Fuming didn’t even come close to how Jimmy felt about the whole Francis mess. He got off work at six and thought about going for a run, but his Alpha had other ideas. A few days before at the pool party, he’d paid close attention to the talk about Francis, figuring out what area of the city his parents had lived in based on the gossip going around the group. The party hadn’t been too bad, and Jamie had stuck by his word, not introducing him to one single Omega.

Jimmy had been disappointed Francis had opted to spend the day at the fire station instead of coming by the party. But someone had to man the station while most of the rest of them partied.

When he arrived on the street where Francis’ parents had lived, the scent of Zeta out front confirmed his suspicions. He stood beside his truck for a long moment and watched Francis move around the house, maneuvering the heavy furniture. The display turned his Alpha on. There was no doubt Francis was confident and strong, two qualities Jimmy had always wanted in a mate.

He pushed that thought right out of his head. He didn't want a mate. Especially not Francis Kirby! Jimmy didn't have to be hit over the head with a two-by-four to get the message. Francis had wanted to hit it and quit it, and that was fine. All Jimmy wanted was to clear the air between them. If they were going to work together at the fire department, they’d have to get along.

The second Francis opened the door, Jimmy realized his mistake. There was no talking to this man who looked and smelled like lust personified. His Alpha screamed, want, take, claim, and Jimmy reached for Francis the minute he crossed the threshold. As he kicked the door closed, he spun, pressing Francis up against the door, not giving him a second to say one word before their lips were mashed together. He shoved his tongue deep, his Alpha demanding satisfaction. There would be no submission from him this time. His Alpha wanted to lay waste to Francis’ dominance and claim his ass until all he heard were little whimpers of pleasure coming out of his lover’s mouth.

Initially, Francis struggled, but then relaxed and grabbed for Jimmy’s shirt, getting in on the program. He lifted his arms as Francis pulled up, their lips only parted when they needed to remove clothes, stripping them off impatiently.

When they were both naked, his chest plastered against Francis’ lean and smooth one, their cocks pressed between their bodies, Jimmy grabbed the tight globes of Francis’ ass and tugged him closer. With one small movement, Jimmy's fingers were between Francis' cheeks, caressing his puckered hole. A deep moan came from Francis, and Jimmy roared in satisfaction. He pulled out of the kiss and pushed at Francis' shoulder, spinning him to face the other way. With a rough tug, he pulled Francis' hips back and rocked forward. He was going to have this man now.

He spit on Francis’ ass, then slid his thumb over the pucker, slipping one finger in. Another bit of spit eased the way as he quickly opened Francis up. His cock ached, and he wanted to be inside the delicious heat he knew waited for him.

Francis glanced back over his shoulder, their gazes meeting. If there weren't such lousy history between them, he'd probably pull Francis in for a kiss, but anger churned along with the lust circling around his brain. He needed to punish Francis for walking out on him.

Their mating wasn’t gentle, and he didn’t pause and give Francis time to adjust. Once in, Jimmy pulled all the way out and shoved in again. He felt the ring of muscle give in time and time again. Each thrust in elicited a low grunt from Francis. Jimmy pounded away, his hands tight on Francis’ hips. He wanted to hold Francis in his arms and worship his body, but his anger made him keep up the punishing pace. He was going to come too soon. It had been a mistake to take Francis without getting some answers, but he had to satisfy his Alpha.

Francis had both hands braced on the door. Jimmy reached around and stroked him, Francis’ cock hard and firm in his hand, dripping with precum. He’d woken to images of them together, him taking Francis or Francis fucking him, and every time he came explosively, but being with this man, actually having him, was much more devastating.

Jimmy hadn’t wanted to need Francis so much. The pain he’d suffered when he woke that morning had cut him to the core. While he had plenty of one-night stands before that, the connection he'd felt with Francis had been so strong and real. He'd thought they'd been on the same page. Being wrong had crushed his hopes of ever mating, turning his heart into a cynical shell of what it used to be.

But that didn’t matter now. Francis squeezed his inner muscles and grunted as Jimmy gave him another harsh thrust. The sound pushed Jimmy over the edge, although he tried to stop it. He struggled to breathe, but his lungs had stalled as his orgasm hit hard. He roared as he came, his fingers clutching tight to Francis’ hips, leaving marks.

Gasping for air, he tried to push down the endorphins clouding his mind and clear his head, but his Alpha was still reveling in the pleasure. Neither of them moved, and in that moment, clarity came, making him feel a bucket full of shame. He'd fucked Francis and satisfied his Alpha, but he hadn't solved anything.

Anger rose, and now he needed to run. He couldn't stay inside Francis one more minute without expressing how he honestly felt about the man, and he couldn't do that. He wouldn't give Francis that sort of power over him again, not unless Francis sincerely apologized and showed him he was sorry.

Regret sat heavy in his gut, and he pulled out. Quickly, he grabbed his clothes. His now sated prick lay against his leg. He tried not to think about how satisfied and smug his Alpha was. He didn’t say one word to Francis. Pain twisted through him as he stalked over to the front door. A quick glance back twisted him up as their gazes locked. The sadness from Francis was almost too much. It was like the man was begging for him to stay.

He couldn’t.

Jimmy had no energy to talk about what the hell was going on between them. Instead, like the emotional freaking coward he was, he took off, tossing his clothes into the bed of his truck before he shifted. He raced down the street, heading out of town.

The howl of other wolves warned him where the packs were prowling. He didn’t want to see anyone, so he skirted the hunting grounds, finding his own place to stalk a deer. He found an old buck, and hours later, after feasting on the meat until his belly was full, he wandered back to Francis’ house. He picked his shirt off the ground, guessing it hadn’t made it in with the rest of his clothes. He was glad he hadn’t lost his truck keys when he’d tossed his items at the truck.

For a moment, he wondered if he should ring the doorbell and talk to Francis. There were words that needed to be said, but he wasn’t sure if he’d ever be able to talk without being so angry or horny he lost his focus. Instead, he got in his truck and drove off.

Sleep came easy, and when he woke with a hard cock, he fantasized about Francis riding him until they were both breathless. After he washed all the cum off his body, Jimmy got dressed in his uniform and drove down to the state police headquarters to begin his next shift.

He liked working for the state so much more than working in Loveland. This week he was only on three days, which suited him fine. He needed a break and he needed to get some rest.

Ten long hours later, his shift was over. After a good night’s rest, he headed out to Big Elk to volunteer for a shift. He half expected to find Francis there, but only Debbie and “Big Al” Perkins were on duty. Jamie had called out sick as his daughter had the croup.

Disappointed, he sulked for a few hours until the door opened, and Francis strolled in, his eyes downcast. The man looked tired but good. His red hair had grown out, and he looked like he'd just woken up or maybe worn a hat and hadn't even run his fingers through his hair after taking it off. His dark blue shirt looked a little tight but showed off his muscular body. Then Francis glanced up, his blue eyes troubled. Their gazes met, and a shiver raced through Jimmy. Francis jerked his eyes away fast, his cheeks turning red.

“Hey, Jimmy, look who it is,” Debbie called out. “The new guy.”

He ignored Debbie and turned back to the closet he was cleaning out. Since going to Francis’ house and having sex with him, Jimmy hadn’t tried to contact Francis once. He was a total asshole too, but Francis had been the one to leave without a word first.

“Great, you’re here. Kirby, could you and Laughton drive into Boulder and pick up the new mower we need?” Chief Renshaw called out as he stepped into the building.

He wanted to tell Renshaw to go to hell, but he held his tongue, praying he could hold it all the way into Boulder.

“Sure. Kirby, grab your stuff and let’s go.” Jimmy was trying to play it cool, but he felt hotter than ever. He stopped by the bathroom, catching his reflection in the mirror. “You look like shit.”

Hiding in the bathroom wouldn’t make Francis go away. They’d still be stuck working together and living in the same city. Maybe he should quit his job and move back to New Orleans. That thought made him shiver. No way in heck would he move home. His parents would never stop trying to set him up with a ‘proper’ Omega mate if he did that.

He grabbed the keys on the way out. Neither man said anything as they climbed into the cab of the department’s truck, but midway between Lyons and Boulder, Francis spoke. “I’m sorry.”

He glanced at Francis, then shook his head. “You didn’t call.”

“I know. I’m an ass. No question, it was wrong.”

“I don’t forgive you.”

Francis sighed. “I understand.”

Anger churned deeper. He wanted this to be harder for Francis. Maybe if Francis yelled or begged, he would have some satisfaction, but Francis being nice, apologizing, accepting that Jimmy didn’t forgive him, only made him madder. They didn’t say anything more until they got to the store where Chief had ordered the mower. They also were picking up a few other items from a list the chief had given them but were back in the truck in under an hour.

Jimmy wished he could forget that night, but it had stuck with him. He’d thought they had something special, but Francis had treated him like a disposable piece of trash. The rest of the day, he didn’t run into Francis since he was completing some HR paperwork and training in another part of the building.

The next morning when his shift ended, Jimmy found himself parked in front of Francis’ place again. He was about to leave when Francis popped open the front door. They stared across the expanse of the lawn at each other. The invitation clear as Francis left the door wide open and turned to go back inside.

Jimmy’s heart squeezed as he stepped out of his truck. He should go home. That would be the smart thing to do, but with Francis around, he wasn’t thinking with his big head.

Francis had bought curtains and had them closed, so Jimmy had no clue he would walk in to find Francis naked, facedown on his brand-new sectional couch. Heat shot to his cock, and he rushed to Francis, dropping next to him. His lips slid over Francis' neck up to his ear, then lower to his shoulder blades. No words were spoken, only the sound of his kisses on Francis' skin broke the quiet. Jimmy tugged his jeans down, freeing his cock before he settled above Francis. There was no hesitation, no pausing as he slid in. Heaven had come to earth again, but this time, he went slower.

Jimmy’s hands smoothed over Francis’ hips and up to his shoulders. He went up on his knees and pulled Francis up too, reaching around so he could support Francis as he adjusted. After they were both stable, Jimmy began toying with Francis’ nipples, pinching at first, then smoothing his palms over his pecs. Francis responded with moans of pleasure.

Jimmy ran his hands over Francis’ chest to his cock and balls. He toyed with him, touching and playing, as he slid into Francis, loving the heat enveloping him. Warmth filled him as he made love to this sexy man.

He was lost in the bliss of being with Francis when a memory of waking up alone hit him hard. Resentment flashed, and he couldn't push it away. This wasn’t about him making love; this was about him making Francis atone for leaving him. The man didn’t deserve love; he deserved to be treated like the tool he was. Walking out after the night they’d shared had almost destroyed Jimmy. He stopped stroking Francis and went back to pounding. Not caring that Francis was the sweetest wolf he’d ever smelled, or that his heart was crying out for Francis.

Everything was going as planned, but then his Alpha thought it would be a good idea to sniff Francis' bonding gland. Pheromones twisted through his brain, fuzzing his mind so he didn't know up from down or down from up. All he knew was he needed to get closer to Francis. Seconds before he was ready to make the bite, he pulled back, catching himself.

Lust was a horrible bitch, and karma had him by the balls. He’d walked away from Omega after Omega because he wasn’t satisfied, something making him hesitate, but his Alpha had no doubt this little Zeta would be more satisfying than any Omega on the planet.

No more of this emotional crap. Faster, hotter sex was needed. He pulled Francis up, running his hands over tight skin and smooth muscles, thinking only of the act, not about the desire to mate tugging at his heart.

This was heaven and hell. The physical part of being with Francis was perfect, but he couldn’t let go of his twisted anger wrapped up with his desires.

Francis reached back, holding him close and arching his back. He rested his head on Jimmy’s shoulder, his moans music to Jimmy’s ears. The need to mate was pushed out of the way by pure lust. He kissed Francis’ neck to his ear, tugging on his earlobe. He ran his hand over Francis’ cock.

“So good,” Jimmy whispered.

“I need it,” Francis begged. “Please, give it to me, Alpha.”

Jimmy thrust once again, and he felt Francis’ ass squeeze down in response. No Omega had ever felt this good, and no human came close to how it felt to be with Francis. Jamie had been right on that point. The pressure was too much, and Jimmy let go, his body sinking into Francis as his seed filled him.

Francis was right behind him, his cum shooting to the couch. Both of them were spent and shaking. Jimmy wanted to stick around and hold Francis, cuddle with him, but fear kept him from submitting to his desires. Francis had already made it clear he didn’t plan on sticking around, didn’t want attachments. Inside, Jimmy knew all he wanted was to claim Francis as his own, but he wouldn’t beg, and he sure as hell wouldn’t sneak a bite, forcing a bond.

Jimmy pulled out and searched for his clothes. Francis eventually turned, his eyes hooded, sweat dripping down his chest. He wanted to pull Francis into his arms and lick the sweat off his lover, but there was too much distrust between them. He gritted his teeth and got dressed, his Alpha unhappy about his decision to go.

“Wait.” Francis caught his arm before he left the house.

“Why? We both got what we wanted.”

Francis blue eyes implored him. His heart kicked to racing, and his lungs fought his next breath. This man tested him on all levels. Francis was everything he'd ever wanted and more. But their history was littered with issues that made Jimmy need to shrink away and hide.

“I-I want to talk.”

Jimmy huffed out a breath, wishing he could change and not be an asshole. But pain knifed his heart so deep he felt it in his toes. He lashed out. “You should have thought of that at some point in the last year.”

Jimmy stalked out to his truck, knowing he was making a mistake, but unable to stop himself yet again. He'd accused Francis of being a dick for leaving the first time, and now Jimmy was repeating that same mistake, but he couldn't give into the emotions, because if Francis left again, he'd curl up and die.