Chapter 10 #2
I swallowed. Then I chose my next words carefully. “Philippe never liked speaking about his family. He took his own life. We hadn’t been together long. He’d lost someone important years before he turned me, and he never got over it.”
Caleb went quiet. He looked down at our joined hands, his brow still furrowed. He wanted to ask something and had decided against it.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Whatever you want to know.”
He looked up. “You slept with this count?” A faint flush stole across his cheeks. “I mean, you were together, right?”
“Yes. But Philippe was also my sire, so that was just one part of our relationship. Even without the sexual component, I would have stayed with him so he could help me learn how to survive as a wolf.”
“Does it always work that way? The new werewolf lives with the werewolf who turned him?”
“Almost always, yes. It takes a strong wolf to help the new wolf maintain control.”
Caleb’s stare grew intense. “You didn’t turn me, obviously. So who did?”
“A rogue,” I said bluntly. “I wasn’t certain at first, but it’s the only explanation.
Sometimes, even experienced werewolves lose the connection with their human side.
The beast takes over, erasing all the empathy and higher reasoning skills that separate humans from animals.
Eventually, rogues can’t shift anymore, and they end up stuck on four legs.
But they can still attack. They can still turn others, even though they don’t mean to.
When they attack, they intend to kill. But sometimes their victims survive. ”
Caleb had gone pale under his tan. “That’s what happened to me.” He made it a statement, but I nodded anyway.
“Our laws forbid us to turn others without their consent. You didn’t deserve that, Caleb, and I’m sorry. But I promise I’ll get you through your first shift. Your wolf must have sensed my gift. It’s probably why your beast latched onto mine like it did.”
One corner of his mouth quirked up. “Well, it might have had other reasons.”
A potent mix of heat, amusement, and relief wound through me. Still, I had to be certain he understood the reality of any sort of relationship between us. “Does it bother you knowing I’m a century older?”
“I won’t lie and say it doesn’t blow my mind a little.” He gave my chest a blatantly admiring look. “But when you look like you do…” He shook his head. “I can’t think of you as a grandpa.”
Good grief. Where was our waiter so I could order another bottle of wine? “Well, I’m not a grandpa, so put that thought out of your head.”
“Could you be, though?” he asked. “Like, can you and I have kids?” He blushed. “I mean, obviously not together, but—”
“I know what you meant,” I said, grinning. “Yes, but it’s rare. Something about the virus that causes lycanthropy is extremely hostile to conception. A couple of scientists among us have studied it.”
Curiosity sparked in his eyes. “So you have jobs and stuff? You were a teacher. What do you do now?” The spark turned playful. “Besides taking much younger, hotter men to dinner.”
Now, my cheeks heated. I kicked his foot under the table. “Think that highly of yourself, do you?”
He smiled as he lifted his wineglass. “Don’t pretend you haven’t been looking.” He drained his wine, his throat working—and reminding me how effortlessly he’d drained my cock. It was obvious we were going to end up in bed tonight, but I wanted us to be on the same page before that happened.
“How do you feel about staying in Albany for the weekend?” I asked.
He licked his lips as he set down his glass. “Like at a hotel?”
“Like at my townhouse a few streets over.”
“How many houses do you own?”
“More than two. Fewer than twenty.” I smiled. “One of the benefits of immortality. I’ve invested wisely. For the most part, I don’t have to worry about money.”
He raised a dark blond brow. “You’re like a werewolf sugar daddy.”
Our waiter chose that moment to bring the check, and he lapsed into a coughing fit as he handed me the bill.
“I’m…so…sorry, sir,” he gasped, turning away as he recovered.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Here.” I grabbed my untouched glass of water and shoved it at him. He took it and gulped, then handed it back with a grateful look.
“Thanks,” he said. “Will you two, uh, need anything else?” A flush spread down his neck. “Dessert?”
I avoided Caleb’s gaze as I pulled out my wallet and dropped six crisp hundred-dollar bills onto the metal tray. “No, thank you. We’re all set.”
The waiter’s eyes widened as he stared at the money. “Really?”
“Yep. Have a good evening.”
“Thanks! You too.” He hurried away, probably intent on disappearing before I could change my mind. I waited until he was out of sight, then grabbed Caleb and pulled him through the restaurant’s service entrance and into the parking lot.
The second we closed the SUV’s doors, he turned to me.
“I’m sorry—” His apology ended in a grunt as I gripped his nape and smashed my lips to his.
He moaned into my mouth, his body going pliant in the leather seat.
I leaned over him and stroked my tongue deep, drinking him in.
Letting his scent fill my lungs as I reveled in the fact that he wanted me as much as I wanted him.
The mate bond sizzled between us, tightening my cock and reducing me to a puddle of lust. When I broke off the kiss at last, I rested my forehead against his.
“I’m sorry about the waiter,” he said, his voice raspy.
“Don’t be. He probably thinks we’re into furry role-playing or something.”
Caleb drew back, surprise on his face. “You know about furries?”
“I have the internet,” I said dryly.
He smiled. “Yeah. That’s true, I guess. You need to keep up with your students, Grandpa.”
I moved fast, seizing his throat in a light grip. As his eyes went wide, I let my lips brush his. “More like I need to keep up with you, brat.”
“Damn,” he breathed, then pressed his mouth to mine. His desire poured across our bond, setting little bonfires under my skin. When the windows were fogged over and we were both breathless, I pulled away.
“It’s my turn to ask a few questions.”
Caleb sobered instantly, his expression wary. “Yeah? What do you want to know?”
“How many men have you been with?”
“Jesus,” he muttered, looking at the cloudy windshield. “You go right for the kill, don’t you?”
I put a finger under his chin and turned his eyes back to me. “I want you in my bed. We both know that’s where this is heading. You were raised in an uptight house—”
“That’s putting it mildly,” he said.
“—and I’m not sure how much experience you have.”
He pulled away from my touch, and the mischief returned to his expression. “I know my way around a dick, Jesse.”
Jealousy knotted my gut. Maybe this conversation was a bad idea. “I don’t want any confusion between us,” I said. “I want to fuck you. I want to know what you like.”
Heat crackled across our bond as his blue eyes dipped to my mouth. “I think I’ll like anything you want to do.”
Lust pounded in my veins. “You’ll like it,” I rasped.
One side of his mouth quirked up. “Is that a promise?”
“It’s a goddamn guarantee.”
The rest of his smile appeared, the slow reveal like the summer sunrise filtering through a window. For a long moment, we just stared at each other, a lava flow of desire between us. Then he looked toward the windshield again. When he spoke at last, his voice was quieter.
“I went a little wild when I was younger. Nothing too slutty, but I’m a lot choosier now.”
My wolf snarled in my mind, urging me to inform him that his choosing days were over. But I kept my mouth shut and settled back in my seat.
“I was sixteen my first time,” he said. “It was with a guy from this retreat my parents sent me on. It was conversion therapy, but they didn’t call it that. We all knew, though. Throwing the occasional s’more or nature hike at us didn’t fool anyone.”
I ground my molars together. The information about the “retreats” was in his file in his football coach’s office. I wanted to drive back to Hale Valley and strangle his parents in their beds.
“The counseling sessions were so boring,” he said.
“I was used to talking to my youth pastor, and I guess I thought the retreat would be more of the same bullshit. And it was, but meeting with counselors was truly exhausting. Plus, it pissed me off.” He looked at me.
“I’ve always been a little rebellious. What better way to stick it to my parents than to lose my virginity at their stupid little torture camp? ”
Shit, he was breaking my heart. It took a few tries before I could speak. “Did you like the guy?”
A faint smile touched his lips. “Yeah. We were both clueless about sex, but we figured it out. I, uh, fucked him if you’re wondering. It was awkward and mostly unsatisfying for both of us, so we just fooled around after that. And before you go all health teacher on me, yes, we used condoms.”
I returned his smile. “And the others? Were they awkward and unsatisfying?”
Caleb released a short laugh. “Not always. I turned nineteen the same weekend I graduated high school. My parents decided to go on a cruise. They ignored my birthday and skipped my graduation ceremony, so I figured they wanted me to celebrate on my own.”
I leaned forward and flipped on the defroster, leather creaking under me. “I have a feeling this story is going to give me a heart attack.”
He laughed again, and I endeavored to make him do it as often as I could manage.
“A guy named Declan from my church had turned twenty-one and moved to Manhattan to be an actor. I drove my mom’s car to the city, and Declan and I spent the weekend hitting every gay club we could find.
We made sure to look for ones with drag queens, since they’re the downfall of society according to my mom’s Facebook groups. ”
“And your parents found out?”
“Yeah, because I texted them photos and videos.”
A startled laugh burst from me. Then I let go, my shoulders shaking. “You’re serious?”