by Bru Baker
There was no use fighting it. He’d already spent the money. It wasn’t like he could back out now. “The usual place?”
“Yup. You might want to warn Max that Riccardo gets fresh when he’s taking an inseam.”
Riccardo was about 108 years old. It was less getting fresh and more that he had to lean in until his face was basically resting against your crotch so he could see his measuring tape.
“Fine, but Max has a busy schedule. He probably won’t be able to make it to the fitting on such short notice.”
“Oh, he already knows. He and Oscar have it on their schedule. They’ll be there.”
“Why would Max’s partner need a tux?”
“Because he’s my plus one,” Sloane said.
Was every damn part of his life out of control? “When did you meet Oscar?”
“When I went by the precinct yesterday to give Max the shovel talk and tell him about the tux appointment,” she said cheerfully.
“What? Sloane,” he said, groaning. “You already did that, didn’t you? On the way to Montauk?”
“I gave him a very abbreviated version then. But that was before Alpha Mate Gate.”
“Alpha Mate Gate? You’re ridiculous. Don’t call it that.”
“Fine. You’re no fun. But it’s an entirely different talk from the regular don’t-hurt-him speech.”
Knowing Sloane, there had probably been a PowerPoint and bar graphs. Max hadn’t mentioned it when they’d met up for pizza last night, though he wouldn’t have. Not with his white-knight complex.
“Is the shovel talk a real thing? Max has like a million family members. Do you think I’ll get one from everyone, or will they team up like an intervention?”
Sloane giggled. “Dumbass, you’re not going to get the shovel talk. If anything, he’s going to get it from his Pack. You’re the Alpha Mate.”
Danny knew that was a revered position, but he wasn’t actually the Alpha Mate yet. Still, he’d take the protection it gave him. Some of Max’s siblings were scary.
“I’m going to call your private detective. Will I see you before Saturday?”
“Probably not.”
That wasn’t unusual, since Sloane had a full schedule of classes and Danny worked long hours at the foundation, but he couldn’t ignore the niggle of worry that she’d been told to stay away from him. His father had used that as a punishment for Danny before, and he wasn’t above using it now. And Sloane didn’t have a newfound immunity to his Alpha voice to hide behind.
“How long?”
Sloane was quiet for a long moment, and then she sighed. “Public and Pack functions only until further notice.”
“Fuck.”
“But he didn’t tell me I couldn’t see your boy. That’s why I went over yesterday.”
“He’s not my boy.”
“Your man, then.”
“Ugh.”
Sloane laughed. “I’ll see you Saturday. We can talk on the phone. FaceTime is a no-go because he said see, but he didn’t say I couldn’t talk to you.”
“He probably forgot that people use the phone for things other than business deals.”
“Probably. Hey, do you think you can teach me how to do that thing you did at dinner Friday? Shrugging off his command?”
Danny had no idea how he’d done it. He had a sneaking suspicion that it had to do with his fledgling bond with Max. Now that he knew Max was the Alpha, it made sense. He remained in the Connoll Pack, for now, so he’d bet Alpha Connoll could still do it, but his bond with Max would have been enough to snap his connection to his father.
He didn’t like being under anyone’s control, but if what Max said about an Alpha Mate not being susceptible to it, he could ensure he’d never be under anyone’s command again if he accepted his place in Max’s Pack. It was compelling. Not enough to jump in without thinking about all the other consequences, but it was a definite perk.
“I don’t think so,” he said after a beat. “I think it’s an Alpha Mate thing.”
“That kind of undermines your argument that you’re not part of Alpha Mate Gate, you know.”
“I’m hanging up now,” he said before ending the call to the sound of her cackling.
Danny checked the time on his phone and cursed. He needed to be across town at a custody hearing in an hour, and he had to stop by the office to grab the khakis and blazer he kept there for court appearances.
He decided to splurge on an Uber to give himself enough time to inhale one of the protein bars the office manager kept stocked in his desk for days like this. He didn’t have a huge staff, but everyone was carefully chosen for the special skills they could bring. Not everyone who worked at the foundation was a Supe, but they were all part of supernatural families and in the know about the community. That way the kids didn’t have to hide anything about themselves at the day center. It was a place they could relax and be kids.
The offices closed at one on Mondays, so everything was dark when he let himself in. He’d already shucked off his sweaty polo shirt and tossed it on the chair in his office when he noticed a bag from the deli around the corner sitting in the middle of his desk.
He picked it up, grinning like a fool when he saw the note written on the side.
Came by to take you to lunch, but Evelyn said you were out. Figured you’d be too busy to eat before court this afternoon, so take this with you to eat on the way. Max.
Danny finished changing and grabbed the deli bag. He’d been thrown when he found out Max’s Alpha status, but he had to admit Max’s behavior hadn’t changed since the revelation. Danny didn’t date Alphas, and he certainly would never have said yes to starting something with Max if he’d known he was not just an Alpha but the Alpha. But Max was nothing like any Alpha Danny had known.
Even Alpha Connoll, who Danny had nothing but respect for, rubbed him the wrong way. The Pack loved him, so Danny knew it was more his own prejudices than anything. But he didn’t like the idea of an Alpha being able to exert control over people.
He’d watched Max during the cookout whenever he got a chance, and it was clear his family loved him. Max had spent a little time with everyone there, and while it would have looked random to the untrained eye, Danny had noticed that he’d meticulously worked his way through the crowd, spending more time with those who needed him more. He’d scent marked everyone and made sure everyone had gotten enough to eat. Danny overheard him settle four disputes and break up one serious argument, all without raising his voice or resorting to using his Alpha coercion.
Max was wonderful. But Danny had to be sure before he let things get more serious—he had to be absolutely positive that Max wasn’t going to become an Alpha asshole if they were together.
Danny ran his fingers over the note on the bag as he headed out to court. Making sure he ate was an Alpha thing to do, but it was also sweet and thoughtful. He could get used to that kind of Alpha treatment.
DANNY’S Tuesday had gotten off to a rocky start when he’d woken up in a pool of his own sweat because the window air-conditioning unit in his bedroom was on the fritz again. He left a message for the super and stepped into the shower only to find the hot water was out too.
He’d had two social workers deny him consultation on kids he’d flagged as potential Supes this morning, and Evelyn was out with the flu, so he couldn’t find half the files he needed for his afternoon appointments.
It had been a shit day, and now he was going in for a tux fitting with the most touchy-feely tailor in Manhattan. At least he’d get to see Max. There had been another robbery last night, another armored car, and this time someone had been hurt. The driver was in a coma, and doctors were puzzled. Max had missed dinner last night because he’d been at the hospital, and he hadn’t responded to any of Danny’s whiny texts about his no-good, terrible Tuesday either.
He was surprised when he entered the shop ten minutes before their appointments and Max was already up on the dais with a tape measure buried in his crotch. Oscar
was sitting in a chair looking over case files, his suit coat draped over the back of it and his tie undone.
“Riccardo got us in early,” Max said, nodding toward the little old man who had his face practically pressed against Max’s junk.
Danny had a burst of irrational jealousy. He caught himself before he growled, but Max must have picked up on a chemosignal because he snickered and sent Danny a heated look.
True, he wanted to take things slow, but there was slow and there was glacial. But this wasn’t his average boyfriend, and taking their relationship further physically had actual ramifications. The bond would react, and who knew what effect it would have. Danny was afraid Max would lose himself to his instincts and give him the mating bite in the heat of the moment, and something like that couldn’t be undone.
“We’re due back at the precinct for some more interviews in half an hour,” Max said, his tone apologetic.
So much for having some time together. Danny had been looking forward to seeing Max all day.
“Are you going home from here or heading back to the office?”
Danny shrugged. He’d planned to invite himself over to Max’s for the air-conditioning and maybe order food. With their relationship moving at warp speed thanks to the bond, Danny figured it was time to give up on the idea of taking their physical relationship slow. Who were they kidding? The bond was half-formed. Neither of them was going to walk away from that.
“I’ll probably go home.”
There wasn’t anything that needed his attention at the office, and the center closed at five on Tuesdays, so there was no point in heading there after this.
Riccardo hissed out a warning to Max through a mouthful of pins, and Max stopped, face guilty, as he held his phone.
“Is it okay if Theo comes by to look at your window unit? I’ll come over after I wrap up at the precinct. Maybe we can all order in dinner?”
And just like that, Danny’s funk from his no-good, terrible Tuesday dissipated. Warmth spread through him like a physical hug—Max was taking care of him like he was one of his Pack. Instead of feeling smothered, Danny liked it. He especially liked that Max was asking permission instead of steamrolling him like he had with the door repair.
“That would be awesome. I was wondering how I’d get any sleep tonight.”
The super had called and told him the AC unit was his responsibility, even though it had been there when he moved in. The last tenant had left it, so it didn’t technically come as part of the apartment. Danny didn’t know the first thing about how to repair a window unit, nor did he have the spare cash to buy a new one.
“Is he bringing Maricella?”
Danny liked all of Max’s relatives, but Maricella was his favorite. She didn’t tease as much as Tori or Ray, and everyone listened to her. He hadn’t met Phil yet, but he sounded like a cool guy. His wife and kids had been at the Pack cookout, and Danny had liked them a lot.
“You want him to bring Maricella, or you want him to bring Maricella’s adobo?”
Danny cracked up. “You’ve gotten me hooked on that stuff. But I was hoping to see her, food or not. She had an idea for using hemp fabric to make clothes for some of my kids who are sensitive to synthetic fibers. We’ve been buying cotton for them, but even that causes rashes.”
Maricella designed wedding dresses, but she’d offered to make a few outfits for his naiad and dryad kids to see if hemp might be better for their skin.
Max’s scent went sharp for a moment before it leveled back out. He’d had a spike of some emotion, but Danny couldn’t figure out what. It hadn’t been arousal—Danny was well-acquainted with that smell. It had been something more like… jealousy?
Was Max jealous of his own Pack members because Danny wanted to spend time with them? He waited to see if Max would say anything, but he didn’t. He was ignoring whatever possessive, bone-headed Alpha instinct had caused his brief unhappiness.
“I can see if Maricella is free,” he said after Riccardo had finished with his inseam and moved on to his sleeves. “She isn’t working the long hours she used to because the baby makes her tired. She may be home.”
Shit. Guilt tugged at his belly. He hadn’t thought about dragging her out after work.
“I can call her later if she’s too tired. I don’t want her to exhaust herself on this project—it’s a good idea, but I can get a different seamstress to do it if it’s—”
“She’d kill me if she knew I opened my mouth about her being tired,” Max said. “I’m sure she wouldn’t have offered to make the clothes if she didn’t think she’d have the energy. She’s told me more than once that pregnancy isn’t a disability. She’s a grown-up. She’ll let you know if you’re putting her out.”
“What time do you think you’ll be done? I can order food.”
“I’ll bring something when I come. I should be finished around seven. I’ll text to see what you want,” Max said. Riccardo helped down off the dais and eased the tuxedo coat off him. Even full of chalk and pins, it looked great.
Max shrugged his suit coat on, and Oscar stood up, ready to leave. Danny let Max give him a quick kiss on the way out. It was like something an old married couple would do, and the thought made him laugh. If they were going to act like old marrieds, maybe it was time to push the glacier ahead a few paces and graduate past the make-out sessions that were leaving him with blue balls like a teenager.
Chapter Eight
MAX growled and tossed his mangled bow tie on the desk. “This is hopeless.”
Danny poked his head out of the bathroom where he’d been doing something to his hair that involved more products than Max had ever seen in one place.
“Let me,” he said, coming to Max’s rescue.
Danny’s parents insisted on renting a room for them at the gala hotel for the night so they could get ready on-site. It had seemed silly, at least until he’d seen Danny and his arsenal of hair products.
Max had picked up their tuxedos this morning, and his ego chafed a bit that Danny’s parents had already paid for them. So showing up and finding that the hotel “room” they’d booked—and prepaid—was an enormous suite had set his teeth on edge. Danny didn’t seem bothered by it. He’d waltzed in like he’d stayed here a hundred times before and asked the bellhop to uncork the champagne chilling in the living room before he left.
It was easy to forget that Danny grew up in places like this. He was down to earth and easy to talk to, and if left to his own devices, he’d eat ramen every day and wear his clothes till they were riddled with holes.
It was hard to reconcile that Danny with the one who looked perfectly at home in a tuxedo sipping on three-hundred-dollar champagne.
Max couldn’t give Danny this kind of life. The bond was pushing him to show Danny how well he could provide for him and protect him, but what Max could provide for him wouldn’t hold a candle to the life he could have if he worked things out with his parents.
Danny stepped up behind him in the gilt-edged mirror. His fingers moved effortlessly through the steps of tying a perfect bow tie. Max had spent an hour watching tutorials on YouTube this morning, and he hadn’t been able to come close.
“There,” Danny said, straightening it with a grin. “Perfect.”
Riccardo had outdone himself with Danny’s tuxedo. It was tailored to emphasize his broad shoulders and tapered waist. Danny had legs for days and the most perfect ass Max had ever seen.
As good as he looked in the tuxedo, Max couldn’t wait to see him out of it. The universe had been a giant cockblock all week. Theo and Maricella stayed till after midnight Tuesday, and Max left when they did. Between Max’s brutal schedule as he worked his case and Danny’s evening hours at the center, they hadn’t had another night together until now.
Max wished they had time to take the edge off before the gala, because the way Danny looked and smelled was torture. He wanted to peel that tuxedo off him and spend hours messing up his perfect hair, putting the hotel room to good use.
“We’d better get down there,” Danny said. “Dinner will start in about half an hour, and Father will want to parade us around during happy hour first.”
He hadn’t thought about navigating the bar. Shit. What was an appropriately waspy drink order? Max preferred IPAs and usually drank whatever was on sale when he went to the store. At dinner with Danny’s parents, there’d been a bottle of wine already opened, and he hadn’t had to choose anything. He had no idea what to order here that wouldn’t draw attention or embarrass Danny’s family.
They took the elevator down to the ballroom, and Max tried to come up with a strategy for blending in. He couldn’t always rely on following Danny’s lead like he had at dinner. Max needed a primer in rubbing elbows with the rich and entitled.
“What does your father drink?”
Danny had been scanning the crowd, but he turned back to Max made a face. “Unless it’s wine with dinner, he drinks scotch neat, generally. Why?”
“I figured I should buy him a drink.”
Danny gave him a sideways glance. “You’re being weird.”
“The man laid down ten grand for a table! I should buy him a drink at least.”
Danny rolled his eyes. “It’s a limited bar. They’re serving some weird coconut-water cocktail a local celebrity bartender made up for the event and a few types of beer and wine. You can buy him an overpriced drink if you want, but he’s probably already nursing one of the house cocktails to show he’s a good sport, even though he’d never drink it. They’ll bring wine around once we’re seated, and he won’t actually drink until then.”
Max would take a raucous Torres family meal over this any day. But he was here to support Danny, and that meant being on his best behavior and not adding to Danny’s stress by freaking out.
He held out an arm and grinned when Danny took it. He liked having Danny close where he could make sure nothing happened to him.
“Would you like a drink before dinner?”
Sloane teetered over to them before Danny could answer. She towered above Oscar in heels that had to be four or five inches tall, putting her a few inches over him. They didn’t look particularly comfortable or easy to walk in, given her mincing steps and the way Oscar was following along behind her, ready to catch her if she fell.
