Charlie Richards Kontra's Menagerie 12 Ruffling the Peacock's Feathers

On the Road: Finding love can make even a little
dirt and sweat okay.

Rueben Malone travels to a small town in Oregon,
searching for his missing brother, Ricky. Since the
police don’t have any leads, he thinks it’ll be
difficult. Instead, Rueben finds Ricky holed up in
the same motel as him, held by a group of men
hiding…something. Rueben knows his brother has
crazy conspiracy ideas and wants nothing to do
with them. Once he’s confirmed that Ricky’s life
isn’t threatened, he decides his trip shouldn’t be
wasted, and seduces the sexy, slender blond,
Lamar Jaworski. Rueben suddenly finds himself
ensconced in his brother’s conspiracy world.
When Lamar, the one man who should be trying
to help him understand, disappears, will Rueben
take the opportunity to run?

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Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

ISBN: 978-1-77111-545-2

Cover art by Angela Waters

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Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

Kontra’s Menagerie: Book Twelve

Charlie Richards

To my fans that ask questions that make me think. You

know who you are and I value your inquisitiveness

greatly.

Chapter One

ueben Malone pushed open the front door
with his shoulder to the Domingo Motel.

Carefully, he started maneuvering through the
doorway on his crutches, being mindful of the
boot on his left foot. He could walk on it without
the crutches, but was urged strongly not to push
it.

Take the time it takes, so it takes less time, his

doctor had advised him. Rueben had had to think
about that for a couple seconds to figure it out, but
finally got it. If he pushed healing, he could make
it worse instead of better.

“Hey, let me get that for you,” a soft tenor

called from across the lobby.

Rueben watched a short slender man sporting

white frosted-tipped black hair styled to fall over
his brown eyes hustle toward him. He wore a
black leather jacket, which hung open to reveal a
pale green t-shirt with matching black leather
chaps over light-colored blue jeans. The guy
grabbed the handle and pulled the door wide.

Charlie Richards

Oh, now there’s a cutie. And the way those chaps

showcase his groin. I wonder what he’s packing.
Rueben wasn’t much on twinks, but for this guy,
he’d make an exception.

“Thanks, cutie,” Rueben said to him, giving the

guy a smile that had won him plenty of attention
at clubs. “You in town long?”

“Oh, uh…” The guy’s mouth opened in

surprise and his eyes widened.

Rueben made it through the doorway and

paused to look at him. Still smiling, he opened his
mouth, planning to ask the startled guy to dinner,
when a man his own size—about six foot three or
so with broad shoulders and a heavily muscled
frame—entered behind him. The most notable
thing about the guy, other than the five o’clock
shadow and cold, dark, brown eyes, was the scar
running from the corner of his left eye and
bisecting his cheek. The guy also wore motorcycle
leathers.

“He’s taken,” scarface growled as he walked

past, glaring at him.

His brows shooting up, Rueben lifted a hand in

placation. “Hey, sorry, man. I didn’t mean to
poach. Your boyfriend’s cute.” He grinned and
shrugged. “Can’t blame a guy for tryin’, huh?”

“He ain’t my man, but don’t think Yuma’s

boyfriend wouldn’t happily lay you out just
because you’re on crutches,” the guy replied.

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

The slender guy, Yuma, finally seemed to

recover from his shock of getting hit on. He
grabbed the big man’s arm. “Easy, Sam. He didn’t
mean any harm,” Yuma murmured before giving
Rueben a tentative smile. “My friend’s just being
protective.”

Rueben nodded. “It’s always good to have

someone to watch your back.” The pair turned
and headed across the lobby. “Hey, wait, uh,
Sam?” Rueben called after him, deciding it’d
probably be better for his health to talk to the big
guy. Had he not been injured, he probably could
have held his own in a fight, but as it was…

Sam paused and turned back to him, lifting a

brow in silent question.

“Those are your bikes out there, right?” Rueben

asked, referring to the dozen motorcycles he’d
seen filling several parking spaces. One of these
days, he thought he might get one of his own.

“Yeah,” Sam responded, sounding wary.
Ignoring the warning in the guy’s tone, Rueben

asked, “Have you driven around town yet? I’m
looking for the local police station.” Now that his
dick wasn’t doing the thinking, he returned his
focus to his original reason for being in town—
looking for his brother, Ricky.

His brother was a detective and had headed

this way on a hunch, following a suspicious
woman. When Ricky hadn’t checked in with his

Charlie Richards

chief in three days, Rueben had been contacted,
letting him know his brother was missing. The
local police had reported that Ricky had been seen
in the area late last week, but had no leads as to
where he’d gone.

Rueben wasn’t going to accept that answer.

They might not always get along, but Ricky was
the only family he had left. He’d find his brother,
even if it ended up the man was holed up in a
hotel with a woman somewhere.

“Yeah,” Sam replied, pulling Rueben out of his

thoughts. “It’s two streets over. I don’t remember
the name. Head left out of the parking lot, turn
right at the light, then right on the second street.
It’ll be on your left.”

“Thanks.” Rueben heard the man grunt as he

turned back around and disappeared down the
hall. Friendly.

Shaking his head, he made his way to the front

desk. No one was there so he rang the bell. A
moment later, a plump woman, maybe in her late
forties, hustled out of the back. She smiled at him.

“Good afternoon,” she greeted.
“Hi, I’d like a room.” As if there’d be any other

reason for me to be here.

“Of course. How many nights?” she asked.

Then her gaze swept over the crutches under his
armpits. “Would you like a handicapped room?”

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

Rueben knew she was just trying to be polite

and make him more comfortable, but that still
rankled. A broken foot didn’t make him
handicapped. “No, that’s not necessary,” he
replied, somehow managing to force a smile.
“And I’m not sure how many nights. Can I leave it
open-ended for now?”

The woman beamed. “Of course.” She took his

card and typed information into her computer,
while launching into a spiel about the motel’s
amenities. They had an outdoor pool and hot tub,
which Rueben couldn’t use. When she mentioned
a gym, his interest peaked. It probably wouldn’t
be much, but most hotel gyms at least had a
weight bench. He’d love to give his arms and chest
muscles a good burn.

He took his key card from the woman, then

followed her directions to his room. At least she’d
put him on the first floor. That was a blessing.

Once in his room, Rueben eased onto the

mattress and set the crutches to the side. He
groaned and flopped back on the bed. “Damn it,”
he snarled to himself. He hated being injured.
Damn Petre Romanov. As soon as he thought it, he
felt bad. It hadn’t been the other man’s fault. It
was just a bad twist of fate. He grimaced, thinking
about twisting. That’s what’d happened to his
ankle.

Charlie Richards

Rueben and Petre had both been going after the

hockey puck. Closing in on the corner of the rink,
he’d been ahead. At the last second, he’d readied
his stick, turned his skates, and used his blades to
come to a sliding stop. Unfortunately, Petre had
gone after the puck at that same second, checking
him into the boards. Rueben’s left skate twisted,
and he’d felt it pop right before flames of pain
erupted through his foot and up his leg.

It’d been kind of embarrassing how he’d

dropped like a sack of potatoes. Once he’d found
out how long the breaks took to heal, he didn’t feel
so bad about it.

With a sigh, Rueben heaved himself back into a

sitting position. He maneuvered around to the
side of the bed and grabbed the information book
beside the phone. Flipping through it, he found
the number for the local police, picked up the
phone, and dialed.

Rueben told the receptionist who he was, then

requested to speak with whoever was handling
his brother’s missing person’s case. After being
stuck on hold for nearly ten minutes, he learned
that the man in charge was out on a call, so he left
a message, albeit a disgruntled one. At least, he
hadn’t hauled his ass down there.

Once he hung up the phone, he grabbed his bag

and pulled out a pair of gray track shorts and a
black tank top. He stripped down to his briefs

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

before wriggling into his workout clothes. Rueben
limped to the bathroom, took a piss, washed up,
then retrieved his crutches and room key.

Ten minutes later, he reclined on a weight

bench, feeling the burn of his muscles. He zoned
out and enjoyed the stretch and pull as he worked
his way slowly, awkwardly around the machine,
changing positions and targeting different muscle
groups in his upper body. Rueben found the flood
of released endorphins from working out
reassuring.

He knew what to do to get the results he

wanted.

Putting down the handle at the end of the cable

attached to the weights for the last time, he picked
up his towel and mopped his brow. Sweat
gleamed on his pale skin and his chest heaved
from exerting himself. Even though he couldn’t
work his legs, he still felt good.

Rueben stretched his arms over his head,

twisting this way and that. He peered out the
window into the pool yard. Movement near the
end of the terrace caught his attention. He spotted
several men coming in through the back gate and
heading around the pool toward the motel
entrance.

Brows shooting up, Rueben realized he

recognized one of the men. Whipcord lean and
pale, the trench coat-clad guy strode purposefully

Charlie Richards

across the space. “Draven,” he whispered. That
was his brother’s ex-partner on the force. Maybe
he had information about Ricky. Heaving himself
to his feet, he hustled as fast as his busted limb
would allow.

He’d just managed to yank open the weight

room door when one of the man’s companions
opened the motel lobby entrance. “Draven,”
Rueben yelled.

Draven paused and turned toward him. Rueben

found himself the recipient of three men’s stares.
He fought back his sudden urge to duck back into
the weight room and escape. Geez, why do I feel
intimidated?

“Rueben?” Draven asked, his brows shooting

up. A slight smile curved his thin lips and he
started toward him. The huge, goateed guy next to
Draven murmured something to the ex-detective
as he followed, and Draven whispered something
back.

Relieved the guy remembered him—they’d

only met a few times—Rueben nodded. “Are you
here looking for my brother, too?”

Draven grimaced. “I guess I don’t have to ask

why you’re in town.”

Rueben leaned against the doorframe, taking

the weight off his healing appendage. “Is that a
yes?”

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

Exchanging looks with the two men with him,

Draven’s gaze lingered on the big goateed man in
the biker leathers. Wait, is Draven part of the biker
gang with the other men? Either way, Draven
seemed to wait until the big man gave a nearly
imperceptible nod before turning back to Rueben.

“I think you should come with me,” Draven

suggested cryptically.

Rueben felt his heart skip a beat. “Is he, is

he…shit,” he hissed, running a hand through his
sweaty hair.

“Nice going, dude,” the slender, dark-haired

guy standing next to Draven muttered. He
popped Draven on the back of the head.

Draven pinned a heated look at the man. “Not

nice, beloved,” he growled.

The other man rolled his eyes. “Neither is

freaking Ricky’s brother out.” The man turned to
Rueben and held out a hand. “I’m Vail Tamang,
this is Kontra Belikov. Your brother’s not dead or
injured. There’s just…extenuating circumstances.
We’ll explain everything inside,” he said, smiling
encouragingly.

Rueben nodded, finally able to suck in a deep

breath. Sure, he didn’t always get along with his
brother, but he didn’t want anything to happen to
the guy. He always hoped that someday Ricky
would be able to accept the fact that Rueben was
gay. So far, it hadn’t really happened.

Charlie Richards

“Let me get my stuff,” Rueben said absently,

turning around and hobbling back to the weight
bench. Tossing his towel over his shoulder, he
settled his weight on his crutches and turned
toward the waiting men.

Draven held open the door, his expression

concerned, but wasn’t looking at Rueben. Instead,
he stared at Kontra.

As Rueben hobbled across the pool area, he

heard the guy introduced as Kontra grumble,
“This just got a hell of a lot more complicated.”

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

Chapter Two

f he had to listen to one more slur, Lamar
Jaworski thought he’d strangle Ricky Malone.

The guy was the most close-minded, bigoted
human he’d ever met. Not that he’d ever tried to
tell anyone about paranormals before, but gods
above, why did he have to be so stubborn?

Lamar managed to unclench his jaw long

enough to snap, “Didn’t your mother ever teach
you that if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say
anything at all?”

Ricky curled his lip, but before he could spew

another round of vitriol, a knock sounded at the
door.

Lamar strode to the room’s entrance, grateful

for any interruption. A deep inhale at the door
told Lamar that Yuma and Sam were on the other
side. He opened the door and sneered, “Welcome
to the shit-fest.”

Yuma’s brows shot up.

Charlie Richards

Sam snickered. “He’s still being an ass?” the big

bull shifter asked.

Lamar scowled, more than ready to be done

dealing with this man. “Of course.”

“Maybe some food will cheer him up,” Yuma

suggested, always the optimist.

Lamar leaned against the wall, crossing his

arms over his chest. He didn’t think it likely, but
they could hope.

Sam placed several bags of takeout on the

small, round table. He turned and frowned at
Ricky who sat on the bed, his back against the
headboard, arms wrapped around his knees. The
human glared right back at Sam.

Yuma huffed, placing his hands on his hips.

“You know, this would be so much easier if you’d
just mellow out. We don’t want to keep you here
anymore than you want to stay here. All we need
is your word that you won’t tell anyone about us.”

“Right,” Ricky snapped back. “You want me to

keep my mouth shut about the biggest
conspiracy…ever?”

“We could kill you, instead,” Sam stated

gruffly. “How’d that be?”

Ricky’s face drained of color.
Lamar sighed and stared at the ceiling as if the

answers on how to get through to this idiot would
be written there. “What do we have to do that will
convince you, huh?” he growled. “We’re decent

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

guys. We try to do the right thing. You freaking
out is putting a strain on everyone and making
this ten times harder than it needs to be.”

Taking the plate Yuma handed him, Lamar

fixed his gaze on Ricky. “Think about it. What, in
the history of mankind, would make us believe
that if shifters’ existence became common
knowledge, we’d be left alone?” Lamar snarled.
“Every human minority group in existence has
been persecuted at one time or another. Some still
are.”

Ricky actually blanched at that.
For a second, Lamar wondered if he’d finally

gotten through to the man.

“You don’t follow the laws. You think you can

do whatever you want because you’re stronger
and faster.” Ricky didn’t meet his eyes. “You’re a
danger to society.”

Damn it.
Beyond words, Lamar turned his focus to his

food. “What is this?” he asked absently, poking
the plastic fork at the noodles.

“Pork lo mein, curry chicken, and ham fried

rice,” Yuma replied. “You want some? Surely you
must be hungry.” He directed the last comment at
Ricky.

“How do I know it’s not poisoned? Sam just

threatened to kill me,” Ricky grumbled.

Charlie Richards

Yuma snorted. “’Cause if we were gonna kill

you, we’d have done it ages ago.”

Lamar’s brows shot up at Yuma’s snarky

remark. It wasn’t often anyone irritated the
penguin shifter. To keep from adding his own
threats, Lamar forked some pork lo mein into his
mouth.

Sam handed Ricky a plate of food, lifting a

brow in challenge. It only took Ricky a moment to
dig in. Lamar hid his smirk by taking another bite
of food.

Lamar nearly jumped out of his skin when

another knock sounded on the door. Shit, why am I
so jumpy? Then he realized it was probably
because he was locked in a room with a human
who’d be happier if he didn’t exist. That would
jangle anyone’s nerves. Setting down his plate on
a nightstand, Lamar crossed to the door and
inhaled deeply.

The musky, spicy male scent emanating from

the other side of the door nearly made him moan.
His dick went ramrod straight in his jeans. He
rested a palm on the door, pressed the heel of his
hand to his crotch, and barely suppressed a grunt.

Oh sweet merciful heavens. My mate is on the other

side of this door.

Fear and wonder flooded Lamar in equal

measure. The thud of another knock, combined

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

with Kontra calling gruffly, “Lamar. You there,
buddy?”

“You gonna open the door?” Sam called to

Lamar.

Lamar forced himself to straighten, sucked in a

fortifying breath, and twisted the lock. After
turning the knob, he backed into the main part of
the room, quickly getting out of the way. Kontra
appeared first, followed by Draven and Vail.

“Damn it, Draven. What’s the meaning of this,

leaving me here with…them?” Ricky griped.

“Relax,” Draven droned dryly. “Be nice. We’re

all trying to help you.” He grinned and turned to
look at someone still making their way into the
room. “Besides, I’ve brought someone here to see
you.”

Lamar could hear an odd thud-scuff, thud-scuff.

His heart tripped in his chest. He knew whoever
was moving steadily closer was his mate. He
heard the man’s warm, deep voice even before the
guy appeared.

“Hey, Ricky,” the man greeted. “You have a

number of people worried about you. This where
you’ve been holed up, brother? With all these sexy
studs? Somethin’ you wanna tell me?” When he
came into view, a big grin creased the redhead’s
square jaw, and his green eyes twinkled.

Sweeping his gaze over the man’s tall, broad

shoulders, seeing the way his chest filled out the

Charlie Richards

black tank top he wore, Lamar ached to touch. His
fingers almost twitched with the need. Then he
took in the rest of the man. His short red hair was
damp and plastered to his skull, his tank top
clung, as did the slate-gray work-out shorts.
Lamar fought his urge to help the man into the
nearest shower and wash every inch of his sweaty
body.

Until the guy’s words finally registered in

Lamar’s lust-fogged brain. Brother? This guy is

Ricky’s brother? Damn it! He’s probably just as bigoted

as Ricky.

Ricky’s eyes widened. “Rueben, what the hell

are you doing here?”

Rueben’s—so that’s my mate’s name—smile

faded. “Come on, man. We may not always see
eye to eye, but when you didn’t report in, your
chief listed you as missing.” He shrugged. “Just
because you hate that I’m gay doesn’t make you
any less my family.”

“Shit,” Ricky grimaced. “I just want you to be

happy.”

Listening to the two men, Lamar couldn’t help

feeling a little awkward, and from the way his
friends looked anywhere but at the two men, not
to mention their scents, he knew they were just as
uncomfortable.

Fortunately, at that point, Rueben grinned

largely and his gaze rested on Sam and Yuma.

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

“Hello, again. So, did Ricky switch teams? Is he
your boyfriend?” he asked, looking at Yuma.

Yuma shook his head, his lips curving into a

wry grin. “No, your brother seems to be
completely stuck on the wrong side of the fence.”
He shook his head. “Too bad, really. He’s just
Sam’s type,” he said, poking his friend, still settled
in his chair happily eating his Chinese.

At that, Sam snorted, cutting a look at a now-

frowning Ricky. “He’s kidding, dude.”

Suddenly, Lamar found himself the recipient of

a smoldering stare from his mate. “How about
you, sweet stuff? Are you available? My foot may
be busted, but I can still give you a hot night you’ll
never forget,” he said, winking lasciviously.

Lamar’s heart pounded in his chest at the

knowledge his mate found him attractive. He
opened his mouth, searching his stuttering brain
for an appropriate response.

“You horn ball,” Ricky interrupted. “Always

thinkin’ with your dick. You’ll fuck anything on
two legs. Anything male, anyway,” he added in a
grumble.

Completely unremorseful, Rueben grinned

widely. “That just means I’ve had plenty of
experience.” He swept Lamar’s body with a
heated gaze. “I know how to please my lover.”

Clenching his jaw, Lamar struggled to control

his responses. He was a private person, for the

Charlie Richards

most part. Even when the gang had gone to bars
to pick up men, Lamar had rarely indulged.
Rueben was obviously not that way. It sounded
like he was a player. Lamar hadn’t ever thought
his mate would be virginal, but internally he
grimaced. He wasn’t sure he could handle having
his sex life as gossip fodder.

He needed time to think, and he couldn’t do

that around the heavy pheromones this guy was
putting off.

Clearing his throat, Lamar murmured,

“Tempting offer. Perhaps I’ll give it some
thought.” He shifted his gaze to Kontra and saw
his alpha’s questioning look. “I’d like to take a
walk.” Although he said it as a statement, his
alpha recognized it for what it was. A request to
head to Vail’s father’s place who lived in the
forest, and shift and stretch his peacock’s wings.

“Of course,” Kontra said. He looked at Sam and

Yuma. “Why don’t you two head out, too.” Which
meant, Go with him.

Lamar didn’t mind, at least not much. He’d

need someone to talk to.

Surprisingly, Vail grinned. “I’d like to visit my

dad for a bit. You okay here, babe?” he said,
resting a hand on Draven’s shoulder.

“Of course,” Draven responded, cupping Vail’s

jaw and pressing a quick kiss to the man’s lips.

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

“Now that looks like a fantastic idea,” Rueben

murmured.

Rueben gripped Lamar’s arm in a firm grasp

and tugged him close. Taken by surprise, Lamar
didn’t fight him. Seconds later, he found himself
pulled tight against the much bigger man’s solid
chest. Rueben wrapped his free hand around the
nape of Lamar’s neck, lowered his head, and
claimed Lamar’s mouth possessively.

Instinct to submit to his mate caused Lamar to

open quickly to Rueben’s questing tongue. Rueben
plundered his mouth, tilting their heads to get
deeper. Lamar gripped Rueben’s biceps, not
caring that he was clinging as he sucked Rueben’s
tongue.

When breathing became paramount, Rueben

jerked up his head and stared down at Lamar, his
expression somewhat dazed. “Fucking hell, you
are sweet. I’m in room one-oh-eight, baby. Swing
by when you’re done with your walk.”

Lamar stiffened. His face flamed. Mate or not,

he couldn’t believe his behavior. He eased away.
For a second, Rueben’s grip tightened, then
released him.

“I’ve got to go,” Lamar mumbled. Unable to

meet anyone’s gaze, he turned and hustled from
the room.

Even though Lamar heard footsteps behind

him, he didn’t stop. He ducked into his room,

Charlie Richards

which he shared with Sam, and grabbed his
helmet and leathers. Hearing the door open
behind him, Lamar turned and spotted Sam
leading Vail and Yuma.

The big bull shifter pointed at the corner of the

bed and ordered, “Sit. Explain.”

Sucking in a deep breath, Lamar let it out

slowly, his shoulders sagging.

Vail slouched into one of the chairs at the small

round table and cocked his head. “Come on,
Lamar. You didn’t really think you’d get away
without saying something, did you? None of us
have seen you openly make out before.”

Lamar glanced around at his friends, his cheeks

warming. Then, he realized, if he couldn’t tell his
pack-mates, who could he tell? “Rueben is my
mate,” he admitted.

“I knew it!” Vail crowed, grinning.

“Congratulations!”

The other two men added their best wishes,

Sam leaning across the gap between beds and
slapping him on the shoulder.

Grimacing, Lamar groaned. “Come on, guys.

Look at him. What was Fate thinking?”

Yuma’s brows creased. “What do you mean?

He’s a good looking guy, and obviously attracted
to you, too.”

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

Lamar rolled his eyes. “Sure, but he’s loud,

brash, brazen—” Frowning, he added, “Ricky’s
brother.”

“Ah, surely you’re not judging the man before

you really get to know him,” Sam cut in. “Are you,
Lamar?”

“Sure, on the surface, you’re complete

opposites,” Yuma agreed. “That doesn’t mean you
don’t have other things you might have in
common.”

“Like what?” Lamar griped. “Think he’ll

suddenly turn into the biggest fucking peacock
ever?”

Sam snorted before giving him a hard look.

“You know better than to second guess Fate.”

“You guys are right.” Lamar sighed and rubbed

his forehead. “I… This is the last thing I expected,”
he admitted.

Vail shrugged, then winked. “You never know

when you’re going to meet that special someone.”
He rose and held out his hand. “Come on. Let’s go
for a run. It’ll help clear your head.”

Lamar nodded. That really did sound like a

good idea.

Charlie Richards

Chapter Three

ueben wanted to growl at the loss of the little
man in his arms, barely resisting the impulse

to grab the dude and keep him by his side. That
didn’t stop him from watching the guy’s sweet
little bubble butt as he disappeared—all right,
practically sprinted—out the door.

Several of the other men rushed out after him

as Kontra cleared his throat, drawing Rueben’s
attention. “Lamar is a rather…private fellow. That
was quite a demonstration for him.”

“Oh,” Rueben mumbled. Damn, did I embarrass

the guy? He’d seemed so into it. “He, uh, he is
single, though, right?” He might be a player and
enjoyer of men, but he didn’t poach. It was about
the only rule he lived by in life. Maybe it had
something to do with his cheating father, who’d
fucked anything with tits. Damn, he was glad he
was gay.

Draven chuckled. “Yes.”

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

“You don’t want to date him, though,” Ricky

said.

His brother’s comment returned Rueben’s focus

to why he was there in the first place. Sort of. His
dick—hard as a railroad spike—really wanted to
track that guy down to play. Lamar. Mentally,
Rueben rolled the name around his tongue.

“Rueben,” Ricky snapped.
Pulling his head out of the gutter, at least for

now, Rueben frowned at his brother, then hobbled
forward and dropped into the seat Sam had
vacated. Setting the crutches aside, he stretched
out his legs. He looked between the men quickly,
then settled his gaze on Draven. For some reason,
he figured the ex-detective would probably be the
straight shooter.

“Okay, fire away. What the hell is going on

around here?” Rueben asked.

“We can’t tell you that,” Kontra stated.
At the same time, Ricky pointed at the two men

and accused, “They’re not human.”

“Oookay.” Rueben drew the word out slowly,

glancing between them.

Draven rolled his eyes, then looked at Kontra.

“Ricky’s not gonna keep his mouth shut. I’ve
known him for a couple years and he’s a bit of a
conspiracy theory nut.”

Rueben frowned. That much was more than

true. His brother loved delving into conspiracies.

Charlie Richards

Growing up, he’d been a geek, formulating his
own hypothesis to any number of conspiracies,
from Area Fifty-One and aliens to the real uses of
the KGB. It was one of the reasons he’d become a
detective in the first place, so he could delve into
confidential files.

Kontra grumbled. “Damn it all. I hate being

backed into a corner.” He pinned a chilling gaze
on Ricky. “If I prove to you the danger in allowing
our existence to become public knowledge, will
you keep your damn mouth shut?” he snarled.

The big biker’s tone sent a shiver down

Rueben’s spine. Damn, I’m glad he’s not mad at me.
Rueben couldn’t give a shit about conspiracies,
and would happily keep his mouth shut. Better
yet… He lifted his hand and glanced between the
men. “Look. Obviously I’ve stumbled into the
middle of something that doesn’t concern me, so
just tell me this.” He glanced between them. “Am I
and my brother safe? You don’t plan on killing us
in the night, right?”

“No,” Kontra immediately stated, actually

looking offended.

Rueben heaved to his feet. “Good enough for

me. I’m going back to my room to shower.” And

maybe jerk off.

“What? You’re just leaving me here?” Ricky

squeaked, finally getting to his feet.

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

Shrugging, Rueben nodded. “Yup. I just

wanted to make sure you were safe. You are, so
that’s good enough for me.” He paused halfway to
the door and looked at Draven. “You really ought
to contact Ricky’s chief and let her know he’s fine.
There’s a missing person’s report out on Ricky.
That’s why I was contacted,” he admitted.

Draven nodded. “Thank you, Rueben. I’ll take

care of that. And it was good to see you again.” He
grinned for just a couple seconds, then closed his
lips over his teeth in a smirk. “I’m sure we’ll be
seeing more of you.”

Rueben blinked. For some reason, Draven’s

canines had seemed a little long and a little
pointed. Dismissing it as a trick of the crappy
hotel lighting, he nodded. “Yeah. I’ll be around for
a few days, yet.” He shrugged. “Don’t have
anywhere else to go.” For some reason, the
thought of leaving town without getting the
chance to connect with Lamar was just…wrong.
Completely out of the question, he decided.

As he let himself out, Rueben heard Kontra say,

“I’m going to call a buddy of mine in Colorado.”

Rueben really didn’t want to know, and quickly

pulled the door closed behind him. He glanced up
and down the hall, wondering which room was
the hot blond’s. He mentally kicked himself for
not getting the cutie’s phone number. He grinned,
realizing it’d be easy to remedy.

Charlie Richards

Leaning against the wall, he knocked on the

door of the room he’d just exited. Draven
appeared almost instantly. He chuckled. “Need
something?”

Grinning, Rueben replied, “Yup. Lamar’s

phone number.”

Draven’s smirk turned into a smile. “Sure. Is

your number the same?”

Rueben nodded.
“Good. I’ll text it to you.” He winked. “Be good

to him.”

Unable to help it, Rueben chuckled. “Oh, I plan

to be very, very good to him.”

Laughing, Draven shut the door, and Rueben

returned to his room. As promised, by the time he
made it down the hall, around the corner, and into
his room, Draven had texted him a phone number.

Not willing to second-guess himself, Rueben

quickly programmed it into his phone, then
dialed. A pang of disappointment hit him when it
went to voicemail. “Hi, Lamar,” he said into the
recording. “This is Rueben Malone. I’d like the
opportunity to get to know you. Will you join me
for dinner? I’d love to take you out.” He rattled off
his number and disconnected the call.

As he struggled with wrapping his boot in a

bag to protect it from water, Rueben wondered at
his desires. He didn’t normally date…anyone. He
played hockey on the AHL—the American

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

Hockey League—trying to work his way up. He
normally kept his sexuality on the down low. He
didn’t deny it, and didn’t try to hide it by dating
women, but nor did he rub it in his teammates’
faces by flaunting it.

His brother’s accusation of him being a horn

ball was true enough. He did enjoy sex. He just
didn’t have it nearly as often as Ricky seemed to
think he did. It wasn’t his fault that the two times
the man had dropped by unannounced happened
to be the morning after he’d been out to a club and
brought home a playmate. That’s what the man
got for going to his house at nine AM on a
Saturday morning.

Rueben pushed the thoughts away. It took all

his concentration to maneuver safely in the
shower. Too bad his dick had other ideas. He felt
damn tempted to jack off as he roved the warm,
sudsy washcloth over his cock and balls. Only
thinking he heard his phone ringing in the other
room—which could have been his hopeful
imagination, it’d happened before—kept him from
doing it.

Hustling through the rest of cleaning, Rueben

promised his bobbing shaft he’d take care of it
soon if that hadn’t been Lamar calling him back.
His cock jerked at the thought of seeing the little
man again. At about five foot eleven and one
hundred forty pounds, all lean muscle and smooth

Charlie Richards

planes, Rueben thought Lamar had fit perfectly
against his six foot three body and hard mass.

He realized those thoughts weren’t giving him

any relief and shook his head. Quickly finishing
up, Rueben sat down on the side of the tub and
swung his legs over. As he went to stand, his good
foot lost purchase and slipped out from under
him. He grabbed wildly for the towel hanger, but
missed.

Rueben went down hard, hitting his walking

boot against the toilet seat. He roared as pain shot
up his leg, making spots dance behind his eyes.
Snapping his jaws shut, a groan rolled through
Rueben’s chest as he struggled to control the
searing agony coursing through him.

Why the fuck does this hurt more than when I

fucking broke it? A beeping filtered into his pain-
induced haze. He recognized it as his phone,
which he’d left on the bathroom counter. It really
had been his imagination that had him hearing his
phone going off while in the shower.

Levering on one elbow, Rueben reached up

with the other arm. That seemed to pull his leg
even more, although why, he didn’t know. Spots
danced across his eyes, making it hard to see. He
felt the vibrating phone with his fingers, hit send,
and hissed, “Yes?”

“Rueben? This is Lamar.”

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

Fuck, what horrible timing. “H-hey,” he gritted

out.

Evidently, his attempt to sound normal fell flat.
“Are you all right? Is something wrong?”

Lamar quickly asked.

Sucking in a breath as he rolled onto his back,

Rueben tried to ignore the throbs that rolled
steadily through his foot and up his leg with every
beat of his heart. “God damn it,” he growled. “I’m
sorry, Lamar. I—shit!” His head swam. He had to
pull the phone away and focus on breathing for
several seconds. Spots once more danced across
his vision. He wished the fucking marionettes
would stop using his brain as a stage.

“Rueben? Rueben!”
Lamar’s voice sounded louder than it should.

Suddenly, his door banged open. He craned his
neck to see who was entering—How the hell?—but
even that small movement caused his head to
spin.

Instead, Rueben rolled onto his side and curled

into a fetal position, careful to keep his bad ankle
off the ground. He knew if he just stayed still for a
few minutes, the spikes would stop stabbing into
his leg.

“Hey,” Lamar crooned.
Rueben didn’t know how the man had gotten

inside, but he sure liked the way Lamar slid his
hands over his shoulder, chest, neck, and back.

Charlie Richards

The man’s touch soothed Rueben unlike anything
he’d experienced in a long, long time.

His breathing slowed.
Turning his head, Rueben smiled up at him.

“Hey,” he murmured. “Not that I’m not grateful,
but…how’d you get in here?”

Lamar shrugged. “Motel doors aren’t really

made to withstand brute force. Sam, uh, well, he’s
a big guy. Come on. Let’s get you off this cold, wet
floor,” Lamar urged, changing the subject.

Rueben let him, too surprised with how easily

Lamar handled his weight. “Damn,” he grunted.
“For such a slender guy, you’re strong.” He’d
cringe at how inane that comment sounded, later,
even though what he said was true. Rueben had
no idea how this slender whip-of-a-man could
handle his two hundred fifty pound bulk.

“Smaller men are often under estimated,”

Lamar stated, his fingers digging into Rueben’s
side as he helped him out of the bathroom, into
the bedroom, and onto the bed.

Unable to resist, Rueben wrapped his arms

around the hot blond’s torso, then tugged and
rolled the man. Lamar squeaked indignantly, but
didn’t fight him, which Rueben really, really liked.
Within seconds, he laid half on top of Lamar. His
hands swept under the man’s shirt, rubbing the
smooth firm skin with calloused fingers. He
pressed his face against Lamar’s neck, licking and

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

nipping the prominent tendon running up its
length.

Lamar shivered under his ministrations and

tilted his head, giving Rueben more access.

“Yeah,” Rueben growled. “So fucking sexy.”

His shaft thickened, pressing insistently against
Lamar’s jean-clad hip. The soft, well-worn fabric
felt amazing to his sensitive erection. He couldn’t
remember a time when he’d become this aroused
this fast. Something about this man seemed to flip
all his switches.

“Wait,” Lamar gasped.
“Don’t wanna,” Rueben moaned, working his

lips up Lamar’s neck to his ear. He sucked the soft
lobe into his mouth and tugged lightly.

Lamar groaned. “Gotta, ugh, shit,” he hissed.

“Your leg.”

“Feels fantastic,” Rueben crooned. “Nothin’ like

endorphins to drive away pain.”

Unable to wait another second to once more

taste the man he was quickly becoming obsessed
with, Rueben cupped Lamar’s skull and captured
his mouth. Nipping his soon-to-be lover’s lips, he
slid his tongue into Lamar, tangling their
appendages together. He then drew Lamar’s
tongue into his mouth and sucked, mimicking
what he wanted to do to the man’s dick.

Rueben’s hands roved over Lamar’s chest

under his shirt and plucked his nipples. Lamar

Charlie Richards

moaned, his body bowing, pushing into the
contact. The man’s responses inflamed his blood,
and he could think of nothing but getting Lamar
naked as quickly as possible.

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

Chapter Four

amar’s blood pounded through his veins. His
body arched into Rueben’s exquisite touch. I

should put a stop to this. The door is open. Anyone
could come in. Rueben tweaked his nipple and his
thoughts scattered as delicious sparks shot from
the bud his mate tortured straight to his cock.

Wrapping his free leg around Rueben’s thigh,

Lamar rocked up. The increased pressure on his
dick, combined with the heady scent of Rueben
and how his mate held and touched him, felt so
good, so right.

Nothing mattered except pleasing his mate,

caressing the hard, thick muscles of his back and
shoulders. In the bathroom, he’d noted that the
big, pale redhead was practically hairless except
for the thin patch of curls at his groin. Lamar
cupped his mate’s jaw, not surprised to find not
even a hint of a five o’clock shadow.

Eli drawled dryly, “Sam, I thought you said

Rueben was injured and needed assistance,”

Charlie Richards

Lamar snapped out of his passion-induced

haze. Doing a great imitation of his peacock’s
surprised chirp, Lamar jerked away from Rueben.
He grabbed a pillow and slapped it over Rueben’s
ass even as he wriggled out from under him.

Rueben bowed his head and sucked in several

deep breathes, obviously trying to get himself
under control.

Lamar turned to look at the two men. He

should have known better than to let things get
out of hand, but Rueben’s touch made him forget
everything, including the fact that Sam had left the
room to go get Eli. More embarrassed than he
could ever remember being, Lamar couldn’t look
either man in the eye. “I was, um, helping distract
him from the pain,” he claimed, trying to tamp
down the heat rising up his neck without success.

Sam snickered.
Eli smirked. “Yes, I’m sure you were doing a

fantastic job of it, too.” The pack doctor, a massive
python shifter, set his black satchel on the table
and lifted a brow. “Would you like me to take a
look? Make sure you didn’t damage anything in
your little spill?”

Rueben glared over his shoulder at him. “Who

the hell are you?”

Scrambling to his feet, Lamar urged Rueben to

roll over into a sitting position on the edge of the
mattress. “Relax,” he crooned. “This is my buddy

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

Eli Raetz. He’s a doctor. He’ll take a look at your
leg to make sure you didn’t reinjure anything.”

Nodding, Rueben let out a breath. “Right.

Sorry, that’d probably be a good idea,” he said,
acquiescing. Carefully, he positioned his leg on the
bed.

Lamar appreciated how Rueben kept his groin

hidden. Although, with his friend’s enhanced
shifter senses, they couldn’t mistake the scent of
arousal in the air. It didn’t take a genius to know
what would have happened if they hadn’t
interrupted him and Rueben. Lamar’s asshole
clenched in anticipation of his mate’s thick cock
filling him.

“How long ago did you injure it?” Eli asked.

“And what were the doctor’s orders?”

“Broke it six weeks ago,” Rueben replied. “First

month was in a cast and I’m supposed to be in the
walking boot another eight weeks.”

Eli grunted in response.
Trying to focus, Lamar watched as Eli carefully

removed the walking boot, then started pressing
and feeling Rueben’s leg from knee to toes. Every
once in a while, Rueben would grunt or hiss. Eli
asked him to describe the level of pain from one to
ten.

Eventually, Eli carefully placed the boot back

on Rueben’s leg. “Well, you didn’t do any
additional damage.” The doctor crossed to the

Charlie Richards

desk and picked up the ice bucket, which he
tossed to Lamar.

He caught it on reflex.
“Take it easy for the next couple days and ice it

for the evening. Your healing will be back on track
in no time.” Eli winked at Lamar. “Goodnight,
gentlemen.”

“Glad to hear you’re okay, Rueben,” Sam

commented. He smiled at Lamar. “If you need
anything, holler. I’m in for the night.” He started
to turn away, then paused. “Oh, I’ve told the lady
at the front desk about the door, but the top safety
lock will still work. You want help moving
rooms?”

Lamar rose and nodded. “That’s an excellent

idea, Sam.” He looked at Rueben. “While you get
a new room key, I’ll help Rueben gather his
things.”

“You got it.” Sam spun and strode away.
Rueben grinned. “You and your friends just

kinda take over, huh?”

Lamar tilted his head and smiled, thinking of

his pack’s past. “We do have that tendency, yes,”
he admitted.

Grinning, Rueben tossed the pillow aside to

reveal his still erect dick. “I don’t mind a little help
now and again.”

Licking his lips at the sight, Lamar fought back

a moan of need. His own shaft throbbed in his

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

jeans and he couldn’t stop from pressing the heel
of one hand to it.

Rueben saw the movement and grinned. “And

I’d be happy to help you with that, too,” he all but
purred.

Lamar forced himself to take a step backward.

He shook his head, though he couldn’t seem to rip
his gaze away from the long, thick shaft jutting
from Rueben’s groin. “Clothes. Put on some shorts
or something. Once we’re settled in your new
room, then we’ll order room service. You did say
you wanted to get to know me.”

Although Rueben’s scent and obvious arousal

were driving Lamar nearly nuts, he refused to
start the bonding process without knowing a little
about the man, at least. To his relief, after several
seconds of staring, Rueben nodded.

“Fair enough. Toss my duffle over here, would

ya?” Rueben requested, pointing to the black bag
on the floor.

Lamar did as asked, setting it on the bed.

Needing a distraction, Lamar dragged his gaze
away from his mate’s sexy body. It was easy to see
the man worked out regularly. “So, how’d you
break it?”

“Hockey accident. Me and another guy were

skating toward the puck. Got my foot twisted
when he checked me into the boards,” Rueben
stated. He shrugged. “Bad luck is all. Knocked me

Charlie Richards

out for the season.” After slipping into a pair of
cut-off sweat shorts, he grinned. “Now, I’m kinda
glad it happened.”

Lamar’s brows lifted. “Why?”
“Because I wouldn’t have been available to look

for my brother otherwise,” he said, limping
toward him. “I would have sent a private
detective and missed out on meeting you.”

Swallowing hard at the feral gleam in his

mate’s green eyes, Lamar backed a step. “You
don’t know anything about me.”

Rueben grinned. “We’ll change that, sweet

stuff,” he assured. “There’s no denying there’s
something between us.”

Lamar couldn’t agree more. Rueben was his

mate. He was just surprised the human could
already feel it so strongly as well. Instead of
confirming or denying, Lamar grabbed Rueben’s
bag and handed the man his crutches. He headed
into the bathroom to gather his human’s kit.

Hearing Rueben grunt, Lamar shoved the

shampoo into the bag and turned. He found
Rueben leaning heavily on the doorframe, his
already pale skin nearly white. “Damn, maybe
you should sit back down,” he urged, heading
toward him.

Rueben shook his head. “I’m fine.”
Lamar snorted. “You’re not fine. You—”

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

“Hey, guys. Got a new room all set for ya,” Sam

said, shoving the broken door open and pausing
behind Rueben. He took in the man’s pale face and
stance. “You okay, dude?”

Clearing his throat, Rueben pushed away from

the wall. “Yeah, I’m good. Lead the way,” he
demanded gruffly.

It hit Lamar that his mate really didn’t like

being weak. The guy worked out, seemed good at
sports, and came off as a pretty active human.
Having a broken bone must really frustrate him.
Watching his mate limp along behind Sam, Lamar
wondered how the guy would take him being a
shifter. If they bonded, his lover would heal three
times faster. He’d probably be out of the boot in a
couple weeks.

Nibbling his lip, Lamar tried to decide on the

best approach. He knew his friends would help if
he asked, just as they’d helped him break into
Rueben’s room—literally. When he’d heard the
pain in his mate’s voice, he’d been frantic to find a
way to get to the man. Sam had seen his agitation
and immediately assisted.

He lost his train of thought when Rueben

turned to look at him and gave him a lascivious
smile. “So, you gonna take care of me for a few
days?”

“Yes,” Lamar answered immediately, before

catching himself. “Uh, I mean—”

Charlie Richards

Rueben chuckled. “Oh, no taking it back now,

sweet thing. Come in and tell me all about
yourself.” He led the way into a new motel room.

Sam actually snickered as he handed Lamar the

card key. “Like that’s gonna happen,” he
muttered.

Lamar rolled his eyes, then said, “I appreciate

your help. Thank you.”

“Any time,” Sam replied. He rubbed his thumb

up and down the scar on his cheek.

Lamar recognized the big bull shifter’s move as

one of unease.

“Let us know if you, uh, you know.” Pulling his

hand away from his face, he waved it toward the
room and the man who’d disappeared inside. “If
you need help.”

“Thanks,” Lamar said, smiling. He rested a

hand on Sam’s arm and squeezed. “I know I can
count on you guys, but I appreciate the reminder.”

Sam nodded and headed down the hall.
Screwing up his courage and trying to keep his

dick in check, Lamar followed his mate into the
room. He arrived in time to hear Rueben grunt,
then heave a sigh, as he stretched out on the bed.
Lamar’s gaze devoured all the man’s smooth pale
skin for several seconds.

“Hmm,” Rueben hummed. “I like that look on

your face, sweet. Why don’t you come over here

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

so we can…get to know each other?” He waggled
his eyebrows suggestively.

Fighting back a snort of amusement, Lamar

grabbed the ice bucket. “I’ll be right back,” he
said. He picked up the motel info book and tossed
it onto the bed beside his mate. “Find somewhere
to order food.”

Before the man could come up with something

else provocative to say, Lamar fled…to the ice
machine. He rested his head against the thing as
he filled the container. His blood pounded
through his veins. Every minute in Rueben’s
presence acted like stimulus to his body. He’d
never been a particularly sexual person, and
wasn’t certain how to deal—or even control—the
sensations that Rueben aroused in him.

Lamar knew that once Rueben accepted he was

a shifter, accepted his peacock, and they bonded,
he wouldn’t have to control himself. Until then, he
had to figure out how to resist the urge to find out
if the man bottomed. The guy was obviously—if
the way he’d pounced on Lamar was any
indicator—a top. As long as they kept it that way,
even if Lamar bit Rueben in the heat of the
moment, and he had a funny feeling he would,
they’d be just fine.

Charlie Richards

Chapter Five

ueben waited impatiently for Lamar to
return. Of course, now that he was beginning

to understand the slender man, he couldn’t show
his impatience. He’d never been good at waiting
for things, but even he—a tactically challenged
jock—knew he’d have to figure out some kind of
strategy for getting into this skittish man’s pants.

It didn’t matter that any idiot could see Lamar

wanted him. Something must have happened in
this guy’s past. A bad relationship perhaps? Either
way, that he’d been burned, and feared being hurt
or rejected again, was apparent. He just hid it
behind his uptight exterior. Rueben would have to
prove that he could be an understanding
guy…because he really looked forward to
rumpling the man a bit.

To that end, he prepared to seduce his skittish

love interest with a soothing hand. The fact that
he’d never tried that before didn’t escape him.
Normally, if a guy played hard to get, he’d let

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

them go, rationalizing that there were far too
many fish in the sea to worry about drama.

Except, this time, he couldn’t let it go. He

wanted—needed, even—to see what lay between
them.

Resting his back against the headboard, Rueben

carefully laid his still throbbing leg on an extra
pillow. He searched through his backpack for the
extra strength Ibuprofen, grateful Lamar had left
the bag within easy reach. Then, he grabbed the
information book and chose a couple restaurant
options.

When Lamar returned, looking nervous as hell,

Rueben restricted his greeting to a welcoming
smile. Watching him wrap several pieces of ice in
a hand towel from the bathroom, he commented,
“I appreciate you doing this. Thank you.”

Lamar paused in his actions and looked at him.

A confused smile curved his lips. “Of course.”

Rueben frowned when the other man focused

on his leg and carefully wrapped his booted foot
in a towel, added some ice in strategic locations,
then added another layer of towels to hold in the
cold.

Why do I feel like I’m missing something? Why does

he act as if it’s his job to take care of me?

Clearing his expression quickly, Rueben held

up the folder. “I noticed there was Chinese in the
other room. Are you even hungry?”

Charlie Richards

“Yes. I didn’t eat much before getting

interrupted,” Lamar told him. “Did you find
something that strikes your fancy?”

“The Chinese smelled really good in there,” he

admitted. His stomach actually growled at the
memory. Chuckling, he handed the book to
Lamar. “Order whatever. I’m not picky.” A
memory hit him. “Wait, your buddy Sam was the
one who picked it up. I remember him carrying
the cartons in. Do they deliver to the motel?”

Lamar shrugged. “If not, I’ll text Kontra’s

partner, Tim. He’s helping Adam paint his shop’s
walls, but planning to return about now. He can
pick it up.”

Rueben didn’t know either man, but he was a

little surprised to hear the leather-clad biker was
gay. Huh. Sometimes, ya just can’t tell. He listened to
Lamar order food, giving him a thumbs up after
asking if they delivered.

With his eyelids at half-mast, Rueben swept his

gaze over Lamar. He wanted to strip the guy’s
carefully buttoned short sleeve blue shirt from his
body and discover if the muscles beneath were as
lean and defined as he surmised. He’d bury his
hands in the man’s carefully styled blond hair as
he plundered Lamar’s lush full lips. Finally, he’d
shimmy down Lamar’s body and unbutton the
carefully pressed blue jeans with his teeth. Is
Lamar a boxer or brief kind of guy?

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

His shaft filling at his imaginings, Rueben let

out a soft sigh through barely parted lips. He
knew if Lamar looked, he’d see the tent in his
shorts. It wasn’t as if the loose material of his
sweats hid anything.

Lamar disconnected the call and, nostrils flaring

as he stared at Rueben’s crotch, placed the phone
absently on the nightstand. He licked his lips, his
eyes heating as his breathing sped up.

“We, uh,” he paused and cleared his throat.

“We have twenty-five minutes.”

Rueben could think of all kinds of ways to fill

those twenty-five minutes, but then he
remembered his resolve to seduce the man slowly.
Placing his desires on the back burner, Rueben
held out his hand and suggested, “Come up here,
Lamar. Tell me where you call home.”

For several seconds, Lamar looked surprised,

then a genuine smile spread over his features.
Rueben felt almost giddy at knowing he’d made
the right choice.

Lamar carefully climbed up and settled next to

him, near enough for Rueben to smell the man’s
natural male scent, but far enough away to avoid
the temptation to roll over on top of him and
capture him in his arms. It was pure, exquisite
torture.

“My buddies and I don’t really have a home,

per se,” Lamar told him. “We like to travel, and

Charlie Richards

during really cold months either head to the
southern states or hole up for a few weeks at a
rented lodge or hotel.” He shrugged. “We enjoy
the freedom of not answering to anyone and going
where the road takes us.”

“Wow, that’s…kinda cool, actually,” Rueben

replied. To be able to go where he wanted when
he wanted had always held an allure, but his love
of hockey had trumped the feeling. Thinking of
his source of income, he asked, “If it’s not too
personal to ask, what do you do for money?”

Lamar snickered and gave him a wry smile.

“More personal than planning some way to get
your dick in my ass?”

Rueben barked out a laugh, dislodging the

icepacks with the force. He also jerked his foot,
which lashed pain up his leg. Rolling his eyes, still
snickering despite the pain, he settled his head
against the board and watched his soon-to-be
lover reposition the icepack through half-mast
lids.

“I guess you do have a point,” Rueben said

once Lamar had resettled against the headboard.
He swept his gaze slowly down the man’s lean
body, pausing at the guy’s groin. He didn’t bother
fighting the surge of arousal at seeing the man’s
erection trapped behind the fly of Lamar’s jeans. “I
do plan to fuck you through the mattress as soon
as possible,” he growled.

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

Lamar flushed, clearing his throat. After a

second, he whispered hoarsely, “I trade stocks. I
taught my buddies. We look out for each other’s
accounts. Make sure none of us make too bad of
mistakes.”

“They’re your family,” Rueben stated, realizing

he finally understood why Lamar’s voice softened
when talking about them.

“Yes,” Lamar replied. “My own family

disowned me. I have no contact with them.” He
hesitated for a second, then looked at Rueben from
the corner of his eye. “What about you? I know
Ricky’s your brother, but do you have other
family?”

Well, that explains the rejection. His own family.

Before she’d passed, Rueben’s mother had
accepted that he was gay, her love unwavering.
Rueben knew her only wish was for him to find
someone to settle down and be happy with. Could

Lamar be that one? Too much too fast.

Remembering Lamar’s question, he refocused

on his date.

“Yeah, Ricky’s my brother. We don’t always see

eye to eye on things,” he added, grimacing. “But
we’ve always had each other’s backs. Our mother
died two years ago from cancer. Our dad ran out
on us when I was three.” He shrugged. “Never
heard from him again and don’t give a shit if I
ever do.”

Charlie Richards

Pausing, Rueben frowned, thinking of the big

guys in the room down the hall with his brother.
He knew Draven wouldn’t harm his old partner,
but the other men…well… “Hey, my brother is
safe, right? Your friend, uh, Kontra, he’s not gonna
do anything to him, right?”

Lamar shook his head, which worried Rueben

until he said, “No, Kontra is a fair man. He’s been
trying to get your brother to come to an
agreement, but Ricky is really stubborn.”

Rueben grimaced. “He is that.” A thought

suddenly occurred to him. “How the hell did you
get him to stop giving you shit about being gay?
I’ve decked him more than once because of snide
comments. But he hasn’t really said anything
about it to me, which, let me tell you, is a first.” He
glanced meaningfully at Lamar’s mouth. “And
after me kissing you in front of him, trust me, I
expected some comment.”

His soon-to-be lover’s blue eyes lit up in

amusement. “Everyone in our gang is gay, which
was probably eye-opening for him, since most of
the guys are pretty butch. Plus, we gave him
something a little different to freak out about.”

“You mean this conspiracy about ya’ll not being

human?” he teased, remembering his brother’s
ridiculous claims. “Because you look plenty
human to me.” He licked his lips, his gaze focused

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

on Lamar’s mouth. “I really want to kiss you
again.”

Lamar nodded. “After dinner. I, uh…” His

voice dropped slightly, silky and smooth. “I don’t
want to be interrupted once we get going.”

“Hmm, good thinking,” Rueben murmured. At

least Lamar hadn’t shut him down.

The phone rang. Lamar rolled over and picked

up the phone handle, lifting the receiver to his ear.
“Yeah?” After a second of silence, he stated, “Be
right there.” After putting the phone down, he slid
off the bed. “That was the front desk. Food’s here.
Be right back.”

Lamar took a few steps away, then paused, and

returned to him. To Rueben’s pleasure, he placed a
hand on the pillow behind Rueben’s back and
leaned close. Gently, Lamar brushed his warm lips
over Rueben’s once, twice, keeping the kiss chaste
and sweet, before pulling back and striding from
the room.

Rueben rested his head against the board

behind him and let out a long breath. His body
vibrated with more need than he’d felt in…years.
He’d just barely resisted the urge to cup the man’s
jaw, tilt his head, and deepen the kiss.

This waiting was driving him nuts, or rather,

making his nuts hurt. His balls rolled in their sack
and his cock pressed insistently against the thin
fabric of his shorts. Rueben palmed his cock and

Charlie Richards

groaned softly at his own touch. Maybe he should
hobble to the bathroom and jack off, take the edge
off.

Before he could make up his mind, Lamar’s

husky voice murmured, “Don’t worry. I’ll take
good care of that shortly.”

Rueben’s eyelids popped open. He didn’t

remember shutting them and hadn’t heard the
door open. Geez, I’m distracted. A small smile
curved Rueben’s lips at the heated look on
Lamar’s face. Looks like I’m not the only one on edge.

“Why don’t you bring that food on over here,

then, Lamar,” Rueben crooned. “The sooner we
eat, the sooner I can take you up on that.”

Lamar’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he pulled his

gaze away from Rueben’s crotch. “Okay.”

For several seconds, Lamar just stood there.

Rueben finally lifted his hand and wiggled his
fingers at the man. Lamar seemed to snap out of
his haze, except he strode away from him.

Rueben’s confusion eased when Lamar

returned with a towel and spread it on the bed
between them, then laid the food on it. He opened
a package and pulled a napkin and fork out,
which he handed to Rueben. After opening his
own utensils, he opened the cartons, revealing
shrimp lo mien, ham fried rice, pot stickers, crab
rangoons, and Szechuan beef. The aromas filled
the room, and Rueben’s stomach growled.

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

Lamar chuckled. “Hungry?” he teased, holding

up the container of ham fried rice.

“Starved,” Rueben replied. He grabbed a pot

sticker, then scooped it through the rice. Putting
the food into his mouth, Rueben sucked on it
sensually for a second before biting it in half.
“Mmm,” he moaned deep in his throat.

Lamar’s eyes were large in his face, and he

stared for a second before blinking and focusing
on his own food. Rueben grinned, liking the effect
he had on this cutie. He picked up the container of
beef and ate several bites, trying to decide his next
move.

After nearly fifteen minutes of eating in silence,

Rueben picked up a crab Rangoon, dipped it in
sauce, and held it to Lamar’s lips. The blond
opened his mouth, but when he leaned forward to
bite, Rueben painted the man’s lips with the red
sauce. Just as a hint of frustration darkened
Lamar’s blue eyes, Rueben slipped his free hand
around the man’s neck and pulled him forward
into a sloppy kiss.

He licked the sauce off Lamar’s upper lip, then

sucked on his lower one. Sweeping his tongue into
Lamar’s mouth, he enjoyed the taste of food and
man. Rueben pulled Lamar’s tongue into his own
and sucked softly, liking the way the man
whimpered into his mouth.

Fuck, that’s hot!

Charlie Richards

Suddenly, Lamar wrenched his mouth away.

“Shit! Wait,” he gasped. “Gotta put the food
away.”

“Uh…” Rueben slowly released him, his brows

creasing. Lamar was thinking about the food? Of
course, when he looked down, he understood
why. The edge of the ham fried rice carton
appeared to be digging into the man’s thigh.
“Right. Just put it on the table and get back here,”
he growled.

He watched as Lamar started to carefully close

the containers and place them into the room’s mini
fridge. “Lamar,” he snapped.

Lamar jerked upright, releasing the fridge door,

which automatically swung closed. “What?”

“Don’t make me come over there and get you,”

he warned. Then, using his most commanding
tone, he ordered, “Get over here, now.”

To his surprise, Lamar actually shuddered and

flushed, then slowly moved to the side of the bed.

Smiling slightly at the response, Rueben picked

up a packet of honey that’d fallen out of the
napkin wrapper, handed the last carton—the
shrimp low mien, if he remembered correctly—to
Lamar, then shoved the rest of the stuff off the
bed. Lamar’s eyes widened and his jaw dropped,
staring at him in stunned silence.

“Put that on the nightstand,” he insisted,

pointing. Once Lamar obeyed, Rueben crooked a

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

finger at him and said, “Take off your clothes and
then lie on the bed. I’m ready for dessert, and
you’re it.”

“Oh,” Lamar gasped.
His fingers trembled, but he did as told.

Unbuttoning his shirt, Lamar bared a lean, hairless
torso, his peck muscles clearly defined, though not
overdone. The fine lines continued up a lean neck
to high cheekbones.

Lovely.
Rueben figured Lamar wouldn’t appreciate

being called that, but that was the best way to
describe the man’s almost delicate features. There
was no way he’d be called androgynous. He was
definitely masculine, but his features really made
him…well, lovely.

Once the man laid down, Rueben shoved off his

sweats, ignoring the slight pain in his ankle,
letting his cock spring free. His sweats would
never be considered constrictive, but even the
loose release of pressure felt amazing. A glance
down showed his cock head was already
glistening with pre-cum.

Rueben tore the little tube of honey open, then

wiggled down the bed a bit until he was even with
the long, hard, slender shaft bobbing up from
Lamar’s lightly-curled groin. Licking his lips in
anticipation, Rueben drizzled the cool, sticky
liquid onto Lamar’s hard-on.

Charlie Richards

Chapter Six

amar shivered. The thick fluid slid slowly
down his cock. His abs clenched as he stared

down at the mess coating him. He fought the urge
to grab a napkin and wipe it away, twisting his
fingers into the comforter.

“Mmm. Now, doesn’t that look like a pretty

treat,” Rueben growled.

Lifting his gaze to Rueben, Lamar saw the feral

lust covering his expression as he stared at his
bobbing, dripping shaft. He held his breath as
Rueben lowered his head, scarcely able to keep
from begging his mate to suck him.

Finally, Rueben stuck out his tongue and

swiped his erection from base to tip, swirling
around his glans. Lamar moaned and his hips
jerked of their own accord at the exquisite
sensations caused by the opposing cool and heat.
Rueben pulled Lamar’s head into his mouth and
sucked lightly, making him crave more.

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

“P-please,” he stuttered, unable to hold back.

The sight of this big man, his mate, gently suckling
his cock head, was too much to hold back his
babbling pleas. Especially when Rueben lapped
his bobbing shaft back to the base, then reached
his balls and nipped the wrinkled skin of his sack.
“Oh my God,” Lamar whispered hoarsely,
spreading his legs wider to give his lover more
room to play.

Rueben lifted Lamar’s left leg and draped it

over his shoulder, opening him for easy
exploration—and that’s exactly what he did. With
teeth, lips, and tongue, Rueben nibbled, licked,
and sucked Lamar’s cock, balls, and crack. Lamar
twisted and writhed as his lover’s tongue ate his
ass, making him wetter and slimier than he’d ever
been before. He didn’t know if he liked it or not,
but couldn’t stop from begging the man, “Don’t
stop! Please, don’t stop!”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Rueben said, his words

muffled.

Lamar’s back arched when he felt Rueben’s

tongue breach his ring of muscle and delve into
his hole. His ass clenched on the invading
member, wanting to hold the slick appendage
inside him.

Humming, Rueben vibrated the sensitive

tissues.

Charlie Richards

Lamar’s balls rolled in their sack, pulling tight

to his body. “Oh, so close. P-please. Please, please,
please,” he babbled. His cock twitched, slapping
against his abs, smearing strings of pre-cum across
his skin.

When Rueben pulled his tongue free, Lamar

whimpered at the loss. It nearly, instantly turned
into a moan as Rueben replaced it with his finger.
Rueben swiped his tongue up Lamar’s throbbing
dick.

“Guess I should have asked sooner,” he

mumbled huskily, “but are you clean?”

“Y-yes,” Lamar gasped. “I’m clean.”
“Good. Want to taste you.”
“Gah!” Lamar howled as Rueben swallowed

him to the root.

Rueben rubbed his finger over Lamar’s

prostate, sending shockwaves up his rectum and
through his balls. Lamar’s testicles seemed to turn
inside out as they emptied, shooting cum up his
dick and into Rueben’s waiting, sucking mouth.
His mate continued to suckle softly, heightening
the bliss, coursing like fire through his veins.

“Rueben!”
Slowly, Lamar came back to himself. He felt

like he was floating as endorphins pinged through
his system. A jolt to his system that caused his
softening prick to begin filling again made him

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

realize Rueben had two fingers in his ass and
gently rubbed his prostate ever few seconds.

Lamar moaned and cracked his eyelids. He

looked down and spotted the smug smile on
Rueben’s face at seeing Lamar’s renewed erection.
“Oh, what fantastic recovery time,” Rueben
crooned. “I like it.”

Chuckling around a grunt, Lamar rocked his

hips, encouraging the man’s attention. “Because of
you,” Lamar admitted.

“Flatterer.” Rueben grinned cheekily. “You got

enough energy to ride me, sweet stuff?”

Lamar’s jaw dropped as he remembered

Rueben’s injured leg. “Oh, yeah. You shouldn’t be
putting any stress on your leg. Maybe I should just
suck you off, too,” he offered. He licked his lips,
wanting to taste his mate, but felt disappointment
at the same time. He really wanted to feel his
mate’s dick in his ass, too.

Rueben released him and rolled toward the

nightstand and his bag. “Not a snowball’s chance
in hell, honey. I’m going to shove my dick in your
ass and you’re gonna ride me like a cowboy.”

Blanching at that analogy, Lamar couldn’t think

of a single time he’d ever desired to be a dusty,
dirty, sweaty cowboy. Still, he really wanted to
feel his mate buried deep inside him, so Lamar
cleared the image from his thoughts and focused
on pleasing his lover.

Charlie Richards

Thankfully, Rueben must have missed his

expression. He rolled a condom onto his thick
cock where it jutted from a bed of dark red curls.
After popping the lid on a bottle of lube, Rueben
slicked up his dick, then spread some more onto
his fingers.

“Come here, baby,” Rueben urged, reaching for

Lamar. “You can ride my fingers as I finish getting
you ready. You’ll love it.”

Lamar didn’t doubt it. His mate sure seemed to

know what he was doing. With concise
movements, Rueben guided Lamar to straddle his
waist. For a split second, jealousy surged through
Lamar at all the other men who, at one time, must
have occupied his mate’s bed. Then, Rueben
thrust two lubed fingers into Lamar’s chute, and
all thought fled.

Rueben found Lamar’s prostate without

trouble, gently stroking it as he worked him open.
A third finger slid in beside the first two. Lamar
moaned, loving the stretch, the slight burn that
eased into fire that set his nerve ends a-tingling.

Rocking on Rueben’s fingers, Lamar fucked

himself shamelessly. His dick—already hard and
leaking again—slapped his belly as he rocked. The
thick digits felt amazing, but it wasn’t enough.
“Now,” he demanded breathlessly.

“Hell, yeah,” Rueben growled.

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

Lamar couldn’t silence his moan as Rueben

pulled his fingers free.

“Hang on, baby.”
For a split second, Lamar wondered if Rueben

threw endearments at every lover. Then, his
mate’s thick cock pressed against his hole and
Lamar didn’t care anymore. All he desired was
becoming one with his mate.

Finding his voice, Lamar ordered, “Stay still.”

Without waiting for acknowledgement, he used
his weight to sink onto Rueben’s shaft. The burn
as his ass muscles stretched beyond what
Rueben’s three fingers had prepared him shot fire
up his rectum. “Amazing,” Lamar groaned
through clenched teeth.

Rueben grunted. “Oh, God, you’re tight.”
Fully seated, Lamar panted, “You’re just huge.

Holy shit.”

“Damn, baby. Lift up a bit and I’ll rock up into

you.”

Lamar stared down at his lover. He traced his

hands over the firm pecks, the deep ridges of his
abs, then tweaked a nipple. Rueben hissed. Lamar
smirked. “Oh, no. You have to stay still. I don’t
want you hurting yourself,” Lamar said. “You
said to ride you, so now you gotta take my pace.”

Rueben’s green eyes widened, then dropped

closed. “Then move, baby. Please, move. I’m dyin’
here.”

Charlie Richards

Chuckling, Lamar gave in to his mate’s pleas.

“No dying,” he crooned. “Then you’d miss out on
me sucking your cock, or eating your ass, or
pounding into me as we shower together.”

As the words rolled off his tongue unchecked,

similar to the way his body took over—rising and
lowering on Rueben’s cock—Lamar prayed he
wasn’t scaring the man away. Fortunately, Rueben
didn’t seem in the least bit coherent. He was too
busy saying, “Yeah, baby, right there, just like
that, faster, harder…”

Lamar, spurred on by his lover’s cries, planted

his feet, and did exactly as Rueben wanted. He
rose and fell swiftly, riding his man’s dick.

“Oh, shit! Close!” Rueben groaned.
Rueben reached up and gripped Lamar’s

erection tightly, providing exquisite pressure to
the organ. Lamar rocked between the hard ridge
of flesh filling his ass and the amazing pressure
around his cock. His balls pulled tight once more,
heralding another mind-numbing orgasm. Lamar
wanted, needed his man to come with him. He
tightened his sphincter muscles rhythmically as he
rose and fell.

Through slitted eyelids, Lamar watched Rueben

throw his head back and roar his release. Rueben’s
dick swelled and flooded the condom deep inside
him. Unable to resist the siren call of his mate’s

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

arched neck, Lamar pressed their chests together
and sank his canines into Rueben’s neck.

His mate groaned and shuddered beneath him.

The noise was music to Lamar’s ears, telling him
Rueben had come again. Lamar couldn’t hold off
his own release any longer. He spurted, filling the
space between them, painting their stomachs and
chests with his seed.

For several seconds, both men just lay there,

Lamar’s weight heavy upon his lover’s. He
carefully licked his mate’s neck clean, relieved to
see that it wouldn’t be exceptionally noticeable.
Lamar hoped Rueben wouldn’t mind that he
hadn’t warned him.

To Lamar’s relief, when he lifted his head, he

discovered Rueben smiling languidly at him.
“That was amazing,” he slurred slightly. The way
his eyelids drooped showed the pull of sleep had a
firm grip on his lover.

Lamar pressed a soft butterfly kiss to smiling

lips. “I’ll be right back with a cloth to clean you
up,” he whispered.

“Thanks, sweet,” Rueben mumbled as he

trailed the fingers of his right hand through the
cum Lamar had painted over his chest. He winked
and brought the white cream to his mouth,
sucking it from his fingers. “Mmm.”

Charlie Richards

Heat streaked across his chest, and Lamar felt

his dick try to stir. Shaking his head, Lamar
snickered. “Be right back.”

Hustling into the bathroom, Lamar grabbed a

cloth. He turned on the water, waiting until it ran
warm, then quickly soaked the cloth and cleaned
himself. Rinsing only took a moment. As he shut
the water off and turned toward the doorway,
Lamar mentally felt his peacock trill happily in his
mind. It was almost as if he could see his peacock
fanning his tail and showing off its colorful
feathers. He shivered and swallowed hard as an
odd sense of peace flooded him.

Shaking it off as residual endorphins from his

multiple orgasms, Lamar returned to his lover.
Seeing Rueben jerk his hand away from his groin
and his half-erect cock, Lamar lifted a brow and
smirked. “Need help with something?” he teased.

Rueben actually flushed, his chest turning a

pale pink color. “Condoms not made to withstand
two amazing orgasms like the ones you gave me.”
He seemed to regain his bravado and smiled
cheekily while reaching down and cupping his
testicles. “I dripped and didn’t want to get it on
the bed, but I bet it’d be even better if you licked
me clean.”

Lamar snickered and placed one knee on the

bed, leaning close. Because the man smelled so
good, Lamar did as Rueben asked. He swiped his

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

tongue from the man’s anus, over his balls, and up
the crease of his groin, pointedly ignoring
Rueben’s semi erection.

“Feel better?” he crooned. He lifted the warm

rag and rubbed away the remaining fluids.

Rueben smiled sleepily at him and heaved a

sigh. “Perfect,” he muttered.

Lamar hesitated, uncertain if he would be

welcomed to stay in Rueben’s bed, since he was
human.

Fortunately, Rueben took the decision from

Lamar by grabbing his wrist and tugging. “Come
here.”

Lamar obeyed and crawled into bed. Rueben

turned him, spooned up behind him, and draped
his top arm over him. “Night,” Rueben whispered,
kissing the back of Lamar’s neck softly.

“Night.”
From the other man’s even breathing, Lamar

knew Rueben had already succumbed to sleep.
Unable to resist the strange peace that still
permeated him and the pull of slumber, Lamar
also drifted into dreamland.

Charlie Richards

Chapter Seven

ueben heaved a sigh and dropped his head
against the headboard. For good measure, he

lifted his head and banged the headboard again.
He had no idea what the hell had happened. He
and Lamar had had a wonderful night together.
When they’d woken, they’d cuddled, made out,
then had a fantastic frottage session.

That had been three days ago. After Lamar had

left, claiming a need for a shower and a change of
clothes, the man hadn’t come back. While taking
his own shower, Rueben had missed a call from
Lamar. His lover had claimed that something had
come up and he needed to run out to see his
buddy who had a problem. Lamar hadn’t
elaborated, and when Rueben had called him
back, the blond hadn’t answered and hadn’t called
him back.

Normally, being blown off like that, Rueben

would have chalked it up to a fantastic one-night
stand and moved on. Now that he knew his

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

brother was fine—Ricky had dropped by his motel
room and they’d chatted for over an hour about
their lives, although Ricky had been careful to
keep clear of giving any reason for why he’d been
in the area—Rueben should just head home to
Portland. He’d already received one call from his
physical therapist, asking when he would
schedule an appointment.

Thinking about that, Rueben was actually

surprised at how good his foot felt. Between his
fall in the bathroom and the vigorous sex, he
would have thought he’d be popping Ibuprofen to
keep his foot from throbbing. He felt pretty
grateful and hoped it wasn’t a sign that he’d
reinjured it.

“Damn it,” Rueben muttered. “I should just go

home.” He rubbed his hands over his face. “It’s
obvious he isn’t interested in talking to me,” he
grumbled to himself, scooting toward the bed’s
edge. He grabbed his crutches and levered himself
to his feet…or foot.

“Then, what the hell am I doing?” he grumbled.
His confusion didn’t stop him from leaving his

room and hobbling down the hallway to the room
where his brother still resided, at least, for one
more night. Ricky had told him he planned to
leave the next morning and return to work in San
Francisco. It wasn’t often Rueben got to hang out
with his brother without them sniping at each

Charlie Richards

other, so the dinners they’d shared together the
last couple evenings had been really, really…nice.

“Yeah?”
Ricky’s voice through the door caught Rueben’s

attention. Damn, when did I get here and knock?
Shaking his head, Rueben hollered, “It’s me.”

The lock flicked open and Ricky pulled the door

wide. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Any idea which room is Lamar’s?”
Scowling at him, Ricky crossed his arms over

his chest. “I told you not to get involved with him.
Why do you want to know?”

“Don’t give me shit,” he snapped. “Just tell

me.”

Ricky rolled his eyes and pushed away from the

wall. “Why would you bother listening to your
older and wiser brother,” he griped.

“Well, you’re half right.”
After flipping the metal loop used to lock the

door from the inside, effectively keeping the door
from closing and locking, Ricky led the way down
the corridor to another room. He knocked loudly,
then stood back and placed his hands on his hips.

Sam, bare-chested with a towel around his

waist, idly rubbing his closely shorn scalp with a
second one, opened the door. “Yeah?” When he
spotted Rueben, he grinned. “Hey, congrats, man.
We’re all happy for you and Lamar.”

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

Completely confused, Rueben’s brows drew

down. “Huh?”

“You and Lamar. Your mating.” Sam leaned

out the door, peering down the hall. “He still in
your room?”

“No, he’s not in my room,” Rueben snarled.

“Lamar hasn’t spoken to me in three days. Where
is he? He talked as if he wanted a repeat fucking,
then disappeared after heading here to take a
shower. If he’s changed his mind, he should be
man enough to tell me to my face.”

Sam’s skin paled under his tan. “What? I

haven’t seen him, either. Me and the guys just
figured he was holed up with you in your room.”
He shrugged, looking a bit uncomfortable. “You
know…getting to know each other.”

“Wait…a…minute,” Ricky drew out his words,

drawing both men’s attention. “Rueben and
Lamar’s mating? What are you saying, Sam?”
Ricky turned his frown on Rueben. “What the hell
have you done? I told you to stay away from him!”

That earned Ricky a fierce glare from Sam.

“You warned your brother away from Lamar?
What the hell for?” he growled.

Ricky crossed his arms over his chest for the

second time and his eyes narrowed as he sneered,
“That should be obvious.”

“Hey,” Rueben yelled. “What the hell are you

both talking about? Where’s Lamar?”

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“Damn it,” Sam mumbled. “Get in here.” He

opened the door wide and stepped backward.
“We gotta talk.”

Rolling his eyes, beyond confused and

frustrated, Rueben hobbled forward. “Right.”
Once the door closed, he demanded gruffly, “Tell
me what the hell you two are going on about.”

Sam sighed. “You better take a seat,” he said,

waving toward one of the small chairs.

Rueben frowned, but after looking at his

brother—who continued to frown, but nodded—
he did as Sam said. Ricky took the opposite chair.
Once seated, he waved his hands in a well, now
what motion and lifted one brow.

Sitting on the bed five feet away, facing him,

Sam stared at his hands where he had them
clasped between his knees for several seconds.
Finally, he lifted his head, pinned a hard gaze on
Rueben, and stated, “I’m a shape shifter. So is
Lamar. I turn into a Texas longhorn bull. Lamar
turns into a peacock. Each shifter has a soul mate
out there somewhere in the world. We only get
one, true soul mate and we search our whole lives
for that person. You are that soul mate for Lamar.”

From Sam’s very first sentence, Rueben felt his

mouth drop open and there it had stayed through
the entire spiel. This guy believes he can turn into a

bull? And Lamar can turn into a peacock? A freaking

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

peacock? Really? Disbelief flooded Rueben. “What
the hell are you trying to pull?”

“It’s true,” Ricky hissed, leaning close. “I’ve

seen them change. Why do you think they
wouldn’t let me leave? I had to accept not only
what I’d seen, but the fact that the world is better
off not knowing these guys exist.”

“That’s why I thought you and him were holed

up together,” Sam said. “I thought Lamar would
be explaining all this since you’re bonded and all.”

“Bonded?”

That

didn’t

sound

good.

Trepidation replaced the disbelief in a hot flash.
“What the hell does that mean?”

Sam rubbed his hands over his face, his thumb

tracing his scar for a second or two. Letting out a
low breath through slightly parted lips, he
muttered, “Damn it, Lamar, what the hell are you
doing?”

After growling a little, perhaps having some

kind of internal debate, Sam told him, “Look. You
really need to discuss this with Lamar. Suffice it to
say, some of Lamar’s cum ended up in your, uh,
ass…maybe the condom broke or something,” he
added, shrugging. “Along with that, he bit you.
That’s a claiming mark a shifter gives his mate.”

Rueben flushed when Sam pointed at the teeth

marks on his shoulder. Never in a million years
had it occurred to him that Lamar was a biter. At
first, Rueben had been shocked, but when a wave

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of absolute bliss tightened his balls, he’d been
unable to stop from shooting his load a second
time. Wait…shooting his load?

“I fucked him,” he whispered. “How did his

cum get into…oh!” Heat shot across his chest, up
his neck, and over his face. “Um…”

“What the hell did you do?” Ricky asked,

narrowing his eyes and leaning close.

“I may have, um, well…After I fucked him,

Lamar went into the other room. I thought I had
somethin’ drippin’…” Damn, he couldn’t believe
he had to tell anyone this. He stared at the carpet,
unable to look either man in the eyes as he
blurted, “I ended up playing with my ass and I
may have had some of Lamar’s cum on my
fingers.”

For several long moments, neither man spoke.

Rueben chanced a glance up. Sam looked
confused. Ricky looked uncomfortable, and maybe
a bit…queasy. Finally, Sam cocked his head and
said, “I’m sorry. Are you saying you accidentally
got Lamar’s spunk in your ass after you had sex?”

Rueben thought back on those moments. Sated

beyond belief, he’d watched Lamar’s sexy bubble
butt as he’d walked across the room and slipped
into the bathroom. The amazing sight had actually
caused his softening shaft to twitch. He’d
grinned—and he knew it was one of those stupid
grins worn by love-struck saps, but couldn’t bring

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

himself to care. While staring up at the ceiling,
he’d idly stroked his fingers through the cooling
cum Lamar had left on his chest.

He’d felt a tickle behind his balls and hadn’t

given it a second thought to reach down between
his legs, thinking the double orgasm might have
caused oozage from the condom before he’d
tossed it. Rueben had inadvertently flicked his
fingertip over his own taint. One thing had led to
another, and—while thinking of his lover’s long,
slender prick—he’d slipped first one, then two
fingers into his ass.

“Rueben?”
Sam’s worried tone pulled Rueben from his

memory. He looked at the other man’s concerned
expression. Shrugging, Rueben stated softly, “I’m
a switch. Lamar had said he was clean. I didn’t
really think anything of it until now.” His eyes
widened. “Wait. Does this mean he’s not clean?
Are shifters not clean? Does this mean I’m gonna
turn into one?”

Do I actually believe any of this shit?
“No, you won’t turn into a shifter,” Sam

quickly assured. “You have to be born that way.”

“You do get a few perks, I guess,” Ricky

jumped in. “It’s harder to get injured. Your
reflexes, speed, and strength improve. Nothing
like theirs, but…” His voice trailed away and he
hitched a shoulder. Then he frowned. “On the

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other hand, your life is now tied to Lamar’s. You’ll
live as long as he does, barring something tragic
happening.”

“What?” Rueben didn’t even want to try to

wrap his mind around that one. He could already
feel himself starting to freak out as it was. He
could feel his heart thudding faster and faster in
his chest, making blood roar in his ears. He shook
his head, trying to clear it. Scowling at his brother,
he forced himself to ask, “You actually believe all
this shit?”

“Yes, I do. Like I said, I’ve seen it,” Ricky

replied, gazing at him levelly.

“I need…” Rueben paused and gulped. “I need

to think. I need—” He shoved to his feet. “I gotta
go,” he murmured, turning his back on the men.

“Wait,” Sam called, but Rueben ignored him.
Rueben hustled to the door as quickly as his

booted foot would allow. He’d just pulled it open
and hoped he’d gotten away clean when a large
hand clamped onto his shoulder. His entire body
went tense, but he forced himself to turn and peer
into Sam’s concerned brown eyes.

“Here,” Sam said, holding out a slip of paper.
Rueben saw the hotel logo at the top, so it must

have been from one of the complimentary
notepads off the table. There were words scribbled
on it, but Sam’s big thumb obscured most of it,

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

making it impossible to read. Rueben didn’t know
if he wanted to know what it said.

“Take this,” Sam urged, wiggling the paper. “I

had a thought that, since Lamar wasn’t with you,
he could be here. It’s a park at the edge of town.
Look for the peacock.”

“O-okay,” he stuttered, struggling with his

tongue. Self-preservation urged Rueben to run,
but somehow, he managed to reach out and take
the slip of paper.

That seemed to appease Sam, for he nodded

once and let him go.

Maybe Sam thought Rueben would go there,

but as Rueben limped down the hall, he really
only wanted to do one thing…well, two things—
pack his bags and get the hell away from these
crazies.

Charlie Richards

Chapter Eight

amar knew he couldn’t hide out forever. It
wasn’t fair to anyone, least of all his mate. He

needed to face the man, explain some things. A lot
of things, he admitted, at least to himself. After all,
how long could he expect his mate to wait?

Is that what I’m waiting for? My mate to leave? For

him to think it was a one-night stand?

No!

Then what the hell are you waiting for?
Lamar didn’t know if the voice in his head was

his peacock or his conscience.

The roar of a motorcycle pulled him from his

musings. Bobbing his head, Lamar moved
forward, out of the trees. Peacocks weren’t the
most graceful of creatures, but he knew his
plumage more than made up for his avian
awkwardness.

Turning his head to the side, Lamar eyed the

approaching Harley with one eye. He recognized
it as Kontra’s chopper, the big bear shifter driving.

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

He parked next to Lamar’s Goldwing and slowly
surveyed the area, his eyes narrowed. It only took
him a second to locate Lamar in peacock form.

Lamar watched the man’s shoulders rise and

fall, his chest expand and retract as he heaved a
sigh Lamar couldn’t hear. His alpha looked up,
seemingly lost in thought. Kontra’s body language
was clear. His alpha was disappointed in him.

Lamar felt a twang in the vicinity of his chest,

and it took him a second to recognize the emotion.

Shame.

Shit.
Slowly starting toward Kontra, Lamar

struggled to figure out what the hell he was going
to say. There was no excuse for his behavior, but
when he’d discovered that somehow he’d mated
with Rueben, he’d panicked. All he could think
about was getting away, shifting, flying away, and
hiding.

He’d mated with his human without explaining

things to Rueben, without giving him a choice. It
was inexcusable.

Kontra strode toward him, his long legs eating

up the yards between them. Once he reached
Lamar, he dropped to the ground, settling on his
ass with his back to a large tree trunk. Resting his
big hands on his leather-clad knees, he rotated his
head where it rested on the trunk and looked at
Lamar.

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For several seconds, he just stared at him.

Finally, the left corner of Kontra’s lip curved up a
bit. “You’re a very pretty peacock, Lamar,” he
murmured. “I’m normally in bear form when I see
you and had forgotten,” he admitted.

Lamar twittered, cooed, and bobbed his head,

expressing his thanks. He couldn’t help but fan his
tail. His peacock liked praise just a little too much.

Kontra chuckled for a few seconds, then the

sound faded. “Sam came to me, Lamar. He said
Rueben stopped by his room this morning. The
man was none too happy.”

Lamar ducked his head. It didn’t take a genius

to figure out which man was upset.

“We thought you’d holed up with him, Lamar,”

Kontra growled. “He’s your mate. If you were
having problems, why did you let us believe
that?”

Lamar almost shifted, wanting to answer his

alpha. Finding out they were mated when he
hadn’t actually fucked Rueben had come as a
shock. He still remembered Sam’s words.

When he’d first arrived in the room they

shared, Sam hadn’t been there. Lamar had
showered and cleaned up. When he’d walked out
of the bathroom and crossed to his backpack, Sam
had been lounging in bed, watching television.
The covers had been up to his waist, but Lamar
still averted his eyes, knowing his roommate was

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

probably nude, awaiting his own go at the shower,
maybe.

Except, then the bull shifter had sniffed loudly,

and out of the corner of Lamar’s eye, he saw Sam
grin. “Hey, congrats. That’s awesome.”

Lamar’s head jerked up, and he’d stared at his

friend. “Huh?”

Sam laughed. “I can smell the difference in your

scent. Congrats on him accepting you. That’s
great.”

He’d started to open his mouth, to deny the

man’s observation, but then he remembered the
odd tingle and wash of peace he’d experienced
last night in the bathroom. In fact, he still felt at
peace now, his peacock relaxed.

Unable to believe it, he’d managed to mumble

thanks as he stumbled from the room,
remembering to grab his keys at the last minute.
His one thought had been to find a place to think,
to take some time to figure out just what had
happened. And now, he was still thinking.

“He left this afternoon.”
Lamar squawked. His tail came down, tucking

behind him.

How could that be? I’ve waited too long?
“Geez, Lamar.” Kontra shook his head and

rubbed a hand over his face. “What did you
expect? You left!” Sighing, Kontra added, “I have

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Payson following him. He’ll give me a call in a few
hours to let us know direction.”

Looking around quickly, Lamar searched for

humans. He almost started his shift when he
spotted a slow moving truck coming down the
street. He waited for it to pass, except, it didn’t. It
turned into the parking lot and stopped in a space
a few down from their motorcycles.

Lamar turned to head into the forest so he

could find a place to shift. The figure that slid
from the truck caught his attention. He cooed in
surprise.

Rueben!
Payson on his bullet bike appeared, zipping

past the parking lot. He revved his engine, popped
a wheelie, then sped away.

Rueben settled his crutches under his armpits

and started across the lawn. “Kontra,” he called.

Lamar knew the instant he spotted him.

Rueben’s halting gate faltered and his eyes
widened. Lamar watched Rueben’s Adam’s apple
bob, then he seemed to come to a decision, for his
eyes narrowed and his cool green eyes hardened,
and he continued forward.

“I heard you were leaving, Rueben,” Kontra

rumbled.

“I’d planned to, but—” He shrugged. “I guess I

couldn’t just leave it like that.”

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

Kontra nodded as he levered himself to his feet.

“I’ll let you get to it, then.” He turned and looked
at Lamar. “This time, you call if you have a
problem.”

Lamar chirped. If he had a problem at this

point, he didn’t think even Kontra could fix it.

Rueben’s brows drew down as he glanced

between Kontra’s retreating form and Lamar’s
peacock. “So,” he started, then sort of seemed lost.
He sighed. “I feel like an idiot, talking to a
peacock,” he muttered, running a hand through
his hair jerkily, working around his crutches.

Lamar cooed and turned toward the forest. He

couldn’t change here. He’d left his clothes deeper
in the trees. After several steps, he turned his head
and eyed his mate. Rueben just stood there,
watching. Lamar cooed again.

Smiling slightly, Rueben murmured, “You

know, you really are a very pretty peacock.”

Rueben stroking his ego flooded Lamar with

pride. He couldn’t help it. Lamar spread his
feathers and chittered, strutting his next several
steps.

Laughing, Rueben hobbled after him. “Can you

understand me?”

Lamar bobbed his head, the best he could do to

show agreement.

Charlie Richards

“Damn, I’m not even sure I believe you’re

Lamar,” Rueben grumbled, but at least he kept
moving.

He reached his clothes, relieved they were right

where he’d left them folded in a waterproof
backpack, tucked under a bush. He grabbed the
bag in his beak and pulled it out. The brush of
fingers over his tail feathers caused Lamar to jerk
around and squawk.

Rueben yanked his left hand back. “Sorry,” he

murmured. “Am I not allowed to touch you while
you’re an, um, a peacock?”

My mate wants to touch me?
Lamar turned back to the man where he rested

with one calf under his butt and his healing leg
stretched out in front of him. His crutches lay near
his right hand on the ground. Lamar cocked his
head and stepped closer to his mate. He lowered
his head a bit and cooed. He’d like his mate to
touch him again.

Evidently, Rueben understood. He reached his

hand out again and rubbed it over first his neck,
then his body, and finally up a couple of his tail
feathers. Lamar shivered under his mate’s touch.

Rueben smiled, the expression lighting his

green eyes. “Like that do you?”

Cooing he rubbed his head against Rueben’s

chest.

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

Chuckling, Rueben carefully cupped Lamar’s

beak. He lifted Lamar’s head and peered into
Lamar’s eyes, staring closely at him. “Your eyes
look exactly the same,” he whispered. “Blue as the
sky on a clear day.”

Unable to stand not being able to communicate

with his mate a second longer, Lamar shifted.
Rueben jerked his hand away and he fell
backward on his ass, his mouth dropping open in
shock.

His body shuddered and his skin goose

bumped. Lamar’s muscles popped, his bones
cracked, and his tendons snapped. His feathers
retracted into his body. Holding back a grunt,
Lamar’s head and body grew and altered, his
wings becoming arms and his beak melting into
his nose.

Lamar had always felt that was the oddest

sensation in the world. Just as he did after every
shift, he reached up and touched his nose, making
certain the hard dark brown beak had truly turned
into his slender, pale nose. Vain, perhaps, but he
couldn’t keep himself from checking.

Finally, Lamar opened his eyes and looked at

his mate. He easily discerned the lines of disbelief,
but at least he couldn’t find any revulsion.

“Oh my God,” Rueben whispered. “They told

me it was you. I even thought I believed it, but—”
He shook his head hard, his eyes wide as he swept

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his gaze over Lamar’s naked form. “I guess I
didn’t, really. I don’t…know what I thought.”

Sucking in his bottom lip between his teeth,

Lamar tried to figure out what to say. “I’m sorry,”
he blurted.

Rueben’s brows drew together. “Huh? Why are

you sorry?”

“Uh…” Lamar really didn’t know.
Then, Rueben’s eyes narrowed. “I’ll tell you

why you should be sorry,” he growled. “How
about, because I had to learn you’re a shifter from
Sam? How about, because I had to learn we’re
mates from Sam? How about because you fucking
fled instead of just being honest with me? How the
hell can we have a relationship if you won’t
communicate with me?”

“R-relationship?” Lamar’s brain seemed to be

fixed on that one word.

“Yeah.” Rueben seemed to have quickly

recovered from his shock of seeing him shift, for
he faced Lamar squarely. “Sam says we’re
connected now. That we’ve…bonded. It took a
hell of a lot of thinking this afternoon, and, yeah,”
he admitted, flushing. “I reached the edge of
town, but I finally realized I wanted to figure this
thing out between us. I feel—shit.” Rueben
shifted, stretching his second leg out in front of
him. His gaze swept over Lamar’s naked form, his
gaze heating. “Why the hell are we talking about

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our fucking feelings when we should be fucking
our brains out?”

Lamar flushed, his pulse speeding up at his

mate’s words. Seeing Rueben’s focus drift to his
cock, Lamar’s dick had an expected reaction to the
scrutiny. It started to thicken. He sucked in a
breath and opened his mouth, struggling to get
words out. “W-we’re supposed to talk because we
need to, we need to figure out our relationship.”

Growling low in his throat, Rueben rolled to his

knees, reached out to Lamar, and grabbed his
right thigh. Then, using his hold, Rueben yanked
Lamar. He tumbled to his backside and felt
himself slide along the grass. When he stopped, he
found himself between Rueben’s spread thighs.

“Rueben?” he gasped, staring up into his mate’s

glimmering green eyes.

“We did it your way last time, Lamar. Talking

first and fucking second, and this is where it got
us. This time, we do it my way.” A feral grin
spread across Rueben’s lips. “Talking is overrated.
I want your ass, Lamar.” With his free hand,
Rueben pulled a single use packet of lube and a
condom from his pocket. “I’ve waited too long to
have it again.”

“You…you want me, even though I bonded us

without permission? I didn’t mean to,” he added
quickly. “I just…I don’t know how it happened. It

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shouldn’t have happened. Can you ever forgive
me?”

Rueben released Lamar’s thigh, then rested a

hand on either side of his head, lowering his head
until they were only inches apart. “Lamar…that
was my fault. Admittedly, I didn’t realize my
actions bonded us, but it was still me. If anyone
should be asking forgiveness, it’s me.”

Lamar’s jaw popped open. It was my mate’s

fault? How could that be? “What?”

“But I’m not going to ask forgiveness. Do you

know why?” Rueben continued, as if Lamar
hadn’t spoken.

“Why? How? What?” Damn, he needed to get

his brain in gear and get past these one word
questions.

“Because it kept me from leaving,” Rueben

admitted. “I sat in a bar at the edge of town for a
good hour, Lamar, but somehow, I couldn’t get
myself to keep going.” He rested his forehead
against Lamar’s, peering deep into Lamar’s eyes.
“I had to come back, had to see you again. It
suddenly became more important than anything.”

“Oh,” he whispered. “Wow.” Rueben felt the

pull that strongly? Of course, he did. They were
mates.

“Yeah, wow,” Rueben murmured. “And now,

enough talking.”

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

Lamar didn’t have the option to respond.

Rueben captured his mouth, thrusting his tongue
into Lamar’s mouth. At first, Lamar tensed. They
were out in the open, even if shielded by the
woods. Anyone could stumble upon them.

Rueben’s hand slid down his shoulder, over his

chest, and plucked his nipple. Lamar moaned, his
back arching as he pushed into Rueben’s fingers
where they tugged and twisted the hardened nub.

Whimpering, Lamar sank into his mate’s touch.

His tension melted away as he wrapped one arm
around Rueben’s waist and the other around his
neck. He bucked his hips up, his hardened cock
rubbing against the crotch of Rueben’s jeans. The
rough fabric against his prick sent shudders
through his body.

Rueben plundered his mouth, thrusting his

tongue deep, licking his roof, sucking his tongue.
Lamar sank into the embrace, giving himself over
to his mate’s ministrations. As desire and lust
flooded Lamar, his cock oozed and dripped, and
he could think of nothing but getting his mate’s
dick in his ass. He wanted—needed—to feel that
connection.

“Please,” he begged. “Need you.”

Charlie Richards

Chapter Nine

is lover’s needy look nearly caused Rueben
to come in his pants. If the whole mate thing,

the pull he felt, the desire to touch, hold, even
possess, hadn’t been explained to him—by his
brother, of all people, in a little wayside bar near
the edge of town—he never would have
understood what the hell was going on with him.

“My lover,” Rueben crooned, releasing Lamar’s

nipple and getting back to his knees. He yanked
his t-shirt over his head and worked the fly of his
jeans, then shoved them and his briefs halfway
down his hips, allowing his rock-hard dick to
spring free.

Wrapping his hand around his shaft, Rueben

admired Lamar’s lean, compact body. He liked the
smaller man’s smooth, lightly tanned skin, his
hard dark nipples circled by tan areoles, and his
leanly muscled limbs. Rueben couldn’t wait to feel
Lamar’s pert ass clamping down on his cock.

But, first…

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

“Roll over, Lamar,” he ordered gruffly.
Lamar’s eyes widened, but after a second, he

scrambled to obey. Rueben didn’t bother trying to
stop his self-satisfied smile at seeing Lamar’s
quick response. Eyeing the firm flesh in front of
him, he reached out and rested his hand on
Lamar’s sides. Rueben gently stroked his palms
down and over his flank, then skimmed them
down and up his thighs until he palmed Lamar’s
ass cheeks.

Lamar shivered and shuddered under his

touch. His breath came in pants as his body
trembled. His skin goose bumped. Whimpering,
Lamar dropped to his elbows and arched his back,
raising his rear higher, presenting himself to
Rueben.

Humming with pleasure at the display, Rueben

took what his lover offered. He pulled Lamar’s
cheeks apart, giving him a better view of Lamar’s
winking tan hole. Without wasting a second,
Rueben leaned down and swiped his tongue over
Lamar’s entrance.

Gasping, Lamar mewled and shook.
“Like that, do you?” Rueben murmured. He

ducked further and bathed Lamar’s balls with his
tongue, nipping the wrinkled sack gently, then ran
his tongue up, over the man’s clenching muscle
again. “Well?” he urged, before diving back in to
suck and nibble, loosening his lover’s entrance.

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“Yes, yes, yes,” Lamar chanted, rocking back

against him.

Rueben thrust his tongue inside Lamar, bathing

his entrance in saliva inside and out. Lamar’s
words deteriorated into garbled non-sense as he
squirmed. Rueben slid a finger in alongside his
tongue, stretching his chute. After a few moments,
he added a second one.

Lifting his head, he stared down at his fingers

where they were clamped in tight, silky heat. He
pulled them halfway out, then pushed back in,
enjoying the view of his lover opening to him,
rocking back on his fingers, reveling in his touch.

“More, please,” Lamar pleaded, looking over

his shoulder at him with lust-filled eyes.

“Anything, babe.”
Rueben grabbed the condom and tore it open

with his teeth. Before he could get it rolled into
place, Lamar twisted under him. “No. No
condoms. Don’t need them.”

“You know I wasn’t a virgin, Lamar. I need to

be tested first,” he admitted.

Lamar snickered. “I never thought you were,

Rueben. But, as a shifter, I can’t catch any human
diseases. We’re safe with each other, and I—” He
paused and licked his lips, lowering his gaze to
peer up at him from under his lashes. “I’ve never
been with anyone without one. We’re already
bonded. I want to feel you.”

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

That certainly wasn’t what Rueben had

expected. “Really?” A grin curved his lips even as
he realized it sounded like they still had quite a
number of things to discuss.

Then, Lamar tightened around him. “Yeah.

Please, fuck me.”

Rueben groaned. “You ask so prettily,” he

whispered, pinching the base of his cock to keep
from coming. Everything else—explanations,
confessions, even plans for the future—could wait.
He needed to feel his dick in the tight gripping
heat of Lamar’s body.

After pouring a generous portion of the lube

onto his fingers, Rueben used the rest on his cock.
He tossed the packet aside, then rested his palm
on Lamar’s back. Sliding that hand over the knobs
of Lamar’s spine, Rueben slowly withdrew his
fingers and worked them back in.

Two fingers quickly became three. Lamar

rocked against them, rising his ass to meet each
thrust. Seeing his lover ready, Rueben eased his
fingers free. Lamar whimpered, lifting his hips,
trying to follow his touch.

Rueben rested his hands on Lamar’s hips,

stilling him. “Easy, sweet,” he crooned. “I’ll take
good care of you.”

Lamar nodded, trust filling his eyes as he

peered at Rueben over his shoulder.

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The sight filled Rueben’s chest with warmth,

flooding him with pride and…love. Geez, how can
that be? I hardly know him! Lamar’s whimper drew
him from his thoughts. He’d worry about it later.
Now, he’d please his lover.

Rueben lined up his shaft, bumping his

unsheathed cock head against Lamar’s stretched
opening. He’d never taken someone raw, and
hesitated just a second at the implications. Then,
Rueben realized, it was already too late. He was in
this to the end, no matter what.

That realization should have scared Rueben.

He’d experienced so much strangeness in so few
days. Instead, all he felt was excitement,
anticipation, as if a new chapter of his life was
starting.

Pressing forward, Rueben sank his dick into his

waiting lover. Warm constriction enveloped his
shaft. He groaned at the exquisite pressure, the
amazing sensation of heat and rippling muscle
surrounding him. He didn’t stop until he was
buried balls deep in the man underneath him.

“Lamar,” he groaned.

ueben lay over Lamar’s back. He wrapped
his arms around his lover’s torso and

rested his forehead against the top of his spine.
Shivering, Rueben rubbed his hands over Lamar’s
chest lightly, feeling his firm pecks and the ridges
of his abs.

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

Lamar shuddered under him. “Rueben,” he

murmured. He arched his back, pressing against
him more firmly. Clamping his ass muscles
rhythmically, Lamar milked his cock.

Grunting as waves of pleasure coursed through

him, Rueben could stay still no longer. “Lamar,”
he groaned. He pulled his dick out halfway then
slid it back in just as slowly. The ripple of his
lover’s chute around his dick tested his willpower.
It took everything in him not to begin rutting
mindlessly, plunging into the sexy man’s sweet
hole.

Rueben growled, low in his throat, the pleasure

loosening his tongue. “Mine,” he snarled. “You’re
mine. No one else will have you.”

“Yes, yours,” Lamar promised.
Grinning ferally at Lamar’s agreement, Rueben

slowly began to increase the speed of his thrusts.
His balls tightened. His skin prickled at the bliss of
repeatedly sinking into Lamar with nothing
between them.

With the strength of his arms, Rueben brought

Lamar up to a kneeling position. He lowered a
hand and gripped his lover’s cock in a tight hold.
Lamar whimpered at his touch, and his dick
flexed in his grip. As Rueben pushed forward
again and again, the move sent Lamar’s dick
through his fist, stripping his cock even as he
claimed his ass.

Charlie Richards

Rueben adjusted the angle of his thrusts until

Lamar jerked and cried out in his arms. Knowing
it wasn’t from pain, Rueben grinned and nipped at
the skin at the nape of Lamar’s neck. “Yeah, that’s
it. Show me how much you like it. Shout your
pleasure for all to hear.”

Lamar actually did as instructed. He actually

screamed, which sounded a lot like a bird’s
melodious twitter. Rueben grinned at the unusual
sounded that was—literally—music to his ears.
Leaning back farther, he took Lamar’s weight
against his chest. The twinge of his foot reminded
him of his injury, but it wasn’t enough to stop his
thrusting hips, or from clutching his lover against
him, holding him close.

Balls drawing tight to his body, Rueben knew

he was about to shoot. Sparks tingled up his spine,
threading through his limbs. His own nipples
beaded, pressing against Lamar’s back. Rueben
swept his hand up Lamar’s sweat-slicked chest
and flicked one of his distended nubs before
giving it a quick tug.

Gasping, Lamar roared, and it was a beautiful

sound. Lamar’s cock shot stream after stream of
seed, making his chute clench over and over on
Rueben’s shaft. Rueben let out a groan of his own.
His cock seemed to swell even further, and his
orgasm crashed over him.

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

Rueben held his lover tightly as his dick shot,

coating the smaller man’s rectum with burst after
burst of seed. Never had he bred another man,
and never would he have expected the
unimaginable pride flooding him at getting to fill
Lamar with his essence.

Humming with pleasure, Rueben nuzzled

Lamar’s neck. He stroked Lamar’s chest, neck, and
abs, loving the feel of his skin, while gently
milking the last of his lover’s cum from his dick.
Rueben refused to release Lamar, enjoying the
man’s trembles as much as the heady endorphins
pinging through his system.

“Mmm,” Rueben hummed. “Fantastic.”
“Fuck, the things you get me to do,” Lamar

mumbled, his head lolling on Rueben’s shoulder.

Grinning, Rueben gently cupped Lamar’s jaw

and tilted his head just a bit more so he could
press their lips together once, twice. “What?” he
teased. “You’ve never had sex outside before?”

“Hell, no,” Lamar grumbled, although a smile

toyed at the corners of his mouth. “Anyone could
stumble upon us,” he added ruefully.

“That is true,” Rueben commented, then he

smirked. “Especially with how you screamed.”

Charlie Richards

Chapter Ten

amar’s face flushed hot, then just as quickly,
the blood drained from it. “Oh, shit,” he

hissed. “We need to get dressed.”

“Hey, slow down,” Rueben soothed, holding

him in place with one hand on his hip while using
the other to gently stroke his neck.

Lamar sighed and allowed his head to once

again rest on Rueben’s shoulder. It felt so good to
have his neck stroked. It didn’t matter what form
he was in. “Okay,” he whispered. “Yeah, um—”
He breathed deeply and blew it out slowly.
“Damn, that feels good.”

“Oh, honey.” Rueben drew out the pet name

like a caress against his skin. “Erogenous zone,
huh?”

“Gods, yes,” he whimpered.
“I’ll remember that,” his lover assured, then

gently nipped his ear. “But, right now, we do need
to get cleaned up.”

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

Slowly, Rueben pulled his cock from Lamar’s

ass. Lamar grunted at the sensation. His lover
released him slowly, sliding his fingers along the
skin of his chest. Lamar grabbed his bag,
rummaged through, and found his dirty t-shirt.

“Here,” he whispered, turning around to face

his mate.

Rueben sat on his ass in the grass next to him,

his jeans still around his knees. Damn, my man’s
thighs are almost as big around as my waist! He liked
that thought—my man—and licked his lips, hoping
for the day when he could lick those thighs all the
way up to his balls. His breathing sped up just at
the idea.

“Lamar, don’t look at me like that unless you

want another round.”

His lover’s gruff voice brought Lamar back to

the present. “Um, no,” he muttered. Glancing at
Rueben from beneath his lashes, he added quickly,
“Not that I didn’t enjoy it.”

Winking, Rueben took the t-shirt, gave his now-

soft prick a quick swipe, then rolled back to his
knees, and pushed Lamar to his back. “Let me
take care of you, sexy, then we’ll get on our way.”

Lamar blushed, but didn’t object when Rueben

gently swiped the t-shirt over his cock, balls, and
ass. He sighed at the soft touch, his eyelids
drooping to half-mast. He bit his lip, fighting back
a whimper.

Charlie Richards

“There ya are, babe,” Rueben murmured,

pulling away.

“Thanks,”

Lamar

whispered,

fighting

embarrassment. Why did allowing his mate to
clean him feel more intimate than actually
fucking? He didn’t know, and couldn’t explain it,
but the care his lover showed warmed his heart.

Suddenly, Rueben wrapped his arms around

him and pulled him to his chest. He kissed him
soundly, sweeping his tongue deep into his mouth
before sucking it softly for several seconds. When
Rueben pulled back, he grinned down at Lamar.
“We’ll get used to each other,” Rueben assured.

Lamar nodded, giving him a smile. “Yeah, yeah

we will.” He had faith that they would, too. They
had all the time in the world now that they were
mated.

Now that hormones brought on by lust and

desire weren’t singing through his system,
swamping his good sense, Lamar cocked his head
and asked, “You said you knew how we mated.
That it was your fault.”

Rueben grimaced and blushed, his gaze

straying to the ground.

“Hey, I’m not blaming you. You didn’t know

what you were doing.” The fact that Rueben was
Ricky’s brother, and that they’d talked after he’d
left, suddenly nagged at him. “Did you?”

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

“No,” Rueben quickly denied. “I didn’t. I didn’t

even know you were a shifter until afterward.”

Lamar placed a hand on Rueben’s arm. “Hey, I

believe you. If you were lying, I’d be able to scent
it,” he admitted.

Rueben’s brows shot up. “You could?”
“Yeah,” he said, then waved his hand. “Now,

tell me what you think happened.”

“Well, actually, Sam figured it out when I came

to track you down this morning,” Rueben
explained. “He congratulated me when I arrived.
He asked about you, thought we’d been holed up
together.” Rueben grimaced while pulling his
jeans up his hips.

Lamar remembered his mate’s injury and

frowned. “Geez, you shouldn’t have put so much
exertion on your leg,” he said, worrying his mate
had aggravated his foot. “Are you sure you’re
okay?”

Rueben nodded. “Oddly enough, even with all

the exertion we’ve done, it’s been doing really well
the last few days.”

A thought niggled at his brain and Lamar’s

brows shot up. “Oh, that’s probably because we
mated. Bonding with me sped your healing
ability.”

“I’m sorry.” Rueben frowned. “Faster healing?”
“Guess Sam missed that part,” Lamar mused.

“You’re not completely human anymore either,

Charlie Richards

Rueben,” he explained. “My saliva and cum,
however the hell it got introduced into your
system, it changed your DNA. It’s why we have
our own pack doctor and nurse. We can’t go to a
regular hospital.

“Your bones are stronger now. Harder to break.

You won’t get standard colds or viruses. You’ll
heal faster, which means your break is probably
almost healed, since it’s been…” He tried to figure
it out quick in his head. It didn’t work. “Each day
is like a week in human terms,” he explained.
“You’d said you’d already healed for five weeks,
add the last three days, so that means a total of
eight weeks.” He nodded. “Another few days
you’ll probably be good as new. Better even.”

Rueben’s eyes were wide. “Wow, that’s…okay I

really like that part. Very nice.”

Lamar chuckled and grabbed his jeans, pulling

them on as he took in Rueben’s pleased look. As
the fabric scraped over his skin, he grimaced. What
I wouldn’t give for a shower. As a peacock, he
groomed himself often. Rolling around in human
form…that, he’d never done before.

Eyeing his lover, Lamar realized Rueben had

him doing a lot of things he’d never done before.
That would bare thinking about later…much later,
maybe when he could admit how much he liked
doing those things with his mate. “Okay, we’re off
track. How did we bond, again?”

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

Sighing, Rueben answered, “I played with my

ass when you were in the bathroom. It was the
same hand I’d used to play with the cum you’d
spayed across my chest.”

“Damn.” Lamar couldn’t hide his surprise.

“That’s…that’s unconventional.”

“Yeah, I, uh, I caught that from Sam.”
Lamar chuckled. “Okay, let’s get going.”
He helped his mate to his feet and handed him

his crutches. As they wandered out of the forest
and into the park, Lamar gratefully saw the park
was still empty.

Rueben gave him a cheeky grin and wink.

“Doesn’t look like we disturbed anyone.”

Flushing, Lamar nodded. When they reached

Rueben’s truck, Lamar realized they hadn’t
discussed where they were going from here. He
nibbled his lip, wondering how to ask.

Leaning against his truck, Rueben snaked his

strong arms around Lamar and pulled him to his
chest. “What are you thinking about so hard?”

“Just wondering where you think we’re going

from here,” he admitted. “The pack…they’re my
family. But you’re my mate.”

“I’d never make you choose me over your

family, Lamar,” Rueben assured. “I’m not that
guy.” He cupped Lamar’s jaw and tilted his head
so they were looking eye to eye. “I’d planned on
discussing it over dinner, but I can see you’ll just

Charlie Richards

100

worry and gnaw a hole in your lip if we wait until
then.” Gently, he used his thumb to tug Lamar’s
bottom lip from his teeth.

“From what you, my brother, and Sam have

said, returning to play hockey next season isn’t
going to be an option for me. My sudden
newfound speed and hardiness might raise
suspicion, and I know how important anonymity
is for you all.” Rueben smiled. “I plan to travel
with your gang. I’ve always wanted to learn to
ride a motorcycle. Figured I’d get to it after my
hockey career ended, and it seems that’s now.”

Lamar’s heart raced at his mate’s words, blown

away at his acceptance. “You’d drop everything
just like that?”

Rueben chuckled. “You’re worth it, Lamar. I

find I just might be falling in love with you.” He
winked. “I know I ruffle your feathers a bit with
my brazenness, but now you’re stuck with me.
You’ll just have to get used to it.”

“Wow,” Lamar whispered. “Thank you for not

running, for coming to find me, for giving us
another chance.” His throat closed and he
swallowed hard. He’d come so close to losing his
mate. Rueben was the strong one in this
relationship, and Lamar planned to do everything
in his power to keep his mate happy.

Lowering his head, Rueben planted a gentle

kiss to his lips. “Whatever you’re thinking, stop.

Ruffling the Peacock’s Feathers

101

There’s nothing to thank me for. We’re in this
together, and nothing makes me happier.”

“Gods above,” Lamar breathed. “I’m so close to

loving you, too, Rueben. You’re amazing.”

Rueben grinned. “Just you keep saying that

when I drag you out onto a rink and teach you to
skate. My little bird skating over the ice,” he
murmured, making it sound almost sensual as he
rubbed his nose along Lamar’s neck.

Wait, what? Ice? “You want me to what?”
Laughing, Rueben nipped his lower lip, then

claimed his mouth possessively. Instead of
answering, Rueben eased away and said, “Come
on. Let’s get back to the hotel. Something tells me
you’re dying for a shower.”

He really was, so he let it go. If teaching him to

ice skate would please his mate, Lamar would do
it. Besides, Yuma would love it. The penguin
shifter didn’t get to enjoy the cold nearly as much
as he tolerated the heat for the rest of them.

Lamar smiled, feeling lighter. It took him a

second to realize it was joy, expectation. He
looked forward to his future with his mate and all
they had to learn about each other.

“I look forward to it,” Lamar admitted, taking a

second to kiss his mate one more time before
stepping back.

Charlie Richards

102

“Good.” Rueben grinned cockily and glanced

over at Lamar’s bike. “And you’re gonna teach me
to ride that thing, right?”

“Fair trade,” Lamar agreed.
Rueben’s grin eased into something softer, his

expression filling with affection. “Drive safe,
Lamar.”

Feeling sappy and light and almost floaty,

Lamar nodded, then hustled to his bike. After
stowing his bag, Lamar pulled his phone from the
same saddlebag and spotted several messages.
One from Vail and one from Sam, both
congratulating him. Another was from Eli, asking
him if he needed him to check Rueben’s foot. The
final was from Kontra, telling him to check in as
soon as possible.

Lamar smiled, appreciating his makeshift

family’s well-wishes and concerns. As he followed
Rueben’s truck down the road, back toward the
motel, Lamar knew they had a lot to discuss, a lot
to figure out between them, but he loved that his
mate was willing to leave hockey for him.
Although, he really looked forward to learning to
ice skate—sweaty though that might be—Lamar
knew they’d have plenty of fun doing it.

He couldn’t wait to get started.

About the Author

Charlie lives on a mini ranchette in Utah with her
husband and furry, four-legged children. She
started writing fantasy when she was eight, and
after stumbling onto her first erotic romance at age
nineteen, she realized her true calling. She now
focuses on writing erotic romance, normally of the
paranormal variety, with heroes and heroines of
all kinds. You can often find her curled up with
her laptop and a cup of tea or glass of wine,
creating her next adventure. Charlie enjoys
exploring the mountains on horseback, 4-wheeler,
or motorcycle. Her favorite exercise is jumping
lessons with her Arabian gelding Apache or her
Thoroughbred mare Repo. And she can’t get
enough of sexy highlanders with their kilts and
swords. Right now, she and her muse are working
with dedication on her Wolves of Stone Ridge
series and Kontra’s Menagerie series.

She can be reached at
ch.richards2010@yahoo.com
Or visit her at www.charlie-richards.com

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