Chapter 7
7
BENJAMIN
Connor was a wolf shifter, and Shen was a freaking dragon! I thought shifters were Hollywood creations made of makeup and CGI, not real flesh-and-blood beings.
Then, Connor shifted back to his human form and … wow. I'd never seen a sexier alpha in my life. I glanced at Shen again, wondering why he wasn't naked. He had on a pair of shorts I recognized from Connor's lost-and-found loot. Shen didn't have shoes, but the snow around him had melted. He handed Connor his shirts and shorts from the road.
I pulled Connor's corduroy pants from my bag and handed them to him. He snatched them from me so quickly, I didn't have time to avert my eyes before I saw his whole thick package on display. Even limp and in the cold like this, Connor had a sizable cock.
He pulled up his shorts, ending my fantasy.
"Like what you see?"
I met his gaze as he pulled on his pants instead of shrinking away. "It's adequate."
He laughed. "Wait until you feel my knot."
I turned away this time, not sure if I should throw myself in a snowbank to cool my face or run toward the flashing lights about a half mile down the road. I started walking toward them, not waiting for the others to follow. Shen caught up to me first, and his completely changed appearance caught my eye.
"Where did you find those clothes?" I asked. He wore a business suit much like Connor's before he'd shredded the pants, and a pair of shiny black dress boots.
"Dragons have magic. This glamour's about all I have left after our flight, but it's enough to get a room at that hotel." He pointed to the flashing sign.
"Glamour? You were naked before?"
He shrugged. "It's easier for me to make clothes. That way, I don't have to find new ones every time I shift, unlike your boy."
I didn't have the heart to tell him Connor wasn't my boy. Despite his insistence on being my fated mate, I … wasn't. I liked him, sure, but we were complete strangers.
I felt Connor's warmth as he came up beside me. He draped his arm over my shoulders, pulling me against him. I almost choked on his bulky parka, but I found my footing and kept marching toward the lights.
"I'll go on ahead," Shen said.
"Book us two rooms." Connor glanced down at me apologetically. "We need to talk."
"No, we don't," I said. "Three rooms."
"I'll book whatever they have," Shen said before speeding away.
"He's fast," I said. "I didn't think dragons would be fast on the ground."
"Most shifters are faster than humans. Stronger, too."
I sighed. My whole life, it had been bad enough alphas were taller, broader, and stronger than I was. Now, shifters were even bigger and badder than the biggest, baddest humans? It was almost too much for my ego to take.
Familiar impotent rage filled me. I hated being small and weak. I spent a lot of time in Barclay Foods's gym, honing my muscles and improving my speed and strength. After meeting Connor, it all seemed completely futile. If Connor wanted, I would have to submit to him. I wouldn't have a choice. I was smaller, weaker, and while I could bite the hell out of him, I probably couldn't do much damage. Meanwhile he had a mouth full of sharp wolf teeth that could cut me to ribbons if I didn't do what he wanted.
I hoped our hotel room had a bathroom. I could lock myself in it until morning.
The hotel was more of a motel setup. The main office sat in the middle of an H banked by two columns. The parking lot on our side of the H was full. Inside, the lobby was empty.
"Our friend was just here," Connor said. "Shen Purefoy?"
"Yep. He grabbed the last room." The young woman hit a switch beneath her desk and the flashing "Vacancy" sign switched to "No Vacancy."
"But he got two rooms, right?" Connor asked.
"We only had one room," she said. "A scout troop is hiking up the mountain tomorrow."
"We can figure this out," I said. "Where's the nearest hotel?"
"With vacancies? Probably Vegas." Her smug tone made me suspicious.
"That's the closest place to stay tonight?" Connor asked.
"There's a bed-and-breakfast on the other side of the dam. They might have a room for you." She shrugged. "I can call over there, if ya like."
"Please," I said. "That would be kind of you."
She nodded and hit a button on her switchboard. After it rang a few times, an angry person picked up. "It's the middle of the night, Sally!"
"Sorry, Burt. I've got two guys here looking for a room. You got one?"
Their conversation became too soft for me to hear it, but Connor frowned.
"Yeah. You coming to get them, or what? They don't have a car." She studied us for a moment. "How did you get here, anyway?"
"Didn't Shen tell you?"
Her eyes widened in surprise. "You mean he was serious about the plane crash? I thought he was full of shi—garbage. Pardon my expression."
"I can't wait to meet our new local celebrities!" Burt said on the other end of the phone. "I'll be there in fifteen."
She ended the call and motioned for us to sit on the two benches in the lobby.
I took the seat closest to the door, and Connor sat right beside me. I hated how much I liked the way his warmth spread through the entire right side of my body. I wanted to lean against him, but I forced myself not to give in.
As I glanced around the lobby at the deer and elk heads hanging on the wall, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I'd seen too many horror movies about small-town lodging situations. This place reminded me of the one with a secret passage behind all the rooms. What if the bed-and-breakfast was even worse?
"If Burt shows up in clown makeup, we're going to camp in the woods," I said.
Connor draped his arm over my shoulder and kissed my temple, making me feel like I was five years old. "I think he'll be in rave gear. Sounded like they were having a sex party at the B&B."
I shivered. That was even worse.
Thankfully, Burt was fully dressed. In drag. As Dolly Parton in a blue turtleneck dress with a high knee slit. I instantly relaxed. Drag Dolly Parton wouldn't murder us in our sleep.
Connor complimented her while I climbed into the backseat of the eighties station wagon. It looked oddly familiar.
"This looks like the National Lampoon's Vacation wagon," Connor said. "Did you see that, Ben? They even have a leash hanging off the rear bumper, and the same luggage in the rack."
"Good eye, young man." Burt practically purred as they climbed into the front seat together.
"I loved that movie when I was a kid," Connor said. "How about you, Ben?"
I swallowed hard, wondering if I should go with the flow or tell the truth. Nobody would ever mistake me for the smartest omega. Before I could come up with an adequate lie, I blurted the answer from my heart. "I hated it. Clark was so mean to his brother. And that poor dog."
Both Connor and Burt hung their heads. "Let's have a moment of silence for Dinky," Burt said. Then they both laughed. Assholes.
"Your boyfriend's very unhappy," Burt said. "It's a good thing you're getting the honeymoon suite tonight."
"The what now?" I asked. If I had hackles like Connor, they would have been raised.
"Only room available," Burt said. "You'll love it. There's a balcony where you can watch the birds at the feeder in the morning."
"We need to catch the first train out of here," I said.
"Where are you headed?" Burt asked.
"LA," Connor and I said at the same time.
"There's no direct train from here to there. You're better off waiting for a bus to Vegas. It'll take you most of the day tomorrow, but it'll get you there." Burt carried on about the various schedule flyers they had in the office. "I can drive you to the station tomorrow, so no need to worry about a car."
"Thank you," Connor said. "We appreciate all this."
The Beaver Dam B&B was an adorable two-story log cabin with a huge second-story balcony that wrapped around the front and sides. If I had to guess from our spot in the parking lot, it probably wrapped around the back, too.
Inside, the fire was tamped back for the night, but the lobby was so warm, I instantly felt drowsy.
"Huh, I can't find my wallet." Connor patted down every pocket of his cargo pants. "I thought it was here." He slapped his ass, and my mouth watered. Why was that so fucking hot?
"Do you have Shen's number?" I asked. "It might have been in your other shorts."
He blinked, and then his eyes narrowed to slits. "Yes. I'll text him."
I handed Burt my card, instead, and tried not to pass out at the price he gave me. He insisted it was a discount since it was already after midnight, but it was more than I had paid per night in New York.
I was too tired to argue. Everywhere in the building was warm and cozy, including the honeymoon suite. Burt led us to a narrow stairway on the second floor and motioned to what I assumed was the attic. Instead, we found a door to a large loft in the peak of the wooden rafters.
"This is really nice, isn't it?" Connor asked as he set my carry-on on the luggage stand by the door and flipped on the light. The lampshades were pink, giving everything in the room a soft glow.
I swallowed hard, remembering my earlier fear of being overwhelmed by my alpha counterpart. I unzipped my bag, grabbed my toiletry pouch, and locked myself in the bathroom without another word.
"Hey." Connor knocked a moment later. "Are you almost done in there? I have to pee, and I could really use a shower."
"Out in a minute!"
"We should talk," Connor said. "Could you maybe open the door?"
"I can hear you fine from here," I said.
"Okay." He didn't sound so sure. Cloth whispered against the wall as he slid down to sit on the floor. "You're human, so you probably don't know what it means to be my fated mate."
He was right. I'd heard the term before, but only in fairytales. "What does it mean?"
"You're the reason my pack kicked me out," he said. "The reason I've been looking for home ever since. I wanted to find you, so I wouldn't be alone. You're all I've ever wanted."
I covered my toothbrush with toothpaste. "Do you own omegas in your pack?" I asked.
"Yes." He sighed. "I hated it. They wanted me to take an omega mate when I turned eighteen. I didn't want that. I didn't want to start a family with another wolf just to grow our pack. I wanted someone who understood me."
Wasn't that what I had been looking for, too? I wanted someone who loved me, not my family name or the shares of the bank that came with my hand in marriage.
I finished brushing my teeth and spat in the sink before asking, "What happens now? Do you just take what you want from me because I'm your omega?"
"No! I'm not like that." He tried the door handle again and then knocked when it didn't turn. "Ben, please, let me in?"
"No." The word was louder and harsher than I intended, but I needed to understand. "Explain."
"Consent matters to me. I won't touch you until you want me to. I won't force myself on you. Even if you were in heat and needed someone to help you with it, I would rather you had someone you trust. It doesn't have to be me."
"I've never gone into heat, so I think we're good there." Human omegas usually didn't. I'd always thought the ones who did were lucky. At least they knew when they were fertile. I could be fertile any time, which meant I'd used protection with all my partners, even when I was on top.
"I like to top," I said, since I was thinking about it. "Would you let me?"
"Gods, would I!" His enthusiasm surprised me. Every alpha I'd dated had refused to switch and then dumped me when I refused to sleep with them. My one beta boyfriend had been okay with switching, but then he'd cheated. Which led me to my next question.
"How long would you wait before I said I was ready for sex? Would you be off getting your dick wet elsewhere?"
"No." He chuffed a laugh. "You don't understand. I've been waiting for you. Now that I've found you, I'd wait forever if that's what it takes."
"Waiting, as in you're still a virgin?"
"No …" He trailed off, and I heard the telltale scraping sound again, of him sliding back up the wall to his feet. "I can't wait that long to pee, though. I'll go see if they have a public bathroom somewhere."
"No, here." I unlatched the bathroom door and pushed it open.
Connor stared at the tattoos on my chest before gazing at my slicked back hair. He whistled. "Wow."
"You're pretty wow, yourself," I said.
He grinned. "You got to see it all when I shifted back. Want to return the favor?"
I rolled my eyes. "Not tonight. I, we, need sleep."
He wiggle-danced on his toes and planted his hands at his fly. "I need to pee first."
I grabbed my clothes and hygiene kit off the toilet lid and returned to the bedroom, closing the door behind me. A few moments later, I heard water running in the tub. I switched my suit pants for pajama bottoms and hopped into the soft queen bed. Before, I would have sworn I wouldn't have been able to sleep in the same bed with Connor, but he wasn't in bed yet. The longer he took, the more impatient I became.