Without Reservations

by J. L. Langley

  “Okay, shoot.”

  “How do you know when you’ve found your mate?”

  “Why?”

  “Come on, Dad, just answer the question.”

  Joe sighed. “Chay, you’ll find your mate. You aren’t that old. I didn’t meet your mother until I was thirty-two.”

  Thank goodness his dad didn’t read more into the question. He wasn’t ready to tell his parents, not yet. Sadly, he suspected the fact his mate was white was going to be the least of his worries when his parents found out.

  “When you do find your mate, son, you will feel it.”

  Yeah, he’d already figured that much out. “But how do you feel it?”

  “It’s like an intense longing…sort of. Kind of like an adrenaline high at first. Your body will respond before you even realize it’s your mate. I don’t really know how to describe it, son. You’ll just know.”

  Chay sighed. That’s what he thought. And his dad was right, he did know. It was just… “Dad, has anyone ever gotten confused? And think they found their mate, but they didn’t?”

  “None that I’m familiar with. It’s not something you can mistake or confuse with anything else. It’s an instinctual sort of reaction.”

  He gave a quick peek at the mirror, spotting pale fur in the backseat. “I wanted to make sure it’s not something I can miss by accident.”

  “You’ll know, son.”

  “All right. Thanks, Dad.” Chay took a deep breath, willing himself to relax. He couldn’t help it if nobody liked the idea. It’s not like he chose his mate. This was a good thing, not a bad thing. Why did he feel like it was such a huge obstacle?

  “You have got to be the only man alive who has wanted a mate since he was four. Son, you’ll find her, I promise.”

  Him, not her, Chay corrected mentally. He squeezed the phone between his shoulder and ear and pinched the bridge of his nose. Lord, why did this have to be difficult? There were too many variables. What if his mate woke up and wanted nothing to do with him? Or what if he was a teenager, like Frank had thought? Chay didn’t think so, but his mate was awfully small. How would his parents react? “Listen, Dad, I’m almost to the McIntyre place. I’ll talk to you later.”

  “All right, son. Good luck and let us know about Wednesday.”

  “Yeah, I’ll do that. Bye, Dad.” Chay hung up as he pulled in to Bob’s drive. He started to turn off the truck, but he didn’t know how long he’d be. Would it get too cold? Chay rolled his eyes at his own idiocy. How cold did he get in fur? Not very. He cut the ignition, unfastened his seat belt and turned sideways, resting his arm on the seat back and his chin on his arm. With his other hand, he reached back and stroked the wolf’s shoulder. “What am I going to do with you, Little Bit?”

  His mate was still out of it. The wolf hadn’t moved from where Chay had put him. He looked very sweet and peaceful…innocent. He was a handsome wolf. Actually, he was more pretty than handsome. Not that he was feminine exactly, but his size wasn’t at all masculine. In human form, the top of his head would probably only come to Chay’s chin. Chay ran his fingers across the snout and over the closed eyes. He’d be willing to bet those eyes were a pale sky blue.

  Chay’s dick hardened even more at the thought. He groaned and pulled his hand away to adjust himself. He should’ve called Frank to come get this little bit as soon as he’d patched him up and he could’ve pretended like nothing was different. Even still, he should send the man on his way when he woke. But Chay knew he wouldn’t. He had no earthly idea what to do with a male mate, but it didn’t stop him from wanting to keep him.

  A knock on the window startled Chay out of his thoughts. Chay opened the door and grabbed his bag off the front floorboard. “Hey, Bob.”

  “I see you’re taking work home.” Bob tipped his salt-and-peppered head toward the backseat.

  Chay glanced back at his mate and smiled. “Yep, he’s headed home with me. Bandaged him up right before I headed out. Hopefully, he’s going to wake up sometime tonight.” He clapped Bob on the shoulder and started walking away from the truck. “Let’s go see this pretty lady and find out if she’s gonna be a mama.”

  Chapter Two

  His head was going to explode. What the heck had he done? It felt like he was moving, but he knew perfectly well he was lying still. He’d never been a big drinker, so he knew he hadn’t tied one on last night. But his head sure felt like he had. There were butterflies in his stomach and his dick was so hard it hurt. And why was he still in wolf form? Wait a minute. He really was moving…in some sort of vehicle. Uh-oh.

  Keaton blinked his eyes open. He lay in the backseat of a car…no, it was bigger than a car. A truck. He tried to push himself up into a sitting position. Ouch. His head ached something fierce… Oh yeah. He’d been shot.

  “You’re awake. Hang on a few more minutes, Little Bit, and I’ll get you inside so you can shift.”

  Keaton’s head snapped up—ouch—at the deep sexy voice. Little Bit? Who in the…? The man had a gorgeous head of black hair, high cheekbones and a tanned complexion. He was obviously Native American and fairly young but that was all Keaton could see from his point of view. He raised his snout and sniffed, trying to see if the man’s scent seemed familiar, and damn if his cock didn’t throb. Good God Almighty, what a wonderful scent. The butterflies got worse. Even so, he discerned that the man was a wolf and that he definitely didn’t know him.

  He dropped his head back down on the seat and relaxed. Apparently, he wasn’t in any danger. This man must have rescued him.

  This was Keaton’s first full moon here in his new home and he hadn’t even met the local pack yet. Maybe he should have made more of an effort so he could’ve hunted in a protected area. He knew the rules. He’d stayed out of the pack’s marked territory. At least he’d managed to hunt on the unmarked pack land so someone had been able to rescue him.

  The truck stopped. The man cut the ignition and turned around to face him. If Keaton had been in human form he’d have gasped, but as a wolf it came out as more of a whine.

  The man was gorgeous. Big eyes—probably brown—and full lips, high cheekbones and his smile… Keaton blinked. Good lord, he’d been rescued by a walking wet dream. He’d always had a thing for tall, dark and handsome men.

  “I knew you’d have blue eyes.” The man stopped smiling, his face becoming very serious. “We’re here. Are you ready to go in?” He didn’t wait for a response, instead he got out of the truck. He stayed away for about a minute then came back and opened the back door. “Okay, this is how we’re going to do this. You’re going to try and be very still and I’m going to be very careful and try not to jostle you around a lot.” He unbuckled the seat belt and slid his hand underneath Keaton’s side. Pulling him out gently, the man picked Keaton up and kicked the door shut. Thank God, his head ached so much he didn’t even want to attempt walking. The man carried Keaton to a nice little ranch-style house. The door was open, so Keaton supposed that’s where the man had disappeared to after he got out of the truck. He walked right in and laid Keaton, still wrapped in the blanket, on the floor then shut the front door.

  Keaton lay there for a minute taking everything in, or trying to, he couldn’t seem to get his eyes off the man. Tall and wide shouldered…and what a great ass. Keaton’s cock twitched. The man’s hair was a little longer than shoulder-length. It probably would have looked girly on another man, but with his obvious Native American features, it fit. It was sexy as hell.

  The man turned, catching Keaton staring, and smiled. “Yeah, kinda weird, huh? You feel it too, right?”

  What? Keaton cocked his head to the side automatically, and wished he hadn’t. He had a headache from hell. But how did the man know how Keaton felt? Wait, if he felt it too, then it wasn’t just the trauma of being shot. What did that mean? Keaton glanced down the man’s body. Oh, he had a hard-on too. Keaton’s heart began to pound at the sight.

  “Why don’t you go ahead and change so we can talk.”
r />   Keaton’s gaze shot back to his face. He nodded, feeling a little embarrassed at getting caught checking the man out. Yeah, change…good idea. It’d probably stop his head from hurting too. But how in the heck was he going to hide his erection from this gorgeous man?

  Keaton shifted, managing to keep his bottom half covered by the blanket. Fully human again, he sat up, prick still hard as stone, stomach still in knots and heart still pounding. He looked up at the man and suddenly it hit him. “Ohmigod. You’re my mate.”

  My God, was right. Little Bit was absolutely the prettiest man Chay had ever seen. Although to call him a man might have been stretching it a bit. He looked legal, but barely. And it wasn’t only his slim build that gave the impression of youth. His features were lovely. His nose was narrow and straight, slightly upturned at the end. Chay had never understood what the term peaches-and-cream complexion meant, until now. Little Bit had flawless skin. His short platinum locks lay in waves where it wasn’t matted with blood.

  Chay squatted next to his mate and pulled the gauze away from the sunny-colored hair, knocking a hank of it down to obscure huge sky blue eyes. The wound had healed completely, not even a scar on the pale skin.

  He peered up at Chay in astonishment and pushed the hair back with a slim, elegant hand. “What’s your name?”

  Chay grinned at the thick southern accent. “Chay…Chayton Winston. What’s yours, Little Bit?”

  A light brown eyebrow arched. “I assure you it isn’t Little Bit.”

  Oh ho. Little Bit had teeth.

  Chay raised a brow of his own.

  Bit blushed and cleared his throat. “Sorry. I just get tired of all the cracks about my age and size. I guess I’m a little sensitive about it. My name is Keaton.” He held out his hand. When Chay shook it, he added, “Dr. Keaton Reynolds.”

  Chay’s mouth dropped open. “How old are you?”

  Keaton sighed. “Twenty-five. And before you ask, I’ve a PhD in history.”

  Wow. Very impressive. Apparently his mate was a really smart man and much older than he looked. Chay grinned and sat on the floor. “You obviously aren’t from here. What brings you to New Mexico?”

  “Work. I teach Ancient Civ. at NMSU.” Keaton smiled and slid on the wood floor to get closer. “What about you? What do you do?”

  “I’m a vet.”

  “Yeah? Thanks for rescuing me Dr. Winston.”

  “I didn’t. The game warden did. Shot you with a tranquilizer dart and brought you to my clinic. I only cleaned your wound.”

  Keaton moved, practically scooting into Chay’s lap. “Thank you,” he whispered.

  Chay stared, hypnotized by the smattering of freckles he’d just noticed across the bridge of Little Bit’s nose. “You’re very welcome.”

  Keaton’s breath fanned over his face but Chay didn’t move back. Who would have thought freckles could be sexy?

  The younger man blinked. He had eyelashes any woman would kill for, long and curled at the ends. Up close, his beauty became more apparent. Keaton leaned in, pressing his lips against Chay’s.

  Chay pressed back without thought.

  Bit’s lips felt warm, right. His tongue teased Chay’s lips, seeking entrance. Kissing him didn’t feel any different than kissing a woman. Chay pulled back. “Uh, I’m not gay.”

  Keaton looked like someone slapped him. He blinked several times and turned away, sinking back onto his heels. “I’m sorry. I thought… Never mind.” He gathered the blanket around his waist as he stood. “Do you have some clothes I can borrow? And a phone? I’ll call someone to come get me. I’ll, uh, get out of your hair.” He sounded unsure of himself, embarrassed.

  Chay felt like a real ass. “Look, I’m the one who’s sorry. You don’t have to go, but I’ll find you something to wear, okay?” He got up and went to his room.

  Keaton followed him. “Listen, Chay. I think it’s probably best if I just go. I can call a taxi to come get me.”

  Chay snagged a pair of black sweatpants off a hanger and pulled out a T-shirt. When he turned, Keaton was standing in the middle of the bedroom with the blanket clutched around him, seeming for all the world like a kicked dog. Chay felt about two-inches tall. He sighed, walked over to Bit and gave him the clothes. “Here you go. The bathroom is right behind you. Go ahead and take a shower and we’ll talk. There are towels in the cabinet above the toilet.”

  Keaton took the clothes and strode into the bathroom without a glance at him.

  Chay leaned against the wall. What was he going to do? He should just let Keaton go and then they could get on with their lives. This could be a good thing. He could pick his own mate and Keaton could pick his own mate.

  He squelched down panic. His chest felt tight at the thought of not seeing Keaton again. No, they’d have to work something out. Letting Bit go didn’t feel right. Chay’d wanted a mate for as long as he could remember, and he’d be damned if the fact his mate wasn’t a woman kept him from claiming his mate. He tapped on the door. “Hey? Are you hungry?”

  “No.” The curt answer bordered on hostile and the sound of the water being turned on followed.

  Chay squeezed his eyes shut. Bit had to be hungry. He’d spent all night in that ravine. Chay shoved himself off the wall and went to the kitchen. He didn’t know what Bit liked, but hell, he was a wolf, he’d probably eat any kind of meat. He gathered stuff to fix two bologna sandwiches and got two sodas.

  When Bit came to the kitchen doorway, Chay’d just opened a bag of chips. Bit stopped in the doorway, his hair damp and a frown on his face. “I said I wasn’t hungry. I need to be leaving.”

  Chay grinned. His clothes were way too big. They made Keaton appear even younger. The petulant frown on those full lips wasn’t helping matters any. “Come on, Keaton, give me a break. I’m sorry I hurt your feelings. We need to figure this out. Come sit down and eat. I know damned well you’ve got to be hungry.”

  Bit stood there for several seconds before the set of his shoulders relaxed. “All right. I’m not sure what you think it is we’re going to work out, but I’m listening.” He sat at the small round table across from Chay and took a bite of the sandwich. “Umm. Thank you. You’re right. I’m starved. I got shot before I could hunt and after that I couldn’t seem to focus.”

  The tightness in Chay’s chest eased a little at the sight of Bit eating. He ate some of his own sandwich and washed it down with a swig of soda. “So, you’re gay?”

  “Yeah, you got a problem with that?” Keaton set his sandwich down and got up. “Look this is stupid and an obvious waste of time. Thank you for patching me up. I’ll get your clothes back to you tomorrow.” He turned and walked out of the kitchen.

  Chay sat there in stunned silence until he heard the front door open and close. “Shit.” What the hell had he said this time? He’d only asked the man if he was gay. Damn, Bit was sensitive.

  Chay ran into the living room and threw the door open. Keaton stood in the front yard with a hand on his chin and his bottom lip between his teeth. He looked left and right. When he caught sight of Chay he waved and started walking down the street.

  Good lord the man was stubborn. It became obvious Keaton had no clue where he was. And to top it off he had no shoes. Chay sighed and jogged into the house to get his keys. By the time he got in his truck and caught up with the man, he’d made it to the end of the street. Chay drove up beside him. “Get in and I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”

  “No thanks.”

  Chay gritted his teeth to keep from yelling, but wasn’t entirely successful. “Get in the damn truck.”

  Bit glared at him, his eyebrows pulling low over his eyes, and gritted his teeth right back. “No.” He snapped his head forward and kept right on walking.

  “Keaton, get in the truck…please. We’ve got to talk.”

  Bit threw his hands up and let them fall. He came over to Chay’s truck and leaned in the window. “I’m gay. You aren’t. What the hell is left to say? So long, have a nic
e life? Gee, doesn’t fate suck?” Interesting, his southern accent grew more prominent with anger. How endearing.

  “Please get in the truck. Do you have any idea where you are or where you’re going?”

  Bit sighed, opened the door and got in. “No, I’ve only been here a month. I live close to the Wal-Mart Supercenter, do you know where that is?”

  “Yeah. I know where that is. Where are you from, anyway?”

  “You mean it’s not obvious? I’m from Georgia.”

  Chay nodded. “I knew it was somewhere in the Deep South, but I didn’t know where exactly.” They rode along in silence for several minutes, then Chay decided he’d better get to the important topic before Bit got all pissed off again. “We’re mates.”

  Keaton’s forehead furrowed and he crossed his arms over his chest. “Look, I didn’t have anything to do with it. It’s not my fault, okay?”

  Chay blinked. What? Out of everything Keaton could have said, that he hadn’t expected. “I know that. I come from a long line of wolves. I know all about how the whole mate thing works. I just never anticipated having a male mate. You know?”

  “Fuck you. You aren’t exactly what I expected either.”

  Chay’s mouth dropped open. Whoa, someone had quite a temper. Chay snapped his mouth shut. “I didn’t say I was pissed off or anything, I just… Hell, I’m surprised.”

  “Yeah, I think you made your feelings on the subject quite clear. And for the record, I don’t have any kind of communicable disease. Kissing me won’t give you rabies or anything.” Sarcasm laced the deep southern drawl.

  So that’s what he was all bent out of joint over…the kiss. “Hey, I just thought you should know, okay? I didn’t mean anything by that. It was a nice kiss, it was just—”

  “Yeah, look, I’m sorry. I’m being an asshole.” He pointed left. “Turn here. My apartment complex is the next left. It’s the second building.”