Rules of Engagement

by Lynn Hagen

Lenny picked up his phone and turned the camera on, examining Chavez’s work. “Oh my god! It really worked.”

  “Did you think I was lying? That I was trying to get my freak on while you were bleeding?” Chavez sat on his ass, relief flooding him. “I need some mouthwash. There’s no telling what kind of germs you have.”

  Lenny blushed. “Sorry about that comment. I was delirious.”

  “Whatever.” Chavez leaned against the cupboards next to Lenny. “Tell me you know everything about mates, or did your parents keep that from you?”

  “No, I know.” Lenny grabbed for his bloody shirt. “But my dad said I might not know who my mate is since I’m not…you know.”

  “Full-blooded?” Chavez threw his arm around Lenny’s shoulders. “It’s no big deal.”

  Lenny shrugged Chavez’s arm off and got up. “That’s easy for you to say. You can shift. All I can do is bare my small canines and sprout some hair. I’m a freak.”

  Chavez got to his feet and narrowed his eyes. “I don’t ever want to hear you say that again.”

  Lenny left the kitchen. Chavez followed his mate to his bedroom, where he grabbed a clean shirt and slid it on. “So we just wait it out until your friends get here?”

  For now Chavez would drop their previous discussion. He wasn’t going to force Lenny to talk about what was clearly a touchy subject. He wasn’t even going to ask Lenny what he felt about them being mates.

  “Yeah, we wait it out. I’ll keep watch until they get here and tape up that hole in your window until I can get it fixed.”

  He left the bedroom, giving Lenny the space the guy obviously needed. Chavez needed some, too. He needed to calm his nerves after seeing all that blood and knowing he could’ve lost his mate today.

  One way or another, Trails would pay for what he’d done.

  Chapter Three

  “We need to order something to eat.” Lenny pressed a hand to his stomach. “I’m starving, and all I have in the kitchen is some crackers and a can of green beans that has probably been in my cupboard for years.”

  “How can you think about food right now?”

  “Getting shot tends to make you ravenous.” Lenny wasn’t sure if that was true, but his stomach was trying to eat its way out. He still couldn’t believe some lunatic had shot him. Even more bizarre was the fact that Chavez had licked him.

  And Lenny had gotten hard when Chavez had done that.

  Mates. His mind was sufficiently blown. His dad had sat him down when Lenny was still a teenager and explained that to him, had warned Lenny that he might not have a mate because he wasn’t a full-blooded wolf.

  But he did have a mate, and truth be told, Lenny had hit the jackpot. Chavez was not only sexy as fuck but built like a linebacker and seemed really sweet.

  Lenny no longer thought Chavez was part of some cult. No, Chavez was part of some scary military group with a psychopath after him. He guessed he owed Winnie an apology for accusing his cousin of being brainwashed.

  A thought struck him. “Is Wallace Winnie’s mate?”

  They were sitting on their asses in the hallway outside the bathroom door, their backs pressed against the wall. Chavez had argued that any room with windows wasn’t safe, and now Lenny’s butt was numb.

  And he was bored out of his skull.

  “Yep.” Chavez had his legs bent, his arm dangling off his knees. Even sitting, the guy was bigger and taller than Lenny.

  “And was that bodyguard really fired?”

  Things were starting to make sense now. His dad had told him that nothing would keep mates apart and that a shifter was a lethal beast when it came to his mate.

  “Chapman did kidnap Winnie,” Chavez said. “Mr. Winter hadn’t known about that. It was discovered that my boss’s brother, his butler, and Chapman were conspiring against him. One of them poisoned Winnie, but some doctor cured him. All three were killed.”

  Lenny jerked forward. “Winnie was poisoned?”

  Why hadn’t his cousin told him about that? All that had gone on in that house? And here Lenny thought it was some crazy cult, when in fact it was crazy people out to… “Why’d they conspire against him?”

  Chavez snorted. “Why else? Money. Mr. Winter’s brother had taken out a huge insurance policy on him. Lucky figured since his brother was about to cut him out of the will, he would find another way to keep living the lavish life. I just don’t get it. My boss didn’t plan on stopping his financial support for Lucky. But can anyone really understand greed?”

  From the looks of that mansion, Wallace was loaded. “Is Winnie safe now?”

  “He’s safe.” Chavez pulled out his phone. “I am a bit peckish.” He grinned. “I like that word. It isn’t used enough. Peckish. It means not satisfied, but not starving. Kind of in between.”

  Lenny rolled his eyes. “I know what it means. Hungry. You can say hungry.” He patted his stomach. “But I’m starving. Can we order some Chinese?”

  “Say it,” Chavez said. “Peckish.”

  Lenny groaned and fell to his side onto the floor. “I’m gonna starve and you want me to say your favorite word?”

  “You know the number to the Chinese place?”

  After checking his phone and rattling off the number, Lenny listened as Chavez ordered half the menu.

  Lenny arched a brow. “That’s more than a bit peckish.”

  Chavez chuckled. “You said the word.”

  “You’re a big kid,” Lenny said. Only Chavez wasn’t a kid. He was gorgeous, with pretty green eyes and muscles that went on for miles. Lenny sat there trying to picture the guy naked, which he needed to stop doing because he was getting hard.

  “How long did they say?” Lenny sat back up, accidently bumping shoulders with Chavez. The contact sent ripples of excitement through him.

  “Half-hour to forty minutes.”

  Lenny pressed a hand over his stomach. “I’m gonna faint from starvation before then.”

  “And you call me the big kid?” Chavez laughed. “You won’t whither up and die before then.”

  The word die made Lenny think of getting shot. His shoulder started to throb, reminding him that he was still in pain. He’d completely forgotten about his wound while he’d been having light banter with Chavez.

  But now the pain was back. Lenny rubbed the wound, wishing he had some ibuprofen or maybe something stronger that would ease the throbbing ache.

  “I’m sorry.” Chavez scooted until he was across from Lenny. He moved Lenny’s hand aside and massaged his shoulder. “I’m sorry you got involved in this.” His fingers worked in gentle circular patterns. “Is this helping?”

  Lenny lowered his head and closed his eyes, willing his cock to behave. He was in pain, in danger, and he was getting a freaking boner.

  “Yeah, it’s working.” But not how Chavez thought. The guy’s hands were wreaking havoc on Lenny’s body.

  “It would work better if you turned around.” Chavez let his hands fall away. Lenny didn’t want his mate to stop touching him, so he rotated his body, giving Chavez his back.

  The massage started again, and Lenny was glad Chavez couldn’t see the effect the guy was having on him. He wasn’t ready for what he knew the wolf shifter wanted to do. Lenny needed time to think, time to get to know the guy before their souls were bound together.

  Lenny wasn’t the type to jump into situations, although he’d been thrust into this one.

  But damn if Chavez didn’t have magical fingers. A groan slipped from Lenny’s lips as he sagged forward.

  “That good, huh?” Lenny heard the smile in Chavez’s voice. “That’s ’cause I got meaty fingers that can really dig in.”

  Lenny bit his lower lip, telling himself not to think about where Chavez’s meaty fingers could be of better use. He could honestly orgasm just from the guy’s fingers alone.

  As badly as he wanted his mate to keep going, Lenny pulled away.

  “Thanks.” He rolled his shoulder, which was still throbbing. “Much bett
er.”

  Their heads swiveled toward the door when the doorbell rang. Chavez pressed his finger against his lips as he got up. Lenny sighed, staring at Chavez’s ass as the man walked toward the living room.

  What a man. Chavez’s absence also gave Lenny time to think about other things, like baseball—which, by the way, never worked—the trouble he would be in for not going to work, and his grandmother’s peach cobbler recipe, listing every ingredient in his head.

  By the time Chavez came back with the bags in hand, Lenny’s boner was gone. “Smells great.”

  They had a picnic in the hallway, the food laid out in front of them. Chavez had enough to feed an army. Lenny stole some of his fortune cookies, some extra noodles, and some of his soup. By the time the containers were empty, Lenny felt himself falling into a food coma.

  He yawned and curled up on the floor.

  “I’ll be right back.” Chavez got up and went into Lenny’s bedroom. He came back with pillows and a blanket. “No sense being uncomfortable.”

  Clearly chivalry wasn’t dead. “You’re really nice…for a bodyguard.”

  Chavez chuckled. “What’re bodyguards supposed to be like?”

  “Mean, tough…” Lenny shrugged. “Just not very friendly.”

  “Besides me, have you ever met one?” Chavez reached over and took Lenny’s hand in his, creating chaos in Lenny’s body. That single touch lit a fire in Lenny’s belly.

  “I’ve seen plenty on TV, and they’re never nice.” In truth, Lenny hardly ever turned his television on. He preferred to spend his free time reading. He loved science fiction and detective novels, but he wasn’t averse to an occasional romance story, though he doubted the men in his books truly existed.

  Chavez opened his mouth and then closed it. He narrowed his eyes as he looked toward the living room. Now Lenny was on full alert. He snatched his hand away and got to his feet, ready to rabbit out of there at the first sign of trouble.

  “What is it?” Lenny’s muscles were coiled.

  “Get into the bathroom,” Chavez said as he got up. “And don’t come out until I come get you.”

  Lenny didn’t argue. He hurried into the bathroom, silently closing the door behind him.

  * * * *

  Chavez pulled his handgun from his waistband and crept toward the door. If Trails was ballsy enough to break into the apartment, Chavez was going to lay waste to the bastard.

  He pressed himself against the wall by the side of the door and waited, holding his breath. He’d heard the floorboards outside creak, something he doubted his mate heard. Lenny might have wolf in his blood, but he wasn’t a full-blooded shifter.

  That was something he needed to talk to Lenny about. Chavez couldn’t understand why his mate didn’t embrace who he was. Being a half-breed was nothing to be ashamed of.

  Chavez was pulled from his thoughts when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and read the text. With a growl, he shoved his gun back into his waistband and opened the door.

  His three-member team was on the other side. “I thought you guys weren’t getting here until tomorrow.”

  Reno, Nelson, and Korby. They entered the apartment, making the place seem smaller with their presence. Chavez hadn’t told Reno where he was. His team was that good, and he was glad they were there.

  “Got here earlier than expected,” Reno said. His gaze instantly went to the window. “Had trouble?”

  “My mate got shot,” he said. “Trails must’ve had eyes on us.”

  “How is he?” Nelson asked.

  “Better.” Chavez wasn’t about to explain that he’d healed the wound with his saliva. That was too personal to share, though he suspected they already knew. The three were highly intelligent.

  “So Frost is in Maple Grove,” Korby said. “We need to find a new place to lay low until we catch him. This apartment is on the ground floor and too exposed.”

  Chavez couldn’t agree more. He would’ve suggested going to Mr. Winter’s mansion, but the less his current boss was involved, the better. The guy had been through too much already.

  “Saw a rental sign on a house on the outskirts of town,” Reno said. “That would be good considering it isn’t smack-dab in the middle of town. Less civilians to deal with.”

  “You and Nelson can go check it out first thing in the morning.” Chavez didn’t like the fact that he fell right back into the leadership role he’d walked away from.

  There were days, even if he only admitted it to himself, that he missed this group of men. They’d been like family to him, but when you had a kill count as high as Chavez, after a while that started to fuck with your head.

  Chavez had gotten out before he’d lost all his humanity. And now he had a mate to think of. And speaking of…Chavez looked toward the bathroom, feeling edgy that other males were around Lenny. They were newly mated, although they hadn’t soldered their souls yet, but Chavez’s wolf still wanted to rip these men apart.

  “Where is he?” Reno had a knowing look in his cobalt-blue eyes.

  “Bathroom.”

  With a nod, Reno said, “Keep him in there for now, or tell him to go to his bedroom. We don’t need a brawl up in here.”

  Nelson and Korby looked toward the hallway, which put Chavez even more on edge. He went to the bathroom and stopped when he heard Lenny talking. Who was his mate talking to?

  Not wanting to eavesdrop, Chavez gave the door a light tap before he opened it.

  “Jeez,” Lenny said. “I could’ve been on the toilet.” He looked toward the door. “I take it that wasn’t Trails at the door?”

  “First, don’t care if you were indisposed. Second, no, it was my team.” He nodded toward the phone still in Lenny’s hand. “Who were you talking to?”

  “Nosy much?” Lenny tucked his phone into his back pocket. “It was my job, since you need to know. I told my boss I was sick and needed to call off.”

  Chavez wasn’t sure Lenny would keep his job since they were moving to a safe house. There was no way he was letting his mate out of his sight until Trails was taken care of.

  “Do you want me to meet them?” Lenny headed toward the door, but Chavez blocked him. His wolf snarled at the idea of Lenny being around all those alpha-type males. Deep down, he knew none of them would make a move on Lenny, but when newly mated—hopefully soon—Chavez was more animal than man. His basic instincts were all he was going on at the moment, and they told him to keep his mate away from the other males.

  Territorial. Aggressive. Possessive. That was all he knew right now and wouldn’t apologize for it.

  “I’d rather you go into the bedroom,” he said. “We’ll talk in a minute.”

  “If they’re here to help, then I need to know who they are.” Lenny tried to walk past him, but Chavez moved until he was blocking his mate again.

  His canines emerged, even if Chavez didn’t want them to. His skin felt too tight for his body, which told him his wolf was close to the surface, ready to attack to keep his mate away from his team. He knew he wasn’t thinking rationally.

  “Bedroom.” There was a deep snarl to his voice.

  Defiance sparked in Lenny’s eyes. “That’s the kind of bodyguard I was talking about. Why don’t you want me to meet them?”

  The other men would be able to hear their conversation, and Chavez was willing to bet one or more were snickering. A submissive mate Lenny was not.

  “I told you we’ll talk in a minute.” He brushed his knuckles over Lenny’s soft cheek and switched tactics. “Okay, novio? Can you please do me this one thing, por favor?”

  Lenny looked like he wanted to argue but threw his arms up and sighed. “Fine, I’ll go find something to do. I’ve been meaning to get all those dust bunnies from under my bed.”

  Thank fuck his mate didn’t press the matter. “Thanks.”

  “Yeah, yeah.” When Lenny tried to brush past him, Chavez couldn’t help himself. He pulled his mate into his arms and laid a blazing kiss on Lenny’s
lips.

  His mate instantly melted into him. Chavez meant for the kiss to be short but sweet, but it turned into an inferno. He trapped Lenny against the door, inserting his knee between the man’s legs. His mate rode Chavez’s thigh, gripping Chavez’s biceps.

  They were seconds away from slamming the door closed and fucking, but Lenny pulled back, blinking up at him with a glazed look in his eyes.

  Chavez pressed a kiss to Lenny’s forehead. “I’ll be in there shortly.”

  Lenny seemed to be in a daze as he walked away. Chavez wasn’t too far from telling his team he needed time so he could follow Lenny, but his mate’s protection was his number-one priority for now.

  Maybe later they could pick up where they’d just left off.

  Chavez swiped a hand over his jaw, trying his best to calm his raging hormones before joining the others.

  Reno smirked. “You handled that like a boss.”

  Chavez flipped him off. “You guys can stay here for the night. The more, the better. Just keep your eavesdropping to a minimum.”

  Because if Chavez had his way, he would claim Lenny tonight. He went back to the bathroom and closed the door before sitting on the side of the tub. It might be great to see his old teammates again, but their return had brought back that dark hole that had been a constant inside Chavez.

  He rubbed his chest as he closed his eyes, far from okay. Very far from it. Chavez had battled inner demons even before he’d joined the covert group. His family had been the very definition of dysfunctional, never showing any love toward each other, infighting, and seeking isolation from the rest of the world.

  It was a miracle Chavez hadn’t turned out to be a serial killer instead of guarding lives.

  The bathroom door opened, and Reno stepped in, taking a seat on the closed toilet lid. “How you holding up?”

  Chavez sat up straight. “Trying to head-shrink me?”

  “Nah, you know I’d never do that. I got too much shit of my own to try and analyze someone else’s. But if you need to take a backseat this one time, then—”

  “Are you serious with that bullshit?” Chavez stood and glared at Reno. He knew his friend was just trying to help, but he didn’t like how Reno was looking at him.