What the fuck happened to patience?
Yeah, I fucked that up. Now I need to find a way to help my man relax and connect with me.
What could we do to do that though?
Vowing to give it some thought, Leo headed through the house to find Jerry a clean set of clothes. He rummaged through the shopping bags they’d left on the bed earlier and found a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Even though he remembered Jerry had picked out a package of underwear, Leo didn’t bother opening it and grabbing a pair.
If Jerry insisted on wearing them, Leo would start offering them. He hoped his mate wouldn’t care, however. As a shifter, Leo didn’t bother with them himself, since it was just one more article of clothing that needed to be stripped before changing to his wolf form. Leo knew a lot of shifters that felt the same way. Humans, however, they often found the custom of going commando odd... until they mated a shifter and had sex so often that their underwear either got in the way too many times or ended up ruined.
Leo knocked softly on the door. Not expecting an answer, he immediately stated, “I’m setting your clothes on the floor here, Jer. I’ll be in the kitchen making dinner.” Leo did as he’d said and put the clothes on the floor, then headed to the kitchen. He’d just begun putting away the groceries they’d brought when his sensitive hearing picked up the quiet opening and closing of the bathroom door. A moment later, the shower water started running.
Leo’s dick twitched behind his fly. Reaching down, he adjusted himself. The thought of a wet and slippery Jerry caused a bead of pre-cum to ooze from him.
Groaning, Leo realized he needed to think about something else, or his dick would never deflate. For an instant, he thought about slipping into the master bath and rubbing one out. Except, Leo had told Jerry he was making them dinner.
It wasn’t that Leo was shy about telling his mate he’d had to go beat off, but he wanted to prove he was a man of his word even more.
To that end, Leo set his mind to ignoring his hard cock and figuring out what to make for dinner. He found the bag of frozen, seasoned curly fries as well as the bag of frozen spicy hot wings. After checking cook times and temperatures, Leo decided he could bake them together.
Leo smiled to himself as he set the oven to preheat, the memory of how Jerry’s eyes had lit up when Leo had pointed at the items in the store filling him. His mate had been deprived of many things, fatty, greasy comfort foods being one of them. He intended to help his lover make up for lost time.
While the oven heated, Leo coated a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray. Then he spread as many wing sections as he could on it without over-crowding it. He grabbed a second sheet, and after spraying that one, too, he spread a massive quantity of curly fries on it.
Leo resealed the packages and put the rest in the freezer for another day... or if they wanted to bake seconds. Next, he grabbed a bottle of champagne and popped the cork. He set it on the counter and began searching the cupboards for a pair of flutes.
Just as he located four buried deep in the cupboard, Leo heard the soft footfalls of Jerry’s approach. He’d been so busy prepping everything that he hadn’t even heard the shower turn off. Grabbing two of the glasses, Leo turned and grinned at his new lover.
“Hey, sweetheart. Water pressure okay?” Leo set the stemware on the counter, then picked up the champagne. “It’s been a while since I’ve been out here.” With a shrug, he added, “Don’t really remember.”
Leo began pouring the drinks, but he spotted Jerry’s nod out of the corner of his eye.
“Yeah. It’s good.” Jerry cleared his throat quietly before saying, “Far better than what was at the warehouse, but that’s probably not saying much.”
Once done pouring the drinks, Leo put down the champagne and focused on Jerry. He took in the human’s tremulous smile and returned it with a sure one of his own. Sliding the champagne flute across the counter toward Jerry, Leo nodded toward the drink.
“Champagne?” Jerry reached out and touched the flute’s base, sliding it closer to himself. “What’s the occasion?”
“To a new life,” Leo replied, picking up his own drink. “To new beginnings.” Seeing Jerry’s smile grow bigger, Leo decided to tease, “To fucking and bliss and happily ever after.”
Jerry’s cheeks took on a deep pink glow, and he giggled.
Leo grinned, enjoying the sound.
Yeah, I’m gonna try to pull plenty more of those sounds from my mate.
Nibbling his bottom lip, Jerry focused on the glass as he picked it up. “I’ve never had alcohol before.”
“Really?” The question was out of Leo’s mouth before he could think better of it. Not wanting to make it awkward or uncomfortable, he quickly added, “Well, if you don’t like the champagne, we can add orange juice to it and make it a mimosa. I know Lark prefers it that way.”
“A mimosa?”
Leo nodded as he reached out and clinked his glass to Jerry’s. “Yep. He doesn’t like beer and wine, but he’s a master at creating the fruity alcohol drinks.”
Bringing his glass to his lips, Leo took a drink. He watched over the rim of his glass as Jerry did the same. His mate took a tentative sip.
To Leo’s delight, Jerry smiled and hummed before taking a bigger drink. Then his mate coughed, his lips curving into a chagrined smile. “Oh, bubbles. Forgot how they stung if you aren’t used to them.”
Chuckling, Leo nodded. “Like it then?”
Jerry nodded. “Yeah.”
“I have several bottles, so feel free to drink as much as you like.” Rethinking his words, Leo added, “I’d hate to be the cause of your first hangover though, so, uh...”
Laughing softly, Jerry nodded. “Right. That would suck, and I bet I’m a lightweight.” He peered down at himself while shaking his head. “I’m skinny and short, so probably can’t handle much, huh?”
Leo didn’t like the way Jerry seemed to think so little of himself. “I don’t know about that.” Setting his glass down, he reached for him, resting his hands on Jerry’s hips. “While you could use a few more pounds to fill out your frame, I think you’re the perfect size.” Leo moved in closer, sliding his hands around Jerry’s slender frame so he could rest his chin against Jerry’s hair, nuzzling the damp strands. “Yes, you definitely feel like the perfect size.”
To Leo’s pleasure, he felt Jerry wind his arms around his waist. His left palm rested on his lower back as his right pressed the glass against his back.
Leo kissed Jerry’s temple before whispering, “Yeah. Perfect.”
A second later, Leo felt a tremble work through Jerry’s body. That was followed by a hitch and a sniffle. When Jerry pressed his face against Leo’s pectoral and shuddered again, Leo frowned.
Dipping his head, Leo kissed Jerry’s hairline. At the same time, he rubbed up and down his back. “Easy, baby,” he murmured.
In response, Jerry sobbed as he continued to hide his face in Leo’s shirt.
“Let it out, Jer,” Leo rumbled as he continued to massage Jerry’s back. He kept his hands gentle, as well as his tone. “A good cry is cathartic, sweetie.”
Bussing a kiss to Jerry’s temple, Leo continued to croon encouraging nonsense. He ignored the beep of the oven, telling him it was done pre-heating. Instead, he nuzzled and held his mate, just holding him as he trembled and shook in his arms.
After a good ten minutes, Jerry’s breathing evened out. He heaved a huge sigh, then rubbed his face on Leo’s shirt. A second later, he jerked his head back.
“Crap,” Jerry whispered. Peering up at him through damp lashes with red-rimmed eyes, he appeared so uncertain. “S-Sorry about your shirt.”
“It’s fine, Jerry.” Leo loved the fact that Jerry felt safe enough to fall apart in his arms, even though he hated the things in his lover’s life that had caused it. “It’s just a shirt. It’ll wash.”
Jerry’s smile appeared tremulous, but at least, he smiled.
Leo reached over and grabbed a box of tissues that had been left on the counter by someone. “Go relax in front of the fire, Jer,” he urged. Holding the box out to Jerry, he offered an encouraging smile. “After I put the food in the oven, I’ll ditch the shirt, then join you. We’ll drink champagne, and we’ll talk about anything you want or nothing at all.”
Nodding, Jerry eased out of his hold. “Thank you.” He glanced at Leo’s shirt and grimaced. “I can’t believe I did that.”
Shrugging, Leo turned and picked up the platter of wings. “There’s nothing wrong with crying, Jerry.” After putting the food in to cook, he set the timer so he knew when to add the French fries. When he turned back around, Leo saw that Jerry hadn’t moved, and he didn’t look like he believed him. Resting his right hand on Jerry’s shoulder, Leo squeezed lightly. “It’s our body’s way of purging toxic emotions.”
“When was the last time you cried?” Jerry asked.
Leo hummed as he reached for the hem of his polo shirt. After pulling it over his head, he stated, “When my mother died.” Thinking quickly, doing figures in his head, Leo came up with, “That would have been eighty-seven years ago in March.”
Jerry’s eyes widened for a second, but then he seemed to catch himself. “Right. Long life,” he whispered. “That’ll take some getting used to.” Jerry cleared his throat, still looking discomfited. “And that’s a legitimate reason.”
“So is the return of your life,” Leo countered.
Unwilling to argue with his mate, Leo pressed a kiss to Jerry’s temple, then headed toward the laundry room, which was attached to the other side of the kitchen. He dropped his shirt on the floor in front of the washer, then returned to the kitchen. To Leo’s relief, he saw that Jerry had finally headed into the living room.
Leo grabbed his glass of champagne as well as the bottle. He carried both to the living room and, after taking a sip from his glass, placed both on a side table. Smiling at Jerry as he passed him, Leo took in the way he sat curled up on the sofa, his legs tucked under him. His mate rested the tissue box beside his knee and had a few crinkled up on his lap. Jerry held his nearly empty champagne flute in his left hand, resting the base on his thigh. After Leo added another log to the fire, he joined him, grabbing the items he’d left on the side table first.
After easing onto the sofa next to Jerry, Leo topped off his mate’s glass before doing the same with his own. Then he placed the bottle on the floor nearby. Leaning back against the cushion, he let out a long sigh.
“This is a comfortable sofa,” Leo commented absently. Staring at the ceiling, he wiggled a little, rubbing his back against it. “Whoever picked it out has good taste. I’m glad they didn’t take it with them.”
“You said this place had been rented for a while?”
Turning his head on the back of the cushion, Leo smiled at Jerry. “Yeah. A group of flying shifters that Alpha Declan and his people rescued from some asshole scientist’s facility.” Leo growled under his breath. “The douche bag was doing experiments on them and trying to create super soldiers or something like that.”
“Oh wow,” Jerry muttered, his eyes widening with his surprise. “No wonder you guys didn’t have any trouble tracking down Stephani and Sara and taking out the gang.”
Leo chuckled, grinning. “Yeah. Oh, speaking of the gangs.” Straightening and shifting his weight to the left, he pulled his phone from his belt clip. “Hold this.” After handing off his champagne flute, Leo began flipping through screens on his phone until he pulled up the article he wanted. Then he traded his phone for his glass, showing it to Jerry.
“Gang war culminates in explosion, destroying both sides,” Jerry read the headline. Gaping, he snapped his gaze to Leo. “Gang war? Explosion?”
Still grinning, Leo shrugged. “The news article is bogus, of course, but yeah. Jared wiped out both the gangs and blew up their buildings.”
“Jared?” Jerry tipped his head. “He’s the guy who pistol-whipped Myron, right?”
Leo nodded. “Yep. I don’t know too much of his history, but I know he’s an expert marksman, martial artist, and explosives specialist. If I didn’t know he doesn’t take authority well, I would have pegged him as ex-military.” Smirking, he took his phone back from Jerry before tossing it on the side table. “I’m thinking a line of work that was a little darker before he hooked up with Carson, but since he’s on our side, I don’t ask questions.”
“What kind of shifter is he?” Jerry asked curiously before taking a sip of his drink. “I know you’re a wolf, and you said some fliers lived here. How many different kinds are there?”
The oven timer beeped, so Leo rose as he explained. “Jared is a human. Carson is a wolf shifter, like most of the shifters in this area. There’s a tiger and elephant around here, along with a black panther and a komodo dragon. The fliers were all different and on the smaller side.” Leo placed the fries in the oven below the wings, taking a second to check their progress as well. After shutting the door, he returned to the sofa while admitting, “I think one of them mated a bear, then they all moved when another in the flock discovered his mate was a lion who is on the council.”
“Council?”
Resting back on the sofa, Leo nodded. “Shifter Council.” He curled his lip as he added, “They’re supposed to be in charge of policing alphas and keeping our species safe and a secret, but we discovered at least one of them was actually selling shifters to the scientists.” Shaking his head, Leo told him, “The asshole is currently on the run, at the moment, but there’s people tracking him.”
Jerry rested a hand on his forearm in an obvious attempt to soothe. “It sounds like your world is just as dangerous as mine was.”
“It’s your world, too, now, Jerry,” Leo gently corrected, resting his free hand over his mate’s. “And I’ll keep you safe. You have my word.”
Jerry smiled back at him. “Thanks.”
Chapter Eight
“Where are we going?” Jerry asked, peering out the window at the snow-laden trees. “What adventure do you have for us today?”
“Today, we’re going to the home of Frankie and Vince.” Leo grinned at him and squeezed Jerry’s thigh where he rested his right hand. “And it’s a surprise.”
Over the last four days, Leo had treated him to a new activity every day.
They’d gone to the movies, which had been fun... and different than he remembered—the seats more comfortable and the popcorn bags bigger. They’d tried skiing the next day, but Jerry had figured out pretty quickly that going that fast down a hill while standing on long, thin pieces of wood terrified him. Since they’d already been bundled up, they’d switched to sledding, instead.
On another day, Leo had taken him to Colin City, and they’d walked the town. He pointed out different places and talked about different jobs. Jerry had mostly listened, trying to figure out if anything interested him. It had been a bit boring, but he understood the necessity of it.
His favorite times, however, were when they would get back to the house. They would cook together, then eat in front of the fire. Sometimes they would watch television. Jerry found the educational shows Leo favored interesting.
Regardless of where they were or what they were doing, Leo often touched him. In public, he would hold his hand and press a kiss to his temple. In private, he would wrap his arms around him and take his mouth in deep kisses that left Jerry panting and hard.
Unfortunately, Leo hadn’t taken it further than that again. He seemed to be waiting for something. Jerry just wasn’t certain what.
“Oh, I should warn you before we get there,” Leo began, squeezing Jerry’s thigh to gain his attention. “Vince is a vampire.”
“Oh, wow.”
“He’s a decent guy, and totally devoted to Frankie and their son, Freddie.”
“They have a son?” Jerry didn’t know what to think of that. “But they’re both guys, so how did that work? Did they adopt? That�
�s allowed?”
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Jerry realized how ridiculous that sounded. He placed his hand over Leo’s and squeezed. “Sorry. Guess you probably think I’m stuck in the Stone Age, huh?” Feeling a little overwhelmed, Jerry admitted, “I was raised pretty isolated. This”—he squeezed Leo’s hand where they rested on his thigh—”is taking some getting used to.”
Oh, that’s what he’s waiting for. For me to be comfortable with the idea of us together.
While Jerry had been a whore for almost six years, that was so very different than what Leo was asking from him. He’d been forced into it. His body had been used by others, and he hadn’t had a choice.
Leo wants me to choose him.
“It just means you’ve been sheltered and been given misinformation.”
Jerry snapped his focus back to Leo, wondering what he’d missed. The shifter glanced his way and winked. “Artificial insemination and surrogates are very popular with shifters. They used Frankie’s seed, so their little boy will be a shifter once he hits puberty.”
“Wow.” Jerry barked a soft laugh, then grinned at Leo. “I’m saying that a lot.”
Leo chuckled and shrugged. “That’s okay. You’re going through an adjustment.”
Jerry nodded. Amazement filled him, as it often did, at how patient and understanding Leo was. He knew the man wanted him, and now that he’d figured out what the shifter was waiting on, he intended to do something about it.
Because I want him, too. I just have to figure out how to express myself.
Having never had to make the first move before, Jerry wasn’t entirely sure how to do that.
Leo slowing the truck, then turning it into a plowed driveway pulled Jerry out of his musings. A home appeared between the trees, but Leo bypassed it, taking a branch off to the left which led to a small barn. There was a taller structure a few feet behind it.
“Here we are,” Leo stated needlessly, a wide grin splitting his lips, and he parked and shut off the truck. “Come on.”
With a Wolf’s Support Page 6
