STORY EXCERPT

Mendez glanced over at Jack as the guy slept in the passenger side of his red Mercedes. His tan looked even better against the cream seat, though Mendez didn’t like how pale Jack appeared. He also thought his impromptu visit to Willow Point was out of character for him.

Not that Mendez had known Jack long enough to assume that, but he’d learned the man’s habits and behavior fast enough. Even if that wasn’t part of Mendez’s job, he would have learned about Jack anyway.

Considering Jack Dane was his mate.

That had been a crazy discovery when Mendez had been introduced to his new client. A single handshake and Mendez had known. The touch had been electrifying, and Jack had smelled like a crackling fire in the dead of winter. Mendez had also felt the pull. An attraction so strong that he wouldn’t be able to walk away even if he’d wanted to.

This should have been a happy occasion for Mendez, until he remembered Jack was straight. It was a crushing blow. His wolf had gone nuts, but Mendez remained cool and stoic, never crossing the line. Even if his body got hard whenever Jack was nearby.

The man was simply beautiful. Hazel eyes with flecks of brown, buttermilk-blond hair that he wore kind of shaggy, a heart-stopping smile that Mendez wasn’t even sure Jack knew he had. The guy was lean, not muscular, with a nice ass.

Now they were on a road trip, trapped in the car together, Mendez tortured by having his mate so close yet so far. If he couldn’t have Jack, couldn’t claim him, the least Mendez could do was make sure his mate was always safe.

From himself.

From Mendez.

“What time is it?” Jack yawned and stretched, his shirt riding up to reveal a patch of sun-kissed skin with a happy trail leading downward. Mendez’s teeth ached to nibble that perfect flesh.

“Almost sunrise.” Mendez forced his gaze to stay on the road. “We’ll be in Willow Point in about eighteen hours.”

He didn’t like up and leaving, not telling anyone where they were going. Mendez’s boss was going to shit kittens over this, but it was his job to stay with Jack, no matter what. He’d have to smooth things over with Ian when he got a chance to call him.

And Huck? Mendez hadn’t been working for Jack long, but he knew the neurotic manager was going to blow his lid when he found out Jack bailed. Not that Mendez gave a shit about Huck, but he didn’t want Jack getting into any kind of trouble.

Mendez had already been told about the letters that kept being sent to Jack. Bizarre letters that had risen Mendez’s hackles. He’d read each one. The first one had been nothing but praise from the fan. About how much he loved Jack’s voice and the songs he sang.

Then the tone of the letters had started escalating. The second one was about how pissed the fan was that Jack never wrote him back, telling Jack that he thought he was too good, how he thought they would be perfect together, if only Jack would get his head out of his ass.

Now the fan was obsessed with Jack, extremely obsessed, stating that Jack had written his slow ballads for him, just for him, how he spoke to the fan’s soul.

There were a lot of unbalanced people in the world. Mendez had seen his fair share of lunatics. He knew the fan would only escalate even further, taking more risks, so maybe getting Jack out of Vegas really was a smart move.

Remove the man’s obsession and maybe, just maybe, the guy would move on. Although the letters had been sent to Jack’s Memphis home address. That was scary enough, a crazed fan knowing where Jack lived.

“I need some fuel.” Jack sat up and rubbed his flat stomach. There were dark circles under his hazel eyes, and the sides of his mouth were pinched, telling Mendez just how much strain Jack was under.

Mendez snorted. “You should have eaten before you drank that entire bottle.”

His mate glared at him. “Are you being my nanny again?”

For some perverse reason Mendez loved getting under Jack’s skin. He liked the fire in his gorgeous eyes whenever he got riled up. “No, sir.”

“We’re on a road trip. Stop calling me sir and stop giving me unwanted advice.” Jack looked out the window as the sun could be seen climbing slowly over the horizon. The soft lighting reflected on Jack’s handsome face, making his hazel eyes lighter.

Mendez gripped the wheel harder so he wouldn’t reach over and touch his mate. Jack looked so fucking lost and vulnerable right now as he gazed at the passing scenery. He’d been reflective and moody ever since his appointment yesterday morning. He’d said it was a yearly visit to his doctor, and Mendez hadn’t pried, but ever since he’d left Dr. Chastine’s office, Jack hadn’t been himself.

“Find us a roadside diner.” Jack looked over at Mendez before lowering his gaze. “I could use a homecooked meal.”

“Whatever you want, Mr. Dane.”

Jack gave a tiny growl that Mendez thought adorable. “I said to call me Jack.”

“Yes, Mr. Dane.” Mendez hid his smile. “There.” He pointed at a sign that said a diner was at the next exit. “Good enough?”

“Sounds perfect.” Jack sank back down into his seat and yawned again. “I need a cup of hot tea.”

Mendez still didn’t know why they hadn’t flown in Jack’s private jet. They would have gotten to Willow Point in no time. Or the closest airport, which would have been quicker than driving there. But Jack had made it clear that he wanted to drive, so Mendez hadn’t argued.

Oh, he’d tried, but his mate was too damn stubborn to listen to reason. Since he didn’t want to get fired from being Jack’s personal security detail, most of the time he kept his mouth shut. Too bad he couldn’t put his mouth to other uses, but that wasn’t in the cards for him.

Jack Dane was a sexy, straight man who had no interest in sharing an intimate life with Mendez, no matter how badly Mendez wanted that.

ADULT EXCERPT

“Okay.” Jack pressed his teeth into his bottom lip as he nudged his ass against Mendez’s cock, testing, teasing himself. Then he inched down and whimpered as the head popped inside of him. Thank fuck Mendez had stretched Jack while giving him head.

Mendez’s fingers gripped Jack’s thighs. The gray in his eyes turned as dark as midnight, his canines still showing, but not as long as they’d been before. Jack was mesmerized by them as they gleamed with the moonlight spilling into the room. They were deadly, yet so damn beautiful, casting Mendez in a spellbinding light.

“You feel so fucking good wrapped around my cock.” Mendez’s eyelids shuttered to half-mast. “You can take more, Jack.”

After blowing out a breath, Jack sank down, drawing out the sensations whiplashing through him. Mendez’s hands slid up to Jack’s hips, a tight hold as he slowly moved upward, as if wanted to draw this out too.

Then his hips lowered, and Jack’s lips parted, his breath catching, but his gaze kept going back to those canines. One bite and he would forever belong to Mendez. To this gorgeous, wild man who wasn’t even human.

A predator. An alpha-male who would protect him no matter what. Who would make all of Jack’s fantasies come to life. Jack wanted that more than anything, to finally have someone he could trust in his corner, to wipe out his loneliness.

But he was afraid. He’d never let anyone have that much control over him, and Jack knew Mendez wasn’t going to take a backseat when it came to what mattered most. Not only did he have to trust that Mendez would keep his secret, but Mendez would have to trust Jack to keep his. They both had too much to lose if those secrets came to light. And that thought turned the tide on his decision.

He just wasn’t brave enough to voice that yet.

Mendez rolled, placing Jack on his back, hooking his arms under Jack’s legs and spreading them apart. He leaned back, the muscles in his thighs bunching, the ones on his upper body flexing as he punched his hips forward, driving his cock even deeper.

Jack was freefalling in pleasure, drowning in it. God, he’d missed this feeling. It had been months since he’d been fucked, and Mendez knew what he was doing. Jack smelled Mendez’s natural scent, wild and drugging, but he also smelled a hint of spicy cologne. Jack wanted to bathe in the dark fragrances wrapping around his head.

Mendez lowered Jack’s legs, so Jack wrapped them around his lean waist, tugging Mendez closer as Mendez nibbled his way across Jack’s neck, sending a flood of heat through his body. He tweaked Jack’s nipples, turning them into hard little points as Jack groaned, arching into Mendez’s touch.

“So fucking responsive,” Mendez murmured against Jack’s earlobe. He hips rolled forward, his cock driving deep, stretching Jack as his need built higher and higher. “You have no idea what you do to me. From the first moment I saw you, I knew I had to have you.”

Mendez’s deep, sultry voice made Jack shiver. Whispered words that set his blood on fire. So intimate, as if the two of them were in their own world.

Mendez clutched Jack’s wrists and held them over Jack’s head with one hand, using the other to hold himself up. Jack tugged, but Mendez didn’t release him. Jack didn’t want him to. He liked the futile struggle, the thought that he couldn’t escape. That feeling flooded through him, making his cock even harder.

“When I get you home, I’m going to tie you up, sweetheart. You’ll be helpless against what I want to do to your body.”

Jack’s breathing grew faster, harsher while he groaned. He lifted his ass, pressing the heels of his feet into the lower part of Mendez’s back.

The laugh that escaped Mendez was wicked and soft. “Are you trying to tell me you want it harder, faster?”

“God, yes,” Jack hissed.

Mendez traced his lips over Jack’s jaw. “And what will you give me in return?”

“Whatever you want.” Jack swallowed and closed his eyes, wondering what Mendez would ask for. In that moment, Jack would do just about anything to feel the burn of Mendez pounding into him.

“You know what I want, sweetheart.” Mendez punched his hips forward, a single hard thrust that made Jack cry out. “Say you’ll be mine. Say you belong to me, and only me.”

“Only you.” Jack felt drugged, floating along, his body buzzing. “Please,” he cried. “Please.”

Mendez slid his hand down Jack’s side, holding himself up with the hand that trapped Jack’s. “Please what?”

“I-I don’t know.” Tears burned behind his eyes. Jack needed release so badly, craved it more than his next breath.

Mendez’s lips touched Jack’s ear. “Please fuck you hard and dirty, or please bite you?”

Jack’s entire body jerked as need throbbed inside of him. He wanted to say yes to both, wanted what Mendez was offering. He knew, at the edge of his mind, that if he said yes, there was no going back. Could he make that kind of decision when he could barely think? When he was so lost in the moment that he would do just about anything Mendez wanted?

“I…” Jack’s heart hurt from beating way too fast. Why did his life have to be so fucking complicated? If he said yes, Mendez would own him. Jack was already falling hard for the guy, even though he wanted to fight it.

Mendez reared back, grabbed Jack’s hips, and unleashed himself. He slammed into Jack, throwing his head back, and Jack couldn’t rip his gaze away from Mendez’s long, sharp canines. Could he do it? Could he ask Mendez to bite him?

“Oh, god!” Jack gripped the bedding in his fists, thrashing as Mendez drove his cock harder into him. His heart kicked up a notch. His mouth went dry. He grabbed for Mendez, yanking him down as their lips crashed together. Mendez braced his arms on either side of Jack, growling into his mouth, his canines getting in the way.