Ben (2 page)

"Everything okay?" he asked, rubbing at his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm really sorry I woke you again. I'm just going to take a quick shower. Go back to sleep, Declan, I'll see you in the morning." Tommy hated the fact that because of him both his brother and his mate were woken at all hours of the night. They never bitched about it though, just came to make sure everything was okay if Ben wasn't there and sat with him until he fell back to sleep.

"You sure?" Declan, ever the protective older brother, had to double check. Tommy loved him desperately, even if he had gone a little over the top recently. He couldn't really blame the guy.

"Yeah. Go crawl back into bed and cuddle up to Liam." Liam was a great guy and Tommy honestly couldn't have wished for a better mate for his brother than the one fate had given him. The pure happiness that bloomed on his brother's face at the thought of what Tommy suggested made him hopeful that someday he would feel that same way about Ben.

"Okay, I'm here if you need me though." Declan sent him a tired smile.

"I know. Thanks." Tommy waited until Declan had once again closed the door to his room before he headed off to the bathroom. A nice hot shower sounded really good right about then.

Ten minutes later, Tommy stepped from the bathroom amidst a cloud of steam. His skin had turned a slight shade of pink due to the temperature of the water. Tommy had lightly scrubbed his body to clean away all the sweat from his dream and then stood under the pounding spray, wishing the water could wash everything else away. It never did though.

Tommy walked back into his room with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist, he had figured out a while ago that Ben would still be in his room until the bigger man had safely seen him back to sleep. He didn't think he was ready for anything to happen between them yet, but it was nice knowing such a large and dominating man found him attractive. And by the way Ben's eyes always followed him and the scent of arousal permeating the air, Tommy had no doubt that Ben wanted him.

He stood in front of the dresser and pulled out a pair of boxer briefs. There was a fine line in his teasing though that he wouldn't cross. Because Tommy wasn't ready for anything to happen, he didn't think it was fair of him to give Ben the wrong impression. With that in mind, he bent down and pulled the briefs up under the towel. Once he was satisfied he was completely tucked away, Tommy removed the towel and hung in on a hook on the back of the door.

Tommy turned around to find Ben standing on the far side of the freshly made bed staring at him. Ben's heated eyes raking over Tommy's almost naked body. Tommy fought the involuntary shiver that intense gaze caused but wasn't sure if he was entirely successful or not.

"Come on, back to bed with you, pup." Ben leaned forward and pulled down the sheets and blankets. His massive tree trunk thighs strained the soft material of his sleep pants. Tommy loved looking at Ben, all the thick rippling muscles that bunched and contracted with his movements. Tommy stepped forward, slowly nibbling on his bottom lip as he went. As much as he was trying to distract himself from his dream, the remnants were still fresh in his mind and seemed to be replaying on a constant loop.

Tommy scooted into the little alcove Ben made as he held the sheets up. Before the man could say goodnight and walk away, like he had every other time this happened, Tommy screwed up all his courage and blurted out the question he so desperately wanted to ask.

"Stay with me?"

He closed his eyes, not wanting to see the rejection in Ben's eyes. He could feel how utterly still the other man had gone. The sheets remained held above his body as if they floated there, unable to lower.

The touch of rough callused fingers on his cheek had his eyes fluttering open. Hesitantly, he looked up at the other man. "You sure?" Ben's voice came out deep and gravelly.

Tommy nodded. "I don't want to dream anymore," he said quietly, looking down once again.

Ben seemed to consider his words for the longest time before he lifted the covers a little higher and settled into the bed right next to where Tommy currently lay. Tommy closed his eyes and willed his body to go to sleep. He could tell when Ben clicked off the lamp, and gathering his courage, he scooted a little closer to the Alpha before stopping to see if Ben would say anything.

When he had been still for more than a minute with no sign from Ben he wriggled yet a little closer again. He couldn't explain it but he needed to be touching Ben.

A low growl sounded and Tommy yelped at the unexpected noise and tried to scoot back but was grabbed in a large arm and pulled up against Ben's massive chest. Ben's arm tightened around him fractionally before he gentled his touch.

"Sorry." Tommy whispered in the dark, feeling he had to apologise to the Alpha.

"Nothing to be sorry for, now settle down and get some sleep, pup. I have meetings in the morning." Crap, now he felt really bad for waking Ben at all hours of the night. "I didn't tell you that to make you feel bad. Just to let you know that we only have a limited amount of time." Ben's large hands manoeuvred his head until it was resting in the hollow created by Ben's arm that was currently wrapped around his body, drawing lazy patterns on his back.

Tommy sighed contentedly for probably the first time in his life and closed his eyes. Happy for probably the first moment in months as he breathed deeply and drew the scent of his mate into his lungs, time after time. Slowly but surely Ben's steady heartbeat and the feel of his fingers lightly brushing over Tommy's skin helped lull him to sleep. If Tommy dreamed, he didn't remember it when he woke that morning.

CHAPTER 2

Ben woke feeling refreshed and relaxed for the first time in months. His muscles didn't ache from being bunched constantly, and he felt like he had actually been able to sleep soundly, instead of his usual dozing so he could hear Tommy should he need him. He did however feel hotter this morning than usual.

Blinking his eyes open, he discovered a mop of black hair just below his chin and could feel a body pressed up tight against him. One leg was thrown over his so that a knee was resting just beneath Ben's groin. The rhythmic breathing seemed peaceful and Ben ran his fingers lightly over the back of the man currently snuggled up next to him. Breathing deeply, he inhaled the intoxicating scent of his mate. His cock hardened at the earthy aroma, but Ben ignored it; he had gotten very good at doing so over the last several months. His mate needed
him
, not some randy teenager.

His hat went off to Jake Richmond, the Beta from the Leyburn pack, who had managed to deny his instincts to mate for more than ten years. Ben had only had a few months of this torment, he wasn't sure he could handle years of it. But then again, Ben would do what was best for his mate and if Tommy wasn't ready then Ben wouldn't force him.

Ben leaned down and placed a gentle kiss to Tommy's forehead in the place that he had come to think of as his. He had yet to kiss Tommy properly, but every chance he got, he kissed his forehead as a sign of affection so Tommy would know he was wanted.

Slowly and carefully, Ben rolled Tommy over, trying desperately not to wake him. Tommy needed all the rest he could get as he was constantly woken by nightmares. Ben wasn't sure the last time Tommy had had an uninterrupted night of sleep. Tommy made cute little snuffly noises as he settled down, facing the opposite direction, and Ben gently removed his arm from beneath his mate's head.

Extricating himself from the bed, Ben stood and tucked the blankets back down around Tommy. He stood and just stared at the other man for a moment. His mate was so beautiful, young but beautiful nonetheless. When Ben had first seen Tommy, he'd felt like he'd been knocked for six. The young man had been lying unconscious on the ground, clearly having been beaten to within an inch of his life.

Ben remembered releasing a howl of pain, thinking that he was too late and his mate had been taken from him before they had even met. It wasn't until his Beta, Liam, had told him that Tommy still lived that he had been able to focus his brain on anything but his pain. The young man was so strong. To have gone through what Tommy had at such a tender age and still manage to get out of bed every morning was something Ben admired greatly.

Taking one last look at the sleeping man, Ben turned and headed out of the bedroom only to run into Liam as he stepped through the door. Ben closed the door quietly behind him, not wanting to wake the sleeping man before he acknowledged his Beta.

"Morning." Liam raised an eyebrow as he looked at Ben then to the door he had just stepped through. The knowing smirk on his face was not lost on Ben. Ben ignored the man and walked to the spare room all his belongings were in.

Grabbing his shaving kit and towel, he reversed his steps and headed for the bathroom. Twenty minutes later—showered, shaved, and wearing a suit—Ben was as ready as he would ever be for his meetings. Over the last couple of months, a large collection of his clothing had accumulated there, and right at that moment Ben was thankful for that as he didn't have the time to go home to change before his meeting was due to start. He checked his watch and cursed at the time.

Ben rummaged quickly in a draw until he came up with a spare piece of paper and wrote a note to Tommy. He hated the idea of the man waking alone the first time he had fallen asleep in Ben's arms, but Tommy needed all the rest he could get and Ben really needed to leave right then if he was going to get home in time.

He shoved his keys, wallet, and phone in his pockets before leaving his room and moving quietly back into Tommy's. The steady breathing and the gentle rise and fall of Tommy's chest let him know his mate was still fast asleep. Ben placed the note on the bedside table propped against the lamp and bent down to place a tender kiss to Tommy's head. He wanted desperately to brush away the hair that had fallen over his face but refrained in case it disturbed his mate's sleep.

Straightening, Ben took one last look and then walked out of the bedroom. Ben once again closed the door quietly and made his way through the house. Declan was waiting for him by the front door with a travel mug of coffee in one hand and a ham and cheese croissant in the other. Ben smiled and bent down to kiss the man on the cheek.

"You're a damn lifesaver." Ben took the coffee and sighed as the liquid flowed down his throat. "Nectar of the gods," he said before taking a bite of the flaky pastry. Ben knew Declan had made it himself as the man really was a genius in the kitchen. Ben moaned at the rich buttery pasty.

"It's the least I could do after you took care of Tommy last night." Declan stared off in the direction of his brother's room and Ben knew the man still worried about his younger sibling.

"He's my mate. It was my pleasure to give him anything he might need," Ben said before taking another bite. "Thanks again for this, but I really need to go." He smiled at his soon to be brother-in-law.

Declan nodded at him and returned his smile. "We'll see you tonight, I'm sure."

"I have a late meeting so I'm not certain what time I'll make it back." Ben cursed the fact that he had so many meetings lately that were taking his time away from Tommy.

"No worries, we'll keep a plate warm for you anyway." Ben said his thanks and took the couple of steps to the door then outside. He was extremely grateful that Declan was so accepting of him being there so often; lately it felt like Ben lived there, and just travelled back and forth to his own house to work every day.

He missed his house, his leather recliner, his kitchen, and most of all he missed his king size bed. Every morning Ben woke feeling like a pretzel as the bed he slept in at his Beta's place just wasn't made to fit a six foot six man. He knew he would endure a hell of a lot more for his mate though, so Ben wasn't about to complain.

Ben settled in his car and drove back to his house through the early morning traffic. There wasn't much, being that he lived in Atherton, a town with a population of less than ten thousand. When Ben had taken over the mantle of Panneath Alpha of Australia a lot of people had been surprised when he refused to move to a more centralised location. Ben loved where he lived. The tablelands surrounding his town held a great number of wolves due to the rich earth and large forested areas along with mountains and streams. It was a wolf's paradise. And he wasn't about to leave just because he'd gotten a promotion. Plus he figured anywhere he lived people were going to have to travel to see him so why not travel to such a beautiful area.

Shortly, Ben pulled up in front of his house and waited for the carport door to open. Once he'd parked his car, Ben exited and pressed the button to close the garage door before he made his way inside through the attached door. Ben flicked on lights as he went and in the kitchen he turned on the coffeemaker, knowing he was going to need more than the one cup Declan had given him this morning if he was going to make it through the large list of items he had to deal with today.

With technology being as advanced as it was, a lot of Ben's business was conducted either over the phone or via video conferencing. The important things, however, were conducted face to face, such as someone finding out about the possibility of men carrying children or when Alphas have been abusing their positions. In that case, Ben always travelled to the pack in question. He was grateful that there hadn't been any reports of that nature since Ben had killed Alpha Kegan Wallis from the Cairns pack and they had rescued Tommy. Ben wasn't sure how in the hell he would cope if he was called away from his mate at the moment.

Pouring himself another coffee, Ben made his way to his office and booted up his computer. Ben didn't have a regular job like just about everyone else; overseeing every werewolf pack in Australia took a hell of a lot of work, and as such, Ben had no time to run the investment banking company he'd started out of university. Instead, he hired managers to do it for him and held quarterly meetings to be kept in the loop on how the company fared.

He'd been lucky, his parents had set up a trust fund that Ben had received when he'd turned twenty-five. He'd invested wisely and his company was doing extremely well, meaning Ben never had to worry about money and could make the Australian packs his sole focus on a daily basis.