Interrogation Techniques by Charlie Richards

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Excerpt

As Dixon crossed the room, a scent other than the food teased his nostrils. The pleasing aroma caused his blood to heat, and an unexpected bloom of arousal made his gut clench. He inhaled, but by the next step, the smell was gone.

Shaking his head, Dixon frowned and continued on. He stopped at the end of the buffet and picked up a tray. After placing a plate and roll of silverware on it, Dixon started toward the food.

Except, that same smell distracted him—strong, thick, and clearly masculine.

Dixon’s mouth watered for a whole new reason. His dick plumped behind the fly of his jeans. His heart rate sped up.

Freezing, Dixon tipped his head back and took a deep breath. He barely managed to swallow his moan. The delicious aroma was close.

“You all right?” Manon asked softly, a look of concern on his face.

Am I? What’s going on with me?

Then realization hit him like a two-by-four upside the head.

Meeting Manon’s gaze, Dixon muttered in shock, “I think I scent my mate.”

Manon’s dark eyes widened but only for an instant. Then a wide smile curved his lips. He glanced around as if he would be able to tell who it was.

“That’s great, Beta Dixon,” Manon stated, returning his focus to him. “I think everyone in here is a shifter. Should make claiming him or her easy, right?”

Dixon snorted, shaking his head. “You really think so? Finding my mate here?” He set his tray down, no longer interested in food. “The prevalent opinion until recently was that Fate didn’t make homosexual pairings, and the scent is definitely masculine. Thank the gods.”

“Want me to whip you up a tray while you track down the source?” Manon offered. “Maybe you can have a meal with the guy and get to know him.”

“Thanks, Manon,” Dixon murmured distractedly, surveying the area. “I appreciate it.”

Manon patted him on the shoulder. “Good luck.”

Nodding absently, Dixon moved away from the buffet. He wandered slowly around the room, changing direction when the fantastic smell grew fainter. Tracking the scent in the large, air-conditioned cafeteria ended up more difficult than Dixon had thought it would be.

Or my mate’s scent is all over the room.

When Dixon walked past a big blond man bussing a table, he finally received his first lungful of the scent directly from the source. His cock went ramrod straight behind his fly. He even felt his nipples bead.

Oh, hot damn, that’s good.

Taking in the way the shifter placed the dishes someone had left on the table into a large blue tub, Dixon understood how the scent had ended up everywhere. His mate worked in the cafeteria. With his mate distracted, he took a few seconds to admire the man Fate had deemed the other half of his soul.

The stranger had broad shoulders, a thick neck, and heavily muscled limbs. His biceps stretched the short sleeves of his polo shirt enticingly, and his rather ragged-looking jeans caressed his meaty ass deliciously. Even the obvious pooch and love handles couldn’t detract from the man’s gorgeous physique.

Dixon wanted to explore every inch of the big shifter’s six-foot-four-inch body. With the man topping him by an inch, he figured it would be an adjustment to kiss someone taller than himself, but he would be happy to make it. The plump lips on the man’s boy-next-door features begged to be sucked and nibbled.

Finally, the shifter inhaled deeply, and his attention snapped to Dixon. His hazel eyes were wide in his tanned face, and confusion filled them. He furrowed strawberry-blond brows that matched the ear-length tresses on his head.

“Hello, mate,” Dixon greeted, figuring it was best to start as he meant to go—straightforward and honest. “Will you tell me your name?”

“Mate?”

The man’s deep voice wrapped around Dixon’s senses, causing his dick to twitch.

Then the guy shook his head, his hazel eyes twinkling. “Naw. I ain’t your mate.” Even as he denied their connection, he grinned. “Fate don’t pair two dudes. My brother explained it to me.” He nodded as if what he was saying was completely accurate. “He told me even though I occasionally think a guy is hot, I can’t act on it, because then Fate will never bring me my real mate.”

“Your brother told you this?” Dixon asked instead of immediately claiming his brother was wrong. That wouldn’t win him any points. “When?”

Shrugging massive shoulders, the shifter told him, “Any time he catches me lookin’ at a guy.” His face took on a pinkish hue as he reached down and adjusted the clearly defined erection behind his fly. “He’s real smart. Not like me.” He broke eye contact and returned to filling his tub. “So, even though you smell real good and my dick is drippin’, I can’t touch. Then I’ll never get a real mate. Sorry.”

Dixon’s mind reeled as he processed everything the man had rambled. He clearly believed everything his brother had told him to the point of not acknowledging their connection. Before Dixon could come up with a viable counter, the man glanced his way and spoke again.

“Um, anyway. I gotta get back to work.”

Then he hustled toward the kitchen.

“Not go as planned?”

Dixon jerked his gaze from the closed door. He’d been staring at it long enough that the swinging door had stopped moving. His focus pinned on Manon.

“Afraid not,” Dixon replied softly. “Told you it wouldn’t.” Seeing the second tray Manon held, he turned and tipped his chin toward the table with the others, noticing how they were staring. “Seems I need to ask a few questions about my mate.”

My mate, sadly, seemed a bit... dim.

That would make it easy for a dominating brother to manipulate.

When they reached the table, Dixon didn’t even have to ask.

Vincentius sniffed the air, obviously catching the smell of his arousal. “If you were coming onto Helsinki, it probably won’t work.” The lion shifter’s expression pinched. “He’s on probation after being caught with the rogues, working as a guard.” Grimacing, Vincentius added, “The only reason he isn’t in the dungeons awaiting punishment is because Helsinki was doing as his brother, Rian, instructed him.”

“Did Rian get into trouble?” Dixon asked curiously.

If Helsinki is already away from Rian’s influence, that would help me.

“Sadly, no,” Vincentius revealed with a grimace. “Rian is a bouncer at a club, and he claims to have heard about a security opening on a councilman’s staff and thought of his brother.” Holding Dixon’s gaze, he shrugged. “Rian wasn’t aware of which councilman, but he told his brother about the position anyway and gave Helsinki the contact information to a guy who happened to be a rogue.”

“So Helsinki didn’t know,” Dixon mused softly as he picked up a fried chicken strip. Manon knew him well. As Dixon dipped the end into a tub of honey mustard, he held Vincentius’s gaze. “Well, I’m going to need to know everything about Helsinki. He’s my mate.”

Vincentius’s eyes widened. “Well, fuck.”

Before popping the meat into his mouth, Dixon winked. “Yeah. I hope to do that soon.”

Dixon’s still-hard dick twitched at the thought, his body more than on board with that idea.