Man to Man [Wolf Creek Pack 3] (Siren Publishing Classic ManLove) (2 page)

Donovan turned his head slowly to see how Chase was taking that bit of news. Situations like this were somewhat of a sore subject with both of them, which is probably why their alpha sent them.

Chase was ramrod stiff, his hands clenched into fists. Donovan knew he’d have to answer for the both of them. He turned back to Maryann and smiled. “We understand, Maryann, and don’t you worry, we’ll do everything in our power to keep Nate safe.”

Maryann reached over and patted Donovan’s hand. “I know you will. I’m just so—oh, that must be my son, James, now,” she said as they all heard the front door open and close.

“Mom?”

Donovan froze as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up at the deep, raspy voice coming from the other room. His cock had gone instantly hard at the sweet sound. He was afraid it was going to break through his jeans.

Donovan wanted to know who the hell was it coming through the door, and why was he having such an intense reaction to the sound of the man’s voice? He had never experienced anything like this in his life, not from any girl he had ever dated or any girl he had ever slept with.

So, why this voice?

Donovan watched as pair of long legs encased in tight blue jeans came into his line of sight. He lifted his head slowly, almost afraid to move too fast, moving up past the thick muscular thighs. His eyes paused at the tight bulge that said the other man was having nearly the same reaction as he was before moving on up past the flat stomach and nicely chiseled chest hidden behind a tight shirt to a smooth square jaw.

But it was the man’s smoky, gray eyes that held Donovan spellbound. One look and Donovan knew he was hooked. Hell, he was obsessed. He was looking into the eyes of his future, his mate—and he was a man.

How fucked up was that?

Fate had mated him to another man. Donovan could barely wrap his mind around that. He had meant it when he said that he had no problem with Maryann’s son being mated to another man, but him? That was another story altogether. He couldn’t be gay.

He’d never even been with a man. He wouldn’t know the first thing to do with one if he did have him in bed. He had only been with women. Guess that was about to change. Now that he had found his mate, anyone else was off-limits.

Donovan just had to decide what he was going to do with his very male mate.

“Oh, James, you made it,” Maryann said as she quickly got to her feet and went over to hug her son. “Any word?”

Donovan got to his feet also, having been taught manners by his mother. At least he remembered that much of what his mother said. However, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of the man in Maryann’s arms. For some reason he couldn’t fathom, he wanted it to be his arms the man was in. His jaw almost dropped when he realized that he was jealous.

How weird was that?

“This is my son, James,” Maryann said as she introduced them. “This is Chase and Donovan Morgan from the Shasta Pack. Their alpha sent them down here to help us keep Nate safe.”

“I’m Chase.”

Donovan watched as Chase, almost in slow motion, reached out to shake James’s hand. He clenched his jaw and quickly suppressed the possessive growl building in his throat. It wouldn’t do to show his hand before he had a chance to talk to the man.

When James turned his gaze to Donovan, he felt a hundred butterflies take flight in his stomach. This was his mate. He was about to touch his mate for the very first time. He could barely keep his hand from trembling as he held it out.

“I’m Donovan. Donovan Morgan,” he said, hoping that his voice sounded steady to the others in the room. He knew from the slight widening of James’s eyes that he had heard the deep drop in his voice.

“James. James Nash, but you can call me Jim,” he said just as he took Donovan’s hand.

Donovan’s hand did start to tremble the moment Jim’s warm skin touched his. Had he felt the electrical shock that shot through their palms when their skin touched? Did he feel the bond that was instantly forming between them? Was he as confused by it as Donovan was?

“Jim,” Donovan replied, nodding his head. He held Jim’s hand a moment longer, looking deep into Jim’s smoky gray eyes before reluctantly releasing it. He didn’t want to let Jim go, but he knew he had to. He could see Chase was beginning to look at him strangely out of the corner of his eye.

“Can I use your bathroom?” Donovan asked, tearing his eyes away from Jim to look over at Maryann. He needed to escape for a few minutes to gather his composure. He felt flushed, hot. Hell, he felt achy.

“I’ll show you where it is,” Jim said quickly, stepping out of his mother’s arms to lead the way.

Donovan followed behind him, his eyes dropping to the rounded ass walking in front of him.
Damn!
If he was going to have to be mated to a man, at least it was a man with a nice ass. He had always had a thing for tight asses, and the one in front of him seemed to be very tight. Donovan couldn’t believe how much he wanted to find out if that was true. His hard cock thumped against his zipper, adding its agreement with that plan.

When Jim opened a door and walked in, Donovan was surprised until he realized that it was a study and not the bathroom. He followed him in, shutting the door behind him. He cautiously watched as Jim walked over to a small wooden cabinet and quickly poured two small drinks. He grabbed them and turned. His hand was shaking as he handed one of the glasses to Donovan before drinking his down.

Donovan wondered if Jim was feeling the same aching need that he was. It was mixed with a whole lot of confusion about the entire situation and sprinkled with fear. Donovan was so out of his depths that it didn’t even bare saying.

Setting the glass back down on the counter, Jim stared at Donovan intently for several moments before shaking his head, an amused chuckle breaking through his lips. “While I prefer men, I’m not out of the closet,” he said.

“I’m not gay,” Donovan replied, quickly drinking down the brown liquid in his glass.

Jim laughed nervously. “Well, it looks like that is about to change for both of us.”

Donovan set his glass down beside Jim’s before turning to look at him. As he looked down at the man, he realized that Jim was a few inches shorter than his six foot four. The top of his coal-black head barely came up to his nose.

“You feel it, too?” Donovan murmured.
Gods, please say you feel it, too
. Donovan didn’t want to be the only one feeling totally out of control. He needed to know his mate was just as affected by this as he was.

Jim tilted his head back to look up at Donovan. There was a hint of wonder in his eyes, almost as he couldn’t believe this was really happening. “We could pretend this never happened and just go our separate ways, find mates of our own choosing. No one has to know but us.”

“Is that what you want?” Donovan asked hesitantly. The mere thought of never seeing Jim again made Donovan’s insides rebel. They were mates, damn it. There would never be another one for either of them.

Donovan wished that he could read the emotions flashing in Jim’s eyes as the man stared up at him. He wished that he knew what Jim was thinking right then. His gray eyes were so expressive, but Donovan didn’t know how to read them. He only hoped that Jim would give him a chance to learn.

Finally, Jim shook his head. “No, I guess not,” he said quietly as he lowered his eyes and turned away. He stepped back over to the wooden cabinet and poured them both another small glass of whiskey, handing one to Donovan.

He held up his glass for a toast. “To the death of the straight man.”

Donovan chuckled, raising his glass to clink it against Jim’s before taking a sip of his drink. He watched Jim over the edge of his glass. Donovan took another sip, and then set the glass down. He leaned back against the edge of the cabinet countertop, crossing his arms over his chest.

“So, any idea on how we do this?” There was a thread of fear in Jim’s voice. At least that Donovan could read and fully understand.

“Nope.” Donovan shook his head. “Never been with a man before. You?”

Jim’s collar-length black hair bounced around his face as he shook his head. “No, I’ve never been with a man either. Like I said, I’m not out…to anyone. I don’t really have a clue as to what I am doing. This—” Jim said, shrugging his shoulders before taking another sip of his drink.

“Would your brother be offended if we asked him?” Donovan had no idea where that thought had come from, but once he put it into words, it made perfect sense to him. He was pretty sure that they could get the basics down. Sex was still sex, no matter which sex one were with. It was just the dynamics that were slightly different, right?

“Joe? He’d probably laugh his ass off. We’d be better off talking to Nate. At least he’s likely to give us the straight story without laughing himself silly.” A little frown worked its way across Jim’s forehead. “Why do you want to talk to them about it? Don’t you think we can figure this out on our own?”

“It’s not that, Jim. I just don’t want to do anything that might hurt either of us or make us uncomfortable. I don’t know anything about being with a man, and it’s not like you’re built like a woman,” Donovan replied.

If anything, Jim’s frown deepened. “Do you think that’s going to be a big problem?” Jim’s voice was thick and unsteady. It was hot as hell. “Me not looking like a woman, I mean?”

Donovan could hear the uncertainty in Jim’s voice. He took a quick step toward him and grabbed Jim’s hand, placing it over the hard bulge in his pants. His eyes nearly crossed at the exquisite feel of his mate’s hand on his cock.

Damn, that felt good.

“No, I don’t think it’s going to be a problem. I’ve been hard since I heard your voice.” Donovan growled softly. He closed his eyes and groaned when Jim squeezed his hand around his cock. Gods, he might be able to come from this alone. The very knowledge that it was his mate touching him was astounding.

“Fuck, you’re huge!” Jim whispered in awe as he tried to palm Donovan’s entire length.

Donovan trembled with need as Jim continued to touch him. “It’s all yours now, baby. You’d better get used to it,” he replied as he opened his eyes to look down at Jim again. If Jim kept squeezing him the way he was, he was going to get used to it a lot quicker than he thought.

“Are we really going to do this, Donovan?” Jim whispered. Donovan almost groaned in protest when Jim stopped squeezing him. “Seriously?”

“All I know is that I can’t stop thinking about you, what you might look like without your clothes on, spread out on my bed. I want to smell you, to taste you, to touch you. I want to know everything about you. What you like and dislike. What your interests are. What makes you feel good.”

Donovan watched as Jim’s mouth fell open in surprise, and his beautiful gray eyes took on a bright twinkle. Donovan smiled at Jim. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone in my life. And, truthfully, it scares the hell out of me. But I’d rather try being with you, a man, than be without my mate.”

“Donovan, I—I don’t know if I’m ready for this,” Jim whispered. “I’ve hidden who I was my entire life. I don’t think even my brother knows that I’m—that I prefer men.”

Donovan stared down at Jim’s distressed face for a moment before nodding his head and taking a step back from him, putting some room between him and the incredible temptation his mate presented. “I understand, Jim,” he said before turning on his heel and walking toward the door. He knew if he didn’t leave right that second, he was liable to get on his knees and beg, and he didn’t beg anyone. Ever. Even when his mate was rejecting their bond.

“Wait, Donovan, please.”

Donovan paused as he reached for the door handle. His hands went flat against the door as he leaned his head forward and rested it on the cool wood. He took several deep breaths trying to calm his nerves. His control was frayed. He was hanging on by a thread. His mate didn’t want him, and he had to accept that. He would never force Jim.

“I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I just—Can we just get to know each other a little first? I didn’t even know you thirty minutes ago, and as much as I understand that we’re mates, I need some time to get used to this whole thing. I resigned myself to having a woman for a mate, not—not you.”

Donovan turned to look back at Jim as a thought suddenly occurred to him. “Is it me or because I’m a man?”

“It’s the same thing, isn’t it?” Jim asked in confusion.

No, it wasn’t, but Donovan instantly knew that he wasn’t going to get any type of heartfelt declaration out of Jim. He felt stupid now that he had bared his feelings to Jim. Apparently, it hadn’t been a two-way street. He just wasn’t sure if this was the way Jim normally behaved or if it was because he was a man. Either way, Donovan lost.

“Fine, Jim, if that’s what you want.” Donovan clenched his hands at his sides to keep from reaching for the man. Jim didn’t want that, and apparently, having a mate meant it was all about what Jim wanted, not what Donovan needed. “I’ll be here until this thing with Nate is over,” he said as he turned back toward the door.

“And then?” Jim asked.

Donovan turned to look back at Jim. “And then I go home.”

Jim felt helpless as he watched Donovan walk out of the room. He was more confused than he could ever remember being in his life. His mate was a man. A damn sexy man, but a man nonetheless. How was he supposed to deal with that?