Sullivan (Leopard's Spots 7) (12 page)

“You aren’t mad at me.”

Sully hitched a shoulder up and dropped it back down. “Don’t see the point. I can even understand what you were saying about wanting to make your own choices. I don’t see it that way, I guess. I’m glad I found you, and that you’ll be my first and only everything. I think it’s romantic.” Sully blushed but looked at him defiantly.

Bobby was touched by the sweetness of the man. He bent and took Sully’s lips in a kiss meant to be every bit as sweet, then he stood upright again before he threw himself at Sully.

“You are a very unique, amazing man. I’m lucky to have found you.” Sully leant back and arched a brow at him. “Well, actually, this time around
I
found
you
, so don’t disparage my hunting abilities.” Bobby snickered and gave in to the need to touch. He straddled Sully’s lap, surprising him into making a cute little squeaking sound. Bobby just hoped the box didn’t collapse under their combined weight, but then Sully fisted his hand in the back of Bobby’s hair, and grabbed his ass with the other hand. He kissed Bobby like a much more experienced man, and want zinged through Bobby, setting his nerve endings to tingling.

He forgot about the possibility of box-collapse and he grabbed onto Sully’s biceps, revelling in the physical strength of the man. He curled his fingers, pressing hard, and Sully rewarded him with a slap on his ass.

Bobby just about shot his load. No one had ever dared spank him like that, and it inflamed his libido like a blowtorch would a match.

“I think you like that,” Sully purred, watching him closely. “Let me be sure…” Another swat, this one with enough force to send a jolt of pain to Bobby’s spine. He moaned and shook, need pressing into him.

“Yeah,” Sully murmured. He ran his hand up from Bobby’s ass to his shoulder then kissed him, more teeth than tongue. It drove Bobby wild, pulling whimpers from him that he’d not have thought he would ever make, much less his wolf. His beast wasn’t alpha in everything, not with a commanding lover trying to devour him.

Sully nipped his bottom lip then tugged Bobby’s head backwards, using his hair as a means of control as he spoke. “I want to take you home, yours or mine, I don’t care.

Somewhere I can strip you down and learn every sensitive spot on your body. Want to watch you come apart for me, beg me to take you, mark you, claim you. I want to fill you with my tongue, my fingers, my cock…”

“Yes,” Bobby gasped, humping desperately against Sully. He’d never ached with the need for any lover before, but Sully was his mate, and Bobby craved him. If Sully wanted him to beg, he’d start now. “Please, please do whatever you want to me. Anything, just touch me.”

Sully groaned and trembled, but his hold never loosened. “Can you leave? I don’t think I can do what I want here, where anyone can walk in. I’m not sure how I would feel about anyone else seeing you stripped bare and begging me to fuck you. I don’t think I’d like to share that with anyone else.”

Bobby cracked open eyes he hadn’t realised he’d shut, and was barely able to see Sully at the angle his head was tipped. “You might be surprised. I like to watch other people, like to be watched sometimes. Later, when we’ve been together a while, we’ll be fucking where others can see. Wolves aren’t shy, honey.”

Sully didn’t seemed turned off by it. His breath left him in harsh pants and his pupils were wide, his arousal heavy in the air. He bobbed his head, then stood without warning, bracing Bobby with one hand to his ass and the other still in his hair. “We’re leaving. Now.” Bobby rubbed all over Sully as much as he could, then he wiggled. He hated to let reality intrude, but there were responsibilities they both had to tend to. “Okay, but I need to tell Paava, and make sure there’s nothing Remus or anyone else needs from us first.” Sully sighed and stroked his ass while massaging the back of his head. “Yeah, you’re right. I just want to forget, lose myself in this sexy body of yours.” Bobby wanted that, too. He also wanted to fuck Sully until he couldn’t walk for days.

After. After he does the same to me.
It’d be delicious, feeling the burn in his own ass every time he pumped into Sully’s.

“Whatever you’re thinking, keep thinking it, because that is a fucking scorching look on you, man.” Sully kissed him again, an almost brutal clashing of lips and tongue and teeth.

Bobby’s lips ached. They felt hot, swollen, and they probably looked like he’d been sucking cock for an hour. Sully’s did, and Bobby licked over them once before wiggling again. “Better let me down now.”

This time when Sully sighed, it was obviously overdone. “Well, I
guess
if you insist.” Bobby snickered as his feet touched the floor. “Did you start classes?” Sully blinked rapidly, as if trying to shift through his thoughts to catch up to Bobby.

“Yes? I mean, yes. I haven’t been able to concentrate, though, with us and Mando…”

“I’m sorry for my part in that. I’d imagine college must be important to you.” Bobby felt like an ass all over again. “And I’m sorry about Mando, too. If I had hung around, maybe things would have gone differently.”

Sully smoothed a hand down his chest then clenched his fist on his hip. He pursed his lips for a second then shook his head. “I don’t think so. He might have been twice as freaked, or twice as angry, something. I think maybe you’re right and he was hoping for something more than I’d have been willing to give him. I just wanted to help him so bad, I didn’t look beyond what he told me, you know?”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Bobby took Sully by an elbow and guided him back out of the storage room. Remus was waiting on the other side of the door, looking for all the world like he knew Bobby had just come to heel for his mate.
Probably does, know-it-all bastard.

Remus arched an eyebrow and Bobby blushed as he glanced away. Damn it, it would figure the shaman would be able to read his mind or something. Remus pointed towards the office and Bobby nodded. He had to take care of Jerry still, and he wanted to know what Remus had to say as well. Sully would want to ask Remus about Mando, and he deserved to be able to help hunt down Mando’s attacker. Bobby was pretty sure that was something Sully would insist on being a part of.

The only person in Bobby’s office when they arrived was Jerry, still slumped down on the floor behind the desk. Jerry needed to be handled before anything else was broached.

“Get up.”

Sully stopped slightly behind Bobby, as did Remus. Bobby held his head high while hoping his means of dealing with Jerry didn’t disgust Sully. From what Bobby knew of Sully’s family, they didn’t have the same form of government the wolf pack did. Well, he supposed not. They were a family, after all, and in a sense, so was the pack, but it wasn’t as loving, or if it was, it worked in an entirely different way.

“Sir.” Jerry stood and kept his head bowed and his hands clasped in front of him.

Bobby pressed out with his power until Jerry whined and dropped to his knees. “You know, of course, that you’re fired, just in case you had any doubt at all. Because of you, a young man was seriously hurt here.”

Jerry tried to raise his head but Bobby focused on him harder. He could feel the fight coming out in Jerry, and knew it’d get physical soon enough, not because Jerry wanted to hurt him, but because he wanted to be punished, and Bobby wouldn’t beat the shit out of a man just to relieve the man’s conscience. He’d make Jerry work for it, and that meant forcing Jerry to go against his more submissive nature, but Jerry would need to feel he’d been punished.

And so Bobby eased off in a snap, and Jerry came to his feet, snarling, “It’s your club and your responsibility!”

Any hesitation Bobby had vanished and he planted his feet farther apart. He heard Sully growl and Remus give him a firm command to stay out of it, then Bobby had to concentrate on Jerry, who was throwing a punch right for his head.

Apparently Jerry wasn’t going to hold back out of respect or whatever, or else he really wanted an ass-kicking that Bobby would be happy now to give him.

Bobby dodged the fist, barely, the air swirling past Jerry’s knuckles and wafting over Bobby’s skin. Bobby clamped a hand around Jerry’s wrist and jerked his arm back. Jerry howled and tried to hit him with his left hand, but it was obvious Jerry had shitty control of his non-dominant hand. Bobby blocked the blow with a kick, one of his flexible moves he was rather proud of. Bones snapped in Jerry’s wrist and he shrieked, but Bobby didn’t stop.

He backhanded Jerry and as soon as Jerry’s knees hit the floor, Bobby had him by the throat.

He gave enough pressure to ensure he had Jerry’s undivided attention despite the pain he was in.

“You ever disrespect me like that again, I’ll break more than just your wrist.” He didn’t need to make any other threats, Jerry was shaking and nodding his head, unable to look at him. “As for who was responsible, yes, this is my club, but your job is to make sure you do what I say. You failed in that, Jerry, and I failed to pick someone who wasn’t an idiot to work the door. Get out and Remus can tend to you at home.”

“Yes, sir,” Jerry sniffled. “I know it was my fault, but I needed—”

“Yeah.” Bobby let go of him and moved back. He knew what Jerry meant, because sometimes he thought he would feel better if someone paddled his ass. Well, he’d thought it in theory, not seriously. However, after having had Sully slap his butt in the storage room, Bobby was thinking there might be more benefits to a spanking than just getting him off. It might relieve some of his anger and guilt, but would Sully be up to doing something like that?

Bobby was dimly aware of Jerry scuttling out of the office. Remus patted him on the back and that brought him out of his own thoughts. “Sorry, Remus, Sully. Just thinking about stuff.”

Remus cupped his chin and Sully immediately gave off the aroma of pissed-off male.

Remus smirked, something Bobby hardly ever saw the old man do. “I’m glad you quit fighting your instincts. Your mate has quite the bite.” Remus touched the still-damp patch on Bobby’s shirt.

Bobby had forgotten that he’d been bleeding, but he put his hand over the sore spot.

“Well, yeah, he’s mine, after all. He can’t be biting like some wuss. I’m not a fragile flower or whatever.”

Sully snorted and Remus almost laughed. “That you are not, Bobby. I would not think you would roll over and play sweet for anyone, even your mate.” Remus turned to Sully and held out a hand. “Welcome to our pack, young man. Snow leopard?” Remus asked with a sniff. “Lots of those around lately.”

Sully shook his hand. “Sully—well, Sullivan—Ward. I think you’ve met lots of my family then.”

“Remus, shaman for the San Antonio wolf pack, and yes, I’ve met your charming grandmother, Marybeth, and numerous other relatives. There are,” Remus chuckled, “a lot of y’all indeed.”

“Yeah.” Sully glanced at Bobby, who gave him a slight tilt of his chin in encouragement.

Bobby took Sully’s hand and clamped it in his own. “How is Mando?” Sully asked.

Remus’ expression shifted, as if he were only halfway there with them, his mind elsewhere. “He’s hurting, scared, traumatized—but he will heal. In body, at least. I didn’t recognise the scent of the shifter on him, not completely. There was something off about it, as if his attacker had consumed either a great deal of narcotics or tried to cover his scent.” Remus’ gaze turned sharp on Bobby. “You do understand that this is probably a direct challenge to you. A wolf came into your establishment, probably a pack member, and he violated someone and left them for you to find.” Bobby’s heart ached as he closed his eyes for a second. “So it was my fault. Whoever it was hurt Mando just to get to me. How did they know Mando was linked to me, or did they just seize the first weaker person they found?”

Sully squeezed his hand and Bobby looked at him. “If it helps, I don’t think he could have been aware of the fact that you know Mando, because you had only met Mando for a few minutes, days ago. I think it was most likely chance.”

“And Mando looking to make some money. He might have mentioned you to the shifter, but if so, he didn’t admit it to me,” Remus said. “If he asked about you at all, though, it is possible the shifter who attacked him overheard. You,” Remus speared him with those intense eyes again, “need to try to figure out who has it out for you. Someone does, and they might well continue to cause pain to anyone you care about.” Bobby didn’t have any doubt Remus was including Sully in that statement. He forced away the guilt trying to cripple him and stood taller. “Yes, sir. I won’t let anyone else be hurt because I’ve pissed someone off.” God, he’d pissed lots of people off. This was going to take some thinking.

Remus gave him a small grin. “You’re not as ornery as you like to think you are.” Then he patted Bobby on the head in a way Bobby would have snarled about if it’d been anyone else doing it, and Remus left the room.

“He’s right.” Sully pulled him closer into an embrace. “And, what he should have added, it’s not your fault. It’s not my fault. We didn’t attack Mando. We screwed up, and are responsible for other things, yeah, but we aren’t the ones who did that to Mando. The asshole who hurt him is the sole one responsible for it. And I hope I get to help you mete out his punishment.”

Bobby gave a sharp shake of his head. “No. I told you, by pack law, he’ll die—by my hands, claws, teeth, whichever way I take him. I don’t want you to be a part of that, and you can’t, not without me losing the respect of my future pack. I don’t even want you to watch, but if you choose to help hunt him down—”

“What would the pack think of your mate if I didn’t watch?” Sully asked. “Wouldn’t they think I was weak, unable to support their alpha? Wouldn’t they want your mate to be as strong as you are?”

Bobby reluctantly answered, because what his wolf nature dictated and what the logical human side wanted didn’t agree, but he knew which one took precedence just then. “Yes, to all of that. I just hate for you to see it, to see me kill someone.”

“You’ve done it before.”

Sully wasn’t asking, but Bobby murmured, “Yes.”

Sully shuddered but didn’t move away from him. “Pack law. We have something similar, I guess. It’s just not something I’ve ever been involved in, but I do understand it.”