by Lisa Oliver
Ra was understandably proud of his workshop. The building itself was a work of art from an electronic standpoint. Charles’s eyes gleamed as he used the remote access on his key chain, but then Ra hadn’t met a man yet who didn’t appreciate a three-car garage space.
Ella didn’t look as impressed. “It’s a bit stark, isn’t it?” She said eyeing the plain cream outside walls and bars over the windows. “Do you really need this level of security?”
Grinning, Ra slid open one-half of the huge double doors. He liked having his workshop open when he was welding. The doors took up almost one whole wall, the doors designed to bend and slide around the side walls out of sight. Charles couldn’t stop himself from moving towards the tool-clad walls, but Seth’s eyes were glued to his almost finished piece.
“Oh, Ra, it’s beautiful.” Seth stepped towards the giant twisting metal shapes, his fingers clasped behind his back as though he was itching to touch but didn’t know if he could.
“You can touch it. My work is designed for gardens and outside spaces so your fingers can’t hurt it.” Ra felt a thrill run through him at Seth’s reaction. The look of wonder on Seth’s beautiful face…it was magic.
“You’ve got a lot of useful tools here, son,” Charles said gruffly. Ra jumped. He was so fixated on Seth he’d forgotten his in-laws were there. But he smirked at Charles’s words. Seems the quickest way to get into his father-in-law’s good graces was to have an interest in hardware.
“Don’t you go getting any ideas, Charles,” Ella said quickly. “Your new single garage is plenty big enough for the projects you do around the house.”
“But look,” Charles dragged Ella off to see the tools, arguing fiercely for his right to have a welder of his own. Ra shook his head but turned back to Seth who was wandering around his work; his head tipped back, his eyes wide.
“It’s us, isn’t it?” Seth’s voice was hushed. Ra was surprised, but pleasantly so. To the untrained eye, his work was a mass of metal spires, all twisting around each other as they made their way towards the ceiling.
“Tell me what you see, little one,” he said keeping his own voice soft. He wrapped his arms around Seth’s waist and pulled his back against his chest. His tiger sighed. They liked having Seth in their arms.
“There you see where we were apart. You see the little spire off to one side on its own covered with brambles and trees as though hiding; he bigger one standing straight and tall on the other side.” Seth waved his arms to show the parts he meant.
“And there,” he added excitedly, “the way those vine-like pieces stem out from the bottom of the big spire, circling the whole piece. That’s you looking for me, but I’m too small to see.” Seth’s voice dropped and he turned, looking over his shoulder. “I’m so sorry I ran from you.”
“It’s okay, you’re here now,” Ra said gently, tilting Seth’s head back towards his sculpture. “What can you tell me about the middle section? What do you see in there?”
Seth blushed. “That’s us now. Very sexy. How you imagined our mating would be. Limbs entwined with a solid central core, the larger spire adding his strength for the smaller one to reach the same height. It’s beautiful, simply beautiful.”
Ra ran his eyes over the beaten metal. Seth was right in every way. Those two weeks trying to find his mate were hell. Ra was on his bike all day every day searching the town and surrounding areas. At night, he would bury himself in his workshop, pounding out his worry and frustration on the metal. But out of all that angst and twisted harsh shapes, Seth saw the beauty of it and Ra’s heart melted. He wanted to say something special, profound, even romantic but then Ella intervened.
“Are you telling me this twisted hunk of junk metal makes you money?”
“Mom!” Seth pulled out of Ra’s arms and squared up to his mother, hands on hips, his lips tight. “How dare you be rude about my mate’s work. Can’t you see the love in this piece, the emotion? I wouldn’t care if this beautiful sculpture never sold – I think it is amazing and Ra’s really talented.”
“You can’t blame your parents for being concerned about your wellbeing,” Ra said pulling Seth back in his arms where he belonged.
“I don’t allow backchat, young man and you know it,” Ella said angrily. “With you and your hopes and dreams of writing soppy love stories and him with his twisted metal, I don’t want to see either of you homeless.”
Seth gasped and Ra realized he was hurt by his mother’s dismissal of his career plans. “I can’t wait to read anything you’ve written, my sweet one,” he said softly. He faced Ella’s scorn with pride. “And no matter what you think of that twisted hunk of junk metal, Ella, it’s a commissioned piece for a rich couple who have just bought their new home in upstate New York. My agent already has the $360,000 check waiting for me, payable on delivery. The buyers saw the photographs and insisted their landscape designer work their entire garden around this piece.”
“See Ella,” Charles dragged himself away from the tool display and took his wife’s arm. “Our new son-in-law is making money and if he does six of these a year then he’s not doing too shabby for himself. Now say goodbye, we still have a lot of packing to do. Boys, we will expect to see you at the new house next week for dinner.”
Tugging a reluctant Ella by the arm, Charles waved as they walked away.
“Will your mom still make cakes if she’s unhappy about what I do? The boys were really excited about that idea,” he asked, hoping to divert Seth from his unhappiness.
“Mom’s just being Mom, she bakes every day, so the boys are safe,” Seth said, turning in his arms. Ra couldn’t help but smile. Even with the hurt in his eyes, Seth was a sight for sore eyes. “She’ll pout and I will be expected to apologize when I see her again, but she knows I’m sticking up for my mate and underneath that pout, she’ll be pleased we’ve got such a strong bond already. I might be little, but I won’t let people insult what you do.”
“And your dreams are important to me as well,” Ra said firmly. “So, tell me about your writing. Can you use me as a role model for one of your main characters?” He wiggled his eyebrows and Seth laughed. As that was his intention, Ra was feeling doubly pleased with himself as he locked the shed and they went back to the house.
Chapter Ten
Seth tugged his folder out of his backpack and smoothed the cover. He cast a worried glance at Ra who was lying like a rajah among his pillows. “Are you sure you want me to read this to you? It’s not edited or anything.”
“My sculpture hasn’t been polished, but you still saw the beauty in it.” Ra stretched and Seth was reminded of the things he used to dream about when he was writing his story. Ra might have joked about being a central character, but he’d been a fantasy of Seth’s for months.
His cheeks far too warm for comfort, Seth climbed on the bed and curled against his mate’s solid chest. He pulled out his printed sheets, cringing at the idea of sharing his innermost dreams with someone as strong as Ra. Mating is about sharing everything he reminded himself and sneaking a peek over his shoulder to make sure the big man wasn’t actually watching him, he started to read.
“Beau slammed open the door of the club, determined every eye would turn his way. His jeans couldn’t be any tighter, he’d spent hours ensuring every hair was in place and his eyeliner, blue, to go with his eyes, was perfectly applied….”
*****
Ra was in horny heaven. That place where desire thrummed through the body, the perfect partner was willing, within arm’s reach and nary an interruption in sight. Seth’s voice was soothing and sensual all at the same time, and apparently, from what he was reading, he had a wicked imagination.
It’d only taken a few pages for Ra to realize who Seth was using as his main characters. The sexy and feisty Beau was modeled on Seth – maybe his inner confident self. Ra grinned at the thought and as for Dare…well, how many tall well-built biker men did Seth know. Hmm, there were a lot of them in town and that thought wiped the smi
le off his face.
“Are you okay? Should I stop now?” Seth looked at him with a creased brow and Ra gave himself a mental head slap.
“I’m loving it, sweetness; I’m just wondering where you got your inspiration for the characters. They seem familiar somehow.”
“My tutor claims they’re clichéd,” Seth said sadly. “Apparently, tall buff bikers aren’t interested in bratty twinks with a big mouth and my plot is apparently unrealistic even for romance.”
Ra laughed. “I don’t know, I think your tutor’s the one with clichéd ideas. I take it, he’s not a shifter?”
Seth shook his head. “I doubt it. The community college accepts applications from shifters provided they agree not to attend classes in person. I can’t imagine them being shifter friendly enough to employ one to teach any of the classes.”
Rolling over, Ra took the folder from Seth’s hand and placed it carefully on the nightstand. Tugging Seth close, he ran his hand down Seth’s curls so they didn’t get in his face. He knew Seth was aware of the rod currently fighting to get out of his sweat pants, but he had a few things he wanted to say first.
“I’ve lived a long time,” he said slowly stroking Seth’s hair. “Long enough to have been around during the time your father was talking about. Those were difficult times for all of us, dangerous times, but there was one thing I learned that has never changed.”
“What’s that?” Seth’s question sent a puff of breath over his nipple and Ra’s skin started to tighten.
“Never be ashamed of who you are,” Ra said gravely. “Now, the way I see it, your characters are completely believable. They’re shifters and shifters approach relationships differently than humans. They have an instant connection and no matter what Dare might have said in his first meeting with Beau, you and I both know they’d be in bed by chapter three and so as far as I’m concerned you wrote them very realistically.”
“Are you sure you’re not just being supportive because we’re mates?” Seth peeked at him under his curls.
“No, I wouldn’t do that,” Ra said. “If you wrote something I thought wasn’t your best work, I would help you find ways to fix it. But I like this story. You have an easy style, it flows nicely and the plot is realistic from a shifter perspective. What I’d like to know,” Ra allowed his voice to drop, “is where you came up with your sex scenes? I know that wasn’t from experience.”
“I’m a rabbit,” Seth said, his mouth so close to Ra’s nipple, Ra could almost feel those hot lips nuzzling him. “We know a lot about sex, and I saw a lot of people humping when I was living in the herd. Rabbits have no shame within the herd grounds. I knew the mechanics of it well before it was explained.”
“You describe their feelings so well,” Ra observed. “I especially loved it when Dare took Beau for the first time and he was trying to be all macho about it, but inside he was happy horny dancing and kicking himself for being an idiot.”
“I was thinking of you when I wrote that scene,” Seth admitted in a shy voice, “and that was before I saw you dance.”
“I can dance for you again if you like.”
“On the bed? Only I was thinking we could dance together.”
Ra could totally get on board with that plan, and as he lay panting, trying to get his breath sometime later, every muscle in his body noodlefied, nothing could wipe the grin off his face. Turned out Seth could dance very well and with great enthusiasm.
Chapter Eleven
Seth tugged at his new pants. Tighter than he was used to, he wasn’t sure they were appropriate to wear in public, especially with no underwear. “Are you sure these look okay?”
“You look scrumptious,” Ra assured him, pulling on his jacket. “We’re only going to Cam’s. You’ll know everyone there.”
“I’ve never been in a drinking establishment before.”
“Have you ever drunk alcohol?” Ra seemed surprised, but then Seth knew that all the youngsters in town longed for the day they hit eighteen and were allowed in Cam’s place. He just never saw the point. The night he turned eighteen, Seth was babysitting for the Alpha. Gareth and a few others mentioned taking him to Cam’s since, but it never happened.
“I’ve had the occasional beer. You brought me those honeydew ones on our picnic remember,” Seth said, trying not to sound defensive.
“We’ll keep you off the hard stuff then,” Ra said, coming over and swinging him off his feet. “Now come on babe, put your smile on. We’ve been languishing around the house for two weeks. You’re not going to deny me the chance to show you off, are you?”
Seth managed a smile and turned his face up for a kiss because he was learning that was a good way to distract his affectionate mate. Truth be told, despite the lovely new clothes Ra insisted on buying him, he really wasn’t in the mood for people. He hoped the upset in his stomach was just nerves.
He wasn’t feeling any better as the bikes rumbled into town. Everyone turned to look; most people waved but others, some of the older people from the herd Seth noticed, turned their backs. He could feel Ra’s muscles tense under his fingers and he hoped they could get through the night without his tiger getting all furry on him. He had yet to see Ra’s shifted form. Maybe I should have suggested he shift before we came out.
By the time the bikes pulled up outside of Cam’s place Seth’s stomach upset increased. It wasn’t overly busy for a Friday night, but there were at least a dozen cars and trucks in the parking lot. Ra seemed more relaxed as he waved to Cam who was leaning on the doorframe of his bar.
“I could hear your bikes from the top of the road,” Cam teased once everyone had turned their machines off.
“We can be deadly silent if we need to be,” Liam said with a smile as he swung his leg over his bike. “But what’s the point when we want you to know we’re coming so you have time to get the drinks ready for us.”
“Already lined up and ready to go,” Cam said with an easy smile. “Except yours, Seth. You’re a newcomer. Welcome to my humble establishment.”
“Thank you.” Seth had only seen Cam around town, he didn’t even know what type of shifter the man was. Big cat was his first guess, watching how Cam punched then hugged Ra’s friends as they headed inside although even Brutus seemed respectful of him and it took a lot to get respect from a bear.
“Come on, sweet one,” Ra said, his arm a comforting weight on his shoulder as he led him up the steps and into the bar. “It’s been two weeks since people have seen you in town; I am sure some will want to say hello and make sure I haven’t eaten you.”
“People were starting to talk,” Cam said as he jumped over the solid wooden bar. “Now, what will you have Seth? Did you like that honeydew I sent you as a mating gift?”
Seth nodded because that seemed the easiest thing to do. Cam’s place wasn’t the dive Gareth used to complain it was. The dark brown carpet and light-colored walls gave it a comforting feel. There were a couple of rabbits Seth remembered from the herd, standing by an old-fashioned jukebox and he noticed Barney with a group of guys over at the pool table. He gave a half-wave when Barney caught his eye and then quickly turned away. He’d never officially resigned from his job and he hated that Barney might be angry at him.
“Did you want to go and talk to Barney?” Of course, Ra would notice his lackluster greeting. “I did call him and explain you needed to take a leave of absence because of our mating.”
“You did?” Ra was wearing his skull bandana again and looked every inch the biker, but Seth wasn’t intimidated. “I thought he fired me. I haven’t been there in over a month.”
“Another joy of living in a shifter town,” Ra said, guiding him to a table where Liam, his brother, and the others were already drinking and chatting wildly. “Guys, got room for a small one?”
“I hope you weren’t talking about yourself,” Brutus grumbled as he shifted over in the booth and made room for Seth. Ra grabbed a chair from an empty table and plonked it down beside him. His hand found its
home on Seth’s knee and Seth tried to relax.
*****
Ra wasn’t sure what was wrong with Seth, but his tiger had gone on alert the moment they hit Main Street and hadn’t settled down since. It didn’t help that Ra could scent the distress Seth felt when he’d been snubbed by those busybody rabbits. But even when the scent changed when the only two rabbits in the bar left, Seth was still pale and kept rubbing his stomach. Shifters didn’t get sick, so Ra assumed Seth was still worried about something. He wouldn’t have come out at all, except his friends were teasing him about the amount of time the two men spent alone together. Ra had been with his club mates a long time and he hadn’t been lying when he said he wanted to show Seth off. Apart from dinner with Seth’s parents, they hadn’t left the clubhouse at all.
“Do you want to dance, sweetness?” He asked when a familiar favorite blared out of the jukebox.
Seth’s smile was a poor imitation of what it usually was. But when Ra moved his chair back and held out his hand, Seth got to his feet. He stepped away from the table, and then as he went to reach for Ra’s hand he just crumpled to the floor. Ra’s knees hit the carpet hard as he gently turned Seth’s head. Seth’s eyes were closed, but his breathing seemed regular.
“What happened, did he trip?” Cam appeared over Ra’s shoulder.
“I don’t know,” Ra was trying not to let his emotions get the better of him, but his tiger had gone from alert to furious. “He’s unconscious. Seth, come on babe, open those eyes.”
“He’s fainted,” Barney said looming over Ra’s other side, “you need to give him some air. Get him some water. Has he had much to drink?”
“He hasn’t touched his bottle,” Lucien said, holding up the bottle of honeydew Cam had given him when he arrived. Ra cursed himself for not noticing. Maybe Seth was sick, although how….
“Roll him onto his back; look he’s already coming around,” Barney said and sure enough Seth’s eyelids were fluttering.