Chapter Four
Cinders followed Dillon up to the second floor and into Dillon’s room. Shame washed over him. He’d gone berserk when Avan and Rocco had given Dillon the eye. He had no hold on Dillon and no rights to him, but his protective streak had come out. He wanted to apologize again, but he had no idea what to say. I’m sorry that I’m a jackass and I’m trying like hell to get you to want me? Honest, but a tad blunt. I didn’t like the way they looked at you? He’d said most of that and dug himself into a deeper hole. I hate seeing the underdog being kicked, and I perceived their actions as demeaning? Oh, boy, he was reaching…
Dillon opened his door “Welcome. It’s not much, and the bathroom is shared, so if you have to go, be warned. Oscar likes to monopolize it. Make yourself at home.”
Cinders scoped out the space. He’d been blessed with a suite, and his roommate spent more time out of the room than in. He sat on the bed. “So do you remember everything I said outside?”
“I do.” Dillon nudged the door shut and leaned against it. “How could I not? You sounded pretty insistent.” He half-smiled. “I’m flattered.”
“I’m glad.” Cinders folded his legs beneath him. “I meant it.” He patted the mattress. “Sit with me?”
Dillon hesitated then crossed the room. He perched on the edge of the bed and faced Cinders. “You like me?”
“I do.” He rested his hand on Dillon’s. Warmth seeped down to his bones. Sizzles shocked his heart. He hadn’t had a reaction like this in a long time. He focused on Dillon. “I want to be honest. I’ve had a checkered past. I’m not the best guy, but I’m not stripping any longer, and I’ve got stability now that I’m here. I like you. I’d love for you to like me, too. I’m too blunt for my own good. I’m protective. I hate bullies, even though I could be one when I was younger. I would love for you to trust me, but I understand why you wouldn’t. You don’t know me. Would you be willing to give me a chance?”
Well…damn. He’d poured his heart out. He tried to gauge Dillon’s reaction but couldn’t figure him out.
Dillon stared at him for what seemed like an eternity. “I would,” he whispered. “I’m cautious, but I want this.”
“You want what?” Dillon’s change in attitude—slight but there—confused Cinders. He frowned. “I’m lost.”
“I’ve been knocked around by life, but I know a good thing when I see it.” Dillon leaned into Cinders and kissed him.
Holy shit. Cinders hadn’t seen the kiss coming. He caressed Dillon’s hand as he tasted him. He’d never kissed a wolf shifter before. Excitement resonated in his brain and woke his jaguar. The big cat clawed at him from within. Did it approve? He wasn’t sure. The jaguar paced and growled. What a needy bastard? The cat wanted to sink into Dillon, but not with his claws. He wanted to claim the wolf.
Cinders nipped Dillon’s bottom lip and thought about what the wolf shifter had said. Knocked around by life. He wondered how. Should he try to get Dillon to open up?
Dillon pulled away. His eyes widened, and red infused his cheeks. He said nothing but stared at Cinders.
“Did I push too much?” Cinders asked.
“No.” Dillon’s blush deepened. “It’s been too long since I was kissed.”
“That’s a shame. I’d like to try to rectify your problem.” He smiled. “You’re a good kisser.”
Dillon tasted sweet, and Cinders liked the way Dillon’s dusting of whiskers abraded his cheeks. He hadn’t thought he’d want a guy with gray hair, but on Dillon, the look worked well. Maybe, he had a thing for silver foxes—er, wolves—after all.
“I’m not that easy,” Dillon blurted. He started to smile then paled.
“I never said you were.” He laced his fingers with Dillon’s. Whatever had spooked Dillon, Cinders didn’t want to do it again. “You’re hard to get, and that’s what’s sexy. Plus, you’ve got gorgeous eyes, a chiseled, rugged thing going on and you’re a good-hearted man.”
“None of that’s a turn-off? You’ve been moaning about getting laid for the last month.” Dillon didn’t pull away, but he also didn’t get closer.
“I’m sorry I’ve been complaining. When you find someone special and the time is right, that’s when you should…get laid.” Christ, he sounded like a greeting card. He wanted to hold Dillon and reassure him. “I can’t change who I am to fit your needs. I’m blunt, stubborn, I speak my mind and I like sex, but I’d like to be all of those things with you. Not saying we have to fuck right now. Eventually. Mostly, I like being around you.”
“Is this your way of working up to asking me to that party?” Dillon murmured.
“Exactly but not completely.” He grinned. “I’m not dressing up in something ridiculous and going alone. You’re going with me, right? I’ve got a strange way of asking, but yeah. You and me tomorrow night.” They could be a twosome for the rest of tonight, too, and he’d be happy. So would his jaguar. The big cat wanted to rub all over Dillon and mark him, so when they attended the party, everyone would know Dillon belonged to him.
“I am now.” Dillon relaxed a bit. “It’s a silly idea for a get together. Dressing up. Do you think the others will want to go along with it? From what I’ve gathered, they’re either paired up or loners.”
“You’ve done a lot of watching.” Cinders shrugged. “Knowing some of the guys here, yeah, they’ll want to go all out. They’ll probably have someone take them into town to find the right outfit. There are two other dancers here, not counting Ryan and Avan, although neither are from Stiff. I knew them from scoping out the enemy, so to speak.” He scooted closer to Dillon. “I’ve seen you watching from the shadows. You know how most of the shifters are, and you knew about me. We’re in a safe place. A lot of the others are opening up. You can, too. No one will judge you.”
“Except I can’t.” Dillon balled his hands. “Are you trying to create a support group?”
“Nah. I think Ryan is.” He crept closer until his knees touched Dillon’s. “You’re opening up more than you think. You let me in, and I know that’s huge.” He cupped Dillon’s jaw. “I didn’t think you would.” He could rub his fingers over Dillon’s soft skin for hours and not tire. He liked the way Dillon smelled—woodsy and earthy but sexy. He wanted to drag Dillon onto his lap and try out a few more kisses.
Dillon pressed his lips together but rubbed his cheek on Cinders’ palm.
Cinders had made progress. “So you’re quiet. I’m not. You’re super-cautious. I’m blunt. It balances out. We’re good for each other.”
He could’ve sworn Dillon said thank you, but he hadn’t seen Dillon’s mouth move. Maybe, he’d imagined the words. Possible.
“We’ll take it slow. If we’re only meant to be friends, then cool. We’ll be tight. If we can be more, I’m game. You won’t break my heart if you’re not ready right now.” He brushed his nose along Dillon’s. The wolf shifter confused him, but Cinders understood his caution. The guy was a master at mixed signals, though. One minute, he seemed scared to death, and the next, more than a little turned on. Cinders wanted to know what was happening when he moved and wanted to get inside Dillon’s head to figure him out. “I’m patient.” Most of the time.
Dillon splayed his hand on Cinders’ chest. “Okay.”
“Okay.” He wasn’t sure what he’d agreed to, but he’d go with it. The tension lessened, but a new anxiety formed. Was Dillon trying to please him? Or was the attraction mutual? “You’re good with trying whatever this is we’re doing?”
Dillon nodded.
“Fair enough.” Cinders wouldn’t push any more at the moment. He switched subjects. “Do you have any ideas for your costume?”
“Does it have to be cheesy or sexy? Can it be us in our animal form?” Dillon’s forehead crinkled. “I’m not good at role play.”
“I don’t think we have to do that, but I don’t recall any rules, either. A costume might not be required.” He’d have to check.
“What about you?” Dillon asked, his voice stronger and a light flickering in his eyes.
Well, fuck. Not two hours ago, he hadn’t planned to attend the goofy party, but now, he couldn’t wait for it to come around. Two hours ago, he hadn’t thought he’d be alone in a bedroom with Dillon, either. Funny how life turned out.
“The cop, right?” Dillon smiled. “And you’ll want me to be the robber?”
Ah, too cliché. Fun but used too much. “I was thinking more like a partner—like cheesy 70s cop show kind of partners.” He had two button-downs in his stage collection—one for a naughty sheriff and the other for a naughty city cop. He could be one and Dillon the other. He’d have to cobble together other parts of the costume, but he’d make it work. “Would you like to be my date and my partner in fighting sexy crime?”
Wow, did that sound cornball…
Dillon laughed. The throaty sound echoed in the room and was louder than Cinders had expected. When Dillon let his guard down, he appealed twice as much to Cinders. When he was guarded, he was still sexy.
Dillon nuzzled Cinders’ hand. “Sounds like fun. I’m in.”
Had he just marked Cinders? Why wasn’t the jaguar upset about it? Because he liked Dillon and wanted to explore the magnetism. Cinders drank in the view of Dillon. He’d completed step one in his ultimate plan to snag the wolf shifter. Now for step two—the costume. Warmth spread through Cinders, and his jaguar calmed. The big cat lolled, contented. “Why don’t we go through some of your stuff and see if you’ve got anything that’ll help round out your costume?”
“No.” Dillon put space between them and let go of Cinders’ hand. “I don’t have any clothes or whatnot that would work. I didn’t bring anything from my former life with me.”
“Well…we can use my stuff. No problem.” He offered his hand and stood. “Why don’t we go over to my room and get the box?”
“Okay.” Dillon held hands with Cinders and followed him to his suite.
There was no sign of Cinders’ roommate. Cinders blew out a ragged breath. He preferred the extra alone time with Dillon. He let go of Dillon and knelt on the floor beside the box of costumes. “I doubt Ryan brought anything here with him. I think he left his outfits back at the club. He wasn’t big on holding onto his stuff. I have too much of my own money invested in my clothes, so I kept them. I’ve kept a few things that weren’t mine because they were discarded.” He rummaged through his gear then pulled out the blue shirt with police patches sewn on it. “This one is the city cop version. I’ve got a tan sheriff one, too. Try this on, though. It’s a little smaller and should fit you.” He handed the garment to Dillon. “I’ll hunt for the other.”
He busied himself with the search. Part of him wanted to watch Dillon change, but the rest of him opted to give the wolf shifter privacy. He located the tan shirt then glanced over his shoulder.
Dillon finished buttoning the garment and grinned. He held up both hands. “No?”
The blue brought out the paleness in his eyes and played well off the silver in his hair. The cut of the shirt showcased his thin frame. Cinders wanted to say something, but Dillon had rendered him silent.
“Well?” Dillon wriggled. “Do you think since this is a stripper shirt, we’ll be expected to…strip?”
“No.” Thank God, Cinders had found his voice. He had something to talk about that didn’t involve him drooling over Dillon. “Ryan won’t expect that. He’d be pissed if we did.” He didn’t understand why Dillon might think someone would want him to strip. “Ryan wants us to have fun. He’s not involved in the old life and frowns on anyone trying to bring it to the Sanctuary. If you want to stroll the grounds nude, he won’t say dick, though. It’s kind of hard to shift and immediately be dressed.”
“True.” Dillon toyed with the hem of his shirt. “Does this look okay?”
“Better than okay.” Cinders stood and smoothed his hands over Dillon’s chest. “I love it.”
Dillon blushed. “Thanks.”
“Wear my black shorts with it and some boots, and you’ll be a knockout.” He’d rather keep Dillon here with him and not share him. “I’m jealous. I never filled out that shirt the way you do.”
“I don’t want to attract a lot of attention.” Dillon unbuttoned the shirt. “It’s too much.”
“You won’t, and it’s fine. I’m guessing there will be some outrageous costumes.” Cinders tugged on the sides of the garment, despite his instinct to rip the thing off Dillon. “I’ll be flashier, if that helps. We’ll be the best of both worlds—a city cop and a sheriff looking for some hot action and something to handcuff. No law will be ignored, and we both have the right to remain sexy.” Christ, he’d slipped back into his stripper speak. He plucked the aviator glasses from the box. “See? We’ll be sexy bitches.”
“If you’re going for cheesy, all you need is a thick moustache,” Dillon said.
“I was aiming for hot, but I’ll manage. You should draw a moustache on, too.” He wriggled his brows. “I’m horrible at makeup. I love it, but I can’t put it on for shit.”
Dillon laughed. “I’m not much better, but we’ll figure it out.”
Cinders had made progress. Dillon seemed more comfortable with him, and those kisses had been dynamite. He’d nailed the second step—costuming Dillon. Now for step three: more time together. Though he’d claimed he wouldn’t rush the wolf shifter, he wasn’t ready to do the separate thing, either. “Want to grab food and sneak back up here to watch a movie?”
Dillon paled. He ripped off the shirt, and before Cinders could say anything, he darted out of the room. Within seconds, he’d raced down the corridor to his room and slammed the door.
Cinders removed his sunglasses and stared down the hallway. What just happened? They’d been getting along so well. He wanted to fix things with Dillon and find out what he’d done wrong, so he could take it back. Before he barged in on Dillon, he’d give him space and rethink his strategy. His jaguar wanted Dillon, and he couldn’t give up until the big cat got his way.