alphainsheepsclothing (3 page)

“Just down the hall. Bathroom and then bedroom.” Tate’s cabin was small. Homey.

Rand took him to bed and curled around him. “We can eat later, yeah? You have food in the fridge?”

“I do. And a freezer full of pizzas I can bake.”

“Sounds good.”

“So you’ll stay?” Tate asked.

“For at least a week, honey. I won’t promise beyond that.” Rand patted his ass. “I have a lot left to explore.”

Tate chuckled to cover the fact that his poor, spent cock had twitched one last time. He sure hoped he had what it took to get Rand to stay. Not just for the pack, but for him.

Chapter 4

Rand watched the pack come and go from the village. The wee general store doubled as a rural supply depot and post office. It also had a soda fountain, lunch counter, espresso drink combo of impressive utility. The lady who ran it was none other than Mairi, the outspoken redhead from the town meeting.

Tate had dropped him off, insisting it would be easier to get volunteers to clean up the Alpha’s house without him. Good thing the coffee here was better than the beer at the bar.

“So, are you staying?” Mairi finally asked him. She’s managed to last almost twenty minutes without asking.

“I’m staying for a few days, just to make sure that Farrel guy doesn’t come back.”

“Right. What about Tate?”

Rand tilted his head. “What does Tate have to do with it?” Something about this whole situation made his nose quiver, wanting to sniff out what the hell was going on.

“Well, I know he offered to take one for the team.”

“Take one for the—” Rand found himself gritting his teeth. “Whatever arrangement Tate and I have come to is none of your business,” he growled.

She raised her brows before grabbing his coffee cup to refill it. “I beg to differ on that one. He’s my brother.”

“No shit?” Mairi was a redhead with bright blue eyes. Tate had shaggy gold hair and gray eyes. He would never have put the two of them in the same pack, let alone the same family.

“Same dad, different moms.” She shrugged. “We still grew up as full brother and sister, and I worry about him.”

“Well, he’s gonna be just fine.” Anyone who needed so beautifully and burned as brightly as Tate would end up landing on his feet.

“I hope so. When Lance died I thought Tate would lie down and die, too. It’s been—” She paused, handing him back his full cup. “Well, it’s been tough for him. Be kind.”

Rand snorted. “I notice you didn’t say be gentle.”

“I’m not sure he’d appreciate that.” She gave him a surprisingly knowing smile. “What if Farrel does come back?”

“Then I kick his ass again.” In fact, he thought he might want to seriously put the hurt on Farrel if the guy was stupid enough to come back. Rand had been indifferent at best the first time and more entertained than not during the second encounter.

The bell over the door jingled. He and Mairi both glanced to the front of the store to see Tate walk in, frowning. Uh-oh. Maybe volunteers were tough to find.

“Hey.” Tate slid into the booth across from him. “Can I get a coffee and a muffin, Mairi?”

“Sure, bro.” She poured a cup of drip coffee and pulled out a banana nut muffin. “Ta-da.”

“So, what’s the word?” Rand asked.

“No one wants to go up there and work. Farrel does have a few quiet supporters left in the pack and I think they might be stirring up trouble.”

Rand tapped his chin with his index finger. “So, point them out to me and I’ll take care of it.”

Mairi snorted. “Sure. Just go tell them to stop. That’s worked so well.”

“Oh, honey. I’m a little more forceful than anyone you have around here, I think. I can make a statement.” He would pick one guy to use as an example.

“Kick ass.” Mairi chuckled. “I’ll get more muffins.”

Tate glanced at him once Mairi left. “Did she grill you?”

“Not too bad. You might have warned me she’s your sister.”

“Did I forget that?” Tate’s smile said he hadn’t forgotten a damned thing. “She’s weird about who knows her business, so I thought I’d let her say. Or not.”

“Uh-huh. I might have to beat your ass for that,” Rand threatened.

Tate’s cheeks flamed and a soft sound escaped when those soft lips parted. “Oh.”

Man, Tate hadn’t been lying. He was a total bottom boy. Not even a beta wolf; in the wild Tate would be an omega. In places where food was plentiful, life wasn’t bad for an omega wolf, or a wolf on the bottom of the pecking order. Tate had it okay, but Rand couldn’t help but wonder if Tate had a harder time before all the big males had gotten themselves killed.

He tucked that thought away for later. “I can just stay with you for the time being.”

“Sure,” Tate agreed. “But you need to claim that property.”

“I can pee on it,” Rand deadpanned.

“Don’t laugh. If you don’t show you want it, Farrel will try to take it back.”

“Then let’s make a show. Where do I find his cronies?” When Tate just stared, Rand stood. “I mean it. I need to make sure everyone knows what’s what.”

“Well, no one knows what’s what. That’s one reason they don’t want to go work.” Tate sighed, but took the to-go cup and muffin Mairi handed him. “Okay, let’s go talk to some folks.”

“Thanks.” Rand would reward his boy at the end of the day for all the hard work and facilitation. Tate had to be a little freaked out, but he seemed calm and reasonable.

“Yeah. I just love pack politics. Why not do more?” Now, there was some sarcasm. Good to know Tate had some fight in him.

“Why not? I didn’t ask to be the new alpha,” Rand reminded gently.

“Yeah.” Tate chuckled. “Apparently that was a hell of an uppercut.”

“My right cross is better, but I was going for the glass jaw. I could just tell he had it.”

“You were right.” Tate shrugged. “When I went up against him two of his henchmen held me down while he kicked me.”

“Fucker.” Rage rose in his chest. No one kicked his boy.

“That’s the local garage,” Tate said, indicating a long building with two gas pumps and two big mechanic bays. “Mink and Larry work in there.”

“Mink?” Who named these people?

“Yeah, it’s a nickname, I guess. They’re the worst. I think if they fall in line no one else will fight you.” Tate kept his gaze down, the set of his shoulders uncomfortable.

“You don’t want me to do this?” He wouldn’t handle these guys now if it made Tate wigged. He was here for Tate, after all. For a week.

“Might as well do it now before they try a sneak attack on you. I just hate all this pack bullshit.”

“Well, I promise I’ll reward you when we get back to your cabin.” He winked at Tate, who glanced at him, eyes bright with curiosity. “Trust me.”

“I do, oddly enough.” Tate stepped back. “Sorry if I don’t introduce you.”

“No problem.” Rand lifted a hand to Tate before striding into the garage. Three guys were working pretty diligently, and one stood off to one side of the big bay, munching a sandwich. “Looking for Mink and Larry,” he said.

“Over there,” the guy with the sandwich said, then jerked his head at a pair of guys leaning into the same engine well. He turned to disappear inside the office pretty damned quick, removing himself from the situation.

Smart guy.

The guy under one of the cars rolled out and casually wiped his hands on a rag. “I think I need to hit the head, guys. Back in a few.” He nodded at Rand and slid out of the bay, too.

That left him with Mink, a tall, lanky man with a shock of brown hair and Larry, a short, stocky fella with graying blond hair. They both straightened up to peer at him. “You the new guy?” Mink asked.

“That would be me.” He didn’t imagine they had too many accidental alphas in these parts, so these guys were kinda stating the obvious.

“Your truck break down?” They glanced at each other and chuckled, clearly finding that idea hilarious.

Rand made a mental note to check his brakes before he left town. These two jokers would totally cut his line. “Nope. I hear you’re friendly with Farrel.”

“We were,” Larry said, expression carefully neutral. “He’s not the alpha anymore.”

“So now you’re my pals?”

“No.” Mink spat on the floor. “We don’t want no trouble, though. We’re just here working.”

“Good.” Rand nodded. “Good deal. I like that idea. No terrorizing anyone.”

“I don’t do that.” Larry gave him a stony glare.

“No? I’ve heard some tales already. I kicked Farrel’s ass; I can kick yours. Just keep it in mind.”

Mink flexed, which wasn’t terribly impressive, and Rand vocalized a low growl, his wolf fighting to get out. Mink immediately backed down.

Yeah, that was what Rand thought. “Just keep your shit together, boys, and we’ll get along fine.”

“Yes sir,” Larry snapped. “You got it.”

Rand snorted, but realized he wasn’t going to get even a bit of a fist fight in here. Damn. He really needed to whomp something just to work out some frustration. He reckoned he’d just find a way to get that out some other way.

“See you boys later,” Rand said. He deliberately turned his back, hoping one or both of them would try to jump him, which was ridiculous. He didn’t love to fight. The whole pack leader thing was going to his head.

He joined Tate, who was wandering around across the street, peering at a weird old sink in front of the local junk shop.

“What would you do with that?” Rand asked.

“Give it to Mairi to put in her yard. She gardens.” Tate studied him carefully. “That didn’t take long.”

“Yeah, neither of them wanted to face me.” Rand chuckled. “They seem way more like the sneak around and pee on your petunia types.”

“Pretty much.” Tate shrugged. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get anyone to come help with the house.”

“I’ll live.” He took Tate’s arm, steering him toward the end of the village, where the trail led to Tate’s cabin. “In fact, I’m pleased to have some spare time.”

“Are you?” Tate smiled now, cheeks pink. “Whatever will you do?”

“I promised you a few things, didn’t I?” Man, this was fun. Rand hadn’t been so into somebody in ages. He was choosing not to examine that too closely, and was rolling with it instead. Hell, he was half hard already.

Tate’s muscled tightened up under his fingers, a fine tension filling that long body. “Uh-huh. You said quite a few things, in fact.”

“I did. We’ll pick and choose.” Curiosity got the better of him. “Tell me about your man. Lance?”

“Wow, way to kill the mood.” Tate tugged free of Rand’s grip. “What’s there to tell? He’s gone.”

“Did you love him?” Did he have diarrhea of the mouth? Rand wanted to go back in time a few minutes and start over, but he was in it all the way now, so he’d brazen it out.

“I did. I think he loved me. We had great sex. He liked to spank me. Is that enough or should I go on?” Tate led him up the steps to the little cabin that suited Tate to a T.

“Hey.” He caught that strong upper arm in his fingers again, turning Tate to face him. “I’m sorry. I’m blunt sometimes. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

A ghost of a smile lit Tate’s gray eyes. “Look at your social skills. Apologizing. No biggie, I just prefer not to think of him when I’m about to get fucked by someone else.”

“I can see that.” Rand let Tate precede him, which was a pretty gesture among wolves. Usually the dominant wolf went first.

“So no more talking about former lovers?” Tate asked.

“Not unless you want to hear about the guy I dated whose penis bent at a forty-five-degree angle.”

“God, no.” Tate shut the door behind them, then wiped his hands on his jeans.

“There you go.”

“What does that mean?” Tate asked. “There you go. I always wondered.”

“It’s better than Bob’s Your Uncle.” He’d spent a winter with a British entomologist once, studying mosquito populations in North Dakota. Rand had learned all manner of bizarre sayings.

“I don’t even want to know.” Tate grinned. “So.”

“So, come here.” Rand grabbed Tate by the upper arms and dragged him close. He pressed them together, ready to just let the weirdness go. Tate had promised him a reason to stay, and Rand wanted to enjoy that promise right now.

Those gray eyes went wide, but Tate reached up to hold him, as well. That hot mouth opened on a little gasp, and Rand bent to take a kiss.

He pressed their lips together, rubbing gently back and forth, the tiny puff of Tate’s breath cooling is skin a bit. Then Rand pushed his tongue in so he could taste. Tate was spicy, almost cinnamon-y. Addictive.

When they broke for air, Rand was breathing hard, too, his chest rising and falling with the effort if holding back. He wanted to toss Tate down and tear off his clothes, bite his neck and explore all his vulnerable spots, his belly and balls. That was Rand’s right as an alpha, but sex was way more fun when he went all human with it and engaged in some foreplay.

“Bed, honey.” He smacked Tate’s round, muscular ass.

Tate jumped nearly a foot in the air, cheeks so red they might burst into flames. He turned and led the way to the bed, though, letting Rand follow and enjoy the view. Well, okay, the view was impeded by all that cloth Tate still wore, but he intended to get rid of that.

Rand followed, his fingers actually itching.

He reached for that sweet, tight butt, but then pulled back, thinking better of it. “Strip for me, Tate.”

Tate stopped beside the bed, his cock clearly hard in his jeans, obvious in profile for a moment. A ghost of a grin lit his face. “As in bump and grind or just get naked?”

“Just get naked.” Interesting as it would be to see Tate dance for him, Rand was feeling too damned frisky to wait a whole lot longer.

“That I can do. The other, well, not so graceful, me.” Tate tugged off his shirt, baring a chest and belly that proved he worked out. Or possibly just worked hard. Leaner than Rand, Tate still had good muscles, a wide chest and a ridged belly. The jeans went next, Tate skimming out of them, but almost toppling over because hit boots caught them at the bottom.

Right. Not so graceful.

Tate keeled over sideways on the bed, kicking for a moment. “Damn it.”

“I’ll help.” Chuckling, Rand grabbed one boot and popped it off, then the other. He tugged away the denim, too, so he could have Tate in all his naked glory. Long legs, narrow hips, ass to die for. Long cock that curved up toward Tate’s belly. Yum.

“Thanks.” Tate stretched, seeming more at home now that he was down to his birthday suit. “How do you want me?”

“Mmm.” Rand slid both hands up Tate’s legs, testing the skin there, which was smooth under the fuzz. “Depends on if you truly want that spanking.”

Tate’s gray eyes flashed with a deep, hungry need, stark for a moment before he lowered his lashes. “However you want it, Alpha.”

“No.” Rand shook Tate a little, using the grip on Tate’s ankles to emphasize his point. “Rand. In here I’m just Rand.”