Chapter Five

Goosebumps rose on Dale’s arms as he returned to the spot where he’d been working before the freakish human woman decided to spy on them.

“Is she still there?” Gavin whispered from behind.

“Yeah. She’s not even trying to hide the fact that she has a camera. Or she’s just plain stupid.”

“I’m going with the latter. I’ve met her a few times now. She’s creeps me out.” Gavin dropped down to his butt on the edge of the deck. “My theory is that she’s pissed at Paige for not spending every second with her, and she’s trying to catch her not doing her job.”

“That is creepy. Who would do that? Is Paige on some sort of time clock?” Dale couldn’t keep himself from staring at Gavin’s thighs, his gaze wandering toward the bulge between his legs.

Gavin shook his head. “Not at all. But I’m telling you that woman gives me the chills. She’s strange in a way I can’t put my finger on.”

Dale sighed as he picked up his hammer. “Paige needs to get ahold of someone at her school and put an end to this shit.” As soon as he picked up a nail, Wyatt was in his head.

“You’re flirting, aren’t you?”

Dale flinched. Was it that obvious? For some reason, he felt the need to defend himself. “What? With Gavin? He’s adorable, but he’s like twelve.”

“He’s twice that age, and you’re so totally flirting.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“Uh huh. Try not to hurt yourself nailing boards to themselves out there.”

“Don’t you have a woman to woo?”

“Watching you is more fun.”

Gavin chuckled.

Dale shook himself free of the connection with Wyatt to face his lover. Only inches separated them. “What’s funny?”

“Watching you communicate with someone else. Who are you talking to?”

“Wyatt.”

“We just walked outside. What could the man possibly need to say already?”

Dale grinned. He wanted to lean forward and kiss the worry off Gavin’s face, but that weird reporter was watching.

Gavin licked his lips, his concern growing to taint the air.

Dale sobered and righted himself until he stood over the smaller man, taking deep breaths. “I’d forgotten what it was like to date a human.” He tipped his head back.

“You dated a human before?”

“Yes. Years ago.”

“Was it serious?”

Dale closed his eyes, trying hard to shove Ethan to the back of his mind. He didn’t belong here. Not now. Not while Dale was enjoying a fling with the first man he’d been this attracted to in ages. In five years, if he was honest with himself.

“You okay?” Gavin asked.

Dale lowered his face. “Yeah. Sorry.” He swallowed. “It was serious. Yes. But that was a long time ago. The point is I forgot how rude it is to communicate with people silently right in front of you.”

“It’s weird. I’ll admit.” Gavin fidgeted where he sat, lifting his thighs one at a time and making Dale feel like a heel.

“If it makes you feel any better, it wouldn’t change anything if you were a shifter. We can communicate with whoever we want in close proximity, but we can also block everyone else from the conversation. What Wyatt just said never would have reached your mind.”

Gavin nodded. His tongue darted out to swipe across his bottom lip. “You gonna tell me what it was?”

Dale rubbed his forehead. “In the interest of full disclosure, and because I don’t want you to think I’m keeping anything from you, I’ll tell you.” He considered what to say before going for it. “He was giving me shit about you.”

Gavin lifted a brow. “You’re serious?”

“Yes. And I gave it back as well. He needs to bind to that woman in his house ASAP before he loses his mind.”

“Paige?”

Dale smiled. “Is there anyone else?”

Gavin nodded. “Right. So, this binding…it’s something that usually happens fast, huh? This is serious. I shouldn’t expect Paige to return to the apartment anytime soon?”

Dale wasn’t getting a damn thing done on the deck, but this was important too. How he’d been elected to be the man who shared the way of shifters with Paige’s fake boyfriend was a mystery, but he needed to take the job seriously.

Oh, who was he kidding? He’d elected himself to take on Gavin’s tutoring—the very moment he met the man on the deck Monday morning.

He lifted one foot and set it on the deck next to Gavin’s thigh, the only contact he could reasonably make while some random crazy woman stood in the tree line, probably shooting pictures. Hell, maybe her goal had nothing to do with Paige, and she’d been sent to catch Gavin with a man.

Dale jerked his foot back down and stepped back a few inches before answering Gavin’s questions. “When a shifter couple meets, it’s usually the same as when humans meet for the first time. They date, feel each other out, find common ground, and then take things further. It’s not unusual for that process to happen faster with shifters than humans, but to an outsider, it wouldn’t normally raise an eyebrow.”

Gavin frowned. “That’s not at all the impression I get from Paige. She met Wyatt one night at her parents’ house and fell so hard for him I thought she was going to flunk out of the rest of the semester.”

Dale laughed. “I didn’t finish. I said usually. Grizzly shifters don’t typically believe in love at first sight, though I have heard that wolf shifters do.”

“Wait, wolf shifters? Please tell me you’re kidding.” Gavin sat up straighter, his body going rigid. He gripped the edge of the deck so hard that Dale feared he would get splinters from the un-sanded wood.

He never should have brought other species into the conversation. Jesus. Gavin’s world was complicated enough as it was. “Sorry. Forget about the wolves. The point is bears haven’t historically believed in Fate, but lately, that theory has been tested again and again.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean more and more grizzlies are finding themselves in a situation where they meet each other and know they belong together instantly. It’s something they sense. Or maybe scent is the right word.”

Gavin nodded. “Yeah, that sounds like what happened to Paige.”

“I’m confused. When did they meet?”

“Three months ago. In Calgary.”

“But Wyatt never said a word. He came back from that trip and went on with his life.”

“That’s because Paige had a boyfriend.” Gavin grinned.

“You.”

“Of course.” He puffed out his chest.

Dale was confused again. “Why exactly did you hold her back?”

Gavin sobered, frowning. “Dude, don’t look at me like that. It wasn’t my idea. I’ve been telling her for years to break up with me and move on with her life. I lectured her plenty of times about Wyatt after she met him. She wouldn’t listen to me.”

“That’s crazy. Was she protecting you? That’s dedication.” Dale couldn’t imagine why anyone would give up binding to their true mate just to help a gay friend remain in the closet.

Gavin flinched. “Hell no. She might say that was the case, but she’d be lying. She has her own reasons for not wanting to date. Until today we’ve had a mutually beneficial arrangement. I told you that the other night.”

Dale threaded his fingers into his hair on the top of his head, dislodging the locks so that they fell around his face. “I know you did, but I’m not seeing how Paige’s end of this agreement was equal to yours.” His mind raced to find a plausible explanation.

“Look, I can’t tell you Paige’s story. It’s not mine to tell, and I don’t even know what she’s told Wyatt. So please don’t pressure me on this. If and when I have her permission, I’ll tell you. But the thing you need to understand is that Paige doesn’t date. She uses me to keep men from asking her out.”

Dale nodded. Wow. Gavin’s voice was serious. Dale couldn’t begin to read between the lines, but he did understand the power of friendship, and he could respect the fact that it would be inappropriate for Gavin to tell his best friend’s secrets, especially to a stranger he’d met four days ago—someone he was simply fucking.

Because that’s what this was, right? A mutual agreement to fuck each other’s brains out until they either grew tired of each other or pissed each other off somehow. Gavin and Paige weren’t the only people alive engaged in a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Dale turned around and inhaled slowly. “She’s gone.”

“Thank God.”

Dale set his hammer on the deck and reached for Gavin’s hand. “Let’s go.”

“Where are we going?”

“My place.”

“Why?”

“Forgot something.” He fought the urge to smile or even laugh at how absurd that sounded, but his skin was crawling, so he reached out to Wyatt. “Gotta run back to my house to get a tool. Be back soon.”

“Is that what they’re calling it these days?” Wyatt teased. “Is tool a euphemism for sex now?”

“Seems to me like you should take this gift and shut up.”

“Good point.” Wyatt broke the connection.

»»•««

Gavin found himself back in Paige’s car, but this time, Dale was sitting beside him. “I don’t see why you couldn’t have driven. You’re the one who knows these back roads.”

Dale chuckled and set his hand on Gavin’s thigh with a squeeze. “I like the view from the passenger seat better.”

Gavin shoved Dale’s hand away from his stiff cock and glared at him. He hadn’t even started the engine yet. “No way in hell am I going to be able to concentrate enough to drive these winding mountain roads with you touching me.”

Dale laughed again, lifting both hands in the air innocently. “Sorry. I promise not to touch you.” He immediately set his left arm along the back of Gavin’s seat and let his fingers dance along his neck.

Gavin moaned.

“The car won’t drive itself, kid.” At least he finally removed all contact and faced the front. Sort of.

“How the hell did you get here this morning anyway?” Gavin asked as he started the car. He was pretty sure Dale had completely different motives than retrieving a forgotten tool. It was possible he wanted to give Wyatt and Paige some privacy, but Gavin suspected he had other activities in mind too.

“I ran.”

“You ran? How far it is?”

“About ten miles.”

“What?” Gavin screamed. “That’s impossible.”

“Not in grizzly form.” Dale grinned.

Gavin swallowed. “Right,” he muttered as he pulled onto the main road.

Fifteen minutes later, Gavin found himself plastered to the backside of the door in Dale’s living room. One knee was wedged between his legs, and his arms were pinned over his head.

Dale’s mouth descended fast, claiming, searching, devouring. He moaned into Gavin’s mouth, tipping his head one direction and deepening the kiss.

Gavin had been horny from the moment he first stepped out onto the deck earlier. No, he’d been horny since Monday morning. But his libido shot up another notch at the pressure of Dale’s thigh against his cock and the fact that he couldn’t touch the man whose body was pressed against his.

When Dale finally broke the kiss, he dropped Gavin’s hands and stepped back. His long hair had come loose from the ponytail to hang disheveled around his shoulders. He was breathing heavily. “Take everything off. I need to see you.” He tugged his own shirt over his head as he spoke.

Gavin wore a U of C sweatshirt which he removed quickly, taking his T-shirt with it. But Dale must have been in too big a hurry to wait for jeans and shoes to come off because he slammed his body along Gavin’s again, their chests lining up only because Dale bent his knees.

Dale threaded his fingers with Gavin’s and held them at their sides. He nudged Gavin’s head to one side and kissed his neck, nibbling his way up to the man’s ear. “Do you know how grizzlies bind?” he asked.

“No.” Gavin’s voice was weak, thready. He was so fucking turned on right now, and Dale wanted to give a lesson in Grizzly Shifters 101?

Dale nuzzled Gavin’s neck at the base, and then he licked the spot, sending chills down Gavin’s torso. “One of them bites the other, usually right about here.” He set his teeth on Gavin’s shoulder.

Gavin shuddered this time, realizing how easy that would be. For anyone. He swallowed. “That’s it? And then they’re like permanently connected or something?”

“Mm-hmm. Well, as long as the biter lets his serum flow down his teeth into the blood of his mate.” He teased that spot again. “So easy. And yet, so not…” His voice trailed off.

“You could do that? To me?” Would Dale do that? More importantly, would he do it without permission?

“Nope.” Dale lowered to his knees, releasing Gavin’s hands to reach for the button of his jeans. “It’s illegal.”

Gavin fought to keep his train of thought as he grabbed Dale’s shoulders and listened to the distinct sound of his zipper lowering. “How can it be illegal? Who would even know in the human world?”

Dale tipped his head back and set his chin on Gavin’s belly right above his aching cock. “We have our own governing body. It’s acceptable for us to have relationships with humans and even sex—”

“Including gay sex?” Gavin interrupted.

Dale snorted. “Yes. Our people aren’t hung up on who loves who, like humans tend to be. But the point is we can’t bind to a human. Ever. It would also require changing you, equally against our laws.”

“Changing me?” Gavin gripped Dale’s shoulders harder, trying to follow, though half his brain was focused solely on his cock and the need for it to be released from his underwear.

“Into a shifter.”

“You can do that?”

“Yes.”

“How?” Do I even want to know?

“A bite will do it, in human form or grizzly. That would also bind the person to our pack. In grizzly form, a scratch will do it to. It happens, but infrequently. And that shifter finds themselves in the Northwest Territories imprisoned for life.”

“Shit. You have prisons?”

“Yes. I doubt they’re pleasant.”

Gavin swallowed again. He tipped his head back, banging it against the door. Did he really want this man’s mouth on his cock knowing how easily he could be converted into a bear shifter?

“Gavin.”

He didn’t move.

Dale grabbed his waist and gave him a shake. “I would never do that to you. For one thing, I don’t want to end up in jail. But for another thing, grizzly shifters don’t ever bind themselves without permission. Also forbidden.”

Gavin nodded, lowering his face to meet his lover’s. He licked his lips. “I trust you.”

He didn’t know why, but he did. He also didn’t have any idea why Dale chose this moment to reveal all that information to him, but perhaps the man felt guilty continuing a relationship with someone who didn’t know all the stakes.

Dale smiled, grabbed the sides of Gavin’s jeans, and tugged them down to his thighs. He wrapped his mouth around Gavin’s cock seconds later and sucked him in so deep that Gavin groaned. But he released him just as fast, stood, and pointed at the rug. “Hands and knees.”

It was difficult to take the steps over to the carpet with his jeans constricting his movements, but Dale hadn’t told him to remove them, so Gavin did only what he’d been told.

“Don’t move.” Dale padded from the room.

Gavin closed his eyes. Damn this man was hot. Everything he did turned up the heat. Gavin’s dick hung heavily, bobbing toward the floor, wet from Dale’s mouth—a reminder of what was to come.

When Dale returned, he was naked, and he was holding a towel and a bottle of lube. He arranged the towel on the floor under Gavin’s chest and then popped the top of the lube, squirted it into his palm, and grabbed his cock to spread the slippery substance up and down his length.

Gavin bit his lip, assuming Dale intended to take him in the ass. Was he ready for that? He braced himself, knowing again he would do anything Dale asked of him.

Dale dropped to his knees behind Gavin, straddling Gavin’s legs. He stroked a finger reverently across Gavin’s tattoo before he reached around with his lubed hand to grab Gavin’s cock again. After kissing a trail down his spine and stroking up and down Gavin’s dick, he spoke again. “Relax. Not going to take your ass, baby. Not yet. You aren’t ready.”

Gavin let out a breath.

Dale chuckled as he grabbed his dick with his free hand and stroked it up and down Gavin’s crack, eventually nestling it between Gavin’s closed legs and then using the tight friction to get himself off. He grabbed Gavin’s hip with one hand to steady him, circled Gavin’s cock with his other hand, and then thrust—both his body and his hand at the same time.

It was so fucking hot, Gavin almost came instantly. No man had ever taken him on his hands and knees. No man had come so close to fucking him properly. And he realized he wanted exactly that. He wanted Dale to take his tight hole. Not today. Soon though.

Dale’s hand smoothed from Gavin’s waist to his ass cheek, squeezing, molding, spreading his fingers to grip him. “Brace yourself. Don’t sway,” he ordered.

It was harder to remain steady without Dale holding his hip, but the man had other plans.

He continued to thrust between Gavin’s legs while he also fucked Gavin’s cock, but then he added his thumb to put pressure on Gavin’s tight hole.

His thumb was slick with lube, and Gavin loved the sensation of being touched so intimately. He groaned, pushing back. “Please…”

“Please, what, baby?”

Oh god… So good. The combination of his dick being jerked off while his lover’s cock slid between his legs was enough to make his limbs weak, but that thumb… Damn. “Please push your thumb into me.”

Dale obliged, letting just the tip slide in and out for a moment.

It felt strange but in a good way. Gavin’s body demanded more. “Deeper.”

Dale slid his entire thumb inside, fucking Gavin’s hole, though Dale couldn’t imagine how the man had the dexterity to do so many things at once.

Gavin was on the edge in an instant, and he gritted his teeth to hold back the orgasm. But it was too late. He came hard and fast, his come jutting out in rapid pulses to land on the towel.

When he was finally done, Dale released him, pulled his thumb out of Gavin’s ass, and used both hands to hold Gavin’s hips steady in order to fuck him harder between his legs. It was heady, and Gavin’s own dick came back to life.

Finally, Dale gave one last shove forward, held himself steady, and came. His come shot out between Gavin’s legs onto the towel in the same spot Gavin had just emptied himself. It was fucking hot to watch. Sexiest position Gavin had ever been in.

He was so fucked. No way in hell could he end this relationship anytime soon. Obviously, the two of them couldn’t stay together forever. Dale had made that perfectly clear on so many levels. Besides, Gavin could no more stay in Silvertip and make a life with a gay man than he could head for a vacation on the moon.

But for now, for as long as he could take advantage of it, Gavin was not going to turn down sex with Dale at any hour of the day or night.

Dale helped Gavin to his feet and then brushed a lock of his hair back to expose his forehead. He kissed him gently. “I need to get back to work.”

“Yeah. I need to get to the library,” Gavin responded as he tugged his jeans over his hips.

Dale chuckled. “I hope you don’t intend to check out any interesting literature because the Silvertip library leaves a lot to be desired.”

Gavin smiled. “Nope. Just need a quiet place to work on my thesis.”

“Ah, right.” He kissed him again. “What do you plan to do when you finish?”

“Not sure yet. There are options. Might work on my doctorate. Teach. Both.”

Dale cocked his head to one side. “You want to teach?”

Gavin shrugged. It wasn’t his first option. He wasn’t sure. “Unless I become independently wealthy, I might not have a choice. They don’t pay people to hole up in their homes and write the next great novel.” He forced a grin.

Dale returned the look. “I guess you still have some time to figure it out.”

“Yeah. Mind if I use your bathroom before we go?” Gavin asked. Besides cleaning himself up, he could use a moment alone to take a deep breath.

“Of course. Don’t forget the hallway one is nothing but studs. You’ll have to use the master bathroom.”

Gavin headed down the hallway, pausing as he passed the room on the right. The door was closed this morning, but he remembered all the equipment he’d seen in there. After using the bathroom and staring at himself in the mirror for a few moments, he returned to find Dale dressed and pulling on his boots. “Hey, the other night I noticed you have quite the impressive office across from your unfinished bathroom. You moonlight as a private detective or something?” he asked jokingly.

Dale flinched, tying his boot before lifting his gaze. “Hardly. I’d be rich if I did.”

“So what’s with all the equipment?” Gavin thought there was a story behind the array of computers and monitors, but judging by the body language and lack of eye contact he was getting from Dale, he was not going to hear that story today.

Dale shrugged. “I like to play around. No biggie.”

Right.