Trusting His Rat

Out of the Cage: The predator isn’t always the one
in charge…sometimes, it’s the prey.

Jamie Stratton has never had a serious relationship
in  his  life,  hopping  from  bed  to  bed,  waiting
patiently  for  his  mate.  Having  just  hit  the  three
hundred year old mark, the wolf shifter is ecstatic
to  meet  Paolo  Muccio.  He  and  Paolo  spend  one
glorious  night  together,  but  then  Jamie  learns  of
his  mate’s  kink.  Swamped  by  memories  he
thought  buried  centuries  ago,  Jamie  panics  and
runs.

Paolo can’t believe his luck. Not only did wolf

shifters rescue him, but when they take him back
to their pack territory, he meets his mate. The icing
on  the  cake,  though,  is  the  fact  that  Jamie  is
submissive.  In  his  excitement,  Paolo  pushes  too
hard  too  fast,  causing  his  mate  to  remember  past
hurts.  Can  Paolo  not  only  track  down  his
wayward mate, but prove to Jamie that he can be
trusted in all things?

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Trusting His Rat

ISBN: 978-1-77111-983-2

Cover art by Angela Waters

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Trusting His Rat

Wolves of Stone Ridge:

Book Twenty-Four

Charlie Richards

Chapter One

ey, you doing okay?”
Paolo Muccio turned away from watching

the  chaos  in  the  front  yard.  Remaining  where  he
leaned against the porch railing, his arms crossed
over his chest, he fixed his focus on Nick Greely.
The  sandy-haired  wolf  shifter  had  done  so  much
for  him  over  the  past  weeks,  as  had  the  man’s
partner, Miach Coleman.

“I’m fine,” Paolo immediately replied. He

offered the concerned male a wry smile. “Better
than, actually.”

Nick’s brows shot up. “Really? Why is that?

Don’t like poker, after all?” he teased, referring to
the fact that they hadn’t even made it inside wolf
shifter Yates Cruner’s house where they’d planned
to attend a poker party.

“Not quite,” Paolo quipped back.
Grinning, Paolo tilted his head toward a

slender, dark-haired male talking with a group of
men that Paolo didn’t know. As if feeling Paolo’s
gaze upon him, the man looked his way. The wolf
shifter’s eyes widened and his mouth opened just

“H

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a bit, his pink tongue peeking out as he swept it
over his plump bottom lip. The guy then flushed
and returned his attention to something one of the
other guys said.

“Ah, so that’s how it is. Even after all the

excitement, you still don’t plan to go home alone,
do you?” Nick teased. He punched Paolo lightly
on his upper arm. “Paolo, you dog.”

Paolo rumbled a low laugh, before replying,

“No, that would be you, Nick.” He returned his
focus to the wolf shifter. “I’m a rat, remember?”

Nick chuckled, then sobered, his brows

drawing together. “So, Jamie Stratton, huh? He’s a
sweet guy. Don’t hurt him.”

Instantly, Paolo’s brows shot up. Well, damn.

He’d  never  heard  Nick  be  protective  of  anyone
except  his  mate.  He  glanced  toward  the  man,
Jamie, and wondered about that. He wished he’d
had the opportunity to meet the shifter during the
course of a poker game, which was what he, Nick,
and  Miach  had  planned  for  the  evening  when
they’d hiked over from Nick and Miach’s home a
couple of miles away.

It’d been a nice night, and after being locked in

a  cage—for  what  he  now  knew  was  just  shy  of
eight  months—Paolo  had  relished  the  idea  of
being  out  in  nature.  He’d  convinced  Nick  and
Miach to hike through the woods. Good thing he
had, too. They’d heard a woman screaming and a

Trusting His Rat

man Paolo now knew was Yates Cruner, the
home’s owner, trying to calm her down.

When Paolo had drawn close enough to see the

porch  clearly,  he’d  spotted  the  gun  the  woman
waved.  He’d  acted  on  instinct  and  shifted.  It’d
only taken him a few seconds to turn into his rat
form.  Paolo  had  crawled  out  of  his  sweats  and
scampered across the yard and up the steps.

Paolo had climbed the neurotic woman’s leg.

His  actions  had  the  desired  effect,  for  she’d
freaked out further. Her screeching, hopping, and
kicking  had  given  the  others  time  to  disarm  her
and  take  her  down.  He  still  had  no  clue  what
she’d  been  ranting  about,  nor  did  he  particularly
care.

What he wanted now was the chance to get

Jamie  alone  and  find  out  just  how  mutual  their
attraction  was.  He’d  been  alone  a  long  time,  but
he’d  swear  he  felt  a  pull  to  mate  with  the  wolf
shifter. His spicy sweet scent had gone straight to
his cock and it’d taken every bit of self-control not
to  pop  wood  right  there,  naked,  in  front  of
everyone. Miach had brought him his clothes and
he’d dressed quickly, but by that time, Jamie had
run  into  the  house  and  retrieved  something  to
restrain  the  woman.  Then,  Alpha  Declan  had
arrived with a bunch of other wolf shifters and he
hadn’t had the chance to get close to Jamie again.

Now, cars were finally leaving and he hoped

his chance would come soon.

Charlie Richards

“I don’t have any intention of hurting Jamie,”

Paolo murmured, returning his focus to Nick. “I
want to lick every inch of his body and give him
several mind-blowing orgasms,” he stated bluntly.

Nick snorted, his cheeks pinking a bit at Paolo’s

bluntness. “Uh, I’m sure he’d appreciate that,” he
responded with a snicker.

Paolo chuckled roughly, trying to ignore the

plumping of his dick at his own thoughts. “I sure
hope so,” he murmured, returning his focus to
Jamie.

“Alpha Declan would like to speak with you

once more,” Miach stated, announcing his
presence. “It’ll just take a moment.” He winked.
“Then, we’ll introduce you to Jamie.”

More blood flowed south as an eagerness Paolo

hadn’t felt in years filled him. Meet Jamie? Hell
yeah! “Lead the way,” Paolo urged, pushing away
from the railing.

Miach led both Paolo and Nick to where Alpha

Declan stood with the pack beta, Shane, and the
pack enforcer, Carson.

“How the hell did Lidia get over here?” Shane

growled.

Carson sighed. “She not only swiped Lark’s

phone, but she took his keys, too,” the enforcer
admitted.

“That’ll teach us to leave our damn keys lying

about,” Declan grumbled.

Trusting His Rat

Shane shook his head. “Can’t expect to read

another’s mind.”

“Aye,” Declan grumbled, crossing his arms

over his chest. “Except, Digby told us she wasn’t
reconciling what happened to her very well. We
should have been more careful with that one.”

Paolo knew enough about the pack to know

that  Lark  was  Declan’s  mate.  He  also  knew  that
Digby  referenced  Doctor  Gordon  Digby,  a  shifter
working  in  town  as  a  psychologist.  Paolo  had
spoken to him a few times himself in reference to
his own recovery.

He still hadn’t been able to track down what

happened to his rat pack. All he remembered was
the  prick  of  a  dart,  injecting  him  with  some
unknown  substance.  That  had  been  when  he’d
been  out  enjoying  a romp  in  rat  form  with a  few
friends.  He’d  awoken  in  a  cage,  still  in  animal
form. Stuck, he’d been unable to shift as a couple
of unwitting humans used him as a lab rat.

He didn’t blame the humans, not anymore.

Hell, he’d been on his way to Yates’ place to play
poker with a bunch of guys, including the scientist
who’d held him, Edwin Aldridge. The human had
mated with Byron Ziegler, a wolf shifter from this
pack. He’d been the one who happened to
recognized Paolo for what he was and rescued
him.

“Paolo, thank ye for acting so quickly,” Alpha

Declan McIntire stated, pulling him from his

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thoughts. “Yer actions very well may have kept
everyone safe.”

Paolo nodded as he peered up at the head

shifter of the Stone Ridge wolf pack. He’d met the
big  African  American  male  once  before,  the  day
after  he’d  finally  shifted  out  of  his  rat  form.  If
Paolo  were  honest  with  himself,  once  human
again, he’d wondered if he’d ever get up the nerve
to shift back into his animal. This interaction had
proved  that  he  still  could,  and  without  trouble,
too.

“I just acted on instinct,” Paolo admitted as he

peered  up  at  the  alpha.  The  wolf  shifter  towered
over  Paolo’s  five  foot seven  inch  frame,  although
his  shoulders  were  just  about  as  broad  as  the  six
foot  three  inch  male.  He’d  been  called  stocky,
thickset, even sturdy, and stout. As a rat shifter, a
small  animal,  his  human  form  reflected  that.
However, that  had never made him weak,  which
made  him  uncomfortable  to  admit  the  next  part.
Still,  he’d  never  been  one  to  lie,  even  to  himself.
“I’m just glad I can shift again without concern. I
hadn’t  changed  into  a  rat  since—”  He  grimaced
and cut off his words. “You know.”

“I can’t imagine what ye went through,” Declan

murmured,  lowering  his  voice.  “But  yer  services
to  me  pack  members  will  not  go  unrewarded.
Ye’re  welcome  in  me  territory  for  as  long  as  ye
like.”

Trusting His Rat

“My thanks,” Paolo immediately replied. “I’m

still trying to track down my friends.”

Declan nodded. “We’ll help in any way we

can.” He pointed over his shoulder at Carson and
said, “When ye’re ready, talk to Carson’s mate,
Jared. He and his buddy, Raul, are pretty tech
savvy. They may be able to help.”

A ripple of awareness rolled through Paolo,

pulling  his  attention  away  from  Declan.  “I’d
appreciate  that,”  he  commented  absently  as  his
gaze  returned  to  the  house.  He  spotted  Jamie  on
the  porch,  one  lean  hip  resting  on  the  railing.  In
form-fitting  blue  jeans  and  a  casual  black  t-shirt,
the  wolf  shifter  was  the  sexiest  thing  Paolo  had
ever seen.

Humming, Declan must have followed Paolo’s

gaze, for he said, “Jamie’s a good man. A little
skittish. Be careful with that one.”

Paolo recognized both a warning and an

acceptance from the alpha. Knowing he had to be
just as forward, he returned his focus to the alpha
and stated softly, “I mean him no harm. I think
he’s my mate.”

Declan’s eyes narrowed. “Think?”
“I’ve had a lot of tests done on me and there

were a lot of scents from a lot of people on that
porch.” Paolo grimaced, then admitted, “I’m still
having a hard time trusting my senses.”

Charlie Richards

Nodding, Declan patted his shoulder. “Just be

careful, then. Let me know once ye know for
certain.”

Paolo nodded. “I will.” He understood an

alpha’s need to take care of his people.

“Go talk to him,” Nick urged. “I’ll say our

good-byes to our hosts.”

Snorting, Paolo started toward the porch even

as he said, “You mean the ones I haven’t met,
yet?”

“Yep, that’d be them,” Nick quipped back. “If

we don’t see you on the porch in thirty minutes,
we’ll assume you’re not walking back to the house
with us.” He winked, then strode past him, up the
porch, and into the house.

Miach followed Nick, offering Paolo an

encouraging smile as he moved past him.

Paolo paused on the porch, watching the door

close.  Then,  he  turned  left  and  made  his  way
slowly  toward  the  other  shifter.  Drawing  closer,
he realized the man stood a couple of inches taller
than  him,  but  had  a  far  leaner  frame,  a  classic
runner’s  build.  The  closer  he  drew,  the  heavier
Jamie’s  spicy  scent  became.  By  the  time  Paolo
stopped  before  the  wolf  shifter,  Paolo’s  dick  had
become ramrod straight and he knew if he looked
down,  he’d  see  that  he  tented  his  sweats
obscenely.

Definitely my mate.

Trusting His Rat

Jamie pushed away from the railing, then

rocked his weight from foot to foot, giving away
his nerves. His hands twitched at his sides, as if he
weren’t certain what to do with his arms. He kept
his head bowed enough that, even though he was
taller, Jamie had to peer through his lashes to look
at Paolo.

Wishing to set the other man’s mind at ease—

and desperately wanting an excuse to touch him—
Paolo held out his right hand. “I’m Paolo Muccio.
Jamie, right?”

Jamie nodded slowly, then reached out and

took his hand. “Jamie Stratton.”

Paolo shivered at the nearly whispered words,

the melodious lightly accented tenor making his
balls tingle. Hot damn, he needed. It’d been…hell,
it’d been over a year since he’d even bothered
with a one-night stand.

Needing to confirm that Jamie felt the same,

Paolo  rumbled  softly,  “You’re  my  mate,  Jamie.”
He  tightened  his  grip  on  the  wolf’s  hand  and
tugged  lightly,  bringing  him  a  shuffling  step
closer.  With  his  free  hand,  Paolo  cupped  Jamie’s
jaw  and  urged  him  to  tip  his  head  up  enough  so
he  could  peer  into  the  shifter’s  dark  brown  eyes.
“You know that. Don’t you?”

After Paolo watched Jamie’s Adam’s apple bob,

the other shifter whispered, “Aye.”

“Good,” Paolo responded. Deciding to go for

blunt, he laid it all out on the line for the other

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man. “I’m a rat shifter, Jamie, and I spent the last
eight months trapped in animal form. I’m a little
rusty at interacting with others, so if I botch
something up, it’s not intentional.”

Jamie nodded slowly. “I heard.”
That was good, Paolo decided. That meant his

mate  might  understand  his  next  statement.  “It’s
been  a  while  since  I  had  sex,  Jamie,”  he  warned.
“Just your voice and scent has me hard enough to
pound  nails.  I’d  love  to  find  the  nearest  flat
surface  and  drive  us  both  out  of  our  minds.
However,”  he  added.  “I  won’t  take  you  until
you’re ready, however long that is.”

When Jamie’s tongue flicked out to swipe

slowly along his plump bottom lip, Paolo tracked
the movement with his gaze. He just managed to
hold in a groan. Feeling a bead of pre-cum ooze
from his dick, Paolo couldn’t quite hide the hitch
in his breathing.

Jamie smiled shyly. “Ye’re, uh, ye’re staying at

Nick’s?”

“I am,” Paolo confirmed. That wouldn’t stop

him  from  being  presumptuous  enough  to  ask
Yates  Cruner,  owner  of  the  home,  for  lube.  The
man was mated to a dingo shifter, so he was sure
to have plenty lying around the house. Hell, Paolo
would  easily  admit—at  least  to  himself—that  he
was that desperate.

Trusting His Rat

“Would ye like to come back to my house?”

Jamie asked tentatively. “We could, perhaps, take
the edge off before we talk?”

Paolo felt his nostrils flare as he took in the pink

hue darkening Jamie’s cheeks. He wanted to know
how far down that blush went. Would it cover the
man’s chest? Were his nipples beaded?

“That sounds like a fantastic plan, Jamie,” Paolo

agreed. Still, there was something he wanted,
needed to do first. Paolo released Jamie’s hand, but
before he could draw away, he tightened his hold
on the wolf shifter’s jaw. “Come here,” he urged,
slipping his now free right hand around Jamie’s
waist and pulling the man toward him.

Jamie obviously hadn’t been expecting that, for

he  stumbled  as  he  closed  the  distance  between
them.  Gasping,  the  man’s  free  hand  landed  on
Paolo’s  chest,  their  faces  inches  apart.  As  Jamie
stared  into  Paolo’s  eyes,  he  watched  as  the  wolf
shifter’s eyes quickly dilated.

Feeling his mate’s body against his own for the

first  time,  Paolo  rumbled  a  low  growl.  Jamie’s
panting breaths sent  warm puffs against his face.
Taking  advantage  of  Jamie’s  obvious  surprise,
Paolo  slid  his  left  hand  from  Jamie’s  jaw  to  his
nape  and  exerted  pressure.  Jamie  gave  in  easily,
lowering his head the scant inch or two needed to
close the distance between them.

Paolo settled his lips over Jamie’s and sucked

lightly on the wolf’s bottom lip. After a couple of

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gentle  pulls,  he  settled  his  lips  more  firmly  over
his  mate’s  and  swiped  his  tongue  across  the
bottom  lip  he’d  just  sucked.  Jamie  responded  by
letting out a soft whine. Paolo took advantage and
thrust his tongue in deep.

Upon tasting Jamie for the first time, Paolo

groaned.  Spicy,  musky,  male  goodness  exploded
across his tongue, making his taste buds sing. He
tightened  his  grip  on  Jamie’s  nape  and  tilted  his
head,  aligning  their  mouths  more  fully.  He
deepened  their  kiss,  swiping  his  tongue  against
Jamie’s, swishing it around his mate’s mouth as he
reveled in his taste.

His grip tightened around Jamie’s body, feeling

the hard planes of the man’s chest pressed against
his own. He felt the wolf shifter’s slender erection
press into his lower abs, making his own shaft
throb as he pressed it into the groove of Jamie’s
thigh.

More, need more.
The sound of laughter and good-byes reminded

Paolo of where they were. He eased the kiss to an
end, although hearing Jamie’s whimper of protest
as he drew away nearly broke his self-control.

Sliding his left hand up into Jamie’s thick

brown hair, Paolo gripped the strands lightly and
held him steady. “Take me to your home, mate.”

Need shone brightly in Jamie’s eyes as he stared

back at Paolo, peering at him with dilated brown
eyes. He blinked once, then agreed. “Aye, please.”

Trusting His Rat

With far more self-control than he realized he

still had, Paolo eased his grip and released Jamie.
He took a step backward. A smile toyed at his lips
as he lightly ordered, “Lead the way.”

Charlie Richards

Chapter Two

amie took a few seconds to peer at Paolo out of
the corner of his eye as he slowed his vehicle

before a stop sign. Paolo turned and leveled a feral
smile at him just as Jamie clamped more fully on
the brake. He froze and the car jerked to a stop,
causing the seatbelt to dig into his shoulder.

Heat flooded across Jamie’s chest, up his neck,

and spread over his cheeks. “Sorry,” he mumbled.
He returned his focus to the road, pressing on the
gas. Just as suddenly, he spotted the vehicle in the
intersection and slammed his foot back onto the
break. “Shite.”

Paolo leaned over and lightly gripped his right

wrist.  With  a  gentle  tug,  he  pulled  Jamie’s  hand
from  the  wheel.  Cupping  his  hand  in  both  of  his
own,  Paolo  used  his  thumbs  to  knead  Jamie’s
palm.

The impromptu massage sent blood flowing

south and Jamie wondered how he had any blood
left in his head. Surely, it was all in his aching
cock, which pressed insistently against the zipper

Trusting His Rat

of his fly. Jamie swallowed hard as he glanced
from his hand where the other shifter held him
before focusing on Paolo.

Jamie swept his gaze over the other shifter’s

dark-haired, goateed face. His dark eyes gleamed
in the moonlight and a smile tugged at the corners
of his thin lips. “Easy, sweet man,” Paolo rumbled
softly. He gently massaged Jamie’s hand between
his own as he assured, “We’re not in any rush.”

“Speak for yerself,” Jamie blurted, then his face

heated with embarrassment at his admission.

Paolo chuckled roughly. “Settle, my mate.

Better to get us home safely than risk injury to
you.” He brought Jamie’s hand to his mouth and
kissed the palm. “We wouldn’t want any
unnecessary delays due to rushing, would we?”

While it could have been a question, Jamie

knew it wasn’t. His natural inclination to submit
surged through him and he nodded. “Aye.”

“Good,” Paolo murmured. He released Jamie’s

hand. “Drive, Jamie.”

At the softly spoken yet clear command from

Paolo, Jamie nodded and straightened in his seat.
He  refocused  on  the  road  and  got  them  back
under  way.  After  fifteen  minutes  of  navigating
dark, windy  roads, Jamie turned his  jeep into his
driveway.  He  hit  the  button  for  the  garage  door
opener,  blinked  against  the  sudden  onslaught  of
light, and parked his vehicle inside the space.

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Jamie slid from the vehicle and closed the door

as a ripple of nerves flooded him. He’d never had
a  relationship  before,  instead  choosing  either  to
hop  from  bed  to  bed  or  to  find  humans  who
enjoyed  being  friends-with-benefits.  Now,  he
wondered  if  that  might  come  to  bite  him  in  the
arse.  What  would  it  take  to  mesh  his  life  with
another shifter’s life? What would Paolo expect of
him?

Suddenly, Paolo appeared at his side, telling

Jamie he must have been standing there far longer
than he thought. The other shifter took his right
hand with his left, then cupped his jaw with his
own right.

“I can scent your unease,” Paolo murmured

softly. “Your nerves are fighting with your desire.
Come inside and allow me to relax you.”

Paolo’s deep voice coupled with his quiet,

assured statements calmed Jamie’s nerves. He
nodded. “Okay.”

Cocking his head, Paolo stared at him with

narrowed  eyes  for  a  second,  his  expression
unreadable. Then, his lips curved into a smile that
could  only  be  described  as  pleased,  and  he  led
Jamie  to  the  door.  When  he  reached  it,  Paolo
pointed  and  softly  ordered,  “Open  the  door  and
invite me inside, sweet wolf.”

Jamie nodded, eagerness filling him, replacing

his nerves. He flipped through his keys, found the
right one, and unlocked the door. Seconds later,

Trusting His Rat

Jamie eagerly led his mate into his mudroom.
After kicking off his sneakers—noting Paolo did
the same—Jamie led the way into the kitchen.

“Can I get ye anything? A drink, perhaps?”

Jamie asked, pausing to turn and look at his mate.

“A glass of water would be fantastic,” Paolo

replied.

Nodding, Jamie crossed to the cupboard and

pulled  down  a  glass.  He  stepped  to  the
refrigerator  and  pressed  the  glass  against  the
water  dispenser.  As  the  glass  filled,  Jamie  took  a
moment to sweep his gaze over his mate.

Hot damn! I’ve met my mate!
Jamie had been waiting for this one man for

over three centuries. He noted Paolo’s short, thick
stature,  his  broad  chest  with  thick  chest  hair
peeking up from the top of the white wife beater
he wore. Jamie knew that the rat shifter had been
trapped  and  caged  for  months—eight,  according
to  Paolo’s  own  admission—but  he  still  sported
heavily muscled arms and a confidence that called
to Jamie.

Icy water hitting his fingers yanked Jamie back

to  his  task  of  getting  Paolo  a  glass  of  water…a
glass  of  water,  which  now  overflowed,  hence  the
water  on  his  fingers.  Heat  flushed  his  neck  and
cheeks  as  he  jerked  the  glass  away  from  the
dispenser, spilling even more.

Damn, my mate is gonna think I’m a spaz!

Charlie Richards

“Sorry,” Jamie mumbled, heat infusing his

face…again. He couldn’t meet Paolo’s gaze as he
stretched out his arm and offered the shifter the
beverage. “Here.”

Paolo took the glass. “Thank you,” he rumbled

softly.

Jamie fought back a shiver upon hearing his

mate’s deep voice. He’d been shocked the first
time he’d heard it, when Paolo had greeted him on
the deck that first time. He’d watched in shock as
the rat that had distracted Lidia had shifted into a
thickset, bronze-skinned male.

Then again, it shouldn’t have come as such a

shock  that  such  a  melodious  bass  came  from  the
shorter  man’s  big,  barrel  of  a  chest.  The
unmistakable  look  of  lust  in  the  man’s  dark  eyes
had  taken  Jamie’s  breath  away,  the  scent  of  the
man causing his cock to nearly break through the
zipper of his jeans’ crotch, then upon hearing the
shifter’s greeting of hello, beautiful in his deep bass,
his balls had pulled tight, almost making him spill
untouched in his jeans.

However, the most embarrassing part had been

when Jamie blurted, “I’m having a really odd urge
to scratch everyone’s eyes out.” Then, he’d
demanded, “You need clothes.”

Fortunately, the shifter hadn’t been offended

and had actually rumbled a deep laugh. To
Jamie’s relief, Paolo had gotten dressed. While the
rat shifter had done that, Jamie had fled like the

Trusting His Rat

scared submissive he was and ran into the house
to get zip ties to truss up the now subdued human
female.

“Jamie.”
Starting upon hearing his name in Paolo’s

deeply crooned voice, Jamie’s eyes widened. “Um,
aye?”

Paolo swept his gaze over Jamie once, twice,

then set his now nearly empty glass on the counter
and  closed  the  gap  between  them.  “You  spend  a
lot  of  time  in  your  head,  don’t  you,  sweet  wolf.”
As  he  spoke,  he  reached  out  and  cupped  Jamie’s
jaw with both of his hands.

Staring into Paolo’s deep, dark eyes, Jamie

could  do  nothing  but  nod.  It  was  true.  When
young,  he’d  said  anything  that  popped  into  his
head.  Then,  he’d  been—  He  pushed  those
thoughts aside, wanting the past to stay just that,
in the past. Either way, he’d learned the hard way
how  to  keep  his  mouth  shut.  Better  just  to  listen
than face ridicule for saying something stupid.

“Ah, Jamie,” Paolo murmured. “You’re doing it

again.”

Jamie grimaced. “Sorry,” he whispered.
“Don’t worry,” Paolo soothed. He smiled, his

eyes seeming to spark with something Jamie
couldn’t hope to understand. “It seems I’ll need to
find a way to get you focused. Show me to your
bedroom, Jamie.”

Charlie Richards

Sucking in a harsh breath at Paolo’s words,

Jamie’s  eyes  widened.  He  didn’t  know  how  the
other shifter knew about his desire to be ordered
about,  but  he  couldn’t  deny  his  urges.  Not  with
his  dick  hard  as  steel  in  his  jeans  and  his  blood
already singing through his veins.

“Now.”
Jamie nodded in Paolo’s grip, and the shifter

released  him.  Even  as  he  mentally  bemoaned  the
loss of his mate’s touch, Jamie turned and headed
around the island that separated the kitchen from
the dining room and entertainment area. Although
small, Jamie loved the open concept of his home,
which  made  it  easy  for  him  to  host  small  get-
togethers  with  his  friends.  He  loved  baking  and
serving  snacks  while  still  being  able  to  chat  with
his guests.

I hope Paolo will like my friends.
Paolo touched the back of his neck, gaining his

attention. Jamie glanced over his shoulder at him
and—upon  seeing  the  slightly  shorter  shifter’s
indulgent  smile—he  realized  he’d  paused  at  the
opening  of  the  hallway.  He’d  been  sweeping  his
gaze over his home as his thoughts ran away with
him.

“The bedroom,” Paolo reminded him.
“Aye, right, sorry,” Jamie mumbled, getting his

feet moving again.

Paolo followed close behind, his hand

remaining on the back of Jamie’s neck. Liking the

Trusting His Rat

feel of his mate’s hand on him, Jamie tilted his
head just a bit, pressing into the hold.

Rumbling softly, Paolo expressed his obvious

approval.

Jamie smiled, liking that he’d pleased his

mate…especially  after  all  his  ridiculous,  nervous
ticks  he’d  displayed  over  the  last  little  while.  He
opened his bedroom door and led the way inside.
Finally,  the  hand  slipped  from  his  neck,  right
before  he  heard  the  bedroom  door  close  behind
him.

Glancing over his shoulder, Jamie watched

Paolo move around the room. The rat shifter must
have been using the moonlight to navigate, for he
didn’t  bother  turning  on  the  overhead  light.
Instead, he crossed to the corner on the left, where
Jamie had a reading nook set up, complete with a
large,  cushioned  chair  next  to  a  pillow,  and
blanket-strewn window seat. Between them stood
a  small,  round  table,  which  currently  held  two
paperbacks  and  Jamie’s  E-reader.  Behind  that,
tucked in the corner, stood a tall floor lamp, which
would  illuminate  either  the  window  seat  or  the
large  chair,  making  it  easy  for  Jamie  to  curl  up
wherever he wanted.

Paolo flipped on the reading lamp, casting the

far side of the room, which included the bed, in
soft mellow light. After eyeing Jamie for a second,
Paolo tugged his wife beater over his head, folded
it, and placed it on the window seat. He tucked his

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thumbs into the waistband of the sweats, paused,
and  offered  Jamie  a  lascivious  wink.  Then,  he
pushed the fabric forward and down, allowing his
long,  thick  erection  to  slap  against  his  belly.  He
removed  and  folded  the  sweats,  too,  placing  it
with his t-shirt.

Seconds later, Jamie stared, wide-eyed, at a

gloriously  naked  Paolo.  The  man  stood
confidently  with  his  thickly  muscled  legs  braced
hip-distant  apart.  He  appeared  comfortable  and
relaxed  as  he  gripped  his  own  dick  and  slowly
stroked it.

“Are you ready to take the edge off, Jamie?”
Jamie couldn’t stop the whine of need from

escaping,  feeling  as  if  it  was  ripped  from  his
throat.  His  gaze  remained  riveted  on  Paolo,
somehow managing to watch both the man’s hand
on  his  dick  as  well  as  his  face.  Jamie  took  in  the
smug satisfaction on Paolo’s face and watched as
his lips curved into a feral grin.

“Use your words, Jamie,” Paolo ordered.
Paolo swiped his thumb over his dick’s head,

rubbing the moisture over his glans. That one
move caused Jamie’s mouth to go dry, making it
even harder for him to find his voice. Still, Jamie’s
instinctual need to obey had him swallowing hard
and forcing words from his throat.

“Aye, please.”
“Good.” Paolo released himself, then turned

and settled on the cushy chair. “Come here.”

Trusting His Rat

Jamie moved without conscious decision, his

gaze riveted on the sight before him. While Jamie
normally  curled  up  on  the  seat,  his  legs  tucked
under  him  with  a  blanket  around  him,  Paolo
sprawled.  He  spread  his  legs  wide,  relaxing  his
arms  on  the  rests,  showing  off  his  thickly  built
body,  everything  on  display,  including  his  dick,
which  jutted  obscenely  from  a  bed  of  thick,  dark
curls.  Jamie  unconsciously  licked  his  lips  as  he
moved toward his sexy mate.

Once Jamie stood in front of Paolo, his mate

motioned  with  one  hand,  pointing  at  his  chest,
then the window seat and his own folded clothes.
Paolo  made  his  desire  clear—lose  the  shirt.  Jamie
reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it from
his jeans. He yanked it over his head and felt his
nipples  bead,  but  he  wasn’t  certain  if  the  cause
was  from  Paolo’s  intense  stare  or  the  cool
bedroom air.

Jamie almost dropped his shirt onto the floor,

but  the  narrowing  of  his  mate’s  eyes  stayed  his
action.  Instead,  he  folded  it  and  set  it  on  the
window  seat  beside  Paolo’s  clothes.  The  pleased
smile  on  Paolo’s  face  sent  a  fresh  surge  of  blood
down south, making him ache.

Except, when Jamie reached for his belt buckle,

Paolo finally moved. Quick as lightning, he leaned
forward, and gripped both of Jamie’s wrists, one
in each hand. “Allow me,” Paolo demanded
gruffly.

Charlie Richards

Nibbling his lower lip, Jamie nodded. Paolo

released his wrists and reached for Jamie’s waist,
sinking his fingertips under the band and tickling
the sensitive skin of his hips. Jamie gasped, his
fingers twitching where he’d lowered his hands to
his sides.

Jamie just managed to keep himself from

rocking from foot to foot. Still, he knew his scent
betrayed  his  nerves,  for  Paolo  smiled  up  as  he
gently  rubbed  his  blunt  fingernails  along  his  still
hidden  skin.  “Don’t  worry,  sweet  wolf,”  he
crooned.  “I’ll  take  very  good  care  of  you.”  Then,
he winked and lowered one hand to Jamie’s groin,
cupping  his  erection  through  the  fabric.  “And  of
this, too.”

Groaning at the pressure Paolo applied to his

dick, Jamie’s hips bucked. “O-Okay,” he gasped.

“Now, then,” Paolo murmured, returning his

focus to Jamie’s groin. “Let’s make you a little
more comfortable, hmm?”

“Aye, please.” Jamie ached and certainly wasn’t

above begging.

Paolo growled softly at his words. He wasted

no  time  releasing  each  tab  of  Jamie’s  button  fly
jeans.  His  cock  sprang  from  between  the  flaps,
hard  and  ready.  Jamie  couldn’t  stop  his  moan  of
relief.  Then,  Paolo  leaned  forward,  stuck  out  his
tongue,  and  swiped  the  bead  of  pre-cum  that
oozed from his slit.

Trusting His Rat

“P-Paolo,” Jamie groaned through clenched

teeth. He struggled against the urge to thrust as
his balls rolled in their sacks.

Straightening, Paolo grinned up at Jamie.

“Couldn’t resist,” he admitted. Then, he told him,
“You taste delicious, sweet mate.”

Jamie whimpered, his cock jerking at his soon-

to-be lover’s rumbled words. A moan burst from
his throat when next Paolo reached into his jeans
and cupped his balls. He gently eased them from
the confines of his crotch and settled them into the
groove of the fly. Then, he reached back up and
refastened the top button of his pants, making the
fly cup his genitals, thrusting them forward.

Staring at his cock and balls, Jamie’s breath

hitched  upon  seeing  how  his  jeans  encased  him.
He  stared  in  shock  as  Paolo  gently  fondled  his
exposed  testicles  with  just  the  tips  of  his
forefingers.  The  light  touch  sent  tingles  up  his
scrotum,  causing  another  dollop  of  pre-cum  to
ooze from him.

Paolo slid his fingertips along the thick vein

that ran up the base of his shaft. He paused to
massage the wrinkled skin under his cap, causing
his foreskin to slide the rest of the way back from
his head. Humming, Paolo rubbed his thumb over
his glans, massaging his pre-cum into his cap.

Jamie gaped, panting harshly as he watched

Paolo touch him. His dick jerked and twitched at
the attention, completely beyond his control. He

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could feel his balls attempt to pull tighter to his
body, hindered by his partially buttoned fly.

“P-Paolo,” he whined. “Please.”
Lifting his focus to Jamie’s face, Paolo pulled

his hand away. “Kneel,” he ordered.

Lowering to his knees, Jamie quickly complied.
“Place your hands behind your back,” Paolo

ordered, sliding forward in his seat until he
balanced on the edge.

Again, Jamie obeyed.
“Good,” Paolo murmured, the gleam in his eyes

expressing  his  pleasure.  He  reached  out  and
cupped  Jamie’s  jaw,  rubbing  his  thumb  lightly
over  Jamie’s  lips.  Jamie  opened,  allowing  him  to
dip inside and rub his tongue. “So responsive.”

Jamie shivered. His nipples tingled, begging for

attention, and he tightened his hold on his left
wrist where he gripped it behind his back with his
right hand. Instead, he sucked lightly on Paolo’s
thumb in his mouth.

Paolo growled softly. “Mmm,” he rumbled.

“Now, I’m gonna feel that on my dick. Lean over
and suck me, Jamie.” Pulling his thumb from
Jamie’s mouth, Paolo slid his hand around to his
nape. With his other hand, he gripped the armrest,
his knuckles turning white with his tight grip.

Following the pressure exerted by Paolo’s hand

on the back of his neck, Jamie obeyed. He leaned
forward, eyeing the thick erection jutting from his
mate’s groin. Guessing Paolo’s length at over

Trusting His Rat

seven  inches,  and  with  a  healthy  girth,  Jamie
thought  Paolo  large  for  a  man  his  height.  He
imagined  his  mate  would  make  a  perfect
mouthful.

Jamie opened eagerly and gave in to Paolo’s

urgings. He wrapped his lips around the wet head
of his mate’s cock, quickly swiping his tongue
over and around the head. Swallowing the beads
of pre-cum, Jamie moaned softly at the exquisite,
salty flavor of his mate.

After sucking strongly on just the cap for a

moment, Jamie sank deeper. He took Paolo’s stalk
into his mouth to the root. Burying his face in his
mate’s thick pubes, he inhaled deeply, drawing his
lover’s heavy, masculine musk into his lungs.
Jamie hummed at the heady scent.

Paolo grunted above him.
The urge to get his mate off, to please him,

surged  through  Jamie.  Paolo  had  said  he  hadn’t
had sex in a long time, and Jamie wanted to make
this worth his mate’s wait. Tilting his head, Jamie
adjusted his neck’s angle and lodged Paolo’s cock
head  into  his  throat.  He  swallowed  once,  twice,
three times, before the need to breathe forced him
to  back  off.  He  sucked  strongly  as  he  lifted  his
head. Then, Jamie took a deep breath and did it all
again.

“Yes,” Paolo growled. “Just like that.”
Jamie felt Paolo’s grip slide away from his nape.

Paolo threaded his fingers through Jamie’s hair,

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gripping the strands loosely. Upon feeling the new
hold, Jamie’s balls rolled  in their  sacks, aching  as
they  forced  their  way  closer  to  his  body  around
the  fabric  encasing  them.  Jamie’s  blood  pounded
in  his  veins,  flowing  south,  and  his  dick  became
just  that  much  harder.  Reveling  at  Paolo’s
controlling  hold,  knowing  Paolo  controlled  his
head…controlled  him,  Jamie’s  head  swam  in  the
best way possible.

Suddenly, Paolo roared. His grip on Jamie’s

hair  tightened  and  pulled,  yanking  Jamie’s  head
back  and  his  mouth  off  his  cock.  Paolo’s  dick
bobbed  and  jerked  a  couple  inches  from  his
mouth.  The  rat  shifter’s  cock  erupted,  spurting
streams of seed through the air toward him.

Jamie’s lids lowered to half-mast as soon as he

felt  the  first  hot  splash  hit  his  cheek.  Jamie  felt
bliss that was even better than an orgasm pinging
through  his  system  upon  feeling  Paolo  marking
him.  He  floated  upon  the  knowledge  that  he’d
done this, caused his lover such pleasure, and his
head  swam  with  the  satisfaction  that  his  mate
marked him, even externally.

Trusting His Rat

Chapter Three

aolo peered down with satisfaction, not only
because he marked Jamie, but due to how his

mate reacted to that. Jamie gave up control so
beautifully. There were so many things Paolo
looked forward to doing with, doing to, his mate.

His dick spurted one last stream of seed at

those thoughts. The dollop landed on Jamie’s still
parted lips, and Paolo smiled when Jamie began to
slide his tongue out to taste, then stopped himself.
Oh, yes, his mate was so sexy in his submission.

Releasing his left hand’s hold on the chair’s

arm, Paolo  reached forward and scooped up that
glob  of  semen.  A  fresh  wave  of  arousal  flooded
through  his  veins  when  Jamie’s  dilated  eyes
riveted on his finger and a soft whimper escaped
the wolf shifter’s throat. Paolo gave Jamie what he
wanted  and  slid  his  forefinger  into  his  mate’s
mouth.

Jamie licked at his finger eagerly, moaning and

sighing as he swallowed Paolo’s seed. Slowly,
keeping his hold on his lover’s hair, Paolo cleaned

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Jamie’s face. He enjoyed the looks and hums of
pleasure that passed over Jamie’s face as he fed
him every last drop.

Finally, the only way to get Jamie’s face any

cleaner was with a cloth—which Paolo had every
intention of doing shortly—and Paolo eased his
hold on Jamie’s hair. He massaged the tendons at
the back of his neck.

Leaning forward, he rested his left hand on

Jamie’s  shoulder  and  urged  him  to  rock  back  on
his shins. The new position caused his mate’s abs
to clench as he balanced, his arms still held behind
his  back.  Paolo  admired  the  lean  lines  of  Jamie’s
runner’s  build.  Paolo  couldn’t  wait  to  suck  up
marks and place love bites on his mate’s smooth,
unblemished skin.

Paolo’s gaze strayed down to Jamie’s straining

cock.  The  wolf’s  long,  lean  erection  jutted  from
between the flaps of his fly. The red hue coloring
his balls matched beautifully to the broad, flushed
cap  of  his  cock.  Jamie’s  foreskin  had  pulled  back
fully,  exposing  his  wide  slit  and  the  gleam  of
translucent fluid beading on top of it.

Swallowing hard, Paolo remembered the

delicious taste of his mate and he wanted more.
He growled low in his throat as he traced his left
hand down Jamie’s chest, being sure to flick his
right nipple, and straight down to his lover’s cock
head.

Trusting His Rat

As he swiped his forefingers over Jamie’s

gleaming head, Paolo grinned with satisfaction at
how his mate’s dick twitched. Jamie’s cock seemed
to wave at him, begging for more contact. After he
sucked his mate’s sweet fluid from his finger, he
reached back down and lightly gripped Jamie’s
prick.

Jamie gasped, his eyes widening and his body

bucking.

“That’s it,” Paolo rumbled, loving his mate’s

responses to his touch. He tightened his grip and
started jacking him. He also tightened his hand on
Jamie’s nape. “Give it up for me, sweet mate. Give
me your pleasure.”

His mouth gaped, but no sound came out as

Jamie’s  eyes  rolled  into  the  back  of  his  head.
Jamie’s  cock  swelled  in  Paolo’s  hand  and  he
adjusted  his  grip  and  placed  his  thumb  directly
beneath  the  head.  As  Jamie  spurted,  he  felt  the
pulse of his mate’s release under his thumb. At the
same  time,  Paolo  read  the  expression  on  Jamie’s
face,  watching  as  the  pleasure-pain  gave  way  to
bliss. A sexy smile teased at the corners of Jamie’s
lips as he panted harshly.

Paolo swallowed hard, knowing he was quickly

falling in love with that expression right there. He
wanted to put that look on his mate as often as
possible.

Next time, I want to hear him, too.

Charlie Richards

From hearing Jamie’s whimpers and whines

earlier,  he  didn’t  think  the  wolf  was  a  naturally
quiet  lover,  so  he  wondered  why  Jamie  had
silenced  himself  when  he  came.  Who  could
possibly have wanted not to hear his mate’s sexy
cries?

On second thought, I don’t want to know.
Paolo just wanted to change it. He’d have to see

what  he  could  do  to  encourage  more  noise.  He
found  nothing  sexier  or  more  arousing  than
hearing  the  vocal  confirmation  that  what  he  did
pleased his lover.

When Jamie’s cock stopped throbbing under his

touch,  Paolo  rubbed  his  thumb  over  that  pulse
point gently before releasing his grip on his mate’s
softening  prick.  He  lifted  his  hand  to  his  mouth
and  licked  away  the  seed.  Paolo  hmmed  deeply,
enjoying the salty-sweet tang of his mate’s seed.

Damn, I could get used to this!
Shit, I want to get used to this.
With his hand spit-cleaned, Paolo reached out

and  unbuttoned  Jamie’s  jeans,  releasing  his
genitalia  from  the  grip  of  his  fly.  He  swept  his
gaze  over  Jamie  and  watched  as  his  lover’s  chest
slowed.  When  Jamie  took  a  shuddering  breath,
indicating  he  calmed,  Paolo  smiled.  Seeing  his
lover’s  pink  tongue  sweep  over  his  plump  lower
lip,  Paolo  knew  he  needed  to  taste  his  mate’s
mouth again.

And a bed.

Trusting His Rat

With those thoughts in mind, Paolo wrapped

his left arm around Jamie’s waist and moved his
right arm lower, around his mate’s shoulders. He
rocked to his feet, lifting the far more slender male
into his arms as he stood.

Never had Paolo been more grateful for his

shifter strength. He liked being able to carry Jamie,
even  though  the  wolf  shifter  was  slightly  taller.
With  his  brawny  arms  and  thick  legs,  Paolo  had
no trouble striding to the bed and laying his mate
down.  Next,  he  made  quick  work  of  stripping
Jamie  of  his  jeans  and  socks.  Finally,  he  paused
and  stared  down  at  his  mate,  the  man  he  knew
would  be  the  most  important  person  in  his  life,
and smiled.

“Damn, you’re a sexy man, sweet wolf,” Paolo

growled.  Excitement  coursed  through  Paolo,
renewing  his  erection  as  he  took  in  Jamie’s  tan,
lean  lines  and  toned  limbs  and  frame.  “I  want  to
mark  every  inch  of  you,”  he  claimed,  climbing
onto  the  bed.  He  inserted  a  knee  between  his
mate’s  calves,  then  used  his  other  knee  to  push
Jamie’s  legs  wider.  “Then,  everyone  will  know
you’re taken.”

Jamie spread his legs, needing little urging to

make a space for him. He even lifted his arms for a
second, as if welcoming Paolo. Then, he stopped
and lowered them back to the comforter as if he
wasn’t certain if Paolo would be receptive to such
gestures.

Charlie Richards

Wanting to put that worry to rest as swiftly as

possible,  Paolo  levered  over  him.  He  rested  his
elbows  on  either  side  of  Jamie’s  shoulders,
keeping  a  few  inches  between  their  bodies.
Otherwise,  he  knew  the  second  he  touched  his
sweet  mate  he’d  feel the  driving  need  to  sink  his
dick into him.

“Jamie,” Paolo crooned, using his voice to urge

his lover to meet his gaze. “You are my mate. I
will always welcome your touch.”

Jamie’s gaze roved over Paolo, and Paolo

waited patiently for his mate to find whatever he
searched  for.  Finally,  he  seemed  to  find  it,  for  he
smiled  brightly  as  he  released  his  grip  on  the
comforter.  Jamie  lifted  his  arms—still  a  bit
tentatively—and  wrapped  them  around  Paolo’s
shoulders.

Upon feeling the light glide of Jamie’s fingers

and  palms  across  his  skin,  Paolo  sighed.  He
allowed  his  eyelids  to  slide  to  half-mast  as  he
enjoyed Jamie’s timid exploration of his back. His
cock  thickened,  returning  to  full  mast,  and  he
lowered  his  hips,  pressing  against  Jamie’s,
wanting  to  show  his  mate  how  much  he  enjoyed
being  touched,  gratified  to  feel  an  answering
erection pressing against his own.

I’m beginning to understand Nick and Declan’s

warnings. Something happened in my mate’s past.

As Paolo slowly began rutting, thrusting

lightly, rubbing and gliding their dicks together,

Trusting His Rat

Paolo lowered his head and captured his mate’s
mouth. He lapped at Jamie’s lips, first the bottom,
then the top, before taking advantage of his mate’s
parted lips and dipping his tongue inside. Paolo
took his time mapping Jamie’s mouth, thrusting in
and out, sliding his appendage against his lover’s,
nipping and licking.

Finally, when breathing became paramount,

Paolo brought the kiss to an end. As he inhaled, he
sucked lightly on Jamie’s bottom lip. Upon
hearing the whimpers escaping Jamie, Paolo
released his lover’s lip and lifted his head.

Paolo smiled with satisfaction as he took in

Jamie’s  flushed  chest,  neck,  and  face.  He  picked
up  his  rutting  pace,  and  grinned  when  his  mate
arched  his  neck  and  moaned,  bucking  into  the
pressure.

“I want in your ass, Jamie,” Paolo stated, his

voice gruff, right before he gave into his own
need. He lowered his head so he could suck hard
on Jamie’s exposed tendon. He tasted sweat and
warm skin and just the hint of the metallic blood
under the surface. Damn, he wanted more of that.

After a few seconds, Paolo realized his mate

hadn’t  responded.  He  lifted  his  head  and  stared
into  Jamie’s  heavy-lidded  eyes.  “If  you’re  not
certain,  yet,  we’ll  finish  just  like  this,  then  take
some time to get to know each other,” he offered.
As he spoke, his dick throbbed. He didn’t want to
wait,  and  if  it  were  any  other  male,  he’d  use  his

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considerable experience to change the guy’s mind,
but for his mate, he would.

“I-I want ye,” Jamie whispered. “I just—” He

paused and grimaced.

Paolo swept his gaze over Jamie’s face, reading

his  expression.  His  dilated  eyes,  lips  parted  on
panting breaths, and flushed cheeks gave away his
lust.  Then,  Paolo  inhaled  deeply,  taking  in  his
mate’s scent.  The desire and arousal he expected,
but not the fear.

Shit.
Banking his desire, Paolo prepared to back off.

He leaned all his weight on his right elbow as he
brought his left hand to Jamie’s face. Gently, Paolo
rubbed over Jamie’s brow, then down the side  of
his  hairline,  over  the  curvature  of  his  ear,  and
down  his  jaw.  With  his  first  two  fingertips,  he
rubbed over Jamie’s kiss-swollen bottom lip.

“I told you it’d been a while,” Paolo murmured.

“I didn’t mean to bowl you over, sweet wolf. One
orgasm just didn’t seem enough,” he admitted.
“How about I stroke us both to completion, then
I’ll carry you into the bathroom. Do you have a big
tub? Room for two?” he asked hopefully.

While washing and holding a wet, naked Jamie

might make it difficult to concentrate on
conversation, he wanted to take care of his mate.

Jamie’s nails dug into Paolo’s shoulder blades,

causing a delicious sting. “Nay, I mean, aye.” He
stopped and scowled.

Trusting His Rat

Paolo stroked his fingers down the side of

Jamie’s neck, petting the light love bite he’d left on
his tendon. “Take your time, Jamie,” he urged.
“Tell me what you want.”

Huffing a breath, Jamie tilted his head,

obviously  liking  the  stroking.  “Um,  aye,  I  have  a
tub,  and  I  like  the  idea  of  taking  a  bath  with  ye,
but  that’s  not…”  He  paused  and  scowled,  then
swallowed hard.

“Take your time,” Paolo urged again. He hoped

his mate would be willing to open up to him. “Tell
me how you want me to take care of you.” While
he’d be the first to admit he was damn dominant,
he  easily  noted  the  skittishness  the  other  wolf
shifters  had  spoken  of.  His  sexy  mate  needed  a
light  hand  to  start.  “You’re  my  mate,  Jamie,”  he
murmured. “I only want to make you happy.”

“I-wanna-have-sex-but-I’m-afraid-ye’re-gonna-

hurt-me.”

The blurted words were spoken so fast that it

took  Paolo  a  few  seconds  to  figure  out  what  his
mate  had  said.  “Okay,  Jamie,”  Paolo  murmured.
“I  have no intention of hurting you, sweet wolf,”
he stated. He tried to put every ounce of sincerity
he could into his voice.

Jamie stared at him, his eyes wide, his scent

wary.  To  Paolo’s  surprise,  the  wolf  held  his  gaze
for several long  seconds. Finally,  Jamie licked his
lips  and  nodded.  “Ye  won’t  hurt  me?”  he
confirmed.

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“I can’t promise that, Jamie,” Paolo stated,

knowing no pain was impossible. Accidents
happened. Mistakes were sometimes unavoidable.
Miscommunications occurred. “I can promise that
I will never intentionally do anything to hurt you.
I only want you happy.” Then, needing to lighten
the mood, added an eyebrow waggle, and said
with a grin, “And well-fucked and pleasured.”

Slowly, a flush worked over Jamie’s face and a

sweet smile curved his lips. “Okay.”

While Paolo knew his mate still had some

doubts,  he  realized  that  was  okay.  They  still  had
plenty  to  learn  about each  other.  He  could  prove
himself  to  his  mate.  “We  won’t  do  anything  you
don’t  want,”  he  assured.  “Ever.”  If  that  meant
he’d have to put away his ropes and paddles, then
he  would,  but  Paolo  prayed  to  whatever  God
cared  to  listen  that  his  mate’s  earlier  submissive
actions—Damn,  Jamie  had  been  so  responsive,
followed  orders  so  beautifully—would  prove  Jamie
was just as perfect for him in all areas of his life.

Nodding, Jamie peered at him with wide eyes.

“Okay.”

It was a start.
“Where’s your lube, Jamie?” Paolo wasted no

time in asking.

Jamie motioned toward the nightstand. “Top

drawer.”

Paolo had to shift sideways, off his lover, to

reach the drawer and open it. When he turned

Trusting His Rat

around, he practically swallowed his tongue.
Jamie had taken his momentary distraction to flip
over and with his knees under him and his back
arched, presented himself so beautifully.

Groaning, Paolo climbed to his knees and

gripped  the  base  of  his  dick,  the  beautiful  sight
having  him  so  close  to  the  edge.  “Stunning,”  he
mumbled.  Reaching  out,  he  stroked  his  hand
down Jamie’s spine, stopping to massage the skin
just  above  his  crack.  When  he  saw  Jamie  shiver,
Paolo groaned. “Damn, Jamie. So fucking sexy.”

“Please, Paolo,” Jamie pleaded. “I need.”
Paolo nodded, even though Jamie couldn’t see

it.  It  seemed  he  wasn’t  the  only  one  on  edge.
“Easy,  sweet  wolf,”  he  crooned  as  he  quickly
popped  the  cap  on  the  lube  and  drizzled  some
onto  the  fingers  of  his  left  hand.  “I’ll  take  good
care of you,” he assured.

Jamie nodded, his dark hair falling into his eyes

as he peered over his shoulder at him. “Okay.”

To Paolo, the acceptance acted as the strongest

aphrodisiac. He growled softly and, unable to help
his  baser  instincts,  he  ordered,  “Hold  yourself
open,” as he poured lube directly on his dick. He
shivered at the cold sensation even as he gripped
himself  and  jacked  twice.  After  that,  he  released
his  cock—any  more  of  that  and  he’d  come
prematurely,  which  would  be  embarrassing  as
hell.

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As soon as Jamie obeyed—which he did

gratifyingly fast—Paolo gently stroked his lubed
fingers down Jamie’s crack. Without preamble, he
slid his middle finger deep into Jamie’s rectum. It
went in easily, telling Paolo either his mate fucked
regularly or he enjoyed playing with himself.

He’d find out another time. Right now, Paolo

needed inside his mate.

One finger became two, which quickly turned

into  three.  He’d  be  embarrassed  by  the  need
driving  him,  except  considering  the  way  Jamie
arched  his  body  and  rocked  toward  him  every
time he slipped his fingers nearly all the way free,
he knew his mate was on the same page.

Paolo listened to Jamie’s whimpers and reveled

in  his  incoherent  pleading.  Knowing  he  couldn’t
wait  any  longer,  he  pulled  his  fingers  free  and
gripped  the  base  of  his  dick.  He  squeezed,
assuring  himself  that  he’d  at  least  get  inside  his
mate  before  coming,  and  settled  his  head  against
Jamie’s star.

“Ready?” Paolo gritted out.
“Aye,” Jamie all but shouted.
Paolo didn’t ask again. He thrust, popping his

cock head past Jamie’s guardian muscle. It took
every bit of self-control he still possessed to pause.
Through gritted teeth he asked, “Okay?”

Jamie released his ass cheeks, bringing his arms

back around so he could get his elbows under

Trusting His Rat

him. “Please,” he hissed, trying to shove back and
impale himself on Paolo’s dick.

He would have succeeded, too, except Paolo

saw it coming. Spotting the tell-tale rocking of his
lover, he released his dick and gripped his lover’s
hips. Digging his fingertips into Jamie’s sides, he
growled, “Settle.”

Whining, Jamie shivered in Paolo’s grip. “P-

Paolo.”

“This won’t take long,” Paolo warned right

before  he  thrust,  sinking  his  prick  into  Jamie’s
gripping  channel  balls  deep.  He  couldn’t  hold  in
his  moan  upon  finally  feeling  his  mate’s  heat
surround him. Instinct had him pulling right back
out  and  thrusting  back  in,  adjusting  his
angle…searching…

Jamie’s howl and body shudders told Paolo

he’d found it. His mate’s prostate. Noting the
angle, he began driving into his mate at that angle
with each stroke, nailing his mate’s gland, driving
the man under him into a shivering, sweating
mess of pleasure.

“P-Please!” Jamie whimpered. “Need—”
“Come,” Paolo ordered, seeing no reason to

deny his lover his pleasure, wanting him to enjoy
this  as  much  as  possible.  As  soon  as  he  felt  his
lover’s channel clamp around him, Paolo knew he
was lost. Snarling, he bucked his hips once, twice,
and  spurted,  coating  his  lover’s  chute  with  his
seed.  Instinct  beyond  his  control  took  hold.  His

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teeth extended and he sank them into the curve of
his lover’s shoulder.

Jamie screamed, his body jolting, his ass

muscles clenching, and the scent of even more
seed flooded the room.

Paolo sucked down several swallows of his

mate’s  life-giving  essence,  reveling  in  the
knowledge  that  he  held  his  mate,  his  future.
Easing his teeth free, he licked the claiming mark
clean,  sealing  it.  Then,  he  nuzzled  Jamie’s  neck,
enjoying  the  scents  of  semen,  sweat,  and  male
musk flooding the room.

Perfect.
Finally, Paolo pulled his softening prick from

his mate’s channel. Jamie moaned incoherently,
making Paolo grin. As he settled his nearly
comatose mate on the bed, pride flooded him that
he’d satisfied his mate so thoroughly.

Leaning close, Paolo pecked a quick kiss to

Jamie’s shoulder, then whispered, “Where’s your
bathroom? I’ll get a cloth to clean us up.”

Jamie cracked open an eyelid and peered at

him.  A  smile  teased  at  the  corners  of  his  mouth.
“First  door  on  the  right,”  he  mumbled,  flopping
his  arm  to  indicate  that  Paolo  needed  to  go  back
into the hall.

Paolo slid off the bed, then couldn’t stop

himself from leaning back over and pecking a kiss
to the corner of Jamie’s mouth. When he saw the

Trusting His Rat

pleased smile that curved Jamie’s lips, he was glad
he’d done it. “Be right back,” he promised.

Finding the bathroom, Paolo made quick work

of  cleaning  himself.  Then,  he  returned  to  the
bedroom.  Jamie  barely  stirred  when  he  cleaned
him  up  and  tucked  him  under  the  covers.  He
tossed  the  damp  cloth  toward  the  closet  and  the
laundry basket he saw inside the open doorway.

Paolo lifted the blanket and crawled in behind

his  mate.  Wrapping  his  arms  around  Jamie,  he
spooned up behind the wolf, cuddling  him  close.
He  sighed,  finally  allowing  his  body  to  relax.  He
couldn’t believe his luck, finding freedom and his
mate so close together, and one that submitted so
sweetly, so naturally.

He couldn’t wait to explore everything with the

sexy and sweet wolf. Blinking, Paolo glanced up at
the wood headboard. Reaching up, he gripped one
slat and jiggled it, checking solidity. Yeah, that’d
handle Jamie tied to it a few times.

Returning his arm to around Jamie’s waist, he

allowed the steady breathing of his mate to soothe
him.  Someday.  He  smiled,  looking  forward  to  the
future.  “Gods,  Jamie,”  Paolo  mumbled  as  he
nuzzled  the  back  of  Jamie’s  neck.  “You’ll  look
amazing tied to my bed.”

Charlie Richards

Chapter Four

amie just managed to keep his breath from
hitching. He knew Paolo thought him asleep,

and in truth, he almost had been. Feeling his mate
reach up and tug lightly on the slats of his
headboard had roused him. Then, to hear him say
he wanted to tie him up?

It took every bit of self-control to keep from

leaping away from the rat shifter. Memories Jamie
had  thought  he’d  long  since  buried  came  at  him
hard and fast…memories of ropes, chains, whips,
and—  Jamie  focused  on  keeping  his  breathing
deep  and  even,  thinking  only  on  taking  his  next
breath.  He  somehow  managed  to  keep  his
breathing even as he waited impatiently for Paolo
to fall asleep.

Once Jamie felt certain Paolo was asleep, he

carefully  extricated  himself  from  the  sleeping  rat
shifter.  Standing  at  the  side  of  the  bed,  he
wrapped  his  arms  around  his  waist  and  stared
down  at  the  man.  He’d  waited  so  long  for  his

Trusting His Rat

mate. How could Fate be so wrong, to give him a
man who wanted to tie him up and—

Unable to handle it a second longer, Jamie crept

from  the  room,  down  the  hallway,  and  through
the living area to the back deck. With a quick call
to  his  wolf,  Jamie  shifted.  He  shook  out  his  fur,
then hopped off the porch and headed north into
the  trees.  At  the  tree  line,  he  paused  and  peered
back at his house.

Jamie whined for a second, then reminded

himself  of  his  mate’s  words.  He’d  been  tied  to  a
bed  before,  and  he’d  never  allow  that  to  happen
again.  Turning  away  from  his  home,  Jamie  took
off.  He  galloped  through  the  trees,  jumped  over
logs, and scuttled under brush. He needed to hide
and could think of only one safe place.

Hours later, exhausted and sweaty, Jamie

trotted  into  a  clearing.  A  large  cabin  stood  in  the
area’s  center.  He  knew  the  shed  off  to  the  side
housed a couple of vehicles. The familiar scents of
his friends, those he loved and trusted—both wolf
and  human—filled  his  nostrils.  While  he  missed
the presence of his mate, the knowledge that those
who  he  knew  cared  for  him  eased  the  ache
somewhat.

Jamie crossed the clearing and circled around

the  small  cabin.  He  didn’t  bother  trying  to  get
inside.  Instead,  he  crawled  under  the  back  deck.
With  a  huff,  he  flopped  onto  his  side  amidst  the

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cobwebs and dirt. He pressed his back against the
stone base of the cabin and finally his racing pulse
began to settle.

Alone in the dark, safe in the knowledge that

only his friends would know where he hid, Jamie
relaxed enough to doze.

The thump of footsteps overhead roused Jamie

from  his  restless  sleep.  For  several  seconds,  he
froze, trying to figure out where he was. Then, the
scent  of  dirt,  timber,  and  wildflowers,  coupled
with the gleam of light through the slats above his
head  reminded  him.  Jamie  hid  out  under  his
friend  and  fellow  wolf  shifter,  Michel  McDover’s
deck, deep in the woods.

Along with that realization, Jamie remembered

why he hid there, because his mate wanted to tie
him up. Emotions crashed through him, equal
parts fear, disappointment, and sadness. Wasn’t
his mate supposed to be perfect for him? Take care
of him and keep him safe?

“Jason! Ye back here?”
The deep sounds of Preall McCollins caught

Jamie’s attention.

“Back here, Preall,” Jason responded, his voice

coming  from  above  and  to  Jamie’s  left.  “On  the
back  deck.”  Jason  stood  on  the  porch  above
Jamie’s head. It had been the sound of Jason’s soft
thudding  footsteps  that  had  roused  Jamie.  The
human had exited the cabin and strode across the

Trusting His Rat

deck. Jason had mated with Michel last summer
and now lived with him in the small cabin.

Jamie thought about crawling out from under

the  deck  and  facing  his  friends,  but  didn’t  yet
want  to  admit  to  his  problem.  Speaking  the
situation  out  loud  would  make  everything  so
much  more…real.  Instead,  he  listened  as  Preall
walked  around  the  cabin  and  approached  the
deck.

“Morning, Preall,” Jason greeted. “You want a

cup of coffee?”

“Aye, Jason,” Preall replied, his booted feet

climbing the couple of steps that led to the deck.
“Then ye can tell me why ye called me at the arse
crack of dawn.”

That comment caused Jamie to crack a smile,

even  in  wolf  form.  His  friend  wasn’t  known  for
being  a  morning  person.  Jamie  knew  that  Jason
was aware of that,  and the human laughed as he
teased,  “Well,  you  wouldn’t  want  to  miss  out  on
info  about  Trina  coming  into  town  on  Monday,
would you?”

“What?” Preall cried, his voice turning excited.

“Hell, no. Be right back.”

Jamie knew Trina was Jason’s younger sister.

When  she’d  visited  last  year,  she’d  only  been
seventeen.  They’d  all  met  while  gathering  at
Jason’s  uncle’s  home,  Raul  Braga.  Preall  had
realized  the  blossoming  young  woman  was  his
mate.  They’d  helped  him  through  a  bout  of

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depression when he’d had to sit back and watch
Trina return to Boston with her mother, but it
couldn’t be helped. She’d been too young to claim.

Still, that didn’t stop Preall from keeping in

touch  with  Trina.  They  spoke  mainly  via  email
and text message, because—Preall had admitted to
them  once—of  how  hard  his  dick  became  just
listening  to  her  sweet  voice.  He’d  constantly  had
to  keep  reminding  himself  of  the  reasons  he
couldn’t  instigate  phone  sex  with  his  young
human mate.

Preall had kept them all abreast of her current

interests and plans. Now, Trina was eighteen and
the  month  before  she’d  graduated  from  high
school with honors in social studies. She planned
to go to college somewhere that she could focus on
Native  American  culture.  It  was  like  she  was
already one of the group, and to that  end, they’d
bribed  their  pack  enforcer’s  mate,  Jared,  to  hack
into a college in Denver and doctor her acceptance
into a number of courses that would interest her.

Preall had been waiting for her to come out so

he could share the news—hell if Jamie knew how
Preall would explain the college’s pre-acceptance
to Trina. However, Jamie would be happy to help
Preall in any way, and desperately hoped it
worked out for him.

Better than my own mating.

Trusting His Rat

“Don’t get too excited,” Jason called in warning

as Preall strode swiftly over the wooden planks.
“My mom and stepdad will be here, too.”

“Damn,” Preall mumbled under his breath as

he  thudded  across  the  deck.  “Let  me  get  that
coffee  so  I  can  focus,”  he  grumbled  right  before
the  trundle  of  the  sliding  glass  door  sounded.
Within a minute, the wolf shifter returned and the
scent of strong black coffee tickled Jamie’s senses.
His  mouth  salivated  and  he  started  rolling  to  his
feet.  He  paused  when  he  heard  Preall  say,  “So
when is this and how much trouble is it gonna be
to get some time with her away from the parents?”
Before  Jason  got  the  chance  to  answer,  Preall
added, “Wait. Where’s Michel?”

Now that his friend had asked, Jamie wondered

the same thing.

“Out running,” Jason replied.
“Jamie with him?”
“Jamie?” Jason sounded confused. “I’ve not

seen him in a few days.”

“Huh? His scent is heavy in the area,” Preall

told him before slurping a sip of coffee.

Oh, shit! Jamie better get out there before they

inspected his hiding too closely.

“Well, here comes Michel. Maybe he knows,”

Jason stated.

Too late. Still, Jamie figured he’d better make an

appearance before they tracked him under the
deck. Besides, he could really use a cup of coffee

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and a few minutes in the company of his friends
before he had to explain finding his mate and
what he’d overheard. After that, he feared the shit
would hit the fan. Jamie knew he couldn’t hide the
truth from his friends for long.

“Mornin’, Michel!” Preall greeted.
Instead of Michel shifting and answering, the

wolf’s  snout  appeared  at  the  base  of  the  deck,
sniffing  around  it.  Jamie  quickly  scrambled
toward  the  opening.  Still,  by  the time  he reached
it,  Michel’s  black  wolf  waited  just  beside  the  gap
between slats.

Given the way Michel sat, his head cocked,

Jamie figured the questions wouldn’t be put off for
long.

Michel licked Jamie’s muzzle in a wolf greeting.

Jamie tilted his head and accepted the affection.
Then, Michel tucked his head and sniffed Jamie’s
neck and shoulder. He snorted and backed up a
step before starting his shift.

“Aye, Michel’s right, Jamie,” Preall stated,

hopping over the deck railing and landing on the
ground  beside  them.  “Ye  do  smell  different.
What’s  going  on?  Why  were  ye  hiding  under
Michel’s  deck?”  Preall  leaned  close  and  inhaled,
then  his  nose  wrinkled  as  he  pulled  away.  “And
who the hell have ye been with?”

Knowing the questions were just beginning,

Jamie shifted. Once kneeling on the ground, his
head bowed, he peered through his lashes as he

Trusting His Rat

skittered his gaze between his friends. Michel’s
eyes were narrowed in obvious speculation. Preall
rested his hands on his hips and stared at him
with concern.

Jamie decided to meet Jason’s gaze, who leaned

against the railing and watched them. The
human’s focus remained on Jamie’s face, his gaze
carefully fixed above his chest, and his expression
soft in welcome. Offering Jason a tentative smile,
Jamie softly asked, “Can I get some coffee?”

Jason’s green eyes crinkled as he returned

Jamie’s smile. “And how about some sweats?” he
offered, winking.

“Thanks,” Jamie responded.
After Jason disappeared inside the cabin,

Michel—the defacto leader of their circle of
friends—rested a hand on the back of Jason’s neck.
“Just tell me it was consensual,” he rumbled
softly.

Jamie’s eyes widened. “Aye,” he instantly

responded.

Michel massaged the tendons in Jamie’s neck

for  a  few  seconds,  eyeing  him  speculatively.
Finally,  he  sighed  and  gruffly  asked,  “Are  ye
going  to  clarify  that  ye  consented  to  sex?  Or
bonding, too?”

“Shite,” Preall growled, realization dawning on

his features. “That’s why—” He didn’t finish his
thought, stopping to stare at Jamie with shock in
his blue eyes.

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“Aye.” Michel used the hold on Jamie’s neck to

get him to turn his neck so the other shifter could
see  the  claiming  mark.  “Someone’s  done  and
claimed our Jamie.” Next, Michel moved his hand
to cup Jamie’s jaw. He used his hold to force Jamie
to meet his gaze. “I want to know why ye’re here
hiding  under  my  deck  and  not  with  yer  new
man.” His expression remained soft, yet firm. “Ye
will  tell  us  all  about  it,  then  we’re  gonna  help
Preall with his situation.”

It wasn’t a question, which Jamie felt grateful

for. He nodded. “Okay.”

With gentle pressure, Michel urged Jamie into

the  house.  The  bigger  wolf  accepted  sweats  from
his  mate.  He  released  Jamie,  then  Jason  handed
him  a  pair  of  the  soft  blue  material,  too.  Jamie
obeyed  the  unspoken  order  and  pulled  on  the
clothes.

Jason stood ready and handed both men a cup

of coffee.

Preall stood in the kitchen, making himself

completely  at  home.  The  other  shifter  already
stirred  a  bowl,  eggs  by  the  scent  of  it.  Jamie’s
assumption was confirmed when the wolf picked
up a cutting board and scraped a healthy amount
of  chopped  red  and  green  peppers  as  well  as
onions followed by squirting in several dollops of
hot  sauce.  One  thing  all  of  them  agreed
upon…they liked their eggs hot.

Trusting His Rat

“So, who is he?” Preall asked, glancing up at

Jamie.

Jamie flushed even as he responded, “Paolo

Muccio. He’s that rat shifter Byron helped rescue.”
Jamie  smiled.  Even  knowing  the  reason  he  was
there, he couldn’t help himself. “He’s  been living
with  Nick  and  Miach,”  he  explained.  “I  met  him
last night at Yates’ poker party.”

“And why aren’t ye with him now?”
Trust Michel to cut to the chase. Jamie knew the

older wolf didn’t have a hell of a lot of patience
anymore. He also knew that Jason, his young
human mate, was helping him with that.

“He wanted to tie me to his bed,” Jamie

whispered.

His revelation was met with silence for several

seconds, then Jason smirked and winked at
Michel. “How come you never tie me up, big
guy?”

Jamie’s jaw gaped even as Michel leaned over

and pecked a kiss to his mate’s lips. “This is
different.”

Wait. Was it? Did I completely misunderstand?
As he rolled that thought around in his head,

Jamie answered question after question from his
friends.

Charlie Richards

Chapter Five

aolo woke slowly. He stretched contentedly,
enjoying the soft mattress beneath him. As

soon as full awareness registered, he smiled.
Jamie’s scent permeated the pillow and sheets
surrounding him.

My mate.
Reaching out, Paolo searched for the firm, lithe

form  of  his  wolf.  To  his  disappointment,  he
realized  Jamie’s  warm  body  wasn’t  pressed
against his own, nor was he even close enough to
touch.  Paolo  forced  one  eyelid  open  a  crack.
Nothing. Turning his head, he noted the bed was
empty.

Fighting back a sigh, Paolo pushed up onto his

elbow and glanced around to find the entire room
empty.  Listening  carefully,  he  took  in the  sounds
of  the  home,  the  tick  of  the  hot  water  heater,  the
hum of the refrigerator, the whoosh of the central
air,  and  the  drip  of  an  automatic  coffee  machine.
Each  sound—to  him,  both  foreign  and  familiar—
took  Paolo  a  few  seconds  to  identify,  reminding

Trusting His Rat

him that he was no longer caged. Still, that didn’t
tell him where his mate was.

Paolo swung his legs over the side of the bed

and sat up. After rubbing his face with his hands a
few seconds, the desire to know what happened to
Jamie  became  a  burning  need.  He  shoved  to  his
feet,  crossed  the  room,  and  grabbed  his  sweats
from  the  window  seat.  After  pulling  them  on,
Paolo strolled out of the bedroom and through the
house.

After several minutes of searching—taking

advantage  of  the  already-made  coffee  in  the
carafe—Paolo grew concerned enough to peer into
the  garage.  Jamie’s  jeep  remained  inside.  Finally,
he  noticed  that  the  sliding  glass  door  was
unlocked and realization hit him. Jamie must have
gone  for  a  morning  run.  Barefoot  and  shirtless,
Paolo  stepped  onto  the  deck  and  crossed  to  the
railing.  He leaned against the support and stared
at  the  line  of  trees  surrounding  the  large  cabin-
style home.

Smirking, Paolo looked at Jamie’s home. Perfect

for a wolf shifter. Deep in the middle of pack
lands. Trees all around. Paolo could see the appeal
to his mate.

Paolo’s smile faded. His own pack hadn’t had

anything like this. They’d lived on a small plot of
ten acres, which included a large farm house, a
massive old barn, and a tiny cornfield. His pack

Charlie Richards

made money with electronics, not by farming, and
it’d been just enough to get by.

What happens if my alpha commands me to come

home?

Paolo pushed that thought aside, knowing all

too well it was the reason why he hadn’t tried too
hard to find them, yet. Another problem was he
didn’t know, or even trust, the reasons he hadn’t
been rescued by his own people.

Knowing he couldn’t solve that particular

problem at the moment, Paolo glanced around the
area. He didn’t see anything. The trees grew dark
and thick, full of shadows, after about ten or
twelve feet.

The chime of the clock ringing caught Paolo’s

attention. Nine chimes.

Damn.
Paolo had an appointment with the chief of the

firehouse.  Under  Doctor  Gordon  Digby’s
encouragement,  he’d  applied  for  a  position  as  a
volunteer firefighter. He had money, and with the
help  of  Alpha  Declan  and  Gordon’s  partner  and
mate, Detective Grady Stryker, he’d reclaimed his
identity.

Now, he had identification, access to his money,

and  he  knew  he  must  have  flagged  something  in
the  system.  Hell,  he’d  halted  the  procedure
someone had placed on his accounts to close and
transfer  funds.  With  the  detective’s  help,  he’d
learned  the  reason  had  been  the  death  of  the

Trusting His Rat

account’s  owner.  Unfortunately,  he  still  hadn’t
learned  who  had  started  the  process.  No  way
could it have been his own mother. With how she
still  believed  that  his  brother—who  the
government claimed died in battle six years ago—
would  come  home  told  him  of  her  propensity
toward denial.

The clock chiming the quarter hour encouraged

Paolo  to  get  moving.  As  much  as  he  wished  he
could  wait  until  his  mate  arrived  home,  because
he  desperately  wanted  a  good  morning  kiss,  he
couldn’t  wait  any  longer.  Instead,  Paolo  walked
back  into  the  house  and  went  in  search  of  his
phone.

A few minutes later, Nick promised to be on his

way to get him, and Paolo waited on the porch
with another cup of coffee.

I’ll return the mug to Jamie tonight.

Unable to help his grin, Paolo strode down the

street. The chief of the firehouse, Brahms Glowder,
had  turned  out  to  be  a  wolf  shifter.  Brahms  had
already spoken to Declan and had received the go
ahead to bring Paolo on as a part time volunteer, if
he  qualified,  of  course.  They  both  knew,  after
sharing  his  experience,  Paolo  would  have  no
trouble  qualifying.  He’d  be  back  at  the  firehouse
in four hours to prove it.

Deciding to take steaks to Jamie’s to celebrate—

and wishing he had his mate’s phone number so

Charlie Richards

he  could  call  and  tell  him  the  awesome  news—
Paolo  stopped  into  the  local  grocery  store.  He
didn’t  need  to  examine  too  closely  on  why  he
wanted to share this achievement with Jamie. He
already  knew.  Paolo  wanted  to  share  everything
with his mate.

That didn’t take long.
The rueful thought flitted through Paolo’s mind

and  he  smirked  and  shook  his  head.  Yep,  already
smitten.  His  wolf  was  cute,  sexy,  and  Paolo
couldn’t  wait  to  earn  his  trust  enough  to  tie  him
up  and  caress  every  inch  of  his  toned  flesh.  Just
having  Jamie  and  ropes  in  the  same  thought  had
Paolo’s  dick  plumping  in  his  newly  purchased
jeans.

I am so screwed.
Still, Paolo thought it fondly as he perused the

steak choices. Once he’d picked out several—hell,
he wasn’t certain what cut Jamie liked best and
wanted to be prepared—he turned and headed
toward the front.

Paolo waited impatiently as the woman behind

the check-out stand finished with the dark haired
guy  in  front  of  him.  Taking  in  his  scent,  Paolo
recognized the man as a wolf shifter, but he hadn’t
been introduced to him. The man swiped his card
through  the  scanner.  At  the  same  time,  he  tilted
his  head  and  eyed  Paolo  for  a  few  seconds,
obviously scenting him. Once he finished paying,
the  wolf  shifter  placed  his  hand  on  the  back  of  a

Trusting His Rat

pregnant human. He gave Paolo one more glance
over his shoulder, then headed out of the store.

The woman behind the counter, her nametag

read Candy, turned to Paolo and offered him a
bright smile. “Hi, there. Find everything okay?”

“Yes, thank you,” Paolo replied.
“You new in town?” Candy asked, offering him

a flirty smile as she grabbed his first item and
scanned it.

Paolo nodded. “Yes.”
Grinning, Candy batted her eyes as she stated,

“Oh, steaks. I love steaks.”

Just managing to resist rolling his eyes, because

Candy was about as subtle as a punch to the face,
Paolo smiled thinly and decided to go for blunt.
“Sorry, sweetheart,” he replied. “I’m gay and in a
relationship.”

“Story of my life,” Candy grumbled. “All the

men around here are gay.”

“The gentleman who just left appeared to be

married with a pregnant wife,” Paolo pointed out,
fighting  back  a  smirk  at  her  irritated  tone.  “Was
that  appearance  incorrect?  Was  he  perhaps
escorting  a  surrogate  for  he  and  his  gay  lover’s
offspring?”  He  knew  his  words  were  complete
bullshit. He’d smelled the wolf’s scent all over the
human  female.  They  were  a  bonded  couple.  Still,
he couldn’t help but poke fun at the poor woman’s
plight.  There were a large number of gay men in
Stone Ridge and the surrounding areas.

Charlie Richards

Candy gaped at him, her hands freezing on the

package of jalapeno hotdogs—Paolo’s guilty
pleasure that he couldn’t ever seem to pass up
when he spotted them.

The third time the item beeped seemed to yank

her  out  of  her  shock.  “N-No,”  Candy  quickly
responded as she shook her head hard. “Damn it,”
she  grumbled,  poking  at  her  machine,  probably
trying  to  remove  the  extra  charges,  since  she’d
scanned  the  hotdogs  more  than  once.  As  she
worked,  she  muttered,  “That’s  Laramie  and  his
wife  Denise.  She’s  six  months  along  and  way
bigger  than  she  should  be.  I  wonder  if  she’s
having twins.”

Paolo knew she wasn’t having twins. If Denise

was  six  months  along,  and  knocked  up  by  her
wolf  shifter  husband,  roughly  seven  months
would  be  full  term.  He  didn’t  actually  care  one
way or the other. In fact, he just wanted to get the
hell out of there and back to Jamie’s house. He’d
left  his  mate  a  note  with  his  phone  number,  but
hadn’t heard from the wolf shifter. He and his rat
were  becoming  antsy.  He  wanted  to  see  Jamie
again,  assure  himself  that  his  mate  had  returned
from his run safely.

“You could always move to Colin City or even

Denver,” Paolo commented absently.

Why hadn’t Jamie called him? Unease filled

him.

Trusting His Rat

“Can’t. My mom lives here and she won’t leave.

My dad is buried in the local cemetery,” Candy
replied with surprisingly no bitterness.

Paolo’s estimation of the young woman went

up  a  few  notches.  Her  loyalty  was  admirable.
Taking in her thick red hair cut into a cute bob that
framed  her  heart-shaped  face,  Paolo  realized  the
woman  was  just  Cory  Luoso’s  type.  He  just
managed to keep from smirking. Cory and Candy,
wouldn’t  that  be  something.  Now  Paolo  just  had
to track down his old friend.

Candy telling him his total drew Paolo out of

his musings. Mentally shaking his head at himself,
Paolo  quickly  swiped  his  card,  grabbed  his  bags,
and headed out of the store. He strode across the
lot  and  stopped  next  to  his  borrowed  jeep.  He
appreciated  Miach  allowing  him  to  drive  his
vehicle.

After placing his bags on the floorboard in front

of the passenger seat, Paolo closed the door and
walked around the rear of the vehicle.

“Are ye Paolo Muccio?”
Paolo paused and turned. He spotted the man

from the grocery store striding toward him.
Laramie, the cashier had called him. “Yes?”

“Ye son of a bitch,” Laramie snarled, so low

under his breath that only Paolo’s shifter hearing
allowed him to catch them.

Bristling, Paolo glared at the man. “Excuse

me?”

Charlie Richards

Laramie balled up his fist and swung. Still

shocked, Paolo didn’t react swiftly enough and the
blow landed on his left side. He stumbled
backward against the jeep. Pressing his hand
against his side, he glared at the shifter. “What the
fuck?”

“Ye bond with Jamie, then threaten him?”

Laramie snarled. “I’ll teach ye to threaten my
friend, mate or not.”

When Laramie swung again, Paolo caught his

forearm  with  his  own.  With  his  left  hand,  he
grabbed  Laramie’s  wrist  and  pivoted,  using  the
shifter’s momentum to turn the guy and twist his
arm  around  behind  his  back.  Paolo  slammed  the
much  larger  man  against  the  jeep.  He  placed  his
forearm  against  the  back  of  the  wolf’s  neck  and
pressed,  hard,  using  his  hold  to  keep  Laramie  in
place.

“One hit I’ll give you as a misunderstanding,”

Paolo  growled,  cold  and  mean.  “Don’t  think  I’ll
allow  you  to  hit  me  again.”  Hell,  he  had  a  black
belt in jujitsu and kung fu. For a long time, due to
his  dominance,  Paolo  had  hated  his  size.  He’d
rectified  the  problem  by  learning  martial  arts.
Now,  he  didn’t  have  any  trouble  taking  down
larger  shifters.  “Now,  what  the  fuck  are  you
talking about?” he demanded, releasing the larger
male  and  stepping  backward,  watching  warily.
“I’d never hurt Jamie.”

Trusting His Rat

“Don’t try to bullshit me,” Laramie snapped,

swinging  back  around  to  face  him.  His  brows
were lowered into a harsh scowl. “He told us what
ye  said,  that  ye  wanted  to  tie  him  up.”  Laramie
crossed  his  arms  over  his  chest.  “Good  thing  he
got away from ye.”

Tie him up? “Awe, shit,” Paolo whispered.
Paolo vaguely remembered mumbling his

desire to tie his mate to his bed. He’d thought
Jamie was asleep, but that had obviously been an
error.

Evidently,

Jamie

had

completely

misunderstood and instead of asking him about it,
he’d fled.

Laramie’s brows eased as he smirked. “Now

ye’ll never get the chance. Jamie deserves better.”

While Paolo internally railed at Jamie for not

confronting  him,  he  knew  he  couldn’t  show  it  to
this  man.  Hell,  he  even  understood  why  Jamie
hadn’t  stuck  around  and  asked…his  mate  was
submissive. No way would he have the confidence
to confront him.

“There’s been a misunderstanding,” Paolo

stated, trying to keep his tone steady. He wanted
to demand that Laramie take him to Jamie so he
could fix this, explain what he truly meant, but he
knew the wolf shifter would deny him. “I enjoy
D/s,” he admitted. “Are you familiar with that?”

Laramie’s jaw worked for a second, then he

nodded. “Aye. Ye’re into the bondage end of it?”

Charlie Richards

Paolo nodded once. “I enjoy tying up and

pleasuring my lovers. I want to do that with Jamie,
to  please  him,  not  harm  him.”  As  he  said  the
words,  he  realized  he  wanted  that  so  badly  his
fingers  practically  itched  with  the  need  to  grip  a
paddle  and  warm  his  mate’s  behind,  then  soothe
the  sting  with  palm  and  tongue.  With  how  his
mate had obeyed the evening before, he knew his
mate  would  respond  so  beautifully.  However,
before  he  could  do  any  of  that,  Paolo  needed  to
earn his mate’s trust. To do that, he had to talk to
his  mate…and  this  guy  standing  in  front  of  him
was the key.

Glancing over his shoulder, Paolo spotted

Denise leaning against a nearby car, watching
them with concern. She had one hand pressed to
her rounded stomach and the second was in a fist
over her heart. Paolo turned back to Laramie.

“You have your own mate, wolf,” Paolo

pointed out. “How would it be if you were kept
apart due to a misunderstanding?”

A muscle in Laramie’s jaw ticked. He glanced

past Paolo, probably looking at his pregnant wife.
“I would move heaven and earth to fix a
misunderstanding,” Laramie growled low, as if
the admission were ripped from his throat.

Paolo nodded. “So, you understand then? Will

you help me fix this?”

“How do I know ye’re telling the truth?”

Trusting His Rat

Losing the fight with patience, Paolo growled

low in his own throat. “You are a fucking shifter,”
he hissed. “Use your nose. I’m not lying.”

Laramie glared and crossed his arms over his

chest. “Look, I’ll tell Jamie what ye told me.”

“Fine,” Paolo replied instantly. He didn’t know

this man, but his scent said he spoke the truth.
With how everyone seemed protective of Jamie, he
knew that was the best he was going to get. “Give
him my phone number. Please, ask him to call
me.”

Nodding, Laramie punched Paolo’s number

into his own phone as he rattled it off for the wolf
shifter. “I will.”

Paolo nodded again, suddenly feeling tired.

Heading around the other man, he told him, “I’ll
be  at  Nick  and  Miach’s.”  While  he  wanted  to
return to Jamie’s home in the hopes that his mate
would  return  on  his  own,  Paolo  knew  he
shouldn’t. He needed to wait for Jamie to come to
him.  He  wouldn’t  force  himself  on  the  wolf.
“Please, have him call me,” he stated again.

Laramie nodded. He shifted his weight from

foot to foot, his scent betraying his sudden unease.
“Look. I’m sorry, man, I—”

Paolo opened the jeep’s door as he sighed.

“Yeah, me, too.”

He didn’t have anything else to say. Tired and

disheartened, Paolo climbed into the vehicle. After
looking in his rearview mirror and confirming that

Charlie Richards

Laramie no longer stood behind him, he started
the jeep and backed out of the parking space.

Praying Jamie would contact him soon, Paolo

headed toward Nick’s home. The shifter had been
so kind to him. Maybe Nick could help him track
Jamie down if nothing came from his altercation
with Laramie.

Trusting His Rat

Chapter Six

e did what?” Jamie scowled at Laramie. At
least the other wolf had the decency to

appear sheepish.

“Come on, Jamie,” Laramie pleaded, his words

sounding more like whining. “I thought he’d hurt
ye…or wanted to hurt ye,” he amended
petulantly.

Jamie shook his head and crossed his arms over

his  chest,  not  swayed  in  the  least  at  the  guy’s
ridiculous  attempt  at  soothing  him.  “I  came  up
here because I needed time to think. To get away
from his amazing scent, so I wouldn’t make stupid
choices  while  under  the  influence  of  the  mating
pull,” he grumbled. “Not to have my friends make
decisions for me!”

“Then, ye plan to return to him?” Michel asked.
Jamie turned and looked at his host and friend.

The  massive,  bearded  male  sat  sprawled  on  the
sofa,  his  mate  sitting  in  front  of  him  between  his
spread legs. Michel held a beer in the hand resting
on  the  armrest  while  he  wrapped  his  other  arm

“Y

Charlie Richards

around Jason. They looked comfortable, relaxed,
and Jamie wanted that…with Paolo…the man
he’d run away from.

In hindsight, Jamie knew he shouldn’t have

feigned sleep. He should have immediately asked
what Paolo meant. He could have left afterward if
he didn’t like the response…probably.

And that’s why I left…because I hardly know my

mate.

“I need to talk to him,” Jamie murmured. He

eased forward in his seat and rested his elbows on
his knees. “I should at least give him a chance,
right?”

“Yes,” Jason chirped. “You should. You only

get one mate, right?”

The human’s gentle reminder caused a stab of

guilt to slash through Jamie. Damn, if I’m suffering
this much, how is Paolo fairing? Jamie knew he
wasn’t being fair to either of them.

“Can I borrow someone’s phone?” Jamie asked

to the men in the room in general as he pushed to
his feet. He’d come as a wolf and hadn’t brought
anything with him. Even the sweats and t-shirt he
wore were borrowed from Jason, the closest to his
size.

Laramie stepped forward and held out his cell

phone. “Here. I’ve queued up his number for ye,”
he told him.

Jamie took the offering and glanced down at

the readout. He grimaced. The number entry was

Trusting His Rat

listed under the name Jamie’s Douche. “Ouch,” he
mumbled. His friend just shrugged, clearly not
repentant at his choice.

Michel urged Jason to his feet, then stood as

well. “All right, guys. Let’s give Jamie a few
minutes.”

“Thanks,” Jamie murmured appreciatively.
The big wolf nodded, leading the way outside,

Jason  and  Laramie  trailing  behind  him.  Laramie
made a quick stop in  the kitchen to grab another
round  of  beers.  He  paused  at  the  door,  gazing  at
Jamie. “Ye’re one of my best friends, Jamie. I just
want ye safe and happy.”

Nodding, Jamie offered an uncertain smile.

“Aye. Me, too.”

Laramie nodded once more, then turned and

stepped  out  onto  the  deck.  Jamie  appreciated
being  left  alone  in  the  living  room.  Michel didn’t
have a spare bedroom, and Jamie had planned to
sleep on the sofa that evening. Then, Laramie had
shown  up  and  told  them  how  he’d  virtually
attacked Paolo.

Jamie stared at the phone in his hand for a long

while, then finally grew a set and triggered the
phone to dial. After three rings, Paolo’s deep,
accented voice answered, “This is Paolo.”

At the sound of his mate’s voice, Jamie’s blood

flowed south. His cock thickened so fast it left him
dizzy and he gasped.

“Hello?” Paolo called, questioning in irritation.

Charlie Richards

Finally, Jamie managed, “P-Paolo?”
“Jamie.” The other man seemed to breathe his

name, deep and slow. “Is that you, sweet wolf?”

Finding his tongue, Jamie whispered, “Aye.”

He nibbled his bottom lip for a few seconds,
uncertain what else to say at that point.

Silence reigned for a number of heartbeats.
Eventually, Paolo spoke. “I’m glad you called,

Jamie,” he murmured. “There’s so much I need to
tell you, to explain.”

“We do have a lot to talk about,” Jamie agreed,

managing to find his tongue.

“You’re in a quiet place, Jamie,” Paolo

commented. “Does that mean you have time
now?”

Jamie nodded, then realized Paolo couldn’t see.

“Aye,” he agreed. “I’m alone.” When Paolo didn’t
comment right away, Jamie replayed what his
mate had asked and added, “I have time.”

“Jamie, I’d never do anything to you that you

didn’t want and enjoy,” Paolo stated, obviously
going for bluntness. “Please, believe me when I
tell you that.”

Hearing Paolo’s earnest tone, Jamie wanted to

believe  him  so  badly.  Still,  he  needed  to  know.
“Why  would  ye  want  to  tie  me  up  then?  Wolf
shifters don’t do well being…confined.” He could
barely  get  the  words  out  as  a  hard  shudder
wracked his body just thinking about it.

Trusting His Rat

“Oh, Jamie,” Paolo murmured soothingly. “The

purpose of tying you up would be to bring you
pleasure.”

Confusion filled Jamie. That didn’t make any

sense to him. “How could that bring pleasure?”

Paolo chuckled roughly. “I told Laramie that I

enjoy the dominant submissive lifestyle. Did he
tell you that?”

Jamie frowned. “Nay.” Why hadn’t his friend

told him?

“Mmm, I did get the sense that kind of talk

made him uncomfortable,” Paolo commented.
“When you knelt at my feet and obeyed my
commands, how did you feel, Jamie?”

Sighing, Jamie thought about those moments,

listening to Paolo’s orders, doing as he said,
relaxed him. “I enjoyed it,” Jamie admitted. “I
felt…I felt relaxed, calm. I didn’t have to make any
decisions and I could just…be.” Damn, that made
no sense, even in his own head.

“That’s good, sweet wolf,” Paolo countered.

“That’s how it should be.”

“Why?”
“Because you enjoy giving up control, just as I

enjoy taking control,” Paolo explained. “There’s
nothing wrong with that. It’s just the way we’re
wired. In my opinion, it’s one of the reasons Fate
probably chose us as each other’s mates.”

Jamie thought about that for a few seconds,

then murmured, “What if I don’t want ye to do

Charlie Richards

something.  If  I’m  submitting,  how  do  I  tell  ye?
Won’t  ye  be  angry?  Won’t  ye  punish  me?”  He
shivered  at  the  very  idea,  fighting  back  demons
from his past.

“Ah, Jamie. Someone hurt you, didn’t they?

Took advantage of your beautiful instinctual
desire to submit and obey.”

Unable to help himself, Jamie allowed a

whimper to escape. “H-How did ye know that?”

“Jamie,” Paolo all but breathed his name.
For some reason, Jamie found himself relaxing.
“From your questions and how you ran when

you  heard  my  comment  about  tying  you  up,  it
wasn’t  much  of  a  leap,  sweet  wolf,”  Paolo
commented. “Your concerns are valid. It would be
so  easy  for  a  dominant  to  tie  up  his  submissive,
gag him, and injure him in ways that hadn’t been
agreed upon.”

Paolo remained silent for several seconds,

where Jamie could only swallow repeatedly as he
struggled to get moisture to his dry throat.

“Consider this, though,” Paolo softly ordered.

“How would it feel to kneel on the bed, your arms
tied  behind  your  back,  and  your  cock  and  balls
bound  in  a  ring.”  As  he  spoke,  Paolo’s  voice
deepened,  betraying  his  own  lust.  “Then  a  light
sensation  tickles  the  crack  of  your  ass.  You  can’t
see what it is, and you try to squirm away from it.
The  rope  around  your  wrists  is  attached  to  one
that runs between your legs and your movements

Trusting His Rat

cause that rope to tighten the cock ring, causing
your balls to ache in the best possible way.”

Jamie shuddered, this time in arousal. He

reached down and pressed the heel of his hand
against the base of his suddenly aching prick.
“Oh,” he gasped.

Paolo hummed. “You do like the sound of that,

don’t you, Jamie.” Without missing a beat, he
continued, “You’d like it when I brought that item
around and you looked down to see a red feather
boa slide between your legs, then wrap around
your cock. It rubs against your balls, the caress so
soft, making your sensitive flesh tingle.”

Groaning, Jamie pressed harder against his

prick, but it didn’t stop his balls from rolling in his
sacks.

“Gods that’s a sexy sound, Jamie,” Paolo

crooned. “You’re hard at the idea, aren’t you,
sweet wolf?”

“A-Aye,” Jamie managed to reply.
“Better take out your dick. You wouldn’t want

to come in your pants, would you? And I do plan
to make you come, Jamie.”

Panting hard, Jamie felt a bead of sweat drip

down  his  temple.  His  balls  ached  and  his  cock
throbbed  as  the  desire  to  do  just  that  burned
through his blood. After a quick glance toward the
window and the deck, he whispered, “Okay.” He
lifted  his  hips  and  shoved  his  sweats  down  just
enough  to  release  his  dick  and  balls.  His  cock

Charlie Richards

slapped against his stomach, causing his groin to
tingle deliciously.

“Damn, I heard that…your dick slapping

against  your  abs.  I  bet  you’re  bobbing  in  the  air
right  now,  fluid  leaking  from  your  tip,”  Paolo
commented.  “Imagine  me  wrapping  a  silk  scarf
around  your  bobbing  shaft,”  he  urged.  “Rubbing
back and forth, back and forth.”

Jamie groaned and shuddered. His dick jerked

as he listened to his lover croon in his ear, and just
as Paolo had stated, a bead of pre-cum oozed from
his slit.

“P-Paolo, please,” he begged. He could

practically taste his orgasm. His dick throbbed and
his balls ached. “I need—” A whimper escaped
him, practically yanked from his throat.

“If I were to promise that,” Paolo pressed.

“Would you want to be tied up?”

“Oh, Gods! Aye!” Jamie cried loudly.
Paolo growled into the phone and rumbled,

“Come for me, my mate.”

Shouting hoarsely, Jamie obeyed. Without a

touch,  his  balls  tightened  just  that  bit  more,
shooting  cum  up  his  dick.  Spurts  of  seed  pulsed
from his bobbing prick, painting ribbons of white
across  the  hardwood  floor  at  his  feet.  Jamie
whimpered  and  moaned,  reveling  in  the  blissful
sensations cascading through his system.

Trusting His Rat

“You sound so sexy when you come, Jamie,”

Paolo murmured into Jamie’s ear. “I wish I could
have been there to see it.”

Jamie wished the same thing. He’d love to feel

his mate’s arms around him, holding him, giving
him something to hold onto as he floated. “I-I’m
sorry I didn’t talk to ye,” Jamie slurred, still feeling
the effects of his orgasm.

“I understand why you ran,” Paolo murmured.

“I hope that, someday, you’ll feel comfortable
telling me about it.”

Grimacing, Jamie sighed. “Perhaps.”
Paolo sighed. “I was held for eight months,” he

revealed.  “I  couldn’t  change  out  of  my  rat  form.
Aldridge  and  Toby  weren’t  bad  guys,  but  they
weren’t the ones giving me the shots that kept me
trapped.  That  shit  burned  and  the  needle  was  so
fucking  huge,  especially  considering  that  rats
aren’t very large animals,” Paolo told him. “They
inserted  the  needle  into  my  back  and  force  the
serum  into  my  veins.  It  didn’t  matter  how  I
fought,”  he  continued.  “They  wore  gloves.  My
back itched like crazy for hours and my blood felt
like  liquid  ice  for  several  minutes  before  the
burning began.”

Listening to Paolo’s words, Jamie’s afterglow

disappeared  in  an  instant.  He  grabbed  a  tissue
from the box on the end table  and wiped himself
up  before  dropping  the  tissue  onto  the  floor.  He
tucked  himself  away,  then  grabbed  a  few  more

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tissues. He lowered to his knees and started
wiping up his seed.

He heard whimpers, but it wasn’t until Paolo

cried his name that Jamie realized the cries came
from himself.

“Jamie, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you that

like this,” Paolo purred soothingly into his ear.
“Calm down, my sweet. You’re safe with your
friends. I’m not in a cage. We’re both okay. We’ll
be fine.”

Jamie bowed over his knees. He managed to

ease  the  grip  he  had  on  the  phone,  amazed  he
hadn’t  crushed  the  small  device.  “I’m  okay,”  he
managed  to  mumble,  then  he  focused  on  just
breathing.  The  spots  that  had  danced  across  his
vision  eased,  and  he  realized  they’d  been  caused
by lack of oxygen.

“Are you okay, Jamie?”
He nodded, then remembered Paolo couldn’t

see it. “Aye, that, damn. Sorry,” he finished
lamely.

“No need to apologize,” Paolo murmured into

his ear. “Is everything all right? Did my words
cause a flashback or something?” he asked softly.
“Is there anything I can do?”

Jamie sighed. He really just needed to think

about something else. “Talk to me,” he pleaded.

“About what?”

Trusting His Rat

Flopping back onto his ass, Jamie leaned

against the sofa he’d just been sitting on.
“Anything. Tell me about yerself…please.”

Paolo hummed into his ear for a few seconds.

“Well,  I  was  born  in  a  small,  backwater  town  in
Maryland…almost  one  hundred  twelve  years
ago,”  he  started.  “My  parents  were  a  true  mate
match  and  loved  each  other  very  much.  I  have
four brothers and two sisters. My pack was taken
over  by  a  new  alpha  about  three  months  before
my  disappearance.  Since  I  can’t  find  my  family,
I’m kinda thinking he thought I was a threat to his
authority.”  Paolo  snorted.  “I  suppose  I  was,  too.
Everyone loved our old alpha and we could never
figure out why he brought in this new guy before
he died. Alpha Alan.”

Jamie cocked his head. “What do ye mean?”
For the next half hour, Paolo told Jamie about

his  old  pack,  how  his  alpha  claimed  Alan  was  a
relative, son of a brother’s mate’s sister. Everyone
trusted  the  aging  alpha  and  accepted  Alan  with
open  arms.  There’d  been  some  tension  between
Alan and Beta Loren, but that had been expected,
since Shet named the new arrival as his successor.
Two months later, Alpha Shet had died and Alan
assumed  the  position.  Beta  Loren  had  moved  his
family to another pack.

“I’d like to tell you about my family,” Paolo

finally stated. “But I’d really like to share that in
person. We jumped into a mating without

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knowing each other, and I understand that’s the
reason we’re apart now. Will you allow me to take
you out on a date? I’d like the opportunity to get
to know you…outside the bedroom,” he finished,
mirth filling his tone.

“I’d like that,” Jamie replied, not even having to

think about his answer.

“Thank you, sweet wolf,” Paolo said, sounding

as if he whispered the words like a prayer. “I have
my first volunteer shift at the fire station in Stone
Ridge tomorrow morning.”

Jamie smiled at the pride he heard in his rat’s

voice. “I didn’t realize ye were a fire fighter.” Of
course, that stood to reason. There was so much he
didn’t know about his mate.

“I was in a previous life,” Paolo told him.

“Detective Stryker and your enforcer’s mate,
Jared, helped me with identity. Since the chief is a
wolf, I didn’t need to forge credentials. I start a
twelve hour volunteer shift tomorrow at six in the
morning.”

“So does that mean ye’re free for supper?”

Jamie aside, surprised at how eager he was to see
his mate again.

“I am. How about we meet at seven thirty. Just

tell me where.”

Jamie grinned. “How about at Spiron’s Bar and

Grill. I’m gonna be there with a few friends. I’m
helping them get Jason’s sister away from his
parents.”

Trusting His Rat

Paolo snorted. “There has got to be a story

there.”

“There is,” Jamie assured. “How about I tell ye

all about it when ye show up.”

“I look forward to it,” Paolo responded, his

tone softening. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Five minutes later, Jamie hung up the phone.

He couldn’t stop the grin from splitting his
features. He knew they still had plenty of things to
discuss, but a lightness that he hadn’t felt before
talking with Paolo filled him.

“Seems ye’re feeling better,” Michel called,

drawing attention to himself where he stood
leaning a hip against the dining room table.

Jamie had no clue when his friend had entered

the home. He flushed and nodded. “Aye.”

Michel chuckled deeply. He pushed away from

the table and crossed to the refrigerator and
opened it. After grabbing several beers, he leveled
a reassuring look Jamie’s way. “Ye keep yer phone
on ye and call if ye need anything. I’ll come
running.” He scowled. “Ye know that, right?”

“I know,” Jamie confirmed with a nod. He

smiled at his oldest and dearest friend. “It’s why I
came here.

Grunting, Michel nodded once, then headed

back outside with the beer. Before he closed the
door, he hollered, “Open some windows and air
the house out. Smells like cum in there.”

Trusting His Rat

Chapter Seven

aolo just held back his groan as muscles he
hadn’t used in years made their presence

known. Who would have thought hours of rolling
hoses coupled with washing a fire engine could
cause his shoulders, arms, and back to ache.

“You did good today, rook,” Stake Dolan called

right before slapping him on the back hard
enough that, if he’d been human, he’d have
stumbled forward several steps. “When you back
on rotation?”

Turning to face the human, Paolo took in

Dolan’s grin. Then, he subtly scented the human.
There  were  two  wolf  shifters  who  worked  full
time  besides  the  chief,  as  well  as  two  full  time
humans  and  four  part  time  humans.  Paolo  made
up fifty percent of the volunteers, the second being
a human, Charles Bronson, in his late thirties who
had recently retired from the military.

“Thanks, Dolan,” Paolo responded slowly. “I

have two days off, so I’ll be back Thursday
morning.”

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Dolan snorted. “Cap easing you in, huh? I

always thought baptism by fire worked best.”

“Then it’s a good thing you’re not in charge,

Dolan,”  Captain  Glowder  snapped,  stalking  into
the  room.  “Too  many  opportunities  for  mistakes
when  your  people  are  tired.”  He  fixed  a  look  on
Paolo. “Get out of here, Paolo.” Then, he eyeballed
Dolan. “In my office, Dolan. Now.”

Paolo didn’t need to be told twice. “Night,” he

mumbled.  He  didn’t  relish  over-hearing  the
tongue-chewing  Dolan  was  about  to  receive.
Besides,  he  had  more  than  enough  to  occupy  his
mind…like  his  date  with  Jamie.  Paolo  used  the
term loosely, since he didn’t really know what he
was  walking  into,  considering  his  mate’s  odd
words.

My mate.
Just thinking of Jamie brought a smile to his

lips. Damn, he couldn’t wait to see the man again,
smell him, hold him…even if it was just his hand
underneath a restaurant table. That would lead to
more, Paolo felt certain, and he’d brave any
animosity from his mate’s friends and pack to be
with Jamie.

Climbing into the borrowed jeep, Paolo hissed

as he slid into the vehicle. Damn, any pressure on
his shoulders sent spikes through his body. If he
hadn’t been a shifter, knowing he had to face this
pain for three or four days, he’d be hating life. As
it was, he had a good twenty-four hours of pain to

Trusting His Rat

look forward to. Paolo agreed with Glowder.
Better to not jeopardize the team by over using his
people.

Paolo turned the engine over on the jeep and

headed  out  of  the  station  parking  lot.  Fifteen
minutes  later,  he  parked  in  Nick  and  Miach’s
driveway. Not for the first time, the idea of getting
a place of his own crossed his mind. Except, if all
went well, maybe he could move in with Jamie. If
not  that,  then  they  could  pick  out  a  house
together.

Shaking his head at his own thoughts, Paolo

slid from the jeep—just managing to squelch his
flinch—and headed toward the house. Before he
reached it, the door swung open. Nick appeared in
the doorway, grinning widely.

“Hey, there,” Nick greeted, sweeping his gaze

over Paolo. “Walking a bit stiff there. How was
your first day?”

Paolo grimaced. “Day was good. Body is sore.”
Nodding, Nick grinned. “Let me get you a

couple of shots of whiskey,” he offered, leading
the way into the room. “Meds don’t work on us
much, but that’ll at least keep you from flinching
with every step.” He winked. “Maybe you can get
Jamie to rub you down later.”

“Har, har,” Paolo muttered, scowling. Still, he

really, really liked that idea, not that he’d tell Nick
that. Jamie’s hands smoothing over the sore
muscles of his back and shoulders…hot damn! His

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prick liked the idea, too, and—despite the pain—
he  found  himself  hardening  in  his  jeans.  “I  gotta
get  cleaned  up,”  he  mumbled,  hustling  past  a
snickering  Nick  as  fast  as  his  sore  body  could
move.

Paolo hopped into the shower, cleaning as

swiftly as possible. He quickly jacked off, thinking
of his mate on his knees before him. Imagining
Jamie opening his mouth to take in his jutting
prick, the suction, the heat, the imaginary visual of
his mate on his knees servicing him, all combined
to set him off faster than he had since puberty.

“Damn,” he gasped, one hand on the tile wall

as he panted harshly.

Bowing his head, Paolo enjoyed the heat of the

water pounding onto the tired muscles of his back
and neck. A moment later, he lifted his arms and
wrapped his hands around the shower head. The
new position caused the hot water to lash across
the muscles of his upper arms.

Finally feeling relaxed enough to move, Paolo

lowered  his  arms  and  turned  off  the  water.  He
shoved aside the shower curtain and grabbed his
towel.  Grimacing  a  bit,  he  rubbed  himself  dry,
then  hung  the  towel  up  and  strode  from  the
bathroom.  It  wasn’t  like  shifters  were  concerned
with  nudity…besides,  he  knew  Miach  barbequed
on the back deck while Nick banged around in the
kitchen. He could hear them.

Trusting His Rat

He found a tumbler with a double shot of

amber liquid in a glass on his dresser and downed
it without hesitation. The whiskey burned just
right, settling in his empty stomach, warming him
from the inside out.

Smiling, Paolo dressed and headed toward the

kitchen within five minutes. Stopping in the
doorway, he snorted as he set the empty tumbler
on the counter. “Good thing I’m heading out.
Guess you’re not gonna need your jeep, Miach?”

The pair took their time bringing their lip-lock

to an end. Finally, Nick nuzzled his way down
Miach’s jaw and neck. Miach hummed, his hands
tightening on Nick’s ass where they gently rocked
their pelvises together.

Finally, Miach grinned at Paolo. “Help yourself.

I won’t need it tonight.”

Paolo chuckled and shook his head before

turning  away.  He  waved  a  hand  and  headed
toward  the  door.  “I’ll  look  into  getting  my  own
vehicle  in  the  next  day  or  so,”  he  called  over  his
shoulder as he headed toward the jeep.

Less than thirty minutes later, Paolo pulled into

the parking lot of Spiron’s Bar and Grill. He walked
in and noted half the tables and booths on the
right side of the building were filled. The bar area
wrapped around to the left, separating the
restaurant seating from an expanse with a couple

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of pool tables, a dart board, and a number of
small, square tables lining the far wall.

Paolo spotted Jamie sitting on a bar stool. He

noticed Denise sat a few seats down with
Laramie’s arm around her waist, his palm spread
over her belly. A clean-shaven, blond man he
didn’t know sat next to Jamie on his mate’s other
side.

As if sensing his presence, Jamie turned his

head  and  met  his  gaze.  He  watched  a  number  of
expressions  flit  across  his  mate’s  face,  eyes
widening,  then  filling  with  heat,  finally  finishing
with a flush and a nervous, shy smile.

Desire to touch Jamie drove Paolo forward, not

to  mention  he  didn’t  like  the  uncertainty  in  his
mate’s eyes. He didn’t want Jamie to think he was
upset  for  their  misunderstanding.  Holding  his
wolf  shifter’s  gaze,  Paolo  gave  his  mate  a
reassuring smile.

When Paolo stopped before Jamie, looking up

at his mate, the hairs on his nape stood on end and
his skin tingled. He knew they were the center of
attention, but he kept his focus on Jamie. Reaching
up, he gently cupped his wolf’s jaw and rubbed
his thumb along his mate’s bottom lip.

Immediately, Jamie tilted his head and nuzzled

into  his  palm.  The  tension  eased  from  the  man’s
lean  form,  his  shoulders  sagging.  Paolo  doubted
his  mate  had  even  realized  he’d  been  holding
himself so stiffly.

Trusting His Rat

Feeling gratified by Jamie’s welcome—his

small,  silent  submission—Paolo  smiled.  “Hello,
sweet  wolf,”  he  murmured,  keeping  his  voice
quiet  since  he  wasn’t  certain  who  around  them
knew of shifters. The bartender was a wolf shifter,
but  there  were  a  number  of  humans  at  the  other
end of the bar.

“Hi,” Jamie whispered back. “Thanks for

coming.”

Paolo’s smile widened and he just resisted the

urge to pull Jamie off of the stool and into his arms
so  he  could  kiss  him.  Instead,  he  assured,
“Anything for you, Jamie.” With the feel of gazes
still  fixed  on  him,  Paolo  murmured,  “Are  you
willing  to  introduce  me  to  your  friends?  They’re
staring.” He winked, softening the words.

Jamie’s face flushed, the skin under Paolo’s

fingers  warming.  He  broke  their  stare  and  flitted
his  gaze  around  the  room.  His  face  grew  even
more  flushed  as  he  cleared  his  throat
uncomfortably.  His  tongue  swept  out  to  swipe
over his bottom lip before he nibbled and worried
that same flesh.

Unable to resist the allure of his mate’s lips any

longer, Paolo settled his right hand on Jamie’s hip
and  urged  him  forward,  off  of  the  stool  and
toward him. He leaned closer and pecked a quick
kiss  to  his  mate’s  lips,  nipping  lightly.  Using  the
hold  he  still  had  on  Jamie’s  jaw,  Paolo  tilted  his

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wolf’s jaw and whispered his command.
“Introduce me to your friends, mate.”

Immediately, Jamie bobbed his head in a nod

and beamed at Paolo. Then, he turned and waved
a hand toward the blond to his left. “This is Preall
McCollins. I’ve known him for—” he paused,
glancing around, then finished, “—forever.”

Paolo nodded at the guy, who shook his hand

distractedly, his gaze continually  straying to peer
toward  the  door.  He  wondered  if  he  should  be
offended,  but  then  Jamie  leaned  close  and
whispered, “He’s waiting for Jason’s sister, Trina.”
He  pointed  toward  a  slender  human  who  leaned
against  the  pool  table  and  watched  with  a  smirk
on his face. He held a pool cue in his right hand.
“Trina  is  Preall’s  mate.  She  turned  eighteen  last
fall  and  just  graduated  high  school.  She  lives  in
Hartford,  Connecticut  and  is  coming  out  here  to
check colleges.”

“Ah,” Paolo breathed the word, understanding

filling him. “Is this the story you wanted to tell
me?”

Jamie nodded. “Mmm-hmm.”
“Can I get you something?”
Paolo turned upon hearing the deep voice and

nodded at the bartender. “Whatever dark beer you
have on tap,” Paolo requested.

“You got it,” the man responded, stepping

backward and grabbing a glass.

Trusting His Rat

A moment later, a beer-filled glass slid across

the  bar  to  him.  Paolo  released  his  hold  on  Jamie
and  grabbed  his  glass.  After  taking  a  swig,  he
hummed  his  appreciation,  offered  the  bartender
an approving smile, then returned his focus to his
mate.

“So, the rest of introductions?” Paolo prodded.
Jamie’s mouth gaped a second, and Paolo

realized his mate was watching him lick a bead of
beer  off  his  upper  lip.  He  grinned  and  winked.
That  seemed  to  knock  Jamie  out  of  his  reverie.
“Uh,  right.”  He  turned  and  pointed  at  the
pregnant  woman  in  Laramie’s  arms.  “That’s
Laramie  and  his  wife,  Denise.  I  understand  ye
already met them.”

Paolo smirked and tilted his beer at the wolf

shifter in mock salute. “Briefly. Thank you for
getting my message to Jamie.”

Laramie just nodded.
“Jason’s partner, Michel, couldn’t make it

tonight,” Jamie explained. “He’s, um—” He
leaned close again. “He’s in hiding for the next
several years.”

“Ah, right,” Paolo responded, understanding. It

seemed Michel was in the in-between years, where
a  shifter  dropped  out  of  society  and  waited  any
number  of  years  until  no  one  would  remember
him,  before  he  resurfaced  with  a  new  identity.
“Then, Jason is here because of family.”

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Jamie nodded. “Jason turned up last summer,

so  they’ve  been  mated  about  a  year  now,”  he
revealed. Finally, he pointed toward a pair of men
seated  at  one  of  the  small  tables  that  lined  the
opposite  wall.  “That’s  Jason’s  uncle,  Raul  Braga,
and  his  mate,  Sean  Garcia.  And  ye  know  Carson
and Jared.”

Once again, Paolo tilted his head in

acknowledgement,  this  time  to  Carson  in
acknowledgment  of  his  enforcer  status.  The
Native  American  wolf  shifter  nodded  back,  then
returned  his  attention  to  whatever  his  mate  and
Raul  seemed  to  be  discussing.  Sean  smiled
indulgently as he handed a french fry to the baby
he bounced lightly on his knee.

“Hey, Paolo. I didn’t know you were going to

be here.”

Paolo turned and grinned, spotting Grady

Stryker. “Hi, Grady,” Paolo greeted. “Last minute
invite,” he told the large tiger shifter who was also
one of Stone Ridge’s detectives. He shook hands
with the man, then turned and did the same to the
man’s mate. “Doctor Digby. Good to see you
again.”

“Call me Gordon,” the shifter psychiatrist

offered with a smile, taking and shaking Paolo’s
hand. “We’re not on the clock,” he added,
winking.

“I didn’t know ye knew them,” Jamie

murmured, his brows drawing down.

Trusting His Rat

Paolo released Gordon and wrapped his arm

around Jamie’s waist. “I was caged,” he whispered
into his mate’s ear. “I met with the doc a number
of times,” he admitted. “And Grady and Jared
helped me regain my identity.”

“Oh,” Jamie mumbled. “Aye, ye did mention

that.”

The scent his mate gave off finally registered to

Paolo.  He  just  managed  to  hold  back  his  grin,
knowing  he  shouldn’t  be  pleased.  Except,  damn,
the  knowledge  that  his  mate  was  jealous  of  his
relationships—however  innocent—with  other
shifters  filled  him  with  a  ridiculous  amount  of
pleasure.

“They helped me get my life back together,”

Paolo murmured into his ear.

“Speaking of lives,” Grady stated, drawing

attention.  “Jared  dropped  off  a  file  today.  He
located  one  of  the  people  on  your  list.  Not  your
parents  or  siblings,”  he  explained,  “but  it  seems
Cory Luoso is currently living in a small town in
the Smokey Mountains of Tennessee.”

Scowling, Paolo couldn’t help mumbling

absently, “What is he doing there?”

“Who’s Cory Luoso?” Jamie asked, this time

sounding unmistakably irritated.

Paolo squeezed Jamie’s side, pressing him

closer for a couple of seconds. “A longtime
friend,” he told his mate. “Just like these guys are
your longtime friends.”

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“Geez, I don’t understand why I’m suddenly

jealous,” Jamie gasped. “I’m sorry.”

Chuckling, Paolo squeezed his mate again.

“Don’t apologize. We’ve had a trying couple of
days. Once our own relationship is solid, these
kinds of petty feelings will ease,” he assured.

Jamie nodded as he settled his head on Paolo’s

shoulder. “I hope so,” he murmured. “Feeling like
this sucks.”

“Come on,” Paolo said, urging his mate toward

the far wall and the empty table next to where
Jared and Carson sat. “Let’s sit. Those fries look
great.”

“I’ll order some and bring them over,” Grady

offered. “I want some wings and skins.”

Paolo’s stomach rumbled at the tiger shifter’s

words. “Damn, salt and fat sound great right
about now,” he admitted. “Next round’s on me,
then.”

Gordon chuckled. “We’ll hold you to that.”
As he started moving, Paolo’s body reminded

him of his aches and pains. It seemed the whiskey
shot had worn off. As he lowered into a chair, he
released his hold on Jamie’s waist. Paolo leaned
back and brought his arm up to rest on the back of
Jamie’s chair, who’d settled next to him.

Evidently, Paolo hadn’t been completely

successful in hiding his grimace, for Jamie peered
at him and asked, “Are ye okay?”

Trusting His Rat

Paolo nodded. He used the hand on the back of

the chair to squeeze Jamie’s shoulder. “Yes, sweet
wolf. I’m fine. Just sore from work.”

“A firefighter, huh?” Jamie asked. He tilted his

head and peered at him through his lashes. “I bet
ye look sexy in yer firefighter pants.”

Smirking, Paolo narrowed his eyes. “Hmm,

maybe I’ll show you sometime and you can decide
for sure.”

“I think I’d like that,” Jamie replied.
Paolo felt his cock thicken in his jeans at his

mate’s breathy response. Not wanting to sit with a
hard-on  the  entire  evening,  he  squeezed  Jamie’s
shoulder again and asked, “So, tell me why there’s
a  huge  gathering  at  the  bar  on  a  Monday  night.”
Grinning, Paolo quipped. “Is this a normal thing?
Make  it  through  Monday  and  have  a  night  out
with buddies as a reward?”

Jamie snorted and shook his head. “Nay.

Jason’s  mother  and  stepfather  are  homophobic
arseholes,  so  we’re  all  gathered  here  to  lend
support  and  distraction  so  Jason  and  Preall  can
smuggle  Trina  out  the  back.”  He  grinned.  “It
should be great fun.”

“And I’m here to make sure no fights actually

break out,” Grady stated, settling onto one of the
chairs across from them, Gordon easing onto the
other. The pair placed several plates on the table
between them, holding the promised fries, wings,
and skins. “Gotta keep it sort of civil.”

Charlie Richards

Jamie shook his head. “Fat chance of that,” he

said. “Brianna was a big enough bitch. Add her
homophobic husband into the mix and well—”
Jamie shook his head. “It could get loud in here.”

Before Paolo could even hope to come up with

a response to that, Jason strode over to his uncle’s
table and warned, “Trina just texted. They just
pulled up.”

Raul nodded and pushed to his feet. “Preall.

Come here.”

The wolf shifter strode across the room and

stopped by their table.

Paolo grabbed the plate of fries, dragged it

toward him, and ate a couple of the salty treats.
He settled in and prepared to watch the show. He
wondered just how big this brouhaha would
actually be.

Trusting His Rat

Chapter Eight

amie watched the lines of tension ease from
Paolo’s features as his mate relaxed in his chair

and focused on enjoying his fries. Paolo smiled at
him, holding up a fry. When Jamie shook his head,
Paolo popped it into his own mouth and reached
for another. With the fingertips of his hand draped
over  the  back  of  Jamie’s  chair,  Paolo  lightly
rubbed over Jamie’s shoulder. He wasn’t certain if
his  mate  did  it  unconsciously  or  not,  but  Jamie
pressed  into  the  contact,  loving  that  his  mate
wanted to touch him constantly.

Pulling his attention away from the man who’d

dominated his thoughts the last few days, Jamie
grabbed a potato skin. He dipped it in sour cream,
then brought the cheesy and bacon topped potato
to his mouth. He bit it in half and savored the
tasty morsel.

Just then, the sound of a very feminine squeal

of excitement caught Jamie’s attention. He
watched as Trina practically flew across the space,
weaving around the pool table, and threw herself

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into Jason’s arms. Good thing the young man had
gained some strength by bonding with a shifter,
because his lean frame didn’t appear to be capable
of withstanding that kind of impact.

“Hey, Trina,” Jason greeted, pecking his sister

on the cheek. “You found it.”

“Of course,” Trina stated. Then, she lowered

her voice—Jamie’s shifter hearing allowing him to
hear the young woman’s whispered words, “Not
for lack of trying on Arthur’s part. God, he took so
many wrong turns and threatened to turn around
more than once. I swear—”

“Hey, you’re here now,” Jason cut her off.

“Relax.”

Trina nodded and stepped back, releasing him.

She looked around, her gaze snagging on Preall
for a few seconds, a blush darkening her cheeks a
bit. “Hey, Preall. Good to see you again,” she
murmured softly.

Smiling, his blue eyes twinkling, Preall nodded.

“And you, Trina. Welcome to Stone Ridge.”

Trina grinned in response. “Thanks!” For

several seconds, they just stared at each other,
then Trina blushed prettily and turned away. She
greeted both her Uncle Raul and Uncle Sean with
hugs and saved some baby talk for Lily. Returning
her focus to Jason, she asked, “Where’s that sexy
stud of yours?”

Preall growled low in his throat for a second,

then coughed, obviously trying to cover up his

Trusting His Rat

slip. Fortunately, Jason rushed to answer, “He
wanted to come, but this isn’t really his, uh—” He
paused and waved his hand around the crowded
space. “He’s not much on crowds and this would
have been a little much for him. He’s hoping I can
talk you into hiking tomorrow, though,” Jason
added.

“Oh, yeah,” Trina instantly agreed. “That

sounds like fun.”

“Cool, there are—”
“No, we don’t have time for that, Trina,”

Brianna cut off her own son’s words. Jamie noted
she hadn’t even greeted Jason. Jamie’s assessment
of the woman didn’t improve, especially when she
stated, “We’re touring two campuses in Denver
tomorrow, so we really can’t be here long.”

Trina frowned at her mother. “We wouldn’t

have been so late if Arthur had followed the
directions I gave him.”

“Don’t you take that tone of voice with me,

young lady,” Arthur reprimanded.

Crossing her arms over her chest, Trina

muttered, “Well, it’s true. And I thought we were
checking those colleges out on Wednesday. Didn’t
you get rooms at that bed and breakfast I sent you
a link to?”

Jamie knew from conversations with Jason that

he’d thought his family would be staying a couple
of nights at a local B and B. Evidently, they were
changing plans on him so he couldn’t spend time

Charlie Richards

with his sister. Unfortunately, that affected Preall,
too, and Jamie knew his friend wanted time with
Trina, too. The hiking trip was supposed to be
followed by a picnic where Jason and Michel
would leave Trina and Preall alone together.

“No, we decided that wouldn’t be the most

effective use of time on our trip,” Brianna replied.
“We’ll do the college thing tomorrow, then still
have time to check out that amusement park you
talked about.”

Trina frowned. “It’s summer. The park will be

packed.  Besides,  I  want  to  spend  the  day  with
Jason.”  She  lowered  her  arms  and  indicated  her
brother,  as  if  their  mother  couldn’t  see  him
standing right there.

“Hey, maybe I can walk the campus with you,”

Jason offered.

“I don’t think—” Arthur started.
Preall stepped forward, resting his hands on the

back of the chair Jason had vacated. “I have an
order of lumber to pick up in Denver. I’d planned
to get it Thursday, but I can adjust my schedule,”
he offered. “If there are two of us, the drive won’t
be so bad.”

“I said, I don’t—” Arthur tried again.
Both Jason and Trina ignored the man. Instead,

Trina beamed up at Preall. “You don’t have to do
that. I’m not interested in the amusement park.
It’d be way too hot this time of year and too many
lines. I’ll do the hiking thing.” She looked toward

Trusting His Rat

the bar and pointed, “Does he have anything non-
alcoholic? Oh, how about a virgin daiquiri?”

“It would be my pleasure to get that for you,

Trina,” Preall stated.

Trina’s skin glowed in a light flush. “Thanks,”

she whispered.

Preall offered a mock bow, then headed over to

the  bar  to  place  the  order.  Carson  rose  from  his
seat and pointed at the chair. “Have a seat, Trina.
Catch  up  with  your  family.  I’ll  grab  menus.”  As
Trina  moved  to  obey,  Jared  also  rose  and  moved
to  the  next  table  over.  He  turned  a  chilly  smile
onto  the  parents.  “Arthur,  Brianna,  have  a  seat
over here.”

Arthur scowled and opened his mouth as if to

argue,  but  the  narrowing  of  Jared’s  eyes  must
have  changed  his  mind.  Jamie  lowered  his  gaze
back to the half of the potato skin still in his hand.
Hell,  if  Jared  looked  at  him  like  that,  he’d  do
whatever the human wanted, too.

“Huh, I thought he reserved that look for the

target on his rifle range,” Paolo commented,
leaning close. “Not many humans make me
nervous, but damn. Not a look I want directed at
me…or you, for that matter.”

Jamie gazed at Paolo, who had evidently been

watching everything play out in silence. “Me
neither,” he admitted. “There are a hell of a lot of
rumors swirling around about him,” he mumbled,
cutting his attention toward the once again seated

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100

human.  Feeling  a  set  of  eyes  on  him,  Jamie
realized  Carson  had  settled  at  another  table  and
now  watched  him  solemnly.  Jamie  lowered  his
gaze.

Paolo chuckled. With the intensifying of Paolo’s

scent,  Jamie  realized  he  leaned  closer  and  he
turned  to  meet  his  mate’s  gaze.  Paolo  winked,
then  pressed  his  lips  to  Jamie’s.  He  opened
instantly  to  the  other  man,  and  Paolo  took
immediate advantage, thrusting his tongue in and
tangling  with  Jamie’s.  He  tasted  of  salt  and  fries
and the perfect musk that was all Paolo, and Jamie
loved every second of it.

“I can’t believe the staff here allows such

displays,” Arthur’s grumbled words reached
Jamie’s ears.

Slowly, Paolo brought the kiss to an end.

Holding  Jamie’s  gaze,  he  whispered,  “I’d  been
thinking  about  doing  that  since  I  walked  in.
What’s  ya’ll’s  plans  to  separate  Trina  from  her
douche  bag  parents?  And  how  did  Jason  survive
that pair?”

“Arthur is the stepfather,” Jamie murmured.

“When

Arthur

physically

expressed

his

displeasure  at  Jason  being  gay,  Jason  left  and
tracked down his uncle. That was last year and his
parents  have  essentially  disowned  him,  but  his
sisters  don’t  agree  with  that  view.”  He  waved
toward Trina, who leaned close to her brother and
chatted  away.  Every  few  seconds,  she’d  glance

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101

shyly toward Preall, who currently waited at the
bar. “As ye can see. His other sister, Alisha, is in
college. She’s taking summer classes and couldn’t
make it out here.”

“And Preall is Trina’s mate,” Paolo mused

quietly. “So what’s your plan to get them some
alone time?”

Jamie snickered. “Since Brianna and Arthur are

being dipshites about allowing Trina to go hiking,
we’ll put plan B into effect about halfway through
the meal. Our job will be to keep the parents from
causing a scene and going after Trina,” he
admitted.

“Ah, in that case. Best eat up,” Paolo urged,

nodding toward the rapidly disappearing
appetizers.

Nodding, Jamie reached for a chicken wing, just

as Gordon did. The elephant shifter chuckled. “Eat
it. I’ll go get more.” Leaning toward Grady,
Gordon winked. “You want anything else besides
more of that?” he asked, pointing at the sauce all
over the man’s mouth.

Grady swallowed, then nodded. “How about

another beer?”

Sticking out his tongue, Gordon swiped across

the corner of his mouth. “Mmm, you do taste
good,” he murmured. “You got more sauce on
your lips than in your mouth.”

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102

Chuckling, Grady winked at his mate. “Awe,

you know what they say,” he murmured. “If it’s
not all over the place, it shouldn’t be in your face.”

Gordon rolled his eyes, even as they danced

with mirth. “You and your meat.”

“You and your tea,” Grady quipped right back.
While Grady was a tiger shifter and loved meat,

the  rarer  the  better,  Gordon  was  an  elephant
shifter.  He  preferred  salads  and  had  focused  on
the  potato  skins  as  opposed  to  the  chicken
wings…and  the  carrot  and  celery  sticks.  They
were  gone,  too.  Gordon  was  also  known  to  the
pack for his love of tea and hatred of coffee. For a
long time, Jamie had thought Gordon had grown
up in England…or at least spent a number of years
over there. He’d never had the guts to ask though.

“This round’s on me,” Paolo stated, drawing

his attention. He grimaced as he moved his arm
from the back of Jamie’s chair. “I could use some
more fries, and maybe a shot of whiskey or two.”

“Lookin’ like ya hurt there, buddy,” Grady

teased.

“You roll up dozens of fire hoses and scrub a

fire truck and tell me how you feel afterward,”
Paolo grumbled, shoving to his feet. “And, yeah.
Damn, I do hurt,” he admitted.

“I can give ye a massage later if ye’re willing to

come home with me,” Jamie offered suddenly.
“Um, I mean—”

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103

Paolo leaned over and pressed a hard kiss to his

lips. “That sounds perfect.”

Before he could respond again, Paolo started

moving toward the bar. Gordon stood as well. “I’ll
help carry,” he stated, following as Paolo almost
imperceptibly limped from the table.

“Damn, he looks like he hurts,” Grady

commented again, watching the retreating pair.

“Aye,” Jamie whispered, feeling bad for his

mate.  Paolo  did  a  great  job  of  hiding  it,  and
probably  only  people  that  were  familiar  with  his
natural  grace  would  notice.  He  frowned.  “How
can  you  tell?”  Why  the  hell  would  Grady  be
staring at Paolo? His wolf bristled at that thought
and a soft growl escaped him.

Grady lifted his hands, the last chicken wing in

one hand. “Whoa, I’m a detective, remember? It’s
my job to notice shit like that.”

That made sense. Jamie nodded, his wolf

calming  in  the  back  of  his  mind.  Damn.  He
couldn’t remember the last time he’d been jealous
and  now  twice  in  one  night?  Hunching  his
shoulders,  Jamie  muttered  an  apology.  His  heart
began racing in his chest. Shite, what if Grady took
affront? He was a tiger shifter, a big alpha top.

Grady hummed a few seconds around his

mouthful of hot wing. Then, he shook his head
and smiled. “Take a deep breath and relax, Jamie,”
he urged softly. “I’m not upset. I don’t consider it

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104

a challenge or anything. I’m not really part of your
pack, remember?”

Jamie followed his instructions and focused on

taking one breath after another. Shite. How could
he act like such an idiot…and in the middle of the
restaurant no less? Lowering his gaze, Jamie
focused on the hot wing he still held in his hand.

“Easy, Jamie. You okay?” Suddenly, Paolo was

there.  He  wrapped  his  arms  around  Jamie’s
shoulders,  his  chest  pressed  against  his  back,  his
hands  rubbing  lightly  over  his  chest.  “Tell  me
what’s  wrong,  sweet  wolf,”  he  softly  demanded
into his ear.

Letting out a soft sigh, Jamie leaned against his

mate. “Just a stupid, irrational reaction,” he
mumbled.

“Reaction to what?” Paolo whispered the

question.

“It’s my fault,” Grady volunteered, drawing

both  their  attentions.  He  leaned  forward  and
lowered his voice as he said, “I made a comment
about  the  pain  in  your  walk.  Essentially,  I
challenged  his  claim  on  you.  He  growled  at  me,
then  realized  what  he  did,  and  started  to  panic.”
Grady  sighed  and  grabbed  a  napkin,  wiping  the
sauce from his fingers. “I tried to remind him that,
like you, I’m not really pack, but—” He smiled at
Jamie and tapped the side of his own skull. “You
kinda zoned out on me, Jamie. Got lost up here for
a minute, I think.”

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105

Jamie smiled wanly. “It happens.” He looked

left, spotting his mate who had his chin on Jamie’s
shoulder and peered at him with concern. “I’m
okay. Really.”

Paolo surveyed him for several more seconds,

then  nodded,  his  chin  digging  into  Jamie’s
shoulder for a second. “Okay. I hate seeing you in
distress,”  he  whispered.  “I  could  see  it  in  your
eyes  across  the  room.”  Lifting  his  head,  he
loosened his arms. “You sure you’re okay?”

After confirming again that he was fine, Jamie

accepted a quick peck, then watched Paolo return
to  Gordon’s  side.  The  elephant  shifter  glanced
Jamie’s  way,  concern  in  his  expression.  Then,  he
smiled  at  Jamie  and  returned  his  attention  to  the
bar  and  the  food  and  drinks  the  bartender  was
sliding across the wood toward him.

“So,” Grady drew the word out, pulling Jamie’s

attention back to him. “You gonna share the
plan?”

Jamie knew exactly what Grady asked, and he

shook his head. “Don’t worry,” he murmured.
“Ye’ll know it when ye see it.” Unable to help
himself, he added, “I hope yer badge will keep our
friend from going after him.”

Grady shrugged. “As long as everyone has

agreed to get in the vehicle of their own free will,
there’s nothing our friend can do. We’re all adults
here.”

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106

Nodding, knowing they both knew who their

friend

was—namely

Arthur—Jamie

hoped

pointing out that Trina was eighteen and an adult
who could choose who she hung out with would
go  as  smoothly  as  they  both  hoped.  However,
those  driven  by  homophobia  and  bigotry  seldom
made  rational  decisions.  Jamie  hoped  this
wouldn’t backfire on his friends.

Still, Jamie would help them any way he could.
A moment later, Paolo settled back in his seat,

grunting softly. “I ordered double of everything
since it didn’t take us long to chow through the
first round,” he said, glancing between Jamie and
Grady. “The bartender is gonna bring us the next
round in maybe fifteen or so.”

Grady hummed, leaned forward, and grabbed a

wing. “Excellent idea, my friend.” He winked at
Gordon, then took a big bite. From the way he ate
his food, he seemed to be making certain he got
sauce on his chin. “Yum,” he mumbled around a
mouthful of chicken wing.

Gordon snorted. He grabbed a carrot stick, then

swiped the end through the sauce on Grady’s
chin. Winking, he bit the stick in half and chewed.

Jamie snickered at their antics and glanced at

Paolo. Would they ever be that comfortable? Paolo
stared right back at him, smiling that calm smile
that seemed to soothe Jamie’s wolf like nothing
else ever had.

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107

His mate seemed to be reading his mind, for he

reached over and rested his hand on Jamie’s thigh
and squeezed. He leaned close and nuzzled his
neck, then licked once at the sensitive skin behind
his ear before giving him a wink and straightening
in his chair.

Even as Jamie’s dick thickened in his jeans at

his  mate’s  touch,  contentment  worked  through
him.  He  wasn’t  certain  how  Paolo  did  it,  but
without  words  his  mate  put  him  at  ease.  Smiling
happily, Jamie focused on eating and enjoying the
company of his friends and his mate.

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108

Chapter Nine

aolo kept a close eye on Jamie. While he felt
pleased that his mate still responded so

naturally  to  him,  calming  and  relaxing  at  his
touch,  he  worried  at  his  reaction.  He’d  known
Grady for a while now and nothing he’d seen told
him  that  the  detective  was  prone  to  angry
outbursts.

Then, Paolo remembered his and Jamie’s drive

to  his  mate’s  house.  Not  to  mention,  their
interaction in the kitchen, and Paolo  knew  it was
his  love’s  own  mind  that  seemed  to  get  him.
Whatever  had  happened  in  the  past,  it  still
affected his mate to this day.

Damn, what will it take for him to confide in me?
Patience, Paolo reminded himself. He and his

mate hadn’t known each other all that long.

Massaging Jamie’s thigh lightly, almost

absently, Paolo swigged his beer. Then, he reached
for  a  potato  skin.  “So,”  he  started,  deciding  to
address  what  Candy  had  said.  “The  cashier  at
your grocery  store  seemed  a  little  bitter  about  all

Trusting His Rat

109

the gay men in the area.” He peered at Grady and
added, “Not so much angry as disappointed.”

Grady snorted and shook his head. “Naw, not

as many as you’d think, actually,” he told him.
“Declan has plenty of het couples in his pack,
too,” he assured. “Just most of them are wrapped
up with caring for cubs, so you don’t see them out
as much.”

“Ah,” Paolo murmured, nodding. “He has an

expansive  pack,  then?”  He’d  met  so  many  male
couples  that  resided  in  the  area,  he’d  made  the
false  assumption  that  Declan  ran  a  mostly  gay
pack.

Jamie nodded. “My friends and I have lived

under  his  leadership  for—”  He  paused  and
glanced  around,  then  finished,  “—well,  a  long
time, and we just found our mates. Laramie found
Denise years ago and last year Michel found Jason.
Then  there’s  ye  and  me  and  Preall  and—”  Again
he  stopped  speaking,  this  time  he  just  tilted  his
head toward Trina.

“Ah,” Paolo murmured. “Right.” Still, a fifty-

fifty split was nearly unheard of. “And you’re all
true mates?”

“Aye, we are. Most in the pack are, too,” Jamie

confirmed. He smiled. “Declan’s people have been
truly blessed.”

Paolo certainly agreed with that. Evidently,

Fate had decided to smile on the wolf shifter’s
pack.

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110

Trina rising from the table caught Paolo’s

attention. He saw that Jamie tracked her
movements as well, peering at the occupants of
the other table from beneath his lashes.

“I need to run to the little girl’s room,” Trina

told her brother and uncle.

Jason grinned. “Better hurry or Uncle Sean is

gonna eat all your fries,” he teased.

Placing her palm on her flat belly, Trina

groaned.  “Ugh,  that  burger  was  huge,  but  I
couldn’t  stop  eating  it.  So  good.”  She  sighed  and
waved  her  other  hand  at  the  mound  of  fries  still
on  her  plate.  “Those  are  all  yours  if  you  want
them, Uncle Sean.”

“Won’t pass that up,” Sean instantly

responded, winking. Reaching out, he grabbed the
plate and pulled it toward him.

“The ladies room sounds great,” Denise said,

rising  from  the  table  behind  Paolo  and  joining
Trina  on  her  trek  to  the  restroom.  Her  voice
drifted  to  Paolo’s  sensitive  shifter  ears  as  she
complained,  “I  swear.  The  worst  part  of
pregnancy  is  how  the  baby  sits  right  on  your
bladder.”

Trina laughed and asked, “How far along are

you?”

“I’ll go pay our check while she’s gone,” Sean

said, also rising from the table.

Raul nodded, then tilted his head in a blatant

request for a kiss, which Sean had no trouble

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111

giving. Sean grabbed a couple fries from Trina’s
plate before heading away from the table,
probably to settle his bar tab, Lily bouncing on his
hip.

Behind Paolo, Laramie rose and headed after

Sean.

Paolo’s eyes narrowed as he noted Preall,

Carson, and Jason did the same.

Leaning toward Jamie, Paolo whispered, “Is

this the sign I should be watching for?”

Jamie glanced around furtively, then nodded.
“So, what exactly is the plan?” Paolo asked

again, still curious.

“Ye’ll know,” Jamie whispered back.
Paolo opened his mouth, intending to press for

more  information.  Right  then,  however,  Denise
came  rushing  awkwardly  from  the  hallway  that
housed  the  bathroom.  She  clutched  her  swollen
belly. Her eyes appeared too large in her head as
she searched the area.

“Laramie,” Denise cried. “Laramie!”
Nearly instantly, Laramie rushed to her side.

“What is it, sweetheart?”

“I think my water broke,” Denise replied. “I

think I’m going into labor!”

“Okay, okay. Calm down,” Laramie soothed.

“Let’s get you to the hospital. You’ll be fine.” He
wrapped an arm around Denise’s waist, pressed a
quick kiss to her temple, and started leading her
past the tables.

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112

Denise paused at their table and latched onto

Gordon’s arm. “Wait, wait,” she called. “Doctor
Digby, will you come with us? Please?”

“Denise,” Gordon started, resting his opposite

hand  over  hers  where  she  clutched  at  him.  “I’m
not  that  kind—”  Grady  shifted  and  Gordon
grunted.  His  eyes  widened  as  he  looked  toward
his  mate.  Some  communication  passed  between
them,  as  only  those  mated  for  years  could  do.
Gordon returned his focus to Denise and nodded.
“Of  course,  Denise.  I’d  be  happy  to  help,”  he
assured, rising from the table.

Grady rose as well. “Just let me know what

hospital you go to, darling.” He patted Gordon’s
shoulder. “I’ll settle the check and follow you.”

Gordon nodded and thanked him, then pressed

a quick kiss to Grady’s lips. When he pulled away,
Gordon’s eyes were narrowed in a questioning
look. The expression cleared as he turned and
refocused on Denise. “Let’s go, dear.”

Laramie gave Gordon an apologetic smile.

“Thanks, doc. It’ll make her feel better.”

As the trio left the restaurant, Grady headed

toward the bar. He pulled his wallet from his back
pocket as he moved. Everyone once against settled
in their seats.

Paolo opened his mouth to ask Jamie what was

going on, since in no way did Denise’s scent say
her water had broken, when he heard a low voice
whisper, “Four…three…”

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113

Paolo frowned and sought out who spoke in the

low, quiet voice. He knew if he hadn’t been a
shifter, he wouldn’t have heard the man.

“Two…”
Spotting Jared’s lips moving, Paolo realized it

was the human who spoke. Carson sat next to
him, a grimace on his face as he stared at…

“One…”
Brianna looked up from her food and glanced

around the area. From the pinched expression on
her  face  when  she  took  in  all  the  men,  she’d
obviously  been  trying  to  ignore  who  had  been
dining  around  her.  “Where’s  Trina?”  She  patted
Arthur’s  arm,  getting  his  attention.  “Where  did
Trina go?”

“She went to the bathroom,” Arthur reminded

her, then refocused on his burger.

Huffing, Brianna grabbed his arm. “That was

ten minutes ago.”

Arthur scowled, clearly displeased to be pulled

away from his food. “Then go check on her,” he
grumped.

Brianna shoved away from the table and all but

stalked to the restroom, muttering angrily about
rebellious children and unhelpful husbands.

Shaking his head, Paolo leaned close to Jamie

and mumbled, “Is the shit about to hit the fan?”

“Oh, aye,” Jamie murmured.
Within seconds, Brianna rushed back into the

room, yelling, “Trina’s gone! My baby is gone!”

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114

Grady was back by their sides, his hands held

up in placation, as he urged, “Calm down,
Brianna. What do you mean Trina is gone?”

Paolo’s eyes narrowed as he took in the scents

around him. Now the fact that Denise’s scent
didn’t indicate that her water had broken made
sense.

These

guys

were

all

part

something…kidnapping Trina? That didn’t make
sense. Jason was her brother. He wouldn’t want
anything to happen to her.

Wait, where is Jason? And Preall, for that matter?
“What do you mean what do I mean?” Brianna

screeched. “My daughter went to the ladies room
and now she’s missing.” Sweeping her gaze over
the collected men, she screamed, “Where’s Jason?
Where is that man?”

“Your son headed home,” Raul stated as he

rose from his seat.

Brianna shoved around Grady and rounded on

her brother. “Jason is not my son,” she snarled. “I
don’t have a faggot for a son! That bastard took
my daughter, didn’t he? Where are they?”

If Paolo and the other shifters had been in

animal form, he just knew most of their hackles
would have been raised. Slowly, he rose to his
feet. He cupped Jamie’s upper arm and urged his
mate up, too. He wanted to be able to move fast if
an altercation broke out.

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115

“Brianna, does your daughter have a phone?”

Grady asked, resting his hand on the angry
woman’s shoulder.

Brianna wrenched away from the detective.

“Don’t you touch me,” she snapped even as she
swung an arm at Grady, hitting him on the chest.

Grady’s eyes narrowed as he growled a

warning, “Ma’am, regardless of how you feel
about me, I am an officer of the law. Don’t do that
again.”

Arthur stood and stalked to his wife’s side. “I

can’t believe the people of this town would allow
a fag to be an officer  of the law,” he sneered. He
pointed at the shield  attached to Grady’s hip, his
lip curling in disgust. “You don’t deserve to wear
that  badge.  Just  goes  to  show  how  deviant  this
place is.”

“Trina? Where are you?” Brianna snapped into

the phone she currently held to her ear.

Paolo’s sensitive hearing allowed him to hear

Trina’s end of the conversation.

“Hey, Mom,” Trina greeted. “Sorry I didn’t say

good-bye, but Jason’s man called and he had to
hurry.”

“Where are you,” Brianna asked again. “Are

you okay?”

“Oh, I’m fine, Mom,” Trina replied, sounding

happy and upbeat. “Oh, my goodness! Have you
seen the huge trees around here? Absolutely
amazing!”

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Grady grabbed the phone from Brianna’s hand,

ignoring her squeal of outrage, and asked, “Trina,
this is Detective Stryker. Your mother is concerned
that you are traveling under duress. Is that the
case? A simple yes or no will do, since we know
there are others with you.”

“No,” Trina immediately responded, her tone

taking on irritation.

“Are you there of your own free will?” Grady

pressed, holding up a hand to stall Brianna from
reaching for the phone.

“Yes.” This time, Trina’s belligerence and anger

shown through clearly. “Detective, I’m hanging
with my brother of my own free will. Please put
my mother on so I can tell her.”

“That’s all I needed, Trina,” Grady stated,

smiling. “Have fun. Here’s your mother.”

Brianna grabbed the phone and screeched into

the speaker, “Trina! You have Jason bring you
right back here. You do not have permission to go
joyriding with a bunch of strangers.”

“Mom, Jason is my brother and your son, no

matter how much you and Arthur hate the fact
that he’s gay,” Trina insisted. “I’m spending time
with him and his friends and there’s nothing you
can do to stop me. Go to the bed and breakfast I
told you about. Do something fun together. I’ll see
you Wednesday morning in time for checkout.”

Her jaw gaping, Brianna handed the phone to

Arthur. “Talk some sense into her.”

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117

Arthur took the phone and snapped, “Young

lady, you get your ass back here or the
opportunity to go to any colleges in this area will
be off the table.”

It took so long for Trina to respond, Paolo

wondered if she’d hung up. Finally, she coldly
stated, “You gonna disown me like you did Jason?
Fine.”

After a few seconds, Arthur said, “Trina?

Trina?”  He  lowered  the  phone  from  his  ear  and
shoved it into his pocket. “Damn it.” Crossing his
arms over his chest, Arthur focused on Grady.  “I
want  them  found  and  arrested,  Detective.  This  is
kidnapping.”

Paolo couldn’t believe that the human was

attempting to have his own stepson arrested for
kidnapping. Yet, the man was. From the scowl
Arthur leveled at the tiger shifter, Paolo knew he
expected to be able to do just that.

“I’m sorry, sir,” Grady responded. “Your

daughter is eighteen, making her a legal adult. She
went with her brother of her own free will. At this
point, my hands are tied.”

“Hands are tied?” Brianna snarled. “She

probably had to say those things because she
wasn’t alone. Even you said that.”

Paolo wondered what it would take to get

through to these asshole parents. Their little girl
was a young woman…one who had very different

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118

ideas about what was right and wrong. Paolo
decided he liked the girl.

“If you haven’t heard from her in twenty-four

hours,  you  can  file  a  missing  persons  report,”
Grady  told  them.  Reaching  over,  he  grabbed  his
jacket off the back of the chair. “Until that time, try
to relax. She’s with Jason and she’s fine. She’s an
adult  who’s  not  interested  in  seeing  you  right
now.” He tossed the fabric carelessly over his arm
and turned toward the door. “Trina is well within
her rights. I suggest you respect that.”

Grady had made it only a few steps when

Arthur  snarled.  The  human’s  gaze  zeroed  in  on
Jamie.  “You,”  he  snapped,  pointing  his  finger  at
him.  “You’re  friends  with  Jason  and  that…that
Preall guy. I  knew I  should have found a  way to
keep  Trina  from  chatting  with  your  friend.”  So
angry,  spittle  flew  from  his  lips  as  he  stalked
toward  them,  “Where  is  he,  anyway?  I  bet  Preall
was a part of this, too!”

Arthur’s sneer curled his lips. “Tell me!” he

demanded, grabbing Jamie’s arm.

Paolo roared as Jamie cried out—whether in

pain or surprise, Paolo didn’t know and didn’t
care. Grabbing Arthur’s wrist, right above where
he gripped Jamie’s arm, he instinctively found the
pressure points he wanted and squeezed.

Crying out—this noise definitely one of pain—

Arthur released Jamie’s arm. “Don’t touch my
man,” Paolo ordered coldly.

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119

“Faggot!” Arthur screamed.
To Paolo’s surprise, Arthur reached into his

pocket  with  his  free  hand  and  pulled  out  a  box
cutter.  He  swung  the  blade  in  an  arc,  angling
toward Paolo’s gut. Paolo leaped backward, but a
chair  caused  him  to  stumble.  The  blade  scraped
across  his  flailing  arm,  causing  pain  to  shoot
through his limb.

“Hey, that’s enough!” Detective Stryker must

have returned due to the commotion, for he
appeared behind Arthur. He grabbed the human’s
wrist, which held the knife with one hand and slid
his other arm under his left armpit and pulled that
arm up and away from his torso. “Drop the
weapon,” he ordered.

Brianna screeched.
“No!” both Jamie and Raul called just before the

woman slammed a glass of water over Grady’s
head.

Grady grunted and his grip must have loosened

just  enough  for  Arthur  to  pull  free.  The  human
began to turn, swinging the blade as he went,  an
irrational  light  filling  his  eyes.  Paolo  leaped
forward  again.  This  time,  he  didn’t  spare  his
strength.  He  grabbed  Arthur’s  wrist  and
squeezed, hard.

Arthur cried out, his hand opened, and his

knife clattered to the floor.

Paolo swept the man’s legs out from under him

and used his hold on Arthur’s arm to control how

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120

the human fell. Making certain Arthur landed on
his front, Paolo twisted the man’s arm behind his
back and settled his knee on the small of his back.

Leaning over Arthur, Paolo ordered with the

growl, “Stay still, you homophobic bastard, before
I decide to break this arm.”

While Arthur snarled, at least he fell still.
Paolo waited a few seconds, just to make

certain,  then  lifted  his  gaze  and  glanced  around
the  room.  Raul  had  his  sister  in  a  backward  bear
hug,  keeping  her  in  place  even  as  she  wriggled
and cursed while Sean held his niece protectively.

Carson held Jared in a similar hold, but he

nuzzled his human mate’s temple and whispered,
“Don’t  get  involved  in  this  one,  love.  Let  the
authorities handle it.” Jared trembled in his mate’s
grip,  and  Paolo  realized  that  it  must  have  been
from suppressed rage. If looks could kill, the cold
stare  Jared  focused  on  Arthur  would  have  struck
him dead.

Paolo just held back his own shudder.
“I’m sorry, Raul,” Detective Stryker said. “I

have to take them both in. Brianna assaulted an
officer and Arthur assaulted both Jamie and Paolo
and resisted arrest.” He frowned at Brianna. “Cut
out your struggling or I’ll slap that on you, too.”

Brianna curled her lip, but stopped trying to

break free of her brother’s hold.

“Add destruction of property,” a deep voice,

the bartender, stated. The wolf shifters arms were

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121

crossed over his chest and he glared at Arthur.
“I’m pressing charges.”

Grady nodded, then knelt next to Paolo and

cuffed Arthur.

As Paolo shifted sideways and started to stand,

his vision swam, black spots dancing across his
vision. He tilted and sank back to one knee.
“Damn,” he mumbled.

“Are ye okay?” Jamie asked, kneeling beside

him.

Paolo nodded. Glancing down, he took in the

red liquid pooling on the floor. “Got me better
than I thought,” Paolo mumbled, right before
darkness swamped him.

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122

Chapter Ten

amie opened the door to his home and shifted
nervously as Carson and Jared carried Paolo

inside and through to his bedroom.

“Towels! Now!”
Nearly jumping out of his skin at Jared’s yelled

order,  Jamie  quickly  moved  to  get  the  requested
items.  He  grabbed  all  of  them  out  of  the  bottom
drawer  in  the  kitchen,  then  ran  to  the  bedroom
and dropped them on the bed.

Carson removed his t-shirt, which had been

originally been used to wrap Paolo’s arm, and
Jared quickly replaced it with a clean towel. Then,
Carson stood and wrapped a big hand around
Jamie’s nape.

“Settle, little wolf,” the big enforcer rumbled.

“Lark will be here soon.”

Jamie nodded, knowing his pack-mates would

take good care of Paolo. It didn’t make him feel
any better that, as soon as he’d spotted the bright
blood pooling on the restaurant floor, he’d passed
out just as surely as Paolo had.

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123

Not to mention embarrassing, but he’d never

been able to handle the sight of blood…and that
had been a lot of blood. Jamie felt his own blood
drain from his face just thinking about it.

“Look at me,” Carson ordered.
Jamie obeyed the stronger wolf, tipping his

head back to focus on the Native American.
Carson’s deep brown eyes peered at him, his gaze
steady and calm. He continued massaging Jamie’s
nape as he ordered, “Watch me. Match your
breathing to mine.”

Nodding again, Jamie’s gaze lowered to

Carson’s wide bare chest. He watched it expand
and contract once, then matched the other shifter’s
breathing, inhaling and exhaling deeply. His
racing pulse slowed, and his mind calmed.

“That’s better,” Carson stated, his tone warm.
“What the fuck is going on?”
Jamie’s head whipped around when he heard

Paolo’s  slurred  words.  “Paolo,”  he  cried.  Pulling
from  Carson’s  grip,  he  rushed  to  his  mate’s  side.
“Are  ye  okay?”  Sweeping  his  gaze  over  the
shorter, thicker man’s form, he saw how pale the
rat shifter’s face beneath his goatee was…just like
his  neck.  “Of  course,  ye’re  not  okay.  That  was  a
stupid thing to ask,” he stated, shaking his head.

Paolo lifted his left hand, his good arm. Jamie

quickly rushed around the bed and took the hand,
crawling up next to him. “Can I do anything to
make ye more comfortable?”

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124

“You can tell me why the fuck you were

checking out Carson’s chest,” Paolo demanded.

Jamie flushed, embarrassed, suddenly realizing

how that must have looked. Paolo’s reaction just
cemented his own feelings. They needed to get to
know each other better. While he’d never cheat on
his mate—hell, he didn’t even think he’d be
physically

capable—head

knowledge

and

emotional responses were not always in sync.

“He was helping me calm down,” Jamie

admitted. “I, um…I don’t handle the sight of
blood well and I passed out and then woke up and
started panicking all over again.”

Jared snorted. “Still, I agree it did look

questionable.” He lifted his gaze from where he
held the towel tight on Paolo’s arm and smirked at
his lover. “If I didn’t know it was some wolf thing,
I would have flayed your dick.”

Carson snickered as he crossed to stand beside

Jared.  He  cupped  his  mate’s  head  and  used  the
hold  to  tilt  the  man’s  head  back  so  their  gazes
clashed,  sparks  seeming  to  dance  between  them.
“I love you, too,” Carson rumbled.

Jamie heard the sound of the front door

banging open, followed by Lark yelling, “Where’s
my patient?”

“In here,” Carson hollered. Then, he pecked a

chaste kiss to Jared’s lips before releasing him and
stepping backward, making room for the newly
arrived Lark.

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125

The doctor took Jared’s place, then opened the

towel a bit, getting a look at Paolo’s wound. Jamie
appreciated that he couldn’t see it from his angle.
Instead, he continued to focus on Paolo, watching
his mate’s face pale a bit more as he hissed lightly.

“You’re lucky you’re a shifter, Paolo,” Lark told

him softly. “Otherwise, you could have very well
bled out. He nicked your artery.” He shook his
head. “You lost a lot of blood and only your
shifter healing caused you to reproduce enough to
keep you alive and functioning.”

“Wasn’t that bad, doc,” Paolo stated. “Just a

scratch.”

Lark snorted. “I’ll be the judge of that.”
“Got plans tonight,” Paolo slurred. “Slap a

couple of butterfly bandages on there and wrap it.
I’ll be fine.”

Lifting a brow, Lark peered at Jamie.

“Stubborn, this one,” he commented, then winked.
“Got your hands full with him, I think.”

Jamie flushed as he smiled, but he couldn’t find

the words to respond.

Fortunately, Lark kept talking, making a

response unnecessary. “Well, good thing you’re
not the doctor, Paolo. Now, lie still and take it like
a man.”

Paolo turned his head and glared at the doctor.

Still, he remained silent even as he stubbornly
watched Lark clean and stitch the wound. Jamie

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126

followed his mate’s gaze at one point and nearly
swooned.

Aye, not good with needles either.

Thirty minutes later, everyone cleared out of

Jamie’s house, and he found himself alone with
his mate for the first time in days. He returned to
his bed carrying a glass of water and a small bottle
of pain pills supplied by Lark.

“Do ye want something for the pain?” Jamie

offered, settling on the bed beside him. He held up
the bottle. “Lark’s pain pills work for shifters.”

Paolo shook his head. “No,” he stated gruffly.

Again, he held out his free hand. “The water
would be good though.”

Jamie nodded. He placed the pill bottle on the

nightstand,  then  slid  his  arm  under  Paolo’s
shoulders.  Paolo  placed  one  hand  on  the  glass,
and  Jamie  fought  back  a  smile  as  he  helped  his
lover  take  several  long  swallows.  Even  injured,
Paolo wanted the image of being in control.

After gulping down half the water, Paolo

released his hold on the glass, leaving it in Jamie’s
grip. Jamie eased the man back onto the mattress
and placed the glass next to the pill bottle. He
glanced between his mate, the empty far side of
the mattress, and the chair in the corner, trying to
decide where to settle.

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127

“Come here,” Paolo ordered softly. He patted

the open side of the bed. “It’s just a scratch on the
arm and I want to hold you.”

Not needing more prodding, Jamie rounded the

bed and climbed onto it. He settled beside his
mate, wriggling as close as he thought safe. Paolo
was having none of it. Crunching up, Paolo slid
his good arm under Jamie’s shoulders and yanked
him flush against him.

Paolo grunted, but he didn’t loosen his hold.

Instead, he gruffly growled, “Get over here and
get comfortable. I want to hold my mate, damn it.”

Jamie cuddled up to Paolo, settling along his

side as he stretched out beside him. Sighing, Jamie
rested his head on his mate’s left shoulder and
peered up at him. “Ye sure this is okay?”

Paolo turned his head and smiled at him. “Hell,

yeah,” he murmured. Leaning forward, he pressed
a kiss to Jamie’s temple. “I missed you.”

“Is that the lack of blood talking?” Jamie teased.
His brows drawing down, Paolo scowled. “I

may not say flowery words an awful lot, but I’m
never  going  to  lie  to  you.”  He  sighed  and  gazed
tiredly  at  Jamie.  “I’m  crazy  in  love  with  you,
Jamie.  I’m  committed  to  making  this  work,
making you happy, whatever it takes.”

Jamie stared in shock, his jaw working but no

sound coming out. Finally, he blurted, “I love ye,
too.” And shite! It was true. “When did I fall in

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128

love with ye?” He slapped his free hand over his
mouth.

I shouldn’t have said that.
Paolo chuckled roughly. He tightened his arm

for a second, then loosened again. “It’s as it should
be,  my  sweet  wolf,”  Paolo  mumbled.  “Damn,  I
guess  I’m  more  tired  than  I  thought.”  He  turned
his  head  toward  Jamie  again  and  Jamie  realized
the  other  shifter’s  eyes  were  closed.  “Rain  check
on the massage, my love?”

Jamie nuzzled Paolo’s pec muscle. “Ye got it.”
Humming again, Paolo’s shoulder muscles lost

their tension. A moment later, Jamie realized his
mate was asleep.

The soft light of dawn filtered through the

window-shades right about the time his bladder
screamed at him. Jamie eased away from Paolo.

Paolo resisted, tightening his arm where it

wrapped around Jamie’s waist. “Where goin’?”
Paolo asked, obviously still mostly asleep.

“Gotta piss,” Jamie muttered.
“Comin’ back?” Paolo asked, cracking open one

eyelid.

Jamie saw the vulnerability in that one dark

eye, something Paolo probably would never have
shown if he were actually fully awake. With how
Jamie had slipped away in the night last time, he
completely understood why his mate would be
concerned. Jamie leaned forward and pressed a

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129

kiss to Paolo’s lips. “Aye, be right back,” he
promised.

Paolo held his gaze for a few seconds, then

nodded once. He released his hold.

Rushing from the bed, Jamie gasped with relief

upon getting to the toilet. He’d barely gotten his
sweats down, revealing his cock and balls, before
the dam burst. As the stream pinged against the
side of the bowl, Jamie groaned.

After a quick shake-off, he tucked his thumbs

into his waist-band and paused. An idea formed.
Instead of pulling his sweats up, he pushed them
down and kicked them off. He washed his hands,
then retrieved some cream from the medicine
cabinet.

Jamie returned to the bedroom and nearly

swallowed  his  tongue.  Paolo  had  rolled  onto  his
stomach.  His  bandaged  right  arm  was  stretched
across  the  dark  gray  sheets.  He’d  kicked  off  the
blanket,  revealing  the  thick  muscles  of  his  back,
which tapered to a lean waist. His sweats rode low
on his hips, revealing the dimples at the top of his
arse as well as the first inch of his crack.

Damn, what a nice view.
“I can feel you staring,” Paolo murmured. He

turned  his  head  and  smirked  at  Jamie.  His  dark
eyes  flashed  with  heat  upon  spotting  Jamie’s
nakedness.  “Hmm,  now  there’s  something  to
wake up to every morning. Something I can do for
you?”

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130

“Actually,” Jamie murmured, trying to ignore

the twitching of his dick as he thickened from just
that single look. He held up the lotion. “I thought I
could give ye something.”

“Mmm, excellent idea,” Paolo responded,

grinning.

Paolo lowered his good hand to his sweats and,

with  a  little  wriggling—which  should  not  have
looked  as  sexy  as  it  did,  but  still  caused  Jamie’s
cock  to  thicken  to  full  mast  and  jut  from  his
groin—Paolo got them down and off.

Jamie crossed to the bed. After a second of

hesitation, he climbed up and straddled Paolo’s
arse. He fought back a moan. Not completely
successful, since instead it came out a whimper.

Grunting, Paolo adjusted a pillow so it was

beneath  his  shoulders  with  his  head  hanging
down.  He  peered  over  his  shoulder  and  cracked
an eyelid open. “Gods, the pleasure I want to give
your sexy body, Jamie,” he mumbled. “You  have
no idea.”

His cock giving a little jump, Jamie swallowed,

wetting his suddenly dry throat. “Okay, but ye
first,” he whispered.

Paolo hummed. “You have a deal. Do your

worst, sweet wolf.”

Jamie smirked as he popped the lid on the

lotion and poured a healthy dollop onto his palm.
After closing the container, he tossed it aside. He
rubbed his hands together, warming the cold fluid

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131

between his palms and lubing up his fingers.
Then, he settled his hands on his mate’s back, just
above his shoulder blades, and started kneading
the hard muscles.

It didn’t take long.
After less than half a dozen push-pull

movements  of  his  fingers,  Paolo  let  out  a  loud
grunt.  Jamie  moved  his  hands  up  to  Paolo’s
shoulders,  digging  in lightly  at  first,  testing,  then
deepening  his  movements.  Paolo  groaned,  long
and low. The sound seemed to shake through the
man’s  entire  body,  even  managing  to  vibrate
Jamie’s  balls.  He  continued  to  work  as  he  bit  his
lip, holding in his own sounds.

“Oh, my God! Jamie!” Paolo moaned. “Holy

shit! Where did you learn to do that?”

Jamie fought his own body’s reactions to feeling

Paolo’s  warm,  firm  flesh  under  his  fingers.  This
was  for  his  mate,  not  for  himself.  He  worked  his
way  down  Paolo’s  shoulders,  reveling  in  the
grunts  and  groans,  even  the  occasional  whimper,
that escaped his mate. As he worked over Paolo’s
upper  back,  he  pressed  and  massaged,  working
out the knots he felt beneath his mate’s skin.

By the time Jamie massaged down Paolo’s

spine,  and  reached  the  top  of  his  arse-crack,
Jamie’s  own  dick  ached  and  throbbed.  His  balls
tingled and rolled in their sacks, responding to the
way  Paolo  twitched  and  shivered  beneath  him.

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132

His cock oozed pre-cum, dripping over his head
and down his stalk.

Growling, Paolo twisted underneath him. He

rocked  sideways,  sending  an  unsuspecting  Jamie
toppling.  Immediately,  Paolo  was  on  top  of  him.
He  lined  up  their  groins,  rubbing  his  hard  prick
against Jamie’s own. Bracketing his arms on either
side  of  Jamie’s  head,  Paolo  peered  down  at  him,
his dark eyes blazing with lust and pleasure.

Jamie stared up at him, gaping. He fought his

body’s natural reaction to buck up, searching for
friction.

“Your hands are unbelievable torture mixed

with sheer bliss on my skin,” Paolo rumbled. “If
my cock wasn’t so hard, if I couldn’t think about
anything but touching you and getting us off, I’d
want you to continue massaging me forever.”

Then, he rocked his hips, causing his dick to

slide between them.

“Oh!” Jamie gasped as sparks danced up his

spine, then shot right back down to settle in his
balls. “P-Paolo.”

“Exactly,” Paolo responded. “Your aroused

scent is driving me crazy,” he admitted. “Slide
your slicked hands between us and grab our
cocks, Jamie. Hold us tight as we rut against each
other. We’ll paint our stomachs together.”

Whining at the command, Jamie did just as

instructed. He slipped both hands between them
and wrapped his still-slick fingers around their

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133

pricks. Moaning at the sensation of Paolo’s cock
pressed against his own, Jamie jacked once, twice
before managing to still his hands.

Paolo gripped Jamie’s hair with his left hand

and held him steady. His gaze pierced Jamie’s as
Paolo slowly started to move, rocking his hips,
sliding their cocks together. Jamie stared into
Paolo’s blazing dark eyes, seeing nothing but lust
and affection.

“P-Paolo,” Jamie whimpered, his balls pulling

tight. “Please!”

Growling, Paolo lowered his head and nuzzled

the  sensitive  skin  of  Jamie’s  neck.  He  sucked
lightly,  rocking  his  hips,  grinding  their  erections
together as they slid within the confines of Jamie’s
hands.  Jamie  could  do  nothing  but  lie  there  and
take it, his body trembling and shaking.

“Yeah,” Paolo mumbled against the skin of

Jamie’s neck. “Now, Jamie. Come now. Let me feel
you fall to pieces.”

Whining a moan, Jamie’s body convulsed. His

tight balls forced his cum up his erection, coating
his  hands  and  their  stomachs  with  spurt  after
spurt  of  ejaculate.  His  body  shook  and  bliss
pinged  through  his  system.  Jamie  heard  a  low
growl and felt the pinch of teeth gripping his flesh,
but  not  hard  enough  to  break  through.  Then,  the
heat  of  more  seed  flooded  the  space  between
them, telling Jamie that his mate had come, too.

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Jamie lay panting, bliss singing through his

veins. He smiled vacantly, staring at the drop of
sweat threatening to drip down Paolo’s temple.
The urge to taste his mate’s sweat filled him and,
giving into the desire, he rocked up and licked his
mate’s temple.

Paolo turned his head and captured Jamie’s

tongue, sucking it into his mouth. Jamie whined at
the feel of suction, his cock twitching with
renewed interest. Releasing him, Paolo smiled
with satisfaction.

“Good morning, my sweet wolf,” Paolo

murmured. He leaned forward and pecked a kiss
to Jamie’s lips.

“Wow,” Jamie mumbled. “Can we wake up like

that every morning?”

Paolo grinned. “Perhaps.”

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Chapter Eleven

aolo stared at his mate over the top of his
newspaper. Just like the last couple of

Saturday  mornings,  Jamie  moved  around  the
kitchen,  making  breakfast.  From  the  smell  of  it,
bacon,  eggs,  hash  browns,  and  toast  were  on  the
menu  this  morning.  Jamie  focused  on  his  task,
unnaturally quiet. It was odd, just like when Paolo
had  arrived  home  the  evening  before  to  find  his
mate curled up in bed, already asleep.

Damn, when did I start thinking of Jamie’s home as

my home?

Either way, it didn’t matter. Paolo worried

about Jamie.

Over the last two weeks, they’d been making

great  strides.  His  mate  worked  nine  to  five  at  a
bank.  Paolo  had  been  impressed  to  discover  that
Jamie was a financial  analyst. Having never been
much  with  numbers—he’d  worked  just  about
every  job  there  was  that  required  brawn—Paolo
couldn’t be more proud to discover his sweet, sexy

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136

mate had such an amazing brain to go along with
his pretty face.

They’d meshed their lives together with

apparent  ease.  Whoever  woke  first  roused  the
other  with  a  morning  blowjob.  While  Paolo
showered,  Jamie  cooked  breakfast  and  prepared
lunches. While Jamie showered, Paolo washed the
dishes  and  cleaned  the  kitchen.  Paolo  made
suppers,  mostly  grilling,  unless  by  some  odd
chance, Jamie arrived home early.

Maybe that was the problem. Everything

between  them  meshed  too  easily.  Surely  that
should have given Paolo  his first clue. There had
to  be  some  bumps  along  the  way.  This  would
undoubtedly be the start of them.

So, what did he need to do to get Jamie to tell

him the problem? He needed his mate to open up
to him.

For the next several minutes, Paolo sipped his

coffee  and  pretended  to  read  the  paper.  He
watched  Jamie  rattle  around  the  kitchen,  cooking
and  preparing.  Paolo  found  his  eyes  widening
when he realized his mate even chopped up green
peppers,  onions,  and  mushrooms  to  fry  with  the
hash  browns.  Add  in  the  bacon  and  over-easy
eggs, and Paolo began to wonder if Jamie wanted
something.  His  mate  knew  that  was  Paolo’s
favorite way to enjoy hash browns.

When Jamie finally placed everything onto the

table, then topped off his coffee, and settled at the

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137

table  next  to  him,  Paolo’d  had  enough  with
guessing  games.  He  splattered  ketchup  over  his
hash  browns,  slathered  a  piece  of  toast  with
raspberry jam, then pushed his plate away, rested
his  forearms  on  the  table,  and  leaned  toward  his
mate.

“Jamie, love,” Paolo started slowly. “Please, tell

me what’s bothering you. Have I done something
to  upset  you?”  He  couldn’t  think  of  anything.
Hell,  he  even  made  a  point  of  picking  up  the
towels  off  of  the  bathroom  floor  and  putting  the
damn  toilet  seat  down—but  that  didn’t  mean  he
hadn’t missed something.

Head lifting from where he poked his fork at

his eggs, Jamie stared at Paolo with wide eyes.
“Nay! Of course not!”

Paolo reached over the table and rested his

hand  on  Jamie’s  free  hand.  “Talk  to  me,  sweet
wolf.  I  can  tell  something  is  bothering  you.”  He
squeezed  Jamie’s  hand  lightly.  “If  it’s  in  my
power, I want to help.”

“Will ye tie me up?”
Upon hearing Jamie’s unexpected, clearly

nervous, request, Paolo straightened. His blood
instantly sang through his veins, flooding his cock,
which thickened in his sweats. Still, he could scent
his mate’s nervousness, and he’d vowed never to
do anything his mate didn’t truly want.

Licking his lips, Paolo took in Jamie’s white-

knuckled grip on his fork and how his mate’s eyes

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138

were dilated wider than normal. He swept his
gaze over Jamie’s face as he asked, “Are you
asking because you wish to experience something
new with me? Or do you think you have to do this
to keep me happy?” Paolo prayed he hadn’t given
that impression to his mate, but he’d be the first to
admit he still didn’t always understand his mate’s
thought processes.

Jamie immediately shook his head. Setting

down  his  fork,  he  looked  Paolo  in  the  eye  and
admitted,  “It’s  all  I  can  think  about.”  He
swallowed  hard  enough  to  cause  his  Adam’s
apple to bob. “I thought I didn’t need it, but I do. I
need ye to—” His voice broke and he clenched his
hands  into  fists,  the  one  hand  gripping  Paolo
tightly.

Paolo nodded. His breakfast forgotten, he rose

from his chair. He tugged on Jamie’s hand.
“Come, love. Allow me to give you what you
need.”

As Jamie rose, he admitted, “I’ve been tied up

before, by another, and I need to know that ye’re
not like him. I need—” Jamie gaped at Paolo,
evidently unable to force more words from him.

Cupping Jamie’s jaw with his free hand, Paolo

took  a  guess,  praying  he  was  right.  “You  like
being controlled in the bedroom.” Even sometimes
out of the bedroom, but Paolo would address that
another  time.  “You  want  me  to  tell  you  how  to
please  me,  and  you  know  I  would  enjoy  seeing

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139

you  tied  up.  Your  submissive  side  begs  you  to
give  in  to  your  mate’s  desire,  but  you’re  afraid,
because  someone  hurt  you  in  the  past,”  Paolo
finished, just keeping  the growl from his voice at
expressing his suspicions.

“Aye,” Jamie whispered. “I need to know.”
Simple words that held so much meaning…to

them both.

Paolo nodded. “Go to the bedroom, Jamie. Take

off your clothes and wait for me by the bed,” he
ordered.

Jamie glanced at the food, then at him, a

question creasing his brow.

Smiling, Paolo assured, “I’ll put our plates in

the oven, get a few things, then join you.”

Nodding, Jamie hurried from the room. Paolo

watched him go, his blood pounding through his
veins. The desire for Jamie, his need to make this
the  best  experience  of  his  lover’s  life,  surged
through Paolo. He quickly carried the plates to the
kitchen and placed them in the oven, putting the
appliance  on  the  lowest  setting  to  keep  the  food
warm.  Then  he  made  a  quick  stop  in  their  home
gym  and  the  storage  chest  in  the  corner.  Paolo
pulled  out  a  number  of  items  he  hadn’t  thought
he’d need for a long, long time.

Paolo carried his supplies to the bedroom…and

nearly swallowed his tongue. As he slowed his
walk and neared the bed, he took in Jamie’s lean,
toned body. Jamie rested on his knees near the bed

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140

with his hands clasped behind his back. While his
expression appeared relaxed, the white knuckles
of his right hand where he clutched his left wrist
gave

away

his

agitation…as

did

his

scent…although only mildly.

While impressed Jamie had that much control

over his scent, that revelation also explained how
his mate had gotten away from him that first time.
Jamie had hidden his unease from Paolo, who’d
slipped into a contended sleep completely
unaware of his mate’s fear and unease.

Paolo’s eyes narrowed. That was unacceptable.
Ignoring his mate for the moment, Paolo took

his time laying out his supplies on the nightstand,
then  stripping  his  clothes.  He  folded  them  and
placed  them  on  the  window  seat,  as  he’d  done
many  times  before.  Finally,  he  turned  back  to
Jamie, having decided on a course of action.

“Climb onto the bed and resume that position,

Jamie,” Paolo softly ordered. “Face the
headboard.”

Jamie scrambled to obey, moving to the middle

of  the  bed  and  waiting,  his  hands  once  again
behind  his  back.  Paolo  felt  gratified  to  see  his
mate’s cock jutting from his groin, semi-hard and
thickening  further  as  Paolo  blatantly  stared.
Nervous or not, Jamie enjoyed this.

Paolo picked up one of the items on the

nightstand and held it up. “I’m going to put a cock
ring on you, Jamie,” he stated. “You will not be

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141

allowed to come until I give permission. Is that
understood?”

“Aye, sir,” Jamie whispered.
“What is your safe word?”
Jamie met his gaze at that. “What?”
Paolo just managed to keep from showing his

displeasure. Someone hadn’t given Jamie the
chance to say no. That in itself chilled Paolo to the
bone. So much could go wrong…and obviously
had with Jamie.

Instead, Paolo smiled and explained, “Safe

words. You actually need two of them. Your safe
words tell me when I go too far or push too hard.
It’s  something  you  wouldn’t  normally  call  out
during sex. One word tells me to slow down, that
you  need  a  few  moments  before  I  can  continue.
The  second  tells  me  no,  that  what  we’re  doing  is
too much, and I stop.”

Jamie’s mouth opened and closed, twice, before

he whispered, “Strawberries for slow down, and
seven-up for stop.”

“Is there a story there?” Paolo asked before he

could stop himself. When he noted how Jamie’s
cock had wilted, he wished he’d kept his mouth
shut.

His smile appeared forced as Jamie whispered,

“I love strawberries, but I’m allergic, so I can only
eat  them  in  small  doses.”  He  paused,  licking  his
lips,  before  stating,  “My  mother’s  ex  liked  to  tie
me  up  when  she  wasn’t  available  to…play.  He

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142

used to feed me seven-up after…after he was
done. Now I can’t stand the stuff.”

Paolo nodded once, then reached out and

cupped Jamie’s jaw. He leaned close and pressed a
soft, lingering kiss to his mate’s lips, caressing his
sweet wolf’s jaw with his fingers. When he pulled
back, Paolo smiled. “Got it. If you need a moment,
strawberries. If you don’t like it and want me to
stop, seven-up.”

Jamie smiled faintly and nodded. “Aye, sir.”
Continuing his plans, Paolo slid his hand down

Jamie’s jaw, his neck, and his chest. He rubbed his
thumb  over  Jamie’s  nipple,  pleased  when  his
mate’s prick thickened once more. When his hand
reached his mate’s cock, a couple swipes was all it
took  to  get  him  to  full  mast.  When  Jamie
whimpered  and  thrust  his  hips,  bucking  into
Paolo’s  grip,  he  stilled  his  movements  and
murmured, “Easy, sweet wolf. Not yet.”

With quick, precise movements, Paolo secured

the soft leather around Jamie’s cock and balls. He
rubbed his fingertips over Jamie’s lightly furred
sacks a few times, just to see Jamie’s cock twitch as
a bead of pre-cum welled from his tip.

Then, he swiped his forefinger over Jamie’s

head.  He  scooped  up  the  translucent  fluid  and
slipped  that  finger  into  his  mouth,  tasting  the
bead,  enjoying  his  mate’s  flavor.  Upon  seeing
Jamie  watching  him  from  beneath  his  lashes,  his

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143

mouth open as he panted softly, Paolo winked and
turned away.

Paolo picked up the length of soft cotton rope

and held it up. “Now, I’m going to tie you up. If
you feel it’s too much, use your safe words.
Understand?”

Jamie eyed the rope for a long few seconds,

then he nodded once. He bit his bottom lip, but his
expression appeared determined.

Making a loop, Paolo slipped it around Jamie’s

wrists. Slowly, he tightened it, then gave it a light
tug just to see Jamie’s response. Nothing. Good. Still
calm.  Paolo  threaded  the  rope  between  Jamie’s
legs,  then  created  a  loose  knot  and  threaded
several  loops  through  it  which  he  wrapped
around his mate’s hips and over his wrists.

Paolo tightened those loops, then created one

more. This one,  he lifted over Jamie’s head.  With
how  the  loop  was  wrapped  around  the  back  of
Jamie’s  neck  with  the  ends  attached  to  the  knot
situated just above his mate’s groin, there was no
fear  from  choking.  Still,  for  his  mate’s  comfort,
Paolo kept this final one a bit loose.

“Now,” Paolo murmured, gripping the rope on

Jamie’s bound wrists. “If you struggle, you’ll feel
it,” he stated, tugging lightly so his mate could feel
the rope beneath his legs tighten, sliding over his
bound balls.

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144

Jamie whimpered and shivered, his eyes

widening as his mouth gaped, his enjoyment
obvious.

Good.
Then, Paolo picked up the paddle. He ran his

fingers over the soft leather hide covering the tool
as  he  returned  his  focus  to  his  sexy,  bound  wolf.
“First,  I’m  going  to  spank  you,  Jamie,”  he  told
him. Jamie’s eyes widened, his eyes darting from
him,  around  the  room,  then  back  to  Paolo.  His
expression  clearly  screamed  why?  Paolo  smiled.
“You should have told me, mate, when my words
upset you. Instead, you hid your unease and ran.
You punished us both for a misunderstanding that
could  have  been  easily  cleared  up  with  one
question.”

Paolo knelt on the bed perpendicular to his

mate. He gently gripped the ropes around Jamie’s
wrist  and  ordered,  “Bend  over,  mate.  Shoulders
on  the  comforter,  head  turned  toward  me.”  He
needed to see his mate’s facial expressions, watch
his  responses,  since  he  couldn’t  trust  his  lover’s
scent.  Given  time,  Paolo  would  learn  to  read  his
mate better, but he wasn’t there, yet.

One day at a time.
Using his hold on the ropes, Paolo helped his

mate into position so he didn’t flop onto his face.
Once Jamie’s ass was up in the air, he rubbed the
paddle’s soft flat surface over one cheek, down to
the crease of his thigh. Then, he moved the paddle

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145

between Jamie’s legs and gently rubbed his mate’s
balls. Finally, Paolo moved it to Jamie’s other
thigh and up his ass.

“Ten swats should do as a good reminder of

why communicating is so important,” Paolo
whispered. Without waiting, he lifted his arm and
brought it back down, landing the paddle on
Jamie’s ass.

Jamie gasped, but didn’t complain.
Paolo brought the second smack down on the

male’s other cheek.

The scent of pre-cum flooded the air, and it

wasn’t all Paolo’s own.

Continuing the spanking, secure in the

knowledge that his mate enjoyed the punishment
as much as Paolo enjoyed giving it, he counted out
the rest of the paddling.

Once done, Paolo tossed the tool aside and

rubbed his hand over Jamie’s warm, red ass. He
focused on Jamie’s face, pleased to see the glazed
expression on his face, eyelids at half-mast and his
lips parted in panting gasps.

Smiling, Paolo reached beneath his mate and

swiped his fingertips over Jamie’s balls and up his
prick. Jamie whined when Paolo swirled his
thumb over his swollen glans and massaged in the
pre-cum oozing from him. Paolo met Jamie’s gaze,
enjoying the begging expression on his mate’s face
for a few seconds.

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146

Paolo gave Jamie a feral smile, reached for the

cock ring, and pulled it free. “Come,” he ordered.

Jamie’s eyes widened. A loud whine escaped

his throat and his body convulsed. Jamie’s cum
coated Paolo’s fingers as his mate came all over his
hand. Growling his own pleasure upon seeing his
sweet wolf lose control, Paolo tugged Jamie’s
bound wrists, sliding the rope between his mate’s
legs along his balls.

More cum squirted into Paolo’s hand and he

hummed.  “Now,  my  mate,”  Paolo  crooned.  He
lifted his hand from beneath Jamie and worked his
semen-coated  fingers  into  his  mate’s  ass,  which
was  still  reasonably  loose  from  their  fucking  the
night before. “I’m going to sink my hard cock into
your  ass,  bite  your  neck,  and  make  you  come  all
over again.”

Jamie stared up at Paolo, his expression glazed,

blissed out, as he smiled almost drunkenly up at
him. “Aye, sir.”

Growling low in his throat, Paolo maneuvered

behind Jamie. He swiped the remaining cum over
his shaft, lined up his aching cock, and speared his
mate. Heat and pressure enveloped his dick. He
lifted his mate’s torso and leaned backward,
draping his mate over his chest.

Paolo held Jamie close and nuzzled his temple,

the sensitive skin behind his ear, his shoulder.
“Mine,” Paolo declared.

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147

Jamie cocked his head and smiled over his

shoulder at him. “Yours.”

Nothing had ever sounded better.

About the Author

Charlie  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  gay  erotic
romance, normally of the paranormal variety, with
heroes of all kinds. With the help and support of
her  husband,  Charlie  finally  fulfilled  one  of  her
life-long goals…move to acreage with her horses.
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
of her new Oregon home on horseback, 4-wheeler,
or motorcycle.

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

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