Texas and Tarantulas (15 page)

“Bear,” was all he said in reply.

“Food,” Diego said, as he set a plate in from of Mahon.

“I want to get outside today. I’m able to do some work.” Mahon was over being trailer-bound. “Or at least watch you all work.”

“You should wear more than just a pair of skimpy underwear,” Diego advised. “Trent will trip over his own tongue otherwise.”

Mahon grinned. “Might be fun to see.”

Diego pointed his fork at Mahon. “You want to make him drool, try wearing nothing but a tool belt.” The tips of his ears turned pink. “Um. Anyway.”

Mahon could just imagine Diego’s slender form bare while only a leather carpenter’s belt hung around his hips. “Yeah. Anyway.” Mahon wanted to see Trent like that. The man would no doubt make some cheesy joke about his hammer. It moved to the top of Mahon’s Trent-fantasies.

Diego was a pleasant meal companion. Mahon wondered how the man had turned out to be so well-adjusted, considering his prior living arrangements with his pack.

“Diego,” Mahon said after having gotten dressed. “I just want you to know, I’m glad I didn’t force you back to your former pack, or kill you—or anyone else here.”

“I’m glad, too. I belong here, and so do you.” Diego gave him a hug.

Mahon had only ever hugged Trent, and that was almost always in a sexual situation. He felt awkward and tried not to squash Diego in return.

“You’ll learn.” Diego picked up the shotgun he had been told to carry.

Mahon grabbed his then they left the trailer, after locking it up. The sunlight made his eyes water, but it felt amazing on his skin. Even the heat didn’t seem as bad as it had been before.

“Being hurt so badly always makes you appreciate the good days even more,” Diego offered, the words proving him wise beyond his years.

Mahon had never given such things much thought before. His life had always been to serve and survive, and if somewhere along the way he got laid, that’d been great. “I’ve only lived a quarter life before meeting Trent.”

Diego beamed at him.

Mahon drove them in his truck to Joe and Diego’s place. It was nine-thirty in the morning, so Joe and Trent were still working with the cattle, feeding them, moving them to different pastures.

“Did you find out where the shifters came onto the property at?” Mahon thought to ask.

“Yeah, out in the west pasture, where the property butts up to the Shahan’s place.” Diego opened his door. “We can sit on the porch until they come back, or we can find where they’re at and—”

“Option B,” Mahon said firmly. He wanted to see Trent. “I don’t like them being out by themselves.”

Diego grumbled, “Don’t try telling them that.”

“They can get mad at me.” Mahon knew Trent was beyond deadly with his shotgun. If he and Joe were grossly outnumbered, that would hardly matter. He heard the hum of a whining engine, a sound he knew too well. “I thought Bill had left?”

Diego groaned. “Damn it, so did I. Ugh.”

They watched Bill’s little car bounce down the road.

“I’m going to get Joe and Trent on the walkie-talkies. Something’s weird about this guy showing up again.” Diego strode to the door. “I’ll be right back. I don’t want him overhearing me. Are you okay being out here with him?”

“Yeah, go on.” Mahon would snap Bill like a twig if he were a threat.

Bill parked then unbuckled before getting out. He waved wildly at Mahon. “Hey, stranger! How’s it going?”

“Fine,” Mahon returned. “Thought you’d left?” Manners were overrated with some people.

Bill bounded up the porch steps. “I was going to, even drove halfway home, then I decided to give it all another shot. Since I was missing my boyfriend so bad, he promised to come out to Uvalde and stay with me for the weekend.” Bill bit his bottom lip then let it go. “Um, could you…maybe not mention me…you know. Hitting on you?”

Mahon arched an eyebrow, tempted to ask about Bill and his boyfriend’s agreement. Only the fact that he didn’t care kept him from doing so. “Sure. Good luck getting Trent to agree with that.”

Bill blushed. “Ah, er, guess he told you—”

“Yeah.” Mahon gave him a hard look.

Bill averted his gaze.

“You aren’t going poking around without making sure it’s okay with Joe and Trent,” Mahon told him. “This is still private property, even if they told you it was okay before.”

Bill didn’t argue. He sat down on the porch and leaned his back against the railing. “Think I could get some water? I forgot to bring any.”

Mahon was strangely reluctant to move. If he appeared slow, it might arouse suspicions in Bill.

Diego saved him from answering by coming outside with a bottle of water. “Here you go. Why are you back?”

Mahon listened to Bill and Diego only for a few seconds before tuning them out. His senses went on alert, and he focused on listening, watching, scenting.

“How far away are Joe and Trent?” he asked after a moment when the tension only strung him tighter. “Where are they coming from?”

Diego looked at him and blanched. “Let me check.” He had the walkie talkie in hand but ran inside with it.

Shortly thereafter, a gunshot rent the silence.

Bill jumped and gasped.

Mahon stood up, ignoring the twinges of pain.

Diego ran outside, hollering about a snake having been shot by Joe, but his eyes told Mahon the truth he was keeping from Bill.

“They’ll be here in just a few minutes,” Diego said. A fine tremor shook his hands. “They’re in the truck.”

Which meant they’d been accosted or almost so by at least one shifter, and that shifter was dead. If Trent and Joe were in the truck they were safe. Even a bear shifter couldn’t win against a two-ton pickup.

Mahon saw them approaching. Whoever was driving kept the speed down, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Mahon stood on the porch and waited when what he really wanted to do was run down the steps and grab Trent up. Trent wouldn’t appreciate being coddled.

But a hug? If Mahon could hug Diego, he could hug the man he loved.

He went down the steps, his side aching more like he’d had a hard physical workout than as if he’d almost been gutted. Trent got out on the passenger side and Mahon adjusted his stride to meet him. The second Trent was close enough, Mahon embraced him. He caught a glimpse of Trent’s shocked expression before the man all but melted into the hug.

Mahon swayed, rocking Trent in his arms. The movement came naturally, as if their bodies were waves rolling gently to and fro.

Trent rested one hand on the small of Mahon’s back. The other still had the shotgun in it. “Just the one?” Mahon finally asked.

“One very big snake,” Trent informed him. “Almost as big as you.”

Another bear. There were only two more left, along with the clansmen who had trained them. That left a total of four, seeing as how two of the original bear clan shifters who’d trained them had died long ago. Four more to go, and Diego’s former alpha.

Trent could probably handle them all without having to reload his weapon.

Trent eased back. “You okay today?”

“I’m good.” Mahon left an arm around Trent’s waist as the headed back to the porch.

Trent looked at Bill. “I thought you left for good. Why’re you back?”

Bill frowned. “Why am I feeling disliked here? Is this because of the thing with you?”

“The thing?” Trent drawled, looking for all the world like he hadn’t a clue what Bill was talking about. “It was never about the thing, Bill. Just honesty and respect for me. I don’t have any for you, but we still let you do your thing here. You didn’t find evidence of more wolves so I guess I’m just irked in general that you’re back.”

“I told you—” Bill looked up at the porch ceiling. “So it is just me then.”

“Today it’s probably more me,” Trent said. “I’ve had a headache all day. What brings you back here?”

And that easily, Trent switched from vinegar to honey, his tone softening and a smile on his face.

Mahon could see the irritation hidden in his eyes and knew his smile was forced.

Bill answered, oblivious to Trent’s guise. “Well, there was a report by someone in Uvalde that they saw a wolf on the roadside yesterday.”

“You didn’t mention that before,” Mahon snapped at the twerp. “You just said you wanted to look around again in case you missed something.”

Bill ignored him. “This person, a Mr Jessup, he said he’d seen the wolf on what might have been your property. Actually, he thought it was a coyote, but from the description, it sounds like another red wolf. I’m excited to think they may be making a comeback here. As the famous line in one of those dinosaur movies goes, nature will always find a way! Or something like that.”

Trent wasn’t pleased.

Mahon wished he could do something to help get rid of Bill for good—legally. The Jacek brothers were in a quandary. Now was not the time for anyone else to be poking around the ranch.

“Come back next week,” Trent said. “We’ve got too much to do with the barn and all to worry about whether or not you get bit by a rattlesnake.”

“I won’t. I can’t come back next week, I need to follow up on this immediately.” Then his cheeks darkened. “I also can’t afford a hotel room any longer than through the weekend. Wildlife biologists don’t rake in the money unless we get lucky and are turned into the next Jack Hanna.”

“What happened to the old Jack Hanna?” Joe asked.

“He’s still alive. Still hot for his age, too,” Trent said.

“Eh.” Joe hooked an arm around Diego. “Last I saw, his hair was thinning a lot on top. He lost me there.”

Mahon didn’t know who Jack Hanna was. He didn’t like him anyway.

“So, can I look around today?” Bill asked.

Trent sighed and pressed two fingertips to his left temple. “Christ, I could do without this today.”

“Me and Diego will take you to snoop around some today.” Joe sounded about as thrilled to do it as Mahon would have been.

“That’d be great,” Bill said, bobbing in place. “I still want to catch a tarantula, too. My boyfriend will be in town— Oh, hey, Trent?”

“I ain’t saying a thing to him about it,” Trent groused. He took his hat off and rested his brow against Mahon’s chest. “Go away now.”

“He’s really grouchy, isn’t he?” Bill kept on babbling while he went to his car and gathered whatever equipment he wanted to use.

Trent put his hat back on and nudged at Mahon. “Let’s go inside. The barn can sit for a day.”

They went into the house and Trent led him over to the couch. “Just, can we stretch out here for a few?” He put his shotgun on the floor beside the sofa.

“Yeah, we can do that. I’m almost all healed.” Mahon raised his shirt when Trent looked doubtful. “See?”

Trent ran his hand over the healed wounds. “Wow. That’s just fucking amazing. I’d still be in a hospital bed somewhere screaming in agony. You’re such a stud.” He winked at Mahon. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. Maybe you’ll help me ditch this headache.”

Mahon sat on the couch. “Sure. You want me to rub your back or something?”

“Or something.” Trent began working open the pearl snaps on his shirt. “Can you guess what that something is?”

Mahon’s mouth and throat went dry.

Trent pulled his shirt off, tossed his hat aside then began working on his belt and jeans.

Mahon shucked his own clothes, never looking away from Trent.

“I took a couple pills for this headache right before I shot that bear,” Trent said. “I think he was here alone. Didn’t see any sign of another creature and this is a damn good scope. Property’s flat as hell out there, once you make that last turn. There aren’t any buildings or anything close by it. If the bastard had come at us two minutes later, Bill would have gotten the shock of his life.” Trent raised one foot. “Can you pull?”

Mahon helped Trent get both boots off.

Trent shoved his pants and underwear down then toed off his socks. He looked Mahon over hungrily. “Where to start, where to start. I think…” Trent straddled his lap. “Here.” He settled his mouth over Mahon’s and licked at his lips.

Mahon opened for him, welcoming Trent’s control. Trent pressed against him, urging Mahon to lean back.

Mahon did one better, instead lying down along the length of the couch. His calves and feet hung over the end. He didn’t care.

Trent kissed him fiercely, making Mahon’s lips ache. He tasted blood, not his own. He held onto Trent at nape and hip, thrusting up against him.

Trent turned his face away from the kiss. “You going to bite me again? Like you did that night?”

Mahon had meant to talk to Trent about that. He’d bitten Trent like he would have a bear he’d wanted to pair off with, something Mahon had never, ever expected to do. He hadn’t thought he was the kind of man who’d fall in love. He’d been wrong. “You liked it? We never got to talk about it.”

“I never came so hard in my life,” Trent vowed. “And I want you to do it when I’m fucking you, if we can figure out an angle it’ll work in. Sucks being so much shorter than you.”

“We’ll manage.” Even if Mahon had to bend like a pretzel to do it. He kissed Trent’s cheek, then his mouth again when Trent turned his head again.

For several minutes, they kissed and Mahon ran his hands up and down Trent’s back. The man was so nicely muscled, stocky and firm in all the right places.

Trent began to move down, loving on Mahon, bringing his nipples to hardened peaks, the tips swollen and red, slicked with spit.

By the time Trent was licking at his asshole, Mahon was ready to come. He couldn’t take a deep breath because he was panting so hard, and he had to keep a tight grip around the base of his dick or he’d embarrass himself.

Trent wasted no time in working two wet fingers into him.

“Don’t—don’t touch my gland if—if you want to f-fuck me.” Goddamn, Mahon could hardly talk.

Trent left his prostate alone though.

“Only got spit, love,” Trent mumbled a moment later.

“It’s enough.” Mahon would welcome a little pain if it helped to bring him back from the edge of orgasm.

Trent pushed into him slowly. The burn was big, and rather than diminish Mahon’s pleasure, it increased it.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Mahon rasped, squeezing his dick even more.