The Wolf's Man Friday

by Julia Talbot

  He called for the reservations while Alan and Sebastian chatted, talking business only about every tenth word. He listened with his free ear, because he needed to know everything about Sebastian. That wasn’t for his job. That was for his own personal memory box.

  This was because there was something about Sebastian. Something huge.

  He tamped that down when he hung up. “We have two hours.”

  “You want to get out of here, Seb?”

  “Yeah. We can walk around out at the West End. I worked.”

  “Cool!” Jaxon grabbed his phone and his keys. “We’re out.”

  “I’ll drive.” Alan grinned, and the look was pure wolf. “Who knows if I’ll find a shortcut.”

  Jaxon glanced at Sebastian. “Is that bad? Should I call, uh, Tyrone is it?”

  “Nah, Alan knows how to drive. You just need to buckle up.” Sebastian shot him a wicked grin.

  “I like fast.” Jaxon would love to drive up where Sebastian actually lived. Twisty mountain was his favorite.

  He’d bet that Sebastian would ride him. With him. In the car.

  Lord. He needed to be careful or he’d slip up out loud.

  Still, that thought was like a virus. Sebastian bare and needy, hard and hungry.

  Sebastian shot him a look, eyes narrowed, cheeks pink.

  Jaxon widened his eyes, smiling. No. Nope. No way could Sebastian know what he was thinking.

  “Come on, weirdos. Let’s go. I want to drive the Hummer.”

  They followed Alan down to the garage, and he was thinking of Sebastian hunting his ass, chasing him. His cock rose, taking interest.

  They could tear each other up, just make each other scream.

  He glanced at Sebastian again to find him red-faced and breathing hard.

  Okay. Okay. Think. What was this? Maybe Sebastian could smell him? Pheromones could do crazy things.

  Maybe that was it. Pheromones. That made sense.

  He nodded, sliding into the back of the Hummer when Alan booped the lock. He would let them bond in the front.

  “Okay, Seb. You find good music,” Alan ordered. “Something to rock out to.”

  “Björk?”

  “I will kill you.”

  Sebastian cackled like a big bird. “What? She rocks.”

  “Seb. I’m serious.” Alan growled and Sebastian snorted, the radio landing on the Eagles.

  Oh, he liked them. He could sing along to that.

  They got on the highway, taking an hour just weaving in and out of traffic, fucking off. Sebastian seemed more than happy to ride, his head back, window down.

  Jaxon had a moment of hysterical laughter urge, thinking of the wolf with his head hanging out the window, tongue lolling.

  Lord, what a huge, wonderful puppy. Jaxon didn’t understand why Ron would want to trap Sebastian in a suit. He should be out in the mountains, playing and making art. There had to be something he was missing.

  Good for him, he had time, interest, and boundless energy.

  He grinned, then clung to the door when Alan took a fast turn.

  Sebastian howled happily, his head thrown back.

  Jaxon laughed, surprised at how primal that sound was, how it made him happy.

  Sebastian needed out of this. Seriously. Maybe he should call Ron…. They squealed around another corner as if their ass was on fire.

  “Does he have a license?” Crazy bastard.

  “Mostly! It’s not suspended right now!”

  “Right now.” He rolled his eyes and sank back into the seat.

  “Hey, he grew up going between Boulder and Estes. He’s good.” Sebastian turned over the seat to him. “Are you okay?”

  He was. Mostly. For the most part. Kinda? “Yeah. I’m just not used to going this fast in a city.”

  “Alan has this. I trust him.”

  “Then I do too.” And that was as simple as that.

  Sebastian looked back at him, meeting his eyes, head-on.

  He stared into those blue eyes, almost instantly lost. God, Sebastian was fucking beautiful.

  Sebastian opened his mouth to say something when Alan took a hard corner and Sebastian whacked against the doorframe.

  “Shit. Are you okay?” Jaxon almost dove up front.

  “Fine. Dude. Seriously? Don’t brain me.”

  “Sorry, I forgot I was in the car. Just like you did.” Alan made the duck quack laugh noise.

  “I will beat you, bud.”

  “Not while I’m driving!” Alan gave him horror face.

  “You two be good! Pay attention.” They didn’t need to die here.

  “Yes, sir!” Alan snapped a salute into the rearview.

  Sebastian chuffed softly, offering him a slow, near-perverse wink.

  He grinned back. Yeah, as if these two knew what being good was. Still, his job was to protect Sebastian from everything. Including Alan.

  A low rumble buzzed in the base of his skull, so Jaxon shook his head, trying to dislodge it. Not that it was annoying. It just slid down his spine, heading for his balls. He squirmed, pleasure lighting up his body.

  What the actual fuck was this about? He was losing his fucking mind.

  Jaxon glanced out the window, trying to get his marbles back in their bag. No freaking out.

  He swore he felt a touch, a comforting touch. So he closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat, letting himself be soothed. Whatever it was, whatever it meant, he’d take it.

  Another low sound came to him, this one deep satisfaction. Oh, that felt good.

  Sebastian wasn’t looking at him, couldn’t be, but it sure felt like it. He felt as if he was the focus of every bit of Sebastian’s attention, and it left him both coddled and vulnerable.

  Possibly a little insane. Just a touch.

  Alan finally pulled into a parking lot and stopped, and Jaxon was ready to get out of the car and wander.

  Well out of the way of Sebastian’s hands, right? And his glances and thoughts, even though there was no way, right?

  No way at all.

  “You okay?” Alan asked, peering at him. “Shit, do you get carsick? I’m sorry.”

  “No. No, not at all. I’m fine. Ready to wander.”

  “Cool.” Alan punched his shoulder playfully, which made him yelp with surprise.

  What surprised him more was how Sebastian stepped up and shoved Alan away.

  “No bruising my assistant.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I said. He’s only little.” Sebastian bared his teeth.

  “I may be small, but I’m wiry.” He ducked under Sebastian’s raised arm to give Alan a tittie twister through his shirt. Alan yelped and growled, and Sebastian grabbed him.

  “You be good.”

  That shock went through him again, so hard that he stumbled when his cock went hard, and he slammed against Sebastian’s chest.

  “Both of you.” Sebastian shook him a little bit, then backed off.

  “Oh.” He batted his eyelashes, needing to cover so Alan’s nose would stop twitching. “I can be very good.”

  “No flirting with the boss,” Alan said.

  “I’m not his boss,” Sebastian shot back.

  “No bickering.” Jaxon was having so damn much fun.

  Alan pounced Sebastian, and Sebastian ducked, giving the man a noogie. They battled around the sidewalk until someone loudly cleared their throat in passing.

  Both wolves turned as one, the deep growls making the little group of prey scatter.

  “Be nice, you two,” Jaxon said, managing not to moan. “They were just birds, flocking a little. Come on, I want to see everything.”

  “Right. Let’s go. Birds. Christ.”

  Jaxon stuck out his tongue. One of his best friends ever was a magpie….

  Of course, he would put Suzie up against Alan in a second. He grinned at the thought, though she would peck Sebastian’s pretty eyes out, and he wouldn’t want that.

  No, he needed Sebastian intact. Ev
ery single inch of him.

  Sebastian grinned at him, and he laughed out loud, feeling giddy.

  Alan shook his head. “Let’s go. Walking. Exploring. Noodles.”

  “Yes!” Jaxon bounced along, finally noticing the neon and old brick, seeing how pretty the area was.

  “Silly assholes.” Sebastian’s laughter rang out.

  “You love it,” Alan said. “You had to be all serious today.”

  “For hours. It sucked.”

  “Then play with us.” Jaxon took off, running up the street.

  The wolves shared a look; then he was being hunted. Oh. Oh, dear.

  Good thing he was nimble. They were good at flanking maneuvers, but he was pretty quick at changing directions. Sebastian tracked him, herding him toward Alan but always allowing him to slip free.

  Pure joy surged through him even as he started to wilt from the damn humidity.

  A hand landed on his shoulder, Sebastian’s touch already familiar, bone-deep.

  “Man, it’s muggy.” He smiled up at Sebastian, just fascinated.

  “It’s Dallas. It only comes in humid.”

  “Yeah. I feel like I smell all foxy.” Sebastian was beginning to smell like home.

  Sebastian leaned in, inhaling deep. “You smell fine.”

  “Thanks.” Okay, Alan was right. This so was flirting. With the boss. The primary too.

  “No sniffing the fox, Seb. He’s off-limits.”

  Jaxon was going to bite Alan.

  Sebastian rolled his eyes. “Why is that, buddy?”

  “Because he works with you, not me. I get to sniff.” Alan moved in.

  “Nope.” Sebastian stepped between them. “Come on. Let’s go to the Wild West Store.”

  “Oh, that’s cool. I’ll get some goodies to take home.”

  Alan bounced. “I love that place. So fun and cheesy.”

  “Puppy,” Jaxon said.

  “Woof.”

  They all laughed but turned down the street and headed for the Wild West doolie. Behind them maybe two blocks was the restaurant, so they had plenty of time.

  For now they could play, and then he’d get to watch Sebastian eat noodles.

  That was his reward, right there. Uhn.

  Uhn and also yum.

  Chapter Five

  “OKAY, SO they want to talk silk and linen. I’m way more interested in the silk. I think linen is less functional, and I know that it’s less saleable.” Although really, Sebastian loved the way cotton held up, worked.

  He was actually considering doing a line for high-end quilters. Something rich and masculine.

  Sebastian watched Jaxon tapping away at his tablet, making notes. The man really was efficient and good at his job. He was also smokin’ hot, with his dark red hair and green eyes and his lithe little body. Sebastian had never been so distracted.

  It frustrated the living shit out of him, the need to strip Jaxon down and lick him, everywhere.

  Especially since Alan was right; they worked together, and hell, he hadn’t even hired the man. Ron had.

  Dammit.

  “I’m not going to commit to anything until I see something special. You have comps pulled up?”

  “I do. They’re high on the linen, so if you really want it you’ll have to negotiate hard, but the silk is reasonable, and their cotton bolt rate is in line.”

  “I like cotton. Why are they pushing the linen… just profit, I suppose?”

  “I imagine so. If they have a surplus, they’ll try to make it sound super special and get money back on it.” Jaxon shrugged, smiling gently.

  Yeah. Business was business, no matter what kind.

  “Okay. I look all right? Not too shaggy?” They were pulling up to a huge industrial warehouse.

  “You look amazing.” Now Jaxon’s smile went white-hot, and damn, it was hard to work when someone looked at him that way.

  “Thanks. I shaved.”

  “You did. Have you ever had a barber do it for you? It’s amazing.”

  “No. I’d growl, I’m afraid.”

  “Oh, I think you would like this guy I know in California. I would do it for you, though.”

  That caused tingles in inappropriate places. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  “Cool!” Jaxon grinned. “Okay, so silk and bolt cottons, but linen only if they come down at least 30 percent.”

  “Works for me.” Sebastian frowned at Ty. “Is this where we’re supposed to be, man?”

  “These are the directions you gave me for the GPS.”

  “This doesn’t smell like textiles.” In fact, it smelled deserted.

  Jaxon glanced out the window, frowning. “Where’s the mill?”

  “We must have the wrong directions.”

  “The big doors are opening up, man.” Ty’s nostrils flared. “Seb?”

  “Stay here. I don’t like this.” Figured that shit would go down while he had a fox and an elk with him. The universe did have a sense of humor.

  He sniffed, his nose not working near as well in his human form, but there was definitely no mill. No chemicals. No hum of machines.

  Sebastian glanced at Jaxon. “Call the suppliers. I’ll be back.”

  “I don’t like it, Sebastian,” Jaxon murmured. “Let’s stay here and call from the car.”

  “That’s just what I need you to do. You stay in here, and I’m going to go see who the hidden welcome party is.”

  He slipped from the vehicle, keeping it between him and the door. He felt like a sitting duck out here, with nothing to hide behind but the Hummer.

  His whole body quivered, the need to shift heavy on him. He sucked in huge lungfuls of air, trying to catch a scent, a clue. He wanted his pack here, wanted backup. His tail twitched.

  He glanced into the car, where Jaxon was talking furiously into the phone. Tyrone watched him, the car still running.

  Goddess, if he went down, let Ty get Jaxon to safety.

  He crept around the Hummer toward the open bay doors, his senses on high alert. The scent of feline hit him, sour and strange, and he growled deep in his chest, warning whoever it was off.

  A shot rang out, and he dove back behind the car. Shit. That was fucking serious.

  The wolf surged to the forefront, knowing he could handle a bullet better than his man could. He ended up on all fours, his ears laid back, his growl long and drawn-out.

  “Sebastian!” Jaxon’s voice was sharp, the gleam of a sidearm catching the light. He growled, trying to herd Sebastian back into the car. “Get your ass in the fucking car.”

  That didn’t sound foxy at all. That was a command from hell.

  He barked, then another shot sounded, this one hitting the asphalt under the car and sending gravel biting up toward him.

  Jaxon whirled, sliding out of the car and ducking low to return fire around the back of the vehicle.

  Sebastian crouched, gauging the distance from the car to the doorway. It would take three or four good leaps, easy.

  A hard hand closed around his tail. “In. The fucking. Car.”

  He was pushed in, the pressure undeniable, and then Jaxon slapped the back of Ty’s seat. “Go. Go, man.”

  Tyrone gunned it, the Hummer leaping forward like an armor-plated gazelle.

  Jaxon had one hard hand in his ruff, holding him down in on the floorboard. He squirmed, his tail wagging against his will. What a mess.

  “Shh. Just stay down. What the fuck was that? The suppliers have never heard of you. Not at all. That was a fucking ambush.”

  Someone had set him up…. He needed to tell Jaxon it was kitties….

  Come on. Man. Be a man. Even if his fucking suit was in shreds.

  “Does he have a bag in the car, uh…?”

  “Tyrone. There’s a pass-through to the cargo area in the armrest. His workout clothes are in there.”

  “You rock. Thanks.” Jaxon pulled out a bag and found a pair of shorts. “Here. Clothes. Shift.”

  Bossy motherfucker.

>   He blinked at Jaxon, wondering when the fox had gone all feral and pushy. Then he thought of man hands and feet and no tail….

  Sebastian found his voice in a rush, grabbing the shorts. “What the actual fuck? We finally made contact!”

  “You were going to get yourself shot. You can’t just waltz into an ambush!” Jaxon’s voice was a sharp bark.

  “I was going to leap, not waltz.”

  “Either way. When they start shooting, you duck and cover. Trust me.”

  “When did you start carrying? What were you thinking? I told you to stay put.”

  Jaxon stared him down for a moment, then dropped, head down, shoulders slumping. “I have a license. I mean, after what happened to Ron, I wanted to make sure you were okay…. I panicked.”

  “You’re a fucking decent shot for panicked.” He tugged on his shirt. “Who was I talking to yesterday? How the hell did that happen?”

  “I don’t know.” Now Jaxon’s head snapped up again, his expression fierce. “Someone intercepted my call. That’s fucking dirty pool, and you can bet I’ll find out who’s behind it.”

  “Felines. It was felines.”

  “No shit?” Jaxon paused, staring at him. “Huh. Weird. They’re usually such… loners.”

  “Yeah. We need to go back.” Now. “Ty. Take me back.”

  “What? Are you nuts?” Ty’s voice rose. “They were shooting!”

  “Are you arguing with me?” he snarled.

  “Hell to the yes. I want all my parts intact!” Ty snapped.

  “Just stop it,” Jaxon snapped. “Give it another twenty, and they’ll have cleared out. Then we can go back and look for any clues as to who they are.”

  He howled, and the sound released the immense pressure inside him.

  Jaxon grinned mildly. “Feel better?”

  “I do, actually.” He’d needed that. “I want a drink if we’re not going back. A limeade.”

  “We can go back, but we need to waste some time. Sonic ho, good man.” Jax was so frickin’ cheerful.

  “Don’t make me bite you.” Maybe he needed some tater tots.

  “Oh.” Jaxon’s eyes went half-lidded. “Promises, promises.”

  He growled, but Jaxon didn’t look the least bit intimidated. Goddammit.

  “Sonic it is,” Tyrone intoned, his deep voice full of glee.

  “Shut up, Ty.”