He turned in place, staring around. He was at the entrance to Splash Mountain, wondering if the man had been eaten by Br’er Fox or Br’er Bear. Because this was where Dave’s latest scent trail led and, thanks to the fucking water, Ben couldn’t find it anymore. So he waited by the exit for the ride and prayed he didn’t miss him in the press of people that surrounded him.
Fuck.
There was a gasp behind him. “Holy shit. Ben?”
Oh, thank you, God. Ben turned and smiled into the startled, wary face of his mate. “Dave.”
Dave took a step back, his face pale. “Ugh.”
Ben held up his hands. The last thing he wanted to do was stress Dave out and trigger another migraine. “Hey. No worries, Dave.”
Dave blew out a breath, but his shoulders remained tense. “What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you.”
Dave rolled his eyes. “Yeah. Right. Tell another me another fairy story, Grandma, I ain’t buyin’ that one.”
Ben glared at this mate. “I’m here for the nachos.”
He’d managed to startle a laugh out of Dave, easing the tension in his mate’s shoulders. He dared take a small step forward, lowering his hands back to his sides. “I’ve been trying to talk to you for weeks.”
“About?” The wary fear was back in Dave’s eyes.
Ben took a deep breath. He had to figure a way to erase that look from Dave’s face before it became permanently etched there. He’d caused his mate enough pain. “Could we maybe have dinner together? I have a lot of groveling to do, and I think it would be better done over steak.”
Dave blinked, his expression blanking for just a second. His shoulders eased. A relaxed, easy smile graced his lips. “Oh. Sure. You have a Hopper pass?” Ben nodded. “Cool. How about the Brown Derby over in Hollywood Studios? I heard the food there’s really good.”
Ben’s brows rose. This was way too easy. “Are you all right?”
“Oh yeah.” Dave looked up at the sky. “It should start raining pizza soon, so we might want to get under cover.”
Pizza? Ben choked down a laugh. “You’re not dreaming.”
“No?” Dave was still smiling. “In about three seconds you’re going to tell me you’re sorry, you can’t live without me, and you’ve got a naked Gerard Butler stuck in your pocket.”
That forced the laugh out. “Two out of three isn’t bad.”
Dave put his hands on his hips, some of the wariness returning. “So you’re not planning on going down on me on the Merry-Go-Round?”
“Nope.”
“Haunted Mansion?”
“Nuh-huh.”
“Rockin’ Rollercoaster?”
“Rockin’— Are you insane? I’d bite your dick off.” Ben winced and waved an apology at the father of the five-year-old girl staring at him with wide, innocent eyes. “Sorry.” He could feel his face turning beet red. He cleared his throat. “Look, can we go somewhere and talk?”
“Just talk?”
Ben nodded. At this point, he’d take anything Dave handed him. Hell, the man was finally talking to him. That was a step up in Ben’s estimation.
“And you’re sure this isn’t a dream?”
“I just gave a five-year-old an accidental education in sex. Yeah, I’d say this isn’t a dream.”
Dave’s mouth lifted in a shy smile, so at odds with the dominant personality Ben knew existed inside the Beta. Ben knew firsthand exactly how powerful Dave was. No one but Rick had ever forced him to bow down the way Dave had, and that had been while the Beta was in blinding agony.
“What are you doing here?”
He took slow steps until he was right in front of his mate, Dave’s heady scent filling his nostrils. “I’m here to claim you.”
Dave’s jaw dropped. His wide eyes darted upward.
Ben, knowing what Dave was looking for, grabbed his arm and pulled him after him. “Nope, still no pizzas. Jesus, you are such a goof.” And now he got to finally enjoy his mate’s innate goofiness. Before he would have held himself aloof, thinking alcohol was the cause of Dave’s attitude.
Now he knew the man was just weird. Ben couldn’t be happier about that.
Dave laughed and pointed to a teenager wearing a huge green Goofy hat. “Then it looks like I’m in the right place.”
But his hand tightened around Ben’s like he was afraid Ben would let go of him.
Ben grinned. As if.
“Where are you staying?”
Ben winced. This was the only part of the situation he knew for sure would get him into trouble. “Bay Lake Towers.”
“How the hell did you get a room there? And on such short notice?”
Ben wasn’t going to answer that if red hot pizza fell down from the sky and landed on his naked testicles cheese first. “How do we get to the Brown Derby from here?”
“Ben.”
Shit, Dave was using his power to demand an answer. Of all the Betas Ben had met only Dave seemed to have the ability to mimic a true Alpha. “I asked a friend for a favor.”
Dave scowled. “Steve.”
The anger in Dave’s voice worried Ben. “What do you have against him?” Ben turned to confront his mate. “He’s been a good friend for a long time.”
“Sure.” Dave’s smile was tight-lipped. “Is he here with you?”
Ben studied the look on Dave’s face. The anger there was mixed with…hurt? Ben was shocked. He’d known Dave hated Steve, but surely it wasn’t because of jealousy? “Dave. He’s just a friend.”
Dave’s jaw clenched.
“Seriously. He’s straight.”
One of Dave’s brows rose. “Really?”
“Let me put it to you this way: I’ve been thinking of introducing him to Chela. I think the two of them would get along great.” And if they turned out to be mates, so much the better. He’d love to make Steve Pack, but Rick had turned him down the one time he’d suggested it. They hadn’t been ready to add another Wolf to the fold, especially with the crap Dave’s sister Gina had been pulling at the time. Gina was gone now, and last he’d heard she’d begun an Amazon Pack with herself as the Alpha.
It was what she’d truly wanted in the first place. She hadn’t wanted Rick, she’d wanted power, and all of them had known it.
Still, Ben was planning on bringing his friend into the Pack by hook or by crook. All he had to do was ease his mate’s fears about the man and he knew everything would work out.
“I think Chela would take your friend, chew him up and spit him right back out.”
If they were still talking about Chela he’d eat that Goofy hat. “She might. She also might find he’s a good man who helped a friend when he really needed it.” He toyed with Dave’s fingers, glad when the other man didn’t pull away. “Please. I have a lot of groveling and explaining to do. Dinner?”
Dave looked off to the side, his expression uncertain. “Groveling?”
“Yup.”
“Lots of groveling?”
“Yup.”
“With beds of nails and hair shirts?”
Ben sighed. “I’ll do anything to make things up to you.”
Dave grinned, and Ben didn’t like the look of it. It was evil. The last time he’d seen that expression on Dave’s face the dining hall got painted purple. Rick had nearly blown a gasket. Rumor had it Dave had spent all night fixing the color. He still didn’t know what Rick had done to make Dave paint the hall that hideous shade of Barney. “Anything?”
Ben nodded.
“You’re sure? Because there’s no taking it back.”
“I won’t chop off my left nut or wear a clown nose.”
Dave started to laugh again. “You put clown noses and cut off balls in the same sentence?”
“Hey, those clown guys are creepy.”
Dave bit his lip. His cheeks flushed. “Fine. I’ll meet you at the Brown Derby in an hour and a half. There’s something I need to go get in my room.”
“I can go with you.”
Dave looked guilty for a split second before he smiled. He was a little wild-eyed. “No. That’s okay. I’ve got it covered.”
“Dave,” Ben drawled. He clamped down when Dave tried to pull his hand free. “What are you hiding?”
Dave pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand. “Charlie.”
It was like a punch to the gut. “Charlie.”
Dave nodded. “Yeah. Charlie.”
Ben swallowed. God, it hurt to think his mate was here with another man, but it was his own goddamn fault. He just hoped they hadn’t gotten the chance to do anything more than unpack or he’d have to kill the fucker. “Okay. Charlie.” He blew out a breath and tried to reign in his anger. “Is Charlie back in your hotel room?”
Dave nodded, looking guilty as sin.
“How do you feel about moving into the Towers with me?”
“I paid a crap-load of money for my room.”
“Then let’s move Charlie into the Towers, okay?” Ben gritted out between clenched teeth. His jaw was beginning to hurt. It was all he could do not to mark his mate right then and there. His eyes turned, the colors of the Magic Kingdom changing around him. The reddish clay color of Splash Mountain turned a deep, bright gold. The greenery around it altered subtly, taking on a brownish cast. Skin tones became grayer. Even the bright blue sky took on more of a violet cast as green and red blended in his vision. If he were to try driving down the street right now, he knew all the traffic lights would look yellow to him.
Dave sighed. If he noticed that Ben’s nearly black eyes had lightened to his wolf’s golden brown he didn’t react. “I’m not sure Charlie would want to move.”
Ben growled. He really didn’t give two shakes of a rat’s ass what Charlie wanted. But he knew what he wanted.
Charlie gone.
Chapter Six
“Down, boy.” Dave grabbed his arm and got them moving again before Ben could go all Beast without Beauty. “Um. Why don’t we go back to my room and—”
The growls got louder.
“—not eat my friend for dinner.” Dave winced. Charlie was going to love Ben. The Lion would look at his mate like a giant squeaky toy if he kept this up. But Ben’s golden-brown eyes warned him that Ben’s wolf was close to the surface. “Don’t make me get the leash.”
Ben snorted, whether in disgust or amusement Dave didn’t know. He was going to walk Ben back to the Contemporary and introduce his mate and his friend and pray the two of them didn’t get them all kicked out. Dave was having the time of his life and didn’t need to lose out on his vacation because the two shifters didn’t get along.
Half of him was still convinced this was a dream. Maybe he’d fallen asleep on the plane and only thought he was in Disney. He’d been looking forward to this for so long he wouldn’t be surprised. Having Ben here with him had been a dream for just as long.
“Listen, the way you say Steve has been there for you? Charlie’s been there for me. Don’t give my friend shit, and I promise not to barbeque yours.”
Silence. Not good. If Charlie and Ben got into it, Dave could lose them both. Unless, of course, he was right, and this was all a dream. He had a sure-fire way of proving it one way or another. He just had to get Ben to his room first.
“Steve tried to protect me. He knew what my dad was doing to me.”
Dave froze. “Your dad?”
“That’s the explaining portion of tonight’s entertainment, remember? I explain my childhood, you explain Charlie being in your hotel room, we agree to move you into my room so we can have wild kinky sex to fireworks, the end.”
Dave started walking again. He did his best to ignore the thought of wild, kinky sex, but just thinking the words made his cock hard. Add in the words “Ben and,” and he was practically panting.
They were past Cinderella’s Castle and near Main Street, USA. They’d be out of the park in no time. “Oh! Monorail!” One of the reasons he’d booked the Contemporary was because the Monorail from Magic Kingdom and Epcot went right through the hotel. He’d always thought that was cool, but when he’d heard you could walk to the Magic Kingdom from his hotel he’d decided to do that first. But now he’d get to give the Monorail a try. Ben was calm again, in no danger of shifting. The Monorail would be safe and quick.
Ben laughed. “Yeah, I thought you’d like that.”
Dave pivoted and began walking backward, pointing at Ben with his free hand. “You need to learn to have fun.”
“You need to learn not to invite other men into your room.”
Dave’s jaw dropped. Other men? He began laughing.
Yup. Charlie was gonna love this one.
“It’s not funny, asshole. How would you have felt if I’d brought another man on vacation with me?”
Dave abruptly stopped laughing. “Like you haven’t done that.”
Ben snarled. “No. I haven’t.”
“So you’re what? A virgin?”
“Are you?”
The two men glared at each other.
“Gentlemen, would you mind taking a small survey?” A cheery blonde smiled up at them, some sort of data pad in her hands. An electronic pen was poised over the pad, ready to mark down their answers.
“Yes.” Ben grabbed hold of Dave’s hand and dragged him towards the exit. “Monorail. Contemporary. Killing Charlie. Fucking. In that order.”
Dave’s brows rose. He wondered what Ben’s reaction was going to be when he found out Charlie was—
“Dave, pay attention!”
Dave tripped over the curb, almost going to his knees. Ben managed to get his arms around him and keep him from falling, but the position it put them in brought other things to mind. Dave was bent double, his hands on the circular railing in the center of Main Street, Ben’s crotch pressed tight to his ass. Dave flushed, the feel of Ben’s cock hardening against his ass bringing to mind all sorts of wicked things.
The wolf-whistle had both men straightening. “Nice catch.” A man winked at Ben and waved at Dave. “He’s a big one too.”
The man at his side laughed. “Yeah, no need to lie when you brag to your friends about this one, huh?”
The two men walked off, still laughing. Dave’s cheeks were bright red, Ben’s only a shade lighter.
“Let’s get out of here.”
Ben nodded and walked under the train overpass that marked the beginning of the Magic Kingdom. The two men hopped the Monorail that led directly to the Contemporary, neither saying a word. He had no clue what Ben was thinking, but Dave was worried. Why the change of heart? Did Ben feel sorry for him now that he knew the truth? Was it jealousy, knowing Dave had chosen to come here during Gay Pride Week?
Did he know of Dave’s plans to find a second mate?
The Monorail came to a stop, and the two men left. They rode the escalator to the fourth floor where they caught the elevator to Dave’s room. Dave’s heart was pounding, his nerves shattered. The moment of truth was almost upon him. He only hoped Ben’s sense of humor would get them through this.
“Calm down, baby. If it means that much to you I promise to only take a small chunk of Charlie’s hide.”
He turned his head and looked down at the Marshall. The man was only a few inches shorter than he was, but it made Dave feel protective, something he knew he didn’t need to feel. If anyone could take care of himself it was Ben Malone.
“How do you feel about Lions?”
Ben blinked. He stared straight ahead. He ignored the other people in the elevator. “We’re going on the safari ride?”
Dave almost laughed. “Something like that.” The elevator doors dinged and let them out on Dave’s floor. It was two floors above the bridge that led to the Bay Lake Towers. “We’re here.”
Ben followed him to his room, his hand on the small of Dave’s back the entire way. When it came to helping Rick rule the Pack, Dave was a rock. Introducing his mate to his friend turned him into a wreck. “Listen, there’s something you need to know about Charlie.�
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Ben blanched. “He’s your mate?”
“No!” Dream or no dream, he had to get that stricken look off Ben’s face. “Just…look. Charlie’s—”
The door flew open. “Davey!” Suddenly he had an armful of warm, cuddly, female Lion. Her long blonde hair tickled his nose. “Who’s your friend?” She leaned back and gave Ben the once-over, approval in her blue eyes. “Did you finally find someone to help you forget Big Ben?” Her eyes widened. “Oh, my God. You look familiar.”
Ben’s jaw had gone slack the moment Charlie threw herself into Dave’s arms, but it hardened when she mentioned someone else helping him get him over Ben.
Oh boy.
Ben held out his hand. “Name’s Ben Malone.” Ben shot Dave a look that promised retribution. “You must be Charlie.”
Charlie pulled slowly out of his arms, her gaze glued cat-like and unblinking on the Wolf. She dug her toe into the carpet and bit her bottom lip, the picture of innocence.
Dave took a step back so he wouldn’t get blood on him. He reminded himself that Ben could take care of himself.
Her hand whipped out so fast it was a blur, but the smack of flesh on flesh was loud in the echoing hotel. At least she’d kept her claws in. He wouldn’t have appreciated scars on Ben’s pretty face. “You bastard!” And she burst into tears.
Dave rolled his eyes, picked his roomie up in a fireman’s hold and carried her into the room. “No getting the nice Wolf arrested, Charlie.”
“But—”
“No, Charlie. And don’t you dare claw my ass.”
He heard more than saw her pout, but she went limp in his hold. “Aw, you’re no fun.”
The door shut. He glanced over to make sure Ben had followed them inside. When he saw the smirk on Ben’s face he dumped Charlie on her bed ass-first. “Be nice to my mate or I’ll limit your catnip to two a day.”
Charlie blew him a raspberry before turning her attention once more to Ben. “Are you going to treat Davey like he deserves, or are you going to continue being a rat bastard?”
Ben sighed and strolled into the room. “Long story short? My father was an alcoholic, a mean one. I can’t handle being around them, and I thought Dave was one.” He stared right into Dave’s eyes. “I’m sorry.”
Finding Forgiveness: Poconos Pack, Book 1 Page 5