“Good.” He turned back to the counter long enough to get down two plates and fill them, before bringing them both to the bar.
Good? What did that mean? “Why’re you going to Reynolds Hall?”
“We. Why are we going to Reynolds Hall.” After retrieving another glass of orange juice, Aubrey came back to the island. He sat on the stool next to Matt’s and picked up his fork. He stabbed the sausage and brought it up to his mouth, but he didn’t take a bite. “Because we’ll have the whole place to ourselves. Mom and Dad are on their cruise and Thompson and Martha left for their vacation this morning.”
Giddiness tingled through Matt at the prospect of spending time alone with his mate at the plantation. Aubrey had been so attentive lately. Tara was right. Aubrey loved him. Matt wanted to punch the air and yell Yes, or maybe give himself a high five. Instead, he grabbed Aubrey by the face, knocking the fork right out of his hand, and planted a big kiss on his lips. “Thank you.”
Aubrey gasped.
Matt giggled at the stunned expression, picked up Aubrey’s fork, handed it back to him and hopped from the stool. “I’m going to pack.” He raced to the guestroom, found a bag and began stuffing it full of clothes. He was halfway through when he realized he hadn’t used his color identifier. Oh well, it was just going to be him and Aubrey. With any luck he wouldn’t be wearing many clothes while they were there anyway.
He tossed the color identifier in the bag before zipping it up. He slapped his hands together and rubbed them in anticipation. Oh yeah, this was going to be awesome. He hurried back to the kitchen to eat.
An hour later they were on their way to Savannah.
Somewhere between Atlanta and Macon, Matt’s curiosity got the better of him. “Who were you talking to this morning?”
Aubrey remained quiet for several moments. The tension grew thick enough to suffocate.
Squirming in his seat a little, Matt wondered how he could take the question back.
“A pack member’s wife. He’s missing.” The answer was curt and didn’t encourage further questions.
Instinctively, Matt knew he needed to drop it. Aubrey was suddenly on edge. Swallowing hard, Matt nodded. “Oh.” When would Aubrey feel comfortable discussing pack business with him? Given the recent closeness they were establishing, the refusal kind of hurt.
Okay, get a grip, Matt. It doesn’t concern you. If it did, Aubrey would tell him.
Aubrey patted his leg and squeezed it. With a sidelong glance, he grinned. “It’s nothing for you to worry about, sugar.”
The action and words didn’t do much to stem Matt’s curiosity or erase the slight hurt that his mate wouldn’t confide in him, but they did show that Aubrey cared. For now that was enough. It did make him wonder if the missing member had anything to do with them going to Reynolds Hall though. Before he could ask, his phone rang.
“Want me to answer it so you can talk on the speaker?” Aubrey asked, pointing at the screen in the dashboard.
Matt had forgotten he’d synced his phone with Aubrey’s car. The screen said the call was from Logan. “Yeah, go ahead. Ten bucks says he called to tell me Dad freaked over his piercing.”
Chuckling, Aubrey pushed the button on the steering wheel.
“Hello?” Matt stretched his feet out in front of him. This should be interesting.
“You’re not going to fucking believe this.” The rumble of Logan’s car idled in the background.
A small voice said, “Ummm…you said a bad word.”
Eddie?
Matt looked at the clock. It was noon. Eddie should be at home and Logan at lunch. “Is that Eddie?”
“Yeah. Listen. I need some advice.” Logan’s voice got quieter, and the engine shut off. “Eddie, go ahead and unlock the door. Here are the keys.” Matt’s little brother chattered over the jangle of keys, asking if Logan would play Mario Brothers with him. Logan said sure, and a car door slammed.
Matt’s stomach got queasy all of a sudden. Something was wrong. “Logan? What’s going on? Why is Eddie with you? Is everything okay?”
Aubrey caught his hand and squeezed it.
“Sorry, I had to get him out of here before I could talk. I have a bit of a problem.” His voice cracked. Logan’s voice never cracked. He was unflappable.
Apprehension skittered through Matt, and his heart began to hammer.
“Sterling and I went to lunch, and we ran into Mom. She was with some human guy. Eddie was with them. She reeked of sex and that man. She was practically sitting in his lap.” Logan paused for just a second.
Matt didn’t know what to say. It was like having the air knocked out of him. He clutched his mate’s hand tighter.
“I took Eddie. Sterling and I took him to eat McDonalds, and then I dropped Sterling back off at school. I don’t know what to tell Dad, Matt. I mean she had Eddie with her. What kind of woman takes her son with her to meet her lover? What the fuck? What do I tell Dad? I can’t just let this go. If she’d been alone, maybe I could just chalk it up to their fucked-up marriage and assume he knows, but she had Eddie with her. He says he watched cartoons at this guy’s house while mom and the guy took a nap. So he didn’t see anything, but…” His voice got quieter, becoming calmer. “I can’t let it go, Matt.”
No, he couldn’t let that go. Matt wouldn’t. His eyes blurred with tears. She’d been distant for some time now, but she was still his mother. He needed to encourage Logan to snitch. A tear rolled down Matt’s cheek, and he dashed it away in anger. Why was he crying? He shouldn’t even care. She’d betrayed them all. He knew it was stupid, but part of him believed if they just ignored it, it’d be like it never happened. He knew Logan felt the same thing. That’s why he’d called. He needed Matt to tell him what he already knew he had to do. Matt opened his mouth, but the words wouldn’t come.
Aubrey cleared his throat and rubbed his thumb over Matt’s knuckles. “You have to tell him, Logan.”
Aubrey barely restrained himself from throwing his glasses across the study. “Grrr…” Where the fuck is he? Setting his glasses on the desk, he snatched up his phone again. Still no messages. He tossed the thing back a little harder than necessary, as if it was the phone’s fault for not ringing. And he knew damned well it hadn’t, because he’d had the frickin’ thing with him all last night and all this morning. If Jarred or any of the other wolves had called, he’d have heard it.
Aubrey had been searching around the internet and by phone for the last five hours, looking for that son of a bitch Boskie. He’d just up and disappeared. According to his wife none of his credit cards had recent charges, and he still wasn’t answering calls from her, let alone anyone else. Bastard. Leaning back in his chair, Aubrey rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. They damned well better find Boskie before Sunday night or else Aubrey was going to have to come up with an excuse to keep Matt here at Reynolds Hall where he was isolated and had security.
Putting his glasses back on, Aubrey leaned forward and pulled up the first bank of four security cameras on his laptop, then the second and third. The front gate was still closed and none of the perimeter alarms had gone off. All of those were good things, but the nothingness of the situation was getting to him. There was no news, no activity…no nothing. This waiting around was aggravating as hell.
A pleasant scent drifted in on a breeze, making Aubrey pause. He inhaled deeper and closed his eyes. Mmm…Matt.
Matt paced past the open French doors outside the office. He couldn’t settle. He’d been restless all morning, wandering around the house and grounds with his phone in hand and earbuds in his ears. His agitation wasn’t making Aubrey’s disposition any better. He wasn’t sure when it had happened, but it had become apparent lately that his own moods seemed to be intensified or defused by Matt’s. He did not like Matt unhappy. And Matt hadn’t been his normal chipper self since hearing his mother was having an affair.
Logan had gotten back in touch late yesterday, but only to say that he hadn’t had the chance to talk to their
dad. Today, he was going to try and go to the garage where their dad worked and talk to him during lunch.
Aubrey glanced at the clock on his laptop. It was 1:05 p.m. New Mexico time. He’d picked up the phone at least half a dozen times in the past hour to call Keaton and get him to go to Matt’s Dad’s garage and check things out. Matt wouldn’t stop fretting and was getting more worried by the minute. Either Logan was ignoring his messages or he hadn’t heard them. Fucker. Boy, everyone was pissing Aubrey off today…everyone but Matt.
Aubrey grinned and shoved away from the desk. Crossing the room, he studied Matt from the open doors.
Framed by the stark white marble and the line of live oaks in the distance, Matt was exquisite. Barefoot with jean shorts and a pink polo, he leaned against the second-to-last column, staring at the front drive. The way the sun dappled through the canopy of live oaks onto the dirt drive was one of Aubrey’s favorite sights too. It was early fall, Aubrey’s preferred season. He could gaze out there for hours.
Just the small things they had in common like that were what intrigued him about Matt. They were raised so different, and there was an eleven-year age difference, yet an undeniable connection.
Some fallen leaves blew across the porch with a rustle and onto Matt’s foot. He shook the leaf off but stayed where he was.
It hadn’t taken long for the old plantation to get into Matt’s blood. He was coming to love the place. The last time they were here he’d investigated every inch of the mansion and asked tons of questions about the furnishings and history. Today, even upset over his family, Matt had gotten up and wanted to go exploring. It had taken some fast talking to keep him from going horseback riding. Aubrey had finally gotten him to agree to them going together in the afternoon after Aubrey had done some work. And if he were completely honest, it wasn’t just because he wanted to protect Matt. He’d become addicted to the excited gasps and smiles Matt made when he found something new. That excitement was always better than whatever it was Matt unearthed.
He should tell Matt what was going on, but he couldn’t stand to see any more concern in his eyes.
“Are you done working?”
How long had Matt been aware of his presence? Aubrey strode forward. Wrapping his arms around Matt’s waist, he rested his cheek against Matt’s back. “For now.” He kissed Matt’s neck.
Matt leaned back against Aubrey and wrapped his own arms around Aubrey’s, slumping so they were closer in height. “You want me to fix us some lunch?”
“I’m not hungry. Are you?”
Another gust of wind made the trees and the Spanish moss sway.
Matt shrugged. “Not really.” He didn’t sound interested in much of anything. The sullen tone bothered Aubrey quite a bit. He needed the happy, bouncy Matt back. This somber Matt would never do. Some distraction to take Matt’s mind off his family was in order.
Snaking his hand under Matt’s shirt, Aubrey kissed his neck again.
“Mmm…” Shivering, Matt arched into the ministrations. “Do you still want to go riding?”
Aubrey grinned against his mate’s neck. Oh yeah, he wanted a ride, but not on horseback. His other hand drifted down and palmed Matt through his jeans. “Later.”
“Mmm ’kay.” Matt dropped his head back on Aubrey’s shoulder, and his prick hardened under Aubrey’s attention. He pushed forward into Aubrey’s hand while turning his head and nipping Aubrey’s jaw.
Mission accomplished. Matt wasn’t thinking about anything right now. “Let’s go upstairs.”
Instead of answering, Matt squirmed around to face Aubrey, hugging him tight. He continued to lick and bite at Aubrey’s jaw and neck. His erection pressed into Aubrey’s stomach and little mewling noises bled from his lips.
Oh boy. Aubrey’s cock went from zero to sixty in seconds flat. The scent of arousal engulfed them. If he didn’t get Matt upstairs now, they were going to end up rolling around naked on the front porch. Hmmm…maybe—no. He was not fucking on the front porch. Groaning at even considering it, Aubrey extracted Matt’s hands from around his neck and stepped back. “Come on, sugar.”
Matt made a whimpering protest, and his lip pouted out. Aubrey wasn’t fooled, Matt was ready to spring. He was all fumbling excitement. Aubrey adored how responsive and out of control Matt became though.
He caught Matt’s hand and tugged him inside before Matt could tackle him. He closed the doors behind them and ushered Matt upstairs. It was difficult getting up the stairs with Matt groping him every few steps, but they somehow managed.
When they reached Aubrey’s room, Matt set his phone on the nightstand and went to open the French doors. “Is that okay? It’s so nice outside. And I love the sounds.”
Smiling, Aubrey nodded. He knew exactly what Matt meant. He’d turned the a/c off earlier because he liked to open the house up when it wasn’t too hot. It was always humid, but he was used to it. As long as there was a breeze he could stand it. “C’mere you.” He climbed onto the bed and offered his hand to Matt.
Matt grinned and dove at him, knocking him backward and nearly off the side of the bed. They both laughed and rolled, getting to the middle of the mattress with Aubrey on the bottom.
“If it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to teach you patience.” Raising his head, he nipped Matt’s chin.
Matt pushed up on his elbows and frowned down at Aubrey. It was ruined by the twinkle in his eyes though. “I can be patient.”
“Prove it.”
“Okay.” Matt rolled off him to lie beside him.
“Patient, not comatose.” Aubrey laughed.
“I’m not comatose, I’m waiting.”
“For what?”
“For you to have your wicked way with me.”
“Oh ho ho. Are you now?” He tugged Matt onto his side until they were nose to nose and kissed him.
Giggling, Matt nodded. “Go ahead. Ravish me.” He pressed the back of his hand to his forehead and fell onto his back again. “Swoon.”
Swoon? Aubrey laughed, really enjoying himself. He had the playful Matt back, at least for now. “What, are you a fainting little Southern belle?” And how weird was it to be laughing this much with a hard-on? He was certain it was only something Matt could inspire.
Matt continued to giggle and shrugged.
Gawd, he loved that sound. If he lived to be a hundred, he’d never tire of hearing it. And that face… Matt squinted, eyes almost disappearing when he giggled.
Just like that the playfulness left Aubrey. He had to have Matt right that minute. Leaning over, he captured Matt’s lips with his own, stopping him mid-giggle.
“Mmm…” Matt tangled his hands around Aubrey’s neck and urged him closer, but he didn’t rush the kiss like normal. It was languid. His hands constantly moved though, touching Aubrey’s face, sifting through his hair.
Aubrey did nothing to speed the pace. He savored the moment, teasing and tasting his mate. Was there anything sweeter than this? He pulled back only to press his lips to Matt’s again, and Matt’s nose, his cheek and his chin.
Matt blinked up at him, still caressing his face and head. His eyes were heavy-lidded and…adoring?
Aubrey groaned and sat up. He wanted skin. He ripped his own shirt over his head before discarding Matt’s. Once again he lay down, but this time he rolled to his side and tugged Matt with him. Kissing and licking, he worked his way down Matt’s neck to his chest, and still Matt clung to him, arching toward Aubrey’s mouth. He took one peaked nipple into his mouth and was rewarded with his favorite sound.
“Tickles.”
Smiling against Matt’s chest, he flicked with his tongue.
Matt gasped and tried to pull him back up.
Aubrey let him. He didn’t stop where Matt wanted him though and got growled at. He sat up and motioned for Matt to turn onto his stomach. He was going to kiss every square inch of this long, lean body. “Patience, remember?”
Grumbling a little, Matt rolled over. Aubrey placed his hand i
n the middle of Matt’s back and rubbed. The differences between him and Matt were exhilarating. They were opposites yet not. They complemented one another. You belong together, his brain supplied and he couldn’t deny it, they did.
For the longest time he petted Matt’s back and his shoulders. He straddled Matt’s hips and pressed his erection against Matt’s ass as he sucked the skin on the back of Matt’s neck.
Matt shivered and sighed. Pushing up to his elbows, he turned his head, trying to capture Aubrey’s lips.
Aubrey let him and slipped down his body. “Lift up.”
Matt’s pert bottom raised into the air as his forehead hit the mattress. “I’m tired of being patient.”
Unfastening Matt’s shorts, Aubrey chuckled. “But you’re doing so well.” He eased the denim down along with Matt’s underwear until Matt’s perfect ass was revealed. Aubrey groaned at the sight but didn’t stop until he pulled the pants over Matt’s legs and tossed them on the floor.
Running a hand over the curve of Matt’s rear end and down his thigh, Aubrey unfastened his own jeans. He bent and kissed one cheek then the other, and he shimmied his jeans down his hips. Once his cock bounced free, he lay over Matt, luxuriating in the warm skin against him. He licked the back of Matt’s neck and interlaced his fingers with Matt’s, bringing them up next to Matt’s head.
Matt bucked underneath him. His eyes were closed, and he practically purred. A soft smile tugged at his lips. “I like that.”
“Like what, darlin’?” Aubrey nuzzled his face against Matt’s and moved side to side, positioning his cock to rest in the cleft of his mate’s ass. Ah, yes.
“The way you feel on top of me. The way it tickles when you kiss my neck. The way—everything. I like everything you do to me.” He sighed again and squeezed Aubrey’s hands.
Matt went straight to his head. The man made him feel bulletproof. He nipped Matt’s shoulder, biting down hard. Not enough to break the skin, but the tendons flexed beneath his teeth.
Moaning, Matt squirmed and rocked his hips toward Aubrey. His canines lengthened.
Aubrey unlaced their hands and wrapped his arms under Matt’s chest, holding him. He lay with his cheek pressed to Matt’s shoulder, feeling the thud of Matt’s racing pulse. The spicy scent of Matt filled his nose, and the warm skin heated his cheek as Matt squirmed beneath him. Aubrey’s eyes shifted, and he closed them.
With Abandon: With or Without, Book 4 Page 21