Page 2 of Wolf Reborn

He didn’t know why he wasn’t good enough to count for “family” get togethers when Dez and Ash’s boyfriends did. There seemed to be a barrier there Miles just couldn’t cross, and he wouldn’t lie about it, even to himself; it hurt.

Sawyer and Graham and the young woman, Hannah, had just shown up in town, moved into the enormous house they lived in, and suddenly been family. But they didn’t even invite Miles to come into the foyer when he was picking Gavin up for dinner.

Hell, he’d stopped going to pick Gavin up because he was tired of being met and held at the door like a teenage boy come to take out their child. It was downright depressing, and nothing he did alleviated it.

He’d been as friendly as he could with all of them. Tried to chat with everyone, make friends of the people Gavin loved. But in the end, it was always the same.

Miles felt like Gavin was just dating him until his own magical boyfriend appeared to move into the house and become a part of their impenetrable family. Then they would all forget Miles had ever existed, and he’d be alone again.

He knew Gavin had a complicated family history, and he both needed and deserved the family he’d made for himself. Miles’s wish to be a part of it didn’t come into that.

“Of course,” he agreed as he took the tea from Gavin. Immediately, he set it down on the counter and reached for his wallet, but Gavin waved him away.

“On the house. Full moon special.”

Miles chuckled at that. He knew that, technically, there was no proof the full moon brought out the extra weird stuff, but as a cop, he’d sure seen the wildest stuff on the full moon. A lot of the deputies considered it losing the lottery, being assigned to work the night of the full moon. “Thanks.”

Gavin leaned on the counter, whole body angled toward Miles, and he couldn’t help thinking it was a lure. Come closer, Miles. Closer. Let me show you everything you’ve ever wanted, and then get called into the kitchen and forget you exist for the next month.

The only thing Miles absolutely couldn’t figure out was why he kept going back for more rejection. There was just something magnetic about Gavin.

“Maybe next week?” Gavin asked, and Miles’s heart leapt at the crumb being thrown his way.

“Next week would be good,” he agreed, even as he kicked himself for it. Did he have no self-respect? “The movie should still be playing. Or if it’s not, we could just have dinner. There’s a new vegetarian place. We should go before it closes.”

Gavin chuckled and nodded. “That sounds great. We could do both.”

Miles feigned shock, covering his heart with his hand. “Vegetables and a movie? Slow down there Casanova, I’m not sure I can handle that much Gavin.”

In a fraction of a second, Gavin’s pupils blew wide, and the expression on his face turned hungry in a way Miles had never seen on him before. He licked his full lower lip, and it didn’t look like a nervous gesture at all. “I’ll bet you could handle it if you really tried.”

And just like that, Miles couldn’t breathe. He wanted to try. Fuck everything else, he really wanted to try. Right then and there, in fact, despite all public-lewdness laws. He leaned across the counter, mimicking Gavin’s posture, until their lips were inches apart. “I’d be happy to give it a go,” he offered.

Gavin’s gaze tracked to his lips, and Miles couldn’t look away.

This. This was the intensity he got from Gavin once in a blue moon that convinced him the man did actually want him. The fact that they hadn’t had sex yet was a bug, not a feature, and Gavin wanted very much to correct it.

Without warning, Gavin reached out and wrapped a strong hand around the back of Miles’s neck, pulling him in and then pushing their lips together with bruising force.

When Gavin kissed him, it was always firm, confident, powerful. This, though—this was a wild thing. Gavin didn’t ask entrance and take it when it was granted. He crushed their mouths together, sweeping his tongue into Miles with reckless abandon. For that perfect, blissful moment, Gavin owned him with that kiss.

Miles once again longed to hop over the counter, press himself against Gavin from lips to toes, and give the man anything and everything he demanded.

He so wanted Gavin to make a demand.

Instead, Gavin broke away and scrubbed his face with both hands, hard. “I’m sorry,” he said without uncovering his face. “That was—”

“Absolutely perfect,” Miles told him. He could deal with a lot from Gavin, but he wasn’t going to let him lessen that kiss by pretending it had been wrong. “I’d be a pretty happy guy if you did it again, in fact. No whining about waiting till next week to see you or anything.”

Gavin groaned and dropped his head. If the groan hadn’t clearly been sexual frustration, Miles might have taken offense.

“Miles,” Dez said, coming out of the kitchen. “Fancy seeing you here. How you doing?”

It was like Gavin’s friends had a sixth sense for when Miles thought he was making headway. Every time he thought he might make a breakthrough—or at least get kissed as thoroughly as he wanted—one of them would appear and interrupt. He didn’t think they hated him. They didn’t act like they hated him. They just didn’t seem to want him to get close to Gavin, either.

He gave Dez a tight smile and nod. “Fine. You know how it is. Guess I’d better get home. See you guys around.”

He got back to the car, set his tea in the cupholder, the cookie on the passenger seat, and sat there, alone, for a long while.

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