Isaac sidled next to Leo and peppered him with questions, as Drew led the way to the car. With two streets between them and the car, Gale let the rest of the team walk ahead.
Hovering to enjoy his smoke, Jude tapped his finger against the cigarette to drop the ash to the ground. He cast a curious glance at Gale every few seconds, uncertain and silent, pheromones screaming to close the distance.
Stepping close, he stole the cigarette from Jude’s hand and took a long drag, dropping it to the ground and stomping it out. Pressing his hands to the wall, he caged Jude and nipped at the curve of his jaw. “You make me damned hungry when you’re jealous.”
Eyes full of defiance, Jude couldn’t restrain his hands. A delicate fingertip touched the hem of Gale’s T-shirt and slipped beneath the fabric. “You’ll get fed when you learn to behave.”
Oh, he was begging for another fight, and Gale was tempted to start one. “I already fucked you today. What more do you want?” Gale dropped his hands to his ass and squeezed. Jude’s lips parted, inviting him closer. “Is my finger not good enough, baby?” He smiled, nipping at the full bottom lip, teasing fingers over the crease of Jude’s ass, disappointed at the layer of denim in his way.
When he nipped a second time, Jude’s breath hitched, and he swayed closer. Gale was positive it wasn’t deliberate, but it didn’t matter. He claimed Jude’s mouth in a kiss and groaned when Jude grasped at his T-shirt, rocking his hips, making the bulge in his jeans evident when it brushed his.
Breathing hard, Gale broke the kiss. He couldn’t let Jude keep dragging him close and backing off once he got what he wanted. “You want my cock, you’ve got to earn it.” He offered a last nip at Jude’s neck that made him gasp.
He backed away, angry Jude was resisting the bond, despite craving contact. His sensible side reminded Gale this world wasn’t safe for Vihaans, especially not for Jude. If he walked away and Jude got hurt, he would never forgive himself, and he’d have proven he wasn’t a worthy mate.
Though it grated, he grabbed Jude’s hand and tugged. Jude fell into step with a brief stumble, eyes never leaving him, hand settled comfortably in his.
Whatever Jude was thinking had him in a tailspin. He’d better figure it out soon because Gale couldn’t take this constant confusion of being accepted one minute and rejected the next. The uncertainty was screwing with his head.
Chapter Six
They dropped Leo at his apartment, to prepare to return to the pack, then went their separate ways. Janet had Isaac make her a grilled cheese sandwich and let him watch a fashion show with her while Drew left to meet Rylee.
Gale headed to the end of the street to buy food from the Vihaan food truck, A Taste of Home, run by the old Vihaan, Channon. He handed Isaac aRed-Blooded Malewith a wink and retreated to his room to find Jude sitting on his bed, reading.
Apart from Janet and Eliseo, who had embraced Dnaran food, the rest ate almost exclusively from the food truck. Lorcan’s chicken noodle soup was heavenly, and Gale was already planning how to replicate it when he got home. The rosson was probably the closest meat, and they didn’t have the texture of noodles but the roots of thejunyaplant had the right taste.
Unable to resist, Gale crossed to Jude’s bed and knelt beside it. He cleared his face of anything telling, pulled the book from his hands, and said, “Mate me.”
Jude choked on the unlit cigarette Gale hadn’t noticed hanging from his lips, dropping the fottai to the bed and turning wide eyes to Gale. “What did you say?”
Innocently, he lifted the brown bag. “I got you aMate Mewrap.” Gale handed it over, rose to his feet, and retreated to his bed.
Damn it, Jude was easy to read. He sat against the headboard of his bed, removed a burger, and found Jude’s eyes blazing. “I got the newFuck Meburger. Nothing but me, meat, and homemade Vihaan bread.” He groaned and took his first bite, rolling his eyes at the special sauce made from Vihaan spices. “Fuck. Me. That’s amazing.”
Now he knew where the name came from.
“You—” Jude sputtered, slamming his book onto the bedside table as he stood and marched across the room. Whatever he intended, he paused when Gale caught his gaze.
“Want a taste?” he asked, pure innocence as he swept his middle finger through the sauce.
They both knew he was tempted, remembered how that fingerfelt, where it had been, and that it had gone from a finger to flip someone off to a finger to provoke an orgasm.
Jude visibly swallowed and set his jaw, stepping closer. Defiantly, he grabbed Gale’s hand and raised it to his mouth. Gale bit his lip at the hard suck, and Jude’s eyes drooped as Gale’s finger popped from his mouth. “Fuck me,” he muttered, dragging a thumb across his lips.
“If you insist.”
Jude’s eyes darted to capture his, tongue flicking against his lips. He swallowed and took a hesitant step closer.
With doubt lingering behind those captivating eyes, Gale broke off a piece of his burger and held it out, not surprised Jude accepted it without hesitation. He closed his mouth over the burger, scraping teeth lightly against Gale’s finger.
Reluctantly, he took a bite and sat back. As he’d promised, if Jude wanted him, he’d have to accept the bond and earn it. “I’d say his new line is a winner,” he admitted, licking sauce from his finger. “Channon says the new recipes use special herbs from Vihaan to open the heart and mind to possibility,” he recalled, from their brief conversation.
Jude had already returned to his bed and couldn’t make eye contact.
Gale inwardly cursed. He couldn’t help make sense of what was inside Jude’s head if he didn’t know what that was. “He wants us to spread the message. Let Vihaans know about his new website where he’s put a travelling schedule.”
With no reaction from Jude, Gale ate his burger, working on a plan. Teasing Jude was fine. Trying to inspire him to accept the bond was one problem, but something held Jude back and made him doubt every step towards a mating.
