by Fel Fern
“Fuck, Jordie, you smell so fucking good.”
In those few damning seconds, Matt forgot Jordie was Zack’s brother, that Jordie was untouchable, because at that moment, Jordie was his. His for the taking if Matt wanted, and the way Jordie sagged in his arms told him Jordie wouldn’t refuse him.
“Matt,” Jordie whispered, his voice raw and cracking. That told Matt all his attitude earlier had been a façade. God, his name on Jordie’s lips felt right. Perfect. Matt wanted Jordie to say in again.
Matt sniffed the side of Jordie’s neck, and his tongue lashed out to circle Jordie’s racing pulse.
“God,” Jordie whispered.
Matt ground himself against the curve of Jordie’s back, letting Jordie feel his erection. “God can’t help you now, pet.”
“Matt, we can’t.”
“Why not? I can smell you, little human. You want this as bad as I do.”
“Because you’re a dick and after so many years of not talking, you want me now?” Jordie let out a bitter laugh. “I’m not one of your fuck-buddies, Matt. I’m not going to fall all over your feet just because you said so.”
Stung, Matt loosened his grip, letting Jordie pick up his crutches before letting the human stand on his own two feet. How a crippled human could reduce a werewolf of his stature to a hot mess, Matt didn’t know.
“This cut both ways, Jordie. Don’t dump all the blame on me. Not a text, email, or a call from you for four fucking years. You can’t just waltz back into my life.”
“I should be the one saying that. Well, put your mind to rest, because I have no intentions of being part of your life,” Jordie fired back, although Matt could sense how much strength it took for Jordie to say those words.
“Darkfall is a small town, Jordie. You can’t avoid me forever.”
“I can try.”
Matt couldn’t bear to see it end this way. Fuck his pride, but he had no intentions of letting Jordie get away. One sniff, one touch, and his wolf knew the truth. Jordie was his mate, the one he’d waited all his life for, and he couldn’t let the human go. Never mind Jordie was Zack’s brother. Matt would worry about that later on. Now he should focus on repairing the damage he’d caused.
Jordie began to turn away, but he froze when Matt spoke.
“Jordie, please. Give me another chance. I didn’t mean to get off on the wrong foot.”
The fact Jordie paused told Matt volumes. Conflicted emotions crossed Jordie’s face. The human hadn’t let go of his feelings for Matt either. Matt’s heart soared, but he needed to play this cool. Jordie made an excellent point. Nothing in life worth owning was easy. Matt’s mother told him and his younger brother Mark that often enough.
“What?”
“Let’s start simple. Be friends. I’m part of Zack’s life and you’re important to him.”
Fuck, roping Zack into this—what kind of friend was Matt? How could he even begin to tell Zack that he wanted Jordie in ways that would make Zack want to kill him?
Hell, Matt had been there each time Zack raged and threatened to kill the poor fucker who broke Jordie’s heart. It was Matt himself who had told Zack to take a breather and not to drive out to Jordie’s college and rip out the fucker’s throat. It didn’t help that all of Matt’s instincts wanted to help Zack along and make the bastard who hurt Jordie’s heart pay.
“Friends?” Jordie stared at him, dumbfounded. “Are we in high school?”
Matt knew he had Jordie now. Grinning, Matt spread his hands. “Why not?”
Jordie considered him for a moment. “That’s true. You being in Zack’s life I mean, and Darkfall is a small town.”
Matt didn’t mention the fact the pack considered Jordie everyone’s kid brother. Heck, Zack told Matt not to tell Jordie there were a couple of wolves who wanted to kill his friend Nestor for causing the accident. Damn it. Pursuing this course might earn Matt more enemies than friends, but he couldn’t back off now, not with what was at stake.
He’d always wondered if he was a flawed werewolf, for not sensing that special spark some of the members in the pack sensed when they found their mate. Over the course of the year, plenty of pack members had fallen in love and had risked it all for their fated mates.
Well, it looked like it was Matt’s turn now, and he had every intention of claiming his prize.
Jordie conceded. His maturity surprised and pleased Matt immensely. “Okay. This is probably a bad idea, but I see no other solution. So how do we do this?”
Matt walked to the kitchen, pulled out two beers and nodded to the box. “Dinner and beer.”
Jordie finally flashed Matt his first genuine smile of the evening. “Sounds good. The game’s on tonight, right?”
Matt knew Jordie had zero interest in sports. Damn sweet of the human to pretend, but he was the biggest pretender here. Friends? Matt was interested in getting to know the adult Jordie had become, but he didn’t want to be just friends. He wanted the whole package—friends, lovers, and soul mates. Before tonight, Matt hadn’t thought it was possible settling down was for him, but he was getting sick of falling asleep in bed with some stranger whose name he didn’t bother knowing.
With pizza box and beers in hand, Matt settled on the couch. He turned the TV on, wondering if Jordie needed help. No, judging by the way Jordie grunted and made his way to the couch, Jordie was sick of everyone’s pity. No small wonder. Jordie probably had his fair share of visitors, pack members who dropped by to see how he was doing.
Matt changed channels, and Jordie sunk beside him with a sigh, placing his crutches within reach. Matt’s only consolation? If Jordie decided to run again, it would be easy catching him.
“I heard the crutches are coming off next week?” Matt asked, watching Jordie take a pull of his beer and grab a pizza.
“Yeah, thank fucking God. The doctor said no intense activities like running though.”
“You’re a runner? Not hard to guess with that lean figure.”
Jordie’s cheeks turned slightly pink, an endearing quality.
“When he gives you the say so, we should go for a run together.”
Frowning, Jordie glanced at him. “Yeah, okay.”
“Good.”
They settled on the couch, reminding Matt of the good old times before things became different, days when Matt babysat Jordie while he did homework or stayed up late studying for his finals. Ignoring the game—a first for Matt—they talked about random things, comforting things.
It felt like Jordie hadn’t left Darkfall at all. The human opened up, talking about his time in the city, stories that Matt had a feeling Zack knew nothing about. How Jordie managed to scrape things together to keep it going, and taking up two, three jobs. It made Matt proud of him.
“I know Zack’s disappointed,” Jordie muttered.
Matt patted his hand, wanting to give him more comfort, but he wouldn’t cross that line yet, not until Jordie was ready. “He isn’t. Your brother’s proud of you, Jordie. You came back here, back to Darkfall for a reason.”
Matt didn’t add he believed Jordie came back because something or someone in Darkfall pulled him back. Whether Jordie came back out of sheer necessity, because of fate, or pure dumb luck, Matt didn’t give a damn. All that mattered was the fact Jordie was here, and Matt would make sure Jordie had a reason to stay.
“I hope you’re right,” Jordie mumbled.
“Killman and Partners is hiring. That’s the only accounting firm in town. There are a couple in Northfield, which isn’t a long drive,” Matt pointed out. Jordie cringed and Matt frowned, waiting.
“I don’t want to be an accountant. God.” Jordie let out a breath. “I’ve never told anyone that.”
Jordie looked at Matt apprehensively, and Matt had a feeling the human had just unloaded one giant secret on him. It touched Matt in ways he didn’t know, that Jordie would entrust him with that.
“Well, you’re young. You have plenty of time to figure out what you want to do. Tell you wha
t. We can go to town next week. Some air would do you some good and we can see who’s hiring, what do you think about that?”
Jordie stared at him like he was crazy.
“What?” Matt mumbled.
“It’s just, most people would tell me I’m insane. Hell, they’d tell me to suck it and put my degree to good use.”
“Why do what doesn’t make you happy?” Matt frowned, shaken when Jordie suddenly leapt at him for a hug. He breathed, aware of Jordie’s strong heartbeats. God, Jordie’s touch shouldn’t affect him this much, but it did. Thank God Jordie drew back, because Matt didn’t think he could control himself.
“Thank you,” Jordie said softly. “I needed one person to tell me that.”
“Never saw you in a suit anyway.”
Intrigued, Jordie regarded him. “Really?”
“Really,” Matt confirmed. Damn. Did Jordie just realize Matt had other motives other than helping him get back on his feet?
“Good then. I want to see how the others are doing, too.”
“Others?”
“From the pack. I kind of snapped at some of them after the accident, when they paid me a visit at the hospital.” Jordie looked guilty.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Enough about me. Tell me what you’ve been doing the past four years,” Jordie said.
By the end of the evening, empty pizza boxes and beer cluttered the coffee table. Matt stilled when Jordie laid his head on his shoulder, flinging one careless hand over his chest. Nostrils flaring, Matt was careful not to wake the little human. No one had ever used Matt as a pillow before, but damn it, Jordie’s warm body snuggling against his felt amazing. He knew he should let Jordie sleep, then carry him back to his bed before Zack came home, but he couldn’t let go.
Jordie mumbled in his sleep, rubbing his face into Matt’s shoulder like a needy kitten. Unable to help himself, Matt speared his fingers through Jordie’s hair, liking the silken texture. He imagined what it would feel like, waking to Jordie’s face at the start of each day. Matt would wake up, his cock gloriously buried in Jordie’s ass, and Jordie would open his eyes, gazing at him blearily, expression full of tenderness and affection. They’d continue in the shower, both late for work.
Matt breathed, aware of the ache of his cock, pressing against his zipper.
“Zack,” he whispered his best friend’s name.
If Zack would go as far as to nearly wanting to murder all the bastards who broke his kid brother’s heart, what would he do once he learned Matt wanted to make Jordie his mate?
Zack had been the one steady thing in Matt’s life, and Zack had been there for Matt when Matt needed him—during his parents’ divorce, and when his dad died. Zack always had his back when Matt had to defend his position in the pack, acting as his second. Was risking his friendship with Zack worth it?
Gazing at Jordie’s peaceful, sleeping profile, Matt thought it was. When he set his sights on something, Matt did everything in his power to get what he wanted. This time, though, the stakes were high.
Chapter Three
Jordie woke to the sound of voices, Zack and Matt’s. Remembering how he’d fallen asleep against Matt’s comforting body last night, he jolted up awake. Both men were at the dining table, a generous spread from the diner nearby scattered on the table. Jordie’s stomach grumbled. All he had last night was pizza, beer, and Matt. Well, the last bit needed improving, but he loved sleeping against Matt and feeling Matt’s huge, but warm, hands stroking him.
“Morning, sleepyhead, come join us for breakfast. There’s plenty of food to go around.” Matt flashed him a rakish grin, like they shared some kind of dirty little secret.
Jordie flushed, looking away quickly, expecting Zack to be on to them. Using his crutches, he made his way to the table, glaring at Matt who pulled out an extra chair for him to sit between Zack and him. He was mildly annoyed Matt started piling food on his plate. Although, it was kind of sweet too when he muttered, “eat.” Demanding wolf. Nice to see they’d managed to break some kind of barrier last night though.
“Looks like you had a good night’s sleep. That’s a first, huh?” Zack remarked.
Jordie studied his brother, who didn’t look any different from last night. Narrowing his brows, Jordie examined him closely, catching a flash of bandages over his left wrist. Noticing where he was looking at, Zack cleared his throat, tugging the sleeve down. Damn it. So like Zack to hide things from him.
“You’re hurt. What happened?” Jordie demanded.
A knowing look passed between the two men, and Jordie fumed. How typical they’d keep something from him. He knew that damn look. They always did that whenever they decided Jordie didn’t need to know about serious pack business.
“Look, I’m no longer a kid. You guys don’t need to hide pack business from me anymore.”
To his surprise, Matt came to his defense. “He’s right, Zack. With Jordie living with you again, he needs to know if anything happens to you.”
Zack expelled a breath. “There’s been a dangerous small group of wereheynas poaching within our borders. We can’t exactly call them out, because when we’re doing patrols, they make sure to stay outside our territory. When no one’s watching, they hunt in our woods. Sergio’s been asking us to watch their movements. Last night, one of them hurt Eddy Martin while he was out hunting.”
“Old Mr. Martin? Isn’t he that grumpy werefox who keeps to himself?” Jordie asked. “You came to his rescue? Is that why you’re injured?”
Zack nodded. “This is nothing, will probably heal in a few hours. Point is, we have a feeling they’re up to something and you know how the pack doesn’t like outsiders sniffing at our land.”
Jordie and every non-supernatural resident of Darkfall knew the pack was the real authority in town, continuously working with the local authorities to keep the peace. While he’d been away, Jordie heard the pack faced plenty of challenges, which has put them on high-alert.
“Anyway, don’t worry about it,” Matt reassured Jordie.
“Don’t worry about it?” Jordie couldn’t keep the indignation out of his voice. Seeing their startled faces, Jordie told himself to calm down and breathe. Times like these, he hated being the only human around. “Matt, you have my brother’s back, right?”
“Wait a damn second. I can take care of myself perfectly well,” Zack injected.
Jordie threw Zack a withering look. How could Jordie tell his brother he’d kept in touch with others members of the pack, texting them on a regular basis to ask how Zack was? “You told me last night, you can’t lose me, too, remember? It works both ways, Zack. You’re—”
“Don’t worry about that, pet.” Matt patted his hand. Jordie jerked at his touch, making Matt frown. Couldn’t Matt be more subtle about their, whatever relationship they had, or were about to have? This was all too confusing.
Zack didn’t notice the strange reaction. “Jordie, I’m always careful. Besides, I can take care of myself.”
“Okay.” Jordie went back to breakfast, embarrassed by his outburst.
Awkward silence passed. Zack finished scarfing down his bacon and eggs before regarding Jordie. “Matt said you guys are heading into town today?”
“Did he?” Jordie glanced sideways at Matt. “Don’t you have work?”
“To get you some fresh air,” Matt finished. “And don’t worry your little head off. It’s my day off.”
Matt wanted to spend his day off with him? Jordie’s heart warmed at the thought. Knowing how werewolves were damn perspective creatures, it took all of his self-control not to give away any inappropriate reaction with his body.
“That’s a good idea. You’ve been stuck in here for days. Besides, at least with Matt, you’re safe.”
“Very safe, I’ll watch over Jordie as if he’s my own little brother,” Matt quipped.
As if Matt harbored any kind of brotherly thoughts, but Jordie didn’t add that. A serious expression came over Zack’s face and
Jordie had a feeling Matt and he discussed more about him than he thought.
“I hear you’re not interested in joining an accounting firm?” Zack asked.
Oh, Jordie planned on killing Matt later for having this discussion without him. “I’m not sure yet. Need to explore my options,” Jordie said lamely. Besides, he really wanted to pay off his school loans as soon as possible, without bothering Zack.
“I understand,” Zack answered, after regarding him in silence for a few moments.
“You do?” Jordie asked, dumbstruck. Zack had always pushed him in his studies and was sometimes hard on Jordie, but in the end, Jordie came out better for it. He needed the motivation, although he realized he’d directed all that energy in the wrong location.
“I don’t want you to pursue a course you’d regret later.”
For the first time, Jordie heard something new in his older brother’s voice. Regret. Did something happen while he was gone? Jordie glanced at Matt, but Matt remained tight-lipped and unhelpful. Well, Jordie would dig up the story later on.
“Thanks, Zack. I’ll let you know. Next week, once my cast is gone, Matt volunteered to help me go job hunting.”
“That’s right.” Matt’s grin was infectious.
The fact Jordie reminded Matt of that promise, made Jordie aware they were both dead serious about this. Guilt always hovered in the background, but Zack had a point. He needed to stand by his decisions, and Jordie always knew Matt was the one. They’d lie to Zack about it now, but eventually, they’d sit Zack down and tell him the truth.
Was Jordie getting ahead of himself? Either way, Jordie needed to find out if this was going anywhere.
“You don’t need to do that, Matt.”
“I want to. Besides, it’s been awhile since we spent time together,” Matt offered.