by Lynn Hagen
It felt weird having someone looking after him. Calhoun had never really had that. Not someone close and intimate, and his tiger purred at the concerned look in Roy’s pretty green eyes.
“What about your truck?” Roy pulled his own shirt off and pressed the balled-up material against Calhoun’s back.
Fuck the impound. Calhoun would have to figure out how to get his truck later. Right now he needed to shift and heal. He was becoming lightheaded as, using the signs along the road, he raced toward the highway. “I’ll figure that out later.”
The car swerved as Calhoun struggled to keep his eyes open.
Roy shook him. “Pull over so I can drive.”
“No.” Calhoun blinked rapidly. “We might have cops behind us.”
His words rang true when he heard the faint sound of sirens. It seemed Sparks was determined to capture Calhoun, but Calhoun was just as determined to get away. He had a mate to protect, and he couldn’t do that behind bars.
Merk was still out there. Two of the three men after Calhoun were now dead. If Calhoun had reacted one second too slow, Razor would’ve more than likely killed him.
“Pull over or we’ll be dead before they reach us. I swear we’ll switch seats fast. You just crawl into the back, and I’ll slide over.”
As much as Calhoun didn’t want to stop, he did as Roy demanded. Pain exploded in his shoulder when he crawled over the seat, but Calhoun swallowed the shout as he landed in a heap.
As promised, Roy jumped into the driver’s seat and took off, racing as he said, “Keep my shirt pressed against your wound.”
“I just need to shift to heal,” Calhoun said. “Don’t let them catch us, or they’ll find a tiger in the backseat and we’ll have some explaining to do.”
Roy looked at Calhoun in the rearview mirror, worry and concern etched in his handsome features. “I won’t let anyone hurt you. Go ahead and shift. I’ll keep you protected. I promise.”
His mate would never know how much those words meant to him as he shifted and passed out.
Chapter Nine
Calhoun had no idea where they were when he woke up. But he smelled food. He lifted from the cramped backseat and looked around. They were parked behind a large clump of trees, and Roy was in the front seat fast asleep.
He studied Roy’s features. The guy looked so small with his head leaned against the door, his arms folded over his chest. His blond hair was disheveled, and his brows were drawn down. It hurt Calhoun’s heart to see that, even in his sleep, Roy wasn’t relaxed.
Calhoun reached between the seats and grabbed his cell phone from the console. He used his GPS and saw they were hundreds of miles from the paper mill. Roy must’ve tuckered out on the drive, considering they’d had a handful of hours of sleep last night.
But his mate had made good timing, had put enough distance between them and Sparks, and must’ve felt safe enough to pull over to get some rest.
But now the sun was shining and the birds were chirping as Calhoun got out of the car and opened the trunk to get his duffel bag. He looked around as he dressed and heard cars pass by on the road just beyond the trees.
This was not the life he’d wanted for Roy. Guilt ate at him. If it hadn’t been for Calhoun, Roy would be back in Maple Grove, probably on duty, enjoying a life that didn’t involve killing a demon and being chased by cops.
Calhoun tried once again to call Panahasi, but the call went straight to voice mail. He left a message that he was in deep shit and could use the demon leader’s help. If for nothing else than to make Sparks forget that he’d witnessed Calhoun killing a guy in cold blood just outside the police station.
He didn’t need a warrant being issued for him and Roy. No doubt there had been cameras inside the station. They had Roy’s face, and it was only a matter of time before they knew his name.
When Calhoun rounded the car, Roy was sitting up rubbing his eyes and yawning. Fuck, the guy was sexy even when he’d just woken up. Calhoun opened the driver’s door and pulled his mate out, hugging the man close to his chest.
“Hey,” Roy said sleepily as he slid his arms around Calhoun’s waist. “I’m glad to see you’re better.”
That was another thing he felt guilty about. His mate having to see him shot. Although Roy hadn’t panicked, it still had to have been a stressful situation.
“I’m sorry you were dragged into this.” He pressed his cheek against Roy’s head. “I never meant for any of this to happen to you.”
“I’m tougher than I look.”
“That you are.” Calhoun released him. “A lot tougher. I can’t tell you how proud I am about how you handled everything this morning.”
Roy’s eyes sparkled as he smiled at Calhoun. It was as if Calhoun’s words meant a lot to his mate.
“I got us some food. It might be cold by now, but it should still taste good.”
Roy reached into the car to retrieve a bag, but all Calhoun could do was check out his mate’s tight little ass and imagine his cock buried deep inside it.
“Here you go.” Roy straightened and handed over the bag with a Styrofoam container inside. There was even a bottle of juice and plastic cutlery in there.
Calhoun took a seat on the grass and opened the to-go container. Inside was a fat-ass burger and some potato salad. Calhoun didn’t mind eating a cold burger. It tasted like heaven as he bit into it.
Roy sat down in front of him and cracked open his own bottle of juice.
“Aren’t you going to eat?” Calhoun set his burger down. No way would he finish it if Roy hadn’t gotten his own food.
“I ate as soon as I got the food.” He patted his flat stomach. “I’m still full.”
Calhoun made quick work of his meal. They’d lingered in one spot long enough, and he wanted to get back on the road. His chewing slowed when he noticed Roy staring at him. “What?”
His mate blushed as he plucked at a few blades of grass. “Nothing.”
Using the foot, he tapped at Roy’s leg. “What is it?”
If Roy’s cheeks hadn’t been pink, Calhoun would’ve thought his mate was having second thoughts about them. Not that Calhoun could blame Roy. This wasn’t exactly an ideal mating. Instead of enjoying their honeymoon period, they were mixed up in insanity.
Roy’s blush deepened. “I was just thinking how sexy you are.”
Calhoun furrowed his brows. “You think I’m sexy?”
He didn’t think he was a bad-looking guy, but a lot of people steered clear of him. Calhoun had perfected the intimidating look when he’d become a pack enforcer. But to hear his mate call him that made Calhoun’s heart race.
“You don’t think you’re sexy?” Roy countered. “How can you not see how hot you are?”
Calhoun grinned. “Keep stroking my ego and it might go to my head.”
No, Calhoun didn’t see sexiness when he looked in the mirror. He saw someone carrying a lot of demons from his past. Someone who didn’t deserve a guy like Roy, but for reasons he would never understand, fate had decided to bless him with this wonderful human.
He shrugged. “I’m okay.”
After finishing his food, Calhoun got up, packed up his trash in the bag, and tossed it onto the floor of the backseat. “I’ll drive while you get some rest.”
Roy got up and wiped his butt off. “I’m not tired.”
“At least you can relax while I drive.” They got in, and Calhoun started the car. He cursed when they pulled onto the main road and he immediately spotted a cop car a few cars behind them.
Calhoun white-knuckled the steering wheel, keeping an eye on the rearview mirror as he kept to the speed limit. Fuck. He should’ve burned the bloody shirt that Roy had pressed against his wound. Calhoun was usually more careful and more thorough than this. He just needed to keep that car between them so the cop couldn’t see the sedan’s plates and run them.
His heart thundered when he saw swirling lights turn on in the rearview mirror.
* * * *
&nb
sp; Roy sat stiffly and held his breath. This was it. They were going to jail for the murder of that demon. No one would know it was a demon who Calhoun had killed. They wouldn’t know the truth about the world Roy had been thrust into.
They would just see a murderer and his accomplice.
Do you like being a cop? That question had circled in his head since Calhoun had asked it. Yes, Roy loved being a police officer. His job didn’t just entail chasing down bad guys. He also helped the community in different ways, like helping Mrs. Gleeson unload her groceries into her trunk at the local supermarket. She was an elderly woman who had been widowed for ten years.
He also helped out at the youth center and the women’s shelter. He been so busy trying to be like the other deputies that he hadn’t stopped to take the time and see that his life was very fulfilling.
Except for a special someone, and now Roy had Calhoun, his big, brave warrior that just wanted to be left alone. A man who was plagued by nightmares of things he’d seen, horrific events that had scarred his soul.
If Calhoun hadn’t been a good man, those events wouldn’t weigh so heavily on him.
And now there was a cop behind them, his lights on, ready to pull them over and ruin everything he and Calhoun were trying to build together.
Roy narrowed his eyes. He’d be damned if he allowed anyone to take that away. “Floor it.”
Calhoun looked at him with furrowed brows. “You want to run from the cops?”
“No, but I don’t want to be arrested,” Roy admitted. “I don’t want them to take you away from me.”
Calhoun’s eyes softened as he grabbed Roy’s hand. “I’m not gonna let that happen, sweetheart. I’m also not going to run from them.”
Roy started to argue when the police car with the swirling lights raced past them and down the road. It had been a false alarm. Even so, Roy’s stomach was in knots and a headache was starting in his forehead.
“Remind me never to go on a road trip with you again,” he muttered and sat back as he folded his arms over his chest. “I can’t take the excitement.”
Calhoun chuckled. “I thought you were up for an adventure?”
Roy looked incredulously at his mate. “An adventure. Not deception, betrayal, and murder. And let’s not forget you got shot.”
Roy would never get that image out of his mind, of the blood coating Calhoun’s back, the bullets flying past them, and of that heart lying on the ground. He felt sick just thinking about it.
Calhoun placed his hand on Roy’s nape. “Hey, we made it out of there. We’ll get that all straightened out. I just need to get ahold of a friend of mine and he’ll handle it.”
“Nonhuman friend?”
“Do you really want me to answer that?” Calhoun gave Roy’s neck a gentle squeeze before pulling his hand away.
All Roy wanted to do was get home. He was never leaving Maple Grove again.
* * * *
They were finally back in Maple Grove, and Roy loved the smell of the diner. It was his favorite place to eat as he and Calhoun stepped inside and grabbed an empty booth. Now this felt normal, wonderful even.
“I’m so hungry I could eat everything on the menu,” Calhoun said as he rubbed his foot along Roy’s leg. Even Calhoun’s affections were starting to feel normal. Roy no longer questioned why a guy like Calhoun would be interested in a guy like him.
It had to be more than just fate. Sure, the attraction was there. But it was the way Calhoun looked at him, as if Roy were the only person in the diner. He felt special and wanted when it came to his mate. He was thankful fate had paired them together, because Roy had been tired of being alone. It wasn’t only that. He’d also wanted someone who loved him just as much as his dad had loved his mom.
His parents had had a storybook romance, and that was all Roy had ever wanted, too. His relationship with Calhoun might not have started out like that. Not when the tiger shifter had had three lunatics after him. It was those small moments, like how Calhoun held the car door open for him, was always considerate and thoughtful, and now, the way his mate looked at him as if Roy were his entire world.
It was on the tip of Roy’s tongue to tell Calhoun he loved him. How could he not care for someone like Calhoun? But Roy didn’t think a diner was the place to profess his love for the first time.
“What?” Calhoun smiled. “Why are you looking at me like that?” His foot continued to slide up and down Roy’s leg. “Having naughty thoughts?” He looked over his shoulder then back at Roy. “We could slip into the bathroom for a quickie.”
Roy’s face caught fire as the thought of sucking Calhoun off. He’d tried a few times the first week they’d been in their “honeymoon” period. He definitely needed more practice.
“Not in a public bathroom,” he whispered as he looked around, making sure no one was paying any attention to their conversation.
Calhoun matched his whisper with his own. “You had sex in the middle of a field. A public bathroom should be a cakewalk for you.”
A bubble of laughter erupted from Roy. “It was dark out, and we were by a deserted road. Big difference.”
Roy curled his lips in when Moose came to their table. “Morning, fellas. What can I get you guys to drink?” He bent at the waist and whispered, “Just as long as you don’t make a mess in there.”
Ray wanted to crawl under the table and die as Calhoun burst out laughing. They’d been whispering. How on earth? Roy looked up at Moose.
“Bear shifter,” Moose said in a low voice. “There’re a couple of shifters in the diner, so you might want to learn sign language if you don’t want your conversation heard.”
Roy showed Moose the only sign language he knew. He stuck up his middle finger. That only made Calhoun laugh harder and Moose smile.
“I’ll get you guys some coffee, but I’ll make a fresh pot just to give you time.”
When Moose walked away, Roy covered his face with his hands. Calhoun tugged at his hands. Roy looked up. Calhoun nodded toward the bathroom. Roy shook his head no. His mate got up and pulled at Roy’s wrist. He shook his head no.
“Don’t make me toss you over my shoulder,” Calhoun warned.
Looking around as though everyone in the diner knew what they were about to do, Roy rushed down the narrow aisle as if his life depended on getting out of everyone’s view.
He made it into the bathroom first and checked the stalls. They were clear. Calhoun came in behind him and pressed his hands into Roy’s back, coaxing him into the largest stall in the room. He locked the door and, as if he’d been reading Roy’s thoughts from moments ago, unfastened his pants and pulled his cock free.
Roy was a bundle of nerves as he lowered to his knees and took the head of Calhoun’s dick into his mouth. The musky scent exploded on his tongue as Calhoun gripped Roy’s head and rocked in and out of his mouth.
“Now this is how you start your day,” Calhoun groaned. “Needed this so fucking bad.”
So had Roy. He just didn’t realize how much until now. He used the flat of his tongue to swipe up and down his mate’s shaft, lapping at the pre-cum that was beaded over the slit. He groaned as he dined on Calhoun’s cock, taking as much as he could down his throat. He coughed, backed off, and tried again.
“You’re killing me,” Calhoun snarled. His mate stroked himself, his fist around his cock, subtracting a few inches. Calhoun gripped the front of Roy’s hair, using the strands as leverage as he came down Roy’s throat.
“Fuck,” Calhoun moaned as he shuddered and sighed.
Roy licked his lips as he stood and fused their mouths together. Calhoun cupped his face, devouring Roy’s lips as though he couldn’t get enough of his own spunk.
Then he spun Roy and unfastened his pants, fishing out his hard cock and stroking Roy as fast and hard. Roy wailed his pleasure until he heard the bathroom door open.
Calhoun clamped a hand over Roy’s mouth but didn’t stop, didn’t slow down. Roy tried to push his mate’s hand away from
his cock, but Calhoun refused to let him go.
“I don’t give a fuck who’s in here. I’m getting you off,” he snarled quietly into Roy’s ear and then nipped his lobe.
Roy jerked and writhed, rising to his tiptoes as he fucked Calhoun’s hand, desperate for his own release. His mate nipped Roy’s neck, placing teasing bites along his skin. It was so fucking erotic, making Roy’s skin tingle as his buildup came hard and fast.
He shouted behind Calhoun’s large hand, his body shuddering as he came. Pearly-white streams of cum shot against the stall door as whoever was in the bathroom washed their hands.
When they heard the door open and close, Roy sank against his mate’s chest as Calhoun removed his hand. He spun Roy and kissed him so hungrily that whatever air Roy had left in his lungs disappeared.
He pulled away and stared into Calhoun’s baby blues. “Is it inappropriate to tell you in this stall after I’ve painted the door with my seed that I love you?”
Calhoun tilted his head, studying Roy, and then a wide smile appeared. “Not at all, sweetheart.”
“Okay.” Roy felt himself blush. “I love you, Calhoun.”
Those words made Calhoun kiss him even harder as he pinned Roy against the wall. It was as though he’d just told Calhoun that he’d hit the lottery. The look in his eyes, the way they shined, and that dazzling smile had been well worth Roy’s confession.
Calhoun brushed his palm over Roy’s cheek. “I love you, too.”
“You do?” Roy’s heart sang as butterflies filled his stomach. They were mates, and Calhoun had said they would spend the rest of their lives together, but it had never occurred to Roy that love would be involved. Why had he stupidly thought that? He wasn’t sure. But those four words lit up his world.
Calhoun stuffed Roy’s cock back into his underwear then righted his clothes. “Let’s go eat.” He placed soft, quick kisses on Roy’s lips. “Then afterward, we’ll pick up where we started, only I want to take my time with you and show you just what you mean to me.”
