Seb opened his mouth and then shut it again.
“What?”
“Nothing. I just—” He rubbed a hand over his eyes before meeting Tim’s gaze again. “Shouldn’t we… I don’t know.” He waved his free hand back and forth between them. “Kiss or something?”
Tim’s eyes widened as he immediately focused on Seb’s mouth… where he was licking his lips.Fucking hell.“I—”
“I mean we don’t have to, but I just thought—”
“No, you’re right.” Tim wasn’t sure what was more mortifying—the fact that Nathan could hear every word of this, or the fact that he’d suggested the whole thing in the first place and yet it was Seb taking the lead. He straightened his shoulders and attempted to look like he knew what he was doing. “If that’s okay with you?”
Seb licked his bottom lip again. The sight made Tim’s wolf stir, restless under the surface. “Yeah. I mean, we should get some practice in, right? So it doesn’t look forced if we have to do it for real.”
Tim didn’t know whether to laugh or bang his head against the wall. Instead he put a hand on Seb’s hip and moved closer. “Exactly.” He slid his other hand around Seb’s neck, his thumb rubbing back and forth behind his ear. “We need to be able to look convincing.”
“Yeah.”
He should stop, back the hell away, and go home… but Seb’s eyes were so dark, almost black, inviting him to take what he wanted. Resting his forehead against Seb’s, he placed a soft but chaste kiss on his lips, lingering a second or two before slowly pulling back. The scent of Seb’s arousal filled the air around them, their proximity making it worse. It took all of Tim’s self-control to step back and take his hands off Seb’s body, and the flash of disappointment on Seb’s face wasn’t helping in the slightest.
Seb raised an eyebrow as if to say “that all you got?” and Tim was so tempted to lean in and show him how he really wanted to kiss him.
But he couldn’t. Their earlier conversation, still fresh in his head, wouldn’t let him.
“See you tomorrow.”
“Yep. See you.” Seb stayed pressed against the wall. The bulge in his shorts was hard to miss.
Yeah, attraction definitely wasn’t the problem. For the first time ever, Tim almost wished he wasn’t a shifter.Almost.
With a nod, Tim opened the door and left before he did something stupid. It would be bad enough facing Nathan after all that, let alone adding to it with anything else. The last thing he wanted to do was go and rehash all this with Alec, but the sooner he got it out of the way, the sooner he could go home. The next few weeks were going to be—interestingwasn’t a strong enough word. He needed to have his head together to come out the other side in one piece.
Alec answered the door before Tim even had time to knock. Not that it surprised him. Alec had an exceptional sense of smell, even by shifter standards, and probably saw him on one of the monitors in his bedroom or bathroom. Each flat had them installed.
He gave Tim a slow once-over, breathed deeply, and smirked. “I take it things went better than you were expecting?” Stepping to the side, he ushered Tim in.
“He doesn’t want to stay with Nathan.”
Alec snorted. “No, I didn’t think he would. From the smell of you, I’m assuming he was open to being your boyfriend, though?”
“Pretendboyfriend,” Tim muttered, but of course Alec heard him.
“Really?” He waved a hand that encompassed Tim from head to toe. “Because his scent is all over yo—”
“Really.” Tim sighed, tired of talking about the whole thing. “It’s complicated. But trust me when I say he’s not interested in any kind of relationship with a shifter.”
Alec led him through to his large living area and took a seat in one corner of the sofa. He studied Tim for a second. “You explained what the pair of you might need to do?” Tim nodded. “And he’s willing to do that?” Another nod. A look of understanding crossed Alec’s face. “But notactuallydo it, right?”
Tim gave up trying not to get embarrassed. His cheeks flamed red, but Alec wouldn’t stop until he knew exactly what was going on. His job was to make sure the pack was safe, that any possible threat was being dealt with, and Tim supposed that now included Seb. “I told him what might be required, and he agreed, but he doesn’t want to get involved for real—not boyfriends, and not friends with benefits. Not even sex for the sake of him smelling right. Nothing.” Tim might have said that last bit with an edge to his voice, judging by the slightly apologetic look on Alec’s face.
“I’m sorry, Tim. Maybe I shouldn’t have asked you to do this.” To his credit, Alec did look sorry. “But you were the best option, considering….”
“Considering how I feel about him already?”
Alec sighed. “Yes. You won’t need to fake anything, and Newell likes you too.” Tim had his doubts about that, but Newell had definitely warmed up to him after Tim had helped some of his pack members following the run-in with the rogue pack. “Anyway, you look knackered, so give me a quick rundown of your plans, and then you can go.”
Grateful, Tim proceeded to give Alec a quick recap of what he and Seb had decided. Alec listened without interrupting, and when Tim had told him everything, he sat forward in his seat and clasped his hands together.
“Will it be enough?” Tim asked. The thought had been plaguing Tim since he’d left Nathan’s building. “We’ll be dating, not moving in together, and I can’t keep an eye on him all the time.”
