STORY EXCERPT

“It’s been two hours, and we have errands to run.” Mitch set the sledgehammer aside. “Thanks for coming by and putting a few holes in the wall.”

Lee looked at his progress and winced. The wall was still standing with minimal work done on it. He couldn’t help it that he liked talking with Scotty. The guy was funny as shit.

“That was my goal,” Lee said. “It looks like I accomplished it. Badda bing, badda boom.”

Scotty cocked his head to the side. “Are you Italian?”

“I had Italian in me at one point, but that relationship didn’t work out.” Lee’s brows shot up. Had he really said that out loud? Fuck. He needed to get out of there. Talking to Scotty was too damn easy, and Lee needed to shut his trap before Mitch coldcocked him for talking that way in front of his mate.

One of Mitch’s brows rose. “And with that, I’ll talk to you later.”

“You are coming back, right?” Scotty asked.

“Not if I want to keep my balls intact,” Lee grumbled on his way out the door.

Once again he’d screwed up. That seemed to be his running theme lately. He wasn’t one to indulge in pity parties, but he wished he’d catch a freaking break. Why was it that every time he was around a mate, his lack of common sense kicked in? It was as if twinks were his curse.

He jumped into his ride, bits of drywall all over his shirt and jeans, and drove into town. He’d shower and change clothes later. Right now he was starving from swinging the sledgehammer and putting some dents in the wall.

Lee also hadn’t eaten breakfast, which contributed to his hunger.

He decided to go to the less crowded diner instead of Cresting Moon where it appeared packed, even for this time of day. Lee would rather not wait on his food, so after parking, he’d turned to head into Bent Spoon when he heard a throat clear behind him.

Lee rolled his eyes. If Mitch had told on him to Ben, Lee was going to be pissed. It had been a stupid joke—though it wasn’t really a joke about the Italian—and Mitch needed to lighten up when it came to his mate.

“Look…” Lee said when he turned. Only it wasn’t Ben. It was some oversized cop standing there. He’d never seen the guy before. Had Mitch hired a new deputy? Lee hadn’t heard about it. Then again, it wasn’t as if Mitch told Lee anything about the police station.

“You can’t park there,” the cop said. “Don’t you see the handicap sign?”

Lee hadn’t been paying attention. He’d been too focused on food. Thankfully the guy hadn’t written him a ticket instead of just telling him to move. The way his day was going he wouldn’t be surprised if the deputy wrote him ten tickets.

His nametag said Fox. Which was funny considering he smelled human. “Sorry, Deputy Fox. I’ll move my car. I completely overlooked the sign.”

Had Mitch hired a human on purpose? As far as Lee knew, all the men who worked at the station were shifters, which meant they would have to hide who they truly were. That had to suck.

Deputy Fox moved to the sidewalk and watched as Lee got in and moved two spaces down. Jeez, the guy didn’t need to hover. It wasn’t as if Lee would wait for the cop to leave then walk into the diner without moving.

“Happy?” Lee asked when he got out. He was pissed Deputy Fox felt the need to hang around.

“Are you being a smartass?” Deputy Fox asked. “Consider yourself lucky I didn’t write you a ticket.” He jabbed a finger at the handicap sign. “The fine is five hundred dollars.”

“Or a dinner date.” Lee smiled, putting on the charm. Fox was definitely a hottie. He was taller than Lee by a few inches and built like a linebacker. The guy had pretty brown eyes that looked more honey-colored than chocolate and soft-looking light brown hair. He had the thickest eyelashes Lee had ever seen. They framed his eyes nicely, turning them into bedroom eyes.

And if he thought the word “eyes” one more time, Lee would roll his own.

“In your dreams,” Fox said. “Move along before I decide to write that ticket.”

What a fucking prick.

Lee had to stop himself from flipping off the cop. “Have a nice day,” he said, and then, under his breath, he added, “Deputy Dick.”

“What was that?” Fox asked.

Now Lee was getting aggravated. He just wanted to go eat, not stand there having a pissing contest with a cop who clearly wanted to prove himself. Lee didn’t need that kind of headache, no matter how good-looking Fox was.

He ignored Deputy Dick and went into the diner. The central air felt good on his heated skin. Clearly today was going to be a scorcher, and Lee didn’t want to stand outside arguing.

He didn’t want to be outside at all if he could help it. He hated the heat. He wasn’t sure which was worse, dead of summer or dead of winter. His favorite seasons were spring and fall when it was the right temperature outside.

After a meal fit for a king…or a hog, Lee paid his bill and left, only to stop dead in his tracks when he saw something under his wiper.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” He stormed over to his car and snatched the ticket. “You son of a bitch!”

Deputy Dick had written the handicap ticket, after all. Was that even legal? Could he write a ticket after Lee had moved? There was only one way to find out.

Lee walked the block to the station, too pissed to care about the heat. He stormed inside and looked around. Shit. Sheriff Greeley had the day off. Lee wasn’t sure if the other deputies had the authority to override what Fox had done, so he walked out, and ran right into the bastard.

Lee held up the ticket. “Seriously? Why’d you write it?”

“Seriously?” Fox said right back. “You should watch your smart mouth. I’d been willing to overlook the mistake, but since you wanted to act like an ass, I returned the favor. You think I didn’t hear you call me Deputy Dick?”

They’d clearly gotten off on the wrong foot, but Lee was too ticked off to take a step back and start over. He wasn’t paying the ticket. Deputy Dick could kiss his ass.

Right in front of the cop, Lee tore the ticket in half.

Fox actually smiled. “That doesn’t stop you from owing the money.”

Lee started to toss the ticket down but didn’t want another one for littering. He shoved the two halves in his front pocket and walked away.

Hopefully he’d never have to see the asshole again.

ADULT EXCERPT

When Lee didn’t say anything, Elon turned to find the guy staring at him. There was no mistaking the lust in his eyes.

Elon turned away, telling himself to get to know Lee before they hopped into bed, but he felt the heat of Lee’s gaze burning into his back.

Then he felt a solid wall behind him.

“Lee.”

“You’re my mate.” He kissed Elon’s nape, causing ripples of pleasure to rush through him. “I can’t help it. I’m wildly attracted to you, and all you have on is your underwear. You can’t flaunt your body and expect me not to react.”

Elon closed his eyes, but keeping Lee at arm’s length seemed fruitless. It was a losing battle, and he wasn’t even sure he wanted to fight against it.

Not when he had a willing body so close.

Not when he wanted Lee so badly that his cock hardened.

Not when Choppy’s words kept circling around in his head.

Elon turned, pressing his hands against Lee’s shoulders. The need was there, written all over Lee’s face. “Strip.”

“I didn’t hear the word please,” Lee teased as he yanked his shirt off and tossed it aside.

“Please get naked so I can fuck you into next week.” Elon smirked.

“That’s more like it.” Lee kicked off his shoes, nearly toppling over in doing so. He caught the dresser with one hand, blushing as he rolled his eyes. “If I injure myself, we’ll say it’s from a fight we had. No one can know I’m that clumsy in the bedroom.”

Elon laughed. “No worries. I won’t let you hurt yourself.”

When Lee was completely naked, Elon slid his hands down Lee’s sides, drinking in the sight before him. He yanked his lover toward him, groaning at how Lee’s body felt crushed against his. The warmth, the hard muscles, the way the guy licked his lips as he stared up at Elon.

This was what Elon wanted, what he’d been thinking about since meeting Lee. Admittedly, he’d been running from Lee, even if he hadn’t realized what he’d been doing. Elon wanted him with an insane need that canceled out all other thoughts except getting Lee into his bed.

Elon’s cock ached, so hard and tense, throbbing to the rhythm of his fast-beating heart. With his hands still on Lee’s hips, Elon guided him toward the bed, and Lee went willingly, seeming as desperate as Elon felt.

Lee’s hands were everywhere, smoothing down Elon’s chest, tweaking his nipples, then down his back, before cupping Elon’s ass. The soft touch sent ripples through Elon, making goose bumps surface.

“You’re tactile,” Lee said. “You like people touching you.”

“Just you.” Elon lowered his head, capturing Lee’s soft, plump lips, enjoying the feel of his lover’s low-trimmed beard grazing against his own, causing the sound of hairs rustling to reach his ears.

The kiss was hot, passionate, and ignited a need inside Elon that he hadn’t realized existed. Not even Craig had affected him this way, ripped desperation from Elon’s very foundation.

He wanted more. He wanted Lee so close that there wouldn’t be any space between them, and even then that didn’t seem close enough. Elon needed to be buried inside Lee to stop the insane emotions from taking over.

Elon loved the way Lee arched up, pressing them even closer as he slid his arms around Elon’s neck. They tumbled to the bed, and the only barrier between them was Elon’s boxers.

Elon licked his lips. “Feed me your cock.”

Lee didn’t have to be told twice. He wiggled from under Elon and got to his knees. Elon lay on his side, staring up at the guy with a smirk. It seemed Lee was excitable, and Elon loved that.

He looped his fingers around his lover’s straining erection. With a few short strokes, Lee was rock-hard, but he held a guarded look in his eyes, as if he was worried Elon would change his mind.

The head of Lee’s cock hovered close to Elon’s lips. “Are you with me?”

Lee smirked. “I’m right here.”

“Mentally.” Elon swiped his tongue over the head, lapping the pre-cum into his mouth.

Lee hissed. “Body and mind. Now suck me off.”

The explosion of Lee’s salty taste erased all thoughts from Elon’s mind. He lapped and sucked then pushed the soft, spongy head past his lips, sucking more and more of Lee’s rigid length down his throat.

Lee threw his head back, his lips parting as his hips punched forward in short bursts. Elon’s neck became stiff at the awkward angle, but it didn’t hurt enough to make him stop worshipping Lee’s thick cock. He slid his middle finger into his mouth, alongside Lee’s shaft, and wet his finger. When he pulled it free, he reached between Lee’s legs and probed at his puckered hole.

Lee groaned and lowered himself, rocking forward, his cock thrusting deeper then backward, his hole consuming Elon’s entire finger.

Lee rocked faster, his body swaying in a graceful dance as he rocked in and out of Elon’s mouth. “C-Close.”