Chapter 10

Sheppard

“Fuck!” I yelled into the darkness of my room. Sleep was something that never came for me. I did the no-blue-light shit an hour before I went to bed. The windows were open, ensuring the room was cold. I’d tracked down every light source and doused them.

Sleeping pills just made my legs jump.

I entangled my fingers behind my head, breathing out a long exhale.

My mind wouldn’t stop. It ran like a never-ending reel of information. The betas and I were still on shaky ground after this Male-Order app thing. The pack was lazy and yet restless. They’d fucked up Jagger’s bar, and I’d had to take time away from my work to settle them.

Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, the government had decided to up their price on the property we wanted so badly.

But why was I trying so hard to get land for people who gave less than two fucks about this pack?

Still, as the details of life rattled inside my head, so did another thing. And when I thought about him, it gave me somewhere to go.

A fantasy, yes, but a place to escape to.

A growl ripped from my bear and vibrated in my chest at the thought of another alpha paying him any attention, much less being perky with him. He should be able to go get a drink at a bar without the sleaze bags coming out to play.

If he needed a drink from then on, he could come into my office. No, damn it. I was probably the last thing he wanted or needed.

My cock hardened under the sheets as I thought about the way he’d looked when he realized it was me at the door.

He was glad to see me.

He wanted me there to save him.

Gods, I’d wanted to take him by the hand after we got out of the truck and drag him to my bed. I should have. I would’ve taken my time to strip him bare and make sure he was slicker than he’d ever been in his life before I plunged into him.

Fuck. I’d jerked off more times in the past day than in the past month. Not that it was many times.

Still, I had to get a grip on myself.

With only pajama pants on, I decided a walk outside in the cool, crisp air of fall would cure me. On bare feet, I padded through the lands, closing my eyes to breath in the air and let it wash over me and rid me of that constant concrete dick.

Just as it had started to work, a scent caught my nose, and my bear chuffed.

Mine. Find him. Mate.

Oh, god dammit.

My legs seemed to move of their own accord toward the scent, the sweetness that drifted along with the wind and permeated my senses.

Faster and faster I walked toward it, guided by my nose, my dick, and my bear. Compasses of the best kind.

I gasped but then slapped my hand over my mouth when I realized what was happening.

Toklo was using the outdoor shower, the one without a curtain. He probably figured he was alone in the middle of the night and no one would see. Either that or he just didn’t care. Many shifters didn’t.

He was bent over, washing his legs. He rubbed handfuls of suds along his skin as the moon shone down on his glistening back. He was all muscle, and each movement made them relax and then pull taut, giving me a moving show of his sexiness.

I tried to step forward to get behind a tree, but my bare foot slid on some dirt and leaves, and I almost went headfirst into the tree. I thought I’d gotten away with it when I heard him.

“Alpha? Sheppard?” he called out. My name on his lips did nothing to soothe the aching hardness between my legs. In fact, the damned thing bobbed like it was answering the call.

“Yeah. I was taking a walk and…good morning.”

Fuck me. It was still night. Or was it early morning? Who cared? I sounded like a grade-A asshat.

“Wait, you don’t have to…” he called out, but I was sprinting toward my house.

I slipped back in bed, but the tent in my sheets wouldn’t go away.

Closing my eyes, I thought about him naked. It wasn’t my right to stare, but I couldn’t look away if I wanted to.

“Can I join you?” I asked, and he looked up startled but nodded. “Of course, you can, Sheppard. I was waiting for you.”

He knelt and cupped my sac, kneading it before licking the precum from the tip of my cock, rolling his eyes. “Mmm, I knew you would taste good.”

He took me, as much as he could, using his other hand to move me up and down while he sucked since I was too large to take into his throat. He bobbed his head while I tangled my hands in his hair and guided him.

I hadn’t even lasted two seconds in the dream or in real life. Time for some clean sheets.

Again.