Little Wolf (28 page)

Zoe got up about an hour into the film to get ready for her shift, and she continued to quote the saccharine dialogue as she left. Tim tried to wrap his head around Zoe liking a movie about shy smiles and klutzy humans. Then he tried to think of Nathaniel liking it so much he’d buy it, and made a noise so lost Nathaniel paused the movie to make sure he was okay.

Human movies with their ideas of The One reminded Tim of that overheard conversation between Scott’s and Rebecca’s mothers and how much they thought Hollywood movies gave their kids strange ideas about waiting for their mate. The rules of the movie made about as much sense to Tim as what little he had overheard about matings.

But then, for most of the movie, his attention had been wandering to Nathaniel’s thigh against his and the awareness of Nathaniel’s arm on the back of the couch. The cold left behind when Zoe got up made Tim inch closer to Nathaniel, and though Nathaniel hadn’t lowered that arm, he had moved to give Tim more room against him. If that resulted in Tim rubbing his face on Nathaniel’s shoulder, then
que será, será
. Nathaniel wasn’t bothered by it, judging from how he scooted in to get more comfortable.

Tim had no idea what happened after that. He assumed the human couple onscreen ended up together in some dramatic yet cute way, but instead of paying attention, he spent a good twenty minutes obsessing about whether he was bothering Nathaniel and Nathaniel was concealing it, and then must have given in and closed his eyes. He woke up to the DVD menu and Nathaniel snoring softly above him.

A nice person, like the people in that rom-com, would have backed off and gone to sleep alone in their room. But despite the awkward position, Nathaniel slept like a log, and he was very warm and hard and soft in all the right places. Tim was extremely disinclined to get up.

When he opened his eyes again, the room was dark, the TV was off, and Nathaniel was gone.

Tim sat up sharply and flailed his arms, realizing belatedly that Nathaniel had covered him in a blanket and that Nathaniel was frozen at his side.

“Why do I always fall asleep on you?” Tim muttered and slid back down to the cushions. “I sleep more here than I’ve ever slept in my life.”

Nathaniel straightened. “Maybe you’ve been running a long time and now you finally feel safe.” The dark hid nothing from Tim’s eyes, but the smug contentment in Nathaniel’s expression could have been seen from space.

Tim tugged the blanket over his face, then pushed it down. “Were you tucking me in?” His cheeks were burning. “The last person to do that was my mother.” He’d forgotten until that moment.

“You’re cute and helpless in your sleep.” Nathaniel’s words were warm. “And quiet,” Nathaniel mused with pretend thoughtfulness. “It might be my favorite version of you.”

Tim flipped him off, then squinted around. “What time is it? Are you going to bed?”

“The sun’s about to come up.” Nathaniel cracked his neck. “If you held still for half a second, you could feel it. Like a ghost of a touch in your mind.”

Startled, Tim held still, then felt his mouth fall open as he turned his head east.

Nathaniel smiled proudly. “I thought I’d eat and go for a run.” That Tim was invited on the run was unspoken. That Nathaniel would be a wolf for that run was also left unsaid.

Tim got to his feet. He wasn’t exactly full morning-wood hard, but a trip to the bathroom to piss was necessary. He came back in to the lights on and Nathaniel making coffee. He was using the old-fashioned stovetop coffeemaker Tim had no idea how to use, but which, he was told, would work if the power went out during a winter storm. It and the radio seemed to be the only things Nathaniel and Zoe were worried about in case of a power outage.

“When I saw that DVD,
all
those DVDs, in the case, I thought it was Zoe’s,” Tim remarked smartly, only to shiver at how Nathaniel turned to consider him.

“Maybe your notions about gender could use some correcting.” Nathaniel’s stare was so hot Tim couldn’t help but wonder exactly how Nathaniel might “correct” him. Tim dodged that blush-inducing stare and went to the fridge. He’d learned by now that letting Nathaniel make the food was dangerous. They’d end up with dishes named “California Surprise” and “A Very Special Casserole” that were a strange mixture of whatever was leftover or in the cabinets. To a were’s tongue they weren’t inedible, but they weren’t good either.

He grabbed some wrapped fish, a gift from one of Nathaniel’s deputies, from the freezer and set them on the counter while he thought about what to do with them.

“I couldn’t help but notice several of those rom-coms in the case under the TV,” Tim commented, a sly smile crossing his face. There had also been a chess set down there, but he wasn’t going to ask about that yet. He was sad enough to realize Nathaniel didn’t have much of a life, or even a chance to develop any hobbies aside from watching movies. “You huge romantic softie. Wow. You have been waiting for your One, haven’t yo—”

He didn’t get to finish the question. Nathaniel moved and then Tim had his back to the counter and Nathaniel in front of him. They weren’t touching, but that didn’t matter to Tim’s cock.

“This is not helping with my morning hard-on,” Tim snipped at him, tense for a moment before relaxing at the now-familiar heat of Nathaniel’s body. “This isn’t nice, winding me up like this.”

He guessed a night of snuggling meant Nathaniel wanted to continue snuggling. He had no idea how to feel about that, though if he had been one of those shifters to take a feline shape, he might have purred—or spiked his fur and swiped Nathaniel across the nose. It was hard to say.

“Winding
you
up?” Nathaniel gave Tim a grumpy look. “I think you are confused again, Little Wolf.” He lowered his voice. “Who says I want to be nice?”

Tim held his hands away from Nathaniel’s body until it felt weird to be holding them up in the air. Then he rested them at Nathaniel’s hips and didn’t resist the urge to curl his fingers in toward the skin hidden by clothing. He stared at Nathaniel’s rumpled shirt and thought, very hard, about what to say and how to say it. “You’re kind about things, what an idiot I am. But then you’re, uh, you’re not. Then you’re evil. Like now.”

Nathaniel didn’t have to press forward to feel how much Tim liked it when he was evil. Sadly, he didn’t. Tim brought his hands up to pat Nathaniel’s broad shoulders. “You know, you’re like an oven.”

Nathaniel dropped his head so his mouth was over Tim’s ear. “You’re hardly cool, little firecracker.”

“Is that….” Tim’s chest was tight. He’d thought his scent more earthy and boring. “Is that what I smell like? I mean, what my scent reminds you of?”

“Yes,” Nathaniel agreed, though Tim knew it was more complicated than that from how long Nathaniel took to answer. He was probably trying to think of a kind way to say Tim also smelled like an acute case of blue balls.

Nathaniel’s gaze was too intense. Tim studied his mouth instead and thought about the day before. “I don’t want to impress you,” he explained, or tried to. “I mean, I do, because, hell, you’re the kind of wolf who could shame a Dirus, but I’m not some bitch, okay?” Tim wanted Nathaniel because Nathaniel was hot and Tim was horny, but it was the way Nathaniel treated him that made it so much worse. He didn’t boss Tim around; he made jokes, and he got Tim’s jokes, and he was a dick at the moments when Tim least expected him to be. He was perfect. Tim would probably beg to be his bitch before long, whatever he said.

“A bitch?” Nathaniel jerked his head up. His stare was no less forceful with the distance. “Is that what they told you? These weres who locked you up to keep you safe and made you so afraid of weres like me?”

“They aren’t like you,” Tim whispered, then glared at his hands, which were still pressed to Nathaniel’s shoulders. “I don’t want to talk about it. Luca was a sick bastard. I get that now. We don’t need to go into it.”

“Luca.” Nathaniel stood a little differently, blocking Tim’s view of the rest of the house. He was putting himself between Tim and the door, Tim realized, and took a firmer hold of Nathaniel’s shirt. Nathaniel snorted like a bull about to charge. “Want me to take care of him for you?”

“Yes.” Tim surprised himself with his lack of hesitation. “Yes, absolutely, or he’ll find some other kid to—” He caught his breath and twisted Nathaniel’s shirt even tighter around his fists. “Yes.”

Nathaniel edged in closer. “You vicious little wolf,” he bit out, sounding very satisfied about Tim’s request for murder. Probably more satisfied than a law-abiding sheriff should sound. Exactly how a Mafia don might sound maybe, or how someone talking
with
a Mafia don might sound.

“I’m okay.” Tim had carefully avoided most thoughts of Luca coming to this town. The baby wolves had the were education Tim had lacked, but they were just as young and vulnerable. Luca shouldn’t have come near Tim. His uncle might have thought he was protecting Tim, but he’d put Tim right in Luca’s path by keeping him ignorant and making it clear that a bigger, stronger wolf was always the one in charge. Maybe a part of Silas had thought Tim deserved Luca’s attention.

“No.” Nathaniel nosed at Tim’s cheek, making Tim blink and then flush guiltily for no reason he could think of. Tim focused on him and let out a breath. Nathaniel was near enough to make Tim hard but not close enough to feel it for himself. “No, you aren’t okay. But you could be.”

“Stop sniffing the truth out of me,” Tim grumbled but didn’t relinquish his hold on Nathaniel, not for a second. “Can I ask you something?” He scowled upward preemptively, only to be taken aback by the heat in Nathaniel’s eyes. “Uh.” He forgot his words again, let out a short humiliating growl, then cleared his throat. “As someone who has had all the sex, if I told you, theoretically, I have a feeling I will really enjoy getting fucked, like just held down and fucked, would you think of me as the bitch? Theoretically? Would you expect that from a little wolf? Would you think I was weak?” He looked up when he was finished but only because he refused to be any more pathetic.

“No.” Nathaniel ignored the sound of water boiling on the stove like Tim was. “Theoretically, I’d be happy you were telling me, and praising whatever witch blessed me.” He eliminated the last of the distance between them.

Tim shut his eyes and held on to Nathaniel’s shirt so tightly his fingers ached. “You’re—” It seemed wrong to say “hard.”
Tim
got hard. Nathaniel should get
aroused
or something. Tim shifted his feet apart, but then Nathaniel stopped breathing, so he froze. Tim didn’t breathe either. Breathing was a risk. He might come in his pants again. “You, uh, well obviously you like what I said. Fuck. I, um, don’t want you to back off, but I think I might embarrass myself again if you move.” Everything was hot, smoke and fire creeping into his skin,
lust
sinking into his consciousness.

He sensed Nathaniel’s frustration, the bunching of muscles beneath his hands, the whiff of that bitter disappointment, but then Nathaniel took a step. A moment later he was out of reach, and Tim’s hands fell away. He opened his eyes and watched Nathaniel taking the coffee off the stove and throwing it out in order to start a new pot.

Some of the bitter smell was apparently burning coffee—Tim was really not skilled at reading scents, or people. He had shouted for Luca to back off him with no response except more pressure. Nathaniel was quietly making them coffee.

“You sure you want to wait for me?” Tim couldn’t help but ask, even though it made Nathaniel shoot him a furious look. “You could get it from anyone in town, except maybe Carl and Robin’s Egg.” Tim wrinkled his nose. Fuck anyone who went near Nathaniel. If Nathaniel even considered boning a single fucking one of them—

“You
want
me to?” Nathaniel raised his voice. They were arguing again, maybe. Or maybe Nathaniel was like any other man with an erection he couldn’t take care of and yelling felt like a good way to release some tension.

“You want
me
to!” Tim countered, more at ease now than he had been during their first argument. “
Little Wolf, you need to ask. Get experience. Talk to Albert
,” he quoted, then snorted. “We both know I’m dying to howl into your pillows.”

“Then let’s go. Right now,” Nathaniel snarled breathlessly at him, raising his chin, and he made a savage little noise when Tim couldn’t find a comeback. “I want it too, Tim. There’s no weakness in admitting that.”

“Yeah, for you.” Tim moved to get a pan for the fish, even though the fish was still frozen. Nathaniel looked irritated enough to bite something, and not in a fun way. For all that, he continued to set up a new batch of coffee with banging, jerky motions. Tim had gotten him that frustrated; that was kind of an achievement. A different were wouldn’t have tolerated it. He didn’t know if his uncle would have or if he would have thought the weakness was in Nathaniel not taking what Tim’s body kept offering.

“You’re some kind of wolf, you know that?” Tim told him while Nathaniel’s attention was safely elsewhere. “My uncle wouldn’t understand you, but he’d respect you. I think in time he might even fear you.” Nathaniel turned to him with a raised eyebrow. Tim explained the new idea as best as he could. “He
has a pack, but they’re paid. The family is hardly a presence anymore. But you have a town. An entire town. For free. Shit, they pay you. And you’re nice.” Tim was shaking his head before he had finished saying the word. “Except you aren’t, though, not to me. To me you’re kind and you’re thoughtful, but you aren’t nice. Don’t apologize. I like it. You aren’t like that with anyone else. You shock Zoe when you get like that, but not me. I don’t get you either really, but you’re…
you’re
awesome
, Neri.” Tim’s face hurt, it was so hot. “Well, for a dork who watches romantic comedies obsessively and hides an old chess set like it’s a dirty secret.”

He wondered how often Nathaniel Neri was rendered speechless. He was guessing not often. Nathaniel didn’t seem to know what to do with his hands for a few seconds.