by Jana Downs
“God, you hit sub space just from that?” Ryan rumbled, his hands going to Bradley’s hips and pulling him back flush against his body.
“What’s that?” Bradley asked, nuzzling the other man’s firm chest. Fuck yes. This was where he belonged. Right here with Ryan, at the wolf’s feet.
“Your eyes are dilated. Your breathing is almost to the point where it would be if you were meditating. Absolutely calm. Are you feeling euphoria? Are you drifting?” Ryan asked. So many questions. Answering them seemed like so much effort but Bradley would if it would make Ryan happy.
“Yeah. I feel like I’m floating.”
“From a kiss?” Ryan muttered, hugging him tight. “Damn boy, you are a treasure.” The praise wrapped Bradley in pure cotton warmth. “I’ve never seen a sub sink into headspace that quickly.” He swallowed hard as a rumbled growl vibrated through his chest. It felt fantastic against Bradley’s skin.
He wrapped his arms around Ryan’s waist. “Touch me?”
Seemingly reluctant, Ryan shook his head. “I can’t. It’s not fair. This can’t—I can’t take you home while you’re still in space. Come back to me, Bradley.”
“No.”
Ryan’s hands wandered over his arms, back, and chest. “Be a good boy, Bradley. Come back to me.”
“No.”
“Stubborn sub, come down and let me take you home before I do something stupid!” Ryan snapped. The anger and frustration in his voice killed a little of the buzz Bradley was feeling.
“Take me home with you,” Bradley said, clinging to Ryan’s firm body. “You don’t have to fuck me, but I want to stay with you.”
Ryan sighed. “That is not a good idea.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t trust myself not to strip you down and fuck you. My wolf is very keen on the idea right now, and if you’re in my bed, I’ll be inside you.” The admission seemed to cost Ryan some of that control he’d been clinging to, and it only made Bradley hungrier.
“Take me home, Ryan,” Bradley said, closing his eyes and leaning into the other man. They both needed this, had been dancing around their attraction for months. Denying it even one more second seemed unbearable.
“I’ll take you to your home, Bradley. But if you’re good and stop being so stubborn, I will tuck you in when we get there.”
It wasn’t much of a compromise, but Bradley would take it. Now that he as an available, there was plenty of time to teach his Dom that Bradley was the only man he needed in his life.
* * * *
The hardest thing Ryan had ever done was walk away from the satisfied human who had become his responsibility to train as a submissive. As promised, he’d tucked Bradley in and given him a chaste kiss good night in exchange for Bradley’s cooperation. It wasn’t usually his bag to negotiate with subs, but Bradley was all instinct and Ryan wouldn’t put it past him to stalk after Ryan if he left him alone. There was a pull despite Ryan’s adamant refusal to acknowledge it. The question was, how had the human recognized it before Ryan had?
He flipped open his cell phone and dialed his brother. A quick glance at his watch said it was well after three a.m., but he knew Regan as well as he knew himself. The other man was still awake. Their connection was uncanny and was even tighter than the one he shared with Alpha. They could talk mind to mind over long distances, but it took a lot of effort to concentrate, so it was better to just use the telephone. Unlike Regan, he didn’t need to show off. He was still pissed that Regan hadn’t stopped the scene when they’d come in. He bristled as he recalled the fascinated expression painted over Bradley’s face. He sighed. These instincts were going to be the death of him. His wolf was screaming at him to walk back up the steps to Bradley’s apartment and claim him. Unwilling to listen, he stood by his motorbike in the parking lot and glared up at his window.
“How’d your date go?” Regan asked by way of greeting.
“Fuck. You. You are a prick for doing that to me.”
A brief chuckle sounded. “Come on. I know you. Your wolf was salivating at the prospect. He went above and beyond to get your attention.”
“A normal brotherly reaction would’ve been to be concerned that one of our clients stalked me, tattooed himself to get my attention, and inserted himself into the pack on a mission to become my mate,” Ryan rumbled, annoyance flickering through him for the millionth time tonight. His brother just laughed again.
“He’s harmless, and you know it. He wants to be a part of the pack. Have fun with him, train him, and then let him go. Let another Dom take the adoration if you can’t handle it,” Regan said, a smirk in his voice. Most people couldn’t hear the smile Regan was sporting, but Ryan knew that tone.
He snorted. “I could just assign him a trainer and be done with it.”
“But you didn’t. You assigned yourself, prick. I already looked at his info. You and your wolf are jonesing for the boy. So take him. It’s not against pack law anymore to mate a human. And he is your mate by the way. I can feel it through our bond.” Now that was news. Could Regan really feel their mate connection?
“You’re lying.”
“Am not. You’re in my head, Ryan. You know better. I wouldn’t lie. Not about something like this. He’s yours. He must be a pretty aware human, too. He seemed to sense your connection before you pulled your head out of your ass,” Regan said. “Of course, if you’re still denying the pull, you have your head farther up your own ass than I thought you did.”
Ryan frowned. “That’s the thing, Re. He talks like he’s got a wolf. When we were at the shop, he picked out the symbol for ‘wolf son,’ too.”
“You think he might be an unregistered mixed breed?” Regan asked, the amusement gone from his voice. “If he’s a latent wolf, then he’s probably getting close to an awakening.”
“Maybe.” It was really too little information to speculate on, but it was a possibility. A human and wolf mix was an unpredictable combination. There were no guarantees that the wolf would ever fully form and attach to the soul of the human body. But just as often a latent would spontaneously manifest and go from human to wolf in a blink of an eye. Shifters called it an awakening because it was just like that. One minute the wolf was dormant, and the next it was fully formed and wide awake. Latents usually had the most control issues because unlike born wolves, they weren’t used to compromising with their instincts. A lot of accidents happened with them for that very reason. They were as bad as weres.
“Your mate bond could’ve triggered it. He’s the one you saved in that car crash right?” Regan asked.
“Yeah.” It had been Ryan’s fault. He’d swerved in front of Bradley to avoid a pothole in the pavement and caused the younger man to hit the curb and send his car careening into the tree beyond. He’d ditched his bike and gone to see what he could do to help out. Bradley had been unconscious with his face pressed against the airbag when he’d gotten to the driver’s side door. Ryan had all but ripped the door off to get him out of there. He’d dialed 911 and had waited for the cops and ambulance to come, keeping Bradley company until then. The boy had a concussion and had talked out of his head so much that Ryan had been ninety percent sure he wouldn’t remember him when he got back straight. Ryan had paid all the damages, the hospital bills, and the cost of a replacement car but had pretty much forgotten about it until Bradley walked into the shop a month later.
“Well, that explains a bit. Wolves know their mates by sight and scent alone. He probably started the process then, which would explain why he can’t seem to stay away from you and why the full awakening keeps getting put off.”
Ryan frowned. “How the hell does that explain why he hasn’t shifted yet?”
“Duh, bro. Think. Every time he comes into the shop, you mark him. You claim him in a way. That probably kept his wolf content for the time being.”
“No,” Ryan denied. “We don’t even know if he’s a latent yet. I have to talk to Alpha.”
“I’ll leave a message
for Dean to start a background check on your boy and start the process.” Dean was a private investigator who was a member of the pack. He helped out a lot when it came to criminal and personal problems. To say he was an invaluable employee was pretty accurate.
“He’s not my boy.”
“Whatever you say, Ry.”
“Fuck you, Re.” Their childhood nicknames didn’t invoke the same amusement it usually did. “I start his training Friday.”
Regan snorted. “If he leaves you alone till then, I will eat my fucking tattoo gun. If he’s a latent, he won’t be able to resist the impulse, and the more you’re around him, the less you’ll be able to as well. Why don’t you just bite the bullet and get it over with?”
“He’s clean, Re. I mean, he’s like almost virgin clean. I can’t.” Raw panic rose up and clawed at his gut and chest. He stared a hole through the glass in Bradley’s bedroom window.
“Easy, bro. Breathe.” Regan cursed on the other end of the phone. “So it isn’t just that he’s vanilla, huh?”
“No, Re. He’s pure like a goddamn angel sent to punish me.” He trembled, and it wasn’t from the freezing temperatures outside. “I can’t touch him.”
“When are you going to stop punishing yourself for something that happened when we were sixteen?” Regan asked softly. “David is long mated and moved on from the incident. Why can’t you?”
“I can’t be trusted with someone like him again, Re. You don’t understand. The things I did, the things I wanted to do…”
Regan made a noise of comfort, and Ryan could practically feel his brother’s arms around him. “He was just as much at fault as you were, Ryan. He wanted those things and knew how to safeword. You gave him his fantasy. Granted, you both went too far, but you are a better and more experienced Dom now. The punishment that you endured was unjust, and Alpha will tell you that.”
“He begged me to stop, and I ignored him. I knew it felt wrong, and I did it anyway.”
“Only because he would get pissed at you for stopping any other time,” Ryan interrupted. “Jesus, Ryan. That boy is notorious for topping from the bottom, and you were young enough to let him. He manipulated the situation so that you went further and further down into his fantasy land, and by the time you both realized it was too much, you both were too far into it. You haven’t played hard since, and I know it’s not because you don’t have it in you or don’t have a half a dozen availables begging you for it. He’s still controlling your life, and he doesn’t even live here anymore. He wasn’t as innocent as you seem to remember him. He played the part, but he was never an innocent that you preyed upon.”
Ryan shook his head. His brother was wrong. He couldn’t be trusted with someone who wasn’t experienced. He could play with those cynical subs who knew the score. He wouldn’t dirty someone he liked with his fantasies. “You just don’t get it.”
“Fine,” Ryan snapped, changing tactics. “Assign someone else to him then. You’ll only hurt him if you give him only half of what he needs. In fact, he’s cute. Assign me to be his trainer. I’ll fuck and train him properly. Maybe when I’m done he won’t be too ‘pure’ for your tastes.”
Ryan snarled. “You won’t fucking touch him!”
A long pause answered his declaration, followed by a low sigh. “And that is why you’re going to have to come to grips with what happened. For better or worse, bro, that boy is yours. It’s up to you to train him in the ways of pack and to make him a proper mate.”
“He’s not my mate,” Ryan said automatically.
“And we’re back to that again? Fuck me, Ryan. You are a stubborn asshole. Fine. He’s not your mate. You still have to train him. Are you going to be okay with that, or do I need to bring this to the Alpha’s attention?” Ryan asked.
Torn, Ryan said nothing. Maybe this was his second chance. Maybe if he could train Bradley and then let him go, he could redeem himself a bit. That way the human could figure out if he really wanted what Ryan wanted or if it was just his inexperience that was keeping them tied together. That had been some of the problem last time.
Years after the incident with David, the man had talked to him after a pack meeting. He’d said that if he knew there was another way to satisfy a Dominant he never would’ve been with Ryan. He’d said what they’d done was all Ryan’s fault. While Ryan knew that wasn’t entirely true, as a Dominant, it was his job to know and understand, to protect his submissive. He’d failed with David. But maybe, just maybe, things could be different with Bradley.
“I have this under control,” Ryan said at last. “I’ll train him as a submissive and then turn him lose to the pack as an available.” As sick to his soul as that made him, he would do it. For Bradley. He deserved a chance to find a Dom who would cherish him and give him a fairytale experience.
“As an available, he will be thought of as a booty call, Ry. He won’t find Prince Charming by playing the village bicycle,” Regan said softly, reading Ryan’s mind.
“It’s happened before. You know there are some availables who only play with one Dom. That’s the closest we have without mating. Bradley is…” A million adjectives ran through his head, funny, sweet, charming, stubborn, intoxicating, none of them were adequate. “Bradley is a treasure. He deserves that chance.”
“He wants you, Ryan.”
“He doesn’t know what he wants. He’s inexperienced and a veritable innocent. I’ll give him a taste of what he thinks he wants. Afterward, he’ll want something else, experience something else. No big.” His nonchalant words were belied by the absolute numbing chill they brought into his chest.
Regan sighed. “Whatever. I’ll let you know what I find out from Dean. I’ll talk to you tomorrow at work.”
“Will you come up to my house?” Ryan asked. They shared a split-level house. Ryan took the top part, and Regan lived in the bottom section. They were both independent dwelling spaces, but as twins, they were used to being close. It comforted them both.
“I’m not alone, bro. I can drop him off though and come up,” Regan offered.
“No way. That’s okay. You go have fun with your Wednesday, and I’ll watch some tube before I hit the sheets. See you tomorrow.” He hung up before his brother could reply. Good God. I am not this weak. He felt brittle as he dragged his gaze away from the house and swung his leg over his bike. Tomorrow would be better. Tonight had just been too much new information to process. Tomorrow he would deal with the consequences of his actions, but tonight he just wanted to get some sleep.
Chapter Four
Bradley woke up wrapped like a burrito in his bedspread. It was so incredibly warm that he was reluctant to struggle free from the covers at first. He’d been drifting along in his thoughts of Ryan as he did every night and had wakened from those beautiful moments to the dawning realization that his most dizzy dreams were about to come true. He was going to be Ryan’s submissive and then his mate.
What had happened last night after Ryan kissed him? He’d gotten all floaty and dreamlike. He felt like he could’ve melted right into Ryan and been perfectly content doing that. It wasn’t anything like the book he’d read. He’d expected to be tied up and spanked and stuff before he got to that weird happy place he’d read about in his book. Ryan had seemed surprised as well. Was reaching the happy place too soon kind of like coming too soon? Was it bad?
Fuck. He really didn’t know the rules. But he couldn’t start doubting himself now. One hint of uncertainty and he was pretty sure Ryan would bolt. He struggled out of the covers and grabbed his phone. A text message flashed. His heart pounded. It was Ryan.
How are you feeling?
His fingers dragged over the keyboard. I’m good. I’ll drop by after my shift.
It took a minute for the response to ping into his inbox. Friday.
Friday? He seriously thought they wouldn’t see each other for two days? He thought the card had just meant that the training wouldn’t start until then. Now that Bradley was Ryan’s available, ther
e was no way he was staying away for two whole days.
“You aren’t ditching me,” Bradley promised himself. “You just aren’t.”
* * * *
“You owe me money, bro,” Regan said as Ryan’s new beau walked through the front door of the shop. The boy with his four lip piercings and two eyebrow piercings on his left eye swaggered into the shop like he owned it. A quick glance at the file said that Ryan had pierced both the boy’s nipples, his belly button, and his cock as well.
“Dammit,” Ryan cursed, looking panicky at his station. He had been playing on his laptop between clients. Regan hated the way Ryan panicked every time someone he cared about walked into his life. He was fine with meaningless relationships, but when it came to someone Ryan actually cared about, it was a disaster of epic proportions. Regan had to interfere. At least one of them needed to stand up and make sure a good relationship was possible. It sure as hell wasn’t going to be Ryan. Ryan had found his mate. Regan would make it work if he had to tie the two of them together for a year.
“I’m ducking into the back,” Ryan said, snapping his laptop shut.
“You are being a puss,” Regan commented as he disappeared into one of the private rooms.
The blond-haired new available walked up to the reception desk and leaned against the counter. He had a nice swagger to him and a beautiful little body. He was in no way Regan’s type. If Ryan only knew exactly what Regan’s secret was, he would drag him to therapy. “Is he going to be right back?” Bradley asked, leaning forward against the desk.
“He’s probably going to try and hide until you leave unless I go get him,” Regan said, considering the submissive. He liked the kid’s spunk. “Bold move, getting inked, by the way. I approve. My brother is hard to tie down.”
