Just a Taste of Me [Wolf Creek Pack 2] (7 page)

“Reece, you know I would never make a move on Keeley, right?” Devlin asked cautiously.

“Hell, yes I know that,” Reece replied, hitting the steering wheel with his hand. “It just doesn’t matter. No one should see him like that except me. On the other hand, I don’t want him walking around in anything except my shirt. How fucked up is that?”

“Do you want me to move out?” Devlin asked quietly.

“No, it’s your house too. I’m just trying to figure out why I’m so messed up over all of this,” Reece answered.

“Dude, you’re not messed up. You’re falling for your mate. And while it may all seem confusing now, once it does happen, you’ll wonder why you ever fought it. Save yourself some time and just give in now.”

“Is it really that simple?” Reece questioned skeptically.

“Sure it is. You obviously like him and you don’t seem to have a problem with him sexually. What’s there to fight against? The fact that he’s a man? I think it’s a little too late to be fighting that. You’ve already claimed him. Why not just accept the fact that you’re mated to the man and enjoy him?”

“You make it all sound so easy, Dev, but how can it be? What happens when the pack finds out that I’m mated to a man? You know it’s not going to go over easy. Then there’s the whole human thing.”

“Do you plan on keeping him?” Devlin inquired.

“Of course I do. What makes you even ask that? Keeley’s my mate!” Reece said sharply.

“Then why does any of the rest of it even matter? If you plan on keeping him, then that’s the end of it, don’t you think? You and the pack are just going to have to accept it,” Devlin reasoned.

Reece was silent for a moment, then slowly started chuckling. “I guess that pretty much says it all, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, it does, but don’t worry, Reece, there’ll be some grumbling in the beginning, but eventually the rest of the pack will accept Keeley. I imagine that pretty soon, him being human won’t even be an issue.”

“I hope so,” Reece replied quietly.

“Well, look at this way, either they accept him or he hits them over the head with a cookie sheet.”

Chapter 5

Reece could see Keeley standing in the doorway when he and Devlin pulled up in front of the house a couple of hours later. Reece thought he looked a bit anxious.

Keeley hopped from foot to foot while he waited for Reece to carry his bags in, giving him a quick kiss before grabbing them and heading back inside. “Give me twenty minutes and I’ll be back down for lunch. You can start pulling the stuff out. It’s all in the fridge in containers.”

Keeley hurried up the stairs, stopping at the top to look back down at Reece’s amused face. “And don’t forget to set the table.”

“Hey wait, don’t you want your cookie sheets, Keeley?” Reece called up to him.

“Put them in the kitchen. I need to go get into some of my own clothes,” Keeley yelled back as he hurried to the bedroom.

Reece was a little disappointed that Keeley seemed so determined to put his own clothes on. It made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside knowing that something of his was covering Keeley. Maybe Keeley didn’t feel the same way.

Guess he’d have to talk to him about that. Talking seemed easier than ignoring the problem and hoping for the best, as long as he remembered not to yell. Keeley didn’t react well to him yelling, which might be a problem. Reece tended to yell a lot.

Reece shrugged his shoulders and went back out to the car for the rest of the stuff he had purchased in town, which were as many cookie sheets as he could find, a large bottle of lube, and a bouquet of red roses with baby’s breath and a nice crystal vase. The lady at the flower shop said that Keeley was sure to like them. Reece certainly hoped so.

Setting the cookie sheets down on the counter, Reece filled the vase with water and put the roses in it, setting it in the middle of the table. He grabbed the small note card that came with the flowers and pulled it out of its small envelope to read.

You’re adorable…Quilliam

It had seemed like the thing to do at the time, but now he felt stupid. Maybe he should just give him the flowers and not the note? It felt like an emotional, mushy thing to do now that he stood in the kitchen. Maybe he shouldn’t even give him the flowers?

“Don’t even think about it, Reece.”

Reece jumped and spun around to see Devlin standing in the doorway. “About what?”

“You can’t fool me, Quilliam Reece. You’re thinking about not giving Keeley the flowers or the note. Don’t. Take a chance here, Reece. Give him the flowers
and
the note. See what he says. I think you might be surprised.”

Reece felt his face heat up as he put the note back in the small envelope, placing it in the middle of the flowers. “You’d better be right about this. If he makes fun of me, you’re a dead man.”

“Even if he doesn’t like the flowers, Keeley doesn’t seem like the type of person to make fun of you,” Devlin said as he walked farther into the room. “Where is he anyway?”

“He grabbed his bags and ran upstairs to change. Seems he felt the need to change,” Reece replied dryly, his eyes straying to the kitchen doorway.

“Don’t see too much into that, Reece. It may not have anything to do with wearing your stuff. He’s in a new place and he barely knows anyone. He might just be looking for the comfort that his own stuff brings him.”

Reece thought about it for a moment then nodded his head. Devlin was probably right. Keeley was in unfamiliar surroundings. If wearing his own clothing made him feel better, Reece needed to see that for what it was and not that Keeley didn’t want to wear his shirt.

“Come on, Keeley told us to set the table and get the food out for lunch. He said everything was in containers in the refrigerator. We’d better have this on the table before he gets back down here or he’s going to be using one of those new cookie sheets on us again.”

Devlin looked over at the stack of cookie sheets, shaking his head. “Did you have to get him so many? Seriously, dude, it’s like weapons of mass destruction here,” he snorted as he counted the cookie sheets.

He looked over at Reece in amazement. “Thirteen? You got him thirteen cookie sheets? Are you out of your mind?”

Reece shrugged his shoulders at Devlin’s astonished look. “He said he’d forgive me if I got him more than one cookie sheet. I wasn’t taking any chances. I bought every damn one of them I could find. If there had been more, I would have bought them, too.”

“Dude, you’re crazy. That man is a menace with a cookie sheet. I’d hate to see what he would do with something really lethal,” Devlin reached for a stack of plates. “Just keep him away from the kitchen knives.”

“Do you really think he’s any less dangerous with a cookie sheet than he would be with a kitchen knife? I think we’d be better off just not making him angry.”

Reece suddenly stopped moving and cackled, making Devlin look over at him in confusion. “What?”

“Look at us? I’m the alpha of my own pack. You’re the beta. We’re sitting here talking about not pissing off a five-foot-seven, one hundred and forty-five pound human. We are so fucking pathetic.”

“Does that mean you’re not worried about pissing him off?”

“Do I look stupid?” Reece laughed.

“No, but—sweet hell!” Devlin exclaimed, looking past Reece.

Reece quickly turned around to see what Devlin was looking at. “Fuck me!” he whispered when he got sight of the man standing in the doorway. Keeley was every wet dream he had ever had all rolled into one sexy little package.

Keeley had changed into a pair of tight jeans that rode low on his hips. He was still wearing Reece’s shirt, but tied it in a knot that came down to just above his belly button, which was sporting a gold ring.

Keeley looked totally drool-worthy, but it was the fire-engine red nail polish on his fingers and bare toenails that really held Reece’s attention. The black eye liner and the just-got-of-bed mussed, honey-blond hair only highlighted his delicate features.

“Keeley,” Reece hissed softly, trying to catch the breath that had suddenly left his lungs. His cock was throbbing in his jeans so hard he could almost hear it. Every thought going through his mind centered around throwing Keeley down on the floor and fucking him until neither of them could walk.

“Ooh, roses,” Keeley said. “For me?” he asked, looking over at Reece with barely contained excitement.

Reece just nodded his head, too speechless to say anything. He tried to keep his tongue from hanging out as he watched Keeley bounce over to the table and lean in to sniff one of the rose buds.

Oh damn! He was bending so far over the table that his ass was sticking out right there, right in front of Reece. He started to reach out to caress that tight ass in front of him when he noticed Keeley reaching for the card stuck in the flowers. He held his breath as he waited for Keeley’s reaction.

Reece’s eyes widened in shock when Keeley squealed and he suddenly found himself with an armful of a hugging and kissing Keeley. Reece wrapped his arms around him, smiling over at Devlin. “Guess he liked the flowers.”

Devlin smirked, nodding his head as he sat down to the table. “Can we eat now?”

Reece looked down at Keeley, smiling at him. “Hungry, baby?”

“Oh, I’m starving. I haven’t eaten since yesterday afternoon,” Keeley replied.

“Well then, let’s sit down and eat,” Reece said as he grabbed a chair and held it out for Keeley. Once he had sat down, Reece grabbed another chair and pulled it over next to Keeley’s and sat down.

It didn’t take long for all three men to dig in and begin eating. There was silence for a little while, everyone enjoying the food that Keeley had prepared. Finally, Devlin patted his full stomach and he looked over at Keeley with interest.

“So, Keeley, what’s with the nail polish?”

“You don’t like it?” Keeley asked, holding up his hand out at arm’s length and tilting it back and forth in the light. “I have other colors—dark red, pink, even purple.”

“No, no, it’s nice. Very becoming,” Devlin replied.

“Thank you. I like it.” Keeley grinned, then looked over at Reece. “What do you think? Do you like it?”

Reece wasn’t sure how to answer Keeley. Strangely enough, he did like the nail polish. It just seemed to suit Keeley’s personality. What he was having a hard time with was the fact that Keeley, a man, wore it—and that it turned him on.

“Keeley.” Reece began, trying to find the words to tell Keeley he liked it, but he wasn’t sure he was supposed to. Men just weren’t supposed to be into stuff like that.

“You don’t like it?” Keeley asked quietly, lowering his hand back to his lap as he looked down at his empty plate.

“Reece, tell him the truth,” Devlin suggested as he stood to his feet and walked out of the room, leaving the two of them alone together.

Reece looked over at Keeley’s bowed head, feeling like all kinds of a fool. Keeley had been so excited when he had come into the kitchen and Reece’s lack of comment had sucked all of that wonderful enthusiasm right out of him. Reece was an idiot.

Deciding that he would rather have Keeley happy than sad, no matter what the cost, Reece reached over and picked Keeley up, settling him down in his lap. He reached over with his hand and lifted Keeley’s chin, forcing him to look at him.

“I do like the nail polish, maybe too much. All I’ve been able to think about since you walked into the room is throwing you down on the nearest flat surface and fucking you until neither of us could walk.”

“Why too much? If you like it, what’s the problem?”

“Oh, baby, it’s not so much that.” Reece shook his head. “You have to remember that I’m new to this type of thing. And I guess, being who I am, I’ve always thought that there was a way for men to act and a way for women to act. You don’t fit into that mold.”

“And that’s a bad thing? Do you want me to act more like you? I can, if that’s what you want. I don’t have to wear the nail polish and the eye liner and stuff. I can just—” Keeley said quickly.

“No, baby, no. I like the way you look.” Reece stroked his hands down Keeley’s back trying to soothe him. “I’m just not used to it. You have to remember, I’m the alpha of my pack. I hold my position by my power and my strength, by being a man. I don’t have any experience with someone like you.”

“Do you—am I—I need to think about this,” Keeley said as he pushed himself away from Reece and stood to his feet. “I’m going to go upstairs for a little while.”

“Damn it, Keeley, you’re not listening to me,” Reece yelled as he jumped to his feet. “I like the way you look. Those tighter-than-fuck jeans, the fact that you’re still wearing my shirt, the belly button ring, the nail polish, all of it. I’ve never seen anything sexier in my life. I just don’t know if I’m supposed to like it.”

Keeley’s eyebrows rose in surprise as he stared at Reece’s red face. “Why shouldn’t you like it?” he asked in bewilderment.

Reece ran his hand through his hair, his entire being filled with frustration. “Fuck, this is hard.”

“What’s so hard about it? Either you like the way I look or you don’t.”

“Oh, I like the way you look all right. That’s not my problem,” Reece said, his eyes running over Keeley’s body with great interest.

“Then what is? I don’t understand!” Keeley cried out, tears starting to form in his eyes.

“I know you don’t Keeley,” Reece said as he pulled him into his arms again. “I wish I could explain it to you, but I’m having a hard time understanding it myself. That’s what’s so hard about it. I don’t want to hurt your feelings by saying something stupid.”

Keeley raised his head to look up at Reece. “Then just tell me.”

Reece took a deep breath and let it out. “Okay, bear with me here. I love the way you look right now. I especially like that fact that you’re wearing my shirt. Knowing that something of mine is covering your body makes my cock ache.”

Keeley giggled. “I can tell,” he said as he pressed his abdomen against the hard ridge in Reece’s pants.

“I’ve just always been led to believe that only women dress like you do.”

“Do you think I’m less of a man because I’m dressed this way?” Keeley asked hesitantly.