The Real Deal

by Lynn Hagen

  But Jayce didn’t regret spending time with Deon. When was the last time a gorgeous guy had invited him to breakfast? That answer would be never. Not like the meal they had shared.

  Jayce’s latest ex had taken him to the diner once, and Jayce had ended up paying the tab. That was when he’d realized how much of a loser Randy was. He should’ve seen the signs sooner.

  “Okay, but make sure you call me when you get home. I want all the gritty details.”

  “The only gritty details I’ll have to share is how badly my muscles hurt and how horrible cow dung smells. Do you want to hear those details?”

  Jayce planned on soaking in a hot bath when he got home. Maybe rub some joint pain cream on his body. He’d eat alone, like he always did, and then crawl into bed, dreading the next day of work.

  “You’re no fun. Bye.” Baxter hung up.

  Jayce pocketed his phone and went to the third stall. His aching back protested getting the job done, but as his mother had said, that was a lot of money, so he needed to put some elbow grease into it.

  Deon appeared with a bottled water. He gave it to Jayce. “We can call it quits for today. The forecaster said a storm was rolling in. I wouldn’t want us to get stuck in it while I’m driving you home.”

  Jayce took the bottle and sucked half of it down before wiping his hand across his mouth. “Thanks. Do you mind if I leave the broom here, or would you rather I put everything back where they were?”

  “Leave it.” Deon started for the exit. “The storm is rolling in fast, so we better get a move on it.”

  No sooner had they left the barn than streaks of blinding lightning shot across the sky. They’d made it halfway to the truck when the rain came down so hard that Jayce could barely see in front of him.

  Deon grabbed Jayce’s hand as they raced for the house.

  Chapter Three

  Jayce snatched his hand from Deon’s as soon as they entered the house. Not that Jayce hadn’t enjoyed Deon’s bigger hand curled around his. He wanted the man’s entire body curled around him. But Deon was his boss, and Jayce couldn’t let the lines get blurred.

  Not that handholding always led to sex. In Jayce’s mind, it did, but it was a simple gesture that probably meant nothing to Deon.

  Jayce’s teeth started chattering, and he was shivering. It was spring, where the days were warm and the nights were still cold, but Jayce was soaked to the bone, and the wetness was clinging to his skin.

  “I didn’t think the storm would move in so fast.” Deon stood by the door staring out as the rain came down and the dark clouds continued to roll by.

  Jayce curled his toes. His shoes were squishy, and his skin was gonna prune. He just wanted out of his wet clothes and to warm up. That was when Deon turned and looked at him. His dark brows furrowed. “You should get out of those clothes before you catch cold.”

  It was too late for that. As if his words had conjured up his prediction, Jayce started sneezing. His nose clogged, and he felt a headache coming on.

  Deon coaxed him to the bathroom. “Strip down and I’ll find you something to put on while I toss your clothes into the dryer.”

  Jayce imagined this was Deon’s way of getting him naked, but Deon was all business as he left the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

  It didn’t take long for Jayce to remove everything, his clothes hitting the floor with a sopping thud. Now he was shivering harder because he was cold and naked. Jayce looked around for a robe or towel, anything to wrap around him, but there was nothing.

  When Deon took too long returning, Jayce decided to jump into the shower to warm up. The spray felt wonderful on his skin as he stuck his head under the water. His shivers soon subsided as the bathroom filled with steam. The heat chased away the chills as he turned and let the water pelt at his back.

  Jayce opened his eyes and looked through the curtain. He saw a large silhouette on the other side. Deon just stood there, but since Jayce couldn’t see him, he had no idea what the guy was doing.

  He held his breath, wondering if Deon was about to join him. Is that what Jayce really wanted? Hadn’t he just thought that he didn’t want the lines to get blurred? So why was he shaking in anticipation? Why was he praying Deon would slide aside the shower curtain and step inside?

  Finally, unable to stand it any longer, Jayce looked past the curtain. Deon stood there with a small round laundry basket in his hands. Jayce’s wet clothes were inside it. A small stack of folded clothes sat on the sink, along with a fluffy towel.

  Deon pointed to the basket. “I’ll get these dry. Was there anything else you needed?”

  There was no mistaking the lust in Deon’s pretty blue eyes. He’d already changed, and his T-shirt clung to his body like second skin, hugging all those lean muscles.

  Jayce couldn’t rip his gaze away from them—the way they swelled and how ripped his abdomen was. Thank fuck the curtain hid his body, or Deon would’ve seen how hard Jayce’s cock was.

  “Jayce?”

  “Huh?” Jayce forced himself to look at Deon’s face. “What did you say?”

  The side of Deon’s mouth curled into a smile. “Do you need anything else?”

  Jayce curled his fingers tighter around the curtain. He opened his mouth and then closed it. The words “I want you” were right at his lips, but he refused to let them pass. What if the attraction was all in his head? What if Deon didn’t really want him? Jayce refused to make a fool of himself.

  “No, nothing. Thank you.”

  With a nod, Deon left the bathroom. Jayce let out a long breath and let the curtain fall back into place. Now he had a boner. Frustrated, Jayce slid his hand down his chest to gather some suds then curled his fingers around his cock.

  He closed his eyes and imagined that Deon had gotten into the shower with him. Fuck, that body. What would it look like soaped up and wet, rivulets of water snaking down all those lean muscles?

  Jayce licked his lips as he stroked his hand faster. He leaned against the wall as his breath hitched. In his mind, he got to his knees and pressed his hands against Deon’s corded thighs. He shoved his nose into the man’s balls, inhaling deeply. The scent was like nothing else in the world. Wholly masculine.

  He snaked his tongue out, licking, kissing the wrinkled flesh, moaning as he sucked one of Deon’s balls into his mouth, lavishing it.

  Deon stroked Jayce’s hair, encouraging him, telling him how wonderful Jayce’s mouth felt on him.

  Jayce groaned, twisting his wrist, paying special attention to the head of his cock as the fantasy played out. Jayce was greedy, sucking Deon’s cock all the way down his throat. In a fantasy, there wasn’t any gagging, no watery eyes. That was the beauty of it. His gag reflex was nonexistent.

  Jayce pulled back and suckled at the swollen head, thrilled at the sounds fake Deon made. In real life, Jayce’s hand moved even faster, so fast that his fist nearly slipped off his raging hard-on.

  He gripped his shaft tighter. His chest hitched. His body coiled, and his toes curled. Jayce’s lips parted as his imagination went wild. Deon’s cock hit the back of his throat as the guy pounded into his mouth, fucking it hard, as his fingers strangled Jayce’s wet hair.

  “That’s it, take it,” Deon crooned. “Take all of my cock.”

  Jayce stretched onto the balls of his feet, gasping, his fist so tight that he was pulling hard at his cock. Three more strokes and he cried out Deon’s name. Pulses of pleasure shot through his body, making him jerk as his cum splashed against the curtain.

  Jayce sagged, blinking his eyes open, coming back down from his orgasm. The water had turned lukewarm. Jayce stayed with his back against the shower wall as he released his softening cock.

  Sadly, that had been the best sex he’d had in a long while. With his damn hand and images of Deon on his brain.

  Jayce quickly washed up and got out, turning the water off. He grabbed the towel and dried himself, his body still sensitive with tiny aftershocks.

  If he’d
come that good from a fantasy, Jayce could just imagine with the real thing would be like. Every fiber of his being wanted to find out. Even though he’d just climaxed, Jayce still felt needy, as if his orgasm had only whet his appetite.

  He dressed in the oversized clothing and folded the towel, setting it back on the sink. Jayce took a few moments to compose himself, to come back to reality before opening the bathroom door.

  He sucked in a deep breath when he found Deon standing on the other side, looking as though he was barely holding himself together. The blue in his eyes had darkened to match the storm outside and…holy fuck! Long, sharp canines protruded past his upper lip.

  Jayce took a step back, opening his mouth to scream.

  * * * *

  Sheriff Grayson Copache motioned for Deputies Christopher and Burrows to join him in his office. He’d turned on the heat, even though the weather had been nice earlier. With the raging storm, the temperature had dropped, making things a bit nippy.

  “I just got the strangest call,” he said. He nodded at Deputy Burrows who’d been the last to enter. “Close the door.”

  “This must be serious,” Darren Christopher said.

  “I’m not sure what to make of it.” Grayson took a seat behind his desk. They’d gone out on a call yesterday after someone had called in a dead body behind a four-plex apartment building. They were still waiting on an ID to come back. The guy hadn’t had a wallet on him, and in Grayson’s opinion, the man had looked homeless. Even so, nobody deserved to be stabbed multiple times. That was a horrible way to go.

  When Grayson had first taken over as sheriff, there had been a string of murders, and he prayed it wasn’t happening again. He prayed this was an isolated incident.

  But that phone call…

  “What kind of call?” Darren asked. The two took seats, waiting for Grayson to say more.

  Grayson strummed his fingers on his desk as he stared between them. “The voice was automated, like the kind you’d hear when you let your computer read something for you.”

  Both men appeared puzzled. Grayson knew how they felt. It had been clear the caller hadn’t wanted to be identified. That alone sent up red flags.

  “The voice gave me an address and said the evidence we were looking for could be found there.”

  “The evidence for the dead guy we found yesterday?” Malik Burrows asked.

  Grayson nodded as he slid the paper with the address he’d scribbled on it toward the end of his desk. Darren grabbed it.

  “I looked it up. The renter is Jayce Foyer.”

  “Seriously?” Malik jerked his head back. “I know him. The guy wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

  Grayson didn’t know Jayce Foyer, but it was mighty suspicious to him that someone would call with the information they needed. “Just check it out. I don’t have a search warrant, though. No judge is gonna sign off if all we have is an anonymous tip. If Mr. Foyer has nothing to hide, he shouldn’t have a problem letting you search his place.”

  “How do we know it wasn’t the killer who’d made the call?” Malik asked. “It seems real convenient to me that someone saw something and calls, not even using his real voice.”

  “I know.” Grayson blew out a breath. “But we have to follow all leads because, so far, we’ve got zilch as far as evidence and a suspect.”

  Grayson’s gut told him this was just the beginning. He wanted the culprit caught before any more bodies dropped.

  The two deputies got up.

  “We’ll check this out,” Malik said. “But I’m telling you, Jayce didn’t kill anyone.”

  “Until someone is in custody, I want the patrols beefed up.” When the two left, Grayson called his mate. Moose had been a big help the last time bodies started dropping. He just might need his mate on this one.

  * * * *

  Deon was a straight-up perv for listening at the bathroom door. He knew exactly what Jayce was doing in there, and he was dying to join him. His fists convulsed at his sides as he attempted to stop himself from turning the doorknob.

  And when Jayce cried out his name? Fucking hell. Deon was hard as a rock. He pressed his hands against the wall on either side of the door, taking in deep breaths and letting them out slowly. He wanted to know what Jayce had been thinking about when he came, what he’d been thinking about while jacking off.

  His panther was seconds away from bursting free. Heat thrashed through Deon’s body as he closed his eyes and concentrated on bringing himself back under control.

  Then the bathroom door swung open. Deon opened his eyes and stared at Jayce—his flushed skin and the sated look on his handsome face.

  The looked morphed into horror. That was when Deon realized his canines had descended. Jayce backpedaled, nearly falling on his ass.

  Deon reached out to catch him, but Jayce jerked away.

  “I can explain,” Deon said. “Just stop looking at me like I’m about to hurt you.”

  Jayce waved a hand at Deon’s face. “How can you explain that?”

  Deon took a step forward, palms out, as his canines retracted. He trusted the pull—the connection that tethered their very souls. “Are you frightened of me, Jayce?”

  “I…I don’t know.” Jayce’s gaze bounced around. “Tell me how your teeth did that.”

  Deon felt it best to be honest. He’d put the entire truth out there and get this over with. He didn’t believe in hand feeding information. “Because I’m not human. I’m a black panther shifter, and you’re my mate. That means fate handpicked you for me.” He pressed his hand against his chest. “Do you feel it, Jayce? The connection between us?”

  Jayce slowly tilted his head to the side. His brows furrowed as he studied Deon, as though he were trying to picture him as a panther.

  “I’d never hurt you,” Deon said. “All I want to do is protect you.”

  “The money?” Jayce asked. “You really don’t need that work done, do you?”

  “I do,” Deon admitted. “I could have done it myself, but I’m buried in research. I was telling the truth about wanting to start a stud farm. Having the stalls clean will help.”

  Jayce looked doubtful.

  Deon grinned. “I know I’m blowing your mind. I’m sorry about that. I don’t want to scare you. I honestly don’t. How about we make some dinner while you absorb everything I’m telling you?”

  Jayce pursed his lips. “How about you show me you’re really a panther?”

  “Really?” Deon hadn’t expected that. “Are you going to be afraid?”

  “Probably.”

  At least the guy was honest. “I have to get naked. I don’t want to ruin my clothes.” Plus getting naked gave Deon a chance to show off a bit.

  Jayce’s cheeks turned a hellfire red. That made Deon growl because fuck if that wasn’t a turn-on. “O-okay.”

  He seemed more intimidated by the thought of Deon being nude than everything else he’d just told him. Deon stripped off his clothes but waited to shift. He wanted Jayce to take in what he had to offer.

  And sure enough, Jayce’s gaze went right to Deon’s cock. He couldn’t stop his body’s reaction any more than he could stop breathing. His cock hardened. Deon was tempted to grab Jayce’s hand and lead it to his erection but refrained from doing it. The guy looked freaked out enough already, but god how Deon wanted to fuck him.

  “I-I thought you were…” Jayce’s breathing became shallow as he shoved his hands behind his back. His pupils had dilated, and his blush had deepened. “Your, uh, cat.”

  Deon grinned. He had a shy little mate and loved it. “Your wish is my command.”

  He shifted into his black panther. Jayce’s eyes rounded. He pressed his back against the wall, frozen. He looked comical as hell. Too bad Deon couldn’t laugh in his present form. He would have.

  With slow steps, Deon approached and then licked Jayce’s arm. He purred as he rubbed his head against his mate’s stomach. Deon lay on the floor, turned over, and showed his belly.

  Jayce
still appeared a bit freaked out. He lowered himself to his knees and scratched Deon under his neck. “You’re so soft.”

  Deon purred again.

  His mate smiled. “I guess you’re like any cat. You like being petted.”

  Deon flipped over and started to rub his head against his mate again. He wanted Jayce completely comfortable before he shifted back.

  Jayce finally sat, crossing his legs. He scratched behind Deon’s ear then worked his way down to Deon’s belly.

  “You’re still a scary sight.” Jayce’s finger caressed through his fur. Deon ate up the attention. He rested his head in Jayce’s lap, content.

  “This really is blowing my mind,” Jayce confessed. “I can feel your honed muscles under my hands. I bet you’d be fierce in a fight.”

  The guy had no idea. Deon was lethal as fuck when he had to be. Before he’d married, when he was on his own, Deon’s life hadn’t been all that great. But that wasn’t something he wanted to think about right now. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the gentle touches, the way his mate’s fingers glided over him, and the tender moment they were sharing.

  The deep purr rumbled through Deon’s chest. If Jayce only knew what he was doing to Deon’s senses.

  “I’m starving,” Jayce said. “Can you change back so we can make something to eat?”

  Reluctantly—because at the moment Deon was in heaven—he shifted, his head still cradled in Jayce’s lap. “How’re you holding up?”

  “Like this isn’t real,” Jayce said. “Are you the only one, or are there more like you?”

  Deon chuckled. “Babe, the town is full of shifters. We live right under everyone’s noses.”

  “Wow.” Jayce laid his hands in his lap after Deon sat up. “Like who?”

  “Moose, the waiter. He’s mated to the sheriff. Two of the deputies, Christopher and Burrows.”

  “They’re panthers?”