03-Strength of the Mate (8 page)

Adam had to hide how scared he was. The shifters—Carson especially—got turned on by fear. Yeah, he wanted Adam to suck his dick, but the lieutenant really got his rocks off when he made someone beg in terror.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Adam tried to sound annoyed instead of scared shitless. He gave another useless shove at Carson’s chest, relieved that he’d managed to sound exasperated. “Yeah, yeah. I wasn’t interested when I got here, months ago. You still don’t have anything to offer that makes me wanna change my mind.”

Carson gripped Adam’s ass with both hands, squeezing hard. Clenching his jaw, Adam struggled to bite back a pained grunt. He knew he failed when he heard it himself, despite the way his heart thundered in his ears. Carson probably heard that, too, since predators had really strong senses. Adam tried to twist and writhe out of Carson’s hold on him.

“You know you want it.” The lieutenant’s tone was nasty. “You’ve played this ridiculous game of hard-to-get for too long. You can stop acting so fucking uptight. I’m finally gonna take what we both want.”

Adam’s mouth went dry. Pushing at Carson’s chest was like shoving against stone. His fingers dug into Adam’s ass hard enough he’d leave bruises. Carson breathed harshly, grinding his hard-on against Adam’s hip. “Christ. I didn’t think it was possible to find you any less attractive, but you just made me even less interested in you.” He silently hoped his bullshit covered up his panic.

Carson gripped Adam’s hair painfully, using it to yank his head back. “You’ll like me just fine, with my dick up your ass,” the lieutenant snarled. Adam’s hair was released, but his gut tightened at the feel of Carson’s fingers working at his fly. “Don’t worry, I’m strong enough to hold you down so you don’t feel like you gave it up too easy.”

Carson was feeding off of Adam’s fear now. His mind raced, wondering if Carson’s vanity could possibly be more important than power. “Do you want the new gunnery sergeant to show up and kick your ass?” Adam asked derisively. He held his breath and waited.

The lieutenant tensed. He didn’t pull away, but he stopped rubbing his dick against Adam, and struggling with his fly. “So, you’re still gonna be an uptight pussy, huh?”

“Yeah.” Adam rolled his eyes. He swallowed a bark of laughter, recklessly wielding his newfound leverage over Carson. “There’s nothing likable or attractive about you, so it’s all my fault. Now, get off me, before the gunny catches you and gets really pissed off.” Adam was grateful word seemed to have gotten around camp that Rivers was protective of humans.

Carson’s weight abruptly disappeared. Adam pushed himself off the side of the trailer and walked away. He didn’t look back. Let the son-of-a-bitch think he’d already been forgotten.

The camp was starting to bustle with activity. With more humans moving around, Adam felt a little safer. He made a bee-line for his hooch, just a couple hundred feet away.

Two Marines stomped out of a nearby trailer. The door slammed behind them. Both looked disheveled. Adam swallowed hard when he caught sight of a dark stain on the T-shirt of one of the shifters. It was probably blood. Either these two had picked a fight earlier, or they’d held a victim down.

Adam swallowed back the bile that rose at that thought. Suddenly feeling cut off from the safety of his hooch, Adam altered his trajectory.

Shit. He decided to head for the gym. Jason had said he sometimes went there to work off leftover energy after the run. This could be a mistake, leaving himself vulnerable to any werewolf. Adam was counting on Jason being a good guy, even the morning after the run.

He didn’t think the two Marines were following him, but Adam still ran the last few yards to the gym.

He crashed through the door, just managing to keep it from slamming back against the wall. Jason looked up in surprise. Adam became achingly aware that Dawson was also in the gym, but he kept his attention on Jason.

“Don’t you usually hide out in your hooch, the morning after the run?” Jason frowned at him.

“I was coming from the showers,” Adam replied, holding up his dopp kit as he crossed the room. “Thought I’d see if you were in here.”

“I’m gonna be here ’til the mood aboard base relaxes,” Jason replied with hostility that surprised Adam. Jason tossed the dumbbell he held. It landed with a loud clank, punctuating Jason’s emotion.

Adam was surprised at the display. He’d never seen Jason with a temper before.

“How long does it usually take for everyone to settle down?” Dawson’s voice was just behind Adam’s shoulder.

Adam jumped in surprise, spinning around so he faced Dawson. His heart leaped into his throat. He stepped backward, putting space between himself and Rivers.

Dawson frowned at Adam. He closed part of the distance that Adam had created.

“Until mid-afternoon or so,” Jason answered Rivers’ question. “Fuckin’ Granger doesn’t fight, he picks on submissive shifters. We’re all probably lucky he doesn’t try to get laid.”

Adam stood his ground in front of Dawson. Jason’s comment caught his attention though. Turning to look at him, Adam struggled to decipher Jason’s meaning.

“Are you sure all the pack members are lucky?” Dawson asked. Adam glanced over to find Rivers staring hard at Jason.

Jason paled, looking stricken. “Christ. No,” he muttered.

Adam felt the heat of Dawson’s body. He didn’t have to look to know Rivers had moved to stand closer.

“Why do you hide out in your hooch after the run, Madison?” Dawson’s tone was angry.

“Because you guys are a bunch of assholes,” he snapped defensively. Adam hadn’t done a damn thing to be angry at.

“Do the werewolves push you around, too?” asked Dawson sharply.

“I’m not saying a damn thing,” Adam replied in a low voice. The last thing he needed was for Dawson to view him as prey.

“What do you mean, ‘you guys are a bunch of assholes’?” Jason demanded in anger. “Some of us have been pretty damn nice to you.”

Adam started to accuse Jason of letting certain things happen. That was a can of worms he didn’t have the energy to open today. He should wait until the werewolves were all calm, before he called them out on their thuggish behavior.

“You didn’t answer my question,” Dawson said quietly. His expression was considering, now.

“I’m a civilian, I don’t have to answer you.” Adam needed to divert Rivers’ attention.

“If one of the werewolves lays an unwanted hand on you, you’ll tell me.” Dawson’s words were a direct order, in defiance of Adam asserting his civilian status. His eyes darkened noticeably. Adam thought they might have changed shape, slightly, too.

He couldn’t suppress a shiver of pleasure at Dawson’s forcefulness. It was on the tip of his tongue, to confess what had happened earlier. Adam kept his mouth shut, though.

“What about everyone on base who doesn’t have a major for an older brother?” he asked challengingly.

“Stop fucking around and tell me what you think I should know,” Dawson said. He fisted his hands on his hips.

Adam’s breathing was fast and shallow. He wanted to be angry. He’d settle for being afraid. He knew he wasn’t either. He forced himself not to look away from Dawson’s eyes. He swallowed hard, choosing his words carefully. “Maybe you should go see what it’s like out there, instead of hiding in here.”

Dawson’s eyes flicked up to Jason. “Where’s Mercer?”

“He runs the perimeter of the camp in full pack,” replied Rodriguez. “It’s the only way he can work off the tension.”

“Go find him.” Dawson tilted his head toward the door. “The two of you see what’s going on out there and let me know what you find out.”

“Yes, Gunny.” Jason was out the door in seconds.

Adam realized his only buffer against Rivers had just left. He should probably head back to his hooch.

“I can smell him on you,” Dawson said. His voice was low, like he didn’t want the last few shifters in the gym to hear him.

Adam’s stomach roiled as dread settled in his gut. “Smell who on me?” He didn’t know what was worse; a werewolf molesting him, or Rivers taunting him about it.

“You pretend to hate werewolves, but you’re friends with three of them.” Dawson stepped closer, until he was nearly touching Adam. “And you like at least one of them enough to let him rub himself against you.”

Adam was stunned into silence by Dawson’s wrong assumption. He couldn’t find the words to explain how much he hated Lieutenant Carson, so denying that he hated weres was beyond him.

Lowering his head, Dawson pressed his lips to Adam’s ear and whispered, “You left him unsatisfied, though. I never would have figured you for a tease.”

Adam stepped back abruptly. A sudden chill settled in his bones, as he stared at Dawson, wide-eyed in shock. Carson was an asshole, accusing Adam of enticing him. He wasn’t going to let Dawson consider him a tease. “You only just met me, so you know nothing about me. I didn’t take you for a judgmental prick, so I guess we’re even.” Adam managed to keep his voice low, but he couldn’t steady the angry tremor.

Dawson studied Adam through narrowed eyes. A taut silence stretched between them like an over-tuned guitar string. “You’re covered in the scent of a werewolf, which means you had more than casual contact. I don’t recognize the scent, so it wasn’t any of your friends, that I’m aware of.” Dawson paused, flicking his tongue over his lower lip. The action looked nervous to Adam, so he stayed silent, letting Dawson work things out for himself. “Since I don’t like one of the alternative scenarios I came up with, I might have attributed my own fantasy to you.”

His guess was so close to the truth, Adam almost believed Dawson was able to smell Carson’s scent on him. He resisted the urge to scrub at his skin, to try and get rid of the smells and the memories. “I can hate one werewolf for being an asshole, without hating every werewolf.” Adam’s anger bled into his words, even though he kept his voice low.

“Of course you can—” Dawson’s soothing tone inflamed Adam’s temper.

“Don’t patronize me,” he said fiercely. Adam had learned that word specifically to toss out at Tim during arguments. “If a guy is a dick to me, I’m not gonna be interested in fucking him. The fact he’s a dick is his fault, not mine. I’m not a tease, ‘cause I don’t wanna get felt up by someone I told ‘no’.”

“Shit,” Dawson whispered. He looked up at the ceiling for several long moments. His expression was tight, and his throat worked as he swallowed several times. He finally met Adam’s eyes again. “You’re right. I was out of line. I apologize.” Dawson gestured toward the door. “Let’s go. I’ll walk you to your hooch.” He wasn’t asking for Adam’s cooperation.

Adam needed to put distance between himself and Dawson. It was the only way Adam was going to get his balance back. When he thought about the roaming werewolves, Adam realized he needed Dawson’s help.

Heading for the door, he sensed Dawson right behind him. Not only did he radiate heat, his presence was damn near tactile. Dawson managed to get to the door first and hold it open. Adam darted through, desperate not to touch Dawson.

Well-worn foot paths criss-crossed the base, packed hard by thousands of pairs of combat boots. They fell into step beside each other, following the narrow track that would lead them to the residence trailers. They walked in silence and Adam hated it. Carson was nowhere to be seen, and he was still fucking with Adam’s life. He wasn’t pissed at Dawson any longer, he was even starting to like him. Adam should focus his rage where it belonged, and not on Dawson.

“Is there any way we can get things back to the way they were?” Dawson’s earnest question took Adam by surprise. “I let some personal feelings overcome my better judgment, and I apologize. But I’m not feral, I can keep that from happening again.” He spoke quickly, but each word was firm and clear. His small hand gestures had a nervous, fidgety look to them. “We were all settling in to a pretty nice friendship, and I don’t want to be the one to fuck that up.”

They were still on the foot path and nearing the hooches, so Adam turned toward Dawson, ready to absolve him of his sins and get things back to the way they were. His brain blew a fuse and put some of Dawson’s words on a loop. The lingering flames of Adam’s anger were extinguished as certain phrases repeated. Dawson had personal feelings and fantasies, of which Adam was the focus.

“I want things to get back to normal, too,” Adam blurted. He was second guessing himself now, still hearing the echo of Dawson’s words. “I took my anger at someone else out on you, and I’m sorry. If you don’t assume things, and pass judgment on me, I won’t take my anger out on you.” Shit. That came out way more harsh than Adam had wanted. He threw up his hands in surrender.

Beside him, Dawson laughed. His already handsome features were transformed. Adam stared at him in surprise. The dangerously aggressive werewolf, the deadly Marine, were both gone. Dawson’s unexpected humility, his willingness to laugh at himself, made things so much worse for Adam.

“You got yourself a deal,” said Dawson. He made a frustrated sound, low in his throat. “I’m not a puppy anymore. I actually know better than to let emotion rule me during this cycle of the moon.”

“Your emotions aren’t the problem, it’s your false assumption.” The words were out of Adam’s mouth before he’d even finished the thought.

Dawson was silent as they crossed one of the few paved roads on base. Except this time, there was no tension between them. “I don’t want to make the same mistake that made you shoot down that other werewolf,” he finally said. “So I’m gonna quit while I’m ahead. Rather than keep making incorrect assumptions, I’ll just leave the ball in your court.”

In his surprise, Adam stumbled slightly. Disappointment welled up inside him, settling heavily in his stomach. Maybe Dawson was right about the moon cycle being a bad time for this kind of thing.

“His smell is on you, which means he got aggressive with you. You kicked him to the curb, which means you didn’t like it.” Dawson narrowed his eyes as he considered Adam. “Is it possible that you just hate him? Do you like the right man to take control? To demand what he wants from you?”

It was on the tip of Adam’s tongue to deny it, like he always did. It was reflex, now. He hated to look weak. His silence was probably all the answer Dawson needed.