Dallas

by Catherine Lievens

  Dallas shook his head. He wasn’t going to let his stupid feelings make Hamilton feel bad, not when he hadn’t done anything to provoke them. “It’s fine. You just found out about shifters and mates. I don’t expect anything from you.” That was a lie, but Hamilton didn’t have to know.

  He seemed to, though, because he frowned. “What do you mean you don’t expect anything from me?” He looked at Wes. “I thought you said mates were forever?”

  Wes looked uncomfortable, but he answered. “They are, once you’re mated. You can walk away anytime, though. You’re human, so it would be fairly easy, at least next to what Dallas would have to go through if he decided to leave you. And you’re not mated yet, so you can leave and nothing will happen to you. I really think you two should talk about it, though. It’s something private.”

  “We’ll talk about it, but you’re human. You know what I’m feeling.”

  Wes shrugged. “Partly, I guess, but we all react to it in different ways. You’re taking it much better than I thought you would.”

  Hamilton put a hand on Dallas’ back. “I guess we should go find a quiet place to talk. Do you live here?”

  Dallas shook his head. “No. I live in Gillham. It’s a few hours north from here.”

  Hamilton frowned. “That’s going to complicate things. You have to go home tonight?”

  “Of course I do. I’m the pack’s only doctor. They need me there.”

  “The pack?”

  Dallas gestured at the entrance. “I guess no one told you this is the home of the Whitedell pride. I’m not a pride member, and I live with the Gillham pack.”

  “That sounds complicated,” Hamilton whined.

  That made Dallas want to smile, and he pressed his lips together. He didn’t even know why, but it was instinct. If Hamilton was going to reject him, then Dallas wouldn’t show him just how much it meant to him.

  “Why don’t you two get more comfortable?” Taylor asked. “Take your jackets off. I’m sure we can find you a room to give you the space you need to talk. “

  “And you’ll stay for lunch,” Nysys added. “I’ll go get Morin, so Hamilton will be able to talk to him.”

  Hamilton blinked. “You said Morin’s in New York.”

  “He is.”

  “Then how are you going to go get him?”

  Nysys grinned. “So you know shifters turn into animals, but you have no idea what a Nix can do.”

  Hamilton huffed. “How could I? I didn’t even know shifters existed until a few days ago.”

  Nysys’ grin widened, and he shimmered away. Hamilton blinked at the now empty space where Nysys had been standing, then looked at Dallas. “What just happened?”

  “Nysys being dramatic, that’s what just happened,” Wes answered. “Nix can shimmer away. Think of it as being beamed around, like in Star Trek. He can go wherever he wants to go, although he has to have been there or at least have a mental image of it. I guess he doesn’t exactly need to be careful anymore, not with the humans knowing and everything, but still.”

  “He probably needs to be even more careful,” Taylor pointed out. “Who knows how a human could react. You know not all of them like the idea of shifters and other paranormal creatures.”

  “And that’s why I only shimmered behind you guys,” Nysys said.

  Hamilton jumped and turned to face Nysys, his eyes wide. “How did you do that?”

  Nysys shrugged. “I don’t know. I just do it. Anyway, take your jackets off. I’m going to see if Morin is done doing whatever he went to New York to do, or if he can at least take a few hours off to talk to you.”

  He shimmered away again, leaving Hamilton to stare at the empty space in front of him. Wes chuckled and patted Hamilton’s shoulder, keeping his focus on Dallas. Dallas shook his head. He wasn’t going to tear Wes a new one just because he was touching Hamilton’s shoulder. He couldn’t deny his reaction to Nysys had been strong, but Nysys had literally jumped on Hamilton. It hadn’t seemed friendly as much as preliminaries to sex.

  Dallas wasn’t sure why he’d reacted like that, apart from the obvious. He didn’t know Hamilton, so his wolf couldn’t feel that close to him just yet, and Dallas had never been overly territorial. He couldn’t deny Nysys would be a better choice for a mate if Hamilton actually had a choice, though.

  For one, he didn’t turn into an animal, which seemed to be what scared humans the most. They probably weren’t able to fully understand a shifter was still himself even when he was in his animal form. Dallas imagined they expected the animal to try to kill them, and it made them wary and scared.

  Nysys was also a lot prettier. Even with the pink hair, the tattoos, and the piercings, his face was perfect, his body proportioned. His legs were long, his waist narrow, and while Dallas had never seen him naked or even anything close to naked, he had no problems imagining what was under his clothes.

  He’d never really felt inadequate because he’d never thought about the possibility of being so. He was a doctor, and he was good at his job. He’d never really thought about his appearance as being important, not even with the few lovers he’d had. He still wanted to keep his jacket on so he could hide under it, though.

  He hated the thought of suddenly becoming self-conscious, so he opened his jacket and shrugged out of it. He was wearing a sweater underneath it, so it wasn’t like he was suddenly naked in front of Hamilton.

  Then Hamilton took his own jacket off and pushed his sweater’s sleeves up to his elbow, and Dallas felt inadequate again.

  Hamilton’s arms were completely covered in colorful designs. There were flowers, animals, and they extended under Hamilton’s clothes. He obviously had a lot more in common with Nysys than he did with Dallas, and even knowing Nysys was already happily mated didn’t help Dallas feel better.

  Of course, Morin seemed to be just as boring as Dallas was, but that didn’t mean he really was. Maybe he was great in the bedroom, or maybe he and Nysys shared a lot even though Morin didn’t have tattoos. Or maybe he did have them, and they just weren’t visible. It wasn’t like Dallas actually knew the guy. He’d met Morin only a few times, and he’d been acting as a council member when that happened. He’d obviously had to dress and behave accordingly.

  So maybe Morin wasn’t as boring as he seemed to be, but Dallas knew he was. He spent most of his time either working or reading and had no tattoos or piercings. He didn’t like to leave his house, and he hated crowds. He didn’t think he shared much with Hamilton, and it made him wonder what Fate had been thinking when she’d paired them.

  There was no way Hamilton would want to live like a sixty-year-old retired man, and there was nothing Dallas could do about the entire situation except wait for Hamilton to realize they couldn’t work and go back to New York.

  * * * *

  Hamilton followed Wes and Taylor’s lead and hung his jacket onto one of the hooks that lined the wall next to the front door. He kept sneaking glances at Dallas, because for some reason, the man had stopped smiling, stopped trying to get closer to Hamilton. He hated that.

  He knew feeling so strongly about a man he’d met only fifteen or so minutes earlier was stupid, but it wouldn’t be the stupidest thing he’d done in his life, by far. And if his books were right, his feelings made sense. Not that he believed what happened in romance books was real, at least most of the time, but Wes was right—Hamilton’s life was obviously turning into a romance, and it left Hamilton confused. But he knew how things were supposed to go—he and Dallas would talk, Hamilton would move to Gillham even though he didn’t even know where the town was, they’d mate and live happily ever after. Even if there were bumps in the road, Hamilton could focus on that last part, and he’d be fine. They’d both be.

  That didn’t explain why Dallas suddenly looked like he’d just gotten bad news, but Hamilton would ask him what was going on as soon as they were alone.

  He turned toward Wes just as Wes kissed Taylor. That rem
inded Hamilton he hadn’t kissed anyone in too long, although Dallas had solved that already. Wes was cute, but Dallas was hot, and Hamilton couldn’t wait to get his hands on Dallas’ body. He didn’t know if Dallas would want to mate right away, but the books said it was instinctive, so maybe they would do just that.

  He looked at Dallas. He liked that Dallas was tall. Not quite as tall as him, but enough to fit perfectly against Hamilton’s body. Hamilton didn’t have to look down too much to be able to look at Dallas in the eyes, or to kiss him.

  Dallas’ pants hugged his ass like a glove, and it emphasized just how long his legs were. He was thin, maybe a hint too much, but there was nothing wrong with that, and Hamilton really liked what he was seeing. He also loved Dallas’ hair. It was light brown, almost blond with a hint of red, but it was streaked with black, and he wondered if the color was natural. He’d have thought it came from a bottle if Dallas had been human, at least when it came to the streaks, but since Dallas was a shifter, Hamilton wasn’t so sure. How much of Dallas’ animal showed in his human form? What kind of shifter was he? Hamilton suddenly couldn’t wait to find out, and when Wes finally stepped away from Taylor and gestured toward the stairs, Hamilton grabbed Dallas’ hand and tugged him along.

  Dallas squeaked, but he didn’t protest, and Hamilton didn’t let go.

  “The kitchen is over there,” Wes said, pointing toward one of the doors that opened on the entrance. “You’ll find everyone there when it’s lunch time, so just come down when you’re done talking. I could also bring something to eat up to you if you’d rather spend more time alone, of course.”

  “You don’t have to do that,” Dallas said.

  “I know, but I don’t mind. I don’t currently have a job, so I have some free time, and I remember how things were when I first found out about Taylor and what he is. Being around the rest of the pride was almost overwhelming.”

  “We’ll eat downstairs,” Hamilton said, looking at Dallas for confirmation. He wanted to talk to Dallas, but he also wanted to see Morin, and damn if he was going to skip on the opportunity to see other shifters. He was in a pride, with real shifters, and he wanted to meet them and maybe even see them shift.

  Hamilton and Dallas followed Wes up the stairs and down a hallway. Hamilton was pretty sure he’d get lost if he tried to find the stairs again, but Dallas probably knew where to go and what to do, so he didn’t pay too much attention. He’d rather pay attention to the man he was holding hands with.

  Dallas was still tense, too much for him to be just uncomfortable, and Hamilton couldn’t help but think that maybe there was something wrong. Was Dallas unhappy with Hamilton—with who he’d ended up with as his mate?

  Hamilton had seen Dallas look at his arms, at his tattoos, and while Dallas hadn’t seemed disapproving, Hamilton didn’t think he was the kind of guy who liked tattoos. He could be wrong, because who knew what was under a guy’s clothes, but Dallas seemed very clean cut to him. He wasn’t surprised Dallas was a doctor.

  What did he think of Hamilton and his colored skin?

  Wes stopped in front of a door. He knocked, and when no one answered, he opened the door and peeked in. “Okay, this one’s empty, so no one should bug you. There should be towels in the bathroom if you need them, and clothes in the dresser.”

  Hamilton frowned. “Why would we need clothes?”

  Wes grinned. “I know you’re here to talk, but there also lube in the nightstand. You know, just in case.”

  Oh, Hamilton liked Wes. He was cheeky, and he obviously didn’t have problems talking about sex with people he barely knew.

  Hamilton nodded. “We’ll make good use of it. Thanks, Dad.”

  Dallas tugged on his hand, but Hamilton didn’t turn to look at Dallas’ face. Instead, he dragged him into the room, grinning when he saw that yes, they were in a bedroom, and the bed was big enough for the two of them. He kicked the door closed and locked it, and only then did he let go of Dallas’ hand.

  He turned to look at Dallas and wasn’t surprised to find him with his arms crossed on his chest, a stubborn expression on his face. “What?” he asked, thinking anything was good if it made Dallas talk.

  “We’ll make good use of it?”

  “What should I have said?”

  Dallas shook his head and let his arms fall. “Never mind.” He looked around the room, his gaze going from the bed to the armchair next to the window. Of course, he chose to sit in the armchair. He was going to be a tough cookie, but Hamilton was stubborn, and he wasn’t scared of a challenge.

  He grabbed the hem of his sweater and tugged it off, throwing it on the bed and exposing more of his arms. He didn’t miss Dallas’ gaze on him, but he couldn’t read it. He couldn’t understand what Dallas thought of him, damn it.

  Hamilton flopped on the bed, stretching on the foot of it and looking at Dallas. He didn’t miss the way Dallas’ gaze slid to his stomach. He hadn’t meant to expose it, but his T-shirt had ridden up when he’d laid down, and he didn’t regret anything.

  “Is your entire body covered in tattoos?” Dallas asked.

  “Almost. Want to see them?”

  “Not right now, thanks. You wanted to talk.”

  Hamilton huffed in annoyance, but he sat up and crossed his legs after toeing his shoes off. He needed to face Dallas for this, and no one could be distracted by exposed skin. Not for a little while, anyway. “Yeah, I wanted to talk. Do you have something against me?”

  Dallas’ eyes widened. “Against you? What would I have against you?”

  “You don’t seem too happy about being here, so it’s either the place you don’t like, or it’s me.”

  Dallas shook his head. “It has nothing to do with you or the house.”

  “What is it then? I mean, you kissed me and made me swoon, then you became a chunk of ice.”

  “A chunk of ice?”

  “Are you going to repeat everything I say?”

  Dallas glared. “I don’t understand what you want from me.”

  Hamilton nodded. “I just want one thing.”

  “And what is that thing?”

  Hamilton actually had about a million questions for Dallas—what kind of shifter was he, what he did for a living, if he wanted Hamilton to move in with him, if he really wanted Hamilton to move to Wyoming, and so many others. Dallas seemed like he was about to jump up and run away, though, so Hamilton had to decide on one. It wasn’t easy, but there was one that had to be asked because the answer to it would mean having to ask all those other questions or not.

  Hamilton looked at Dallas, wanting to see his reaction when he asked, “Do you want me?”

  * * * *

  “Yes,” Dallas blurted out before he could think better of it.

  Hamilton visibly relaxed. His shoulders lost the tension Dallas hadn’t noticed was there, and he smiled a bit. “Good. That’s good.”

  Dallas was confused. He’d never really thought about his mate, knowing he might never meet the man. It had been no use to think of who his mate might be, what he might be, but usually, when one of the mates was human, it was the shifter who was afraid to be left behind. In this case, though, Hamilton looked anxious, and Dallas wasn’t sure what that meant. He needed to ask, but talking to Hamilton was unsettling, to say the least.

  “Right, so you want me, and I want you,” Hamilton said. “I guess we’re set, then.”

  Dallas shook his head. “It’s not that easy.”

  “Oh, I know it’s not, but it’s the hardest step, right? If we both want to be together, then everything will be easier.”

  Dallas leaned forward. “Why do you want to be with me? You don’t know me. Even if you find me nice looking, it’s not enough to want to be with me for the rest of your life.”

  “Why wouldn’t I want to be with you? I don’t know about you, but I don’t particularly enjoy picking guys up just for sex or breaking up with my boyfriends. I’m your mate. That means you�
��re it for me, that I won’t have to look for someone ever again, that I won’t have to go through the pain of a breakup. What more could I want?”

  “So you want to be with me only because you think it’s going to be easy?”

  Hamilton huffed. “No. I want to be with you because you’re perfect for me.”

  “Can I ask how you know that?”

  Hamilton looked down and played with the hem of his T-shirt. “I read a lot.”

  “I wasn’t aware there were guides to shifter mates out there.”

  “There aren’t.” Hamilton looked up, his eyes narrowed. “I read a lot of romance novels, okay? And before you say it, I know they’re not real life and that things won’t be as easy as they are in those books. Although let me tell you, some of the books I read were pretty bad when it came to stuff happening. You wouldn’t believe what some authors do to their characters. But anyway, I know life isn’t a romance novel, but it doesn’t change the fact that we’re soul mates, and that has to mean something, right? Maybe not that we’ll live happily ever after, but still.”

  Hamilton was making it sound so easy, but Dallas knew it wasn’t. “What about your job or mine? One of us will have to relocate. You said you have a shop, right? How easy would it be for you to move?”

  Hamilton hummed. “I guess you could move to New York, but really, I don’t have anyone there, not now that Morin lives here. I only have my shop, but I can tattoo people anywhere, right?”

  “You have a tattoo shop?”

  Hamilton grinned. “Yep. It shows, huh?”

  “Have you done those yourself?” Dallas asked, gesturing toward Hamilton’s arm.

  “No, but I designed them. I had a friend tattoo them on me, though. Easier for most body parts.”

  Dallas shook his head because now wasn’t the time to talk about Hamilton’s tattoos. “So you’d move to Wyoming? Just like that?”

  “Is your job easier to leave?”

  “I’m a doctor, and I just accepted a job with the Gillham pack. I’ll be their on-site doctor, and I’ll take care of the infirmary.”