Chapter Seven
"I promise I’ll be there first thing tomorrow morning." Dustin hung up and tossed his phone on the coffee table. He knew he’d been pushing his luck and now Devin wanted to talk to him. If it was about being fired, Dustin was in deep shit. Mercury was a small town, its population a little over three thousand. Jobs just didn’t fall out of the sky, and if Devin canned him, he wasn’t sure what he’d do for work.
He should have told his boss about Chance, but Dustin feared that Devin would insist he talk to Vane, and Dustin wasn’t ready to do that. He couldn’t keep ducking and dodging his alpha, though. Vane wouldn’t stand for that. But until then, Dustin would enjoy his peaceful evening before his life fell apart.
His gaze shot to the door when someone knocked. Chance? Vane? A Girl Scout selling cookies? Dustin eased from the couch and tiptoed toward the door, but before he made it halfway across the room, Shane came running down the hallway and yanked the door open, as if expecting company.
Dustin started to shout at him to stop, but it was too late. To his dismay—and secretly to his excitement—Tap stood on the other side. Dustin shouldn’t have been excited to see Tap, not after the crap at the hospital. He should be shoving his foot up the guy’s backside and slamming the door in his face.
Yet Dustin stood there holding his breath, drinking in Tap’s features as his heart pounded heavily in his chest. Damn hormones. Dustin stood by the couch staring at him and all he could think about was sex—raw, dirty, toe-curling sex. He cursed when his arousal flooded the air. Shane was human and wouldn’t smell it, but from the way Tap’s eyes became heavy-lidded, the wolf definitely did.
Dustin tried to think of Tap having sex with other people to kill the lust raging inside him.
That didn’t work.
He tried to remind himself that the wolf was a complete slut, immature, a jerk, and dangerous.
That didn’t work, either.
Nothing did. Nothing Dustin conjured up in his mind stopped his body from craving Tap’s. The more he was around the guy, the more Dustin wanted him. A whole list of cons ran through his head. Tap had been rude to him, thrown him under the bus, and behaved childishly, but that list didn’t deter Dustin from crossing the room.
They both might know the truth, that they wanted each other, but Dustin wasn’t going to make this easy for Tap. He crossed his arms over his chest and curled his lip for good measure. "If it isn’t Sir Tap-A-Lot."
Tap smirked as he stood in the doorway. Shane still stood there with his hand on the doorknob, staring between the two of them. A smile slowly appeared on the human’s face. "So you were dreaming of Tap last night."
Oh my God! The blush scorched Dustin's face. He wanted to kick Shane in the balls for revealing that tidbit of information. If he thought to have the upper hand at the moment, Shane had just killed that advantage.
Tap’s eyes danced with merriment as he smirked at Dustin. "Were you now?"
"Thanks, Shane," Dustin said before pointing to the hallway where their bedrooms were located. "Go away."
Shane’s smile faded as he looked between them again. "Oh, shit. Sorry. That just slipped out."
"Why don’t you just slip down the hallway?" Dustin glared at him and Shane shrugged.
"Fuck it. He knows you dreamed about him. Get your groove on." Shane walked away and all Dustin could do was shake his head. He’d have to remember to replace Shane’s shampoo with glue to get even with him.
"Don’t you dare read into that." Dustin walked away from the door, letting Tap come in and close it behind himself. When Dustin reached the couch, instead of sitting, he spun to glare at the handsome wolf. "What the hell are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be at the hospital?"
Tap loped closer, his gait confident. "I’m where I should be."
Dustin might have fallen for that line if he hadn’t heard what Tap had said to Stephen. He'd been flirting with the human, telling Stephen how good-looking he was. Truth be told, it had stung more than it should have. Tap was nothing to him, yet the words he’d spoken to Stephen had felt like a punch to his gut.
"I’m not so sure about that," Dustin said. "You might ping-pong around with guys, but I don’t. So if you think you’re about to—"
Tap pulled him close and kissed him. Dustin’s head spun and for a second he forgot his argument. It took everything in Dustin to push the man away. They were panting heavily, but he would not allow himself to be used by someone like Tap.
"Do that again and I’ll ram my knee into your precious balls." To back up his threat, and to make sure Tap got the point, Dustin wiped the back of his hand over his mouth. "Get. Out."
"I’m not interested in Stephen," Tap said and damn if his words weren’t delivered in a deep, low growl. He appeared highly insulted that Dustin had wiped his kiss away.
Good.
"Could’ve fooled me." Dustin walked back to the door and opened it. "Now get out."
When Tap moved toward the door, Dustin felt a trickle of disappointment. The wolf stopped, grabbed the door, and closed it. "I know it makes me sound like a piece of shit, but I don’t ever pursue a guy, not like this. You’re the first person I’ve taken this much interest in, and I’m not gonna walk away because you think I want someone I was only checking on to make sure he wasn’t fucked in the head after what’d happened to him."
Dustin stood there, uncertain about what he should do.
"I complimented him because the boy was downing himself," Tap continued. "Sorry I’m not the complete coldhearted bastard you think I am."
"What exactly do you want from me?"
Tap shrugged. "Fuck if I know. I just know I can’t stop thinking about you. I just know I’m supposed to be out there looking for a capture warrant, but instead, I’m standing here with you, trying to convince you—" Tap ran a hand over his head. "Fuck. Why're you making this so hard for me?"
"Because you’ve shown me how much of a jerk you can be," Dustin said. "And I don’t want to be just another notch on your bedpost."
When Tap didn’t say anything, Dustin had his answer. "You need to leave."
"Shit." Tap gave a slight shake of his head before looking Dustin in his eyes. "I can’t promise anything, Kitten."
"Don’t call me that."
"I’m being honest with you and that’s something for me."
"That might be," Dustin said, "but it’s not enough."
"I want skin privileges with you, Pussy Cat," Tap growled.
This was a hell of a time to ask. Hadn't Tap already taken those privileges when they were in his truck, when he'd given Dustin an amazing hand job? When he'd just kissed Dustin? Why was he asking for permission now?
"I–" His resistance faltered when Tap cupped his strong, warm hand over Dustin's cheek. He never wanted that hand to leave his face, but he wasn’t going to allow himself to be used. Because whether Dustin liked it or not, he’d caught feelings for the guy. If they screwed around and Tap walked away afterward, it would crush Dustin.
He hated the fact he wanted Tap so badly. He hated the fact Tap had the ability to make him waver. It wasn’t fair that his feelings were bouncing all over the place while Tap stood there so damn confident and assured. The guy should be just as much a wreck as Dustin felt.
This time, when Tap lowered his head, Dustin couldn’t muster the strength to push him away. His mind screamed to get Tap out of his apartment, but his body had taken over and it demanded Dustin’s brain shut the hell up.
Tiny pulses of electricity raced over his skin as their lips met. Tap moved slowly, cautiously, as though waiting for Dustin to say no, to put a stop to this. When he didn’t, Tap deepened the kiss as he walked Dustin backward down the hall.
Dustin instinctively moved toward his bedroom, reached behind him, and turned the knob. They walked through and Tap closed the door. They kept moving until they stopped in the middle of his bedroom. Tap grabbed the hem of Dustin’s shirt and lifted it over his head. His hands ghosted over Dustin’s chest, sides, back, and then Tap dropped to his knees.
Dustin’s mind was in a whirl as Tap unfastened his pants and pushed the material to his thighs. His legs shook and his breath caught when Tap took Dustin's hard length into his mouth. Shockwaves resonated through his body. Dustin’s head fell to the side as his knees grew weak.
There was no way he would push Tap away now. Not when the wolf’s tongue lashed over his heated flesh and he took Dustin’s cock all the way down his throat.
Dustin clenched his hands before he glided them over Tap’s soft hair. His lips parted as his heart sped. Tap slipped a finger into his mouth, then reached around Dustin and probed. When that lone finger slid inside him, Dustin cried out. His orgasm slammed into him and he came down Tap’s throat.
Tap drank him down, licking, sucking, lapping at every last drop of seed. Dustin became boneless as Tap stood and finished undressing him.
Dustin stood there naked, sated, but he still wanted more.
When Tap looked up at him, Dustin gasped. The wolf shifter looked hungry, but that wasn't why he was gasping. There was vulnerability in the man’s stunning hazel eyes. It touched Dustin deeply.
"I don’t give that privilege out lightly." Tap pressed his lips to Dustin’s stomach, giving his navel a sensual kiss.
The truth was evident in his eyes. Tap hardly ever dropped to his knees and him doing it for Dustin spoke volumes.
Tap stood, then circled his hands around Dustin’s wrists, manacling them in place. Dustin might be different from the other leopards in his leap, but every cat was tactile, and Dustin purred at the skin contact.
"I love that sound," Tap said with a slight growl.
When Dustin looked up at Tap, the man's eyes had gone wolf and his canines were showing. It was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. The black rings were stunning as they grew and the hazel of the man’s eyes became illuminated. In that moment, Dustin wanted to belong to Tap.
His breath caught when Tap licked his lips, as though he’d thoroughly enjoyed Dustin’s taste. He expected Tap to ask him to return the favor, but Tap didn’t. He just stood there gazing down at Dustin, allowing Dustin to soak up the ravishing hunger he felt pulsing against him.
Those damn soulful eyes were going to be his downfall. They already were. Dustin was ready to give Tap anything he wanted, anything he demanded. Tap was tall and strong and his presence was commanding. He saw now why people gave in to the wolf so easily, were so willing to get into Tap's bed.
His aura screamed sensuality, with a promise of obscene, dirty sex. Although Dustin had been fighting against his attraction to Tap, he was now caught in those heartrending eyes, unwilling to put a stop to this and simply walk away.
"Don’t. Move." The two words were a demand that Dustin obeyed.
Tap released Dustin’s hands, and Dustin kept them behind his back. He laced his fingers together, his breathing uneven as Tap walked behind him. He shuddered when Tap ran a finger down his spine.
"So pretty, Kitten." Tap cupped his ass, and Dustin whimpered. His spent cock jerked, as though trying to come back to life again. He turned his head and watched as Tap rummaged through his drawers and came away with the only necktie Dustin owned.
"Ever been tied up?"
Dustin shook his head as he trembled. He wasn’t sure what he’d gotten himself into and was surprised when he couldn’t wait to find out. He’d never been into bondage, it had never interested him, but the thought of Tap using that tie around his wrists had his cock hard in seconds.
Tap slid the soft material over Dustin's shoulder. Goose bumps riddled his body. Dustin sucked in a low breath as he lightly trembled.
"Close your eyes."
"Why?"
"I know you don’t trust me," Tap whispered close to Dustin's ear, "but just for tonight, let me have you any way I want you."
"N-no pain." Dustin barely got the words past his dry throat. "I won’t let you hit me."
Tap nipped his ear. "I promise nothing but pleasure, Kitten."
Dustin’s body tingled at the dark promise. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, praying he wouldn't regret this. He gasped when Tap ran the tie over his back, shoulders, and backside. Dustin had never known a simple touch could be so intoxicating. He swayed as Tap continued to trail the soft material over his skin.
"I’m going to put you on the bed," Tap said. "Keep your eyes closed, baby."
Tap lifted him off his feet, laid him on his back, and then he pulled Dustin's arms over his head. He fought not to open his eyes when he felt Tap tying his wrists to the headboard. He yanked but the tie didn’t give.
"Such a beautiful sight," Tap murmured.
Dustin moved his legs restlessly, twisted his hips slightly, and arched his back as Tap’s hands moved over his body. "Can I open my eyes?"
"You may."
His eyelids fluttered open and Dustin inhaled a sharp breath. Tap stood over him, a belt in his hand. Dustin’s body coiled tight as he imagined Tap striking him with the leather. He had no idea what Tap planned on doing with it. Dustin couldn’t read the guy’s expression. Tap just stood there looking down at him, his eyes still wolf, his canines still exposed.
"You looked worried, Kitten."
"I am."
Tap cocked his head to the side. His voice was low and smooth, as warm as honey and as soft as a breeze. "Why? I promised only pleasure."
Dustin’s gaze dropped to the belt. "I don’t think getting whipped constitutes pleasure."
"Who said I was going to whip you?"
"What else do you do with a belt besides wear it or get hit with it?"
"Were you hit with a belt before?" The matter-of-fact question made Dustin glance away.
"I don’t think I want to do this anymore."
The bed dripped before Tap straddled Dustin’s hips. He didn’t sit, didn’t apply his full weight, but he did touch Dustin’s chin and made him look up. "Were you?"
"No, but…" Dustin’s gaze darted to the side. "Leopards are sexual creatures and sometimes things can get out of hand. That was why I left the leap, before anything happened to me."
"Look at me."
Dustin slowly moved his gaze to Tap’s handsome face.
"Have you ever worked the lounge?"
Dustin yanked at his restraints, baring his canines at Tap. "Are you asking if I’m a whore?"
Tap nodded. The guy was brutally honest and Dustin didn’t like it. He wanted to hit Tap.
"Believe whatever you want to believe," he ground out.
"I want to believe the truth," Tap said. "Tell me the truth, Dustin."
"Screw you."
Dustin gasped and cried out when Tap pinched his nipples. The sting radiated through his chest. "Tell me."
Dustin bucked to get Tap off him, but the guy weighed too much. All he’d managed to do was squirm.
"Tell me."
"And if I said I worked the lounge?"
Tap shrugged. "You’re still gonna get fucked. But I want to know the truth."
"Huh," Dustin said, cocking his head to the side as he narrowed his eyes. "A whore wanting to know if I’m a whore. The irony."
Tap’s features darkened. "Yeah, double standards suck. Now tell me." He growled the words again as he pinched Dustin’s nipples, harder this time. He couldn’t understand why that turned him on so much. Dustin wasn’t into pain, yet the twisting of his skin had his cock jerking under Tap's denim-covered ass.
"No!" Dustin glared at him. "The first time someone touched my ass, I vomited. I moved out of the leap and begged my alpha to let me work at Grizzly’s. Are you disappointed you don’t have an experienced whore underneath you?"
Tap’s eyes softened and Dustin wanted to bite the bastard. "Quite the opposite."
"You’re a certified jerk, Jacob."
Tap grinned. "True, and I like when you call me that."
"A jerk?"
He chuckled. "When you call me Jacob."
"Release me," Dustin demanded. There was no heat behind Declan's demand, and he prayed Tap didn’t undo the tie. He was just pissed, lashing out, but damn if he didn't want to feel Tap pounding his cock into Dustin's ass.
Tap’s smile grew. "Far from finished with you, Kitten."
He dropped over Dustin, his hands landing on either side of Dustin’s head before their lips met. Dustin tried to bite Tap’s lip, to make the man get off him, but Dustin’s angry struggles soon turned to soft moans.
"Do you want to come again?" Tap asked into Dustin’s mouth. "Do you want the pleasure I promised?"
Dustin wrapped his legs around Tap, pressed his erection against the denim, and ground his cock, needing more friction. "Yes," he hissed as Tap nipped his lower lip.
"If you’re a good little kitten, I just might let you come." Tap climbed from the bed. He unbuttoned his shirt almost teasingly as he pushed each button through the eyelet at an excruciatingly slow pace. Dustin licked his lips as Tap’s hard pecs and impressive abdominals were revealed. He could wash clothes on that man’s ripped stomach. Dustin’s flat and smooth belly paled in comparison.
When Tap tossed his shirt aside, he grabbed the belt he’d left on the side of the bed. "Trust me?"
Dustin nodded, though he should have said no.
Tap moved to the end of the bed, pressed Dustin’s ankles together, then wrapped the belt around them. "Belts have so many other uses, Kitten. I'm about to show you the most pleasurable use of all."
Dustin lay there with his arms bound over his head and his legs pressed tightly together. His erection lay flat against his stomach, while Tap still had his jeans and boots on. Dustin was dying to see his cock, but knew begging wouldn’t get him anywhere. Tap apparently had an agenda and would do what he wanted, when he wanted.
"Now this"—Tap moved to the side of the bed as his gaze roamed from the tips of Dustin’s fingers down to his toes—"is a work of art."
"I feel stupid," Dustin said.
Tap winked. "You’ll see the scope of this. I promise."
The guy sat on the side of the bed and untied his boots, then kicked them aside. He stood, turned, and took off his jeans. Dustin was enraptured as he watched. Tap stood in front of him gloriously naked, and that was a work of art.
His chest was well sculpted, his thighs muscled. His biceps were the size of grapefruits, and good Lord, his erection jutted out, showing Dustin just how well-endowed he truly was. He was thick, long, and the head was an angry red blush with pearls of pre-cum clinging to the slit.
Dustin could only lie there as Tap crawled onto the bed. The wolf grabbed Dustin’s bound ankles and rested them on one shoulder, the move lifting his ass high into the air.
"Don’t like your victims struggling?" Dustin teased through his nervousness.
Tap grinned. "Can’t have them getting away, sugar."
"You’re demented."
"Nah. I just like to spice things up." Tap ran a finger over the leather belt, his gaze darting to Dustin. "Tell me this doesn’t excite you."
"I feel like I’m about to be placed over a spit."
"Oh, you’re about to be impaled all right." Tap scooted closer until the tip of his cock pressed against Dustin’s hole. Dustin's body was twisted to the side and he bit his lower lip as he felt the spurt of pre-cum. His hole relaxed, the muscle easing enough to allow Tap to work himself into Dustin’s body.
"Slow," Dustin whimpered as he was stretched. "Please, go slow."
Tap’s gaze locked on to Dustin’s and the soft expression returned. "As slow as you need me to go."
Tap rested Dustin’s lower half on his muscled thighs as he inched his cock inside. Dustin curled his toes as he rocked his head, moaned, and tried to push Tap all the way in. Tap gripped Dustin’s ass, stopping him from moving.
He pulled almost all the way out. Dustin felt another spurt, then Tap pushed back in. His hands kept Dustin's cheeks parted, and his gaze was transfixed where they were joined.
The tight fit had Dustin moaning as Tap pulled back again. There was another spurt, and then he pushed back inside. "Damn it, Kitten. You weren’t supposed to be this goddamn tight."
"Disappointed?"
"Not in the fucking least." Tap glanced at him for a second before his attention was pulled back to what he was doing. "Fuck no. Made me crazy thinking other men had done this to you. I’m a selfish bastard and wanted to be your first."
Dustin curled his lips in, refusing to give Tap what he obviously wanted. He wasn’t going to stroke the guy’s ego and tell him he actually was Dustin’s first. No way in hell would he give Tap the upper hand.
Tap glanced at him again, and then his eyes darkened further. "The truth," he demanded. "I can see pain on your face. Am I hurting you?"
Dustin turned his head and closed his eyes. All he wanted to do was feel and Tap was ruining the moment by being a jerk. He ground his teeth when Tap pulled completely out. He looked back at Tap to see the stubborn expression.
He wasn't going to budge until Dustin answered.
"Am. I?"
"Will you just fuck your victim and shut up?"
Tap trailed his fingers over Dustin’s face. "Nothing to be ashamed of, Kitten."
Dustin grunted. "First you accuse me of being a whore, now you’re demanding that I tell you I’m a virgin. You truly are twisted, Jacob."
"All I’m asking for is the truth, Dustin. Why is that so bad?"
"People are supposed to fuck silently. Try it."
"How would you know?" Tap gripped his ass and pressed the head of his cock at Dustin’s hole. "Tell me the truth, Kitten."
"Let me up." He kicked his legs but they stayed perched on Tap’s thighs.
"Do you really want me to let you go?" One of Tap's dark brows arched. "If you say yes, this ends and I leave."
Dustin clenched his jaw. Tap still hadn’t moved. With a deep, frustrated sigh, Dustin said, "No."
Tap eased the head of his cock inside Dustin's ass, the burn making Dustin hiss. "Mmm, so tight. Don’t you want to feel me pounding into you?"
Dustin glared at Tap before turning his head. "Do what you want. I don’t care." He would've folded his arms over his chest, but that was hard to do when he was still tied to the headboard.
"I think you do care. I think this tight little ass is begging to be fucked."
"I think this room isn’t big enough for your inflated ego."
Tap threw his head back and laughed. The sound stirred something inside Dustin, but he refused to give Tap his answer.
Tap began to move, in and out, slowly. His hips slid forward, then back. Dustin’s resolve to stay mad withered. He wanted Tap to move faster, to go deeper. He wanted that pounding Tap had talked about.
"I’ll give you what you want when you give me what I want." Tap pulled out and then pushed back in. He moved so slowly that Dustin wanted to scream and punch him.
"I’ll give you what you want when you untie me."
Tap studied him for a heartbeat and then leaned back. He unfastened the belt and tossed it aside. The buckle clanked against the wooden floor.
"My hands?"
Tap shook his head. "Half now, half when you tell me."
Dustin couldn’t stop the chuckle. "This isn’t a job."
"Call it what you want. I don’t care."
"I really don’t like you," Dustin said. "You're being a jerk again."
Tap leaned down and Dustin had seconds to pull one leg down, slide it around Tap’s waist, then wrap his legs around Tap before Tap’s chest pressed into his. Their lips barely touched. "I think you like me more than you’re letting on. I think you like me just as much as I like you, Little Leopard."
Dustin growled. "Dream on, Wolfie."
Tap grinned. "I like that."
"You would." Dustin tried to squeeze his legs, to apply pressure to Tap’s waist, but the guy was made of bricks.
Tap’s smile vanished. "Am I your first, Dustin?"
He shrugged. "Yeah, big deal."
Tap ghosted his lips over Dustin’s before plunging his tongue deep. He punched his hips forward, making Dustin cry out. Tap didn’t let up. His hips thrust, swiveled, pulled back, then shot forward. Dustin yanked at the tie, desperate to touch every inch of the wolf’s body.
Dustin arched his back and shouted when Tap broke the kiss and sank his canines deep into his shoulder. The room spun as their hearts synchronized, the bond of mates snapping into place. Tap growled deep in his throat as he continued to thrust into Dustin.
When he pulled back, his eyes were savage, drops of blood clinging to the tips of his canines. "Mine!"
Dustin yanked Tap closer with his legs and then cried out as his second orgasm hit him harder. He writhed under Tap as Tap pressed his hands into Dustin’s hips, pistoning into his body.
"Damn it, Kitten." Tap jerked Dustin closer, stiffened, pressed his cock deep inside before he growled, his hot seed filling Dustin.
"Fucking hell," Tap panted as sweat trickled down from his scalp. He used his upper arm to wipe it from his eyes.
Dustin lay there stunned. He wasn’t sure what to think or how to feel.
The jerk was his mate.