Waking Bel (Lords of Discord 3)

“Go ahead, Wyatt. River will be along in a second.”

Bel carefully took River’s hand in his, immediately noting the slight tremor. Fear was starting to spike through River, and Bel gripped him tighter as he stepped close enough to whisper. “You are safe here. No one is going to harm us, I promise.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

“But…” River’s voice drifted off and he squeezed Bel’s hand as if to silently indicate that he was nervous about how the people around them perceived their closeness.

“Carl doesn’t care. He’s shown me his wedding pictures of him and his handsome husband. And the other men in this place are too well paid to care about any of that.”

“Oh.”

Bel could feel some of River’s fear recede, but not nearly enough. “River, please look at me,” he begged. River lifted his lovely hazel eyes to Bel’s face and tried to give him a little smile. “I’m sorry. I wanted this to be a nice gift, but if you feel that uncomfortable, we will leave right now.”

“But you went to all this trouble. And these people…”

“All this trouble was one phone call to Carl. And these people will be more than adequately compensated for their time, whether we stay another second or four hours. I just want you and Wyatt to be happy.”

River’s face clouded for a second, his brow wrinkling. “Really?”

“Yes, really. It’s that simple. I want you happy and comfortable. For me, I’ve always felt that I could conquer anything with a nice bow tie in place.”

Reaching up, River ran the tip of his finger across Bel’s bow tie. The smile that blossomed on his lips was real this time, and Bel almost sighed at the soft pleasure he felt ripple through the wolf. “This one is my favorite.”

His bow tie tonight had a little more flair than usual. It was an electric blue that almost matched his eyes, covered in a black paisley design.

Bel smiled in response, but he swore he could feel himself falling. There was something almost magical about River’s smile and tentative touch. For the first time since they’d met, Bel could actually feel River’s trust, and it stole Bel’s breath away. He wanted more moments just like this one. A lifetime of smiles, touches, and joy that showed Bel was important to River.

But even if there weren’t more, Bel knew he’d treasure this moment for the rest of his life.

“Then this one is now my favorite,” Bel replied in a rough voice.

River nodded. “You’re right. I could use a few things. Maybe something nice if we ever go out one evening.” To Bel’s further shock, River lifted their joined hands and brushed the lightest kiss across Bel’s knuckles.

The vampire could only stare after him as he released Bel’s hand and crossed the elegant shop to where Wyatt was waiting for him near the dressing rooms. Another clerk quietly ushered Bel over to a set of comfortable chairs, offering him a whiskey and some magazines while he waited for Wyatt and River to return. Bel could only nod through it all. That moment, the little touch on his bow tie, the faint brush of his lips, they were burned into his memory now.

No, River didn’t trust him completely, not yet. It was going to be a long time before River trusted him as he did Wyatt, assuming it ever happened at all. But he could feel it in his bones; they’d made a baby step forward, and it felt so good.

Time blurred for a bit. He wasn’t sure how long he waited in the store until Wyatt stepped out of the dressing room, and Bel nearly swallowed his goddamn tongue. Yes, he’d seen the man naked, but this was different. Wyatt was a ruggedly handsome man, with more muscles than Bel had ever seen on a person, but wrap it all in a heather-gray cashmere V-neck sweater and black slacks, and Bel couldn’t breathe. Dear God, it should be illegal to be that good-looking. Or at least he needed to be preceded by a warning from the Surgeon General.

But beyond the clothes, there was something new, a sexual confidence in the man Bel had never seen before. It was as intoxicating as his body. Wyatt was clearly a man who knew how good-looking he was, knew how to please his mate in bed—if the sounds from the bathroom that first night were any indication—and Bel longed to have all that confidence and knowledge turned on him.

“What do you think?” Wyatt asked with the tiniest of smirks, like the gasping noises Bel had made when he first stepped out weren’t a dead giveaway.

Bel swallowed hard and nodded. “Yes, that looks quite nice. Do you like it? Are you comfortable?”

“Yes. It’s definitely the softest thing I’ve ever put on.” As he spoke, Wyatt stroked his hand down his chest, caressing the cashmere while pressing it to his flat stomach. Bel had never wanted to be a shirt so badly in his life.