Chapter Four
“Did you scent him?”
Dave nodded. What kind of teenage hell was this? Ben was leaving things—nasty, flowery, melty, bleeding things—on his back porch and then slinking away like a terrified Scooby-Doo. “The man needs a clue.”
“Then give him one.” Rick picked up the meat, his brows rising in surprise. “Fresh venison. Straight off the deer.”
Dave wrinkled his nose. “Ew.” He darted back into the house and grabbed his bottle of Mr. Clean. He doused the back porch and grabbed the hose. “I’d move if I were you.”
Rick moved. He knew Dave meant it.
Dave started the hose and rinsed off the blood and disinfectant. “Has he ever heard of ‘I’m sorry’?”
“Rumor has it he’s been trying to say it, but the women have decided he needs to grovel more.”
Dave stopped the flow of water and stared at his Alpha. “What?”
“Yup. They want you to go on vacation and come home, calm, rested and ready to claim your mate. They want Ben to suffer while you’re gone. And they want to have a hand in it so later they can whisper and smirk and look all smug when you two snuggle-bunnies coo at each other.” Rick rolled his eyes. “Hey, I tried to stop them.”
“But stopping Belle and Chela when they’re on a roll is like trying to stop a hurricane with tissue paper.” Dave leaned against the back wall of his cabin and sighed. “They’re more likely to drive him off than drive him closer. Ben hates games.”
Rick held up the bloody slab of meat.
“Don’t ask me. I don’t know what the fuck that’s about.” Dave threw up his hands and got dripped on. He ignored Rick’s chuckles and coiled up the hose. “If he really wants to apologize, why didn’t he knock on the door? Why this stupid-ass shit?”
“Maybe he thinks it’s romantic.”
The two men eyed the blood dripping to the ground from Ben’s latest “present”.
“Nah.”
Rick laughed and threw the meat in the garbage. Dave had no idea how long it had been sitting out in the sun before they found it, but the scent was already beginning to turn sour. “He gave you flowers and candy and venison steaks. What more does a guy need?”
“How about actually talking to me?”
“How about a fifty-two-inch LCD flat screen with surround sound and a vibrating recliner to sit in while watching Jessica Alba in that skin-tight Fantastic Four outfit?”
Dave blinked. “That’s oddly specific.”
“Thanks. I’m warming Belle up for our anniversary. Think it’ll work?”
“Not if you mention Jessica Alba.” Rick had claimed Belle the previous February; it was now nearly June. She’d been Luna for over a year now, and Dave had a good idea how she’d react to her mate’s obsession with Ms. Alba. “You’ve got a ways to go before then.”
“I know, but maybe I’ll get one of them for Christmas.” Rick winked, as happy and carefree as Dave ever got to see his best friend. But that carefree expression didn’t last long. “Listen. Whatever Ben’s planning, he’s obviously not ready to claim you yet. Go and enjoy your vacation. The women will torture him, you’ll get some sun, and maybe he’ll have gotten his head out of his ass by then.”
Dave shook his head. “I don’t know. At this point I’m not sure if I want his head on straight or if I should just look for a second mate.”
Rick looked shocked. “Are you serious?”
Dave shrugged. “It would be a fresh start with someone new, someone who doesn’t have the baggage Ben and I do. And besides, bloody chunks of meat aside, can you honestly say Ben wants me?”
Rick opened his mouth to reply, but there was nothing really to be said. All games aside, Dave was pretty sure this was Ben’s way of taking care of his poor, wounded mate. Dave would lay odds it was Ben’s wolf that had pushed him into it too.
Well, if Dave got a second mate, Ben’s wolf could take a flying leap. He’d have someone to take care of him, thank you very much, and Ben could sit alone and miserable in his cabin while Dave boned and got boned every damn night for the rest of his life.
“The week I head to Florida?”
“Yeah?” Rick was giving him a strange look, but Dave couldn’t figure it out.
“It’s Gay Pride Week.” He smiled, aware of how sad it looked. He really wished, from the bottom of his heart, that his mate was going with him. They could ogle all the pretty men during the day and wrestle naked at night. But Ben wasn’t going to Disney World, and it was past time for Dave to stop dreaming.
“Dave. You’re my best buddy. You’re like the annoying little brother I never had and still don’t want. I want you to know that I say this with love in my heart for you.”
Dave winced.
“You’re a dumb ass.”
Dave picked the hose back up and sprayed down his Alpha. He had two weeks until he left for Florida. Dave ran for it, laughing as Rick snapped at him, that long red hair dripping into the Alpha’s eyes. By the time he left Rick would have forgiven him.
Two days later, when a bucket of water was dumped on his head from one of the balconies surrounding the hotel accompanied by a soft “Gotcha!” he knew he’d been right.
“Florida? What is Dave planning on doing in Florida?”
“Visiting Mickey Mouse.”
Ben pinched the bridge of his nose. Ever since he’d come back from New York the Luna had been particularly bitchy. Dave wasn’t himself, even Ben knew that. Dave was rarely this quiet, but Ben had barely heard a peep out of the normally laughing Beta. It was like the sun was hidden behind impenetrable clouds, and Ben wasn’t the only one suffering from lack of light.
Now the Beta was taking two weeks’ vacation. Not that Ben would know anything about that since Dave was still avoiding him like the plague. Hell, the other night after the Pack meeting, when everyone else had changed for a good run, Dave had turned and gone back to the main house, still fully dressed, still human.
Ben had, for a split second, thought of following him. They’d be alone at the big house, with no interference from the Pack females. He could confront him, apologize, and finally claim him as his own. The gifts hadn’t worked. It was time for direct confrontation, and Ben was more than ready to get this settled between them.
Then the air horn had gone off next to his ear, and by the time his hearing had returned he’d been alone in the great circle. The order was clear, even if the delivery method was cruel: stay away from the Beta or suffer any consequences his crazy, overprotective Luna deemed fit.
Ben had tried once or twice to corner Dave after that, but he’d been wily, his mate. Ben hadn’t caught Dave alone at all in the two weeks since he’d left the venison, and now his Luna was informing him that Dave would be leaving for two weeks’ vacation starting Friday.
Shit.
“And it’s Gay Pride Week at Disney.” She sounded absolutely delighted, the bitch.
Ben saw red. His wolf snapped and snarled. No way.
No fucking way.
Was Dave looking for a second mate? He’d kill any man that touched his David. He took a deep breath, trying desperately to control his snarling wolf. If he let the wolf out now he’d hunt Dave down and force a mating on him, something he didn’t want to do. He wanted to woo Dave the way the man deserved, and biting his ass in wolf form wasn’t the way to go about it.
Ben turned to the keyboard and began typing. “Thank you, Luna.”
He didn’t give a fuck if Belle became pissed at him. Ben picked up the phone and began dialing. Sometimes it paid to have friends in interesting places. “Please put me through to Steven Hoode. Tell him it’s Ben Malone, and it’s an emergency.” He waited patiently while Steve’s personal army connected Ben to the best friend he’d ever had. If anyone could pull a miracle out of his ass and help Ben get his mate, it would be Steve.
“Ben! What’s wrong?” The concern in his friend’s voice soothed something in him, but nothing would get rid of his tension if Dave succee
ded in his quest and found a second mate. He wouldn’t put it past the man to bring him home and flaunt him in front of Ben for eternity.
“Hey, Steve? Can I borrow the Disney timeshare for a couple of weeks? I’ll trade you a few weeks here at the lodge in primo rooms.” He had the authority to offer those, and when Rick found out who he was trading rooms with he’d kiss Ben’s feet. The man could give the Lodge’s reputation a huge boost among the humans. Steve hadn’t stayed here yet, so it would be a real treat for the New Yorker. He’d been so busy building his business he’d refused to take a vacation in years. That dedication had paid off, making Steve one of the richest men on the East Coast. He’d bought the timeshare planning to use it when he had the time. And now Ben was going to beg and plead to use it himself.
“This is your emergency?” He could hear the creak of Steve’s office chair as the man leaned back. One of these days he was going to fall and crack his head wide open.
“Dave. Gay Pride Week. Help, man.” He ignored the snickers of the Luna behind him as he began typing the email to Rick informing him he’d be gone for a couple of weeks unexpectedly. There was no way he’d allow Dave to find another mate.
The Beta already had one.
“I thought you wanted nothing to do with him.”
“Let’s just say I was dead wrong. Need to grovel over broken glass wrong. Bamboo shoots shoved in my…okay, not that wrong, but you get the idea.”
“Ah.” Steve’s chair creaked again. “Tell me everything.”
And Ben did, except for the part about him and Dave being Wolves and mates. Steve still didn’t know his best friend was a Wolf, and Ben couldn’t tell him. Not yet, anyway. “And now I’m afraid he’s given up on me, just as I’m ready to try and win him.”
“You owe me. I was planning on going myself on Friday.”
“Yeah. I know.” Ben grinned and brought up the Southwest Airlines website. He knew it was okay to book his flight. Steve hadn’t said if I do this. The timeshare was Ben’s.
“Big time. I was going babe watching.”
“During Gay Pride Week.”
Steven clucked his tongue. “Hate to tell you this, but those of us of the straight persuasion tend not to notice little things like that until our asses get groped.”
“I told you not to wear those shorts.”
“How about next time you just warn me that it’s a gay bar?”
Ben winced. He hadn’t wanted to go into the bar in the first place and hadn’t been in another one since. “Yeah, yeah. Let me know how much I owe you for tickets, ’cause I know you have to arrange things through the timeshare people.”
“Will do. By the way, I expect roaring fires, pretty ski instructors and Tia Maria-laced hot chocolate.”
Ben snorted. “Are you sure you’re not gay?”
“Don’t make me hurt you.” Ben grinned at the sound of another creak. “You win over your lady-love and you can consider this your wedding present, okay?”
“Thanks.”
“But I’m still taking those rooms at the Lodge.”
“Fine.”
“For a month.”
“A…what?” Ben blinked, shocked. “You. A month off. When did the sky turn pink?”
“Don’t you think I’ve earned it?”
“Yeah, but…” There was something Steve wasn’t telling him.
“Ben. You want the room or not? Think about it. Dave, all alone in Florida. Hot guys in bathing suits wandering around shirtless sucking on dripping—”
“Deal.”
Chapter Five
Dave stepped off the plane and into the Orlando airport, a huge grin on his face. The brightly colored mosaic tile on the floor, the sunshine pouring in through the windows, the flip-flops and grins on the faces of those around him let him know he was no longer in Pennsylvania.
He was in the House of Mouse and, damn it, he was going to have fun.
Dave followed the rest of the passengers down the long hallway to the—was that a monorail running through the airport? Holy shit! Dave grinned like a kid given the keys to the toy store. He’d never been to Florida, never had the opportunity to come to Disney World. Rick’s grandfather had refused all requests to leave the Lodge, believing the only way to protect his Pack from outsiders was to keep them isolationist. Dave had hated it, and when Rick challenged the old goat and won, Dave had been right at his side.
He knew Rick missed his grandfather, but the old Wolf had been wrong.
He watched a man walk by in tight jeans and a T-shirt that read Clap If You Believe in Fairies.
He was totally psyched about this. It was going to be great.
“Hey, when do we have to be at our hotel?”
Dave stopped at the monorail doors and grinned at his friend Charlie. “Check-in’s around three.”
“Dude, I still can’t believe you scored us the Contemporary. What did you do, rob a bank?”
Nope. He’d spent the money he’d been saving toward a honeymoon, finally realizing he’d never get the happily-ever-after he’d always dreamed of. Staying in one of the deluxe resorts at Disney with one of his best friends seemed like a good alternative.
All right. It was an okay alternative. Dave would much rather be pounding his mate through the mattress than sleeping a few feet away from his friend. If he succeeded and found a second mate in the ten days he was here, he might just get to do that. “Something like that.”
Bright blue eyes rose heavenward. “Uh-huh. This has nothing to do with the hunka-hunka you’ve been sending me pictures of over the years, does it?”
Dave winced. Charlie was a friend of his from his online college days, and damn if the Lion didn’t have a huge fucking mouth. He couldn’t let himself think of Ben, not when he was hunting a second mate. It made him feel oddly like he was cheating on the Marshall. “Just get on the goddamn train.”
Charlie’s laughter flowed over him. Dave followed his friend to baggage claim, eager to start his vacation.
It was going to be a fun time, whether his wolf liked it or not.
Ben scented his mate and prayed the other man didn’t scent him. He wasn’t ready yet for Dave to know he’d followed him to Florida. Ben grinned, knowing how feral it must look.
Dave could run, but he couldn’t hide. By this time tomorrow, he’d have the man mated and in his bed or he’d die trying. He threw away his cup of coffee and headed for baggage claim, knowing he had to stay far away from Dave until he was ready to show the man that he was here to claim him.
If Dave thought he was going to enjoy himself at Gay Pride Week with anyone other than his mate, he was sorely mistaken.
Dave stepped out of the hotel room and breathed deep. Below him, the monorail rumbled by, shaking the soles of his feet. He could barely hear it, but the knowledge that it, and Magic Kingdom, were mere steps away was worth it.
The hotel room rocked. The flat-screen TV was bolted to a faux fireplace, and when Charlie had flipped a switch the glass tile in the center of that fireplace had lit up. The beds were both queen size, giving him and Charlie plenty of room. The entire room was done in chocolate browns, pale tans and greens in a contemporary style. Dave loved it. It was modern, but it was far from the cold, sterile look many people associated with contemporary design. It was warm and inviting without being kitschy. The bathroom had double sinks with modern, farmhouse-style bowls and a private, enclosed toilet. The brown and white marble tile was cool underfoot.
And best of all, he’d gotten the Magic Kingdom view. He’d be able to sit out on his balcony and watch the fireworks every night if he chose. No lines, no squealing kids, no trying to see over other people’s heads.
Charlie was enchanted. He was going to have a hard time getting the Lion out of the room. When Charlie declared it was time to test the shower, Dave had bolted, knowing how long a Lion could spend washing their “mane”. He breathed in the rich smells of the three restaurants just a level or two below him. The whole center of the hotel was open,
giving a hell of a view over the dark brown railing of the restaurants and the lounge below. The place had three stores on the fourth floor, including two gift shops and a small grocery.
Dave was in love, and he’d barely left his room.
He headed around the corner to the elevators and nodded cheerfully at a woman with two kids. He made note of the artwork on the walls, the modern furniture even here by the elevators.
He’d have to talk to Rick about that. Having artwork near the elevators might not be a bad idea at the Lodge.
He stepped in and pressed the button for the first floor. He was in Disney, and he had every intention of visiting a park. Today he planned on hitting the Magic Kingdom. He had a runaway train to catch, a waterfall to go over and a haunted mansion to explore. And if he got really lucky, he’d run into some handsome pirates.
Ben who?
He chuckled on the way out the doors, following the footpath he’d seen earlier when they’d first arrived at the hotel. Who knew you could walk to Magic Kingdom from his hotel?
He resisted the urge to squeal like a child and practically ran for the magic, eager to let it wash away all his worries. He’d deal with Ben when he got home. Now, it was time to play.
Ben stared around the one-bedroom, one-bathroom timeshare he’d finagled out of Steve. The place was fucking amazing. There was a divider between the huge tub and the master bedroom that acted like a giant window. He could just picture his mate lying there, covered in bubbles and waiting for him, chatting while Ben got ready for bed. The king-sized bed was covered in tan sheets. The front room boasted a sofa and a small kitchenette complete with the food Ben had ordered delivered. The two flat-screen TVs were a bonus he hoped he didn’t wind up watching.
He’d rather watch his mate.
He dropped his bags and dug out his shorts, flip-flops and T-shirt. He had to find Dave. He knew the man was staying at the Contemporary, just a short walk away. It was incredible luck that Steve was able to get him this room at the Bay Lake Towers, right next to Dave’s hotel. Apparently Steve had planned on using the room himself during these two weeks. The wily bastard had made him work for it, though. Ben knew how much this little jaunt was going to cost him. He owed Steve big time. The man was going to get his free stay at the Lodge even if Ben had to bend over and spread ’em for Rick.
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