Mr. Rothe

by Lynn Hagen

  “It’s one-hundred-year-old scotch. You’re supposed to sip it, not down it like a cheap bottle of rotgut.”

  Fitch glared at me. “Don’t change the subject. Why the hell is Cole here?”

  “I already told you.” I poured my own glass and swished the scotch around before sniffing it. “It seems Deon has a hard-on for you, and I’m not taking any chances.”

  Fitch looked toward the floor and pressed his hands into his lap. He wouldn’t meet my gaze. “Who exactly is Deon?”

  Now that was too long a story to tell. And to be honest, I wasn’t about to tell Fitch that wolves existed. He was already seven kinds of pissed. I didn’t want him having a meltdown on my leather seat. “It’s complicated.”

  Fitch snapped his head up and glared at me. “You don’t get to tell me that. Not after everything I’ve been through! I want to know who the guy is, why he’s after me, and—”

  I grabbed him by the nape and yanked him forward, shutting him up by kissing him. That had been the plan. To kiss those words right out of his mouth. But my plan backfired, and now I was trying to pull him into my lap in a frenzy, to cage him against my body.

  I skimmed my hand over his jaw, trying to coax him closer, but Fitch resisted, even though he was kissing me back, as if he’d been waiting for this moment just like I had.

  “I’m not having sex with you in the back of your car like some horny teenager,” he said against my lips.

  I was used to being in control. The one calling the shots. I growled, and to my amazement and amusement, Fitch growled back. The sound wasn’t as throaty or savage as mine, more like a kitten, and I smiled.

  “You’ll do whatever the hell I tell you to do.” I wanted to see that fire in his eyes become a blaze to match how my body felt. Consumed with the desire to fuck him on the seat, to take him, to teach him who was in charge.

  “You wish.”

  Raw sensations rushed through me. I had better control than this, yet lately, every time I was around Fitch that control wanted to slip. I plunged my hands through his unruly dark hair, gripped the strands tight, and kept him against my mouth as I drove my tongue between his lips, tasting the salty, oniony taste of Funyuns.

  It wasn’t until someone knocked on the window that we pulled apart. I was ready to tear apart whoever it was for interrupting us. Then I saw it was Fitch’s mom.

  Thank fuck my windows were tinted.

  Fitch yanked away from me so fast that he knocked his head into the glass. I was heaving, trying to catch my breath, trying to tame my wolf as Fitch rolled down the window.

  The fresh air in the heated backseat was welcoming.

  “I’m heading to bed, dear. Make sure you lock up when you come inside.” She glanced at me with a peculiar look, those hazel eyes assessing.

  “Okay.” Fitch looked as though he could barely string two thoughts together. I was waiting for him to roll the damn window back up so we could pick up where we’d left off, but my phone began to ring.

  I ignored it when Fitch’s mom walked away and Fitch reached for the door handle. I wasn’t done with him. I was the hardass who ruled over the different packs, who made cutthroat decisions, yet Fitch had somehow conquered me in that moment.

  I had to grab his shoulder because the arm in the sling was the one facing me. “Where’re you going?”

  “I have company.” Fitch’s cheeks were flushed, and his lips were kiss-swollen. “And I’m still mad at you.”

  “Cole stays,” I insisted. “I have no idea why Deon has set his sights on you, but until he’s moved on, you’re not safe.”

  He looked back at me. “Tell me why he had canines.”

  Deon had shown Fitch his canines? Now I really was going to hunt him down and kill the bastard. “Come back to my place and I’ll tell you.”

  “Ha!” Fitch shook his head, a stubborn set to his jaw. “Not likely. I have to go.” He opened the door, and I didn’t stop him, but he looked back. “Call me later.”

  Fitch marched up the driveway, leaving my car door open, and pointed at Cole, who’d taken a seat next to Asa and was helping the guy eat the Funyuns. “You, go.”

  Cole looked my way, and I gave a nod. He got up and sauntered away but knew to stay close by.

  Andrew lowered the privacy glass. “Home, sir?”

  I reached over and closed the door. “Yeah, home.”

  As the car pulled away from the curb, I looked out the back window and saw that Fitch was watching the car as if he hadn’t wanted me to leave.

  I had no idea what kind of spell that human had put on me, but it was working because he was all I thought about for the rest of the night.

  I’d gone out to dinner with Fraser—I’d sent Andrew back to the restaurant to make sure Fraser had a ride home—just to get some action. I’d gotten some when I’d gone to check on Fitch, and now that I was home, I was horny as fuck. After undressing, I slipped into my bed, intending on getting a good night’s sleep, but I kept seeing those hazel eyes, kept tasting those sweet lips, and my dick was rock-hard.

  I rolled over and grabbed my phone from the nightstand and dialed Fitch before rolling to my back. When he answered, I put the call on speaker and grabbed the bottle of lube from under my pillow. I’d placed it there for my night with Fraser, and I wasn’t even upset that that had been a bust.

  Not when I had Fitch on the phone.

  “How was your play date?” I lubed my fingers then curled them around my aching shaft.

  Fitch gave a soft laugh that went straight to my cock. “Jealous you don’t have anyone to hang out with?”

  “I have three best friends.” I just wanted him to keep talking, to hear the soft lilt to his voice so I could imagine that he was in bed with me, that it was Fitch’s lips around my dick instead of my fingers.

  “Why don’t you set up a play date with them?”

  “Because I’d rather be playing with you.” I stroked the hard flesh, holding back a hiss. I didn’t want the human hanging up on me if he knew what I was doing.

  “We just chilled outside for a second and shot the breeze. Nothing spectacular.” Fitch had completely ignored what I’d said. “I’ve known Asa since high school.”

  Fitch talking about another guy was killing my mood. “You two ever sleep together?”

  “Yep.”

  My hand stopped mid-stroke and I wanted to hunt Asa down and introduce him to my wolf.

  “Plenty of times,” Fitch said. “Stayed up late studying and then fell asleep. We would’ve gotten a lot more studying done, but his girlfriend can be pretty annoying. She calls him nonstop when he’s away from her.” Fitch laughed, and the sound had me rock-hard again. “Admit it. Your mind went straight to the gutter.”

  “It hasn’t left the gutter since you turned me down this evening.” I twisted my wrist, jacking my cock faster, cupping my balls with my other hand. “Do you want me to tell you what I would’ve done to you if you’d come to my place?”

  Fitch grew quiet.

  “You’d be in bed with me right now, those perfect, succulent lips of yours wrapped around my cock, licking the long vein as I fucked your mouth in short, heavy strokes.”

  “Gabe—”

  “Don’t interrupt me.” The fantasy was forming in my head, and I didn’t want to lose my train of thought. “God, you would’ve looked fantastic on your hands and knees, your ass jutted in the air, waiting for me to slide my dick inside your tight hole.”

  Fitch’s breathing became fast and shallow.

  “I bet your tight ass would squeeze my dick mercilessly.” I closed my eyes and imagined my words. Fitch naked, begging me to fuck him as he spread his cheeks apart, his tiny pink hole winking at me. Heat rushed through me, pulsing inside me, making me jerk from the pent-up need I desperately wanted to release.

  “What…what else?” Fitch asked in a whisper.

  “Mmm. I hit that sweet spot over and over again, driving you crazy. You’re ramming back on my dick, fucking me as fast
and hard as I’m fucking you.”

  He made a strange noise over the phone. “And?”

  I was so fucking close that I felt the buildup squeezing my balls tight. “I want to shoot my load in your ass or all over your face.”

  Fitch whimpered.

  “Do you swallow, Fitch? Do you like the taste of cum?”

  “Yes.”

  Oh fuck. I yanked at my balls, hissing as my hand moved faster. I no longer cared if Fitch knew what I was doing. I wanted him to know. Wanted him to realize what he did to me, what I wanted to do to him when, not if, I got him to my penthouse.

  That was a done deal. Even if I had to wait a day or a week, Fitch would be under me, writhing and calling out my name. He was now under my skin, and I had to have him.

  “Moan for me,” I said. “Moan for me, sweetheart.”

  My body was slick with sweat, the sheets crumpled, and I was fucking my fist, fantasizing that it was Fitch’s ass. I was lost in the moment, lost in his voice, the panting sounds that filled my bedroom.

  Then Fitch moaned. It was long, salacious, and I damn near jumped out of bed and raced to his house. I wanted him so fucking badly that my teeth ached.

  “I want to suck your dick,” Fitch said. “Feed me your dick, Gabe.”

  I arched my back and shouted Fitch’s name as I came. My body pulsed with every shot of cum that erupted from the tip. I strangled my cock and my eyes flew open when Fitch cried out my name.

  Had he been masturbating, too? Those sensual sounds echoed off my walls, and I wanted them to last the whole night. I floated back down into myself and used the sheet to wipe away the sticky mess that I’d made.

  Then I rolled over and smiled. “Good night, Fitch.”

  I hung up. It was a dick move, but I wanted to leave Fitch wanting more. Wanting me so badly that he would call me tomorrow and maybe seek me out.

  Somehow I knew it was me who would do the seeking.

  Chapter Five

  Fitch…

  I had officially lost my mind. Last night, when Gabe called, I had caught on pretty quickly to what he’d been doing. Those soft moans he’d tried to hide, the way his voice had gone deep, and fuck, I’d fallen right into the trap, getting myself off in the process.

  I flip-flopped so hard when it came to Gabriel Rothe that I had no clue what direction I was going in. I wanted him, but I needed to stay as far away from him as possible. My head said one thing, but my cock was saying another.

  The guy was clearly mixed up in a life I wanted no part of. No sane person would. He was rich, had clout, knew thugs, and wouldn’t tell me why Deon had canines. His whole persona was a mystery I didn’t need to go poking around in.

  “Are you feeling okay this morning?” my mom asked as she set my breakfast plate in front of me. “You’re a bit flushed.”

  I needed to find my own place, but in order to do that, I needed a better job. I was tempted to call Emerson and tell my cousin that I would move in with him, tempted as hell, but I knew I would get tired of him after a week.

  Emerson was best in small doses.

  “I’m fine.” I had to be to work at noon. That gave me something to look forward to, something that would take my mind off of the one man who’d infiltrated my dreams, who was constantly in my thoughts. He was no good for me, out of my league, dangerous.

  Cole shadowing me only proved that Gabe’s lifestyle wasn’t for me.

  So why in the hell did I want to call off work and catch the bus downtown just to see him? My head hurt at just how conflicted I was.

  I ate most of my pancakes and then excused myself, going to my room to take a shower. Once I was dressed, I grabbed my wallet, keys, and phone before heading out the door. Piggly Wiggly was on the other side of the east side, and I had to take a bus to get there. The buses ran on a normal schedule, and I would get there early, but I liked stopping at the gas station and talking with Frank.

  He was a nice old guy who was always filled with interesting and funny stories that brightened my day.

  I’d made it as far as the bus shelter when I noticed the guy with the greased-back hair across the street. He was leaning against a building, one foot resting on the brick, the other on the ground. His hands were shoved into his front pockets, and he was watching a woman hustle by.

  The guy hadn’t seen me yet. I still had a chance to get away undetected. Too bad the bus hadn’t arrived. I could’ve just jumped onto it, but there was still eight minutes before it ambled down the street.

  Ever since the night I’d saved Gabe’s life, mine had turned upside down. I had a bully who had a ragtag team who seemed to hang on his every word. And I had this guy, whoever he was, whatever he wanted, following me.

  Technically he hadn’t been following me right now, but he would if he spotted me. Or it could’ve been a fluke that day, a guy flirting and my conspiracy mind twisting it around.

  Now I felt bad for giving Cole the slip. It hadn’t been easy, either. I knew that Cole had been parked outside the house, at the curb, and I’d crawled out my bedroom window—where I had fallen square on my ass—and used the backyards to escape.

  I wasn’t a brave man. Not by a longshot. Not like my Uncle Glen who’d served in the Marines. Not like my dad who’d been in the Air Force. I had looked up to them my entire life and had even considered joining a branch of the military, but life sometimes took you in a different direction.

  Right now all I wanted was to make sure Mr. Slick Hair wasn’t following me, so I ducked behind a van and looked through the windows, watching the watcher.

  He looked at his watch and then at the bus shelter, as if waiting for me. Drat. Now how was I supposed to walk away without him seeing me?

  “Is there a reason you’re looking inside my van?”

  The gruff voice made me spin around. Double drat. The guy standing right behind me looked like a pro wrestler. He had blond hair, green eyes, and coffee in his hand.

  “I wasn’t looking inside,” I said. “I was looking at the guy across the street through your van.”

  “I don’t know what the hell is going on, but you got five seconds to scram.” The guy pulled out his keys and hit his fob. It chirped as he rounded the hood. “Go play pervert somewhere else.”

  “But I wasn’t—” I gave up talking when he got in and closed the door, effectively cutting off my poor attempt at an explanation.

  There weren’t any other cars parked at the curb. When the van pulled away, the guy across the street looked right at me. I looked left then right, my mind in a panic. The stranger started across the street, dodging around cars.

  I would have to be an idiot to stick around, so I took off down the street, determined to run my way to work. I quickly ran out of breath, so I ducked into a cramped store that sold the cheapest items on the planet, from rubber duckies to crappy toys to incense that smelled pretty damn good.

  Why had I just trapped myself? I pulled out my phone and called Gabe. It was the only thing I could think to do.

  “Hey, you can’t go back there,” the person behind the counter shouted as I fled toward the back door. I had to hurry through a storage room, but the least of my worries was a person calling the cops.

  “Gabriel Rothe.”

  “He’s after me.”

  “Who?”

  Fuck, I was out of breath. I landed in a nasty-ass alley that smelled like piss and cabbage left out in the sun. “That stranger I told you about.”

  “Where’s Cole?” It sounded as though Gabe was running, too. “Tell me where you are.”

  I spilled out onto Adam’s Avenue. It was all residential, which limited my options. “I kind of ditched Cole.”

  “Goddamn it, Fitch. I told you he was there for your protection. Tell me where you are.”

  “Adam’s Avenue, heading toward Fifth.” There was a park half a block down with a children’s playground.

  “Is there anywhere safe you can hide?”

  “Not really. I’m still moving.” I
looked over my shoulder, but so far, that stranger hadn’t caught up to me. “I’m gonna head back to the main street.”

  “That would be better. I doubt you’ll be snatched right off the street, but don’t take any chances. Don’t isolate yourself. Keep other people around you.”

  I wasn’t sure what would give out first, my legs or my lungs. I was sweating like crazy, and there were cramps in my legs and side. If I made it out of this alive, I was joining a gym.

  Not really, but that was what I kept telling myself as I hustled down the street, my head swiveling around as I looked for the stranger.

  Then I spotted him. He was moving fast, heading my way. I squeaked and saw a bus coming my way. The bus shelter wasn’t that far, so I put on a burst of speed and got there in time, jumping on and praying the guy didn’t catch up to me and join me on the bus.

  I stood at the front, patting my pockets as the bus moved down the street, just trying to catch my wind.

  My phone rang. “Hello?”

  “Where are you?” Gabe asked.

  “On the number ten heading toward downtown.” I looked out the window. “We’re passing Fayette Street.”

  “I’m about to pass it. Get off the bus and go into Domino’s Pizza. I’ll pick you up from there.”

  I wanted to kiss the lips right off of Gabe for coming to my rescue. Emerson, though I loved him, would’ve taken a million years to get to me. As much as I hated to admit it, I should’ve never ditched Cole.

  If I saw Cole again, I was sticking to him like glue.

  “You can let me off here,” I said to the bus driver after I’d paid my fare.

  The driver stopped the bus, and I departed, listening to the whoosh of the doors before it headed down the street. Unless the guy following me could fly, I doubted he was close by.

  Before I could duck into Domino’s, a horn honked. I looked over my shoulder and nearly passed out with relief. Gabe got out of the car, looking like a million bucks, but it was the way he carried himself that said he wasn’t to be trifled with. He just had that dangerous air about him, dominant, in charge, like he owned the world.