Hagen, Lynn - Murphy's Madness [Brac Pack 15] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (3 page)

Chapter Two

Murphy looked over his shoulder as he made his way to the bookstore. He continuously turned his head left and right, looking around so quickly he was becoming light-headed.

He was about to get whiplash if he didn’t stop snapping his head back and forth.

If Maribel was going to strike, then he wanted to see it coming. Okay, maybe not, but not knowing when the next attack would come was driving him crazy.

He had practically packed his whole apartment last night. Now all he had to do was inconspicuously pack his bookstore and get out of town before sundown. There was no way he was sticking around to find out how accurate her aim was when it came to his bits and pieces. His sex life may be at a stalemate, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be put out of commission.

He prayed his plan worked. If she caught him trying to slip out in the middle of the night, he wasn’t sure what she would do. His balls clenched once again.

Picking up the pace, Murphy hurried to get to his bookstore and begin his packing. He brushed the wayward locks from his face, feeling his face flush from the exertion of speed walking. His wrist had turned an ugly shade of greenish purple, and he feared she had done more damage than originally suspected.

Crazy bitch.

Scrambling in his pocket for his keys, he nearly jumped out of his skin when someone shouted his name. He turned to see the most amazing face staring at him from a few doors down. The man was all dark looks. Black shoulder-length hair, dark eyes, and a body to give sin a bad name. Did Maribel send a henchman?

Murphy fumbled to get the stupid key to go into the lock. It wouldn’t go! He shot a look over his shoulder to see the man quickly eating up the distance between them.

Oh god
, he was dead for sure. Finally getting the tumblers to turn, he glanced one more time before pushing the door open and slamming it shut, he engaged the lock and ran to his office.

Murphy bit his nails as he heard banging at the front door. The henchman didn’t sound like he was giving up. The knock sounded angry. Oh god, oh god, what was he going to do? He felt trapped as his heart felt like it was going to explode out of his chest.

“Murphy, I just want to talk to you,” the man shouted outside the door.

Yeah, up close and personal, he bet. There was no way he was allowing that gorgeous man in. Even if he was hot, no way, no how.

“Murphy, answer the door.”

Not likely. He may be a spineless geek, but he wasn’t stupid. There was no way that hot-ass man out there wanted to talk about dollies and tea cups. No, he wanted to talk about immense pain from the looks of him.

“Murphy, if you don’t open up, I’m going to force my way in.” The banging continued as the guy rattled the door handle.

What to do, what to do? Okay, he would talk with the man through the door, and if he seemed a threat, then Murphy would…do what? Throw a book at him? Slap him over the head with the latest magazines that had come in? Or better yet, give him a paper cut from the new calendars?

“Murphy.” A warning tone shot across the store and to his racing heart. Okay, don’t make the madman angry. Keep the musclehead calm.

Murphy took an unsteady breath as he walked to his awaiting beat down. He prayed they had cable television in the hospital room he was about to check in to.

* * * *

What the hell was wrong with his mate? If he didn’t know any better, he would say Murphy was terrified of him. But why? They hadn’t even met yet.

This damn door was coming down in five seconds if his mate didn’t open it. He needed to be near him, see him up close. Hell, who was he kidding, he needed to claim him and carry him home to fuck him into the next century.

Ludo saw a head of beautiful brown curls peek around the corner, and big amber eyes wide with fear. Just exactly what was going on? His heart stuttered then began to beat again at a faster rate when a tall and totally breathtaking man came from around the counter and inched his way to the door at a very slow pace. What was it with people and turtle-walking lately?

His cock filled in less than two seconds, his canines dropped a fraction of an inch, and the need to howl was riding him strong. His leg almost tapped a thousand times a minute as his mate slowly made his way to the door. Murphy was sinfully edible. Ludo’s hands itched to touch skin, hair, cock. He’d settle for a toenail at this point.

“Can I help you?” Murphy asked through the glass in the door.

Ludo stood there stuck on stupid for a moment, his mind going blank at that wickedly erotic voice.
Say my name, love.

“Can I speak with you without a door between us?”

“Why? I can hear you perfectly fine from here.” Murphy shifted anxiously from foot to foot. His hand came up to brush away his hair. Ludo noticed a bandage around his mate’s wrist.

He had to stop the growl at the sight of his mate’s injury. If someone had purposely done that to Murphy, he was going to string the bastard up by the balls. “Please. I just want to talk.”

His mate sighed, shrugged his shoulders, and then reached out to unlock the door. Ludo pushed it open, taking in the intoxicating aroma of his mate. It was stronger and so much sweeter when coming directly from his mate.

“So talk.” His mate backpedaled until he was behind the counter. His hands were flighty, touching this and that, not settling on one thing. His moves were nervous in nature. Did Murphy feel the pull? Was that why he was so nervous? Ludo’s heart melted for the smaller man. He’d be gentle since his mate was so skittish. Ludo would make sure Murphy was comfortable with him before he claimed him. Now that he had his mate close, he felt a calmness settle inside of him.

He reached in his pocket and pulled out his rubber band, securing his hair in place. His mate’s eyes widened as he took a step back. What the hell was wrong with him? Ludo shrugged his leather off, tossed it on the couch that sat opposite the counter, then turned back around.

Where the hell did Murphy go?

“Murphy?”

“Yes?” a small voice squeaked. Ludo leaned over the counter, spotting his mate crouched down behind it.

Ludo walked around the counter, knelt down next to his mate, and reached a hand out. “Come.”

Long, slender fingers trembled as Murphy laid his hand in Ludo’s palm. He gently pulled his mate until the man was in his arms. Oh god, this was what he had been waiting all night for. His cock jumped behind his jeans, straining at the zipper to be free and to play with this beautiful creature.

“I’m Ludo.” His hands sought out skin. They rubbed the nape of his mate’s neck, feeling the tension knotted in Murphy. His thumb massaged the tense muscles, his other hand rubbing circles around his mate’s back. Ludo closed his eyes, basking in the knowledge that he was holding his mate for the very first time.

Murphy leaned back, his amber eyes telling of the fear and apprehension that coiled his body tight. “Damn, you smell good.” Murphy looked at him in amazement.

That wasn’t exactly what Ludo thought would come out of his mate’s mouth. Shocked but pleased, a wide smile split across his face. “So do you.” His hand slid into the back of Murphy’s hair, his fingers massaging his mate’s scalp as he pulled those delicious-looking lips closer to his, closer to paradise.

“Wait.” Murphy slammed on the brakes. His hands planted firmly on Ludo’s chest in an effort to stop him. “I don’t kiss henchmen. So do your worst.” His mate cringed back as he placed his hands over his head.

Ludo was stunned into silence for a second. “Henchman?” The question wasn’t aimed toward his mate, more of his brain asking the question to figure out what the hell was going on.

“Okay, so maybe I’m not up on the latest lingo of your job description, but you get the point. Now could you stop stalling and get it over with? If I’m going to be in the hospital, I want to get there in time to see my soaps. Marla’s been cheating on Derek, and he walked in on her. They had the nerve to cut the scene right there, can you believe that? I just know his dumbass is going to forgive her.”

Ludo’s brows pulled together as he tried to understand what the hell Murphy was talking about. Was his mate mentally disturbed? He would think someone who knew Murphy would have said something, a forewarning at least. “Murphy, I’m not here to harm you.”

“Yeah, right. And I’m supposed to believe that? Try again, buddy.” His mate pushed away from him, getting to his feet. He rolled his shoulders back, took a deep breath, and then nodded. “I’m ready.”

“For what?”

“My beat down.”

Ludo got to his feet as he tried to understand what the hell Murphy was going on about. He’d never lay a hand on his mate. He had to be insane. Was his mate into pain like the mate at the Den, Blair? He wasn’t too sure he could deliver. Pain wasn’t his thing. Dispensing or receiving. “I’m not going to touch you.”

“Oh, I see. Your method of torture is the suspense of not knowing when it’s coming. You really are sadistic, you know that?” Murphy crossed his arms over his chest, the injured one lying gently on top as he narrowed his eyes. “Two can play at that. I may not know when it’s coming, but you won’t know if it hurts or not because I promise that I won’t utter one single sound. Bring it on.”

Ludo could only scratch his head. Was the guy off of his meds? A trip to the Medical Center to see the mate, Dr. Nicholas Sheehan, was in order. Maybe they could up the dosage.

* * * *

Had Murphy lost his damn mind? He was actually giving the man permission to hurt him. Yeah, he’d lost it.

“I’m not here to hurt you,
rebenka
.”

On the outside he was all bravado. Inside he had fainted a hundred times already. “Does that mean idiot or fool?”

“No,
rebenka
, it means baby.” Ludo took a step toward him.

Murphy looked over the counter at the door, wondering if he could clear the glass encasement and make it to the door before this god-like henchman tackled him.

“Oh, I see. You want to fuck me before you split my wig? Not happening.” Fear was making him sound asinine. He couldn’t help it. The brain to mouth buffer dissolved when he was afraid, and right now he was at the pinnacle of fear. This man was huge, could do a lot of damage to Murphy. He tucked his hands further under his arms, not wanting to let the man see how badly they were trembling.