“With Mitch?”
As Kardamon nodded, he swept his gaze over Craven’s big, burnt-orange frame. His fellow gargoyle had mated with a horse shifter not too long ago. Seeing how his shoulders were relaxed as well as the warmth filling his green eyes, Kardamon thought mated bliss looked good on his friend.
Now if only I could figure out how to have some of that.
Craven settled on the chair on the back patio where Kardamon was eating his breakfast. “So?” He rested his forearms on the table and folded his black-clawed hands, all the while peering intently at Kardamon. “All right. How can I help?” Straightening and spreading his hands wide, he added, “If it’s within my power...”
“I need you to drive me here.” Kardamon slid his cell phone across the table toward Craven. He’d left open his message screen with the address of the home Mitch was checking out that evening. “Your SUV’s rear windows are tinted, right?”
“They are,” Craven confirmed as he pulled the phone toward him. “Uh, Mace is slipping you information? How’s he even know what Mitch is up to?”
“Andre is dropping innocent hints under the guise of sharing and bonding with his brother,” Kardamon admitted. While he figured he should feel a little bad about pumping Mitch’s friends for information, he couldn’t find it in himself to do so. This was his mate and his future he was doing his best to win. “That way Mitch won’t suspect.” Wincing, he added, “At least, not right away.”
Craven snickered softly as he shook his head. “How angry do you think Mitch is gonna be when he finds out his friends have been helping you keep tabs on him?”
“Well, if everything works out, Mitch’ll end up grateful.”
“Damn, I sure hope it works out for you.” Craven’s brow ridges furrowed, and he tapped the table next to Kardamon’s phone. “This says he’ll be there at nine-thirty. If you want to get there by then, we need to leave in five.” Meeting Kardamon’s gaze, Craven asked, “Meet me in the garage?”
Kardamon gave Craven a thumbs up. “Thanks, Craven. I owe you one.”
Craven shrugged. “Naw.” He rose to his feet. Punching Kardamon in the upper arm, he grinned broadly at him. “That’s what friends are for.”
Five minutes later, Kardamon met Craven—the gargoyle now in human form and dressed as one—in the garage. When Grigoris spotted him opening the back door to his friend’s SUV, he left the truck he was working on and headed his way. Kardamon paused, waiting for the male.
While Grigoris was comparable in size, standing six-foot-seven to Kardamon’s six-foot-eight, he was far more dominant. He could have been a top enforcer, part of the inner circle. Instead, Grigoris chose to live the simple life of a mechanic.
Kardamon had heard that Grigoris was considered on call for enforcer duty, though. With the ever-present threat of hunters, the clutch needed everyone on alert.
The biggest reason Kardamon waited for Grigoris, however, was because the male was mated to Aaden, one of Mitch’s friends.
“Aaden told me that he admitted to Mitch that the guys know about you claiming Mitch as your mate,” Grigoris started without preamble. He crossed his arms over his chest, scowling at him. “You should have known better than to ask them to keep that kind of thing quiet.”
“Shit,” Kardamon hissed under his breath. He lowered his focus to the floor. “Yeah, I getcha.” It really had been a stupid idea, but he’d wanted another shot at talking to Mitch, at seducing him, before asking for his friends to talk to him. “So, uh, sorry if it caused stress between you and Aaden.” He rubbed the back of his neck as he met Grigoris’s hard gaze, figuring that was why the gargoyle had approached him. “It wasn’t intentional.”
Grigoris shrugged one shoulder, then told him, “I had to do what you’re about to do.” He must have spotted Kardamon’s confused expression, for he continued, “Track down my wayward mate when he ran away. I know the slam of lust can be hard to control, but take a few minutes to find out why Mitch ran away.” Grigoris patted Kardamon on the shoulder, then turned away, calling over his shoulder, “I guarantee that it’ll help.”
“Time to go,” Craven called from where he sat behind the wheel of his SUV.
Kardamon nodded and climbed into the back. Before he closed the door, he called, “Thanks!”
Grigoris just waved a hand without looking up from the engine he was peering at.
Settling in the backseat of the SUV, Kardamon tapped his fingertips on his thighs. He tried to relax as Craven drove through the streets. Thinking on Grigoris’s advice, he wondered if the male was right.
Worth a shot.
Before long, Craven slowed the vehicle. He pointed out the window. “There’s the house Mitch is checking out. That sedan must be the realtor because I see your man’s Mustang in my rearview mirror.” He parked three houses down. “Looks like Aaden is with him. Oh, and Aziel and Andre are following in Andre’s truck. At least they’ll be able to distract the realtor for you. Better text one of them to unlock the back door.”
Kardamon quickly shot a message off to Aziel. He immediately received a thumbs up emoji in response.
Craven pulled his vehicle forward and turned a corner, then parked again. Turning in his seat and peering back at him, he grinned. “I don’t have to remind you to use the trees for cover, right?”
Snorting, Kardamon slipped forward and cracked the back door. “You just did.” He grinned at his buddy. “Tell me if the coast is clear.”
Opening his door, Craven eased out. Kardamon watched him raise his arms over his head, looking for all the world as if he was stretching after a long drive. Craven also surveyed the area.
“It’s clear. Good luck.”
“Thanks.”
As Kardamon eased from the vehicle, he heard his buddy add, “I’m going to drive around the side streets for the next thirty minutes, so text me if you need a pick-up.”
Kardamon nodded. “Thanks.”
Then Kardamon hurried into the night. With a black trench coat over his shoulders, hiding his medium blue hide and white wings, he blended in with the shadows. Keeping his head dipped, he allowed his long, white hair to shield his features.
A few minutes later, Kardamon peered through the trees at the back of the house. He spotted Aziel and Aaden on the back porch, appearing to admire the small backyard. Spotting a trail that led into the trees from the back of the cleared space, Kardamon stepped into it, allowing the young men to see him.
Aziel nodded once, then murmured something to Aaden. As Kardamon crossed the small yard, Aaden went inside, leaving the door open. Aziel held up his hand, urging him to wait.
“Give Aaden a second to draw the realtor out of whatever room Mitch is in,” Aziel said by way of explanation. “Then Andre will get you.”
As Kardamon shifted from foot to foot, he murmured, “Thank you... for doing this for me.”
Aziel grinned widely at him. “Everyone deserves to be happy, some people more than others.”
Kardamon opened his mouth to question Aziel on his statement, but then Andre appeared in the still-open doorway. “Come on. We’re not sure how long you’ll have, so—” He shrugged. “This lady is real eager for a sale.”
Following Andre through the small, cozy home, Kardamon softly asked, “Is it normal to see houses this late?”
Andre shrugged before quietly replying, “Not normally, but when Mitch mentioned he was looking to pay cash for a home, she fit him into her schedule.”
Cash? Huh? Hadn’t Mitch just graduated from college? How could he afford a home with cash?
Kardamon mentally set those questions aside when he entered a decent sized bedroom.
“There’s an ensuite,” Andre whispered. “I’ll keep a lookout. You’ll have to hide in there or the closet if the realtor comes back before you’re done.”
“Thank you,” Kardamon murmured, his focus already on Mitch. The man stood beside the window. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his eyes we
re narrowed in a glare. When Mitch opened his mouth—probably to say something along the lines of get lost, judging by his expression—Kardamon lifted his hands in placation and hurriedly said, “I just want a minute to talk. Please?”
Growling low in his throat, Mitch turned his scowl on Andre. “We’re going to talk about this later.”
From the corner of his eye, Kardamon saw Andre shrug, then nod once before slipping from the room.
“I figured I could have called, but would you have answered?” Kardamon slowly started toward Mitch. He did his best to ignore his human’s masculine, tangy aroma and the way it set his blood on fire. “But since I heard you weren’t picking up for your friends, I knew I didn’t stand a chance of getting you to talk to me that way.”
Mitch heaved a sigh before rubbing a hand over his face. Resting his hands on his hips, he met his gaze as he shook his head. “Look, man. There ain’t nothin’ to talk about.”
Kardamon just resisted pointing out that Mitch had used a double negative, which actually indicated that they had plenty to talk about. Instead, he stopped a couple feet before Mitch and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. While he’d skipped a shirt under his coat, he had donned the legwear... just in case.
“Actually, we do have a bit to talk about, since you’re my mate, and you’re denying me.” When Mitch curled his lip and glared to the left, Kardamon counted that as a win. He hadn’t refuted his claim, after all. “I know you don’t have a problem with gay men, since your close buddies are in male pairings.”
Recalling his first interaction with Mitch, Kardamon mused, “And it’s not the fact that I’m a paranormal, since you’re happy to hang out with us.” He narrowed his eyes as he reached out and gripped Mitch’s jaw in a light hold, forcing his human to turn his head and meet his gaze. “So that means you’re resistant only because I don’t have tits and a pussy, right?”
“And I’m not ready for a relationship,” Mitch grumbled. Taking a step back, he severed the contact. At the same time, he crossed his arms over his chest in a protective manner... or maybe because, like Kardamon, he was having a hard time not touching. “I like variety, man. I like exploring a new body and feeling the way a woman’s hair slides against my body and how her big breasts fill my hands.” His cheeks glowed, but he didn’t stop there. “You gotta be wrong, Kard.” Mitch turned his back to him, but he still met his gaze through the window’s glass. “No way could we work.”
“She’s coming back,” Andre cut in. “Sorry.”
Realizing his time was nearly at an end, Kardamon took a chance. He wrapped one arm around Mitch’s torso, palming his pectoral so he could rub one nipple. With his other hand, he wound it around his hips and cupped Mitch’s shaft, gratified to find it swollen behind his fly.
Mitch gasped and jolted, but Kardamon didn’t release him. He dipped his head and whispered into his human’s ear, “No, I don’t have tits for you to cup and squeeze, but I do have a very fine ass that could give your hands the same pleasure.” As he spoke, he used the heel of his hand to press rhythmically into Mitch’s dick. “And I don’t have a pussy, but I do have a tight, hot chute that would squeeze your cock better than anything you could possibly imagine.”
Kardamon tweaked Mitch’s nipple as he added, “And just think, with me being a paranormal, you won’t have to wear a condom. You’ll feel my hot, tight muscles ripple along your bare length giving you the most intimate and sensual massage you’ve ever experienced.”
Pulling away from his trembling, panting mate was the hardest damn thing Kardamon had ever done in his life, but he did it. “Think on it,” he whispered before slipping into the closet.
It pleased Kardamon that it took Mitch a good minute before he managed to answer the realtor’s questions. His dick throbbed behind his fly as he listened to his mate’s rough voice telling the woman that he would take the place.
At least my mate will be close.
Chapter Five
Mitch had closed on his house that day, so he’d decided to treat himself. Normally he would have invited his posse, but after the ambush they’d orchestrated two days before, he decided to call up another ex-football teammate that he knew had stayed in the area. Cain wasn’t a real good friend, but he enjoyed strip clubs.
Hell, at this point, Mitch wasn’t even certain if the others would join him in such a place.
Oh well.
Mitch didn’t want to admit it, but he was a little bored. That had certainly never happened to him at a strip club. He’d been sitting before the stage and had watched three pole dance shows, and his cock wasn’t even at half-mast.
Even staring at the ladies flushed, heaving tits as they shimmied around the pole hadn’t done much for him. Between that and the evening before, he was starting to get pissed off. He’d gone to a bar to pick up some female companionship and hadn’t found any girl that had caused his dick to do more than twitch.
“Hey, thanks for inviting me, Mitch,” Cain said, turning to look at Mitch since the nearly naked redhead sauntered off stage. “I haven’t been to a strip club in ages.” He laughed as he openly rubbed his groin. “This is great.”
Mitch nodded, forcing a smile. “Sure, Cain. Glad you could make it at the last minute.” As soon as he’d offered to buy Cain a beer, he’d agreed to meet him there.
Cain smirked, his dark eyes taking on a malicious gleam. “Probably not your fag friends’ scene, huh?”
Scowling at the dark-haired guy, Mitch growled, “Excuse me?”
Evidently unfazed by Mitch’s tone, Cain continued, “I’m sure those spectacular hooters wouldn’t be to their liking, right?” He smacked Mitch’s upper arm with the back of his hand. “Seeing as they’re cocksuckers and not interested in pussy?”
“Dude, those are my friends you’re talking about.” Mitch glared at Cain. “I don’t give a shit that they like dick instead of pussy. Knock off your slurs.”
Cain rolled his eyes as he returned his focus to the brunette who’d just started working the pole. “I’m gonna go get a private dance. These lovely ladies have given me a boner I need to take care of.”
“Have fun,” Mitch told him, suddenly happy to be rid of his companion. Inviting Cain had been a mistake. He should have just bit the bullet and called up the guys. Even going to a regular bar was better than the frustration he was currently feeling.
Mitch knew the strip club wasn’t exceptionally reputable. Still, can’t imagine any of the women would let Cain fuck ‘em. On the other hand, it wasn’t that big a leap to figure no one would say anything if he jacked off after they finished grinding on him.
Unless they want a really big tip.
While Mitch had been there a few times over the years, he’d never paid for sex in his life. He wouldn’t even know the signs for that kind of invitation. Watching Cain saunter over to one of the women working the crowd, he wondered how the other guy would know.
Never mind. I don’t want to know.
Turning his attention back to the show, Mitch watched the woman hook her leg around the bar. She arched her back and swung around the pole. Undulating her body, she straightened back up again. As she arched again, she released the pole with one hand and reached behind herself. In the next instant, her top came off, displaying her full breasts.
Mitch gazed at them as she danced around the pole. Lowering his hand to his crotch, he rubbed himself through the fabric of his jeans. Even with the stimulation, his dick only filled to half-mast.
Sighing, Mitch decided to get another drink.
Halfway to the bar, Mitch felt a thick arm wrap around his waist. He barely had a chance to react before he was yanked sideways and pulled across the bench seat of a booth. Flailing for balance, he grabbed the edge of the table and pushed against the wide torso of whoever held him.
“Stop, Mitch.”
Mitch froze, shock slamming through him. Gaping, he tipped his head back and stared into the face of the guy ho
lding him. “How the hell did you get in here?” Shit, that wasn’t even the important thing. “And how the fuck did you know I was here?”
Kardamon offered him a toothy grin from beneath the brim of his fedora. “I snuck in the back door when an employee took out the garbage twenty minutes ago. No one really looks too closely at anyone else in here, so it was easy to slip into a booth.” He pointed with one gloved forefinger at the beer bottle on his table. “Even the waitress didn’t look too closely, seeing as I was tucked in the dark. Evidently, they’re used to shady clientele.”
“Only strip club within a hundred miles,” Mitch told him, revealing the fact that he’d checked. “Not surprising they get all sorts.” Realizing Kardamon still had an arm around his waist, he tried to pull free. When the gargoyle didn’t budge, he ordered, “Let go of me.”
Sighing, Kardamon eased his hold, moving his arm to the back of the rounded booth seat. “Sorry. Touching you...” His voice trailed away as he gave him a feral smile and a shrug.
“And how’d you know I was here?”
“I didn’t want to cause another rift between you and your friends, so I’ve been having Raymond track your phone.”
“Track my—” Heaving a sigh, Mitch didn’t know what was worse. He shook his head as he frowned at the gargoyle. “What the hell, man?”
Kardamon shrugged. “I did try to call you this time. The first time you hung up on me, and the second and third time you didn’t answer.” Teasing his fingertips along Mitch’s nape, he smiled slightly as he finished, “What was I to do?”
“How about leave me alone?” Mitch grumbled, leaning forward to get away from Kardamon’s glove-covered fingers.
“I can’t do that.”
Frowning at Kardamon, Mitch tried to process his blunt statement. “Seriously?”
“Would you like a drink, sir?”
Mitch watched as Kardamon dipped his head as he pointed at his beer bottle. “Same.” He tilted his head so he could give Mitch a side-eyed look from beneath the brim of his hat. “And for you?”
Channeling the Womanizer’s Lust Page 4
