“Why do you want to go to Ranch Down?” he asked sulkily, hating himself for it but finding he could not stop.
Standing in the closet, searching through his clothes, Ledger didn’t look at Thorn as he answered, “Why wouldn’t I want to go? The guys working in the winery were telling me they go to Ranch Down when the owner, Trey, has bands playing.”
He turned holding a T-shirt with something written on it that Thorn couldn’t read with it being washed out. Ledger gave it a grin of approval before he looked at Thorn. “I love live music and, okay, country music might not be my favorite, but it’ll be good to go out and cut loose a little with everyone.”
“Cut loose?” Thorn asked slowly, unsure exactly what Ledger meant by that. Why did he want to cut loose? Couldn’t he cut loose with him? The answer added to the heaviness growing in his gut.
So far, work and having sex on every available surface had kept them occupied. This was the first time Ledger had insisted on accepting one of the many invitations he’d received from those in the winery to go to town. Up to now, he’d somehow persuaded Ledger that staying home was a better idea.
Tonight, not so much, and Thorn’s senses were telling him this was not a good idea. Why, he suspected, had a lot to do with his possessiveness and the huge possibility of Ledger bumping into some of Thorn’s conquests who frequented the bar Ledger was planning to go to. There’d been no mention of Brigg after the day they’d met, but most of his sexual partners in town were built much the same as Brigg.
“Yep.” Ledger skipped past him, running his free hand down his arm, which was still a little damp from the bath. Thorn had gotten out of the bath to follow Ledger so quickly, he hadn’t had time to dry his hair, so the towel around his waist was catching more than a few errant drips that ran down his chest.
“Cutting loose on the dance floor.” Ledger wiggled his butt at him, distracting him long enough that Ledger had time to finish dressing in the far too tight T-shirt. He tucked the front of it into low-slung jeans, leaving the silver belt buckle uncovered. It was a look that differed from the smart slacks and pressed button-down shirts that Thorn was used to. Desire, which hummed through him continuously, ramped up and the towel got a rather impressive bulge against the front.
Ledger seemed intent on ignoring it as he continued chatting. “Rowan said they have a small dance floor in front of the stage area. I feel like for them to fully accept me, I need to go out with them. It will put them more at ease when they see I can be a fun guy, not just some stuffy guy spouting off about wine.”
He came back to where Thorn remained standing and gave him a hard kiss. Before Thorn could think about deepening it, Ledger stepped back, ruffled his hair and was heading for the door.
“What… wait, don’t you want me to come?”
Ledger paused in the bedroom doorway, his brows merging as he frowned. “You said you were tired,” he pointed out, because that was exactly what Thorn had said when he’d gotten in the bath, intending to have an early night ravishing his mate. “Don’t worry, you have an early night. Rowen is driving us.”
With a quick salute, Thorn watched Ledger slip out the door, unsure what the hell to think or feel about his current situation. If he chased after his dhampir to stop him from leaving, then he’d surely piss him off. He’d felt so excited about being accepted by the people he worked with, having been concerned that thosewho worked in the vineyard and the winery believed he’d only gotten the job because they were mates. He’d worked hard to disprove that theory, and it seemed this time when they asked him out, he’d felt compelled to say yes.
Thorn wanted to feel happy for Ledger but with how his gut was churning, that wasn’t what he felt.
“What’s got you spooked?”
Calvert’s voice penetrated past the worry and Thorn glanced at his brother, who stood in the open doorway wearing sweats that said he was about to head to the home gym they had upstairs. Calvert was the one who used it most and Thorn often wondered if that was to burn off the frustrations he rarely showed.
“Ledger got another invite to go to Ranch Down with some of the staff from the winery and he’s decided to go with them.”
Calvert’s head tilted to the side as he scrutinized Thorn. “That’s a good thing, so why am I getting the feeling from you like the end of the world is coming?”
Thorn walked to the bed and plonked himself down, despite the wet towel. He raked his hands through his wet, messy hair. “’Cause…”
“You can’t see him? That he might have fun without you? There will be a few shifters there you’ve fucked before? Someone might hit on him?”
Calvert voiced every thought Thorn had, and he scowled at his brother. “Stop that!”
“I can’t help that you’ve blocked Ledger and are bombarding me with your thoughts right now.” Calvert leant against the doorjamb, crossing his arms over his impressive chest. “Don’t you think you’re being a little over dramatic? Ledger is a sensible man. And he seems real happy here with you.”
“Is he?” Thorn fired back, his own insecurities growing. “If he was, why would he want to go out without me?”
“Are you hearing yourself? The crap coming out of your mouth?” Calvert rolled his eyes heavenward. “He’s going to want to do things alone and with friends. Any relationship you’ve had before, weren’t you happy to have the freedom to do as you wanted?”
“This is different.”
“How so?” Calvert held up his hand, stopping Thorn before he could reply. “And I don’t mean the dhampir thing. The intensity doesn’t mean you have to hang off him every second. You’ve proven that over the last couple of weeks.”
“What do you mean?” Thorn demanded indignantly, his lips thinning.
“By allowing Ledger to do his job. And the time between visits to find him has grown longer. You went a whole afternoon the other day.”
Thorn stuck up his middle finger, and fake laughed. “You’re so fucking funny!”
Calvert moved away from the doorjamb grinning. “I know. Now, as I can see it’s not a genuine crisis, I’ll leave you to it.”
