Grizzly Survival

by Becca Jameson

  Gavin opened his mouth to say something but then decided to hold off. If he wasn’t mistaken, Dale was communicating with someone inside.

  Sure enough, Dale’s eyes lost their glassy look a second later, and he looked toward Gavin. “Wyatt’s coming out.”

  The world got even weirder a moment later when Wyatt appeared on the deck, wandered over to the two of them, and then said nothing. He toed a plank on the deck, but the only word he spoke was a soft fuck.

  Gavin looked back and forth between the two men who stared at each other, still saying nothing. For a moment, Gavin panicked. Were they talking about him? But then he glanced at the tree line as movement caught his attention. Whoever Dale had scented was standing behind a tree. She was also doing a piss-poor job of hiding. Flashes of color kept catching Gavin’s eye.

  Dale leaned over and began hammering nails into the side of a board, one after another. He wasn’t attaching the two-by-four to anything, just plowing nails into it.

  After the longest minute of silence Gavin had ever endured, Wyatt lifted his face and announced that breakfast was ready.

  What the hell? Gavin nearly jumped out of his skin at the sudden declaration, but he followed Wyatt into the house with Dale on his heels. “So fun chatting with you guys,” he joked.

  Wyatt glanced back with concern etched on his face.

  Gavin waved a hand in front of him. “Kidding. Not going to say it isn’t weird, but I get that you were discussing the situation silently. I’m still learning your habits. The only shifters I was ever around were Paige’s parents, and they were far too proper to have risked making me uncomfortable.”

  “Sorry.” Dale looked chagrinned as he shut the door behind him. “I guess if your only shifting friend is Paige, you aren’t used to being around that sort of thing.” He headed straight for Paige, hand lifted, as she stood from her spot at the table. “Dale Gerben. Nice to meet you.”

  That was when Gavin realized Dale and Paige hadn’t even met until now.

  She smiled up at Dale. “You too. The deck looks fantastic.”

  Dale blushed, his dark skin turning a shade darker. Sexy as hell. “Thank you, ma’am.”

  Wyatt shifted his gaze toward Gavin. “Did the Osborns realize you know about shifters?”

  Gavin shook his head. “No. There was no way to tell them without…” How much had Paige told him about her past? Gavin sure wasn’t going to be the one to let the man in on her secrets.

  “I see.” Wyatt nodded. Did he?

  Gavin stared at Paige, who had changed clothes since Gavin’s arrival and was now wearing a sweatshirt that was ridiculously too big for her frame.

  Dale inched closer to Gavin, his brow furrowed. “Didn’t mean to make you feel left out.”

  Gavin nodded. “I didn’t mean to imply… I mean don’t worry about it. I totally understand.” He backed away from Dale and set his hands on the back of a chair at the table. It was ridiculous for him to attempt to separate himself from Dale. After all, Wyatt and Paige were sharp enough to know something was going on between Gavin and Dale, but it still made Gavin uncomfortable. He wasn’t in the habit of being open about his feelings toward another man in front of anyone.

  Paige headed for the sink with her breakfast plate, nodding toward the back of the house. “Will someone please tell me what’s going on?” Finally. Gavin was interested in hearing about whoever was inside the tree line also.

  Wyatt answered her. “Your reporter lady followed Gavin here. She’s hiding inside the tree line taking pictures of Dale working.”

  “What?” Paige shouted.

  Gavin stiffened. Fuck. Why hadn’t that occurred to him? He turned to fully face her. “Told you she was odd this morning. Pissed off that you weren’t there. I didn’t notice she followed me, or I would have tried to lose her.”

  “Maybe she didn’t follow you, and it’s just a coincidence.”

  “Could be, but it’s a hell of a coincidence,” Dale added as he headed for the coffee pot and then helped himself to a full mug of steaming caffeine.

  “I can’t imagine what that woman wants. She’s annoying as shit,” Gavin added, keeping his gaze on Dale’s back. Even the man’s back was ripped. It was difficult to follow the conversation in the room with Dale wandering around. Paige kept talking, her voice becoming a background noise in Gavin’s head while she worried about Kelly, the weird-as-fuck reporter.

  Gavin couldn’t take his gaze off Dale who leaned against the counter, crossing his ankles and sipping the hot coffee. The muscles in his arms and chest bulged. He wasn’t even wearing a jacket, and his black T-shirt pulled tight across his pecs, making Gavin wish he could run his hands over the firmness of them.

  With a smirk, Dale suddenly lifted his gaze and winked at Gavin.

  It was Gavin’s turn to flush, and he was certain he did, jerking his gaze toward the table after being caught ogling the chiseled perfect man he’d had sex with two nights ago.

  Suddenly, Wyatt interrupted his embarrassment. “Just so I know, Gavin? What time is late enough in the morning to speak to this woman?”

  Gavin cleared his throat. “Always safe by noon.”

  Dale, still smirking, wandered toward the table to grab a strip of bacon. He was looking at Gavin, but he spoke to Wyatt. “What do you want me to do? I need to get back to work. I’m not seriously going to lounge around in your kitchen shooting the breeze all morning just because some reporter is hiding in the trees.”

  Wyatt agreed. “Yeah. I can’t imagine she’s dangerous, and I doubt she’ll approach because she’d look like a fool, so ignore her. Let me know when she leaves.”

  Dale laughed and shook his butt toward the glass door. “Got it. Guess I’ll just keep my ass to her so she can get a shot of my best feature.”

  Gavin was not about to be left standing in the kitchen with the lovebirds, especially if Dale was heading back outside, so he followed. He felt a little stupid, so he attempted to make a joke. “I already ate. I’ll just sit and look pretty and pretend I’m supervising.”

  Chapter Five

  Goosebumps rose on Dale’s arms as he returned to the spot where he’d been working before the freakish human woman decided to spy on them.

  “Is she still there?” Gavin whispered from behind.

  “Yeah. She’s not even trying to hide the fact that she has a camera. Or she’s just plain stupid.”

  “I’m going with the latter. I’ve met her a few times now. She’s creeps me out.” Gavin dropped down to his butt on the edge of the deck. “My theory is that she’s pissed at Paige for not spending every second with her, and she’s trying to catch her not doing her job.”

  “That is creepy. Who would do that? Is Paige on some sort of time clock?” Dale couldn’t keep himself from staring at Gavin’s thighs, his gaze wandering toward the bulge between his legs.

  Gavin shook his head. “Not at all. But I’m telling you that woman gives me the chills. She’s strange in a way I can’t put my finger on.”

  Dale sighed as he picked up his hammer. “Paige needs to get ahold of someone at her school and put an end to this shit.” As soon as he picked up a nail, Wyatt was in his head.

  “You’re flirting, aren’t you?”

  Dale flinched. Was it that obvious? For some reason, he felt the need to defend himself. “What? With Gavin? He’s adorable, but he’s like twelve.”

  “He’s twice that age, and you’re so totally flirting.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “Uh huh. Try not to hurt yourself nailing boards to themselves out there.”

  “Don’t you have a woman to woo?”

  “Watching you is more fun.”

  Gavin chuckled.

  Dale shook himself free of the connection with Wyatt to face his lover. Only inches separated them. “What’s funny?”

  “Watching you communicate with someone else. Who are you talking to?”

  “Wyatt.”

  “We just walked outside. W
hat could the man possibly need to say already?”

  Dale grinned. He wanted to lean forward and kiss the worry off Gavin’s face, but that weird reporter was watching.

  Gavin licked his lips, his concern growing to taint the air.

  Dale sobered and righted himself until he stood over the smaller man, taking deep breaths. “I’d forgotten what it was like to date a human.” He tipped his head back.

  “You dated a human before?”

  “Yes. Years ago.”

  “Was it serious?”

  Dale closed his eyes, trying hard to shove Ethan to the back of his mind. He didn’t belong here. Not now. Not while Dale was enjoying a fling with the first man he’d been this attracted to in ages. In five years, if he was honest with himself.

  “You okay?” Gavin asked.

  Dale lowered his face. “Yeah. Sorry.” He swallowed. “It was serious. Yes. But that was a long time ago. The point is I forgot how rude it is to communicate with people silently right in front of you.”

  “It’s weird. I’ll admit.” Gavin fidgeted where he sat, lifting his thighs one at a time and making Dale feel like a heel.

  “If it makes you feel any better, it wouldn’t change anything if you were a shifter. We can communicate with whoever we want in close proximity, but we can also block everyone else from the conversation. What Wyatt just said never would have reached your mind.”

  Gavin nodded. His tongue darted out to swipe across his bottom lip. “You gonna tell me what it was?”

  Dale rubbed his forehead. “In the interest of full disclosure, and because I don’t want you to think I’m keeping anything from you, I’ll tell you.” He considered what to say before going for it. “He was giving me shit about you.”

  Gavin lifted a brow. “You’re serious?”

  “Yes. And I gave it back as well. He needs to bind to that woman in his house ASAP before he loses his mind.”

  “Paige?”

  Dale smiled. “Is there anyone else?”

  Gavin nodded. “Right. So, this binding…it’s something that usually happens fast, huh? This is serious. I shouldn’t expect Paige to return to the apartment anytime soon?”

  Dale wasn’t getting a damn thing done on the deck, but this was important too. How he’d been elected to be the man who shared the way of shifters with Paige’s fake boyfriend was a mystery, but he needed to take the job seriously.

  Oh, who was he kidding? He’d elected himself to take on Gavin’s tutoring—the very moment he met the man on the deck Monday morning.

  He lifted one foot and set it on the deck next to Gavin’s thigh, the only contact he could reasonably make while some random crazy woman stood in the tree line, probably shooting pictures. Hell, maybe her goal had nothing to do with Paige, and she’d been sent to catch Gavin with a man.

  Dale jerked his foot back down and stepped back a few inches before answering Gavin’s questions. “When a shifter couple meets, it’s usually the same as when humans meet for the first time. They date, feel each other out, find common ground, and then take things further. It’s not unusual for that process to happen faster with shifters than humans, but to an outsider, it wouldn’t normally raise an eyebrow.”

  Gavin frowned. “That’s not at all the impression I get from Paige. She met Wyatt one night at her parents’ house and fell so hard for him I thought she was going to flunk out of the rest of the semester.”

  Dale laughed. “I didn’t finish. I said usually. Grizzly shifters don’t typically believe in love at first sight, though I have heard that wolf shifters do.”

  “Wait, wolf shifters? Please tell me you’re kidding.” Gavin sat up straighter, his body going rigid. He gripped the edge of the deck so hard that Dale feared he would get splinters from the un-sanded wood.

  He never should have brought other species into the conversation. Jesus. Gavin’s world was complicated enough as it was. “Sorry. Forget about the wolves. The point is bears haven’t historically believed in Fate, but lately, that theory has been tested again and again.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean more and more grizzlies are finding themselves in a situation where they meet each other and know they belong together instantly. It’s something they sense. Or maybe scent is the right word.”

  Gavin nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like what happened to Paige.”

  “I’m confused. When did they meet?”

  “Three months ago. In Calgary.”

  “But Wyatt never said a word. He came back from that trip and went on with his life.”

  “That’s because Paige had a boyfriend.” Gavin grinned.

  “You.”

  “Of course.” He puffed out his chest.

  Dale was confused again. “Why exactly did you hold her back?”

  Gavin sobered, frowning. “Dude, don’t look at me like that. It wasn’t my idea. I’ve been telling her for years to break up with me and move on with her life. I lectured her plenty of times about Wyatt after she met him. She wouldn’t listen to me.”

  “That’s crazy. Was she protecting you? That’s dedication.” Dale couldn’t imagine why anyone would give up binding to their true mate just to help a gay friend remain in the closet.

  Gavin flinched. “Hell no. She might say that was the case, but she’d be lying. She has her own reasons for not wanting to date. Until today we’ve had a mutually beneficial arrangement. I told you that the other night.”

  Dale threaded his fingers into his hair on the top of his head, dislodging the locks so that they fell around his face. “I know you did, but I’m not seeing how Paige’s end of this agreement was equal to yours.” His mind raced to find a plausible explanation.

  “Look, I can’t tell you Paige’s story. It’s not mine to tell, and I don’t even know what she’s told Wyatt. So please don’t pressure me on this. If and when I have her permission, I’ll tell you. But the thing you need to understand is that Paige doesn’t date. She uses me to keep men from asking her out.”

  Dale nodded. Wow. Gavin’s voice was serious. Dale couldn’t begin to read between the lines, but he did understand the power of friendship, and he could respect the fact that it would be inappropriate for Gavin to tell his best friend’s secrets, especially to a stranger he’d met four days ago—someone he was simply fucking.

  Because that’s what this was, right? A mutual agreement to fuck each other’s brains out until they either grew tired of each other or pissed each other off somehow. Gavin and Paige weren’t the only people alive engaged in a mutually beneficial arrangement.

  Dale turned around and inhaled slowly. “She’s gone.”

  “Thank God.”

  Dale set his hammer on the deck and reached for Gavin’s hand. “Let’s go.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “My place.”

  “Why?”

  “Forgot something.” He fought the urge to smile or even laugh at how absurd that sounded, but his skin was crawling, so he reached out to Wyatt. “Gotta run back to my house to get a tool. Be back soon.”

  “Is that what they’re calling it these days?” Wyatt teased. “Is tool a euphemism for sex now?”

  “Seems to me like you should take this gift and shut up.”

  “Good point.” Wyatt broke the connection.

  »»•««

  Gavin found himself back in Paige’s car, but this time, Dale was sitting beside him. “I don’t see why you couldn’t have driven. You’re the one who knows these back roads.”

  Dale chuckled and set his hand on Gavin’s thigh with a squeeze. “I like the view from the passenger seat better.”

  Gavin shoved Dale’s hand away from his stiff cock and glared at him. He hadn’t even started the engine yet. “No way in hell am I going to be able to concentrate enough to drive these winding mountain roads with you touching me.”

  Dale laughed again, lifting both hands in the air innocently. “Sorry. I promise not to touch you.” He immediately set his left arm along
the back of Gavin’s seat and let his fingers dance along his neck.

  Gavin moaned.

  “The car won’t drive itself, kid.” At least he finally removed all contact and faced the front. Sort of.

  “How the hell did you get here this morning anyway?” Gavin asked as he started the car. He was pretty sure Dale had completely different motives than retrieving a forgotten tool. It was possible he wanted to give Wyatt and Paige some privacy, but Gavin suspected he had other activities in mind too.

  “I ran.”

  “You ran? How far it is?”

  “About ten miles.”

  “What?” Gavin screamed. “That’s impossible.”

  “Not in grizzly form.” Dale grinned.

  Gavin swallowed. “Right,” he muttered as he pulled onto the main road.

  Fifteen minutes later, Gavin found himself plastered to the backside of the door in Dale’s living room. One knee was wedged between his legs, and his arms were pinned over his head.

  Dale’s mouth descended fast, claiming, searching, devouring. He moaned into Gavin’s mouth, tipping his head one direction and deepening the kiss.

  Gavin had been horny from the moment he first stepped out onto the deck earlier. No, he’d been horny since Monday morning. But his libido shot up another notch at the pressure of Dale’s thigh against his cock and the fact that he couldn’t touch the man whose body was pressed against his.

  When Dale finally broke the kiss, he dropped Gavin’s hands and stepped back. His long hair had come loose from the ponytail to hang disheveled around his shoulders. He was breathing heavily. “Take everything off. I need to see you.” He tugged his own shirt over his head as he spoke.

  Gavin wore a U of C sweatshirt which he removed quickly, taking his T-shirt with it. But Dale must have been in too big a hurry to wait for jeans and shoes to come off because he slammed his body along Gavin’s again, their chests lining up only because Dale bent his knees.

  Dale threaded his fingers with Gavin’s and held them at their sides. He nudged Gavin’s head to one side and kissed his neck, nibbling his way up to the man’s ear. “Do you know how grizzlies bind?” he asked.

  “No.” Gavin’s voice was weak, thready. He was so fucking turned on right now, and Dale wanted to give a lesson in Grizzly Shifters 101?