Chapter Three
Dillon remained in wolf form and turned his attention to Cinders. Holy fuck. He drank in the image of the very naked Cinders. So much dark, perfect skin. Cinders wasn’t super hairy out of his jaguar form and had muscles all over. The man kept himself in great shape. Dillon roved his gaze over Cinders’ body down to his cock. Oh, boy, the man wasn’t lacking down south. He’d be a mouthful. Dillon shivered. He wanted his lips wrapped around that dick.
Cinders knelt beside him then sat. “I’ve always wanted a dog. Silly, I guess since I’m a shifter.” He laughed. “I know. You’re not a dog, but I want to bury my face in your fur.” He stuck his hand out to Dillon. “I won’t hurt you. I’m a good guy. Don’t ask my friends, but I am a good man.”
Dillon stared at Cinders. He probably shouldn’t trust the jaguar, but he had nothing to lose. He nuzzled Cinders’ hand.
“Aw, you’re a softie.” He scratched Dillon behind the ears. “You’re sweet, and you’re so really soft. I thought wolf fur was coarse.” He sighed and continued to pet Dillon. “Don’t spread it around, but I’m a softie, too. I guess I already told you that, but still… I try to be tough, but I like to cuddle.” He rubbed his face on Dillon’s fur at his shoulder. “I bet you’re fun in front of a fire. All shaggy and pretty. I’d love to curl up by the flames and snuggle with you.” He met Dillon’s gaze. “Can you keep a secret?”
As if he could respond in his wolf form? Dillon sat beside Cinders. The wolf wasn’t afraid. He liked the way Cinders touched him and wanted to lean into him.
“I knew you would,” Cinders said. “There’s a guy I’m interested in curling up with, but I don’t know how to talk to him. I trip over myself and act like a dick. I’m trying hard to be tough, so the other shifters won’t give me shit, but I know he doesn’t like—er, he doesn’t like me acting like an asshole. He needs someone to be cautious. Does that make sense?”
He nodded but doubted Cinders noticed. He understood what the jaguar meant, though. Cinders made a lot of sense and could tell Dillon needed time. When Dillon got close to Cinders, he got scared. What would Cinders do when he found out Dillon’s truth?
“I’m going to ask him to the costume thing. Ryan and Delaney are crazy to have a costume party but whatever. I want to go with this guy,” Cinders said. He tipped his head. “My real name isn’t Cinders. My friend, Ted, gave me that name when I was a kid. He had names for everyone. I wanted to kill him, but the name worked when I started at Stiff.” He glanced around. “My real name is Daniel. Do I honestly look like a Daniel? No. It’s a boring name. It’s embarrassing. When people ask, I just tell them my name is Cinders.” He laughed. “Here I am in the middle of a field, pouring my heart out—in the nude.”
Honestly, Dillon had noticed, but Cinders’ nakedness didn’t make a difference. Dillon wasn’t sure what Cinders had meant by not looking like his name. He didn’t strike Dillon as a Daniel or any other name for that manner. Still, he liked listening to Cinders talk. He could listen without eavesdropping and learn about the jaguar shifter.
“I’m a stripper—no, I was a stripper. Naked doesn’t bother me, but does it annoy you? I guess not if you’re a shifter. We’re naked when we’re in our animal forms.” Cinders frowned. He rubbed Dillon’s side. “I’ve been jawing to you and never realized you’re a probably shifter. I guess I knew it, but I didn’t put both together. I wonder which shifter you are. Wolves who aren’t shifters probably don’t venture onto the Sanctuary grounds.” His skin shimmered in the late-day sun. He rested his elbow on his knee and stared at Dillon then brightened. “Oh my God. I just blurted everything to you.” He laughed again. “Dillon?”
Dillon marveled at Cinders’ pretty, dark skin. He wanted to shift into his human form and lick all over Cinders’ chest.
“Dillon? Is that you?” Cinders rubbed Dillon’s throat. “I’m not always this slow on the trigger.”
Shit. Cinders had figured him out. He couldn’t deny his identity any longer. The wolf receded, and he sat in his human form next to Cinders. “Surprise?”
“Good to see you.” Cinders smiled. “Now, you know a lot about me.”
“I enjoyed listening to you.” He could keep listening for hours. “You fascinate me.”
Cinders snorted. “I’ve never been fascinating to anyone—at least, not anyone I know of. If I have, they’ve never told me.”
“You do.” The tips of Dillon’s ears burned, and his wolf howled within him. “Did you enjoy your job—stripping?”
“Wow. No one ever asked me that.” Cinders paused then nodded. “I… Yeah. I guess I did. I liked the attention. The money was off the chain, too.” He shrugged. “But I also didn’t like it. That makes no sense, I’m sure. It’s tough. I’m all about being the center of attention, but I want the adoration to be genuine, not because they want to yank my junk.”
“I can see where you’d feel used.” Dillon understood more than Cinders knew. He’d been pawed, yanked, bitten, embarrassed and minimalized.
“Used is exactly how I’d describe it. Self-inflicted use, but still… I like being in the spotlight, but because of my dancing, not because some drunk wants to fondle my balls.” Cinders leveled his gaze at Dillon and lowered his voice. “Have you ever been…used? You danced, right?”
Oh boy, what difficult questions…
“I’ve never danced. The wolf is graceful. I am not.”
“You could learn.” Cinders smiled. “Once you find the beat, it’s not hard. I also suggest using your hips. You can’t go wrong when you wiggle your hips.”
Dancing with Cinders might be fun and would give Dillon a reason to hang around the guy. But it would also involve a lot of touching and possibly making a fool of himself. “I could.”
“If you want, I’ll teach you.” Cinders plunked his hand on Dillon’s thigh. “Did you run? I thought I’d tired out my jaguar, but he’s not happy. He wants to be loose again.”
“I could run some more.” Considering he hadn’t done much exercising and had run for only a little while, yeah, he should get moving. “If you shift, I’ll run with you. The wolf is ready to run.”
“Yay.” Cinders clapped then crouched and shifted. Once in his jaguar form, he pranced for Dillon.
“I like what I see.” He petted Cinders’ head. “I wanted to rub my face in your fur, too.” He wanted to breathe in Cinders. “Give me a second, and I’ll shift.”
Cinders backed up, giving Dillon room. Dillon leaned over and switched forms. Once the wolf took over, he broke into a run. It felt good to be out with someone else and not worry about being shot or chased. He bounded after Cinders, ran alongside him and enjoyed the brisk air. After a while, Cinders pawed at him, and Dillon let out a resounding howl. Cinders nodded toward the house. Though Cinders couldn’t talk in his jaguar form, Dillon understood him. Time to go inside. He trotted behind Cinders to the back porch. Unlike most nights, no other shifters milled about.
Cinders switched into his human form first. Sweat glistened on his body. He stood and flexed his muscles.
Dillon shifted and bit back a moan. He wanted to touch Cinders and envied how Cinders was unaffected by being nude. Dillon wished he could be so free without thinking about his past. He disliked being exposed and vulnerable. Why did he have to keep letting the things from his former life dominate his current situation? He hated what he’d gone through and wished he could change the past.
Cinders watched him. “You’re shaking.”
Was he? He hadn’t noticed. He stared at his hands. Sure enough, he was trembling. Well, fuck. “Sorry.”
Cinders held out his hand. “Come here.” He snagged Dillon into his embrace. “Are you cold? We can go inside.”
Without giving Dillon the chance to argue or say anything, Cinders led him into the house and into the little changing room off the kitchen. On one wall of the space were shelves filled with mismatched sweatshirts and pants for post-shift dressing. Though Dillon wanted to bolt, he allowed Cinders to escort him into the tiny space and take the lead.
“I won’t hurt you.” Cinders let go and offered one of the sweatshirts. “This should fit.”
“Thanks.” He shrugged into it then selected a pair of pants. “It’s nice Markas has all of these here.”
“Yeah.” Cinders dressed then rested his hands on his hips. “Can we talk?”
“Sure.” Dillon’s skin itched. From the detergent in the shirt? No, from the way Cinders looked at him. He wasn’t sure what to think. Was Cinders rethinking his attraction?
“You’re still shaking.” Cinders curled his arm around Dillon. “We can go to my room or yours. Doesn’t matter. I want you to get warm. I’m worried about you.”
Ah, a protector. Dillon wanted to argue with him but didn’t. He had to let someone in. “Okay.” He drew a deep breath then exhaled. “You have a roommate. I’m in a single.”
Cinders nodded. “Good deal.” He kept his arm around Dillon and remained beside him as they went through the house to the main staircase. A couple men lingered in the foyer. One stared and the other muttered something Dillon couldn’t make out. Cinders stopped. He let go of Dillon and glared. “Got a problem?”
“No,” the mutterer replied. “I didn’t think he ever came out of his room. It’s strange.”
Dillon gritted his teeth. He hadn’t been nearly as good at observation as he’d thought. Or the others were watching more than he’d considered. He wanted to stand up for himself and lash out but kept quiet.
“Do you want to be stared at?” Cinders asked. “You’d hate it if we gawked at you. Hell, I know one of you got leered at—I worked with you, Avan. We hated those stares, and we’re shifters so we get even funkier stares. Don’t make it worse.”
Dillon suppressed a snort. Cinders was much more than he let on. He could be quite eloquent when he wanted, even if he had no idea. He sounded pretty badass, too.
“Or what?” Avan asked. “Are you going to kick my ass for watching your…friend?”
Dillon cringed. He wasn’t sure what he was to Cinders other than a friend, but the way Avan said the word churned his stomach.
“I will fuck you up in ways your lion can’t even imagine,” Cinders bit out. “Yeah, he’s out. Yeah, he’s my friend. Yeah, he’s quiet. Maybe, it you weren’t a dick, he’d get to know you.”
Avan rolled his eyes. The other shifter, who Dillon didn’t know, ducked into the library and out of sight. Avan shook his head. “Whatever.” He followed the other guy and disappeared.
“Asshat.” Cinders turned back to Dillon. “Sorry. I’m protective when people are dicks.” He kept distance between them. “I overreacted a little, but I hate the way he… Sorry.”
“It’s okay.” Dillon sighed. “Let’s go upstairs. I think we need to do a whole lot of talking.” Maybe, some exploring and kissing, too. He started upstairs and tried to tamp down the heat in his brain. He liked strong men, especially those willing to put themselves out for him. And Cinders was so beautiful. But there was Dillon’s past… Could he try again? Could he be himself with Cinders? He had no way of knowing other than to leap. He could do this—he could open himself up to Cinders.
Right?