The hand gripping his squeezed even when Ernest released a big sigh.
Rick made a disgruntled snort as the car came to a skidding halt at the bottom of the steps in a cloud of dirt.
“Let me do the talking.”Rick didn’t wait for Ernest to respond; he walked to the steps leading off the porch.
The man who got out of the car paused for effect to allow everyone to look their fill, or that’s how it appeared to Toby, who rolled his eyes.Pierre had clearly come dressed to impress, in skinny, designer jeans that outlined everything he had to offer and a shirt that enhanced his upper torso, wearing boots that were all about style and nothing to do with practicality, as he traipsed over the dirt-encrusted ground, avoiding rocks.His smile was sly and calculating as his gaze dropped to their joined hands.
“You aren’t welcome here.”Rick stepped in front of Pierre to stop him from getting any closer to the house.“The injunction for coming on this land includes driving on it, too!Now, why don’t you fuck off?”
A gasp of surprise came from Ernest, which Toby also felt.It seemed Rick didn’t use foul language.
“Ernest, tell this big brute to take a hike.”The silky demand came as Pierre sidestepped Rick, a glint in his eyes that Toby took an instant dislike to when aimed at his mate.
“You’re the one who needs to take a hike, dude.This is private land.You know this, and you seem to think you have a right to treatmy matelike crap, well, you don’t.”
Oh, my.
Toby got a blast of pheromones, and so, it seemed did Pierre.Only the dimwit thought he had caused it, especially when Ernest released Toby’s hand to step in front of him in a protective move, making Toby’s heart soar.
Pierre was fast and up on the porch before Rick could stop him.His hand stroked down the front of Ernest’s chest, heading south.“Babe, get rid of the baggage, and I’ll make it up to you.I’ll show you how sorry I am.”The smarmy voice, the touching of their mate, and the innuendo sent Toby’s bird into a flap.
Toby had no control—not that he wanted any when he agreed that pecking Pierre’s eyes out and tearing off his fingers was the right course of action—of his animal side as they shifted.Their clothes landed in a heap as he rose out of them, squawking and flapping angrily at the interloper.
We’re gonna sort you!
Chapter Twenty
Ernest
Ernest wasn’t known for his fast reflexes, but desperate times called for desperate measures.Using one hand to push Pierre away from him, he carefully reached out and grabbed Toby from mid-air as best as he could, bringing the cute bird into his chest.Toby was pissed off and for good reason, but Pierre was Ernest’s fight, not Toby’s.
“It’s alright,” he rumbled softly, determined his mate’s concerns should always be his first priority.“You need to let me take care of this.I know, I know you want to peck his eyes out, I can tell from that savage expression you’ve got going on.If I had a beak I’d want to do that too.But I’ve got something to say to him first.Can you just wait?Wait for just a moment, and then you can give him what he deserves.”
Apparently soothed, although Ernest could tell through their bond his mate was timing that moment he had mentioned, the bird settled in his hand.Ernest carefully opened his fingers and set Toby up on his shoulder, where he would be safe.Only once he was sure Toby was settled, did he face his annoying ex.
“The next time you touch me, I’ll break your fucking hand.Are we clear?You’ve got no right touching me,” he said with a glare in Pierre’s direction.“You speed in here, as if you had a right to, in my fucking car…”
“You never used to swear before.”
“Neither did Rick,” Ernest flung his hand in his friend’s direction.“But seeing you will do that to anyone with an ounce of sanity.Let’s just get a few things straight, shall we?I know you don’t care about me.I know you never cared about me—”
“Babe, how can you say that?That’s just not true.”Pierre was wearing his best pout.“I don’t understand why you’re being so mean to me.Being with you was the best time in my life.”
Toby’s bird ruffled its feathers and let out a squawk that sounded a lot like a rude snort.
“What he said,” Ernest said.“You never cared about me.All you see is dollar signs.I fell for that once, and that’s on me, but I do know something you’ll never understand.This little bird here—the one eyeing up your eyes as his next snack—he does care, and he shows me that in everything he does.”Ernest stalked across the porch.“I’m not talking about the tactics you use, like sex and a pout when things don’t go your way.I’m talking about genuine caring, which is something you know nothing about.You have done your last sleaze around me and my farm.Fuck off.”
“Gods, you’re making such a fuss about everything,” Pierre said, folding his arms across his chest.“I didn’t realize you’d found someone else to feel sorry for you.”
Toby let out another loud squawk, and Ernest prayed he didn’t leave his shoulder.It wasn’t that Ernest didn’t think Toby could take care of himself.He could and probably would.But Ernest wasn’t going to ignore that bad feeling in his gut that suggested if Toby did attack or get close to Pierre, then Pierre could catch and hurt him, or use him as leverage to get his own way.If that happened… well, Ernest would do jail time for what might happen next, but he’d rather enjoy his time with Toby.His mate had only just moved in for fuck’s sake.
But Pierre clearly couldn’t find the off switch for his mouth.“I don’t know why you’re doing all this, but this time you’ve gone too far.”Pierre shook his head.“You’re trying to damage my business.The only reason you would do that is because you still have feelings for me, otherwise, why would you be bothering at all?What we had was so long ago, but still you seem to insist on having this little vendetta and for what?Because you wanted to talk to me?Well, here I am.Talk to me.”
“Little vendetta?”Ernest almost choked on the words.“You ruined half a paddock’s worth of plants.You flew onto my land because you thought that I would, what, swoon at your feet, beg to take you back?Why the fuck would I do anything that stupid?You leaving me was the best thing that ever happened to me.
“But in the meantime, in a totally separate matter, your landing in my field was done, why?You had ample room to land somewhere else.But what happened in your little life?Did your latest sugar daddy cut you off?You’re getting a bit of a reputation, and sugar daddies are hard to find.So you thought ‘Ernest will take me back.He’s so sad, he’s so pathetic, he’s so lonely.’”
“It wasn’t like that,” Pierre tried to interject.
