A Cowboy in Ravenna (14 page)

Trin said nothing but his focus was total. Chace felt that respect. They might disagree, but Trin always listened first, heard him out. “There’s a week-long class on making mosaics I can take in English,” he said.

“Right up your alley.” Trin caressed his hair. His face was soft and peaceful. He seemed to have put his doubts about their relationship to rest when he’d offered his neck for Chace to mark.

“I figured you might be busy yourself while I did the art thing.”

“Yeah.” Trin blew out a breath. “I want to do what I can to help Calhoun with following more leads on the children and…I’m not ready to leave Sage…I mean Sabin.” He raised a brow. “But you know that, that’s why you changed your mind about staying here longer.”

Chace nodded. No point hiding it. Trin liked things straight up. “I think Sage needs his father.” When Trin’s brow furrowed, Chace added, “If you give him time.” And if they stayed longer, Trin would have that time.

“Besides I think I’m in love with Ravenna.” Chace stretched, loving the feel of his body against Trin’s. “It’s where you gave me my first kiss.”

“I won’t let any harm come to you. I’ll guard your life, your property.” Trin sounded solemn, as though making some kind of shifter vow.

“I won’t let any harm come to your heart,” Chace said.

Trin’s eyes filled. He snapped them closed.

“It’s all right to…” Chace didn’t know what to say. Trin always locked away his grief, his deeper emotions. Until now. It couldn’t be easy for him.

Trin just breathed and Chace let him.

Trin finally said, “So much for my plan to come to Italy and make sure you found someone suitable.”

“But I did.” Chace’s lips curved. “So your plan worked.”

Trin laughed. “That’s one way of looking at it.”

“That’s the only way.” Chace leant down and kissed Trin, who kneaded Chase’s ass with a callused hand. “Oh, yeah, I like that.”

“Really?” Humour in Trin’s eyes before his expression sobered. “You’re…okay?”

“After the thorough exam and tongue bath you gave me?” His scratches and scrapes, even his pink ass had faded. He kind of regretted it. He’d liked the sunburnt feel of his skin whenever they’d flipped over so he was on his back. Apparently he liked his sexual cocktail spiked.

“I’m a healer,” Trin said with mock seriousness, and Chace loved it. Equals. This was all about being lovers.

“Oh, yeah. In the Marvin Gaye sense.”

“Only with you.”

“Better be.” Chace tugged Trin’s hair and then sat up. Chains clinked as he wrapped them playfully around Trin’s wrists. Trin’s eye colour changed, instantly molten gold. That wasn’t his only transformation. Chace looked down his lover’s body. “Gee, look what just came up.”

“Smart ass.” Chace earned a swat to the rear end which made him gasp. Play time was over.

“Do you want to taste me, suck me?” he whispered.

Trin’s hands tightened into fists as his big body shook. “Put it in you. Use my prick, pleasure yourself like it’s a sex toy. I want to watch you.”

Chace reached for the lube in the bag and with heavy lidded eyes, prepared himself to accommodate Trin, who watched, powerful chest straining like an animal that wanted at him.

Chace pressed the huge mushroom head against his opening, breathing out as he pushed himself down. The burn… His body spasmed, trying to keep the invader out even as Chace wanted him in.

“Take your beast,” Trin growled. “Take all of me. All of me, Chace!” Trin broke off with a shout as Chace seated himself fully, Trin buried to the hilt. He could feel Trin’s pulse beating in the cock lodged deep.

“Pleasure me so I can feed you,” Chace moaned. “I want to see my jizz on your mouth, feel your claws digging in my hips as you suck me.” Just thinking of the way Trin fed on him, over and over again, ravenous, was such a turn-on.

Trin lifted him, ploughing into him… Fullness, belonging, opened and owned by Trin. Chace’s world narrowed down to his cock, to the jolting ride, to Trin heaving under him.

“All of it in you, so beautiful.”

He watched Trin taking him, dropped his hands to Trin’s chest to hold on for the rough ride.

Trin’s shout split the cool morning air as his hot come filled Chace.

Chace would have come but Trin grabbed his penis, strangled it firmly, pushed Chace onto his back, legs spread wide with Trin’s face between them. “I want to drink you.”

God, it was such a fucking turn-on to watch Trin eat him. It didn’t take long to come while he played Popsicle for Trin’s mouth. He exploded, shooting and shooting as his throat burnt out a cry.

 
His legs were shaking and his body gave out, dried out, aching, beautifully wrecked.

“I think a more likely fantasy scenario when we get back to the ranch is me on the sawdust floor of the barn with your cock in my mouth,” Trin said, nuzzling Chace’s penis as if sorry there wasn’t more to taste. “I can’t get enough of you.”

“It’s hot as fuck, your kink for my jizz.” He groaned. “But I gotta eat and drink. I’m wrung out.”

Trin frowned, all concern. And damn him, although he was unshaven and his hair was wild from Chace’s hands, he looked fresh as a daisy. “Let’s get you dressed, then I’ll call Calhoun and I’ll take you out to breakfast. A platter of croissants will help.”

Trin pampered Chace, which he loved, helping him into his clothing, taking the time to kiss and touch. Trin was still unapologetically hard, indifferent to his nudity. But if you looked like him, all hard muscle and lean body, why would you be self-conscious? Chace was looking forward to showing the Laocoön statue to Trin when they visited Rome. He definitely resembled the muscled patriarch.

“I want to paint you like this, just like this.”

“All right.” But a little colour touched Trin’s cheeks and his eyes were baffled. He didn’t know why Chace would want to do that.

“You don’t need to call me,” Calhoun shouted. “I’m back.”

Trin shoved Chace behind him, shielding him like a Victorian virgin.

Calhoun stepped from the trees. The big man made no secret of the way he eyed both of them, but he didn’t come closer. “Thought you’d like your jeans, cowboy.” He tossed Trin jeans, briefs, socks and a black T-shirt.

Trin dressed, planted between Chace and Calhoun. Chace made a face at his back. Jeez, he’d been protective before but now they’d gone and done this mating thing…

But Trin dressed distracted him. The T-shirt wasn’t tight, but it was sexy as hell, hinting at Trin’s pecs, where Chace had bitten him while Trin cupped the back of his head, crying out.

“I figured we’d all go out to eat. I don’t like leaving the kids alone, so they’ve come with me and Sabin,” Calhoun continued.

Two children stepped warily from the woods, both small-boned with fine dark hair and the same slanted dark eyes. They huddled close to Sabin.

Chace picked up on Trin’s sudden tension at seeing his son.

“Your parents are the Moores,” Trin said, nodding to the kids.

“Yeah.” The boy’s voice cracked. “Mr March, are our parents really coming for us?” He had dark circles under his eyes and the straining hope that somehow this nightmare would be over and he’d be with family again.

Chace recognised the children. They couldn’t have been missing long since he’d seen the boy, Chet, working the pumps at the local gas station in White Deer a week before he’d left for Italy. His sister Mia had taken riding lessons at the ranch. Thank God they’d found them.

“Your parents fly into Bologna airport tonight,” Calhoun said. “We’ll be there to meet them.”

“But we don’t have much money—” Chet began.

“You don’t worry about that,” Calhoun said. “It’s taken care of, kid.”

Chace stepped beside Trin, holding Calhoun’s eyes. “I can chip in.”

Calhoun looked irritated. “I said it’s taken care of, rich boy.”

Okay then. Apparently glowering at people and wearing black leather kept Calhoun in enough money that he could help out the kids.

Trin went rigid. Calhoun raised his head and looked over his shoulder, plucking out that long blade.

And Marcello appeared, shirtless, wearing stained jeans. His hair was full of twigs, as if he’d run through the brush. He held his gun sideways at his waist, pointed at the kids.

Sabin shoved Chet and Mia behind him, protecting them with his slender body.

“I just want Sabin,” Marcello said, locking eyes with Trin. “You can’t want him. He’s a thief and a lying little bitch. And it is unlikely you have the strength to become the monster again, yes? Not so soon after the healing and the bonding.”

“Marcello’s mine,” Calhoun said calmly.

Marcello raised his shaking gun hand, gesturing impatiently with it. “Sabin!”

Sabin shook his head. “He’s serious. You have to let me go. It’ll be all right.”

“It won’t be all right,” Chace growled.

“You won’t take him,” Trin said. He walked towards Marcello, ignoring the gun. “You won’t hit him. You won’t rape him.”

“I never raped him.” Marcello’s eyes narrowed. “Tell him, Sabin.”

Sabin’s face dropped. “We have a bargain.”

“You will not hurt my son.” Trin’s voice was quiet but it snapped like a broken twig in the sudden silence.

“You have no say. You are not so special now, just a shifter like the rest of us.” Marcello pointed the gun at Trin. God, oh God.

“Marcello, don’t!” Sabin yelled.

Chace reached for Trin

Marcello fired.

“Nooo!” Trin blew past Chace, body blurring like black ink shooting through the air. In the blast from his wake, Chace tumbled, the ground hitting him like a slap.

“Fuck you,” Marcello choked.

Chace lifted his head, gasping for breath.

Trin was standing in front of Marcello, claws buried in his chest. Marcello collapsed, dead eyes fixed on Sabin. Trin’s hand fell, claws dripping.

“I said he was mine!” Calhoun sounded annoyed.

Chet had his sister crushed against his chest, blocking her from seeing Marcello’s body, but he looked at it, long and hard.

“I’m not…” Sabin cleared his throat, not looking at Marcello, not looking at Trin or Calhoun. “I’m not your son, Trin.”

“Bullshit,” Trin said.

Sabin glared at him. “Sage is dead,” he said, his voice very certain.

Trin stood there, arms spattered with Marcello’s blood, staring at his son. And Sabin
was
his. Trin’s body language telegraphed
mine.

Chace climbed to his feet, went to his mate. Trin stiffened.

“Before you start with the ‘I’m a monster and you can’t want me’ crap, I’m just going to say I’m glad Marcello’s dead,” Chace said. “You’ve shot grizzly and cougar on the ranch when you had to. You didn’t like it, but sometimes it has to be done with critters.”

“Critters.” A grim smile touched Trin’s lips. “Yeah.”

“Why do you think you’re not Sage?” Chace asked, keeping his tone reasonable. He figured there was enough drama.

“I…” Sabin’s face tightened. He pulled a dirty leather amulet out from under his T-shirt.

Trin’s nostrils flared. “That was Sage’s. He made it.”

“Yes.” Sabin’s voice was almost inaudible. “He gave it to me on the ship that took us here. He couldn’t take it but I want you to know that…it was maybe a good thing. What happened after was hard. This way, he’ll always be your little boy, your robin.” He started to pull it off.

Trin’s eyes narrowed. “Keep it. It’s yours, Sage.”

“I told you—”

“I know what you said.” Trin folded his arms. “I killed for you. That’s your answer. Think about it.”

Sabin shook his head. “Marcello was right about me. I lie, I steal…I do other shit you don’t want to know.”

Trin was shaking, as if he wanted to go to Sabin, but his voice was cool and indifferent when he said, “You look like you could use a friend.”

Sabin looked wary. “I guess.”

Trin smiled. “Count on it.”

Calhoun tugged out his BlackBerry. “I’ll call Marcello’s pack. They can take care of the body.” His gaze met Trin’s and understanding passed between them. “Take everyone to the car. I’ll catch up.”

Trin nodded and herded the kids in front of them. Chace and Trin brought up the rear. Chace felt like he’d lived a thousand years in this little meadow. As they passed the ruined stone farm house with vines climbing it as if to strangle its bones, he was relieved. He needed food. He needed to sleep in Trin’s arms forever.

He glanced back over his shoulder once to see Calhoun searching Marcello’s clothes. The big man stood up, looked down at the alpha shifter. He gave the body a vicious kick to the ribs.

They had more of a brunch by the time they returned to Ravenna. Trin called it ‘lunchello’, which made the kids laugh. Except for Sabin, who was withdrawn, not meeting anyone’s gaze.

Sitting back as if relaxed, Trin carefully didn’t look at Sabin, but reached for Chace’s hand under the checked tablecloth. Trin and Calhoun put away a huge meal and left room for
dolce
, eating vanilla cake with lemon sauce drizzled on it. It was surreal to be back in town, feeling like a tourist again. But when Chace looked at the mark he’d left on Trin’s neck, he knew everything had changed. Trin was his mate.