Out Of The Shadows Read online

  The scowl on his face vanished and he sighed. He held out a hand to Dane, pulling him closer.

  “It’s not your fault that your sister’s boyfriend is a dickhead.”

  “Ex boyfriend,” Dane corrected. He was about to say something more when the phone rang. Jai picked it up.

  “Hello?”

  “You shouldn’t have come between us.”

  Jai frowned. “Nick?”

  “Keep away from her.”

  “No.” Jai knew it wasn’t the wisest thing to antagonise him, but he couldn’t stop himself. “Take a hint, pal, and leave her alone. Stop stalking her.”

  “She wants to see me but you stop her,” Nick told him. “I won’t let you keep her from me.”

  After he hung up, Jai stared at the phone in disbelief. He could see that Dane had heard the conversation and looked as concerned as he was.

  * * * *

  Sasha heard her phone ring for the third time during her break and checked the caller ID on the display.

  “Aren’t you going to answer that?” Ret asked. He and Brand had joined her in the café.

  She sighed. “It’s Nick. Again.” Reluctantly she flipped open her mobile, hoping that if she spoke to him that he would get the message and leave her alone. “What the hell do you want?” she snapped into it.

  “I want you to come home,” Nick said.

  Sasha laughed bitterly. “You have got to be joking. I’m not coming within fifty feet of you,” she told him. “It’s over, Nick. It was over the moment you hit me.”

  “I made a mistake, it would never happen again. It’s that Neanderthal you’ve moved in with, filling your head full of crap!” His voice rose angrily. “I see it didn’t take you long to replace me, did it? Or were you cheating on me all along?”

  Sasha couldn’t help smiling at that. She could have pointed out that the so-called Neanderthal was actually fucking her brother, not her, or that she was simply staying in his spare room, but she didn’t.

  Instead, she told him calmly, “You’re acting like a pratt, Nick. I’m going to hang up now and I don’t want you to call me again. Goodbye.”

  When she put the phone back on the table, she glanced up at Ret and Brand.

  “Maybe you should talk to the police,” Ret suggested. “You could get a restraining order against him.”

  Sasha shook her head. “Do you really think he’ll stick to it if I get one? No, he’ll get tired of this soon.”

  “Dane—”

  “Doesn’t need to know about this,” she said firmly. “My brother spends enough of his time looking out for me already.”

  * * * *

  For the next couple of days, Sasha deleted the dozens of calls she got from Nick without bothering to answer them. Eventually, he gave up and she heaved a sigh of relief. To be honest, he was starting to creep her out.

  On Friday morning, as she finished serving her customer, she noticed a familiar face. Quickly handing the woman at her counter her carrier bag and thanking her, Sasha turned to Lindy.

  “Go and get security,” she whispered. “And if you see my brother…”

  Lindy nodded, following her line of sight and frowning before hurrying off.

  “Nick, I told you that I didn’t want to talk to you again,” Sasha said.

  He looked annoyed. “Is that what your boyfriend told you to tell me?” he asked, his disgust as he said the word boyfriend coming across loud and clear. “Come on, Sasha—you won’t answer my calls or texts. You belong with me, not that Neanderthal you’ve shacked up with.”

  “Okay, I’ll tell you this once and once only. I’m not ‘shacked up’ with anyone; Jai is not my boyfriend. He’s a friend, nothing more.”

  It was obvious that he didn’t believe her but, at that moment, a hand landed on his shoulder.

  “I think it’s time you left, don’t you?”

  Nick turned and sneered. “Oh look, it’s the goon squad.”

  The three security guards glanced at Sasha and, at her nod, took Nick by the arms and forcibly dragged him to the door. He kicked and struggled but they simply carried on. They were just out of sight when Lindy returned with Dane and Jai. From the looks on their faces, her colleague had filled them in.

  * * * *

  “Now we can go and hit him,” Dane said, glancing at Jai.

  “Don’t you dare.” Both men looked at Sasha in surprise. “I don’t need you treating me like a child. I got enough of that when I lived with the pack.”

  “Sasha…”

  “I mean it,” she told him. “If I hear that you’ve gone to Nick’s, acting like a thug, I’m going to be mad.”

  Jai looked between brother and sister and smiled; he’d put his money on Sasha. She obviously had to be tough growing up as a human in a werewolf pack and it was showing now. She scowled at Dane, hands on her hips.

  “Fine,” he relented. “But only for now. If he shows his face again, I’m going to rearrange it for him.”

  “Men!” Sasha threw her hands up. “You can’t just go around hitting people.”

  Steering Dane away before he could argue, Jai took him outside. They went across the street and sat on the bench in the square. Dane leaned back and sighed.

  “I know that I can’t protect her from everything,” he said, “but she’s my sister. What would you do?”

  “Probably go right ahead and confront Nick,” Jai admitted.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Jai left the office, eager to get back home. He had spent most of his day with Ret, making arrangements for the latest in the proposed visits from the wildlife commission. That morning they had received notification of a rare bird sighting in the woodlands, and a representative would be coming to visit. It did give them a change; usually they were looking for wolves after one of the locals reported a possible sighting. Unfortunately, this time, the visit coincided with the full moon and the pack hunt. He and Ret had spent the majority of their day on the phone, trying to postpone the visit; it made it more difficult when they could not give the reason why they needed to postpone. If they could have just said “we don’t want a human wandering about in the woods when a pack of werewolves is hunting” it would be so much simpler.

  Eventually, they had agreed to an earlier inspection, in three days time. It didn’t give them much time to alert the pack and make sure they would be out of the way, but it was better than having the inspector turn up at the full moon. Jai knew it was better to get this over with as quickly as possible, or the inspector was likely to turn up unexpectedly if they tried to put him off for too long. So, he and Ret had spent the afternoon ringing around the pack, passing on the alert.

  Jai’s head was spinning and he never wanted to see another phone as long as he lived. All he wanted now was to get home to his mate. Sasha was having dinner with Joe, one of the other guards. He was coming over and she was cooking for him, and so Jai and Dane had decided to leave them alone and go to Dane’s flat instead. Possibly inspired by his sister, Dane had offered to cook for Jai. As an added bonus, it meant that he had Dane all to himself for the night.

  His phone rang on the seat beside him and he pulled the car over to the side of the road to answer it.

  “Hi, babe. What’s up?”

  There was a low chuckle before Dane replied, “Eight inches, give or take.”

  “Okay, I walked right into that one, didn’t I?” Jai laughed. “Let me rephrase that question. Is there anything in particular you called for?”

  “Just wondering if you had left the office yet.”

  “I’ll be there in about ten minutes,” Jai told him.

  Dane sighed. “Can’t you drive any faster? I’m getting lonely here,” he complained. His voice lowered to a soft purr. “I’m going to have to start without you…”

  Jai made the journey in little over four minutes.

  He parked the Jeep, jogged up the stairs, and knocked on the door of the second floor flat. Hearing no response, he frowned, trying the handle. Dane
had left it unlocked—not a wise move after Nick’s recent activities--and so he let himself in.

  “Dane?”

  Jai stopped dead when he reached the bedroom doorway, his keys slipping from his finger to land on the floor with a clatter. Dane lay sprawled on the bed, butt naked and very aroused. His arms were folded behind his head, his long legs stretched out down the bed. When he saw Jai, he smiled, unfolding his arms and running his hands down his chest, coming to rest as his groin where he wrapped one palm around his cock.

  “You going to stand there all night?”

  Jai licked his lips, unable to take his eyes off the sight before him as Dane began stroking his cock lazily. He couldn’t believe that this was the same person who, only months ago, had been afraid of his own shadow, so scared of his sexuality that he couldn’t even admit to himself that he was gay. His mate was like a completely different person when he was with Jai, even if his confidence in public still faltered sometimes.

  “Damn, you’re sexy,” he muttered, striding into the room, stripping off clothing as he went. He sat down on the end of the bed and unlaced his boots, kicking them aside with his jeans and boxers.

  “I thought you were meant to be cooking?” he said as he climbed onto the bed.

  Dane smiled guiltily. “Turns out that I don’t actually have any food in the flat to cook with,” he admitted. “I was hoping that I could persuade you into going and picking up some Chinese food.”

  Jai smiled. “Persuade me how?”

  “Whatever you want,” Dane told him, his voice dropping to a seductive growl. “I’m sure you can think of something.”

  His smile widening as a thought struck him, Jai rolled Dane over onto his stomach. He reached out with his hands to hold Dane’s hips whilst he leaned forward to press a kiss to the base of Dane’s spine.

  “Jai?”

  Jai shushed him, spreading his legs wider and parting Dane’s buttocks with his hands, kissing and nipping at the flesh before trailing his tongue down the crease. Dane groaned low in his throat as Jai closed his mouth over Dane’s tight hole, lapping softly.

  “Get up onto your knees,” he ordered, then paused to ask, “Is this okay?”

  He’d had a few lovers who hadn’t liked rimming, not giving or being on the receiving end. One had been disgusted that Jai had even suggested it. He loved doing it, though, and it appeared that his mate had no qualms about it, either. Dane nodded, moving eagerly to his knees and then dropping to his elbows so that his arse was up in the air, waiting for him. He spread his legs to give Jai more room. Jai picked up where he had stopped, licking around Dane’s rear hole before pushing his tongue into the tight ring of muscle. He tongued Dane’s arse as he would have fucked it, hard and fast, pushing inside, seeing Dane’s fingers grip the sheets on the bed beside him. He relished in the taste of his mate, spicy and male and so very Dane, hearing the soft moans that Dane made. Dane pulled his knees further under him, pushing his arse back into Jai’s face each time and reaching around to hold open his own buttocks, resting his shoulders on the mattress. Jai, now with his hands free, reached between Dane’s legs to take hold of his cock, working that with his hands as his mouth worked his arse. When he moved back, Dane let out a disappointed sound.

  “Are you feeling adventurous?” Jai asked.

  Dane looked unsure. “What did you have in mind?”

  “You’ve never fucked me and I want you to.”

  They quickly shifted places so that Jai was on the bed and Dane poised above him. “I’ve never done this before,” he said but Jai urged him on, passing him the lube that Dane had left by the bed. When Dane’s fingers began spearing into him, opening him up, it was almost enough to make him come there and then.

  “Stop. You keep doing that and it’s going to be over before we begin,” he murmured. “Please, fuck me, babe.”

  Dane’s cock felt wonderful as it slid inside him, stretching him, filling him so completely. It had been a while since he’d felt the sensation of a hard cock inside him but the knowledge that it was his mate made it even better. Dane was hesitant to begin with before gaining confidence and beginning to move, taking Jai hard. Jai took his own cock in hand and matched Dane’s pace. As he had expected, they were both too riled up for this to last long. Damn, it feels good, he thought as he came. Dane fucked him right through his orgasm, before Jai felt him stiffen coming hotly inside him.

  They both dropped to the bed, Jai not even caring that he landed in the wet spot on the sheets. He sucked in a breath as Dane slipped out of his arse, his mate curling up next to him. Jai turned so that he could cuddle into Dane’s side, his eyes fluttering closed; he felt completely relaxed and fulfilled right now.

  “You’ve missed it, haven’t you?” Dane asked quietly. “Taking it, I mean, since I’m always bottom.”

  Jai opened his eyes again. “Yes, a bit. I love getting fucked with a big, hard dick.”

  “I’m sorry; I didn’t think about it.” Dane smiled and added, “I enjoyed that; I wasn’t sure I would.”

  “Does that mean you want to try again sometime?” Jai asked him, delighted when his mate nodded. When he felt Dane’s rapidly hardening cock press against his backside, he grinned. “Already?”

  Dane held him tight. “It’s you who makes me like this,” he said. There was a low rumble from Jai’s stomach and he laughed. “I think we should do something about tea first, don’t you?”

  Jai signed dramatically. “You’re really going to make me go out and get food, aren’t you?”

  “Well, I can’t go,” Dane pointed out, leaning over to kiss Jai. “My car is still out of action. I told you I’d make it worth your while.” He smiled wickedly as Jai got out of bed and pulled his clothes on. “Maybe we could pick up where we left off just now. You on your knees as I fuck you again, my cock pounding into you…”

  “Damn it, Dane,” Jai muttered, watching his mate lie back on the bed in a pose that left nothing to the imagination. “Now I have to go to the takeaway with a bloody boner.”

  Dane laughed softly. “Don’t get a speeding ticket,” he teased.

  * * * *

  Jai drove out to the Chinese takeaway and sat, waiting impatiently for his order to arrive. Why the hell couldn’t this place do delivery? Then he could have spent the last ten minutes doing something a lot more fun than sitting in an uncomfortable vinyl chair, next a human Barbie doll. The bleached-blonde in the low top and tiny skirt had been giving him the eye ever since she arrived, making sure he had a good view down her cleavage each time she moved. Not long ago, he would have been intrigued, possibly even taking her up on her unspoken offer, but the knowledge that his mate was waiting for him never left his mind. Or, more importantly, what Dane was going to do for him when he got back. He was just considering telling her he wasn’t interested when his order arrived. Jumping to his feet, he grabbed the bags and left.

  He was just turning off the main road, to cut through one of the residential streets, when headlights dazzled him through the rear view mirror. He squinted into the mirror, trying to see the idiot who was trying to blind him, but had to turn away. Suddenly, the lights disappeared, and there was a screech of tyres.

  The black pickup truck slammed into the side of his Jeep, hard, and he had to fight to keep control of the car. He tried to keep his speed up, knowing that if he stopped he would be a sitting duck. Luckily, this section of the road ran alongside the park before going into the streets so there would be nothing in his way. Glancing out of the driver’s side window, Jai was just in time to see the pickup swerve toward him again. He couldn’t see who was driving but, given the recent problems, he had a pretty good idea. The truck slammed into his Jeep again, this time making it spin off to the left. Unfortunately for him, someone had left a Mini Cooper parked on the footpath at the edge of the park, where the houses began. Jai didn’t see it until it was too late, his eyes on the pickup.

  The Jeep smashed into the parked car hard enough to make the airbag explode
in his face, jarring his neck back even as the seatbelt yanked him back in his seat. His head hit the side window as his Jeep finally careened to a stop. Jai heard car tyres squeal away as his world went dark.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Jai opened his eyes and blinked to make the world come back into focus, frowning at the harsh lights above him. Where the hell was he? He was in the Jeep, on his way back from the takeaway, and that pickup truck had sideswiped him and he’d crashed.

  He glanced around the hospital room; it was part of a larger room, a blue curtain separating his bed from the rest of it. Beside the bed, Dane paced. Jai could smell the anxiety coming off him in waves, along with a great deal of fear. He tried to sit up but his head swam, nausea making him drop back to the bed, and take a deep breath. Dane noticed his movements and raced to the bed.

  “Oh, thank God!” Dane began to hug him and then stopped, hesitating as though not daring to touch him. “I was so worried when they called me. What happened?”

  Before Jai could answer, the curtain around the bed was drawn back and a man who looked to be in his forties came in. He looked Jai over and then glanced at the notes on the clipboard hooked over the end of the bed frame.

  “Welcome back, Mr Hanson. You’ve had us a little concerned.” He smiled. “I’m Doctor Whiteside.”

  Jai swallowed back the sick feeling that came with trying to move and looked up at him.

  “How long have I been here?”

  Again the doctor flashed him a blank smile that gave nothing away. Not even his scent changed; he was so used to seeing injured people that his emotions never altered.

  “We can talk about that in a little while,” he said. “Mr Bryant, if I could speak to you outside for a moment?”

  Dane looked between Jai and Doctor Whiteside and then nodded, pausing to press a kiss to Jai’s forehead, being careful to avoid the injuries where his mate’s head had hit the window.