Denying Dare (3 page)

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Denying Dare

Amber Kell

towels from a beautifully carved wooden cabinet in the

corner. He slipped into the bath, leaving the shower curtain

open for Steven to join him.

Without hesitating, Steven followed that fine ass

inside. "I guess I'll have to thank Anthony instead of

kicking his butt," he mused as he watched the handsome

man get mouth-wateringly wet.

Dare laughed. "You couldn't kick Anthony anyway,

not and still make it out of the bar alive."

Steven laughed. "True. I slapped Anthony on the

back one day and Silver almost ripped off my arm."

A low growl came from Dare, his eyes glowing

again. "He better not harm you."

"Shhh. No, babe. I'm fine." He ran soothing circles

around Dare's shoulders, cradling him close so he could

reach his back. The two men were near to the same size,

making it easy for Steven to cuddle Dare close and give

him gentle kisses. "Easy, babe. I'm good."

Is this what Anthony had to deal with on a daily

basis? For a moment he felt sympathy for his friend.

Dare shook his head. "Shit, I'm sorry. I don't know

why I'm so touchy today. Maybe that catnip hasn't

completely worn off. Usually, it just makes me a little

loopy," he said as he snuggled closer. "Having it on you

turns me into a possessive jerk."

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The pair of them stood in the heated stream of water

as if trying to wash away their worries.

Steven pushed aside his own concerns to reassure

the trembling bartender. "Come on, babe, let's finish

washing and go back to bed." He was a little worried at

how comfortable those words sounded, like they'd been

long-time lovers. Shaking his head, he gave into the

inevitable. The beautiful weretiger was his and he would

have to learn to adapt.

Affection, more than passion had them rinsing each

other off. Then, with smiles and gentle touches, they dried

and then headed towards the bedroom.

* * * *

Dare woke up warm, sated, and wrapped in the

arms of his dream man. Sighing he nuzzled in closer,

wishing for the first time he was the kind of cat that could

purr.

"Morning, kitty." A large, warm hand stroked his

head, causing an involuntary sigh to pour from Dare's

mouth.

"Morning, wolf man." He tilted his mouth for his

morning kiss.

"I have morning breath," Steven warned.

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"Two morning breaths cancel each other out." Dare

latched onto Steven's mouth like a drowning man grabbing

a life preserver. If this was the only encounter they were

ever going to have, he wanted to take advantage of it. He

didn't bother hoping the wolf saw this as a step towards

their future. If the man hadn't wanted him before, he wasn't

going to change his mind now. However, that didn't mean

Dare couldn't enjoy their time together now, even if it was

short-lived.

Their two hard pricks rubbed together, leaking

copiously.

"Oh, like that, babe." Steven's hands gripped Dare's

ass, pulling him tighter against him. "Oh, yeah. Just like

that."

It didn't take long before one cry followed another

as the two men gave over to passion in each other's arms.

"Mmm." Dare licked a path up Steven's neck before

worrying a mark into his skin, a mark that would show high

above any collar.

"Marking me, baby?" Steven asked, his eyes

sparkling with amusement.

Dare jerked back. "Oh, god. I didn't mean to." Well

consciously, subconsciously he was all about marking the

man lying beside him. Scent, bites, anything to leave a sign

the sexy wolf was taken.

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Steven laughed. "That's all right. I'm not ashamed of

having sex with you."

Having sex.

Dare averted his head as he blinked back the sudden

watering of his eyes. "I'd better brush my teeth and get

dressed. I have to get to work." He stumbled out of bed and

headed for the bathroom door. He didn't want the man in

his bed to know that while Steven was having another bout

of meaningless sex, Dare was making love.

"Did I do something wrong?"

Dare shook his head, not slowing his stride. "I-I just

need to go."

"You work nights." He heard Steven sliding out of

bed to follow.

He resisted the temptation to look. "Not the rest of

this week. I'm working with Dillon and Parker to look for

those mutant werewolves."

"What do you mean, you're working with those

two? You're a bartender, not an investigator."

Dare finally turned around, glaring at the intense,

blue-eyed man before him. "I'm also a four hundred pound

tiger. I'm good in a fight. If they find those other wolves I

can keep them safe."

"And who's going to keep you safe?"

Dare rolled his eyes. "Did you want a shower?"

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Walking away from Steven before he said anything

he'd regret, he headed for the bathroom.

* * * *

As Steven watched the fine ass of his lover walk

away from him, Dare's back was straight and his shoulders

stiff with anger.

Shit.

It didn't look like he could say anything right today.

First something he'd said in bed had hurt his lover's

feelings, now the cat was angry with him for being

concerned. He could feel Dare's emotions as if they were

his own and the entire experience was unsettling.

Damn, who knew werecats were so high

maintenance?

Steven entered the bathroom cautiously, uncertain

of his reception. Dare was already in the shower, the

shadow of his beautiful body tantalizing in the morning

light. Well, this was something they could agree on.

They both wanted the others' touch.

Steven moved the curtain aside and stepped into the

tub, wrapping his arms around the stiff figure. "I'm sorry if

I hurt your feelings, baby. I just don't like the thought of

you going against bad guys. Hell, last time Anthony got

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shot, and he's damn near indestructible."

"I'm sorry you don't think I can protect myself," was

the sniffled reply.

"No. No. Babe." He stroked the younger man in all

the right places until Dare melted against him like the

boneless kitty he was. Steven sifted the water through the

man's hair to rinse out all the conditioner. He didn't want

his lover's beautiful hair damaged. "I just don't want you to

get hurt. I could help." Steven owned a computer

investigation business where he used research to retrieve

background information on people for companies and

individuals alike.

Dare shook his head. "Silver wanted to keep this to

pack only."

Steven jerked away like he'd been struck. "You're

not pack," he pointed out.

"I might not be a wolf but I'm a member of the

pack. Anthony declared me pack last full moon."

Jealousy bit deep. Anthony, who didn't have any

wolf heritage, and Dare, who was a fucking cat, could

belong to the wolf pack while Steven was left out in the

cold. "I'm sorry I'm not good enough to join your little

club."

Dare's eyes widened. "I didn't mean it like that! You

just have to petition. I'm sure Silver would take you if he

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knew you were interested, but it's been a while and you

haven't said anything, so I guess we all assumed you didn't

want to belong to the Moon pack. You're Anthony's friend

and a shifter, I'm sure he would make you pack if you

asked."

Steven bit his lip. He hadn't talked to Silver about

joining because he kept hoping he would mate into the pack

like Dillon and Ben. He'd even tried dating wolves in other

packs, but he kept coming back to this one. It wasn't just

that his oldest friend helped run it. He felt an odd pull to the

Moon pack. Now he wondered if he'd just been fooling

himself and it wasn't the pack, but Dare, who was the pull.

Could a wolf really mate with a cat permanently?

The pair finished their shower in thoughtful silence.

Dare loaned him some clothes since they were

similar in height and build. Steven got a secret pleasure

from wearing his clothes. He knew any wolf near him

would smell the tiger's scent covering him from shirt to

socks. He felt giddy inside, like an adolescent girl with her

boyfriend's letterman jacket.

He shared none of that with the weretiger as he

followed the other man out of the apartment and into the

elevator.

"It looks different when I'm on my feet," he teased,

enjoying the flush that colored Dare's cheeks.

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"Sorry about that."

Steven shrugged. "I'll talk to Anthony. That little

stunt was his fault."

Dare smiled. "Yeah, but I liked how it ended so

don't be too hard on him."

Leaning over to place a kiss on those lush lips,

Steven had to agree. "I'll take it easy on the little shit

because I really enjoyed last night." He gave the tiger

shifter another kiss before breaking apart when the elevator

doors opened.

In the early afternoon the bar was mostly empty.

Dare turned to look at Steven. "I'll catch up with

you later. I told Dillon and Parker I would meet them at

Parker's house."

Steven growled. "You're not going alone to meet an

unmated were at his house."

"What's your problem?" The confusion on Dare's

face told him the other man had no idea Steven was making

a claim. Parker was one of the few werekin who had a

house of his own instead of staying with the pack. He'd

inherited the house from his mother and refused to part

with it or live with the others. Rumor had it he got special

dispensation from Silver and had to take extra training to

prove he could protect himself.

There was no way in hell Steven was going to let

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his mate go into that bachelor den alone.

Mate?

Fuck.

Staggering under the weight of his new knowledge,

Steven stabbed a finger in the direction of an empty table.

"Wait for me there." He got a pissed off expression from

his kitty, but Dare did what he asked.

Good. It would help their relationship for Dare to

realize who was in charge from the beginning.

Without another look he headed for Silver's office.

Knocking, he waited for the bid to enter before he opened

the door. Silver's office was large and decorated with lots

of seating for impromptu meetings with staff and pack

members.

Looking up, Steven received a half smile when

Silver saw him; the biggest expression the man ever gave

outside the sphere of Anthony.

"Anthony's at his office downtown."

"I didn't come to see Anthony. I came to see you."

"Oh." Silver gave a shrug. "If it's about the catnip

incident, I already talked to Anthony about that."

Steven laughed. "And I'm sure he was properly

repentant and begged forgiveness on his knees."

A blush covered the cheeks of the tough alpha. "He

did something on his knees that made me forget my name,

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but I did try to scold him."

Shaking his head, Steven let the alpha off the hook.

"That's okay, it doesn't do any good to scold Anthony, I

know from past experience. Besides, he did me a good

turn."

"You and Dare?" Silver's raised brows caused a

wave of trepidation in Steven's chest.

"What? You don't think we'll make good mates?"

"You just cost me a diamond ring. I told Anthony

there's no way you'd go for a cat."

Steven shook his head sadly. "You should know

better than to bet against Anthony."

A sheepish smile crossed the alpha's face. "Yeah,

but this was one bet I was hoping to lose. Sometimes he

wears turtlenecks where no one can see his collar. I need to

have him wear something even a standard human can

understand. Marking him with my scent doesn't do any

good if the other men can't smell it."

Steven laughed so hard he had to hold onto the desk

as tears filled his eyes. "Poor you. Mating with a beautiful

man is such hard work."

"You know it. It's not easy staying one step ahead

of my man, but he's worth every bit. Want to see his ring?"

It was almost sweet how the large man doted on

Anthony. In that so-much-sugar-your-teeth-will-rot kind of

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way.

"Sure," he said. After all, if he wanted to get on the