The streetlights whipped by in hazy blurs like someone rubbed Vaseline all over the stars. Troy’s head lay on the window while he tried to make sense of the hazy world. The weight of Blake’s agate felt heavy in his pocket.
“You really didn’t need to take me home,” Troy said, his breath leaving a small cloud on the car window.
Blake sighed.
“Someone had to take you home,” he said. “You would have gotten into a lot of trouble if I let you drive home.”
Troy tried to nod, but his forehead was pressed against the glass.
“I feel like a little kid,” Troy said, “being picked up from my first sleepover.”
He pushed off the window and sat up, looking over at Blake. The mountain lion lounged in his seat, one hand on the wheel, the other draped over the back of Troy’s seat.
“Did I tell you that when I slept over at John’s house the first time I threw up all over his parents’ new couch?” Troy said a nostalgic smile at the corner of his lips. “God, his mom looked like she was going to kill me. My mom had to come and pick me up. It was only nine o’clock.”
“You never talk about your mother,” Blake said. He turned down the winding road that led to Troy’s family resort.
“She died when I was nine,” said Troy. “Cancer. I don’t like to talk about it.”
“Oh shit, man,” said Blake, “I didn’t know that.”
Troy shifted in his seat. The alcohol was starting to wear off but he was still fuzzy around the edges.
“It’s fine,” Troy said. “I’ve gotten used to not having her around. I just miss her, you know? And my dad never quite recovered. He never really got me, you know? He is great with my brother. And Bekah is a people pleaser, she does her best with him. But I’m the failure, you know?”
The resort appeared in the distance. The cabins looked hollow and empty in the light of the car’s headlights. Shadows from trees and leaves danced over the buildings as the car approached. It made Troy shiver.
“Wait,” Troy said. “I’m not ready to go back yet. Can you pull over?”
He gestured at a grove of trees near the edge of the resort. Blake raised an eyebrow but didn’t question Troy’s change of mind. He turned the wheel with a smooth motion and pulled behind the line of trees. He parked, flipping the lights off.
The men suddenly found themselves in the darkness. They could see the reflection of the moon on the lake, waves rising and falling in slow succession. Blake’s lion was on alert. He could smell Troy’s lust and nerves over the stench of alcohol.
“Why did you come back?” Asked Troy.
Blake shifted in his seat. The faint light of the streetlamps dancing off his sharp jaw and high cheekbones, casting his eyes in shadow.
“After you left for Seattle,” Blake said, voice seemingly loud in the quiet of the dark car, “I realized that there wasn’t much left for me on the road. I was making a lot of surface connections that turned into nothing and constantly on the run. I decided to go back and reclaim my birthright as the alpha of my pride.”
“Did you?”
Blake nodded. “It wasn’t easy, but I took over as the top alpha with some fighting and some political wheeling and dealing. I can be charming when I need to be.”
Troy grinned. “I know that.”
Blake continued, “Our pride works in construction. We invest in properties and build apartments, hotels, and office parks on them. As the alpha, I am involved in our business. When I was told we had a property that needed development in your hometown well... Honestly, I came with because I hoped that I would run into you.”
Troy’s heart felt like it was being squeezed. His breath caught in his throat. Blake had come here looking for him?
“I’m glad you found me,” Troy said. He reached across the seats and took Blake’s hand. The lion’s hand was calloused and warm in his own soft palm. Blake ran his thumb over the back of Troy’s hand in small circles.
“Blake,” Troy said, his voice soft, “if you came back looking for me, why did you leave me that night? I wanted to come with you and you told me... you told me that I wasn’t worth anything to you.”
Blake sighed and gave Troy’s hand a squeeze.
“I didn’t want to leave you,” Blake said, “but I thought I was ruining your life.”
“You made my life so much better,” said Troy. “You were my first love.”
“Mine, too,” said Blake. “That’s just not how your family saw it.”
Troy nodded. “My dad forced me to move to Seattle to learn how to be the alpha of the pack. He wanted me to man up and let go of my attraction to men... That’s not how it works.”
“Your brother came to see me that night,” Blake said.
Troy narrowed his eyes.
“Brandon? Why would he find you?”
“He knew we were sleeping together,” Blake said. “Your brother and a couple members of your pack ambushed me in the forest. They attacked me in wolf form. I held them off, but they were close to... It almost got bad. Really bad.”
“Oh, god.”
“They told me to leave,” Blake said, “or they would hurt you, too. I didn’t have a choice.”
“You did have a choice,” Troy said. “You could have taken me with you. We could have had each other.”
“I didn’t have anything to give you,” Blake said. “I had no future and no family. You have a family and a life here.”
“My life here hardly matters,” said Troy. “Every day I felt like a failure in this house. Every day I was forced to be someone I wasn’t. My dad sent me away instead of letting me be happy. Nothing matters here.”
Blake sighed.
“Look,” he said, “I am sorry. I wanted to see you, to know that you were okay. That’s why I came back, okay? To make sure that you were happy.”
“I’m happy now,” said Troy, “that you’re back.”
Blake leaned forward, pulling Troy to him. Their lips met and the kiss said everything they wanted to say but couldn’t. Every “I’m sorry” and “I miss you” and “I love you.” Troy sighed and leaned into the kiss, sucking on Blake’s lower lip. His wolf was calm, happy to be here with his true mate.
Blake swept his tongue across Troy’s lips, asking permission to enter. Troy opened his mouth and shivered with pleasure as Blake’s tongue rubbed against his own. Every nerve center in his body was on fire. He could feel his cock hardening in his pants, pressing against his jeans and begging to be released.
They broke apart and Troy missed Blake’s warmth immediately. He was fully sober now, but his head was fuzzy with Blake.
“I want to run away with you now,” Troy said, his voice breathy and cheeks flushed.
“You didn’t have a choice,” Blake said with a dangerous grin. “I was taking you back to my place anyway. If you don’t think I need to have my way with you, you’re sorely mistaken.”
Blake turned the key and the car roared to life. As they turned out of the drive, Troy thought he saw the blinds move in his house.