STORY EXCERPT

Logan couldn’t recall the last time he’d had the night off. His alpha, Rayne, was recruiting more hunters, had chosen two so far, which gave Logan time to enjoy a nightlife beyond hunting vampires down and helping to keep Ridgeway safe.

Instead of relaxing at home—because everyone there was mated and being around the couples only reminded Logan that he wasn’t—he decided to treat himself to eating out at a hibachi grill. It wasn’t so late in the evening that the place was near to closing. In fact, there were more people there than Logan would have liked. It was just after dinner, but it seemed there were some like him who preferred eating later in the evening.

When Logan stepped inside the small but quaint restaurant, he noticed a few people waiting by the podium to be seated. He should have turned around and found someplace else to eat, but the aromas in the place were making his stomach growl, so he stayed.

“How many?” the hostess asked.

“Just me.”

“You can either go right to the bar or we have a twenty-minute wait for a table,” she said with an exhausted smile. “Should I put your name down?”

“Logan.” After he nodded his thanks, Logan sat on the long, cushioned bench and gazed at the huge aquarium in front of him filled with tropical fish and plant life, the smell of rice and caramelized onions making his stomach grumble even louder.

He could have cut the line by stating that he would eat at the bar, but he wanted a table. Although he was off duty tonight, he wanted to keep his drinking to a minimum in case he was needed.

Besides, he liked to people-watch, and he couldn’t do that if his back was turned to everyone. He also didn’t want his back vulnerable. It was his habit to see all exits and know who was there with him.

He jerked sideways when someone plopped down next to him on the long seat.

“Oh, sorry!” The guy next to him held his hand up like he was about to touch Logan but dropped his hand the second before contact. “I didn’t mean to bump you.”

“It’s okay.” Logan gave the guy a friendly smile. The stranger smelled human, and he had the brightest hazel eyes Logan had ever seen, full of life and vitality.

“I’m embarrassed that I tripped over my own feet trying to sit down.” The guy stuck out his hand. “Kael.”

“Logan.” He shook the guy’s hand. “It happens. No harm, no foul.”

Kael swept a hand through his hair, hair that looked soft to the touch under the lighting. It was a mix of brown and blond, which suited his features, and long enough that the ends curled slightly. “Decided to get out at the last minute. Since this restaurant isn’t too far from my apartment, I figured, why the hell not?”

The guy’s dimples had Logan mesmerized. “Yeah, I have an evening to myself, so here I am.”

“Wife?” Kael blushed. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to be nosy.”

Logan watched as Kael swiped his palms down his pants. “No, no wife,” he said, his gaze still locked onto Kael’s delicate hands.

“Not to sound like a creep, but I heard the hostess say they had a table for two, but she either had parties who needed more or single guests. We could snag that table if we said we were together. That’s if you don’t mind some company with your meal.” Kael held a hand to his stomach. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”

The idea appealed to Logan. When was the last time he sat and had a meal with someone who wasn’t talking shop? He ate at home with his pack members and their mates, but it wasn’t the same as sharing an intimate dinner for two. Kael knew nothing of Logan’s life, nothing about him being a wolf shifter or a hunter, and it would be nice to shed that life for an hour.

“Sure.”

Kael’s eyes widened. “Really? It’s okay if you don’t want to. You don’t have to be polite about it.”

Logan got up and informed the hostess that he would have a dinner companion. She grinned and nodded. “I have a table available if you want to follow me.”

“Let me tell him.” When Logan turned, he saw sour faces on other guests. He figured it was because he was being seated, but he ignored them and looked down at Kael, who was looking at the screen of his phone. “You ready to eat?”

Kael didn’t look up, so Logan tapped him on the shoulder. Big hazel eyes stared back at him. “I’m sorry. Did you say something?” Kael tapped his ear. “I’m a little hard of hearing.”

“I said we snagged that table.”

“Sweet.” Kael jumped up and smiled then whispered, “I don’t think everyone else waiting is happy.”

“Then they should have come in smaller groups,” Logan whispered back for fun, making sure Kael could read his lips, if the guy could do that.

He let Kael walk ahead of him as the hostess showed them to a small table with two seats. Logan was a big guy and wasn’t sure there would be enough room for him, but he sat and thanked her.

“Your server will be over shortly.” She put down two menus on the table and walked off.

“Hard of hearing?” Logan looked at Kael, and the guy shrugged.

“Degenerative disorder. I was diagnosed about a year ago when I was nearly hit by a car crossing the street. The guy swore he’d honked several times to warn me, and I swore he was a flat-out liar. Then I started to notice people talking to me, but it sounded more like they were whispering, though that’s not quite the right description. Anyway, I went to my doctor, had my hearing tested, then had more tests, only to find out I had an abnormal bone growth in my ears.”

“Sorry to hear that.” Then Logan thought about what he’d just said. “I didn’t mean to make a pun.”

Kael laughed. “It was a good one.”

The guy had the most gorgeous smile Logan had ever seen and the nicest laugh. “I sometimes stick my foot in my mouth.”

“We all do at one point or another.” Kael lifted his menu. “I think chicken sounds good.”

Was he being dismissed?

ADULT EXCERPT

Logan closed his eyes before he opened them again. “You need to stop.”

Kael frowned as he pulled back from Logan’s embrace. “Stop? Did I do something wrong?”

Logan shook his head, feeling the urge to kiss Kael again. “No, you didn’t do anything wrong, but I don’t know if I can control myself around you.”

“The mating mark, right?” But Kael didn’t get up. There was no way Kael didn’t feel Logan’s hard cock pressing against his ass. All Logan had on were his boxer briefs, which made it impossible to hide his arousal.

“Kael.”

“I should get up, but...” Kael bit his lower lip. “I can’t seem to get my body to move.”

Logan slung an arm around Kael’s waist, stood, and carried the guy to the couch. He laid Kael on his back then kissed him along his jaw. Kael kept his legs curled around Logan as he moaned, his fingers gliding through Logan’s hair.

“I love how your facial hair feels on my skin,” Kael whispered. “I love how you feel on me.”

A voice inside Logan’s head told him to stop, to pull away, that Kael needed time to decide what he wanted to do, but damn if Logan’s body was listening.

He pressed his hard cock against Kael’s ass, and when Kael spread his legs wider, Logan knew he was done for. The man was going to drag Logan under the waves and drown him in pleasure.

He claimed Kael’s mouth in a searing kiss, telling Kael without words that he wanted him. With his tongue, he explored every inch of Kael’s mouth, and he felt the guy trembling with need.

And then Kael broke away from the kiss, and Logan had to stop himself from burying himself inside Kael’s warmth. Kael was silent for a few moments, his breathing unsteady, and Logan waited for him to speak.

“We might not be mates,” Kael finally said. “We might be holding back for nothing.”

Disappointment filled Logan at the thought of Kael not being his mate. “And if we are?” Logan was trying his best to be the levelheaded one, even with Kael underneath him. “Are you ready for that kind of commitment?”

“I honestly don’t know.” Kael pulled Logan back down, and damn if Logan could resist him. He wasn’t a saint, and he had a willing, gorgeous guy practically begging him for sex. A guy Logan was growing too attached to. A guy who made Logan feel things he’d never felt toward anyone else.

A knock on the door stopped Logan from ripping Kael’s underwear off. He sat back, trying to catch his breath, then got up and grabbed his wallet from the bedroom. When he answered the door, Logan realized too late that he was sporting a boner and there was a wet spot on his underwear.

The delivery guy looked everywhere else, clearly uncomfortable. Logan grabbed the bag, handed over the cash, including tip, and closed the door.

Kael burst out laughing. “I hope you gave him a generous tip.”

“I did.” Logan chuckled. “Still, he’ll never want to deliver to your apartment again.”

Logan set the bag on the coffee table and then removed their containers. “They didn’t send any forks.”

“I got it covered.” Kael jumped up, and Logan noticed he wasn’t the only one with a hard-on. He suppressed a groan as Kael hurried to the kitchen. Moments later he returned with plates, cutlery, and drinks.

Logan had ordered steak, and Kael had chicken. Just like the night they’d met. And just like the night they’d met, they shared their meal. Well, Logan stole a piece of chicken off Kael’s plate, so Kael retaliated by stealing a piece of Logan’s steak.

The air was thick with unspoken words and feelings, but neither of them said anything. They just ate in a comfortable silence. When they were finished, Kael lay back, patting his flat stomach. “That hit the spot.”

Logan sat back and tossed his arm over the back of the couch. “It was perfect.”

Then Kael slipped over to him, curling into Logan’s side. Logan pulled his arm off the back and wrapped it around Kael. Too bad they couldn’t have sex. That would have made the evening even more perfect.

As if reading his mind, Kael looked up at him with need in his hazel eyes. Logan wasn’t sure he could endure a make-out session of just kissing and petting. Although he loved it, his body wanted more.

He wanted more.

To his shock, Kael slid his hand over Logan’s boxer briefs, the guy’s palm grazing his cock. Logan didn’t say a word. He simply waited to see what Kael was going to do next. He held his breath when Kael gently squeezed the head of his dick.

“Kael…”

The guy looked up at him as he slid Logan’s underwear aside, letting Logan’s cock spring free. Logan’s muscles tensed. His stomach jerked. Kael smiled at him before he lowered his head and took Logan’s cock into his mouth.

Holy fuck! Logan groaned as his head fell back, and he closed his eyes. Then he opened them and looked down because he didn’t want to miss this.

Kael’s movements were slow and methodical. His tongue flicked and massaged Logan’s cock as he licked and sucked. He cupped Logan’s balls, and Logan had to clench his teeth to stifle a shout of pleasure.

Kael was gentle and thorough as he explored Logan’s erection with his tongue, sucking hard enough that Logan wriggled beneath him. Kael slid his hands up the inside of Logan’s thighs as his lips slid up one side of Logan’s cock then down the other.