Handful of Mate

by April Dinh

  Pyke gave him a knowing smile, as if he could read Nester’s dirty thoughts. And they were downright filthy.

  “Once we’re bonded, you’ll never get sick and you’ll age as slowly as I do.”

  “Exactly how old are you?”

  “Nope.” Pyke chuckled. “If I tell you, then you’ll only choke again.”

  Well, that was cryptic. Nester opened his mouth then closed it. “See, I don’t have any food in my mouth and I’m sitting down, so you don’t have to worry about me fainting and cracking my skull on the edge of the table.”

  Pyke tucked his hands behind his head, entwining his fingers. “How about I tell you after I’ve had my wicked way with you?”

  Oh god. Nester felt his face catch fire as he looked away, embarrassed at how easily he blushed.

  Thank goodness he was saved by the doorbell.

  “Hold that delicious thought.” Pyke smirked as he got up and walked away, giving Nester some breathing room.

  He fanned his face, but the thoughts of seeing Pyke naked again had him growing hard.

  With a deep sigh, Nester shook his head as he rubbed his temples. He was still trying to absorb everything, and Pyke’s flirting wasn’t helping matters.

  Now all Nester had on the brain was sex.

  Hot, amazing, sweaty sex. He just bet Pyke was a beast in bed.

  Or on any flat surface for that matter.

  Great, now Nester needed a cold shower.

  Pyke returned with a small manila envelope in his hand. His brows were dipped as he set it on the table. “It’s addressed to you.”

  “Me?” Who on earth would send something to him? Aside from the guy from the motel and the housekeeper, no one knew he was there.

  “There’s no return address,” Pyke said.

  “Who gave it to you?” Nester wasn’t sure he wanted to open it.

  “The mailman rang the bell. Hank’s a good friend and thought it might be important. Did you tell anyone you were here?”

  Nester gave him a droll stare. “I don’t have my phone, and aside from taking off and walking the streets, I’ve been with you since we met.”

  “All right, now I’m curious.”

  So was Nester. His heart pounded as he looked at the envelope as if a bunch of snakes were somehow hidden inside. He really didn’t want to open it.

  “Mind if I do the honors?” Pyke snatched the envelope off the table and waited for Nester to answer.

  “Go ahead.” Nester was on the edge of his seat as Pyke pealed back the flap and pulled out what looked like a photo. “Well?”

  He turned the paper over, and sure enough it was a picture. A picture of Nester fleeing from the bathroom window of the motel. It even had a date and time stamp on it, showing it was taken the night he’d killed Scott.

  Pyke sat and placed the picture on the table. “Was there someone else there besides you and Scott?”

  “No…I don’t know.” Nester couldn’t stop shaking his head back and forth. “Things were frantic, a total mess, and I didn’t stop to look around. Clearly someone saw me, but why would he or she snap a picture of my escape? No one knew what happened until your friends busted into the room.”

  “Lewis and Arlan,” Pyke said.

  “Okay. No one knew what happened until Lewis and Arlan busted into the room.”

  Nester had taken off but had circled back around and watched in horror from behind a large tree. Aside from Lewis, Arlan, and the first responders, he hadn’t seen anyone else.

  Then again, he hadn’t been looking for anyone else. He had been too riddled with guilt to notice if he’d been sharing the woods with anyone.

  Pyke tapped his finger on the photo. “Finish telling me what happened.”

  That wasn’t going to happen. Nester got up and walked out of the kitchen, his stomach twisted into knots. Could Dublin McLeay have found him?

  Nester needed to get his phone back. That was the only thing that was going to save him.

  “Nester.” Pyke followed behind him. “I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what’s going on.”

  “Nothing is going on. I told you what happened.”

  If Dublin found out that Nester had said a word, he would kill Pyke. Nester couldn’t let that happen, even if Pyke was a bear and could probably defend himself. Dublin was a nasty piece of work. He knew a lot of guys who would do anything for the right price.

  “Goddamn it, Nester. Talk to me.”

  “I don’t even know you,” Nester argued. “Only a crazy person would trust someone they just met, yet here I am, standing in your living room. Just back off!”

  “I told you everything about me up front,” Pyke argued. “I gave you my trust.”

  “I never asked you to do that!” Nester stormed down the hallway to his bedroom. He slammed the door and paced, so freaking angry that hot tears filled his eyes.

  Fucking Scott.

  Nester wished he’d never met the bastard. He was the cause of all this, and if you asked Nester, Scott had gotten off to easily, even if he still felt guilty about killing the guy.

  * * * *

  Inside his two-car garage, Pyke was seated on an overturned milk crate tinkering with his motorcycle. He’d given it a tune-up not too long ago, but working with his hands helped him think.

  Plus he needed some space from Nester. It was rare Pyke got this angry, but he knew Nester was hiding something. All Pyke wanted to do was help, but the longer he sat there, the more he realized forcing his help on Nester was the wrong thing to do.

  He’d been an impatience asshole. It was the part of his charming personality that Pyke had been working on for years. A part of him that he was trying change.

  And he’d failed miserably.

  Pyke had never been able to get relationships right. He was over two hundred years old, and every attempt in the past led to his partners leaving him because not only did Pyke lack patience but he was too damn honest. A lot of people were repelled by that quality.

  He was doing it again, and this was the most important person in the word to him.

  There was only one who’d been able to handle his honesty, but that relationship had been venomous. Pyke was glad he’d ended things with Payton before he ended up killing the prick.

  Only it seemed Payton hadn’t ended things with him.

  “Hey.”

  Pyke gritted his teeth and gripped the wrench tighter in his hand. Don’t fuck this up. Remain calm and don’t be so fucking truthful.

  “Hey.” Pyke looked over his shoulder, and his gut clenched.

  His mate stood there by the door to the garage looking uncertain as he glanced around.

  “You know, most people use garages to store their cars.” Nester took a step inside the space. “It seems you’ve turned yours into a mechanic shop.

  It was true. There was a huge workbench to one side, a car lift in the center, and tools too big for the bench strewn about. There was no room to park his pickup inside the garage.

  “I like working with my hands. It helps me think.” So much for keeping some things to himself. Maybe the recreation center in town offered classes on how not to open your big mouth and spout off the truth every time you spoke. Pyke would have to look into that.

  Nester gave him an attempt at a smile. “Do you mind if I invade your space, or do you want to be alone?”

  Pyke wanted to tell Nester he needed more time to himself, but he didn’t want his mate walking away. He also wanted Nester’s company. If he was to earn his mate’s trust, keeping him at arm’s length wasn’t the way to go about it.

  “Nah, you can come in.” Pyke wiped his hands on a shop rag and tossed it aside before he stood and leaned against the workbench, crossing his arms and watching Nester closely.

  Nester parked his butt on a stool and clasped his hands between his knees. “You have an amazing home.”

  An empty home. A place not even Payton had visited often. Pyke had liked his solitude, had reveled in it. Sure, he’d go
tten lonely just like anyone else who lived alone, but not enough to invite anyone to live with him.

  Now, with Nester here, he couldn’t imagine going back to living by himself, to roaming the halls to the deafening silence. Seeing Nester sitting there, knowing this guy was his forever, Pyke started to hope that his future wasn’t so bleak.

  “Thanks.” He waved toward the door. “Care for some coffee?”

  Nester slid from the stool, nearly tripping. His arms spun like a windmill, and Pyke rushed forward to catch him.

  “My foot got caught on the rung,” Nester said breathlessly as he stared up at Pyke, his palms pressed into Pyke’s chest. “Thanks for not letting me embarrass myself.”

  Pyke’s arms were curled around his mate, holding him for the first time, and he didn’t want to let the man go. He liked the heat radiating from Nester’s hands, as if his mate was branding him. “Can’t have you hurting yourself before your job even starts.”

  “God forbid I can’t keep your spotless house clean.” Nester visibly swallowed before he pulled away.

  “Hey, I do have dust lying around somewhere. I’m pretty sure you can find it.”

  “Maybe I’ll walk around kicking up the corners of rugs so I’ll have something to do.” Nester’s smile was heart-stopping. “I might even dirty some dishes, too.”

  Pyke pressed a hand to his chest. “Just don’t go overboard. I’m not sure if my OCD heart can take it.”

  The tension was there, the desire they both felt like a warm caress. A spark between them. A need. But Nester walked through the door, leaving Pyke standing there half-hard and breathing heavily.

  It was Nester who went to the coffeemaker and started a fresh pot. Soon the aroma of coffee beans filled the room.

  “I think I might need a list of things you want done,” Nester said, keeping his back to Pyke. “Just until I can get a routine down pat.”

  “I never understood why it’s down pat. Shouldn’t it be down packed. Who the hell is pat?”

  Nester snickered at Pyke’s attempt at humor. His mate even turned around to face him, gracing Pyke with his gorgeous face. It had been the lamest thing Pyke had ever said, but Nester didn’t seem to mind.

  “Clearly important enough to have an expression named after him.” Nester’s eyes sparkled as he grinned.

  Pyke made himself busy by grabbing two cups and setting them on the counter. The act also brought him closer to Nester. Pyke’s bear snarled to get closer, to taste those plump lips, to have Nester’s legs curled around his waist while Pyke carried him to his bedroom.

  “You’re staring so hard at me that I’m expecting laser beams to shoot out of your eyeballs,” Nester said, giving a nervous chuckle. “You’re not going to eat me, are you?”

  Now new images popped into Pyke’s head. Images of Pyke eating Nester in the most pleasurable way made his dick throb. “My bear likes you.”

  Fuck. Had his voice really faltered? Was that a squeak he’d heard in his voice? What was he, twelve and going through puberty all over again?

  Pyke cleared his throat and went to the fridge to grab the cream.

  “I’m not so sure about your bear,” Nester said. “He’s huge and intimidates the hell out of me.”

  Pyke understood his mate’s fear. They really didn’t know each other and coming across a three-hundred-pound bear could be frightening. Nester was the only person on the planet that didn’t need to fear him. Pyke would never do anything to hurt his mate.

  “Nah. Look at him as a teddy bear.”

  A bark of laughter escaped Nester. “A teddy bear? Are you kidding? I seriously doubt I’ll be cuddling with him anytime soon.”

  He would if Pyke had anything to say about it.

  They made their coffee and moved to the living room. Pyke started a fire in the fireplace and dropped onto the couch. In truth, it was odd having someone there. Whenever Payton had come around, they’d gone straight to sex, no wooing, no chill time.

  Why the fuck did he keep thinking about his ex, comparing him with Nester? Pyke shook his head, trying to dispel thoughts of Payton. It wasn’t like he missed the guy. It was running into him so much in the past twenty-four hours that made him think about the guy.

  As if reading his mind, Nester said, “I don’t mean to be nosy, and you can tell me it’s none of my business, but who exactly is Payton?”

  Pyke rested his head on the back of the couch, staring at the ceiling as he groaned. “A mistake I wished had never happened.”

  “So he’s an ex?” Nester sat on the recliner and curled his feet under him.

  Don’t be brutally honest.

  “Yep.” Pyke reached for the remote and turned the television on, something he rarely did. He preferred to read or stay busy in other ways besides in front of a TV.

  Nester turned his head to look at the television. Apparently the simple answer was enough, though Pyke wanted to explain why things had ended with Payton.

  He gritted his teeth, forcing the words to stay trapped in this throat. Pyke knew why he had that unfavorable trait. When he was growing up, his father had been a stickler for the truth. Pyke would get his ass kicked whenever he was caught in a lie.

  Since shifters stayed with their parents for an unusually long time, the lesson stuck, and undoing the lesson was a lot harder than Pyke thought it would be. Of course he’d told lies to strangers. Who didn’t? That nasty trait only came out with his partners.

  He noticed how Nester kept sneaking glances at him, and Pyke was dying to know what he was thinking. “What?”

  “Nothing.” Nester curled his lips in.

  Pyke tapped the spot next to him. “Why don’t you come over here?”

  One of Nester’s brows rose. “Why?”

  Instead of answering him, Pyke got up, walked to the recliner, and lifted Nester into his arms as a wave of possessiveness washed over him. His mate yelped, but he instinctively slid his arms around Pyke’s neck.

  “What the hell are you doing?” But there was no anger in Nester’s voice. Curiosity, but no heat. “You’re like seven feet tall, and being held this high off the ground is making me dizzy.”

  Pyke chuckled. “I’m not that tall, and you’re not that far from the ground. I promise I’m not going to drop you.”

  “I’m becoming oxygen deprived, Pyke. I’m too high up in the atmosphere.”

  Pyke rolled his eyes. “Dramatic much?”

  “I just have a healthy dose of self-preservation.” Nester’s arms tightened. “Now that you have me trapped against you, what do you plan on doing with me?”

  Chapter Five

  Nester must have lost his ever-loving mind. What had gotten into him? He should be demanding that Pyke put him down. Nester shouldn’t be breathing shallowly, and his pulse shouldn’t be skyrocketing with excitement.

  He kept telling himself that having sex with Pyke was a bad idea. They were just getting to know each other, and if it didn’t work out, Nester was screwed.

  And not in a good way.

  There was too much to deal with—the fact that he was on the lam for murder, Pyke being a bear, Pyke’s ex-boyfriend coming around, and Dublin finding Nester.

  Pyke was a complete stranger to him, a mystery that was honest to an uncomfortable point, yet Nester felt the guy had many hidden layers.

  Despite all that, what was on the forefront of his mind?

  Sex. Down-and-dirty sex. Nester wasn’t unaffected by Pyke’s closeness, his deep, masculine smell, the muscles that flexed when he picked him up from the chair, or the way Pyke looked at him as if he were the only man on earth the guy wanted.

  It was a known fact that sex was a stress reducer. That was Nester’s excuse, and he was sticking to it.

  And Nester had been dying to run his fingers through Pyke’s beard.

  “I’d rather show you what I want to do with you.” Pyke walked to his bedroom and deposited Nester onto the king-sized bed. “Unless you’d rather me stop.” He held up his large hands, pa
lms out. “Tell me now if you want me to back off.”

  Pyke pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside.

  Nester damn near drooled at the sight. “Back…uh… Back off what?”

  Pyke’s grin stole Nester’s breath. His heart pounded, almost out of control, as his cock lengthened. The wordplay excited him, thrilled him, actually. Nester was so nervous that his stomach did backflips. He also actively avoided thinking about the consequences of what they were about to do.

  Nester couldn’t rip his eyes away when Pyke undressed, revealing his dark tan—or was that the natural color of his skin?—and well-toned body. “What’s your nationality? You don’t have to answer. I’m just curious.”

  “Greek.”

  Pyke tossed his boxer briefs aside, and Nester’s gaze zeroed in on his enormous cock. Lord help me. Had he gotten in over his head?

  “But I don’t speak the language or uphold the traditions. Something my mother was disappointed in.”

  The bothered look on Pyke’s face made Nester want to change the subject. He knew about disappointing a parent. Norma Jean reminded him too many times that he hadn’t become a doctor or lawyer. Her son had been a cashier, something she had been ashamed of.

  Oh god. He needed to get his mother off his mind while he was staring at a gorgeous naked man. Thoughts of her would kill his libido.

  Thank goodness Pyke solved that problem by crawling onto the bed next to him, making the mattress dip with his weight.

  Nester didn’t say a word as Pyke helped him remove his clothes. All that was left was Nester’s underwear, and he wasn’t sure why he hesitated to take them off.

  “There’s still time to change your mind.”

  Pyke’s voice was deep and husky, only adding to the temptation Nester was fighting against. He should tell Pyke that this wasn’t going to happen, that it might be a mistake, but fuck if Nester could get his mouth to form those words.

  He had a sexy, naked man lying behind him. He didn’t think anyone in the world had that much self-control. He sure as hell didn’t.

  While telling himself not to do it, Nester scooted back a little, trying to get closer to Pyke’s nakedness. The only thing between them was Nester’s underwear. It would be so easy to take them off and offer himself to Pyke.