Flynn, Joyee - Sheriff Found [Hiding Hounds 1] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove)

by Joyee Flynn

  “Oh, it does, does it?” Randall chuckled, not having missed the comment about Toby making more money than he. That was something he’d have to think about. He knew he was Alpha enough that he’d want to provide for Toby, but he wouldn’t want to get in the way of the work that had his pup so excited. “Okay, I’ll do dishes if you cook and handle the vacuuming. I’m not a fan of laundry, but there’s a certain way I need my uniforms ironed.”

  “I like doing the laundry,” Toby answered, almost bouncing in his chair. “You can teach me how to iron the right way. I’m really smart. I swear I am.”

  “You’ve said that before, baby,” he said softly, not wanting to ruin Toby’s excitement. “Why would you keep saying that as if I think you’re not?”

  “Because I’m part puppy,” Toby whispered as he looked down at his hands. “I know I get excited and ramble, but I can’t help that. I’ve had people tell me it makes me sound stupid and like a little kid. I don’t want you to think I’m not smart or a child.”

  “Oh, sweetheart,” Randall gasped, hating the way Toby looked so lost at the idea. He turned on the teakettle and went to kneel in front of Toby’s chair, taking his face in his hands. “I don’t think you’re stupid, baby. And I wouldn’t have had such hot sex with you if you reminded me of a little kid. I’m not into that kind of shit. You’re right, you do sound like an excited puppy sometimes, but that’s what makes you so special. I love the way you brighten up and ramble when you’re happy.”

  “You do?” Toby sniffed, staring at him as if he was begging for what Randall said to be the truth.

  “I’ve laughed more since I’ve met you than I have in months, baby,” Randall admitted. And that fact hit him hard. It was absolutely true. He’d laughed and had more fun in one day with Toby than he could ever remember. “I think it’s amazing the way small things make you happy. That takes a person with a big heart to see the world that way.”

  “Thank you,” Toby whispered as a tear escaped from his eyes. He reached up and wiped it away before kissing his man’s sweet lips. Toby’s plump lips called to him, and he found himself wanting to kiss his pup often. “I really am smart. That’s part of why I’m not that good with people. I’ve got my head buried in a book or in work most of the time, so I don’t socialize often. But I have a master’s degree and everything. I can show you my IQ test if you don’t believe me.”

  “I do believe you, baby,” Randall answered, kissing him until Toby moaned and whimpered. That whimper was so incredibly sexy when it came from Toby that Randall promised to make his mate do it as often as possible. And he wanted to learn more about Toby, maybe help him get more confidence in himself.

  As he pulled back and stared at the bright eyes looking at his, Randall promised himself that he’d protect Toby even if it meant from his own doubts. It scared the shit out of him that he instantly wanted Toby and for the rest of his life, but they had time to get to know each other and for Randall to deal with that. He just hoped he didn’t let his past hurt the man who was worming his way into his heart.

  * * * *

  “What are you thinking about so hard?” I asked as the minutes dragged on and we stared at each other. The teakettle whistled, and we both jumped as if it broke the trance we were in.

  “I was just thinking about how you have your master’s already at twenty-two,” Randall answered, and I wasn’t sure I believed that’s really what he’d been thinking. I watched my mate move to take the kettle off the stove and pour water into the bowls he’d set out earlier.

  “I got my GED when I was sixteen,” I said, deciding to just go with what he said was on his mind. “Then I found out I was really good with computers and graphics. I found a part-time job working at doing some web designs that helped me pay for an online degree in computer technology. It took me a few years, but by then, I had a lot more work coming in to design websites. I started my own company and branched off from the people I worked for.”

  “So, you were how old when you got your bachelor’s?” Randall asked as he sat down at the table with our food. I smiled as my mate poured me a glass of juice and sprinkled my oatmeal with some sugar before doing the same to his own.

  “Nineteen,” I answered, smiling at him. “Then I found an online college that had a master’s program in graphic design. I got my master’s in less than two years, and by then, my company was doing so well that I had to hire a few guys in the pack to help with all the business I had. It also helped us buy what we needed to live in the mountains.”

  “So, you have employees?” Randall asked, his eyes going wide. I wasn’t sure if that was a good surprised or a bad one.

  “Yeah, a few of the younger guys help me as they’re getting their degrees, too,” I answered as I played with my oatmeal. Taking a deep breath, I glanced up at my big mate. “Are you mad?”

  “What—no!” he exclaimed and reached for my hand. “I think that’s amazing, Toby. I don’t know much about your life, but if you guys are living up in the mountains alone, you can’t have it easy. I mean, you got your GED at sixteen, and by twenty-two, you have your master’s and a company so successful you employ other people. That’s really fucking impressive, baby.”

  “Oh,” I sighed, relieved I’d not upset him. I blew on my oatmeal to cool it off as Randall started growling. Looking back at him with wide eyes, I had no clue what the strange look on his face meant. “Randall?”

  “When you do that with your lips, all I can think of is having them wrapped around my cock, baby,” Randall said softly, letting out another low growl. I felt a shiver run through me at the sound. “It makes me feel all possessive and want to mark you as mine.”

  “Like a collar?” I asked, scared that Randall might be like the other large shifters I’d heard about. While I hadn’t been beaten up or held captive like some of the people in our pack, I knew what could happen to us. “I don’t want to wear a collar, Randall. You said you weren’t my owner.”

  “No, not like a collar,” he answered slowly, looking confused with his eyebrows drawn together. “I’m not sure what I meant by wanting to mark you, actually. It’s just something I’ve been feeling, like I want anyone who sees you to know you’re mine.”

  “Well, when you figure it out, can you tell me?” I replied between mouthfuls of oatmeal.

  “Yeah, I can do that.” Randall chuckled, and we sat in silence for a few minutes as we finished eating. “Is the need to mark people a mate’s thing? I mean, is that how you guys show you’re together?”

  “I don’t know,” I answered honestly, trying to think back to the stories I’d heard about mating lore. “Our pack is kind of outcast from the rest of shifters.”

  “I think maybe it’s time we had that talk, Toby,” Randall said quietly as we finished up breakfast. I nodded my head and felt the tears burning my eyes. This wasn’t a conversation I wanted to have, because I wasn’t sure if Randall would still want me after it.

  Chapter 4

  We finished cleaning up breakfast and the dishes before going into the living room. I took off Randall’s shirt, smelling it one more time before laying it on the chair. The way my mate smelled was awesome, like the woods with sweat and spices. I smiled at Randall, who was staring at me, then got down on all fours and shifted.

  “Come here, pup,” Randall chuckled as he hung a new IV bag onto the lamp next to the sofa. I jumped up in on his lap when he sat down, putting my front paws on his chest and licking his face. My mate gently hooked the IV into the needle in my paw as I stared into his gorgeous eyes.

  “I like your eyes, Randall,” I said softly as I wagged my tail. “They say a lot when you talk, and they’re really pretty.”

  “Thank you, baby,” he replied, rubbing his nose against mine. “Now, we were going to have a talk, remember?”

  “Will you promise me one thing first?” I asked, hoping he wouldn’t get mad. Randall raised an eyebrow at me, but after a moment, he nodded his agreement. “Promise no matter what I tell you th
at you won’t get rid of me? I couldn’t deal with the idea that my past ruined our mating.”

  “I promise, Toby,” he said gently, scratching me behind the ears. “We all have a past, okay? I just need to know about yours so I understand more about you and being a shifter. My past isn’t all that great, but I wouldn’t think you’d leave me just because something bad happened to me, right?”

  “No, I’d never leave you, Randall,” I replied firmly, getting his point. He smiled at me as he probably figured out I put together what he was trying to tell me. “I grew up outside Los Angeles. My parents were part of a pack of dog shifters. It’s weird with any type of dog or cat shifters. My mom was a huge Great Dane, and my dad was an Irish setter, but they had me, who’s a beagle puppy.”

  “So, you won’t grow into a full-grown beagle one day?” He asked, tilting his head to the side as he kept scratching my ears. “It’s not like how humans have babies that grow up into adults?”

  “We’re like that on our human side, but not in our shifter DNA,” I answered, loving how smart my mate was to put the connection together. “We can be bigger or smaller animals depending on how big we are as humans. If I was a wolf shifter, I’d still be a smaller wolf when I shifted as opposed to someone your size.”

  “Okay, that makes sense,” Randall said with a nod. “There are different types of wolves in the wild. So, you’re saying if two wolf shifters have a baby, it could be any of those types?”

  “Yes, exactly,” I replied excitedly, glad he really cared enough to want to know all of this. “As you can imagine, there are lots of different types of dogs, and anyone can have any breed of shifter dog. But some of us are born as dog pups. My parents used to tell me that made me special, but I hated it growing up. I used to get beat up a lot and picked on constantly. Most packs have their own small town, normally, since we have trouble controlling our ability to shift until after puberty. I mean, we couldn’t go to a human school and suddenly turn into a dog or wolf.”

  “No, I could see where that would be bad.” He chuckled as he moved me to sit more comfortably on his lap. “So, the other dog shifters don’t like pup dog shifters?”

  “Sometimes, but normally, they think we’re a fluke of nature,” I answered, rolling onto my back so he could scratch my belly. Randall smiled down at me and did just that as my left leg kicked out. “There were only a couple of us in our pack, and the elders wanted to put us down. They said we were rejects that needed to be taken care of like wild animals. Needless to say, my parents freaked out and contacted the High Council of Shifters.”

  “That’s horrible, baby,” Randall whispered, cupping my cheek. I rubbed my face in his hand, loving how he touched me just as I needed. “You know you’re not a freak, right? I don’t think you’re a freak, Toby.”

  “I know you don’t,” I replied, trying to smile up at him as I let my tongue hang out to the side. It worked. Randall laughed as he kissed the top of my head. “The High Council got involved, which ended up pissing off our pack even more. My parents knew other dog shifters who were having the same problem with their loved ones and were working to start a pack of their own. I don’t know how everything happened. I was only seven at the time.”

  “That’s okay. I get the basic idea.”

  “All I remember was my dad pulling me out of bed one night,” I whispered, getting choked up at the memories. “He’d packed a couple of bags, and we got in the car and drove away. He was crying the whole time, and I kept asking where my mom was. I didn’t get why we were leaving her behind.

  “Finally, after we’d driven for a while, my dad told me that my mom had been killed. Dog shifters have a shared mental link where they can talk to their mates. My mom had overheard some of the elders as they decided to handle things themselves and kill the pup shifters. She got caught but was able to tell my dad before they killed her. He raced home, grabbed me, and we fled. I felt horrible for my dad. He had listened to my mom and saved me, knowing she was about to be killed instead of being able to rescue her.”

  “Oh, baby,” Randall said softly, rubbing his nose against mine. I wasn’t sure, but it looked like he had tears in his eyes. He moved away before I could really see. “That had to be so hard on you.”

  “My dad didn’t tell me all of it until later when I was a few years older and he was teaching me about mates,” I replied as I curled up against my mate’s stomach. “After we ran away, my dad met up with some others who were pup shifters or had pup shifter children. I guess they’d gotten High Council approval to have a secret pack, and they even gave them some land up in the Cascade Mountains.”

  “And that’s where you live now, right?”

  “I thought I got to live here with you now?” I asked, shaking in fear that he was getting rid of me. “You promised you wouldn’t make me leave, Randall.”

  “I’m not, Toby,” he answered gently, smiling down at me. “I meant that’s where you lived before we met. I want you here with me, baby, but isn’t all your stuff up there?”

  “Oh, yeah, sorry,” I replied with a whimper, feeling bad I doubted my mate. “I didn’t mean to think the worst of you.”

  “I know, baby,” Randall said, giving me a soft smile. “We’ve not known each other that long. It will take us a bit to trust each other and know what the other means sometimes.”

  “That’s a good point.” I smiled up at him, letting my tongue hang out as he chuckled.

  “So, that’s where you were living before we met,” Randall said, leading me back into my story. “What happens now? I mean, we’d have to get your stuff, at least.”

  “Yes, and I have to bring back medicine,” I replied, not having forgotten why I’d left in the first place. “I was one of the ones chosen to go out, find help for the pack, and bring back medicine. Mostly because I’m the only one in the pack who has a lot of money, but I share it with them.”

  “What do you mean by have a lot of money, Toby?” he asked slowly, eyeing me over. “And how much do you share with them?”

  “Well, I make really good money,” I answered, turning my head not to look at him anymore. I didn’t want to see if I upset him. “And there aren’t too many jobs available where we live. I mean, some of the pack make blankets and crafts that they sell, but we’re like one big family.”

  “That didn’t answer my question,” Randall said, and I could feel him get tense. “I’m not trying to be jerk or demanding, baby. But I think this is something I really need to know, don’t you?”

  “Well, how much do you have in your bank account?” I snipped at him, looking at him through narrowed eyes. “I told you that my work is in demand, that I even have my own employees, and I share with my pack. Why do you need a dollar amount?”

  “A little over twenty thousand last time I checked my savings,” Randall answered, narrowing his eyes at me. “And I’m not asking for an exact figure, but a rough estimate would be nice since you’re talking about living here with me. If you leave your pack and move here, do you think you can still have them as your employees from a distance? Or how would you share with your pack and help provide for them from Wenatchee?”

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered, moving on his lap so my front paws were on his chest again. “I’m really sorry, Randall. You’ve been nothing but nice to me and are helping me get better. I shouldn’t have been mean to you. It’s not an excuse, but I’ve had people push me to tell them. I share with the pack, but I’ve had a few come to me on the side wanting more. I’ve learned to try and keep my bank accounts to myself.”

  “It’s okay, baby,” he said with a nod. “I can see that from your perspective. I just wanted you to understand why I was asking. I don’t care if you have two dollars to your name, Toby. But it is something partners discuss with each other. And if we can figure out a way to buy this medicine for your pack, I’d need to know if you could pay for it or whatnot.”

  “No, I get it,” I replied, licking his chin. “I have around a quarter of a million i
n my savings account. I normally give about twenty-five percent of what I make to the pack leader to help out, plus what I pay my employees.”

  “Shit!” Randall gasped, looking at me with wide eyes. “How much do you make for each design, Toby? I mean, god, you’re twenty-two and have saved that much already?”

  “It depends on what the design is and how intricate,” I answered with a shrug. “Websites with twenty pages run about a thousand dollars for me to design. But then I do book covers, too, and those are normally a few hundred. I’ve done some designs and editing of movie trailers. Those bring in a lot of money, and I get to charge extra because they’re normally rush jobs. I also do a few calendar designs, but those are for free because they’re for charity.”

  “I think I also see a big part of something missing,” Randall said as he ran his hands over his face before staring at me. “You don’t pay taxes, do you, Toby?”

  “Sure I do,” I answered, tilting my neck as I eyed him over. “I pay tax every time I buy something. One of the guys in the pack is really good with numbers and does my income taxes every year. He’s great with deductions too.”

  “Oh, sorry,” he replied, his cheeks heating up. “I thought maybe if you lived in a secret pack up in the mountains that you wouldn’t want the government to know where you are and all.”

  “No, they know we’re there.” I giggled, licking him again so he didn’t feel bad. “It’s privately owned land that we pay taxes on and everything. They think it’s just a couple of families that work together in a kind of small town of our own. It’s not like they know we’re shifters. We only hide from other shifter packs. The High Council won’t tell anyone where we’re at.”

  “Okay, so we’ve got all that covered,” Randall said with a yawn, looking tired. “Now, let’s go back to how it will affect your pack if you move here. And how we’re going to get your stuff and the medicine your pack needs.”