Lone Wolf
Page 20
Morgan climbed out of the van, raising both tattooed arms into the air in a huge stretch. A groan vibrated in his throat before he spoke. “Man, I’m beat.”
Cade smirked, his blue eyes sparkling with devilment. “Old man. I’ve got a date. I’ll be late, so don’t wait up.”
“Me too.” J.T. winked as he tugged the leather band from his dark brown hair. He ran a quick hand through his curls. “See you guys tomorrow at rehearsal.”
Cade and Morgan both played guitar and did vocals while J.T. rocked big time with the drums. They’d started after Adam met Cade in a pub. Cade had introduced him to Morgan and J.T. and things had taken off from there with the band rapidly growing in popularity. They spent most of their time together. The band was his family now.
Morgan yawned. “What are you doing, Adam?”
“Gonna chill.” Adam grabbed his saxophone. And plan his next move with Nate.
Nate and Keith drifted away with murmured good nights. Adam headed for his room, the one he shared with Cade. He’d intended to shower, grab a beer and blob in front of the box. Didn’t happen. Restless energy filled him, and he couldn’t sit still. Nate intruded again. Moodily, he kicked off his footwear. He’d never felt this way about a man before. There had been men over the years, clandestine sex that didn’t mean a thing. This thing with Nate—it felt different.
Important.
He knew about Nate’s marriage and his wife’s subsequent slow death from cancer. Hell, he knew it was too soon for Nate. The man still grieved. Despite the knowledge, he couldn’t stop. Something inside him, something mystical, propelled him toward Nate, his gut telling Adam they’d be good together even though the man obviously preferred women. A sudden scowl formed. Heck, he was probably putting himself in the way of a shitload of hurt. His mind told him he should walk away, but he couldn’t. His heart ached to try to ferret out the possibilities.
Cursing softly, he grabbed a towel and his room key and strode past the row of rooms to the hot tub, wincing at the bite of gravel beneath his bare feet. Someone was already there when he arrived. About to retreat, he spied a familiar black Stetson sitting by the side of the tub. Nate.
“Great minds,” Adam drawled, pitching his voice so it was audible above the bubble of the water. “Am I interrupting?”
Nate jackknifed to a sitting position. His mouth opened and closed before he sank under the surface again until only his head showed. The water plastered his dark hair to his head. A faint dark moustache and light beard framed his mouth and chin. The rest of his face was cleanly shaven. Dark brown eyes glanced at him, then Nate averted his gaze. “Nah,” he muttered finally. “Too wired to go to sleep yet.”
“Me too.” Adam yanked his black Stampede T-shirt over his head and shoved down his jeans. For propriety’s sake, he left on his boxer-briefs before sliding into the warm water. They were both tall men and, for a brief second, their legs touched. Nate drew back like a startled cat.
“I won’t bite.” Adam kept his voice low and even. He’d like to do more than bite. He felt the surge in his body, the slight filling of his cock. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. “And I don’t have any nasty diseases.”
Nate still refused to meet his gaze. “I’m not good company tonight.”
“Problem?”
“Nothing I want to talk about.”
Adam nodded. “Fair enough.”
“Why aren’t you with one of the women who throw themselves at you?”
Adam leaned back, letting the warm water work its magic. “Maybe I’m not interested.”
“I guess it gets old fast.” Nate frowned thoughtfully. “A man likes a challenge.”
Yeah, the challenge thing worked for him. Time to kick up the pace in his seduction plan. “No.” Adam watched Nate’s face closely, needing to read him and his reaction clearly, if that were possible. “That’s not what I meant.”
Nate’s brow furrowed. He sat up so his broad shoulders and upper chest were visible. A light furring of dark hair covered his chest, arrowing downward beneath the water. “What do you mean?”
“Maybe I’m not interested in women.”
The water stopped churning and stillness descended, interrupted only by the faint hum of traffic and the drone of a TV from the nearest motel room.
“You’re gay?” Nate whispered, confusion and dismay on his face, a trace of panic.
Adam shrugged and leaned over to turn the timer on again. The water jets bubbled into motion, enveloping them in their own private world. He turned back to Nate. “I don’t do labels.”
“Why the hell are you telling me?” Nate sounded pissed now, and Adam wasn’t sure why. “What the hell are you telling me?”
“I think of you as a friend.”
“Man, I’m not that kind of a friend,” Nate barked, his back straightening to military alertness, indignation snapping in his eyes.
Beneath the indignation, Adam thought he caught a flash of heat. He wasn’t sure what to make of it and sought to reassure. “Chill. We’ve known each other for almost a year. I haven’t jumped you and I’m not about to.” Yet. If Nate gave him some encouragement, that could change fast. Adam had to work to control his impassive expression. No, he hadn’t been wrong. That flash of heat again. There was something there; otherwise, why would Nate sound so panicked?
Lone Wolf
Shelley Munro
When you fall out of step, that’s when everything falls into place.
R.J. Blake begins a new session tutoring young werewolves in the old ways—before the introduction of the shift-suppressing drugs that allow their kind to live secretly among humans. He expects nothing out of the ordinary. Until sexy, smart, aggravating-as-hell Corey Wilson arrives. Older than the others, son of a powerful Los Angeles pack leader, Corey is an instant temptation he cannot afford.
The last thing Corey wants is three months stuck in the Yellowstone wilderness, followed by the stifling life his father has all mapped out for him. One glimpse of R.J., though, sparks a determination to seduce the older man before he leaves. Yet as R.J. guides him through the sometimes terrifying process of rediscovering his heritage, a deepening respect calls to his artistic soul and fuels a burst of creativity.
When their time comes to an end, Corey senses hesitation behind R.J.’s insistence that theirs was simply a summer fling. Inspiring him to take a leap of faith with consequences neither of them saw coming. A dangerous plot that reaches from the heart of their love to the highest office in the land…
Warning: This book contains a young werewolf intent on seduction, an older werewolf determined to resist said seduction, werewolf politics and brutality, a little spilled blood, and hot, naked manlove in the great outdoors.
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
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Lone Wolf
Copyright © 2011 by Shelley Munro
ISBN: 978-1-60928-430-5
Edited by Sue Ellen Gower
Cover by Scott Carpenter
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First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: August 2011
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