The three headed toward the door. “You know where we will be at if you change your mind,” Cecil called out over his shoulder. “Just don’t spread the news. Maverick is already going to have a coronary when he finds out that I slipped out of the Den.”
Keaton shook his head. Cecil really was hopeless. Kade had gotten the loan for his business through the mayor—alpha now that he knew the truth. But Keaton had never known that Cecil was Maverick’s mate. He just thought Cecil was the man’s husband.
Maverick was stuck with the short man for the rest of his life.
Poor guy.
Pocketing his keys, Keaton hurried down the street. He didn’t want a repeat of being attacked by a vampire. Keaton had finally come to terms with the fact that vampires really existed. His mind was still trying to convince him that it was some fruitloop with bad teeth.
Although the thought of vampires existing scared Keaton, he was not going to stop himself from living his life.
It had taken a good night worth of arguing with Kade to let the man know he wasn’t going to have an escort wherever he went. Thank goodness the guy had conceded—begrudgingly.
As Keaton walked to his destination, he swore he felt someone following him. Maybe he should have driven, but it was such a beautiful night.
If it was another vampire, he was running as fast as his legs could carry him. Keaton refused to be a victim once more. Giving up a pint of blood was bad enough—he really wasn’t sure how much the vampire had taken, but it had felt like a lot—and he was not about to be someone else’s snack.
But as he glanced around, Keaton didn’t see anyone. The niggling hadn’t gone away, but the streets were clear. He decided it would probably be best if he hurried.
Keaton took off running, not wanting to leave anything to chance.
Once he made it to the building that Kade had told him to meet up at, Keaton was eternally thankful he ate right and was healthy. That had been one hell of a run.
“What’s wrong?” Kade asked. He was standing outside, as if not wanting to go inside without Keaton present. Kade’s teal eyes scanned the streets and then settled on Keaton. The guy looked edgy.
“Just getting my exercise in,” Keaton said as he waved a hand toward the door. “Ready?”
Kade did not look convinced, but Keaton was not about to tell the man he had been spooked. It would defeat his argument that he didn’t need an escort. Cecil had said that shifters were stubborn as hell. Keaton had a feeling that if Kade knew he thought he was being followed, the guy wouldn’t let Keaton out of his sight.
When Kade opened the door, Keaton followed him inside. There wasn’t much lighting in the place since the electricity wasn’t on, but from what he could see, the shop was pretty damn nice.
“What do you think?” Kade asked as he walked around what was sure to be the showroom. It was big and roomy. “I was told this was a perfect building for what I want to do. Kota told me there is a large woodshop in the back.”
Keaton moved closer, praying he was doing the right thing. It would really suck if Kade rejected him. He had said they were mates, but the guy was also dodging any situation that could potentially turn intimate.
He wasn’t passing this opportunity up. Keaton stepped in front of Kade, tilting his head to the side and giving him a teasing smile. “It’s perfect, Kade.”
Kade’s nostrils flared as he took a step back. Keaton could see in the man’s teal eyes that he wasn’t rejecting him. The guy looked just as turned on as Keaton felt. Keaton moved closer, refusing to allow Kade to continually put distance between them.
When the guy moved to his right, Keaton followed. They continued their little dance until Kade was backed into a corner. Keaton ran his hands up Kade’s chest, leaning in. “Can I have a kiss?”
They had yet to even kiss. Keaton was dying to know what Kade’s lips tasted and felt like. He was damn near ready to beg. He could feel the man’s heart pounding rapidly under the palms of his hands, and if Keaton wasn’t mistaken…nope, the man was getting hard, all right.
“Keaton.” Kade grabbed Keaton’s wrists, pulling them away. Keaton pushed his hands back onto Kade’s chest.
“You said we were mates, Kade. You explained to me that mates were together until death. If you don’t kiss me, I’m afraid I just might die.” Keaton pushed himself up until his lips were mere inches from Kade’s. He could feel the small puffs of air gliding across his mouth and Keaton wanted to close the distance.
And he did. He pressed his lips against Kade’s, trying his best to get some sort of reaction out of the inscrutable man. But he just stood there, frozen, unmoving. Keaton gave it another try, yanking his hands free from Kade’s tight grasp and letting them roam to the guy’s groin.
Kade hissed, his head rolling until he was staring up at the ceiling. “It’s been a very long time for you, hasn’t it, Kade?”
The man didn’t say a word, his body still rigid…oh, there we go. Kade’s hips began to press into Keaton’s hands. Now they were getting somewhere. Keaton tried once more to kiss Kade. This time the man parted his lips.
It didn’t bother Keaton to be in control. He was very flexible—in more ways than one. He was going to rock Kade’s world if the leopard let him. Yes, he was that confident. For him, sex wasn’t about how well someone could bend their legs behind their head—although that was one handy trick—but how well two people connected.
And he was feeling very connected to Kade right now. When his mate
