Chapter 1
The late afternoon sun blinded him as he woke on the soft ground and opened his eyes.What the fuck... Jackson groaned, as he remembered what happened to him. He closed his eyes and wondered if he was as stupid as his father always claimed. It would appear so, since he’d been robbed of everything, including his clothes; all because he'd stopped to help two dudes at the side of the road. “Engine trouble,” the tall man drawled. “Can't find the problem,” said his blond-haired buddy. And so, Jackson once again paid a price for always wanting to believe the best in people.
Attempting to get to his feet, he became aware of the pounding in his head. "I wonder what they hit me with," he mused. Luckily his aching head appeared to be the only lasting damage he’d suffered—except for his lack of clothes, money or car. Jackson looked down and shook his head.Ouch! I better not do that anymore."I need to stop believing in people," he mumbled. Wasn't that what his father always said? No, that wasn't right—his father never spoke, he just yelled. Jackson ignored him during his teen years because trying to live up to his father's expectations was impossible. At eighteen, he left for college and finally escaped the daily fault-finding.
Standing in the lush orange grove, he could smell the sweetness of the ripening fruit, reminding him of his mother’s scent. Jackson's stomach grumbled, but first, he needed to solve his immediate problem of no clothes. He looked around, hoping at least to see his pants, but no luck; all he found was a small, torn, pair of pants that some migrant worker left behind, half-buried in the ground.
Well, it would have to do—he could hold it in front of him in an effort to get a ride from a passing farmer.Walking through the grove and looking for the dirt road he’d been driving on when he’d stopped to help the two thieves, he started to worry about his brothers. He had to get home soon. After a short walk, he stood to one side of the road, bunching the ragged pants in front of his cock and threw his thumb out, hoping he wouldn't be waiting long.
~/~/~/~/~
Steel had been driving for several days now, coming to the end of a long trip, and couldn’t get back home fast enough. He looked at the sun hanging low in the cloudless blue sky; it reminded him of his bedroom. He missed the solitude of his place in the country with no one near him for miles, where he was free to be himself. It had been too long since he’d shifted and run through his mountains and his whole body was antsy. Shifting would help settle his body down, but Steel had a strange feeling his wolf needed more than just a run; he just didn’t know what.
During the drive, he thought about his life and the compelling need to find his mate. He’d searched for a long time and was disheartened about his failure to accomplish the goal that had eluded him for so long. Steel hoped the man he’d met in the city would have been the one, but during lunch all he could think of was how to escape. Oh, the man was hot enough but Steel's blood didn’t boil in want and need.
After saying goodbye, he hit the road immediately even though he planned to stay a week to do some sightseeing. He just couldn’t bring himself to do it alone because it would just reinforce his sense of failure.
Turning onto the short-cut dirt road through the groves so he’d get home by sundown, he once again found himself frowning. Trying to rid himself of his gloomythoughts, he turned on the radio and, tapping his fingers to Boxcar Willie’s version of “You Are My Sunshine,” decided to be positive as he wondered where else he should look for his mate.
Steel glanced down at his phone to check for messages and as he looked up, he suddenly slammed on the brakes. There, in front of him, was his fantasy—a man with dark, curly hair and piercing blue eyes set in a beautiful face with a chiseled chin and full cock-sucking red lips. Steel's cock hardened instantly.Holy fuck! Pierced nipples!And the man is naked, with miles of muscles, just ready for me to bend him over my truck and take him.
~/~/~/~/~
As the dusty black truck approached, Jackson held his breath hoping it would stop for him. He couldn’t see who was driving, but—hallelujah—it stopped. Jackson stood still, waiting for the driver to speak. The late afternoon sun was in his eyes and he wasn’t going to say anything until he knew who his guardian angel might be.
Hopefully, it was someone who wouldn’t object to having a bare-assed dude sitting on his seats. Jackson decided right then if that was a problem, he’d beg to ride in the back of the truck—not the most comfortable choice in his condition but far better than staying out here.
“Shit, I’m so fucking late. I just hope my pack doesn’t do anything stupid,” Jackson mumbled while waiting to see if he was getting a lift. He drew his dark eyebrows together when there was no sign of life in the truck. Maybe whoever was in it was waiting for him to approach. He didn’t want to do that until he had more information.Yup, I need to be careful and wait for a sign the driver stopped to help me.
As the seconds dragged on, Jackson considered his options. With no car, money, or clothes, it limited whathe could do if this person meant him harm, so running away and hiding in the grove until they left seemed like his best bet. He knew if he shifted, he would outrun a human but what if they had a dog who could track him?That wouldn’t be good, but it really didn’t matter since he couldn’t shift in front of humans anyway.Gods, I hate feeling so vulnerable. If only home were closer, I could get there on my own four legs.But he couldn’t risk it because the Silver Point Pack hunters were in the area.
Jackson tilted his head, trying to listen but heard nothing. He exhaled the breath he was holding when he didn’t hear a barking dog. Although, the dog could be trained to be quiet. Oh, double shit—great, that thought isn’t helping.
Jackson hesitated, thinking about what to do because his gut was filled with turmoil and that was never a good sign. His wolf was dancing around as if he were just served the biggest, rawest steak ever. Nope, Jackson didn’t understand his wolf today—and just when he needed him the most. “A lot of help you are,” he admonished his wolf. Just as he began to turn so he could get a head start if he needed to flee, a window rolled down and a deep seductive voice asked, “Do you need a ride?” Jackson froze. That voice…
~/~/~/~/~
Steel stared at his fantasy and couldn’t believe his luck. What a tasty morsel to make up for his shitty trip. He knew he had to fuck this man—right now if he could arrange it—because his cock was harder than it had been in a long time and he could feel his blood heating up.Huh, that didn’t make sense. But he decided to ignore it for now since all the blood had left his brain, heading to the part of him that was demanding attention. Steel licked his lips and closed his eyes.
Every dream he’d ever had was right before him. He wanted to kiss this man; no, he needed to devour him. Yes, that’s what his body was telling him while his mind envisioned softly touching those moist red lips, gently seeking access to his sweet mouth and then, the lips would part—just a bit—allowing Steel’s eager tongue to enter to get his first taste of him. Oh yes, the taste would be so sweet—he just knew it.Fuck!
As the kiss grew in fierceness, he would grind his iron-stiff cock against his man’s groin, feeling the hardness of his man and knowing he wanted it as much as Steel. Then he could feel the man licking his jaw and biting his neck while twisting his nipples. Holy Fates, he was being driven insane with the need and lust boiling through his body. Hell, yes! He knew what was coming next.
His man would lower himself to his knees and look up at Steel, eyes filled with lust, seeking permission to swallow the cock in front of him. Fuck! Steel could see those ruby-red, plump, luscious lips around his cock while he stared down at those darkening, passion-filled blue eyes. Oh Fuck! That’s right baby, suck me deep, take all of me!Steel could feel that hot, wet mouth, running up and down his large manhood—sucking, licking, and nipping until he was on the edge of coming.
As the tingling at the base of his spine began, Steel’s balls would tighten; he would pull out of that gifted mouth, grab his sexy man, spin him around, bend him over the tailgate of his truck, spit on his cock, part his cheeks and push in with a mighty roar.Holy crap!Steel nearly came instantly—feeling the tightness, the softness, the heat in his mind—making it nearly impossible to stop his cock from shooting his seed.
Steel’s eyes flew open—he had to stop or he’d come in his jeans and that’s not how he wanted to meet his dreamman. He pinched the tip of his cock to kill his hard-on, while taking deep breaths.
As he was trying to calm down, Steel suddenly realized the time he’d spent imagining having sex caused concern and worry to furrow his man’s brow. A slight shift in his man’s posture signaled he was planning to run. No, no, no… do something now his wolf demanded. For a moment, Steel was distracted by his wolf’s reaction but quickly began to roll down his window.
~/~/~/~/~
As the window rolled down, Jackson’s cock grew long and hard and he knew in that instant, he’d met his mate. The addictive scent hitting his nostrils brought back all the happy memories of his childhood before everything had gone to hell. He closed his eyes and remembered his siblings and the love they shared. Just as quickly, though, the precious memories faded and his urge to run increased.Run Now! My life is way too fucked up to have a mate.Nonononoooo! This can’t be happening to me right now.As much as Jackson was dismayed, his wolf was beside himself with joy and that wasn’t helping.
Oh Shit… This man was a wolf—a very large one. But Jackson didn’t recognize his scent. Wait, maybe this dude won’t realize I’m a wolf—or his mate.His chest tattoo, given by a witch, masked his scent from other shifters. His brothers wore them too. Jackson’s pack had been able to hide in plain sight for several years now. Mates knew each other by their scent and with no scent, no mating pull.I should be safe.
When the man spoke, a whole-body shiver consumed Jackson and his cock grew harder still. That voice—deep, smooth as a Macallan-40-year-old scotch—spoke to his wolf, causing him to roll over in submission.What? His wolf was submitting? Huh? What was that about?Butbefore he could figure out why, there was a bigger problem.Oh crap, how am I going to conceal my erection; that voice alone would cause my cock to stay hard. My wolf isn’t going to like this, at all.
