Chapter 7
After breakfast Chad wasn’t quite sure what to do. Peter was brooding and withdrawn, still shirtless and gleaming with sweat from his impromptu workout, leaning back in his chair and clenching his jaw like he was trying to crack his molars. Talking to him was impossible.
“So what’s the plan for today?” Chad asked when he just couldn’t stand another second of uncomfortable silence. It came out a little sharper than he intended, and Peter’s eyebrows lifted slightly as he turned his attention on Chad.
Chad didn’t apologize. He was the one who was almost kidnapped. If anyone had the right to be brooding and quiet it was him.
“You need to change your Facebook profile settings to private for starters,” Peter said.
Chad scrunched up his brow in confusion, the instruction coming out of nowhere.
“What?”
“That’s how Devlin knew when you were coming and that you were expecting a car to pick you up,” Peter said, his lip curling in a barely perceptible snarl. “You posted it all over your public Facebook profile.”
Chad had no idea what Peter was talking about.
Then he remembered the conversation he had with best friend Topher on Facebook a few days before he was coming home.
He might have shared his flight details and arrival info during the course of that conversation, but that was a private conversation between him and Topher.
It wasn’t like other people could see it… was it?
“Are you sure?” he asked, wondering if this was why Peter was so quiet. Peter had said that he wasn’t angry with him, but that might have changed when he learned that Chad’s own tech-illiteracy was the reason he’d been such an easy target.
Chad hoped that wasn’t the case.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Peter said. He sighed and reached his hand up to rub the bridge of his nose.
“Isn’t Topher some kind of computer science nerd?
” Peter didn’t wait for Chad to answer before continuing, sounding angry now.
“You’d think he’d know to use the fucking messenger function for private conversations. ”
Chad didn’t say anything. It probably hadn’t occurred to Topher that anyone would be interested in anything they had to say. It certainly hadn’t occurred to Chad.
“Well?” Peter barked. He sounded frustrated, and his shoulders were tense and held high. Chad wasn’t really sure how to deal with him when he was like this.
“I’m sorry, okay? I get why you’re mad at me.
I’ll change the setting now.” Chad pulled out his phone and spent a minute going through his settings; limiting access to his Facebook profile and Instagram account to just his friends.
The whole exercise made him feel stupid and thoroughly chastised, and when he finally put his phone away he hesitated before looking across the table at Peter.
“I’m not angry with you,” Peter said, making Chad look up.
He sat forward and leaned his elbows on the table, waiting until he had Chad’s full attention before continuing.
“I’m just frustrated. I was so sure that I’d be able to hunt down the people who tried to take you today, and now that it turns out that I can’t I’m not dealing with it as well as I should be. ”
Chad breathed out and leaned in, mirroring Peter’s pose. He felt better.
“Is there anything I can do?”
Peter smiled softly and shook his head. “No, not that I can think of. Just stay in the apartment until we know what we’re dealing with. Keep out of trouble.”
Chad nodded, and Peter’s shoulders relaxed fractionally.
They stayed seated for another few minutes, Chad’s fingers curled around his empty coffee cup, after which Peter headed to his office to do some work and Chad made his way to the living room.
He turned on the TV and booted up his Xbox, leaning back into the couch and making himself comfortable as he started to play.
***
The next day, Peter woke Chad up at six am by slapping his ass and pushing him off the mattress.
“What the fuck?” Chad growled, shooting to his feet and glaring at Peter with as much indignation as he could muster. It was way too early in the morning for Peter to be slapping him anywhere, and the rough awakening was about as welcome as a kick in the face.
“Get dressed, we’re going hiking,” Peter said, throwing a bundle of clothes at Chad’s chest before leaving the room. Chad stared after him with a confused expression on his face, his sleep addled mind taking a few seconds to process what Peter was saying.
“What?” Chad jogged after Peter, naked and clutching the clothes his alpha had thrown at him to his chest. He ran past Peter and blocked his way, forcing him to come to a stop in the middle of the hallway. “We’re going hiking? Now?” Chad’s voice was incredulous.
“Yes,” Peter said, tilting his head and narrowing his eyes. “Is that a problem?”
Chad would very much have liked to answer yes to that question, but the warning edge in Peter’s voice made him hold his tongue.
“I guess not. I’ll just go shower and get dressed and we can be on our way.”
Chad was about to turn around when Peter grabbed his arm and stopped him. Chad froze, looking at Peter with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes?” he asked, looking from Peter’s face and down to the arm clutching his bicep and staring at it pointedly. Peter released his grip and crossed his arms across his chest.
“You don’t have to shower. Put on your clothes and we’ll be on our way.”
Chad blinked, studying Peter as he tried to figure out what was going on inside the alpha’s head.
The day before Peter had barely paid him any attention, eating dinner in his office and rebuffing Chad’s invitation to come fuck him before they went to sleep, whereas now he was looking at Chad with an intensity and focus that was bordering on intimidating.
“But what if I want to shower?” he asked, almost taking a step back when Peter’s eyes narrowed in annoyance. His heart started beating faster, and he couldn’t help the way his cock started getting hard. There was just something about Peter looking stern and dangerous that did it for him.
“Tough luck,” Peter growled. He took a step forward, moving right into Chad’s personal space and staring down at him. Chad licked his lips and swallowed. He wondered if Peter was trying to intimidate him or turn him on, or if he knew him well enough to know that he was doing both.
“So I’ll just get dressed,” Chad said, sounding hoarse.
“You do that,” Peter agreed, his voice silky smooth and hard as steel.
Chad shuddered, bending down and dropping his bundle of clothes on the floor next to Peter’s boots. While he was down there, he couldn’t help but look up at Peter towering over him. The shudder running down his spine intensified, and blood rushed into his cock making it achingly hard.
Peter made an impatient sound, almost like a growl, and Chad jumped into action.
He stepped into the underwear and pants Peter had chosen for him, pulling them both up at the same time, before bending back down to put on the shirt and socks still lying on the floor.
Once he was dressed, Chad rose back to his full height and waited for Peter to tell him what to do.
“Good boy,” Peter said, clapping his shoulder. “Let’s head out.”
Chad followed Peter out of the penthouse and down the elevator, yawning as he watched the numbers on the dial count down until they were in the parking garage. Peter stood tall next to him, hands clasped behind his back, his whole body thrumming with energy and anticipation.
Whatever Peter had planned, it wasn’t just a simple hike.
For one thing, he was dressed more like he was going on a night mission than for a hike.
His cargo pants and thermal long sleeved shirt were both black, and the utility belt clipped tight around his waist was suspiciously well equipped.
For a second Chad wondered if Peter had found a lead, but then he realized how unlikely that was.
If Peter had a lead, he wouldn’t be taking Chad anywhere near it.
“So where are we going?” Chad asked as he climbed into the front seat of Peter’s Jeep. He locked his seat belt into place, leaning back and watching Peter as he turned the key in the ignition and backed out of the parking space.
“My family owns some land a few hours south of here. Up until a few months ago Tank Security used it for training exercises, but after we sold off the mercenary division it’s been deserted.
” Peter reached over and put his hand on the back of Chad’s neck, giving it a squeeze.
“The whole area is closed off, and last year we installed a new security system along the perimeter that should warn us if anyone tries to come into the area while we’re there.
I figured we could take a look around and have some fun. ”
The hand on the back of Chad’s neck was heavy and warm, and Chad loved the way the rough pads of his alpha’s fingers felt against his skin. It sent shivers down his spine and made his cock swell in his pants.
“What kind of fun?” he asked, feeling wary.
“Nothing bad,” Peter said with a laugh. He gave Chad’s neck a final squeeze before letting go. “We’ll just walk around. Maybe play some hide and seek. Nothing too serious.”
A host of butterflies suddenly reared up in Chad’s stomach. Hide and seek. He knew what that meant. Peter wanted to chase him—wanted to give him a head start and hunt him down like prey.
The idea was as thrilling as it was nerve-racking.
“Hide and seek, huh?” he said, shooting Peter a conspiratorial grin. “And what do you get when you find me?”
Peter shrugged, his lip curving up in a half smile. “Whatever I want.”
He didn’t correct Chad’s assumption about what roles each of them would play.