by Lynn Hagen
Not that that excused Ryan’s behavior. Stalking someone or becoming possessive was never the right thing to do. But Ryan was much better now.
Or so he kept telling himself that.
In truth, part of the reason he’d acted that way was because he was afraid Macaw would find out about Warren and try to hurt him to get to Ryan.
He wanted to tell Ash about Macaw, but Ash already thought Ryan was a screwup. Besides, as long as Ryan didn’t go back to the demon realm, there should be no way Macaw could find him.
Hopefully.
Ash slid his hand around Ryan’s nape and pulled him in for a toe-curling kiss. When they broke apart, Ash teased Ryan’s bottom lip. “We’re in this together. You and I know how important a mate is, and there is no me and Warren or you and Warren. Got that? I’m still blown away that I have two mates, but I promise you I’m not going to do anything behind your back except try and repair the damage you did.”
Ryan had no choice but to trust Ash. He steeled his spine and bared his fangs. “If you fuck me over, there’s no place you can hide.”
He might be acting submissive to Ash, but Ryan was anything but. He’d had a hard, grueling life and had plenty of enemies. Ash better make damn certain that he didn’t cross Ryan, or Ryan would unleash his wrath, regardless of the fact that they were mates.
Chapter Three
The only way Ash could think of to have any contact with Warren was to go to the pizza shop. He wasn’t sure what he was going to say, but he had to find a way to break the ice.
Thanks to Ryan, that wasn’t going to be easy. But Ash couldn’t be mad at Ryan. Not when he’d felt the pull—twice in one freaking day. He’d had to use all the strength he possessed in order not to pull Warren into his arms, to not stop his mate from running from him.
Now he had the task of trying to convince Warren that Ryan wasn’t some unstable person. How the fuck was he supposed to do that? Even more complex, Ash had to explain his world to Warren, to make him believe that mates were real and that he belonged to Ash and Ryan.
As soon as he walked into Antonio’s Pizza, Ash knew he had a battle on his hands. Warren was there, standing in front of the counter, wearing shorts that cupped his ass nicely. Ash’s gaze was instantly glued to his butt, and his cock went from limp to pounding hard in zero seconds.
Jesus Christ. Ash’s thoughts went in every direction, and he forgot why he was even there. All he could think about was sinking his cock into—
“Ash? What’re you doing here?”
Ash ripped his gaze away and focused it on Warren’s face. His surprised, gorgeous face. Ash cleared his throat and waved toward the counter like an idiot. He could feel how hot his face and neck were. No doubt Warren saw Ash’s redness, but Ash didn’t think Warren had a clue about his thoughts because his mate didn’t blush in return.
Warren toyed with his bottom lip with his teeth as he turned, and fuck, his front was even more appealing than his ass. Someone needed to tell Warren about wearing looser shorts. Ash could see his bulge, and it was making his wolf go completely nuts.
And now Ash was thinking about Warren being completely naked, about being squeezed between him and Ryan. He grabbed a menu off the nearest table and held it casually in front of him before Warren saw his rock-hard cock pushing at his denim jeans.
“Came to eat.”
“Hey, Ash!” Antonio emerged from the back with a huge smile on his face, his thick mustache resting on his upper lip like a ferret had crawled up there and died. It needed some serious trimming.
“Hey, Tony.” Ash gave a nod. “Smells good in here.”
Ash moved to the counter and rested his arms on it, shielding his dick so Warren didn’t see how he affected him. Ash was leaning heavily, his shoulder almost touching his mate’s.
As Tony talked, Warren was eyeing Ash, a suspicious look in those gorgeous jade-green eyes. Warren moved a few steps to his right, putting more distance between them. Ash had to stop himself from grabbing Warren and hauling the beautiful human against him.
“Do you know what you want?” Tony asked.
That was a loaded question. What Ash wanted was standing five feet away from him. He pictured bending Warren over one of the tables and fucking him until they were both too sore and out of breath to walk. Those erotic images weren’t helping his cock to soften.
“I’m gonna look over the menu.” Ash showed Tony the one he had in his hand. “Don’t let me stop you from what you were doing.”
Ash was trying to drop a hint for Tony to return to the back of the pizza parlor.
“Let me know as soon as you decide.” Tony turned and walked away.
“I’m gonna see if he needs help.” Warren tried to round the counter, but Ash wasn’t going to let his mate run.
“Wait.” He held up his hands but kept leaning toward the counter, concealing his boner. “I think we got off on the wrong foot yesterday.”
Ash had never had to struggle for words. Not when it came to closing a deal with a guy. He knew how to be smooth, how to lay on the charm, but damn if he wasn’t at a loss when it came to this tiny human.
He could already feel Warren’s walls coming up, a rejection sitting on the tip of his tongue. “Ash—”
“I know you just dumped someone, but—”
“How do you know that?” Now Warren looked afraid, as if Ash was a crazy stalker like Ryan was. Ash knew he was screwing this up because he had to tiptoe with Warren.
Ash wasn’t used to tiptoeing, and it was grating on his nerves. Fuck it. He was just gonna spell this out, and if Warren freaked out, Ash would deal with it.
“Do you feel a connection between us?” Ash tried to start off as delicate as he could before he had to reveal what he was, as well as the nonhuman world right under Warren’s nose.
Warren palmed his face and made a weird nose, and Ash wasn’t sure if his mate was aggravated or choking. He really was getting worried.
“Not you, too.” Warren dropped his hand, and holy fuck, his eyes were filled with fire so hot that lasers should’ve shot out of them. Pissed was an understatement. “Do I have a sign over my head that points all the lunatics to me? I am sick and tired of dealing with men who don’t know boundaries. Didn’t I tell you yesterday that I’m not interested? What part of that can’t you understand?”
Ash sucked at his teeth, taking it all in. Warren was a hollering mess, which drew Tony’s attention. The owner ambled from the back, looking between Ash and Warren. “Is there a problem?”
“Men!” Warren stormed out of the shop.
“What did you do?” Tony looked concerned. “I’ve never seen Warren so angry.”
That went over well. Maybe if Ash’s day improved he could get a restraining order slapped against him.
“I told him his shorts were too tight.” Ash left the shop, looking for Warren. He saw Warren walking down the street, heading right for Ryan.
Wait. How the fuck was Ryan able to come out in sunlight? That shouldn’t have been possible since he was a vampire. Ash rushed down the sidewalk, trying to stop a nuclear explosion if Warren spotted Ryan.
Too late.
Ryan looked up and stopped dead in his tracks. He took a step back and then another before spinning around. Warren looked like he was about to run but stilled when he locked eyes with Ash.
Shit.
Warren twisted to his left and took off. Ash saw it coming before Warren did and flat-out ran to stop his mate from being hit by a car. The driver slammed on his brakes, and Warren would’ve been struck if Ryan hadn’t used his inhuman speed to grab Warren and pull him out of the way.
Goddamn. Ash was literally screaming Warren’s name even though he knew his smaller mate was safe. His heart was drumming against his ribs. His wolf was howling to get to Warren. His feet felt like they were dragging as Ash closed the distance.
The two were across the street, and Ryan had yet to let Warren go. He simply held him as Warren looked around, seeming shaken by
what had nearly happened.
Or the fact that Ryan had moved superfast, faster than any human could. He looked like his brain wasn’t computing the facts.
After looking both ways, Ash jogged to where they stood. Ryan had a pinched expression, and Ash noticed how badly his hands were trembling as he let his arms fall to his sides.
“Are you okay?” Ash asked Warren, even though he could see that Warren was perfectly fine. It was a knee-jerk question, which he was still waiting for Warren to answer.
“He’s fine,” Ryan said in a strained voice.
“I was there, and now I’m here.” Warren pressed his fingers to his chest. “How did I get here so fast? I don’t even remember doing it.”
Ryan opened his mouth, but Ash shook his head. Now was not the time. Warren needed to snap out of his puzzlement first.
“Weren’t you the one who was pissed that I didn’t disclose anything?” Ryan argued.
Warren looked between them. “You two know each other?”
“We met last night,” Ash said. It was the truth, but he didn’t like the return of that fire in Warren’s eyes. Ash felt like he was gonna get blasted with Warren’s laser beams at any second. There wasn’t going to be anything left of him but his boots.
“We need to talk,” Ryan said to Warren. “I know you’re pissed at me, but there’re things we need to discuss.”
“Both of you stay away from me, or I’m calling the cops.” Warren stormed away, and to be honest, Ash was afraid to follow the spitfire. He also didn’t want to make matters worse by stopping Warren from leaving.
Ash turned to Ryan. “How are you outside during the day?”
“Did I forget to mention I’m a half-breed?”
Ash sputtered. “I think that was too important to leave out of our earlier conversation.”
“Now what?” Ryan nodded toward where Warren was walking.
Hell if Ash knew. For the first time in his life, he had no idea what to do about a guy. If Warren hadn’t been his mate, Ash would’ve left the mess alone. No one was worth this kind of headache.
But his mate was. Warren and Ryan were worth walking through hell because Ash knew on the other side was his one shot at happiness. He’d crawl over broken glass for a chance to be with them.
“Now we find another tactic,” Ash said. “We just have to make sure he doesn’t have any weapons on him when we go to his house tonight.”
“Kid gloves off?”
“We’re going to prove to him that we’re his mates.” Ash turned and looked at Ryan. “Wear a cup.”
Ryan chuckled, like Ash was joking. “You don’t really think he’ll try and cut our dicks off, do you?”
There was something about Ryan that screamed jaded. He had that world-weary look in his dark eyes. Ash was dying to ask what kind of life Ryan had led that made those shadows appear, but now wasn’t the time.
Later. Later Ash would get to know both Ryan and Warren. He wanted to know everything about them since he would be spending the rest of his long life with them.
“Do you want to take that chance?”
Ryan grimaced. “I’ll bring a cup.”
* * * *
“This is why men can’t be trusted,” Warren said to Pie, as if she understood him. He paced the kitchen, so damn angry that he wanted to kick something. Warren wasn’t sure what to think, how to feel, what to say, or how to react.
Ash knew Ryan. That should’ve been obvious since they were both alike. Men who wouldn’t leave Warren alone. Men who didn’t understand what “not interested” meant.
But Warren was interested, and how insane was that? He dropped into the kitchen chair and rested his head on his folded arms, groaning as he tried to examine why he was attracted to them. He didn’t even know Ash, and Ryan was too damn clingy, never giving Warren breathing room. Ryan had friends who gave him the creeps, and the guy bit during sex.
Yet Warren felt like he couldn’t breathe without Ryan. And now his heart fluttered for Ash? Had Warren’s parents dropped him on his head when he was a kid? Was his brain permanently scrambled?
Most importantly, why was he still nauseous? Warren hadn’t been able to kick that feeling all day, and he’d made sure he’d eaten. It was his nerves. It had to be. Warren just needed to calm down and think this through, evaluate his life, decide what to do about Ryan and Ash.
Two hunks who weren’t mentally stable. What was there to decide? He needed to kick them to the curb and forget they even existed. Any smart man would have already made that decision.
Clearly Warren wasn’t a smart man.
Sometimes emotions were your worst enemy. They made you do things you normally wouldn’t do, like crave two men at the same time. Ugh, Warren was a hot mess.
“Smack me around, Pie. Make me see reason. Tell me I’m being an idiot for wanting them both.”
Pie jumped into his lap and leaned up, pressing her paws against his chest. They rubbed noses, and she settled on his legs as he petted her. “I love you, too.”
Maybe he should get a dog. That might make Ryan think twice about coming over. It might even stop Ash from stopping by, though Ash had no idea where Warren lived.
Hello, if he’s friends with Ryan, he knows.
Fuck my life.
Pie hurled herself off his lap like she was in the Olympics and raced from the kitchen. Crazy cat. But she had a point. Warren needed to get off his ass and take a shower. There was no use sitting there lamenting about how screwed up things were for him.
He was just going to stick to his guns and leave the two psychos alone. Warren was going to steel his resolve, no matter what either one said to him. No matter how good-looking they were and no matter what Warren’s body wanted.
Warren headed out of the kitchen and stopped midstride when the doorbell rang. He prayed it was his uncle and not Ryan or Ash. Hell, Warren was praying it was a delivery guy who was bringing him food he’d forgotten to order.
Now he was craving delivery. Chinese would’ve been fantastic right about now. Warren had eaten like crazy at work, but now he was hungry again.
After he took a deep breath and told himself that he wasn’t going to cave if it was either man, he marched to the door and swung it open. Seeing Ash and Ryan standing shoulder-to-shoulder, huge muscles popping everywhere, and their handsome faces smiling at him, Warren’s resolve was tested.
“May we come in?” Ash asked as he looked past Warren’s shoulder. Was he trying to see if Warren was alone?
“We promise to behave ourselves,” Ryan chimed in. He crossed his heart and gave Warren the most innocent look he could muster, but all he ended up looking like was a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
“Didn’t I say I was calling the cops if you two didn’t leave me alone?” His threat was about as convincing as a man in a business suit begging for change. Unconvincing and downright pathetic. There hadn’t even been any real heat to his words because his voice had wobbled.
The two moved a step forward, and Warren took a step back.
“Just talk.” Ash held his hands up, palms out. “There’re things you need to know about us, things that need to be said.”
Anger, fear, excitement, hunger, and nausea hit Warren at the same time. He began to sweat as the two stepped inside and closed the door behind them.
He felt like he was in the presence of predators and he was the prey. He was trapped with them, with nowhere to run. Even if he attempted to haul ass out the back door, they would catch him before he escaped.
Ryan moved to Warren’s right. “Don’t be afraid. I promise nothing is going to happen to you.”
“You’re in the safest place you could be right now,” Ash added.
Had they rehearsed their lines? Because they were in sync with each other. That made them more frightening. Warren took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Fine, but you two stay by the door.”
Warren moved to the kitchen entryway, giving himself enough room so he could run if he had to. Whi
ch he should do anyway, but a part of him was curious to know what Ash and Ryan had to say.
He just didn’t want either of them coming anywhere near him, because damn it, he just might give in if he let either man touch him.
You’re a total slut.
“You look pale.” Ash’s gaze slid over Warren, and Warren shivered at the heated look. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Do you need to sit down?” Ryan asked.
“Stop it,” Warren groaned. “Stop acting like the two of you are one. It’s getting on my damn nerves. Just stop bouncing your sentences off each other.”
“Then I’ll talk,” Ryan said.
“Hell no.” Warren crossed his arms. “You’ve already proven to be unstable.”
But so had Ash. Warren just wanted this conversation over so he could go throw up and take a shower. The nausea was getting worse. Indigestion? Nerves? Was he coming down with something? Had something he’d eaten at work been bad? The last meal couldn’t be it because he’d felt sick yesterday.
Summer flu? Now that Warren thought about it, about two weeks ago he’d had severe pains in his gut. He’d chalked it up to bad sushi. But ever since then, he’d felt tired, achy, and queasy.
“Come on,” Ryan said. “I wasn't that bad.”
“Seriously?” Warren’s jaw dropped. “You wanted me next to you so much that I was starting to think we were joined at the hip. You questioned where I was going, and one time you went nuts when my uncle called, convinced it was some lover I was hiding from you. No, buddy. You don’t get to stand there and say you weren’t that bad. And who the fuck bites people during sex?”
Warren glanced at Ash, feeling a bit embarrassed that he’d divulged that tidbit of information. They were strangers, and Warren normally didn’t discuss his sex life in front of others.
“Who?” Ryan asked with a slight snarl. “I’ll tell you who bites during sex.” Long fangs lengthened inside his mouth. “A vampire. That’s who.”
