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“She’s gonna need a lot of therapy. And a restraining order.”

“Yeah, Samantha’s working on that last part and my mom’s running around like a crazy woman already. She’ll get the best care we can provide.”

“I’m so sorry it happened.” Evan reached a hand up to block the sun.

“Thanks so much for all you did to help find her.”

“Of course. Call me if you need anything else.” Evan headed for the car by the curb. Another man was driving it. It sat idled. Of course, Josh realized, Evan had driven Nathan’s car and someone had followed him.

He shut the door and leaned against it. They’d become friends over the course of the investigation. Since Evan was a shifter and they’d spent several hours together in the last few days, Josh found they’d had a lot in common. Evan was nearly the same age, only a year younger. He hadn’t been to The Gathering in several years, stating the same reasons as Josh, school, time, commitments, lack of interest in mating just yet. Josh thought given the right opportunity, they could be good friends.

What a clusterfuck
.

An hour ago when Josh had woken up, he’d not pondered this scenario. A fight? And he damn good and well had been the instigator. Now, his mate of three days was pissed, and she’d left. She wouldn’t be back either. Not without a lot of groveling on his part. And he couldn’t blame her. What the hell had he been thinking?

He pushed off the door and headed down the hall to get ready for work. His office was on the opposite end of downtown St. Louis from Samantha’s. He’d not be able to catch her during the day. He figured she needed time to let the anger dissolve a bit before he hunted her down anyway.

And, well, shit. She wouldn’t even want to see him until he worked out his issues with Nathan.

Damn. Why had this morning’s actions gotten under his skin? It wasn’t Nathan’s fault. The man had graciously made coffee and grabbed the paper. Josh should have been thankful. Instead all he’d seen was what women would probably consider a sexy hunk, ambling down the driveway for the morning paper, giving everyone in the vicinity the wrong impression.

And who the hell cared what anyone thought? Josh was going to have to face the fact he was now in the most unconventional relationship of his life. Could he get over himself?
Ugh. That’s the question of the day.

At noon Nathan finally threw his pencil across the room at the office door and leaned back in his chair. He couldn’t concentrate on anything…at least nothing related to law. He couldn’t
not
concentrate on his personal problems.

He was in a bind unlike any other. While regular humans had occasional fights with their girlfriends and laughed about it in the lunch room, this didn’t jive with shifters. And for newly mated shifters it was worse. Besides feeling like dog poop for arguing in front of Samantha, he couldn’t stand being separated from her. He physically ached from her absence.

New mates didn’t stray from each other for long periods of time. As their bodies aligned, they craved the other’s touch. Nature had a way of making shifters the horniest bastards on the planet when mating. Going an entire morning without Samantha was torture.

And the peculiar emotions he felt toward Josh were even worse. He recognized somewhere deep inside he and Samantha weren’t whole without Josh. They were a unit. Assigned by destiny to work this out together.

Maybe he’d been too hard on Josh this morning?
Ya think?

After all, Josh was only concerned about his neighbors. There wasn’t a whole lot they could do about it in the long run. However, it wasn’t unreasonable for Josh to be freaking out this morning over the abrupt way others on the street might see a strange half-naked man getting the paper. That was insensitive of Nathan. Truth? He would have been a little pissed if Josh had done that at his house.

Nathan moaned. He hated being wrong. Apologizing wasn’t his specialty.

He grabbed his cell from the desk and typed another message to Samantha:

“I’m so sorry. Please text me back so I’ll know you’re okay.”

Ugh. That was the third similar message he’d sent this morning. He knew she wasn’t in court. Neither of them could have pulled that off today if it had been on the docket.

She was ignoring him.

Next he texted Josh:

“Sorry. Dinner?”

After hitting send on that one he felt like an idiot, but one of them had to reach out or they were doomed. If Nathan had to go home to his empty apartment tonight and sleep alone… Nope. That was so totally not an option. One way or another they had to straighten out this mess.

So, that made twice in one day he’d used the word sorry. Time to grab his tail and make nice.

•●•

Four agonizing hours passed before Nathan’s phone pinged with a text. He grabbed it off the desk.
Josh
. Not his first choice, but better than nothing.

“Sorry too. 6?”

A long exhale made Nathan relax. At least they were both even. Then a second text came through. Josh again:

“Been w/ patients all day. Didn’t c your text. Not ignoring you.”

Nathan smiled. “U could work? I’ve been staring at the wall.”

“It wasn’t easy.”

Josh added the name of a restaurant and Nathan set the phone down.

It was a start.

After a full day of plowing through briefings, Nathan began to stuff his briefcase. It was Thursday. He was glad it was almost the end of the week. He needed two days in bed both sleeping and fucking. Assuming Samantha consented to letting him back into her life. And she sure wasn’t taking him back without Josh, so the hard work started at six.

In no time, Nathan exited his office, stepped into the elevator, and headed for his car. The drive to his apartment took only ten minutes. Nathan chuckled. It was early. No one left their office this early. In fact, several people had stared at him when he left. But, hell, Nathan never did anything this unexpected. After two days of not showing up at all, he’d given everyone he passed a jaw-dropping shock. They must think him severely ill.

Back at his apartment, he jumped in the shower. Even cool water did nothing to alleviate the stiffness of his dick. He shampooed his hair and grabbed the bar of soap, unsuccessfully trying to ignore his erection. After rinsing, Nathan leaned his forehead against the wall. He grabbed his cock with one hand and moaned as he closed his eyes and savored the contact.

He wished his hand was Samantha’s, or her mouth, but his imagination would have to suffice for now.

Nathan gripped the wall with his free hand, as much as one can get a hold on smooth, wet tile. He had experience Samantha’s mouth. He pictured her lips around his cock, sucking, licking, tasting…

A louder groan filled the room as his balls drew up tight. He widened his stance, hoping to steady himself. His knees threatened to buckle as he visualized Samantha with him.

Her tiny hand, several shades lighter, grazes over my length, her fingers gripping the skin tightly.

Nathan shivered.

She licks her lips and stares up into my eyes before kneeling before me and breathing against my shaft. Her warm breath makes my cock spring forward of its own accord. When her tongue darts out to lick the precum off the tip, I can’t take another moment of the torment.

She’s entirely too slow, savoring the taste of come with a moan.

With a firm grip, he squeezed his cock at the base. When had he ever come so fast? He was right on the edge. Less than a dozen strokes and only the use of his imagination behind his eyelids, and he was about to shoot like a teenager.

The water sluiced over his skin, cooling his heated frame deliciously. Giving up the fight, Nathan let his palm slide to the tip of his dick and back down. One more pass and he stiffened his entire body, letting the orgasm consume him as he would in Samantha’s grip.

Nathan leaned heavily against the wall, exhausted, and yet not satisfied. He needed more. Evan had been right. Nothing would suffice in place of his mate.

He stepped from the shower on shaky legs, dried off, and grabbed clean jeans and a T-shirt. Darting around the room like a crazed chicken, he grabbed random items and stuffed them in an overnight bag. One way or another, he wasn’t sleeping here in this apartment alone tonight.

Back in the bathroom. Tooth brush…razor…deodorant…

He zipped the bag.

If he had to grovel and beg and plead, he would. He inhaled deeply as he considered the full ramifications of his every move this evening. Even with Josh. He needed to make nice. Josh was a good guy. Someone Nathan would normally be happy to call a friend. He liked him. Genuinely enjoyed the man’s company. But, circumstances weren’t “normal.” They were extraordinary. And Nathan hadn’t been permitted to choose Josh as a friend. He’d been flung into bed with him to share a woman. In fact, Josh had been wearing a towel when they’d met.

Nathan set his bag by the door to the apartment and plopped onto the couch. He had a few minutes. He ran his hands through his still-damp hair and stared at the ceiling.

Deep breaths
.

He couldn’t sit still. His knees bounced. He wrung his hands and then squeezed them into fists. He had to move. Even if he got to the restaurant early, he didn’t care. He could get a beer and wait in the bar.

Heaving himself up, he straightened his shirt and then wiped his palms on his jeans. He felt like he was on his way to a blind first date instead of dinner with the male half of two people he’d already mated.

Getting to the car was easy. Getting the keys in the ignition with his hands shaking was not. He laughed at himself as he drove the short distance to the Italian place Josh had suggested.

It was only five-thirty when he walked in. He didn’t even look around. He was too early. Instead, he headed straight for the bar.

And there stood Josh, grinning and shaking his head. “Guess we aren’t that different after all.” He reached with his free hand and shook Nathan’s firmly. “Joshua Rice. Nice to meet you. Beer?” Josh nodded toward the bartender.

“Love one.” Nathan loosened up. He smiled at Josh’s attempt to start over.

Moments later after a nod from Josh, Nathan had a cold beer in his hand. When he tipped it up, it tasted like gold. Cold. Fresh. Sharp. Perfect. Just what he needed.

“I put our name in,” Josh said.

“What name was that?” Nathan asked, hoping Josh could hear the teasing lilt to his voice.

Josh laughed, a hearty deep sound that calmed Nathan’s nerves. “Josh Craig.”

A grin spread across Nathan’s face until it ached. If that wasn’t a lifeline he didn’t know what was. Tacking Nathan’s last name onto Josh’s first was a well-thought-out peace offering.

“Craig, party of two.” The voice over the speaker squeaked at that exact moment.

“That was fast. What if I hadn’t been here yet?” Nathan asked.

Josh started toward the front, angling his head over his shoulder. “I knew you would.”

Nathan shook his head as he followed the slightly taller man into the dining area.
Surprise surprise
. It wasn’t a stretch. They both already knew from what little time they’d spent together that Samantha was the laid-back member of the trio. The men were both type A. And even if they hadn’t been quite that similar, eagerness would have been the rule of the evening. The stakes were important.

“What’s good?” Nathan asked after the hostess had handed them menus and left them to ponder the choices.

“The manicotti here is excellent. If you like cheese. The lasagna is too.”

“Sounds excellent.” Nathan closed his menu and leaned on his elbows. “I’m sorry about this morning. You were totally right to be frustrated. I’d have done the same thing if the roles had been reversed.”

Josh shook his head. “No. I shouldn’t have jumped down your throat for grabbing the paper. I guess I hadn’t sufficiently paused to ponder the repercussions of our strange mating and the sudden realization made me snap. Naturally, I can’t hang on to my old life and we’re going to have to be public and open for this to work. Otherwise, feelings will get stepped on.”