The One Thing Money Can't Buy (Custom Solutions Book 1)

by Lisa Oliver

  Chapter Five

  Quaid could smell wolves even though he couldn’t see them and as soon as Cari let him into his apartment, he prowled around checking windows and door locks. The tiny bathroom window had bars on the outside which was a step in the right direction. But the two windows in the small living room and the one in the bedroom would be easy for anyone to break into.

  “Would you like a coffee?” Cari asked. He’d abandoned his small satchel and keys on a tiny side table by the front door and was now in the kitchen, looking at Quaid expectantly.

  “Black, thank you.” One of Quaid’s gifts was his ability to scent strong emotions and Cari reeked of confusion and anxiety. Hopefully, giving him something to do would help. “Do you have a local hardware store nearby? These windows need stronger locks on them and the door could do with a deadbolt.”

  “Oh, none of the windows open except the bathroom one,” Cari said brightly. “They’re nailed shut from the outside. I think the previous tenants were a bit paranoid.”

  Nailed shut? Quaid had a mental image of fire licking up the walls and a frightened Cari banging fruitlessly on windows that wouldn’t open. He’d be forced to break the glass, but the smoke would overwhelm him in such a small space. Quaid could see it now, Cari’s lifeless form, his arm stretched out as if….

  “Are you all right?” Cari was there, beside him, holding up a mug of strong coffee. “You seem to have spaced out a bit for a minute there.”

  “How are you still alive?” Grabbing the mug, Quaid set it on the table and then pulled the unresisting Cari into his arms. “Your windows don’t work; your door is an open invitation to any burglar or mugger that walks by. The heating sounds as if it’s about to blow up any minute and your stove looks like it was bought at a fire sale.”

  Cari didn’t answer right away but Quaid noticed he snuggled in, his arms resting around his waist and his head fitting perfectly in the center of his chest. Quaid inhaled, slow and deep, fighting his need to rip his mate’s clothes off and take him over the couch. He’s offering comfort, he warned his lion who was keen to claim the hedgehog as theirs. Don’t cheapen the moment.

  “I’ve never had anyone worry about my safety before,” Cari said, addressing his right nipple. “The windows might not open, but there is a hole in the skirting behind the refrigerator I can crawl out of in my shifted form if I have to escape. I’m really careful with the stove. It might look old, but it does work perfectly. The heating has always made that noise and as for the door…” Cari looked down at the floor, the head movement sending warm feelings through Quaid’s chest, “I put a chair under the door handle before I go to bed every night.”

  “Oh, babe,” Quaid bent his neck at an impossible angle, so he could rest his chin on his mate’s head. “I’m not doubting your ability to look after yourself. Those are very smart things to do. I’m just not sure why you rented such a derelict place originally.”

  “I was lucky to get this.” Cari was still addressing his left nipple. “I barely had time to grab my papers and bank card when I was banished from the prickle and the wolves wouldn’t let me live in their territory at all. I’ve done my best with what I had.”

  Looking around, Quaid could see that was true. The apartment was worn, but there wasn’t a mark on the cream colored walls. The couch was another seventies reject, but Cari had covered it with a cheap, bright throw, giving some color to the room. Quaid guessed the place was leased as a furnished apartment because the television was bolted to the wall. The shower curtain in the bathroom was spotless and there wasn’t so much as a stray sock in the neat bedroom. Lack of possessions aside, Cari kept a clean house.

  “We should probably make plans,” Quaid said, holding Cari with one arm as he reached for his cup with the other. Even the mug was new, unchipped and had a bright smiley face on it. Shuffling them back towards the couch, he eased down, setting Cari on his lap. “What sorts of things did you dream about before you won the lotto? What have you thought about since you knew you’d won?”

  “I used to dream about a lot of things when I was still a prickle member,” Cari admitted. Noticing he didn’t have a beverage of his own, Quaid held out his cup to share, but Cari shook his head. “I think something must’ve broken in my brain when I got banished because I doubt I’ve dreamed since.” A gentle shudder ran through Cari’s body and Quaid wondered if nightmares were classified as dreams in Cari’s head.

  “Did you know you’d won all that money the night of the draw?”

  Cari nodded, and then when Quaid kept quiet, he said, “I was supposed to go out for drinks with some of the people from work that night. We have a standing Saturday night arrangement, or at least we did.” Cari’s nose wrinkle was adorable. “Do you think they’d still let me go with them, even though I stood them up this weekend. I did text and tell Lucy I couldn’t come, although I didn’t say why.”

  “Are these good friends of yours?” More people I’m going to have to protect my mate from, or allies?

  “I work in the same office as them. Lucy and Marcus are wolves, Julie and Megan are humans and I think Jo and Ryan are some sort of cat shifters, but what they are exactly doesn’t come up in conversation.”

  “And you all go out together every Saturday night?” Quaid asked, thinking hard. Cari working with pack wolves could be an issue. “What do you do when you’re out?” He tried to imagine his sweet mate dressed in anything that wasn’t a bow tie and knitted vest, but he couldn’t. In a club crowd, Cari would stand out as a sexy geek twink. Vulnerable in other words.

  “They drink mostly, trying different clubs and bars every time. Do you know one night, they went all the way to Morrisville just to try out a new burger?” Morrisville was forty minutes’ drive away, not really any distance at all. But if Cari didn’t have his own transport….

  “Who did you go with that night?” Quaid didn’t really care about the answer. He was trying to work out the friends’ dynamics and who might be a problem if, no, when news of Cari’s win became known.

  “An Uber driver took me.” Cari plucked at the collar of his shirt. “I don’t like going places and relying on others to get me home.”

  “Very sensible.” In fact, if Quaid was pushed to say it, he’d reckon his mate was sensible with a capital S. Not a bad thing for a young prey animal to be. “Is it fun, do you think, going out clubbing and drinking with the others? Do they ever come back here and just hang out?” Cari’s apartment hardly looked like a den of iniquity, but Quaid had been fooled before.

  “They don’t like this area of town. They mostly hang out in the wolves’ territory when they’re not partying. I’m not set up for entertaining and they have more fun without me there anyway.” Quaid searched for any emotion behind the words, but he got nothing. Cari was just stating a fact.

  Something didn’t add up. “Babe,” Quaid tilted Cari’s chin, so they were looking at each other. “It doesn’t sound like they’re true friends in any sense of the word, so why do you go out with them?”

  For a long moment, Quaid thought that Cari wasn’t going to answer. He stared into his mate’s unusually colored eyes, willing him to say something, anything. Trust me, please. “I’m an omega hedgehog,” Cari whispered. “My shifted form is totally albino. My therapist, Douglas, said that I needed to get out more, socialize, and become a more well-rounded person otherwise no one would want to mate with me. He must have said something to Lucy, because suddenly, she was pestering me to go out with her and her friends. Every time, different wolves, sniffing around me, getting grabby and rude. That’s why I always make sure I have a way to get home by myself.”

  Quaid wanted to shout, You could just say no to going out in the first place, but even as he thought it, he knew for Cari, it just wasn’t possible, especially if Lucy had alpha genetics which was sounding likely. He got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. “Cari, is there anything special about omega hedgehogs you think I should know? I’ve got to admit, I’ve never met on
e before. Do you have any special gifts or something different that happens when you’re mated?”

  “I wish.” Cari sighed. “I’ve never met anyone like me either. The prickle wasn’t happy when I shifted for the first time. A lot of people, family and friends, started whispering that I was a bad omen, not to mention it’s a known fact all male omegas of any species are gay, which the people I grew up with think is a sick phase some people go through. The elders got in touch with other groups around the country, even writing to England to the main hedgehog family there to see if there was a way they could ‘cure me’, but they never told me what they found out. Their animosity never made any sense to me. Apart from my coloring, I was no different to anyone else in the prickle.”

  It wasn’t making a lot of sense to Quaid either, but not for the reasons Cari was thinking. Why would someone like Douglas Fanshaw, who was also cousin to the pack alpha, encourage Cari to go out and “socialize” when there was nothing in it for him? Cari was a prey animal – a prickly one, but not anyone who’d be considered strong in wolf terms. Cari was pretty. Young. Submissive. And a novelty. Fuck! Quaid did not like where his thoughts were going.

  “What’s the matter?” Cari’s voice was so hesitant. “Don’t you want me as a mate anymore?”

  “Don’t ever think that,” Quaid said quickly, tightening his grip around his mate’s waist. “It’s just… no, you know what? I don’t know enough about the situation to make a judgment call on this right now. I’ve got friends, I’ll get them to do some research and see if we can’t find out why you’re running around like the wolves’ equivalent of cat nip.” Cari’s stomach rumbled, giving Quaid the perfect opportunity to change the subject. “How about we go out and get a meal? You’ve had a long and exhausting day and I don’t feel like cooking. My treat?”

  “Or,” Cari said shyly, reaching up and stroking the back of Quaid’s neck, “we could order in pizza and watch a movie together. I’ve got a few things I usually do at this time of night, but I can be finished by the time the pizza arrives.”

  “I don’t think going to work tomorrow is a good idea,” Quaid warned, remembering Cari’s comment about doing laundry. “Lucy is part of the wolf pack. There’s a good chance she knows about your winnings. Can you email your resignation to the office?”

  “I thought winning money was supposed to make things easier, not more complicated,” Cari sighed. “What am I going to do with myself if I don’t work?”

  “We’ve got plenty of time to work that out,” Quaid replied. He ran his fingers up Cari’s slender back, until they were combing through his mate’s surprisingly soft hair. “How about you do what you need to do, I’ll order the pizza and make a few enquiries to my friends who can be trusted, and then we’ll meet back here and see where the evening takes us.” If Quaid had any input in where the evening was going, they would be in bed before the pizza box got cold.

  Cari proved he was as smart as he was sexy. “If we do what your eyes are suggesting, we’ll have claimed each other by morning.” Cari’s scent intensified, letting Quaid know he wasn’t averse to the idea.

  “That’s the idea, my precious mate.” Quaid winked. He couldn’t wait.

  Chapter Six

  Cari hadn’t had sex before. He had regular urges and he’d always known his virginity was unusual for a gay man in his early twenties. But for an albino shifter who tended to be attracted towards the prey side of the spectrum, it wasn’t as though he’d been swamped with offers. Until the wolves. But something about their practiced seduction techniques rubbed him up the wrong way and while from an aesthetic point of view he could appreciate good looks the same as the next man, he could never bring himself to let anyone touch him.

  Tonight, all that was going to change. He knew that as surely as he knew the cheese on his pizza had been sitting grated and in an uncovered container for a while before it’d been added to his meal. Quaid enjoyed his food, like any large shifter would, but heated gazes were being thrown in Cari’s direction and it took all his time to not wriggle in his seat. Spilling pizza on his clothes or the throw on the couch would not make the good impression Cari was hoping to make.

  “Is there anything you feel I should know about you, before we… before we er… bond with each other?” Cari coughed, his hand covering his mouth. Hopefully, Quaid would think a piece of pepperoni got caught in this throat. The teasing glance he got suggested he wasn’t successful at subterfuge.

  “Precious mate, I’ll tell you anything you want to know. There’re no secrets between mates. Although, if I’d known I was meeting my mate today, I would’ve prepared a written resume to save time.”

  Now Cari knew he was being teased and instead of feeling ashamed or belittled, like when Lucy and her friends so-called teased him, he felt a warm glow inside. “Just the basics would do,” he smiled shyly. “All I know is you’re a lion shifter and you work as a bodyguard.”

  Quaid held up his finger. “Security consultant,” he grinned. “Bodyguards are the buff muscle that have to have a wealth of patience dealing with difficult clients. I consult as a rule.” Dabbing his mouth with a paper napkin, Quaid moved the empty pizza box on his lap to the floor. “Come here,” he invited, holding up his arm.

  Oh, my gods, my first snuggle on the couch. How romantic. All of a sudden, Cari wished he had a more sumptuous piece of furniture. Something velvet and huge, big enough to hold the pair of them comfortably. But regardless of the lack of romance in his couch, Cari knew, as he scooted over and rested his head on Quaid’s massive chest, this simple act would register in his memories for life. He hesitated, unsure what to do with his hands, but risking a glance up at Quaid who was just watching him with a gentle smile, he tentatively laid his arm across Quaid’s waist. “Is this okay?”

  Quaid’s hand came down, resting in the middle of his back. “Perfect for now. Hmm, let’s see. The cliff notes version of my life. Ernest and I are litter-mates, as you might have guessed. We have one other brother the same age, Max. He works for the council. Our pride comes from up Illinois way. The parental units still live there along with a huge extended family who make up the pride. We were encouraged to go to college, I went to work for the council enforcer unit instead. After a difference of opinion with my superiors, I left and now work with the security firm in town. You mentioned bodyguard work – I usually only do those gigs for Ernest and not very often. My work involves assessing threats and finding solutions.”

  “That would explain why you instantly assessed the issues with this apartment.” Cari was doing his best not to wiggle his fingers, but it wasn’t easy. The heat from Quaid’s body was making him think of all sorts of places his digits would love to explore. “Is it dangerous, your work I mean?”

  “No more dangerous than living in this apartment.” Quaid’s smile grew wider. “Is there anything else you wanted to know, before we er… bond?”

  Cari had a list of things he wanted to ask. Well, not for Quaid exactly, but he’d spent a lot of time hanging around in his therapist’s waiting room. All the women’s magazines scattered across the scratched coffee table contained quizzes, tips and lists of things you needed to know about your partner. He’d never expected to find his mate before he’d even been on his first date and wondered if he needed to revise his list.

  He was just about to grab his phone and see if there was anything urgent on the list he should ask before they bonded when Quaid added, “You know, I think I’ve been a very good pussy cat. I’ve been inhaling your scent for the best part of two hours. My cock is hard enough to shatter and while having you in my arms is a dream come true, my lion is getting pushy, wanting to move things along.”

  “It’s so easy to imagine you in your lion form.” Cari looked up and for the first time in his life he met the eyes of a predator and didn’t flinch. Quaid’s eyes glowed and Cari knew the lion was looking at him. A deep rumble came from Quaid’s chest and Cari laughed with delight. “He likes me.”

  “We both
more than like you. Pucker up babe, I want to see if you taste as good as you look.”

  Cari was still trying to work out what ‘pucker up’ meant when he found himself lifted, his butt settling on thick thighs. Quaid’s hand behind his neck, tilted his head upward and Cari’s eyes crossed as he watched his mate’s face got closer and closer. He’s going to kiss me. Cari’s heart started racing, and he forced his body to relax. His eyes closed instinctively as Quaid’s lips touched his. Oh no, did that whimper come from me?

  Chapter Seven

  Quaid adored every single thing about his compact mate that he’d seen so far. The small precise movements Cari made while he ate, taking care to chew with his mouth closed and a napkin close at hand. The way he carefully counted out a tip that was exactly fifteen percent of the pizza bill and handed the pizza delivery guy the exact change. The hesitant way he laid his arm over Quaid’s waist, as though asking permission. Cari might have been the one who won the lottery, but it was Quaid who felt like a winner.

  And that feeling intensified when their lips touched for the first time. In Quaid’s way of thinking, kissing was something you did as you were reaching for a man’s cock. It didn’t last; its only purpose was to ensure it didn’t make Quaid look like a complete crass dick who was only out for one thing. Kissing Cari was a totally different experience.

  Lip on lip action, when Quaid did kiss, was usually hard and fast with lots of teeth and tongue. In his head, if he poured on the passion, the guy he was with would get to his dick faster. But with Cari, Quaid wanted to go slow - tease out the moment, truly savor Cari’s unique taste, hidden as it was under pepperoni and tomato sauce. Cari moved clumsily, as if unsure of what he was doing, so Quaid cupped his mate’s head, tilting it slightly so he could enjoy what they were doing without bumping noses.