Drilling Dale [Alpha Wreckers 3] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove)

by Fel Fern

  With that, he saw Malik out the door. Not hard to imagine himself living here and kissing his boyfriend before Malik went to work. He closed the door. No fantasies, he told himself. Shit. He shouldn’t be thinking of Malik in romantic terms, because Malik had made it clear he only wanted to be friends.

  “Friends are good, right?” For one, friends might not have sex benefits, but there were other pros. Malik wouldn’t talk and open up to his one-night stands either, and today, Malik had shown a warm, funny side Dale had never seen before.

  Speaking of friends, Malik hit a sore spot, too. Dale took out his phone, smiled at Malik’s number, never imagining he’d get it this way. He furrowed his brows, huffed at the name Malik had typed in.

  “Gorgeous Jaguar Prince, seriously?” Dale didn’t make an effort to rename the entry though. He scrolled past the unanswered texts he’d gotten from Henry and Wren. Despite how hard he tried to pretend everything was fine, both of them suspected something was wrong. Pride got in the way, but Malik made an excellent point.

  Ever since he’d moved here two years ago, Wren and Henry had become the family he’d lost. Sure, they screwed around often but were always there for each other, thick and thin. He’d complained to Wren about dragging him to bake-offs in obscure towns and spent entire weekends playing MMOs with Henry, but distancing himself from them had hurt.

  They would probably be mad. He took out his phone and texted a simple message to them both in their group chat.

  Wren instantly replied, as did Henry.

  Wren: Hey? That’s what we get after you keep ignoring us?!

  Wren immaturely spammed him a number of angry smiley faces.

  Henry: Where are you? Are you okay?

  Then his phone rang. Seeing Henry’s name, he picked up, knowing full well that Henry would update Wren about their conversation.

  “Hi,” he said, feeling shy.

  “Dude, no word from you for days. You worried the hell out of Wren and me. We were beginning to consider asking our mates to track you down.”

  Sweat dripped down his back at the thought of an Alpha werewolf and Alpha werebear on his trail.

  “I’m sorry. I’ve sort of been in a bind and, yeah, kind of an asshole.”

  “Are you free right now?” Henry asked. “Meet Wren and me for lunch. Tell us everything.”

  “Okay,” he whispered.

  Henry ended the call, and he sighed. His friends were probably going to give him a lot of shit for keeping silent the past few days. Dale didn’t blame them though. He deserved a tongue-lashing, but how the hell was going to explain that he was now living with Malik?

  * * * *

  “Well, tell us if Malik doesn’t anything, you know, inappropriate,” Wren said after Dale had finished telling his friends about the reality of his situation.

  Despite Wren’s comment, Dale could tell Wren said it lightly.

  Wren juggled Tricia on his shoulder, affectionately patting her adorable rump as she burped.

  Dale leaned forward, poked a finger into his nose, smiling when she sleepily gave him an uninterested look.

  “He’s not so bad,” he found himself answering Wren.

  “Want to carry her?”

  “Oh yes.”

  Dale had endured half an hour of admonishments, but if he placed himself in their shoes, he’d be mad, too. Now they were cool about it. Well, Dale promised to make it up to them in the future. In his arms, Tricia snored lightly after he swayed her in his arms.

  “I don’t know what kind of magic you weave,” Wren told him shortly. “Let’s put her in the stroller.”

  He gave the little girl back. Damn, but he missed his friends and Tricia. Then again, everyone had their moments of self-doubt and his friends understood that, having gone through the same thing in the past. Wren had lost his mate, devastating for a shifter, because the mating bond was for life. Wren never thought he could love another until Cole entered his life, and Henry never thought he could win the heart of a wild, reclusive Alpha werebear.

  Dale had been by his friends’ side during their rough journey, and now, he started to wonder if the same could happen to Malik and him. Stop, he told himself. If he kept thinking there was something between them, this wouldn’t end well, given he was living with the gorgeous male. Yet, he hadn’t imagined the explosive chemistry between them when Malik had kissed him.

  That little detail, he kept to himself, because things were somewhat uncertain at this point.

  “Malik likes people to think he’s superficial and arrogant on the outside, but he has a good heart underneath, doesn’t he?” Henry asked him.

  He remembered Henry telling him how Malik had played a minor role in helping Spencer and him get over their misunderstandings and issues during the earlier part of their mating.

  “Yes, he does,” he replied.

  “Whoa, I thought you were mad at him for dissing you at that club?” Wren asked.

  Dale shook his head. “Malik explained he didn’t want to take advantage of me when I was drunk, but I had a feeling there was another reason he wasn’t telling me.”

  “Well, you sure about this, Dale? Staying with Malik, I mean. You can bunk in with either of us,” Henry said.

  He shook his head. “You have mates now, and I don’t want to be third wheel. Don’t worry. I’m past my self-pity, self-loathing stage now. If something happens, I’ll call you guys.”

  Leaving that cafe and promising to see his friends again, he realized he would have continued on the same pattern. He’d live at that abandoned house, let desperation eat him up with every bit of failure, because when one got to that stage, every disappointment would blow out. Dale had been selfish, forgotten about the people who cared about him.

  “All right then,” Henry said. “So tell us how’s the auditions been going?”

  As he spoke, Dale wondered if he could do something small for Malik tonight, just a simple thank-you.

  Chapter Four

  Malik blinked, realizing the staff meeting was over and folks were beginning to rise from their table. He’d been preoccupied the rest of the day, thoughts centered on one particular human waiting for him at home.

  He smiled at the domestic image of Dale wearing one of the goofy aprons his brothers always gave him as a gag Christmas gift, the table all set for dinner for two. In this daydream, Dale had a gig later that evening, but made the time to make a meal for them, one private and intimate moment before his show. Then he’d show his appreciation by rewarding Dale in the bedroom.

  Indulging in a little fantasy never hurt in his opinion. It used to anyway. These days, his inner jaguar had started longing for more than a couple of hook-ups. Fuck, but it had been a while, too, since he’d had sex. Dale had approached him at the club weeks ago, and he hadn’t hooked up with anyone, mighty rare for him.

  “Hey, Malik, you okay?” Nash asked, beside him. He realized the office had emptied out, save for Nash and him. Just great.

  “Yep, fine.” Malik wasn’t interested in having this conversation, especially not after Dale had texted him about a surprise.

  “You looked zoned out the entire time.”

  He let out a sigh, studying his older brother. At first glance, Nash usually scared off most people. Nash had a dominant animal inside of them and was big, rough, but what people often saw were the old rake marks on his neck that Nash never bothered to hide. Nash was quiet, perceptive, but one could never ignore his presence.

  “I heard about the little incident this morning,” Nash ventured.

  “Yeah? I’m not surprised.” Their people were incredibly loyal to them, and in return, they made sure they were all cared for.

  “This human friend of Wren and Henry, what’s he to you?”

  “Nothing. I’m just being a kind stranger, offering him a place to stay.”

  “A stray, is that all he is to you?”

  “Nash, seriously. Wasn’t my love life one of the things we agreed never to discuss?”

&n
bsp; “This human is different. I can tell. You’ve never invited anyone to your den before.” A statement, not a question. “I don’t want to see you hurt.”

  Flabbergasted, he stared at Nash. “Me? Hurt? I’m a big cat now, Nash. I can handle myself.”

  “Really?” Nash rose to his feet, not pushing, but his words struck a chord. “When people get too close, you push them away.”

  Malik growled at Nash, who showed him teeth, before leaving the meeting room.

  Mood foul, he stalked out of the conference room and out of the two-floor shop house that was the main office of Alpha Wreckers Inc. They’d been doing well lately and had talks about expansion, getting a bigger place, and hiring more staff. When it came to their professional life, Malik and his brothers were doing well. Cole and Spencer’s personal lives were excellent, too, leaving Nash and him mateless.

  Who needed mates anyway?

  What a lie, Malik thought, getting into his jeep. He remembered thinking in his youth that whoever was unlucky enough to be his mate would be cursed. Nash was right. He pushed away whoever got too close to unearthing his secrets. Nash and the others persisted, stuck around, because they were his brothers.

  Aside from them, Malik had acquaintances, plenty of friends, but none that truly knew him. Once in college, he’d gotten close to pursuing a relationship, but Lester had broken up with him, saying that he was cold as ice, had too many walls that would never come down. Since then, he’d been satisfied with flings and dirty encounters.

  But not anymore, his jaguar whispered. Not since Dale.

  “Did I just shoot myself in the goddamn foot?” he muttered, directing the jeep back to his place.

  No, whatever his issues were, bringing them to the dining table wasn’t an option. Dale had looked shaken before he left the apartment when he’d placed an emphasis on being friends, but he had been relieved at the same time, too. No use messing up things.

  By the time Malik arrived at his apartment building, his mood was calm, his jaguar content, for now anyway. He headed up to the unit on the fifth floor, slotted his key in, only to have the scent of roasted chicken hit his nose. His stomach rumbled as he took in the scene.

  Dale smiled up at him shyly from the dining table, wearing one of his hilarious aprons. Was he dreaming? It took Malik several seconds to realize what was so odd. He usually ate out or take-out, so seeing the table all set up and an entire dinner meal laid out left him stunned.

  “Come in,” Dale said.

  Malik shut the door behind him, trying to wrap his head around this situation.

  “What’s all this, little human?”

  “Um, well. I took your advice, met up with friends. We made up, but I wanted to thank you for letting me stay, so I asked Henry and Wren’s help to help me whip this up.”

  “Did Henry cook?” he joked, recalling the one evening when they were all over at Nash’s place after Henry had recently been mated to Spencer. It was a potluck, but Henry had added sugar to his beef stew.

  “Naw. I know he’s bad at cooking. Mostly Wren and I took charge of that. I hope you don’t mind we used your kitchen, and I borrowed this.” Dale tugged at his apron. “I was surprised you had so many of them though.”

  The one Dale wore had a cartoon jaguar on it wearing a chef’s hat. Malik really didn’t know where his brothers got these ridiculous things.

  “Running joke. I never learned to cook, despite my brothers’ many attempts to make me a decent cook. You wearing that apron though.” Malik licked his lips. “Kind of like the Dale in my daydream.”

  “Wait. What?” Dale held up a finger, frustrated look on his face as Malik approached him. “You can’t do this?”

  “Do what?” He reached Dale now, tugged at one of the straps. Malik didn’t know a silly apron could turn him on so much. Well, it wasn’t much of the apron but the pleasure gleaned from Dale, spending hours preparing him dinner.

  “Use this dangerous weapon of yours, especially after making it clear we’re just friends,” Dale stated.

  Fuck, the little human was right, but how could Malik keep his distance? Dale looked so adorable in his apron, a little uncertain, but he could smell Dale’s arousal in the air. Add in the fact that no one had ever done anything so sweet for him, and that made Dale extra irresistible.

  Sweet, thoughtful, sexy human.

  His.

  No.

  Yes.

  Malik leashed his inner jaguar, but it wasn’t just the animal who was attracted to the amazing human in front of them.

  “Weapon?”

  “Don’t act coy and all. Once you turn your flirting switch on, you know it’s hard to resist you,” Dale blurted.

  “Are you saying I’m irresistible?”

  “Stop it. Don’t tease, not after you drew all the lines in the sand. I know you’re a good actor, but when you’re with me, you don’t need to put that mask on.”

  Damn it. Dale had made the connection.

  When Malik had first moved into Snow Valley, he’d been as wild and unruly as his brothers. Most of the people at school were scared of them, especially the dominant still untamed animals in them. Malik discovered if he smiled, joked, and flirted, people opened up, became less scared of him and, eventually, his brothers.

  He used the good looks he’d inherited from his bastard father, the looks he hated, to better use. Flirting was in his blood now; he lived and breathed in it. Smiles came to him all too easily, but Dale was the first to figure out it was just a mask.

  Malik took a step back, although his jaguar strained at his leash. A snarl slipped out. Damn it. How could one vulnerable little human see so much?

  “I’m sorry,” he finally said. “Fuck, Dale. You’re right and…I appreciate the dinner.”

  He could feel his jaguar though, so close to the surface of his skin. Pretty soon, it would want out. It was Nash who’d taught him to control the beast, and he hadn’t lost to the animal since he was a teenager. Dale was bad news. He needed to think, to run on all four paws, lose himself for a while in the skin of his beast. Not now though, because he didn’t what to ruin what Dale spent all day making.

  “Apology accepted,” Dale replied, much to his surprise. “Please sit?”

  He sat. “So, what did you make?”

  * * * *

  After seeing Dale turn the lights off in his room, Malik waited a little longer before heading out. He took his jeep, drove out to the outskirts of town, parked his ride by the side of the road, and got out. Malik undressed. His skin felt fever hot, the beast eager to burst free. He didn’t bring any important belongings with him, and besides, if someone did pass by this seldom-used road, they’d recognize his ride and would wisely keep away.

  Once free of clothes, he reached for his jaguar. Midnight-black fur covered his chest and shoulders. Claws emerged from human hands and feet. Once he was on fours, he broke into a run. Not wanting to crash into any shifter on land, he made way for the trees and leapt from one branch to the next.

  The woods surrounding Snow Valley belonged to all the shifters living in town, a kind of safe haven for them to let their inner animal out. Usually, Malik didn’t mind company, but tonight was different.

  He didn’t know how long he ran, leapt, climbed. Hours seemed to pass, but adrenaline still raced through his veins and his mind went back to the somewhat awkward dinner. He had enjoyed the meal though and had lied to Dale about having a bad day at work.

  You wreck everything you touch.

  It had been years since he’d heard his mother’s words in his head. Nash, Spencer, Cole, and he had come from rough backgrounds; each harbored their very own inner demons, but Isiah had always taught them the past didn’t matter. Isiah had shaped them into the men they were now, but not all demons could be easily exorcised.

  Malik’s mind went back to that childhood incident where he’d attacked one of his mother’s clients. He would have ripped out the bastard’s throat, if not for the neighbors. They’d heard the noises
and called the cops. He remembered how his fury had dissipated, replaced by betrayal when his momma hadn’t lifted a finger when the human cops stunned him unconscious. The next time he’d woken, he was in a cell of the police’s supernatural divisions.

  He had hoped his mother would come by, but she never had. To his shock, Gary Hex had come to his aid and given an explanation as to why his animal had gone out of control. When the state decided his mother was unfit to take care of him, Gary had told him it was the best he could hope for. Maybe the jaguar shifter had done it out of pity, but after wishing him luck, he’d never seen Gary again.

  Malik had moved from one foster home to the next, until Isiah had taken a chance on him. Even then, he’d taken his momma’s words to heart and wrecked everything he saw. He’d been an angry kid, an even angrier teenager, just like his brothers. He couldn’t recall the number of times they’d destroyed a piece of furniture in the house.

  That was when Isiah had decided to teach them to build, instead of destroy, to finally do something worthwhile with their hands. Even though he was an adult now, he was still terrified of losing control like that time again.

  He’d been lost in his head he hadn’t realized another predator had been following him. Malik didn’t move from his lazy, perched position on an old oak tree. Beneath him, a large wolf the size of a small horse with dark mahogany fur looked up at him with golden eyes.

  Nash.

  Nash growled up at him. When he swung his tail lazily back and forth, subtlety telling Nash to mind his own business, Nash lost it and turned back to human.

  “Are you going to get down, or are you going to make me climb?” Nash demanded.

  Wolves couldn’t climb trees, but the man certainly could.

  Nash let out a breath as Malik continued swishing his tail back and forth. “You know, Cole and Spencer were easy to deal with. They were hotheads, so I just needed to bang their skulls together. But you? No, you’d find some tree and give me the silent treatment all day.”