“Not on my account. I like looking at you. ”
Tucker felt the heat of a slow blush sliding up his body. A little flustered, he shrugg
ed and busied himself with putting out the plastic cups, sugar and creamer. When he got close to the sofa, Gavin reached for him and pulled him over into the circle of his arms.
Tucker gazed down at him in surprise. Used to playing the more dominant role in the bedroom, this turnaround wasn’t something he was comfortable with. Gavin pulled him close and kissed his stomach below his navel. His fingers trailed along the little concave spot just above his thigh. “You don’t like compliments, do you, pet? Idon’t mean to embarrass you, but it’s true. You have an amazing body. ”
Tucker snorted, feeling a slow hot flush coming up his body.
“No, it’s true. ” Gavin’s fingers moved around the back and gripped his ass. “And this little ass—so round and tight. Really gorgeous. ”
“Okay, enough about my ass!” Gavin dropped his hands, and sat back, but not before Tucker saw a flash of hurt in his eyes. Shit! Tucker made himself stand still and not bend over to hug him, even though he was itching to. “Uh…about that pet thing you’re calling me…”
“Yes? Does it bother you?”
Tucker shrugged. “It sounds like something in S&M. I’m not a sub. Not your pet. Look, sometimes two kind of dominant guys get together, I get that, and one of them has to be the bottom, I suppose, but that’s not really my deal—you know, long term and all. ”
Gavin narrowed his eyes, regarding him seriously. “You don’t have to be anything one way or the other to let me take care of you and make you feel good. But okay. If you say so. ” He shrugged and dropped his arms, turning back to his coffee. “This smells good,” he said, taking a sip.
Not letting him change the subject seemed important right then. Gavin ignored the comment about the coffee. “Well, I do say so,and I don’t need anyone to take care of me,” Tucker said, not letting it go. When Gavin continued to drink his coffee, Tucker shrugged, beginning to feel foolish standing there naked, serving Gavin coffee while all the time protesting he wasn’t a sub.
“Let me go get my clothes. ” Tucker went over to the bed to find them on the floor and put them on, an irrational fear overcoming him that if he took his eyes off Gavin, he wouldn’t be there when he got back. He didn’t really want to fight with him, but he needed to make clear what he wanted before they went any further, though even the idea of not seeing him again made his stomach clench. Lighten up, damn it. Let him call you whatever he wants to. Why are you being such an ass?
When he turned around, Gavin was still sitting quietly on the small sofa, sipping his coffee. He looked up as Tucker returned and swept him with another warm gaze that made Tucker’s heart beat a little faster. He eased himself into chair across from Gavin and took a sip of his own coffee before launching into his questions.
“Why did you go to the club last night? Do you go there very often?” The questions were a bit of a test. Feeling a little like a jerk for trying to trap him, he asked anyway, leaning forward a little anxiously for his answer. The club, Nightstick, was one Tucker visited with some regularity. He’d never seen Gavin there before, and he definitely would have noticed.
“No,” Gavin said smoothly, his eyes flickering over his face. “The night I met you was my first time, but you knew that, didn’t you, Tucker?” He set his coffee cup down on the small table in front of him. “I went there because I was tracking the killer that night, and he’d been there recently. Right in the room where I first saw you, Tucker. ”
Tucker inhaled a quick breath. Narrowing his eyes, he focused all his attention on the calm, handsome face across from him. “You knew who the killer was? Even before you say you killed him?”
“Yes. His name was Tommy. ”
“What? So you knew what he looked like? Where he lived? You said you tracked him there. Gavin, this was—is—a murder investigation. You can’t withhold information on an active case!” Tucker’s questions were rapid fire, and his tone had slipped into interrogation.
“Yes, I knew him since he was just a small child. But Ididn’t track him there, exactly. I just uh…sort of discovered that he was there once I got inside. I noticed his strong smell in the room. ”
“His smell? What the hell, Gavin? Stop talking nonsense! Did you know who the killer is or not?”
Gavin slammed down his hand. “Damn it! Yes, I knew who he was, Tucker. He was the son of a friend of mine. He was a good kid, too, and didn’t deserve what happened to him. He’d been turned into a monster, a killer with supernatural strength. We tracked him here and after we discovered he had settled here to make this place a killing field. He wouldn’t have stopped—he never would have stopped. The murders would only have gotten worse, and more violent. Whatever sanity he may once have had completely burned away by whatever they shot into him. He wasn’t the boy I knew anymore, Tucker. He tried his best to kill me on that beach. ” As Tucker stared at him in shock, Gavin reached for his cup again and drained his coffee, then stood up. “I’m sorry, Tucker, but I need to take you back home with me. Back to Tennessee. I can take you to your place to pack a quick bag, but I’m afraid you’ll have to leave most everything else behind. ”
Tucker caught hold of his hand and pulled him back down beside him again. He searched Gavin’s face carefully for any sign that he was teasing or joking. Finding none, fear gripped him. He must be delusional. Could this beautiful, sexy man be psychotic? He was so surprised he couldn’t speak for a moment, just hold tightly to his sleeve. When he managed to speak, his voice came out shaky and thin. “Um, okay honey. Whatever you say—just calm down, okay?”
Gavin sighed and regarded him with sadness. “I’m not excited. I’ve frightened you, baby, and I didn’t mean to. I was trying to avoid talking with you about all this until I’d taken care of Tommy and come back for you. Then I could have taken my time and explained everything to you without this distraction. His coming after you last night pretty much decided everything, though. ” He tilted his head as if thinking about it for a moment. “Though with you, Tucker, I might always have had problems making you understand. No, you’re analytical, like your father and pretty stubborn on top of it, I think. ”
“Like my father? What the fuck do you know about my father? What the hell are you talking about?” Tucker pushed hard on Gavin’s arm, trying to move him away from him, so he could think. Gavin was saying too much crazy shit, and it was messing with his own mind now. Tucker had never even known his father. His mother died when he was a baby, and so far as he knew, his father had hauled ass, not sticking around to care for him. His grandparents had raised him, and he’d never had any interest in finding out more about the bastard who’d abandoned him. Gavin was saying things that made no sense. That had to be all it was, but it was oddly specific and fucking weird to mention Tucker’s father. What was going on here?
Gavin leaned in toward Tucker. Tucker had an insane impulse to dodge away or try to run, but was trying desperately to stifle it. He couldn’t stop himself from jumping to his feet and taking a step backward though, and he kept backing up as Gavin came closer until he hit the wall. He gazed up at his handsome lover, praying he would start to smile and this would all be some kind of crazy joke. “Gavin, stop this, please. Tell me the truth. Did you take something? Some drug? I didn’t see you take anything, but… He looked up at Gavin and tilted his head. “That must be it. You slipped me something last night to make me hallucinate. That whole thing on the beach was some kind of weird acid trip, wasn’t it?”
“No, Tucker. There weren’t any drugs and I’m not crazy. Maybe I should just tell you everything now, butyou’re not going to like it much. It’s going to be hard for you, but you have to try to trust me. I’ve got you,and I won’t let anything hurt you. ” Gavin stood in front of him and put both hands on the wall on either side of him, boxing him in. He peered down into his face and smiled. “Though I suppose right now you’re mostly scared of me. I think I have no choice but to claim you as my mate and then tell you everything. ”
Tucker tried hard not to tremble as he stood indecisively in front of Gavin, looking down at the hands blocking him in. He needed to get a grip. What the fuck was he talking about? Claim him as his mate? What the fuck? He knew he probably should be more frightened. Gavin was talking crazy, and Tuckerdidn’t exactly know how to deal with it. He could easily break away from Gavin’s arms if he wanted to—probably—but if he was sick or on some kind of drug, he didn’t want to hurt him. Maybe if he just played along…
He glanced up at Gavin. “Okay, honey. You can do whatever you need to do. Why don’t we go over here and sit down for a few minutes?”
Gavin looked down at him, beautiful and bright and a little stern. “You need to listen to me, Tucker. Really listen to what I have to tell you,and don’t be scared of me. It’s not what you’re thinking. I’ll try to make it all clear. ” His voice was deep, soothing, and almost hypnotic. “Just remember that you’re my mate and trust me—can you do that?”
Even as he tried to figure out what to do to contain the situation, one idea after another racing through his brain, he knew he was still willing to play along. He held Gavin’s gaze.