SWAT—Secret Werewolf Assault Team 1
Kiss of Danger
The danger of a kiss…
Wolf shifter and tactical specialist Cooper Hull had finally gotten his life just where he wanted it—nice and comfortable.
Unfortunately, that’s when fate throws a potential mate into his path.
While touring an abandoned building in the hopes of transforming it into a drug rehabilitation center, Kyler Pembelton finds himself
held hostage by an addict. All that stands between him and almost certain death is an enigmatic man with a captivating gaze.
Cooper is famous for keeping his cool, but nothing could have prepared him for the heat Kyler sparks. Is he the one? Cooper isn’t
sure. Even though one little kiss will reveal the truth, Cooper has a past that compels him to keep his mouth to himself. But that
doesn’t mean Kyler will take no for an answer.
Will Cooper surrender to the passion between them? Or will his determination to protect Kyler inadvertently get him killed?
Genre: Alternative (M/M or F/F), Contemporary, Paranormal, Romantic Suspense, Vampires/Werewolves
Length: 40,165 words
KISS OF DANGER
SWAT—Secret Werewolf Assault Team 1
Anitra Lynn McLeod
EVERLASTING CLASSIC
MANLOVE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
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KISS OF DANGER
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KISS OF DANGER
SWAT—Secret Werewolf Assault Team 1
ANITRA LYNN MCLEOD
Copyright © 2013
Chapter 1
As soon as Cooper Hull saw him, he knew they were both in trouble.
Kyler Pembelton’s eyes were enormous. His fear was palpable. The crazy asshole pressing the gun
to his head was shaking, probably from a combination of adrenaline and withdrawal. One wrong move
and the man with the gun was going to blow Kyler’s head clean off. Given that the gun was a forty-
five, there wouldn’t be much of anything left if he actually fired the weapon that close to Kyler’s
temple. But there was no way in hell Cooper was going to let that happen. Not on his watch. He was
going to rescue Kyler because that was why he and his team had been called in. But that situation was
only one part of the trouble Cooper was talking about. As soon as he looked into Kyler’s eyes, Cooper
knew he had most certainly met his mate. And that meant if they both survived this, they were in for a
lot more trouble.
I’m not kidding, the gunman said. “Back off or his head is hamburger.”
It was a disturbingly accurate image. Cooper had tried to get the gunman’s name, but he wasn’t
falling for any of that “touch-feely shit” so Cooper was left calling him
the gunman.
“No one is moving. We just want to talk.” Since his team had enough firepower pointed at the
scumbag to kill him ten times over, Cooper felt comfortable lowering his weapon. “See? I just want to
talk.”
“I ain’t got nothing to say.” He pressed the gun tighter to Kyler’s temple, making Cooper struggle
to maintain his cool demeanor. “I want that helicopter. I want it now.”
“It’s coming,” Cooper soothed.
“It should be here by now!” His finger skittered against the trigger. Thankfully, it wasn’t a hair
trigger. To Cooper’s discerning eye, he figured the weapon probably needed at least four pounds of
pull to fire. That didn’t seem like a lot, but in this case, it could be the difference between life and
death. “I’ve been waiting for that fucking thing for an hour!”
Actually, he’d only made the demand five minutes ago, but they were the longest five minutes in
Cooper’s life. He was certain they were even longer for Kyler. Standing there, feeling impotent while
a crazed gunman had a hold of a man like Kyler, a man who was so determined to help the city of Los
Angeles his giving nature was what got him into this mess in the first place, was going to drive Cooper
to drink. Not at this precise moment, but Cooper knew decompressing from this situation was going to
be intense. There was a bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label with his name on it somewhere. As soon
as this was over, they were going to hook up and get very intimate.
“I understand it’s frustrating, but they are moving quickly to get you what you need.” Cooper
thought what the guy really needed was a bullet between his eyes, but that wasn’t how this was going
to play out. He tried to summon compassion, but he was having a very hard time doing that. The junky
had no idea that the man he was holding had been touring the building to possibly convert it into a
drug rehab facility. One that Kyler would fully fund. If this man killed him, it would be an ironic
tragedy.
The gunman kept a firm hold on his hostage. “This corporate fuck is worth billions. I’m sure he’s
got a fleet of helicopters in addition to his Learjet.”
Actually, Kyler did have helicopters in his fleet, and his office had released one to the LAPD, but
that didn’t mean they could get the damn thing here instantaneously. However, Cooper knew pointing
that out to this scumbag wasn’t going to do anything but agitate him, so he had to work on distracting
him.
“You asked for cash, too. That’s going to be on the helicopter.”
It was the right thing to say because his eyes practically flashed dollar signs while he rhythmically
licked his lips. He could posture all day about how this was about helping the little guy or equaling
things between the haves and the have-nots, but the truth was this scumbag was just like any two-bit
robber. He wanted something for nothing. Had he put all his time and effort into building a life and
working toward his dreams, he wouldn’t need to be standing here, holding an innocent man hostage. If
the criminal was a real man, he would have made his way in the world and not felt entitled. But
Cooper didn’t mention that. Telling this dirtball the truth would only piss him off and get Kyler killed.
“And clearance to Cuba.”
“Right.” Cooper left off the fact he wouldn’t be able to fly a helicopter from LA to Cuba because if
this guy didn’t know his geography, telling him now wasn’t going to help matters one damn bit.
“You’ll have that along with the money.”
Repeatedly mentioning the money was the key to keeping the loser focused on the future. That
seemed to work wonders. Money meant drugs. Sadly, if he actually had all the money he wanted, he’d
end up killing himself. Unlimited drugs would cause him to overdose. And that was when Cooper’s
compassion kicked in. This guy simply couldn’t help himself. Had he access to help, such as what
Kyler was hoping to build, he may not have ever gotten this bad.
“Coop? Helicopter is on the roof.”
“And my money?” the gunman asked.
“With your money,” Aiden Stanly assured.
Kyler’s gaze was riveted to Cooper, making him keenly aware of his terror. His short blond hair
seemed almost gleaming bright in the darkness of the abandoned building. In a way, Kyler looked
almost angelic, especially with his pale skin and enormous blue eyes. He was going to need a lot of
help to overcome the trauma of this situation. But the first thing Cooper had to do was get him out of
it. No matter what it took, he vowed to do just that. If anyone deserved to live, Kyler was that man. He
had done more good in the city of LA in a month than all the people Cooper had ever met combined.
“Here’s how this is going to work,” Cooper began, but was cut off by the gunman.
“You don’t tell me!” His finger was twitching against the trigger again, making adrenaline surge
into Kyler as evidenced by his shakes.
“If you want to get up there without the police shooting you down, you are going to do this my
way.” Cooper knew this was the most dangerous part of the procedure. The gunman was focused on
freedom and cash, so he was less attentive to what was going on around him. That gave Erick the
perfect opportunity to get into position. Shifting into his wolf form, Erick slipped behind the gunman
without being noticed. His black fur blended perfectly with the shadows.
“He’s coming with me.” The gunman tightened his hold on Kyler, who looked to be on the verge of
passing out. Cooper didn’t think it was panic that was making him hyperventilate as much as it was
the gunman’s fearsome hold. Kyler wasn’t that much shorter than the gunman, but the gunman looked
like he’d recently done a stint behind bars because he was fairly bulked up. Jonseing and bodybuilding
were not a good combo because he was quite literally crushing the air out of his hostage.
“He’s not much of a shield,” Cooper said softly.
That caused the gunman to reconsider.
“Having him in front of you won’t protect you from some guy keen to take a shot. He’s too small.
But someone like me…” Cooper was hoping the guy would turn his full attention onto him. He did. Up
and down his gaze went as he assessed Cooper’s six-foot-six frame. “I’ll block you completely.”
“You’ll try something.”
“No, I won’t. I put down my gun. I can remove the rest of my weapons.” Doing the strip-down
would give Erick more time to get ready. They were able to communicate mentally, which they did,
but they used the shortened code of the wolf rather than English. Instead of looking directly at him,
Cooper kept his attention on the gunman but used his peripheral vision to keep track of Erick’s
progress across the debris-strewn floor. In his wolf form, Erick was a sleek black shadow with cunning
in his golden eyes.
“I’m not letting go of him.” The gunman clung even more firmly to Kyler. “He’s worth billions, and
you’re not worth shit. They won’t take a shot at me with him close.”
“If they can take the shot, they will. You need more of a shield.” Cooper needed to get him to relax
his hand and draw the gun away from Kyler’s head. As soon as he did, Cooper could give the signal to
Erick to take the gunman down. But he couldn’t do anything given everyone’s relative positions.
The gunman tightened his hold on his hostage. Kyler let out a gasp, and then his eyes rolled back,
indicating he’d passed out from lack of oxygen, fear, or a combination of both. The particular didn’t
matter because when Kyler went limp, the gunman reacted. Everything happened so fast that if it
weren’t for Cooper’s inherent canine abilities, he wouldn’t have been able to track the details.
Kyler slumped down, causing the gunman to jerk forward. His hand that was holding the gun
slipped away from Kyler’s head right as he pulled the trigger. The boom from the shot was so loud in
the mostly empty concrete space that Cooper knew everyone’s ears were going to be ringing for days.
But the gunman was so startled he pulled the trigger a second time. Unfortunately, the force of the
first blast caused the gun to recoil, tilting it toward his own head. When he impulsively pulled the
trigger again, he shot himself in the chin.
Erick jumped at the gunman, knocking him forward and causing the gun to topple out of his limp
hand. Kyler fell to the ground, angling out sideways from the gunman. Cooper lunged forward for
Kyler, scooping him up and moving him away from the action without looking back. He knew his
team would ensure the gun was contained and if the gunman was still alive, he would be immobilized.
Cooper’s main concern was ensuring Kyler was safe. It was his job, but he also couldn’t deny more
personal reasons.
Kyler was limp in his arms, but he was breathing. Carefully, Cooper placed him on the floor so he
could examine him. Quickly, he realized the gore on Kyler was splatter from the gunman. Cooper did
his best to wipe it away even though he was disturbing evidence. He didn’t want Kyler to wake up with
blood, bone, and gray matter on his face. For a timeless moment, he found himself looking at Kyler’s
mouth. His lips were perfect. Not too thin, not too thick. Like Goldilocks observed, they were just
right. One kiss would tell Cooper everything he needed to know. One little kiss would clarify if Kyler
was his mate or not.
“Why now?” Cooper had enough going on in his life that the idea of taking on a mate just about
made him run screaming the other direction. He didn’t have the time and given his past, he was fairly
certain he didn’t have the patience.
“Coop?”
“He’s okay. Kyler is okay.” Cooper realized he was losing his legendary cool, but he couldn’t help
himself. He never thought he’d have a second chance to have a mate. The opportunity was staggering.
Just as he opened his heart to the idea, he abruptly slammed the door. Maybe he shouldn’t take the
risk. Just because the opportunity came up didn’t mean he had to accept. Last time with his last mate
tried to fill his mind, but Cooper ruthlessly slammed that door even harder. He couldn’t go there
again. Not now. Not when he’d finally reached an accord with what had happened. Cooper hadn’t
forgiven himself, but he’d only made a wary truce with the pain. If he allowed those memories to
fester in his mind again, he didn’t know what might happen.
“Coop?”
Erick’s voice was in Cooper’s head, cautious yet determined.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Shift back before anyone from the LAPD gets up here.”
Now that the intensity of the
moment was over, they were able to speak in full sentences without risking distraction.
Erick didn’t take offense to his direct order. He knew Cooper too well. When he was ready to talk,
Erick knew Cooper would come to him. He always did. Erick Bliss was a hell of a lot more than an
employee. Without him, Cooper didn’t think he would have survived what had happened with his first
mate. Erick wasn’t there at the time, not even close, but he was the only one Cooper had ever felt
comfortable talking to about the event.
Shifting back to human while retaining all the gear he’d shifted with was the one of the things that
set their kind apart from other shifters. It took a long time to learn. As Erick always said, they weren’t
keen on sharing how they managed that neat trick. By the time Cooper looked behind him, Erick was
once again human and the gunman had a good ton of fully armed men around him. If he was alive, he
wasn’t going to be doing anything but staying put.
“Everyone good?” Cooper was still touching Kyler, searching his body for any sign of trauma when
he knew he was okay. He just couldn’t seem to reassure himself of that fact. Or maybe he was just
taking the opportunity to touch him because he wasn’t going to let himself do so ever again.
Everyone called out, indicating they were unharmed. The gun was secured.
“And the gunman?”
“He blew his own face off.” Aidan Stanly didn’t sound shaken, but he had almost as much time into
the firm as Cooper and Erick. After so many encounters, it was amazing what the mind was capable of
dealing with.
“Get a call down to Xenos. Let him know we’ve got the situation secure.” Cooper’s firm had been
called in by the city’s police force, but only because of the man being held captive. All the men who
worked for Cooper were ex-cops who had also worked on various SWAT teams. They were the best of
the best. Normally, a city wouldn’t hire an independent firm, but Cooper’s guys had a special skill that
simply couldn’t be duplicated by anyone else on the force. His men were trained in weapons, assault
tactics—everything all SWAT teams were—but they had one little difference that made them able to
get into places and do things no human could. Cooper and all his men could shift into wolf form. Not
that their unique skill was common knowledge. Xenos knew. And that was enough.
“How’s he doing?” Aidan called, nodding his head at the man Cooper was hovering over.
“He’ll be okay.” Cooper gently stroked his hand over Kyler’s face. He knew he should stop touching
him but found letting go far more difficult than it should be. If he was going to reject a second chance
at a mate, he should get the hell away from Kyler before he gave into temptation and kissed him.
One kiss would seal his fate.
When Ivan Tang came over to give him the once-over, Cooper had the insane urge to growl at him
and send him away. Cooper resisted the impulse, but only just barely. Ivan was their medical man. He
wasn’t a doctor, but he had EMT training. If someone got hurt, Ivan was the guy to call. So even
though Cooper felt overly protective of Kyler, he backed off and let Ivan do his thing.
“He’ll be okay, right?” No matter how many times he told himself to keep his physical and
emotional distance, Cooper couldn’t seem to manage either.
“Yeah.” Ivan was all business as he assessed Kyler. “He just got squeezed so hard he couldn’t
breathe. I noticed his lips were cyanotic right before he passed out.”
Cooper berated himself for not noticing that Kyler’s lips were turning blue. He should have. If he
hadn’t been so riveted to Kyler’s stunning blue eyes, he might of, but he’d been captivated by his
gaze. Something there called to Cooper in a way he’d never experienced. He’d deliberately not looked
at his mouth. Cooper knew what a fascination with that body part generally meant, so he’d trained
himself to simply not look there. Kissing was dangerous. Kissing could lead to more trouble than he
wanted to invite into his world at the moment. Or ever. All he had to do was kiss Kyler once. If the
man was in fact his mate, it would all be over for the both of them.
Cooper vowed that wasn’t going to happen.
“Please tell me he isn’t shot.” Xenos Harr, their liaison with the LAPD and the man who had called
them in, was the first up to the fifteenth floor. From the way he was lightly huffing and puffing, he’d
no doubt run up the stairs. Damn, but the man was fit. Too bad he had thus far resisted all of Cooper’s
efforts to recruit him. Still, Xenos was the man who got them work when the situation called for their
unique skill set. Maybe it was best to have Xenos on the police force.
“He’s okay. He’s coming around now.” Ivan gently held Kyler down, explaining to him that he was
uninjured but they needed to open his shirt to check out his ribs. “He squeezed you hard enough to
make you pass out. I don’t think he broke a rib, but I’d like to double-check.”
The look of relief that Kyler flashed to Ivan sparked another growl deep in Cooper’s chest. Despite
his determination not to look at his mouth, he found that he simply couldn’t resist. Kyler Pembelton
had a mouth that was as expressive as his eyes. As Ivan unbuttoned his shirt, Kyler bit his lip,
indicating his self-consciousness about his body. For the life of him, Cooper couldn’t see what the hell
he was concerned about. Kyler’s chest was perfect. His nipples were set low on his pecs. He had a
solid six-pack, and his—
“Fuck.” The shocked expletive came out of Cooper’s mouth before he could even attempt to control
himself. A huge scar ran across Kyler’s lower abs, obliterating his belly button. Whatever had torn
into him had damn near eviscerated him. To cover his surprise, Cooper turned away and almost
crashed into Xenos.
“I asked if you needed access to the counselors.”
Cooper realized he’d been so intent on Kyler he hadn’t even heard Xenos talking to him.
“We’re good. We’ve got our own man for that.”
“Right.” Xenos went over to the gunman. “Jesus Christ. What the fuck did you hit him with?”
“He shot himself.” Cooper was sorry that things had happened the way they had. He didn’t like to
run a rescue that resulted in the death of anyone, even the bad guy. But as Aiden liked to remind him,
“You’re not ruling the world yet.”
To which Cooper would reply,
“Maybe someday.”
“How the hell did that happen?” Xenos asked, clearly thinking of the mounds of paperwork that
would be coming his way.
In clear, concise terms, Cooper explained how the fatal injury had occurred. Since he would have to
tell this same story several times over, he made sure he followed the chronology of events. The only
thing he left out was Erick shifting. It hadn’t really had anything to do with the situation anyway.
Besides, Xenos wasn’t going to put that into his report. He knew about their secret skill set, but he
preferred to keep it that way. Secret. Xenos once joked that Cooper should call his guys SWAT only it
would stand for Secret Werewolf Assault Team. Cooper had laughed, but it was truer than he would
have cared to admit. There were a lot of secrets that he carried. His ability to shift was only one. There
were times when he longed for a mate to tell all his troubles to.
The thought drew his gaze back to Kyler Pembelton. His eyes were the most riveting shade of blue
Cooper had ever seen. They were intelligent, thoughtful eyes that showed clearly that, though he’d
come from nothing and had risen to the top, Kyler in no sense felt entitled. He worked hard, played
hard, and lived his life big and bold. He was openly gay yet didn’t feel a need to flaunt his orientation.
It was simply a part of him, like his blue eyes or his blond hair. When Cooper found himself
captivated by his mouth again, he had to admit that it was probably a good thing he’d never see Kyler
again. There was danger in a mouth like that. Danger in a kiss.
This time, Kyler caught him staring.
Before Cooper could look away, Kyler licked his lips, and the urge to kiss him settled into Cooper’s
body and brain with a vengeance.
Chapter 2
Kyler had been so terrified that he hardly saw the men who had come to save him. They were a sea
of tall, muscular bodies dressed in black. All he knew was the feel of cold steel against his temple and
the surprisingly strong arm across his chest. The gunman’s breath had been noxious, his body odor dry
and almost dusty. But none of those things could stay in his mind for long because he kept coming
back to the gun against his head.
Since Kyler couldn’t see the gun, all he could go by was how it felt, and it felt enormous. He knew
next to nothing about guns. All he really knew was that he didn’t think they actually solved anything.
In the town he grew up in, all firearms had ever done was cause untold misery. His mother had died
because of one man’s need to possess her completely. After killing her for not loving him enough,
he’d turned the gun on himself. Two lives gone for no good reason at all. Kyler, a world-weary seven,
was left in the care of his aunt, who tried her best to rear him, but she had her own demons.
Kyler had gotten himself emancipated at sixteen. He’d done everything he could to help his aunt
cope with her drug addiction, but he simply couldn’t afford to put her into treatment. There weren’t
any city, county, or state facilities that could help her either. When she inevitably died of an overdose,
he’d buried her, mourned her, and then swore that someday he’d be rich enough to help people like
her.
The fact that the gunman who had taken him hostage was a drug user only reconfirmed Kyler’s
desire to help. Had the man gotten treatment, he might never have been in the position he was today.
None of the men present would have. At least that was what Kyler liked to think. He’d been touring
the building in the hopes of buying it and renovating it for the rehab he wished to build. He thought he
could kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, because the crumbling neighborhood could
desperately use a facelift, which his facility would provide. Kyler didn’t want to just put a bandage on
the problem. He wanted to offer a real solution. He would help them kick the drugs, get them a decent
place to live, and then get them working to help others. He hoped it would be a drop in the pond that
would eventually create a swell of progress that would splash all the way to the shore.
Someone once was said the theme song of Kyler’s life was “Imagine” by John Lennon, mainly
because of the line about him being a dreamer. At times Kyler felt like the only one, but when he got
melancholy about the state of humanity, he would open his scrapbook. Each time he came across a
story about someone fixing a problem rather than just whining about it, he would clip it out and put it
in the book to inspire himself. Of course, after so many years, the scrapbook was part of a set of
twelve, but he never tired of reading about the good in the world. Sometimes it was the only thing that
kept him going.
Kyler’s vision of rehab was so big he needed more than a huge building to put all the pieces into
play. When he considered building from the ground up, he realized he could do more good by buying a
preexisting building, rehabbing it, then going from there. He had no idea his need to see all aspects of
the project firsthand would put him in danger.
When he looked over, he saw the gunman facedown in a puddle of blood. For a split second, he
thought the man was moving, but it was just a trick of his overadrenalized mind. No one spilled that
much red and lived. Even though he wasn’t clear on the details, he knew the gunman was dead. And
then, another strange thought came to mind. Wasn’t there a dog in the building? He swore he saw one
out the corner of his eye when the gunman had been squeezing the breath out of him. Kyler looked
around, but all he saw was random debris.
“My bodyguard.” Kyler feared the worst. The moment of the attack was a blur, but the echo of a
firearm was powerfully clear.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Pembelton. He didn’t make it.”
The news was devastating. His bodyguard had been with him for five years. Kyler quite literally
trusted Rowley with his life. In an effort to protect him, Rowley had stepped in front of Kyler, taking
the blast meant for him. Kyler had been so stunned by the sound of the gun he’d frozen. When the
gunman put the gun to Kyler’s head, he’d felt the heat of the barrel and knew he wouldn’t have any
problem pulling the trigger a second time. Kyler had taken out his cell and called his office. He’d
requested everything the man wanted. He’d even gone with him up to the fifteenth floor because Kyler
thought if he did, someone would come to help his bodyguard.
“Please don’t get up, Mr. Pembelton. I need to check you over.”
“I’m fine. And please call me Kyler. I think we can be on a first-name basis here.” Kyler tried to
argue with the man, but it became clear he was used to getting his way. But so was Kyler. “I need to
get up and attend to the details of my employee’s death.”
“I understand, Mr. Pembelton. Really, I do.” Another man, the one who kept staring at him,
approached and crouched down. He was older than the others as evidenced by the crow’s-feet around
his eyes and the strands of gray in his hair. His eyes reflected the sorrow he had seen, but there was
something else there, too. Something that spoke to Kyler. In the depth of those beautiful green eyes,
Kyler saw hope. Despite the fact that this man, decked as he was in a plethora of police gear, had seen
the absolute dregs of humanity, he’d also seen them at their best. Kyler identified with him instantly.
And then, as he continued to look at him, a hunger to kiss him became almost overwhelming. Kyler
wanted the event to occur so much so that his mind was already imagining the moment in its entirety.
He imagined what it would feel like to press against him, feeling all those muscles straining against
his body. Kyler imagined himself lifting his head up to initiate the touch of their lips and then the
inevitable deepening of the intimacy. Kyler would surrender himself to this man because it was clear
he would expect that show of submission. Not that Kyler minded. During his day-to-day life, he was
always in charge, so giving up control to another in the privacy of his bedroom was something he
longed for but had never quite found. None of the men he’d met had been willing or able to assume
command. But this man, he would have no problem taking control.
Kyler licked his lips in anticipation. When he did, he noticed this man—this man whose name he
desperately had to know—caught his breath. Had that subtle little signal of lip licking been enough to
show Kyler’s interest? Moreover, did the man’s growling gasp display his corresponding interest in
turn? Or was he only imaging something happening between them because of the trauma he’d just
been through? Unsure of his emotional state, Kyler pushed everything to the back of his mind. He’d
sort things out later once he had time to breathe.
“You will be able to attend to the details of your employee’s passing. I’m deeply sympathetic to
that. But first, we need to make certain you aren’t injured. And then you’ll need to be debriefed.”
Kyler knew this man was talking about Kyler telling the story of what had happened. He knew that.
But the idea of being
debriefed
took a totally different path in his mind. Kyler imagined this man lying
on his big, empty bed watching as Kyler slipped off his underwear. Like the true master he was, he
wouldn’t do the work himself. No. He would order Kyler to do his bidding then watch as Kyler
complied. Because Kyler would. There was no question in his mind that he would do whatever this
man told him to do.
Berating himself for his wayward thoughts—a man was dead after all!—Kyler took some pity on
himself. He was only thinking of sex and submission because the true horror of the moment was too
much to bear. He needed to reaffirm he was alive, and there was no greater way to do that than to take
solace in sex.
“You’ll be handling the debriefing?” Kyler knew he wasn’t talking about the racy scenario in his
mind but the actual meaning.
“A member of the LAPD will handle that.”
“You aren’t a police officer?” Kyler was suddenly concerned. Who was this stunning man in
military gear?
“I’m an independent contractor. We were called in to assist the LAPD.”
“Who are you?”
“I’m Cooper Hull.” The man extended his hand. “Hull Protection Services.”
Kyler reached out to shake his hand. When the contact came, he swore he felt a spark. Stunned, he
didn’t let go after the standard double pump. Instead, he kept a hold of him, feeling profoundly
relieved by his heat and his power. This man had saved him with calm, cool, and collected thinking.
After a time that seemed far too short but was clearly too long, Kyler reluctantly let go of Cooper’s
hand. He didn’t want to, but if he clung to him any longer, he was going to make the man
uncomfortable. For all Kyler knew, Cooper wasn’t gay. An überalpha like him probably bedded three
women a night and then went to the gym to work out for six hours. The last thing a man like Cooper
Hull would want was Kyler hanging on.
And then it all came crashing in on him. Two men were dead, and he wondered if he would ever be
the same.
Chapter 3
Cooper felt the ground shift below him when Kyler took his hand. He was heat and life. He was the
potential for love and acceptance. Kyler was all the things that Cooper longed for but didn’t think he
actually deserved. Overwhelmed by conflict, Cooper wasn’t able to let go. Finally, Kyler released him,
and Cooper stood faster than he should have. After a brief head rush, Cooper was able to go back to
the job at hand.
“Xenos?”
“Yeah, Coop?”
“Are you going to handle debriefing?”
Slowly, the wheels of bureaucracy started to roll. Photographs of the scene were taken, diagrams
made, and everyone was interviewed. The last Cooper saw of Kyler was when he was in the back of an
ambulance. His shirt was buttoned up but his jacket was folded over his arm. No doubt, Xenos had
been able to convince Kyler to get checked out. Xenos was good with that end of things. Or perhaps
Kyler was going to meet the family of his deceased bodyguard. The thought that for Kyler, the
situation really wasn’t over, and wouldn’t be for a very long time, made Cooper long to say something
to him.
But what would he say? Telling Kyler that things would get better seemed trite. It
would
get better,
but he was going to need therapy. That was just the way things were. If Kyler didn’t get help, he would
suffer the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder. A lot of people thought PTSD was about as real as
whiplash. Cooper could attest to the fact that both were legitimate and that both took time to
overcome. Cooper wanted to warn him of that, but he realized Kyler was an intelligent man. He would
know to take care of himself. Given his strong physique, it was obvious he took care with his physical
body, so it was likely he took care of the mental side as well. What Cooper was really looking for was
an excuse to say something to him. Cooper didn’t want to walk away from him, but he knew he
should.
“Mr. Hull?”
His voice was rich and carried clearly despite the cacophony of police, equipment, and assorted on-
lookers. Cooper could just keep on walking. He could pretend he hadn’t heard Kyler call out to him.
But he turned back toward the ambulance as if Kyler had a string attached to his arm. Or perhaps the
line was affixed much lower.
There is no greater puppet master than that of lust.
“What can I do for you, Mr. Pembelton?” Good boy, Coop, he mocked himself.
Keep it
professional. As if that will help you keep it zipped. One little kiss and all your resistance would be out
the window.
After a brief but noticeable pause that made Cooper curious what Kyler was thinking in those
seconds, Kyler said, “Thank you for what you did today.”
Cooper had been thanked before, but not with the kind of sincerity Kyler was displaying. Unable to
speak because he wasn’t sure what to say, and his usual
just doing my job
would come off rudely
dismissive, Cooper offered up a curt nod.
“Send the bill to my office.”
Cooper flashed a glance to Xenos, who nodded. Rather than going through the LAPD and waiting
ninety days or more to get paid, he could just bill Kyler directly. There was a part of Cooper that
wanted to say
don’t worry about it , but he couldn’t. It wasn’t possible to pay the bills and keep
everyone fed on gratitude. Besides, paying the bill might help Kyler in his recovery. Or that was what
Cooper told himself.
Kyler opened his mouth as if he would say more, but then he shook his head and looked away.
Cooper turned and walked off. He wished things could be different, but he had to end things before
they could even get started. He wasn’t ready to try again.
Cooper stopped in midstride. He had a moment where he saw himself with Kyler. Everything was
going so well that it seemed laughable he’d ever hesitated. But then he saw Kyler’s face slowly melt
away and a new visage come into focus. Pain twisted the man’s features until they were almost
unrecognizable, but nothing could ever take the familiarity of that face from Cooper’s mind. He knew
who he was seeing and why. He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
And that was final.
Besides, Cooper had to get his own house in order. He got everyone back into their vehicles and
made sure they had all their equipment. He didn’t actually carry a physical clipboard with a checklist,
but he’d done this so many times he had a virtual one in his head. They returned to headquarters in
silence, but that was normal. After the intensity of a job, everyone needed to clear their own
headspace. When they got home, everyone stripped down and went off to decompress. Each man on
his team had his own way of making that happen. For Cooper, it was a bottle of scotch and some
smooth jazz.
Cooper put his equipment back in his oversized locker with care. He ensured everything was clean
and ready for the next job. He knew all his employees would do the same. They took the time because
it wouldn’t be good to yank things out for the next tense situation only to discover some critical piece
of equipment was gone. Once everything was tucked away, Cooper stood there staring. He was looking
into his locker, but his mind was a million miles away.
“You okay?” Erick asked. Since he was the fastest at stowing his gear, he was already out of the
shower. His dark-brown hair was wet and plastered to his forehead. For some reason that Cooper had
never figured out, Erick didn’t like to towel-dry his hair. He literally let it drip-dry.
“Yeah. Just—sorry that we lost one.”
“It’s not really a loss, Coop.”
“I know. We won the day, but we lost a man. Two if you count the bodyguard.”
“That wasn’t our fault.”
“I know. But the gunman—”
“He wasn’t our fault, either. Blame drugs. That’s what made him so jittery he accidently pulled the
trigger.”
Intellectually, Cooper knew all that, but he seemed to carry these things around.
“Don’t give yourself another burden that isn’t yours to bear.”
“Right.” Cooper slammed his locker shut, wishing he could do the same with the doorway to certain
thoughts. “Even though he was the criminal, you know I just don’t like when things shake out that
way.” That did bother Cooper, but there was more that he just couldn’t tell Erick about. Not now. He
would be thrilled that Cooper had a chance to have a mate. Erick wouldn’t downplay the prior trauma,
but he would encourage Cooper to try again. If nothing else, Erick believed in second chances and
happily ever afters. How such a romantic man had ended up in this line of work was a mystery much
like his refusal to towel-dry his hair. Cooper had never had the heart to pry into either situation. One
was so serious and the other so frivolous. Cooper believed his romantic nature stemmed from a
burning desire to have a mate of his own. There was probably a reason for the hair thing, but it
mattered a lot less. However, right now Cooper wasn’t strong enough to resist that kind of talk. Later,
after he’d licked his metaphorical wounds, he could discuss the situation intellectually.
“Go shower up. Then we can hot tub it out while splitting a bottle of scotch.”
“Best therapy there is.” Cooper laughed even though he really didn’t feel like it. He went through
the motions of coming down from the event, but his brain wasn’t going to let go anytime soon. As
always, Erick was patient. He knew Cooper would talk when he was ready. Instead of pressuring him,
he kept his silence. Cooper could have retreated to his private room in the upper part of the building,
but he knew that would alert everyone to his internal dilemma, so he showered in the communal
locker room. He then took a quick soak in the massive hot tub near the indoor pool, had a leisurely
drink of scotch, toasting to their success, and then he ate. When the evening drew to a close, he went
off to his bedroom, gratefully closing the door.
Leaning against it, Cooper breathed a world-weary sigh. He knew he didn’t have to put on airs with
his own men, but he simply didn’t want to talk about mates. It came up occasionally, as just about
everything under the sun did, but tonight, Cooper was raw with the pain of denying a second chance.
He’d tell them about it but only later, after he’d come to terms on his own.
He went over to the small iPod on his dresser and cued up a playlist. It was all his favorites lined up
one after another with barely a break between. Three hours of smooth jazz was already pouring out of
the small Bose speakers tucked near his bed. More than anything, music soothed the savage breast. Or
at least the compositions gave his mind something to chew on other than his past or the most recent
situation.
Cooper slipped into bed and stared up at the ceiling. He kept seeing Kyler’s eyes going wide
because events took a turn that Cooper wasn’t expecting or couldn’t head off. He played the
what if
moment over and over until he was convinced Kyler really wasn’t alive and hadn’t talked to him from
the back of that ambulance. In reality, Cooper had failed and it was a coroner who had come to take
Kyler away. It was the gunman in the ambulance. He would have the best medical care so he could be
put in jail and stand trial for what he’d done.
But then the situation morphed again. It wasn’t an ambulance at all. The gunman had killed Kyler
and had gotten away. He killed an innocent man and then laughed as he issued more and more
demands. He didn’t have Kyler as a hostage anymore. Now he was holding Erick.
The more Cooper tried to push the vision away, the more it solidified. The gunman killed Kyler
then used Erick as a shield so he could get to the roof. Cooper gave chase, but he was too slow. By the
time he got to the roof, the killer was in the helicopter, flying away with blood on his hands three
times over and cash in his pockets. Erick, Kyler, and the bodyguard were dead. Their eyes were open,
peering up at Cooper accusingly. Cooper tried to defend himself but there was nothing he could say.
He’d failed. Had he been younger, faster, braver—he was so ashamed he couldn’t even scream.
Cooper woke up in a cold sweat with his sheet wrapped around his head so tightly it had covered his
mouth and prevented him from making a sound. In a way, he was relieved. The last thing he wanted to
do was awaken everyone with a scream in the night. He was supposed to be their fearless leader.
Crying out in the dark wouldn’t instill confidence in those men who literally placed their lives in his
hands.
Jazz still poured from the speakers. After a moment, he realized the playlist had looped at least
once. He was back on the third song in the line. Rather than help him clear his head, he’d somehow
managed to keep right on churning things around. But why in the hell would his stupid brain rewrite
the story with such a terrible outcome?
Pushing the covers away, Cooper sat up on the edge of his bed. His boxers clung to him, so he rose
and shimmied them off, leaving them on the floor for now. He had to remind himself that his
nightmare was just that—a made-up situation. Kyler was fine. All of Cooper’s men were fine, too. The
gunman was the only one on a slab, and that was by his own hand. But then Cooper realized Kyler’s
bodyguard was dead, too. He’d died defending Kyler, which, sadly, was a part of his duty. That
tragedy must be weighing heavily on Kyler’s mind. But the situation was over, and Cooper was never
going to see Kyler Pembelton again.
“Not unless he starts running in very different social circles.”
Cooper got up, splashed cold water on his face, pulled on a fresh pair of boxers, and then went down
to the kitchen on the second floor. Since they needed to be together and ready to go at a moment’s
notice, Cooper had reclaimed an old firehouse. There were seven floors and a sweet little patio up on
the roof. That had been Aiden’s contribution. He wanted a place where they could hang out without
having to worry about being seen. There were so many plants up there that the only way for anyone to
spy on them would be from the air. In the basement below was what Cash Lowry called The Bunker. If
they needed to stash people or goods, that was the place they went since there was only one way in or
out. As for the rest of the building, there was plenty of room for everyone to spread out and have some
privacy, but there was also a big enough kitchen to keep all of them fed. It had been Erick’s idea to
turn the massive parking bay into an area for the pool and hot tub. And it had been Brody’s idea to
make the front office relatively small since they didn’t get a lot of walk-in clients. All in all, it was a
good setup that Cooper was proud of and happy with. The only thing he hadn’t been satisfied with was
his own bedroom. The actual area was fine. It was the lonely space in the bed beside him that was
starting to make him ever more miserable.
Somehow, Cooper wasn’t really surprised to see Erick in the kitchen. The massive galley was really
Oliver’s territory, but Erick was often in the room, playing sous chef. Tonight, though, Erick was there
because he knew Cooper would come when he couldn’t sleep. A good dose of sugary carbs had a
tendency to chase his nightmares away.
“Couldn’t sleep?” Erick asked.
“No.” Cooper left it at that.
“He’s fine, you know.” Erick poured two glasses of milk then slipped half a dozen cookies onto a
plate. “Today went down as best as it could.”
“Two men died.”
“I know.” Erick’s voice was soft. “But when he signed on to be a bodyguard, he knew that might be
part of the deal. As for the other…he died by his own hand. And I said it went down
as best as it
could.” Erick took a cookie then slid the plate toward Cooper. “As much as you’d like to control the
universe, you don’t.”
“Yeah, but I still want to.” Aiden was usually the one to remind Cooper of that, but he’d apparently
done it so often the other guys were picking up on it.
“If you were in charge of everything, what would you do differently?”
Cooper sighed. Damn but Erick was good at playing head doctor. Still, Cooper had walked right into
that one, so rather than get pissy, he nibbled on his cookie to give himself some time to think about an
answer. “I guess the first thing I’d do differently is not have that guy there when Kyler went to tour
the building.”
“That would have put a stop to the whole situation.”
“Yeah.”
“But then you wouldn’t have gotten to meet him.”
Damn. Cooper loved Erick like a brother, but he sometimes really hated the fact that Erick was so
observant. “Couldn’t you just occasionally miss things?”
“I miss nothing.” Erick sipped his milk. “I do, however, often keep my mouth closed about what I
see.”
“That’s really kind of scary, Erick.”
“Don’t I know it.” Erick sighed.
“Are
you
okay?”
“Don’t try to out head doctor the head doctor.”
“I’m not, just—there’s no one to look out for you.”
“There is. I’m just quiet about things.” Erick polished off his milk. “So, about your keen interest in
Kyler Pembelton.”
“It’s not keen interest.” Cooper didn’t want to have this conversation. Not now. Probably not ever.
But he knew Erick would keep pushing until he just came out with it, so he bit the bullet and spilled
the truth. “I think he could be a potential.”
Erick stopped midchew.
“Don’t look so stunned.”
After swallowing, Erick shook his head. “I’m more stunned that you told me than I am at the
information.”
“I thought you knew?” Awesome. Now he was spilling his guts when he didn’t have to. Something
was clearly off with Coop’s radar.
“Hey,” Erick said, shrugging. “Don’t get mad at me for putting on a good show of being the all-
knowing man of mystery.”
“Shit.” Cooper realized too late that Erick hadn’t seen what had seemed so obvious.
“So a potential, huh? I just thought you wanted to bang him.”
“Not like that wasn’t there, too.”
“That part I noticed. Hell. I think a blind man would have sensed the sparks between you two. How
often has that happened in the last decade?”
“Sparks?”
“No, the potential mate thing.”
“Not very often. Hell, why am I lying? Not at all. Not like this.” Cooper felt a curious kind of relief.
Now that the truth was out there, it was easier to talk about. “I kept looking into his eyes because I was
too afraid to look at his mouth.”
“And you’re blaming yourself for what happened?”
“No. I know it was the gunman crushing the air out of Kyler that set the dominoes to falling. It’s
just—I can’t do it again.” He realized they were talking about two different things at the same time,
but each of them was able to hold onto the threads of conversation.
“You could.”
“No, Erick. I really can’t.” Cooper held up his hand, cutting Erick off. “I know I should try again.
Intellectually, I know that. It’s been twenty years. But emotionally? I just can’t. Especially not with
someone like Kyler Pembelton.”
“What’s so special about Kyler?”
Again, it was a leading question that was supposed to help Cooper get to the heart of his issue.
Cooper got that, but he couldn’t help but fall right into line with the way Erick gently nudged him. He
had a way of getting there, or of making Cooper get there. He often thought Erick was a master of the
art because now that Cooper started talking he was already halfway toward healing himself.
“What’s so special about Kyler is he’s actually a really good guy.”
“And Ross wasn’t?”
“Don’t do that,” Cooper snarled. “Don’t compare Ross to Kyler or vice versa. It’s not about that.
It’s not.”
“Then what is it about?” Erick’s tone was gentle, but the question was sharper than any blade.
“It’s about me.” Cooper realized how selfish that sounded. But better to admit to that than the real
truth that he was afraid of killing another man. “I can’t take it. I can’t feel all of that again.”
“Feel what, exactly?”
“The longing. The hope. That lightning-hot burst of lust that mellows out into love. I can’t watch a
man’s eyes fill with fire and then…” Cooper couldn’t even put into words what he’d watched happen
to Ross. In his nightmares, that look was so vivid that it make him wake up screaming. To describe it
in Kodachrome terms to Erick was something he just couldn’t do. “Kyler is one of those very rare men
who does good in this world.”
“So you only deserve a mate who isn’t quite so giving?”
“That isn’t what I mean.”
“Then explain it to me.”
“He’s just not the right guy, okay?” Cooper stuffed an entire cookie in his mouth to stop himself
from talking. It also forced him to realize the cookies were really, really good. Macadamia nuts and
dark chocolate chunks in some kind of peanut butter base. Leave it to Oliver to make the crack of
cookies. Although, to be fair, everything Oliver made was like crack. The only reason they weren’t all
sporting love handles was because they worked out like fiends for their jobs.
Erick stood placidly, waiting for Cooper to finish his mouthful.
“I just don’t think Kyler is the right man.”
“Why?”
“He’s well known. Is that what we really need? Me with a potential mate who everyone in LA
knows? That’s a really bad idea. It puts all of us in the spotlight.”
“You could retire.” Erick kept his voice low and calm, but Cooper couldn’t help but feel that he was
pushing.
“I’m not so old I need to retire.”
“It’s not about age, Coop. It’s about giving yourself a life. You could have that with him.”
“No, I couldn’t. I can’t be his bodyguard.”
“Where the hell did that come from? I think you being his bodyguard is a horrible idea.” Erick
poured more milk into both of their glasses. “But you could be with him.”
“As what? His arm candy?”
“Is that what you think Kyler is looking for?”
“I have no clue what he’s looking for since I didn’t share more than a dozen words with the man.”
Cooper polished off his milk and then swiftly walked away. All his conversation with Erick had done
was agitate him enough he decided to go down and swim.
“Walking away doesn’t solve things, Coop.” Erick was right behind him.
“I forgot you have legs.” Cooper stopped trying to get away. Instead, he turned and faced Erick,
confronting not only him but the entire situation head-on. “He’s a potential. That’s all. There’s no
guarantee on that kind of pull toward a man, and you know it.”
“Right. I get that.” Erick held his place. Both of them were in the short hallway that would take
them to the stairwell. “The question is, are you going to take the chance and kiss him, or do you intend
to just avoid him?”
It was dark enough that Cooper didn’t feel exposed, but he knew it would have to be a hell of a lot
darker for Erick not to be able to see him clearly. For a moment, Cooper let himself imagine what
kissing Kyler would be like. That spark of attraction would either explode into a wildfire or it would
emit a tiny puff of smoke and burn out. The question was what did Cooper really want to have happen?
“I’m not going to kiss him.” Cooper vowed that he would hold to that. He’d been with men that he
thought might be potentials. Once, he’d even fooled himself into thinking that he could have sex
without a single kiss. That idea had flown out the window. Luckily, the man wasn’t actually his mate,
so the kiss was meaningless, but Cooper wasn’t going to take that chance with Kyler. Once he gave in
and kissed him, he couldn’t take that back. If they were potential mates, a kiss would seal the deal.
And Cooper couldn’t handle another mate dying in his arms.
Chapter 4
Kyler had never felt so awful. Each breath he drew hurt, but the physical pain was nothing
compared to the emotional agony. He’d paid for and attended the funeral of his bodyguard, Rowley.
His family was surprisingly kind. Rowley had died protecting him, and his family understood that was
one of the risks of his job. They didn’t hate Kyler or resent him in any way. Somehow, that only made
Kyler feel worse. He recognized there was nothing else he could do, so he reluctantly let go, but the
memory of Rowley would be with him forever.
When the time came to get another bodyguard, Kyler resisted. There had to be another way to
ensure his safety without putting another man at risk. But there wasn’t. For a moment, Kyler
considered hiring Hull Protection Services, but he just as quickly dismissed that notion as it came up.
He didn’t want to put any of those men at risk, especially not Cooper Hull.
Idly, Kyler traced his fingers over the surface of his desk while he pictured Cooper’s green eyes and
salt-and-pepper hair. Cooper was older, but he wasn’t old. Under all that black protective gear there
would be a hard body that could do all kinds of erotic things to Kyler’s form.
“Stop.”
“Sir?”
“Nothing.” Kyler waved off his secretary. “I’m just not here today, I guess.”
“Do you want me to cancel your afternoon appointments?” He was an earnest young man whose
name escaped Kyler. That bothered him. He always remembered everyone’s name. He also recalled
little details that they never thought anyone would hang on to. But Kyler did. It wasn’t a trick to
increase his popularity or for some other self-serving reason. Kyler remembered because he honestly
cared. He found people fascinating. Standing, be it political or economic, didn’t matter to Kyler.
People from all walks of life genuinely interested him. But today he couldn’t even recall his
temporary secretary’s name. His full-time man was off on maternity leave with his young wife.
“Yes. Please cancel. I think I need to take some time off.”
His secretary nodded then padded his way down the hall. Since the carpet was exceedingly thick, his
highly polished shoes didn’t make a sound. His desk was at the front of the floor while Kyler’s was
tucked away in the back. He had questioned the arrangement at first, but then found the view so
enchanting he didn’t worry overly much about the particulars. Besides, most people who came to his
offices ended up in the floor below his office space. The massive conference room was there. That was
where deals were hashed out and plans could be solidified. Not that Kyler handled everything directly.
He had good people whom he trusted completely. Usually, he handled the projects that were closest to
his heart. Like the drug rehab and halfway house.
“Mr. Pembelton?” His secretary was back, a box in hand.
“Yes?”
“This came special delivery.”
“Oh.” Kyler smiled. “Now I know exactly what I’ll do with my afternoon.”
Within moments, he was in his Bentley, navigating the city streets. The elaborate box was nestled in
the trunk. He would have loved to have it beside him, but it was simply too dangerous to tempt the
fates with something so exquisite. The item in the box was safer in the back where it was less likely to
be jostled around if he had to make a sudden stop. Kyler recognized what he was doing. Intellectually,
he told himself he was simply expressing his thanks, but that same mind knew he didn’t have to do so
in such an extremely expensive way. He also could have sent his secretary to deliver the present, or
another member of his staff, but he just couldn’t.
“I have to see him again.”
Kyler had tried to forget Cooper Hull, but he couldn’t. During the day, Cooper would pop into
Kyler’s mental landscape. The most random things prompted the visits. Someone wore a black suit
and there was Cooper. Someone nodded in a certain way and there was Cooper. But at night, it was
even more intense. Cooper came into his dreamscapes wearing very little. And he was always so
focused on Kyler. So much so that he would walk through walls or other people to get to Kyler’s side.
Once there, he would pull him close and kiss him. That kiss would be so powerful that Kyler would
climax. Awakening to wet sheets and breathless panting night after night had convinced Kyler he had
to see Cooper again, even if all he did was drop off the gift.
“There might be nothing there, but then again, there just might be something.”
It was the possibility that intrigued him. Kyler couldn’t remember anyone making such an impact
on him. But then again, he’d never been in a situation like that before. Sheer terror had pushed his
adrenal glands to release everything they had. His life had literally hung in the balance. His attraction
likely stemmed from an intense situation playing out in a safe way. Kyler was aware of all of that. He
took his psychiatrists words to heart. Day by day, he’d been working on CBT in order to get himself
back to where he had been before the event. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy gave him practical “here
and now” solutions to the sometimes crushing panic. He was a long way from being over the situation,
but he was a hell of a lot closer than he would be without some kind of plan.
Finding Hull Protection Services wasn’t difficult at all. Not just because of the top-of-the-line
navigation system in his car, but because he’d studied the Google map image of the building and the
surrounding neighborhood. He had a dozen questions for Cooper based on what he’d seen, most
notably the rooftop garden, but as he pulled up to the building, he realized asking would reveal he’d
been snooping. Would Cooper be surprised? Maybe he’d be flattered. Or perhaps he’d be upset. Kyler
didn’t know. There had seemed to be a mutual spark between them, but all his efforts to determine if
Cooper Hull was gay or not failed dismally. Given that the man did protection work, it wasn’t much
wonder that so little was known about him. There weren’t even any photographs of the man online.
But that hadn’t stopped Kyler from trying to find any scrap of information he could. What made the
situation eat at him was that he’d been trying and failing. That wasn’t normal for him at all. Kyler
tried and failed but ultimately succeeded. Or at least that was the usual pattern. But Cooper Hull was a
solid brick wall that none of Kyler’s efforts could penetrate.
“If I want to know the deal, I’ve got to go right to the source.” Once Kyler parked the car, he
retrieved the precious box, set the alarm, and entered Cooper’s business.
“Hello. Can I help you?” Much like Kyler’s temporary secretary, this was another young, earnest
man. For some reason, Kyler thought he looked vaguely familiar.
“I’m here to see Cooper Hull.”
“Just a moment please.” As the man pressed the keypad on his desk, Kyler realized this young man
was one of the uniformed officers at the scene. “Did you have an appointment?”
“No. I brought a gift.” Kyler held up the box. “You were there, weren’t you?”
“Yes.” He needed no more clarification. He knew exactly what Kyler was talking about. “I intern
here one day a week. Good to have the experience.” He smiled, displaying teeth that were either
totally natural or ones that had cost his parents a fortune. Either way, he was quite handsome. “You’re
Mr. Pembelton?”
“Kyler. Yes. If he’s not here, I’d—”
“I’m here.” Cooper stepped out from a door behind the reception area.
For a moment, Kyler couldn’t speak. Cooper wasn’t dressed the way he had been before. Kyler
realized how asinine his thought was. Of course the man didn’t run around in a flak jacket and full
gear all the time. He wasn’t a super hero. But Kyler wasn’t prepared for him to be wearing a simple
white T-shirt and a pair of faded jeans. Somehow, the clothing made him look bigger. Or maybe that
was only because it clung so closely to his form that the cotton garments displayed every muscle the
man had. And he had a lot.
“Mr. Hull,” Kyler said, and then totally lost his train of thought when his gaze darted down to the
bulge in Cooper’s jeans.
Dear lord. Why don’t I just drop to my knees and take his cock into my willing
mouth?
“Cooper, or Coop. After what happened, I think we can safely move on to a first-name basis.”
“Of course.” Kyler moved his gaze up to Cooper’s eyes, but his brain was still locked onto the idea
of submitting to this powerful man.
“What’s that?” Cooper nodded to the box that Kyler had placed on the receptionist’s desk.
“I brought you a gift.”
“That’s not necessary. You promptly paying the bill was all the gift I needed.”
All Kyler could think about was how much would it cost to buy Cooper for a night? Clearly, the
man wasn’t a gigolo for hire, and Kyler wouldn’t treat him as such, but he swore he’d pay any amount
to have the man just once.
“Christ, that sounded crass.” Cooper sighed. “I’m just saying thank you. I wish we could work for
free, but, well, you know how it is.”
“I do. And believe me, I understand. I think only superheroes work for free.”
“Yeah, but most of them have a day job or a trust fund.” Cooper’s grin was that of a little boy with a
pocket full of trouble. As Kyler’s gaze wandered down to his powerful hands against his hips, he
realized that though his smile might be boyish, the rest of his body certainly wasn’t. Cooper Hull was
all man and then some.
Realizing he’d been silently staring at the man for too long without speaking, Kyler blurted, “I
heard from Xenos Harr that you appreciate fine scotch.”
Cooper looked at the box, and his grin widened. “I do.”
Their gazes met and held. Kyler couldn’t breathe. He didn’t remember ever being so attracted to
anyone. Not quite like this. His shrink said that was pretty normal, given the situation. Kyler’s
fascination for Cooper was akin to hero worship. But it didn’t feel that way to Kyler. It felt primal. To
him, it seemed he’d always hungered for this man, he’d just forgotten until he saw him. As crazy at is
sounded, Kyler felt as if he’d always known a man like Cooper would come into his life. Kyler just
had to wait for him to arrive.
“Come on back.” Cooper lifted up a part of the countertop, granting Kyler entrance. As he passed by
him, Kyler was struck by how good he smelled. It wasn’t cologne but the scent of pool water, cooking,
and shaving cream. The mélange was homey and oddly welcoming.
“Down this way?” Kyler was in front, following Cooper’s directions. For some reason he felt
certain that Cooper was watching his ass as he went down the hall. Since he was carrying the exquisite
package that he would die if he dropped, he didn’t look back. Besides, he might be wrong. So far, he
had no indication that Cooper was gay. Longing looks and a strong feeling did not a gay man make.
Eventually, Kyler found Cooper’s office.
“View’s not much, but we won’t be interrupted.”
Was that a come-on? Kyler wondered. Or, more likely, did Cooper just want to have some privacy
in case Kyler wanted to talk about the event. Since he wasn’t a mind reader, and questioning every
little thing in his own head was going to get him precisely nowhere, Kyler tried to drop it and simply
spend some time with the man who had saved his life.
Cooper’s office was moderately sized with a view of the alley between his building and the one next
door. But what it did have was a small sitting area with two leather wingback chairs and a small table
between them. Kyler placed the box on the table then took the chair nearest to the window. He chose
that seat since he thought it would give him the best view of his host. He was right. As Cooper
dropped into the chair next to him, Kyler was able to see every bit of him. The only way his view
would be better was if it was in slow motion.
“Glasses. Right.” Cooper was back up so fast his buttocks seemed to have barely hit the chair.
“Oh, I didn’t mean to imply that you should share this with me.” That wasn’t what Kyler was trying
to accomplish. Doing so seemed unfair. “It was a gift to you.”
“You didn’t imply anything.” Cooper smiled at him, making Kyler’s cock harden. Thankfully, he
was wearing loose dress slacks that didn’t display his erection. “It’s my gift, and I’m insisting on
sharing it with you.”
“Well, I guess it would be rude of me to say no.”
“It would be.” Cooper brought over two exquisite crystal glasses with a classic tulip shape. The
glasses alone told Kyler he was dealing with a man who certainly knew his way around fine scotch.
When he returned to the cabinet behind his desk to retrieve a decanter of water, Kyler grinned.
“What?” Cooper asked.
“This isn’t your first time.”
“Not even close.”
Their gazes met again, but this time, Kyler swore he felt heat. He could be wrong, but he was now
almost 99 percent certain that Cooper was gay. What held him back from making any kind of overt
flirting was that last niggling one percent of doubt.
After settling the bottle of water on the table, Cooper picked up the box. Carefully, he opened it and
whistled lightly. “Normally I’d say this is far too expensive of a gift.” Cooper looked over at Kyler.
“But if there’s one thing I simply can’t say no to, it’s a bottle of Dalmore 50.”
“I’m glad.” Kyler was pleased. He recognized that it was an excessively expensive gift, but he had
the money. Moreover, he wanted to get Cooper something that he would genuinely enjoy.
“How in the world did you get this?” Cooper lifted the crystal decanter out of the box with such care
it was almost as if he was afraid he could bruise the liquor if he were too aggressive.
“I had an associate attend an auction for me.”
“In Scotland?”
“In Scotland.”
With the greatest of care, Cooper turned the bottle this way and that. He cradled the decanter,
almost as if he were making love to the thing with his gaze. He turned the bottle toward the light from
the window, inspecting the mellow amber liquid.
“God, that’s just beautiful.” Cooper sighed. “I ask you. Have you ever seen anything so perfect as
this bottle of scotch?”
“Not in a long, long time.” Again, their gazes met and held. That one percent was slowly
evaporating.
Cooper removed the stopper then poured some scotch into each glass.
Kyler found himself mesmerized by the delicate movements of Cooper’s big hands. For such a
strong man, he was unbelievable gentle with how he touched the bottle and the crystal ware.
“I honestly don’t know what to say.” Cooper handed a glass to Kyler then considered his own.
“Slàinte.”
Cooper laughed lightly. “Health indeed.” Like a true connoisseur, he held the tulip-shaped glass at a
distance, sniffing as he slowly lifted it toward his nose. Then he swirled the liquid, sniffing again.
Kyler joined him, enjoying the scent of the scotch. He wasn’t as enamored of the alcohol as some,
certainly not as much as Cooper was, but he knew appreciating a fine vintage of scotch had its own
ritual, just like wine.
“Just a splash.”
“I think so, too.”
Cooper added the barest splash of water to each their glasses then they swirled and sniffed again.
“It’s exquisite.”
“You haven’t even tasted it,” Kyler pointed out.
“I don’t need to.” Cooper closed his eyes, relishing the scent. “I could be quite happy to simply sit
here and enjoy the essence.”
“I must try it.” Kyler looked over and realized Cooper’s gaze was riveted to his mouth. “But I can’t
until you do.”
“Why?” Cooper’s voice was husky.
“Because it is your gift.”
“I’m enjoying watching you.”
Kyler felt suddenly self-conscious. He had one of those moments of déjà vu where he swore he’d
been here and done this very thing before. Time seemed to stretch and compress at the same time,
throwing him almost completely off balance.
“Together,” Cooper suggested, lifting his glass.
“Together,” Kyler agreed.
And then they were drinking at the same time. The look of bliss that darted across Cooper’s face
was positively the most arousing expression Kyler had ever seen. Despite the rarity of the vintage and
the ridiculous expense, he would be more than happy to set his liaison in Scotland to finding more. He
would even go so far to have him track down all of the bottles of this particular vintage, all of them
that hadn’t been drunk yet. Kyler would happily buy them all just to see Cooper’s bliss.
“I have no words for how utterly sublime this is.”
“Your expression says it all.”
“Thank you.” Cooper lifted his glass to Kyler. “I’ve never had anything this amazing.”
“You’re welcome.” Kyler took another lingering sip from his glass. Scotch wasn’t his first choice in
terms of alcohol—he preferred white wine—but this was a delightful elixir. “When was your first?”
A flicker of remorse darted across Cooper’s face, stealing a bit of his joy, but as soon as he took
another sip of his scotch, his expression of bliss returned. Whatever he’d thought about saddened him
greatly. As much as Kyler wanted to know, he would never pry.
“I was a very young lad when I had my first taste of scotch.”
“Did you love it?”
“No!” Cooper laughed. “I thought it was ghastly. But I didn’t understand that it wasn’t a liquor to
drink to become drunk. That is for pedestrian liquors. Scotch is different. Scotch is liquid history.”
“It’s said this blend has a whisky that was distilled a hundred and forty years ago.” Kyler had been
reading about the rare vintage ever since his associate had won the bid. “Back before there were cars,
cell phones, or most modern conveniences. I can’t even imagine living in a time like that.”
“But we can have a taste of that simpler age.” Cooper closed his eyes then breathed and sipped his
scotch.
Kyler did the same. He couldn’t really describe the taste of the scotch, but it was somewhat
reminiscent of marmalade. The aftertaste was almost like cinnamon and almonds. It was lovely. But
what made it truly spectacular was sharing it with Cooper. When Kyler looked over, he found Cooper
was nursing his glass. Not like a miser, but like a man determined to soak up the experience for all it
was worth. Given what he did for a living, it made sense that he would appreciate everything as
thoroughly as he could. Kyler could imagine him enjoying a cookie with almost as much attention
because at any time a man who put his life on the line might lose.
“That is why kissing you would be such a luscious experience.”
“What?” In slow motion, Cooper’s green eyes came open, pinning Kyler where he sat.
It took Kyler almost a full sixty seconds to realize he’d spoken aloud. To cover, Kyler blurted, “I’ve
never had such a luscious experience.”
“Me either.” Cooper grinned, but there was a twist to it, almost as if he knew that wasn’t what Kyler
had said but he was willing to let it go. For now.
Kyler swallowed hard. What in the world was he doing here? He should have given Cooper the gift
and gone home. The man had saved his life. He didn’t owe Kyler anything. A part of him insisted he
should finish his drink and go, but another part begged him not to be an ass. He couldn’t very well bolt
down a drink that literally cost thousands of dollars and then drive off. If nothing else, he had to stay
until the alcohol left his system. But that was easier said than done. One look at Cooper licking his
lips while continuing to enjoy his scotch was having a profoundly moving effect on a certain part of
Kyler’s anatomy.
Eventually, he was going to be hard enough that no matter how well fitted his slacks were his erect
cock was going to be obvious.
Chapter 5
One thing that Cooper had was pretty damn fine hearing. He was positive Kyler had said,
“That is
why kissing you would be such a luscious experience.”
Cooper wasn’t privy to his private thoughts
right before Kyler had said that, but it didn’t take a mind reader to see where Kyler was going. As
good as the scotch was, Cooper was almost certain the alcohol would taste a thousand times better on
Kyler’s lips. Luckily, he hadn’t had enough alcohol to lower his inhibitions. He’d had just enough to
allow him to toy with the idea, though. If he could kiss Kyler without any repercussions, he would.
And he would savor it just as he was doing with this very fine scotch.
But there
were
repercussions.
So Cooper pretended he hadn’t heard him. He let Kyler twist the words around into something else.
But he knew he would hear him say that over and over once he crawled into bed tonight. It would
replay like a record skipping.
A luscious experience. A luscious experience. A luscious—Cooper shook
his head hard enough to cause the needle to scratch across the surface of the record. Not that a man
Kyler’s age would be familiar with records. Or perhaps he was. One thing Cooper had learned during
his longer-than-average lifespan was that he should never make assumptions.
“I suppose the plans for the rehab and halfway house are shelved.” Cooper swirled his glass,
enjoying the vapors that rose up.
“Not at all.”
“No?”
“Had the man who killed my bodyguard had access to help, he may never have gotten to that state
of desperation.”
It was almost exactly what Cooper had thought during the event. “You’re really not angry?”
“With the gunman? No. He couldn’t help himself. I wish it had never happened, but I understand
why it did. If anything, the situation has made me redouble my efforts.”
“You are a remarkable man.”
Kyler blushed ever so slightly. Cooper wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol or perhaps he was not given
genuine compliments very often. Either way, his reddened cheeks upped his sex appeal by a factor of
ten. And he was already pretty high up in Cooper’s estimation.
“Have you hired a new bodyguard?”
“I wanted to talk to you about that.”
“I wish I could.” Right after he spoke, Cooper realized he was making a huge leap in logic. Kyler
hadn’t asked him to be his bodyguard. “That is to say I wish there was some way I could help you.”
Cooper didn’t think he was nearly as smooth as Kyler had been at covering up his verbal misstep. “I’m
sure that I can offer advice.”
“I hired from the same firm. I felt in many ways that I owed them.”
Cooper didn’t know what to say to that, so he sipped his scotch and tried not to purr.
“I just worry about him. I never did that before with any of my other bodyguards.”
“Your bodyguard is there to protect you. Trust me that the man who gave his life in an effort to
protect you died doing what he wanted to be doing.” Cooper understood how heavy the loss of a life
could be on one’s conscience. “I’ve lost employees.”
“You have?”
“I have.” Cooper allowed himself a moment to remember them. “It’s extremely difficult. Please
don’t feel like I’m mitigating your pain. I’m not. But it’s part of that job. Your bodyguard knew that.”
Kyler nodded, and a lone tear tumbled down his cheek. Unlike most men, Kyler allowed himself to
be vulnerable without shame, greatly impressing Cooper. Sometimes the strongest man in the room
was the one who felt emotions the deepest.
“Tell me about him,” Cooper suggested gently. Just like Erick, he knew sometimes the best thing
was to allow someone who was hurting to simply talk without judgment.
“Rowley had been with me for a long time.”
“Did he have a family?” Cooper knew from experience that made it harder. It shouldn’t, but the idea
of taking a man away from his kids made the feelings of guilt worse. It was one of the reasons he was
reluctant to hire family men. Although, once he discovered his unique skill set, he then only hired men
like himself. He imagined the EEOC would take umbrage with that idea, but it wasn’t likely they were
going to find out Cooper Hull only hired wolf-shifters.
“Rowley didn’t have a family of his own. His father was gone. Cancer. His mother is still alive but
not… She has problems. It’s one of the things that made Rowley and I close.”
Cooper wondered if Kyler had made the dreadful decision of having an affair with his bodyguard,
but he didn’t ask.
“We weren’t
that
close.”
“Sorry. It was a jump in logic.” Cooper looked over at Kyler. “But how did you know that’s what I
was thinking?”
“You have a very expressive face, Mr. Hull.”
“Please call me Cooper. Or Coop.”
“Coop.” Kyler nodded. “Please call me Kyler.”
“Kyler.” Cooper couldn’t remember if he’d used his first name around him or not. He’d said it
plenty in his own head, though. During his dreams, he loved to say that name and watch Kyler slowly
turn toward him, his eyes welcoming, his lips beckoning. “How did you—” Cooper realized he was on
the verge of asking a very personal question he had no right asking.
“It’s okay. You can ask me anything.”
Rather than ask about the scar on his belly, Cooper asked about something else. “How did you ever
get involved in building a drug rehab?”
“Ah, that is a good question to explore over a bottle of exquisite scotch.” Kyler sniffed his glass
then took another sip, prompting Cooper to do the same. He had lived for a very long time and had
never had scotch that even came close to the flavor of this one. “My aunt had a life-long battle with
drugs. Watching her struggle to stay clean but stumble and fall despite all her best efforts…it was
heart wrenching.”
“I’m sorry.” Cooper wished he could offer something other than those two words.
“Me, too. She was a good woman. She took me in when I had nowhere else to go. But she couldn’t
kick that one habit. Heroin just had its hooks into her, and there was no getting free.” Kyler considered
his glass. “I felt so impotent. I wanted to help her, but I had no idea what to do. Eventually, the drugs
ended up taking her life.”
“Overdose?”
Kyler nodded solemnly. “She didn’t realize the stuff she had was stronger by far than what she was
used to. She died high. I think more than anything that would have bothered her intensely.”
“I’m so sorry.”
Kyler turned, held his gaze, and nodded.
“I know that’s meaningless. Me saying that. But I honestly don’t know what else to say.” Cooper
wanted to reach out and touch him in an effort to lend his strength to him. But that wouldn’t help. It
would only lead to danger. “I’d like to help you with the rehab. If there’s anything I can do.”
“You would?” Kyler seemed genuinely surprised.
“I honestly would. I’ve not been touched directly by drug use but indirectly…”
“I imagine you’ve seen a lot of the dregs of humanity.”
“I have.” Cooper couldn’t even begin to share all that he had seen. Moreover, he didn’t want to. Not
with someone as open and generous as Kyler. “But I’ve seen amazing things, too.”
“For instance?”
“You.”
“Me?” Kyler goggled at him.
“You have every reason to turn your back on drug addicts given recent events, yet you’ve turned
that tragedy into a motivator. It takes a strong man to do that.”
Again, Kyler blushed ever so slightly. In addition to all his other outstanding traits, he was still
remarkably modest.
“Anything I can do to help you in that endeavor, I’m more than happy to do so.” Cooper realized he
was potentially digging himself in deeper. He should have thanked Kyler for the gift then sent him
packing. But a bottle like this was meant to be shared. Just because he appreciated the man in multiple
dimensions didn’t mean he had to take things any further than this. Perhaps, they could be friends.
“I would love to have your input on the best way to secure the building.”
“So you are going to overhaul the one—that one?” Cooper didn’t want to bring the situation up
again.
“Yes. Despite everything, it’s the best place for the rehab and halfway house. It will also be named
after Rowley. I think he’d like that.”
“That’s a good way to honor him.”
Kyler nodded.
“It gets easier.” Cooper had wanted to tell him that at the scene but hadn’t. Saying it now felt better
anyway.
“Does it?” Kyler shook his head almost as if he was trying to stop a skipping record in his head.
“It does.” Cooper rose to his feet to pour more of the scotch into their glasses. For a moment, he
thought Kyler was going to wave him off, but he seemed to change his mind and lifted his glass. “Are
you seeing someone?”
“No.” Kyler met Cooper’s gaze.
“You should.”
“I want to see you,” Kyler said.
Cooper realized his mistake. Or Kyler’s. He’d meant to ask if Kyler was seeing a shrink to help with
the PTSD but apparently, it had come out as a question about whether he was dating. Rather than
struggle to explain why they couldn’t see one another, Cooper hastily corrected him. “I meant a
psychiatrist.”
Kyler dropped his gaze.
Cooper had no idea what to say, so he focused all his attention on pouring more scotch and adding a
splash of water. As soon as he was settled in his seat, he went back to sniffing and sipping. He was
relieved when Kyler joined him.
After a long bout of silence, Kyler finally asked, “Are you gay?”
In all his years, Cooper couldn’t remember anyone asking him in such a straightforward manner. So
he answered just as clear as the question. “Yes.”
“Are you attracted to me?”
“Yes.” Cooper wanted to lie, but he felt he couldn’t treat Kyler that way.
“Then we should do something about that.”
“If only it were that easy.”
Kyler looked crushed. “Are you seeing someone?”
It would be so easy to say yes. That was all Cooper had to do to let Kyler down easy. But he hated to
lie. Not only did it bother him intensely, he knew that lying wasn’t the way to start a friendship. Even
though he knew he really shouldn’t be friends with Kyler because he was a potential mate, he also
couldn’t hurt him. So Cooper didn’t lie. “I’m not seeing anyone.”
“Neither am I.”
“But I can’t see you, either.”
“Why?”
“Because we’ll be working together.” Cooper couldn’t believe he was going to use his job to
simultaneously draw Kyler near but also keep him at arm’s length. For some reason it almost perfectly
expressed his inner conflict. Still, he had to admit, the one he was going to be torturing the most was
himself.
“That’s a good point.” Kyler nodded thoughtfully then took another long sip of his scotch. “But
when the project is through, there won’t be anything standing in our way.”
Caught, Cooper took his time nuzzling his drink. He had no idea what to say to deflect that. Worse,
he really didn’t want to. If he had his way, he’d dramatically sweep his arm across his desk, shoving
everything to the floor before hauling Kyler up there and fucking his brains out. In his version, he
didn’t kiss him. Not right away. Because like the scotch, that was something that should be savored.
But eventually, Cooper knew he wouldn’t be able to resist.
“It will never work.”
“Excuse me?” Kyler asked.
“Waiting.”
“Oh?”
Cooper tried to tell himself to shut up, but a combination of longing and scotch-lowered inhibitions
compelled him to be honest. “I don’t think—”
A chirping tone cut him off. For a split second, he had no idea what it was. And then his phone
vibrated. He shot out of his seat to fish the thing out of his front pocket. “Cooper here.” Normally, he
didn’t move that fast no matter who was calling, but he couldn’t handle another dose of good
vibrations in that particular area. Between the excellent scotch and the amazing company, he was well
on his way to an epic erection.
“Xenos here. Sorry to interrupt, but we’ve got a situation.”
“What’s up?” Cooper didn’t want to abandon the soft warmth he had from the scotch, but if he had
to gear up for work, he was prepared to let it go.
“Is Kyler Pembelton with you?”
Cooper looked over at him. “He is. What the hell, Xenos. Are you psychic now?”
“Keep him there.”
“Why?” Cooper was talking with Xenos but couldn’t take his attention off Kyler. Now that he was
standing, Cooper’s view of Kyler’s lap allowed him to see that he wasn’t the only one becoming
incredibly turned on.
“There’s been an explosion at his office.”
Cooper felt every nerve he had go suddenly into high alert. “Explain that to me.” He didn’t want to
put Kyler into panic mode if the situation didn’t warrant it.
“The man who held him hostage?” Xenos asked as if Cooper could ever forget. “He has a brother.”
“I don’t understand what that has to do with anything.”
“His brother likes to play with bombs.”
“That’s not good.”
“Nope,” Xenos agreed. “Worse? He’s convinced himself that Kyler Pembelton killed his little
brother.”
Chapter 6
Kyler felt all the soft effects of the scotch slipping away. Cooper was talking on the phone but
looking at him with an expression that was totally unreadable. That, the fact his expression was oddly
blank, was somehow terrifying. Rather than panic as most would be likely to do, Kyler kept his cool.
He remained seated. He even managed another sip of his scotch. The amber liquid didn’t taste nearly
as good as it had a moment ago, but the act of drinking was calming in and of itself. Hundreds of
business deals, all with their own ups and downs, had taught him that there was no point in worrying.
Worry was wasted energy. Kyler would be better off remaining calm so that he could handle whatever
was headed his way. Because the only thing he was sure about was that something big was coming
right at him.
“I don’t think I can do that.” Cooper turned away from Kyler, giving him an excellent view of his
backside. Kyler had never envied a pair of jeans, but he found himself wishing that, for a moment at
least, he could trade places with Cooper’s. The fabric quite literally clung to him. “Because that’s not
really what I do.”
Kyler felt concern settling into the pit of his belly. Something was wrong. Grievously so. But he
wouldn’t be able to act until he knew the details. Since he could only hear Cooper’s side of the
conversation, he had no idea what it was pertaining to, but he knew the situation involved him as soon
as Cooper turned away. That gesture was clearly protective. As pleased as Kyler was by the idea that
Cooper was attempting to guard him, he didn’t like anyone handling his business for him. Kyler might
be smaller than Cooper, but he was by no means unable to defend himself. Still, he had to wait for the
situation to unfold. There was no point making a fuss when Cooper wouldn’t be able to talk until he
put the phone down.
“If someone was watching him, they know.”
There was a long stretch of silence.
“Because his Bentley is sitting out front.”
Well, that confirmed that Cooper was indeed talking about him. There probably weren’t very many
Bentleys around LA and certainly not this part. If he’d been thinking, he never would have—Kyler cut
himself off that line of thought. He had a right to drive the kind of car he liked. Beating himself up
over the choice was pointless. Unless the car had attracted undue attention to Cooper. Now the worry
that he normally held effortlessly at bay filled every available space in his body. It was one thing for
him to bring danger on himself. It was quite another to bring it onto an innocent man.
Cooper turned around as if he’d heard Kyler’s thought. His green-eyed gaze locked onto Kyler with
a measuring intent. “He’s stronger than you think.”
Kyler couldn’t help but feel proud of that assessment, especially coming from a man like Cooper.
“No. I’ll tell him. Let me call you back.” Cooper disconnected the call and slipped the phone back
into his front pocket. He opened his mouth as if to speak, but nothing came out. When he closed his
mouth and poured another scotch, Kyler knew he needed to brace himself.
“Thank you.”
“For what?” Cooper asked, looking up after splashing a bit of water into each of their glasses.
“For believing in me.” Kyler saluted Cooper with his glass. “I don’t know that anyone has ever
thought I’m stronger than I look.”
“You are.”
“And you know this how?” Kyler realized he was fishing for compliments, but that didn’t stop him
from wanting to know what Cooper thought of him. Before the phone call interrupted him, Cooper had
said that he didn’t think waiting would work. What did he mean by that? Did Cooper not want to wait?
Or was he going to say there was no point to waiting because nothing would ever happen between
them despite the fact they were clearly attracted to one another?
Cooper took a long, leisurely sip of his scotch then set the glass aside. He crouched down in front of
Kyler’s chair, making him keenly aware of his heat and that mélange of scents he’d noticed earlier.
Somehow, the scotch only enhanced his natural essence. “A man who refuses to let a tragedy destroy
him is strong. But a man who takes that tragedy and turns it into something positive isn’t just strong,
he’s powerful.”
Kyler sat very still, absorbing what Cooper had said with the same relish he applied to the scotch.
He’d been flattered hundreds if not thousands of times, but no one’s praise had ever made him feel the
way Cooper’s did. Maybe the difference was it wasn’t blandishment but honest admiration. Unable to
even say thank you, Kyler settled his glass next to Cooper’s on the small table between their chairs.
He reached out, cupping Cooper’s face. Bristles roughened his cheeks and chin. When Kyler lifted his
thumb and stroked over Cooper’s lower lip, he felt a sharp contrast between the rough of his fresh
beard and the plush softness of his mouth.
Leaning forward, hungry to taste him, Kyler was on the verge of kissing Cooper when he suddenly
stood up. Their first kiss was not only truncated but it was almost made fiercely erotic. Kyler damn
near planted a kiss on Cooper’s crotch. For a split second, he considered what would happen if he kept
going forward. However, his intellect pushed his lust aside, stopping him at the last second. But his
lust caused him to look upward. His gaze collided with Cooper’s.
Again, Cooper’s mouth came open, but he didn’t say anything. He didn’t move. All he did was draw
a shaky breath as he looked down the length of his powerful body. They were frozen with Kyler’s
mouth tauntingly close to Cooper’s rapidly hardening cock.
Compelled by some force he didn’t understand, Kyler reached up and unfastened the top button of
Cooper’s jeans. Slowly, he eased down the zipper. All this while looking Cooper right in the eye.
Below his questing fingertips, Kyler felt the soft cotton of his boxers, and then a small wet spot. It was
that show of lust that compelled him to drop his gaze, close his eyes, lean forward, and kiss the tip of
Cooper’s cock.
Cooper uttered a low growling groan.
Kyler parted his lips, licking him through the thin weave of his boxers. Cooper’s taste blended with
the scotch into a flavor that was so delicious, Kyler tugged down his underwear to get at the source.
Once he freed his prick, he drew Cooper’s cock into his mouth, sucking lightly, loving the almost
sweet taste of his pre-cum mixed with the cinnamon aftertaste of the scotch. Each pull drew more of
his flavor inside and caused a corresponding moan from Cooper.
“Stop.” Cooper sounded breathless and unsure. “I can’t.”
Reluctantly, Kyler released him. He didn’t understand why Cooper was telling him to stop. Then
again, if the man wouldn’t kiss him, it was even less likely he would allow him to suck his cock.
“I’m sorry.” Kyler felt dazed. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“Don’t—” Cooper hastily tucked himself away and zipped up. “This is my fault. I can’t—there are
reasons why this just isn’t a good idea.”
“Because we’ll be working together.”
“That. And there’s someone after you.”
The phone call. Kyler almost slapped himself. He’d forgotten all about that call in the heat of the
moment. “Someone’s after me?”
“The gunman has a brother. He’s convinced you shot him.”
“He shot himself.”
“I know that. You know that. Anyone with half a brain could see the pictures and realize what the
hell happened was the man shot himself by accident, but his brother is looking for someone to blame.
And you’re it.”
“I’ll talk to him.” Kyler was certain that if he could just have a chance to explain, he could make the
man understand.
“You’ll do no such thing.” Cooper placed his big hands on his hips, widening his stance.
For a moment, Kyler considered laughing. Who was this man to tell him what to do? But then his
compassion kicked in. Cooper was only being protective. It was what the man did for a living, after
all. “While I appreciate your concern, I am a big boy who is quite capable of taking care of himself.”
That caused Cooper to step back and drop the macho posturing. “Sorry. But that was Xenos. He’s
with the LAPD, and he asked me to keep you safe.”
“I didn’t realize I was suddenly living in a police state where a third party could dictate to me.”
Kyler rose. “I’m sorry that things turned out this way, but I—”
“You’re not going anywhere.”
Kyler felt a curious blend of raw lust and dread. He had always craved a man who could take control
but only in the bedroom. They were most certainly not there. “I will go where I please.”
Cooper stepped into him, forcing Kyler to crane his neck to maintain eye contact. Damn the man
and his excessive height. “My job is to protect you.”
“I didn’t hire you.”
“I don’t care.”
“Mr. Hull, while I was appreciative of your assistance during—”
“Don’t.” Cooper lifted his hand. He cupped Kyler’s chin and gently stroked his thumb over Kyler’s
lower lip with the exact same intensity that Kyler had done to him. “Don’t even try to brush me off
after you’ve had my cock in your mouth.”
The crudeness should have shocked him, but it didn’t. Instead, Cooper’s rather rough demeanor
excited Kyler more than he thought possible. Those dreams of a man coming to him and taking
control, with his consent, were being played out in real life. Kyler wasn’t so sure he could handle
turning that dream to reality.
“Kiss me,” Kyler demanded.
“I can’t.”
“Then I have to go.” Kyler wasn’t sure what he was going to do. If Cooper wanted him to stay here,
there really wasn’t anything he could do about it. Not that he would struggle all that much. Frankly, he
was exactly where he wanted to be. The only problem was why in the world was it so difficult for
Cooper to kiss him?
“You aren’t going.” Cooper’s grip didn’t tighten on his face, but a man like him didn’t need to use
brute force when he could simply use the power of his commanding gaze.
“I hate to pull a very childish tactic, but you aren’t the boss of me.”
“Oh, yes. I am.” Cooper smiled. “That’s exactly what you want, isn’t it?”
Kyler wanted to deny that truth, but he couldn’t. Somehow, Cooper was able to see right through his
façade and into the very heart of him. “You don’t have the guts.”
Pushed to act by the taunt, Cooper pulled Kyler away from the chairs, spun him around, and forced
him to face the wall. He barely had a chance to get his arms out to balance himself against the cool
blue paint before Cooper was yanking his shirt from his trousers. Kyler found himself utterly aroused
by Cooper’s aggression. He pulled at the hundred-dollar custom-tailored shirt as if it were nothing but
a rag keeping him from his target.
“Unfasten your pants.”
Kyler did so without hesitation. While he quickly slid them down below the edge of his buttocks, he
watched the shadow on the wall and realized Cooper was unfastening his jeans.
And then flesh met flesh. Cooper’s cock was so hard it was almost like living stone. The heat of his
skin was making Kyler sweat. As Cooper rubbed his cock up and down the split of Kyler’s ass, he
swore he felt each individual vein throbbing hungrily.
“Damn, but your skin is silky.”
Kyler clung to the wall, begging that Cooper wouldn’t stop. He was afraid if he said anything he
might, so he held his tongue. But in his head, he was begging for Cooper to stop toying with him and
fill his ass.
“I’m not going to fuck you, Mr. Pembelton.”
“No?” Kyler wondered why in the world he’d decided to switch to a less intimate term. Was that
why Cooper wouldn’t kiss him? He didn’t want to get that deep into the moment? Maybe he never
kissed any of his lovers as a way to keep himself distant. Was this nothing more than a fleeting
assignation? A part of Kyler wanted to demand more, but again, he didn’t want Cooper to stop. If all
he could have from this man was the fulfillment of a lifelong fantasy, he should take it and be happy
with it.
“No. I’m not going to fuck you.” Cooper shoved Kyler’s expensive trousers down so they were now
around his knees, making it virtually impossible for him to walk away. Not that he wanted to, but he
enjoyed the added layer of semi-bondage. “I’m going to finish what you started.”
“What I—” Kyler swallowed hard, cutting himself off. He’d taken Cooper’s cock into his mouth,
wanting to taste him, needing to taste him. Since he wouldn’t kiss Kyler, he’d done the next most
intimate thing he could think of. “I’ve always wanted a man like you to take control of me.”
“Then that’s exactly what I’m going to do.” Cooper leisurely rubbed his cock in the split of Kyler’s
ass. When the angle wasn’t quite good enough, he grasped Kyler’s hips, lifting him away from the
wall so he had to lean forward to keep his hands placed there. Without those two anchoring points,
Kyler knew he’d topple to his knees.
Time spun out and seemed to slow, allowing Kyler to experience everything in that moment.
Cooper’s raw physical power excited him to the point his cock was throbbing. When he’d moved him
with hardly any effort, the tip of Kyler’s prick was tangled in the edges of his shirt, stroking over him
and bringing him so close to climax he struggled to resist. He didn’t want the moment to be over too
fast.
“You’ve got an ass a man could write poetry to. Something obscure, perhaps something by Rainer
Maria Rilke.”
The comment stunned Kyler. He thought Cooper would be gruff and—damn him for thinking in
these terms—but rather blue-collar and base. But he wasn’t. Cooper was a compelling mixture of
brawn and brains. He was extremely alpha, driven to be protective, but he was also a man who loved
exquisite scotch and could appreciate the strength in another man without feeling threatened. When
Cooper began to recite poetry in German, Kyler thought he was going to melt into a romantic puddle.
“What does that mean?”
“It means I’m not going to last very long.” Cooper’s grip on Kyler’s hips tightened. Rather than
slide his cock in the split of his bottom, he now wedged it tightly into the crevice, pressing the hard
length against Kyler’s hole.
“Oh, God.” Kyler had never been so turned on. He was certain he would be able to climax without
Cooper ever touching his cock.
“If you want me to stop—”
“No! Please don’t stop. I don’t think I could stand it.”
“Hang on to that wall.” Cooper leaned over him, placing his mouth against Kyler’s neck. “Hang on,
meine Liebender mit einem Arsch wie eine rose.”
Kyler had no idea what he’d said, but he’d whispered it against his ear and then kissed the edge. His
soft touch was in direct contrast to his fearsome grip on his hips. When Cooper released his right
hand, Kyler panicked and tried to turn his head.
“Hold still and hang on.”
Kyler turned back toward the wall, unsure of what Cooper was going to do to him. His adrenaline
was pumping, and his lust was so great he didn’t care what Cooper used to get inside him. He just
wanted him there. When Cooper’s powerful hand slid down and cupped Kyler’s cock, Kyler let out a
moan of stunned bliss.
Growling German into his ear, Cooper stroked Kyler’s cock while keeping his own snuggly against
Kyler’s hole. When Cooper thrust, Kyler braced himself, giving him resistance. Instead of moving up
and down, Cooper seemed to be crushing himself against Kyler’s body. His guttural growls intensified
as his fist tightened around Kyler’s prick.
“Come for me.”
Unable to hold back, Kyler did just that, climaxing so hard he had to dig his fingertips against the
wall to hang on. Just when he would have fallen, Cooper was there, holding him up, whispering in his
ear. The words were a jumble of English and German, making Kyler unable to make any sense of
them.
“But you.”
“I’m close. So close.” Cooper eased back just a bit from Kyler. Just enough so that he could once
again slide his cock up and down the split of his ass. Each pass rubbed over Kyler’s hole, making it
quiver while intensifying his longing for penetration. With both hands back on his hips, Cooper easily
held Kyler at the perfect angle. Faster he went. The harder he breathed, the more Kyler felt his hot,
moist breath against the silky fabric of his shirt. Eventually, Cooper was so intent on rubbing he lifted
Kyler off the floor, causing his shirt to ride up. A hot, gushing tide fell on Kyler’s bare back, making
him shake uncontrollably. He couldn’t remember ever feeling so sexual, so richly alive. None of his
prior lovers had approached him in this way. And to his painful regret, he realized no other man ever
would. Cooper Hull was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of man.
As Cooper slowly lowered him to the floor, Kyler returned to reality. He had allowed himself to get
into an intense situation with a man he was thoroughly infatuated with right after finding out he had a
vengeful brother after him. Never one to make impulsive decisions, Kyler felt he’d just made a series
of reckless ones.
Oddly, the only question on his mind was what would Cooper do now? Now that the fireworks were
over and their releases sent them careening back to Earth, what actions would Cooper take to protect
him from a grief-stricken brother?
Chapter 7
Cooper didn’t want to let go. He’d never had an encounter quite like that. Not so raw with sexuality
yet sprinkled with romantic undertones. The urge to kiss Kyler had been beating at his brain ever since
the man had stroked his thumb against his lip. When Kyler had taken Cooper’s cock into his mouth, he
thought he was going to lose all control. Instead, he practically threw the man up against the wall and
then struggled with his longing to penetrate him. Since he had no lube, he’d done the second best thing
—rubbed up on him—but the urge to fill his snug little ass hadn’t gone away. Cooper wasn’t sure
which urge was stronger—the one to penetrate his mouth or his hole. But when he pictured doing both
simultaneously with his tongue and his cock, he almost had another orgasm.
“What did you say?”
Inspired by thinking of the rather obscure poet, Cooper had been using German to mask some of his
more raunchy word choices. Telling all of them now to Kyler would defeat the purpose so he hedged.
“I said a lot of things.”
“It was something about a rose.”
“Ah.” Cooper grinned. “I said your ass is like a rose.” Actually, he’d called him his lover with an
ass like a rose, but he left out the lover part. Kyler wasn’t his lover. No matter how badly Cooper
might want him to fill that role, he couldn’t expect him to do that without a kiss. A man like Kyler
might consider himself a kinky sort, but he would eventually want to lock lips. Cooper would either
have to do so or explain why not. Either way, it wasn’t going to be good for either one of them.
“A rose?”
“It’s so soft.” Cooper stroked his fingers over his skin, noticing how his rough pubic hair had
reddened Kyler’s bottom. “And the slightest brush against that pale flesh turns it pink, like a fragile
rose.”
“God, you’re romantic.”
“I have my moments.” Cooper looked down at the mess he’d made on Kyler’s back. “Hold still.”
“Again? Romantic and insatiable.”
“I think I’m good for at least ten minutes.” Cooper laughed as he retrieved a box of tissues from his
desk. After wiping off Kyler’s back, and seeing just the very edge of that scar he’d been so self-
conscious about at the scene, Cooper cleaned himself. He then pulled up his jeans. Carefully, he turned
Kyler around so he could get him cleaned up.
“I think I shot against your wall.” Kyler darted his gaze over to the baby-blue wall.
“I don’t care.” Cooper wiped it down. He looked up at Kyler. “Are you okay?”
“Are you asking me if I’ve done anything like that before?” Kyler tucked his shirt into his trousers.
In less than sixty seconds, they made it appear as if nothing had happened at all. For some reason,
Cooper found that mildly disturbing. “I most certainly haven’t. I’ve never gone from wanting to kiss a
man to sucking his cock to getting…whatever that just was.”
Cooper wasn’t sure what to call their interlude, so instead of trying to find a label for it, he moved
on to more practical matters. “We need to decide what we’re going to do about Renaldo.”
“Who?”
“Renaldo Walker. That’s the brother of the gunman.”
“Again, if I could just talk to him, I’m sure—”
“There’s no talking to this guy.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because he blew up your office.”
“What?” Kyler’s face twisted into a mask of horror. “Was anyone hurt?”
“Everyone is accounted for.”
Relief made Kyler sag.
“One brother was a drug addict and the other likes to play with explosives. Renaldo is the latter.”
“The one who wants to blow me up.”
“Right.” Cooper couldn’t believe how calm Kyler sounded. Maybe pushing him up against the wall
and giving him a good climax was actually the best thing Cooper could have done.
“Well, if I wouldn’t let his brother interfere with my plans, I don’t see why I should let Renaldo.”
Kyler checked his watch. “I need to be getting back to my office.”
Cooper was so astonished he didn’t know what to say. For some reason, he had been expecting
Kyler to cling to him and demand answers and perhaps insist they have a long discussion about what
the hell that fierce release just meant. Cooper had prepared himself to put off Kyler’s advances to take
this to the next level of intimacy. Finding out that Kyler’s head wasn’t in those romantic clouds
somehow hurt a lot worse than he would have expected.
“You’re not going anywhere.” Cooper’s alpha male filled his headspace and popped right out of his
mouth. Too late, he realized his mistake. Bossing Kyler around was going to backfire something
spectacular. Rather than anger, Kyler did something much worse. He was dismissive.
Kyler laughed lightly as he extracted his smartphone. “Are you going to push me against the wall
again to show me that you’re in charge?”
“That wasn’t what happened.”
“No?” Kyler didn’t bother to look up. He kept his attention on his phone. “It certainly seemed that
way to me.”
Cooper stood there utterly flummoxed.
“I hope you enjoy the rest of the scotch.” Kyler finally looked up, his expression one of a man with
a million things to do. “I know I did.”
It took Cooper a several seconds to grasp that Kyler was giving him the brush off. He’d enjoyed
their encounter, but now that it was over, he was going back to business as usual. If Cooper didn’t do
something, Kyler was going to get back in his Bentley and drive away, possibly with a bomb in his
car. Cooper couldn’t stand the thought of never seeing Kyler again. His nightmares of losing his first
mate were nothing compared to the pain of watching this man walk away and die without ever
knowing if he was the one.
So Cooper acted rashly. He did the most foolish thing he’d ever done in his life. He grabbed Kyler’s
shoulder, turning him to face him.
“Really, Mr. Hull. You should stop manhandling—”
Cooper took his phone out of Kyler’s hand and disconnected the call.
“I’ll just call him back.” It was obvious Kyler was striving for a humorous tone, but the worry lines
bracketing his mouth showed his concern.
Cooper shoved Kyler’s phone into his own pocket.
“Really? This is unbelievably childish.”
Cooper pulled Kyler close. “I’m going to kiss you.”
Kyler frowned.
“Before I do, I have to tell you what that means.”
Kyler’s frown deepened.
“You might be my mate.” Cooper watched as Kyler’s eyebrows rose and his brow wrinkled up with
confusion. “The only way for me to find out is to kiss you.”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying to me. I get the individual words, but when they’re strung
together…”
“My kind mates for life.”
“Your kind?”
“I’m—” Cooper wanted to tell him, but an innate fear held him back. Maybe Kyler wasn’t a
potential. But if he was, he felt he should be given a chance to reject what Cooper could be subjecting
him to. “I’m a wolf-shifter.”
Kyler’s furrowed brow smoothed out when he went from confused and concerned to annoyed and
irritated. “Really, Mr. Hull. If you want to hook up again, we can arrange something. I’m attracted to
you, too. I don’t need these kinds of shenanigans—”
“Please. Listen to me. I know how that sounds, but it’s the truth.” Finally, he’d told someone
outside his tight circle and the man was practically laughing in his face. Cooper struggled to find a
way to convince Kyler.
“I don’t think you realize how utterly insane you sound. But I get what you’re trying to do here. You
don’t want this to go any further than it has. Fine. I’m a grown man, Mr. Hull. If all you wanted was a
fling, you certainly didn’t have to go to this much trouble. It’s insulting.”
“I’ll show you.”
“This isn’t funny.”
Cooper let him go and then shifted. He was old enough and experienced enough that transforming
no longer hurt or took much time. From his wolf form, he looked up Kyler. He did his best not to be
distracted by the smell of sex and scotch, but that was difficult to do when his canine nose was far
more sensitive than his human one. Long ago, Cooper had discovered that he pretty much liked the
same things in either form. One thing he became very aware of was how damn good Kyler smelled. He
had to be a potential mate. With that alluring, compelling scent, there was simply no way he could be
anything else. Kyler smelled so delicious, Cooper strode toward him for a better whiff of his essence.
Kyler’s eyes had gone wide when he shifted, but they went wider when Cooper approached. He
gasped and stepped back. But then he did something Cooper wasn’t prepared for at all. Kyler parted
his lips and screamed.
It was a loud, piercing cry that was going to bring someone into his office. Before Cooper could
shift back, Kyler turned and ran for the door. Frantically, he scrabbled at the knob. Soon enough he
twisted it, yanked the door open, and then ran. Rather than give chase in wolf form, which wasn’t
going to lessen his fear, Cooper shifted then went after him. By the time he caught up, Kyler was
struggling with the fold-over part of the counter while the intern was trying to calm him down.
“Wait.” Cooper grasped Kyler’s shoulder, causing him to turn around then back away along the long
side of the divider.
“Get the hell away from me!” Kyler was wedged in by the countertop and the wall. Much like a
caged animal, when he realized he was cornered, he panicked.
Cooper was prepared for him to disbelieve what he’d said so he thought showing him was the best
way to circumvent that particular discussion. He had no idea he was going to terrify the man into
hysterics.
“I can’t believe you would do something like that!” Kyler was still frantically looking for an exit,
but Cooper was blocking the way back to the office while the counter and the intern blocked his access
to the front door.
“I’m sorry.” Cooper was trying to keep his distance without giving Kyler an opening to bolt.
“Please let me explain.”
Kyler shook his head. “You’re sick.”
Cooper did not want to even imagine what was going through the intern’s head when he heard that.
Would he go back to his buddies and tell them that the owner of Hull Protection Services was into
something so disgusting a man had come running out of the building?
“Please come back to my office.”
“There is no way in hell I’m ever going back in there.”
Cooper looked over at the young man. “Give us a minute, would you?”
“I’ll go look at the Bentley.”
“No!” Cooper and Kyler’s voices overlapped.
“Whoa.” The kid lifted his hands. “I was just going to look at it, not steal it.”
“It might have a bomb in it.”
The kid looked out and frowned. “Not since it’s been sitting here.”
“You’ve been watching it the whole time?” Cooper asked.
“I could barely take my gaze off it.” He sighed like he’d just discovered his first love. In some
ways, he probably had. Cooper was pretty sure a lot of guys felt the first pull of love toward an
automobile.
“No one’s come near it?”
“Nope.” His gaze wandered back to assess Cooper and Kyler. “Everything okay?”
“It’s fine.” Kyler seemed to realize that whatever issue he had, he needed to keep his lips zipped
around the intern. Now wasn’t the time for Cooper to explain that the intern was like all the men
Cooper hired—a shifter. Such information might only make Kyler panic more.
“Keep your eye on it.” Slowly and subtly, Cooper was easing Kyler back toward his office, but
Kyler was resisting him. “How about we go into another office?”
“I want to go home.” Kyler kept his voice down, but his anger came across loud and clear. He was
scared, but his fury seemed to be obscuring his terror.
“I understand that, but we must talk.”
“The only thing we must do is get away from one another.”
“I can’t let you go.”
“You don’t own me!” Kyler’s voice rose slightly, but he finally allowed himself to be taken into the
small supply room just on the other side of the reception area. Inside, in addition to the small copier,
there were two big shelves filled with various papers and envelopes. Before he would allow Cooper to
close the door, Kyler searched the place over thoroughly.
Cooper had picked this room because it was small and Kyler would be able to see there wasn’t a
wolf inside. Obviously, Cooper’s attempt to show him what he was had been perceived as some kind
of sick joke by Kyler. Cooper found it unbelievably ironic that he’d always been afraid to tell anyone
what he was because they wouldn’t believe him but showing someone had resulted in the same
disbelief.
Once they were inside with the door closed, Kyler snarled, “Why would you do that to me?” Kyler
touched his belly carefully.
“I wanted to be honest with you. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
“Where is it?”
“Where is what?”
Kyler gave him a look that would have killed him had he been able to shoot daggers with his gaze.
“The wolf.”
“I am the wolf.”
Kyler backed away with his hand low on his abdomen.
All of a sudden, Cooper got it. “You were attacked by a wolf? Is that how you got that scar?”
“As if you didn’t know.”
“I really didn’t. Honestly. I thought—God, I’m an ass.” Cooper realized that not only did Kyler
think he’d played some kind of a sick trick on him, he thought he’d intentionally chosen a wolf to
taunt him because of his injury. “I had no idea.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Cooper had thought he was doing the honorable thing by showing Kyler what he was. He expected
him to be wowed and excited, not terrified. All he’d actually managed to do was scare the crap out of
Kyler and probably drive a permanent wedge between them. Now the point of whether Kyler was a
potential mate or not just became ridiculously complicated. How in the world could Cooper claim a
mate who was afraid of wolves?
Chapter 8
Kyler had never been so scared. Cooper had been standing in the middle of his office when suddenly
there had been a wolf in his place. How he managed the trick was a total mystery, but why he’d done
such a hurtful thing was a much bigger concern. Cooper didn’t seem the type to play a petty prank.
Again, Kyler looked around the room they were in, convinced that the wolf was hidden somewhere
nearby. He had overcome many fears in his life, but he’d never stopped being terrified of wolves.
“Where is he?” Kyler decided there was no harm in simply asking.
“Who?”
“The wolf.”
“I am the wolf.”
Cooper had said that before and Kyler missed it. He didn’t this time. “What the hell does that
mean?” The best he could figure, Cooper was being existential. He was the wolf in the way that
someone was the walrus by quoting the Beatles.
“It means I’m a shifter. I can become a wolf.”
Kyler rolled his eyes. It was insane. Clearly, all of this was some kind of ploy. But for what? Just
what in the world could Cooper hope to gain—oh. The solution hit him so hard he felt like a dunce for
not seeing it before. “Is this to get me to hire your firm?”
“What?”
“You scare the hell out of me to get me to think I need to hire you?” Kyler was so disgusted by the
very idea he closed his eyes and hung his head. He couldn’t believe he’d been unable to stop thinking
of this man who only saw dollar signs when he looked at him.
“Kyler. Look at me.”
Kyler did even though he really didn’t want to. Something about Cooper’s voice compelled him to
look up and into his hypnotic green eyes.
“Think about this for a moment. How would I have done that? Wait. Better yet, consider that I
would have had to have known you were coming today and placed a wolf in my office. Does that make
any sense?”
“It makes a hell of a lot more sense than what you’re trying to get me to believe.” Kyler continued
to look around. The copy room was small, but he didn’t trust that there wasn’t a wolf waiting since
Cooper had led him here. “Look, whatever you’re after doesn’t matter. I have to go.”
“Not with Renaldo the pissed-off bomber out there.”
“I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. I’m not going to stop living my life because of a threat.
This Renaldo isn’t the first man to get angry with me. The only difference here is I didn’t do what he
thinks I did.”
“He’s not going to care about that particular detail.”
“Well, I’ll take extra precautions.” Kyler thrust out his hand. “Can I please have my phone back?”
“No. Not until we work something out.”
“The only thing I’m going to work out is myself. I’m going to work myself out of here and then get
myself home. If my security people think I need to hire extra help, then that’s what I’ll do, but I can
assure you, even if your firm was the only place in town, I wouldn’t hire you.”
“I didn’t trick you.” Cooper’s eyes flared with the fire of irritation. For all intents and purposes, he
seemed genuinely annoyed that Kyler didn’t believe him.
“Fine. You’re a wolf. Now give me back my phone so I can go.” Kyler considered. “On second
thought, keep it. The damn thing is password protected and I can buy another. Get out of my way.”
“What part about a mad bomber being after you do you just not get?” Cooper crossed his arms over
his chest, making his upper body seem bigger than it already was. Not that the man needed any in help
in that department.
Despite his aggressive stance and the fact he was blocking the only exit, Kyler kept calm. Cooper
was nothing more than a bully. As soon as the thought came to mind, he realized how unfair that
assessment was. Cooper hadn’t acted like a selfish lout when they’d been sharing the scotch. He’d also
been passionate and attentive during their sudden sexual interlude. A true brute would have penetrated
him without caring if Kyler was okay with the situation or not. Cooper had ensured Kyler was right
there with him the entire time. The only thing that didn’t make sense was Cooper taunting him with a
live wolf. The only way that made sense was if… No. Kyler was not going to believe that this man
could become that green-eyed wolf. It was insane, and he was a man most grounded in reality.
“Kyler?” Cooper’s voice was softer around the edges, clearly laced with concern.
Looking up into Cooper eyes now reminded Kyler that the wolf had had the same shade of green
eyes. Moreover, he’d had the exact same salt-and-pepper hair color. Could Cooper be telling him the
truth? Suddenly overwhelmed, Kyler stepped back, slapping himself against the wall so hard he
staggered. When Cooper lunged forward, Kyler gasped, but then he calmed when he realized Cooper
was only trying to stabilize him.
“You can be mad at me all you want, but right now you need to lie down.” Cooper scooped Kyler up
with an effortlessness that was almost insulting.
“I can walk.”
“I know that. Humor me.”
If he didn’t smell so good and feel so good, Kyler might have struggled. Instead, he wrapped his
arms around Cooper’s shoulders and hung on. He felt ashamed for being suddenly weak. He wasn’t
even sure what had caused him to almost collapse. Silently, Cooper carried him through the offices
toward a back door. As soon as he pushed it open, Kyler understood why he’d smelled chlorine on
Cooper.
“There’s a pool.” It took up most of the space with a narrow edge around for people to walk on.
“And a hot tub.” Cooper grinned down at him. “If you’re very good, I’ll let you soak in there later.”
“With you?” Kyler asked before remembering he was upset with him.
“Absolutely.” Cooper went through another door and down a flight of stairs.
Kyler was so intent on Cooper that he didn’t really register where they were going until he found
himself being placed on a surprisingly comfortable bed. For a moment, he thought Cooper was going
to lean over and kiss him, but instead he sighed and settled on the edge of the bed.
“I know this isn’t much, but for right now it will have to do.”
“What is this place?”
“It’s what we call The Bunker.”
“It’s rather Spartan.”
“But it’s safe.”
“I told you. I’m not staying.” Kyler started to lift up, but Cooper’s hand against his shoulder kept
him flat to the bed.
“Please just hear me out.”
“Do I have to be lying down for this?”
“Indulge me.” Cooper gave him the once-over and sighed with obvious longing. “I need something
to fuel my dreams.”
Struck once again by his romantic ways, Kyler stayed where he was. He’d had his secretary clear his
afternoon before he’d left the office. He knew he didn’t have any evening commitments either. The
only reason he’d been so hell-bent to leave was because he hadn’t been sure how he’d felt about his
interlude with Cooper. And then the wolf thing… Kyler wanted to talk about that, but he also didn’t.
Every time he thought of Cooper turning into a wolf, he wanted to run away from him. But lying here,
looking up at him, all Kyler wanted to do was kiss him, and then see what it would feel like to actually
have his cock slide inside his very willing body.
“I’d like you to spend the night here.”
Kyler envisioned an evening that started with them finishing off the scotch and ended with mutual
screaming orgasms. Cooper’s next words truncated that fantasy.
“I think we have a unique opportunity to get ahead of this Renaldo guy.”
“Oh?” It was all Kyler could think to ask. He hadn’t forgotten about the threat, but in terms of
immediacy, it had taken a backburner to Cooper and the wolf.
“Tell me where you took your car from.”
“My garage.”
“Smart-ass.” Cooper grinned and clasped Kyler’s hand. His grip was gentle but strong. “How secure
is that garage? Was your car parked there all day?”
“I drove in about five this morning.”
“Early riser. Me, too.” Cooper slid his fingers between Kyler’s, making him think of the multiple
ways their bodies could fit together. “Your house garage is secure?”
“Doubly so. The neighborhood is gated and so are the grounds. I also have a security staff.”
“You do?”
“I’ve been threatened before. Some people really hate real estate developers. Especially after the
market in California collapsed.”
“You sell homes?”
“No. But like the misinformed bomber, not everyone realizes all real estate developers aren’t the
same.” Kyler managed a laugh. “Also, my mechanic was in checking the cars.”
“Cars?”
“It’s one of my indulgences.”
“How many do you have?”
“Twelve.”
“I think I’m falling in love.” Cooper made the remark off the cuff then seemed to realize what he’d
said and tried to tone it down. “I mean a man who loves cars and good scotch? What gay man
wouldn’t fall in love with you?”
“It hasn’t happened so far.” Kyler had no idea why he’d said that. He certainly didn’t want to get
any deeper into this than he already had. Being physically attracted to Cooper didn’t wipe away all the
warning bells that were going off in his head. “Anyway, the garage is extremely secure.”
“Right. And I believe the intern hasn’t taken his gaze off your car since you drove up.” Cooper
laughed. “Not that I can blame him.”
“I don’t see how this is going to help us catch the bomber.”
“Right. Here’s the plan. The intern is about your height and weight.”
“I guess so.”
“He is going to drive your car home while you stay here.”
“Absolutely not.” Kyler tried to rise again, but Cooper placed their entwined hands on his chest to
keep him flat.
“He won’t wreck your baby.”
“I’m not worried about that. What if there
is
a bomb in there? Or Renaldo decides to switch from a
bomb to a gun?” Kyler felt ill. “I don’t want that young man’s death on my head.”
Cooper simply peered down at him for a long, silent moment.
“What?” Kyler asked.
“You amaze me.”
“I do?”
“You honestly couldn’t care less about the car.”
“As beautiful as it is, the Bentley is still just a thing. It can be replaced. That young man can’t.”
“He’s a decorated LAPD officer. He’s interning here to get some experience in private security.”
“That doesn’t change—”
“He knows what he’s doing.” Cooper kept his voice calm and earnest. “I would never put one of my
men into a dangerous situation without assessing all the potential problems first.”
“Why can’t I just go home?”
“Because you won’t be safe there.”
“This is starting to feel like I don’t have much of a choice.”
Cooper sighed hard and his grip on Kyler’s hand tightened. Suddenly, he let go. “I don’t want to
kidnap you. That’s not what this is. I just want to keep you safe. Not just because Xenos asked me to.
That’s part of it. But I also want you.”
Kyler swallowed hard. The memory of the scotch blended with Cooper’s pre-cum came back to
taunt him. Just as he was feeling the powerful pull of attraction, he remembered the wolf. Fear
effectively cancelled his fascination. Cooper seemed to sense that push-pull because he switched gears
almost effortlessly away from them personally to the job of keeping him safe.
“If Renaldo is tracking you, I don’t think he’ll realize the guy in the car isn’t you.”
“I don’t understand what that will do.”
“When our intern goes to your home and stays there, we’ll have a chance to see if you’re being
tracked visually by Renaldo.”
“And if I am?”
“We’ll nab him and bring him into the LAPD.”
“Is that legal? I mean you can’t arrest someone for following me. Or someone he
thinks
is me.”
Kyler didn’t want to toss up a bunch of roadblocks to his personal safety, but he also didn’t want
Cooper doing something he shouldn’t because he was enamored of him.
“It is legal.” Cooper took ahold of his hand again. “What we need to do is get this guy off the
streets. As much as I’d like to say it’s all about you, it’s not. Renaldo has been involved in a lot of
crimes.”
“He has?”
“His brother had a thing for drugs, but Renaldo has a thing for disposing of anyone who wants to
testify against drug dealers.”
“Well, at least the family is consistent.” Kyler sighed and tightened his grip on Cooper’s hand.
“So do I have your okay on this?” Cooper squeezed his hand. “I don’t want to manhandle you or
make you feel like you have no choice.”
“What’s my other option?”
“I call Xenos and he comes and does exactly what I’m suggesting.”
“What’s the difference?”
“An officer of the LAPD will be trying to get you to do what he wants.”
“Ah. So he couldn’t make me comply?”
Cooper sighed loud and long. “No.”
“That means you can’t either.”
“Technically.”
“Technically?”
“I said I didn’t
want
to kidnap you. That doesn’t mean I
won’t.” Cooper pinned Kyler to the bed with
his extremely intense stare.
Looking into his eyes made Kyler believe that he was indeed able to become a wolf. He had that
fierce alpha aura that Kyler appreciated intellectually but feared emotionally.
“So it all comes down to a kiss?”
Unperturbed about the sudden shift in the conversation, Cooper nodded. “Apparently, swapping spit
tells us all we need to know.”
“What happens, exactly?”
“Well, when one man likes another man very much, they press their lips together, and—”
“Smart-ass.”
“See? We have that in common, too.” Cooper smiled gently. “It begins with a kiss. But it’s far from
over at that point.”
“Sex?”
“There’s that, too. If I find you compatible. Or, well, I’d have sex with you even if you weren’t.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“Hey, I’m trying here. I mean that we can tell—my kind can tell—a potential mate through a kiss.”
“That’s why you wouldn’t kiss me.”
“I didn’t want you to go into this blind.” Cooper drew a deep breath then slowly let it out. “I wanted
to give you a choice.”
Kyler considered for a moment. “So once you kiss me, and if I’m actually your mate, you wouldn’t
be able to let me go?”
“No.” Cooper kept a gentle hold on his hand, but the fire in his gaze intensified. “I’d kill to get to
you and willingly die to keep you safe.”
“But it’s just a kiss.”
“Did you ever hear the saying about a journey of a thousand miles starting with a single step?”
Kyler nodded.
“That’s what kissing is like for us. Our need to take a mate is literally sealed with a kiss.”
Kyler felt that same push-pull in his body and soul. He wanted to kiss Cooper to see if they were
mates, but the idea of what lay beyond that singular event held him still. He’d never thought there
could ever be danger in a kiss.
Cooper lifted Kyler’s hand and kissed the center of his palm. “I guess the question is do you want to
take that first step?”
Chapter 9
Cooper felt dizzy. He wanted Kyler to say yes while he simultaneously wanted him to say no.
Worse, the alpha part of him wanted to take the choice away from Kyler as if he had some right to
make such a major decision for him. What held Cooper back was when his first mate’s tormented face
flashed in his mind. Before Kyler could answer, Cooper said, “There’s more.”
“More?”
Against his better judgment, Cooper had to tell him the truth. Kyler had to go into this with his eyes
wide open. “If you are my mate, then you’ll have to suffer a trial.”
“Trial?” Kyler shook his head. “Sorry. I keep repeating everything. I’m still trying to decide if I
believe you or not.”
“Believe me?”
“About you being a wolf.”
“If you are my mate, you’ll be able to become one, too.”
That made Kyler’s eyes go wide.
“I can see you don’t like that idea.”
“I’m afraid of wolves.”
“Tell me about that.” Cooper kept a light grip on Kyler’s hand. He didn’t want to appear to be
keeping him pinned to the bed, but that was essentially what he was doing. Conflict over wanting him
yet fearing what he could do to him kept Cooper in an indecisive stew.
“I was a little kid.” Kyler’s free hand wandered down to his belly, stroking the scar through the
fabric of his shirt. “My dad and I were camping.”
“Here?”
“Northern California.”
Cooper nodded, encouraging him to go on.
“I don’t know what called them down. I remember my dad was hunting that day, but I don’t think he
caught anything.” Kyler frowned. “Even after years of therapy, the whole thing is still a blur.”
“How old were you?”
“Seven.”
It was almost impossibly young. Cooper imagined he was one of those wiry kids that had been all
elbows and feet. Puberty had filled him out and turned gawkiness sweetly handsome.
“It was night. Very dark because the moon wasn’t up yet. And I heard this noise…” Kyler clenched
his eyes closed. “I thought he’d gone to the gas station to get one of those frozen drinks because it
sounded like someone slurping on a straw.”
The sound filled Cooper’s head. It was the noise anyone made when they hit the bottom of their
drink but was determined to get the last few drops.
“I stepped out onto the porch, waving the flashlight around, trying to find…” Kyler didn’t trail off
so much as he seemed to run out of breath.
“Stop. You don’t have to tell me. I don’t want you to hurt anymore.” Cooper let go of his hand only
so he could lift him up and hold him tight. “I know enough to figure out the rest.”
“They were drinking my father’s blood.”
Cooper shivered.
“They weren’t eating him. Just slurping at him. And then they saw me.”
Tightening his grip, Cooper placed his mouth on the top of Kyler’s head. He was afraid if he didn’t
anchor himself that way, he would pull him up and kiss him, sealing both their fates. He wasn’t sure
why Kyler’s pain prompted that response in him. Perhaps it was only his alpha need to protect a
vulnerable man. Or it was something much more primal.
“One of them lunged at me, knocking me down with a paw swipe across by lower belly.” Kyler’s
hand was still on his own stomach, stroking over the scar with a kind of restless need to assure himself
it wasn’t open. “Just as I thought I was going to die, the wolves started fighting with one another. I
think—I think they were fighting over who would kill me.”
Even knowing that he’d survived, Cooper felt all the short hairs on his body stiffen. Had the fates
gone another direction, Kyler would not be here now. Cooper wouldn’t have a chance with him. All
Kyler’s tale was doing was making Cooper want him more. Actually, his story was making Cooper
want him far more than he feared hurting him.
“And then something happened.”
“Something?”
“I’ve never gotten to the bottom of it.” Kyler’s tone of voice clearly conveyed his frustration. “I’ve
done hypnosis, regression, just about everything there is to try to recover the memory, but there’s just
nothing there. It’s almost like someone wiped my mind.”
Cooper felt a raw shiver go down his spine. He’d heard of shifter packs that believed eating humans
gave them greater powers. Had Kyler and his father run into one of those groups? Had they somehow
been able to remove or distort Kyler’s memories of the event? If they had, they’d done incredible
damage. He had a hole in his memory that left him terrified of wolves in general when, if he’d been
allowed to keep his memories intact, he would have been able to pinpoint his fear onto a more specific
wolf.
“The next thing I knew I woke up in the hospital.”
“No wonder you were so scared when I transformed.”
Kyler moved back just enough so that he could look up. “During the incident in the abandoned
building, did one of your men transform?”
“Erick did. We were planning on—never mind. The answer is yes.”
Kyler nodded. “I thought I’d seen a wolf or a dog. I can’t remember what I thought I saw. I started
to believe I’d never really seen it at all.” He paused. “Can all of your men shift?”
Cooper nodded.
“The trial that I have to suffer in order to be your mate. Is it as bad as what I went through that
day?”
“Oh, Kyler. I don’t want to subject you to that.” Frankly, Cooper didn’t even want to tell him what
the trial entailed.
“What happens, exactly?”
Cooper was saved from answering by a tap at the door. After giving him permission, Erick popped
his head in. “Xenos called me.”
No doubt Xenos had contacted Erick because Cooper had pretty much dropped the ball. Rather than
explain that he was trying to settle his mate—Kyler—Cooper chastised himself.
He’s not your mate so
get that clear in your head!
Cooper let Kyler go and stood up. “I’m going to have the intern drive
Kyler’s car home.”
Erick looked positively envious. “I wish I was smaller. I’d just about sell my soul to drive that car.”
“If you let me out of here, I’ll let you have it for a week,” Kyler offered.
Erick’s gaze darted between Cooper and Kyler.
“He’s kidding,” Cooper said.
“I am. Sort of.” Kyler sighed. “I don’t like this idea much, but I can see why it’s necessary.”
“I don’t understand.” Erick looked distinctly uncomfortable. Cooper knew he hated conflict of any
kind. Erick was the peacemaker of the group. If there was a problem between two of the men, Erick
wanted to solve it.
“Kyler doesn’t want to put the intern in danger.”
“Risk.”
“Okay,” Cooper agreed. “He doesn’t want to put him at risk.”
“No.” Erick laughed. “The intern has a name. It’s Risk.”
“His parents seriously named him Risk?” Cooper couldn’t help but think that was just a few inches
short of full-on crazy.
“They did. And since it’s his name, you should use it.” Erick was clearly annoyed with him. Cooper
had a feeling it had very little to do with knowing the intern’s name. “So Risk will drive Kyler’s car
back to Kyler’s house?”
“Right. We can follow and see if anyone is tailing him.”
“Good. Me and the others will reconnoiter the neighborhood to see if anyone suspicious is lurking
about.”
“Great idea.” Cooper should have thought of that. He probably would have but for his personal stake
in the situation. “Tell Risk I’ll be up in a moment.”
“Don’t linger too long, boss. We need you.”
Cooper waited until Erick was up the stairs then he turned to Kyler. “I’m going to need your
clothes.”
Kyler’s eyebrows rose.
“We need to dress the intern—Risk—in your clothing to help sell the illusion he’s you.”
“Oh, right.” Kyler stood up and started to unbutton his shirt. He was halfway down when he looked
up at Cooper. “Are you going to watch me or are you going to go get me something else to wear?”
“Right. Clothing.”
“Unless you’re going to keep me sitting here in my skivvies.”
“Can’t have that. I’d never be able to concentrate.” Cooper grinned. Kyler echoed his mirth then
sobered, probably because he was thinking about the wolf inside Cooper’s human frame. “I’ll go see
what I can find. Probably nothing fancy.”
“Give me something of yours.”
“My clothes would drown you.”
“A shirt, then. Maybe what you’re wearing now.”
Cooper got it rather suddenly. Kyler may not be aware but it was rather a wolf like thing to want to
have Cooper’s scent on him. More and more he started to think he didn’t have to kiss Kyler to know
that he was his mate. Each moment he was getting farther from being a potential and closer to being a
definite.
“I’ll be back.”
“I’ll be here.” Kyler met his gaze while deliberately popping the last few buttons on his shirt.
Like I’ll be able to think clearly with an erection the size of the Empire State Building ? Cooper
hustled up the stairs. He talked with his men as they were going out to check the neighborhood. “Use
the backdoor.” They would shift into their wolf forms so that they could use their heightened senses to
detect anyone in the neighborhood who didn’t belong. Normally, Cooper would have gone with them,
but he trusted them to take care of that while he settled his mate—
“Kyler! Damn it, his name is Kyler. He’s not my mate. I have no right to be possessive of him.” But
Cooper knew he wasn’t going to be able to shake those feelings. He’d always thought that the kiss
sealed the deal, and maybe it still did, but apparently there were other ways that his body and brain
recognized he’d found the right man. Given how determined and strong Kyler was, he might be able to
handle the transformation. Maybe. However, after the last time,
maybe
wasn’t really good enough.
Maybe
could lead to another man’s death on his conscience.
Cooper got a pair of sweats from Risk and then went to his locker to change into his gear. When he
removed his T-shirt, he decided that would be the article of his clothing he would have Kyler wear. It
was old and soft. The collar was a bit frayed. After about three more washings, the shirt would
probably start to give at the seams. Cooper found it totally unfair that just when clothing was starting
to get super comfortable it was also falling apart.
For a moment, he considered that idea in a rather strange existential way. Was his life just getting
to the point of comfortableness so now it would fall apart? He shook his head. That was silly. There
was no correlation between his T-shirt and his life.
Cooper took the small bundle of clothing down to The Bunker. Kyler was sitting on the bed,
wearing only a pair of clinging cotton briefs. They were a pale sage green that matched his silky shirt.
“Here.” Cooper handed him the clothing. “It’s not much, but at least you’ll be covered. I wish I had
something more…upscale for you.”
“It’s fine. Honestly. I’m not a clothing snob.”
“I didn’t think you were.”
“I know. You’d just like to make this easier for me.”
“I would.”
“Thank you. Just knowing that makes me feel better.” Kyler turned away to put the stack of clothing
on the bed, giving Cooper a spectacular view of his high, tight buttocks.
Having felt his cock sliding into that snug little crack wasn’t nearly as good as filling his hole
would be. Look away, Cooper ordered himself, and promptly ignored his own directive. With his
tongue barely contained in his mouth he watched as Kyler pulled on the T-shirt he’d so recently taken
off. Soft white cotton covered the bare edge of his briefs. Cooper thought his cock was going to bust
right out of his black slacks. Something about seeing Kyler in his clothing only fed his possessive
instinct.
“Cooper?”
“Yeah?”
“Are you okay?” Kyler wasn’t flirting. He was genuinely concerned. “Maybe you should stay here.”
“I’m okay.” As soon as he got away, he was hoping he’d be able to focus. When he remembered this
man—this man wearing his shirt who was making him half-mad with lust and admiration—when he
reminded himself it was Kyler’s life was on the line, Cooper got his shit together. Remembering his
mission to protect Kyler gained Cooper razor-sharp focus. “There’s plenty to do down here.”
“I saw the gigantic television.”
“There’s also lots of books, electronic games, and, well, you get the picture.”
“It’s a prison but a well-appointed one.”
“It’s not—”
“I’m teasing you.” Kyler grinned up at him. “Now go out there and keep me safe.”
“You have no idea how badly I want to kiss you right now.”
“As much as I’d like that, I don’t think I’m ready.”
“I know. There’s a lot more we need to talk about before we can make that decision.”
“Dating for a while would be good.”
“That it would.” Cooper hadn’t ever heard of mated pairs making that work for long. The urge to
kiss was simply too strong. When temptation was right there, so tantalizingly close, resisting was
almost impossible. Even now, after half a day together, Cooper found himself focusing on Kyler’s
mouth to the exclusion of almost everything else.
“Be careful.” Kyler handed him the pile of his clothing. Cooper wasn’t surprised to find everything
neatly folded. He’d even coiled his belt on top of his shoes.
“I will.” Cooper wanted to tell him to consider what being a couple would mean for the both of
them, but he hadn’t told him about the risks of the transformation and he certainly didn’t have time
now. “And you won’t be alone. Cash is here.”
“You have an employee named Cash yet you thought a man named Risk was odd?”
“Good point.” Cooper laughed. “Cash Lowry is out of commission still with his broken arm. He’ll
probably come down here and hang out with you. But if he doesn’t, don’t sweat it. If you have a
problem with anything, hit that button there.” Cooper pointed to the intercom button near the door.
“I’ll be fine.” Kyler drew a deep breath but didn’t speak.
“What?”
“Just come back to me in one piece.” It wasn’t an overly emotional declaration, but Kyler wasn’t an
overly dramatic man. Cooper could be on occasion, but he also appreciated a man who could let him
go do his work without tears or trauma. In that moment, he wondered what would happen if he did
claim Kyler as his mate. Would he behave the same way in the future when Cooper had to go off to
protect another? But moreover, could Cooper continue to put himself into danger when he had a mate
relying on him?
“Cooper?”
“I’ll come back to you in one piece.” Again, the urge to kiss Kyler was almost overwhelming.
Rather than give in, Cooper turned and left. By the time Risk was dressed in Kyler’s clothing, the rest
of the men were back from examining the neighborhood.
“Anything?” Cooper asked as he triple-checked his gear.
“Nothing out of the ordinary. But we didn’t go too far from home base. Just the taller buildings and
anywhere abandoned. If he’s out there watching, he’s doing it from a distance.” Erick plucked his
earpiece out of his ear and tucked it into one of his upper pockets. “Is Risk ready to go?”
“Yeah. Kyler’s clothes fit him well.” Cooper left out the fact that they simply didn’t look as good
on Risk as they did on Kyler. That wasn’t objective data. It was purely subjective.
“I’ve never wished I was smaller until today.” Erick looked out at the Bentley. With the sun setting,
the reflection of light was turning the white car multicolored. “I’d just about kill to drive that car.”
“Car?” Cash Lowry joined them. His cast-bound arm was in a sling since he’d also injured his
shoulder. “That is a very fine automobile. Calling it a car is like calling the Mona Lisa a pretty
painting.”
“Isn’t it?” Erick taunted.
“It’s a masterpiece. Just like that work of art out there.” Cash was looking at the car with the same
kind of hopeless lust as Risk and Erick. Cooper was starting to think he was the only one who wasn’t
desperate to drive it. Maybe the difference was that he found the owner a million times more
compelling.
“Get this guy to take Kyler off his radar and I’m sure Kyler will gladly let both of you drive it.”
“Really?” Erick was practically drooling right along with Cash.
“Really. He’s that kind of guy.” Cooper wanted to tell them everything he knew about Kyler, but
he’d have to admit that after saving him he’d done a tremendous amount of snooping on the Internet.
He’d learned far more today, things that he’d never be able to sniff out from news articles. Things like
his enormous capacity to care and his unwavering strength despite difficulties. But he didn’t breathe a
word of it. Not because he was ashamed for them to know just how enamored he was, but because they
simply didn’t have time.
“Did you kiss him?” Erick asked.
“I wanted to tell him what he was in for during the transformation but…we never got around to
that.”
Silence dropped into the room.
“Let’s do this.” Risk was practically rubbing his hands.
“Keys. I forgot—”
“He put them in one of his shoes.” Risk rocked back on his heels. “I tell ya, I’ve never really lusted
after money, but damn. These threads are nice. And the shoes are amazing, and that car—sorry,
automobile.”
Cash nodded approvingly.
“Being wealthy clearly has perks.” Risk looked down. “Like these shoes. Holy mother of pearl. It’s
like walking on kittens.”
“Kittens?” Cooper gave him a glare. “That’s the most awful analogy I’ve ever heard.”
“I said it was
like
walking on kittens. I didn’t say that I wanted to go and stomp on kittens. I’m just
trying to describe how soft these things are.”
“Like butter?”
“Yeah! Like fucking butter.” Risk looked up at Cooper. “Hey, if you’re not going to date him, can
I?”
“No.” Cooper took a moment to look at all the men present. “And neither can any of you.”
“Ooh, aren’t you the alpha dog?” Cash teased. “Why don’t you just go pee on him to mark your
territory?”
Cooper thought he’d already marked Kyler by rubbing up on his sweet little ass and climaxing all
over his back.
Erick met Cooper’s gaze and frowned. For a moment, Cooper swore Erick had read his mind. It was
like Erick knew what Cooper had done with Kyler in his office, but rather than ask, Cooper smoothly
directed the conversation back on track. “Wait until you get to his house.”
“You’ve seen his house?” Cash asked.
Shit. Cooper realized he’d just exposed himself as a cyber-stalker. But again, he found a way to save
face. “I pulled up images so we know where we’re headed. It’s really nice.” Thankfully, everyone
seemed to buy his explanation. Well, everyone but Erick. He had one brow lifted in a dubious
checkmark over his right eye.
“You know, when I joined the police academy, they never said anything about me possibly living
the high life.” Risk couldn’t stop touching his borrowed clothing.
“Well, kid”—Erick wrapped his arm around Risk’s shoulders—“don’t get used to it. If we take you
on, you’ll be living in squalor soon enough.”
“Eh.” Cash shrugged. “There’s something to be said for living with a pack.”
“We’ll see.” Cooper still hadn’t made up his mind about Risk. He hadn’t really been giving him
much thought since he’d been a little too focused elsewhere. Still, he knew Risk had to have
something going on. Xenos wouldn’t have suggested him as an intern without a reason. But taking in
another alpha might be an added headache Cooper simply didn’t need. Especially a little alpha who
might have a lot to prove. Again, he thought of his clothing analogy and how just when they were
getting the most comfortable they were getting ready to fall apart. It was a dismal and totally
depressing thought right before a mission. “Give us five minutes to get situated, and then you”—
Cooper pointed to Risk—“get in the Bentley and go.”
“Does he know where he’s going?” Erick asked.
“There’s a GPS in the car.” Risk tapped the breast pocket of his borrowed shirt. “I just press the
home key and I’m on my way. He also gave me the codes to get into the gates.”
“When?” Cooper felt liked he’d missed something.
“He wrote it down and put it in his shoe.” Risk glanced at Cooper. “I memorized the information
and then flushed the note down the toilet.”
“Good.” Cooper recalled that Cash had put spiral-bound notebooks and pens in all the rooms in The
Bunker. It was something about his own obsessive need to make lists.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this?” Erick kept his voice low as he edged near to Cooper.
“Yeah.” But as Cooper told his guys where to go and when, he kept thinking of Kyler below. He
realized if he was going to protect him, he had to get his head in the game.
Chapter 10
Kyler lifted up the T-shirt for the fifth time and sniffed. Right after he did, he looked around and
wondered if the room had surveillance cameras. What would Cooper’s men think of him if they saw
him obsessively sniffing Cooper’s shirt?
Not that it was his greatest concern at the moment. Normally, Kyler handled stress very well. He
was able to sublimate his concern into an icy kind of calm. But now, in this situation, he wasn’t able to
do that. In business dealings, Kyler kept his cool because he didn’t get personally invested. If he lost
out on a building or a development deal, he didn’t care. There was always another transaction waiting
to be discovered. But this was different because it
was
personal. The idea of Cooper never coming
back had his stomach twisting to the point he didn’t think he could eat anything even though he was
hungry.
The scotch they’d shared had given him a pleasant glow, but that was gone now. All he had left was
the lovely taste of it in his mouth and just the barest taste of Cooper. Closing his eyes, Kyler found a
way to calm his agitation was to focus on what had happened in Cooper’s office. He couldn’t
remember a time when he’d been so aroused. Never had he done anything like that. Taking care
before, during, and after a sexual liaison was simply a part of his prudent behavior. But with Cooper,
everything had been wild, almost feral. He would have taken him without a condom when he’d never
done anything like that before.
“Knock, knock.”
Startled out of his erotic daydream, Kyler catapulted himself right off the bed.
“Whoa! Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. I just came down to see if you wanted company.”
In the doorway of his room stood a stunning blond man. He was almost as big as Cooper but
younger. His hair wasn’t platinum blond, not quite, but it was close. The most riveting about him was
that he was shirtless. His chest was a work of art. But Kyler didn’t think he was trying to show it off.
“Must be difficult to get dressed with that thing.” Kyler nodded to the heavy-looking cast on his
right arm.
“It is. I get to be free of the sling for two hours a day.” He smiled in a purely friendly way. “But the
cast makes just about everything in my life a major pain in the ass.”
“You must be Cash.”
“Guilty.” Cash grinned. “Wanna play some
Call of Duty?”
“I don’t know what that is.”
Cash’s eyes went almost comically wide. “You poor, poor man.”
“No one’s called me poor in a long time.”
“Moneywise, sure. You’re rich as sin. But the fact that you don’t know a game as finely crafted as
Call of Duty
is just a tragedy of almost epic proportions.”
Kyler liked him already. “Don’t tell anyone.”
“I won’t. If—” Cash paused dramatically.
“If?”
“If you’ll come and play with me. Please. I’m bored out of my mind.” Cash glared down at his cast.
“This stupid thing has kept me out of the action for over a month now.”
“How much longer do you have to go?”
“Another two weeks at least. Then they X-ray it and we’ll see.” Cash turned away from the door,
prompting Kyler to follow him. “Don’t you hate how doctors always do that? The
we’ll see
thing?”
“That can be annoying. But I know why they do it.”
“Yeah?” Cash picked up a strange looking device and handed it to Kyler before grabbing one for
himself. They settled on opposite ends of a tattered couch that had clearly seen better days. But as
soon as he sat on it, Kyler upped his opinion. It might look a little on the shabby side, but the piece of
furniture was more comfortable than the twenty-thousand-dollar couch in his study.
“Doctors generally have lawyers, and lawyers love the notion of wiggle room.”
“Wiggle room?” Cash turned on the television and a curious-looking box below it. To Kyler’s
untrained eye, it looked like a CPU tower.
“Sure.
We’ll see
gives the doctor plenty of room to change things around. He could take it off or
give you another two weeks. Although, to be fair, he’s probably not thinking like a lawyer. He’s just
making sure you heal all the way.”
“Yeah. But it’s a pain. I wish I could heal faster.
“Your kind doesn’t?”
“My kind?” Clearly, Cash wasn’t sure how much Kyler might know so he was passing everything
off as a joke, or at least trying to.
“For the love of all that’s holy, Cash, don’t ever play poker.”
“What? Why?”
“You have no poker face at all. I know what you are. Cooper told me.”
“Ah.” Cash wasn’t falling for it, so Kyler had to be clear.
“Woof woof.”
Cash didn’t respond.
“Nice wolfie.”
“He
did
tell you.” Cash looked chagrined. “I don’t mean to be a dick, but I try not to assume.”
“Right. Never assume. You’d do better playing poker if you remember that.”
Cash gave Kyler a sideways glance. “Did he kiss you?”
“No. He wanted me to decide if he should.”
Clearly surprised, Cash’s eyes widened. “Really? Wow. I didn’t know that he was still hung up on
Ross.”
Bells and whistles went off in Kyler’s head.
Who the hell was Ross? But rather than reveal his
ignorance and cut off a potential goldmine of information, Kyler held his cards close to the vest. He
put on his best poker face. Just because Cash didn’t have the age and experience to be subtle didn’t
mean Kyler had to follow suit. “We didn’t talk much about him. I’m sure you know why.”
“Yeah. Holy shit!” Cash scrabbled for the remote control to the television and hastily turned the
volume down. “Sorry about that. I play down here a lot, and since it’s only me I’ve got the volume on
the threshold of pain setting.”
Kyler laughed because it was an accurate description. His ears were probably going to ring for a few
days.
“Oh, fuck me running.” Cash shut the television off. “I didn’t even think.”
“About?” Kyler was baffled. Cash shifted gears so quickly Kyler was having difficulty keeping up.
The question of Ross was still dancing around in Kyler’s head, looking for a partner.
“I’m about to play a violent shooting video game with a man who very recently went through a
traumatic experience with a nutjob and a gun.”
Kyler had no idea what the game was about, but he was starting to put the pieces together. “You
shoot people in the game?”
“Yeah.” Cash set his controller on the floor then took Kyler’s from him. Kyler didn’t resist.
“Maybe we should do something else.” Kyler had never played any type of arcade game be it on a
computer, television, or handheld device. He wasn’t so sure now was the time to start.
“I’m really sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”
“Please don’t worry about it.” Kyler did not want Cash to feel badly when he was genuinely trying
to offer him something distracting. “I’m actually seeing someone about what happened to me.”
“That’s why I shouldn’t have suggested this game.”
“Not at all. It’s not so much about what happened to me in the abandoned building but more about
what Cooper might be experiencing right now.”
“Oh.” Cash clearly hadn’t thought of it that way.
“I want to get my mind off men with guns or bombs or whatever.”
“I have cards,” Cash offered.
“That sounds like fun.”
They left the couch and went over to a small, round table with four chairs. Again, looks were
deceiving because, though the dinette set appeared battered, it was remarkably comfortable. After a bit
of debate, they settled on a lively game of seven-card draw.
“We don’t play poker for money, though,” Cash confessed.
“No?” Kyler considered the cards he’d gotten. They weren’t the best in the world, but they weren’t
the worst. He could do something. Possibly. “What do you usually play for?”
“Chores.”
“Really?”
“Yep. Cooper is the best.”
“At acquiring more chores?” Kyler asked in jest.
“Right! Because every man here wants to do more grunt work.”
“So Cooper is very crafty at cards? I’ll have to remember that.”
“Never play strip poker with that man.”
Kyler felt his eyebrows rising into his hairline.
“Oh, shit! I didn’t mean to say that, like, he and I—whoa, no. No, no, no!” Even though his right
arm was broken, Cash managed to lift it up with his hand palm open and out. “Coop’s not that kind of
boss!”
“Thank God.” Kyler was falling in hard like with Cash. Through him, he was getting a better picture
of Cooper. Oddly, being around one of the men Cooper put his life in the hands of gave Kyler a far
deeper impression of Cooper.
“Shit. He’s going to fucking kill me.”
“So. He’s
that
kind of boss?” Kyler was actually teasing Cash, mainly because he could, and he
found that doing so eased some of his worry about what Cooper and the other men who worked for
him were doing. Even though Kyler understood it was part of their job, he didn’t like the idea that any
or all of them could be hurt, or worse, in an effort to keep him safe. Cracking wise and being silly was
helping him push the darkness away.
“Oh, fuck, no!” Cash looked truly mortified. “I’m not—he’d never—oh for the love of Pete! Please
tell me you are fucking with me.”
“I’m fucking with you.” Kyler couldn’t remember a time when he’d ever used vulgarities with such
ease or regularity. Somehow, he’d walked into Cooper’s building, his life, and everything he thought
he knew about himself went out the window. Like his rules of never having a casual sexual encounter,
or his rules about not swearing just because it was easier. All of those codes of conduct seemed to
have been relaxed. Although, to be fair, what he’d done with Cooper wasn’t casual. Not at all. From
the outside looking in, it might have appeared that way, but what they’d shared had actually been life-
affirming and far deeper than either one of them wanted to admit.
“You are a perfect match for Cooper, you know?”
“Am I?” Kyler laughed lightly even though he didn’t actually feel any mirth. “I thought with
everything that happened with Ross he’d never welcome another—” Kyler cut himself off abruptly
because he wasn’t sure what Ross had been to Cooper. Lover, employee, friend? As much as Kyler
wanted to pry without seeming to do so, he had to be careful how he probed into something he knew so
little about. Luckily, Cash seemed to accept “another” as description enough about Ross.
“I didn’t think so either. With how bad it was with Ross. I wasn’t there. I mean, I didn’t see what
went down, you know?”
Rather than answer and reveal he had no clue what Cash was talking about, Kyler only nodded then
dropped two of his seven cards.
“But from what I’ve heard, it was one ugly, fucked-up situation.”
“That’s what Cooper said.” Kyler deliberately kept a light hold on his remaining five cards. If
anyone knew the art of not displaying a tell, Kyler was that man. No one, not even the most educated
body language expert in the world, would be able to tell that Kyler was almost desperate to keep on
fishing the rich waters that were Cash Lowry. When Cash seemed to be hesitating, Kyler prompted,
“You going to drop two cards or what?”
“Oh. Yeah. Right.” Cash discarded two cards. “Wait.”
Kyler thought Cash had finally figured out what he was up to. He braced himself.
“We haven’t bet anything yet.”
“Right.” Kyler remembered how everyone had wanted to drive his Bentley. “How about if you win,
you get the right to drive my Bentley for a week?”
Cash’s eyes went huge. He swallowed hard and then tried to look cool. Seriously, the man had no
poker face at all. It would have been dangerous if Kyler was in mind to hurt Cooper. But he wasn’t.
Kyler wanted to know about Ross. If he was going to decide whether or not he wanted to accept
everything Cooper was offering him, he had to know Cooper’s past.
“And if I lose?” Cash asked. “What the hell can I put up that’s even close to what you’re offering?”
“I don’t know.” That was what Kyler said when the truth was the information in Cash’s head was
worth far more to Kyler than his car, home, or bank accounts combined. “How about…no. You’d
never agree to something like that.” Kyler placed his five chosen cards facedown on the table. “Maybe
we’d better find something else to do.”
“Wait. What were you thinking of? What in the world do I have that’s worth a drive in your
Bentley?” Cash seemed equal amounts suspicious and intrigued.
“Come on. It’s silly.” Kyler stood and took a step back.
“Just say it. Come on. It’s just us down here.”
“Okay, okay.” Kyler sat back down and picked up his five cards. “You could swear to answer three
questions.”
“Three questions?” Cash pulled his clutch of cards closer to his chest and, consequently, his broken
arm. “Three questions about what?”
“Whatever I want to know.” Kyler shrugged as if he couldn’t care less.
Cash frowned.
“Hey, never mind. You can drive my car without me having to lose some game. I’m letting the
other guys have a go.”
“You are?”
“Sure.” Kyler put his cards down. This time, he did so faceup. “I’m just curious about some things.
Silly things that don’t really matter.”
Cash eyeballed Kyler’s cards then his own. “Fuck. You would have totally kicked my ass.” Cash put
his five cards down faceup. Kyler would have creamed him.
“Doesn’t matter. You can drive the Bentley. Or the Lotus.”
“You have a Lotus?” Cash practically drooled.
Kyler nodded.
Cash considered his cards and then Kyler’s for a few moments. “Let’s find something else to do.”
“Sure.” Kyler stood.
“What three questions would you have asked?”
“I don’t know.” Kyler shrugged as if he’d not thought about them at all when the truth was he’d
pretty much defined them in two seconds. “Does it matter?”
“No.” Cash stood, too. “Just I’m curious.”
Kyler laughed then faced Cash. “I guess I would have asked about Cooper. Nothing heavy. Just
random things like, what’s his favorite color?”
“White.”
“Really? Technically, isn’t that a non-color?”
“I dunno. But that’s what Cooper says his favorite color is.”
Kyler thought Cooper might say that, but he wondered if it was the truth. “What’s his favorite
food?”
“Anything with meat.”
When Kyler rolled his eyes and glared at Cash, he shrugged and put his palms out open and up
again. “That’s what he says. Seriously.”
“Okay. I guess there’s no point asking about Ross.”
“Not when he’s dead.”
That told Kyler more than he probably ever wanted to know. Cooper’s first mate was dead? That
said it all. Yet, for some reason he couldn’t grasp, he asked, “I guess that means the trial for a mate
can kill?”
“Yeah. It’s why most of our kind is afraid to kiss anyone.” Cash moved up next to Kyler. “Nothing
scares the lust right out of an alpha more than the fact that our kiss can kill.”
Kyler held his features so perfectly still he must have looked like a mannequin. He didn’t have to
ask about the details of the trial Cooper had spoken of. Whatever the test was, if it didn’t go well,
Cooper’s kiss could very literally kill Kyler.
Chapter 11
“What the fuck?” Cooper was struggling not to let his personal stake in the situation spill over. He
was failing. Miserably. “How the hell did we not get so much as a tickle on this?”
“If Renaldo is following, he’s doing it in such a way we’re not able to see him.” Erick kept his voice
even. “It’s not us, Coop.”
“Right. I know.” The fact that they couldn’t capture their quarry wasn’t anyone’s fault. “I’m—
fuck.”
“You want him.” Erick’s voice crackled over the radio.
“I want to protect him,” Cooper snarled. Right after he did, he realized Erick had meant that Cooper
wanted to apprehend Renaldo, not that he physically wanted Kyler. Both statements were equally true,
but Cooper was so agitated he was seeing censure where there was none.
“That’s what I said. You want to protect Kyler and catch Renaldo.” Erick dropped his voice off the
closed-circuit radio and spoke directly to Cooper.
“I didn’t mean to say that out loud in such a way
that you took it wrong.”
“Don’t sweat it.”
Cooper spoke directly to Erick.
“It’s not what you said but how I took it.”
“No harm no foul?”
“None. Forgive me?”
“You know it.”
Cooper knew that Erick didn’t have any ill intentions, and Erick knew the same was true from
Cooper’s end.
“And for the record, I do want him. I want Kyler like fucking crazy, but I can’t do that
to another man. The thought of hurting Kyler just…I can’t.”
“Ross was a long time ago, Coop.”
“Doesn’t make this with Kyler any easier.”
“Easier? No. But Kyler is strong. He dealt with the gunman, and he kept on with his plans. I don’t
know about you, but Kyler Pembelton impressed the hell out of me when he kept moving forward with
the plans for that rehab and halfway house despite the gunman.”
“I know. But…”
“But?”
“But Ross was strong, too.”
Cooper struggled to stop thinking of the past, of Ross, of anything but
the job at hand.
“Can’t we talk about this later?”
“Sure. We can. But that’s not going to change anything.”
Erick was miles away, his view
metaphorically high over the other men in the field. Usually, it was Cooper who took the Eagle Eye
position, but he’d rejected that post. Tonight, he was on a motorcycle just a block away from Kyler’s
house. Since he was likely to stand out like a thumb hammered raw in the upscale neighborhood,
Cooper had chosen to conceal himself behind a tidy row of perfectly manicured hedges. Cooper feared
he wouldn’t be able to be as discerning as another member of his team. He was in too deep to be
objective. Cooper didn’t want his personal feelings for Kyler Pembelton to get in the way of the job.
So he’d put Erick in charge. Both of them knew he’d made the right call.
“I’m not seeing any movement, Coop,” Erick said, this time over a frequency that all the members
of the team could hear. “And that’s just fucking weird.”
“Seriously, I’m wondering what the fuck is up.”
Instead of broadcasting that to everyone on the
band, Erick spoke directly to Cooper.
“Me, too. Something is hinky.”
“Could it all be for show?”
Erick asked.
“You mean Renaldo is posturing?”
Cooper hadn’t thought about that, but it might be true.
“Perhaps. We’ve run into this before.” Erick kept his tone calm despite the fact that it was only the
two of them talking. “Some family member spouts off to make a show, but the truth is they don’t really
care.”
“He did blow up his office.”
“When no one was there,” Erick pointed out.
“I’d hate to be wrong on this count.”
“So would I.” Erick paused half a beat. “I really like Kyler, too.”
“Right. You just want to drive his car.”
“Me and everyone!” Erick rarely took offense to anything. This situation, as tense as it was, wasn’t
any different. “But seriously, I don’t think you could do better.”
“Because he’s rich?”
“Fuck you. Because Kyler is strong. He’s smart. He isn’t some stupid fuck who pisses his pants at
the first blush of danger, but you are just so goddamned jaded that you can’t see—”
“Whoa! Damn it all to hell, Erick. I like him. I do. I agree.”
“Then what the hell are you waiting for?”
“What’s your dog in this fight?”
Erick was so quiet for so long that Cooper thought he wasn’t going to answer. And then, very
quietly, Erick said, “I want the chance. I want a mate. Fuck, Coop. I’m so envious because I—”
“Risk drove the Bentley home and put that sweet, sweet baby right into the garage without one
damn blip of fire.” Aiden’s voice was simultaneously relived and envious.
“Don’t tell me. You want to drive the Bentley, too?” Cooper didn’t bother to ask the question
directly into Aiden’s mind when he knew every man in the universe, not just the men who worked for
him, but all the men in the world, would want to drive such an exquisite automobile. Hell, given half
the chance, most men would jump to bed Kyler despite all the potential problems.
“No.”
For a split second, Cooper thought he’d misheard Aiden. When there was a disturbing amount of
quiet on the line, he hesitantly asked, “No?”
“Why would I want to drive a Bentley? I could always just ride my unicorn to work.”
A chorus of chuckles followed Aiden’s comment.
“Very funny. Okay, folks, I say we pack this in and go home.” Cooper coasted his motorcycle from
the shadows of the hedge and into the road. He was just about to bring the bike to life when there was
a blinding flash of light. He thought some kind of roving security personal had shined a light in his
face but that wasn’t right. Cooper struggled to make sense of the moment, of the time line, but
something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.
Cooper felt so sickly agitated that he wasn’t sure he could pass off his annoyance with humor. He’d
wanted to get Renaldo tonight so that Kyler would be safe. “I think it would really be for the best if we
all went home and just left Risk at Kyler’s for the night.”
Cooper heard dead silence. He thought that the men were once again wishing they could trade
places with Risk, but there was something wrong. His eyes felt off, his ears, too. “Hello?”
There was no answer. Cold infiltrated Cooper’s body. When he struggled to lift his head and look
around, he found himself blind.
“Erick?”
Cooper struggled to remain calm, but when Erick didn’t answer, he panicked. Turning his
question from a mental query to one he asked aloud, Cooper thought his voice sounded off. “What the
fuck happened to Erick?”
Nothing happened. Cooper heard nothing in his radio or his head. Cooper wanted to shake the unit
in the hopes the battery was dying. But when he went to lift the unit closer to his ear, he realized blood
was pouring from his radio headset. “What the hell?”
“Coop?”
“I’m here!”
“Fuck! Can anyone get Coop?”
“What the hell?” Cooper kept repeating those three words because he couldn’t think of anything
else to say. “Erick? Erick? What the hell is going on?”
Cooper kept asking and prompting, but there wasn’t any answer. Blood kept pouring out of his radio
unit. No matter what he said, no one answered. Cooper realized that no one could hear him because
blood wasn’t pouring out of his radio. Blood was oozing out of his ear. It was then he realized he was
in shock. The blinding flash of light might have been a bomb. As he struggled to figure out where he
was—street? Yard? Both?—he tried to assess his injuries but failed.
“What the hell happened to Coop?” Erick demanded. “Coop? Cooper? God motherfucking damn it!
Cooper? Cooper?”
Chapter 12
“He’s where?” Cash was struggling to remain calm, but Kyler knew something was wrong as soon
as Cash answered his phone. “Right. No. Yeah. I’m—no.” Cash peered at Kyler, his expression lost.
His eyes were filled with fear. His mouth twisted with concern. “I’ll do what I can.”
Kyler didn’t wait. He ran past Cash and toward the staircase that Cooper had brought him down
only a few hours earlier.
“Hey! What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Cash gave chase, but by the time he caught up to
him, Kyler was out of what Cooper had called The Bunker. He knew if he didn’t make a break for it at
that precise moment, he’d be stuck in there for God knew how long.
“Where is he?” Kyler wasn’t about to allow himself to be locked in anywhere.
“He’s in the hospit—who?”
“Too late.” Kyler felt fear twist his gut. Cash hadn’t been fast enough to stop himself from
confessing that Cooper was in the hospital. He could try to cover, but they both knew the truth was out
and there wasn’t any way for him to take it back. Just the idea that the man he cared about, the one he
hadn’t been able to get off his mind since the moment he’d met him despite the horrible
circumstances, was ripping Kyler’s soul apart. “Don’t lie to me. Cooper’s hurt. I want to go to him.”
“Fuck!” Cash glared down at the floor, but at least he spared Kyler from any attempt to lie to him.
“I can’t do that.”
“You will or so help me I’ll find a way to call every hospital in the valley until I find him.”
“I’m supposed to keep you here where you’re safe.”
“Then make me safe by telling me the truth!”
Cash struggled with himself, but it became increasingly obvious he was as worried. From the
torment on his face, he might be as much if not more worried than Kyler was. “Cooper got hit.”
“By Renaldo?” Kyler didn’t think he could handle another man’s death on his conscience.
Cash shook his head. “That’s what’s so fucked up. Coop got hit by a drunk driver.”
Kyler startled. “What?” It was so unexpected, so out of leftfield, he didn’t think he’d heard Cash
right.
“Cooper was on the edge of your house, the block nearest, when some fucktard hit him dead on.”
“Dead on?” Kyler repeated the words without grasping them.
“He was on a bike.”
“A bicycle?”
“A motorcycle. Cooper was on a motorcycle. We used them when we need to be able to move fast.”
Kyler thought is heart was going to explode out of his chest. He had a vision of Cooper hanging near
his elaborate home in the exclusive gated community when someone—some nameless, faceless drunk
—plowed into him. The horrific impact made Kyler wince as if he were actually witnessing the
situation unfolding rather than imaging it.
“But he’s not dead?”
“No.” There was a hesitancy in Cash’s voice.
Not yet
was what he didn’t say, but Kyler heard the words anyway. “If I go to him… if I claim
him… will I be able to save him?” Kyler had to struggle to get the words out. He felt raw with
emotion, but he was determined to keep a tight hold on himself. He had to. Cooper needed him.
Cash shook his head as if the answer were automatically no, but then, just when Kyler was giving up
hope, Cash shrugged.
“Be honest.” Kyler stepped into him. “For Christ’s sake, be honest with me. I don’t want to do this
if it will hurt him.”
“I don’t know what it will do to him.” Cash reached for Kyler, but Kyler moved out of range.
“Don’t touch me. You can’t make me stay here.”
“I wasn’t going to.” Cash moved past Kyler, grabbed a jacket off a coatrack, and then turned
around. “I want to take you to him. If there’s a way forging a mating bond might help Cooper, then
I’m all for it. We’ve got to get over to Good Samaritan Hospital.”
Blown away that he didn’t have to fight to get what he wanted, Kyler nodded vigorously. “Where’s
your car?”
“I don’t have one.”
“Then we’ll call a cab.”
“For this neighborhood?” Cash uttered a snarky laugh. “By the time they get here, if they’re even
willing to come here, we’ll be too late.”
“Then what?” Kyler was prepared to call in his jet, helicopter, whatever he had to do to get to
Cooper. All his hesitancy about being with Cooper had evaporated. He was still afraid of wolves, and
probably always would be, but he was a hell of a lot more afraid to lose the man he was meant to be
with. Every time Kyler was presented with a real estate deal, he always knew if it was a good idea or
not by listening to his gut. That initial instinct was the one that consistently steered him the right
direction. When he’d looked up and seen Cooper at the scene, he’d known they should be together.
He’d tried to fight it without knowing why, but now he was ready to dive in headfirst.
“I have a motorcycle.”
“A motorcycle?” Kyler had driven one about a million years ago when he was young and thought he
was immortal. Not actually immortal but that kind of
I’ll live forever
idea that all teenage boys
seemed to have right up until the moment they realized they were actually mortal. Kyler’s grasp of the
obvious had happened after he’d wrecked the bike and almost killed himself in the process.
“It’s that or we’re stuck here until we can get one of your people to come pick us up.”
It took less than a second for Kyler to make a decision. “Then let’s get going.”
“Well, there’s more bad news.” Cash lifted his broken arm.
“I have to drive. Yes, I understand that. I need a jacket and a helmet.”
“I can see what Cooper sees in you.”
“Don’t be too impressed until I actually get us there.” Kyler was shaking, but he was determined to
get to his mate.
His mate!
Kyler had never ever thought of any man in such a possessive, throwback way, but here he was,
doing just that.
“Come on.” Cash strode off toward the front part of the building with Kyler hot on his heels. When
they entered a locker room, he was surprised. “This place used to be a firehouse. Coop kept most of
the stuff the way it was.”
From one of the lockers, Cash pulled out a helmet and another jacket. He handed the jacket to Kyler
first. He pulled it on and quickly realized it was way too big. But it would be cold, so he rolled up the
sleeves, zipped up the front, and flipped up the collar. Mercifully, Cash stayed silent, but it didn’t take
a mirror for Kyler to know he looked like he was playing dress up.
“The helmet has an intercom system so we’ll be able to talk to one another.” Cash pulled on a jacket
but only put in one arm. His broken arm stayed tucked close to his body. “Zip me?”
Kyler zipped him up and helped him put on the helmet. After a short flight of stairs, they were in
the back of the building. One bike was in the gated area.
“Fuck.”
Cash’s voice was loud despite Kyler’s helmet. “What?”
“Keys.”
“Go get them.” Kyler was getting more and more frantic. He wanted to be there now!
“I don’t have them.”
Rather than ask who had them, Kyler went over to the bike, climbed on, and had it hot-wired in
sixty seconds. “Open the gate then get on.”
Cash climbed on the bike and reached around Kyler’s body. He pressed a discreet button on the dash
of the bike, and the gate came open. Kyler was halfway down the street by the time the gate was
closed.
“Fuck!” Cash exclaimed.
“You, good sir, are a potty mouth.”
“Yeah, yeah, speedy pants. You know the way?”
“I do.” Kyler’s work took him all over Southern California. “I’ve given money to Good Samaritan
Hospital.”
“Do-gooder.”
“I know. Potty mouth and the Do-gooder.”
“We sound like the weirdest crime-fighting duo in the world.”
“Don’t we?” Kyler was flying down the street as fast as he could without putting them, or anyone
else, in danger. It was a fine line, but one that he felt confident to handle. “Tell me about Ross.”
“Fu—damn. I don’t think I should.”
“I need to know.” Kyler swallowed hard. “Does Cooper still love him?”
“Ross is dead, Kyler. He didn’t survive the transition.”
“Transition?”
“When, or if, whatever—after you kiss Cooper, you’ll know if you’re his mate or not. If you are,
you’ll transform.”
“Into a wolf?” Kyler fought off a shiver of dread.
“Yeah.”
“Is that the trial Cooper was talking about?”
“Yeah. Ross couldn’t handle it. He died in agony. It fucked Cooper up.”
Kyler kept on rocketing them toward the hospital, but his mind was now busy chewing over the fact
that his attempt to save Cooper could end with his own demise.
“Kyler?”
“Yes?”
“You okay?”
“I am.”
“Have you changed your mind?”
“No.” Kyler considered that Cooper had put his life on the line for him, and unknown people, every
day. That was the kind of man he was. For his part, Kyler tended to avoid dangerous situations, but he
would embrace danger every day if it meant he got to be with Cooper. “I’ll weather the trial.”
Kyler got them to the hospital in record time. Since the bike was small, he found parking close to
the emergency entrance. Not that he cared if the vehicle got towed. He’d buy Cash a dozen to replace
the motorcycle if it were towed away. All he was concerned with was getting to Cooper before it was
too late. As they rushed inside, Kyler pulled off his helmet and the jacket. He was so intent on getting
to his mate he didn’t care about anything else. When Cash lagged behind, Kyler kept moving without
him.
“Jesus! You can fucking hustle.” Cash was huffing and puffing by the time he joined him at the
nurses’ station. “Unzip me. I’m sweating in this thing.”
Kyler barely paused to get the zipper all the way down for Cash. He could maneuver his left hand,
but he couldn’t get the bottom part of the zipper to disengage.
“Better?” Kyler asked.
“Yeah.”
“You need to do more cardio.” Kyler was intent on the woman manning the station. She had a phone
to her ear while she was simultaneously signing something on a clipboard. When she saw him
standing there, she lifted one finger to convey she’d be with him as quickly as she could. Even though
Kyler had funded an entire wing, he waited his turn. The woman was clearly doing her best to
multitask. Besides, it wouldn’t do to piss off the gatekeeper. When she finally got off the phone, Kyler
explained who he was and who he was here for.
She frowned. “It’s family only, I’m afraid.”
“He’s my husband.”
“Oh.” To her credit, she didn’t bat a lash at that. Times had certainly changed. Gay married couples
were finally getting the same recognition and rights as straight married couples. Kyler didn’t care in
the least that he wasn’t technically married to Cooper. He’d rectify that just as soon as he could. “I’m
sorry, Mister…”
“Pembelton. My husband’s name is Cooper Hull.” Kyler reminded her of his name and Cooper’s.
Clearly, she’d forgotten because she was a bit overwhelmed. Kyler left off pointing out that the name
over the nearest wing was his. Again, he didn’t think his philanthropy gave him any more rights than
anyone else.
“Yes. Sorry. Busy night.” As if to prove her point, the phone started ringing and three lines lit up.
Thankfully, another nurse came and answered the calls. “He’s in ICU. He just barely got out of
surgery.”
Kyler knew that meant Cooper’s injuries were grave indeed. The Intensive Care Unit was for
patients in critical condition. “If I could just hold his hand. Even for a moment.” Actually, all Kyler
had to do was kiss him. From what Cash had told him, that would get the ball rolling.
It seemed for a moment she was prepared to tell him no, because that was standard procedure, but
something softened in her gaze. At that moment, Kyler realized Cooper probably wasn’t expected to
survive. Kyler’s heart seemed to stop beating then raced. He had to get to Cooper and he had to get to
him now.
“Please,” Kyler begged. “If he—all I want to do is say good-bye.” It was a flat-out lie. He wasn’t
going to bid Cooper farewell. He was going to surrender to whatever trial he had to in order to save the
man’s life. Somehow, in the span of less than twenty-four hours, he’d fallen in love. It was crazy, but
there was no turning away from the truth.
Silently, she led him down a long, dark hall. There was another desk, this one staffed by a man. It
was much quieter which made it seem far grimmer. The rooms circled around the desk so that at any
time, the nurse could see all of the patients just by lifting his head.
“Hey, Tina, what—”
“He’s here to see Mr. Hull.”
“Oh.” The nurse darted his gaze toward Cooper’s room. “That’s not—”
“He’s his husband.”
Another heartfelt expression was tossed Kyler’s way. He felt frantic to get to Cooper, but he didn’t
want to go running into his room. If he did that, they would call security and have him taken away. So
even though it was driving him mad, Kyler bided his time and waited despite the pressure pushing on
his body and brain.
Rather than speak, the nurse nodded and lifted his hand toward the room. Nurse Tina left while the
man settled back into the chair at the circular desk. Kyler and Cash went into Cooper’s room. He was
so swaddled in gauze he could have been anyone. But one look at his mouth and Kyler knew it was
him. Just like that moment in the abandoned building, an urge to kiss him became overwhelming.
Moving to the head of the bed, Kyler glanced toward the nurses’ station. The man there wasn’t
watching him. It was now or never. Kyler leaned over Cooper and kissed him.
At first, his mouth remained slack, making Kyler think he was too late. But his lips were warm. He
wasn’t gone. When he gasped, Kyler did, too, inadvertently pulling away.
“Kyler?”
“I’m here. I’m here.”
“Don’t.”
Kyler startled. He looked up at Cash, who was shaking his head. “He doesn’t mean it.”
“I won’t lose another mate. I won’t take a man like you from this world.”
Touched, Kyler nonetheless kept on with his mission. “You left the decision up to me.” Kyler
leaned near. “I’m choosing you, Cooper Hull. So you’d just better deal with it.”
A brief, smile slightly lifted the edges of Cooper’s mouth. “You just don’t know how to take no for
an answer, do you?”
“No. I don’t. Now kiss me.”
When Cooper opened his mouth, perhaps to protest, Kyler kissed him again. Cooper groaned, but
not with pain, more with lust that he simply couldn’t deny. Kyler gently deepened the kiss, stunned
when he felt a curious coiling of power slipping over his tongue. Unable to stop, Kyler kept going,
feeling himself falling into a simultaneous connection that was part lust, part love. He’d always
thought love was something that took time to grow, but here he was, sliding into love so fast it was
almost comical. Maybe the trick was finding the right man. So what if he was a wolf and Kyler would
be one, too? He’d be happy. He’d never regret this moment of perfect, beautiful bliss.
As if to prove him wrong, the power that seemed to go from Cooper and slip into his mouth now
settled in his belly. Throbbing like a shattered bone, the pain forced Kyler to step back from Cooper’s
bed. He would have doubled over but for the rail on the side. Gripping it tight in his fists, Kyler hung
on, but the pain didn’t pass. Deeper the agony went throughout his body. And then, to his shock, it
seemed to settle into the scar across his belly.
“Oh, God.” Kyler couldn’t stand up anymore.
Right as he collapsed, Cooper sat up.
Chapter 13
Cooper couldn’t understand what was going on. Had they caught Renaldo? Or had he somehow
gotten hit by one of his bombs?
“Why is it so fucking quiet in here?”
No one answered. Cooper realized that though he thought he was talking, he wasn’t. Not out loud, at
any rate. He tried to open his eyes but they wouldn’t come open. Suddenly afraid, he struggled to
move, to speak, to do something to prove to himself that he was alive. But nothing happened.
Reaching out on his mental link to another member of his pack, he couldn’t feel anyone that way
either. Terror filled all the empty spaces in his body. Had he known today was going to be his last day
on Earth, he would have kissed Kyler. He would have spun him around from that wall, pushed his
pants down and off, then lifted him up, kissing him senseless as he filled that tight little ass of his. But
now it was too late. He’d never know if he was really his mate or if he would have accepted the risks
and kissed Cooper anyway. If any man had proven in multiple ways that he was far stronger than he
appeared, that man was Kyler.
“We could have really been something.”
In a way, Cooper had been relieved. Since he was dead or dying, Kyler no longer had to make the
agonizing decision of whether or not to become his mate. Oddly, Cooper felt like a coward. He’d done
all he could to convince himself that he was protecting Kyler, but the truth was he was too weak to
handle losing another mate. He’d been young when he’d kissed Ross. So fucking young and convinced
that love would get them through everything. He’d been so horribly wrong. And that pain cowed him.
He’d never even considered kissing another potential mate again.
Kyler changed everything.
He was not only physically strong, but he was mentally and emotionally the most powerful man
Cooper had ever met. Most men would have walked away from the rehab project after what went down
in that building. But not Kyler. He was even more determined to help. And that was what it was about.
He wasn’t doing it to aggrandize himself. Kyler wanted to build the rehab and halfway house to help
others. And, true to form, Kyler had wanted to honor the man who had given his life to protect him.
Even the scar that Kyler had been so self-conscious about, the one that sparked terror when Cooper
had shifted to show him what he was, didn’t stop him from moving forward. If anyone might have
been able to handle the demands of a transformation, Kyler Pembelton was that man. And Cooper had
let him get away.
Or had he?
Lost as he was in the darkness, Cooper didn’t really understand where he was or what was going on.
He couldn’t see, couldn’t talk. He felt movement for a while but now it was gone. Cooper dreaded that
he was dead and hadn’t let go for some reason. And then, a soft, tentative kiss. Never in his life had he
ever felt something so sweet, so pure. A new hunger, something so unfamiliar it was completely alien
to him, filled all the empty spaces in Cooper’s existence. He felt he was suddenly able to see, feel,
touch, smell—all of his senses returned and seemed to be three times as powerful as they ever were.
He wasn’t just alive. He was touching all planes of existence at once.
When he realized it was Kyler kissing him, he tried to push him away, but the man refused to take
no for an answer. He was stronger than Cooper wanted to believe, strong enough to stand up to him,
strong enough to take what he wanted.
As Kyler deepened the kiss, Cooper couldn’t help but feel hope. His damaged body began to heal.
Such was the magic of a powerful bond. But just as there was boon, there was bust, too. Kyler clung to
the railing around the bed, doing his best to downplay the pain slamming into him. As Cooper realized
he was in a hospital and his mate had begun the process of transforming, he realized he had to get him
out of here. If anyone discovered what was happening to Kyler, they wouldn’t believe it, or they’d
think it was some dread disease. They would isolate him, and then Cooper wouldn’t be able to help
him. God only knew what outsiders would do if Kyler survived the trial and transformed into a wolf
before their very eyes.
“We’ve got to get him out of here.”
Cash was moving around to Kyler’s side, struggling to help him up and failing because of his
broken arm.
“If you suddenly walk out of here, questions are going to be asked,” Cash said.
“I’ll figure something out.” Cooper got up and started stripping off the equipment that was
connected to him.
“No!” Cash hissed. “That’s guaranteed to bring them running.” Looking over his shoulder for the
nurse, Cash visibly panicked when he didn’t see him.
“Go find out where he is,” Cooper suggested.
“Let me get Kyler somewhere where he won’t be seen.”
Cooper looked around. There wasn’t a bathroom, but that wasn’t surprising considering he was in
ICU. He knew that because he’d been in here before, visiting cop buddies who’d been hurt. “I know.”
Coop scooted over on the bed, making room for Kyler on the other side of him. “This way, the nurse
can’t see him unless he comes in the room.”
Even with one arm in a cast, Cash was remarkably strong. He was able to scoop up Kyler and carry
him around to the other side of the bed. By turning on his side, Cooper was able to keep him hidden
from the nurses’ station, especially since it was night and fairly dark in the room.
“Good?”
Cooper nodded. Kyler was flushed. His cheeks were so red they looked almost sunburned. If only it
was something so benign. What was actually happening was his entire body was undergoing a
powerful transformation. From what Cooper had heard from other shifters and shifter lore, Kyler
would lose almost twenty pounds during the process. Since Kyler was a slender man to begin with,
that was the part that frightened Cooper the most. What made the situation more difficult, beyond the
fact that he’d lost a mate before, was that there was nothing he could do to help him or make the
transformation any easier.
“I’d better go before the nurse comes in to chase us out. I’ll tell him Kyler was emotionally
overcome and ran off to the restroom.”
“Good cover.”
“Yeah. As for me, I’ll take a cab home. I’m not even going to kid myself that I can drive the bike.”
“You took the motorcycle here?”
“He drove.” Cash nodded toward Kyler. “And he hot-wired it.”
“Where did he learn that skill?”
“No idea.” Cash peered down at Kyler. “He’s really fucking strong. You know that, right?”
“I do.”
Cash met Cooper’s gaze. “I think he’s the one.”
Cooper nodded because if he said something, he was afraid his voice would break and he’d be
emotionally overwhelmed. Not that he believed in that old adage about big boys not crying, but he
feared if he started, he wouldn’t be able to stop. He wasn’t sure how it had happened, but he’d gone
from attraction, to admiration, to the first stirrings of love. Kyler Pembelton was a once-in-a-lifetime
man. And if Cooper killed him, he would never forgive himself. His conscience wouldn’t care that
Kyler had kissed him. Cooper would blame himself.
“Oh. Here. Take my phone.” Awkwardly, Cash fished his cell out of his pocket. “Call me when
you’re ready.”
“Thanks.” Cooper hesitated. “We have to get out of here sooner rather than later.”
“What do you want me to do?”
“Get Xenos. Tell him what’s going on. See if he can arrange a transfer to another hospital.” Cooper
handed Cash’s phone back.
“Won’t that just reveal your miraculous improvement and your struggling mate?”
“Xenos can get him out of here, and me, without a bunch of questions.” When Cash flashed him a
puzzled expression, Cooper said, “Xenos will play the Homeland Security card.”
“Ah.” Cash nodded and took off.
Trusting him completely, Cooper didn’t track Cash’s progress. He was too busy keeping watch over
Kyler. Time took on a curious quality where it seemed too slow and then seemed to speed up so fast
that he swore he was watching Kyler drastically age. The most terrifying aspect was that his cheeks
hollowed out and he went from freezing cold to so hot he was soaked in sweat.
“I’m here,” Cooper murmured, holding him tight when he needed warmth and fanning him as best
he could when he needed to cool down. “What were you thinking? Coming here and kissing me now?
Cash should have stopped you.”
“No…one…stops…me.” Kyler’s voice was fragile and weak, but when he opened his eyes, they
gleamed with intensity.
“That’s right. No one can stop you.” Cooper kissed him lightly on the forehead. “You show me how
wrong I was to be afraid. You beat this. You hear me?”
“I’m…not…losing…”
Cooper’s heart almost exploded out of his chest when Kyler went limp. “Kyler?” Placing his fingers
against his carotid, he didn’t find a pulse. “Oh, God, Kyler. Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me. I
love you.”
“Love…you.”
Relief made Cooper jerk his head up and search Kyler’s face. His eyes were closed. His long lashes
resting against his now-pale cheeks. Kissing him a dozen times, Cooper kept on watching him, praying
to any and every god he’d ever heard of to keep his mate safe. And he wanted him alive not just for
himself, but because if anyone deserved to live, Kyler was that man. Cooper couldn’t even imagine
what good Kyler could do with his new abilities.
“Knowing you, you’ll improve the world even more than you already have.” Lowering his mouth to
Kyler’s ear, he whispered, “And you have to stick around long enough to tell me how in the world you
know how to hot-wire a vehicle.”
By the time Xenos showed up and managed to get him out without them getting caught or raising
any eyebrows too high, Cooper was exhausted. He was still sore. Getting a mate wasn’t a heal-
miraculously card. He was much improved, but he was still pretty banged up. However, he knew if
Kyler hadn’t claimed him, he wouldn’t have survived the night.
“You saved my life.” Cooper was sitting on the edge of his bed. He’d put Kyler in the center. He’d
changed the sheets twice. Once from sweat and another from the sheets getting too wet from the
sponge bath he gave him.
“You’re doing all you can.” Aiden said, settling more bottles of water into the bucket of ice near the
bed. Everything Cooper could possibly need was close by. Every one of his men had been in at one
point or another to give him supplies, advice, or just to simply pat him on the back. Everyone was
pulling for him and Kyler. Cooper knew they not only liked Kyler, but they saw his struggle as a
harbinger of what loomed should they decide to take a mate.
“Can’t I just this once control the universe?”
“If it were in my power to grant you that, I would.” After talking quietly with him, Aiden left.
Just when he thought the siege would never end, Kyler opened his eyes, looked right at Cooper, and
began the final transformation. It was the most difficult part of the entire process. As Cooper watched
Kyler contort and shift, his mind kept overlaying what he was seeing now with what had happened to
Ross.
“You’re strong. You can do this.” Fear tightened around him like a cloak that grew smaller and
more constricting. “I believe in you. Any man who can do what you did can handle this.”
With almost agonizing slowness, Kyler became a wolf. Panting heavily, he stayed on his side, his
blue eyes seeking around the room as if he wasn’t sure where he was. In his wolf form, his hair was a
very light gray.
“Kyler?” Cooper reached out to touch him, and Kyler growled.
Yanking his hand back, Cooper tried to understand what was going on. Was Kyler upset with him?
Or was he simply overwhelmed by all that had happened? Erring on the side of compassion, Cooper
kept his hand to himself while he explained, in detail, the trial Kyler had undergone.
Kyler appeared to be listening. After a moment, he struggled to get to his feet. Cooper reached out
to help, but he was warned off with another low growl. Using his canine senses, he realized it wasn’t
an angry growl. Not at all. Kyler simply wanted to stand on his own. Once he grasped that, Cooper
wasn’t upset. That fortitude exemplified exactly the kind of man, or canine, that Kyler was.
When he was up, he was wobbly as hell. Worse than even a newborn colt.
“It’s probably the bed.”
Kyler peered up at him with his stunning blue eyes.
“Walking on a soft bed is hard enough with two legs let alone four. Why don’t you jump on down
and try the floor?”
Kyler got right up to the edge and peered over. He whined lightly.
“Aw, don’t tell me you’re chicken.”
Kyler gave him a look that conveyed his annoyance.
“Hey, I’m okay with you staying in bed all the time. Let me shift and we’ll give this mating thing a
go.”
That prompted Kyler to jump down. He landed awkwardly but kept his balance. Watching him
stagger around was like watching any four-legged creature take its first steps. After about ten minutes,
he seemed to have it down.
“See? You’re a natural.”
Kyler woofed.
Using his cell, Cooper texted Erick, and after a few minutes he brought in a rare steak.
Kyler’s attention was so riveted to the plate he carried the wall could have fallen down and he
scarcely would have noticed.
As soon as the plate hit the floor, Kyler was on it.
“It’s a good thing you cut it up or he would have choked himself scarfing it down!” Cooper watched
his mate eat while he tried to stretch the kinks out of his body. He was tired and sore, but he was also
grateful. Kyler had made it through.
Chapter 14
“I’m not going to break, you know.” Kyler was on his back on Cooper’s bed. Well, technically it
was both of their beds since they were now mates. Eventually, they’d have to do the whole ceremonial
thing, but that could come later. Right now, he was trying his best to get Cooper to consummate their
union. “I’m not going to marry you until you fuck me.”
“Must you be so crude?” Cooper was still wearing a towel around his hips. He’d showered, shaved,
and then spent hours making sure Kyler was as charged up as he possibly could be.
“Apparently, I must. If I get anymore turned on I’m going to climax all by myself.”
“Now that sounds like a challenge.”
“Cooper!”
“One thing.” Cooper held his hand tauntingly on the edge of his towel.
“What?”
“How did you know how to hot-wire a car? Or rather a motorcycle?”
“Really?” Kyler sat up. “That’s what you’re dying to know?”
“Yep.”
“My aunt taught me.”
“She did?” Cooper’s eyebrows lifted, but his towel didn’t drop.
Nodding, Kyler climbed out of bed. “She said it was only to be used in the direst of emergencies.
Getting to you was just such a thing.”
“Is that so?” The closer Kyler got, the more Cooper tightened his hold on the towel.
“That’s so.” Rather than use brute force, which would never work on Cooper anyway, Kyler used to
power of sound and touch. Moving close to his mate, he uttered a low, plaintive cry of need.
“Not fair.” Cooper growled in return.
“I need you.” Kyler stroked his fingers down Cooper’s chest, loving the feel of him, the heat.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t.” When Cooper still seemed resistant, Kyler dropped to his knees.
“What the hell?”
“I’ve tried everything else.” Kyler looked up. He knew it was a shockingly submissive pose for him
to take, but it had the desired effect. Cooper yanked the towel away, displaying his thick, hard cock.
Having felt him rubbing up against him wasn’t the same as seeing him. The glimpse he’d had in
Cooper’s office wasn’t enough. The brief taste he’d had of him then wasn’t enough, either. Hungrily,
Kyler rose up and sucked the tip of his mate’s cock into his mouth.
Uttering simultaneous moans of pleasure, they quickly fell into a rhythm. Cooper rocked his hips,
but gently. Clearly, Cooper didn’t want to choke him, something Kyler appreciated. He was a big man.
With a cock that thick, he could do some serious damage. But Kyler wasn’t afraid. He was excited. It
was the idea of all that barely leashed power. That made him wild with lust. And, too, he had to admit
that something had changed since his transformation. He felt his animal side more than he ever had
before. He felt a freedom with Cooper that he’d never felt with any of his lovers. Perhaps the
difference was what they had undergone to be together. Though the physical demands were all on
Kyler’s shoulders, the emotional demands placed on Cooper were no less severe. In a way, Kyler
thought it was a role reversal. The beta partner had to be physically strong while the alpha partner had
to be emotional strong. The trial was to prove to one another they could be a powerful pair. Even that
made sense to Kyler because wolves mated for life. They needed to know in absolute terms they could
count on one another.
“I can’t take this anymore.” Cooper pulled his cock out of Kyler’s mouth, making a soft
pop
as he
did so. “I want to be inside you. I have from the moment I saw you.”
Kyler was pulled off his knees and into Cooper’s embrace. Before he knew it, he was tossed onto
the bed and Cooper was above him, balanced on his powerful arms. Frantic kisses conveyed his need.
When Cooper lifted his head, looking around the top of the mattress, Kyler knew what he was seeking.
Rather than speak, Kyler reached under the pillow, grabbed the lube, poured a massive amount in his
hand, and then smeared it up and down the length of Cooper’s cock.
Angling himself back by lifting his legs and spreading them wide, Kyler readied himself to finally
feel his mate’s possession. When Cooper placed the hot knob of his prick against his hole but went no
farther, Kyler thought he was going to burst into tears of frustration.
“Don’t make me beg.”
“I want only one thing.”
“Dear God, just tell me what it is and I’ll get it for you! Mansions, cars, a million dollars in cash for
you to roll around in—anything! Everything!”
“Good to know.” Cooper chuckled. “But all I really want is to hear three little words.”
“Fuck me now.”
“Those will do.” Cooper covered Kyler’s mouth, kissing him as he eased his cock inside.
Kyler was no virginal lover, but this was like the first time. He was so completely engaged that he
swore he felt each ridge of Cooper’s cock as he slid within. Heat and life and power were all wrapped
up in that sublime moment of penetration. Always, Kyler had dreamed of a man coming to him and
taking rough command of him. Cooper did that, but he wasn’t brutal. It was a tender yet firm control.
“I love you.”
“Ah, yeah. Those are the words I really wanted to hear.”
“I’ve said them before.”
“I know. But I don’t tire of hearing them.”
With great care and attention to Kyler’s features, Cooper increased his pace until he was doing
exactly what Kyler had asked for. Cooper was fucking him hard and fast. He was a powerful machine
that seemed able to keep going forever. Each time he rammed his cock in, he bounced Kyler on the
bed, pushing him across the silky surface.
“Damn it.” Cooper pulled out and got off the bed. He grabbed Kyler’s leg and yanked him back
toward the edge.
“Why don’t we try this?” Kyler knelt on the floor with his chest on the bed. “You can fuck as hard
as you want and I won’t be able to go anywhere.”
Cooper grabbed two pillows off the bed. He tossed them down on the floor. One was shoved under
Kyler’s knees, and the other was probably for Cooper’s knees. And then he was behind him, fitting his
cock back into Kyler’s welcoming channel.
Growling at one another, they degenerated into barely human animals as they strove toward climax.
Cooper became so vigorous in his thrust he damn near moved the bed! Had the head of it not been
against the wall he certainly would have. Still, he was probably digging the bed into the drywall. Kyler
dug his hands into the blankets, using what little leverage he had to angle his ass up for more, more,
more. When he realized he was screaming that at Cooper, he tried to calm himself down, but then he
decided he didn’t care if someone heard them. They were mates. They’d survived their trial. They had
a right to celebrate in any way they saw fit.
“You’re going to come for me.” Cooper took one hand off Kyler’s hip and wrapped his fist around
Kyler’s cock.
“Keep fucking me like that and I swear I will.”
Cooper didn’t miss a beat. Now every time he thrust into Kyler’s ass, he forced Kyler to fuck his
fist. Pleasure unlike anything he’d ever experienced sparked awareness across Kyler’s body. Lifting
his head, he uttered a howl of satisfaction and surrender as he climaxed. Cooper joined him in release,
but his cry was a combination of satisfaction and triumph.
Sweaty, shaking, and utterly spent, they collapsed on the floor. The pillows that had cushioned their
knees were now cradling their heads.
“For a first time, that was pretty damn epic,” Kyler said softly.
“It was, wasn’t it?” Cooper pulled him close. “Please tell me I didn’t hurt you.”
“I have never felt like that,” Kyler assured him. “I think you moved the bed.”
“That thing is bolted to the floor.” Cooper lifted his head and looked over. “But yeah, it looks like I
tweaked those bolts a bit.”
“Pray tell why is your bed bolted to the floor?” Kyler was hoping it wasn’t because he was always
this driven with his lovers. He knew he wasn’t Cooper’s first, but he didn’t like the idea of him being
so animalistic with anyone else.
“Earthquake proofing. Everything is bolted or strapped down. I can’t remember whose great idea it
was. Some kind of safety deal.” Cooper sighed. “And before you ask, the answer is no. It’s never, ever
been like that with anyone else.”
“Not even…” Kyler didn’t want to say his name. He felt horrible for asking. “Never mind. The past
is the past, and that’s where it should stay.”
“It’s okay. Really. Not talking about him seems wrong. Ross was a great guy, but what happened
with him was different from what happened with you. For one, I was younger. A lot younger. And we
met, kissed, and he died before we could ever go beyond the trial.”
“I’m so sorry.” Kyler didn’t want that ghost between them. And he agreed with Cooper. Not
discussing something never turned out for the best. It had a tendency to fester.
“We never got the chance to even get close to love. But what ate at me and held me back from
trying again was I wasn’t strong enough to undergo the trial. Emotionally, I was devastated because
there was nothing I could do to help him. That’s why, with you, I hesitated. Fear held me back.”
“It’s difficult for me to think of you afraid of anything.”
“I told myself I was afraid of killing you, but the real truth was I didn’t think I was strong enough to
handle the trial. But by saying I was protecting you, I was really protecting myself.”
“And I took it out of your hands.” Kyler rolled over so they could see one another. “Are you angry
with me?”
“No. If you hadn’t have kissed me, I would have died. There’s no question in my mind you saved
my life. But also, I don’t know that I would have had the courage to try again.” Cooper kissed him
very sweetly. “How did you get over your fear of wolves?”
“I don’t know that I did.” Kyler laughed. “But I decided that wolves are like people.”
“Uh, I’m not following that logic.”
“Believe it or not, people have hurt me. There’s a whole long string of human beings who did me
wrong, yet I continue to care about humanity. I had to realize that though those wolves killed my
father and hurt me, that doesn’t mean all wolves are bad.”
“Ah. I get it. And I like it.”
Kyler settled his head on Cooper’s chest. There was more they had to talk about, but they didn’t
have to resolve everything right now. Renaldo was still out there, vowing vengeance on Kyler, but he
wasn’t doing anything other than sending threats to the LAPD. He wasn’t going to his usual haunts. As
far as they knew he hadn’t gone anywhere near Kyler’s home or anywhere Kyler frequented other than
his office. And that explosion was minor. There was more smoke damage than anything else. After
starting repairs, Kyler beefed up security. So far, there hadn’t been anything else even remotely
suspicious. Kyler was starting to suspect the threats were nothing more than a grieving brother’s way
of dealing with his emotions. But while he was sympathetic to a degree, Kyler still took precautions.
And he knew Cooper wasn’t about to drop the ball. He was überalpha and therefore extremely
protective, which Kyler actually enjoyed. As long as Cooper wasn’t putting himself in danger, he
could be as macho as he wanted to be.
“I never thought I’d retire.” Cooper was tracing some kind of pattern on Kyler’s back.
“You haven’t retired.” Kyler lifted up again so he could see Cooper’s face. “And I’m not the one
who—”
“Hey, slow your roll.” Cooper laughed. “I made the decision. I’m not blaming you. I’m just talking
here.”
Kyler nodded. “Sorry. I guess I just feel somewhat defensive. I thought maybe your men might
think it was my fault.”
“They might, but I doubt it. Besides, they’re free to think whatever the hell they want. I’m not in
control of that, and neither are you. But in reality, I think they understand. I’ve been in this game for a
long time, and I want to have some peace. I can run things without being in the field. That’s a younger
man’s game.”
Kyler narrowed his gaze. “Just how old are you?” Cooper had a fairly deep set of crow’s-feet and he
had salt-and-pepper hair, but there was a lot more pepper as opposed to salt.
“Oh, right. We never did get into all that, did we?”
“You’re not going to answer, are you?”
“Hmm.” Cooper pretended to consider the matter.
“Keep it to yourself. I’ll just keep my tight little ass to myself. We’ll see which one of us gives up
first.”
It took a grand total of thirty minutes for Cooper to cave. Kyler realized he’d only lasted that long
because he needed a break to get hard again. “I’m ninety-four.”
“Are you serious?” Kyler shook his head. “You don’t look it.”
“We age differently. You will, too, now.”
“How long do we live?”
“That I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“There’s a lot about our kind I don’t know.” Cooper was sitting cross-legged on the floor. He pulled
Kyler into his lap, settling him on his cock. Since he’d confessed the truth, Kyler allowed him access.
Even though they’d just had a wild fuck, feeling his mate fill him a second time was no less intense.
Kyler had a feeling it would always be like this for them.
“You don’t know where you came from or how you became a shifter?”
“No.” Cooper lifted and lowered Kyler very slowly. “I think it’s something in the blood, but I’m not
sure. The only thing I know for sure is how we confirm our mates and what happens there. As for the
rest?” He shrugged without missing a beat from their sensual dance. “Does it matter?”
“I’m curious. I wonder if that’s why those wolves spared me that night. They got a taste of me and
they knew I was a potential.”
“Maybe.” Cooper tightened his grip. “We can find out.”
“We can?” Kyler grasped Cooper’s shoulders to steady himself as the pace increased.
“You have time and money. I’ll do my best to help in between jobs.”
“I wouldn’t even know where to start.”
“As the song goes, let’s start at the very beginning.”
“That’s a very good place to start.” Kyler laughed lightly, but it quickly faded into gasps of
delirious pleasure. Cooper might be ninety-four, but he had the stamina of a man half Kyler’s age.
“This time, I want to watch you.” Cooper held Kyler’s gaze the entire time.
“And you want to see if you can make me totally crazy, too.”
“Yeah.” Cooper grinned. “I like you when you get frantic. And stop worrying about that.”
“What?”
“Your scar.” Cooper slowed his pace long enough to trace over the mark with caring fingertips.
“You know how they say chicks dig scars? So do men. Or at least I do.”
“You really don’t find it ugly?”
“I find it a trophy of how strong you really are.” Cooper kissed him over and over until Kyler was
convinced he was telling him nothing but the truth. “Now stop worrying about it and dance on my
dick.”
“Talk about crude.”
“Yeah. As it was coming out of my mouth, I knew it was going to sound stupid. I should only talk
during sex if I’m speaking German.”
“But then I won’t understand you.”
“That’s probably a good thing!”
“Try something more commanding like…”
“Like?”
“I’m thinking.” Kyler didn’t have to consider for long. “How about
fuck yourself on my cock?”
“Ooh, nasty.” Cooper took his hands off Kyler’s hips. He uncrossed his legs and reclined, all
without dislodging Kyler’s perch. “Fuck yourself on my cock.”
This time, Cooper delivered the line with gusto. There was fire in his gaze as he looked at Kyler and
issued his demand.
“Did you just break out in goose bumps?” Cooper asked.
“I did.”
“Aha. I’m starting to see you like being submissive.”
“But only in here.”
“Only in here.” Cooper leaned up and kissed him. “I would never order you around outside the
bedroom.”
“Thank you.”
Lying back, Cooper again demanded, “Fuck yourself on my cock while I watch.”
Rising to his knees, Kyler pulled most of Cooper’s cock from his ass. Keeping only the tip buried,
he swiveled his hips. Just when Cooper seemed to be getting anxious for more, Kyler lowered himself
and made another series of tight circles. All the while he kept his gaze locked with Cooper’s. When he
started to lift and lower himself in earnest, Cooper was clearly struggling to retain his indifferent
façade.
Determined to crack his exterior, Kyler lowered his lids and allowed his head to go back.
Cooper flicked his hips ever so slightly, but it was enough to tell Kyler what kind of an impact he
was having on his mate.
When Kyler lifted his hands and twisted his own nipples, another telltale flick told him Cooper was
getting dangerously close to losing control. What pushed him over the edge was when Kyler uttered a
submissive whimper.
“Oh. Fuck.” Cooper grasped his hips, holding him tight as he drilled his cock into Kyler’s ass.
Unable to get the leverage he clearly wanted, Cooper managed to stand up while keeping Kyler
impaled. It was a clear show of his amazing strength and dexterity.
Pinning him against the wall, Cooper proceeded to utter a slew of what Kyler could only imagine
were crude words because he’d decided to speak them in German. Not that Kyler minded. The sharp
edges of the words and the way Cooper punctuated them with a flick of his hips made it so
aggressively sexy Kyler surrendered.
“That’s it. Come for me. Tighten that sweet ass around my cock.”
Kyler did just that, thrilling inside when Cooper climaxed so hard he sank to his knees before the
shakes were even over.
“Wow.” Kyler could barely form the word let alone speak it.
“You are the most aggressive little submissive on the planet. You know that, right?”
“You’ll have to work harder at controlling me.”
“Be careful what you wish for,
meine Liebender mit einem Arsch wie eine rose.”
Chapter 15
Cooper’s lover with the ass like a rose was careful about what he wished for. With careful attention,
and a desire to thoroughly please his mate’s lusty side, Cooper was becoming ever better at playing
the part of a Dom. He’d always had a need in him to take control, but he’d never gone quite that far.
Much to his surprise, he discovered that he loved it. Having command of Kyler for those few hours a
week fed something in him that nothing else could. Moreover, it fed something that Kyler needed.
“All day, every day I have to be in charge of just about everything. Here, with you, I get to let go.”
Oddly, for Cooper, he was in charge all the time with his business, but so much was out of his
hands. Not being able to control everything was exhausting. In the safety of their bedroom, he was
completely in charge. Everything went the way he wanted it to. Even when Kyler defied him, which he
did only so he could get a little discipline, he was still the undisputed master of the domain. It was
perfect for both of them. The main thing surrendering to that erotic power exchange did for them was
deepen their trust.
Cooper knew he could literally trust Kyler with his life, and Kyler felt the same. What they had
might have come together quickly, but it didn’t mean they got a free pass for bliss. They still had to
work on their relationship and not only learn one another’s idiosyncrasies, but accept them.
Kyler liked extreme orderliness from his day planner to his sock drawer. Cooper was more spur of
the moment and a little haphazard around the house. His locker was precise, but his sock drawer was
more likely to have boxers in it than socks. But Kyler didn’t get his undies in a twist about it. He still
had his big house in the gated community, but he only went there when Cooper went with him. They
were splitting their time between the firehouse and the mansion. For now, it was a perfect
arrangement. If things changed down the line, they’d deal with it then. All either of them ever had to
do was talk about it and the other would listen. Their ability to communicate clearly and honestly was
what made them work.
“You can do whatever you want with your dresser. Really. Just stay out of mine.”
“As if I could get into your boxers.”
Kyler paused, and then ever so slowly his features became very inviting. “Well, technically, you
could
get into my boxers. Provided you know the magic word.”
“Magic word?” Cooper pretended to consider what it might be. “Just one little word?”
“Just one.” Kyler stopped fussing with the socks in his dresser. “Well, one word and one action.”
Cooper knew the word, but he wasn’t so sure what the action might be. “Did you learn something
new today in your quest to uncover all there is to know about our kind?”
“No.” Kyler looked disappointed, and he blew a burst of air between pursed lips. “I’m not having a
lot of luck.”
Whenever he got frustrated, Kyler did the opposite of what most people probably thought he did. He
didn’t keep going. He said banging his head against the wall never brought the wall down and worse, it
gave him a headache. What he did was step back. Rather than push, he considered the wall itself and
tried to find another way through, around, or over it. As a coping strategy, Cooper thought it was one
of the best. If the answer was out there, Kyler was going to find it.
“To be completely honest, I’m a little frustrated with that but also, I feel like I’m waiting for the
other shoe to drop with Renaldo.”
“No one’s heard from him.”
“I know. Doesn’t that strike you as strange?”
“Maybe not. He could have fled the country. He could have blown himself up.” Cooper shrugged as
he took Kyler into his arms. “He hasn’t contacted the LAPD again, so maybe he realized you didn’t
kill his brother.”
“Maybe. I’m just concerned that he’ll blow up the rehab.”
“Ouch.”
“What?”
“I’m in charge of security on that place. Are you saying you don’t trust me to—”
“No!” Kyler was quick to reassure him. “I wasn’t putting you down. I’m just concerned.”
“As you should be.” Cooper soothed him with soft strokes down his back. “But we’ve got it
covered. If anything even remotely hinky happens, Hull Protection Services will take care of it.”
“Thank you.”
“I know how much that project means to you.” Cooper was proud that Kyler was true to his word
and kept right on moving with the rehab and halfway house.
“Thank you.”
“Please.”
“What?”
“That’s the magic word, isn’t it?” Cooper toyed with the edge of the boxers Kyler had just put on.
“Please?”
“That’s correct.” As Kyler angled his face up, Cooper realized what the magic action was. He kissed
him very gently.
“Ah. You guessed correctly.”
“I’ve been told I’m very good.”
“Is that right?”
“It is. But I can also be very, very bad.”
Kyler wrapped his arms around Cooper’s shoulders as he picked him up. “Show me.”
Cooper was right in the middle of proving his point when Erick interrupted via the intercom.
“Sorry, boss, but we’ve got a job. Xenos called us in on a bank robbery.”
“What’s the situation?”
“Robbery went south. The man who was in charge fucked up and got one of the hostages shot. It’s a
fucking mess.”
“And he wants us to clean it up.”
“That’s about the speed of it.”
After assuring Erick he was on his way, Cooper disengaged from Kyler. “I’ve got to go and run
point.”
“I know.” Kyler kissed him quick. “Later?”
“You know it.” Cooper dressed as he made his way to the command center. Thanks to Kyler’s
infusion of capital, they’d been able to give Cooper the perfect war room within his office. He was
safe and could keep watch over his men to ensure they were safe, too. As Cooper took charge, he
realized that he’d changed a great deal in a very short time. Kyler had brought out the best in him,
turning a kiss of danger into a lifetime of joy. Cooper’s only hope was that the members of his pack
would find their own special mates.
THE END
WWW.ANITRAMCLEOD.COM
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Reading, writing, and white-water rafting are the three things Anitra Lynn McLeod enjoys the most.
You can visit her at www.AnitraMcLeod.com.
For all titles by Anitra Lynn McLeod, please visit
www.bookstrand.com/anitra-lynn-mcleod
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
About the Author
Document Outline
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Chapter 4
- Chapter 5
- Chapter 6
- Chapter 7
- Chapter 8
- Chapter 9
- Chapter 10
- Chapter 11
- Chapter 12
- Chapter 13
- Chapter 14
- Chapter 15
- About the Author
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