Shit. One of the security guards poked his head in, the one with the long, lean, rat face. He pointed that face at me, then glanced around the room, before leaving.
It's fine. If he knew the money was missing and it was on me, all of him would have come in and strangled me. Sneaking out won't do, my face will betray me the moment someone looks at me.
Double Shit.
I went up to the mirror and looked at my excited face. “Tom,” I said under my breath, to the alert-eyed guy in the mirror as I bent to wash my hands, “You’re so cool. If you keep being cool, you and Eli get to start your new life together tonight.”
I smoothed my hair and splashed some water on my face, then I blindly reached out my hand to grab for a towel when I felt it.
It was long, long enough to cover me from my chin to my ankles. It was a dark, warm red, and it had a shaggy hood. It was love at first sight. My red face might blend into the jacket- or no one will see my face in this thing.
What could I do, except just slip into the silk-lined beauty? The fool that owned it was nowhere to be found, maybe it belonged to a pair of feet under one of those stalls, but the little place was crowded. Anyway, I had the coat on and was sure that it would distract everybody better than me slinking out.
When I caught a glimpse of me in the jacket, it made me shiver with pleasure- I looked great!
I stayed and looked a second too long, and old rat-face opened the door as I was leaving, we collided, him almost tangled up in the shaggy redness.
I looked him straight in those beady little eyes and threw the hood over my head. The jacket was too much for him, he whispered “Excuse me,” and knifed past me, while I walked out to the poker room and kept walking.
I caught Eli's eye and saw his mouth flop open, then catch himself.
No one else noticed me, they saw the jacket and smirked, and were secretly jealous- probably. It didn't matter if they were laughing at me or not, all they saw was the jacket, not my white as a sheet face.
I got out on the street and paused to take a deep breath- another mistake. Old rat-face poked his head out the door after me.
I thought I was done. But I didn't give up that easily, I spotted a taxi with an old couple getting in and I ran around to the other side, opening the door as they were telling the driver where toi go.
“Me too, we can split the fare.”
They looked at me like I had two heads, but I was bursting with happy when the driver pulled out into traffic. That couple turned out to be pretty nice, I told them I was going to run away with my mate that night, they were excited for me, and also turned out to be wedding planners, and gave me their card.
After I freaked out and left Eli asleep, just like he was now, the jacket, the cash and that business card were all I had in the world
But that was my wrong, choice.
I was sad for all that wasted time, but very happy we had the chance to make up for it. I was still enjoying the thought and the scent of my mate, my Eli, when I heard the door open. I expected room service or the maid but instead my eyes met the dark eyes of a strange man whose large body filled the doorway, blocking any escape.
He looked funny in the darkness, like one arm was a foot longer than the other. Then I realized what it was in his hand- a gun.
“Rowan Woods?” the man asked, turning the gun on me so I could see down the gray barrel.
“No, I’m Tom Jenkins. I met a Rowan something earlier. Asking about a couple friends. You must be looking for the same friends?”
This wasn’t working, he closed the door behind him, “No, I’ve found them. And you are Rowan Woods aka Tom Jenkins. Eli takes very precise notes.”
“What do you want with Tom?”
“No loose ends.”
All I heard was a growl and saw the blur of Eli launching off the edge of the bed. His wolf plowed into the man, snapping his wrist off and throwing the gun to the ground.
I saw the flash of metal, a knife in his other hand that he swung towards Eli. Blood flowed down the wolf’s face and my heart leaped in terror.
I was not going to let Eli be killed.
The man was trying to shake Eli’s wolf off his arm, not paying attention to me so I rushed for the gun on the floor and when the man tried to kick me, Eli launched up at his throat, clamping his teeth and jaws and tearing his throat away.
8
I almost lost my mate for the second time. This time it would be losing him forever. I knew when Webb pointed the gun at Tom’s heart, I couldn’t live without him. I wasn’t sure how I survived for five years without him.
Tom was tearing down the curtains to lay over the body when I shifted back to my human form.
“Who is he?” Tom asked as he finished.
“My partner Webb. Former partner. Caden must have paid him to follow us, figuring we would find Scot for him, then Webb here would scoop him up and kill us. I’ve been trying to get rid of him as my partner, looks like he was trying to do the same.”
“He said he found Scot and Mason...”
“He’s a good liar. We can’t take his word for it.” I took him away from the room and Webb, our heads were grim enough already.
When Gavin and Slate arrived, they were headed to the Council of Shifters to meet up with Finn and Nate. Gavin made some calls to quietly clean up Webb.
“He pointed a gun at your mate?” Gavin asked me.
I nodded. “I shouldn’t have killed Webb, it's possible he had valuable information--”
“I would have done the same thing,” Gavin interrupted me. “Scot Cameron is the important thing now.”
“I don’t want to be away from Tom, but I don’t want to bring him along on my search for Scot either. Webb may not have been lying.”
“He can come with us. He’ll be safe.”
9
Two weeks later
I wasn’t cut out for this crap. Slate and Finn were perfect Model UN, mediator types, trying to settle all the silly arguments with their endless, divine patience. I wanted to buy some boxing gloves and throw them all in one big room and see who walked out. They would probably just argue over who gets what pair of gloves though.
When they weren’t mediating, Slate was writing and Finn was glowing and eating- he was pregnant and very happy, and did a terrible job of keeping it a secret. But I wasn’t going to expose him until he wanted to tell us.
Finally I left them there, Gavin had to get back to take care of pack business and I went home with him. I just wanted to get back to my business. A two week absence was going to be a pretty big hit to my bottom line, and I only hoped I could come up with a good story to explain why I was gone. I had good employees, but Rowan Woods was The Helper to Fate, not any of my employees, and not Tom Jenkins either.
I missed Eli too. I guess that goes without saying.
Life felt pretty small without him.
I was balancing my books in my office when I heard the door open. I swore I locked it.
There was a knock on my office door. I debated whether to pretend I wasn't here…but with the light on and the door locked that would be as effective as saying 'I'm not here'.
“Who is it?” I called through the door and gripped my pen in a fist.
“An old friend here to see Tom, if he's in.”
“Eli!” I threw open the door, and there he stood in my doorway, just as he had two weeks and two days ago.
He raked back his dark hair as I launched myself into his chest. We just hugged for a moment, in silence, then I had to let him go when I heard him struggle to breathe.
“I found Mason, he's shaken up, but alive.”
“And Scot?” I asked.
“There's no trace. But no trace is good news.” He added then folded me back in his arms. “I love you. I’ve loved you for as long as I can remember. When I realized I could have lost you…”
“Don't,” I shushed him. “I felt it too. When I ran away from you, I thought I could never love anyone more than I loved
you. But now I do. I love this you ten times as much.”
“So you won't vanish from me again?”
“I ran away the first time because I was afraid of being trapped. When we were young, I wanted you more than life itself. But that scared the hell out of me. My dad's life did too.”
“If I had known that was why..”
“How could you? I didn’t tell you. I didn't want to share my fear, that I was afraid of love but since you are too, I think we can deal with it.”
I took a deep breath and couldn't bring my face up to his. He held my chin and brought it up to meet his own glistening eyes.
“Of course we can, we're soulmates. And I've got better at tracking people down so even if you try…”
“I was afraid of happiness. I didn’t believe in it then but I do now.” I sobbed with joy as Eli wrapped his arms around me. “And I have something that I think will make you happy.”
“There's nothing more that I want than you.”
“Close your eyes anyways.” I untangled from his arms and went to the closet in the office. When I was dressed- or undressed, actually- I sat on my desk and told him to open his eyes.
He looked at me like I was Christmas morning.
“You've had it this whole time?” He asked hoarsely, putting a hand out gently to touch the red jacket, to feel it was to believe it I guess.
“I had to track it down, I'm not so bad it myself.”
“When I first saw you here I imagined fucking you on your desk, wrapped like you are now.”
“And you waited…”
“I'm done waiting,”
10
My wolf agreed.
I pushed him away just long enough to finish getting my clothes off, and making sure Tom kept his jacket on.
I groaned, his eagerness slaying me. He wrapped his legs around my waist, trapping his leaking cock between us and rubbing his ass over my straining erection. The slickness of my own desire lubricated his crease, and I slid him over my shaft until he started begging.
“Please fuck me,” he gasped into my mouth. “Eli. Please.”
I could feel his hole quivering, and even though I wanted to take my time, he felt so fucking good, too good. I flipped him around and bent him over the desk. He arched his back—fucking beautiful—and looked back over his shoulder at me.
“Your eyes,” he whispered, grinding his ass against me. “They’re glowing.”
“Yeah,” I groaned, barely stopping myself from driving my cock all the way into him. Instead, I spread him wide and slid it over his pucker, rubbing against him until his head fell forward and the sounds spilling from his mouth forced me to stop before I spent my seed too soon. “My wolf is wanting out, to claim you, to make you mine.”
I don’t think he even heard me. I reached around him and lubricated my fingers with his pre-cum, his sweet cock jerking in my hand. He whimpered when I let it go, but then gasped as I pushed my slick finger against his hole, circling, circling, and then easing my way inside. He tensed at the intrusion, and then he was pushing back against me, letting me stretch him, letting me know how good it felt. I added another finger, bumping his prostate, and then, when he asked for it, another.
I groaned, wishing he was facing me so I could see his face when he made sounds like that. I wanted to make him moan again. I wanted him to forget everything except my name. I wanted him to ask for…
“More,” he gasped, fucking himself against my fingers. “God, Eli. Please… more.”
I couldn’t resist when he begged, the head of my cock was already shiny with precum, and I’d have to trust it would be enough for him, because I couldn’t wait any longer. I slicked it over my length and pushed inside him.
“Fuck,” I groaned. “You’re… so… tight.” It took everything I had not to drive forward and bury myself completely. It was more than how good his hot channel felt as it gripped my shaft—being inside my mate was right.
“Oh, Eli,” he whimpered. “That’s what I needed…”
I wrapped an arm around his waist and thrust into him, giving him what he’d asked for.
“Oh,” he gasped, arching his back.
I pulled him upright, sliding my hand around his throat so I could turn his face toward me, holding him tightly in front of me as I started to fuck him, hard and fast, all thoughts of holding back gone as he panted. His body was perfect. He was perfect. And as I pounded into his sweet, tight ass I forgot everything except the feel and sound and taste of him.
I wrapped my hand around his cock as I felt my own balls start to tighten. I was going to fill him with my seed. I was going to claim him.
“Come for me,” I told him.
“Eli!” he shouted.
With a shudder that moved through his entire body he spilled over my hand, his ass clamped tightly around my throbbing cock and pushed me over the edge, my knot tightening in him, and I came in a hot rush of pure bliss as I emptied myself inside him, filling every part of the man I loved, biting his shoulder to claim him, finally making him mine.
11
Oh, fuck… fuck… more… ”
I gave zero fucks that I was begging, or that I couldn’t seem to form an entire sentence. My entire world had narrowed down to just one thing, and he currently had me slammed against the desk about to make me come. I could feel every inch of him, hot skin and a mouth that made me wonder how I’d ever survived without it.
He had totally taken charge, and even though that had never been my thing, with him I was fucking loving it. I had zero complaints about him hauling me around and having his way with me, and neither did my dick.
The way his cock rubbed up against mine was the hottest fucking thing I’d ever felt. His erection practically scorched me. And Jesus fuck, I wanted his hand back on my cock, but I also wanted his hands everywhere. I was a walking hard-on of a contradiction.
I needed to get him inside me.
This wolf was my own personal slice of perfect, my true mate, and that just made what was happening with my body even better, so good that I almost wanted to cry.
I needed more.
I would always need more of this man.
His mouth hadn’t left mine, and he wrapped his hand around my dick again. I didn’t even recognize the sound that came out of my mouth when that happened. Shit, it should have been embarrassing, except I didn’t give one single fuck. That, and I could tell how much he liked hearing it.
My mate was sexy as hell, and I had zero problems with letting him know just how much I was into him and us. After so long of not being sure, or being afraid, or just needing to vanish, it felt great to be sure. I wanted to do more of any and every thing that he liked. I ran my hands down his back and finally made it down to the waistband of his pants.
He sucked my bottom lip into his mouth, I wanted to climb up him and just... I don’t even know what. I only knew that I was greedy as fuck for more of everything he was doing. I wanted all of it. All of him.
He shifted his hips away from me, giving me room to finally take his cock in my hand. He shoved the rest of his clothes out of my way, and- oh fucking yeah- it was huge and hard and hot, and just the feel of it electrified me. This wasn’t our first time together, but tit was the first time since I was sure about everything. About him, about me, about not ghosting him. This was the first time without any of that baggage between us.
I’d never touched anyone this way, not me and not even him, and it felt like the first time, still finding my way around. When I wrapped my hand around his shaft and tugged him towards me, he moaned into my mouth like I’d just given him exactly what he needed.
His cock slid against mine, and he pushed my hand out of the way and wrapped his around both of us, stroking them together. He murmured hot, wicked words against my skin, and the heat from his mouth shot all the way through me, making want me to give him whatever he asked.
But he wasn’t asking.
“Come for me,” he ordered, his voice a hoarse whisper that was
the sexiest fucking thing I’d ever heard. “I want to feel your seed spill over my cock.”
And that was it.
I was done.
I gave him exactly what he wanted, my orgasm blazing through me so hot and fast that my vision whited out. His arms locked around me as I shuddered against him, and it went on and on and fucking on, emptying me out until I had nothing left to give.
I had never come so hard in my life.
And oh, fuck. I could not wait to do it again.
12
“So do I call you Tom or Rowan?” Slate asked me as we were helping each other move our stuff into the pack house. Finn and Seth were off somewhere, and our alpha’s were doing who knows what.
“I’ll answer to both, but maybe Rowan at work, Tom everywhere else?”
“I’m going to mix them up for sure.”
“How about Boss at work and whatever you want outside work? If you still work for me that is.”
“Can I call you Boss sarcastically?... and I do still work for you, for now. But Gavin is making me write every day, and I’ll need to go off to the beach house with Gavin to write every now and then. But since you found your own happy ending, I don’t have to write it for you anymore… so now I need another book idea.”
“It’ll come,” I wasn’t worried about him. He spent most of his life with his nose in a book, it was only natural he start writing them once he finished reading them all, but I figured he had plenty of other things to be worried about.
“What does it mean that you’re not the True Mate?”
He shrugged, “It means if the True Mate wants to take Gavin from me I’ll have to kick their ass… or be really nice to them so they don’t do it. I’m down for either.”
“I’ll help you,” I laughed, but he was serious, I believed he would fuck up anyone who tried to get between him and Gavin, I felt the same way about Eli. Not that either Gavin or Eli would ever let that happen anyway. “Either way, but I hope it’s being nice.”
Red Handed: True Colors #3 Page 4