Loving Styles [Brac Village 12] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (5 page)

“No.”

Reese shook his head. “I didn’t think so.”

The long sigh the man let out wasn’t promising. At that moment, Robby wished the earth would open up and swallow him whole. Even though he had a great amount of determination and was driven, he still had moments of doubt, moments that he wished he didn’t have to live through, or ever want to remember.

Like the time he was taking his test on how to properly prepare crème
brûlée and had set the tablecloth on fire, failing his test miserably. But that wasn’t as big a moment as this was. This was life altering right now. Styles accepting or rejecting him was going to decide how Robby lived the rest of his life.

A little melodramatic, but true. A shifter only got one mate. If Styles continued to reject him, Robby would eventually be able to move on and date other men. He might even settle down with one of them. But none would complete him the way Styles would. None would become a part of his very soul.

“You do realize that he will probably tell you to go to hell?” Reese asked.

“Probably.” Robby nodded. “But I’m not giving up. He is my mate, Reese. Would you give up on yours?” He wasn’t sure if Reese even had a mate, but he was trying to make a point.

“Not in a million years,” Reese admitted. “But I want you to be fully aware that getting him to even acknowledge that you are his mate is going to be damn hard.”

“I know his story,” Robby said. He was tired of everyone pretty much warning him away from Styles, yet telling him not to give up. The contradictions were migraine worthy. “Can I just see him please?”

“I’ll take you to him,” Reese said, “but I’m going to stick around to make sure he”—Reese cleared his throat—“acts civilized.”

Whatever. Robby just wanted to see the guy. He didn’t want anyone else around, but wasn’t going to argue. Reese just might tell him no if he protested. The man opened the door and led him through a living room with a red couch and a treasure chest for a coffee table.

They passed through the room and then through a kitchen. Robby stopped short when he saw his mate stretched out on the lawn, playing with a toddler. This was a side of Styles he never thought to see.

“He’s not a bad man,” Reese said softly beside him. “He’s just been given a really bad hand his entire life.”

Robby’s heart ached at the smile on Styles’s face, the way he pretended to be hurt when the toddler smacked his chest. Styles was clutching his chest, groaning, and then his arms fell wide, his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth.

Robby chuckled. He knew in that moment that he was never going to give up on Styles, no matter how hard the guy pushed him away. There was a damn good man, a caring man, buried under all that hatred and Robby was determined to set Styles free from his torment.

Maverick sat at the table, the other leaders gathered. He was pissed that he had to be here. Him, Cecil, and the boys—Xavier, Nevada, Maddox, and Matthew—were supposed to be going to the movies to see the latest Pixar film. He would rather be there than sitting here. It was “boys’ day out” and he was missing it.

“I’ve been told that Kenyon was spotted in the demon realm,” Panahasi said from the end of the table. “I’m still trying to track him down to verify this.”

Somehow Maverick knew the man didn’t have to track a damn thing down. The guy knew things that no one else knew. The memory of seeing Panahasi and Ceri in the alley still played on his mind from time to time. The Demon Warrior was more than he let on. But Maverick guessed everyone had their secrets.

“How the hell did he get there?” Zeus asked. “How would he know how to get in through the Black River or did someone help him?”

“All very good questions,” Christian said. “But we have answers for none.” He turned toward the table. “We also need to make the law stricter about interfering in mating. That disaster with Turi should have never happened. His uncle should not have gone against our ruling. I think it needs to be enforced.”

Maverick agreed. Egon had never raped Turi when he kidnapped him. The man had drugged Turi and had him in one of the private huts. He never wanted to see something like that again. Abuse of any kind curled Maverick’s stomach. “Agreed.”

“I don’t,” Ahm said. “What if it is a misguided brother who thinks his sibling is being harmed? What if the person interfering doesn’t have malicious intent?”

“Then we will hear things case by case. But if the person interfering is openly threatening the mated couple, kill them immediately,” Dante added. “We have to send a message that mated couples, no matter how many are involved, are protected under our laws.”

Maverick knew Dante was referring to the mated couples in Zeus’s pack. For some strange reason, the mated always ended up in threes. He had been surprised when Jason and Nicholas had mated that a third hadn’t come along. It could be because Jason was now in his pack. Maverick wasn’t sure.

“The law should be very clear,” Nazaryth stated with grimness. “Anyone interfering will be dealt with harshly and swiftly. If it is a caring relative or friend, they need to address the problem to their alpha, leader, or whatever, but not interfere directly.”

“After all this time,” Christian said with a smile. “We have finally started acting like a fucking body of leaders. It is about damn time.”

“Does anyone oppose?” Panahasi asked.

The room was silent.

“Then it is law,” Christian stated. “Anyone found interfering with mating will be killed.”

Maverick held up his hand, shaking his head. “Just as soon as everyone knows the new law. Give it a month first. That way no one can say that they were ignorant.” Because Maverick could see someone using that damn excuse.

“Fair enough,” Christian said. “I’ll have someone record the new laws as they are set down and have the documents distributed. Until then, I’ll alert all other vampire covens as well as my own. I expect you gentlemen to do the same. Reach them all, far and wide, because in a month’s time, there will be no one who can claim ignorance on this.”

“Now what about Kenyon?” Zeus asked.

“If he is in my realm, I will find him,” Panahasi said as he shifted in his seat. The man was hiding something. Maverick would stake his life on it. There was something in the man’s eyes that said he wasn’t telling everything.

“When he is found, I want him brought before us, if possible,” Christian said, his fangs gleaming in the light. “I want to watch him slowly die for what he has done to my species.”

Panahasi nodded.

“Great,” Maverick said as he stood. “Now I can get back to my full day of work.”

Christian chuckled. “Yeah, let me know how that new movie is. I want to take my mates and boys.”

Maverick flipped Christian off before he headed out of the office. Damn vampire. He didn’t know Maverick that well.

* * * *

Styles felt someone watching him. He knew who it was because his heart began to beat faster and his canines were making his gums tingle. Turning his head, Styles locked eyes with Robby. What in the hell was he doing here?

“Time to go inside, buddy.” Ruttford walked over and scooped Xavier from the grass as Steele and Diablo stood. The cheetah shifter glanced down at Styles and gave him a rueful smile. “Give him a chance. I almost lost out on the best thing of my life from being a stubborn ass. I don’t want to see you doing the same.”

Styles ignored Steele as the fathers took the two boys inside. He was tired of everyone telling him to give Robby a chance. None of them had watched their parents die in front of them. None of them had scarred legs from their attacker trying to kill them.

He lay there in the grass, staring up at the fading sun. He wasn’t going to acknowledge Robby. Styles hadn’t invited the man over. As a matter of fact, he was pissed as hell that the man was even here.

“Got company,” Reese said loudly.

Styles heard the screen door squeak and knew Robby was coming out. He tucked his hands behind his head, curling his fingers and as he clenched his jaw, trying not to scream at the man to fuck off.

One of the wrought iron chairs scraped on the back deck. Robby had taken a seat. Styles fought to not look over at the guy. That would only be acknowledging the man and that was something Styles was not going to do.

“Just so you know, I let the chickens go free.”

Styles could hear the uncertainty in Robby’s tone. The man was grappling for something to say. His tone was soft, as if trying to talk a dangerous man down from the ledge. Styles blinked, but continued to stare at the clouds that were slowly passing by.

“Okay, not really. I ate them. So if you still plan on calling the FBI, the evidence is gone.”

As hard as he tried, Styles couldn’t hold on to his anger. There was a war going on inside of him. His coyote was snapping and snarling, wanting to get free to go to its mate. But the man fought tooth and nail. His emotions were all over the place. A part of him hated Robby with a vengeance just for being a wolf. Another part of him was terrified to let his guard down.

His head was telling him to walk away from this. His heart was telling him to give Robby a chance.

Sometimes you don’t get what you want, but what you need.

Don’t give up on him. It’ll be the worst mistake of your life.

Give him a chance. I almost lost out on the best thing of my life. I don’t want to see you doing the same.

Styles swallowed, his head hurting from the kaleidoscope of emotions and thoughts crashing through him. Why on earth did Robby have to be a wolf? If he had been any other breed, Styles would be trying to make this relationship work.

“I’m not giving up on you.” The vow was spoken so softly that Styles almost hadn’t heard it.

“I will never let you in,” Styles said. “Accept that fact and leave me alone.”

“No!” Styles heard something slam onto the wrought iron table. He figured it was Robby’s fist. “You can push me away, threaten to kick my ass, or even go through with that threat. But I refuse to give up on us.”

Styles rolled to his hands and feet, narrowing his eyes at Robby as he curled back his lip. “There is no
us
. Get that through your fucking head.”

Robby chuckled, taking Styles by surprise. “Damn, you are so sexy when you’re being pigheaded. Has anyone ever told you that you have the prettiest brown eyes?”

Styles wasn’t sure what to say. He wasn’t sure what to think. Robby wasn’t arguing. They were supposed to be arguing. He wasn’t allowed to smile or laugh. That wasn’t how arguing worked.

Robby’s hazel eyes twinkled as the corners of his mouth lifted even higher. “I would love to see you in that position when you’re naked.”

Styles cocked his head.

“I would love to be under you when you’re in that position, and naked,” Robby corrected. “I bet you have a killer-ass body.”

Styles growled when he felt the blush wash over his face. What in the hell was this man doing? Was he insane? Styles was snarling at the man, letting Robby know that he was ready to attack, and the guy was talking about sex? “Get out!”

Robby lifted his head toward the sky. “But I’m already outside.”

Styles pushed to his feet, heading toward the back door. He wasn’t going to stand there and listen to anything else the man had to say. Robby was a wolf—plain and simple.

He saw Reese standing just outside the back door and wanted to strangle the man. He knew the polar bear was the one who had let Robby in. Styles stopped walking when he saw Reese’s eyes growing dark with desire. That only meant one thing.

Styles slowly turned to see Robby pulling his shirt off and tossing it onto the table. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“It’s hot outside, don’t you think?” Robby kicked his shoes off and then his hand went for the snap of his jeans. He could hear a slow rumble in Reese’s chest. The man was getting turned on by Robby stripping.

Styles swallowed hard, refusing to be turned on by what the man was doing. “Put your fucking clothes back on.”

One blondish-brown brow hiked up as Robby unsnapped the button and then lowered the zipper. “What, these clothes?”

Styles was finding it hard to breathe. He wanted to turn and walk away but couldn’t rip his eyes away from what Robby was doing. A large part of him wanted to ignore the man. But the other half of him, the carnal, lust-filled man, was hoping the man continued.

Robby reached into the front of his jeans, slowly massaging his erection. Styles couldn’t see, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew exactly what the man was doing. “Knock it off,” Styles said, hating that his voice wasn’t as firm as he wanted it to be. It lacked any heat or reprimand.

His cock grew hard when Robby tilted his head back and moaned, his tongue snaking out to glide across his bottom lip. Styles wanted to bite that lip, to knock Robby’s hand away and finish the job for him.

“Styles.” Robby breathed out his name. “Oh…god…Styles.”

Styles ground his teeth, his eyes drinking in what Robby was doing, wanting badly to go to the man and help him, to ease his urges and needs. But he didn’t move, rooted to the spot as he watched, hating himself for wanting…just flat-out wanting.

Robby’s hand began to move faster and faster, panting heavily until he cried out, “Styles!” Cum shot from his fist, spurting over his hand and landing on the deck. Styles was so hard, so ready, and so damn lost at what to do.

As Robby slowly lowered his head, Styles saw that his hazel eyes were liquid pools in the fading sunlight. He was like a fucking fallen angel standing there. The man lifted his hand and licked the cum clean.