The KinKaid Wolf Pack Trilogy (29 page)

“I’m the ass here?” Where the fuck did he get off? Landry twisted in his seat, facing Kaleb. “I have every right to crawl all over your ass. You had no damn business following me, and I think I’m being a pretty damn nice guy for leaving you with some of your face recognizable.”

“What the hell was I supposed to do?” Kaleb whipped his head around. “You wouldn’t tell me what’s going on, and I know you’re hiding something.”

“And I told you to leave it alone.” Landry turned, shoved the key into the ignition, and the engine busted off with a throaty roar. Dammit. He wasn’t ready to get into this shit with Kaleb. His talk with Arick had only succeeded in reinforcing his suspicions. Landry was confident his fuck up with the Gregorson enforcer had played a part in instigating the aggression from the other side. His mind flashed back to Arick and himself in the private room the other shifter had arranged in hopes Landry would show tonight. Behind the closed door, the dark male had dropped to his knees, his hands going to Landry’s belt.

“I knew you would return.” Arick had stared up at him, a smug glimmer in his blue eyes. “Let me take care of you, Sir. I remember exactly how you like it.”

Landry’s gut had lurched, and he’d slapped his palm over Arick’s, stilling him. During their brief encounters, Arick had never been subtle. So Landry hadn’t played any games either and went straight to the point.

“I have to ask, Arick, was part of your motivation behind the cullings on our land retribution for how I reacted to the news of who I’d been fucking?”

At first, Arick had only smiled in response, the expression chilling.

“You are a suspicious wolf, aren’t you” Arick drawled. “No wonder Evin made you his lead.” The male’s palms traveled down Landry’s thighs, and it was all he could do to stomach the minute exploration. “That...along with your other natural strengths.” Arick’s gaze flicked back up, settling on Landry’s. “You’re a warrior. An alpha would be a fool to risk losing a male like you from his side—or his bed.”

God, Landry had been such an idiot. Since his last mistake with Arick, he hadn’t been with anyone else, not because those encounters had been so spectacular nothing else could compare. Hardly. In fact, it was the exact opposite. Afterward, it had finally occurred to him the peace and satisfaction he’d been searching for couldn’t be found with the strings of anonymous one-night stands.

Landry wanted more. Fuck. He
needed
more. His chest ached for it. But what he needed or wanted was irrelevant, wasn’t it? The two people on the planet who owned a piece of his soul and could make him whole deserved better than what he had to offer in return, which was nothing but pain and disappointment. His entire life had been one mistake after another. He only ended up hurting the ones he loved. Landry risked a glance at the sullen profile of his best friend—a prime example.

A little over an hour later, Landry pulled up in Kaleb’s driveway. The other shifter hadn’t spoken since they’d left The Scene. Landry popped the lever into park and cut the engine.

“So, was that him?” Kaleb cranked his head in Landry’s direction.

“Him?” Did he know? How the hell had he figured it out?

“I don’t know.” Kaleb shrugged. “I saw you with some guy right before you two went down that hall. Is that male a part of what you’ve been keeping from me?”

Son of a...
A low growl rumbled in Landry’s throat, and he forced his glare out the front windshield. He had to. He couldn’t look Kaleb in the eye and talk about what he’d done at the same time.

“Did you fuck him?”

The question hammered into Landry with the force of a mallet. So not what he’d been expecting out of Kaleb’s mouth.

“That’s none of your damn business.” Still, he couldn’t bring himself to meet the other male’s glare.

“I don’t really give a shit. It’s a simple question. Did. You. Fuck. Him?”

Landry’s pulse surged. What the hell did Kaleb want him to say?
Yes, I fucked him like the dog he was. No, I didn’t because my head’s too messed up with wanting to fuck you. Dear God, between Kaleb and Rosa they kept him so tied up in knots it amazed Landry he could even form a coherent thought that went beyond his dick.

His cock swelled, hard, aching, and ready. His chest heaved with each breath. And like a twig that had finally bore more than it could handle, Landry snapped. With preternatural speed, Landry launched out of his seatbelt, ramming himself into Kaleb so hard and fast, the SUV rocked.

The back of Kaleb’s head banged into the headrest from the impact. “What the hell are you doing?”

Landry had moved so quickly, Kaleb’s arms were trapped at his sides. Reaching low beside the seat, Landry tapped the electric controls, taking them in reverse and lowering them back at the same time.

“Is that what this is all about, Dalton?” Landry shoved the hard ridge of his shaft against Kaleb’s groin. Kaleb’s breath hitched, and he stiffened. “You want to know more about my sex life? Want to know what it’s like when I take a man?”

Silence.

“What’s the problem?” Landry palmed Kaleb’s face, forcing those blue eyes to lock on him. “You didn’t seem to mind when Brick dry humped you.” Landry was too far gone and couldn’t pull back now if he’d wanted to. Again, he thrust his hips, but this time Landry’s cock nudged another thick and hardened ridge, and the sensation tilted his world on its axis. Landry froze.

Impossible.

No way in hell Kaleb was aroused... The drum of Landry’s racing pulse whirred inside his head. Kaleb stared up at him as if mesmerized, drinking in every detail of Landry’s face. Then his lips parted, and the pink tip of Kaleb’s tongue appeared, beckoning him like a siren’s dance.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.
He shouldn’t. Landry groaned, the sound agonized, as if torn from his soul. He dipped closer to the male beneath him, drawn like polar opposites who couldn’t resist their nature. God help him, he really shouldn’t. Kaleb’s breath stuttered from his chest, the small puffs of air skating over Landry’s lips. He hovered there, suspended in time, his gut trembling.

“Kaleb...?” he croaked. Whether it was a plea for permission or for Kaleb to knock his ass off him, Landry wasn’t sure.

Suddenly, the other male’s fingertips dug into Landry’s shirt and yanked hard, holding him tight.

And Landry crashed.

He slammed his mouth onto Kaleb’s in a fevered rush. Hot. Hard. Straining. Kaleb’s moan ricocheted within the walls of Landry’s mind. Then his partner opened, and holy hell... Landry drove his tongue inside, licking, stroking, sucking. His hips surged, seeking more. More of Kaleb.

Landry’s hands were everywhere, yet not anywhere close to where he wanted them. He speared his fingers into Kaleb’s hair. Not enough. On his face, then neck. He followed their trail, kissing Kaleb’s flesh, needing the other male’s taste as much as he craved the contact. Kaleb squirmed under him, gasped, his fingertips kneading into Landry’s side as if urging him on.

Harder. Faster.

Landry ground his shaft into Kaleb’s. Christ, his cock throbbed. His lungs burned. Searching for another dose of the other male’s lips, Landry lifted his head, dragging his cheek over Kaleb’s rough five o’clock shadow. Damn, he loved the way the other male felt against his skin: hot, wild, as if he were straddling a beast yet to be tamed. Gripping the shifter’s chin, Landry’s mouth found Kaleb’s once more.

“Taste so good,” Kaleb mumbled and rolled his hips. “Fuck. Yes.” He hissed.

Yeah. So good.
The flavor of hops and barley rolled over Landry’s tongue.
Beer.

As if someone had yanked hard on his brake, Landry ground to halt. His eyelids sank. He’d been so consumed with his own lust for the other male, the alcohol on Kaleb’s breath hadn’t registered. Landry groaned. So fucking stupid.

Kaleb was drunk.

His response had nothing to do with a true desire for Landry. It was the booze tearing down his inhibitions. In his right mind, Kaleb wouldn’t be returning his kisses. His friend wouldn’t want him like this.

As quickly as he’d launched to the other side of the SUV’s cabin, Landry flipped himself over onto the driver’s seat.

Swearing under his breath, Kaleb pulled himself upright, fumbling for the seat controls.

Air sawed in and out of Landry’s nostrils. He seized the steering wheel, tightening his fingers around the hard surface.
Hands off.
An invisible band around his chest cinched down until Landry could barely suck in his next breath. This was the right thing to do... So why did it fucking hurt so damn bad?

“You never did answer my question...” Kaleb said, shattering the tension between them.

God, why wouldn’t he give it a rest already? “Leave it alone, Kaleb,” Landry growled. “You’re drunk.”

“Or was that your way of deflecting?” The leather squeaked and Landry couldn’t help but notice the repositioning action going on between the male’s legs. “Serving up a little payback for me following you by screwing with my...head.”

“Yeah. That’s precisely what I was doing.” Landry twisted, facing Kaleb. “I was playing you. Giving you a taste of the rabbit hole you were about to throw yourself down back there.”

Kaleb turned, staring out the windshield into the night. “Congratulations then. Job well done,” he stated.

His partner’s words struck like daggers straight into Landry’s heart. God, he’d messed up the only thing good in his life—his friendship with Kaleb. He had to fix this. Salvage what was left of their relationship.

“It was the alcohol, Kaleb.” Landry swallowed hard. “You know how fast that shit goes to your head. That’s why I reacted like I did at The Scene. And I knew you were still feeling the effects a few minutes ago. I shouldn’t have taken it that far when I knew you weren’t thinking...straight.”

Kaleb slowly glanced over, a shadow lurking in his gaze, the look a stranglehold on Landry’s heart. Had any of his arousal been for real, for him?

“But I would never allow you do something you might later regret,” Landry said, his throat tight. “Especially with me.” He watched as Kaleb’s fingers wrapped around the door handle, then without a word, his friend popped the door.

“For what it’s worth, I didn’t.” The words spilled out before Landry could choke them back. But the bigger surprise...was the release that exited behind them. As if some of the weight he’d been carrying had been expelled along with the admission.

A
click
sounded as the door closed with Kaleb still in his seat. His partner turned, facing Landry. “Then what were you doing with him?”

It was Landry’s turn to divert his gaze. He stared out the windshield into the dark beyond, wishing he could melt into it, disappear within its shadowed embrace. He sighed. The moment of truth had arrived—and it felt like ashes on his tongue, dirty and dry.

“The male you saw me with...it was Stefan’s brother, lead enforcer Arick Gregorson. And the shifter I was fucking up until six months ago.”

Chapter Eight

––––––––

A
rick slammed the door to his office and marched toward his desk. To hell with the lights. The dark suited his mood. Everyone else had gone home several hours ago, which was best for the continued health of his staff.

He tugged the cell from his back pocket and tapped a number at the bottom of his contact list. The details popped up, and Arick hit Send Message. Quickly, he keyed out a note with two simple commands: My office. Now.

Landry may not have given him the perfect dose of what he’d been craving, but this particular male would at least give Arick a much-needed release of tension.

Dropping the phone on top of the desk, Arick sank into his chair and kicked his boot heels up onto the edge of the wood. The night had not gone as he’d hoped. Still, he had achieved part of his mission. Landry had sought him out.

Arick smoothed a palm over the lingering bulge behind his zipper. The contact had a low hiss wringing out from between his teeth, and on their own accord, his hips lifted to deepen the pressure. Fuck. If only it was Landry’s hand stroking him.

The male was every one of his dark fantasies come to life. And he wasn’t about to allow the shifter to ruin all his plans. Landry would be his whether the enforcer realized it or not.

Arick hadn’t missed the interaction between Landry, Brick, and the other male at the bar. After Landry had walked out of the private room, Arick had followed him into the club. He’d assumed his lover would head straight for the door. But when Landry had scanned the crowd, the shifter’s spine stiffened, the response yanking the chain on Arick’s attention. The fierce male had marched toward the bar like a man on fire, parting the crowd in his path. Lingering nearby, Arick had heard every word of Landry’s declaration that the handsome male with long, dark red hair was his. And if Brick had been hitting on him, the new guy had to have been a shifter as well. The muscle-bound Dom made it a habit to only play with his own kind. Humans were too easily broken and bruised.

Six months. Arick’s fist clamped down hard on his dick, his nerve endings firing. His jaw ticked, molars squeaked. Hardly no time at all since they’d last been together. He wouldn’t be so easily replaced. Not with the KinKaid female, and most definitely not with that long-haired shifter. Arick eased up on the chokehold around his cock. Blood surged back into the starved shaft, slamming into the end of his dick with a pounding fury. He groaned, closed his eyes, and seized the corner of his desk for stability.

“Yes,” he mumbled to himself, stroking the aching erection behind the leather.

The overhead lights flickered to life.

“Shit!” Arick dropped his feet to the floor and snapped forward, his hand diving for the Glock he kept secured beneath his desktop.

“What are you doing sitting here in the dark?”

Lucas.

“Fuck,” Arick spat. He shook his head and peeled his fingers off the semi-automatic. “You have a serious mother-fucking death wish.”

“A tad paranoid, are we?” The older male released a wicked chuckle, sauntered forward, then took the seat in front of Arick’s desk.