Rick's Reluctant Mate (4 page)

"But we're destined mates," Ricky
said, unable to hide his distress. It seemed ridiculous that he could have felt
so happy less than sixty seconds ago. "We can spend our whole lives
together."

Jordan shook his head. "I'm not—"
He cut off his words to swallow hard. "I'm not the person you think I
am."

"I know you made mistakes. I understand
that you have things in your past that you're not proud of. I only care about
who you are now."

Jordan winced. "Cali doesn't know the
real me either."

Rick tried not to shrink back at the reminder
that his best friend was pretty much his only source of information when it
came to his mate, but he had to concede it was probably true that she didn't
know Jordan very well. Cali was only twenty, so whatever she knew about what
Jordan was like before she'd been born was likely colored by other people's
opinions. None of what Cali had known of Jordan before Noah had taken over the
pack had been pleasant. Rick knew that his mate was a man with a difficult
past, but as strange as it probably seemed coming from a human, he trusted that
fate wouldn't have destined them for each other if they weren't meant to be
together

"You should go home, Ricky,"
Jordan said in a gruff, final-sounding tone. "This shouldn't have
happened, and it can never happen again." For a moment Rick thought the
man was going to cross the room and take him into his embrace, but then the
spell was broken and Jordan looked away. "I really am sorry."

"Me too," Rick whispered. He
squeezed his eyes closed and wondered what the hell to do now.

 
Chapter Four

"I'm glad you decided to join us,"
Adrian Alateeka said as he led Rick into his office, "but are you sure you
don't want to finish your doctorate first? The job will still be here when
you're ready."

"I'm ready now," Rick said very
clearly, hoping to end the discussion before it began. The past two days had
been a never-ending debate on how his future should unfold. First Cali and then
Rick's dad and his dad's partner, Trent, and then the alpha of Lupinville, and
even
Cali's
mom, and a whole lot of others who'd been
concerned he was making the wrong decision, or at least making a decision
without understanding the repercussions.

There was nothing quite like being treated
as if he was a wet-behind-the-ears kid by a bunch of long-lived werewolves.

In the end, the only person Rick had really
wanted to discuss anything with was the one person who'd been unavailable to
give his opinion.

It hadn't helped at all when Aiden, Jordan's
closest friend for more than a century, had pulled Jordan aside for a quiet
discussion. Rick had no idea what they'd talked about, but ever since then
Jordan had steadfastly refused to speak to him, despite still shadowing Rick's
every move and continuing to keep him safe.

After that Rick had gotten out of Lupinville
as quickly as possible, even changing his mind about asking the alpha to make
him a werewolf. His heart hurt enough as a human. He didn't want to imagine how
much harder it would be if he could truly feel the werewolf mate bond.

The only good thing to come from his visit
to Lupinville was that Cali had been given permission by the alpha to stay in
college. She already planned to take on an increased course load now that she
didn't need to guard Rick, and would soon be joined by a couple of other werewolves
who'd recently graduated from Lupinville High.

Rick was so deep in thought he almost forgot
that he was attending what was essentially a job interview. He tried to clear
his mind as he waited for Adrian Alateeka to start talking. The man was silent
for far longer than Rick had hoped—probably filtering through the various
scents coming off Rick the same way the werewolves in Lupinville did—so it was
a little disconcerting to see the man frown.

"What about your mate?"

Rick had taken several showers since the one
and only time he'd been with Jordan so he was more than surprised by Adrian's
comment. It must have shown on his face because Adrian shook his head and
grinned.

"He's waiting out front."

Rick had no idea how to respond to that.
"He's just trying to protect me. Sorry," he offered a little
nervously.

"Don't be," an unfamiliar voice
said from the doorway. "I'd follow my mate to the ends of the Earth
too."

"Rick, this is my brother, Brody. He
likes to step into conversations without an invitation."

The new guy smiled unrepentantly, moved into
the office and took a seat on a comfortable-looking sofa. "Have you told
Rick how good his timing is?"

Adrian laughed softly. "Brody is also
the impatient brother," Adrian said with a roll of his eyes, "but he
is right about the timing. We could really use your help to trace a few leads
that have gone cold on us."

Rick nodded. This was why he was here. He
knew he could help. "Just tell me what you're looking for." He was
already reaching for his laptop.

Adrian gave him a very serious look.
"Rick, I know I'm the one who brought you into this world…well 'our' world
at least," he said indicating him and his brother, "but I want to
give you one last chance to back out. A lot of the stuff we deal with isn't
pleasant." He glanced at Brody and then back at Rick. "We can muddle
through if you want to take a few more years doing whatever it is young humans
do these days."

"We won't hold it against you if you
want to spend some time traveling and getting to know your mate," Brody
added.

Rick shook his head, trying not to think how
badly things had gone with Jordan. He didn't actually want to reveal details,
especially since he didn't really understand them himself, but it seemed only
fair that his new bosses at least understood the current situation.

"Jordan has made it very clear that he
doesn't want me as his mate." He tried to say the words without letting
the emotions leak through, but judging by the sympathetic looks he hadn't quite
succeeded. Rick had no choice but to brazen it out. It wasn't as if he could
put his life on hold while he grieved the absence of love from a man he barely
knew. "I'm ready to start work anytime you're ready to hire me."

Adrian and Brody exchanged a look, but both
men nodded.

"Then let's get started."

Three hours later Rick's head was spinning
with so many details that he was starting to feel a little dizzy, but he'd also
managed to track down a few more details that might help in one of
APS's
most urgent investigations.

Just the thought that innocent paranormals
were being abducted and sold was enough to make him feel ill. Learning that the
same people were using brainwashing techniques to turn innocent children into
cold-blooded assassins was seriously disturbing. Heck, when Adrian had warned
him that they dealt with unpleasant cases and situations, he hadn't been
exaggerating.

"You okay, Rick?" Brody asked when
Adrian left the room to order them some lunch.

"I think so," Ricky answered
honestly. "It's a lot to take in, but I feel like I can help."

Brody nodded. "You are helping, far
more than even we thought possible."

Rick tried not to blush at the compliment,
but he supposed it was probably going to be his reaction to a lot of stuff
until he grew used to working in an office filled with people with the sort of
experience he was fast learning the Alateeka siblings had.

Brody grinned but, just like Adrian had done
at the beginning of his interview, the man suddenly turned serious.
"Anytime you need a break from
any
of this, just let one of us
know
. The job comes with
plenty of vacation and personal leave allowances as well as twenty-four-seven
security in a home in a secure location, so money shouldn't be an issue if you
need some time off to process the emotions."

Rick knew his eyes widened at the understanding
he heard in Brody's tone as well as the generosity of the contract APS was
offering. It was the type of employment many of his fellow college students had
aspired to, yet even with his computer skills, Rick hadn't really believed such
working conditions
existed,
or that he'd be offered
them, especially after dropping out of college.

"Thanks," he said quietly.
"I'll try to live up to your faith in me."

Brody tilted his head toward the pile of
notes they'd made as Rick had uncovered a whole lot of things criminals thought
were safely encrypted when sent via the Internet. "You already have, Rick.
Welcome to APS."

Chapter Five

Jordan stayed in the underbrush and watched
as his mate made a life without him. It was very clear this was where Ricky belonged.
Alateeka Protection Services might have been a successful planet-wide security
company, but what the Alateeka siblings did was a whole lot different. They
needed someone with Ricky's skills, and Jordan was very happy that his mate had
found a home and a future here. He was a valued employee and APS had even
provided around-the-clock protection and a secure home for Ricky to live in.

Of course, that left Jordan with nothing to
do. Even if there was a dangerous situation, chances were he'd be stopped by
Ricky's security team long before he could protect his mate.

"They know who you are," a woman
said, suddenly standing right beside him. The fur on his back and neck stood on
end as Jordan reacted to the idea that someone—a human someone by the smell of
her—had managed to sneak up to him without him noticing. Fuck. It was lucky
Ricky had a security team because Jordan was obviously more than useless in his
current state. "Rick gave the guards instructions to let you in if you
ever decided to man up and
claim
your mate."

Jordan wanted to explain why that was a bad
idea, but it required turning into his human form and there was no way he was
going to do that when he had no idea if this woman was a threat. She might seem
human, but so did Adrian Alateeka. The woman's confidence and complete lack of
fear suggested she was way more than what she seemed.

Hell, ever since he'd learned vampires were
real, Jordan had been wondering what else was out there that Lupinville's
isolation had kept hidden from them. It was almost laughable that for centuries
they'd simply assumed they were the only paranormal species on the planet.

"Hmmm," the woman said suddenly,
her relaxed demeanor immediately replaced with an alertness that defied
description. "Some…one is approaching from the south."

Jordan tilted his head, hoping that the
woman understood he wanted details.

She nodded. "Ricky is in the bedroom in
the middle of the house. It doubles as a panic room. Perhaps you would like to
go inside, hit the panic button next to Rick's bed, and then stay with him
while we figure out who is paying him a late night visit."

Jordan nodded, and then bolted from his
hiding space. Thankfully the guard must have gotten some signal from the woman
because he'd already keyed in the code and was waving Jordan into the house
when he got there. It only took a moment to figure out where his mate was, and
within a few seconds Jordan had the door closed and the panic room locks
engaged.

"Jordan?" Ricky asked sleepily.

"Yeah, babe," Jordan replied.
"It's okay. Go back to sleep."

Ricky gave him a sound that made it very
clear how much he disliked the idea. "What's happening?"

"It's probably nothing," Jordan
said in a rough voice, trying to sound calm and not completely freaked out. He
didn't like not knowing what was going on outside, but he wasn't going to leave
his mate in here unguarded.

Instead of pumping him for information he
didn't have, Ricky simply turned to a panel of screens on the far wall of the
bedroom and started typing on a couple of keyboards. Picture after picture
flashed across the screens until Ricky found the camera feed he'd been looking
for.

"What the hell is that?" Ricky
asked as they both stared at the creature on the screen. It looked like
something out of a horror movie—dark gray and seemingly cut from stone, but it
somehow moved with the energy and agility of a silvery gibbon.

Yeah, so much for werewolves being the only
paranormal species.

Jordan was still reeling from the shock of
seeing such an unexpected creature when the woman who'd been talking to him
only a few moments ago stepped into the picture. Ricky hit a few buttons and
suddenly there was sound with the video feed. Unfortunately the noise was
rather unnerving.

Ricky frowned as he watched the woman shush
the creature and then talk quietly to it before turning to look directly at the
camera. "We've got this, Rick," the woman said with a casual smile.
"Sorry to wake you."

Ricky held down a button on the keyboard and
said, "Thanks, Lilly, but I'd rather know what's going on."

"Of course you would," she said
with a soft laugh, "but it can wait till morning."

Surprisingly Ricky laughed with the woman
rather than getting upset the way Jordan was. "Now would be better,
Lil
," Ricky said with a worried glance in Jordan's
direction. "Is it about the trafficking ring?"

Lilly shook her head. "No, Rick.
Just an unexpected visitor.
You can go back to sleep."

"Not going to happen,
Lil
," he said with a soft laugh and a stubborn tilt to
his jaw. "I'm no longer tired."

Apparently Lilly was someone Ricky knew
pretty well. Considering that he'd only been working for APS for the past three
weeks, and Jordan had been close-by the whole time, it was a little surprising.
Jordan didn't even want to acknowledge the jealously he was feeling. He had no
right to feel anything against the people Ricky dealt with. Jordan wasn't a
worthy mate, and Rick deserved to be happy—no matter whom he chose to be happy
with.

"Fine, just give us a few minutes to
clean up the mess."

Jordan frowned at that. "Mess"
suggested a fight, injuries, and maybe even deaths. What the hell had come
looking for Ricky?

~*~

Rick really wanted to spend time with
Jordan—he'd been of the mistaken belief that his mate had returned to
Lupinville—but he also wanted to know what the hell was going on. He knew
Jordan well enough to know for certain that he wouldn't be sidetracked by
anything as fun as sex until he was absolutely certain Rick was safe.

"Trafficking
ring?"
Jordan asked.

"One of the cases we're
investigating," Rick said, wondering how much he was allowed to tell his
mate.

"Who are they abducting?" Jordan
looked freaked out enough to grab him and take him back to Lupinville as fast
as he could.

"We think they're limiting themselves
to young paranormals, but we're not sure how deeply it goes. There are a lot of
missing persons cases on
APS's
files, so it's going
to take a while to figure out which ones are related." He glanced at his
mate, tried not to drool over the hard abs, tight thighs, and seriously hot
pecs
, and decided he'd better cover the guy up before he
did something embarrassing. Hell, his mouth watered just at the idea of sucking
on Jordan's cock again.

Moving over to his closet, Rick grabbed
shorts and a T-shirt and threw them to his mate. Jordan seemed confused at first
as if he hadn't realized he was naked.

"How long have you been in wolf
form?"

Jordan didn't answer, but it was very clear
in his body language that he knew Rick wouldn't like the truth. Rather than
start a fight, Rick chose for the moment to ignore his valid concerns and try
to find something else to talk about.

"I thought you'd gone home weeks
ago."

Jordan curled his lips into the parody of a
smile and shook his head. "I just…wanted to make certain you were
protected."

Rick glanced at the monitors where he could
see Lilly and one of her siblings—Troy, if Rick hadn't mixed up the brothers
when he'd been introduced—continued to discuss something in a tone low enough
not to register on the microphone attached to the camera. Rick made a mental
note to upgrade the damn thing, and then almost leapt away from the screen when
Lilly turned to look straight at him, an eyebrow raised as if she'd heard his
secret plan.

Rick managed to gasp and laugh at the same
time. It was true the woman was kind of spooky sometimes, but it was more
likely she already knew him well enough to know he'd be watching the monitors
until she dropped by to let him know what had happened.

"They smell human," Jordan said,
stepping up beside him at the monitors, "but I don't think they are."

Rick nodded in agreement. Adrian's mate was
a Lupinville werewolf, and Adrian had already explained that he himself was a
werewolf "of sorts." Rick had no idea what "of sorts" meant
in that admission, but he'd assumed the same qualifier went for the man's
siblings.

Unable to control his need to look at his
mate, Rick tried to be casual as he turned toward Jordan. He wore the clothes
Rick had given him, but it did nothing to wipe out the image of his mate's
delicious, naked body from Rick's mind. When he'd woken to find Jordan in his
room he'd be certain he was dreaming.

"I've missed you," Rick said,
needing the man to know even if he didn't really want to hear it.

Jordan nodded slowly, but didn't look at
him.

Embarrassed by the longing he felt for his
mate—fuck, how much worse would this be as a werewolf?—Rick moved to his laptop
and tried to concentrate on something other than the man taking up space in his
room.

If felt like an eternity passed by, but
Lilly finally signaled the all clear and Rick moved to disengage the locks to
the panic room. He'd been a little embarrassed when they'd first offered him
the home and full-time security as part of his employment, but he could
honestly say he'd been very happy to be safely inside while people far more
qualified dealt with whatever had come their way.

"Okay, long story short…we have a group
of…friends who need your expertise," Lilly said as she stepped into his
bedroom, "but they hadn't quite realized you don't appreciate them
dropping by unannounced in the early hours of the morning."

Troy smiled casually. "We set them
straight." He must have noticed Rick's fear that blood had been shed for
no reason because he added, "But the guy painting the summerhouse is not
going to be impressed."

"That was what you meant? You needed to
clean up spilled paint?"

Lilly laughed happily. "Not everything
is a life-or-death fight, but I'm looking forward to watching Troy explain to
an innocent human painter how white oil-based paint ended up splattered fifteen
feet in every direction."

"Do I want to know?" Rick asked as
relief and confusion warred inside him.

"Probably not necessary tonight,"
Troy said with a shrug, "but since you're up for it, what our visitors
need done won't take long." He frowned. "At least I don't think it'll
take long. He explained it to Lilly, but Terence is pretty agitated. He and his
partner are still here if you want to meet them."

Rick didn't know to be glad or irritated
when Jordan moved a little closer, putting himself between Rick and anything
that might be a danger. He wasn't really sure he wanted to meet the creature
he'd seen on the video feed, but this sort of thing was probably going to be a
part of his life now. APS helped lots of different species—or so he'd been
told—so it was something he needed to get used to.

"Sure." He glanced down at his
cotton sleep pants and mismatched singlet top. "Just give me a chance to
get dressed."

Troy grinned lasciviously, apparently happy
to stay and watch Rick get changed, but the wolf growl from Jordan's throat had
the man positively beaming.

"We'll meet you in the office in twenty
minutes," Lilly said, rolling her eyes at the same time that she dragged
her brother from the room.

Rick was already digging out jeans and a
T-shirt when he realized Jordan had politely turned his back so that Rick could
change in private. Annoyed as hell that the man who'd claimed his virginity,
and then declared he'd made a mistake, wouldn't look at him, Rick moved to
stand in front of him instead.

"Problem?"
Jordan asked, his stress-tight voice not giving him the casualness
he'd apparently been trying to exude.

"Yes, I've got a problem," Rick
said, trying not to sound like a shrew, but unable to stay calm in the face of
his mate's continued rejection. "You don't want me, but you growl the
moment someone else shows the slightest bit of interest in me!"

"He wasn't serious," Jordan said
as if that somehow made the growling a non-incident.

"I know he wasn't serious," Rick
said angrily. "He knows I miss you. He knows we're mates. And he knows you
rejected me."

"Ricky, no.
I'm not rejecting you. I care deeply for you."

"Yeah, well you've got a funny way of
showing it."

~*~

Jordan ached for the anguish his mate was
feeling.

And maybe it was that pain, or the lingering
effects of an adrenaline rush, or hell, maybe it was just plain fucking
selfishness, but when Rick stepped closer, Jordan closed his arms around him
and held his mate pressed to his heart.

He had no idea which one of them initiated
the kiss, but before he could even think about anything clearly, he had his
mate underneath him, spread out on the mattress, Ricky's legs wrapped around
his hips. They kissed frantically as they ground their hard cocks together and
tried to get even closer.