Patience Read online

  Jamie rolled back onto his stomach, shuffled over, and laid his head on Chad’s legs. He looked up with the most pathetic puppy eyes he could muster.

  Chad shook his head. “Well, since I’m not really interested in lugging a fifty-pound bag of dog food back, I suppose I can stop and get a few more basics for another day or two.” He scratched Jamie behind the ear, then stood. “Come on. Let’s get some coffee. Then you can meet Mr. Kwan. I bet he’d get a kick out of you.”

  MR. KWAN wouldn’t let him into the store, but the elderly Asian man did come out to meet Jamie and brought one of the biggest ham bones Jamie had ever seen. He’d found himself wagging his tail like crazy as he took it. Chad laughed, looking pleased, and Jamie set the bone down long enough to lick his hand, then picked it right back up again. If anyone in the pack had claimed to see him trotting home with it in his mouth, he’d have sworn up and down it wasn’t him.

  Jamie spent most of the evening gnawing on that thing when he wasn’t on the couch next to Chad, watching movies. He’d never tried to watch television in grays before—not when it wasn’t shot in black and white, and even then he’d avoided them for the most part. Watching Mel Gibson and Danny Glover run around, avoiding explosions, was very different in black and white than in color.

  He wouldn’t change it, though. After Chad had made huge, thick hamburgers for them, they’d settled in to work their way through the Lethal Weapon movies. Despite being a different species from his mate, he’d had one of the most enjoyable evenings since the date he’d had with Finley. Being able to be so close, to touch and smell, even in the limited way he could, was a balm to the anxiety that was never far from the surface.

  He did his best to suppress the worry. Knowing Chad could sense it meant Jamie had to work harder to keep it under control. Entirely aside from not wanting to tip Chad off more to what was going on, he didn’t want Chad upset.

  He tried to remind himself he didn’t know what would happen when he could shift again. Nothing Chad had said yet made Jamie think he was anything but amazing. Entirely aside from taking him in—and Jamie didn’t think for one minute it was only the mate bond that did that—the way Chad talked to Mr. Kwan and everyone else he came in contact with had been nice and respectful. He couldn’t wait to be able to actually talk to his mate and learn more.

  In the meantime, though, he’d enjoy the time he did have and try not to worry about what might happen.

  After Chad took him out one more time, they settled in bed. Chad sighed and Jamie sat up, looking at him, head tilted. Chad glanced over. “Uh, you need to, like, go out for a few.”

  Oh dear gods, is he going to do what I think he is? Jamie made an inquisitive whine.

  Chad got up, crossed the room, and opened the door to the living room. Jamie jumped down and followed him. “Go on. You can even sit on the couch. Just… stay.”

  Jamie jumped onto the couch but watched as Chad went back to the bed, leaving the door cracked—unintentionally, Jamie was sure. He got back down, being careful to be silent, which wasn’t as easy as it was in the forest. He peered through the crack to see Chad’s boxers down and a hand around his cock.

  It took all Jamie had to bury the whimper at the sight. The blood rushed to his cock, and Jamie looked down to see it peeking out of its sheath. He went back to watching Chad’s hand fly over a rather impressive dick. Jamie’s gauge of size was skewed in this form, but comparing it to the hand around it… well, Jamie’s length filled the rest of the way, making him more than a little uncomfortable. Especially since he couldn’t do anything about it.

  When Chad grunted and shot all over his chest, Jamie thought he was going to go insane. The smell of his mate’s cum filled his senses, and he had to fight hard to keep from whining out loud. Jamie went back to the couch, curled up, and tried to ignore his straining cock until Chad called him in.

  Which wasn’t very long at all. Certainly not long enough for his erection to go away. He shook hard, tried not to breathe too deeply—the smell certainly hadn’t gone away yet—and padded back into the bedroom.

  Chad had pulled his boxers up, and he patted the bed next to him. “Come on. You won’t be happy unless you’re up here.”

  For once Jamie would have been happy to sleep on the floor. He really did not want to jump up on that bed right then. There’d be no way for Chad to miss Jamie’s cock sticking out of its sheath.

  But he couldn’t not get up there either. Not without setting off other alarm bells. With a wolfy sigh, he jumped and tried to settle fast enough that Chad couldn’t see.

  He didn’t succeed.

  Chad stared at him, his eyes focused on Jamie’s cock. His gaze moved up to meet Jamie’s. “You’re not a dog, are you?”

  Jamie swallowed. What could he do? He couldn’t exactly explain. Still, he wasn’t going to lie to his mate. He shook his head.

  “You can understand me, can’t you?”

  Jamie nodded.

  “I’m dreaming,” Chad muttered. “That’s it. I’ve fallen asleep and I’m dreaming.”

  Keep telling yourself that. Jamie settled down, curling into a little ball next to Chad, who rolled onto his side, still staring at Jamie.

  “If I’m not, I’m a candidate for Western Psych. And I refuse to believe that.”

  He didn’t say anything more after that. But he did put his arm over Jamie before he fell asleep for real.

  Chapter 4

  JAMIE WOKE before Chad again. He decided to play up his dogness once more, in the hopes Chad would really think he’d been dreaming. With his head on his paws, he watched Chad sleep and sighed. Jamie needed to tell his mate about himself when he could actually speak. He did not want to try to play twenty—thousand—questions in an effort to explain. Especially since he couldn’t shift to prove what he really was.

  The next night should be the last of the full moon’s pull. So by the time the moon set the next morning, he should be able to shift again. And finally explain things the right way.

  With no more solid idea of how to do that, Jamie tried not to let it worry him. He had a full twenty-four hours yet to get through. What may be the last twenty-four hours he’d have with his mate if Chad didn’t want him.

  Chad stirred, opening his eyes. He stared at Jamie for a long moment, and Jamie held his breath, waiting to see what Chad said. “Morning, boy. How about some coffee?”

  Jamie let out the held breath. He wasn’t sure what that meant, but he couldn’t exactly argue. Instead, he got up and stretched before jumping off the bed, then shook hard. He barked until Chad got up, then padded over to the door to the apartment and pawed at it.

  “Hold your horses. I’ll take you in just a minute,” Chad grumbled.

  Jamie waited, listening for the toilet to flush, then for Chad to come back out, this time in shorts. And nothing else.

  Jamie pointedly looked away, whining at the door. He didn’t have to go that bad, but he was trying—hopefully not too obviously—to play up the dogness.

  Chad grabbed the leash and opened the door. With a bark, Jamie took off, running across the hall and down the stairs, then sitting in front of the outside door. He thumped his tail until Chad caught up.

  “What’s gotten into you?” he asked, scowling.

  Jamie barked and ran ahead to the yard gate. When Chad caught up and opened it for him, he darted inside, then went on a sniff-fest. He didn’t need to sniff around to find a spot, any more than he really needed to relieve himself. It didn’t matter to him where he went.

  Back upstairs, Jamie settled in under the kitchen table while Chad started the coffee and pulled out pans and bacon and eggs. He tried to ignore his growling stomach, wondering if he should go chew on a paper or something to help his image. Before he could decide, Chad set a bowl of coffee on the floor in front of him.

  He couldn’t help the drool. He looked up at Chad, who smirked.

  “Go ahead and drink. I didn’t dream it. Be a ‘dog’ all you want, but I know you answer
ed me.”

  Jamie blinked at him, then looked down at the coffee.

  “What? Do you usually have it with sugar or something?”

  Jamie snorted before he could stop himself.

  “See?” Chad asked.

  Shit. Jamie stuck his muzzle in the bowl and drank.

  Chad let it go and went back to the stove. Jamie watched out of the corner of his eye to see if Chad did anything more, but apparently he’d decided to focus on food instead. Jamie didn’t mind that, since he was hungry.

  Just one more day. He lay back down when he’d finished his coffee and watched Chad work. His mate’s ass looked really good in the little gym shorts. Jamie wondered what it would feel like.

  He shut that thought down fast. He did not need to get another erection.

  A few moments later, thankfully, Chad set a big plate of bacon and eggs on the floor in front of him. “Sorry there’s not more variety,” he said, smirking. “But at least it’s not kibble, eh?”

  Jamie chose not to respond to that. With any luck, Chad wouldn’t suddenly decide to buy real dog food between then and the next morning, so he would be spared kibble. He tried not to visibly shudder as he ate the delicious bacon and eggs.

  He finished long before Chad did, complete with licking his plate. He retrieved the ham bone that he hadn’t completely gnawed down the day before and lay at Chad’s feet. He decided playing with a bone might help quell some of the suspicion.

  Besides, he certainly liked the taste.

  Chad finished eating and left the kitchen. Jamie pretended to be too engrossed in the bone to pay attention. He didn’t think he pulled it off when Chad chuckled on the way out of the room, but he kept chewing anyway.

  He heard the shower, a couple of doors, Chad moving around in the bedroom, then more footsteps.

  “Come on, Murray. We’ve got to go see someone,” Chad said from the doorway.

  Jamie looked up to see his mate in a snug pair of jeans and light-colored button-down shirt. Gods, he’s hot. He got up, shook, then crossed over to Chad, who had the leash out. As he got closer, he noted the lump at the hip along the waistband of Chad’s jeans and wondered at it. It wasn’t until Chad moved and the shirt lifted that he saw the holster. Huh. That’s interesting. When they got out to the street, Chad turned a different direction than what Jamie was expecting.

  Chad led Jamie to the sweetest car he thought he’d ever seen. He wondered if it was really charcoal gray or if that was just his vision at that moment. He’d bet it was and that the color made it nearly invisible at night, if Chad didn’t want to be seen. Something told Jamie there were times that was the case.

  The fact that it only had two doors, SRT on the back, and the supercharged on the side confirmed it was a Challenger. Jamie had eyed them on more than one occasion. He looked up at Chad, who’d been watching him.

  “Like it?”

  Jamie huffed, annoyed at being caught eyeing the car.

  “I don’t have to tell you not to pee on the seat. I’m sure you won’t. I’d bet the cost of this car that you’re well aware of what it is.”

  What the hell was that about? How could he be so calm about it?

  Jamie’s frustration mounted as Chad opened the door for him and he jumped up onto the front seat and sat.

  “Seat belt,” Chad said, putting it around Jamie, over his back legs. “I know it can’t be comfortable, but there are too many unsafe drivers out there, even if I know how to handle myself.”

  Jamie blinked, dumbfounded, as Chad went around and slid into the driver’s seat.

  “What? Don’t look at me like that. I don’t know what’s going on, Murray, but I’ll figure it out eventually. In the meantime, I’m not about to let you get hurt.”

  Jamie didn’t so much as huff at that. Instead, he looked out the windshield and tried to corral his thoughts. Did Chad know about shifters? That didn’t make sense. If he had, he’d have asked that, wouldn’t he?

  So maybe he was just sure there’s “something else” out there.

  “If I ask you questions, are you going to answer them?”

  Jamie sighed before he could stop it. He looked over at his mate and tilted his head.

  Chad chuckled. “You don’t have to play dog with me.”

  Jamie knew he looked as confused as he felt.

  Chad raised his eyebrows. “Look, I’ve already figured out you’re too intelligent to just be a dog. I know you’re not a full domesticated dog, anyway. You’re too big, if nothing else. There’s wolf in you or I don’t know a thing about animals. So, I know what you’re not. But I don’t know what you are. I’m willing to believe there’s stuff we can’t explain. I saw too much in my even limited time on the force to not believe that.”

  His mate had been a cop. That was interesting. It also explained the handgun.

  Jamie looked over at him again.

  “And since I left the force and went into private investigation, I’ve seen even more. There’s some seriously bizarre shit out there. You’re explainable. I just don’t have that explanation yet.” He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as he made the turn onto the Parkway East. “It might take time, but I’ll figure it out. In the meantime, you don’t have to pretend for me. That said….” He paused to navigate traffic briefly.

  Jamie couldn’t help but be impressed by how well Chad handled the car. He slid smoothly into the smallest spaces. Jamie could feel the power under the hood by the nearly effortless acceleration. He found himself hoping his mate wanted him so he could get a chance behind the wheel of this car.

  He chuffed at himself and looked over at Chad.

  “That said,” Chad said again. “The man we’re going to meet can’t know there’s more to you than dog. He’s an old… friend from the force who does me… favors. He’s sharp, but whatever you are, I’m sure you don’t want him knowing about it. So, be as doglike as you can while we’re around him, okay?”

  Jamie debated not answering, but realized there was no point. He nodded.

  “Good. Don’t answer questions, don’t look offended, whatever. Just try to be a dog as much as possible.” He took the ramp toward North Side, the car nearly flying over the bridge. A few moments later, he pulled up next to a park and turned off the car. “I can leave you off the leash here. Don’t wander too far, though.”

  Jamie barked in acknowledgment and waited for Chad to open the door and undo the belt. He jumped down, stretched, and shook, then walked next to Chad into the park itself. As soon as they were on the grass, Chad took off the leash, but Jamie stayed with him.

  They approached a man who couldn’t look more out of place on a park bench in June if he’d tried. Jamie may only have been able to see in grays, but he had no doubt the trench coat the man wore was the standard beige. Simple dress shoes adorned his feet, and what were undoubtedly khaki pants poked out from under the coat. He also had sunglasses on. In the shade. On an overcast day.

  Jamie didn’t need a degree in criminal investigations to know this guy was up to something. He looked up at Chad, who looked down at him. He snorted as if asking Really? and Chad chuckled.

  “Yeah, I know. Now remember—dog,” he muttered out of the side of his mouth. They got to the bench and Chad sat next to the guy. “Hello, Reid. How’s it going?”

  “Shhh!” Reid said, peering around.

  I should be worried about this guy?

  Chad rolled his eyes. “Really, you’re hardly unidentifiable. And this is hardly the first time we’ve met. Geez.” He shook his head. “So, were you able to find anything out?”

  Reid seemed to notice Jamie then. “You got a dog?”

  Jamie had to fight hard to not get offended. He decided to scratch behind his ear with his hind leg instead.

  Chad gave him an amused look, then turned back to Reid. “This is Murray. We sort of found each other in Oakland a few days ago.” He turned to Jamie. “Hey, Murray, come say hi.” He held out a hand.

  Jamie made a show of sn
iffing Chad’s hand, then sniffing Reid’s crotch. It wasn’t the freshest thing he’d ever smelled, but it didn’t stink at least. He did smell a lot of sweat, though Jamie wasn’t sure if that was nervousness or being overdressed in June. He glanced up to see Chad fighting laughter.

  “Ewww, uh, hi. Could he not, like, sniff my dick?” Reid pushed at Jamie, who backed up.

  Chad smirked at him. “Murray, be nice. Come here and sit.”

  Jamie did as he was asked and sat next to Chad. He curled up and started licking his balls. When Chad nudged him a little, Jamie looked up and Chad rolled his eyes. Jamie stuck his tongue out as if he was panting, but he could see Chad got it.

  “So you just took him in? Like that? What if he’s got an owner?”

  “I called the shelters and I’m watching the notices for missing dogs. But I have a feeling he doesn’t.” Chad looked at Jamie, and Jamie curled up and licked his balls again. “I mean, he’s healthy, the best I can tell. But he was running around Oakland without a collar or tag, and he’s not chipped, so….”

  “Huh. He’s huge. What is he?”

  “Dunno. Mutt, I guess. He does kind of take up some serious space in my apartment. But he’s pretty good. Housebroken, though he steals food. And coffee. Weird dog.”

  Jamie snorted into his balls.

  Chad nudged him.

  “Well, uh, congrats, I guess.”

  “Thanks,” Chad said, smiling. “I like him. He keeps me company. How are things at the station?”

  Jamie tried not to read too much into that.

  Reid shrugged. “Same shit, different day. Same assholes doing the same things. Deeks got promoted.”

  Chad made a face. “That asshole made captain?”

  “Yeah,” Reid said, then snorted. “I don’t know either.” He shrugged a shoulder. “The rest is about the same. IA’s been through again.”

  “Let me guess,” Chad said, voice dripping derision. “They didn’t find anything.”

  “Of course not.”

  Chad sighed. “They never will, either.”