Page 59

Wolfe

W olfe stared at the cooling cum on his fingertips, his back to the door of their as-yet-unfurnished en suite bedroom.

He’d barely made it a step inside before he’d been fishing his cock out of his slacks and stroking himself to a hurried completion, furtive and furious, like some kind of hormonal teenager after witnessing their first porno.

But who could blame him? Eric had been simply divine back there, a glorious revelation. That big body trembling with the force of his lust, overwhelmed by his need for Wolfe’s presence—not to mention his demand for Wolfe’s scent, his kiss—even as he denied himself Wolfe’s touch.

He was a perfect specimen: petty and stubborn and gorgeous.

And the noises he’d made. It had been almost a shame to cover Eric’s mouth with his own, if only for the fact that it muffled all those delicious moans.

What sounds would Wolfe draw out of him, once Eric gave in fully to the bond?

Wolfe could only imagine a veritable symphony of whimpers, moans, and husky groans.

Want him , Wolfe’s beast whined, already itching to be back with their mate.

It had been content enough at Eric’s bedside, willing to suppress its urge to claim in order to witness their mate’s furious fucking into his fist. But it was all petulance again now that they’d stepped away.

“We have to be patient,” Wolfe soothed, feeling uncharacteristically generous after these recent delightful events. “We’ve frightened him enough.”

He did his slacks up with his clean hand, then walked over to the bathroom to wash off his mess, using a few spare drops of water to slick back his hair, which had become very close to mussed in the act of kissing his mate.

He’d lost himself to it, in a way he never had before. Kissing wasn’t usually much of a draw for him. It denoted a certain…intimacy he’d never looked for in his sexual encounters. Sex was for release, not connection. What would have been the point?

But with Eric practically begging him for it? Clenching his demanding fist into Wolfe’s shirt and giving him a chance to taste those lips, indulge in devouring all those delicious, muffled groans?

It would have taken a saint to resist. And Wolfe was anything but.

He wanted to taste him again, as soon as possible. He wanted his mouth on that girthy cock, wanted to suck out Eric’s cum, wanted to drink his blood all over again.

Christ. Wolfe winced at his own reflection, at the greed shining back at him in his own eyes. It wasn’t the emotion itself that bothered him but the fact that he was displaying it so obviously.

He was losing control.

This new bond was both too fragile and too strong, consuming and yet unconsummated.

He had no choice but to resign himself to a certain discomfort while Eric adjusted, and Wolfe did not generally see fit to abide by discomfort.

But if the momentary sacrifice led to more of that ?

More of Eric asking for his presence, his mouth?

Well, then he’d simply have to bear it, wouldn’t he?

Fate had provided him with an enticing creature; there was no doubt about that. But it had also presented him with a challenge. No matter. It was one he was surely up for.

Want to go back , his beast grumbled.

Wolfe was saved from answering the demand by the buzzing of his phone. He glanced at the screen, unbearably tempted to let it ring unanswered, but there could be trouble, and he’d made certain promises, ones there would be consequences to breaking.

“Johann,” he greeted, turning away from his reflection.

“Wolfgang.”

“Checking up on me so soon?” Wolfe kept his tone mild, but he assumed the censure was clear. He was not one to need a set of babysitters.

But trust in Johann to not grasp the nasty subtext. “Um, sort of? Why, did you need something?”

“ You called me , Johann.”

A huff of laughter on the other end. “Oh. Right. Well, Danny wanted me to tell you that you should coordinate any future blood theft, if you’re thinking on waiting to teach Dr. Monroe to hunt.”

Of all the tedious things. Wolfe allowed himself an exasperated sigh.

“Eric has already been fed. The other bag will suffice for next week. From then on, he’ll be hunting with me.

” Wolfe’s spent cock twitched at the thought of his handsome mate out on the prowl, human blood coating his lips.

He would be a sight to see; that was certain.

“But didn’t you already steal some?”

“We only took what Danny gave us.”

“Oh.” Johann seemed to take a second to ponder that. “Hm.”

Wolfe waited the appropriate five seconds before pressing. “Johann, please speak plainly or I’m hanging up the phone.”

“It’s just— The blood bank in town was broken into. That wasn’t you?”

As if Wolfe had any need of blood banks. “As I’ve said.”

“Huh. Well, I guess it could have been Tobias.”

Trust Johann to bury the lede completely.

Wolfe pinched at the bridge of his nose.

“So you’re saying Tobias came to town already.

And did anyone perish in this confrontation?

” If Tobias was dead, then Wolfe would have some smoothing over to do with their former den.

Another item to add to his ever-growing to-do list. A large part of him hoped to hear Alexei had met his end in the scuffle—that would perhaps be an appropriate punishment for derailing his and Johann’s former agreement—but he supposed Johann wouldn’t be chatting so happily were that the case.

“No. No fatalities,” Johann confirmed. “Soren scared him off.”

“How delightful. Well, now Tobias can verify with the others that you’re a protected entity.”

“Pretty neat, huh? Okay, so…” Wolfe could see it perfectly in his mind’s eye, the way Johann would be chewing on his lower lip right about now. “Don’t steal any more blood, even if you didn’t take what was already taken, okay? I’ve gotta go do sex stuff with Alexei now.”

“Splendid.” Wolfe hung up the phone before Johann could spill out any more horrifying sentences. Alexei may have been some delectable eye candy, but Johann was a little too close to familial for Wolfe to want the image of him bouncing on the mobster’s cock to haunt him.

He stepped out of the bathroom, eyeing the still-empty bedroom skeptically. He did so hate to leave a room unfinished. But he thought of Eric, who seemed—judging from the sound of his steady breathing and the lack of irritated restlessness coming through the bond—to have finally fallen asleep.

He’d rescheduled the painters to arrive tomorrow. If they did their job promptly, he could have their intended bedroom put together in two days at most.

But really, would it be such a good idea to set the precedent of two furnished bedrooms before they’d had a chance to settle their petty differences? Wolfe could picture it too clearly—Eric taking over the guest bedroom, leaving Wolfe to the en suite all alone.

It simply wouldn’t do.

He made another phone call. The paint job could wait another week or so.

Eric didn’t come down until the next morning.

He hadn’t been asleep the whole time, clearly. Wolfe had been able to hear him shifting around the room intermittently, pacing for close to an hour at one point. Nevertheless, it was almost five a.m. when he finally appeared in the kitchen.

“Darling,” Wolfe greeted from his spot at the kitchen table, where he was flipping through a book of tile samples. He figured he’d redo the en suite bathroom as well—he was picturing a dark forest aesthetic for that room also. All of it a lovely, natural green.

Speaking of. Eric’s eyes met his from the doorway. They reminded Wolfe of the lakes where he’d grown up, the ones shadowed by the surrounding trees. Those lakes had been dark and deep and full of secrets. Would his mate be the same?

Eric’s scowl certainly said he was full of something . Vitriol, perhaps.

“I have to go to work,” Eric said, crossing his arms over his chest in some semblance of an intimidation tactic.

Wolfe cocked a brow, flipping another page. “You’re a vampire now. A soon-to-be very wealthy one. You don’t have to do anything.”

Eric paused, opened his mouth as if to ask a question, then shut it again. He marched over to the closest kitchen cabinets instead, rifling through them in search of something.

Wolfe watched him, admiring the curve of his ass as he bent to peruse the lowest cabinet. Interesting that he didn’t bite at the mention of money. It would be best to strike off appealing to his greed, then, in terms of strengthening their bond.

Wolfe would just have to continue to appeal to his lust instead.

He pushed aside the tile samples, leaning forward in his chair. “Are you sure you don’t wish to return to bed, pet?” he crooned. “Allow me to…soothe you again?”

He watched in delight as Eric’s muscles tensed, the back of his neck darkening in a flush. Anger or arousal? Most likely both, judging from the twinges of emotion Wolfe could feel through their nascent bond.

Eric rose slowly and turned around, his scowl still firmly in place despite his reddened cheeks. “I want to go to work, asshole. I’m scheduled today. And Danny said I’m not a captive.”

“Did he now?” Wolfe asked mildly.

“Well, am I?”

“I have no reason to stop you from going to the hospital, if you wish to.”

The only sign Eric gave that he noticed Wolfe avoiding the real question was the force with which he closed the open cabinet, splintering the wood completely.

Eric stared at it for a good thirty seconds before turning to Wolfe, a new, apologetic fix to his features. “Um. I didn’t know it would do that.”

“You’re stronger than you’re used to, pet. Not to worry. I was going to redo this kitchen anyway.” Wolfe mentally added cabinet samples to his list of growing necessities.

“I was looking for coffee.”

Wolfe inclined his head. “I didn’t think of it. I’ll acquire some.”

“Will it— Does caffeine work with vampires?”

“We generally have no need of it. Our energy levels are naturally high, unless we’ve put off feeding for too long.” Wolfe cocked his head, furrowing his brow in mock concern. “Why, darling, are you still fatigued?”

He already knew Eric was. He could feel the same strange lethargy in his own bones, an exhaustion born from resisting his natural urges, the ones his inner beast was now constantly voicing. Take our mate. Claim our mate.

Eric only scowled at him anew. “I’ll just get some coffee at the hospital.”

It won’t help you, precious pet. But Wolfe nodded. “Of course. Shall I drive you?”

Wolfe could feel Eric’s desire to say yes, just as he could feel his mate’s need to draw nearer, to allow Wolfe to touch him, scent him, hold him close. It was a perfect match for the itching under Wolfe’s own skin, the one he was trying to distract himself from with these horrid tile samples.

It wasn’t right, wasn’t natural. Eric shouldn’t be leaving to sling medicine at some third-rate hospital.

He should be staying by Wolfe’s side, sitting on Wolfe’s lap, lounging in Wolfe’s bed.

He should be begging and moaning and whimpering again, letting Wolfe drink down his desperate noises like a fine wine.

Wolfe crossed his legs, hiding his hardening cock from view. It wasn’t the time. He needed to let his good doctor make his own mistakes first. The more freedom he allowed Eric, the sooner he would come to his senses and approach Wolfe on his own. As he had the night before.

Wolfe could only hope that would happen soon.

Before he snapped completely and locked Eric in that room, kept him confined until he was forced to come to his senses.

Which would be a pity, as it would ruin all Wolfe’s hard work earning the pittance of trust he’d managed to acquire in the last twenty-four hours.

Heavens, but relationships were exhausting, weren’t they?

Eric cleared his throat. “I need a shower.”

“Across the hall from where you’ve been resting. Everything is fully stocked.”

“Except I don’t have any clothes.” Eric gestured down to the robe he’d rather tragically placed over his boxer briefs. Wolfe had ended up tossing the shirt Eric had worn to the massage parlor—there had been an awful amount of dried blood on the collar.

Wolfe gestured in the direction of the stairs. “You’ll find an assortment of clothing in your size, in the dresser.”

“Creepy.” The scowl was back again.

Wolfe inclined his chin in agreement, pressing his lips together to stop the smile that wanted to come out. It was creepy, perhaps. But his attention to detail was coming in handy now, wasn’t it? He decided it best not to say so, however.

He watched Eric leave the kitchen in a huff, wondered how many hours either of their beasts would actually allow this separation. Half of Eric’s scheduled shift, perhaps? Less than that?

In the meantime, Wolfe needed something to soothe this new agitation from agreeing to this ridiculous farce. He dug his phone out of the pocket, dialing Tobias’s number once he heard the telltale sound of the shower going.

“Wolfe.” Tobias’s grating voice greeted him in a whine. “I’m already on my way back. I got the message, okay? We’ll leave you alone.”

“Yes. I heard little Soren gave you quite a scare. Let me just give you a message of my own.”

“I already got it, okay?” Tobias hissed, seeming to think he was in a position to direct this conversation.

Poor, misguided Tobias.

“You had children when you were turned, did you not?” Wolfe tugged the book of samples closer, flipping through them again with a discerning eye. He wanted to get the green just right.

There was a long, tense pause on the other end of the line. “Wh-What?”

“Children who had children of their own,” Wolfe mused. The upper left tile was almost what he wanted, but it was a touch too light for his purposes. “You have quite a line of descendants at this point, Tobias. A fact you’ve been careful to keep hidden from the den.”

“I— How did you…?”

“So.” Wolfe marked the tile anyway, just for comparison purposes.

“If you ever come near this den again—if you threaten my new home, perhaps, or if you or your den mates try to siphon off any of Johann’s funds coming my way…

Let’s just say there will not be a single trace of your genetic material left on this earth. Do you understand me, Tobias?”

Tobias’s fear was deliciously palpable, even through the phone. “Yes, Wolfe.”

“Good. Carry on with your travels.”

Wolfe hung up. He took a deep breath. There, that was better, wasn’t it? Nothing like threatening the extinction of an entire line of descendants to soothe the savage beast within.

Want our mate . Want him close.

Wolfe shut the book of samples and threw it across the room.