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Authors: Piper Vaughn and Kenzie Cade

Tags: #gay romance

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BOOK: Prickly By Nature
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“Yeah?” Avery looked back at him, curious. They didn’t get much mail outside of the usual bills. “What is it?”

Dylan shrugged and held the opulent cream-colored envelope out to him. “No telling.” Though he had an idea. Only one thing looked like that.

He watched Avery tear into the paper and remove a smaller envelope, then pull out a printed cardstock with loopy writing.

“Huh” was all he said, emotionless, before flinging it in the garbage and turning away.

Dylan quirked a brow at his mate’s retreating back. “What is it?”

“My brother’s getting married. We’re not going.” Then he was out of the room, down the hall, and probably in the bedroom. That quick.

It was strange how they never really talked about Avery’s brother, or his family for that matter. Dylan knew more about Mr. Babineaux than he did about Wynfield, though. He assumed the brothers weren’t close, but it wasn’t like he’d asked.

Glancing at the wastebasket, Dylan wondered about the Babineaux family. Most of all, he thought about Avery’s hometown, where he came from, what he was like growing up, the kind of man he was when he had been there.

Life had gotten away from him and Avery over the past several months. Their mating was still new, but their honeymoon period had been skipped in lieu of saving lives and building a career. The worry Dylan felt on a daily basis ate at him until he felt as if he was constantly searching for their bond, searching for any signs of distress in his mate. He wondered if getting away, going to Louisiana or wherever—leaving their current issues, investigation, and danger behind for just a little bit—wasn’t exactly what he and his mate needed.

He looked to the hallway from which he heard the shower start up, then to the garbage can again. After turning off the stove and covering the food, Dylan picked the invitation out of the trash as he walked by. It sounded like a start. If he could just talk Avery into it.

 

 

BY BEDTIME
the swelling around Avery’s eye had lessened and the bruise was a few shades lighter. It would look a week old come morning, which was another reason he was grateful to be working with Reid. The rapid healing would’ve been hard to explain to anyone who wasn’t a shifter. It might not be instantaneous, but for them, contusions and scrapes mended themselves quickly. Even more serious injuries improved at a much faster rate than they would in a human.

He’d be glad to have it gone. His own discomfort aside, he knew the bruise upset Dylan. Avery hadn’t realized how bad it was until he got home. He’d been pumped up on adrenaline and the thrill of the chase when he took that kid’s elbow to his eye. He hadn’t even really felt it at the time; the rush of success was too strong. Afterward he’d been busy thinking about how he and Reid made a good team and feeling excited about their next case.

But this was one of the things Dylan worried about, him being hurt. Danger was a potential hazard of the job, especially when looking for people who didn’t want to be found. All things considered, it could’ve been a lot worse. Of course he’d never say as much to Dylan. He knew the effort it had taken his mate not to freak out when he saw the bruise. Dylan’s unease had echoed clearly through their bond. He’d kept calm while Avery told the story, though. A month or two ago, his injury might’ve led to a yelling match, and Avery didn’t want to argue. He’d only wanted to celebrate his success with his mate.

After dinner, he’d retreated to “his” room, the little den he’d made for himself in one of Dylan’s spare bedrooms. It housed his couch, his record player and vinyl collection, and a few other items from his old loft. Often when he needed to think, he brewed himself some tea and hid away in there. He couldn’t help it. By nature, hedgehogs were solitary animals. Sometimes he needed his personal space. He knew Dylan didn’t get it. Not entirely. As a pack animal, Dylan instinctively wanted to be with his packmates, and Avery was definitely included in that number. Usually, Avery even craved the same thing—just being with Dylan, regardless of what they were doing—but the invitation from Wyn had thrown him off-kilter.

He’d never figured Wyn would get married. If ever there was a man who fit the definition of “confirmed bachelor,” Wynfield was it. Or so Avery had thought. He wondered if it was a love match or, more likely, an advantageous family connection. However, he didn’t question why he’d received an invitation, even if he and his family were barely on speaking terms these days. Nothing mattered more to his parents than their social standing and appearances. It wouldn’t do for their wayward son not to attend his own brother’s wedding. It simply couldn’t be allowed. Babineauxs didn’t broadcast their family drama.

As he’d told Dylan earlier, they weren’t going. No way in hell.

He hadn’t failed to notice how the invitation was addressed to him alone. No “plus one” for him, and with his parents being fully aware of his mating, he took that for the insult they intended.

They might tolerate Avery’s presence for a day or two, but a werewolf? In his mama’s words, “Heavens, no. What would the neighbors think?”

Bless her heart, but Avery didn’t give a damn what they thought. He wasn’t stepping foot into Mandeville without his mate at his side. But it was a moot point. They weren’t going. That was final.

Avery drained the remainder of his favorite organic apricot-honey rooibos. The dregs were cold and overly sweet from the extra honey he’d added, but he wouldn’t let good tea go to waste.

He stood from his blanket nest on the couch, switched off the record he’d been playing—Vampire Weekend’s eponymous album—and turned out the lights before leaving the room. He stopped in the kitchen long enough to set his empty mug in the sink and then continued on to the master bedroom.

Dylan looked up when Avery walked in, but before he could speak, Avery went into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

When he came back out, Dylan set aside the mystery novel he was reading. He waited until Avery had settled on his side of the bed before grabbing the envelope containing the invitation to Wynfield’s wedding and holding it aloft. “Are we going to talk about this?”

Avery scowled. “If werewolves aren’t dogs, why were you digging through the trash?”

Dylan growled softly. “Don’t take your pissy attitude out on me, brat. We need to have a discussion. Don’t you think this would be a good opportunity to make things right with your folks?”

“What’s there to make right? They cut me off, and in case you haven’t been paying attention, they haven’t so much as congratulated me on finding my mate.”

“Maybe that’s not so strange. You’ve told me hedgehogs don’t put much stock in fated mates and claimings.”

Avery rolled his eyes. “They don’t, but I guarantee you they would’ve reacted differently if you weren’t a wolf.”

“Let me worry about their prejudices. I know they’ve hurt you, but I also know you wish your relationship with them was different. Now is the time to try to make that happen. And you never know. Maybe if they met me, they’d like me.”

“You don’t understand, Dylan,” Avery said, shaking his head. “They won’t change. They’re too set in their ways, and I’ve always been a screwup in their eyes. The fact that I’m with you probably only adds to that opinion.”

“I don’t give a fuck what they think of me, Av. You should know that by now. My only concern here is you.”

Avery lost some of his bluster. While he was annoyed at his parents, taking it out on his mate was something he should never allow to happen. They’d gotten through so much already, but they were still a work in progress. They didn’t need the specters of Leon and Cynthia Babineaux hanging over their heads, stirring up trouble.

“I’m sorry.” Avery scooted closer to Dylan and pressed a kiss to his scruffy jaw. “I’m being a prickly bastard. I just…. I know they only want me there for appearance’s sake, and that makes me feel even worse.”

Dylan kissed him back, his mouth lingering over Avery’s. “I know it does. But I want you to think about it, all right? Don’t decide right now. You still have a month before you have to RSVP. You should consider it at least. That’s all I’m saying.”

Avery knew his expression betrayed his skepticism. He nodded anyway. “I’ll think about it.”

Dylan arched a brow. “Promise?”

“Yeah.”

Dylan touched his cheek, right under the bruise. His brown eyes darkened when Avery shivered. “And I want you to be more careful when you’re out there with Reid.”

“I will be. You need to try not to worry so much. Reid knows what he’s doing. I’m as safe with him as anyone.”

A displeased growl was Avery’s only warning before Dylan gripped a handful of his hair and yanked his head back. Sharp teeth sank into the curve where neck met shoulder, right over the spot where Dylan had marked him before. Avery gasped, instinctively digging his fingers into Dylan’s bare flanks. Arousal rushed through him, and in a second, he was rock hard.

“I’m the one who should be protecting you,” Dylan said against his throat. His voice was distorted from the length of his teeth.

Avery shuddered as Dylan soothed the bite, lapping at the blood that had doubtless welled to the surface.

“You’re the one who should be fucking me. Right now.” The words sounded breathless. Desperate. He didn’t care. Avery could feel Dylan’s desire and possessiveness through their bond, and he knew Dylan could feel the lust and submission coming from him in response.

“Soon enough, brat.” Dylan’s hand tightened in Avery’s hair. He leaned back against the headboard and used his grip to draw Avery’s mouth to his abdomen. “I can think of something else I want you to do first.”

Avery groaned and tasted Dylan’s skin, dragging his tongue along the groove that bisected Dylan’s abs as his mate directed him downward. He moved the sheet draped over Dylan’s lap, happy to discover Dylan was naked below the waist too. Avery sucked the tip of Dylan’s uncut cock, teasing at the slit and the foreskin, reveling in the hint of salt and the hitch in Dylan’s breath, the way his stomach muscles jumped.

Dylan’s pleasure and approval radiated through the bond. “That’s it. So good, Av.”

Avery didn’t bother to reply. His mouth was full.

Chapter Four

 

 

“HEY, I’M
heading to Beaverton for an interview. Do you want to come with me?”

Avery glanced at the corner of his computer screen. Nearly eight thirty. He had plans to go with Dylan to Miss Betty’s for lunch around noon, but Beaverton was only twenty-five minutes away in decent traffic. He should be back well before then, and it might do him some good to see Reid in action.

He turned to where Reid stood in the doorway of his office. “Yeah, sure. My eyes were starting to cross.” Many of Reid’s clients were small-business owners requesting background checks on prospective employees. Reviewing and forwarding the results was tedious, and he’d been at it for an hour and a half already, but someone had to do it.

“That can wait. Let’s go.”

Avery locked his computer and followed Reid outside to the sedan he used for stakeouts or when he needed something inconspicuous and forgettable—a beige 2000 Toyota Camry.

During the drive, they chatted about some of the cases Reid was working on. When Reid pulled to a stop in front of a church, Avery turned to him expectantly.

“We’re here to question some of the employees,” Reid said. “The pastor suspects the office manager—Louis Abbott—might be siphoning money from the tithes. One of the secretaries reported some inconsistencies in the books a couple of weeks ago. Louis is out of town at the moment.”

Avery arched his brows. “I’m surprised they didn’t go to the police.”

Reid shook his head. “It’s complicated. The pastor is Louis’s father-in-law. For his daughter’s sake, he doesn’t want to act without being one hundred percent sure.”

“Gotcha.”

“Come on.”

Avery let Reid lead the way around the church to a squat building on the back of the property.

Reid pressed the button on the intercom beside the door.

The speaker crackled. “Yes?”

“Corbin Reid. I have an appointment with Muriel.”

The door buzzed, and Reid pulled it open. Inside, the office was immediately to the left. On the other side was what appeared to be a childcare area. Colored pictures and various arts and crafts projects decorated the otherwise lackluster hallway. Next to the office, a mounted bulletin board displayed a variety of flyers for everything from church activities to yard sales to missing pets.

A mousy-looking woman in a flowered dress greeted them. “Mr. Reid. I’m Muriel.”

Reid nodded. “This is my assistant, Avery.”

Avery smiled. “Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

“Please come in.” Muriel waved them both into the office. From the décor, it appeared to have been frozen in time somewhere in the ’80s. Two of the desks were neat and uncluttered. A third sat littered with paperwork. Each contained an ancient monstrosity of a computer monitor that took up entirely too much desk space.

“Hannah should be here any moment,” Muriel said. “She stopped to get us coffee.”

“Not a problem. Why don’t we sit down? I’d like to ask you some questions.”

“Yes, yes. Where are my manners?” Muriel indicated the two chairs in front of the nearest desk. “Please, sit. Care for anything to drink? We have some juice and water in the fridge.”

Reid took the closest chair. “No, thank you.”

Muriel looked at Avery. He smiled and shook his head.

“Well.” Muriel cleared her throat and settled into the seat behind the desk. “You’ve heard from Pastor Johnson about his suspicions. I’m the one who noticed some discrepancies. Mr. Abbott does most of the accounting, but I handle it whenever he’s on vacation. I first noticed the issues last month.”

“Why don’t you tell me what you’ve found,” Reid suggested.

Muriel bobbed her head and withdrew a sheaf of paperwork from one of the desk drawers. “It’s all here. Let me show you.”

 

 

DYLAN LOOKED
down at his watch for the third time, then glanced up at the entertainment system clock. Twelve fourteen. Avery was late and he hadn’t called. His face twisted in a grimace. Calling Avery now would only piss Dylan off when he didn’t answer because, no doubt, Avery was busy doing… something.

BOOK: Prickly By Nature
4.93Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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