“Are you in this just to learn about sex from someone with more experience?” Kiernan knew he had a knack for being blunt, too blunt sometimes if one believed his ex-wife’s complaints. “Or are you looking for something more?”
When Demitri still didn’t answer, disappointment filled Kiernan. He straightened. “I’m long past the age for one night stands,” he admitted.
“No,” Demitri finally squeaked out. “I don’t want a one night stand. I want—I feel—I’m drawn to you,” he finished, obviously struggling with his words. “I might be young and don’t know much about relationships or sex or whatever,”
he continued, staring at their clasped hands, as if not looking at Kiernan’s face would help him get the words out. “But I’ve always liked older men, even when still figuring out I was gay. People my own age…” He shook his head. Finally, he lifted his gaze and pinned Kiernan with a soulful look. “I want to find a place where I can be free to be me, to be accepted for what,” Demitri paused, frowned, then shook his head, before amending, “who I am.”
Anger surged through Kiernan, shocking him with its intensity. Evidently, this sweet young man had been called an abomination—or any other choice of word bigots liked to label gays—one too many times. Kiernan tamped down his initial reaction—namely, ask who’d bashed him, track that person or persons down, and give them a taste of their own medicine. Instead, he squeezed Demitri’s hand lightly.
Start as I intend to go.
He smiled. “Well, I am an older man, and I’d like the opportunity to get to know you very much. I expect honesty between us. If there’s something I do or say you’re not comfortable with, you need to tell me, and I’ll do the same,”
he promised, although he couldn’t think of anything the sweet young man could do that would bother him.
“I’m not saying we’ll be compatible, because not everyone is,” he warned. He didn’t want to get the man’s hopes up unnecessarily, and he sure didn’t want to scare him away by expressing how much he really wanted to see, touch, and fill the younger man’s sexy body. Just those thoughts had his dick thickening, and he quickly pulled his head out of the gutter.
Looking into Demitri’s earnest green eyes, Kiernan offered, “We’ll take this slow, one day at a time, and see if we fit. What do you say?” he asked gently.
Demitri nodded, smiling, obviously pleased with Kiernan’s words, which seemed to warm him from the inside out.
Chapter Three
So, what do you do for fun?” Kiernan asked once their “food had arrived and Peter disappeared again.
Demitri paused where he was cutting his steak, looked up and answered, “Hiking. I love hiking. There’s nothing better than getting out in the mountains and exploring.”
“Are you familiar with this area?” Kiernan used a fork to pull off a large chunk of meat from the fall-off-the-bone ribs and stuck it in his mouth.
For just a second, Demitri wished his tongue was that fork and being licked and sucked like it was the greatest treat.
Mentally shaking himself, he nodded. “Yeah.”
Over the last couple of years, running had been his way of getting away from his parents. Once, while in wolf form, a pair of environmentalists had caught him, but the pack had rescued him before they could take him out of the forest. He wasn’t certain what deal the pack beta, Shane, had made with them—probably for information—but eventually they’d been let go.
Demitri tried not to think about the pass he’d made at fellow wolf shifter, Manon Lemelle, an enforcer in the pack.
He’d had a crush on him for months after the Cajun had rescued him. Manon had kindly turned him down. It had been for the best.
“I want to be a park ranger,” he blurted, then blushed. He’d only told a few people about his desire.
“Really? Do you know much about what they do?”
Kiernan scooped up some mashed potatoes, then rested his forearm on the table and said, “I know there are a number of national forests around here. Are they hiring?”
Demitri nodded. “I don’t have the necessary degree right now, though. My friend, Nick, is a park ranger, and he’s helping me pick classes.” He grinned, excitement flooding him as he remembered talking to the pack tracker about it.
“He says maybe I could get hired on as an intern this summer. He helped me fill out an application for that and said he’d put in a good word for me.”
He flushed and returned his gaze to his plate. Cutting into his meat again, he quickly took a bite. He hadn’t told too many about his desires, yet, and he sure didn’t want his parents to find out. They were encouraging him to look for a school in Denver. He didn’t know why.
“Most young people want to get away from small town living,” Kiernan commented. “I take it you plan on sticking around then?”
“Oh, yes,” he replied. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Kiernan nodded and smiled at him.
Demitri smiled back. It suddenly occurred to him that the man was probably trying to confirm his earlier statement, which was that he wanted something permanent. He understood the human’s hesitation. There was quite a difference in age and experience between them.
Trying to think of something to fill the silence, he nibbled his bottom lip for a second. He caught Kiernan staring and smiled. “Why’d you move here?” He felt the heat of a blush work its way up his neck at the forward question.
“Work,” Kiernan replied. Demitri watched his date’s gaze rove over his face and down his shirt covered chest, which only made him flush even
