STORY EXCERPT

"I will not cry." Leslie looked at his reflection in the mirror. "God, you look awful." His eyes were puffy and his nose was red from the rough tissue he'd used to wipe at it. "Don't you dare shed one more tear over Ian. He's scum. Remember that."

As brave as Leslie tried to be, his bottom lip quivered as tears rolled down his cheeks. He hurried from the bathroom, wiping at his nose as he fell onto the couch and bawled his eyes out. He'd thought his relationship with Ian had been fine, but catching his now-ex-boyfriend in bed with another man said otherwise.

At least Leslie had had the willpower to throw Ian out on his ass instead of listening to him try to smooth-talk his way out of it. And Leslie had almost fallen for the begging and lame-ass excuses Ian tried to throw at him.

But as much as he wanted to believe that rotten bastard, Leslie's self-esteem wasn't that damn low. Now he just had to get through the heartache of breaking up with a man he'd stupidly fallen for and he could get on with his life.

Leslie needed ice cream, tissue, and a good movie to cry through. He also needed his best friend. With those weapons in his arsenal, he was sure to get over Ian.

Pulling himself up from the couch, Leslie grabbed his cell phone and called Jimmy. As soon as he answered, Leslie fell apart again.

"He cheated on me!" he sobbed, falling to his back on the cushions.

Jimmy clucked his tongue. "I knew this was coming. I told you he was a no-good prick. I'll stop at the store, then be over. Don't contemplate revenge until I get there."

"Hurry." Leslie tossed his phone aside and curled into a ball. Why did betrayal have to hurt so much? Why couldn't his emotions be a faucet so he could turn them off and on at will?

He lay there drowning in misery until his doorbell rang. Leslie didn't have the energy to get up. "Come in," he shouted, uncaring who it was. If it was a burglar, hopefully the guy would rob Leslie of his heartache.

"You're a complete mess," Jimmy harrumphed. He took the bags into the kitchen, then returned with two bowls of ice cream and a box of Kleenex. After setting the bowls and box down, Jimmy dropped onto the couch. "Sit up so we can watch a movie and you can cry all over my shoulder. Though I would prefer you didn't. This is a Gucci jersey and I don't want snot all over it."

"You're such a name-brand whore." Leslie sat up and wiped at his nose.

"It took me a month to save up for it!" He slapped Leslie's thigh. "If you ruin it, I'll…" Jimmy frowned. "Threatening a man who has puffy eyes and a watery nose just isn't right. I'll simply be pissed at you."

"But I loved him," Leslie wailed.

"No, you loved his dick," Jimmy corrected, "because the rest of him was a complete asshole."

Maybe he should have left Jimmy out of his arsenal. Leslie didn't like hearing the truth. He wanted his best friend to candy-coat it all and tell him some bullshit lies.

"Eat your ice cream," Jimmy said. "It's butter pecan, your favorite." He winked. "Never say I don't love you. I even splurged for the good tissues that won't leave your nose all dry and red."

Leslie set his bowl on the coffee table. He didn't feel like eating ice cream or watching a movie. He wanted to be left alone to wallow in misery. He also wanted to hunt down Ian and torture the bastard. After all Leslie had done for him, Ian hadn't appreciated a damn thing. Too bad crushing someone's heart wasn't illegal because Leslie would have Ian locked up.

Jimmy patted his leg. "Let's go out. That'll cheer you up. The men at Grizzly's are hot, and taking a random guy home would do you some good. You need to fuck Ian right out of your system."

Leslie stared at him in disbelief. "I found Ian in bed with another man three hours ago and you want to take me out for a hookup?"

That reminded Leslie. He needed to burn the sheets.

Possibly the bed.

Too bad Ian wasn't still in it.

"I'm not taking no for an answer." Jimmy hopped from the couch and grabbed Leslie's hand. "If anything, you can cry over a mug of beer while I get something to eat."

Leslie didn't want to go to Grizzly's. He'd fooled around with the bartender, and showing up might make him look like he was stalking Darius. But where else could they go? It wasn't as though Mercury had nightclubs. He'd met Ian at the freaking laundromat when Leslie's washer had broken down.

He should have seen the signs when Ian had asked if Leslie could finish his laundry because he had a lunch date. Leslie had been so enraptured by the guy that he'd agreed.

Ian hadn't even left him quarters for drying.

This is what you get for being so desperate that you put up with his bullshit.

"You know what?" Leslie stood and wagged a finger at Jimmy. To hell with running into Darius. "You're right. I'm over Ian."

Not really, but hopefully having sex with a hot guy would help him heal quicker. Leslie wasn't going to sit around and weep over a piece-of-shit guy who'd never appreciated him to begin with. They'd been dating only a month. Leslie shouldn't be this devastated. Revenge sex was just what he needed.

"That's the spirit!" Jimmy's smile was dazzling. If he was Leslie's type, he would have been all over that. But Leslie wasn't into twinks. He liked his men brawny and tall. Ian was built like a quarterback but had the personality of a leech.

Leslie showered, dressed, and fussed with his hair in the mirror until he declared himself ready, though on the inside he was still hurting. He cleared his throat and blinked back tears as he met Jimmy at the door.

He squeezed Leslie's upper arm. "I know it hurts, hon. But you'll get over him. I promise."

Leslie gave him a wobbly smile. "Thanks for understanding."

"I don't, but I'm still here for you." He swatted Leslie's ass. "Now get moving. You have a stud out there somewhere with your name on him."

Feeling better already, Leslie had a bounce to his step as he walked out the door.

ADULT EXCERPT

Leslie couldn't figure out why he still stood there as Brady walked away. He needed to let the man go, but apparently Leslie liked to torture himself because he ran after Brady.

Brady's walking-away act must have been some kind of game he liked to play because his strides weren't long and he'd taken his time. He threw a seductive smile over his shoulder as he looked back, telling Leslie he'd won this round.

"You really are an asshole." He grabbed Brady's hand and pulled him back toward the house. "And yes, we're fucking."

Brady's chuckle grated on Leslie's nerves, but a one-night stand might be just what Leslie needed to forget Ian…and that panther…and the fact Brady could change into a wolf, which was so farfetched and impossible Leslie was beginning to think he'd dreamed all of it.

The asshole had better be well worth the headache.

To Leslie's relief Jimmy was gone by the time they got back to the house. Not even his soda bottle remained. That was odd for him, considering Jimmy was a complete slob. He made sure he always looked spectacular—freshly showered, hair done, smelling and looking good—but his apartment was a pigsty. When he was at Leslie's, Jimmy repeatedly left his mess behind when he left.

Shoving thoughts of Jimmy from his mind, Leslie lifted his foot to step onto the porch, but his shoe caught and he fell forward. The floor came barreling at him, but Brady caught him in time and righted him.

"Thanks." Leslie had let Brady's hand go while he fell, and didn't grab it again once he stood on the porch. His anger fizzled while opening the back door. Leslie was a fairly even-tempered man who didn't rile so easily, so when he stepped into his kitchen, his nerves got the better of him. "Want some coffee?"

Brady didn't miss a beat. He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it on the table. "I want some Leslie." He unfastened his buckle and left it dangling before he unsnapped his pants and lowered his zipper. "Didn't you say something about sucking dick?"

"My dick," Leslie corrected. His gaze fell to the open jeans and he saw a wet spot on Brady's boxer briefs, as well as an impressive bulge outlining them. His heart skipped a beat as his gaze slid up to Brady's bare chest. His muscles were amazing, his skin was tanned, and Leslie wanted to run his tongue over every dip and crease.

Leslie forgot about being nervous and slid his hands over Brady's pecs, licking his lips at the hard, yet soft, flesh under his palms. "So that means you don't want any coffee?"

"Do you really have to ask?"

Leslie's gaze swung upward into Brady's dreamy blue eyes. He looked at Leslie with a desire that made his cock harden. Not even Ian had looked at him with such need. This might be a one-off, but Leslie planned on enjoying every second of their night together.

Brady curled an arm around Leslie's waist and walked him backward into the living room, kissing and nibbling at his neck and jaw the entire time.

God, Brady's muscles. Leslie wanted to swoon over them. He couldn't stop touching Brady's naked chest as his back hit his bedroom door. When Brady lifted him, Leslie curled his legs around the man's waist, devouring his mouth as Brady opened the door.

They moved into the room and tumbled onto the bed, their limbs entwined as Brady unfastened Leslie's pants. His strong hand wrapped around Leslie's cock, and Leslie's nearly came from the contact. He didn't even care that he hadn't remade the bed or that the last time the mattress had seen sex, it had been between Ian and his skank whore.

Nothing mattered except what Brady was doing to him. Leslie's body was on fire and he desperately needed Brady to put out the flames.

Brady reared back and yanked off Leslie's pants and underwear. Next he finished undressing himself, then stood gloriously naked in front of Leslie with his dick so hard pearls of pre-come clung to the head.

Unable to resist, Leslie slid from the bed and dropped to his knees. He took Brady's cock into his mouth and swiped his tongue over the saltiness, moaning as he worked Brady's erection down his throat.

"Fuck." Brady hissed and grabbed a handful of Leslie's hair as he thrust in short bursts. Maybe Jimmy had been right. Maybe taking a random home was exactly what Leslie needed. Although he hadn't brought Brady home. He'd shown up to…Leslie slapped those thoughts away because if he dwelled on them, he would freak out again.

"Not like this." Brady jerked back and his cock popped from between Leslie's lips. He looked as though he struggled to compose himself before he reached down and hauled Leslie to his feet.

They kissed again, but this time it was slower, more passionate, and Leslie's toes curled as Brady slid his hands over every inch of his back. Leslie loved being touched and petted, and goose bumps surfaced over his body as Brady lowered him to the bed.

They didn't break the kiss while Brady lined the head of his cock to Leslie's hole. He pressed his hands into Brady's chest as he tore his lips away. "Lube."

"Got it covered."

Brady nibbled on Leslie's neck as he felt something wet against his hole. "What the hell is that?"

"My natural lube." Brady nipped his ear. "Never leave home without it."

Leslie rolled his eyes but was fascinated, too. Brady wasn't human. Although he'd seen the guy shift, the fact he wasn't human still hadn't sunk in because Leslie couldn't wrap his head around what he'd seen.

His thoughts scattered when Brady inched inside him, his hole stretching to the point it burned. Leslie hissed as he dug his nails into Brady's biceps. But the pain morphed into pleasure as Brady took Leslie's lips in a soul-stirring kiss.

Leslie scraped his nails down Brady's back, devouring Brady's mouth as Brady thrust into him. Brady was definitely worth the headache, and so much more. At least while they were having sex. Afterward, the asshole could go home, but for now, Leslie was flying, electrical currents coursing through him as Brady punched his hips, sending Leslie closer to the edge.