Dallas

by Catherine Lievens

  Hamilton looked at him, his eyes a bit wide. “Is this your house?”

  “No. It’s the alpha’s house. You need to meet him, and I live here right now anyway, in one of the guest rooms. You, uh, you can have your own room, of course.”

  Hamilton shrugged. “We’ll see. I wouldn’t mind sleeping with you, but I won’t force you.”

  “I didn’t say I didn’t want to sleep with you,” Dallas protested, and Hamilton grinned. Dallas realized what he’d said and looked away, knowing his cheeks were reddening. “That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” he mumbled.

  “So you want to sleep with me?” Hamilton insisted.

  Dallas couldn’t exactly deny he did want that, in both senses. How could someone not want to have sex with Hamilton? He was gorgeous, tall and sleek, powerful, not to mention he was a nice guy.

  It wasn’t only the sex that was appealing, though. Both Dallas and his wolf wanted Hamilton to smell like them, and there was no better way to achieve that than to sleep in the same bed. Well, sex would do that too, but Dallas wasn’t sure they were at that point just yet.

  “I was only teasing you,” Hamilton said, and Dallas realized he hadn’t answered yet.

  He didn’t want Hamilton to think he was stuck-up, because no matter how cool he might appear, he wasn’t. He was just awkward, really. So he smiled and tried to ignore the heat he could still feel on his cheeks. “I know.”

  “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

  “I know. I do want to sleep in the same bed as you, though. It’s a shifter thing, I guess.”

  “I wouldn’t be too sure of that, because I want to sleep in the same bed as you too and I’m definitely not a shifter.”

  Dallas grinned and ignored the little voice in his head that was telling him to shut up. “You’re sure you just don’t want to get in my pants?”

  Hamilton’s smiled widened. “That too, but I’ll control myself.”

  Dallas swallowed, but it seemed like they’d really sleep together that night. He both dreaded and anticipated it. “Let’s go in, yes? It’s getting colder.”

  “Let’s go. You’re sure no one will try to eat me?”

  Dallas got out of the car and waited for Hamilton to do the same. Hamilton grabbed his bag from the back seat before sliding out, stretching and making Dallas want to throw him on the hood and have his wicked way with him.

  “You should, umm, you should probably try to stay away from Corbin,” Dallas said, his focus all on the strip of skin Hamilton had exposed.

  Hamilton let his arms fall by his side, and the smirk on his face told Dallas he’d done it on purpose. “Corbin? Why? He’s going to try to eat me?”

  Dallas shook himself. “No. He can’t shift, but his upbringing was unusual, to say the least. He was raised to be a killer, and even now that he lives with the pack, his first instinct to anything is to kill whoever is creating problems.”

  Hamilton froze. “Kill?”

  “Like I said, he was raised to be a killer since he was a kid. He doesn’t usually hurt people without a reason, though. Kameron has forbidden him to do it. I just wanted you to know since he lives in the house.” Hamilton blinked, and Dallas knew that for once he’d managed to leave his mate speechless. “Ready to go in?”

  * * * *

  Hamilton wasn’t sure he wanted to go in anymore, but Dallas didn’t seem to think he’d have a problem with this Corbin guy, and it wasn’t like he could stay out in the snow. So he shouldered his bag and nodded, his gaze still on the house that was going to be his home for the next week.

  He looked around as he followed Dallas to the door, and he liked what he was seeing. He was used to the city, but the forest around the house was gorgeous. Maybe it was only thanks to the snow, but he could imagine how it would look in the summer, and he couldn’t wait. He loved the city, but he could learn to love the forest.

  Dallas entered the house as if he belonged there, without knocking. They both left their snowy boots on the porch and took their coats off as soon as they entered, and once they were hung up, Dallas gestured toward the hallway that stretched in front of them.

  Hamilton left his bag by the stairs and followed Dallas. His hands were a little sweaty, so he tried to dry them on his jeans. He probably should make a good first impression. It would avoid him being eaten, or killed on sight.

  There was another hallway to the left of the entrance, but Dallas didn’t explain where it led, and Hamilton didn’t ask. They followed the sound of voices that came from the end of the hallway, passing what Hamilton saw was a living room and a closed door. They ended up in the kitchen, and as soon as Dallas stepped in, the people in it stopped talking.

  “Hey, Dallas. I thought you’d be back for lunch,” a guy asked, and when Dallas moved into the room, Hamilton was able to take a good look.

  The room was homey and smelled of food. It was clean, though, and nothing was out of place. Three guys were at the table, all of them drinking coffee, and it didn’t take Hamilton more than a few seconds to realize the big guy with brown hair and copper eyes was the boss. There was something about him that made it obvious, even though he had yet to say anything.

  The guy who’d spoken was sitting next to him, closer than would be appropriate for friends, and Hamilton tried to remember if Dallas had said anything about the alpha being gay. He’d said the man didn’t have problems with species or sex when it came to mates, so maybe he was. It sure looked like it, the way he and the blond leaned close without apparently realizing it.

  The third guy had red hair and was on the smaller side, like the blond. He also wore eyeliner, and his T-shirt was dirty with colors, maybe paint. It made Hamilton relax because at least he’d be able to talk about something to someone. He didn’t paint much, but art was art. He drew and tattooed, and he considered both art.

  “Sorry,” Dallas said as he sat at the table with the three men. “Something unexpected happened.”

  Hamilton followed Dallas’ lead and sat too, happy to be able to sit by Dallas. Not that the redhead looked like he wanted to hurt Hamilton, but Hamilton wasn’t sure if the guy was Corbin or not, and he didn’t want to risk it.

  “We can see that,” Redhead said, pointedly looking at Hamilton. “What did you bring back from Whitedell?”

  Dallas looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him, but he answered. “This is Hamilton. He’s my mate.”

  Hamilton wasn’t sure what he’d expected the reaction to that news to be, but it wasn’t the obvious happiness. Then he thought that finding your mate was probably like getting married, even though they weren’t mated yet and hadn’t even talked about it. It still meant one found his soul mate, so yeah, Hamilton got the enthusiasm. At least no one tried to hug him, even though the blond and the redhead hugged Dallas. The boss—Kameron—limited himself to smile and shaking hands.

  “I’m Jago, and these are Kameron, the pack’s alpha, and Zach, the alpha mate.”

  So Kameron really was with a guy. Huh. “Nice to meet you.”

  “You live with the pride?”

  “Ah, no. I was visiting a friend, actually. Morin.”

  Kameron nodded. “We know him. He’s part of the council.”

  Hamilton didn’t really understand how the council worked, but he nodded. “I didn’t know about shifters until the videos popped up online, so I came to Wyoming to ask him about it.”

  Kameron arched a brow. “Why did you think he could tell you more about shifters?”

  “I thought Nysys was weird. Is weird, actually, but yeah. From what I saw of him, I knew there had to be something there. That and the fact that I knew they lived with, like, fifty people, and that doesn’t happen every day.”

  Kameron nodded. “And what do you think about it?”

  “I’m here, right? No offense, but I wouldn’t be if I had a problem with Nysys or Dallas.”

  Kameron’s gaze slid to Dallas then
came back to Hamilton. “So you know about Dallas.”

  “Know what? That he’s a shifter? Yeah. I mean, how would I know about being his mate if I didn’t? He even shifted in front of me and everything.” And Hamilton was letting his mouth get the better of him. He really needed to stop rambling.

  “How long are you staying?”

  “The week, for now. I’ll spend Christmas with my family, but I’ll be back after that. I’ll probably start moving just after the New Year. I’ll have to find another shop soon.”

  “Shop?”

  Hamilton pushed his sweater’s sleeves up. “Tattoo shop. I’m working in New York right now, or well, I was until I decided to make a trip to Wyoming and found the guy I’ll spend the rest of my life with.”

  Hamilton wasn’t sure why the three men around the table were looking at him with an expression that might have been awe, but they were.

  “You’re very accepting,” Kameron said.

  “You mean for a human?”

  Kameron grinned. “Yes.”

  “Yeah, well. Some people think I shouldn’t act on impulse so much, but so far it’s worked for me.” Except for one thing, but Kameron didn’t need to know that. “I got all the explanations I needed, and I’m not stupid enough to say no to what could be a life of blissful happiness.”

  Kameron leaned forward. “Being with a shifter could also mean you’ll be a target. Not everyone likes shifters, and now that the secret is out, more people are bound to try to hurt us.”

  Hamilton looked around the table. “That’s why you live in packs, though, right? I mean, I’m sure there are more reasons, but it makes you less vulnerable. You’re like a big family that protects its own, and I hope that includes mates.”

  “It does. I won’t try to dissuade you. You seem to know what you’re doing, and I don’t usually intervene when it comes to mates. You’re a lot more accepting than most humans are at the beginning, but I’m sure Dallas doesn’t mind that one bit.”

  Dallas had been silent for the entire conversation, but now the spotlight was on him. He blushed a bit, and it was adorable. Hamilton was pretty sure Dallas wouldn’t want to be called adorable, but there was no denying it. He might be a super smart doctor, but that wasn’t all he was, and Hamilton was going to do his best to bring out the rest of Dallas’ personality. There was no reason for Dallas to keep hiding behind his serious mask, at least not with Hamilton.

  “I’m sure he doesn’t. I really don’t care what he is,” Hamilton said, never looking away from Dallas. “And honestly, I’m excited about the move. It’s an adventure.”

  When Hamilton looked at Kameron again, the man nodded. “Well, know that you can come to me for anything you need. To me or to my PA, once I get one. Things are a little frantic right now, but I’m sure they’ll calm down soon enough.”

  “Or you can come talk to me,” Zach said. “Or to Nick. He’s Kam’s beta. I’m sure you’ll meet him soon. Anyway, do I have to get a room ready for you?”

  “Ah, no, I don’t think so. Apparently, Dallas’ wolf wants me in his bed.”

  Dallas flushed and glared at Hamilton, but Hamilton just smiled at him. He wanted Dallas to relax, and he wanted to be himself. People might as well know what they were getting with his move to Wyoming.

  Chapter Four

  When Dallas woke up, it was with an arm around his waist and warm breath bathing the nape of his neck.

  He blinked. It took him a few seconds to remember that he’d gone to bed with Hamilton the night before, but when he finally did, he looked down. The arm around him was tattooed, the skin colored in all the rainbow colors and more.

  They hadn’t been this close the night before. They’d kept to their sides of the bed, even though Hamilton had snickered like a teenager. Dallas remembered he’d given Hamilton his back and had curled up as far away as he could. It was childish, but the day had been overwhelming, and while he could have asked Hamilton to sleep in another room, he’d only had to imagine Hamilton’s face to decide he wouldn’t. He’d taken a bit longer in the bathroom to give himself some time alone, but that was all.

  They obviously had moved during the night, though, and Dallas wondered if he should move away. They were mates, but they hadn’t done more than kiss, and even that had been more a claim from Dallas than because they’d actually wanted to. Well, he’d wanted to kiss Hamilton, but he hadn’t thought their first kiss would happen because Nysys had decided to climb Hamilton like a tree and Dallas’ wolf wanted to tear his head off.

  Dallas tilted his head to try to see what time it was. He’d turned his alarm on, and it hadn’t gone off yet, but he only had another five minutes before it did. He probably should get out of bed and turn it off before it could wake Hamilton. Dallas had to go to work, but Hamilton didn’t, so he could sleep in.

  Dallas reached for the nightstand, sliding forward, but the arm around his waist stopped him before he could get far.

  “Where you going?” Hamilton muttered against Dallas’ nape before kissing it.

  Dallas froze, because no matter how they’d kissed the day before, it hadn’t been as intimate as this kiss. “I have to go to work,” he answered.

  “Alarm hasn’t gone off yet.”

  “No, but it will in five minutes, and I wanted to give you more time to sleep.”

  Hamilton shuffled, and Dallas wished he were on his other side so he could see what Hamilton was doing. The arm around his waist slid off, and a hand landed on his hip, gently pushing until he turned on his back. Hamilton was propped up on his elbow, and when Dallas settled, he leaned down and kissed him.

  Dallas pressed his lips together—morning breath—and Hamilton chuckled against them. “I thought morning breaths canceled each other or something,” he said, his face still too close for Dallas to be comfortable opening his mouth.

  He shook his head, and for some reason it made Hamilton laugh.

  “Come on, kiss me. Or I’m going to think you don’t want me and pout and be all sad. You don’t want that, right?”

  Dallas grimaced, but he shook his head again. Hamilton leaned to kiss him again, and while Dallas didn’t move away, he didn’t open his lips either. He kissed Hamilton with closed lips, and it was going to have to be enough because there was no way he was kissing anyone with tongue before he brushed his teeth.

  It made Hamilton laugh again, but he didn’t protest. He also didn’t move away, and the kiss stretched on until Hamilton skimmed his lips on Dallas’ cheek, down his jaw, and finally, down his neck.

  Dallas gasped when Hamilton lightly bit him, and Hamilton looked up. “I can kiss you with tongue here, right?”

  “No—no morning breath.”

  “I’ll take that as a yes.” Hamilton leaned back down with a chuckle and kissed the spot he’d bitten. Dallas had to bite his lower lip to avoid moaning quite loudly. He tried to remember when he’d last had a lover, but the only time he could remember was more than three years before, before he’d been kidnapped. He’d hooked up a few times after he’d been freed, but those hook ups hadn’t included kisses on the neck and bites.

  He tensed when Hamilton moved down and kissed his chest over his T-shirt, nearly nailing a nipple, but Hamilton either didn’t notice or didn’t think it mattered. He came back up and kissed Dallas on the lips again, and Dallas thought he could probably open his lips just a bit. He wanted a taste, even though he still had to brush his teeth, damn it.

  Then his alarm went off, and Hamilton slumped on top of him. He burrowed his face against Dallas’ neck and groaned. “Damn, I was just starting to have fun.”

  Dallas patted his back—his very naked back, since it seemed that Hamilton slept only wearing boxers—and gently pushed him away. “You can go back to sleep.”

  “Without you? No fun.”

  Hamilton rolled off, and Dallas sat up. He looked at Hamilton, who had his arm on top of his eyes and looked positively decadent in the soft light coming fro
m the window. The blankets had wrapped around his lower body when he’d moved, and it had slid down his chest, exposing it. Dallas’ gaze was attracted by the spot of clear skin over Hamilton’s heart. He hadn’t yet asked why that patch of skin was bare. It was probably private, not something one could ask a man he’d only met the day before, no matter what they were to each other.

  Still, the sight of Hamilton in his bed made Dallas want to put his head back on the pillow and cuddle close, but he really had to go to work. The infirmary was almost ready, and he needed to start asking around to find a nurse that could help him, since Jago didn’t want to leave his job.

  Dallas wanted a Nix, because it would make things so much easier. He’d need to talk to Zach, because while Kameron was the alpha and guided the pack, it was Zach who knew all the gossip. It helped him keep the pack members as happy as he could, and he’d know if one of the Nix enforcers or another Nix wanted a new job. If Dallas couldn’t find someone who already lived in Gillham, he’d have to ask around the hospital, or maybe Nysys would know someone.

  “I thought you’d jump out of bed,” Hamilton said, and Dallas realized he’d been staring.

  He blushed and looked down. “Sorry. I was thinking that I need to hire some help for the infirmary, but I’m not sure where to start.”

  “I’d help, but I don’t know anything about being a nurse or a doctor.”

  Dallas shook his head, scowling at his hair when it fell in front of his eyes. He’d have to cut it soon. “I need a Nix. That way they can heal whatever wounds we get, even the worst ones. They save lives.”

  “I’m sure you’ll find someone. And hey, if you don’t, you can always ask Nysys to work for you, right?”

  Dallas didn’t even want to think about the chaos Nysys would create in his infirmary. “I don’t think so.” He leaned down and kissed Hamilton’s cheek, ignoring the way his eyes widened, and he quickly got out of bed.

  He shuffled to the bathroom, and when he came out of it, showered and with a minty-fresh breath, he went to get another kiss, a full one this time. But of course, Hamilton was asleep again, his hand on his stomach, his mouth slightly open. Dallas sighed. At least his morning had started in the best possible way. It wasn’t like he’d had many opportunities to wake up with a gorgeous man wrapped around him lately. It was certainly a change, and a nice one at that.