Dancing Around The Cop

by Lisa Oliver

  things. Joel had been right. Stubble burn was quite delicious.

  “Hmm, I sure did, and I am so glad we have this,” Zander said,

  peppering his face with kisses. “It means anytime we’re apart,

  we can still touch base with each other.”

  “Will you hear everything I think? ‘Cos I think then it would suck

  to be you,” Terry said, tilting his head back as Zander worked

  his way around his throat. Stubble burn in all sorts of places.

  Yum. Maybe he’d developed a new kink.

  No, precious, just what you want me to hear.

  Terry jumped a bit because Zander’s mouth was still busy, now

  working up a hickey on his neck. Hmmm, that was another

  positively wicked sensation. Who knew his neck could feel so

  sensitive, especially around his mating mark, oh. Damn, that felt

  good. Terry wanted to ask how come his mate knew what he

  was thinking when he woke up because he hadn’t been thinking

  at his mate, but rather about him. But Zander distracted him by

  latching onto his nipple and giving it a little nip. He moaned and

  arched his body, encouraging his mate to do more, something

  Zander seemed happy to do. In the meantime his own hands

  were drawn to the smooth hardness of Zander’s body. He hadn’t

  had much time to explore the night before, so swept up in the

  new sensations his mate had been giving him. But now.

  Or not, he thought as the sound of loud pounding on Zander’s

  front door broke the two men apart. Zander cursed and rolled

  off of him, grabbing his rumpled pants from the floor and

  throwing them on. Then, as Terry’s ears caught the

  unmistakable click of a door lock being turned Zander seemed

  to have second thoughts, and jumped back into the bed again,

  grabbing the covers so that Terry’s body wasn’t on display. While

  Terry appreciated the thought, he would far rather know what

  was going on.

  “Zander? What the fuck man, you still in bed? You lazy sod. Get

  up and let’s go get some breakfast and you can tell me what you

  were doing with that little faggot last night.”

  Okay. He’d rather not know what was going on, although he

  could hazard a guess. Terry definitely remembered the voice

  from the night before. Seemed Sully had a key to Zander’s

  house, just like Roy had one to his.

  Yep, that would be Sully. Standing at the bedroom doorway, his

  mouth open so wide he could catch flies, the look of shock on his

  face so comical Terry almost laughed. Which would have been a

  dumb thing to do considering Sully’s shock quickly morphed into

  anger. Terry took the more sensible course of action and tried to

  make himself look as small as possible, which wasn’t hard to do

  given that Zander was looming over him protectively.

  “What’s up, Sully? It’s our day off and I don’t remember us

  having plans,” Zander said. Casual words but Terry could feel

  the tension in that huge body. His wolf wanted to comfort his

  mate. He wanted to disappear. Terry decided to stay still and

  hoped Sully wouldn’t notice him.

  “I wanted to know what you were doing with that little fairy. But

  I can guess what you’ve been doing. What, you’re queer now? A

  fucking bum bandit? What the hell is that little shrimp doing in

  your bed?”

  “I’ve always preferred men in my bed, Sully. I just hadn’t found

  one in this town I was keen on keeping around until now.”

  Zander flashed Terry a tight smile that didn’t make Terry feel

  any better. Sully’s normally handsome face was twisted in rage,

  going so red that Terry was worried he would blow a blood

  vessel.

  “You can’t be serious. Ten fucking years we’ve been friends. Ten

  years! You know how I feel about fucking queers. How could you

  do this to me?”

  “Do this to you?” Zander sat up and the covers fell from his

  shoulders, revealing his muscled chest. A heaving muscled

  chest. Shit, his mate was getting angry and given that Sully was

  being so rude Terry was starting to get really worried that

  Zander would shift. Alpha wolves were more protective than

  most, and Zander had claimed him now.

  “I’m not doing anything to you,” Zander said, his voice rising to

  match his own anger. “I’m doing something I want to do, with

  someone I care about very much, so watch your fucking

  language. I don’t see how this has anything to do with you. We’re

  partners, yes. Friends, hell yes. But this, what I do in my bed, in

  my own home, has got nothing to do with you. It doesn’t change

  who I am or our friendship.”

  Sully went silent for a moment, and then his eyes narrowed and

  Terry tensed. He really didn’t want to know what was going to

  come out of the man’s mouth next, but he knew it wouldn’t be

  anything good.

  “You’re doing this for a promotion, aren’t you? Ever since we

  broke up that pub brawl and you saw this little shit for the first

  time, something’s been different with you. You knew the Police

  Commissioner had a soft spot because of his weird brother, and

  you’re angling for a promotion. You sick bastard.”

  “This has nothing to do with my career. Terry is my mate and

  you’d better shut the fuck up right now,” Zander growled, his

  words almost garbled because, oh shit, Zander’s teeth had

  dropped. And then poof. Seconds later a huge black wolf was

  standing where Zander had been laying, and yep, that wolf was

  pissed off. Terry discretely pulled Zander’s pants off from where

  they had got tangled during the change.

  Sully reared back in horror, fumbling around under his arm. Next

  thing Terry saw was the gun in the man’s hand, pointed straight

  at his mate. Without thinking he grabbed the covers and moved

  in front of the wolf, who growled menacingly in Sully’s direction.

  “We’re shifters,” Terry said urgently, worried about the manic

  look in Sully’s eyes. “Zander is totally aware in this form and is

  still the same person you’ve known for ten years. Put the gun

  down because I can’t promise you he won’t attack. He’s

  protecting me and that gun isn’t going to encourage him to back

  down anytime soon.”

  “Shifters, what do you mean shifters, like werewolves or some

  crap. It’s not even full moon,” Sully said, his eyes still wild. At

  least the gun dropped down a bit.

  “Shifters, as in a person who shares their spirit with another

  animal and can change forms at will,” Terry said, dropping his

  voice, trying to keep things calm. In his experience people

  always listened more closely if you talked softly.

  “And that’s why he’s with you, screwing you? Because you’re one

  of these animals as well?”

  Zander growled and barred his teeth and Terry spoke up quickly.

  He didn’t want to think about what might happen if Zander

  attacked his best friend. “Zander told you. We’re true mates. It

  means we were brought together by the Fates to live together

  for the rest of our lives. It’s like a human soul
mate. Zander can

  understand everything you’re saying and he’s not happy with the

  way you’re talking about me. Please, this doesn’t need to change

  anything between you and him, but you need to back down.”

  “If it’s like a soul mate then you need to fuck off. He can learn

  to live without a soul mate. Without a man in his bed,” Sully said

  fiercely. “I’m not having my best friend turn into a fucking faggot

  because of some stupid curse. You leave town, fuck off and my

  friend will go back to the way he was. God, he’s fucked more

  women than I have. Can’t you see he’s not gay? Going through

  this type of curse with you must be killing him, can’t you see

  that?”

  Growling again, Zander crouched on his haunches and Terry

  knew if he didn’t do something quickly then there was going to

  be blood on the boring beige floors. As much as he wanted to

  see color in Zander’s life he didn’t think blood red would go with

  what he had in mind for the bedroom.

  Pulling aside the coverlet, Terry pointed to his scabbed over scar,

  the mating mark he would wear proudly for the rest of his life.

  “Zander has bitten me, claimed me as his. It was his decision,

  what he wanted to do. If I leave then he’ll die without me. He’ll

  pine away because his animal spirit needs me now to survive.

  That’s what happens with mates. Do you really want your best

  friend to die just because he’ll sleep with me from now on?”

  For a moment Sully looked so lost that Terry almost felt sorry

  for him. At least the hand holding the gun dropped to his side.

  “Fuck, I don’t know what to think,” Sully whispered. “My friend

  turning into a wolf, turning gay, biting a man and having him

  naked in his bed. There is so much wrong with all of that, I can’t

  think straight.”

  “We can’t fight our nature. Finding and taking a mate, it’s just

  what we do, who we are,” Terry said. “Zander didn’t want to lose

  your friendship which is why he’s been so out of sorts since we

  met. He wanted me from the moment we met, but he didn’t want

  to hurt you. You mean so much to him, please don’t let this

  change how things are between you two. I’ll stay out of your

  way, you won’t even know I’m in Zander’s life.”

  The wolf growled low and mean and then barked, a clear warning

  even to someone like Sully, who jumped but held his ground.

  Terry had the feeling he’d said something to upset his mate, but

  he was desperate to make Sully understand.

  “I’ll know!” Sully yelled after a long moment. “How can it not

  change anything? I mean the wolf thing, yeah, a huge shock,

  but you reckon Zander’s always been like this so that’s not

  enough to stop me being friends with him. I can handle that. But

  this, you,” he said waving his hand in Terry’s direction reminding

  him he was still naked under the covers. “That’s fucking too sick

  to handle and I will never accept my friend sleeping with the

  likes of you. Tell your mate I’ll put in for an immediate transfer.

  I can’t stand to be around him anymore.”

  Zander growled again, but it was too late. Sully was gone from

  the door way and mere seconds later Terry heard the slam of

  the front door. Bowing his head, Terry let tears pour down his

  face. His heart ached with the hatred in Sully’s voice. Even

  though he understood that there was nothing he and Zander

  could do to change their nature, he never wanted to be the cause

  of Zander losing the one man in his life he could call a friend.

  Ever the optimist, Terry had hoped that over time, Sully would

  accept it because of the long term friendship he’d shared with

  his partner. But now it looked like that would never be possible.

  There was a shimmer in the air, and Zander was back in human

  form. Comforting arms wrapped around his waist and Terry

  found himself pulled against Zander’s wide chest. For some

  reason that made him cry even more. He should be comforting

  his mate, not the other way around, even if Terry couldn’t deny

  how good it felt.

  “It’s okay, little one. It’s okay, I knew this would happen.”

  Zander’s voice was soothing, but Terry could feel the agony his

  mate was feeling. It was like a sharp pain that ran through his

  heart, making it difficult for Terry to breathe.

  “I just don’t understand why,” Terry sobbed, clinging onto

  Zander like a lifeline. “Why does he hate me so much? How can

  he turn against you after all you’ve been through? You even

  shifted to try and show him you couldn’t help us being mates.

  Our biggest secret and still he wouldn’t understand. How can

  someone have so much hate inside?”

  “I shifted because I couldn’t control myself anymore. He made

  me so angry and all I wanted to do was wrap my teeth around

  his throat, just to stop him from talking his shit. You stopped me

  from doing that, and believe me I really appreciate it, although

  if you ever put yourself between me and a gun again, I will tan

  your hide,” Zander said. “I’ve listened to Sully put down gays for

  years and never said anything. Maybe I should have, but I didn’t

  have a reason to before, and that’s on me, not you. None of this

  was your fault. It’s not you he hates, it’s what you represent.”

  “I honestly didn’t want you to lose your friend,” Terry said, his

  sobs easing as he thought about what Zander had said.

  “I gained a mate, and you’re all I will ever need,” Zander said

  and bless him, Terry could tell the man was trying to inject some

  happiness into his voice. “Now how soon can you move in with

  me?”

  “Move in with you?” Terry’s mind was fuddled enough as it was.

  Just thirty minutes before he was thinking about slipping out of

  Zander’s house so he didn’t have to face any negative morning

  aftermath. Well, they’d had the negativity all right, but it hadn’t

  come from Zander. Fucking Sully.

  Terry thought about his small dingy apartment. Although he did

  his best to keep it clean, it was never going to be more than

  what it was – a small shack in a bad neighborhood. It was on a

  month to month lease, Terry always hoping he could find

  somewhere better within his budget. Basically he could leave

  anytime and the landlord wouldn’t care.

  “I told you before that I want to be a mate you can be proud of.

  Yeah, your friends might think it’s a bit weird you moving in so

  soon, but little one, I need you here, with me. Please tell me

  you’ll move in with me.”

  Terry was going to have to come up with some form of defense

  when his mate used his deeply sensual voice in such a

  persuasive manner. How could he stand to say no when Zander

  was saying everything he wanted to hear? The plain and simple

  truth was that he couldn’t, and once Terry accepted that, he

  knew what his answer would be.

  “How many days off do you have?” He said. It wasn’t as though

  he had a lot of stuff. A couple of
trailer loads should do it. And

  the smile on Zander’s face, as the wickedly handsome man bent

  to give him another kiss, told Terry he had said exactly the right

  thing.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Zander parked under the police building and took a deep calming

  breath. He and Terry had taken three days together and in

  Zander’s opinion it was by far the best three days of his life.

  Terry was funny, kind, and already Zander felt his place was

  looking more like a home than a house. His mate could cook,

  had a wicked sense of humor and the sex…okay, probably not

  the best idea thinking about that just before he went into work.

  Zander adjusted the swelling in his pants and thought about

  getting out of his vehicle.

  No one would ever know it to look at him, but Zander was a little

  anxious. He and Sully were known around the precinct as being

  hard working detectives and ladies men – in every sense of the

  word. Sully’s reaction to Terry had been bad enough. Zander

  didn’t think he could take it, if he got shunned by other officers

  as well. He didn’t have many friends on the force, as he’d

  explained to his mate, but he had been on chatting terms with

  everyone he worked with.

  “Stop being an idiot,” he told himself firmly, getting out of the

  SUV and striding up familiar steps, just as he had done a million

  times before. He had a job to do, criminals to catch, cases to

  work on. If he had to do it on his own, well hell, he could do it.

  Zander knew he could put up with anything so long as he had

  Terry to go home to at night. He held onto that thought as he

  entered the building.

  Marching through to his office, Zander smiled, and nodded when

  people called out to him, everything apparently normal. He felt

  a bit of a pang when he saw Sully wasn’t at his desk, but then

  knowing what he did about his former best friend, Zander wasn’t

  really surprised. Sully had probably taken personal leave.

  Determined not to worry about something he could do nothing

  about, Zander sat down, pulling out files, preparing to work just

  like any other day.

  “Samuels, in my office now.”

  Crap. The Captain. Had Sully honestly put in for his transfer

  already? Without even trying to talk to him again? Ignoring the

  curious looks from some of the others in the large bull pen of an