Sold for the Night by Ki Brightly

9

Camden

Frustration washot in my chest, like a volcano waiting to erupt. He’d promised me he’d stay there in my bed, but he’d still snuck out in the middle of the night and left me to sleep on my own. While I was perfectly used to having a bed to myself, I’d thought last night would be different, that we’d finally come to an understanding. He wasn’t just prey who ran; he was a disobedient mate who needed a bare hand on his ass.

“What bug crawled up your butt?” Wyatt nudged my arm, and I shoved myself to straighten from where I was bent over the blueprints, my hands balled into fists and muscles tightened in anger.

“Nothing,” I said bluntly, stretching and staring out at the beams of the construction site. Rolling my shoulders, I took a deep breath. No matter the problem, I’d always kept my personal issues at home and never brought them to the jobsite. We worked in a dangerous environment, and if I wasn’t on my A-game, someone could be killed.

Wyatt leaned his elbow on the drafting table and raised his eyebrows. He’d rolled up the sleeves of his shirt until they were gathered around his elbows, his forearms straining. “Bullshit. Tell me what the problem is, Boss? I’ve never seen you like this.”

I ran my palm over my face and sighed. Wyatt didn’t even know I was gay. As far as he was concerned, I was a happy, straight man who had gotten a divorce because I wasn’t in love with Liv. Construction sites weren’t known for their inclusiveness, even in a city like New Gothenburg. But Wyatt had been a good friend since the beginning of our careers.

“Come with me,” I said gruffly, gesturing to the trailer. Turning toward Jim farther over, I yelled loud enough for him to hear, “Jim! Wyatt and I need to have a meeting in the office. Can you take over for ten?”

Jim nodded and tipped his yellow hard hat at me. “Sure, Boss. I got it handled.”

I gave him a strained smile in thanks and led Wyatt into the cramped trailer—small for men who had the width and height we did. We took a seat at the table we usually used for meetings with important guests, and when I was settled, Wyatt gave me an expectant look.

“Well? You know my relationship problems. At least tell me what’s wrong with you.”

I snorted. If only it was that easy. The last thing I wanted was for my men to stop taking my orders seriously because they didn’t like my sexuality, especially Wyatt, who’d been at my side for so long. I couldn’t imagine a project without him.

“Is it Liv? Or the kids?” he asked.

I ran a hand through my hair and sighed, gazing over his shoulder at the once fresh flowers sitting on the small kitchenette counter. They’d been alive a few days ago, bright and vibrant. Now the blooms were wilted, petals scattered around their glass vase, which I’d forgotten to fill with water. Liv had given them to me to lend the office a homey vibe, but I could never keep those kinds of things alive. It was the same as my relationships. The few men I’d dated who were interested in primal play hadn’t lasted long. There was always something missing and I’d grown bored.

“No. They’re fine,” I said, remembering the question he’d asked. “Although, Addy’s temporarily kicked out of summer camp.”

Wyatt let out a wolfish laugh and threw his head back, his hand patting his stomach until he had tears in his eyes. He wiped at them, still chuckling. “God, I love that kid. What did she do?”

I shook my head and pinched the bridge of my nose. “She kicked a boy in his nuts after he said the F-word that’s insulting to gay men.” I peeked at him carefully. If there was any time I could judge Wyatt’s reaction about homosexuality, it was now.

He grunted. “Sounds like the little prick deserved it. Good for her.” He rapped his knuckles on the table, like he sometimes did randomly. “Is that what’s upsetting you? Her getting into it with other kids?”

“No, believe it or not.” I chuckled and leaned back into the leather chair. Concern struck me in the chest as I thought about telling him the truth and carded through all the scenarios in my head of how things would pan out once he knew. But I’d promised I’d be true to myself, if not for me, for my children. They deserved to be who they wanted, without worrying about what other people thought. “I’m gay.”

Wyatt blinked at me for a long, drawn-out moment, before his expression changed into a frown. “But you were married to Olivia.”

“Yes, but that was what made me realize I couldn’t hide who I was.” I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the table between us. “I told Liv the truth, that I was attracted to men, and she told me she was glad to hear that because she realized she only saw me as a friend. That’s why we divorced amicably.” I shrugged, fear stopping me from looking at him. I focused on my hands instead. “Liv’s my best friend and nothing’s going to change that. She’s had my back from the start.”

The silence was deafening, and I finally raised my chin, expecting a fight to defend my sexuality against one of my best friends, except I found Wyatt smiling. A big, toothy grin that had me frowning because I’d never seen anything like that on his face.

“What?” I asked, stunned.

He fell into another bout of laughter, this time leaning forward with his head in his hands. I stayed there, paralyzed, until he finally quieted down.

“I’m glad my sexuality is funny to you,” I growled out in irritation.

“No, no.” He shook his head and held up his hands to me in a peace offering. “I’m just shocked, and happy for you. I don’t care who you fuck behind closed doors.” He reached over and slapped my shoulder with his massive paw. “Have I ever given you the impression I’m a narrow-minded asshole?”

“No.”

“Then why do you think I care you’re gay?” He crossed his arms, and his blue plaid shirt stretched over his muscles. “So, what’s the issue? Being into dudes clearly isn’t what’s giving you trouble.”

I groaned at his grin and sighed. “There’s this guy—”

“Ah. Relationships. A real thorn in the ass.” He waved his hand. “Continue.”

I mock glared at him. “There’s this guy, Mark, who I like. We’ve been having sex and he’s into it. I’m into it. It’s fucking amazing, but he keeps running.”

“As in doesn’t-want-to-be-in-a-relationship running, or…?”

I winced. Telling Wyatt I was gay was one thing; the next level of uncomfortable was about to come. “I’m into this… game. I’m not going to tell you what it is.” Glaring when he opened his mouth to ask, I continued. “He has a safeword and he doesn’t use it. It’s obvious he likes what we’re doing. But last night he disappeared before I woke up. Said he was going to stay the night but didn’t.”

“Hm.” Wyatt smirked. “Sounds like he wants you to chase him.”

If only he knew. “But how much chasing does he want before he says enough?”

He laughed. “Well, whatever this game is, he hasn’t said the safeword, right? Doesn’t that count for something? If he didn’t want it, he would have tapped out.”

I snorted and rose, walking over to the kitchenette to get myself a drink from the tap. I filled a glass, then sucked the water down deeply before filling it again. I walked back to the table. My mouth felt weirdly parched, like I was nervous, which was crazy because I didn’t get nervous over guys. Mark had my insides wriggling with need, though, and I wanted to own him in a way no other man had made me feel. He called out to the predator inside me, begging to be dominated.

“This isn’t wrestling,” I grumbled, earning another laugh from Wyatt.

“If sex isn’t like wrestling, you’re doing it wrong.”

I couldn’t agree more and that was scary. I shrugged. “So what do I do? Chase him?” I loved a good chase with my prey, but after a few times they usually accepted where they belonged—under me. Mark was different, that much was obvious. He kept fighting to the very end, and my cock perked up whenever I thought about how much he struggled.

“Well… yeah. If that’s your thing, which clearly it is because you look like you’re ready to storm out of this trailer right now and find him and do obscene things to him.” Realization passed across his face and his mouth dropped open. “That city hall guy from yesterday. That was him, wasn’t it?”

I took a deep swallow of my water until there was nothing left in the glass and slammed it back on the table, grinning. “Yeah. That’s Mark.”

“Damn. I didn’t know you were into redheads.” He snorted in laughter, covering his mouth with his hand, and I glared at him. “Sorry, Boss. He’s cute. If you ask me, he’s into it. He came looking for you yesterday, didn’t he? That’s not someone who’s not interested.”

“You have a point.” I smiled at the thought of him last night, perfectly ravished and mauled by my teeth, cock, and everything in between. I’d mapped out every crevice of his body with my hands, learned what made him cry out and what he enjoyed the most.

“So you’re going to give chase?” Wyatt asked with a grin so wide it dug dimples into his cheeks.

“Yes.” But not right away. If Mark wanted the chase, he’d have to wait a few days, think I wasn’t coming for him, and when he was least expecting it, I’d finally attack.

The feral thought of what I was going to do with him had my cock throbbing. I was going to destroy him in all the best ways and make him heel like good prey should.

* * *

I waited until Friday evening before I made my move. The early evening in downtown New Gothenburg was particularly warm, women walking the semidarkness of the streets with short summer dresses, while the men had nice clothes for going out. I saw a pair of drag queens, who winked and waved at me as they strode past in their flowing gowns, and I couldn’t help but grin at them in return because they looked gorgeous.

I’d been watching city hall for the last hour. I hadn’t seen Mark leave yet and it was nearly seven fifteen. Finally a familiar face exited the glass doors, and it wasn’t Mark but the man he’d had with him when he’d visited the construction site. I grabbed his arm on the way past and he turned wide eyes on me.

“Hi. Is Mark finished, too?”

He blinked at me for a few long seconds before recognition passed over his face. “Oh. You’re… yes. Um.” Glancing over his shoulder toward city hall, he nodded quickly. “He was packing up when I left. He shouldn’t be long.”

“Thank you.” I let him go, and he frowned at me with suspicion before he turned on his heel and left. I didn’t miss the way he kept peeking looks over his shoulder, though, like he wasn’t sure if he should leave Mark to me or not. Waving at him, I laughed when his eyes widened and he strode farther down the street, heading in the general direction of the bars.

It took another ten minutes before Mark came outside, and in that time, I’d attracted a few women who flirted without an ounce of shyness. They were obviously tipsy already, probably started early, so when I told them I was waiting for my boyfriend, they cooed at me and said how cute it was, before they were off again and ready to flirt with the next man they came across. I couldn’t help but laugh.

When Mark swept out of city hall his shoulders were slumped, black tie yanked loose, and his face exhausted. He hadn’t noticed me, so I ducked near the side of the building and waited. When he reached where I was hiding, I grabbed him, yanking him into the shadows.

He gasped and struggled.

“Shhh. It’s me,” I whispered into his ear, and he relaxed, his slowing breath tickling the palm of my hand where I had it slapped over his mouth. “Did you think I was giving up on you, little rabbit?”

He struggled again, and I laughed, my arms tightening around him as I tugged his back against my chest.

“Come on, you can try harder than that.” I inhaled his scent, a lingering smell of sweat and the cologne he’d obviously put on this morning. He nipped at my hand, and I uncovered his pretty mouth.

“I… don’t want to have sex today.”

The words made me freeze, and I turned him around carefully. He stared up at me with a disappointed gaze, like he really wanted to do exactly that, but the fatigue was obvious on his face.

“We had a tough day.” He cringed, and my hold on him gentled. I cupped his cheek and kissed him on the mouth, taking my time.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I murmured, but he shook his head, his red curls jumping. He had a pair of black-rimmed glasses clutched in his hands, and I hadn’t realized he had them until he brought his arms up protectively to his chest.

“I don’t like talking about work.”

“Okay,” I said softly, gathering him in my arms and kissing his forehead. “Then we don’t have to talk about it, and we don’t have to have sex. Come home with me and we can take a nice hot shower. I can wash you down, and then we can lie in bed and do whatever you want. What do you like to do, little rabbit?”

“Read?” He spoke the word as a question, his voice quivering in tiredness and shoulders slumped forward.

“Okay. Do you have a book with you?”

He nodded and patted his messenger bag. “In here.”

“Then let’s go home and read.” I brought him closer, and after another hug and a kiss on the temple, I led him to where I had my truck parked in one of the paid garages. We walked in silence, the sounds of the city getting ready for a Friday night filling the air with cheering, police sirens, and loud music. I’d long since grown out of the partying scene, and if Mark wanted to go home and read on a Friday night, then I was all for it.

I took him to my truck and opened the passenger door, helping him inside before I leaned over to buckle the belt. Once I’d made sure he was safe, I closed the door and went to my side, hopping in and starting the truck. The vehicle rumbled to life, and I turned on the air conditioning, directing it to him. The air was too humid and stuffy and I wanted to make sure he was comfortable.

Once I’d decided he was okay, I backed out and drove down the ramps to get onto the main streets of New Gothenburg. He leaned back against the seat and yawned, cuddling himself.

“Tired?” I murmured, and he nodded in answer.

“This week has been hard, and I haven’t slept well.”

I wanted to ask him if that’s why he’d left my bed, but it wasn’t about me right now. Mark obviously needed someone to take care of him, and primal play was about more than rough sex. Instincts involved watching over my mate, making sure he had everything he needed. I would never intentionally put him at risk.

I decided to stop at the Chinese takeout place on the way home, and he was asleep by the time I pulled in to park. I didn’t bother to wake him as I went inside and ordered. They had the food to me quickly, and I thanked the cashier as I rushed back out to the truck, scared he’d woken and taken off again, but he was still fast asleep when I got there.

By the time we arrived home and I’d parked in the garage, he was only starting to wake again, yawning. “I fell asleep. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, little rabbit. Stay right there.” I slid out of the truck with the Chinese and took it inside as fast as I could. Once I had the food on the table, I came back to the garage and opened the door, unbuckling his seat belt.

He laughed, cheeks tinging in a cute, rosy blush. “I’m not useless.”

“No, but I want to take care of you.” I hauled him out in a bridal hold and kicked the door shut with my foot, walking him into the house and toward the dining room table. Inside I dropped him onto one of the chairs. I moved as quickly as I could, my only thought that I needed to take care of him. He was, right now, my mate. Not my prey. “I got you what you ordered the other night. Is that okay?”

He smiled drowsily and picked up the chopsticks from inside the bag of food. “Thank you.”

I devoured my meal as I watched him work the chopsticks to eat with ease, as though he was a man who’d always used them. He moaned at every bite he took, his shoulders sagging farther downward until I was scared he’d fall off his chair. But I waited, even if my instincts told me to take him upstairs and shower him and get him into bed. When he’d finally finished, he sat back and patted his belly.

“That was delicious.”

“Come with me.” I stood fast.

“Are you sure you’re done?” he asked. I nodded and took his hand. We strode up the U-shaped stairs and to the bathroom. It wasn’t massive, but it was big enough to fit a glass-enclosed shower and a tub. I was too worried about him falling asleep, so I guided him to the shower.

“I don’t have clothes,” he murmured, his voice barely audible as he wiped at his eyes.

“I’ll get you some.” I laid a kiss on his forehead and reached in to turn on the shower. I waited until the temperature wasn’t too hot, but not too cold, either. Just right. When I was sure he’d enjoy it, I waved at the door. “Get in. Don’t fall asleep. I’ll be back with clothes.”

He smiled at me as I exited the bathroom and headed to my room. I didn’t expect to find much that would fit him in my wardrobe. My height and width were so much bigger than his, but I found the smallest shirt and boxers I had and headed back to him. He hadn’t fallen asleep, but he was leaning against the cream tiled wall as though it was taking all his energy to keep himself awake. The water sloshed down the curves of his body, and I couldn’t help my gaze sliding to the beautiful round globes of his ass—peachy and begging to be bitten—but I held myself back. I might enjoy primal play, but I wasn’t a complete animal. Besides, there were still enough bruises from earlier in the week that anyone who looked would know he was mine. The bite mark on the back of his neck was a breathtaking deep purple.

I shed my work clothes—jeans, plaid shirt, white undershirt, socks, and briefs coming off to be strewn across the floor. Stepping inside the glass stall, I was careful not to startle him, but all he did was smile in exhaustion. I wanted to ask him what had happened, but he’d been adamant he didn’t want to talk about it, and I wasn’t going to push him.

I grabbed the washcloth and soap and took my time massaging his skin with lather. He moaned under my attention, leaning closer to me until his back was pressed against my chest. I kissed his shoulder, then his neck, making sure I reached every part of him, without any sexual suggestions. Caring for him came first.

He smiled at me, though, like he knew I wasn’t going to try anything anyway, which was new and exciting. Maybe it was his fatigue, but he’d always been so scared of me, which I liked because that was my kink. But right now we weren’t playing. We were doing… something else.

“This is nice,” he whispered.

“I’m glad you like it, but we can’t stay in here forever. You’re falling asleep. Didn’t you want to read?” I tilted his head up and slanted my mouth over his, a gentle touch of lips that had him humming.

“Yeah. Read some before bed.”

I helped Mark out of the shower, making sure he didn’t slip on the white tiled flooring, and grabbed him a towel. Sliding the cloth over his shoulders, I worked it across his skin, drying him off. If he didn’t want to protest about me taking care of him, he was probably too tired. He needed me in spite of what he might think because he was nearly collapsing to the floor.

“Here.” I helped him into the boxers and shirt, and he murmured a thank-you as I led him to the bedroom.

He collapsed on the mattress, groaning, but managed to roll himself over on his back. He dragged himself up until he was sitting against the headboard. “My bag and glasses. I think I left them in the truck.”

I smiled. “I’ll get your things, little rabbit. Stay here.”

Leaving him on the bed, I took the stairs two at a time and headed out to the garage. I hadn’t even locked my vehicle yet, but the garage door was down, and this neighborhood was mostly safe. Once I had his messenger bag, though, I did lock the truck, and the door that led into the house, too. I took the chance while I was downstairs to clean up the Chinese, putting the leftovers in the fridge and the empty containers in the trash.

By the time I got back up to the room, it was ten minutes later. When I walked in, I wasn’t surprised to find Mark curled up on top of the comforter, softly snoring. Laughing quietly, I dropped his messenger bag next to the bed, put his glasses on my dresser, and then slowly lifted him. It wasn’t easy to juggle him while trying to get the blankets yanked back, but I managed to make it work before laying him on the sheets. He grumbled something but snuggled deeper into the bed when I dragged the blankets over him. I thought I heard him say “thank you.”

I kissed him on the cheek and went to the bathroom. He’d want clothes for tomorrow, and I had a feeling that suit wasn’t cheap, which meant it wouldn’t do it any good laying crumpled on the floor. A half hour later I had his work stuff as fresh as it would get without a trip to the dry cleaner and hung on the clothesline outside the back door.

Once I was satisfied, I turned off all the lights and finally went back upstairs to Mark, half expecting he’d run off again. I was grateful he hadn’t, though. I slid into the blankets on my side and dragged him closer, tucking his head under my chin. He grumbled some more and threw his arm around my stomach.

“Good night, wolfie.”

I held back my laughter at the strange nickname and kissed his head. “Good night, little rabbit.”