by Fel Fern
“Have you been waiting long?” he asked. Tom looked up, blinking several times, as if not quite believing Raul was there.
“Yeah,” Tom finally answered, running a frustrated hand through his hair. “I didn’t want to be there a second longer.”
He’d only gotten fragments of what went down from their last phone call. Tom had sounded scattered-brained, shocked.
“Here, let me help you with those boxes,” he offered.
“I’ll help.”
“No, I’m good. Why don’t you sit inside?”
Tom narrowed his eyes at him and gave him a huff. “I’m not an invalid.”
“Yeah, I know that better than most, you have steel under your spine, but you don’t have to be strong all the time. You called me. Let me help.” He broke the words as gently as possible, because he was certain Tom couldn’t take that many emotional blows.
Tom slumped his shoulders. “Fine,” the human grumbled.
He packed two of the boxes in his trunk, the rest in the back seat, before taking the wheel again.
“You haven’t even broken a sweat,” Tom pointed out, eyes wide.
“You lived with a shifter,” he reminded Tom. “Of course little things like this don’t expend much energy.”
He realized he said the wrong thing, because Tom looked out the window to look at the fancy, no doubt pricey, high-rise that had been his home for five years. “I wouldn’t know. Bradley was seldom home.”
Raul instantly felt like the world’s biggest dick and decided to change topic instead. “We can get the rest of your stuff the next round?”
He had a feeling Tom took what he could, eager to leave the place.
“This is all my stuff, there’s no need.”
He blinked. “That’s all?”
“I don’t buy what I don’t need.” Tom finally looked at him. “You expected the rich boy to have more stuff, didn’t you?”
Was Tom teasing him?
“Maybe,” he admitted. “Even I have more stuff than this.”
He started the engine, knowing Tom wanted to be as far away as possible from this place.
Tom took a deep breath. Damn, but this close, he could take in the delightful scent of the human next to him. His wolf wanted to rub their scent all over Tom, too, so anyone on the street would know Tom was his. Dangerous thoughts. Raul knew Tom held no love for Bradley. Oh, Tom had a torch for the bastard once, but that crush turned into bitterness.
“Are you sure about letting me crash at your place?” Tom eventually asked.
“Sure, why not? Unless you’re a secret serial killer or something,” he joked. There was silence for a long time, and he decided no jokes for the moment.
“Thank you,” Tom said. “It’s really generous of you, considering you hardly know me.”
“I would do the same for a friend.”
At that, Tom looked at him. “We’re friends?”
“We could be, if you want.”
“I’d like that.”
No, Raul preferred to be something so much more. Ever since they parted from the diner, he finally found the answer. His wolf had been telling him for a while now that Tom was his mate, but the stubborn man in him questioned the animal’s decision, because Tom had already chosen Bradley, even wore the other man’s mate mark.
Learning it had all been fake gave him a sense of satisfaction, petty as it sounded. Fate landed Tom into his hands, it was time he took charge of his own destiny.
“I won’t take advantage of your kindness too long,” Tom was saying. “If I can’t find a place soon, I’ll go stay at an inn.”
“That’s not necessary. Stay as long as you like.”
Tom looked taken aback. “Thank you.”
“You should stop thanking me so much,” he pointed out, amused. “Or I’ll start collecting debts.”
“I’ll make it up to you, promise.”
“I’ll hold you to that, then.”
* * * *
Tom wished he didn’t make that promise. What if Raul wanted the favor returned in…less conventional ways? Tom found himself touching his lips again, as if remembering that sizzling kiss they had earlier. Had that only been earlier this morning?
So many things had happened in the span of a day, and his thoughts remained tumultuous at best. Tom decided to sleep on it. Tomorrow was another day. He realized Raul parked the car. Curious as to where Raul lived, he looked around, surprised to be in front of a modest-looking, two-floor brownstone house. “You live here?” he asked with some surprise.
“Together with my best friend Asher. Don’t worry, he usually keeps to his side of the house.”
“Are you sure I’m not a bother?” Tom knew he ought to shut up, accept the help offered, because on the way here, he calculated what he had in the bank.
The bookstore barely survived, and all his savings went to bringing in more books and organizing events for his loyal customers. Asking help from his father was an absolute no, of course. So, crashing at Raul’s place would certainly save him some cash.
“Ask again and I’ll toss you back where I found you.”
It took him a second to realize Raul was joking. He let out a laugh, which ended up sounding too forced.
“Hey,” Raul said softly, beginning to take out one box from the backseat. “Don’t push yourself too hard. You don’t need to pretend for me. You’re fine the way you are.”
Those words struck him like a blow from a sledgehammer. No one ever said that to him, that he was fine on his own. Both his father and Bradley liked picking out his flaws, improving on them until he no longer recognized himself. They expected the mate of a prominent millionaire werewolf to act, behave, and talk in a certain way. All the interviews he did with Bradley were scripted. It was like Bradley wanted a robot straight from the assembly line, one that would happily do as asked.
“Tom? You okay?”
“Yeah.” Embarrassed to be caught drifting off, he helped Raul with the boxes. They got everything inside in less than ten minutes. He wasn’t sure he was much help, either. They were in the hallway of the house now, and he curiously looked around. Tom was about to ask Raul if he owned the place when they were interrupted by someone else.
“Raul, who’s your cute friend?” asked a deep voice.
This must be Raul’s roommate and friend, Asher. The tall, imposing, and muscled guy stood by the stairs, looking at them curiously.
“This is Tom, he’ll be occupying the extra guest bedroom awhile.”
Asher gave him a considering look and, judging by the way Asher went down the stairs without noise and with obvious predatory grace, it wasn’t hard to conclude Asher was a shifter, too.
“This human looks familiar,” Asher eventually said. “Weren’t you on a few of the society papers before? Mate of some big-shot rich shifter.”
“This is Tom Morris,” Raul explained, moving in front of him.
“Not Morris,” he quickly corrected. “Not anymore.”
Raul smiled at him for that, and that lethal smile instantly melted his insides. He drew a shaky breath, recalling Raul being able to smell his arousal. Which meant Asher could, too. God. What was he thinking, bunking in with a couple of shifters, predators in human skin?
Still, he’d never forget the fact Raul offered him a selfless helping hand when no one else would. He would suck it up, see what he could make of his present situation, and find out what the hell he’d do next.
“Well, it’s your house,” Asher told Raul, then nodded to Tom. “Make yourself at home, Tom. I’m off to work.”
Then the shifter breezed past both of them and out the door. He took a deep breath. “He seems all right.” Tom didn’t realize he muttered that out loud. He blushed, but Raul didn’t seem offended.
“Asher and I grew up together in the same foster home, so we’ve been close since childhood,” Raul explained. “He’s a good guy, just appears cocky at first. He’s also a PI.”
“At Alpha Eye?” Tom
asked, curious about their relationship.
“Yup.” Raul’s phone beeped and the werewolf took it out, gave it a glance. “Shit, I’m late for a client meeting. I want to show you your room first.”
Did Raul drop everything to help him out? The thought made his heart race, his breathing quicken. Why though? Why would Raul help him out, despite telling Tom during their first meeting together he was a professional who didn’t dick around with his clients?
He thought about Raul’s offer about being friends and relaxed a little. Tom could certainly use one of those. Raul gave him a quick tour of the place, showing him the living room and kitchen before climbing up the stairs to the second floor. He showed Tom the shared bathroom and the guest room, his room, which lay across Raul’s.
“I’ll get you clean sheets and towels, hold on.”
“You don’t need to fuss,” he quickly said, but Raul disappeared and returned minutes later with the items. “You’ll be late for your meeting.”
“That’s fine, I’ll say there was an emergency.”
“Emergency?” he prodded.
Raul flashed him a heart-stopping grin, drawing his attention to the mouth that gave him the best kiss of his life. “Someone I care about needed my help.”
With that remark, the shifter left before he could get a word in. Stumped and still unable to completely wrap his head around what just happened, Tom sat on the edge of the bed. Unfamiliar bed, room, and house, he realized, but perhaps, unfamiliar was a good thing for him.
Chapter Five
“If you go to the tabloids and press with those pictures, it won’t just be Bradley’s reputation you’ll be soiling,” his father, Johnson Gaines, warned him.
His father sat across him from his office desk, and behind Johnson were floor to ceiling windows that gave them a perfect view of the city. Johnson always did like towering over everyone else, including his son. For most of Tom’s life, his father intimidated him. Johnson expected results from him since the day he was born, expected any son from his loins would outperform everyone else.
Tom did his best, too. Too bad his best was never enough. Their major falling out happened when he turned twenty-one. Johnson had been grooming him for the family business since forever, but he finally came to the realization he didn’t want his future to be the one staring at him in the face right now.
He always loved books, the smell of paper. He poured all his savings into his little store, but the recession happened and his father came up with that ridiculous proposal for Tom to be Bradley’s mate.
Bradley needed a clean image and while Tom refused to accept any monetary support from either Bradley or his father, the publicity of their fake relationship gave his bookstore a boost.
“I know. Don’t you think I’ve considered that?” he eventually answered. “I won’t send this to the press. I won’t want to make this any messier. All I want is to be free of him.”
Johnson considered him. “I always knew you were infatuated with Bradley, but to threaten me with this to get his attention? That’s beneath you, Tom.”
He laughed, taking his father slightly aback as Johnson frowned at him. “You think I’m doing this to get back at him? No. I want nothing to do with Bradley, because I want to focus on my own life.”
Tom might be bookstore owner by profession now, but he knew how to negotiate. “Release an official statement that Bradley and I are no longer mated, that’s all I’m asking for. That we have irreconcilable differences.”
“The public won’t like that. Most of them think you two are the perfect couple, which is a huge image boost to the Morris-Meadows conglomerate.”
Of course his father only thought of business, of what was advantageous to him. If Bradley had been physically abusive toward him, he had a feeling his father’s advice would be to “suck it up.” His father only saw him as a potential investment, not a son.
“I don’t give a damn about that.”
“Your little store will suffer,” his father said with obvious distaste.
“Doesn’t matter. I’m considering closing up shop anyway.” It hurt to admit that, but he had no other choice. Sooner or later, he’d need to declare bankruptcy either way.
“Then what will you do? You’re no longer mate to a big name in the city, and you don’t even have your pathetic bookstore. What? You’ll start working at a fast food chain?”
I’ll be nothing in your eyes, but I’m something else to another. Raul certainly saw him as someone worth extending a helping hand to. Raul even said Tom had steel in his backbone. That made him proud for some reason. He’d sought his father’s approval his entire life, before realizing he was never getting it.
His father used people for personal gain. Bradley and Bradley’s father were the same. That wasn’t new, simply their world, but it didn’t need to be his.
“You don’t need to know that,” he simply said, rising to his feet. His father always determined when a meeting started or ended, but not this one. Tom had the leverage this time. He didn’t come here to make a deal, but make a statement. “You have three days, and tell Bradley there isn’t any need for dumb lawyers. Let’s just settle this without fuss.”
Then he walked out of there, feeling on top of the world. Even his father’s secretary, gave him a curious glance as he passed by. The load in his chest felt a lot lighter. For the longest time, he felt like he was on a sinking ship, unhappy with his personal life and doing everything he could to keep his store afloat.
It was finally time to let it all go, to move forward and never look back.
* * * *
“Hey,” Raul said, knocking on Asher’s office door.
Office was stretching it, but at the very least, they had their own private spaces to meet clients. They began their business in a single rented room of an office building. Now, they rented a space large enough to erect walls to separate individual offices.
“Pizza tonight?” he asked Asher.
Asher peeked at him from his computer and pile of paperwork. “Pass. I need to do a little investigative work tonight.”
“Oh?” The thought of having the house all to himself and Tom made him excited.
Asher snorted. “Why don’t you go bone that human stray of yours already?”
He crossed his arms. “Tom and I are just friends, and besides, he just moved in yesterday.”
Tom certainly had been determined to move on quickly, though, because Tom declared that morning he planned to meet his father to break the news.
“Friends? Bite me. I’ve known from the start he’s different from the other guys you’ve fucked.”
He growled under his breath, but didn’t deny it.
Asher probably knew him better than anyone else. The other man finally looked him in the eye. “Just be careful, Raul.”
“I can take care of myself. Besides, I can handle one little human and his bastard spoiled ex.”
“I know you can, but this is uncharted territory, even for you, isn’t it?”
Stunned his best friend came to the conclusion Tom might be his potential mate and not just some random lover, he blinked. “How could you tell?”
“Your wolf didn’t like the presence of another predator yesterday.”
His beast did feel more wild yesterday, overprotective, but he reminded his inner animal that Asher wasn’t about to take what he began to see as rightfully his. They might not be related by blood, but he considered Asher his brother.
“I’ll behave,” he promised.
Asher laughed. “It’s fine. I know when to stay away. Go enjoy your human.”
“I can’t push him, not now when he’s still recovering from everything’s that happening in his life.”
“It’s clear to me he wants you, too,” Asher remarked. “I noticed him stealing secret glances at you this morning during breakfast.”
He noticed that, too, but didn’t make a move, deciding instead that Tom needed his space. “Wolves can be patient hunters.”
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“Funny, I never knew you to be patient.”
Leaving the office, he mulled over Asher’s words, and he realized Asher had an excellent point. Raul saw what he wanted and went for it at full force. When it came to Tom, though, he needed to show a little caution. He got into his car, stopped by a pizzeria near the office to get dinner for both Tom and him, before heading back home.
What would it be like, to come home after a long day to the welcoming arms of his mate? To Tom smiling solely for him? They would end every night with Tom in his bed, begging Raul to fuck him again.
A nice thought, but if he wasn’t careful now, he could risk losing Tom. Reaching his street, he parked the car, grabbed the pizza, and went to his door. Fishing out his keys, he unlocked the door, stumped to see the dark hallway.
Hearing sounds in the living room, he padded closer. His wolf wasn’t on high alert, because he detected no intruders in the vicinity. Raul found Tom in slumped in the living room couch, eyes glued to the TV screen, although the human wasn’t really paying attention to the news.
Tom didn’t even blink when he turned the TV off. He approached the human, worried, setting the pizza box on the coffee table and kneeling in front of Tom. Finally, Tom blinked and stared up at him.
“Oh, hi. Didn’t see you there,” Tom mumbled.
“What’s wrong?”
Tom shook his head and sat up. “I’m fine.”
“You don’t seem fine to me. Your visit to your dad’s office didn’t go as planned?” That could only be the explanation—that or Bradley did something. He didn’t mention it to Tom yet, but he kept tabs on Bradley and his people. So far, Bradley wasn’t doing anything yet to retrieve his lost mate.
That goes to show how little Tom means to Bradley.
The thought made him furious.
“It went better than expected, actually. It’s just, it’s finally dawned on me that I can do whatever the hell I want.” Tom’s shoulders sagged. “It’s also overwhelming. For five years, I had a routine. True, I was basically Bradley’s mate in name and no better than his personal assistant or errand boy, but I got used to doing things in a certain way.”