by Lynn Hagen
With the tips of his fingers, Calhoun brushed Roy’s cheek. Roy had to stop himself from leaning into Calhoun’s hand, stop himself from begging Calhoun to kiss him.
What the hell? Why would he even think about something like that at a time like this? They were standing in the middle of a crime scene, for crying out loud.
“Forgiven, sweetheart.” Calhoun smiled and continued talking, and goddamn it, Roy’s heart skipped a beat at the sexy grin. “Preternatural beings have heightened senses, as well as inhuman strength.”
Roy cocked his head to the side, curious more than scared. “Can you smell who did this?”
“No, but I can scent what did this.” Calhoun moved from behind the counter. “Don’t call this in to dispatch. We need a nonhuman deputy here.”
Roy’s stomach dropped. “What did this?”
Calhoun looked at the large glass windows. All Roy saw was a reflection of the interior of the store. It was too dark out to see past the window, but Calhoun didn’t look as though he was searching for something.
He looked lost in thought.
“Calhoun?”
“The scent belongs to Merk.” Calhoun looked down at Roy. “It seems he’s trying to draw me out.”
* * * *
After speaking to Raven, Calhoun had learned who the shifter deputies were. He told Roy to call the sheriff and report this before he walked outside. There was no doubt in his mind that Merk was out there somewhere, watching them. Why the guy didn’t strike while Calhoun was out in the open baffled him.
Soon swirling lights could be seen in the distance, but no siren could be heard. Whoever was driving didn’t want anyone to know what was going on.
Roy came outside, and Calhoun had an urge to shove his mate back into the store. If Merk attacked, he didn’t want Roy anywhere near the vampire.
The cop got out and introduced himself. “I’m Deputy Malik Burrows. What happened here?”
The guy was a lion shifter. Calhoun explained about them stopping for a snack and how they’d found the body. “We didn’t touch anything. I just got close enough to know a vampire had done this.”
He didn’t mention that he knew the vampire. Panahasi had made it clear that Calhoun wasn’t to talk to anyone about their off-the-book mission. The Ultionem was keeping a tight lid on it.
He shouldn’t have even told Roy, but there was no way in hell Calhoun was about to let his mate run into danger.
“Deputy Christopher is on his way,” Malik said. “He’s a coyote shifter. We’ll get this handled. Thanks for keeping this quiet. You can take off.”
“Not without my mate.”
Malik looked around then turned back to Calhoun with furrowed brows. “Where is your mate?”
“Roy,” Calhoun said. “My mate is Roy.”
A grin split Malik’s handsome face. “No shit. You couldn’t ask for a better mate. I’m happy for the both of you.”
“Thanks.” Calhoun went to the squad car where Roy stood, looking down at his hands. He slid his hand down Roy’s arm. “How’re you holding up?”
Roy folded his arms and leaned against the driver’s door. “I still don’t do well at crime scenes. The last one I was at, I vomited.”
Whether Roy wanted to be touched or not, Calhoun enveloped his mate into his arms. To his surprise, Roy didn’t try to pull away. “We’re all green at some point in our lives. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“And I feel like I’m going to be sick now.”
Calhoun released him. “Just take steady breaths.”
Roy looked toward the store where Malik had gone inside. “Please don’t let me get sick in front of the other deputy,” he whispered.
“Deputy Burrows told us to take off. I think that’s good advice.”
“But I have to stay here.” There was no heat in Roy’s argument. It had sounded more like a statement. “I’m the one who found the body.”
Malik came back outside and joined them. He gave Roy a gentle smile. “Darren and I are going to have to do something that might go against your training as a cop. Why don’t you take off with your mate, Roy? We can handle things from here.”
Roy looked as though he wanted to argue. His brows were pinched, as were his lips.
“You know I would never take a crime scene away from you,” Malik said. “I respect you too much to step on your toes. But we have to take Baker somewhere and have his body examined. As far as the town knows, this never happened.”
Roy’s head snapped up. “What about Baker’s mom? She’ll notice he’s gone.”
“We’ll take care of that, too.” Malik gave them a quick nod before he went back inside, locked the door, and turned off the Open sign.
His mate looked as though he was barely holding it together. Calhoun had witnessed death too many times for it to affect him. As soon as that thought popped into his head, he saw the lifeless eyes of the fae who’d died in those cages.
He prayed Roy never got used to seeing dead bodies. He never wanted his mate to turn jaded like he was.
“Hey.” Roy touched his arm. “Where’d you go?”
Calhoun shook his head. “Let’s get out of here.”
“Sheriff Copache told me to go home after we spoke on the phone. This one time I’m not going to argue with him.”
Roy slipped into the driver’s seat as Calhoun got in on the passenger side. They drove back to the station where Roy finished with whatever he had to do. They left in Roy’s car and headed back to his mate’s house.
Calhoun was thankful Roy hadn’t insisted on completing his shift. He couldn’t recall the last time he’d slept, and Calhoun was dead on his feet.
At the moment, the only thing he wanted was a soft bed and to curl around his mate. He would shower, eat, and seduce his mate after a good night’s rest.
Chapter Five
Calhoun put something light together in the kitchen since neither of them had gotten the snacks they’d wanted. Roy was currently in the shower, and all Calhoun could think about was stripping his clothes off and joining his mate. He’d wanted to sleep, was desperate for it, but since he knew Merk was somewhere in town, Calhoun wasn’t sure he would be able to.
At least he would eat. Calhoun set the sandwiches and bowls of soup on the table before he did his umpteenth perimeter check. He would’ve called Ethan to tell the vampire that he’d changed his mind as far as needing backup, but after their phone conversation, he didn’t think Ethan would come.
Calhoun reached for some glasses in the cupboard and cursed when he saw how badly his hand shook. He was so fucking tired that he could fall asleep standing up. But Calhoun didn’t want to close his eyes. Not only because he feared Merk would slip into the house but because he didn’t want to see the dead looking at him, begging him to save them.
Calhoun laid his forehead against the cupboard and blew out slowly, telling himself he needed to stay away, to keep Roy safe.
“Hey.”
Roy’s voice jerked Calhoun from his thoughts. He turned, giving his mate a smile as he rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger. His eyes burned, and his head hurt.
When Calhoun dropped his hand, his eyebrows rose. Roy had on a white T-shirt and a pair of boxer briefs. The red underwear left nothing to the imagination. Calhoun’s fatigue was forgotten as he leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest.
“You looked like you were about to fall over.” Roy took a seat at the table, as though he had no idea what his partial nudity was doing to Calhoun. His gaze slid over Roy’s slim frame as he crossed the room.
Calhoun took a seat and leaned back, his legs spread as he looked Roy over again.
“This looks delicious,” Roy said as he grabbed his sandwich and took a bite. “I’m famished.”
So was Calhoun, but not for food. When was the last time he’d gotten laid? It was pathetic that he couldn’t remember. He was about to resolve that dilemma, though.
There was nothing more Calhoun want
ed to do than pull Roy onto his lap, but he didn’t make a move while his mate ate his food. Roy’s needs came before Calhoun’s, so Calhoun ate his ham sandwich and soup.
Every few seconds Roy looked his way and blushed. Clearly their minds were on the same track. Calhoun planned on claiming his mate just as soon as Roy was done eating.
That was if Calhoun could stay awake. He was sitting at the table, eating his soup, giving Roy heated stares, but he was also fighting to keep his eyes open. He still had a thumping headache, and now he had buzzing in his ears.
“You better go lie down before you fall down.” Roy took their dishes to the sink as Calhoun let out a wide yawn.
“Can’t. I gotta keep an eye on the house just in case Merk followed us.” Calhoun stood and stretched, making his muscles burn. When he looked at his mate, Roy stood there staring at him. “What?”
A deep blush stole over his mate’s cheeks. “Nothing. You can use the bed. You’re too…” He waved a hand at Calhoun. “You’re too big to fit on my couch. I’ll sleep there.”
Roy looked tired, too. As badly as he wanted to fuck the human, Calhoun didn’t think either of them had the energy. His tiger snarled in disagreement, but Calhoun ignored his beast as he grabbed Roy’s hand and led him to the bedroom.
“Nonsense. We can both take the bed.” Calhoun removed his boots and tossed his jeans and shirt aside, leaving him in nothing but his boxers.
He crawled into bed and yawned again before he noticed Roy hadn’t moved from the bedroom door. “Are you gonna stand there all night or get some sleep?”
“I’m gonna…” Roy looked around as though he’d never seen his own bedroom before, as if everything in the room fascinated him.
With a sigh, Calhoun got up and pulled him into the bed. He spooned Roy, telling himself he wasn’t going to sleep. That he would let Roy get some rest while he listened for trouble.
Unfortunately, Calhoun’s exhaustion won. He’d been on his feet for two days. That was all his body and mind could handle. It felt as though he’d simply blinked, but he noticed that Roy wasn’t in the bed with him. Calhoun’s heart thundered as he threw the covers back and raced from the room as he scented the air. He didn’t smell vampire in the house.
Had he dozed off? It was still dark outside as he looked around the house.
Calhoun came to a halt when he saw Roy in the kitchen, cooking eggs in a frying pan. Why was his mate up? They’d just eaten. He was too skinny to have such an appetite. He was also wearing a pair of pajama pants and red T-shirt. When they’d gone to bed, Roy had on boxer briefs and white T-shirt.
“Why’d you get out of bed?” Calhoun looked around, reassuring himself that there was no danger close by.
Roy spooned the eggs onto two plates then added toast and bacon to both. “I got out of bed yesterday morning. You’ve been asleep for fourteen hours.”
Shocked, Calhoun looked at the clock on the stove. It was five in the morning. They’d gone to bed a little after one.
The morning before.
“Why’d you let me sleep so long?” His stomach rumbled at the smell of breakfast. Calhoun was famished.
“Obviously you needed the rest.” Roy brought the plates to the table and set them down. Then he turned, folded his arms, and glared at Calhoun. “I tried to go to work, but Sheriff Copache sent me home. He refused to let me clock in, saying something about a honeymoon period and how I had the next two weeks off. You mind telling me what the hell he was talking about?”
Now that Calhoun had plenty of sleep, he no longer felt like a walking zombie. He also noticed that he hadn’t awakened once with bone-chilling nightmares. Could that have anything to do with Roy being tucked against him?
Calhoun would’ve loved to have thought so, but Roy hadn’t been in the bed most of yesterday.
They might not share a bed again from the angry look on Roy’s face.
“It sounds self-explanatory to me.”
Roy’s scowl deepened. “Not when you’ve just discovered a whole other world right under your nose.”
The glare slipped from his face, as if he’d just reminded himself of that fact. Roy took a seat and shoveled his eggs around with his fork. Calhoun took a seat and then drank some of his orange juice.
“In my world, a honeymoon period is when mates first find each other. Of course the feelings go past fourteen days, but for those first two weeks, they can’t get enough of each other. And they also take that time to get to know each other, too.”
Roy seemed to mull that over. “When Sheriff Copache first started, he was already dating Moose. But I noticed that Moose came into the station a lot, always sneaking into the boss’s office.” Roy blushed. “Sometimes I heard what was going on, though I tried to ignore the sounds.”
Calhoun winked as he smiled. “It’s like that sometimes.”
Roy concentrated on his food, staring at his plate as he ate. Calhoun ate, too, but he was concentrating on Roy. He was adorable as hell with his flaming skin. Calhoun bet that if he put his fingers on Roy’s face, the man would be hot to the touch.
“Does talking about sex embarrass you?” Calhoun bit into his toast.
“No.” Roy gave a nervous laugh. “Why would it embarrass me? It’s a natural occurrence between two people, or animals if we’re talking about the wild kingdom. But it’s a natural response, so the subject is no big deal. Really. It’s not.” He shoved a large piece of toast into his mouth as he kept staring at his plate.
Calhoun smirked. “Is that what you think when you have sex, that it’s a natural occurrence?”
Roy choked on his toast. Calhoun jumped up and pounded his mate on his back then handed him his juice to drink. “Are you okay?”
Wheezing, Roy sucked down a big gulp before he set his glass down. Calhoun hovered, just to make sure he was all right.
* * * *
I’m such a loser. Roy couldn’t believe he’d choked and Calhoun hadn’t even been explicit with his words. But the thought of “natural responses” had gotten him hard, and as he sat there trying to get his breathing back under control, all Roy could think about was having a response with Calhoun.
The anger he’d had moments ago about being put on leave for two weeks was gone. Now Roy’s head was filled with erotic images of Calhoun bending him over every flat surface in the house as Roy begged and whimpered for more.
His face had caught fire, and now he was sweating as he tried to finish his breakfast.
Calhoun gave a soft, low chuckle. “You’re easy to fluster. I like that.”
Roy had an urge to flip the bastard off. “Am not.”
Could he sound any more like a child? But Calhoun was right. Roy was flustered as hell and wanted Calhoun to take care of the ache that had his cock pulsing and his heart racing.
Roy was no longer hungry. He was horny, but he hadn’t the first clue how to flirt or ask for what he wanted. He sat there like the virgin that he was, too shy to speak.
Calhoun took the dishes to the sink. Roy had gotten up, ready to hightail it out of the kitchen, when Calhoun was on him, pinning Roy to the table, making him lean back as he stared wide-eyed at his guest. Roy blinked a few times, his ability to think now gone.
Calhoun leaned in and lowered his voice. “I’m dying to see where else on your body you’re blushing.”
“Everywhere,” Roy blurted out like an idiot. If he was terrible at flirting, he was downright horrific at foreplay. He’d known what Calhoun was saying, that he wanted Roy naked, but his virgin brain was slow and sluggish.
Calhoun’s smile—all white, perfect teeth—had Roy’s pulse skyrocketing. The guy was so damn gorgeous. If they were mates, made for each other, Calhoun had gotten the short end of the stick.
But the way he looked at Roy was nothing short of heart racing. Heat swam in his baby blues as he leaned his head down and took Roy’s lips in an orgasmic kiss.
Seriously. Roy was about to come from the kiss. Calhoun was a skilled kisser, making Roy
whimper and reach for him.
He didn’t even care that his back was killing him from being bent over the table. Back pain? Who cared? Not Roy. He was being consumed, devoured, and a hunger was unleashed inside of him as he carded his fingers through Calhoun’s short black hair. He didn’t even care that he was getting whisker burns.
What burns?
The only goal on Roy’s mind was losing his V card as he prayed the kiss turned into something more.
Instinctively he curled his legs around Calhoun’s waist. His body had a mind of its own. Roy started humping Calhoun’s stomach as Calhoun kept kissing him with those expert lips and tongue. Roy cried out as his body shuddered and he clung to Calhoun.
Calhoun pulled back and stared down at Roy with furrowed brows. “Did you just come from kissing?”
Roy lay there enjoying the tiny aftershocks as he gave the man a goofy, sated smile. “That was amazing.”
“Shit,” Calhoun groaned. He pulled Roy’s pajama bottoms off. Thankfully he’d forgone underwear. His cock was wet and sticky but already trying to stir back to life.
“Was that too fast?” It was the fastest Roy had ever experienced, and he’d jacked off enough to know it had also been the best he’d ever had.
“Lube?” Calhoun kissed his way across Roy’s jaw as he moved around.
Roy had no idea what the guy was doing until he saw Calhoun toss his underwear aside. Roy tilted his head back and groaned as his lover nibbled his way down Roy’s long neck and sucked at his Adam’s apple.
He didn’t even care that Calhoun hadn’t answered his question. Roy would never look at his kitchen table the same again.
“Bedroom.”
Calhoun scooped him from the table and carried Roy down the hallway. They were both naked. Roy was finally going to get laid. Calhoun’s cock kept bouncing against Roy’s ass, teasing him, making Roy’s own cock grow stiff once more as they entered the bedroom.
Roy laughed when Calhoun dropped him on the bed, making him bounce, but the sound was cut off when he looked up at Calhoun and saw wild desire in the man’s eyes.