,” he objected.
Declan crossed his arms over his powerful chest and stared at him for several long seconds. Carson

forced  himself  not  to  squirm  under  his  alpha’s  knowing  gaze.  “He  didn’t  appear  too  straight  to  me
when ye both were making out in me study.”
He couldn’t stop the flush that worked up his neck. “It shouldn’t have happened.” The softly spoken
words nearly tore out his heart, but there it was and under his alpha’s watchful gaze, he kept talking.
“I’m  not  sure  I  want  to  try  to  turn  a  self-professed  straight  man  into  my  mate.  Besides,”  he  added,
“could I learn to trust a guy like that to give up women for me?” he asked, rubbing a hand over his
face. “I mean, he’s an assassin. His life is cloaked in lies and death. I’m your enforcer. I don’t—”
“Ye’ve dealt yer own killing blows, Carson,” Declan cut in gently. “And since many times it was at
my  behest,  how  does  that  make  ye  different?”  Before  he  could  reply,  Declan  held  up  his  hand.  “I
understand about the lies and the problem about him giving up women. He’s a human and they don’t
always feel the same pull we do.” He wrapped a big hand around Carson’s shoulder and squeezed.
“Ye do have a lot to think about, me friend. Going after yer mate could be life changing for ye. Take a
day. Decide if it’s worth it.” He smiled. “Ye have me support either way.”
Carson  nodded,  relieved  that  his  alpha  understood.  He  pulled  open  the  door  and  stepped  into  the
chilly night air.
“Just remember one thing,” Declan said, causing him to turn back and look at him. The big man stared
at him hard before whispering, “Ye only get one.”
Carson  watched  his  alpha  disappear  into  the  house,  feeling  more  confused  than  he  could  ever
remember.

Chapter Three

ared stood in the shadows of the darkened hallway and watched Declan escort Carson to the door.

Their murmur of words after they’d stepped outside made it impossible for him to hear what else was
said. He probably shouldn’t have eavesdropped on their conversation, but he couldn’t help himself.
The habit was too ingrained to stop just because he wasn’t on a job. He smirked. Well, technically,
now I am on a job. So much for a vacation.

The smile faded just as quickly as he remembered the two men’s conversation. So, Carson thinks

I’m his mate. That put an interesting spin on things, didn’t it? He didn’t blame the man for not jumping
him and trying to claim him. Jared couldn’t really even tell himself how he’d respond to that. He’d
admit that the kiss was hot, but he’d never been interested in a guy before. What was it about Carson
that drew him? Huh. Mate-bond, maybe?
“Hey, what are you doing?”

Grady’s voice had him spinning. He hadn’t even heard him approach, which told Jared just how

out of it he’d been. Jared stared at his friend, searching for an answer. Is Grady my friend? Maybe.“I
think we need to talk,” he finally said. “Is there a pub nearby? I’d like to buy you and Gordon a beer.”
That had Grady’s brows lifting. “Sure. It’s a bit out of your way though. The closest one is in Stone
Ridge, which is fifteen minutes in the other direction.”

“No big deal,” he said, shrugging. “I’m a night owl, so a long drive in the dark won’t be an issue

for me.”
“If you’re not expected anywhere, you can crash in our spare bedroom,” Grady offered, leading the
way back to Gordon.
“Maybe,” he replied, know if he could sleep trusted the tiger, he wasn’t quite so comfortable with the
man’s mate.
He watched Grady greet Gordon with a deep kiss and found himself wondering what it would be like
to be in a committed relationship. His work had never made such a thing possible. He supposed that
meant Carson’s worry was well founded. Why the hell does that bother me so much?
When they walked outside, Gordon let out a long, low whistle. “Damn. Nice ride!”
Jared grinned. “Yeah. What can I say? I’m a car snob. I always special order something when I’m not
at home.”
“Where do you call home, Jared?” the big man asked.
“Boston,”  he  answered.  “I  went  to  college  there  and  liked  it  so  much  that  I  had  to  buy  a  place  just
north of there.”
“Follow me,” Grady said and Jared lifted his hand in acknowledgement.
To  his  surprise,  they  never  reached  the  town.  Grady  pulled  his  truck  into  the  driveway  of  a  small
house  and  shut  the  vehicle  off.  Stepping  from  his  car,  Jared  took  in  the  two  story,  darkly  painted
home, wondering what the man was up to. He obeyed warily when Grady motioned for him to join
him on the porch.
Grady must have noticed his tension, damn cop instincts, because the man grinned and leaned against
the railing. “Sorry for the change of plans,” he said when Jared got close enough, his voice carrying
softly on the evening wind. “It unwilling to commit. He didn’t in Grady’s home. Although he occurred
to me that one of the reasons we’re using you is because your face isn’t known. I didn’t want you seen
at a bar with me where someone could report our meeting.”
Jared nodded. “I can get behind that,” he said, seeing the sense in Grady’s explanation. Stepping on

the porch and following the tiger shifter into the room, he teased, “Of course, then you’ll miss out on
that free beer.”
The other man laughed, leading him into the small house. “We’ll take you up on it another time.”
He walked through a small foyer and into the living room. Jared glanced around, taking in the large
flat screen TV and a pair of reclining love seats. Hooked to the TV was an impressive sound system.
He  walked  over  to  it  and  looked  closely  at  the  set-up  before  turning  and  grinning  at  Grady.  “Nice.
Like your toys, huh?
Grady laughed. “Not me. That’s all Gordon.”
Gordon walked into the room and grinned. “Can’t watch my soaps without surround sound,” he stated,
handing them each a Bud Light.
For a second, Jared stared at Gordon before he started laughing. “You almost had me there, Gordon.
Good one!” He took a sip of his beer and settled onto one of the sofas.
Laughing  along  with  him,  Gordon  and  Grady  settled  onto  the  other  small  couch.  “It’s  really  for  the
football games,” Gordon admitted. “I’m a diehard Dolphins fan.”
“You’re a little out of your fan area, aren’t you?” Jared teased.
Gordon shrugged, his mirth disappearing. “You know I used to live in Georgia.”
“Ah. Yes,  of  course.”  Jared  nodded.  He  took  another  sip  of  the  beer  before  pinning  his  hazel-eyed
gaze on the big man. “No hard feelings, Gordon. I was returning a debt.” Before the other man could
pry, he said, “So tell me about Carson. He’s part of the…” He paused and grinned. “What do you call
someone important in a pack?”
Grady chuckled. “He’s the pack enforcer and would you be asking about him because you made out
with him?”
Schooling  his  features  into  an  amused  smirk,  Jared  replied,  “It  was  a  very  nice  kiss,  but  no.  I’m
interested  in  the  posturing.  If  it  hadn’t  been  for  the  alpha,  I’m  fairly  certain  he’d  have  refused  my
option out of hand. Why is that?”
“Well, yeah, he’s the one in charge of finding the place’s weakness, so for you to point out an entry so
easily definitely would raise his hackles,” Grady allowed.
Jared  nodded,  wondering  how  much  more  he  could  pry  without  sending  Grady’s  cop  instincts  into
overdrive. He took another swallow of beer, buying time. “Well, I definitely don’t want him thinking
I’m stepping on his toes.” Then he smiled, “Although, riling him was entertaining.”
Rolling his eyes, Grady warned, “Do you really have a death wish? Carson is a formidable enemy if
you piss him off.”
It  was  just  the  opening  he  needed.  “Well,  then  perhaps  I  should  make  certain  he  knows  I’m  not  a
threat. I want to work with him to save Dagus’s life.” He cocked his head, amused at the irony. He’d
come  on  vacation  and  found  himself  in  a  situation  where  he  was  saving  a  life  instead  of  taking  it.
“Where does he live? I’ll find time to visit him in the morning after my tux fitting.”
“Tux fitting?”
Jared grinned. “I did come to town for my sister’s wedding, after all.”
Grady nodded. “Of course.”
Grady rattled off Carson’s address and Jared committed it to memory. They sat and talked for an hour
about the problems they’d been facing with the scientists in the area. Jared found himself seething at
the treatment of the shifters and had to mentally take a deep breath to calm down.
When they offered him a second beer, Jared declined and took his leave. He drove the hour back to
Colin  City,  listening  to  the  soothing  whine  of  the  Porche’s  powerful  engine  as  he  zipped  along  the
curving mountain roads. Even though he’d been offered a room at the house by his parents, Jared had

opted  for  a  hotel.  Sitting  in  the  whirlpool  tub  in  his  suite,  he  booted  up  his  laptop,  checked  his
firewalls and logged into his accounts. A smile curved his lips when he confirmed that he had indeed
been paid by his last employer. It had been a simple job, needing only his customized rifle and scope,
plus a spotter. He’d taken Raul with him, the one man he trusted.
Thinking of his longtime friend, he picked up his phone and dialed. “Hello, Raul,” he teased, hearing
the man’s sleepy greeting.
“Hey, Jared,” Raul grunted. “What the hell do you need at this hour?”
“I’m just confirming that you over-nighted the items I requested,” he replied. Jared grinned and pulled
the phone away from his ear for a moment. Even at a distance of six inches, he could still hear Raul’s
outburst, but at least it didn’t blast his eardrums.
“What the fuck, man? Of course I sent it! Why’d you call at three thirty in the morning for that?” Raul
snarled.  Then  the  man  became  eerily  quiet  for  several  heartbeats  and  Jared  knew  what  his  next
question would be. Predictably, Raul asked, “I thought this wasn’t a job, Jared. What’s going on?”
He blew out a quiet breath. “It isn’t. At least not in the traditional sense,” he amended. “I’m helping a
friend.”
Raul snorted. “You? Helping a friend? I didn’t even know you had any friends.”
That comment made Jared pause and think for a moment. He stared out the window, contemplating the
other  man’s  words.  Raul  was  right.  Other  than  him,  Jared  had  never  claimed  to  have  any  friends.
Although, with his lifestyle it wasn’t surprising, it was still a sobering thought. What made Grady so
different?  Did  these  shifter  creatures  simply  intrigue  him?  Or  was  it  something  else?  Jared  had  no
idea, which suddenly bothered him even more.
Glaring at the phone as if it were the cause of his suddenly sour mood, he sneered. He lifted it back to
his ear and replied, “That’s not  your  concern,  Raul.  Thank  you  for  sending  those  items.”  He  hit  the
end button on his phone and tossed it onto the tile at the foot of the whirlpool tub. Rubbing his temples
with his fingers, he sank into the water up to his neck. Maybe he was just getting too old for this game.
But what the hell else would I do?
No  longer  finding  the  water  soothing,  Jared  rose  and  dried  himself  off.  Tossing  the  towel  over  his
shoulder, he walked naked onto his balcony. Leaning on the rail, he let the chilly mountain air tease
his skin and senses. He let the cold snake around him, calming his irritation. Once he felt more like
himself, Jared walked back inside, crawled into bed and went to sleep.

So, he’d lied about the tux fitting. Jared had brought his own from home. The next morning he

spent with his family, which was an interesting experience. He hadn’t seen them in person in so long
and their lives were so different than his own that it was hard to relate to any of them. He met
Brandy’s fiancé, a decent looking brunet with a bright smile and eyes only for his sister. Jared could
see the love between the pair and he hoped the harsh realities of the world wouldn’t destroy that.

Patricia had arranged for a champagne brunch and he struggled to socialize. Other than his family,

he didn’t know anyone. He could honestly say he’d had more fun in the wolves’ den plotting how to
extract their friend. He sighed, taking a tiny sip from his champagne glass, trying to keep up
appearances. He made a point of never drinking too much, since his job required that he always keep
his wits about him.

“Hey, Jared! There you are,” Brandy called a little too loudly, but he managed not to cringe. She

wrapped her arm through his and started dragging him through the crowd. “I have someone I’d like
you to meet.”

He’d faced down men with guns, ninjas and had even been tortured without backing down, but

when it became clear his sister was leading him toward a woman, Jared felt the unmistakable desire

to run. It suddenly occurred to him that this brunch could be nothing more than an elaborate scheme to
set him up.

“This is Cindy,” Brandy introduced. “Cindy Pritchard. She’s a schoolteacher at the local high

school. I was just telling her about how Giovanni. God rest his afterthought.

Blanketing his expression into a bland smile, Jared reached out his hand and shook Cindy’s hand.

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Pritchard. It was indeed a shame to see Mr. Giovanni pass while still in his
prime.”

“Oh, no,” the woman giggled, before her eyes widened. “I mean, yes, it was a shame about Kyle,

but no, you don’t have to call me Misses. Just Cindy is fine.”

Keeping his expression the same, he nodded. She’s obviously had one glass of champagne too

many.“Of course, Cindy. Did you work closely with Mr. Giovanni? What classes do you teach?” Did
you know he was a shifter? Are you one? He kept those thoughts to himself as he conversed with
Cindy. She really was the opposite of his usual MO for what he looked for in a woman, someone who
knew the score and didn’t expect more than a few hours of mutual pleasure. fond you were of the late
Kyle
soul,” she added, clearly as an

Jared realized the woman was on the prowl for a husband, but even with that knowledge, he

realized he could probably have a few nights of meaningless sex with her and then walk away. She
was attractive, with glossy brown hair, expressive blue eyes and full breasts. Too bad he didn’t feel
even a modicum of attraction to her. In fact, even as he looked at her dark brown hair, his thoughts
conjured up an image of black hair long enough to wrap around his fist so he could hold in place the
head that was attached to the mouth he ravaged as he pounded into the firm body beneath him. His
dick sprang to life faster than it had since puberty and Jared had to fight back a groan as his pants
suddenly became too restrictive.
“What do you think?”

Cindy’s question jerked him back to the conversation. “I’m sorry? My mind wandered. The hotel

beds are definitely not as comfortable as home’s, no matter what their ads say,” he said with a smile.
“What were you asking?”

“I wanted to know if you’d be interested in going to dinner with me this evening. I understand

there aren’t any wedding plans.”

She looked expectantly at him, her blue eyes shining with what could only be hope. Jared

searched his brain for a response that wouldn’t crush the woman but would still get him out of sitting
through a meal with her. To his utter shock, his future brother-in-law saved him the trouble.

“Jared, Brandy said you were over here.” Terry grinned at Cindy. “I’m sorry, Cindy. I just need to

borrow Jared for a few minutes to discuss the bachelor party.”

Jared smiled at Cindy and lied smoothly, “We’ll talk in a bit.” When she was out of earshot, he

glanced sideways at Terry. “Thanks. I haven’t seen my sister in ten fucking years and she tries to set
me up!” he growled.

Terry chuckled. “What can I say? I make her happy.” To his soon-to-be brother-in-law’s credit,

he didn’t seem at all intimidated by Jared’s ire. “She just wants everyone else to be as happy,” he
said cheekily.

Licking his lips, Jared suddenly smiled. “Tell her I’m gay. I’m sure that’ll back her off.”

His brother-in-law froze, stared at him for a second and then shrugged. “Sure, but she won’t believe it
and then I’m gonna say I told you so.”
Jared wasn’t certain if Terry believed him or not, but he smirked anyway. “Let me worry about that.

Chapter Four

arson stepped out of his car and inhaled deeply. He frowned and shook his head. He’d been

smelling his mate all day, even though he knew the man wasn’t around. Even here at home he thought
he detected a whiff of Jared’s scent. It was distracting as hell at work and he needed to get his head
on straight.

Letting out a sigh, he strode up his walk, unlocked his front door and entered his home. A wall of

Jared’s scent nearly had Carson’s eyes crossing as blood raced to his groin and his dick stiffened in
his tan slacks.
“Welcome home, darling.”

The teasing voice had him whirling to the left and Carson found the object of his obsession

sprawled across his couch. Lust bolted through him, followed closely by anger. A snarl tore from his
lips as he stalked toward his mate. His wolf wanted to dominate the man, to teach him who the alpha
in this relationship would be, but Carson reined in that desire. He didn’t know if he would try to
claim Jared and until he made a decision, he refused to flirt with the man.

He leaned over the man, placed both hands on the back of the couch on either side of Jared’s head

and used his body to box him in and get into his personal space. “What are you doing in my house?”
he growled.
Much to his consternation, Jared didn’t seem the least bit intimidated by his display. He grinned up at
him. “I came to apologize.”

“Apologize?” he repeated inanely. The human’s answer left him more confused and even a bit

pissed off that he’d just repeated it like that. He leaned closer until his nose was only inches from his
mate’s. Probably not the best tactic. Trying to focus as Jared’s scent tantalized his senses, Carson
sneered, “Do you break into people’s houses to apologize often?”

Jared’s grin managed to grow. “Actually,” he whispered back, “you have the honor of being the

first person I’ve apologized to in over ten years.” His mate’s eyes sparkled with what only could be
described as mischief. “I also wanted to know if it was a fluke.”

“A fluke?” he asked before he could control his tongue. Carson immediately wanted to smack

himself for once again parroting his mate.

“Yeah.” Before he could move, Jared reached up, tangled his hands in Carson’s long, black hair

and yanked his head down into a demanding kiss. His startled squeak allowed Jared access to his
mouth and his mate plunged his tongue inside, stroking it against his own.

The heat, taste and smell of the human enthralled Carson, just as it had last night. He growled

possessively, before settling his body on top of Jared’s and moving his hands to cup his mate’s jaws.
Carson thrust out his tongue, dueling with Jared’s as they both battled for dominance of the kiss. His
hard shaft throbbed in his slacks and he gave in to the need to rut against the man beneath him.
Rocking his hips forward, he discovered that Jared’s cock was just as full.

Carson managed to tear his mouth away from Jared’s, but he couldn’t still his hips or disguise the

breathy growl as he spoke. “Is this what you wanted to know, Jared?” he snarled, anger filling him
that he’d somehow managed to lose control of his own body. “You wanted to know what it would be
like to kiss a man, to feel his dick pressing against yours?”

Jared grinned cockily. “Never really thought about it before,” he replied with a wink, “but since

you gave me one hell of a boner last night, I wanted to know if it’d happen again.” Jared rocked his
hips up, rubbing his shaft in counterpoint with Carson’s. “Fuck, that’s good.”

His hazel eyes dilated and while one of the hands in Carson’s hair tightened, Jared dropped the

other one to Carson’s hip in an attempt to control the pace.

Carson’s wolf snarled, seeing the move as a fight for dominance. Somehow, he managed to get his

hips to stop moving. He gripped the wrist of the hand at his waist and pinned it to the sofa beside
Jared’s head. Then he reached down and unfastened his slacks. His cock sprang from the open flaps,
the angry purple head already gleaming with pre-cum.

“Commando, interesting,” Jared said after a glance down. His hips rocked a bit and he grinned.

“How about you help me out now?”

Smiling confidently, Carson used a thumb to caress the ridge of Jared’s dick through his jeans.

“Stroke me and I’ll do that.”

Jared hesitated and Carson wondered if he’d see his words as the challenge they were. Finally,

Jared grinned crookedly. “Fair enough.” Still, it took the man a couple more seconds to unwind his
hand from Carson’s hair and wrap his fingers around his cock.

His mate’s warm hand stroking him firmly nearly had Carson shooting right then. His body

shuddered slightly and he had to swallow hard before he could get his fingers to cooperate and open
Jared’s pants and work them low enough to maneuver his mate’s cock through the hole of his boxers.

Unable to resist, Carson scraped the nail of his thumb over the slit of Jared’s cockhead, scooping

up the glittering drop of fluid. He locked gazes with Jared and licked his finger clean. Satisfaction
filled him when Jared’s breathing stuttered for a second, his eyes dilating in arousal before his lids
dropped to half-mast. Carson rocked forward, pressing his aching shaft against Jared’s and
manipulated the other man’s fingers until Jared’s grip encompassed both their cocks.

“Like this,” he growled, settling his hand over his mate’s and showing him how to pump them

both.
When  Carson  started  thrusting  his  hips,  making  his  shaft  slide  against  Jared’s,  the  body  under  him
trembled. Jared’s head dropped against the couch and a low moan escaped his parted lips. “Oh, fuck,
that’s good.”
If  he  hadn’t  been  a  shifter,  Carson  wasn’t  sure  he’d  have  heard  Jared’s  strangled  words.  His  gaze
focused on the man’s neck, beautifully presented for him and he leaned down to lick and nibble the
other man’s tendons as they continued to masturbate both their cocks. His mate’s breathing sped up.
He  rocked  his  hips  in  counterpoint,  creating  delicious  friction.  He  tilted  his  head  further,  giving
Carson more access.
Carson felt his canines tingle and he fought the desire to wrap his jaws around the man’s shoulder and
bite as he scraped them over the fleshy area he longed to sink them into.
“Oh  hell,  yeah,”  Jared  breathed  huskily.  “Feels  so  fucking  fantastic.  Nip  me,  Injun.  Show  me  your
wild side.”
He reared back at the man’s words, his entire body freezing as he stared down at Jared. “What the
fuck did you say?”
Jared’s intense and heated look shocked Carson. Did the human know what he was asking? Then a
slow,  feral  smile  curved  Jared’s  features  and  the  other  man’s  body  bucked.  Carson  found  himself
tumbling unceremoniously to the floor. Shock held him immobile as his backside landed on the throw
rug. A hard body pressed on top of him and he found himself pinned by Jared’s lighter, wiry frame.
Jared’s naked, leaking cock ground against his own, making him groan and thrust up into the delicious
friction. When his mate grabbed his wrists and moved them over his head as he leaned down and bit
into Carson’s neck, his wolf howled in outrage. Carson’s need to dominate his human took control.
Wrapping  a  leg  around  Jared’s  calves,  he  used  his  shifter  strength  to  flip  them.  He  felt  Jared

wriggling beneath him, but refused to release him as he used his claws to shred Jared’s shirt from his
shoulders.  He  prepared  to  give  Jared’s  jeans  the  same  treatment,  but  their  wild  movements  already
had them pushed to Jared’s ankles.
He flipped the human onto his stomach and plastered his body over Jared’s, finally taking a moment
to run his fingers over Jared’s lean, tone body. He rubbed his aching erection against Jared’s ass, his
pre-cum easing the glide as he shoved his dick between the human’s cheeks. “You want wild, do you,
Jared?” he growled.
“I don’t think you can deliver, Carson,” Jared jeered, looking at him over his shoulder.
Carson felt Jared’s knees bend and his legs splay as he bucked under him. The move spread Jared’s
cheeks and his dick sank further between them. A low growl erupted from his throat as he pinned his
mate beneath him and rutted against him for several seconds. Then the man’s words registered and he
snarled. “I’ll give you wild, human,” he growled.
He leaned sideways and fished the lube out from under his couch cushions. The move left him just off
balance enough for Jared’s next buck to knock him sideways.
A low growl escaped him and, lube in hand, he lunged at his mate. Jared landed on his back, grinning
cheekily  up  at  him  as  he  cradled  Carson’s  body  between  his  thighs.  “What  else  ya  got,  Injun?”  he
asked, his hips bucking, but now the move was clearly intended to stimulate and not to get away.
The friction on Carson’s cock, the lusty gleam in Jared’s eyes and the slight tilt of his mate’s head,
giving him just the slightest look of submission, had Carson’s wolf howling with excitement. “By the
time I’m done with you, you’ll be begging me to let you come.” He growled the promise around his
lengthened canines, no longer able to control his wolf’s urge to dominate their pushy mate.
“Not  gonna  happen,”  Jared  denied.  But  then  the  man  let  out  a  low  groan  of  his  own  when  Carson
shimmied down his body and swallowed his cock in wet, sucking heat.
Fingers buried in his hair again, urging him on, but Carson refused to be rushed. He sucked the head
lightly as he tried to use his shoulders to push Jared’s thighs wider, but the man’s jeans impeded his
actions.  He  pulled  off  his  mate’s  cock  with  a  slurp,  ignoring  the  other  man’s  moan  of  protest.  He
grinned  up  at  Jared,  catching  his  eye  for  a  heartbeat  before  he  flipped  the  man  onto  his  knees.  He
draped his body over the other man’s back, rubbing his cock between his legs, nudging the tender skin
behind Jared’s balls with the head of his dick.
Popping the lid on the lube, he poured out a large dollop of the slick onto to his fingers. He put just
enough  room  between  their  hips  to  rub  the  liquid  over  Jared’s  taint.  He  felt  the  man’s  body  tense
beneath  him,  so  Carson  reached  under  them  and  gripped  Jared’s  cock  in  a  tight  hold.  He  stroked
firmly  while  slipping  one  finger  into  his  mate’s  hole.  It  only  took  him  a  second  to  find  Jared’s
prostate and the body beneath him jerked as Jared howled.
“Nice  wolf  impression,”  Carson  teased,  slipping  in  a  second  digit  and  fucking  his  mate  with  his
fingers.
“Fuck you,” Jared growled.
Carson  chuckled.  “Oh,  no.  I’m  going  to  fuck  you,  Jared,  but  not  before  you  beg  me  for  it,”  he
promised.  Jared  shook  his  head  and  Carson  grinned  into  the  nape  of  his  neck.  “Oh,  but  you  will,
human,” he whispered. “You’re going to be trembling, your body burning with need and only I will be
able to quench it.”
Jared  gasped  beneath  him  as  Carson  stroked  his  prostate  again  and  again.  Using  both  hands,  one
alternating  between  stroking  his  mate’s  cock  and  fondling  his  balls  and  the  other  stimulating  the
sensitive bundle of nerves inside his rectum, it only took a couple minutes for Jared’s body to betray
him. Jared trembled and jerked, alternating between shoving back against the now three fingers in his

ass and the hand manipulating his genitals.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Jared whispered. “Why—”
“Why what, Jared?” he purred. Carson nibbled his mate’s neck, using the last of his limited hold over
his wolf to keep from sinking his fangs into his neck and ramming his cock deep into the man’s ass.
Instead of answering him, Jared looked over his shoulder at him. His hazel eyes were filled with lust
and need. “Fucking do it already. You know you want to. Take me, Injun. Fuck me.”
It  wasn’t  necessarily  begging,  but  it  was  damn  close.  Carson  grinned.  He  rubbed  over  his  mate’s
prostate a couple more times before pulling his fingers out and leaving his mate empty. “Is that what
you want?” he asked, bumping his cock’s head against Jared’s twitching hole.
“Yes, damn it. Sink your dick in me already.”
“I suppose I could do that,” Carson whispered. Still not willing to hurt his mate, he ordered, “Push
out  for  me.”  To  his  surprise  and  pleasure,  Jared  did  it  without  question  and  Carson’s  cockhead
popped  easily  into  Jared’s  well-prepared  hole.  Then  the  man  slammed  backward,  making  Carson
bury his dick balls deep inside him.
He heard Jared’s shocked, pain-filled gasp and snarled. He dug deep inside for some semblance of
restraint.  Carson  wrapped  one  bronzed  arm  around  Jared’s  body  and  hauled  him  upright  to  lean
against  him.  “Don’t  move,”  he  snapped.  His  other  hand  remained  on  Jared’s  shaft,  working  the
softening  member  until  it  was  once  again  hard  and  twitching.  “There’s  a  difference  between  being
wild and being cruel, Jared,” he whispered solemnly before nipping his mate’s ear. “I am one, not the
other.”
“And yet still you want me to beg,” Jared pointed out.
Carson smiled and sucked gently on the tender skin behind Jared’s ear, liking the shiver that worked
through  his  mate’s  body.  “Having  to  wait  for  your  pleasure  makes  it  that  much  sweeter  when  you
attain it, my m-man. I can give that to you. I can give you so much.” He snapped his mouth shut before
he said something he shouldn’t.
“Then fuck me and give me an orgasm,” Jared snapped. “Fucking move!”
The last vestiges of control snapped and his wolf’s instincts took over. He slid partway out of Jared’s
warm, tight hole and slammed back in, adjusting his angle with each stroke until he found what he was
looking for. Jared’s body trembled and jerked, telling him he’d found that special bundle of nerves.
Noting  that  spot,  he  started  fucking  his  mate  in  earnest,  making  certain  to  hit  his  prostate  on  every
stroke.
Combined  with  his  hand  on  Jared’s  dick,  it  didn’t  take  long  for  the  human  to  start  babbling  nearly
incoherently as he shuddered and shook in Carson’s arms. He leaned forward, struggling to make out
the  man’s  ramblings.  Jared  dropped  his  head  on  Carson’s  shoulder.  The  move  exposed  his  mate’s
neck to him completely and he started to nip his way up the tendons he desperately wanted to mark.
The move also put Jared’s mouth near his own ear and his words suddenly made sense.
In  his  pleasure-drunken  haze,  Jared  muttered,  “Fuck,  yes,  let  me  feel  you.  Only  ever  wanted  your
cock. Never wanted another. Please let me come. Let me squeeze you. Only want your cock to fill me.
Take me.”
The words were enough permission for his wolf and before Carson could rein in his burning desire,
his instincts had him sinking his canines into Jared’s neck.

Chapter Five

flash of pain shot through Jared’s shoulder, chased quickly by the most intense pleasure he’d ever

experienced. The feeling zinged straight to his balls. The already over-stimulated orbs pulled
impossibly tighter to his body and his cock exploded. Jets of semen shot from his cock, landing across
the rug and Carson’s fingers.

Through the amazing endorphins making his senses float, he was dimly aware of Carson behind

him. The shifter shuddered, his arms tightening convulsively as he buried his cock deep one more
time and came.

It was an interesting sensation, feeling another man’s cock up his ass and warm seed filling his

rectum, but not unpleasant, he decided. In fact, it probably wouldn’t take much to get addicted to
Carson’s touch, especially if future sex was just as primal. The man was fucking hot when he got
riled. Well, he was fucking hot all the time, but getting the tightly leashed wolf to lose control like this
was indescribable!

Jared grinned at his slowly softening cock. He trembled as Carson licked his neck. Glancing over

his shoulder, he smirked. “Thanks, Injun. That was…beyond belief,” he admitted. “We’ll have to do
it again,” he added with a wink.

It took a second for the shifter to lift his head and meet Jared’s eyes. Although it was fleeting,

Jared knew he hadn’t imagined the haunted look in the wolf’s brown eyes. “Yeah,” Carson
whispered.

Fucking hell! What happened? The twinge in his shoulder as they moved apart registered and

realization hit. Holy shit! He just mated me! And he still doesn’t know that I know we’re mates!

Uncertain how to fix this problem, after all, he didn’t really know where he’d be in a week, he

smiled and grabbed his jeans, pulling them up from where they were bunched at his ankles. “So, I
have an idea for a second date. Will you come to my sister’s wedding with me?”

Carson took his time answering, straightening his pants and pulling his shirt off, dropping it on the

cum streak across the rug. He nodded. “Yes. I’d like that,” he finally said.

Jared nodded, the tension in his neck easing. Odd that he’d been worried. “It’s Friday, two days

after our rescue tomorrow.” He grimaced. “Speaking of which, I sure hope we get done with the
rescue before nine.” At Carson’s lifted brow, he grinned. “It’s Terry’s bachelor party.” He suddenly
grimaced. “Damn, I hate clubs. Too many people to keep track of.” He started tucking his cock into
his jeans, but paused when he saw Carson’s thunderous look. His shaft twitched and he struggled not
to leer at the man. Well, well! I thought out-of-control-Carson was hot. Angry Carson is
stunning!“What’s wrong?”

The wolf shifter’s eyes narrowed and he took a deep breath. “Nothing. What time should I pick

you up from your hotel? Do I need a tux or will a suit do?”

Letting the odd reaction go, Jared replied, “A suit is fine. If you want to go early with me, pick me

up at two in the afternoon. I’m at the Holiday Inn Express.”

Carson nodded. “I know the one. I’ve set up the meeting with Pascal for four o’clock tomorrow

afternoon. Once you disable the outside security, a pair of shifters will enter through each side door
and four through the front. There won’t be much time before an alarm sounds and more security will
try to come from the lower levels. We need to secure the elevator before then.”

Jared didn’t blink at the man’s sudden shift from sexy lover to wolf enforcer. He’d had to make

that kind of radical change enough times himself. Besides, for some reason Jared knew Carson was

uncomfortable, perhaps even regretting their time together. It filled Jared with an unfamiliar emotion,
something difficult for him to define, but he knew he’d have to figure it out eventually.

“Thanks for the romp, Injun,” he murmured. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He leaned close and

brushed a quick kiss over the lips of a surprised Carson before slipping out the door.

Jared hiked silently through the forest, his mind running in circles around what had just happened

between  them  and  what  it  would  mean  for  his  future.  When  he  slipped  behind  the  wheel  of  his
Porsche,  he  knew  only  one  thing  for  certain.  Even  though  he’d  first  used  the  derogatory  term  for
Indian  to  rile  Carson,  now  he  used  it  as  a  term  of  endearment  and  he’d  never  given  a  pet  name  to
anyone before, ever.

Never in his wildest imagination would Jared have thought he’d willingly walk into a police

station and yet here he was. He needed someone to talk to about this situation with Carson and Grady
was the only one he could think of. While waiting for easily the most uptight woman he’d ever seen to
acknowledge him, it occurred to Jared that he’d never imagined he’d let another man fuck him either.

A smirk curled his lips just as the woman, Michelle the nameplate said, looked up at him. No

wonder she was so unhappy. Her brown turtleneck sweater looked uncomfortable and restrictive. She
frowned at him. “Can I help you?”

Jared gave her a benign smile. “Is Detective Stryker in, please?”

“Yes. Who should I tell him is here?”
“Tanis.” No way in hell was he telling his real name to

this woman and he knew his non-descript clothes would make it difficult for her to remember him

within an hour. He’d use the art of plainness more times than he could count over the years.

A moment later, he spotted Grady striding between desks toward him. The detective paused in

front of him, for a second a frown marred his brow as he discreetly scented the air around them. Well,
shit. I should have thought of that. Damn shifter noses.
“Follow me, please,” Grady ordered.

Jared didn’t bother replying, just followed the big tiger between desks and into an office. He

closed the door behind him, turned around and discovered Grady in his personal space. The shifter
sniffed his neck and frowned. “Who is she?”

There was no point in pretending he didn’t know what Grady was talking about. He just hoped the

man wasn’t too shocked that the gender was wrong. He forced a smile. “Carson.”

For a second, confusion clouded the detective’s features, then his brows drew into a glare. “Holy

shit! Carson Angeni? I know you made out the other night, but what the fuck? I thought you weren’t
gay?”

Uncertain what to say for a moment, he glared at the floor. Finally, he lifted his gaze and pegged

Grady with a frustrated look. “It’s your bloody Fate that chooses. Why don’t you ask her?”

That had Grady’s jaw dropping. “You mean you’re Carson’s fated mate? Holy shit!” Grady

hissed again. He paced away from him, turned back and ran a hand over his jaw. The right jab to his
stomach took Jared completely by surprise. Pain exploded through his ribs as he bounced against the
wall.

“Fucking hell, man! What the hell was that for?” he snarled after he could catch his breath.

“You knew,” Grady snapped. “You knew Carson thought he was your mate last night when you asked
about him, didn’t you? Why didn’t you say anything?”
Growling in frustration, Jared dropped into a chair. “Of course I knew!” he declared. “I overheard
Carson telling his alpha after the meeting.” He frowned. “How the hell was I supposed to know he’d
go all feral on me when I pushed him a bit?”

That  had  a  corner  of  Grady’s  lips  curling  and  one  brow  ratcheting  up  in  a  look  of  disbelief.  “You
pushed him a bit? We both know better than that.”
“All right, so it was more than a bit,” he muttered, throwing up his hands.
“You  fucking  challenged  his  wolf,  didn’t  you?”  When  Jared  glanced  away,  Grady  growled.  “Un-
fuckingbelievable. I’d belt you a new one, but then Carson would have my hide!” he nearly roared.
He paced his office for a moment, before clenching his jaw and glaring at Jared. “What about after
your vacation? You’re leaving in four days. What then? Now that you’re mated to him, he’s only able
to get it up for you!”
Jared’s  eyes  widened  as  he  realized  what  he’d,  however  inadvertently,  pushed  Carson  into.  “That
sucks!” he whispered.
“Fucking right, it sucks!”
Jared groaned and ran a hand through his short, dark hair. After a frown, he realized the unfamiliar
feeling he’d been experiencing was guilt. He lifted his head and grimaced. “I can do my line of work
from anywhere, but Carson seems a little straight-laced. He’s probably not too pleased with the idea
of mating an assassin, huh?”
Grady snorted. “Ya think?”
Jared  glared  angrily.  The  man  didn’t  have  to  sneer  at  his  line  of  work  that  quickly.  Some  people
really needed to die. Sure, he’d taken a couple questionable hits when he was first starting out, but
after  that  he’d  always  researched  who  they’d  asked  him  to  kill  before  accepting  the  contract.  If  the
punishment didn’t fit the crime, he didn’t take it.
Jumping to his feet, Jared slammed his fists onto Grady’s desk. “I do what needs to be done. He’s a
fucking wolf enforcer. Certainly he’s had to kill a few people! So he didn’t do it for money, they still
needed to die!”
Grady lifted a hand. “Keep your voice down, Tanis.”
Growling softly, Jared paced the tiny room. After a moment of silence, he rounded on Grady. “What
the fuck am I supposed to do? Give up my way of life because of fucking Fate?”
He  watched  Grady’s  shoulders  drop  and  his  brows  crease.  It  took  him  a  long  time  to  meet  Jared’s
gaze. “I can’t answer that for you.”

“W

hy’d ye mate him?”

Carson turned to see Declan slip between the trees behind him. His alpha wore all black, like

himself. A pair of wolves was stationed at every side entrance, while Grady and Lyle and a couple
more wolves were waiting at the front.

He sighed, returning his gaze to the camera on the edge of the Crystal Lake Corporation’s

property. He was impatiently waiting for the nearly silent hum of power to disappear, his signal that
Jared had succeeded in his task of shutting down security.

“He broke into my house. He pushed me, challenged my wolf.” Tension seeped into his shoulders

as he thought about the evening before.
“Did ye lose control, Carson?” Declan asked.

He glanced at his alpha, but the man was staring at the building, his head cocked as he, too,

listened. “Yes. I wanted him to submit and he did. A little too much,” he growled.

“What are ye going to do? Do ye need help with anything?”

And  that  was  his  alpha.  No  judgment,  no  disapproval,  just  understanding,  just  a  desire  to  see  the
member of his pack happy. “I’m not sure,” he admitted. “I may need you to lock me up tonight.”
That had Declan’s brows lifting. “Excuse me?” he growled.
He grimaced as he met his alpha’s concerned gaze. “Jared is going to a bachelor party.”
Declan  grinned.  “Why  not  crash  it?  I’m  sure  I  can  get  a  couple  wolves  to  go  with  ye  to  keep  the
peace.”
That had Carson smirking. “I could do that.”
Before more could be said, the buzz of power disappeared. Both men sprang to their feet and sprinted
toward the building over one hundred yards away. Carson reached the door first and yanked it open.
Men’s shouts echoed through the halls and he led the way down the corridor. He turned a corner and
spotted three men holding guns on a petrified human.
He growled. “That’s Pascal and the door to the head accountant’s office. We need to get in there.”
“Well we’re not leaving Pascal high and dry after what he did for us. Let’s take these men out.”
Carson  nodded  once  before  bringing  up  his  silenced  Glock  and  lunging  forward.  He  brought  the
handle of the weapon down on the back of one man’s head, sending him crumbling to the ground. His
alpha  was  right  next  to  him,  giving  a  second  man  the  same  treatment.  The  third  man  turned  toward
Carson, crying out in alarm. Carson swung a large fist, connecting with the man’s jaw. The human’s
head snapped back, but he didn’t go down, telling Carson the man had probably been altered.
Declan jumped into the fray and between the two of them, they quickly brought the man down. Carson
looked at the human, whose eyes were wide in shock. “I’m Carson Angeni. We spoke on the phone.
Where’s Jared?”
Relief  seeped  into  Pascal’s  expression.  “Oh.  Thank  God!”  he  said.  He  turned  and  headed  into  the
room and Carson and Declan quickly followed. “He already headed into the shaft.” He glanced back
at them while pointing at an open vent. “That guy is flexible! I never would have thought anyone could
fit in there!”
A growl rumbled through Carson’s chest, but he quickly cut the sound off with a cough when he saw
the human’s eyes widen. “Sorry,” he whispered. “When did he head in?”
“Ten minutes ago,” Pascal answered after a glance at the clock. “I don’t know why it’s taking him so
long!”

Even as he spoke, a loud thump sounded from the vicinity of the elevator shaft. Then a loud screech
echoed through the room and something thudded on the other side of the door. Carson heard a second
thud and then a crack appeared in the wall. Quickly he and Declan wedged their fingers into the crack
and heaved, forcing the wall open.
They  revealed  a  sweating,  dirty,  cursing  mate.  Seeing  them,  Jared  straightened  and  grinned.  “Hey,
Injun. Sorry it took so long. Shorting out the security also shorted out the damn elevators and doors. I
had  to  hot  wire  them.”  He  slapped  his  hands  over  his  clothes,  brushing  off  the  dust  and  cobwebs.
“Ready to go then?”
Unable  to  help  himself,  Carson  stepped  forward,  grabbed  the  nape  of  Jared’s  neck  and  pulled  him
into a hard kiss. After releasing him, he whispered, “Now I’m ready.”
To his surprise, Jared chuckled and leaned forward to give him another quick kiss. “All right then.”
He turned away and Carson let him go, following him through the door.
Declan laughed quietly, but only said, “Pascal, come with us. The others should know ye on sight, but
better safe than sorry.”
The four of them piled into the elevator and to his shock, he watched Jared lean forward and scan his
own eye while swiping Pascal’s pass-card. Jared met his gaze and winked. “Why do you think it took
me so long to rewire it?” He pinned a stare at Declan. “You should let your group know that if they
can get hold of a pass-card, they can use the elevator to follow us. The retinal scan activates the shaft,
but it doesn’t actually verify who is using it anymore.”
Declan  nodded  as  the  elevator  started  moving.  He  spoke  quietly  into  the  radio,  ordering  certain
groups to stay above and guard their asses, plus one pair of shifters to remove the three men from the
accountant’s office, while other groups needed to sweep the first floor labs and the cages on the third
floor.
Seconds later, they stopped on the second floor and ran as silently as possible down the hall. Declan
held Pascal back since he was the noisiest, leaving Carson and Jared up front. They came to the room
Carson had memorized on the maps he’d found and stopped at a door. He tried the handle, but found it
locked. “Shit,” he hissed.
“Hang on,” his mate murmured, leaning close and staring at the locking mechanism. Jared pulled out a
roll of cloth and unfolded it. He pulled three slender rods from the cloth, tucked the wad of linen back
into  his  belt  and  inserted  two  of  the  rods  deep  into  the  lock  with  one  hand.  With  the  third  rod,  he
began to poke and prod, shift and slide them around the small, oval hole. Carson shifted impatiently,
glancing  up  and  down  the  hall  uneasily.  Jared  must  have  seen  the  movement  from  his  peripheral
vision, for he said, “I’m almost done.” The last word was punctuated by a faint click.
“Nice, white man,” he murmured, pushing the door open. Something in his chest warmed at the soft
smirk on his mate’s face.
He found Dagus curled up on a cot, recognizing him from the myriad of pictures Drake had left with
them.  The  darkskinned  man  jerked  to  a  sitting  position  and  backed  away  from  them.  “Who  is  it?”
Dagus whispered.
“Easy, Dagus. My name is Carson Angeni. I’m with Declan. We’re here to help you.”
He  kept  his  tone  soothing  and  prayed  Dagus  would  come  easily.  He  didn’t  want  to  knock  out  the
already traumatized man. The captive’s words came as a shock. “I want to hear Declan’s voice.”
“I’m right here, Dagus,” Declan responded from behind them. “Yer brother is worried sick about ye,
lad. Let’s get out of here, aye?”
Dagus’s chest released a breath and a relieved smile curved his lips as he pushed to his feet. “Thank
you for coming.”

Carson went to him, resting one hand on his shoulder and the other on the small of Dagus’s back. “We
never leave our own,” he promised. “Do you know if there are others on this floor?”
Dagus  nodded.  “I  know  the  room  to  my  left  is  occupied.  I’ve  heard  noises,  but  can’t  identify  them.
When they first put me here, there were noises from the room on the right, but I haven’t heard anything
for two days.”
“We’ll start with the room on the right then,” Declan said from the doorway before slipping away.
Jared moved to the left and Carson gritted his teeth as he disappeared from sight.
“Right is empty!” Declan called.
“Left is not,” Carson heard Jared say right before a snarl echoed through the hall.
Carson  brushed  by  Dagus  and  skidded  to  a  stop  at  the  sight  that  met  him  in  the  doorway. A  large
spotted  cat  crouched  over  Jared,  his  incisors  inches  away  from  Jared’s  throat  and  a  low  growl
emanating from the shifter’s throat.
Acting on instinct, the instinct that told him another shifter threatened his mate, Carson leapt forward.
He  shifted  in  midair,  clothes  shedding  from  his  body  as  he  transformed  into  his  lupine  form.  He
slammed into the larger animal, jaws latching onto a malnourished neck. The skinny animal buckled
under  his  weight,  yowling  piteously.  Carson  immediately  backed  off,  keeping  himself  between  the
shifter and Jared, growling out a warning.
Declan appeared over his shoulder with Pascal at his elbow and Dagus in tow. “We’re here to help
ye. I’m alpha of a nearby wolf pack. Let me show ye the way out.” When the shifter hunched in on
itself and snarled, Declan stepped forward. He held up a dart gun in one hand and an open palm in the
other. “I don’t wish to hurt ye, young one. Let us help ye. Me pack can care for ye and keep ye safe.”
Seconds later, the leopard shifter mewled sadly. It rushed forward and rubbed against Declan’s leg,
trying  to  get  as  close  as  possible.  Declan  grimaced.  “Oh,  Lark  is  so  not  goin’  to  like  this,”  he
muttered. Shaking his head, he indicated the rest of the doors. “Let’s check out the rest of these and
get the hell out of here.”
After  shifting  back  to  human  form  and  wrapping  a  nonetoo-clean  sheet  around  his  waist,  Carson
followed the others down the hall. They checked out the remaining rooms, finding one after another
empty,  but  the  stench  and  unclean  conditions  made  Carson  shudder.  He  prayed  they  didn’t  find  any
more  shifters  here  and  he  thought  his  wish  may  be  granted  until  Jared  unlocked  the  door  to  the  last
room. Inside they found a bunny cowering in the corner. In some spots, the white fur was matted, in
others it was gone. The right side of its haunch had been shaved and three incisions cut into its flesh,
now sewn together with purple thread. It tried desperately to get away, but couldn’t put weight on its
right hind leg.
Jared leaped at the animal, catching it carefully around its chest. He pulled it close as he rolled to his
feet.  The  look  on  his  face  showed  absolute  horror  as  he  stared  around  the  soiled  room,  dirty
newspaper strewn across one corner of the place, obviously used as the animal’s bathroom. Carson’s
shifter nose made it nearly impossible to approach his mate as Jared walked out of the room.
His hazel eyes glittered as he stepped close and whispered, “Is this a shifter, too?”
Carson  leaned  close  and  sniffed.  Underneath  the  scent  of  feces,  chemicals  and  terror  was  the
unmistakable smell of a rabbit shifter. He swallowed, took one last look around the room, taking in
the inhumane treatment forced upon the creature and nodded. “Yes. He’s a shifter.”
Jared  snarled,  making  the  animal  in  his  arms  squeal  in  panic  while  thrusting  out  his  back  leg  in  an
attempt to get away. His mate wrapped the animal up in a loose embrace while crooning softly. “Easy
now,  little  bunny  shifter.  No  one  else  will  hurt  you! You  have  my  word  on  that. You’re  safe  now.
You’ll never be hurt again.”

He watched in surprise as the rabbit stopped fighting Jared and his mate tucked the little shifter close
to his chest before stalking back to the elevator and punching the button. He could read agitation in
every line of his mate’s body, but didn’t know what to do to ease it.
Waiting for the elevator to open, Declan pulled his radio out and spoke into it, asking for a report.
Carson  heard  Lyle’s  static-filled  voice  tell  them  that  he  and  Grady  found  two  more  shifters  on  the
third floor and freed them after being forced to take out four guards. They were already on the main
floor  heading  out  of  the  building.  Nick  and  Cliff  had  swept  the  first  underground  floor  and  found
nothing but empty labs.
As  they  stepped  into  the  elevator,  Jared  whispered,  “I  find  it  odd  that  the  place  is  so  empty.”
Suddenly, he stabbed at the button for level one, making them lurch to a stop one level underground.
“Take him,” he ordered, thrusting the bunny toward Carson. He reached out automatically, surprised
when the animal struggled and thrashed, trying to get away from him. Jared stepped close and drew
the shifter’s attention. “This is my mate Carson, little bunny. He’ll guard you with his life.”
Completely floored, his brain froze in shock. Jared knew! Jared knows he’s my mate! How can he
know  this?  Before  he  could  even  get  close  to  voicing  that  question,  Jared  pressed  the  button  for
ground level and darted out of the elevator.
He roared in anguish, slamming one fist on the closed doors. The struggling bunny caught his attention
and Carson pulled it close, forcing his voice to come out soft. “Easy, rabbit. You’ll be just fine. I’ve
got your back.”
Carson desperately wanted to stay on the elevator and go back down a level, but he wouldn’t make
his  mate  out  a  liar.  Instead,  he  tucked  the  rabbit  close  and  followed  his  alpha  and  Pascal,  who
carefully guided Dagus out of the building. Carson noted that Lyle joined them once they were out of
the building and he prayed his mate hurried along.
Ten minutes later, he waited near to where he’d hidden while waiting for the cameras to be shut off.
Most  of  the  others  waited  nearby,  knowing  his  concern  stemmed  from  waiting  for  his  mate’s  safe
return. Declan had ordered a number of wolves to take the shifters they’d found to Rainy and Lark for
treatment, but Carson had been unable to relinquish the rabbit. He knew it irrational, but his mate had
entrusted the small shifter’s care to him and he refused to do any less.
He absently threaded his fingers through the bunny’s fur, trying to keep himself as calm as the animal
in his arms.
When  the  building  exploded,  Carson  lost  it,  screaming  Jared’s  name  as  he  launched  toward  the
burning  structure.  It  took  the  combined  strength  of  Lyle,  Grady  and  Declan  to  restrain  Carson.  As
flames  licked  from  the  windows,  his  muscles  gave  out  and  they  let  him  sink  to  the  ground.  Tears
streamed down his face as he curled around the bunny Jared had entrusted him with. If it was the last
thing he did, Carson would keep the other shifter safe.

Chapter Seven

ared pulled Carson close, trapping his mate in his arms and the rabbit Carson still clung to

between their bodies. “Easy, Injun. Be still. I’m here.” Never in his wildest imaginations did he think
he’d be comforting another man because he howled in agony over thinking he’d lost him. He didn’t
think even his friend of twelve years, Raul, would feel that way. It was a novel idea for Jared that
someone cared for him so much.

His scent must have finally hit Carson, for the man’s wild eyes finally lost some of their glazed

look and Jared found himself pinned to the ground under two hundred pounds of very sexy male.
Answering Carson’s desperate kisses with his own, Jared let the man’s desire wash over him, making
his cock fill and his balls pull tight. When he thought he’d explode just from kissing the man, he
pulled back, panting for breath.

Carson growled in frustration, but Jared turned his head, saying, “Hey man, I like you, too, but I’m

not into exhibitionism.” Jared’s eyes met the oddly pale pink orbs of the rabbit’s, forgotten in
Carson’s exuberant greeting. It sat a foot away from their shoulders, a gleam of interest lighting its
eyes as it took them in. “You doing okay?” he asked the creature, for lack of a better thing to say.

The rabbit stood up on its back legs, looked around once, then settled back onto all fours and

wiggled its tail. Jared smirked, thinking that was as good an answer as any. Perhaps not okay, but the
shifter was at least content to sit surrounded by a group of other shifters.

The deep breath from Carson’s chest caught his attention and he returned his focus to his mate.

Well, fan-fucking-tastic. I really do think of Carson as my mate. What the hell am I going to do
now?

Although he felt anything but calm, Jared forced a smile. He ran a hand through the long, straight

hair he found himself fascinated with and forced Carson to meet his gaze. “Why were you so upset?”
he whispered.
“I thought I’d lost you.”

His simple admission, so honest and so straightforward, shocked Jared to the bone. His

astonishment must have shown in his expression because Carson’s face darkened a bit and Jared
realized the man was blushing. He leaned up and kissed his lips gently. Not knowing what else to say,
he whispered, “You need to let me up, babe. We have a rabbit to help.”

He glanced meaningfully at the rabbit shifter still watching them avidly. Jared wondered what the

little animal looked like in human form. Was it so fascinated with them because it was actually a
woman or what?

A sigh from the bigger man had him refocusing on Carson. The wolf shifter nodded and rolled off

Jared, clutching tightly to his sheet and surprisingly, Jared missed the man’s weight on him. Jared
rolled to his knees and stared at the bunny. “Are you staying like that?”

The animal hunched in on itself and Jared nodded. “Right.” He picked up the shifter and rose to

his feet. He glanced around, surprised to see that they were now alone. “Uh…your friends?”

“Privacy,” Carson muttered before leading the way through the woods. They walked in silence for

several minutes, then Carson turned and glared. “How’d you know?”

It took him a second to realize what Carson referred to, but once he did, Jared had the decency to

flush. “I overheard you talking with Declan that first night.”

To his surprise, Carson’s face clouded with anger. “You knew you were my mate when you came

to the house and pushed me yesterday? What the fuck?” he roared.

Jared took a step back from the upset man and frowned. “What does it matter?”

“You fucking challenged my wolf, then submitted to it. Now we’re mated, I’m fucking bound to you
and you’re blowing up buildings and making me think you’re dead.” Jared’s brows lifted as Carson
built up a head of steam. “Then you’re going to leave in three days and I’m going to slowly go fucking
insane without you!” Carson glared, spun on his heel and prowled a few strides away. He turned back
around and roared, “Why didn’t you fuck with someone else’s life?”
Jared’s jaw dropped as he watched his mate stalk into the forest and disappear amidst the trees. A
sharp pain unlike anything he’d ever felt before stabbed through his chest and he gasped. “My god,”
he whispered, his eyes widening. He’d never truly set out to hurt the man. When he’d broken into the
house  to  talk  to  Carson,  he’d  gotten  just  as  carried  away  as  the  other  man  obviously  had.  He  knew
they’d both enjoyed it.
Movement from the animal in his arms caught his attention and he nearly dropped the shifter. Instead,
he managed to fall to his knees, but still the creature gave a soft hiss as it hit the ground. Jared didn’t
know if it was from pain from the impact, or if it was due to the contortions the shifter’s body was
going through.
What  fur  the  animal  had  receded,  bones  contorted,  tendons  popped,  limbs  lengthened  and  its  head
reshaped. Seconds later, a small albino-skinned man lay curled up on the ground, gasping for breath.
Even  curled  up,  Jared  knew  the  man  couldn’t  be  more  than  five  feet  tall  and  his  alabaster  skin  and
white-blond hair made him look like he hadn’t seen sun in years.
Staring up with pain-filled, pale pink eyes, the guy whispered, “You really fucked that up.”
Jared stared at the shifter for several seconds before whipping his shirt over his head and growling
softly. “Yeah. I fucking figured that out already,” he snapped. He watched the man cringe and Jared
sighed and shook his head. “I won’t hurt you. You know that.” Lifting his palms up, he forced a smile.
“I think we need to get you out of here. Don’t you?”
The man nodded hesitantly.
“And to do that, we need to get some clothes on you. You’ll be swimming in it, but at least you’ll be
covered,”  he  said,  holding  up  his  shirt.  After  another  hesitant  nod,  Jared  forced  himself  to  gently
cover the man with his shirt. “Do you heal when you shift, like in some of those fantasy books?” he
asked, curiosity filling him as he took in the stitches that had somehow transferred to the man’s human
side.
“That’d be really nice, but no,” the small man whispered. “The injuries remain. Things that are part of
our skin, like stitches, shift with us, but things that are on us, like casts, do not.”
“If you don’t mind my saying, that’s just weird,” Jared commented, hefting the tiny man into his arms
and  heading  through  the  forest.  He  kept  looking  around,  hoping  Carson  would  reappear,  but  they
reached where he’d parked a getaway car without seeing him again.
“He’s not around anymore,” the guy said as Jared set him into the passenger seat.
“Who?” Jared asked, though he knew the answer.
“Your mate,” the bunny shifter answered softly. “He won’t stay away long though.”
Jared climbed into the car and stared at him. “Why do you say that?”
“Because you’re his mate.” Cocking his head, he frowned. “Why’d you mate him if you didn’t plan to
stick around?”
Running a hand through his hair, he glared out the windshield. “I didn’t do it on purpose,” he growled.
He grabbed his phone and punched a number. Grady answered on the second ring. “It’s me. I have the
bunny shifter with me. He needs medical attention. Where do you want him?”
“Take him to Declan’s,” Grady ordered.

“Be  there  in  thirty.”  Jared  hung  up  the  phone  and  got  the  car  moving.  After  several  moments  of
silence, he asked, “What’s your name?”
“Casey Streusel.”
“Nice to meet you, Casey. I’m Jared Templeton.” He flashed a smile toward the guy. “How long have
you been with those guys?”
The albino cocked his head. “What’s the date?”
“September twelfth.”
“Three months and eighteen days,” Casey whispered with a shiver.
Jared had no idea how to comfort someone. He patted the man’s bare knee gently. “I’m taking you to
Declan McIntire. He’s the alpha of the nearby wolf pack. He’ll take very good care of you, Casey.”
“Why’d you blow up the building?” Casey whispered. “Did you get everyone out?”
A fresh wave of anger swept through him at the treatment of the people held there and Jared’s grip
tightened on the steering wheel. “Because it will set them back. They’d closed down for the night, so
no  one  was  there  that  late  except  the  guards.”  He  hazarded  a  glance  and  from  the  way  the  man
immediately looked away, Casey had seen the icy glint in his hazel eyes. Jared knew he could make
people  uncomfortable  with  his  cold  detachment  about  taking  other’s  lives.  “The  guards  were  dead,
Casey,” he said.
He didn’t bother telling the young man that he’d found three hiding in the labs. How the shifters who’d
checked the labs had missed them, he wasn’t certain, but they wouldn’t bother anyone else now. And
he hadn’t bothered to check the third floor or the offices, so it was entirely possible there were still
people living when the building went. He gave a mental shrug. Oh, well.
“You weren’t carrying any bombs,” Casey mused softly. “How did you blow up the place?”
Jared chuckled. “A few household chemicals in the proper proportions.”
“Oh.”
A  moment  later,  he  looked  to  the  right  and  saw  his  passenger  was  asleep.  When  he  arrived  at
Declan’s house, he rounded the hood of the car and gently eased Casey into his arms. The small man
instinctively mewled unhappily before snuggling against his chest and slipping back into sleep. As he
crossed the yard toward a smirking Grady, the irony of the situation wasn’t lost on Jared. He’d just
come from killing a half dozen guards and yet he carried one small shifter to safety.
“Where do you want him?” he asked gruffly.
“Upstairs, third door on the left,” Declan ordered.
Jared  turned  toward  the  alpha’s  voice  and  saw  the  big  man  pointing  up  the  stairs  overlooking  the
dining room. He followed the instruction and settled the small man on the bed. Casey stirred, shifting
restlessly.  The  shirt  rucked  up,  revealing  far  more  than  Jared  wanted  to  see  on  any  man,  with  the
exception  of  Carson.  Oddly  enough,  he  couldn’t  wait  to  see  more  of  that  man  and  hoped  he  could
figure  out  a  way  to  apologize  to  him.  He  paused  in  the  act  of  laying  a  blanket  over  Casey’s  body.
When did I decide this whole thing was my fault?
Pushing the thoughts away, he gently roused Casey. He introduced him to Grady and Declan, knowing
the  small  man  probably  remembered  their  faces  from  the  rescue.  When  Lark  walked  into  the  room,
Casey cringed away from the doctor. “No,” he murmured. “No more.”
Settling  on  the  bed,  Jared  pulled  Casey  into  his  arms.  “Easy,  little  bunny,”  he  crooned.  “These  are
good people. They won’t hurt you.”
“Are you sure?” the man asked, his eyes so big. “They won’t sell me?”
“Sell ye?” Declan murmured. “Why would we sell ye?”
“You’re  predator  shifters,”  he  whispered  as  if  that  explained  everything  while  staring  around  the

room. “You mate with humans.” He looked up at Jared and added, “No offense,” even as he clung to
Jared.
Jared smiled, rubbing Casey’s back lightly. “Grady tells me that not all shifters are so accepting of
outsiders, but that’s not the case with this pack, little one. They are the ones who asked for my help to
break into the facility to save a blind human, who is the brother of a leopard shifter’s mate not in their
pack, but living nearby.”
At  Casey’s  shocked  expression,  he  ruffled  the  man’s  hair  lightly.  “They  won’t  hurt  you.  I’ve  heard
Lark is an excellent doctor and will take great care of you.”
“Will you stay here?”
The squeaked question nearly tore his heart out of his chest and Jared couldn’t imagine what the man
saw in him that made him latch onto him like this. He was a hired killer. The shifter knew that. Why
would Casey think he would take care of him?
He  flicked  his  gaze  to  Grady,  who  lifted  a  brow  in  interest.  Jared  knew  the  tiger  shifter’s  thoughts
mirrored his own. What the hell does the little shifter see in me?
Jared looked back to Casey’s hopeful face and nodded. “Sure. I’ll stay for a little bit. I’m in town for
my sister’s wedding, so I have plans late this evening.”
“Okay,” he whispered.
Settling Casey back on the pillows, Jared leaned against the headboard as Lark looked the man over.
“I’ll  need  to  draw  blood  to  see  if  there’s  anything  we  need  to  treat  you  for,”  Lark  explained,
preparing  a  needle.  They  both  saw  Casey’s  panicked  expression  and  Jared  gently  squeezed  his
shoulder while Lark explained, “We had a friend escape from there with things he needed treatment
for. If we hadn’t gotten to him, he would have died without help. We don’t want the same to happen to
you.”
Casey nodded jerkily.
“Where are you from?” Jared asked conversationally, trying to take his new friend’s mind off what
Lark was doing.
“Arizona,” Casey replied. “A half hour south of Tucson.”
“Yeah? A bunny troupe or something?” he teased.
That earned him an eye roll. “A group of rabbits is called a herd and no. I left my herd when I refused
to mate with the female my family arranged for me.”
“Not into women?” Jared asked curiously, “Or just not that particular female?”
Casey  lifted  one  shoulder  in  a  shrug.  “I  don’t  know.  I’ve  never  been  attracted  to  anyone  that  way.
They kicked me out, so…”
He looked slightly panicked for a moment and Declan stated, “Ye need not worry about me reportin’
ye  in  me  territory,  Casey.  I  don’t  hold  with  the  same  values  other  alphas  do.  Who  ye  mate  with  or
don’t mate with is yer choice and just because ye’ve been banished from yer herd for that reason, I
certainly won’t do the same. Yer safe on me pack land for as long as ye need to stay.”
Casey’s  eyes  widened  and  he  looked  toward  Jared  for  confirmation.  Jared  winked.  “Declan’s  a
decent guy, for a wolf.” At the alpha’s un-amused snort, Jared laughed.
By the time Lark was done examining Casey, the small man was struggling to stay awake. And after
getting  a  sandwich  and  a  glass  of  milk,  he  was  out  like  a  light.  Jared  sighed  and  headed  out  of  the
room. “Is he going to be okay, Doc?” he asked Lark as he paused in the kitchen.
Lark shrugged. “He seems okay so far. The blood tests will tell if anything serious was tampered with
internally. The stitches were kept clean, so at least infection’s not an issue.”
Jared nodded. “When he wakes tell him I’ll swing by tomorrow around noon.” He ran a hand through

his short hair. Staring out the window, he settled his hands on his hips. “He seems to have developed
an instant dependency on me. I’m not sure what to make of that,” he admitted.
“I can’t tell you how to react to that, Jared.” His brows furrowed in thought as he stared up at him.
“From  what  I’ve  heard  from  Declan,  I  know  you  have  enough  things  you  need  to  work  out  with
Carson.” He rested a hand on Jared’s shoulder and Jared lifted a brow in question. “Carson’s a good
guy. A little stiff sometimes, but none of us want to see him hurt.”
He  recognized  a  warning  when  he  heard  one  and  crossed  his  arms.  “Thank  you  for  the  vote  of
confidence, Lark,” he muttered. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
With that, he turned and headed out of the house. Pulling open the front door, Grady caught up with
him. “Hey, make sure you take a shower, man.”
Jared frowned over his shoulder at Grady as the other man followed him to his car. “What the hell
does that mean?”
Grady grinned. “You smell like bunny, Jared. If you run into Carson again smelling like Casey, you’ll
only make your problems worse.”
“Damn shifter noses,” Jared grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers. After a
second, he nodded. “I’d planned on getting cleaned up anyway, but I do appreciate the warning.”
“Why wasn’t he with you?” Grady asked curiously, watching as Jared settled behind the wheel of his
car.
Jared shook his head. “We had a fight. He stormed off. I don’t know where he went.” He had to admit
that part bothered him more than just a little bit. He wasn’t familiar with the area, so wasn’t certain
where he should even look for the man if he’d wanted to find him.
Grady tapped the hood of the car. “Don’t worry. He won’t go far. Fate only gives us one mate,” he
reminded  him.  “Now  that  you’re  mated,  he  won’t  stray.”  Then  he  grimaced,  “And  he’s  going  to  be
extremely jealous that you’re going to a bachelor party.”
Confused, Jared frowned. “Huh? Why?”
“Never  been  to  one,  huh?”  Grady  asked,  smiling  sardonically.  “Strippers  are  a  pretty  normal
occurrence and it wasn’t too long ago you claimed to be straight, my friend.”
“Oh,” Jared murmured. He frowned, not liking that if the situation were reversed, he’d probably be
pissed, too. “Well, if you see him, tell him to swing by Spacers. I already told my soon-to-be brother-
in-law that my date was a man, so it probably wouldn’t surprise him to see that same man show up.”
Grady’s brows shot up. “You seriously already told your family about him?”
Jared  shook  his  head.  “Not  all  of  them.  Just  the  groom.”  Then  a  thought  occurred  to  him  and  he
groaned.  “Of  course,  by  telling  Terry,  he’ll  feel  obligated  to  pass  that  information  on  to  my  sister,
who’ll very quickly tell everyone. Huh. I didn’t see my family last night. After fucking Carson, I kind
of hid in my room,” he admitted.
“Sex with a man is a big step,” Grady acknowledged. “I can see how you’d want to take some time to
get your head on straight and panic in private.”
Jared grimaced. “Yeah, that was about right. When I’m with him, it’s easy to forget everything else.
The attraction is…” He shook his head as Grady laughed.
“Yeah, I know, man.” He grinned. “I have a mate, remember?”
“So do I,” Jared whispered, losing focus of his surroundings as he thought of the man and how it felt
to  be  held  by  him.  His  cock  started  to  stir  at  the  memories  and  he  suddenly  found  it  difficult  to
remember  why  it  was  so  important  to  attend  that  bachelor  party  instead  of  hunting  down  his  mate.
Shaking his head, he smiled ruefully up at Grady. “And now I have to figure out what to do about it.”

Chapter Eight

arson stepped into Spacers, still marveling over Grady’s words. His mate had already told his

family about them? What did that mean? Coming out to one’s family was a big step. Jared wouldn’t
do that if he planned on leaving and never seeing Carson again, would he?

Uncertain of his welcome, he remained on the outskirts of the room so he could scope out the

place. He appreciated Declan’s promise of a couple other wolves there and easily spotted Nick and
Trace seated in a corner talking. He had no notion of either man’s orientation, but neither seemed
particularly interested in the dancer. He traded nods with the other shifters and let his gaze rove over
the clusters of men.

It only took him a moment to spot Jared sitting at a table with a half dozen other men. While the

others stared at the woman on stage, laughing and cajoling each other, Jared lounged back in his chair,
which Carson noted was against a wall, and surveyed the rest of the bar.

Seconds later, their eyes met and a flash of heat lighted Jared’s eyes and one side of Jared’s lips

curved into a small smile. Assured of at least a moderate welcome, Carson started toward them. He
noticed a blond man slap Jared’s arm, trying to get his attention. Jared broke their gaze and frowned
at the man, dropping his eyes to look at where the man touched him, before lifting a brow in question.

The man, oblivious to Jared’s displeasure at the contact, waved a hand at the brunet dancing and

stripping. Jared’s gaze flicked over the woman, but to Carson’s pleasure, no interest was expressed
in his look. Carson drew close enough to hear the blond’s comment.

“Not to your liking, man?” the guy said. “I like blondes myself, but redheads really get me going,”

he added with a leer.

“Oh, I like mine with long raven hair,” Jared quipped back. “It gives me something to hold while I

fuck them.”
Carson  nearly  swallowed  his  tongue  and  struggled  to  get  words  out  when  he  reached  the  table.
“Jared,” he finally managed.
“Carson,” Jared purred, standing and gripping his shoulder. “I’m glad Grady passed on the message.
Join us.” He pulled up another chair and settled it between him and another man. “This is Terry, my
soon-to-be  brother-in-law,”  he  said,  indicating  the  man  to  Carson’s  right.  “These  yahoos  are  his
buddies, Lance, Phil, Tom, Larry and Brady.” He pointed at a man as he said a name, going around
the  table  counterclockwise.  “Guys,  this  is  Carson  Angeni.  He’s  a  forest  ranger  in  the  area.”  He
grinned at Carson. “In the summer, I’m going to talk him into showing me some of the more secluded
places.”
He grinned back at Jared, he and his wolf on the same page about what to do at those secluded places.
“I’d be happy to, Jared,” he replied. “Anytime.”
“Are you eventually coming back to stay?” Terry asked. “I know Brandy would be happy to hear that,
even with the shock you gave her yesterday. How many of your family have you heard from?”
Jared  chuckled.  “I  turned  my  phone  off,”  he  admitted.  “I  figured  I’d  give  them  time  to  settle  down.
Think about it a little, you know?”
Terry laughed. “Yeah, there was definite confusion. I still don’t know if they believed me.”
Shrugging, Jared replied, “There will be no doubt left by the day after tomorrow.”
“What are you talking about, Terry?”  Brady  cut  in.  “What  shock?  Did  you  tell  them  you’re  a  serial
killer or something?”
Carson nearly choked on the beer Jared had poured from the pitcher for him. His eyes widened and he

stared at Jared. To his surprise, Jared laughed. “Knock it off, you ass. You’re scaring my date,” he
replied easily. “I don’t come around much because I’m gay and didn’t know how to share it.” Then he
grinned at Carson, his gaze turning heated. “But now I have a reason to come out to them.”
Beer  spewed  from  the  mouths  of  three  of  the  men,  Lance  laughed,  Tom  paled  and  Terry  stared  at
Carson.  He  met  the  other  man’s  gaze  evenly,  trying  to  decide  how  that  revelation  was  going  to  be
swallowed  by  the  groom’s  group  of  friends.  They  were  in  a  strip  bar  with  nearly  naked  women
dancing not too far away, but now everyone but Terry stared at Jared.
“You’re a fucking fairy! But how? You look normal!” Larry gasped, his eyes nearly bugging out of his
head.
The blond who sat on the other side of Jared shifted away, clearly uncomfortable being that close to
Jared. “Why the fuck are you here?” Brady asked.
“It’s  Terry’s  bachelor  party.”  Jared  shrugged.  “Just  because  I  don’t  have  any  desire  to  screw  the
entertainment, doesn’t mean I can’t appreciate a woman’s grace and ability.”
Brady’s gaze switched to Carson. “Long, black hair…” he whispered. “You’re the guy he’s fucking.”
Before he could formulate a response that wouldn’t be rude or crude, Jared drew everyone’s attention
by laughing loudly. “Don’t be ridiculous. Carson’s fucking me.” But then he turned speculating hazel
eyes on Carson. “Of course, he does have an ass that I do intend to tap at some point, but we haven’t
really discussed it yet.”
That  comment  had  Brady  and  Phil  leaping  to  their  feet.  “You  two  better  leave,  right  now!”  Phil
snarled.
“Sit  down,  Phil,  Brady,”  Terry  jumped  in.  “This  is  my  bachelor  party  and  I  invited  them.  They  are
more than welcome here.”
Brady glanced at the other guys uncertainly. Tom refused to meet anyone’s gaze, which Carson found
interesting. Instead, the man took a long swallow of his drink.
Lance  rolled  his  eyes  and  leaned  back  in  his  chair.  “Sit  down  and  shut  the  fuck  up,  Phil.  I  never
realized you were such a bigoted ass.”
Phil’s face heated. “You’re okay with these fags?”
Lance shrugged. “I have a cousin in San Francisco who’s been in a committed relationship with his
man for eight years. That’s a hell of a lot longer than any of my father’s marriages,” he stated dryly.
Slowly,  Brady  sat  down,  his  face  coloring,  but  he  reached  for  his  beer,  took  a  sip  and  then  looked
back toward the stripper, who now wore only a thong as she twisted and shimmied around the pole.
Shoving  his  chair  back,  Phil  stalked  around  the  group.  Terry  rose  as  the  other  man  stopped  next  to
him. Phil lifted a fist. “We’ve been friends for eight years and you’re choosing these fruits over me?”
Terry  stayed  silent  for  a  moment  and  Carson  was  ready  to  stand  and  offer  to  leave. A  hand  on  his
thigh made him keep still. Finally, Terry lifted a brow and nodded. “Yes. Jared is family and even
though I like you, you’ve always been an ass.”
Phil’s fist pulled back and this time Carson did leap to his feet. His shifter speed and instincts served
him well and he managed to get between the groom and Phil. He took the punch to his jaw and pain
exploded through his head. Through a haze of pain, he heard shouting and saw Phil pull back his fist
again.
He braced for another impact, lifting his arms to ward off the blow, knowing he couldn’t strike the
human  back  and  run  the  risk  of  seriously  injuring  him.  But  the  blow  didn’t  come. A  glass  shattered
and men cried out in shock. Carson blinked, struggling to clear his vision. He spotted Jared grab Phil
around  the  middle,  swing  him  around  and  slam  him  face  first  into  a  nearby  table.  Somehow,  he’d
managed to maneuver one of Phil’s arms behind his back and it was pulled high and tight to his body.

Jared’s other hand was draped over the back of Phil’s neck, forcing him to remain still.
The cold look on Jared’s face told Carson how close his mate was to doing the man serious injury.
“Wait,  Jared,  wait,”  he  said  through  a  suddenly  dry  throat.  He  couldn’t  describe  the  feelings
cascading through him at the fact that his mate was defending him. As a shifter, it should be the other
way around, but it didn’t stop the flood of pleasure sweeping through him.
He laid one hand on Jared’s back and the other on the hand that pulled Phil’s wrist toward his neck.
“Don’t  hurt  him,  Jared,”  he  leaned  close  and  whispered.  “That  will  only  raise  questions  we  don’t
want to answer.”
Jared turned his head to stare at him and glared, but the anguish filling those vivid hazel eyes softened
the look. “But he hit you.”
“And  now  he’s  been  bested  by  a  fag  and  all  his  friends  know  what  kind  of  man  he  is,”  Carson
whispered  back.  “I’m  fine.  Let  him  go  and  we’ll  have  a  drink,  huh?”  he  asked,  entreating  his  mate
with his eyes. He rubbed Jared’s back and prayed his scent would soothe the human like it would a
shifter mate.
To his relief, Jared’s hold loosened. He leaned close to Phil and snapped, “Don’t let me see you try
to hurt someone I care about again, or a broken arm will be the least of your problems.”
Carson must not have been the only one who heard the cold edge in Jared’s comment, because Phil
actually trembled. The whites of his eyes showed as he scrambled to get away from Jared. Once the
man  was  out  of  sight  amidst  the  crowd,  Jared  turned  and  lifted  a  hand  to  Carson’s  jaw,  tracing  the
tender area gently.
He tried not to flinch, but didn’t think he’d quite succeeded. Jared’s brows creased and Carson lifted
a hand, wrapped it around Jared’s and slid his mate’s hand to his shoulder. “I’ll be fine. Just give me
a day.” He winked and grinned. “I’m a quick healer.”
Jared  let  out  a  breath  and  nodded.  “Let  me  know  if  it  pains  you  any  worse.  I’ll  take  you  home  and
we’ll put ice on it.”
Touched at his mate’s thoughtfulness, Carson smiled. “Thanks. I’ll let you know.”
He leaned in to lay a soft peck on Jared’s lips, but then remembered where they were and stopped.
Clearing his throat, Carson started to straighten.
Jared growled and moved the hand from his shoulder to the back of Carson’s neck. “If I’m going to do
something, I do it all the way,” he hissed before plastering his mouth over Carson’s.
The kiss was brief, hard and way too short. By the time they sat back down, the rest of the table was
sitting and discussing the stripper, a redhead this time. On a conversation lull, Terry leaned over and
said, “Thanks for taking that hit. I owe you one, man. Can you imagine how angry Brandy would be if
I showed up tomorrow evening with a black eye?” Terry shuddered.
Carson shook his head. “If it weren’t for me, that wouldn’t have even happened.”
“Phil has always been an ass, but he’s always had my back when I needed him.” Terry grimaced. “I
don’t condone his behavior, but I do hope he comes around.”
“He may just yet,” Carson murmured, though he didn’t have much hope for that. Most bigots didn’t.
After  a  nod,  Terry  leaned  toward  Jared.  “Hey,  man!  Since  you’re  involved  with  Carson,  are  you
really moving out here in the summer?”
Carson froze, his beer halfway to his lips. Jared smiled faintly and Carson finished lifting his drink
and taking a sip. From the corner of his eye, he watched Jared shrug. “It’s something I’m entertaining.
I travel a lot, so should be able to base my business out of anywhere.”
“Oh, yeah? I thought you did commodities.”
Jared shook his head. “Not any more. I’m into security. People pay me to break into their buildings.”

Terry frowned. “Really? People do that?”
Jared laughed. “Oh, yes. It’s not real lucrative, but I’m good at it.”
“Breaking  into  secured  buildings?”  Lance  asked  incredulously,  the  brunet  leaning  across  the  table
toward them.
Jared  just  laughed  harder.  Carson  shook  his  head.  “He  did  a  job  this  afternoon,”  he  said.  “He’s
excellent.”
“Really? Amazing!” Tom whispered.
Suddenly, Carson didn’t like the way Tom was looking at his mate. Now it made sense why the man
had paled and looked away at the mention of being gay. He was in the closet. When he caught Tom’s
gaze,  the  man  swallowed  hard  and  tried  to  hide  the  look.  Apparently,  Tom  was   very  deep  in  the
closet.
He  tried  to  dismiss  the  man,  since  Jared  had  obviously  come  out  to  his  family  for  him,  but  it  was
difficult. They hadn’t really made any commitments to each other. He realized they’d have to have a
chat  about  that  and  soon.  “I’m  surprised  the  bouncers  didn’t  try  to  kick  us  out,”  Carson  muttered,
leaning close to Jared.
Hearing the comment, Lance snickered. “They were on their way over, but since you were defending
Terry’s good name here, Larry and I greased their palms, as it were.”
Carson’s brows shot up. “Really? You bribed them?”
“Sure,” Larry replied with a shrug. “We knew you’d calm your man and I gotta say, if someone had
hit  my  girlfriend,  I  wouldn’t  have  been  nearly  as  kind  as  Jared.”  Realizing  what  he’d  said,  Larry
sputtered, “Not that I’m calling you a girl, man.” He blushed. “Sorry.”
Snorting, Carson reached for his beer. “Not a problem. It was an apt analogy.” He lifted his drink in
salute. “Thank you.”
Larry waved away his words and turned back to the show.
Two hours later, a slight buzz singing through his system, Carson realized the group was preparing to
leave.  He  couldn’t  say  what  any  of  the  dancing  girls  had  looked  like,  having  been  too  focused  on
keeping  up  with  the  conversation  and  not  exploding  as  Jared  massaged  his  thigh  under  the  table,
occasionally brushing his rock hard cock.
“Well, I guess you pass muster,” Jared stated, holding out a hand to Terry. “Welcome to the family.”
Terry laughed. “I better, after you used me the way you did. Damn, your family really had no idea,”
the  drunk  man  chuckled,  waving  a  hand  between  the  two  men.  “But  it’s  obvious  you  care  for  each
other. I’m sure once the shock wears off, they’ll be fine with it.”
“What do you mean?” Jared said, cocking his head. Terry blushed. “Fuck, I shouldn’t have said that.”
“Well,  you  better  tell  me  everything,”  Jared  ordered,  his  tone  firm.  Looking  at  his  mate,  Carson
realized  he  hadn’t  seen  his  human  refill  his  beer  glass  all  evening  and  it  was  still  a  quarter  full.
Interesting, did the man not drink?
“Shit,” Terry slurred. “Your mom nearly passed out. She dropped onto the couch and your little sister
had to get a cloth for her head. Your dad called me a liar and threatened to send the wedding bills to
me if I didn’t stop spreading rumors about you being gay.” He blushed. “Sorry, man.”
Carson paled at Terry’s words and he turned to see how Jared took the news of his parent’s not-so-
accepting  attitude.  Jared  let  out  a  breath  slowly  and  stood,  then  he  smiled.  “Don’t  worry  about  it,
Terry. Tomorrow’s the rehearsal dinner. I’ll set them straight.” Helping the groom to his feet, he said,
“I  apologize  for  putting  you  in  that  position.”  Terry  nodded  and  Jared  wrapped  an  arm  around  his
waist. “In the meantime, let’s get you home.”
He turned to Carson and handed him a keycard. “I’m in room three-oh-one. Just let me make certain

“H

ot damn, you really are gay,” Terry whispered as Jared helped him from the strip club.

“Guess so,” he replied, grinning. His future brother-inlaw wasn’t the only person he’d shocked by

his little displays of affection. After settling the man into the car, he paused and cocked his head.
“Thanks for not making it a big deal. I know I put you in a tight spot by sharing that tidbit. It didn’t
occur to me until afterward that you’d probably end up telling my sister.”

Terry chuckled sleepily. “Don’t worry about it. I couldn’t give a shit either way and if people

were fucking smart, they’d realize sexual orientation isn’t what makes a man.”

Jared nodded and headed around the car, surprised to find an ally in Terry. “Saddle up, boys,” he

called to the others as he settled behind the wheel of Lance’s SUV. Most of the men planned to sleep
at Terry’s place and since he didn’t drink much anyway, he’d volunteered to drive. It gave Terry and
his crew one last night to act like bachelors without worrying about one of them DDing.

Ten minutes later, he pulled into the driveway and cut the engine. “Wake up, you bums,” he

ordered. Many of the men grumbled and started moving, but Terry didn’t even stir. Jared chuckled at
the passed out man. Shaking his head, he rounded the vehicle and hauled the guy out in a fireman’s
carry.

Lance took his keys, Larry dug the groom’s keys out of the man’s pocket and led the way into the

house. Following them through the rooms, he dropped Terry unceremoniously onto a bed and grinned.
“You all get the honor of undressing the groom. I have my own man waiting for me,” he added with a
wink.

Good-natured ribbing followed him out of the room and Jared had to admit, he liked those guys.

He locked the door behind him and headed to his Porsche. He wasn’t certain what caught his
attention, but suddenly all his senses went on alert. Slipping into the shadows near the driver’s side
door, he scanned the area.

To his surprise, Brandy got out of a car parked on the street and headed toward the house. She

paused at the back bumper of the Porsche, twisting her hands in clear agitation as she tried to peer
into the shadows. “Jared?”

“Good god, Brandy,” he scolded, stepping into the light of the streetlamp. “It’s after three in the

morning. What the hell are you doing here?”

“I had to talk to you before the rehearsal dinner tonight,” she said. Her big brown eyes, so like

their mother’s, conveyed her worry. “Is it true?”

At least she didn’t beat around the bush. He leaned a hip against the car and crossed his arms over

his chest. “Is it true that I’m gay?” She nodded. Jared rolled his eyes. “I hate labels,” he grumbled. “I
always have. You know that. But if you need a nice little box to put me in, I’d prefer you use
bisexual.”

Some of the tension in her shoulders eased. “Oh, so you do like girls?”

And, shit. He suddenly knew where this was going. Jared decided he’d better nip this right in the bud.
“I’ve enjoyed women in the past, yes, but none have ever affected me the way Carson does. I don’t
care what others think. I plan to explore a relationship with him and see where it goes.”
Even as the words came out of his mouth, he had to hide his own shock at them. He did want to get to
know Carson better, Jared realized. He wanted to find out what made the man tick, find out what
pleased him, what his pet peeves were, his past and most definitely, Jared wanted to explore the
explosive passion that bubbled beneath the surface any time they were in the same room.

“Well, how long have you known him? Does he live in Massachusetts?” Brandy asked tentatively.
“I’ve  known  him  three  days  and  he  lives  outside  Stone  Ridge.”  He  forced  a  smile.  “Just  think,  if  it
works out, I’ll be moving closer to home.”
She seemed to ignore that second part, fixating on his first words. “Three days? How can you feel that
way after three days? You’ll be creating chaos for the family!”
Glaring,  Jared  asked,  “How  long  did  it  take  you  to  realize  you  wanted  to  know  everything  about
Terry?”
She huffed, setting her fists on her hips. “Well, that’s different.”
“Why?”  Jared  growled  out.  She  opened  her  mouth  to  answer,  then  snapped  it  shut,  but  Jared  knew
what she’d planned to say. “Because he’s a man?” he sneered.
“Yes! You never expressed any interest in men, why start now?”
Even though her words were true, there was no way in hell Jared would admit to them. “You haven’t
seen me in ten years. How the fuck would you know that?” He shook his head, strode to the driver’s
door and pulled it open. “My man saved your man from a black eye on his wedding day. You should
be thanking him, not busting my balls because I like him. More than I like you right now!”
At her gasp, he paused and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Brandy. That was uncalled for.” Staring at
her  pale  face,  he  shook  his  head.  “Carson  has  come  to  mean  a  lot  to  me  in  a  very  short  time.  I’d
appreciate  it  if  you  gave  him  a  chance.  Don’t  ostracize  us  just  because  of  his  gender.”  His  lips
quirked  into  a  smile.  “He  makes  me  want  to  be  a  better  man,”  he  admitted.  He  knew  she  didn’t
understand as he slid into his car and left her staring after him as he drove away. And Lord willing,
she never would.
As  he  drove  back  to  his  hotel  room,  a  jaw-cracking  yawn  over  took  him.  Blinking  back  his
exhaustion, he looked forward to what was to come. His dick had been hard all evening until he ran
into his sister and his desire to see the man again, even though it’d been less than an hour, grew with
each mile that passed under his car’s wheels.
By the time he stood outside his room’s door, his cock once again pulsed in his jeans and he prayed
Carson  had  taken  him  up  on  his  offer. After  locking  the  door  behind  him,  he  stripped  as  he  moved
through the suite of rooms. He made his way to the bedroom and sucked in a breath. Sprawled across
the comforter was the man he couldn’t seem to get enough of, the man who consumed his thoughts and
he was naked.
Jared hadn’t seen the man nude when they’d fucked two days ago. Now he looked his fill, taking in
the  bronze  skin,  impressive  muscle  definition  and  tall,  strong  body.  Long  lashes  hid  Carson’s  dark
brown eyes, long black hair spread across Jared’s pillows, an almost straight nose accentuated high
cheekbones and full lips Jared found he loved to kiss.
His  gaze  swept  down  the  man’s  body,  taking  in  the  dark  flat  nipples,  the  sculpted  abs  and  the  tiny
treasure  trail  of  hair  starting  below  Carson’s  belly  button  and  leading  the  way  to  the  thin  thatch  of
dark curly hair, nestling around the man’s impressive, even while semi-erect, cock.
His focus glued to that proof of Carson’s manhood and suddenly Jared found his mouth watering. He
wanted to taste. He wanted to feel the man’s dick fill up with blood as he sucked it, feel it come to
life  in  his  mouth.  Never  one  to  deny  his  urges,  especially  when  his  lust-filled  mind  couldn’t  find  a
good excuse not to, Jared crawled onto the bed and over to his lover.
Pausing  over  the  slightly  plumped  flesh,  Jared  cocked  his  head  and  swallowed.  He’d  never  done
anything like this before and a case of nerves hit him hard. He wanted to please this man, more than
he’d  ever  wanted  to  please  anyone  else.  He  realized  how  important  Carson  had  already  become  to
him.

He leaned down, inhaled deeply of the man’s musky, masculine scent and had to fight back a groan.
Carson  smelled  amazing  and  Jared’s  cock  twitched  where  it  hung  between  his  legs.  His  nerves,
erased  by  the  desire  swamping  him,  let  Jared  take  his  first  taste  of  man,  swiping  his  tongue  up  the
underside  of  Carson’s  cock,  tracing  the  thick  vein  running  its  length.  Liking  the  feel  of  the  smooth
flesh on his tongue and enjoying how the man beneath him moaned softly in his slumber and shifted
restlessly, his legs sliding further apart as if in invitation, Jared circled the flat of his tongue around
the  cock’s  head  before  dipping  the  tip  of  his  tongue  into  the  slit. A  drop  of  pre-cum  oozed  out  and
Jared rolled the flavored gem around on his tongue, analyzing the slightly bitter taste and deciding he
liked it.
Opening  his  jaw  wider,  he  sucked  the  head  of  Carson’s  shaft  into  his  mouth  and  flicked  his  tongue
along  the  glans,  knowing  how  much  he  liked  it  when  that  soft  wrinkled  flesh  was  worked. A  low
moan sounded from Carson and a hand slipped into Jared’s hair. He looked up through his lashes to
see Carson’s hooded, lust-filled eyes staring down at him.
He  smiled  around  the  flesh  in  his  mouth  and  moved  further  down  on  Carson’s  shaft,  taking  another
couple inches into his mouth. It didn’t take long for his gag reflex to make itself known and Carson
knew he wouldn’t be able to get much more of Carson’s eight-inch dick into his mouth.
When Carson bucked under him, trying to get more from Jared, he reacted by wrapping his fist around
the stalk of the man’s erection. He increased his suction and worked the bit of length he couldn’t get
into his mouth with his hand.
The fingers in his hair tightened as Carson gasped his name and started babbling. “Jared! Oh, gods
that’s  good.  Wish  you  could  see  what  you  look  like  with  your  mouth  wrapped  around  my  dick.  So
fucking sexy. So hot. Ugh!”
Carson’s other hand tangled in the sheet as he thrust up and Jared had to grab the man’s hip to keep
him from gagging him, even with his hand helping to keep too much from his mouth. He pulled off the
hard,  silky  flesh  with  a  pop  and  Carson  growled  his  frustration.  Jared  grinned  up  at  him.  “Are  you
going  to  come  for  me,  Carson?  Are  you  going  to  fill  my  mouth  with  your  seed?”  Carson’s  eyes
widened at Jared’s words and his smile turned feral. “Let me taste you, mate,” he ordered.
The  man  under  him  moaned  as  Jared  once  more  took  the  mushroom  head  of  Carson’s  shaft  into  his
mouth.  He  used  his  tongue  to  flick  the  glans  as  he  sucked  strongly,  then  dipped  his  tongue  into  the
man’s slit, encouraging more precum to ooze from the leaking opening. He worked the stalk with one
hand and moved the other hand to Carson’s balls, rolling and tugging the twin orbs. He felt the man’s
testicles pull tight and knew Carson’s orgasm was inevitable.
Still,  the  first  shot  took  Jared  by  surprise  and  he  had  to  swallow  quickly  as  Carson’s  penis  shot  a
second string of cum onto his tongue. He did his best to keep working the man’s shaft, prolonging his
orgasm  as  he  swallowed  him  down.  Finally,  the  dick  in  his  mouth  began  to  soften  and  the  man
actually whined as it became too sensitive.
Jared  released  him  and  crawled  up  his  man’s  body.  Grinning  at  the  thought,  yeah,  he  liked  calling
Carson  his  man.  Weird!   He  settled  his  body  over  his  blissed-out  mate  and  slid  his  cock  into  the
crease of the man’s thigh, enjoying the smooth glide through his own spit against the man’s skin.
“I  want  in  your  ass,  Carson,”  he  crooned  right  before  taking  the  other  man’s  mouth  in  a  demanding
kiss.  He  swept  his  tongue  inside  repeatedly,  mimicking  what  he’d  like  to  do  to  Carson’s  ass.  The
bigger  man’s  hands  clamped  onto  Jared’s  ass  and  pulled  him  close  as  he  ground  up  into  him,  but
Jared refused to allow him to take over the kiss. He had every intension of proving that this wouldn’t
be just a one-sided relationship.
Relationship? Holy fucking god!

He  broke  the  kiss  and  Carson’s  brows  rose  in  question.  Jared  stared  down  at  Carson,  his  brain
replaying what he’d said to his sister. Even when not around the man, he wanted him. That had never
happened to him before.
Yeah.  Yeah,  I  want  a  relationship  with  Carson. “I’ve  never  been  in  a  relationship  before,”  he
whispered, his thumb caressing Carson’s kiss-swollen lips. “But with you, I want to try, but you need
to know I can’t be your bitch. Even though you’re a shifter, we have to be equals. I can’t have it any
other way.”
“I…” Carson paused, staring up at him for several seconds. His expression ranged from disbelief, to
concern, to fear, to acceptance. He exhaled a slow breath and gave a single nod. “I haven’t been on
the receiving end in a long, long time, Jared, but if that’s what you need, I’d like to give it to you.”
Jared didn’t miss the other man’s increased breathing or the slight sheen of sweat that broke out on
Carson’s face, telling him Carson worried about what would happen if they did this. He leaned down
and nuzzled his mate’s face. “I’ll make it pleasurable for you, Injun,” he promised. “And we’ll do it
face  to  face,  so  your  wolf  won’t  think  I’m  dominating  you.  No  doggy  style.”  Carson  gave  him  a
relieved smile for his teasing.
Reaching  into  the  nightstand,  Jared  pulled  out  a  brand  new  bottle  of  lube  and  opened  it.  He  smiled
sheepishly at Carson’s questioning look. “What can I say? I’ve been craving you ever since I left you
that afternoon. I wanted to be ready,” he added with a shrug.
That had a smile curving Carson’s thin lips. “You planned to seduce me?”
“I  didn’t  think  you’d  need  much  seducing,”  he  whispered  back  before  nipping  Carson’s  earlobe.
“Now walk me through how to prepare you. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Start  by  pouring  a  glob  onto  your  fingers,  letting  it  warm  briefly.  Then  insert  one  finger  past  my
guardian muscle…”
Jared  listened  to  the  man,  working  him  open  step  by  step,  stunned  at  not  only  the  amazing  give  of
Carson’s body, but of the tight heat that now surrounded his fingers. His dick jerked and he moaned at
the feel of the man beneath him. “Fuck, I want in here.”
Just  as  he  whispered  the  words,  his  knuckles  pressed  against  a  spongy  bump  deep  inside  Carson’s
channel. The man beneath him shuddered and moaned. His cock twitched and jerked, a drop of pre-
cum oozing from the slit. “Oh, hell yeah. I’d forgotten how good this felt. More, Jared. Fill me with
your cock.”
“Oh, yeah,” Jared growled. He eased his fingers out and smeared the remaining lube onto his dick,
then guided the head of his penis to Carson’s twitching hole. “Ready?” he whispered.
When Carson nodded, he pressed forward. It took more pressure than he thought it would to pop the
head of his shaft inside the shifter and he gasped as the tight ring of muscle clamped down on him. He
trembled,  listening  to  Carson  hiss  as  the  man  below  him  stared  at  him  and  shivered.  He  held  his
position,  using  more  strength  of  will  than  he’d  ever  thought  he  possessed.  He  waited  until  Carson
relaxed around him.
“Now,” Carson moaned. “Fill me now.”
He didn’t need further prodding and pushed his hips forward. He felt his cock sink into a channel so
hot, so tight, it was like nothing he’d ever felt before. “Oh my god,” he groaned once he’d sunk all the
way to the hilt. “I never imagined anything could feel like this.”
While  sliding  into  Carson’s  body  felt  amazing,  pulling  back  out  was  indescribable.  Pleasure  so
intense  that  Jared  shook  with  it  rolled  over  his  senses  as  he  felt  Carson’s  walls  squeezing  and
massaging  his  sensitive  dick.  Breathing  deeply,  he  forced  his  hips  to  start  a  measured  thrust  and
retreat  action.  Exquisite  pressure  unlike  anything  he’d  ever  imagined  surrounded  his  cock,  making

tingles shoot through his balls and up his spine.
Carson’s  clutching  hands  on  his  shoulders  brought  him  back  to  the  moment  and  he  stared  into  the
liquid brown eyes of the man he was beginning to care deeply for. He adjusted his angle, searching
for that same spot he’d managed to hit with his fingers. On the fourth try, he knew he’d struck pay dirt.
The shifter’s body arched against him and Carson cried out his pleasure. Fighting his urges to just rut
into the body beneath him, Jared kept his thrusts smooth and measured, nailing his lover’s gland over
and over. He leaned close and sucked on the skin where Carson’s neck met shoulder, knowing it was
the exact spot where Carson had marked him on his own body.
Moaning, Carson trembled. He rocked against him, meeting Jared thrust for thrust. The sounds of skin
slapping skin, grunting bodies and the smell of sex and sweat filled the room. Jared felt his balls pull
tight as tingles of pleasure zipped up and down his spine and he knew his orgasm quickly approached,
but  he  wanted  Carson  to  come  again  first.  He  reached  a  hand  between  them,  wrapped  it  around
Carson’s prick and stroked.
The  shifter’s  breath  hitched,  the  pupils  dilating  nearly  to  cover  his  eyes  and  then  Carson’s  dick
exploded. Cum shot from the tip of his cock and coated both their chests and Jared’s fingers. Carson’s
chute clenched tight, holding Jared’s dick in a stranglehold of pleasure that had him erupting on the
next stroke.
He  roared  as  the  ecstasy  of  his  release  coursed  through  his  system  and  he  barely  managed  to  keep
from collapsing on the panting man below him. Soft kisses along his neck made him smile and Jared
looked down to see the relaxed look in Carson’s eyes.
Once he’d regained a modicum of control, he eased his softening shaft from Carson’s ass, eliciting a
soft  gasp  from  the  other  man.  He  rolled  off  the  bed,  his  legs  unsteady  as  he  made  his  way  to  the
bathroom. Cleaning himself up, he realized he’d never been affected by sex like he was with this man.
For once in his life, he wanted more, so much more.
Returning to the bedroom, he carefully wiped down his mate, all while Carson silently watched him.
Letting out a soft sigh, Jared crawled back into bed and settled next to the man. Jared had wondered at
his  reception  and  relief  filled  him  when  Carson  turned  and  pulled  him  close.  He  let  himself  be
manhandled by the bigger man and found himself turned so Carson’s front was spooned up against his
back.
At first he tensed and Carson must have felt it. He stroked his hand down Jared’s chest and nibbled
the back of Jared’s neck sensually. “Relax, babe,” he whispered. “It’s just me here.”
After several slow breaths, Jared turned slightly and looked over his shoulder at Carson. “I’ve never
slept with anyone before,” he admitted.
Carson smiled and pecked a kiss to his shoulder. “Be careful. You could get used to it.”
Smiling back, Jared whispered, “I’d like the chance to try.”

Chapter Ten

arson woke slowly, aware of the solid body in front of him and the amazing sense of calm his

wolf felt. He knew immediately when his mate became aware of him, for the man’s body stiffened
slightly. Teasing his fingers through the soft hair trailing across Jared’s chest between his nipples, he
nuzzled the back of Jared’s neck in an effort to soothe him.

It worked and Jared’s body sank back against him. “Mmm, this is a nice way to wake up,” Jared

murmured.
“Let me show you an even better perk of waking with me,” he crooned, willing to use persuasion to
get his mate to want to stay with him.
Carson enjoyed how Jared’s breathing sped up as he trailed his hand down and teased the hard flesh
of his morning hard-on. “Oh, yeah?” Jared whispered as he rocked his ass against Carson’s waking
wood.
“Oh,  yeah,”  Carson  repeated,  shoving  against  Jared’s  ass.  “You  gonna  let  me  in  here?”  he  asked,
gripping one of his mate’s ass cheeks.
“Mmm, I can get behind that,” Jared teased.
“I think I’m behind that,” Carson chuckled, enjoying the man’s humor. “Where’s the lube?”
Jared  reached  up  and  grabbed  the  tube  from  the  nightstand  and  handed  it  over  his  shoulder  to  him.
Carson  smiled,  pleased  that  his  mate  didn’t  even  question  him.  In  fact,  from  the  way  Jared  rocked
back into his groin, Jared wanted it just as much as Carson did.
He  took  his  time  preparing  his  mate,  sliding  first  one  finger  in  and  then  two.  He  rubbed  the  man’s
gland every few strokes, loving the way Jared moaned for him. He pushed Jared’s top leg forward,
instructing  his  mate  to  prop  it  on  a  pillow,  opening  him  further.  It  only  took  a  couple  moments  for
Carson to slide a third finger inside Jared.
When he deemed Jared ready, he pulled his fingers out, lubed up his cock and pushed his way slowly
into  his  mate.  As  silky  warm  pressure  surrounded  him,  he  moaned  softly  and  buried  his  face  in
Jared’s neck. “Oh, fuck you feel good, Jared. So hot. So tight.”
Jared growled and pushed back against him as Carson moved. “Fuck me, damn it. I want to feel you.”
Loving  his  mate’s  enthusiasm  and  taking  Jared  at  his  word,  he  sped  up  his  strokes.  He  gripped  his
mate’s hip tightly as he rocked into Jared over and over again, knowing his hold would leave bruises
on the human’s skin and loving that he’d marked him that way.
Jared groaned loudly, holding nothing back as he expressed his enjoyment. “Never thought I’d enjoy
this so much, but I love how you fill me, Carson,” he growled. “Your cock fills me so completely.”
Carson snarled. “So good, so good,” he repeatedly panted. “Love how you take my cock. I’m gonna
fill you, baby,” he said. “Gonna fill you so good.”
“Oh, yeah,” Jared moaned.
Unable to resist his desire, Carson felt his canines extend and he wrapped them around the fleshy part
of  Jared’s  shoulder. As  he  felt  his  balls  pull  tight  and  his  orgasm  approach,  he  bit.  Jared’s  blood
flowed into his mouth and his mate cried out in shock before moaning in bliss as the cock in his fist
shot  stream  after  stream  of  seed.  The  man’s  ass  clamped  down  on  Carson’s  dick.  Carson  groaned
around the flesh in his mouth and emptied himself into his mate.
Seconds later, he carefully removed his canines and licked Jared’s wound clean.
“I  thought  you  only  did  that  when  you  mated,”  Jared  whispered  several  moments  later  after  his
breathing had somewhat evened out.

Carson chuckled. “Who the fuck told you that?” He kissed the back of Jared’s neck to take the sting
out of his words. “We bite to enhance our sexual pleasure,” he explained.
“Oh,” Jared commented softly. Then he looked over his shoulder at him and glared. “You’ve bitten
others? You have more than one mate?”
The man’s anger took Carson by surprise, until he realized from where it stemmed. Jared is jealous!
Carson leaned forward and nuzzled his human’s neck. “You’re the only one I’ve ever bitten, Jared.
I’ve never even been tempted by another,” he told Jared softly.
Jared’s gaze searched his face for several seconds before he whispered, “Okay. Good.”
Carson let the silence fall between them, content to just relax and hold his mate. Half an hour later,
his bladder told him he could no longer put off his morning routine.
As he headed to the bathroom he heard Jared ask, “What time is it?”
He glanced at the clock on the end table. “Almost eleven.”
“Shit,” Jared growled, rolling to a sitting position on the bed. “We need to get moving. I told Casey
I’d visit him at noon.”
“Who’s Casey?” Carson snapped, before he could rein in his possessiveness.
Jared chuckled, crossing the floor and kissing him gently. “The bunny shifter. You can come with
me,” he added with a grin before disappearing into the bathroom.

“Are you sure about this?” Carson asked for the third time, his voice slightly muffled as he pulled

off his shirt.
Jared  smirked.  “For  the  last  time,  yes!  With  Phil  refusing  to  speak  with  Terry,  my  brother-in-law
insists that you take the guy’s place in the wedding line-up.” He held up the tux. “I’m pretty sure it
will fit you.”
Pulling on the black and white outfit, he frowned. “This was supposed to be for you, wasn’t it?”
“Yup,” Jared replied, “but I traded it in for one your size.” He sighed, looking away. “I didn’t have
the heart to tell my family that I owned one.”
“You own a tux?” he asked incredulously. “Why would you own…” At the thinning of Jared’s lips,
Carson’s brows shot up. “Oh,” he muttered, realizing it may be needed to get in and out of high-end
parties.
“Let’s see how this looks,” Jared said, changing the subject.
His human mate expertly creased and buttoned the shirt around his neck and tied the tie before helping
him  into  the  jacket  and  smoothing  it  over  Carson’s  broad  shoulders.  Jared  took  a  step  back  and
grinned. “You’re one sexy man, Carson.”
“I’m your sexy man,” he whispered, unable to let the opportunity go for him to express the seriousness
of their relationship.
Smiling, Jared nodded. “I know.” He stepped forward and pecked an all-too-brief kiss to Carson’s
lips. “That’s not something I’ll ever forget.” He stepped back and gave him a serious look. “I do plan
to come back to Stone Ridge, Carson. It’s just going to take some time to get my shit straightened out.”
Before he could ask Jared to expound on that comment, a pounding on the hotel door told them they
were out of time. Jared crossed to the door and opened it, revealing Lance. “You fairies ready?” he
quipped, grinning, but Carson knew a good-natured tease when he heard it.
Jared rolled his eyes and turned to Carson. “And this breeder just epitomized one of the many reasons
it took me so long to come out,” he snarked back, sweeping his arm toward Lance.
Carson  couldn’t  help  it.  He  started  to  laugh  at  their  banter.  He’d  never  have  thought  Jared  had  that
kind  of  sense  of  humor.  Both  men  watched  him  in  shock  as  he  doubled  over  for  several  minutes
before he could manage to get himself under control. “Okay,” he gasped. “If you two are done casting

pebbles, let’s go. We don’t want to be late.” He sobered as another thought hit him and he grimaced.
“That’s all I’d need,” he groused, “to meet your parents by holding up the wedding.”
“Ah,  Injun,  relax,”  Jared  crooned.  “Everything  will  be  fine,”  he  promised,  throwing  an  arm  around
Carson’s shoulders and leading him out of the room. He didn’t resist, just let his mate help him into
the  back  of  the  vehicle  before  Jared  slid  in  next  to  him.  Lance  settled  behind  the  wheel  and  they
headed toward the church.
Carson felt his tension ratchet up  degree  by  degree  the  closer  they  neared  the  church  until  he  could
hardly keep still. His wolf paced inside his mind and his foot tapped the floor as he bounced his leg
restlessly.
Once Lance parked his vehicle, Jared waved a hand at him in a shooing gesture. “Give us a moment.
We’ll be right in.”
“Sure,” Lance said, his gaze drifting to Carson, who knew his face must have been pale from the way
the human’s brows drew together in concern. “Everything okay?”
Jared  smiled  and  nodded.  “Yeah.  My  man  here  is  just  having  a  case  of  nerves.  Nothing  to  worry
about.” After  Lance  nodded  and  left,  shutting  them  in  the  car  together,  Jared  pulled  Carson  into  his
arms. “Are you okay?”
Carson  nodded  before  burying  his  face  in  Jared’s  neck  and  inhaling  his  human’s  scent.  The  musky
scent of his mate soothed his wolf and he felt his pulse settle. Slowly he eased away and looked into
his  mate’s  eyes.  “I’m  fine.  Just  never  met  a  date’s  parents  before,”  he  admitted.  Then  he  grimaced.
“That’s male or female dates. I’ve never had a serious relationship either.”
Jared  nodded,  smiling.  “Then  I’ll  tell  you  this  now.  It  doesn’t  matter  if  my  parents  like  you  or  not.
I’ve been protecting them by keeping them at a distance for years, but you are the man I want to figure
out  a  way  to  spend  my  life  with.  It  may  not  be  easy,  or  immediate,”  he  warned,  “but  I  swear  to
whatever deity you believe in, it will happen.”
Cocking his head in surprise, Carson stared at his mate, reading the sincerity in every line of his face.
“Okay,” he replied simply, uncertain what else to say. His mate’s expression gave him not only hope,
but the strength to get out of that car and head into the church. He could do this. He could meet the
family  of  his  mate.  Pausing  at  the  door,  he  settled  a  hand  on  Jared’s  shoulder  and  whispered,  “I’ll
hold you to that, mate.”
Without another word, the pair walked into the building. Carson and Jared were greeted by the men
he’d  met  the  other  night,  Larry,  Tom  and  Brady.  He  smiled  and  shook  the  hands  of  each,  returning
their greetings. Ten minutes later, Terry came and gave each of them a quick man-hug, complete with
backslapping.
Following  behind  him  were  two  well-dressed  couples.  One  man  had  dark  hair  and  hazel  eyes  and
Carson immediately pegged him as Jared’s father. The woman on his arm had blonde hair and brown
eyes, a fine bone structure and although she smiled, a worried crinkle still lined her eyes.
He felt Jared’s arm go around his waist in a claiming gesture and Carson cast a smile in his man’s
direction  while  grinning  at  Terry.  “Congrats,  man  and  I’m  honored  to  stand  with  you  and  your
friends.”
Terry grinned. “After taking that punch for me, how could I do any less?” His eyes fixed to the slight
discoloration on Carson’s jaw. “Doesn’t look too bad. Hope it doesn’t hurt much.”
Carson shook his head. “Naw. I’ve got a hard head.”
“Good. That’s good. Thanks again. I can’t imagine what Brandy would have said if I’d showed up to
our  wedding  with  a  black  eye,”  Terry  said  with  an  exaggerated  shudder.  He  turned,  pretending  to
notice the couple of parents for the first time. “Mom, Dad. Mr. and Mrs. Templeton. This is Carson

Angeni.” He grinned. “Good man to have watching your back and Jared’s boyfriend.”
“Never could get used to that term,” Jared muttered.
“I could have used a few others,” Terry pointed out with a smirk.
“I think boyfriend will work just fine, young man,” a heavy-set brunet admonished before turning to
Carson. “I’m Lila Brussels, Terry’s mother. Please call me Mrs. B. All Terry’s friends do and from
the way you saved the day, I’m certain you will become a close friend in no time, especially since
you’ve  snagged  the  attentions  of  Brandy’s  brother.”  She  grinned  and  turned  to  Jared.  “What  a
handsome boy, don’t you think,” she said, winking at Carson.
Carson  chuckled,  suddenly  feeling  more  relaxed,  knowing  that  at  least  one  couple  didn’t  have  a
problem with them. He turned and  looked  at  Jared,  meeting  his  eyes  and  giving  him  a  heated  stare.
“Yes, ma’am. I do believe you’re right.”
A throat clearing had Carson smoothing out his features and turning to the other set of parents. Jared
settled his arm on Carson’s shoulder. “Mom, Dad, this is the man who’s talking me into moving back
here.” He lifted a brow and gave them something Carson could only call The Look.“Be nice!”
Mrs. Templeton stepped forward and held out a hand. “Well, I think it’s wonderful that my baby boy
has finally found someone to bring him back home. It’s very nice to meet you, Carson.”
Carson reached out and took her hand. He brought it to his lips and kissed it old-world style, which
made Jared’s mother smile, just as he’d hoped. “The pleasure is mine.”
Mr. Templeton stepped forward and Carson took his hand as well, although he refrained from kissing
it, offering pleasantries instead. “Good to meet you.”
After  receiving  a  look  from  his  wife,  the  man  cleared  his  throat  and  said,  “I  won’t  lie  and  say  I’m
okay with this.” He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “It’ll take some getting used to, but since
it’s been years since we’ve seen Jared… I’m happy he’s found a measure of happiness.” He grimaced
and looked between them. “That’s all any parent really wants for their child. Happiness, right?” he
growled, obviously uncomfortable.
Jared smiled and slapped his father on the back. “Thanks, Dad. I appreciate it.”
The  wedding  coordinator  took  that  moment  to  come  scurrying  through  the  place  and  hollering  for
everyone to get into their places. Carson thought it sounded more like a theatrical production than a
wedding, but what did he know? Jared grinned from where he stood next to him and winked. “That
went well, huh?”
“Yeah, good thing I don’t have parents you need to meet,” Carson growled softly.
That had Jared frowning. “Why don’t I get to meet your parents?”
Carson  shook  his  head.  This  was  so  not  the  place  for  this  conversation.  “They’re  deceased,”  he
whispered.  He  knew  he’d  have  to  explain  about  poachers  trying  to  clear  out  the wolves  in  southern
Oregon eventually, but now was not the time for it. Besides, it had been almost fifty years since it had
happened. That’s another thing I’ll have to explain. I’m ninetyseven years old and Jared’s aging
will slow down. Another time.
“I’m sorry, Carson. How’d it happen?” Jared whispered.
Carson’s reply was cut off by the sounds of an organ and then the bridesmaids Carson found himself
know down the aisle, praying she didn’t see anything into it and that he’d never see the woman again.
appeared. A few moments later, escorting some woman he didn’t

“D

amn it!” Jared snarled, slamming the phone onto the holder. Carson had refused to answer his

calls every night for the last five days. Pacing the room, Jared thrust his hands through his brown hair
and thought furiously. Sure they hadn’t confirmed any real plans, but he’d told Carson that he’d be
back. Jared just hadn’t been able to give a date. After the amazing twelve hours they’d spent together
in his hotel room after the wedding, how could Carson just shut him out like this? They’d talked every
night for a week, then all of a sudden, nothing. The man refused to answer or return his calls!

Picking up the receiver, he dialed another number. A moment later, a deep voice answered.

“Didn’t think you’d be calling me for a while. What’s up?”

“Damn it, Grady. Is Carson okay? He hasn’t answered my calls all week. What the hell is going

on out there? Is it the scientists again?” he couldn’t stop his rant, desperate to think it was something
other than that Carson just didn’t want to speak with him. “If it is, I’ll hunt down each and every one
of those sorry sons of bitches and—”

“Whoa, there, Jared. Stop before you say something that makes me have to arrest both of us!

Carson’s okay, although a little out of sorts. With his mate halfway across the country, I’m not
surprised. I saw him yesterday at Declan’s. What’s going on?” Grady asked. “Carson said he spoke
with you the other day.”

Jared let out an angry snarl. “The other day would be Sunday night. It’s Friday. I can’t get him to

pick up! I talk with Casey more than I talk with my mate. What the hell is that man’s problem?”

He heard a longsuffering sigh come over the phone. “Is he not happy with the time-table you’ve

established for you to come back? Yesterday, he seemed upset when I asked when you were supposed
to return. He said you were still discussing it.”

“Fuck!” Jared yelled, throwing his brandy glass across the room. It shattered with a satisfying

spray of glass.
“I’ll take that as a no. Is it still a month out or something?” Grady asked slowly, having obviously
heard the shattering crystal.
Letting out a long breath through his teeth, Jared pinched the bridge of his nose. “I haven’t given him a
date, yet,” he admitted.
“Bloody hell, man! What’s your problem? You know his wolf can’t handle a prolonged separation,”
Grady reprimanded. After a second of silence, because really Jared had no idea what to say, Grady
warned, “Distancing from you is probably the only way he can keep from going out of his mind. He
needs you, man.”
“Okay,” Jared whispered, thrusting a hand through his hair. “I miss him, too. I knew the minute I
stepped onto that god-damned plane that I needed to get back to Carson as soon as possible. As soon
as I hit home I started moving around accounts and erasing electronic trails so I could do just that, but
when he stopped answering my calls I just…” He shook his head, suddenly realizing he should have
given Carson some kind of timeframe. “Fucking hell. Do you know his schedule for the week?”
“Uh, no, but I’m sure I could get it from Declan. What’s up?”
“I only have a few things left to take care of and then I’ll come out. Hopefully, it’ll only take a few
days, but I can’t make a guarantee.”
“All right,” Grady replied. “I’ll get back to you, then.”
Jared disconnected his cell and dropped it on his desk before crossing to his sideboard and pouring
two fingers of brandy into a fresh glass. He stared at the amber liquid for a moment before downing

the alcohol. He cringed at the burn.
“You’ve been restless since you’ve been back and I’ve never seen you drink this much.” Jared turned
at Raul’s comment. His friend flopped onto a sofa and sprawled. “It’s been almost two weeks since
you  returned  and  you  still  haven’t  accepted  another  job.  What’s  up  with  you?”  he  asked,  waving  a
hand at the shattered glass and lifting a brow.
Jared crossed his arms over his chest and leaned a hip against his desk. He took a deep breath and
popped his neck. “I fell in love,” he replied bluntly.
Raul  spit  out  the  sip  of  rum  he’d  just  put  in  his  mouth.  “What?”  he  sputtered,  once  the  coughing
stopped and he could take a breath.
He shrugged. “Not what you were expecting?” Jared asked, smirking. The other man’s response and
gaping mouth answered his question easily enough. “Well, here’s something else then. Not only did I
fall in love, I fell in love with a man.”
“Well,  what  the  hell,  Jared?”  Raul  ran  a  hand  through  his  thick  red  hair.  “I  didn’t  even  know  you
liked men!”
“Me neither,” Jared admitted, shrugging. He pushed off the desk and walked to the fire. He rested his
hands on the mantle and stared into the flames. “Carson is one of a kind.”
“Well, that’s…wow.” Raul came and stood next to him. “What are you going to do? Does he return
your feelings?”
Jared glanced toward his friend before returning his focus to the flames. “I didn’t know I felt this way
until  I  had  to  walk  away  from  him,”  he  admitted.  “I  know  he’d  prefer  to  have  me  with  him,  but  he
doesn’t approve of my choice of occupation.”
To his surprise, Raul snorted. “Not many people would,” he commented.
“You  do  have  a  point.”  He  turned  and  rested  an  arm  along  the  wood  to  stare  at  Raul.  “You  seem
awfully calm about this.”
“This?” Raul asked, waving a hand vaguely and lifting a brow.
Smirking,  he  stared  at  his  friend  for  several  seconds,  but  Raul’s  expression  gave  away  none  of  his
friend’s  thoughts.  “The  fact  that  I  just  told  you  I’m  seriously  entertaining  the  possibility  of  a
relationship with a man.”
“Oh, that,” Raul scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I have a nephew that’s gay. Very, very gay, actually,”
he  added  with  a  chuckle.  “My  oldest  sister’s  son  came  out  three  years  ago.  She  flipped.  I  had  to
explain that it wasn’t anything she did. It’s just the way nature makes some people.” He shrugged.
“Yeah, nature,” Jared whispered. At Raul’s questioning look, he shook his head. “I guess I’m going to
have to find something else to do with my time.” He frowned and stared into the fire again.
Raul slapped him on the back. “So where are we moving?”
Jared  turned  his  head  to  stare  at  his  friend. A  slow  smile  curved  his  lips.  With  Raul’s  support,  the
idea  of  uprooting  his  life,  especially  for  Carson,  suddenly  didn’t  seem  so  daunting.  “Thanks,”  he
whispered, wondering when he’d come to depend on his friend so much.
Raul  grinned  back  at  him.  “Come  on,  man.  After  everything  we’ve  been  through?  This  is  small
potatoes.”
“I guess you’re right, but what the hell am I going to do with myself?” Jared frowned. That question
had plagued him ever since he’d gotten home. Stepping off that plane, he’d already known he’d end
up returning to Colorado eventually, but he didn’t want to do it until he knew what he’d do when he
got there. Jared just wasn’t the type of person to sit around and do nothing and he knew it. He’d go
crazy within a month.
“Don’t worry about that so much,” Raul replied. “You’re rich. It doesn’t really matter. Now where

are we moving?”
Jared grinned, suddenly feeling relieved he had a friend who could put it into perspective. “Stone
Ridge, Colorado.”

“I can’t believe you talked me into coming in here with you,” Raul snapped.

The tension in his friend’s shoulders told Jared exactly how uncomfortable the man was to be walking
into a gay bar. “Aw, come on,” he teased, hiding his own unease. It wasn’t so much having to walk
into  a  gay  bar  that  bothered  Jared,  it  was  the  fact  that  somewhere  amidst  these  dancing,  gyrating
bodies was his mate. “Are you afraid some cute twink will catch your eye?” At Raul’s glare, Jared
laughed. “Oh, sorry. Didn’t realize you were looking for a bear.”
“Shut the fuck up, man. I don’t want either and you know it!” He shoved his hands into his pockets and
shouldered between men to lead the way to the bar. When the bartender, a muscular brunet probably
in  his  late  twenties  gave  him  the  once  over,  Raul  hunched  his  shoulders,  growled  his  request  for  a
Heineken and looked away. “And I’m perfectly fine with my masculinity,” he grouched.
Jared slapped him on the back and chuckled at his friend’s hissed comment. “I know. I appreciate the
support  you’ve  shown  me  over  the  last  few  days.”  He  took  the  two  beers  from  the  bartender  and
handed one to Raul before paying. “Now, drink your beer and loosen up.” His gaze swept the dance
floor and then the tables, trying to make out features in the darkened interior. “Grady said they’d be
here tonight,” he muttered.
“An Indian, right? Is that him?”
He followed his friend’s line of sight. He spotted Declan’s bald head first. He could make out Lark
tugging on his hand, obviously trying to convince him to dance. To Jared’s amusement, he watched the
big mate’s pleas, heave himself off disappear amongst the gyrating bodies.
That’s when Jared spotted him. He was dancing with Dagus and another wolf, whose name he didn’t
remember. A shot of jealousy speared through him and he growled. “Yeah. That’s him.”
“Dude, you okay?” Raul gave him a concerned look.
Taking  a  deep  breath,  Jared  nodded.  “Yeah.  Guess  I  better  go  say  hello.”  He  pointed  at  the  booth
Declan had vacated. “If you don’t want to join me on the dance floor, that’s my friend Grady and his
husband, Gordon. Feel free to interrupt them.”
Raul turned to look where he pointed at the kissing couple. “Shit. I don’t think so. Now that you’ve
found your man, I’m going to…”
“Hey there.” Both men turned to look at the speaker. A five foot eight-inch brunet with shining green
eyes and a big grin was staring at Raul like the man was a steak and he hadn’t eaten in a week. He
boldly  rested  a  hand  on  Raul’s  arm,  which  to  Jared’s  amusement,  caused  his  friend  to  tense.  Their
new friend didn’t seem to mind. “I’m Bobby. You want to dance?”
“Okay, you gotta admit he’s cute,” Jared said to Raul. Bobby beamed up at Jared for a second before
returning his focus to his friend.
alpha wolf cave to his the booth’s bench and
He watched his friend pale slightly, making his red hair and freckles stand out just a little more on his
skin. “But I’m straight,” he squeaked.
Bobby shrugged. “Does that mean you don’t know how to dance?” He rubbed his hand up and down
Raul’s tense arm. “Oooo, nice.” He grinned. “I promise not to bite.”
Jared snorted a laugh and slapped his friend on the back. “Go dance with the man,” he cajoled. To his
utter amusement, Raul downed the rest of his beer, handed Jared the empty bottle and then Bobby led
his obviously shellshocked friend to the dance floor.
Setting the empty on the bar, Jared headed through the crowd in the direction he’d glimpsed his mate.

Chapter Twelve

arson downed the shot of tequila Grady handed him. Only a few were privy to the reason why

Carson had been so tense the last two weeks. The alcohol sent a burning trail down his throat to settle
in his stomach. It was his sixth shot of the evening and since it took far more alcohol to get a shifter
inebriated than a human, he appreciated that the tiger shifter kept them coming between beers.

He just wanted one night where he didn’t have to fight his wolf’s desire to track down their mate

and drag him back to Stone Ridge. One night of peace.
“I want to dance,” Dagus announced.

Carson cocked his head and rose. “I’ll go with you,” he volunteered. It beat sitting there with his

thoughts and Gordon’s concerned looks.

“Me, too,” Phillip said. He put down his half-full beer and stood.

Carson knew the plan would be to sandwich their blind friend between them, giving Dagus a sense of
security while still having the freedom to dance to the music. After downing the rest of his beer, he
followed  the  pair  onto  the  dance  floor.  He  moved  up  behind  Dagus,  met  Phillip’s  look  over  the
shorter man’s head and nodded. Then they started to dance.
He  settled  his  hands  on  Dagus’s  waist,  right  below  where  Phillip  held  him  and  began  to  swing  his
hips, letting the music move him. Carson took a deep breath, growling in frustration when he smelled
the phantom scent of his mate. He decided scenting his mate when he wasn’t anywhere in the vicinity
and never had been must be similar to people that had lost limbs. There were reports that sometimes
they could feel phantom pain in the non-existent limb.
Letting his eyes slide to half-mast, he emptied his mind and let the music take him. He swung his hips
in time to the beat, the buzz of alcohol in his veins loosening his limbs.
Three songs later, he felt a pair of strong hands grip his waist and a hard cock press against his ass as
a man plastered his body to Carson’s backside. He growled low in his throat before turning a glare
over his shoulder at whoever interrupted his solace.
His  eyes  widened  in  shock.  “Jared!”  he  whispered  as  his  mate’s  scent  enveloped  him,  making  his
cock harden and strain against the confines of his jeans.
“Hello, Injun,” Jared greeted silkily, right before he gripped Carson’s chin and took his mouth in a
deep kiss.
He’d  never  been  into  public  displays  of  affection,  but  somehow  Carson  found  himself  turning  and
wrapping  one  arm  around  his  mate’s  waist  while  burying  the  other  in  Jared’s  short,  soft  hair.  They
deepened the kiss, their tongues and mouths dueling for dominance. He ground his aching shaft into
Jared’s, pleased to find the other man just as turned on.
The  hoots  and  whistles  from  those  men  dancing  around  them  weren’t  enough  to  deter  Carson’s
conquest of his mate’s mouth. It wasn’t until the lack of oxygen threatened to make him pass out that
he broke the kiss. He stared into the dancing hazel eyes of his mate and could think of only one thing.
“How long are you here for?” Carson needed to know how long he had with his mate.
“I’m  not  going  anywhere,  Carson,”  Jared  revealed  with  a  smile.  “Well,  at  least  not  unless  we
discover other friends to rescue.”
“You’re  not…”  Carson  paused  and  glanced  over  his  shoulder  to  see  an  amused  smirk  on  Phillip’s
face  and  a  grin  on  Dagus’s.  Evidently  the  other  wolf  had  told  their  friend  what  caused  the
interruption. “Are you okay without me?”
“Sure. Go sit down,” Phillip answered, clearly amused.

Carson pulled his unresisting mate across the floor. “Hey,” he heard Jared say, “Isn’t that Phillip? I
didn’t get the impression he swung that way.”
Carson shook his head. “He doesn’t, but he’s quite comfortable with the scene. He told us that he used
to go out with Todd when his brother wanted to dance.” At Jared’s surprised look, Carson laughed,
his  heart  suddenly  lighter  than  it’d  been  in  weeks.  “Evidently,  Phillip  was  always  extremely  over-
protective  of  his  older  brother.  He’d  go  to  keep  an  eye  on  things  and  eventually  felt  comfortable
enough  to  dance,  too.  When  Todd  mated  with  Lyle,  Phillip  kinda  lost  his  purpose,  you  know?  So
when  we  rescued  Dagus,  he  just  naturally  moved  his  protective  instincts  to  him,”  he  explained.
Reaching  the  table,  Carson  looked  back  at  the  dance  floor  and  shrugged.  “Dagus  doesn’t  seem  to
mind.”
“Hey,  Jared!  Ya  made  it,  man!  What  do  you  think  of  the  place?”  Grady’s  words  caught  Carson’s
attention and he frowned as he watched Grady slap Jared on the back, a big grin splitting the tiger’s
features.
Carson glared. “You knew he was coming tonight?” Frustration and betrayal shot through him. He’d
thought Grady his friend and all this time the other man had known Jared was returning. Then shame
filled him. He’d been the one to refuse to answer Jared’s calls for the last week. After six days of not
getting any indication from his mate of when he planned to return, he’d let despair take him. Carson
had worried that being across the country had put too much distance between him and Jared and his
mate had no longer felt the pull to return to him. He’d buried himself in work, exhausting his body so
he could sleep at night.
Grady held up his hands in the face of Carson’s conflicting emotions. “I wasn’t sure if he’d make it in
tonight.  I  let  Jared  know  where  we’d  be  every  night  this  week.”  The  big  tiger  fisted  his  hands  and
settled them on his hips. “It’s a full time job keeping you busy at night so you didn’t drive yourself
nuts,” he pointed out.
At  Jared’s  questioning  look,  Carson  blushed.  “Oh,  Injun,”  Jared  whispered.  “I’m  so  sorry  I  caused
you pain.”
Carson  shook  his  head.  “I  should  have  trusted  you  when  you  said  you’d  return,  but  every  time  we
spoke and you never said anything about coming back, it hurt,” he admitted bowing his head. “I hated
not knowing when I’d see you again.”
“You won’t have to worry about that ever again,” Jared vowed. The smaller man wrapped his arms
around Carson, buried his hands in his hair and pulled his head down for another kiss, this one deep
and thorough, full of promise.
Jared licked his bottom lip, asking for entry, which Carson immediately gave. Their tongues tangled
in slow caresses, sending shocks of pleasure down his spine to settle in his balls. He could feel them
pull tight to his body as precum oozed from his dick, soaking the fabric of his jeans.
He broke the kiss and rested his forehead against his mate’s. “We keep that up and I’m going to come
in my pants,” he whispered.
Grinning,  Jared  winked.  “Can’t  have  that,  can  we.”  Jared  pushed  him  into  the  booth  across  from
Gordon and Grady, where he proceeded to settle his near arm on Carson’s thigh as he leaned on the
table  with  his  other  arm.  It  effectively  blocked  the  view  of  anything  below  Carson’s  chest,  which
Jared quickly took advantage of by sliding his hand up and cupping Carson’s cock through his jeans.
Carson hissed through his teeth, his eyes widening in surprise as pleasure shot like liquid fire through
his veins. His hips jerked in an effort to get more pressure on his cock and Jared chuckled, grinning
evilly as he massaged him. His breathing picked up and he struggled to still his body.
“We’re going to go dance a couple songs while you two get reacquainted,” Grady said with a laugh.

The pair disappeared amongst the throng of dancers.
Jared leered at Carson. “I’ve been meaning to ask. Do you want me to move in with you or should we
buy a house together?”
“Uh,”  Carson  had  trouble  focusing  on  his  mate’s  words,  since  Jared’s  hand  under  the  table  was
unbuttoning his jeans and carefully lowering the zipper. “We’ll have to see what’s on the market.”
“We could do that,” Jared replied, nodding. A wicked grin lit his features as he slid his hand beneath
the  fabric  of  Carson’s  boxers  and  maneuvered  his  dick  through  the  hole.  The  warm  air  of  the  club
caressed his heated skin and Jared took his engorged cock in a firm hold and stroked it. “You’re right.
This would definitely be a problem for dancing,” he commented. He leaned close and brushed a soft
kiss against Carson’s lips. “And I do plan to dance with you, Injun. I’m going to plaster my body to
yours and grind my cock against your thigh. I’ll let you feel how hard I am, how excited I am for you
to take me home and fill my ass,” he whispered.
The  picture  his  mate’s  words  created  had  a  whimper  of  need  escaping  Carson’s  lips.  It’d  been  too
long since he’d been with his mate and the scent of Jared’s desire had his balls pulling tight against
him. Jared swiped his thumb over the head of Carson’s shaft before pressing it into his slit, sending
sparks down his shaft.
“So  close,”  Carson  panted.  No  longer  able  to  control  his  hips,  he  thrust  up  into  Jared’s  firm  grip,
unable to get enough of his mate’s touch.
Jared  moved  his  lips  to  the  tender  skin  beneath  Carson’s  ear.  “Grab  a  handful  of  cocktail  napkins
from the table,” he ordered. “We don’t want to make a mess out of that nice green shirt you have on.”
Carson scrambled to obey as Jared’s hand sped up and his lips sucked on his sensitive skin. He’d just
managed  to  get  a  wad  of  napkins  over  the  head  of  his  cock  when  Jared  nipped  his  neck.  His  balls
pulled  even  tighter,  his  thighs  trembled  and  his  dick  pulsed.  Warm  release  soaked  the  napkins  as
Carson bit back a hoarse cry.
“That’s it, Carson. Show me how much you missed my touch,” Jared crooned.
His  mate  continued  to  nibble  and  suck  on  his  neck  as  Carson  came  down  from  his  orgasm.  Warm
sensations cascaded over Carson, knowing his mate had returned to him, wanted him, intensifying his
release. Finally, he pried his eyes open and looked at him. “What about you?”
Jared grinned. “You can suck me in the car later.”
Carson chuckled, but his cock twitched at the thought of tasting his mate’s cream. He leaned forward
and kissed Jared. “I look forward to it.”
Just then, a pair of men he didn’t recognize flopped onto the seat across from them. “You wore me
out, Bobby. You sure can dance.”
“Hello, Raul,” Jared greeted the redhead, amusement clear in his tone. “I’d like you to meet Carson.”
Jared turned to look at him, grinning with his knowledge that Carson was struggling to discreetly tuck
his dick back into his jeans under the table while keeping a wad of cum covered napkins away from
his clothes. “Carson, this is my buddy Raul. He helps me with jobs on occasion and chose to relocate
with me.”
“Jobs?”  he  questioned,  taking  the  opportunity  to  discreetly  finish  righting  his  clothes.  “I  thought…”
Well, I guess he didn’t really say he was quitting, did he? I just sort of assumed…
“Don’t  worry,  Carson,”  he  softly  reassured,  brushing  a  finger  down  his  jaw.  “You  remember  the
business  I  told  Terry’s  friends  I  do?  Well,  it  shouldn’t  take  much  to  open  up  a  base  of  operations
here.” He grinned cheekily. “I bet I can even get a recommendation from Declan.”
Carson  grinned,  certain  the  relief  he  felt  showed  clearly  on  his  face.  “I’m  sure  you  could.” And  he
meant it. Jared had already proven that he had skill at breaking into high security facilities. Now the

man planned to get paid for it.
“So this is the guy you fell in love with and uprooted our lives for?” Raul interrupted.
Carson froze for a second, surprised at the man’s words, before he swung his gaze to focus on Jared.
“You love me?” he whispered.
Jared  glared  briefly  at  Raul  and  then  took  hold  of  Carson’s  hand.  “Yeah.  I  love  you,  Carson.”  He
squeezed  the  hand  he  held  before  bringing  it  to  his  lips  and  nipping  the  skin  of  Carson’s  palm
sensually. “You think I’d move ‘cross the country for just anyone?”
The mix of playfulness and intensity had his heart beating faster in his chest, as a fresh wave of desire
flowed through him. Carson buried his free hand in Jared’s short dark hair and pulled his face close.
“I love you, too, Jared,” he growled and then took his mate in a hungry kiss. His cock started to fill
again and Carson dropped the tissues on the floor, no longer caring what happened to them or who
may find them later. He grabbed his mate’s thigh and pulled him closer still.
“Awe.”  Bobby’s  sappy  sigh  cut  into  his  senses  and  Carson  eased  the  kiss  to  an  end,  remembering
where  they  were.  “You  guys  are  so  cute  together!”  He  turned  to  Raul,  leaned  close  and  batted  his
eyelashes playfully. “Do you think we’ll ever be like that?”
Carson could hear the teasing in the young man’s tone, but evidently Raul didn’t. His eyes widened
like a deer in the headlights and he tried to pull his arm free. “No! I told you…”
Bobby  started  to  laugh.  “Yeah,  yeah,  straight  boy,”  he  teased.  “But  you  do  make  a  great  dance
gracefully unfolded himself from the seat “Anyone want a drink?”
“Bobby Truman?”
The young man spun around, his eyes widening comically. “Detective Stryker! Hi!” For a second the
guy  glanced  around,  obviously  looking  for  someone,  then  his  eyes  returned  to  Grady’s  imposing
figure. He opened his mouth as if to ask something, but snapped his jaw shut when Grady shook his
head once. “It’s good to see you,” Bobby said instead.
Carson wondered how the pair knew each other, but the warning that had flashed across the big tiger
shifter’s expression didn’t invite questions. The grin he focused on Bobby didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“I’m off the clock right now, Bobby. Call me Grady.” Bobby nodded and Grady glanced at the table
and spotted Raul. “Is this your date?”
Raul  sighed  and  ran  a  hand  through  his  hair.  Jared  laughed.  “Naw.  Raul’s  a  friend  of  mine  from
Massachusetts. He’s just dancing,” he added with a grin. Jared slid from the booth and held a hand
out for Carson. “Speaking of dancing, I believe you owe me a couple before we get out of here.”
Carson grinned and gripped his mate’s hand, loving how natural it felt to tangle their fingers together.
“Then let’s get partner.” He and grinned. to it, because I have plans for your ass later,” he growled,
squeezing his mate’s rear firmly.
“Oh, well, do tell, Injun. Do tell,” Jared teased.
The others at the table chuckled as they sauntered onto the dance floor, both of them grinning largely.
Carson pulled his mate into his arms and sighed. Jared was there, with him, to stay and he couldn’t
wait to get home.

About the Author

Charlie lives on a mini ranchette in Utah with her handsome, supportive husband. She started

writing fantasy when she was eight and after stumbling onto her first erotic romance at nineteen, she
realized her true calling. She now focuses on writing erotic romance, often 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

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