Patience Page 7

  Jamie laughed. “Yeah, I would be.”

  Chad nodded. “Right. And since I want to be with you and I still have a lot more to learn about you, I’d much rather be the one to take you out there.”

  That smile bloomed again, this time with color in his cheeks. “Okay, uh, Parkway East toward Monroeville.”

  “All right.”

  Chapter 6

  THEY SPENT the drive out to the “pack lands”—as Jamie called them—with Chad firing off more questions about wolf shifters and Jamie answering the best he could. It turned out there were a lot of things Jamie didn’t know the answers to. They stopped long enough to get drive-through from Steak ’n Shake. Jamie explained that his higher metabolism demanded he eat more often, which prompted another set of questions from Chad.

  He knew they probably should talk about more personal things, but he found he was enjoying hearing about the wolves and simply listening to Jamie’s voice. He couldn’t stop himself from wondering what it would sound like in bed, but he kept the thought from going further than that. He didn’t need to meet Jamie’s friends with an obvious bulge.

  “Pack lands” turned out to include a not-tiny portion of land bordering Forbes State Forest. When Chad turned down a road that barely qualified as such, he thought that if they were going to be going out there a lot, they ought to consider a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

  When that thought registered, he blinked at himself. Geez, Sutton, get a grip. “Mate” or not, you just met! Still, he’d asked more questions about their bond, about mates in general, and was starting to understand just how big finding a destined mate was to the wolves. And that he was one—Jamie’s—appealed in a way Chad couldn’t quite pinpoint but decided, at least for now, to accept.

  They pulled up in front of a two-story house with tall windows stretching across the front. Natural wood siding helped it almost hide among the trees. A steep-pitched roof disappeared into the branches above.

  Before they could even get out of the car, the front door of the house opened and a guy younger-looking even than Jamie ran out. He was Jamie’s almost exact opposite. Where Jamie was lightly tanned and blond, this guy had coal-black hair and pale skin. He wrapped Jamie up in a hug that caused a surprisingly sharp spike of jealousy.

  Chad wondered if that was another mate thing, then figured it probably was. It didn’t much matter. He didn’t like the jealousy.

  He also didn’t like the guy hugging Jamie as long as he was.

  Taking just a moment, Chad stopped to store his Beretta in the glove compartment. He didn’t think jealousy and weaponry mixed well, especially as unstable as it felt. It was also a distinct possibility Jamie’s friends wouldn’t appreciate seeing the gun.

  He climbed out. “Hi,” he said, stepping up. He took Jamie’s hand and tugged his mate closer until he could put an arm around Jamie’s shoulders.

  The other man’s amused look wasn’t lost on him, but Jamie’s grin made up for it. “Chad, this is my best friend, Finley. Finley, this is… my mate, Chad.”

  Finley beamed at Chad. “It’s so good to meet you!” He surprised Chad by pulling him into a hug.

  “Who does my mate have his hands all over?” A man built much like Chad was—tall, broad, with plenty of muscle—stepped out of the house. His auburn hair shone in the light coming through the leaves.

  Finley stepped back and winked at Chad. “Why, Tanner? Jealous?” Finley grinned.

  Tanner growled, and Chad was fairly certain there was pure wolf in it.

  Jamie laughed. “Tanner! This is my mate, Chad.”

  The growl stopped. Tanner turned to Chad and held out a hand. “Well, then, that’s okay. Tanner Pearce.”

  “Chad Sutton. Nice to meet you.” He liked the strong but not overbearing grip Tanner had.

  “Likewise. Let’s go inside. I’m sure your mate would appreciate it if you put more on,” Tanner said, smirking at Jamie.

  Chad couldn’t stop the minute tightening of his arm. He forced himself to ease his grip with a sheepish smile, but he realized Jamie seemed to like it.

  Jamie looked up at him and grinned. “I probably should put more on, hmm?”

  Chad hugged him one-armed. “Well, it’s getting harder to keep my hands off of you with so little on,” he murmured in Jamie’s ear.

  “They can still hear you,” Jamie said, chuckling. “They probably made a point of not listening,” he added, apparently at Chad’s embarrassed look.

  “Oh. Uh, good.” He cleared his throat.

  “Let’s go in. I’m sure Finley has coffee going. He always does.”

  Jamie was correct, and a few minutes later, Chad had a cup in front of him as he sat at their dining room table. The inside of the house was as gorgeous as the outside. A huge river-rock fireplace dominated the living room. Above it hung a large LCD television. Bookshelves lined the walls to the windows, and deep, comfortable-looking armchairs, sofa, and love seat provided places to relax. The table held upward of ten people and took up pretty much the entire small dining area. The walls were almost all windows, with french doors leading to a deck. Beyond, the view took Chad’s breath. A stream ran past the house and met a small waterfall at the end of a little valley. At the base of the waterfall, a tiny pond filled the end of the space.

  “You’ve got a beautiful place,” Chad said as Finley sat next to Tanner.

  “Thanks,” Finley said with a smile.

  Tanner nodded. “It took a while for us to find the right spot for it.”

  “I’d say you managed that.”

  Finley glanced out the door, then back at Chad. “Oh yeah. So… I’m guessing it was something of a shock when Jamie shifted?”

  Chad laughed. “That’s one way of putting it.” He shook his head. “One minute, I was talking to my dog—I know now he’s a wolf, just… at the time, I just thought he was a really big dog. Anyway, one minute, I’m talking to a four-legged animal, and the next, this hot guy is crouched in front of me.”

  “He is hot, isn’t he?” Finley asked with a grin.

  Chad suppressed the spike of jealousy, oddly calmed when Tanner elbowed Finley. “Yeah, that he is. I asked him, but I guess confirmation from someone else would make me feel better. Does this mate bond cause the attraction?”

  Finley and Tanner both shook their heads. Finley glanced at Tanner, then said, “I did some research on it a few years ago when Tanner and I were having problems, though I did already know this much. The destined bond draws you together. Now, ideally the gods already know what you would like and choose a mate for you that you would be attracted to. But aside from drawing you to each other, making that initial connection, it doesn’t cause anything more. If you act on it—strengthen the bond—that’s what ties you together. Does that make sense?”

  Chad nodded. “Yeah, it does. Eases me too. I just… I like him,” he said softly, shrugging a shoulder. “I just want to make sure it’s me and not something someone else does.”

  “It is,” Tanner assured him.

  Chad frowned and looked from Tanner to Finley and back. “Um, one other question before he gets back. I’m….” His cheeks heated. “I’m feeling some serious jealousy. I’m not usually a jealous person. Is that, uh, the bond too?”

  Tanner nodded, rather emphatically. “Yes. Especially early in the process, possessiveness—and its mate, jealousy—are the biggest ways the connection makes itself known. If you had a wolf, I’d say it’s your wolf prodding you to complete the bond. The wolf half doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

  “I still don’t know how you resisted for two years,” Finley said, shaking his head.

  “It wasn’t easy,” Tanner said, kissing Finley. “And it was stupid.” He glanced up at Chad. “I might suggest you make a concerted effort to see if you are compatible. I doubt you’re not. I’m sure the gods put you two together because they knew you’d be good together. But… I’d suggest you work on making sure of that as soon as you can. It’s not easy to be apart, and even
if you’re in the same place, not being bonded is hard. Harder on him, I think, than it will be on you, but it won’t be easy for either of you.”

  Finley nodded. “Tanner’s right.” He smiled and tilted his head slightly. “He’s coming out now.” Finley reached out and squeezed Chad’s hand. “Give that some thought.”

  Chad nodded, then looked up as Jamie came around the corner from the living room. His jeans were snug without being tight, and he wore a solid blue T-shirt that hugged his muscles and made Chad’s mouth water. He had basic sneakers on his feet and a somewhat bashful smile on his face. Chad studied him for a moment, smiling at the slight color on Jamie’s cheeks as he crossed to stand next to the table.

  Before Chad could second-guess himself, he pulled Jamie down and kissed him softly.

  When Jamie straightened, he had a look of bemusement on his face. He blinked down at Chad, then mumbled something about touchy mates and coffee.

  Finley and Tanner laughed—Chad guessed they’d heard what Jamie said, even if he hadn’t—and Finley turned in his chair. “You going right back in?”

  Jamie pulled a cup out of the cabinet above the coffeemaker and turned back to Finley. “Yeah. Well, Chad has work and stuff. I’ve taken him away from that enough. But I need to get my car too.”

  Chad frowned. “You haven’t taken me away from much of anything. I still have to get through that info Panther gave me.”

  Jamie nodded as he poured the coffee. “I don’t want to get in your way.” He crossed back over and took the seat next to Chad.

  Chad refused to examine his need to take Jamie’s hand. “You won’t. We’ll go get your car, figure it out from there.”

  Jamie smiled at him, then turned to Finley. “Uh… I have to replace my keys and phone.” He wrinkled his nose. “They left my wallet—minus the money—but took the phone and keys.”

  Finley frowned. “That sucks.”

  “Yeah, well. The dangers of sprouting fur, eh?”

  Tanner snorted. “I can’t say I’ve run into that before. So, then what?”

  Jamie shook his head. “I don’t know. We didn’t really get around to talking about that. This is so new, I don’t know how much we’ll want to be apart.”

  Finley nodded. “Those first few weeks sucked. Tanner and I spent every evening and most of the days together. Going home was miserable.”

  “Yeah, my wolf gets kinda pissed at me if I even think about sending him home.” Jamie glanced at Chad.

  Chad chuckled. “I can totally imagine Murray looking pissed.”

  “Murray?” Finley asked.

  Jamie grinned. “That was the name he’d given me in wolf form.”

  Finley laughed. “Right, your dog.”

  “Yeah, well, I know better now….”

  “I didn’t mind,” Jamie said, squeezing his hand.

  Chad looked up at him and smirked. “You were just glad I didn’t let them cut your balls off.”

  Jamie laughed and Finley’s eyes widened. “What?”

  “I told you animal control almost caught me. Chad totally played along. He’s a fast thinker.”

  This time it was Chad’s turn to blush. “I was just glad I picked up on how smart you were.”

  “So…,” Jamie said, playing with his cup. “What—uh, how much do you know about human mates?”

  Finley frowned, apparently thinking it through. “Huh. I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of them.” He turned to Tanner.

  Tanner shrugged. “Me either. Why?”

  “Well, I’m wondering what my bite would do to him. I know shifter bites can be fatal. The last thing I want to do is hurt him.”

  Finley nodded. “I totally get that. Um… we can ask Alpha Noah and maybe Miles.”

  Chad whipped his head around to look at Jamie when he felt a sudden spike of anxiety. “Jamie?”

  “Uh, Miles is the pack doctor and a friend of ours. And, uh, was a fuck buddy for a while.” He blushed so red, Chad was afraid he was going to spontaneously combust.

  The spike of jealousy could not be contained. Jamie winced in reaction.

  Chad managed to take a deep breath—or four—and push it down. “Sorry,” he muttered, knowing he was being ridiculous. What Jamie had done before they’d been together was none of his business. He winced when he remembered talking about hot guys and blowjobs to Murray.

  “You did?” Finley asked, eyes wide. “But… how….”

  “Condoms, Fin. Neither of us was interested in bonding.”

  “Oh….” Finley nodded.

  “I missed something,” Chad managed to say.

  All three of them looked over at him, but Tanner answered. “We don’t get normal human diseases, so generally we don’t need condoms. The only reason to use them is to keep from bonding with someone.”

  “Oh,” Chad said, blinking. “Okay.”

  “The bond is strengthened by sexual—intimate—contact. One way to keep it from being intimate is to limit the exchange of fluids.”

  Chad nodded. “Ah, that makes sense. So, if we….” He looked at Jamie. “If we, uh, if we’re together, that strengthens it? The link?”

  Jamie nodded. “Yes. Every time we do, it brings us closer. That cable I described?”

  Chad nodded.

  “Yeah, it gets thicker.”

  Tanner spoke up. “Until you claim each other. Then it’s in place permanently. Or, well, I guess you can break a destined bond, but I’ve never heard of it.”

  “Claim?” Chad asked.

  “Biting,” Tanner said with a nod. “There’s a bite, a bit of blood exchange, done at the point of orgasm. Then the link between you is complete.”

  Chad was sure he paled a little. “Oh. Okay.”

  “Hey,” Jamie said, squeezing his hand. “Uh, that can wait for a while. Nothing says we have to do that right away.”

  “Don’t wait too long,” Finley murmured.

  “We won’t, Fin,” Jamie assured him, then turned back to Chad. “But we don’t have to go do it tonight or anything.”

  “It’s not too bad,” Tanner added. “But I’d suggest you do other strengthening things, though.”

  Jamie nodded. “Yeah, I can see that. But, well, we just met as humans today.” He shrugged a shoulder. “And, well, he is human. I don’t know what would happen with a bite and, you know, he should be given the chance to see if he even likes me.” This last ended so quietly, Chad almost didn’t hear it.

  He squeezed Jamie’s hand, but he didn’t want to make a promise that Jamie couldn’t believe. He wouldn’t believe it if someone promised that they’d be together forever after meeting a few hours prior. Or even that they’d know they liked him all that much.

  Instead, he said, “Hey, I’m pretty sure we’re gonna get along just fine. I’m not ready for that… claiming… thing or anything yet, not until we have more information. I would be kind of interested in hearing what would happen if you bite me. But otherwise? I figure we can handle sticking together, spending time learning each other, that sort of thing.”

  Jamie smiled at him—that wide, beautiful one he was getting to really like—and squeezed his hand back. “Okay. Well, we should get going. Head back into town before traffic becomes a nightmare.”

  “Yeah, okay. Uh, can I have Chad’s number? Just in case?” Finley jumped up and took a pad and pen from the refrigerator and set it on the table.

  “Oh yeah.” Chad took the paper and jotted his number and address down, then handed it back.

  Tanner stood with them. “I’ll call my dad and see when he’ll be home to talk to you. You’ll need to meet him anyway.”

  Chad looked up. “Oh?”

  Tanner nodded. “Yeah. He’s the alpha—the head of the pack. As a human who knows about us, he should know about you, especially since you’re Jamie’s mate. That makes you part of the pack.”

  Chad blinked at him. “Huh. That’s… kind of cool.”

  “I’ll call Miles for you too,” Finley offered, smiling at Jam
ie.

  “Thanks,” Jamie said, and the gratitude wasn’t strong enough, Chad supposed, to come through their bond, but he certainly didn’t miss it in Jamie’s voice. “Oh, I need my spare key too,” Jamie pointed out.

  “It’s by the door. I’ll see you off.”

  JAMIE STOOD awkwardly next to his car. “So, I should go replace my cell phone.”

  Chad nodded. “Yeah, good idea.”

  On the ride in, they’d switched to more personal topics. They’d traded movie and music favorites, which took up the majority of the drive. While there were definite differences—apparently Chad would be educating Jamie on the awesomeness that was the ’80s—it was obvious they’d get along quite well, at least when it came to media.

  “When you get the phone and it’s connected, call me?”

  Jamie blinked at him for a moment, then nodded. “Okay.”

  “Cool. I’ll talk to you then.” He smiled, then leaned in and kissed Jamie softly. “It shouldn’t take you too long, right?” He didn’t like the idea of them being apart that much yet. He knew part of that was the mate bond, but part of it was this was still all so new and he simply wanted more time with Jamie.

  More blinking. “Uh, no, I don’t think so.”

  “Good. I’ll talk to you soon.”

  With a wave, Chad climbed into his car, then headed out of the garage. He had a few things to pick up before Jamie called. He sang along with a ridiculous grin on his face as Modern English went on about stopping the world and the future being wide open. He only got through the one song, since the Market District wasn’t too far away. By the time he’d picked out cream for Jamie’s coffee, grabbed more coffee, replaced the almost-empty bottle of lube—which he’d only used to masturbate with in the last couple of years—and made sure he had a couple of days’ worth of groceries, he started to worry when he hadn’t heard from Jamie.

  Before he could get too concerned, his phone rang just as he was unloading bags. He swiped his thumb across the screen. “Hello?”