Chapter Nine
Dex stepped into the hall, rolling his shoulders back, trying to ease some of the aches. His whole body hurt. It usually did the morning after a shift. The trauma took a while to work through his muscles.
This morning, he had the added aches of being fucked six ways to Sunday by Maddock.
He couldn't stop the smile that curved his lips. He could tolerate that kind of ache. Damn, he'd sort of lost his mind some time in the middle of the night, begging Maddock to take him again, wanting that fat cock pounding into him. He'd feel it for a few days, but it had been worth it.
The wolf had been hungry, wanting to connect with its mate. The full moon energy didn't hurt either.
Another door closed with a quiet snap and Dex looked up.
Breath locked in his throat as he saw Reese…leaving Micah's room.
“Wha—?”
Reese's head whipped around and he flashed those blind eyes down the hall.
“Don't say a fucking word.” The command was low and harsh. Dex blinked and stared at his friend. Reese had a decidedly “well-fucked” look about him.
Despite Reese's order, Dex couldn't not ask.
“You and Micah? I thought you didn't bottom.” His spine snapped straight. “Holy shit, did Micah bottom?”
The blush on Reese's cheeks told him that hadn't happened. The Beta wolf hurried down the hall and slapped his hand over Dex's mouth. “Shut up. Just shut up.”
“Mmph.”
Reese sighed. “Fuck, I don't know what happened. You and your freakin' radiating pheromones I guess.”
Dex leaned away from Reese's grip. “But you and Micah?”
“It was a one-time thing and we will never speak of this again. Do you understand?”
The intense look on Reese's face made him nod in response. “Sure.”
As if he realized how tense he was, Reese took a breath and relaxed marginally.
“So, how did it go with you and our favorite businessman?”
“Fine, you know, great, I guess.”
They walked down the hall. “Great, you guess?”
“Well, we know we’re good at fucking.”
“Damn good,” Reese mumbled.
“It’s the rest of it and Maddock isn’t ready for that. He’s got that woman and his job and now we’ve turned him into a werewolf. I’m not sure that after the moon-lust fades he’s going to be all that thrilled.”
“First, we didn’t turn him into a werewolf. The wolf woke up once he was around us.”
Dex shrugged. Didn’t make much of a difference to him. He was still the cause of screwing up his mate’s life.
“And no one dragged his ass into the bar. Maybe it’s fate.”
Dex scoff. “Well, fate’s a nasty bitch, isn’t she?”
They wandered downstairs, Dex deciding he would make a big breakfast and take it to his mate in bed. They could talk, maybe sort this out.
A harsh ring shattered the early morning birds chirping, clashing with their pleasant tones. Dex looked around. None of them had phones that rang like that.
He followed the noise. Maddock’s phone sat on the entryway table, vibrating and shrilling.
Fuck, that was going to wake the whole house.
Dex grabbed the phone, his fingers fluttering around the controls and screen, trying to silence the horrible noise.
He tapped one button and silence reigned. “Oh thank God,” he murmured.
“Who’s this?”
The voice came out of the phone loud and sharp. Fuck, he’d answered it…on speakerphone.
“Uhm, Dex.” He looked at Reese though the man clearly couldn’t see the panic on his face. He probably heard it in Dex’s voice because he shrugged and winced a little.
“Where’s Maddock?”
Upstairs, naked, in my bed? So not the right answer.
“Uhm, he’s in the other room. Can I take a message?” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he wanted to whimper. What the fuck was he thinking?
“Yes, you can tell him his fiancée would appreciate a call back.”
“Fiancée? Right. I’ll tell him.”
He lowered the phone but didn’t hang it up. Hell, he didn’t know how he’d answered it in the first place.
He shoved the phone into Reese’s hands.
“I’ve got to get out of here.”
“Dex—“
He didn’t stop. What could Reese say? What could anyone say? It was his own fault. Maddock had a fiancée. Of course he did. There had never been any conversations about this being exclusive or anything more than a few fucks. It was his wolf that had made the connection.
And his human side as well, just a little. The past few days, talking to Maddock, getting to know him beyond just fucking, had opened Dex’s heart.
His wolf didn’t have a full understanding what it meant, but the animal picked up on Dex’s pain and howled.
Dex grabbed the car keys as he hit the front door and kept going. He had to get out of there before Maddock woke up.
* * * * *
Maddock came awake feeling like he’d been beaten with a stick. His body hurt, but it was the kind of ache he knew would disappear when he got up and moved around.
Only he wasn’t sure he wanted to get up. He took a deep breath, gathering the scents around him—Dex. A low growl rumbled through his brain. The noise was no longer foreign to him. He knew the source. It was part of him. He closed his eyes and listened to the wolf inside him.
It didn’t speak in words, but Maddock understood the animal’s first basic desire. He wanted his mate.
Maddock sat up and looked around. Dex had changed the sheets on the bed at some point during the night—Maddock didn’t remember much about that except trying to drag his lover back against him—so the room was at least semi-clean. But it was empty. Empty of his mate at least.
He rolled out of bed, dragged on his jeans and stumbled into the hall to find the bathroom. Two doors down and a few minutes later, he felt almost human again.
He peered into the mirror. But he wasn’t human, was he? Not fully. He stared into his own eyes and tried to see a difference.
Of course, he’d never looked that deep before. He looked the same to him.
Voices murmured downstairs. He’d left his shirt outside, but considering almost everyone in the house had already seen him naked, he wasn’t going to be too picky.
He trotted down the stairs, following the sounds into the kitchen but drew to a stop when Micah, Reese and Rhian glared daggers at him.
“Uh, morning.” No response except maybe Micah’s lips tightening like he might snarl. “Where’s Dex?”
“He had to go out.” Reese slid Maddock’s phone across the kitchen table. “But he left you a message. Said you need to call your fiancée.”
Fuck.
“It’s not—“
Micah shrugged and shook his head. “Don’t care what it is. Just get out.”
Rhian crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.
“I need to talk to him.”
“He doesn’t want to talk to you.” Micah tossed Maddock his shirt. “And until he does, I don’t want you here.”
Maddock hesitated, but the closed faces staring back at him told him he wasn’t going to make any progress today.
“I’ll be back. I will talk to Dex.”
* * * * *
Maddock walked out the back door of his new home. He couldn’t believe he’d done it. He’d outbid his own company to purchase this property. They wouldn’t get their right of way and he now lived a mile away from Dex and his pack.
Not the best place to live if Dex ultimately rejected him.
But he had hope.
And part of that hope was walking across the back field.
Micah. The guy had been surprisingly helpful.
When Dex wouldn’t talk to him, he’d contacted Micah. After an initial meeting where Micah reamed Maddock a new one for being a prick, he said he’
d consider letting Maddock talk to Dex.
That hadn’t happened yet, but he was getting closer. He hoped. His wolf was going insane not being near his mate.
And Maddock missed Dex. He knew they didn’t know each other that well, but something about the kid called to him and he didn’t think it was solely because of the wolf. Or sex.
Micah stepped onto the back porch and lifted his chin in greeting.
“How’s it going?”
Maddock shrugged.
“Did you go into the office?”
He’d stayed away for the first few days after the full moon, uncertain of his ability to control the wolf, but finally he’d had to go in.
“Yes.” Maddock grimaced. “I quit.”
A small raise of his eyebrows was Micah’s only reaction.
Maddock wasn’t worried. He had plenty of money and investments to last him a good ten years without working. Now he just needed to find something to do that didn’t call for much interaction with people. His wolf didn’t like it.
“I had to. The wolf did not like being there. And I thought he was going to come out and rip Monica’s head off when she touched my arm.”
Micah shook his head. “You’d better hope Dex takes you back because your wolf has imprinted on him, big time.”
“When can I see him?”
Micah sighed. “Soon. Maybe this week.”
It had been almost two weeks since the full moon.
“The new moon will help you two stay human long enough to discuss it.” Micah walked out into the backyard. “Come on. Let’s go for a run.”
Maddock looked down. He was still in his suit from work and his one-hundred percent leather shoes weren’t exactly good for running.
Micah chuckled. “In wolf form. You need the practice and the wolf needs the release. This is as close to male bonding as I want to get with you.”
With a growl, Maddock followed Micah to the hunting grounds between the two pieces of property.
* * * * *
Maddock sat in his car at the far end of the parking lot. He knew he looked like a stalker, but he had permission from the owner so he figured, what the hell?
About nine o’clock, there seemed a steady stream of people into the pub. Still wasn’t full. He needed to talk to Micah about their business model. They seemed to be content with a half-full bar.
No way to make money doing that.
But that was for later, once he got his other problem solved.
Deciding it was late enough, he climbed out. A deep breath calmed his pounding heart and awakened his wolf. The creature in his head associated this place with Dex and every time he got near, the thing went crazy.
He tried soothing it the way Micah had suggested but had moderate success. The wolf wanted Dex.
Maddock sighed as his hand reached for the door, promising the wolf if it would behave, he would do his best to find his mate. That calmed the animal. The energy was still there, but he could at least focus enough to think.
Tonight was the first night Micah had agreed to let Maddock try to talk to Dex. No guarantees, and if Dex ran for it, Maddock was on it own.
It had taken days of pleading and a bottle of expensive whiskey to get to this point—and even then, Micah had set limits. Basically no sex.
Maddock sighed again. Seeing Dex and not fucking him was going to be tough. The memory of that bright pink ass pressed against Maddock’s groin had haunted his dreams.
First, he needed a few minutes alone with Dex, hopefully he could explain.
He stepped into the bar and his wolf went on alert. The animal did not like crowds. He immediately placed the other wolves in the room, then zeroed in on Dex.
Dex seemed to sense his presence and straightened, searching. He froze when he saw Maddock, but the hesitation only lasted a moment before he spun on his heel and headed toward the storeroom behind the bar. There was an outside door into that room and Maddock knew he’d lose him if Dex made it that far.
He stalked across the bar and planted himself in front of his mate.
Dex jerked back like he couldn’t bear to touch Maddock.
“We need to talk.”
“I can’t. It’s really busy tonight.” He turned away, but Maddock stepped right back in his path.
“I need five minutes.”
Dex shook his head but finally met Maddock’s gaze. “I can’t.”
“Please.”
“Listen to the man, Dex. But not here,” Micah growled as he walked by. He stopped and looked back. “Use my office.”
Dex’s eyes got wide and that moment of shock gave Maddock the opening he needed. He grabbed his mate’s arm and pulled him down the hall and into Micah’s office before he could protest.
The wolf in Maddock’s head gave a happy little whimper at being near its mate and Maddock didn’t even try to stop the impulse of cuddling close. He pressed Dex against the closed door and moaned as their bodies connected knees to chest.
“Maddock—“
He didn’t give Dex a chance to protest. He covered his mouth in a kiss, needing the taste of his mate. He’d spent the past two weeks adapting to his wolf. The animal still fought him, but Maddock was discovering that if he let the wolf have what it wanted, they were both happier.
And the wolf wanted Dex.
So did Maddock.
His head spun at the delicious flavor of his mate. It would be so easy to lose himself—but he’d promised Micah and he didn’t know how long he had.
Maddock forced himself to step back. The space between there bodies allowed him to think.
“Let me say this first…I’m not engaged to Monica.”
Dex gave that little shrug-nod thing that indicated he didn’t care, but Maddock knew different.
“Great. Good for you. Listen, this is all well and good.” Dex flapped his hands in front of him like he was waving off a landing fighter jet. “It doesn’t matter. You can’t be here. My wolf can’t be around you.” Dex slipped past him and around the far side of the desk. “I’m not mad. I’d say I forgive you, but there’s nothing to forgive, right? I mean your wolf liked my wolf and there was never any talk about something beyond that. I get that. I do.
“I just…” He shook his head. “I can’t live like that. I know some couples, mated pairs, are only mates at the full moon. At least that’s what Reese says and I’m sure that’s fine for them, but I really want a mate who wants me.”
“I—“
“And of course you weren’t exactly expecting to become a werewolf so that makes sense why you might be, you know, sleeping around on your fiancée, though I have to say, I’m a little disappointed about that ‘cause you really don’t seem like the type, but then again I don’t know your type because we really don’t know each other and—“
Maddock lunged around the desk and slapped his hand across Dex’s mouth. Damn, the kid could talk.
“I’m not engaged to Monica.”
“Mmfifod fne.” Which Maddock took to mean “you already said that.”
“I was never engaged to her. She started telling people we were getting married and I just never corrected her.”
“Hmm?”
Maddock sighed and took his hand away from Dex’s mouth. “Let me speak for a moment? Please?”
Dex nodded.
“From a business standpoint, it made perfect sense to marry her. I could take over from her father. It stayed a family business.”
“You would marry someone for business?”
Dex sounded so appalled Maddock had to smile.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time and I couldn’t think of a reason not to.” He paused, giving Dex a moment, making sure the other man was listening. “Until I met you.”
Dex’s head came up. He blinked and looked at Maddock. “But—but that’s just your wolf.”
“Maybe.” Maddock shrugged. “But maybe not.” He pressed forward. His erection pushed against his jeans and he moved in close to Dex, feeling the h
eat of his cock through the two layers of denim. “I want to fuck you and the wolf in my head has nothing to do with that.”
“But how can we—?”
A fist pounding on the door cut off Dex’s words. “Five minutes—“ Micah’s voice rang through the door. “And if you’re fucking him, I will rip your dick off with my bare hands.”
Maddock winced. “That was part of the deal.”
“What deal?”
“I could talk to you but no sex, at least not until we get this worked out.”
Dex blinked. “Get what worked out?”
“You and me? Is there something besides our wolves? You know, that whole mate-bond thing.”
“But, how? I can’t be—“
“Reese has it figured out that we can talk on the phone, see each other a couple of times a week, and it shouldn’t strengthen the connection between our wolves too much.” Though he was pretty sure his wolf was imprinted permantently on Dex. “Provided we don’t fuck.” Maddock shrugged. It wasn’t the best solution, but nothing else seemed to satisfy him and his wolf.
“Micah and Reese agreed to this.”
“And Rhian. They can’t really say no. I bought the property next to you guys. We’re neighbors.”
Dex stared at him again, those green eyes wide and a little bit stunned.
“So you’re…” He hesitated like he didn’t know what to say.
“I’m courting you.”
“Courting me?”
“Well, and your family. I have to prove myself. Prove to all of you that I’m worthy.”
The edges of Dex’s eyes tightened into a squint. “This is Micah’s idea.”
“Yeah.”
The pounding on the door repeated.
“That was not five minutes,” Maddock shouted.
“Don’t care. My rules.”
“Fuck, he’s an asshole.”
Dex giggled, but he didn’t correct him.
“We’d better go before your Alpha comes storming in.”
“Don’t call him ‘Alpha,’” Dex warned. “He hates that.”
Maddock grinned. “I know.” He walked Dex to the door. “Come on. One more kiss before the big bad wolf comes knocking.”
He leaned forward, but Dex leaned back.
Welsh Wolves 1: Let Sleeping Wolves Lie Page 13
