Page 8 of Coral Rustling

Chapter Four

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Trey sucked in a sharpbreath when his gaze landed on the trio of men standing amidst the trees on the other side of the paddocks.Or more to the point, the wiry blond that stood in front of the other pair.The guy still wore the same jeans and flannel that fit him so nicely, and Trey couldn’t wait to peel those clothes from his body.

Licking his lips, Trey took a step toward Ulkna, and that seemed to be enough to end the staring contest.

Ulkna hopped the paddock fence and began striding swiftly toward him, cutting across the horse enclosure.

“Uh, Uncle Trey,” Reagan called nervously.“You, uh, want some more clothes?”His voice lowered to a mutter as he added, “Shoes, maybe?”

Trey hesitated, glancing over his shoulder at his nephew.As much as he wanted to just run to his mate, capture his lips, and start exploring, he needed to keep his wits about him, too.He didn’t know these shifters, after all.

“Uh, yeah,” Trey replied softly, nodding at Reagan.“Clothes would be good.”

Turning his attention back to Ulkna, Trey watched him move through the paddocks.The pair behind him followed, the redhead leading and keeping his body partially in front of the other man protectively.Trey recalled that he was Payson, the black-haired man was his human mate, Land, and he had a fairly important position in the...gang.Payson was also keeping a wary eye on Reagan while sweeping his gaze over the area, giving the horses a much wider berth than Ulkna.Trey’s mate seemed to easily read the eating animals, knowing which ones would ignore him and which ones were more aggressive about their hay.

“Hi, Ulkna,” Trey greeted as he watched the agile male hop over the last fence separating them.Licking his lips, he found his mouth watering with his desire to taste the approaching male.“I’m Trey.”

“Hello, Trey,” Ulkna greeted, stopping only a foot before him.A warm smile curved his thin lips while hunger filled his hazel eyes.He stared up at Trey, holding his gaze confidently, regardless of their three-inch height difference.“It’s so very good to meet you officially.”

Instead of offering his hand, Ulkna reached out and rested his hands on Trey’s waist.He rubbed his thumbs over the sides of his abdominals, sending goose bumps through his torso.Trey sucked in a sharp breath, and Ulkna’s masculine scent flooded his senses.

After swallowing hard, Trey whispered, “Good to meet you, too.”His voice came out huskier than he could ever remember it being, and he cleared his throat reflexively.“Uh, so you found our evening paddocks.”

Ulkna smiled, his expression hungry as he roved his gaze over Trey’s torso.“Yeah.”Lifting his attention back to Trey’s face, he declared, “Couldn’t stay away.”

“Uh, Uncle Trey?”

Reagan’s uncertain voice yanked Trey’s attention from Ulkna’s handsome features.“Yeah, hey,” he responded inanely.“Uh, this is Ulkna, my mate.”

Geez, standing before my mate is making me out as a moron.

Hoping to get a few brain cells to fire, Trey began to draw away from Ulkna, planning to put a little space between them.His mate’s low growl of displeasure caused him to still as his brows shot up.Even Trey’s equine nickered inside him, wanting to please Ulkna, to make him happy.

To that end, Trey pivoted and rested his left hand on the small of Ulkna’s back.The move gave him the bit of space he needed while keeping close to his mate.That seemed to settle Ulkna, too, for he mirrored the move, his palm sliding over Trey’s bare back.

Ulkna’s touch caused tingles to sweep up and down Trey’s spine, but he did his best to ignore it...for the moment.

“Uh, Ulkna, this is my nephew, Reagan.”With his right hand, he indicated Reagan.“He keeps me and my secret safe.”

Reagan shifted his weight from foot to foot in obvious discomfort as he gave an awkward wave.“Hey.”

“Your nephew?”Ulkna questioned.

As Trey nodded, Reagan clarified, “Great nephew, technically.”He pointed at Trey.“Uncle Trey is my grandfather’s brother.”With a roll of a shoulder, he amended, “Half-brother, but our family never made the distinction.”

“And you know about shifters, huh?”Payson drew closer and grinned widely at him.“Cool.It’s good to have help when you’re alone.”Then the redhead’s brows drew together in speculation.“Youarealone, right, Trey?We aren’t aware of this bein’ any shifter’s territory, and we haven’t scented any others around.”

Trey shook his head, doing his best not to be distracted by the way Ulkna’s fingertips teased over the knobs of his spine.“Oh, no, I don’t have a herd,” he confirmed.Grimacing as he thought back to the last herd he’d been a part of, he told them, “My mother was human, true mated to my shifter father.She’d already had a son with another, a human who was no longer in the picture, but my brother was treated like a part of the herd even though he was human.”

“My grandfather, David,” Reagan cut in.

Trey nodded, smiling as he recalled fond memories of growing up with his older brother.“David fell in love and married a human woman, and our herd alpha allowed him to share our secrets with her.They were good together, had two sons, who also knew about us, Will and Colton.”

“Will’s my father,” Reagan cut in, getting in on the explanation.“He and my mom are living near the south rim and run a bed and breakfast.”With a low chuckle, Reagan shoved his hands into his pockets.“We get a lot of referrals from them.”

Trey reached out and squeezed Reagan’s shoulder.“They love that you do what makes you happy.”

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