Hidden Passions (Hidden, #7)(44)

"I wish. Adam sent me straight to guard duty. I'm not sure what's going on with Rick. Hey!" He sat straighter. "You're not supposed to know about the you-know-whats."

"The last time I was at Nate's place, I noticed he'd been watching the cubs' collection of mini-dragon DVDs. Evina said we're on the lookout for pureblood fae. They'd have to be here for something big. I put two and two together."

"And I just confirmed your guess," Tony said ruefully.

"Sneaky is my middle name."

Tony nodded absently as his mood shifted. He drew in a long breath like he needed bolstering.

"What?" Chris asked.

Slowly, as if he thought he might be stopped, Tony reached across the space between them to Chris's face. His touch was like oxygen, allowing the grief that had risen in him to ease.

"I miss you," Tony said. "I respect your right to make your own choices, but I want you to know that."

Chris's throat thickened. Tony was everything he'd never dreamed of finding in a partner: sweet, brave, fun to be around. Even Evina wasn't this easy to talk to. Time and again, the wolf's simple decency blew him away.

Chris could be real around Tony.

"The other day," Chris said, not letting himself second-guess what he was about to share, "I struck Liam. It seemed unavoidable: a disciplinary thing."

"I've paddled Ethan a time or two," Tony said. "You wouldn't believe what that kid gets into."

Chris knew a swat on the bottom wasn't the same. "I'm the clan's enforcer. I try to keep physical stuff to a minimum, but sometimes I don't know how else to keep order."

"Are you saying you're afraid you're like Mark Naegel? Chris, I don't think you have that in you. Naegel wasn't even related to you by blood."

"I'm a shifter. Half animal. Don't all of us wonder what we'll do now and then? Add being dominant . . ." He trailed off, unable to continue.

Tony clasped him over the ears, forcing Chris to look at him. "Not you. You're not one of those dominants who always has to be on top. If you recall, I've had firsthand proof of that."

Tony's slanting smile invited Chris to smile back. He managed a choked laugh. "You're a good person, Tony Lupone. Even if I were out, I wouldn't deserve you."

"Feel free to call me Saint Anthony," Tony joked.

"Anthony," Chris repeated, loving saying his full name. He loved Tony, he realized. He'd be an idiot not to. Tony's expression turned inquiring at the kindling of Chris's eyes. So full of emotion he couldn't speak, Chris rubbed the wrists with which Tony had clasped his head. He wished he had the right to say what he was thinking.


He bent forward to claim Tony's mouth instead.

Tony welcomed his kiss with a hungry moan. His lips were smooth, his answering licks and sucks passionate. As bad as Chris had felt before, now he felt twice as good. He hardened in one long surge, his cock so tight against his zipper it seemed ready to rip through. Tony's hands shifted to his back, roaming up and down Chris's muscles like he intended to push compassion into each one.

Compassion was hardly all Chris experienced. He ached with a desire so strong it seemed impossible to sate. Tony's touch, Tony's heat healed the heavy sadness inside of him. He wrapped his hands around Tony's thighs and pushed the grip up his thick quadriceps. His thumbs found Tony's erection first. He folded their joints around it, teasing Tony and himself with how hard the long ridge was.

What he really wanted was to grab the whole thing.

"We can't do this," Tony whispered against his lips, fangs brushing him sexily as he did. "I want to, but not here. Not with all the sharp ears and noses in this building."

Chris groaned deep inside his chest. He longed to tear off Tony's clothes and take him, to enjoy the comfort of being intimate with a person he truly cared about. Unfortunately, the wolf was right. Not only was that idea crazy, it was irresponsible.

When Tony rested his brow against his, Chris closed his eyes. Unable to let go completely, he traced the shape of Tony's hard-on with all his fingertips.

"Chris," Tony whispered. "You're killing me."

Chris pulled his hands back, followed by the rest of him. Tony's green eyes were glowing, his mouth red from their kisses. His gaze searched Chris's for a long moment.

Tony broke the eye lock first. Clearly struggling for composure, the wolf turned to stare out the grime-hazed window. The cloud cover outside was thicker, the commercial area still quiet at that hour. A shopping bag blew across the rear parking lot, the plastic rattling over cracks in the old asphalt. The cast iron security bars were black silhouettes against the gray light.

Without warning, a tiny spark jumped off one.

Someone was approaching. Chris saw no one, heard no one, but he knew it was true. The watcher spell Tony had noticed earlier wasn't quite out of juice.

"Shit," Tony murmured, tensing up and leaning closer to the window to see out. His palm shifted to the butt of his firearm.

If fae were on the way, Chris knew they needed more protection than a gun. Gritting his teeth against his inevitable twinge of doubt, he let his cat's instincts take over. His heart center swelled, the energy of his tiger bursting free of its human cage. Clothing ripped as light swallowed his senses.