Valentino's Cowboy [Brac Village 10] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (5 page)

Murdock scooped the pups into his arms. “How is Abe doing?”

Valentino blew out a breath as he ran his hand through his hair. “It’s too soon to tell.”

“I know Gavin Lakeland and it seems pretty damn strange that he would be so careless.” Murdock adjusted the pups under his arms. They were squirming to get loose. “It makes no sense.”

Gavin Lakeland was not a subject Valentino wanted to talk about right now. Just hearing the man’s name infuriated him. He didn’t care how well Murdock knew Gavin. The guy had put Abe’s safety last. That was all he needed to know.

“Nice to finally meet you, Dr. Prayze.”

Valentino gave Murdock a closed-mouth smile before turning back to his mate. The guy had left with his pups and Valentino was thankful for the reprieve. He laid his head back down and closed his eyes.

It was going to be a long night.

* * * *

Draco Fitzgerald Kenyon glanced at the ID card that was tucked into the wallet. He studied the name and address. How interesting that this Abraham Brego lived in Brac Village, the very village Kenyon was privately investigating.

But what was even more bizarre was that the wallet was found in Kenyon’s bedroom closet. He had been getting ready to change for dinner when he had seen it on the carpeted floor. It shouldn’t have been there.

Digging further into the wallet, he discovered a door pass for The Manacle, a condom, and a vintage photo that looked worn, the edges frayed. He studied the photo, his mouth curling into a smile as he gazed at the smiling couple.

They were a happy-looking couple with
very
pointy ears.

“Excuse me, Mr. Kenyon. Mr. Constantinople is here to see you.” Kenyon’s newly hired assistance stood in the doorway, waiting for further instruction.

Kenyon swiveled his chair until he was facing the large glass window, looking out over the darkened city streets. His appointments with Mr. Constantinople were always in the late evening when the sun was no longer a threat to the man.

The vampire had no clue that Kenyon was well aware of what he was. They had a business deal together and the man was here for his scheduled meeting. “Send him in.”

Mr. Constantinople strode through the office door, confident and arrogant as always. The vampire carried himself as if he was the most important man in the world. Kenyon liked that quality about the guy.

Too bad he was a bloodsucker. The man would have made a great ally. Kenyon needed more men with brass balls.

“Good evening, Mr. Kenyon.” The vampire took a seat, crossing his legs and settling his hands in his lap.

Kenyon might be the head Vampire Hunter, but he was a genius when it came to business and he knew a good business deal when he saw one. If the Hunters who worked for him knew about his side business with a few vampires, well…they would be pretty damned pissed.

But for Kenyon, money always came first. He had told his second-in-command that he wanted to expose the filthy paranormal creatures.

That was somewhat true.

He wanted to eradicate them all, but in due time. He still had to deal with the appearance of the mysterious wallet, though. Maybe he should send his second to Brac Village to pay this Abraham Brego a visit.

Because if elves truly existed, Kenyon needed to rethink his entire strategy. It seemed his knowledge of the type of nonhumans that existed had expanded once more.

He turned toward the vampire. “Shall we begin our meeting?”

* * * *

Abe slowly came awake, blinking his eyes rapidly at the bright lights in the room. His mind was a little foggy, but not enough that he didn’t remember what had happened to him.

“Look at those pretty cornflower-blue eyes.”

The scent of cougar filled Abe’s lungs.

“Hey, my little cowboy,” Valentino said as he gently brushed the hair back from Abe’s face. “I’m glad you’re finally awake.”

“My…” Abe swallowed, clearing his dry throat. He needed to ask the question but didn’t want to know the answer. “My hand?”

“The doctor doesn’t know yet, Abe. He repaired it the best that he could but until the swelling goes down, there’s no telling.”

That wasn’t the answer he was looking for, but at least his mate hadn’t said that his hand was gone or useless. There was still some hope.

“Will I lose it?” There was so much fear in that statement that it made Abe’s words wobble. He was trying to be brave. But that was a very hard thing to do under the circumstances.

“I don’t think so,” Valentino stated with uncertainty. “Doc seems to think he might have saved it.”

Steeling his nerves, Abe glanced down at his injured hand. It was heavily bandaged, making it impossible for him to see the damage. He tried to wiggle his fingers, but since he really couldn’t see them, he wasn’t sure if they had moved or not.

Abe turned his head when Valentino tapped him on the nose. He stared up into those pretty taupe eyes, watching as his mate revealed straight white teeth, giving him a dashing smile. “Why did the one-handed man cross the road?”

Very confused at where his mate was going with this, Abe furrowed his brows as he shook his head.

“To get to the secondhand shop.”

Okay, maybe Valentino had snuck some of Dr. Sheehan’s drugs. “Was that supposed to be funny?”

“Hell no,” Valentino answered as his eyes rolled dramatically. “I can’t tell a joke to save my life.” The man scratched at his goatee. “Which is very odd since I constantly crack myself up.”

Maybe Abe was still dreaming. This had to be the strangest conversation he had ever had. He glanced around, waiting for a rabbit to run into the room with a timepiece in his hand, screaming “I’m late!”

“My point is,” Valentino said, pulling Abe from his fruitless search, “that when life gives you lemons, you should ask for a shot of vodka instead.”

A smile spread across Abe’s face. “You are
so
weird.”

Valentino gave a light laugh, his face so devastatingly handsome that Abe sighed. If only he could get out of bed and crawl into the man’s lap. His mate’s hair was still sticking up in all directions and he was beginning to see that it was just his natural style.

He liked it.

“I consider that a compliment.” Valentino gave a half bow in his chair. “Would you care for another joke or are you hungry?”

The man was comically chivalrous, reminding Abe of the bear twins. Only Valentino seemed a little touched in the head. Well, so were Chance and Chauncey.

“I’m starved.” Abe struggled to sit up, but it wasn’t that easy when he only had one hand to use. Valentino immediately stood, placing his hands on Abe’s sides and hauling him up the bed until he was upright. He swayed slightly, but the dizziness didn’t last long.

“I’ll go grab you something to eat.” His mate headed toward the door and then turned back around, wiggling a finger in Abe’s direction. “I haven’t forgotten that you still owe me a kiss and some dessert, my little cowboy.”

Why on earth had Valentino reminded Abe that he was a bad kisser? And here his mood was starting to lift. His mate left the room, Abe wondering if he would be good enough to please the man sexually.

He didn’t dwell on that thought long, not when Johnny and Keata strode into the room, Gabby close behind them. “You’re up!” Johnny said in a cheery voice.

Abe was not in the mood for company. He wanted to roll back over and throw the blanket over his head.

“I don’t think he wants us here,” Gabby said as he worried his hands in front of him. “He has that look.”

“What look?” Keata asked as he swung his gaze over to Abe.

“The one that says ‘go away,’” Gabby replied.

“Nonsense.” Johnny waved a hand at Gabby. “Abe is our friend.”

He was? Although he knew all three men, they had never really hung out together. They talked at the occasional gathering or when they saw each other in passing. He never got a phone call from any of these men or an invitation to just pal around.

Since when were they friends?

“All of you, out,” Dr. Sheehan said as he entered the room. “Abe needs his rest.”

Abe watched the three walk away. Johnny turned and held his fingers up to his head like his hand was a phone. “
Call me
,” he mouthed before he disappeared.

He was really beginning to wonder if maybe he still wasn’t heavily sedated and hallucinating all of this. Things just seemed…off.

“How are you feeling?”

That was a loaded question. Between worrying about his hand and the bizarre people, Abe wasn’t sure how to answer. “Not really sure,” he said slowly as he stared at the door, still looking for that racing rabbit to enter at any moment.

“That is to be expected when given a heavy sedation. Your mind should clear soon.” The doctor pulled the stool close to Abe’s bed and began to unwrap his hand.

“Starting the show without me?” Valentino walked into the room with a tray in his hand. The aroma of food immediately assailed Abe. His mouth began to water as his stomach growled loudly.

“I hope you brought him something light to eat,” the doctor said to Valentino. “He can’t eat anything heavy right now.”

“There goes the steak and baked potato I had in mind,” Valentino answered as he set the tray down. Abe saw a bowl of soup and some saltine crackers. “I guess dessert is out of the question.”

His mate gave him a conspiratorial wink, reminding Abe that Valentino wanted to have sex with him.

Abe felt his cheeks heat up.

“I swear,” Dr. Sheehan said as he continued to unwrap the bandages. “Why does everyone seem to want to have sex around me? Am I that good-looking?”

Valentino laughed. “Sorry, Doc. My lusty desires for Abe have absolutely nothing to do with you.”

Dr. Sheehan gave Valentino a narrowed look. “I’m not hideous, you know.”

“No, you’re not,” Valentino said. “You are a very good-looking man.”

Jealousy ripped through him, setting Abe’s teeth on edge. The violent emotion shocked Abe. His head still lowered, the doctor’s eyes shot up toward Abe, his expression questioning.

“That may be true,” Dr. Sheehan said, lowering his eyes and seeming intensely interested in what he was doing to Abe’s hand. “But Abe here seems to outshine me in the looks department.”

Abe squirmed, feeling guilty for wanting to remove the doctor’s head from his shoulders.

Valentino moved closer to the bed, brushing his fingers through Abe’s hair. “You’re damn right. My little cowboy is a wet dream.”

His jaw hit his chest as he stared up at his mate. Did he really just say that? It was official. This was nothing more than a very vivid hallucination. His eyes snapped over to the doctor when he heard a small snicker.

The doctor cleared his throat, busying himself. Abe’s eyes dropped to his hand and he felt his head swim. He quickly turned away, nauseous. Valentino swiftly cupped his face, their noses touching.

“It’s still swollen,” Valentino said, his breath whispering across Abe’s lips. “What you saw is not the end result.”

That didn’t stop Abe from seeing the hideous thing over and over in his mind. Though he had only glimpsed at it for a second, he had seen tons of stitches and a hand that was three times the size of his normal one.

He blinked a few times, his body jerking slightly.

“Look at me, hon,” Valentino said before placing a kiss on the side of Abe’s mouth.

That drew his attention.

“Such pretty eyes.”

Abe didn’t know about that, but staring so closely at Valentino, Abe could see the starburst mixture of brown and grey in his mate’s irises. The sight was breathtakingly beautiful. The man’s dark, thick brows only enhanced his eyes, the long lashes outlining the stunning view.

Valentino skimmed his lips across Abe’s cheek until they rested at his ear. “I love how you look at me as though you want to gobble me up. I’m so damn hard right now.”

“I can hear you,” Dr. Sheehan said irritably.

Abe’s breathing became labored, his good hand curling into a fist in the blanket as he sat there still as a statue.

“I can’t wait to get you home.”

“Home?” Abe squeaked. “Your home?”

“Our home,” Valentino corrected. “I already packed your things. They’re in my trunk.”

Wow, the man moved pretty dang fast. Abe wasn’t sure what to say. Although he liked the Lakeland men a lot, he wasn’t too fond of working on a ranch. “You did?”

When Valentino pulled back, Abe swore he once again saw something move behind the man’s taupe-colored eyes. It was the strangest thing. “Yep.”

He said the one word with absolutely no remorse. His thumbs began to skirt across Abe’s face and Abe forgot what they were talking about. He leaned forward, his eyelids fluttering closed as he enjoyed his mate’s touch.

“God, you are handsome and so responsive to my touch.”

“Still here,” Dr. Sheehan muttered loud enough for Abe to hear.

Abe slowly opened his eyes, his lips parting as he felt his cock grow stiff. He was ready to lay back and toss the covers aside, letting his mate have whatever the hell he wanted. His body shuddered as Valentino dipped his head and slid his tongue across Abe’s lips.