by Stormy Glenn
This time, Boone was the one to draw in a breath. “That’s called the mating heat, Jackie. It’s what happens when mates claim each other.”
Jackie shot Boone a stricken look. “I thought you said mating was something wonderful.”
“It is, baby.” Boone lifted his hand and cradled Jackie’s cheek. “When mates claim each other, they go through a mating heat. Usually, they’re together and can help alleviate the symptoms.”
“You mean sex.”
“That’s part of it, but sometimes it’s just the touch of your mate.” Boone didn’t miss how Jackie was leaning into his hand. “My touch will soothe you just as your touch will soothe me. It doesn’t have to be sexual.”
“How long does it last?”
“Usually just a few days, but when a mating is interrupted, it can last longer.”
“You mean like when I kicked you out?”
Boone winced. “Yeah, like that.”
“I’m sorry.”
Boone was afraid to ask what Jackie was sorry for, and it must have shown on his face. Jackie sighed before leaning into him again.
“I was scared.”
“Oh, baby.” Boone tucked Jackie’s head under his chin and held the man as close as he could without climbing under his skin. “You have nothing to be sorry for. What happened to you never should have happened, and I’m sorry that it did, but I’m glad it brought you to me.”
“Even after the way I yelled at you and threatened to report you, you’re still glad I’m here?” Jackie sounded so astounded Boone had to laugh.
“I’m very glad you’re here.”
Jackie chuckled, and it was a wonderful sound. “You’re insane.”
“Quite possibly.”
If it meant he got to hold his mate in his arms, Boone wouldn’t have it any other way.
Chapter Seven
Jackie felt a little uncomfortable when Hugh stood and started for the door. He wasn’t sure he wanted the man to leave. He had been kind of a buffer between Jackie and Boone, and Jackie wasn’t sure what would happen if Hugh left.
“Kye and Neumus are expecting me home for dinner, and they get antsy if I’m not there,” Hugh explained. “If you have any questions, call me. I’d be happy to answer them. Boone can give you my number.”
Jackie glanced toward Boone. “You’re staying?”
“I can go if you want me to,” Boone replied. “But I’d like to stay, if that’s okay with you.”
Jackie bit his lip as he considered it.
“I want a chance to get to know you, Jackie, but I don’t want to do anything that will make you uncomfortable,” Boone explained. “So, you tell me what you’d like to do. I won’t get mad or upset. We can take this as slow as you need us to.”
Jackie drew in a breath, catching a hint of strong musk. Something else, something earthy and spicy, tickled his nose, but he couldn’t place it. “Would you like to stay for lunch?”
“Yes.” Boone smiled. “I’d like that very much.”
Okay, then. He could do this. It was just lunch…with a lion shifter.
Oh fuck.
“It’s against our nature for a shifter to hurt his mate, Jackie,” Hugh said. “Boone would feel every bit of pain he caused you. It would destroy him. It’s ingrained in shifters to always care for and protect their mates.”
Jackie sent Hugh a small smile. The theory of mates sounded good. The reality not so much. He had no idea how much of Hugh’s words were true. The man was a shifter, after all. Jackie’s experience with them as a species had not been that good. He wasn’t sure what to believe.
But as he turned to look at Boone, he sure knew he wanted to. The man was mouthwateringly gorgeous. Jackie would like nothing more than to shout to the world that Boone belonged to him, especially after the things he’d been through his entire life, both from humans and from shifters.
Liking soft, silky clothes and colorful makeup had not made him a lot of friends. For a long time, he’d tried to hide the things he desired behind closed doors and beneath heavy layers of clothing.
It wasn’t until his father took him aside and talked to him about being true to himself that he decided the world could go hang itself. He was going to be who he was, and anyone who didn’t like it could hit the door.
He missed his father.
“So.” Jackie closed the door behind Hugh and then smiled at Boone. “What would you like for lunch?”
Boone smiled back. “Meat.”
Jackie chuckled, some of the tension leaving his shoulders. “Wouldn’t you die if I said I was a vegetarian?”
Boone’s eyes rounded. “You’re not, are you?”
“No, but I had you worried there for a minute, didn’t I?”
Boone shrugged. “We would have found a way to compromise.”
Jackie cocked his head as he stared at the earnest expression on the big man’s face. “You really mean that, don’t you?”
“It’s what mates do.”
Huh.
“Look.” Boone brushed a hand over the top of his head. “I grew up in a really fucked-up pride. It was everything you’re terrified of. My alpha, who was also my father, was a rat bastard. He took my mother from me, he took my pride from me, and he almost took my life. From the moment I took my first breath until my brothers and I were able to escape, I lived in hell.”
Jackie’s heart broke at the anguish he could hear in Boone’s voice. His father had never been anything but supportive of him his entire life. He couldn’t imagine not having that. “What happened to him?”
“My brother Trevor killed him when the bastard was trying to kill another brother. He was originally sent to shifter prison and my brother Otto took over the pride, but he escaped and came after us. That’s when Trevor killed him.”
“Oh, Boone.”
“I’m not telling you this because I want your pity. It was what it was, and now it’s over.”
“Then why tell me?”
“Because since then, I’ve learned what a pride is supposed to look like. I’m the beta of my pride, the second-in-command. My brother took just a few who were on the run and turned us into a pride that accepts everyone for who they are or what they are. He gave us a home, a place where we can live in peace with our families, our mates.”
“You mean here in Potter’s Creek?” Jackie was trying desperately to connect the dots and follow along with what the man was telling him, but he really wasn’t sure where this was going.
“It started here, but it’s spread out to my old pack. Like I said, my brother Otto took over after our father went to prison. My brother Sawney mated the alpha heir of another pride. My brother Tre became alpha of yet another pride.”
“You have a lot of siblings.”
Boone snickered. “Like I said, my father was a rat bastard.”
“It was always just my father and me.”
“What about your mom?”
Jackie shook his head. “She took off right after I was born. I don’t even remember her.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
Jackie shrugged. He really didn’t want to talk about it.
“My father told me my mother had been killed in a car accident when I was about eight. It wasn’t until Hugh took over as alpha here that we learned he had lied. She was alive. The asshole told her that we died in the same car accident. She spent almost twenty-five years thinking her kids were dead.”
Jackie couldn’t stand it. He walked over and wrapped his arms around Boone, giving him a hug. The man shook against him for a minute before his arms came down and wrapped around Jackie.
“I’m so sorry you had to go through that, Boone.”
“You’ll like my mom. She found her true mate and settled here, raising a family.” Boone chuckled. “Giving me even more siblings.”
Jackie glanced up. “You want me to meet your mother?”
“Well, sure. You’re my mate.”
“You do remember that I wear nail polish, right?”
Boone’s brows drew together. “Yeah, so?”
“It doesn’t bother you?”
“No, why should it?”
“Because I’m a guy.”
Duh.
“I am very aware of that fact.” As if to prove a point, Boone pressed closer, the hard length of his cock rubbing against Jackie’s abdomen. “You’re a sexy guy with a flair for color, and I dare anyone to say any differently.”
Jackie was stunned. He leaned back more so he could get a good look at Boone’s face. “You mean that, don’t you?”
“I very rarely say things I don’t mean, Jackie, and I will never tell you a lie, even if I don’t like what I have to say. Lying to a mate is wrong. It’s an insult to the gifts the gods have given us.”
Jackie breathed in deep and slowly pushed out of Boone’s arms. It was hard not to give in to the need he could see burning in Boone’s brown eyes. No one had ever wanted him the way Boone did.
He needed to put a little space between them before he gave in. He wasn’t sure he wouldn’t at some point. So far, he liked what he was hearing about how mates were treated. He just wasn’t ready yet.
“I think I have enough stuff in the fridge to whip us up some hoagie sandwiches. Does that sound okay?” Jackie knew he had some lunch meat, cheese, and vegetable fixings. He might even have a bottle of stone-ground mustard lying around somewhere.
“Anything is fine. Most shifters aren’t real picky as long as it’s meat.”
Jackie felt more than heard Boone follow him into the kitchen. He ignored the man at his back and walked to the fridge to pull stuff out. Once he had everything gathered together, Jackie picked up a bag of hoagie rolls off the pantry shelf and then started putting together their lunch.
“Pickle?” he asked as he pulled a slice out for himself. He loved those pre-sliced pickles. Made making a sandwich so much easier.
Boone shook his head. “Just meat and cheese, please.”
“Do you have a preference on cheese?” Jackie eyed the pile he had pulled out of the fridge. “We have provolone, havarti, and cheddar.”
“Yes.”
Jackie lifted an eyebrow, but placed a slice of each on Boone’s sandwich. “Roast beef, pastrami, ham, or turkey?”
Boone grinned. “Yes.”
Jackie chuckled as he laid a couple slices of each kind of meat on Boone’s sandwich. The damn thing was getting bigger and bigger, and he hadn’t even added the vegetables yet. He glanced up.
“Lettuce, tomato, onion?” he asked.
“Yes on the lettuce and tomato.”
“And the onion?”
Boone eyed the sandwiches for a moment before lifting his gaze to Jackie’s face…actually, his lips. “Are you having onion?”
“I was thinking about it. Why?”
“Because I’m really kind of hoping to kiss you later, and I don’t want to have onion breath if you don’t.”
Jackie swallowed tightly as he added onion, lettuce, and tomato to both their sandwiches. What else could he do? He was kind of hoping Boone would kiss him, too.
Jackie finished constructing their food and then placed each hoagie on a plate. He handed one to Boone before carrying his to the small table in the breakfast nook. Boone followed and sat across from him.
Something warm settled in his stomach as he watched Boone take a bite. He felt good knowing he’d provided a meal for the man, and how weird was that?
“Yes, it’s normal to feel that way,” Boone said even though Jackie hadn’t asked a question. “Shifters are pretty basic…food, sex, protect.”
“How did you—”
“Know?”
Jackie nodded.
“Well, for one, I’m a shifter. Two, I have the urge to provide for you, as well.” Boone grinned. “And three, eating something prepared by my mate’s hand makes it the best damn sandwich I have ever tasted.”
Jackie grinned as amusement and a strange sense of pride filled him. He had no idea where it was coming from. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to figure it out either. For just a little while, he wanted to forget about his fear, his uncertainty, and his confusion. He just wanted to sit and have lunch with Boone…his mate.
“Tell me about being a shifter,” Jackie said. “What’s it like? Were you born a shifter? Is everyone in your family a shifter? How does a pride work? Do you really have to answer to Hugh, or is it more of a suggestion when he tells you to do something? And do all of you live out in that big house together?”
Boone’s eyes widened with each question. He finally took a bite of his sandwich, chewed, and then set it down. “Well, let’s see. I love being a shifter. I’m stronger and faster than most humans. I can smell better, see farther, stuff like that.”
“I’ve noticed the smell thing.”
Boone grinned. “Yeah, it’s pretty cool.”
“It’s weird. The other day I had to clean out my fridge. I thought I was going to pass out.” Jackie shuddered as he remembered the horrible smells, and the stuff in the fridge hadn’t even been that bad.
Boone chuckled. “Yeah, the smells can get pretty bad.” He pinned his gaze on Jackie. “But they can be pretty good, too.”
Jackie dropped his eyes when he felt his face flush.
“I was born a shifter. Until Drummond did what he did to you guys, all shifters were born shifters. You’re not supposed to make one unless you knock someone up.”
Jackie gasped. “I can’t—”
“No! God, no.”
Jackie blew out a breath. “I like ladies’ clothes, but I don’t want to be one. I like having a dick.”
Boone winked. “I like you having a dick, too.”
Jackie’s lips twitched with the need to laugh. He held it in by the skin of his teeth. “So, male shifters can’t get knocked up.”
“Not that I know of.”
“Let’s hope it stays that way. If I want to have a kid, I’ll do it the old-fashioned way.”
One brow on Boone’s forehead lifted. “The old-fashioned way?”
“Adoption.”
“Oh, yeah.” Boone nodded before taking another bite of his sandwich. “There are always shifters out there in need of a good home.”
“And humans.”
“True, but it’s harder to place a child that shifts into a cat than it is to place a human child.”
Jackie couldn’t argue with that, because he simply didn’t have that information. He just knew there were always children out there in need of a good home. “Have you ever thought of having kids?”
“I have,” Boone admitted. “I wanted to wait until I met my mate before taking that step. I always felt it took two parents to raise a well-rounded kid.”
“My father did all right.”
“My father didn’t.”
There really wasn’t an answer to that.
“Because they’re shifters, those kids that need a home have a harder time of it because they can only be placed with families who already know about us or are shifters themselves. And much like the human world, there are a lot of bigots out there. My brother-in-law and his brothers were chased from town to town because they weren’t lion shifters.”
“Maybe it’s not a human or a shifter thing,” Jackie said. “Maybe there are just assholes out there.”
“I agree,” Boone said. “Which is why I’m so loyal to the Potter’s Creek Pride and my brother. He accepts everyone based on their personality and not what they are or who they love. If you’re loyal to the pride, the pride is loyal to you.”
“That actually…that actually sounds pretty nice.”
Boone smiled again. “When you’re ready, I would love to take you and introduce you to everyone. I promise they’ll be thrilled to meet you.”
Instant fear infused Jackie, but he couldn’t outright say no, not when Boone was doing everything he could to be so nice. “I’ll think about it.”
“I’d like that. As for your other questions, yes, I do have to answer to Hugh.
He’s not only my older brother, he’s my alpha. His word is final in our pride. And he’s a good alpha. Probably the only alpha who’s better than him is Stellan Mihos, the alpha of the Mihos Pride, but that’s just because he’s been doing it longer.”
“I don’t think I’ve met him.”
“His pride is a few hours from here. He’s actually the man who gave the Potter’s Creek Pride to my brother. His mate, Benji, had been living here before they were mated.”
“Oh.”
“We live in Benji’s old farmhouse, although we’ve expanded it and updated it.” Boone’s shiver made Jackie chuckle. “You should have seen it when we first got here. It was a shack.”
“So, you really all do live in the same house?”
“Not all of us. One of my brothers and his mate live on the farm across the street, and my mom and her husband live in town over the grocery store.”
“The Grangers?”
Boone nodded. “Marsha Granger is my mother. Allan is her true mate.”
“I’ve met them. They seem nice.”
“She’s going to freak over you.”
Jackie stilled as something bitter welled up in his throat. “I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“Oh, no, baby, I mean in a good way. She’s going to be so excited that I found you.” When Boone reached out and grabbed his hand, Jackie allowed the touch. “Finding your mate is a time for celebration, not sadness. My mom will be thrilled.”
Jackie didn’t say anything, because he wasn’t sure what to say. He had zero experience with mothers.
“I’d like to meet your father, if it’s okay with you.”
Jackie could tell Boone was feeling him out. He just didn’t think he had an answer for Boone that he would like. “I haven’t spoken to my father since I was taken.” Jackie glanced up and met Boone’s gaze. The food in his stomach turned to lead when he saw the confusion on the man’s face. He knew he’d have to explain. “I don’t know what I am. I couldn’t take the chance.”
“I’ll protect you, Jackie.”
“I’m not afraid for me.”
Boone smiled as if he knew where Jackie was coming from. “I’ll keep your father safe, as well.”