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towels from a beautifully carved wooden cabinet in the
corner. He slipped into the bath, leaving the shower curtain
open for Steven to join him.
Without hesitating, Steven followed that fine ass
inside. "I guess I'll have to thank Anthony instead of
kicking his butt," he mused as he watched the handsome
man get mouth-wateringly wet.
Dare laughed. "You couldn't kick Anthony anyway,
not and still make it out of the bar alive."
Steven laughed. "True. I slapped Anthony on the
back one day and Silver almost ripped off my arm."
A low growl came from Dare, his eyes glowing
again. "He better not harm you."
"Shhh. No, babe. I'm fine." He ran soothing circles
around Dare's shoulders, cradling him close so he could
reach his back. The two men were near to the same size,
making it easy for Steven to cuddle Dare close and give
him gentle kisses. "Easy, babe. I'm good."
Is this what Anthony had to deal with on a daily
basis? For a moment he felt sympathy for his friend.
Dare shook his head. "Shit, I'm sorry. I don't know
why I'm so touchy today. Maybe that catnip hasn't
completely worn off. Usually, it just makes me a little
loopy," he said as he snuggled closer. "Having it on you
turns me into a possessive jerk."
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The pair of them stood in the heated stream of water
as if trying to wash away their worries.
Steven pushed aside his own concerns to reassure
the trembling bartender. "Come on, babe, let's finish
washing and go back to bed." He was a little worried at
how comfortable those words sounded, like they'd been
long-time lovers. Shaking his head, he gave into the
inevitable. The beautiful weretiger was his and he would
have to learn to adapt.
Affection, more than passion had them rinsing each
other off. Then, with smiles and gentle touches, they dried
and then headed towards the bedroom.
* * * *
Dare woke up warm, sated, and wrapped in the
arms of his dream man. Sighing he nuzzled in closer,
wishing for the first time he was the kind of cat that could
purr.
"Morning, kitty." A large, warm hand stroked his
head, causing an involuntary sigh to pour from Dare's
mouth.
"Morning, wolf man." He tilted his mouth for his
morning kiss.
"I have morning breath," Steven warned.
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"Two morning breaths cancel each other out." Dare
latched onto Steven's mouth like a drowning man grabbing
a life preserver. If this was the only encounter they were
ever going to have, he wanted to take advantage of it. He
didn't bother hoping the wolf saw this as a step towards
their future. If the man hadn't wanted him before, he wasn't
going to change his mind now. However, that didn't mean
Dare couldn't enjoy their time together now, even if it was
short-lived.
Their two hard pricks rubbed together, leaking
copiously.
"Oh, like that, babe." Steven's hands gripped Dare's
ass, pulling him tighter against him. "Oh, yeah. Just like
that."
It didn't take long before one cry followed another
as the two men gave over to passion in each other's arms.
"Mmm." Dare licked a path up Steven's neck before
worrying a mark into his skin, a mark that would show high
above any collar.
"Marking me, baby?" Steven asked, his eyes
sparkling with amusement.
Dare jerked back. "Oh, god. I didn't mean to." Well
consciously, subconsciously he was all about marking the
man lying beside him. Scent, bites, anything to leave a sign
the sexy wolf was taken.
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Steven laughed. "That's all right. I'm not ashamed of
having sex with you."
Having sex.
Dare averted his head as he blinked back the sudden
watering of his eyes. "I'd better brush my teeth and get
dressed. I have to get to work." He stumbled out of bed and
headed for the bathroom door. He didn't want the man in
his bed to know that while Steven was having another bout
of meaningless sex, Dare was making love.
"Did I do something wrong?"
Dare shook his head, not slowing his stride. "I-I just
need to go."
"You work nights." He heard Steven sliding out of
bed to follow.
He resisted the temptation to look. "Not the rest of
this week. I'm working with Dillon and Parker to look for
those mutant werewolves."
"What do you mean, you're working with those
two? You're a bartender, not an investigator."
Dare finally turned around, glaring at the intense,
blue-eyed man before him. "I'm also a four hundred pound
tiger. I'm good in a fight. If they find those other wolves I
can keep them safe."
"And who's going to keep you safe?"
Dare rolled his eyes. "Did you want a shower?"
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Denying Dare
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Walking away from Steven before he said anything
he'd regret, he headed for the bathroom.
* * * *
As Steven watched the fine ass of his lover walk
away from him, Dare's back was straight and his shoulders
stiff with anger.
Shit.
It didn't look like he could say anything right today.
First something he'd said in bed had hurt his lover's
feelings, now the cat was angry with him for being
concerned. He could feel Dare's emotions as if they were
his own and the entire experience was unsettling.
Damn, who knew werecats were so high
maintenance?
Steven entered the bathroom cautiously, uncertain
of his reception. Dare was already in the shower, the
shadow of his beautiful body tantalizing in the morning
light. Well, this was something they could agree on.
They both wanted the others' touch.
Steven moved the curtain aside and stepped into the
tub, wrapping his arms around the stiff figure. "I'm sorry if
I hurt your feelings, baby. I just don't like the thought of
you going against bad guys. Hell, last time Anthony got
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shot, and he's damn near indestructible."
"I'm sorry you don't think I can protect myself," was
the sniffled reply.
"No. No. Babe." He stroked the younger man in all
the right places until Dare melted against him like the
boneless kitty he was. Steven sifted the water through the
man's hair to rinse out all the conditioner. He didn't want
his lover's beautiful hair damaged. "I just don't want you to
get hurt. I could help." Steven owned a computer
investigation business where he used research to retrieve
background information on people for companies and
individuals alike.
Dare shook his head. "Silver wanted to keep this to
pack only."
Steven jerked away like he'd been struck. "You're
not pack," he pointed out.
"I might not be a wolf but I'm a member of the
pack. Anthony declared me pack last full moon."
Jealousy bit deep. Anthony, who didn't have any
wolf heritage, and Dare, who was a fucking cat, could
belong to the wolf pack while Steven was left out in the
cold. "I'm sorry I'm not good enough to join your little
club."
Dare's eyes widened. "I didn't mean it like that! You
just have to petition. I'm sure Silver would take you if he
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knew you were interested, but it's been a while and you
haven't said anything, so I guess we all assumed you didn't
want to belong to the Moon pack. You're Anthony's friend
and a shifter, I'm sure he would make you pack if you
asked."
Steven bit his lip. He hadn't talked to Silver about
joining because he kept hoping he would mate into the pack
like Dillon and Ben. He'd even tried dating wolves in other
packs, but he kept coming back to this one. It wasn't just
that his oldest friend helped run it. He felt an odd pull to the
Moon pack. Now he wondered if he'd just been fooling
himself and it wasn't the pack, but Dare, who was the pull.
Could a wolf really mate with a cat permanently?
The pair finished their shower in thoughtful silence.
Dare loaned him some clothes since they were
similar in height and build. Steven got a secret pleasure
from wearing his clothes. He knew any wolf near him
would smell the tiger's scent covering him from shirt to
socks. He felt giddy inside, like an adolescent girl with her
boyfriend's letterman jacket.
He shared none of that with the weretiger as he
followed the other man out of the apartment and into the
elevator.
"It looks different when I'm on my feet," he teased,
enjoying the flush that colored Dare's cheeks.
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Denying Dare
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"Sorry about that."
Steven shrugged. "I'll talk to Anthony. That little
stunt was his fault."
Dare smiled. "Yeah, but I liked how it ended so
don't be too hard on him."
Leaning over to place a kiss on those lush lips,
Steven had to agree. "I'll take it easy on the little shit
because I really enjoyed last night." He gave the tiger
shifter another kiss before breaking apart when the elevator
doors opened.
In the early afternoon the bar was mostly empty.
Dare turned to look at Steven. "I'll catch up with
you later. I told Dillon and Parker I would meet them at
Parker's house."
Steven growled. "You're not going alone to meet an
unmated were at his house."
"What's your problem?" The confusion on Dare's
face told him the other man had no idea Steven was making
a claim. Parker was one of the few werekin who had a
house of his own instead of staying with the pack. He'd
inherited the house from his mother and refused to part
with it or live with the others. Rumor had it he got special
dispensation from Silver and had to take extra training to
prove he could protect himself.
There was no way in hell Steven was going to let
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his mate go into that bachelor den alone.
Mate?
Fuck.
Staggering under the weight of his new knowledge,
Steven stabbed a finger in the direction of an empty table.
"Wait for me there." He got a pissed off expression from
his kitty, but Dare did what he asked.
Good. It would help their relationship for Dare to
realize who was in charge from the beginning.
Without another look he headed for Silver's office.
Knocking, he waited for the bid to enter before he opened
the door. Silver's office was large and decorated with lots
of seating for impromptu meetings with staff and pack
members.
Looking up, Steven received a half smile when
Silver saw him; the biggest expression the man ever gave
outside the sphere of Anthony.
"Anthony's at his office downtown."
"I didn't come to see Anthony. I came to see you."
"Oh." Silver gave a shrug. "If it's about the catnip
incident, I already talked to Anthony about that."
Steven laughed. "And I'm sure he was properly
repentant and begged forgiveness on his knees."
A blush covered the cheeks of the tough alpha. "He
did something on his knees that made me forget my name,
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but I did try to scold him."
Shaking his head, Steven let the alpha off the hook.
"That's okay, it doesn't do any good to scold Anthony, I
know from past experience. Besides, he did me a good
turn."
"You and Dare?" Silver's raised brows caused a
wave of trepidation in Steven's chest.
"What? You don't think we'll make good mates?"
"You just cost me a diamond ring. I told Anthony
there's no way you'd go for a cat."
Steven shook his head sadly. "You should know
better than to bet against Anthony."
A sheepish smile crossed the alpha's face. "Yeah,
but this was one bet I was hoping to lose. Sometimes he
wears turtlenecks where no one can see his collar. I need to
have him wear something even a standard human can
understand. Marking him with my scent doesn't do any
good if the other men can't smell it."
Steven laughed so hard he had to hold onto the desk
as tears filled his eyes. "Poor you. Mating with a beautiful
man is such hard work."
"You know it. It's not easy staying one step ahead
of my man, but he's worth every bit. Want to see his ring?"
It was almost sweet how the large man doted on
Anthony. In that so-much-sugar-your-teeth-will-rot kind of
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way.
"Sure," he said. After all, if he wanted to get on the