Reluctant Mate

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RELUCTANT MATE

Perfect Strangers Collection

Cover art by Amanda Kelsey

Edited by Trinity Scott

ISBN: 978-1-936387-43-4

ISBN 10: 1-936387-43-3

All Romance eBooks, LLC

Palm Harbor, Florida 34684

www.allromanceebooks.com

This is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons,

living or dead, or business establishments, events, or locales is
coincidental.

All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this may be used or

reproduced in any manner whatsoever with out written
permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in
critical articles and reviews.

First All Romance eBooks publication: February 2012

Prologue

Gray stepped out of the car after parking in front of

his  father’s  house,  one  of  the  many  mansions  on  St.
Charles Avenue. He sighed. The summons had come two
hours ago. The order had been to be there within one, but
Gray  sometimes  stretched  the  boundaries  of  his  father’s
tolerance. After all, it wasn’t as if he was a child. He was
twenty-eight, a man, capable of handling his own affairs.
Of  course,  those  affairs  were  all  family-related.  The
luxury  he  was  able  to  live  in  was  because  of  the  hard
work his father and grandfather had put into the company
business  over  the  years.  Gray  wasn’t  ungrateful.  He  just
figured he shouldn’t have to jump to attention every time
his father snapped his fingers.

He used his key to let himself into the house. All was

in silence until he walked down the hall. His father’s
voice boomed from one of the living areas as soon as he
opened the door. Gray braced himself for the coming
tirade.

“Gray!” his father shouted. Scarcely five feet

separated them, and Gray refrained from frowning at the
noise level.

“Good morning, Dad,” he answered. Years ago, his

father had insisted he call him Father. Gray had almost

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choked on the sip of coffee he’d been drinking at the time.
Needless to say that idea died a swift death. “You
summoned?”

His father narrowed cold golden eyes at him, eyes

that matched all of his peoples’ except one, but Gray
didn’t have many dealings with his cousin. “I expected
you an hour ago, Gray. I don’t appreciate being made to
wait.”

“I apologize, sir.” Gray drew in a deep breath to start

spinning a story that would drive his father more insane.
The older man waved an inpatient hand.

“Never mind why you took so long,” his father said.

“I have something very important to tell you. I’ve been
thinking it over for these past few months and spoke with
a few men I respect who have a good grasp on the future
for our people.”

Gray froze. Something told him whatever

conclusions his father and his advisors had come to
wouldn’t be good for him. Now he wished he’d stopped
by a bar and downed a few drinks before coming here. Of
course he didn’t indulge this early in the day. As much as
he enjoyed pushing his father’s buttons, he respected what
his father did, and that was to protect their reputation.

“Should I sit down for this?” he asked and then

crossed the room anyway to take a seat. His father had
dressed in a business suit that morning as he usually did,
but Gray had opted for simple slacks and a collared shirt.
He felt he looked neat without appearing stuffy, which
was what he’d classify his father as being.

“I’ve decided,” his father said, “it’s time for you to

take a mate.”

Gray raised an eyebrow. He bent one leg over the

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over and leaned back in his chair. With an arm extended
out  along  the  couch’s  back,  he  shrugged.  “Sure.”  He’d
been  thinking  it  was  time  himself.  After  all,  his
grandfather had passed three years ago, leaving his father
in charge of their business. Gray’s mother hadn’t been the
strongest  woman,  so  she’d  had  only  two  children,  Gray
and his younger brother, who wasn’t expected to mate any
time  soon.  That  left  Gray  and  his  blue-eyed  cousin  to
carry on the name. Gray knew his father thought only of
him  in  that  capacity.  “I  have  no  problem  with  it.  See,
Dad? I can agree with you sometimes.”

His father grunted in annoyance. “I’ve also taken the

liberty of choosing your mate. We—”

“Now, hold on,” Gray interrupted. “I think I can

choose my own wife.”

“—have to think of what will be most advantageous

for our people.”

Gray frowned at being ignored, but his father

obviously didn’t give a damn.

“We have money. That’s great, but I don’t have to

remind you of how we were almost revealed just a few
years ago. The fact that there are wolf shifters in this
world is still a secret, but it won’t be for long. One day,
what we are will be revealed, and I fear that money will
mean nothing. We need political influence. We need to be
able to control the laws and get them changed to our favor
in order to survive.”

Gray couldn’t fault his way of thinking there either.

“Okay, what does that have to do with my mate?”

To his surprise, his father hesitated, something he

never did. His father was one of the most self-assured
people he knew, and he thought so much of himself, no

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one to Gray’s knowledge had ever intimidated him. “You
understand it would be best if your mate is a shifter?”

“Of course.”
“We know of several families like us. I’ve made it

my business to cultivate relationships with every one of
them we’ve learned of over the years, following after your
grandfather’s example.”

Gray gritted his teeth. “Get to the point, Dad.” He

wasn’t overly worried. All the shifters around his age who
were not married were hot. The trait was strong in his
kind whether male or female. Of course, good looks
didn’t mean they didn’t have other challenges sometimes,
such as his mother’s ill health.

“The Cain family,” his father announced. “I’ve

decided you will mate with their head to take advantage
of their strong connections with people in leadership.”

Gray sat there blinking at his father, at a loss for

words.  Maybe  he’d  heard  wrong.  Cain.  He  knew  the
name.  Everyone  did.  They  were  rumored  to  be  poor  as
church  mice  now,  but  even  he  with  his  disinterest  in
anything  having  to  do  with  politics  knew  that  they  had
influence way beyond any of the other shifters across the
United States.

He cleared his throat. “Correct me if I’m wrong, Dad,

but the head of the Cain family is male.”

“Yes.”
Gray surged to his feet. “Let me get this straight, sir.

You  expect  me  to  mate  with  a  man?  A  man  who  is
rumored  to  be  the  worst  gambler  and  drunkard  in  all  of
New Orleans? The word is they are poor because of this
idiot,  and  I’m  supposed  to…”  He  cringed  in  disgust.
“Marry him! Are you insane?”

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His father stood up as well now that Gray was yelling

and towering over him. “You will do as I say, Gray. The
arrangements are already made. You’ll meet Lucas here
on Friday night, and—”

“No!”
A low growl began in his father’s throat, that of the

wolf, and his eyes, which had been humanlike a moment
ago, brightened to a pure gold, almost glowing. Gray was
not  intimidated, but  he did  use caution. His father might
be  getting  up  in  age,  but  he  had  years  of  experience
connecting with the beast within. He’d been in a fight six
months  ago  with  a  younger  wolf  down  on  the  docks,  a
shifter  who’d  thought  he  could  come  in  and  disrupt  the
order  they  commanded  at  the  company.  Gray  had  been
prepared  to  take  care  of  the  idiot,  but  in  moments  his
father  had  pinned  him  at  the  throat  with  sharp,  deadly
teeth. Not that he thought his father would do the same to
him,  but  he  wasn’t  a  fool  either.  Knowing  his  stubborn
parent, he could wound Gray, fully expecting him to heal
by the end of the week.

“You will be here at dinner on Friday evening to

meet your mate. Dinner is at eight.”

Gray strolled to the door and wrenched it open.

Before he walked through, he looked back at his father. “I
respect you and your ways. I will agree to mating, but I
will never—not now, not ever—mate with a man.
Period!”

Chapter One

Lucas leaned against the front of his car, legs crossed

at the ankles. He considered taking out a cigarette to pass
the time, but he’d quit several months ago. That didn’t
stop the thought from coming to him. He still had half a
pack in his pocket, the same one he’d bought the last time
he had extra money. That seemed like a lifetime ago.

The man just getting out of his car dressed in a long

coat  that  must  cost  more  than  Lucas’s  entire  outfit
probably never had to think twice about whether he could
afford  whatever  it  was  he  was  entering  the  convenience
store to buy. Lucas sighed. He didn’t spite him. He never
spited  anyone  for  what  they  had.  He’d  been  there  once
upon a time, and somehow he would figure out how to get
it all back.

In the distance, he caught the ding of a trolley on its

route, and from another direction, the horn blast of one of
the ferries on the bayou. He loved his city. He never
wanted to leave, but he had to think of the family. Maybe
things would work out with this crazy plan, and he’d
never have worry about that again. The idea went beyond
anything he’d ever considered, but it had come down to it.
He had no other choice.

“Hey, cher,” he called to the smartly dressed man just

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coming out of the store, “got a cig?”

The man frowned. Lucas recognized him, but from

the  distance  in  the  guy’s  eyes,  he  knew  Gray  Lachin
didn’t  know  who  he  was.  Lucas  strolled  over  to  him,
hands  shoved  into  his  pockets.  Recognition  reflected  in
the  golden  eyes.  Not  from  figuring  out  who  Lucas  was,
but what.

“I don’t smoke,” Gray said.
Lucas shrugged. “Neither do I.” Gray opened his

mouth to say something else, but Lucas cut him off. “You
look like something’s on your mind. Wanna talk about
it?”

“Not really,” he snapped. Then he hesitated. “It’s not

the kind of thing I’d talk to anyone about. Not anyone I
know and certainly not a stranger.”

Lucas could guess what it was, the very thing that

consumed  his  thoughts  as  well.  Could  he  actually  go
through with it? Of course he could. He had to one way or
another.  He’d  decided  to  meet  Gray  on  his  own  terms
though,  when  his  daddy  wasn’t  there  to  influence  him.
Lucas  had  heard  the  rumors.  The  Lachin  family  was
rolling  deep,  and  the  older  son  played  the  part  of  the
rebellious  heir,  but  in  the  end  he  did  what  Daddy  said.
Lucas wanted to get a real feel of the man.

“Okay, if not talking, I know a way to blow off a

little steam. Down by the bayou in an area not many
people frequent.”

“You’re talking of running…in our natural form.”
Lucas smiled. “Chilly tonight.” He dug into his coat

and pulled out a bottle of Jack. He’d been saving it. “How
about this instead.”

Gray’s eyes narrowed. “How do I know you’re not

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going to get me down there, hit me over the head, and
shove me into the river?”

Lucas laughed. “For the simple reason that you know

what I am just as I know what you are. My guess is you’d
give me a run for my money. Am I right, cher?”

Gray gritted his teeth. “Sure, why not.”
Lucas took the lead in his car since he knew where he

wanted to end up. The lights and noise of the city faded as
they headed down the back roads. The trees on both sides
of  the  road  thickened,  and  while  his  headlights  cut
through the darkness, he didn’t need them to help him see.
He knew Gray didn’t either. They blended as much as any
human in New Orleans, but just like Gray had suggested,
sometimes  they  let  go  of  the  façade  and  let  the  beast
loose. Lucas’s family home, which he was close to losing
because  of  debt,  had  several  acres  where  he  and  his
people had run free for generations. That wasn’t what this
night was about though.

At the curve in the road, he took an almost unseen

narrow path that was unpaved. Branches brushed the sides
of his car, but he wasn’t worried about it. He chuckled
imagining by now Gray was cursing him for bringing him
this way.

They soon cut their engines and shut off the lights.

Lucas stepped out of the car and slammed the door. Just
as he thought, Gray’s expression was sour.

“You did that on purpose?” he growled. “There had

to be a better way down here.”

Lucas didn’t confirm or deny. He took up the spot

he’d occupied while waiting for Gray. They were very
close to the water. Gators had been spotted down here
from time to time, but he wasn’t worried. He offered the

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bottle to Gray, but he waved his hand.

“You first.”
“Suit yourself.” Lucas took a long swig and

swallowed.  The  alcohol  burned  with  satisfaction  going
down.  Already  the  night  chill  eased.  Seeing  that  it  was
safe,  Gray  took  the  bottle  from  him  and  took  a  drink  of
his own. With the third or fourth round, his new friend’s
shoulders seemed less tense, and he settled beside Lucas.

“You ever have a situation where your family wants

you to do something that’s good for all of you, but you’re
the one taking the fall?” Gray asked.

Lucas took another drink dropped back on his elbows

while staring out at the water. “Yeah, I’m there right
now.”

“You consider not doing it, no matter what it

means?”

Lucas glanced over at him. So he wasn’t a complete

puppet.  He  had  a  mind  of  his  own,  but  Lucas  couldn’t
afford  for  Gray  to  grow  a  set  of  balls  now.  He  needed
him,  and  he  would  convince  him  whatever  it  took.
“Family  is  everything.  Everything.  I  wouldn’t  consider
turning my back on them. I have little ones that depend on
me. If I am not man enough to do what’s hard, then how
can  they  look  up  to  me?  How  can  they  grow  up  to  be
strong enough to make tough choices?”

Gray swore. “The family, our people!” He was about

to throw the bottle into the water, but Lucas caught his
arm and retrieved it to sit on the ground. Gray took a few
unsteady steps away from him. Lucas wasn’t worried. The
drink’s influence didn’t last long with any of them. Most
of us. Their metabolisms were too fast, and it would be
burned up within the hour. His uncle had tried his best to

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overcome that little inconvenience.

The golden-eyed wolf shifter turned to face him. “I’m

sick of everything being about all of us and nothing about
what I want. I guess I sound like a spoiled brat, huh?”

Lucas held up a thumb and a forefinger, and Gray

snarled at him.

“I’ve done everything he wants me to. I used to long

to leave New Orleans, maybe go to Europe and live there
a while.”

That surprised and disappointed Lucas. He couldn’t

see himself leaving.

“I stayed and worked the family business,” Gray

continued. “He wanted me to take a mate and…”

Here his dialogue fell away, and Lucas wondered if

he should enlighten the man as to who he was. “And you
don’t want a mate?”

“I don’t want the mate my father chose.” He ran a

hand  through  his  hair,  disordering  the  dark  locks.  Lucas
found  himself  examining  the  man  before  him.  He  could
acknowledge  that  Gray  was  handsome.  He  stood  about
the same height as Lucas—six-four. His build was good,
defined muscle but slightly leaner than Lucas. Gray’s coat
when  he  shifted  to  his  wolf  form  matched  his  name.
Lucas’s coat was blacker with a few spots of gray on his
belly.  The  urgent  expression  in  Gray’s  face  when  he
turned  to  him  pulled  Lucas  from  his  thoughts.  “What
would you do? Take the mate for family’s sake?”

They’d gone over this. Lucas wouldn’t say anything

Gray wanted to hear. “As I’ve said, family is everything
to me. Perhaps you’ve never had everyone depend solely
on you.”

Gray’s lips tightened. Lucas thought he would blow

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up and defend himself, but his shoulders slumped, and his
head dipped. “You’re right. My grandfather and father
have always been there. I’d be a fool not to see the
sacrifices they made in their time. But damn it, this!” His
hands waved through the night air.

Lucas had mercy on him. “I never introduced

myself.” He stuck out a hand. “I’m Lucas Cain.”

Gray stared wide-eyed. “No, you’re not.”
“No?”
He shook his head. “The head of the Cain family is

an older guy, a drunkard and a gambler.”

Lucas dropped his hand seeing Gray had ignored it.

“Ah, the rumors.”

“So it’s not true?”
“Oh, it’s true,” he admitted. The disappointment in

his  intended’s  expression  was  priceless.  “My  uncle.  He
was the head of my family up until a few months ago. His
lifestyle finally caught up with him. Now it’s all on me. I
guess in a way, it’s been on me for a few years since, like
you  said,  he  was  a  drunkard  and  a  gambler.  Leave  it  to
Uncle  Luke  to  find  a  way  around  our  inability  to  stay
drunk long.”

“Oh, I get it,” Gray said, “the similarity in names.

That’s why people thought…”

“Yeah.” Lucas eyed him. “And you’re Gray Lachin,

correct? I’m your mate.”

Gray scowled. “You knew who I was all along.”
Lucas held up his hands. “Guilty. I wanted to feel

you out before Friday. I hope you don’t mind.”

“You.” Gray eyed him, and he figured the man was

sizing him up, wondering if he could bear the idea of
being mated to him. Lucas waited in silence, to his

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surprise, hoping he didn’t come up lacking. “It’s
impossible,” Gray said at last.

“What?”
“I can’t kiss a man.” His fingers disappeared into his

hair once again. “I can’t kiss him, and I definitely can’t…
Oh, hell. There’s got to be another way, another family,
for Pete’s sake!”

Lucas didn’t know what came over him. He wasn’t

aware of thinking before he acted at all. He just leaned
over, since they were side-by-side, and kissed Gray on the
mouth. The firm lips were warm and not wholly
disgusting. Not disgusting at all.

The next moment, Gray’s fist impacted with his jaw,

and Lucas stumbled back. Gray swiped a hand over his
mouth. “What the fuck did you do that for?”

Lucas worked his jaw. The pain told him Gray was

pretty strong, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t handle.
“I’ll let you have that one,” he said with a slight grin, “but
no repeats.”

Gray let loose a string of curses.
Lucas laughed. If they weren’t dealing with this

mess, he figured they could have been friends. He liked
Gray’s personality. Without the weight of their families
on their backs, they could have run together in their truer
forms, maybe even fought side-by-side.

“If you plan to wrestle against your father’s wishes,

you’d better have all your facts straight,” he told Gray.

“What does that mean?”
Lucas settled into the spot he’d occupied before the

slug to his jaw. He drew in a deep breath of the evening
air and tilted his head back a little, eyes closed. “To
convince him you can’t possibly mate with a man, don’t

Chapter Two

“Kiss you?” Gray couldn’t keep from stumbling over

the  words  let  alone  think  about  following  through  with
them.  He  had  an  impulse  to  drive  his  fist  into  Lucas’s
mouth a second time for  suggesting such a thing, but  he
kind  of  liked  the  guy.  Not  like  that,  damn  it!  Lucas  was
trying, and he had to give him credit, but did it all come
too easily for him? Was he gay? “Are you—”

“Gay? No.” Lucas shrugged. “In this situation I wish

I was. Never thought I’d ever say that.”

“Then why are you so comfortable with the idea?”
“Cher, I’m not comfortable. Trust me. The thought

of, uh, kissing you doesn’t sit well. However, I thought
about this, and I’ve decided I’ll do whatever it takes. I’ve
never backed down from a challenge.”

“You’re insinuating I would?” Gray clutched his

hands into fists. He realized he was letting his temper get
the best of him, but he felt the ground slipping out from
under him. Then again,  maybe he should do what  Lucas
suggested. He was right that Gray couldn’t go back to his
father  with  a  fight  and  not  have  a  good  argument.
Everyone knew two people couldn’t just decide to  mate.
There had to be a connection that bound them together. If
he  could  prove  to  the  stubborn  old  man  that  it  was

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impossible, then he and the others could go try to push
this on someone else. “Fine. I’ll give it a try.”

“Okay, but don’t hit me again because I will slug you

back,” Lucas warned.

Gray didn’t doubt it. Lucas was built bigger than he

was, and his hands he’d noticed when the man gestured,
were massive. “Fine. So, what do you want to do?”

Lucas turned to face him. “Kiss. We can start there

and see how it goes.”

Gray swallowed. He ran his moist palms down his

pants legs and glanced around. Lucas chuckled, annoying
him.

“There’s nobody out here.”
“I know that,” Gray snapped. He reached out to tug

Lucas close, but the man’s hand came up and caught his
just as he wrapped his fingers around his shirt front. They
had  a  brief  battle  of  wills  with  their  eyes  until  Gray
released  him.  His  heart  rate  had  increased,  and  he  was
glad to note Lucas wasn’t as calm as he pretended. He’d
never  be  able  to  cover  his  racing  pulse,  and  the  raspy
breath  was  a  dead  giveaway.  Gray  could  hear  his  heart
like a drum beat. They took a few tentative steps closer to
each other. “Don’t touch me.”

“Likewise,” Lucas said.
“I mean other than our lips.” Whatever else he’d

thought to say was cut off the minute their mouths came
together.

At first it was tight and closed, but then Lucas parted

his lips. Gray wouldn’t be outdone, so he opened his
mouth as well. Some instinct made them tilt their heads,
and the kiss deepened just a little. Despite the position, it
didn’t feel right. Gray drew back.

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“What is it?” Lucas asked.
Gray frowned.
“Was it gross?”
“No. No, of course not.” What the hell was he

thinking rushing to reassure the man? Of course it was
gross. Wasn’t it? “Something’s not right.”

Lucas’s gaze veered to the left as if he considered it,

and then he snapped his fingers. “We weren’t moving.
You remember kissing women, right? We sort of move,
kind of go with it.”

Gray gritted his teeth. “Fine. Let’s go again.”
Their lips touched, and this time Gray parted his first.

Lucas  followed  his  lead  but  not  for  long.  He  began
moving,  sucking,  drawing  back  enough  to  make  the
smacking sound before going in to kiss again. Gray kissed
him harder. He opened his mouth a little more and pushed
his  tongue  out.  The  second  the  tip  touched  Lucas’s,  he
growled and wrenched away.

“Damn!”
“I think we were doing it right this time,” Lucas said.
“Shut up!”
Gray paced away. He tugged at his hair, muttering to

himself. At the end of Lucas’s car, he stopped and looked
down. Horror washed over him, causing goose bumps to
pop out on his skin. His cock was hard. No, no, no!

“Hey, what are you doing?” Lucas called from

somewhere behind him.

“Nothing!” His voice was deeper than usual. The

beast felt his insecurity and wanted to take dominance. He
didn’t need to change. Gray squatted, leaning his arms on
his thighs as he continued to think about the situation he
was in.

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He could stop here and tell his father, he couldn’t do

it,  but  what  if  he  demanded  a  demonstration,  like  a  kiss
just as they shared just now. There was no way he could
deny  anything  if  his  cock  got  hard.  Fuck!  Had  Lucas’s
grown too? He dared not ask. Maybe it was just the act.
His body didn’t know the difference. No, if he took  that
approach,  then  it  would  mean  he  shouldn’t  have  a
problem going further.

He glanced over his shoulder. Lucas had taken up his

position leaning on the front of the car, arms crossed like
he  did  this  sort  of  thing  every  day.  First  impressions
didn’t  reveal  him  to  be  the  softer  type,  so  Gray  had  to
figure he was good at hiding what he felt. Fine. Gray had
every  intention  of  getting  Lucas  hard.  Then  they  could
both suffer the humiliation.

He stood up and walked back over to stand in front of

Lucas. “Come on. Let’s try it again.”

Lucas nodded.
Gray laid light hands on Lucas’s hips and waited for

the man to shove him off, but he didn’t. He moved closer.
Their  bodies  weren’t  exactly  touching,  but  Gray  picked
up  on  the  other  man’s  heat.  His  temperature  had  risen.
Gray waited until their lips met before he closed the last
inch of space between them. His crotch touched Lucas’s.
He expected bile to rise in his throat, but when it didn’t,
he  deepened  the  kiss  and  pressed  tighter.  Lucas’s  hands
came around his  waist, and the tips of their tongues met
once again.

The night seemed to grow quieter with not even the

nocturnal creatures stirring. The only sound reaching
Gray’s ears was the noise of him kissing another man. He
had allowed his tongue to curl with Lucas’s, and they’d

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both opened their mouths wide enough to fully taste each
other. He felt ashamed of the fact that there was the tiniest
spark  of  pleasure  to  what  he  was  doing,  and  he  pushed
those  thoughts  away.  His  enjoyment,  he  decided,  was  in
feeling  the  confirmation  of  Lucas’s  body.  There  was  no
mistaking the big, hard cock pressed into his.

Lucas must have finally noticed because he broke

away, looked down, and jetted away the same as Gray had
done.  However,  Lucas  wrenched  his  car  door  open  and
hopped  inside,  slamming  the  door  behind  him.  His
forehead  went  down  on  the  steering  wheel,  and  his
knuckles were white where he gripped it.

Gray took his time walking around to the side of the

car. He wrapped on the glass. “What are you doing?”

“Shut up,” Lucas spat.
“You change your mind?”
“I haven’t changed anything.” Still, Lucas didn’t look

up.

Gray walked around the other side and folded into the

passenger seat. They sat in silence for a while. “We could
fake it, tell everybody we had sex and just leave it at that.
Maybe we could even arrange to go out of town or
something, every now and then, and pick up women
together.”

Lucas’s head came up. The interest was obvious, but

then his countenance fell. “Won’t work. They’d sense it.
Hell, they’d smell that we haven’t had each other.”

“Damn.” Gray punched the dash.
Lucas ran a hand over his face. “How about this? We

do it. Once. Fast. That gives us each other’s scent and
makes it real. I’ll take you, and—”

“Hold it.” Gray snarled. “What do you mean you’ll

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take me? How about I take you?”

“No fucking way,” Lucas growled.
They argued back and forth for a few minutes,

neither wanting to accept the fate of being the receiver.
Gray had no doubt it would hurt like hell, and letting
another man do that, well, no way. Lucas could forget it.

“Ugh! This is getting us nowhere,” Lucas interjected.

“Okay, how about this. We do each other, and we can flip
for who gets it first.”

Gray couldn’t help finding that funny. “Flip? Seems

impersonal, doesn’t it?”

“We’re not exactly a couple here.”
“Yeah.” He shook his head. “Okay, fine. I have a

coin. Call it.”

“Heads.”
Gray tossed the coin and caught it on his wrist,

covering  it.  He  took  a  deep  breath  and  pulled  his  hand
away.  They  were  both  silent  for  a  few  seconds.  Lucas
tapped  a  thumb  on  the  steering  wheel,  staring  straight
ahead.

“We doing it here?” Gray asked at last.
“No, I still have my family’s apartment. I planned to

let it go at the end of the month. We can go there and be
more comfortable.” He glanced over at Gray. “Are you
sure? You’re going to let me take you first, right?”

Gray sighed. “Yeah, I lost after all. No choice.”

Chapter Three

Gray stood just inside the entry to the apartment. The

place was nice, semi-spacious. Some pieces of the
furniture appeared to be quality made, maybe expensive,
but others were obviously cheap. He guessed Lucas or his
uncle had sold some to cover expenses. Across the living
room, a gap in the curtains revealed a wrought iron
balcony, which was typical of apartments in the area. The
location was decent, The French Quarter.

His partner locked the door behind him and walked

past to the dining room table. Gray’s stomach stirred with
his  nerves  as  Lucas  removed  the  contents  of  the  bag  he
carried. They had discussed that too—who would go into
the  store  to  buy  lubricant.  Just  thinking  it  had  launched
them  into  silence  at  first.  Then  Lucas  figured  since  he’d
won the toss up, it was only fair that he take the hit on the
buy. Gray resisted asking how it had gone. The redness in
the  man’s  cheeks  was  testament  enough  when  he  came
out of the store.

“Uh,” Gray said, feeling awkward. “Mind if I take a

shower?”

Lucas pointed his chin toward the hall. “That way, on

the right.”

Gray found the bathroom easily enough. He stripped

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down  and  couldn’t  help  checking  his  body  out  in  the
mirror. Running in his wolf form kept him in shape. His
muscles  were  firm,  his  skin  taut.  He  didn’t  think  Lucas
would  have  any  complaints.  Then  he  cursed  himself  for
thinking  that.  This  was  no  romantic  rendezvous.  They
were  there  to  prove  what  a  mistake  attempting  to  mate
would be. That’s all. He didn’t give a crap if Lucas liked
his body or not.

When he was done, he stepped out into the bedroom,

naked.  Lucas  was  there,  and  for  some  reason  it  irritated
him that the man averted his eyes from Gray’s form. He
passed  him  by  and  disappeared  in  the  bathroom  for  his
own shower. Gray didn’t  know what to  do, so he sat  on
the bed. A full size, he guessed both his and Lucas’s feet
would hang over the bottom. He would have put in a king
size.

The bathroom door opened, and Gray glanced up. He

couldn’t help where his gaze went, which was straight to
Lucas’s cock. “What the fuck! Are you hard?”

Lucas frowned. “You’re complaining? We’re here for

sex aren’t we?”

Gray surged to his feet and paced. He scratched the

back of his head. At last he turned back to Lucas. “You
grow out to what eight inches?”

“Nine.” To Gray’s disgust, Lucas looked proud about

it. “I’m not all the way there yet. Getting naked tends to
get it excited. I have a big appetite.”

Gray ground his teeth. “You’re not the one getting

the cock in your ass.”

“Not first anyway. I’ll take it slow.”
For a moment, Gray thought about snatching up his

clothes and hightailing it out of there. He’d never once

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thought of being with another man. Okay, once he’d
wondered, but that was all it was. Wondering. Everybody
did when they were young and curious, didn’t they? He’d
never considered acting on it, and this was…could he
even do it?

Lucas approached him. “Listen, I don’t want you to

feel like you were manipulated into this. I know why I’m
doing this and why I won’t back down no matter what it
means to me, but you’re different.”

“Yeah.” Gray fidgeted. They were standing bare as

the day they were born, too close. Could he change his
mind and tell his father to go fuck himself? Better yet, the
old man could mate with Lucas. His mother had died
giving birth to his younger brother.

No, he knew it wouldn’t work. Their people mated

for life when they were able to make that connection, and
even the death of one couldn’t destroy the bond. The
other just waited to pass on into the next life where their
mate waited. He sighed.

“There’s no guarantee our secret will be revealed

today or tomorrow, possibly not in the next hundred
years.”

“That’s true.”
He saw disappointment in Lucas’s eyes and

speculated once again about just how extensive his debts
were. They could all get jobs, surely. He ran a hand over
his face. “My father will never leave me alone until I
prove to him this can’t work.”

“Then prove it to him.” He reached out and laid a

hand on Gray’s hip. Gray flinched.

“We could do a little more kissing, so we can warm

up,” he suggested. Lucas agreed.

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They headed over to the bed and sat side by side.

Lucas  leaned  in  close  to  him,  and  their  lips  met.  Right
away,  they  started  in  with  tongues,  and  Gray  relaxed  a
little. They’d done enough of this down by the bayou for
him not  to  feel  too  weird. He tilted his  head to  the  side,
and Lucas put a hand up to his shoulder. Gentle pressure
made him lay back, and Lucas bent over him. As soon as
the other man’s chest touched his, Gray went stiff again.
Lucas  pulled  away.  His  cheeks  were  flaming  red,  and
Gray knew his own were as well.

“We can keep trying,” Gray muttered.
He climbed higher on the bed, and Lucas followed.

This time, they fumbled trying to hug. Lucas stuck him in
the eye, and Gray thumped him in the arm in retaliation.
They glowered at each other and then laughed a little.

They kissed again, and when Lucas moved over

Gray,  he  forced  himself  to  relax.  He  noticed  how  tight
Lucas’s  nipples  were,  how  hard  his  chest  felt.  Their  abs
aligned,  and  Gray  spread  his  legs  just  a  little  to  allow
Lucas  to  settle  between  them.  His  fingers  spasmed  on
Lucas’s arms when their cocks touched. He was hard. The
fact  embarrassed  him,  but  he  knew  Lucas  had  grown
harder as well. Just knowing it was sex did it. That’s all,
he reminded himself.

His lover’s hands skimmed over his sides to his hips,

and Gray covered them with his and broke their kiss.
“What are you doing?”

“Uh, caressing you. It helps to get you excited.”
“Oh.”
Lucas had leaned up to talk to him, and Gray spotted

his nipples, rigid just as he’d felt. They were tiny and flat
like his, the areolas dark. He hesitated and then ran his

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tongue  over  one  small  peak.  Lucas  sucked  in  a  sharp
breath,  but  he  didn’t  complain.  Gray  pinched  the  other
between  a  thumb  and  forefinger  while  he  continued  to
lick the other nipple.

Taking that first step on his own relaxed him a little

more, so when Lucas raised his hips off of Gray and
stroked his cock, Gray didn’t jump. His shaft tightened
though, and he acknowledged to himself that it felt good.
Why wouldn’t it? He palmed himself pretty often when a
woman wasn’t available.

Gray watched Lucas pumping his cock with his hand,

going  from  the  base  to  the  tip  and  down  again.  His  lips
parted,  and  his  breathing  became  heavier.  He  closed  his
eyes  a  second,  enjoying  it,  and  then  forced  them  open.
No, this was supposed to be a failure. He had to focus. A
groan  rose  to  his  lips,  and  he  frowned  and  bit  it  off.  He
wasn’t letting Lucas get the best of him.

Gray pushed at Lucas’s hip so he could lean up a

little more, and he reached around his partner’s arm to get
to  Lucas’s  cock.  Damn,  it  was  thick,  bigger  and  longer
than Gray’s cock. He should feel envious, but all he could
think  about  was  Lucas  tearing  up  his  ass  with  this
monster. He worked it and tightened his hold every time
he  came  up  to  the  sensitive  head.  Lucas  moaned,  and
Gray  smiled.  His  satisfaction  was  short-lived  because
Lucas returned to his mouth so they could kiss. They lay
flat on the bed, stroking each other’s cock and exploring
each  other’s  mouths.  When  Lucas  raised  his  head  once
again, Gray told himself he wasn’t disappointed.

“Are you ready for me to work back there?” Lucas

asked.

Gray stiffened. “Yeah, I guess.” He didn’t know what

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to do being used to taking the lead with a woman. He
couldn’t seem to wrap his head around assuming that role.

“Turn over, and get on your knees,” Lucas told him.
“I don’t need you to tell me what to do,” he snapped

back, just because he didn’t appreciate  Lucas acting like
he was some kind of Alpha. Then again, he supposed he
was given that he was the head of his family. The  recall
pissed  Gray  off.  He  rolled  to  his  stomach  anyway  and
rose to his knees. A chill raced over his skin. He dipped
his  head  and  shut  his  eyes,  then  swore  when  Lucas’s
lubed up finger touched his hole.

“Sorry, did it hurt?”
Gray flared his nostrils. He bunched the covers in his

fingers. “No.”

Not a big deal, not a big deal, he chanted in silence.

Lucas’s  finger  pierced  his  anus  and  went  in  deep.  He
gasped,  but  it  didn’t  hurt  too  bad.  More  tight  and
surprising than anything else. He looked over his shoulder
at  Lucas’s  face,  expecting  disgust  and  found  wonder
instead. The more he played with Gray’s ass, the more he
seemed to get into it. Gray hesitated and then pushed back
on  Lucas’s  finger.  His  ass  muscles  eased  a  little,  and  a
sensation he didn’t want to identify surged through him.

Lucas added another finger, and then another. “Does

it hurt too much?”

“N-No.” Gray breathed deep. He ducked his head and

closed his eyes. He didn’t want his partner to see him
struggle not to make any sounds.

“I think maybe you’re ready,” Lucas told him. When

Gray grew tense, Lucas rubbed his ass cheek. “Take it
easy. I’ll go really slow.”

“If you don’t have a condom, I have one…” he

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began.

Lucas raised an eyebrow and grinned. “I have

plenty.” He held up the evidence, which Gray hadn’t seen
him bring over to the bed. Maybe he kept it in the side
table. Just how many women had he brought here?

The first invasion of Lucas’s cock into his ass took

his breath away. He swore, and so did Lucas, but he
didn’t think it was for the same reason.

“Fuck, cher, you’re so tight,” Lucas said. “Wait,

wait, don’t move.”

Gray couldn’t have if he wanted to. His ass burned a

little  and  felt  so  full.  He  wasn’t  sure  if  he  could  take  it.
He’d been here so many times on the other  end  because
he  loved  sex  as  much  as  he  suspected  Lucas  did.  All  of
them were the same. The beast had an insatiable appetite
for  it.  Right  now,  Lucas  must  be  struggling  not  to  come
too soon.

Gray glanced down between his legs. His cock was

still rigid from when Lucas had handled it. He didn’t
think he’d ever been so hard. Perhaps it was because it
was a new experience.

After some time, Lucas began to move in and out of

him, taking his time. Gray still felt too full. He wondered
if he  arched  a little more if it would  give him  relief. He
tried  it,  pushing  his  ass  a  little  higher  for  a  better  angle.
Lucas  moaned.  He’d  come  to  rest  his  hands  on  Gray’s
lower  back,  and  he  got  into  a  smooth  rhythm.  Gray
matched his thrusts, and their bodies slapped together.

“I have to…I have to admit…” Lucas’s voice trailed

off. Gray recognized the deeper tone as it happened to
him time and again when he’d gotten too into sex. His
beast rose to the surface, hard to control. A growl erupted

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from Lucas’s throat. In the next instant, he sprawled over
Gray’s back. His claws dug into Gray’s flesh, and Gray
winced. Lucas’s thrusts became more incessant. He
slammed into Gray over and over. The cry of satisfaction
rattled the windows.

When Lucas rolled away, spent, Gray wasn’t sure

what to think. Had he done things wrong? Was this how
women  felt?  Like  it  was  incomplete?  He  sat  up  on  the
side  of  the  bed  watching  his  lover,  angry  with  him.  He
should  be  happy.  Sure  he  was  sexually  unsatisfied,  but
more importantly, he was not mated to Lucas in any way.

After some time, Lucas opened his eyes and seemed

to pick up on Gray’s mood right away. “Sorry.”

“Well, I guess I proved my point,” Gray snapped. He

went to stand, but Lucas dropped a heavy hand on his
shoulder.

“It’s not over.”

Chapter Four

At some point in the middle of having sex with Gray,

Lucas  had  stopped  being  embarrassed.  He  found  no
reason  to  pretend  that  he  didn’t  like  coming  just  now.
What man didn’t love to come? Gray’s ass had been super
tight,  tighter  than  any  woman  he’d  ever  been  with.  His
muscles had squeezed the hell out of Lucas’s cock, and he
couldn’t have held back if he tried.

That, along with the feel of his skin brushing Gray’s,

had  been  different.  Gray’s  body  was  hard  and  strong.
Lucas  enjoyed  taking  care  of  himself  physically,  and  he
could  admire  a  man  who  was  cut  like  Gray.  So  he’d
gotten  carried  away.  He’d  enjoyed  it.  Wasn’t  that  the
point?  He  was  serious  about  making  Gray  his  mate,  and
the fact that he hadn’t vomited on the man was a plus.

The moment it as over, he knew he’d messed up

though. Gray looked disappointed, but Lucas had a
feeling it wasn’t about his dislike of what they’d done but
that he hadn’t come. Lucas wouldn’t let it go there. No
partner had ever left his bed unsatisfied, and just because
this time it was a man made no difference.

He pulled Gray back onto the bed and kissed him.

They were getting the hang of that, and Lucas didn’t mind
it at all. He positioned himself in front of Gray with his

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back  to  him  while  they  continued  to  kiss.  He  knew  by
Gray’s scent  and the sound of his  heart beat that he was
getting  into  it.  When  his  lover  wanted  to  kiss  down  his
neck  and  stroke  his  chest,  Lucas  let  him.  He  rested  his
head on Gray’s shoulder and then winced when he got the
payback  he  should  have  expected.  He’d  let  his  beast
control  him  a  little  too  much,  and  he’d  grown  out  his
claws, digging them into Gray’s back. Gray bit him on the
shoulder. In fights past, Lucas had felt the bite of a wolf
and knew it well. Gray had allowed himself to change just
enough so he could bite Lucas. Lucas welcomed it.

While Gray kept a firm hold on his shoulder with his

teeth, he pumped Lucas’s cock. Lucas moaned. The sound
of the deep, throaty growl in his ear only heightened his
desire. His shaft grew, but this was about Gray’s pleasure
now. Lucas arched his back as he’d seen Gray do and
pushed his ass into the other man’s crotch. Gray’s cock
slid between his cheeks, but it didn’t penetrate.

Gray leaned up a little and teased Lucas’s hole,

rimming it with the tip of his cock. “Guess it’s not big
enough for you,” he quipped.

Lucas sucked his teeth. “Cher, your cock is every bit

of seven-and-a-half inches. I think it’s more than
enough.”

They kissed. Lucas circled Gray’s mouth with his

tongue. The coppery taste of blood tinged his palette. That
too  was  familiar.  Lucas  took  Gray’s hands and ran them
up his thighs. His lover squeezed him there, just short of
touching his cock, and he moaned. He broke their kiss to
grab  the  lube  and  handed  it  to  Gray.  The  golden  eyes
darkened,  and  they  stared  into  each  other’s  eyes  before
Gray bent to the task of coating Lucas’s anus.

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When another condom was in place and Lucas’s ass

was prepped with Gray’s fingers, Lucas waited to be
taken. Doubts assailed him. He opened his mouth to tell
Gray to stop, but his cock slid home.

“Hell!” Lucas shouted. Not because it hurt bad, but

because  it  was  so  unexpected.  Without  thinking,  he
scooted up the bed, and they lost the connection between
their  bodies.  Gray  came  after  him  and  shoved  a  hand  to
his back. Lucas thumped the headboard, hands flat on the
wall.  Gray  thrust  his  cock  inside  Lucas  again.  Lucas
grabbed  for his  thigh to  push him off. Gray  held on and
thumped  in  and  out  of  Lucas  at  a  blinding  speed.  The
sounds  of  their  bodies  coming  together  filled  Lucas’s
ears. His mind screamed that this shouldn’t be, but Gray
kept  coming  at  him.  When  Lucas  rose  up  higher  on  his
knees,  Gray  rose  with  him.  They  faced  the  wall,  Gray’s
hands over his, their forms molded together. Lucas turned
away,  but  Gray  found  his  mouth  anyway  and  thrust  his
tongue between Lucas’s lips.

“Mm,” Gray mumbled against his lips. They kissed

roughly and fucked harder. Gray seemed to be determined
to outdo what Lucas had done, and Lucas couldn’t deny
he was succeeding.

Somehow Lucas got out from under Gray, and when

Gray slid to the edge of the bed to come after him, Lucas
sat on his lap facing away. His lover’s hands came up to
his hips, and Lucas threaded Gray’s cock into his ass
again. Lucas bounced. Gray cried out in pleasure.

“T-That’s going to make me come,” Gray murmured.

“Oh, yes, yes. This is crazy!”

Lucas knew when he exploded because Gray shook

and moaned in ecstasy. Lucas came all the way down,

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filling himself with Gray’s dick. He grabbed hold of his
own cock and began pumping it. Very soon, thick, hot
come shot out of his shaft and ran down his hand.

* * * *

Gray paced outside the living room for a few

moments. He heard one of his father’s friends in there and
was glad of the delay. The fact that he was going to admit
to sleeping with a man was hard enough, but he knew his
father would still fight him on this, stubbornly refusing to
accept that he was wrong. Gray didn’t give a damn. The
old man would have to admit to the truth.

“Gray!” his father boomed. “Do you think I cannot

smell you there? Come in.”

He sighed and opened the door. “Dad. Sir.” He

nodded to both men in greeting. As usual, his father
frowned.

“Have a seat. I wanted to talk to you about the

meeting on Friday,” his father began.

“That won’t be necessary.” Gray eyed the other man,

an elderly wolf, more set in his ways than even his father.
To think that he’d agreed to Lucas and Gray mating was
surprising. “We’ve met.”

Both his father and his father’s friend stared at him.

Gray felt his face burning and swore under his breath.

“Explain yourself,” his father insisted.
“What’s there to explain? We met, we…got to know

each other a little. You don’t need to have the dinner. This
idea is ludicrous as I’m sure you realize by now.”

“Jeddah, thank you for coming,” his father told the

elderly man. “I will see you again soon.” Anyone who
knew the head of the Lachin family knew that was a clear
dismissal. Gray watched Jeddah’s lips tighten, but he just

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nodded and said his good-byes before disappearing into
the hall. Gray didn’t expect him to try listening in. He and
his father could pick up the scent and hear the man as he
exited the house in near silence. Gray’s father turned back
to him. “What do you mean you met Lucas Cain?
Explain.”

Now that there was no one to overhear, Gray had no

recourse  but  to  give  his  father  the  details—in  as  few
words as possible. After he’d told him about the meeting
at  the  convenience  store  and  the  agreement  to  test  the
mating  theory  between  the  two  of  them,  he  allowed  his
father  to  come  to  the  conclusion  on  his  own  that  they’d
followed through.

To his credit, the man’s cheeks reddened. “So you

were intimate?”

Gray stared toward the window although the curtains

hadn’t been opened. “Yes.”

“You—”
“Yes! Everything, just like a man and a woman

would. The bottom line is we are not mated.” His father
appeared doubtful. “Come on, Dad, you can smell him on
me, I’m sure.”

“I don’t doubt you, son,” his father assured him.

“What I doubt is that you gave it your all, that you opened
your heart to him.”

“My heart!”
His father frowned. “Watch your tone.”
Gray jumped to his feet and walked over to the

window.  He  twitched  the  curtain  back,  and  as  he  stood
there  looking  out  onto  the  busy  street,  he  wondered  if
Lucas  had  anyone  to  break  this  embarrassing  news  to.
Now that he was head of his family, did he have advisors,

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or  was  that  a  privilege  Gray’s  father  took  because  he
could  afford it? He turned back to  the older man. “With
all  due  respect,  sir,  me  falling  in  love  with  a  man  is  as
likely  as  me  mating  with  him.  So  I  wouldn’t  put  all  my
hopes in it, if I were you.”

“It’s too soon to tell.”
Gray blinked. “Sir?”
His father’s eyes had glazed over, and he scratched at

his  chin,  obviously  pondering  the  situation.  “You  need
more  time.  This  is  a  new  prospect.  Most  of  us  mate  by
being  intimate.  I  can  imagine  that  the  first  time  for  you
was awkward. Am I right?”

Gray had no intention of answering that.
“The more you do it, the more relaxed you’ll be.

You’ll let your guard down.”

Gray closed his eyes and leaned his face on the

window’s cool glass. “There’s something wrong with my
father advising me about sex with a man.”

“Do you have to keep repeating that!” his father

snapped.

“Why? It bothers you too?”
His father sighed. “I’ve come to terms with it. This is

the only way, Gray. You must see that. I’ve raised you to
value what we’ve built as a family, coming from nothing
to being one of the most prosperous families in New
Orleans.”

Gray grunted.
“The dinner stands, but…” His father tapped a pen on

the sheet of paper at his elbow. “I think I will change it
some, into a gathering, invite more people. In a way, it
will be like an announcement of your engagement.”

Gray flushed. “You are not going to announce it!”

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“No, but the truth will be obvious to one and all. Like

you  said,  they  will  sense  the  beginnings  of  a  connection
between  the  two  of  you.  Our  families  will  appear  to  be
united  as  I  will  invite  Lucas  to  host  alongside  you  and
me.”

Gray dropped into a chair. The man never gave up.

“Dad, you realize I can’t carry on the family name
without having kids?”

His father smiled, a subtle lift to the ends of his

mouth, which was more menacing than charming. “Why
are you worried about that since you’re convinced this
won’t work?”

“Fine. More time won’t mean a thing.” Gray decided

to  approach this  another way.  If his  father threw a party
on Friday, he’d likely invite every shifter family he knew
of, and there were bound to be available women there. All
Gray had to  do was  choose one for his  mate. The house
had plenty of empty bedrooms. He could take her there, if
she  was  willing—and  of  course  she  would  be  willing
because of who he  was. When their mating  bond began,
his father would have no choice but to give up the idea of
aligning  him  with  Lucas.  With  that  idea  in  mind,  Gray
discussed business with his father a while longer and then
left the house to find more interesting activities. Friday’s
party would take care of itself.

Chapter Five

Gray decided to be late. He’d stayed out most of the

day  and returned to his  apartment  to shower and change
when he should have been arriving at his father’s house.
The  party  was  in  full  swing.  His  father  had  hired  extra
staff  since  he  kept  only  a  cook  and  housekeeper  to
maintain  the  house.  Servers  circulated  with  wine  or
champagne. A long table, stretching from one end of the
room to the other, was covered with foods of all kinds.

Gray should have been scoping the room for a

potential female mate, but instead he looked for Lucas.
When he spotted him holding up a wall with a plate piled
high, his eyebrows went up. Not that the man was eating
so much. Hell, they all had healthy appetites for food,
even the women. The surprise was in the fact that Lucas
squirreled away rolls into his suit jacket.

Curious, Gray crossed the room with nods to those he

knew and avoided conversations to get to Lucas. “Hey,”
he called out when he was close enough.

Lucas’s silver eyes met his, and he smiled. Gray was

beginning to see that there was always a smile close to
Lucas’s lips. He liked that in his personality. What
annoyed him was immediately following that thought was
the memory of what those lips tasted like. He clenched his

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fist in his pocket.

“How’s it going?” Lucas said in greeting.
“What’s with the food?” Gray asked. He flicked his

gaze toward Lucas’s pocket.

Lucas didn’t blink. “What food?”
For a moment, they stared at each other saying

nothing, and then Gray let it go. Lucas could have the
entire tableful for all he cared. He took up the spot next to
Lucas and crossed his arms over his chest while he
scanned the crowd. “Any new faces? Wait, I guess yours
is new to me.”

Lucas chuckled. “Not now.”
Gray’s cheeks burned, but then he smiled. “She’s

new.”

Lucas followed his line of sight. They both took in

the five-foot-tall beauty with long, dark hair. She scarcely
came up to their chests, but she had a trim figure and big
breasts.

“Nice,” Lucas said. “That’s Arabella. Good family,

strong breeders. Middle class but with a bit of influence.”

Gray smacked his arm. “That’s what her family’s

about. What about her? You been with her?”

Lucas’s easy smile graced his face, and amusement

lit up his eyes. “No, I wish. You think a young pup like
you can handle her?”

Gray grunted. “Like you can? And who are you

calling pup? How old are you?”

Lucas stood to his full height. “Thirty.”
“I’m twenty-eight, not far behind, but trust me I can

get her like that.” He snapped his fingers.

They continued to tease each other joking. In the

back of Gray’s mind, he realized he enjoyed chatting with

Reluctant Mate

Lucas, and as much as they both talked about conquering
Arabella, neither of them  approached her. He knew  they
weren’t  afraid  to.  Insecurity  when  it  came  to  mating
wasn’t  in  their  nature,  but  laughing  with  Lucas  seemed
more fun.

The subject of their conversation looked over from

the crowd of men surrounding her and broke off from the
group. Gray bumped Lucas’s arm as if he hadn’t noticed.
She sashayed in their direction, and he and Lucas watched
her approach, taking in the rhythm to her hips.

“Lucas.” She pouted up at him. “You didn’t come

and speak to me.”

He grinned. “I apologize. Have you met my buddy,

Gray?” He indicated Gray, and her assessing eyes flicked
to him. Gray saw the speculation. He took in the moment
it registered that they were closer than friends and tried
not to show his embarrassment. Then the beautiful little
shifter surprised him. She sidled closer and took his arm.

“Gray Lachin, right? I’ve heard of you. The bad-boy

heir, not serious about anything or anyone. I guess I see
why, huh?”

He frowned, but she continued to chatter. “Dance

with me?”

He was about to tell her the music had stopped, but it

started up again, a faster tempo than the previous song.
Gray realized this woman would make a good mate, but
he didn’t feel like pursuing her at this particular moment.
To his relief, she reached a hand out to Lucas as well.

“You too,” she said.
Lucas rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “Must you

have all the men in the room yipping at your heels, Ari?”

“Of course.” She returned his smile, but Gray didn’t

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think  the  lightness  of  it  was  reflected  in  her  eyes.  He
didn’t  know  her  well,  but  he  sensed  she  was  annoyed.
Lucas  joined  her  and  Gray  on  the  dance  floor,  and  she
moved as if for them, swaying her hips, raising her arms
above her head in a sensual dance. Gray scanned the area.
Every  younger man in the room was focused on her. He
glanced  at  Lucas  and  saw  his  impatience.  Lucas  didn’t
like the attitude, or maybe he didn’t like her.

His lover wasn’t actually dancing. He sort of rocked

his weight from one foot to the other, hands tucked in his
pockets  as if he waited for the torture to  end.  Lucas had
dressed  in  a  suit,  but  Gray  had  chosen  to  be  casual.
Somehow  Lucas’s  choice  didn’t  surprise  him,  and  he
wondered if his did for Lucas.

Why the hell am I busy thinking about him when I

should be charming this woman into one of the
bedrooms?

He switched his attention to Arabella in time to find

that several other men had joined them on the floor. The
ages ranged from late teens to maybe forty. Arabella
blossomed among them all. Without being arrogant, Gray
knew he was a better mate than every one of these men,
and all she’d need was a gentle push. If he made her feel
like she was the center of his universe, she’d come to him.
He stayed where he was, and when more people joined
the group, a few women not to be outdone by Arabella, he
drifted farther away from her.

Somehow, Lucas was always at his side, and his

friend thumped his arm. “I hate dancing. Want to catch
some air?”

“Yes,” Gray almost shouted.
They escaped to a side door and took to the street.

Reluctant Mate

For a while they walked in silence, and then Gray spoke.
“I hear you live in one of those old plantation houses.”

Lucas nodded. “Mm, I’m surprised your family

doesn’t.”

“My dad hates being out of the thick of things. We

have a small place up north for getting back to nature or
whatever, but I’d love to have something closer. I don’t
get to run enough as it is.”

Lucas smiled. “My property stretches for several

acres, plenty of trees, and the little ones can feel free to let
their beasts out with no consequences.”

Gray frowned. “Little ones?”
“If you don’t feel a need to get back to the party too

quickly, maybe you’d like to visit now,” Lucas suggested.
“I have to drop off something at my place.” Gray couldn’t
help wondering if it had to do with the rolls he’d stashed
in his pocket.

“Sure, why not?” he said.
They walked back the way they’d come and headed

around to St. Charles Avenue. They took Gray’s car, but
Lucas drove. Gray sat listening to the radio playing low.
He  peered  over  at  his  new  friend  several  times  and
couldn’t  help  how  his  gaze  lowered  to  Lucas’s  crotch.
What  was  he  doing  here?  Why  hadn’t  he  stayed  with
Arabella  and  invited  her  to  become  his  mate?  He  knew
she’d  picked  up  on  the  kind  of  relationship  he  had  with
Lucas  and  suspected  she  was  the  kind  of  woman  who’d
love  the  challenge  of  “converting”  him.  Yet,  he  hadn’t
been that interested.

Still, there was no rush. He liked Lucas as a friend.

They’d had fun together at the party. Maybe they could
hit a bar later and have a drink, pick up some human

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women for a little fun… No, this wasn’t about gaining a
new  friend  to  hang  out  with.  They  joked,  but  if  he’d
learned anything about Lucas in the time he’d known him,
it  was  that  Lucas  was  serious  about  his  family.  He
wouldn’t mess around with Gray if Gray refused to be his
mate.  The  thought  brought  his  mood  down,  and  he  tried
shaking it away.

They arrived at Lucas’s home in a decent amount of

time. Gray stepped out of the car and whistled. “Damn, all
of this is yours, huh? No wonder you have bills.”

Lucas chuckled. “Your house was no shack.”
Gray shook his head. “That’s my father’s place. I

grew up there, but I got out as soon as I turned eighteen. I
have an apartment. When I find a mate, I’m going to buy
a house.”

A look passed over Lucas’s face that Gray didn’t

catch, and he could have kicked himself. He hadn’t
wanted to let out that he was going to seriously look in
another direction for a mate.

“Come on,” Lucas said, and Gray followed him.
As soon as he opened the front door, a cacophony of

childish voices shouted his name, and what sounded like
an  army  came  thundering  down  the  hall.  At  first,  Gray
wondered  how  they’d  known  unless  they  were  watching
the drive, but then he remembered.  Idiot. Five little cubs
in  human  form  charged  around  the  corner  and  threw
themselves into Lucas’s arms.

Gray stared. “These are your kids?”
Lucas burst out laughing. “Cher, your expression is

priceless. I wish I had a picture of it.”

Gray almost flipped him off before he remembered

the kids.

Reluctant Mate

“No, these are my nieces and nephews,” Lucas

explained. “All the rumors you heard about my uncle
were true.”

“Couldn’t keep it in his pants,” Gray muttered. From

their scent and their appearance, he guessed they weren’t
all from the same mother either. How many more were
out there? And Lucas had responsibility for all of them,
from the looks of it. His uncle should have been strung up
by his toes long before he died.

Lucas turned his back a little from Gray, which of

course made Gray more determined to see what he was up
to.  Gray  bit  off  an  exclamation  of  comprehension  when
Lucas  pulled  the  rolls  he’d  hidden  earlier  from  his
pockets.  The  kids  pounced  on  them  and  ate  voraciously.
A sick feeling started in the pit of Gray’s stomach.

“Do you have—” he began.
“Come on.” Lucas stood up. “We’ll have a drink in

my  office.  All  of  you  pups,  in  bed  now.”  His  tone  had
become sharp and commanding, but Gray heard the love
in it as well. A collective whine rose from the group, but
they obeyed. An older woman Gray hadn’t noticed before
stood  on  the  stairs  leading  to  the  second  floor,  and  she
gestured for the kids to come with her. Another mouth to
feed, Gray realized, the nanny. Now he knew why Lucas
was  so  determined  and  why  he’d  do  whatever  it  took
provide for his family.

Gray followed him down the hall and around a corner

or two. Doors lined the walls, all closed. He felt a chill as
if there were no heat on in the house, but when Lucas
opened his office door, warmth rushed out. A fire was
going in the fireplace, and a tray with a bottle of wine and
two glasses sat on a side table. Lucas’s gaze softened.

Eden Cole

“The oldest. He’s ten and thinks he’s a man who

needs to take care of me,” he explained. “He must have
realized I had a guest and I’d want to come in here.”

Gray scowled. “I think I’m a little jealous. I come

home to an empty apartment after work.”

Lucas dropped onto the couch next to the table, and

Gray took the chair opposite. He watched Lucas unbutton
his jacket and slip it off to lie over the back of the couch.
“You should be.”

“I guess you don’t have to worry about continuing

your line.”

“No.”
Gray took the glass Lucas handed him. He took a sip

and  refrained  from  frowning.  Cheap  stuff.  Instead  he
forced it down so as not to be rude. For some reason he
didn’t  want  to  hurt  Lucas’s  feelings.  The  fact  that  he’d
hidden what he’d done with the food meant he had a lot of
pride.  Gray  was  going  to  deal  him  a  blow  soon  enough
when he had people deliver groceries to this house in the
morning.

“So why are you here?” Lucas asked.
Gray looked up from his glass. “Huh?”
Lucas kicked his foot lightly, and Gray kicked back.

They chuckled. Gray could see them always in
competition with each other, looking for opportunities to
outdo the other. That would be fun. Too much lately he’d
been wrapped up in work and avoiding his father and his
political crap.

“You could be back at your father’s place with the

beautiful Arabella writhing under you.”

Gray’s eyes widened. Lucas didn’t mince words. “So

could you.”

Reluctant Mate

“Yeah, I could.”
“Ass.” Gray laughed. “Truth is I had more fun with

you.”

“Yeah.” Lucas swirled the contents of his glass. He

downed it in one swallow and then reached out and
snagged Gray’s. “I know it sucks. I’m used to it.” He
finished Gray’s portion and set the glasses aside.

Gray tapped a thumb on the chair and looked around,

but he couldn’t focus on what he saw. A slight pain
started in the pit of his belly. “I haven’t convinced my
father that we can’t mate.”

“Soooo?”
Gray sprung up from his chair and moved to the

couch beside Lucas. He laid a hand on his pants front and
kissed him. Lucas didn’t pull away. Their tongues met for
a brief second. They each moaned a little and leaned back.

“We could try again,” Gray said.
Lucas put a hand up to Gray’s chest and pinched

open a few buttons on his shirt. “Yeah, we could.”

Chapter Six

Gray lay in Lucas’s bed in a daze. They’d done it

again, and this time he was a little less awkward, just as
his father had said.  If he wanted to admit the truth, he’d
say it felt good. Lucas had gotten up to go the bathroom.
This time around, it would be Gray taking Lucas. He was
a  little  sore,  but  not  too  bad.  The  door  opened,  and  his
partner stood in the doorway. Gray felt no embarrassment
about  looking  him  over.  He  took  in  his  lover’s  thighs.
They were so muscular and hard. He’d run his hands over
them while they were intimate, and his abs were sculpted
steel.  Only  now  did  Gray  realize  he’d  always  admired  a
man who took care of his body. He’d noticed as long as
he  could  remember,  and  there  was  nothing  wrong  with
that.

On up Lucas’s body, he examined him. Across his

stomach  to  his  broad  chest,  his  shoulders,  and  firm  jaw,
Gray  paused  at  his  lips.  They’d  kissed  each  other  with
more  urgency  tonight.  He  didn’t  know  why.  They’d  just
done it, consuming each other’s mouth, tongues lashing at
each  other,  delving  deep.  Between  his  legs,  his  cock
stirred as he remembered.

Gray forced his gaze higher to meet Lucas’s eyes.

Lucas looked back at him, and he wondered what his

Reluctant Mate

partner thought—of him and of the situation. Did he wish
things  were  different,  that  he  didn’t  feel  like  he  was
backed into  a corner?  In reality,  all Gray’s  father had to
do was give Lucas a loan, and he was sure it would pull
them out of most of their debt, even buy him some time to
turn his finances around. Gray didn’t have access to that
level  of  funds,  although  he  did  have  a  generous  bank
account, partially based on his cut from the company and
his  salary  working  there.  His  father  didn’t  operate  that
way though. He was all about gaining advantage.

“I was thinking,” Lucas said, interrupting his

thoughts. “We can push it to another level and test how
close we can get.”

Gray frowned. “How much further can it go? We’ve

fucked each other already.”

Lucas crossed the room. “Are you willing to try?”
“Yeah, okay.”
Lucas dropped to his knees in front of Gray, and he

sucked in a breath. The man’s mouth was way too close to
his cock, and for the return of his embarrassment, his cock
twitched. He couldn’t intend to do what Gray thought he
was.

Lucas’s hand came up to grip Gray’s cock, and he

dipped his head. One solid lick across the head had Gray
hissing between his teeth. His lover paused as if gauging
both of their reactions to what he’d done. When Gray said
nothing, he continued. Lucas’s mouth closed over Gray’s
dick.

“Oh, hell,” Gray bit out.
Lucas didn’t stop. He sucked hard and then began to

pump his mouth up and down. Gray closed his eyes. He
tilted his head back and moaned. Now that they’d both

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moaned like crazy during their sessions, neither had to
hide it. He let go, gasping, and clawing at the sheet. No
one had gone down on him in a while. That must be why
it felt so incredible. He arched his hips and tried to resist
holding the back of Lucas’s head, but it proved to be no
use. He tangled his fingers in the curls and pushed toward
his lover’s mouth. How the hell did Lucas get so good at
it?

“Yes, yes,” he cried out. “That feels…” He couldn’t

admit it. The words trembled on his lips. Lucas knew how
hard  to  suck,  and  he  was  a  demon  with  his  tongue,
swirling  it  around  the  head,  licking  up  Gray’s  precome.
Gray raised his leg and rested one heel on the side of the
bed.  He  looked  down  to  watch  Lucas.  Just  seeing  it
heightened his desire to astronomical proportions. “Lucas,
damn it, you’re going to make me come.”

Lucas’s answer was a moan and make noisy slurps as

if he loved what he tasted. Gray clenched his jaw. He
couldn’t hold back.

“If you don’t stop, I’m going to come in your

mouth.” He pumped faster between Lucas’s lips, and a
shudder rocked his body when he felt the tip hit the back
of the man’s throat. “Oh, baby, stop.”

He gasped and put a fist up to his mouth. Half

expecting  Lucas  to  raise  his  head  and  laugh  at  him,  he
waited,  but  Lucas  was  lost  in  what  he  was  doing.  Gray
forgot  his  discomfort  and  put  a  hand  on  either  side  of
Lucas’s  head.  He  watched  himself  grind  between  the
thick,  male  lips,  and  then  he  was  gone.  His  come  shot
forward,  and  he  howled  his  pleasure.  Lucas  coughed
once, and then he began swallowing. He sucked every last
drop out and drank it all.

Reluctant Mate

The act blew Gray away. He collapsed on the bed,

breathing hard. “I can’t believe you did that. I can’t
believe a man sucked my cock.”

Lucas climbed up over him and let half his weight

come down onto Gray. They were nose to nose, and Gray
raised his head to kiss him. Their tongues intertwined for
a moment. “It was a good way to bring us closer.”

“Yeah, I admit that,” Gray said. “But you know

there’s no way I’m going to get hard again too soon. I
need some time. I’m supposed to be taking you.”

Lucas took Gray’s hand and guided it down his body

to his cock. Gray squeezed his lover’s shaft. “I’m ready
again,” Lucas told him. “If you’re not too sore…”

“I’m not.”
He should argue about it being his turn and Lucas

taking advantage of him, but he didn’t feel the need. He
kind of wanted Lucas in him again, as odd as it seemed.

Lucas rose up off of him. “Turn over and kneel on

the side of the bed.”

Gray did as he asked and looked back at Lucas

bending to kiss his ass cheek. He ran a hand down Gray’s
back and squeezed his hips before exploring his thighs. A
rough  push  there  had  Gray’s  legs  parted,  and  Lucas
skimmed  fingertips  up  his  legs  to  cup  his  balls.  Gray
moaned.  He  let  his  head  fall  to  the  bed  waiting.  Lucas
kissed him again  and began massaging his  ass  hole. The
soreness  eased  some,  and  when  his  lover  lubed  up  his
finger  and  threaded  a  digit  into  his  opening,  he  arched
into it.

Lucas laid on him while still working his finger in

and out of Gray’s ass. Their lips met in a hungry kiss.
Gray sucked his lover’s bottom lip and moaned into his

Eden Cole

mouth.

“Ready for me?” Lucas whispered.
“Yes.”
The condom went on quickly, and then Gray was full

once  again.  He  couldn’t  believe  he’d  been  taken  twice
tonight, but his insides gripped Lucas’s cock like a vice.
He  was  so  tight,  but  it  felt  good.  When  Lucas  began
pumping,  he  laid  flat  on  the  bed  and  arched  his  back  so
his  ass  would  be  higher.  Lucas  grabbed  his  hips  and
increased  his  pace.  The  low  slapping  sound  grew  louder
the faster he thrust.

Lucas pounded the hell out of him, and Gray took it

all. He braced himself on the bed and pushed back as hard
he got it. Gray had been with women both human and
shifter, and he knew this was wilder than either could
have withstood. If nothing else, he and Lucas were a good
match for how they liked their sex.

“Ah, yes, fuck, yes! Cher, your ass has been made for

my  cock,”  Lucas  shouted.  Gray  smiled  to  himself.  He
buried his face in a pillow, knowing Lucas hadn’t meant
to admit that. He was right though. Nothing compared to
the  pleasure  blasting  through  Gray’s  system.  Zings  of
ecstasy  vibrated  across  his  rear  around  to  his  cock.  He
grew harder the more Lucas pumped.

Somehow he knew when Lucas was about to come.

His  rhythm  grew  more  frenzied,  and  the  beast  surfaced
making  him  whine  like  the  wolf.  He  wondered  if  Lucas
was  aware  that  he  did  it.  Gray  kind  of  got  off  on  it.  He
pushed into his lover and reached back to squeeze Lucas’s
ass.  Their  bodies  came  together  in  one  final  thrust,  and
Lucas emptied himself into the condom.

They were panting hard, and Gray was too tired to

Reluctant Mate

move.  He  uttered  a  sound  of  protest  when  Lucas’s  arm
came around his waist and he lifted him to the bed. Lucas
threw  the  sheets  back  and  removed  the  spent  condom
before he spooned Gray’s ass. Gray sighed and accepted
it.  He  let  his  partner  wrap  an  arm  around  his  waist  and
take  hold  of  his  cock.  While  their  lengths  were  sealed
together, Lucas stroked his cock.

“You’re going to make me come again,” he

murmured lazily.

“That’s the point.”
Lucas’s deep tone surprised him. He should have

expected it. The wolf was still at the surface even after
he’d released. Gray looked back to check his eyes, but he
was too close to another orgasm. As soon as he sucked in
a sharp breath and climaxed, Lucas bit into his shoulder.
Gray cried out. He could do nothing when Lucas’s cock
eased inside his ass with no covering. They moved as one,
bodies joined and Lucas’s sharp teeth sunk into the flesh
of his shoulder.

When they were past exhaustion, they lay together

unmoving. Gray considered what happened, going over it
in his mind again and again.

“I didn’t mean…” Lucas said.
“You claimed me,” Gray finished for him. “You bit

me before, but…”

“It wasn’t the same as this time.”
“Tell me something,” Lucas asked.”
“Yeah?”
“Did it disgust you, me sucking your cock?”
“No.”
“I want to do it again sometime.”
“Okay.”

Eden Cole

* * * *

Gray woke up in bed alone. The feeling of pleasure,

or was it satisfaction, that rolled over him was alien—and
annoying. A single sheet covered the lower half of his
body, and he pushed it away to sit up. Somewhere in the
house, someone was cursing in anger. The bathroom to
his right was silent. That meant Lucas wasn’t in the room.
He kind of wanted to find him and see what he was up to.

Gray showered. He looked for his clothes, but they

were nowhere to be found. In their place on the chair was
a pair of faded jeans and a T-shirt. From the look of them
they would fit, if a bit loosely. Since there’d been no
underwear left out, he slipped straight into the clothes and
left the room with bare feet.

As he walked down the hall, he picked up voices

from the bottom of the stairs. At the top, he looked over
the banister to  spot  men coming in  and  going out  of the
house,  delivering  bags  and  boxes.  Then  it  hit  him.  He
remembered  sneaking  out  of  bed  last  night  after  they’d
finished  having  sex  and  calling  his  father’s  secretary.
Mary was used to  his  father calling her at  all hours, and
he paid her enough to accommodate him. Gray had asked
her to arrange for the groceries, clothes, and toys for the
kids.  She’d said  she’d  get  on it in  the morning,  and boy
had she ever come through.

Gray descended the stairs. As soon as he spotted

Lucas,  he  had  to  suppress  a  smile.  His  lover’s  face  was
red,  and  it  wasn’t  possible  for  his  eyebrows  to  drop  any
lower. The tight, straight line his mouth made showed his
mood.  He  looked  up  and  narrowed  accusing  eyes  on
Gray.

“I didn’t bring you here to do this,” he snapped.

Reluctant Mate

Gray moved past him. He nabbed a box from a

delivery man and tore into the packing tape. Inside was a
giant teddy bear. Gray looked around at the curious stares
of the kids and settled on the little one. She appeared to be
about five. He pulled the bear free and held it out to her.
The girl squealed and pounced on the gift. Gray turned
back to Lucas.

“Your pride would deny her this?” he said.
Lucas looked like he would choke on his rage at any

second, and then his gaze flicked to the girl. She turned
wondering eyes to her uncle. “Can I have it, Lucas?”

All the anger drained from his face, and he knelt in

front of her to pat her head. “Of course, mon cher. Can
you tell Gray thank you?”

“Mèsi,” she whispered shyly.
Gray smiled. He usually spoke only English, but he

understood what she said without a problem. “Pa de
kwa.”

The other kids tore into the packages when Lucas

gave them permission. Soon each one of them had a bitten
piece of fruit in one hand and a toy in the other while they
scrambled to see what else they’d gotten. After a while,
the nanny arrived to get them moving with putting away
the gifts, and Lucas all but dragged him into his office.

“Why did you do that?” he demanded.
Gray shrugged. “You needed it. The kids did too.”
“I can take care of them just fine. They aren’t

starving.”

“I know.” Gray watched him pace. He wondered why

he  should  want  to  touch  Lucas  at  the  moment  when  he
wasn’t  exactly  sexually  excited.  “I’m  kind  of  like  your
mate  now.  I  guess.”  He  scratched  his  head.  “I  have  the

Eden Cole

right to provide for you and the kids.”

Lucas looked horrified and disgusted. Then he

dropped into a chair and ducked his head. Gray
considered what to say to cheer him up. He didn’t know
Lucas well enough to know what would bring him out of
a funk. He liked the guy with the easy smile, and it gave
him an unpleasant feeling seeing him down.

When Lucas met his gaze again, the strain in his eyes

was gone, and he forced a grin. “You’re right. I should
thank you.”

Gray grunted. “Damn right.”
Lucas took him by surprise standing up and coming

over to kiss him. At first Gray didn’t respond, and then he
touched lightly at Lucas’s waist. Lucas wrapped his arms
around his middle. They pressed close and tongue-kissed
for a few minutes. Lucas drew back first.

“It seems more natural to do that now.”
“We’ve done it a lot,” Gray said, not wanting to

admit to anything more.

Lucas kissed him again, and he didn’t pull away.

“Where do we go from here?”

Gray considered it. “I think maybe we could stay

together. Everyone probably figures we’re mated now
anyway after last night.”

Lucas nodded. “Yeah, especially after we

disappeared together.”

“And all but rejected Arabella.”
They chuckled.
“I don’t doubt she left with a lover,” Lucas said.
“Mm, and I don’t regret not getting involved with

her. What do you suppose she’s like when she’s in heat?”

Lucas laughed again. “You mean she wasn’t?”

Reluctant Mate

Gray joined him in joking about the woman. There it

was again, he thought, that easy camaraderie between the
two  of  them.  Could  they  really  make  a  go  of  it?  They’d
done all that was expected of them, and no one could say
they  were  faking  it.  In  public  they  could  be  like  mates,
devoted  to  one  another.  In  private…  He  moved  out  of
Lucas’s arms as he considered the future and took a seat.

Someone knocked on the door, and Lucas called

“Come in.”

The door opened, and there stood the ten-year-old

boy that Lucas said looked after him. He held a bottle in
his hands, and unless Gray missed his guess, it was
quality scotch, Gray’s favorite. Mary, you are amazing.

“I thought this was probably yours,” the boy said.
Lucas took the bottle. “Thanks.” He looked at Gray.

“This your doing too?”

“I’m not knocking your wine, man. Mary must have

sensed it.” He chuckled. “This is great scotch though. You
had this before?”

“Yeah, it’s good stuff.” Lucas found clean glasses

after his nephew left and poured for the two of them. He
took a sip from his drink and whistled. “Thank you
again!”

Gray raised his glass. He downed his scotch. “That’s

perfect, although I guess it’s a little early in the day.”

“You slept until one.”
Gray checked his watch and found his friend was

right. “Ah well, I had a late night.” The words reminded
him  of  something  a  former  lover  had  said  when  she
missed  work  because  she  overslept  at  his  place  after
marathon  sex.  He  shifted  his  shoulders  and  set  his  glass
down. “I was thinking.”

Eden Cole

“Yeah?”
Gray tapped the rim of his glass, not looking at

Lucas. “We don’t have to have sex at all from here on.
We can live as if we’re mated. Once in a while, we could
go out of town together and pick up women. No one has
to know, and we can continue the lifestyle we’re used to.
Sexually, I mean.”

When Lucas didn’t say anything, he looked up at

him. His friend’s face was so expressionless, he couldn’t
tell  what  he  was  thinking.  Gray  didn’t  know  why  he’d
suggested it. Maybe it was the thought of not being with a
woman again, owning the choices he’d made to accept a
male  mate.  He  didn’t  mind  admitting  to  himself  that  it
terrified  him  and  made  him  want  to  do  just  what  he’d
suggested—leave town and find a woman.

The longer Lucas took in answering him, the more he

shifted in his chair and longed to know what the guy was
thinking. “Well?” he demanded.

“We can do that,” Lucas said at last, but whether the

prospect excited him or put him off, Gray didn’t know. “I
suppose you can stay at your apartment, and I’ll stay here.
I need the space for the kids, if you don’t mind…uh…”

“Of course.” Gray frowned. All of a sudden, he felt

like he’d lost his best friend. “Living separately isn’t a
good idea though. We could keep the apartment you have
in the city, and of course this house. Sometimes I can stay
there to be closer to work, and maybe come out here on
the weekends.”

“I’ll clean and air out a room for you.”
Gray stood up and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

The idea of not sharing Lucas’s bed should not alter his
mood, but it did. He hadn’t been thinking of touching

Reluctant Mate

Lucas  before,  but  now  he  was.  He  recalled  the  hard,
muscular  feel  to  his  ass  while  he  clutched  it  as  Lucas
drove into his. A nerve jumped in his neck as if to bring to
his mind Lucas’s wolf teeth sunk into his shoulder. Gray
reached  up  and  touched  the  place,  still  tender,  but  no
doubt  would  be  gone  tomorrow.  The  effects  of  the  bite
wouldn’t  be.  Their  connection.  Could  they  be  mated?
Hell, no. That was impossible.

“Sounds great,” he said without sincerity. “My father

will get off my back. He’ll probably want a small,
traditional ceremony witnessed by our kind to seal it, and
then we’re free to do what we want. You don’t mind, do
you? It’s not going to be official according to New
Orleans laws but respected among all shifters.”

Lucas rose to his feet. “No, I don’t mind.”
He crossed the space between them, and for a

moment Gray thought he was going to reach out for him,
but  he  was  wrong.  He  refused  to  acknowledge  the
disappointment he felt. Lucas passed by so close that his
hip  brushed  Gray’s  crotch,  setting  off  an  explosion  of
need.  Gray’s  cock  grew  hard  and  tented  his  pants,  but
Lucas didn’t look back or stop moving.

“You probably want to get to work,” Lucas said. “I

don’t want to keep you.” He opened the door.

Gray clenched his jaw. The bastard was throwing him

out. There was no easy friendship between them as there
had been last night. Lucas seemed distant. Had his teasing
and laughter been just a ploy to lure Gray into agreeing to
this crazy idea? Was he really like Gray’s father in
personality, driven, focused, and cared for nothing but
securing his goals?

To think that he could have been used like a woman

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pissed Gray off. He strode over to stand in front of Lucas.
They were less than a half dozen inches apart. To his
annoyance, Gray’s gaze dropped to the man’s lips, but he
forced it up again.

“So that’s it?” he said.
Lucas’s eyebrows went up. “What do you mean?”
Gray hesitated and then he snapped, “Nothing. When

do you want to go out of town? I don’t like going without
for long.”

For the first time since Gray had made his

suggestion, Lucas’s expression darkened as if in anger,
and then it cleared. “Any time you want. How about this
weekend?”

“Perfect.”
Gray didn’t say another word. He didn’t bother with

saying good-bye but found his shoes, put them on and
walked out. He could retrieve his clothes later. After all,
he’d be living here on the weekends. Thinking of it made
his head pound as he slid behind the wheel of his car and
pealed down the drive.

Chapter Seven

Lucas sat in the driver’s seat of Gray’s car once

again. Every now and then, he glanced down at the gold
band  on  his  ring  finger.  They  had  performed  the
ceremony  according  to  shifter  laws.  He  was  officially
bound  to  Gray,  and  Gray  to  him.  Lucas  still  couldn’t
believe it.

Of course, there was one flaw. Their “honeymoon”

consisted  of  the  two  of  them  driving  out  of  town,  far
enough from anyone who would recognize them, to pick
up  women.  The  problem  with  that  plan  was  that  Lucas
didn’t feel right about it. Not because of his commitment
to Gray. After all, if Gray agreed, this wasn’t a betrayal.
His  feelings  went  in  a  whole  other  direction.  He  didn’t
like exploring them. Just like Gray, this situation was still
awkward for him.

He glanced over at his mate. Gray had put his seat

back and lay with an arm slung over his eyes. He’d said
he hadn’t slept well the night before, and Lucas wondered
if it was because he stayed at his house, in an unfamiliar
bed.

Lucas sighed. Between watching the road, he

examined his mate’s body. The slacks he wore hugged his
narrow hips and fit his muscular thighs well. The crotch

Eden Cole

area wasn’t tented, but Lucas remembered how it looked
when  it  was.  He  tightened  his  hands  on  the  steering
wheel.  Why  couldn’t  he  get  this  man  out  of  head?  Had
what they’d done changed him somehow? He didn’t think
so,  but  it  didn’t  stop  his  head  from  replaying  over  and
over  every  touch,  every  kiss,  even  the  feel  of  his  cock
stroking deep inside Gray’s tight ass.

He grunted, annoyed and tugged at his pants. His

cock had gone hard, and he didn’t want Gray to see.
Maybe it was a good thing what they were about to do. If
Gray wasn’t feeling like he was, he’d not only look like a
fool if he tried to come onto him, he’d offend the man he
now thought of as his best friend.

No, more than my friend. He’s actually my mate.

Mine.

“What’s wrong?” Gray said, peering out from under

his arm.

Lucas focused on the road. “Nothing. Why?”
Gray put his seat forward. “I’m hungry. Let’s stop.”
Lucas pulled in at the next available restaurant and

switched  off  the  car.  Gray  opened  his  door  and  got  out.
After watching his mate a second, Lucas got out as well.
He  followed  Gray  into  the  restaurant  and  paused  in  the
entrance. The restaurant had a bar, which had every stool
taken.  Surprisingly,  there  were  booths  available,  so  they
allowed the waitress to lead them to one. Lucas sat on one
side and Gray on the other.

Right away, Lucas felt eyes on him. He scanned the

restaurant and caught the eye of a beautiful young woman
at the bar. She smiled and raised her glass to him. From
the way she was scantily dressed, he could guess she was
on the prowl even though she was human. Her breasts

Reluctant Mate

were big, and if her blouse had been cut any lower, her
areolas would be exposed. Lucas waited for his cock to
stir, but not even a twitch. To be polite, he nodded to her.
When he turned back to Gray, he caught his mate’s frown.

“You work fast,” he snapped.
Lucas raised his eyebrows. “Isn’t that why we’re out

here?”

Gray opened his menu with a little too much energy.

“Let’s just eat first at least. I’m starved.”

Lucas shrugged. When Gray bent over the task of

selecting what he wanted to eat, Lucas examined him. His
hair  was  thick  and  dark.  Lucas  hadn’t  touched  it  when
they  were  having  sex,  but  he  found  he  wanted  to  now.
Would  it  feel  like  his?  Stupid,  why  wouldn’t  it?  He
sighed.  This  was  going  to  be  hard.  He  accepted  the  fact
that  for  whatever  reason,  he  still  wanted  Gray.  Never  in
his life did he expect that one day he would find his mate
yet  not  be  able  to  touch  him.  Of  course,  he’d  never
thought  it  would  be  a  man,  but  that  didn’t  matter  now.
Gray was his. He knew it if Gray didn’t. Gray had sensed
what he was feeling in the car. That only happened when
shifters were bonded as  one. Just  as he knew what  Gray
was feeling right this moment—lust.

Gray had raised his menu so Lucas couldn’t see his

face,  but  then  he  sensed  someone  watching  from  a
different  direction.  He  glanced  over  to  spot  another
woman. This one was staring at Gray. She uncrossed her
legs  to  show  a  flash  of  red  panties  before  re-crossing
them. Lucas’s heart sank. Gray must be lusting over her.

Lucas stood up. “I’m not hungry. I’m going to wait in

the car.”

“What? Lucas!” Gray called, but he didn’t stop.

Eden Cole

When he slammed himself inside the car, he gripped

the steering wheel and lowered his head on his hands.
What was he going to do? How could he deal with this the
rest of his life? He needed to accept it, for the kids’ sake.
He would suffer, but it wasn’t like he hadn’t done so for a
long time anyway.

A knock on the window startled him to look up. Gray

stood there frowning at him. “What the hell are you
doing?”

Lucas rolled the window down. “You’re getting what

you want. What’s the big deal if I sit this one out?”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Gray complained.

“Was it all a game for you? Did you pretend to be
someone you’re not just to get me to do what you want?”

Lucas narrowed his eyes at him. He thought he

sensed pain from Gray, but then it was gone. “What are
you talking about?”

“I—” Gray began.
“There you are,” a feminine voice called out.
Lucas tensed and looked over to where it came from.

The woman who’d been eying Gray stood not far from the
car, hand on her hip and offering a very seductive smile.
Lucas had been too distracted before, but now he breathed
in deep. She was a shifter but not a wolf, if he didn’t miss
his guess.

She sauntered over and leaned on the side of the car,

too close to Gray. Lucas bit off the growl that rose in his
throat. Good thing for his mood, she made no attempt to
touch Gray.

“I haven’t seen our kind around here in ages,” she

said, gaze firmly planted on Gray. “I’d love to go have
some fun in the woods back there, wouldn’t you?” Her

Reluctant Mate

hand dropped onto  Gray’s arm, and she  arched  her back
to push her breasts out more. Lucas gritted his teeth. She
had  to  sense  they  were  mated.  He  wanted  to  tell  her  to
back  off,  but  because  of  the  agreement  with  Gray,  he
didn’t really have the right. From the rage stirring in his
gut, the wolf didn’t agree to anything that meant another
could  touch  his  mate.  The  woman  danced  away  a  few
steps  and  twirled  to  face  Gray,  holding  her  hand  out.
“Want to run?”

Gray hesitated. He looked down at Lucas, but Lucas

refused to beg him to stay or show him how much this
plan bothered him. He sat with his expression schooled
into indifference.

Gray scowled at him. “You’re a cold son of a bitch,

you know that?’

Lucas opened his mouth to respond, but they were off

already,  running  on  two  legs  toward  the  trees.  The  sun
was  going  down, so that there was scarcely  any  light.  A
human wouldn’t have picked out the change as Gray and
the woman shifted  at  the edge of the trees.  Lucas saw it
clearly. His lips tightened seeing her become some type of
dog. Not a wolf.

The beast in him raged to be free. Even though the

two were rapidly gaining ground away from him, he
picked up the woman’s scent. She was sexually excited.
Lucas found he could no longer hold back. Gray belonged
to him. He’d claimed him, and no man or woman had the
right to touch him. For that, she would die.

The car door slammed behind him, and Lucas hit the

woods at a full run. He shifted out of his clothes and took
on his animal form. His fur was black with a small spot of
gray and white on his stomach. He zipped between the

Eden Cole

trees, blending with the darkness and his head held low to
follow their scent.

By the time, he caught up with them, they’d shifted

back  to  their  human  forms.  The  woman  stood  leaning
against a tree with Gray in front of her. She pouted up at
him,  and  Lucas,  his  mind  somewhat  hazy  in  his  anger,
caught  her  last  words.  “What’s  wrong,  baby?  Can’t  you
get  it  up  for  me?  I’ve  got  all  this  for  you.”  She  ran  her
hands  over  her  slender  figure,  and  Lucas  crept  into  the
clearing where they were, teeth bared. A growl started in
his throat that steadily grew louder.

Gray spun on his heel to face him, and his eyes

widened. He extended a hand backward to the woman but
didn’t touch her. “You’d better get out of here.”

“Why?” she whined. “We were just about to have

some fun. Tell your boring friend to go.”

“He’s not my friend,” Gray said. “Enough talk. Go!”
Lucas stalked her, drawing closer, his eyes never

leaving hers. She seemed to catch on at last to his intent—
to rip her limb from limb.

She turned to run, and Lucas leaped after her. Before

he could get far, Gray stepped in his path and caught him
before falling to his knees. Lucas barked and thrashed to
get free, but Gray’s hold tightened.

He whispered in his ear, “I was wrong. I know that

now.”

Lucas stopped struggling, but he didn’t fully get what

Gray was saying. In this form, with his wolf all but in
charge, his reasoning wasn’t the best.

Gray tangled his fingers in Lucas’s fur and spoke

again right next to his ear. “We’re mated. I belong to you
now.”

Reluctant Mate

The admission made Lucas pause, but it didn’t make

him feel better. He glanced past Gray’s shoulder and
heard the twigs snapping beneath the dog’s feet. He
whined to follow, but Lucas wasn’t letting go.

Gray shook Lucas’s head, knotting his fists in his fur.

“Lucas! Come back to me,” he commanded. Lucas
snapped at him, but Gray’s eyes only narrowed. Lucas
smelled no fear. His mate grabbed his muzzle and forced
their eyes to meet. “Come back, baby.”

Lucas allowed the change to take him. He shifted to

his human form, and together he and Gray stood. His
anger hadn’t lessened. He shoved at Gray and caused him
to stumble back, but Gray never lost his footing.

“I can smell her,” he growled. “She had no right to

see you, let alone touch you. You admit it now only
because you’re bound to me. I have every right to hunt
her down and kill her.”

He shoved past and barreled toward the trees.
“You’re right,” Gray called after him.
He stopped and waited.
Gray continued. “You do have the right to kill her.

She touched me, and even though she’s a dog, she sensed
that we’re mated and didn’t care.” Gray approached him
cautiously  but  still  without  fear.  That  emotion  so  close
would have set Lucas off all the more. He wouldn’t hurt
Gray,  but  nothing  would  have  stopped  him  from  going
after  the  woman.  Gray  laid  a  hand  on  his  arm.  Lucas
acknowledged the desire that tightened his groin. “I’m not
admitting  I  belong  to  you  because  I  have  to  but
because…I love you, Lucas.”

Lucas drew in a sharp breath. He didn’t turn from the

tree line but stood there in silence. The hand Gray had

Eden Cole

laid on his arm rose to grasp him above the elbow. Gray’s
biceps bulged as he forced Lucas around to face him.
Lucas resisted with just a little less strength than his
partner. Not because he wasn’t as strong or stronger, but
because he wanted to look at Gray while he said it again.

Gray’s shoulders were full of tension. His hands

spasmed  on  Lucas’s  arms,  but  then  he  relaxed  and  his
pinched  expression  cleared.  He  tilted  his  head  back,
exposing his neck. Lucas drew in a deep breath and took
in  Gray’s  scent.  Desire,  he  realized,  the  same  intensity
Gray had displayed in  the restaurant.  Lucas remembered
what  the  woman  said  when  he  came  upon  them.  She’d
asked Gray why he wasn’t hard. Then Lucas recalled his
own  reaction  to  the  other  female  back  there.  He’d  not
gotten  hard  either.  He  was  now—painfully  so—and  so
was Gray.

Because he’s mine.
Lucas stepped closer to Gray and nosed along his

neck.  He  sharpened  his  teeth  to  bite  him  but  then
hesitated.  He  licked  Gray  instead  and  then  put  his  own
head  back.  He  waited.  Gray’s  teeth  sank  into  his  flesh,
and white hot pleasure ravaged Lucas’s system.

Lucas didn’t submit to Gray long. Instead, he pushed

his lover back and followed until Gray banged against a
tree.

“Cher, tell me again,” he demanded.
Gray’s eyes softened, and he grinned. “I love you,

Lucas. I don’t know when it happened or for that matter
why, when we’re both men. Maybe it was meant to be all
the time. I don’t care. All I know is, I love you, and I want
us to be like a regular mated couple…if you want that.”

Lucas sagged against him until their bodies aligned.

Reluctant Mate

He felt his partner’s cock twitch, and he captured his lips
in  a hungry  kiss. Their tongues met  and curled together,
each  moaning  their  pleasure.  Lucas  drew  away  just
enough so he could speak without losing contact. “I love
you too, and that’s definitely what I want.” He raised his
gaze  from  Gray’s  sexy  lips  to  his  eyes  and  frowned.  “I
want  you  to  share  my  room  and  come  home  more  often
than just the weekend.”

“Every night. I promise.”
Lucas cupped his face and kissed him again. Now

that he was sure of Gray’s feelings, he wouldn’t  let him
get  away.  No  one  was  coming  between  them  or  taking
Gray  from  him.  He  pressed  closer,  for  the  first  time,
allowing  himself  to  enjoy  the  sensation  of  Gray’s  hard
body rubbing his. He leaned back and stared down at his
lover’s  cock.  He  didn’t  have  to  be  embarrassed  that  he
liked looking. Lucas dropped to his knees and took Gray’s
stiff shaft between his lips. He uttered a long, “Mmm,” at
the  flavor  and  licked  up  one  side  and  down  the  other.
While  he  sucked  Gray  off,  he  stroked  his  thighs  and
squeezed his ass. Gray spread his legs wider and moaned.

“Ah, yes, Lucas. I love how you suck me. Deeper,

please. Swallow me.”

They were free, Lucas thought, free to love each

other and free to make each other feel good. He did as his
lover asked and took him farther into his mouth. He
relaxed his throat, and Gray’s cock slid down into it. Gray
cried out in pleasure.

“Oh, hell, man, you’re going to make me come,”

Gray rasped.

He made good with his threat when Lucas tasted the

salty spray filling his mouth. He drew back just a little to

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drink  his  mate’s come and sucked for more. When Gray
was  empty,  Lucas  stood  up.  He  pushed  his  tongue
between  Gray’s  lips  and  let  him  lick  his  own  come  off
Lucas’s tongue.

“Now you,” Gray said.
Lucas thought he was going to drop to his knees, but

to  Lucas’s  excitement,  he  turned  and  arched  his  back.
Gray’s  ass  rose  higher  in  invitation.  Lucas  grinned.  He
rubbed  the  round,  hard  ass  and  squeezed  then  threaded
between the cheeks to find his prize. Gray’s ass hole was
tight  and  ready  but  too  dry.  Lucas’s  cock  twitched  in
anticipation of taking it.

He dropped back down to his knees and spread

Gray’s  cheeks  once  again.  He  took  one  long  swipe  with
his  tongue  over  the  puckered  entrance.  Goose  bumps
broke  out  on  his  lover’s  thighs.  Lucas  drew  moisture  in
his  mouth and licked again. He rimmed Gray’s hole and
wet it, placing pressure on it but not entering in.

Gray growled his impatience. “That feels good, baby,

but surely I’m wet enough now. I want your cock in my
ass.”

Lucas gave his hole a kiss and smacked his cheek.

“You’ll get it when I’m ready to give it to you.” Gray
glared over his shoulder at him, but Lucas just stuck two
fingers into his mouth and wet them thoroughly. He
pulled them out slowly while Gray watched. He grinned.
“Ready?”

“Yes, damn it!”
Lucas thrust his fingers inside Gray. His moan was

too human for Lucas’s taste. He wanted to drive his mate
over the edge. Lucas jumped to his feet and pulled his
hand back. He held his cock in place and drove into the

Reluctant Mate

tiny hole. This time, Gray’s wolf howl filled the night.
His fingernails grew into claws, and he shredded the tree
he leaned on. Lucas ravaged his hole, pounding into him
at top speed. Their bodies slammed together over and
over, becoming slick with sweat.

Lucas drove all the way in and lined his body with

Gray’s. He intertwined his fingers with his partners while
he arched his hips.

“Bite me like last time,” Gray begged, his head

falling back onto Lucas’s shoulder.

Lucas didn’t hesitate. He sank his teeth into his

mate’s taut flesh. Gray howled. His come shot into Gray’s
ass, and he lay on him not moving. When he was empty,
he released the bite and licked the wound. Gray’s lips met
his in a kiss that was sweeter than any they had shared
before. Lucas tried filling the caress with all the love he
felt for Gray, and all the things he hadn’t yet said.

Gray reached back and stroked his hair. “I know,” he

said.

Lucas’s eyes widened. He stared at Gray and noted

the happiness he saw in his expression. Gray shrugged.

“I think this mating thing with you was a great idea.

It’s going to get really interesting. But don’t tell my dad.”

Lucas chuckled. “I agree. Now come on. I want you

in my bed tonight and under me.”

Gray smirked. “I offered you my ass once, but don’t

get cocky. You owe me a few times in yours.”

Lucas took a step in the direction where they’d left

the car. “I’ll race you for it.” He shifted into his wolf form
and took off, knowing the padding of the four feet behind
him were those of his perfect mate.

About the Author

Eden Cole is the author of several erotic works including
male/male  and  menage,  and  she  has  many  more  on  the
way.  Please  visit  Risky  Ink  at  riskyink.blogspot.com  to
find  out  more  about  her  First  Time  Series  of  male/male
novellas.

For  more  information  on  other  books  by  Eden,  visit  the
author’s official website:

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