“I wasn’t sure exactly where you wanted me to drop you off,” said Steel. “Are you sure I can’t take you home? It won’t be any trouble.”
Jackson shook his head. “No, it’s all right. I’ll be fine. Just drop me at Jimmy’s gas station; my brother can pick me up there. You can’t miss it. It has a big yellow sign on the roof.”
“Sure, no problem.” Steel didn’t want to leave Jackson at all but it was too dangerous to stay close until he had some answers. He stared at him, hoping to see something in his face that would tell him Jackson felt a mating pull. He knew he’d been aroused by him but that wasn’t enough to guarantee Jackson was his mate. However, if hewasn’this mate—and since Jackson obviously was attracted to him—maybe they could hook-up once histoirchighperiod had passed, assuming he hadn’t found his mate by then. Damn, just that thought got his bloodboiling again. He turned quickly and got back into the safety of his truck.Shit! It is going to be a long drive home with my cock weeping pre-cum down my leg.
~/~/~/~/~
Jackson lay back down and nearly cried as Steel started the truck and drove toward Jimmy’s. His mate was so sexy up close and, as shown by his willingness to help a naked-ass man without asking too many questions, was a kind and caring soul. A mate he’d be proud to have by his side—one he could love and be with the rest of his life. As he closed his eyes the picture of Steel pounding his ass caused his cock to rise again. Jackson rolled to his side away from Steel, reached into his pants and stroked his rod as his fantasy continued.
Oh yes, he could feel Steel in his ass, as his cock twitched in his hand. It was so real and Jackson was so lost in his fantasy that he nearly came. Shit! No can do, squeezing his balls to stop his orgasm.Shit! Fuck and fuck again! That was too close.He thumped his cock several times to deflate his erection while trying to clear his mind of the sensuous picture of Steel’s cock in his ass.
Jackson heard the truck change gears, and raised his head. On the left side of the highway, he saw the familiar billboard-sized sign on top of a single-story concrete building. As they drew closer, Jackson smiled. Jimmy’s looked like it was frozen in time; faded yellow paint covered a Spanish mission-style store with antiquated red gas pumps out front. “Something I would see in the 1940s,” he mused. A wooded mountain loomed behind it and nestled among the trees was a small, white, Victorian house.
Thank the gods, Jackson thought as he felt the truck slow down to make the turn. As soon as it came to a stop, he jumped out and stood on the opposite side from whereSteel was getting out. “Thank you very much for the ride.” He spoke quickly, wanting to send his mate away as fast as he could but saw Steel flare his nostrils and heard him discreetly inhale deeply, trying to get his scent. He had to get away from his mate quickly or he wouldn’t be able to keep from shifting. “I hope I didn’t delay you too much,” Jackson said, backing away from the truck.
Steel just stood there, watching him, before finally saying, “Nope, no delay at all. I still have further to go before I get home. Are you sure someone will be able to pick you up? I feel bad about leaving you here with no money or car.”
Jackson could feel the look of panic form on his face before he quickly schooled it to impassiveness. “No really, I’ll be all right. My brother will pick me up. Everything’s cool, man.”
Jackson saw Steel’s face harden and knew his panic had been noted. A mate’s instinct was to protect, but Jackson prayed his scent blocker was enough to stop the man asking any further questions. Steel hesitated, as if he were going to ask more questions but then with a nod and a heated glare, he got back in his truck and drove off.
Chapter 3
Watching Steel pull away, Jackson fought to control his urge to run after him and claim his mate.It’s for the better—this is the only way I can protect him from Silver Point.Grabbed from behind, he felt a shot of fear racing through him and his body started to shift. But as a familiar scent wafted to his nose, he pulled back his claws and the hair on his arms slowly receded. “What the fuck are you trying to do, Jimmy,” he growled, “trying to create a shit storm by having me shift?” Jackson quickly looked around and saw no one watching.
“Naw, I was just so relieved to see you. Where’ve you been?” Jimmy asked. “I’ve been fielding calls from Cody and Logan, wondering if I’d seen you. You better call ‘em because they’re planning a search party.” Then Jimmy added, “What happened to your clothes and your car? You didn’t have a run-in with Silver Point, did you?”
“I’m fine, Jimmy,” Jackson said, hugging his friend. “I’ll tell you everything but first let me call my brothers.”
“Go into my office where there’s some privacy.”
“Thanks, could I have a bottle of water? I'm thirsty as hell.”
“Go ahead and grab one—need anything else?”
“Nope, I’m fine.”
As Jackson walked back to Jimmy’s office, he imagined the ribbing Logan would give him for stopping to help someone and getting robbed. Jeez, he wouldn’t be living this down anytime soon; his brothers teased him constantly about his Good Samaritan tendencies.
Sitting at the scarred desk that looked as old as his friend, Jackson thought back to the fateful day he’d gotten the call from Jimmy about the death of his parents, youngersiblings, and everyone else in the pack. A wave of sorrow washed over him; the memory fresh even though they’d been gone for several years.Damn, I still miss them.
Jackson’s father, Striker, was the Alpha of the Fox River Pack and was his nemesis most of the time. His relationship with his father wasn’t good, but the closeness with his mother and twelve siblings made up for his father’s constant fault-finding. On that fateful day in May, the day he and his brothers were due home from college for summer vacation, disaster struck. Jackson and his brothers, Logan, Cody, Colton, Carson, Dakota and Zane, had detoured to Las Vegas to unwind from their year of college before heading home.
While they were gambling and enjoying the sights, the Silver Point Pack attacked the rest of their family on a moonless night and massacred every member of the sleeping Fox River Pack they could find. But they failed to kill the seven oldest sons of the Alpha. Enraged, the Silver Point Alpha sent a team of enforcers to wipe them out.
Jackson’s feelings of guilt rose, remembering all the fun he and his brothers enjoyed while everyone they knew and loved lay dying. Luckily, Jimmy Blackwood, a lone wolf, caught word of the massacre and called Jackson in Vegas to tell him what happened. And if that news wasn’t bad enough, he also learned Silver Point Pack was hunting him and his brothers. Jackson remembered the numb feeling that overcame him before asking Jimmy why Silver Point would do this. Jimmy told him that the word was Silver Point wanted the Fox River Pack’s land—but he didn’t know why.
The days after that call passed in a fog. Jackson was now Alpha of the surviving six members of the Fox River pack and they relied on him. To keep his brothers safe,he changed the name of the pack to Blackwood, moving them to a new location.
Jackson knew the gods had smiled on him when he’d first met Jimmy and his wife, Mystia, who was a witch. They hit it off, became friends, and Jackson visited them regularly on his way to and from college. After the massacre, Jimmy and Mystia offered Jackson and his brothers a place to hide on their ten-thousand-acre property.
He could feel the tears form in his eyes but he would not cry. He’d shed too many tears already over something he couldn’t change. Trying to forget the massacre was useless; his wolf constantly reminded him of the need for vengeance against those who had harmed his family and pack. Jackson refused to act on that need because revenge wouldn’t help anyone. As he saw it, it might only end up causing the deaths of those who had survived the massacre. He took a deep breath, hoping to calm his emotions, and then placed a call home.
A breathless voice said, “Hi Jimmy, did you hear anything? We’re just about to leave to find him.”
Jackson recognized the voice of his brother Cody, and replied, “Hey, it’s me. I’m safe.”
“Are you all right? Where’ve you been? You scared us half to death. Everybody’s been so worried and I’ve been bugging Jimmy to see if he knew or heard anything. Just a minute, I need to tell the guys.”
