Dancing Around The Cop

by Lisa Oliver

  from Richard, and his father had agreed that his first step should

  be finding out more about the intriguing man who ticked all of

  his boxes more than once.

  He managed to get them out to his car without any problems.

  Terry flashed him another shy smile when he opened the door

  for him and seemed impressed with the cleanliness of his

  mustang, if the smile and the caress of the dashboard was any

  indication. But as Zander carefully eased away from the curb,

  and they headed into town, he still wasn’t sure what to say. He

  just knew he had to say something. So he opened his mouth and

  said the first thing that came into his head.

  “How’s your new job going?”

  Yes! That had to be okay because Terry’s smile got bigger. Thank

  you Richard. “Really great. I have more than twenty costumes

  to do in all, but the ladies are just so much fun to work with.

  They just love my designs and are so supportive.”

  “You actually design all of the clothes yourself?” Zander was

  impressed. He had zero creativity, but he’d seen the clothes that

  the ladies from Club Blue wore, and honestly thought they had

  come off some couture’s rack. To hear his mate had designed

  and fitted them showed some real skills.

  “It’s what I love to do,” Terry said, his smile still in place. “I

  adore color and working with the ladies who refuse to wear

  anything beige or basic, it really stretches my skills, not to

  mention the obvious fitting challenges. This new job is a huge

  opportunity for me and I‘m determined not to let my friends

  down.”

  “I feel a bit like that about my job,” Zander admitted, surprised

  to find that even though they were so different, he and Terry

  appeared to share similar work ethics. “About not letting people

  down at least. There’s nothing creative about catching drug

  dealers, and in a lot of ways it’s a bit of a thankless task. But

  someone has to do it and my wolf loves the hunting side of the

  equation. It gets a bit hard when we catch someone we know is

  bad in every way, and my wolf can’t go in for the kill. Life is a

  lot simpler in the animal kingdom, but I learned to handle that

  dichotomy a long time ago.”

  “It must be hard,” Terry said softly. “Seeing only bad things in

  your day, dealing with people most of us would rather forget

  existed. I can’t imagine what that must be like, but I know it

  can’t be easy. You must be such a strong person.”

  “Strong in one respect,” Zander admitted, “but totally idiotic in

  others.”

  They had arrived at the restaurant in double quick time, and

  Zander was lucky, snapping up a parking space right outside.

  He’d always had a soft spot for his car and felt safer having it

  parked under lights. Also he didn’t want his mate walking around

  the streets after dark, even with him by his side. Zander was all

  too aware that the criminal underbelly of Houston didn’t always

  stay hidden.

  Maneuvering his car into the space, Zander turned off the engine

  and for a moment all was quiet. When Zander turned to look at

  Terry he saw those dark expressive eyes just eating him up and

  that single look made him feel ten foot tall and bullet proof.

  Unfortunately he was about to be pulled down a few feet. His

  father had impressed on him the importance of being open and

  honest with his mate and Zander had to try and apologize for

  what he had done since the two men had met for the first time.

  “I handled things with you really badly, right from the start,” he

  said. “I let you get hurt, I didn’t protect you and I wanted to

  force you into a situation that would have been unbearable for

  both of us. I admit it. I was stupid, and arrogant, selfish and

  yeah, didn’t think. I didn’t value the gift the Fates have given

  me with you. The only thing I can say in my defense is that I

  didn’t want to lose the partner I have been with for the last ten

  years. But that was no excuse. What I did was unforgiveable and

  I am truly sorry. You have no idea how grateful I am that you’re

  giving me another chance.”

  Terry looked down at his fingers, which were twisting around

  themselves. Zander couldn’t help himself and he reached out

  grabbing those slender fingers, enjoying the simple touch.

  Terry’s fingers were soft under his callouses, his hands smooth,

  but the fingers were long and slender, and Zander could imagine

  how they would feel on other parts of his body. His hopes that

  things might be okay increased when Terry didn’t pull his hands

  away.

  “It’s going to take a while, okay?” Terry said quietly. “You really

  hurt me, and although my wolf and cock are going crazy now

  you’re here, I’m worried that your connection to your partner is

  going to keep you away from me again. I couldn’t cope if you

  pulled me in and then kicked me away again. I’m nowhere near

  as strong as you are.”

  “You have every right to feel that way. I’m just sorry I gave you

  cause to. I haven’t told Sully, that’s my partner, about you

  before now, because there wasn’t anything to say, but I will.

  Before, when we first met, I was too scared and in my stupidity

  I thought I could stay away from you even though you are the

  most perfect being I could ever envisage. Now you’ve given me

  another chance, well, I’m not going to hide what I have with you,

  and if it means getting another partner or working alone, then

  so be it. You should have always been my first focus, and you

  will be from this moment on, I give you my word.”

  “He doesn’t like gays does he?” Terry said. “Davina and Lucy told

  me what he was like at the club the day I was arrested. Your

  partner doesn’t like the idea of it.”

  “No he doesn’t. I don’t know why, all I know is that he can get

  really mouthy about it, especially on the job. He’s a good guy,

  don’t get me wrong, but for some reason anyone different brings

  out the worst in him. I don’t know why he hasn’t been pulled up

  for it before now.” Zander cared about his partner and friend,

  but he was the first to admit he didn’t understand the man. They

  just clicked and he’d never really thought anything beyond that.

  “So was bringing me to a public place such a good idea?” Terry

  said looking around. He was right. The restaurant was not only

  smack in the middle of town, but it was also one that Zander had

  been to quite often when double dating with Sully.

  “I’m not going to hide you. They have great food here, so let’s

  go in and enjoy our meal. I’m hoping you will give me the chance

  to talk more to you later, about us, I mean.”

  Terry sat there for a moment, that shy smile on his face. Then

  he said, “I’ll kinda need my hands back to get out of the car.”

  Zander blushed. He felt his face heat up and for the first time in

  his fucking life, he knew his face was red with embarrassment.

  Because sure enough, Terry’s hands were
still encased firmly in

  his, and while they had been talking, Zander had apparently

  been rubbing small circles on the soft skin. He knew, because he

  was still doing it. Giving himself a mental shrug, Zander brought

  his hand up and kissed Terry’s fingers gently before releasing

  them. His wolf didn’t let him miss the soft gasp and the look of

  wonder that shone on Terry’s features even in the dim light. That

  was something worth seeing.

  Chapter Ten

  Zander couldn’t have been more attentive and despite the fact

  that Terry had been on many dates with Richard, sitting in the

  restaurant with Zander meant so much more on so many levels.

  Richard took him out as a friend, a protector. He kept unwanted

  attentions away from Terry, allowing him to enjoy himself. There

  were a few times when Terry wondered if his friend wanted

  more, but Richard never said anything. In fact all he did was be

  totally supportive of Zander being his mate. Sitting in the

  restaurant with his mate now, Terry could see that Richard was

  right. Going out with Richard had been fun. Being out with

  Zander – well, Zander was the possibility that Terry could have

  real love in his life, and that gave the evening an added sparkle.

  In a lot of ways Zander and Richard were alike, and Terry

  guessed that was because they were both Alpha wolves. They

  were used to being confident and in charge. Terry always had a

  good time when he went out with Richard, and found him easy

  to talk to, but this meal with Zander could be the start of

  something wonderful, something special. Just like Terry had

  always dreamed a new romance would be. He prayed with all

  that he was that nothing would stuff it up.

  The restaurant was the perfect setting for a first date. The

  hostess was a lovely lady who didn’t blink an eyelid at Zander

  escorting him as his date, although it was clear from the way

  she greeted his mate, that he was a regular at the place. Terry

  forced himself not to think about the countless women that had

  enjoyed Zander’s attention. Thinking about his mate’s past

  wasn’t going to help him forge a future with the man.

  The two men were led to a quiet booth towards the back of the

  room. The room itself was light and airy, although in the evening

  light, the red checkered table clothes, the dark wood furniture

  and the small fire that blazed in the fireplace on the wall, gave

  the place a homely feel. The waitress was a lovely young girl

  who openly checked out Zander before winking at Terry. Terry

  smiled back, feeling smug. Yes, Zander was someone worth

  looking at. The dinner, when it arrived was hot, and totally

  delicious. Terry had ordered an Italian pasta dish that he couldn’t

  even pronounce and Zander, predictably, had a giant steak that

  took up almost the entire plate.

  But the neat thing about the evening was that the two men

  talked, having a regular, normal conversation. Okay, Terry knew

  he was the one doing most of the talking, although Zander didn’t

  seem to mind. He told his mate about some of the funny things

  that Davina and the other ladies did when they came for their

  fittings. He talked about Joel and Max, Charlie and Roy, how they

  came to be friends and how wonderful the men had been,

  helping him get his new job, and all the work they were doing

  for Pride Week.

  It did cross Terry’s mind that maybe he was talking too much,

  but he wanted his mate to see that he did have a good life,

  complete with loving friends who were like family to him. He

  hoped one day that Zander would love the people around him as

  much as he did. The only person he didn’t mention was Richard,

  because that would have been rude, especially when Zander was

  trying so hard.

  “You are lucky to have so many friends,” Zander observed when

  Terry finally stopped for a breather.

  Dessert had arrived – a chocolate gateaux, which was one of

  Terry’s favorites, with lashings of whipped cream. Swallowing

  down an absolutely delicious mouthful, Terry resisted moaning

  as the combination of flavors on his tongue finally slid down his

  throat and said, “But you work with so many people every day.

  Surely you have friends on the force.”

  Zander shrugged, and Terry thought his mate wasn’t going to

  say anything more, but then he said, “It’s always been Sully and

  me, ever since the academy. We met there on our first day, got

  posted here and worked our way up through the ranks together.

  We made Detective on the same day and have been paired up

  for the best part of ten years. I know the other men and women

  of course, but Sully is the only person I could call a friend.”

  Terry wished he’d never brought up the subject, but Sully’s name

  was out there now, sitting like an elephant between them. He

  couldn’t ignore it.

  “Sully’s not going to approve of me, or of you being with me, is

  he?”

  “Nope,” Zander said shortly and his handsome face closed off for

  a moment. But then, it was like the guy decided he really did

  need to make an effort and he went on. “You mentioned before

  how hard it is, seeing the same shit with a different shirt on

  every day, and you were right. Sully always had my back,

  whenever bad stuff went down, the same as I do for him. He

  understands the things we see every day and how it can affect

  us. We work long hours, so we’d usually grab a meal together

  when the shift was finished. We nearly always double dated – a

  new woman every week was his motto, and I didn’t have a

  problem with that at the time. Days off we’d hang at each other’s

  places, watch sport, go out drinking together, pick up women

  together. He’s just always been there, and I didn’t think I was

  ready to let that go. The only thing I really did on my own was

  go out of town when the urge for a male body got too much and

  I didn’t do that very often. It was the one facet of my life that

  Sully didn’t share. Well, that and my wolf of course. But for

  everything else, Sully was there.”

  “Haven’t you ever been in a relationship? Had someone special

  in your life apart from Sully? Someone who was just there for

  you?”

  Zander shook his head. “Never. Before I went into the academy

  I was young and stupid and just looking to get my rocks off.

  When I met Sully, he was out to prove what type of a player he

  was for whatever reason, and I guess I just went along with it.

  We’re both older now, and I was kinda hoping Sully would settle

  down over time, but I haven’t seen any evidence of it yet.”

  “So you’re not gay, you’re bi-sexual then?” Terry wasn’t sure if

  he liked hearing just how experienced his mate was with men

  and women, but he reminded himself his mate was sharing stuff

  with him, and that was a positive. Zander wasn’t trying to

  sugarcoat anything, he was just telling Terry how he had lived

  up until now. At least that is what Terry hoped he wa
s doing.

  “I prefer men,” Zander said. “But hey, I’m an Alpha wolf. If I’m

  horny enough I can go with a woman, and I always made sure I

  treated them right. It sounds like I have acted like a real bastard,

  and I suppose I have, but I’ve never led anyone on, or been

  dishonest with them in any way. In all truthfulness…”

  Zander trailed off and Terry had the overwhelming urge to reach

  for the man’s hand where it rested on the table. But they were

  in public, and no matter how hard Zander was trying, Terry didn’t

  think his mate was ready for PDA. Not with a man at least.

  “I filled my life up,” Zander continued. “Work and casual fucking.

  That’s all I had in my life. I only went on dates because that was

  the polite thing to do, and it’s not as though I cook or anything,

  so I didn’t have a problem going out for a meal. But it wasn’t

  until I met you, I realized there was so much I was missing, so

  much to life and love that I hadn’t made time for. Talking to

  Richard, and to my Father, shit, my life has been so empty and

  I hadn’t even realized it. I don’t want to be that person

  anymore.”

  “What sorts of things were you missing?” Terry didn’t want to

  push but he really wanted to hear what his Alpha mate dreamed

  about. Was there any chance at all that they might finally be on

  the same page when it came to being mates?

  Zander looked like he was going to answer too, but just as he

  opened his mouth to speak, a shadow fell over their table and

  Terry looked up and saw Sully and a pretty blond woman

  standing there. Sully was glaring at Terry as though he was

  nothing more than a bug under his shoe and he felt Zander

  bristle at his side.

  “Zander, didn’t realize you hadn’t eaten tonight. You should have

  come out with me and Suzy. Your friend Rebecca is in town and

  she asked after you. I know she would have loved to make up a

  foursome.”

  “As you can see, I already have company,” Zander said. His mate

  had that plastic smile on his face, the one that never quite

  reaches the eyes, but Terry could see the tension fair emanating

  off of Zander’s shoulders. Looking at Sully, he could see the

  same degree of tension and every cell in Terry’s body urged him

  to protect his mate.

  “Detective Samuels was kind enough to offer me a meal. He’s