A Sheep In Wolf's Clothing (Welsh Wolves) (11 page)

He continued to stroke the animal, musing aloud. “He seems so familiar. I just can’t figure out where I know him from. And, damn, he’s not someone you would forget.” He shook his head. “And why do I feel like I know what he looks like naked?”

Fido whined and rolled over, begging for his tummy to be rubbed.

Kieve laughed. It was hard to think about serious things when a puppy wanted his belly rubbed.

He petted the wolf, letting the animal’s natural affection ease his twitchy nerves, until a knock came through the door. Fido rolled over and draped himself once again across Kieve’s lap like he didn’t want to leave. Then the dog sighed. It was a very human sound.

He stood up, licked Kieve’s face and walked away, disappearing behind the desk.

Kieve sat there and stared at the desk. He’d been dismissed. By a dog...uh, wolf, whatever.

He stayed a few minutes longer, stood up and realized he was hard.

From petting a dog? It had obviously been too long since he’d last had sex.

But he couldn’t walk back into the bar like this. How sick would they think he was?

He tugged on his pant leg, trying to ease the pressure of his cock against his zipper, and took a breath. He’d just give it a few minutes.

When he finally felt like he was in control, he walked back into the main room. As Micah had said, it was getting crowded; only two tables remained empty. Kieve figured he could just slip out.

“You’re not leaving,” Dex said, bouncing up to his side. “Did you have a good visit with Fido?”

Kieve swallowed, trying not to think about his cock. It wasn’t that the “dog” made him hard—it was the sensual touch and the way stroking the animal had made him think about that sexy bartender. Unable to help himself, he glanced at the bar. Micah was behind the wooden counter.

“I did and, yes, I need to get going.”

“Oh, but you didn’t finish your drink and Reese will be right back out.”

Yeah, and seeing Reese wasn’t going to help Kieve’s hard-on at all. He smiled. “I really need to go.”

“But you’ll be back, right?”

“Uh, sure.”

Movement caught the corner of his eye and he couldn’t stop himself from watching. The gorgeous bartender had returned, looking a little flushed, almost flustered.
What the hell has he been doing while I was petting a dog? And, damn, can I play too?

Reese didn’t look up, almost studiously avoiding Kieve’s gaze, but went back behind the bar and immediately started mixing drinks.

Dex giggled.

“Please, come back tomorrow, early, before it gets crowded.”

Kieve didn’t know what kind of game Dex was playing, but he was tired. “I’ll see. Good night.”

He walked back into the night, heading toward his car. More cars arrived and Kieve told himself he was glad to be out of there. Instead of turning toward the city—the idea of finding some twink to fuck no longer held any appeal—he headed home.

By the time he’d gotten back to his house, his cock had flagged a bit. He took care of the animals, pleased that petting them did nothing for his libido.

But when he went to bed, the image of the sexy bartender popped into his brain, only this time it blended with his dream lover. As dream lovers tended to be, his had always been just a little in shadow. He’d never gotten a clear picture of the man except for his cock and that sexy tattoo on his hip.

Kieve licked his lips, remembering his tongue trailing across that soft inked skin. He reached down and wrapped his hand around his cock. It wasn’t as sweet as having his dream man touch him, but he needed it. He closed his eyes and slid his hand up and down his shaft. Though he’d jerked off the past few nights to the image of his dream lover, tonight, the fantasy changed—his dream lover’s voice, but it was Reese’s face and lips, whispering to Kieve how much he wanted to fuck him, how much he wanted to come inside him.

Fuck, it felt so real, having his lover there, touching him, kissing him.

Kieve cried out and came. He opened his eyes and remembered he was alone.

Chapter Six

Reese sipped his coffee and looked across the table to Maddock. The guy’s energy was a strange mix of calm and excited. He’d grown familiar with the aura pattern in the past month. It usually meant sexual satisfaction.

It also meant Dex would be
glowing
when he came in.

Reese tried to crush his groan. He was glad for Dex, finding his mate and being deliriously happy, but still, it was difficult to not be jealous. Particularly when Reese knew he would never have the same thing.

Oh, he was sure he’d fuck again—he hadn’t lived a celibate’s life so far—but he would never feel that connection that only came from a mate.

Kieve.

He tried to push the name from his mind. It did him no good to think on it. Kieve was strong and sexy. He’d easily find a human lover. Reese was useless.

No. They could never be together.

Reese just wished he had a visual on the guy.

Always before, he’d been able to imagine people from their voices. It didn’t matter if he was right or not. The picture was just for his own mental library.

But with Kieve, the picture in his head changed each time. From kindly veterinarian to construction worker in a tool belt and tight white T-shirt. To the sexy boy next door in tight, tight jeans. He just needed a frame of reference for Kieve.

“Hey, Maddock.”

“Hmm?” The paper in Maddock’s hands rattled as he turned the pages.

“You met Kieve, right?”

“Yeah. When I picked you up.”

“Right.” Reese licked his lips. He didn’t want Dex finding out about this. He’d tease him mercilessly, and he’d start insisting that Kieve was Reese’s mate.

Which he wasn’t. He couldn’t be.

But Reese had to know.

“What’s he look like?”

“The doc?”

“Yeah.”

Maddock hesitated. “Uhm, he’s fine.”

“Fine? What does that mean?”

He could practically feel Maddock shrug. “What else do you want me to say?”

“What’s he look like?” Reese asked again.

“He’s got, uh, kind of brown hair. And his eyes are kind of muddy brown and a little blood shot. And the right one droops a little.”

Reese sat up straighter in his chair. That was so not how he’d pictured Kieve.

“But he’s in good shape, right?” Reese knew that for a fact. He’d touched those muscles.

“Well, yeah...he’s built.” There was an uncomfortable pause that made Reese squirm.

“But?”

“But nothing.”

There was something in the tone of his voice that warned it was not “nothing.”

“Maddock.”

The other man sighed.

“Fine. His body’s just a little oddly proportioned. Big guy like that, but his legs just seem too short for his body and his arms, you know, a little too long.”

Fuck, he sounded like an ape.

“It’s a good thing you decided he wasn’t your mate.” Maddock lowered his voice and leaned in. Reese matched the movement. “The guy’s kind of a troll. I mean, it probably wouldn’t matter to you because well, you’re blind, but yeah...not really someone who draws the right kind of attention, you know?”

Reese nodded and sat back in his chair. A troll? It didn’t make sense. Reese had felt him. But he’d felt him in pieces. He’d have no way of knowing if Kieve’s legs were too short or if his knuckles scraped the ground.

Maybe he just didn’t want to believe it because the guy’s voice was so fucking sexy and his cock tasted sweet.

Maddock stood up and patted his hand on Reese’s shoulder, a show of masculine sympathy he supposed. He barely noticed when Maddock left the table though he did look up as the guy exited the kitchen. Something odd was happening to his aura. A pale green swirled around the vibrant reds he normally associated with Maddock.

What the—?

A squeak chimed through the open door. Between being a werewolf and being blind, Reese had superior hearing so he didn’t miss a moment of what he was sure was Maddock pressing his mate up against the wall for a good morning kiss and feel-up.

Their voices murmured in the low tones of lovers. Reese did his best to hum Broadway show tunes silently in his head so he didn’t have to listen. There were certain things he did
not
want to hear.

Moments later, the chipper little Omega wolf bounced into the kitchen. He flung his arms around Reese, hugging him over his back. “Good morning.”

“Sounds like you had a good night.”

Dex giggled and dropped into the seat Maddock had just vacated.

“A-mazing. We’ll have to invite the doc around more. I think flirting with him might have set Maddock off just a little bit.”

Reese could see Dex’s aura shimmer as if he was squirming.

“I can’t think that we have any reason for him to come back,” Reese said, adding a touch of warning to his voice. Naturally, Dex ignored it.

“What about the fact that he’s your mate?”

Reese sighed. Ever since Dex had found Maddock, he’d been pushing Reese to search for a mate.

“He’s not my mate. He’s human, if you remember.”

Dex chuckled. “Damn, I’m not likely to forget that.”

Something in the way Dex spoke about Kieve sent the nerves at the base of Reese’s spine tingling. That and the green swirls in Maddock’s aura made him curious, even though he knew he did not want to ask this question.

He pursed his lips and considered just how he could pose the question so he got an answer that would help him.

“Dex, if you had to compare Kieve with a movie star...who would it—?”

“Hugh Jackman.” Reese hadn’t even gotten the question out. “You know, Hugh Jackman in full-on Wolverine-mode, except without the sideburns and funky hair.”

Hmm.
Dex had been friends with Reese long enough to know how to describe things, associating them with something Reese could understand.

And Reese had seen that movie and spent the full two hours licking his lips at the sight of those wicked, strong muscles.

“What color is his hair?”

“The doc’s? Oh brown.”

Just like Maddock had said.

“You know...” Dex moaned like Maddock was sucking him off. “That really rich chocolate brown that just makes you want to slide your hands through it to see if it feels as good as it looks.”

“Rich chocolate brown. What about his eyes?” he asked though he was pretty sure Maddock had been screwing with him.

“Brown too, and these beautiful amber specks right around the iris.”

“And his body’s nice, huh?”

“Day-yum. Tall, broad shoulders, thick sexy biceps. Oh, yeah. If I wasn’t already mated to Maddock or, knew that you’d flail the skin from my bones if I tried it, I’d strip that man and lick him from top to bottom.”

Reese growled.

“What’s wrong?”

“Your mate’s an asshole.”

* * * * *

Kieve washed his hands and flicked off the light in the kennels. He only had one overnight visitor again. Business was slow, but Kieve was okay with that. He’d moved here knowing he wouldn’t be too busy. He had more than enough money to live on. His father had squirreled away all his money, saving it for rainy day, then died before the first clap of thunder. On his deathbed, he’d told Kieve to live the life he wanted—using the money to enjoy himself.

So, he’d set up the business, did work he loved and traveled whenever he wanted.

Maybe that was what was making him so restless. Maybe he needed to go on a trip.

Except he knew the cause of his restlessness—those dreams. And the sexy bartender from the Red Dragon. The two had blended into one entity, filling Kieve’s nights with wicked fantasies that left him hard and amazingly unsatisfied.

Plus, he had a puppy now. He couldn’t go anywhere. The owners of the lab puppy decided they couldn’t keep him and asked Kieve to find a home for the little guy. Feeling the need for companionship after the wolf had left, Kieve decided to keep him. The lab would be good company once he got a little older.

The puppy trotted over to him as Kieve entered the house, his butt just wiggling. Kieve kept the little dog mostly confined, knowing he didn’t have bladder control just yet.

“You ready to go outside? Come on, boy, let’s go outside.” He picked up the puppy and carried him to the front door, placing him in the grass and letting the little guy do his business before chasing after butterflies.

A car pulled into his driveway—a low sleek sports car that screamed money—and a tall blonde wearing big sunglasses climbed out of the driver’s seat. Her skirt rode up high on her leg as she stood up from the low ride, revealing a tanned, toned thigh.

From the way she moved, it was obvious she was expecting to be watched, used to being noticed. She straightened and tugged her shirt down. The material conformed to her breasts, highlighting the shape and the fact that she wasn’t wearing a bra.

Kieve had known he was gay from the age of seventeen but there had been times when fucking a woman had been the prudent course of action. He knew a hot body when he saw one. Too bad it did nothing for him.

“Cute puppy,” she said, her voice low and husky.

He almost smiled. It was as if she’d designed herself to make a man—or woman—think of sex.

“Thanks. How can I help you?”

“Are you Dr. Mattinson?”

“Yes.” Few people “dropped by” unless it was an emergency and this woman didn’t seem to be in a rush or have a pet.

“Hi, I’m looking for my dog and I noticed you had a post about a wolf-hybrid on Craigslist.”

“Yes, but he’s already been returned to his owners.”

She deflated, her lower lip moving out into a pout. “That’s too bad. I’m really worried about my poor wolfie.” She blinked and raised her blue eyes to him. “Maybe they made a mistake?”

“A mistake? No, it was their dog.”

She giggled and shook her hair out like the star of a shampoo commercial. Kieve was pretty sure the movement was designed to distract him from the fact that she thought someone might not know their own dog?

“I’m just so worried.” She took a breath, pushing her breasts high, the nipples poking through her shirt. “Where did you take him?”