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Bo Daniels woke up in an unfamiliar setting, throat parched and his entire body hurting. He opened his eyes to slits, seeing what looked like some kind of lounge.
Someone had thrown a blanket over him and he was lying down on a comfy leather couch. Sitting up hurt like a bitch, so Bo slowly peeled the blanket away and took a good look around the space.
Where was Mike? The events came crashing down on him. Bo remembered asking Mike out during a party, thinking Mike would refuse him outright. Both of them worked as bartenders at the Calico, which mostly served college students. Bo worked there for as long as he remembered since he dropped out of college—which was five years ago. Mike was new and exactly Bo’s type—tall, buff and wore an easy smile.
They’d been working alongside each other for nearly three months when Bo found the courage to ask the guy out. He heard rumors Mike played for the same team. His stomach clenched as he looked at his arms. Bruises lined them, but someone had seen to his wounds it seemed.
Bo lifted his shirt and saw more bandages. Who tended to him? The last he remembered...
“Oh Christ,” Bo murmured.
Despite how painful it was, he curled his knees to his chest in a fetal position. That’s right. Mike only asked him out because Bo had tickets to Dominance’s sold-out concert. Mike arrived at their meeting place with two of his buddies...and Bo was stupid and naïve enough to never question why Mike asked him to meet in an alley. He should have known better too. George, his best friend, and fellow roommate had been against him going.
George always went by the bar. He knew Mike but told Bo he distrusted the guy. Bo should have listened. George and he met through the foster system and were like brothers. Before meeting Mike, Bo had a horrible fight with George. In the end, he should have heeded George’s warning—never trust a stranger. But Mike hadn’t been a stranger, or so Bo thought. They’d spent an insane amount of time together at work.
When Mike’s lips curled after Bo said yes...that should have been the clue. Still, Bo foolishly believed he’d mistaken that slip.
They beat the living daylights out of him, before swiping the tickets off him.
They wanted to do more, Bo remembered, feeling sick. One of Mike’s pals, a shifter—the asshole let Bo know what he was by flashing him his canines, had suggested taking a turn with Bo’s ass. Bo shivered, wrapping the blankets around him tighter.
Thank God, Mike and the others never got to that horrid part.
Bo fingered the end of the blanket. Something or someone had saved him. He could still remember tasting the cold air, feel the blood drying on his skin and that huge animal coming out of the other end of the alley like some monstrous hound of hell. But before that, a man took the place of the beast. Even in his muddled mind, Bo knew his mysterious savior had been a shifter.
For a moment, he thought the werewolf had gone insane and would hurt him too, but realized a second later the shifter came to his defense. Why? Bo was a nobody. He had a close circle of friends, no family and didn’t stand out in any way. After that...
Bo let out a laugh. He started to hallucinate; thinking Mick Badder and Korey Strong appeared out of the alley and started calling the wolf protectively hovering above him Steel.
Steel or Josiah Kirsch—only hardcore fans of Dominance knew the drummer’s real name. Fans like Bo. He’s had a crush on Steel for years. Dominance’s music saved Bo many times, hearing their tunes never failed to get Bo out of a funk.
“Of course I’d think Steel would come to my rescue,” he murmured.
Bo stared at the floor, which oddly seemed to vibrate. Frowning, he shakily rose to his feet. He wasn’t imagining it. The floor vibrated, so did the walls. Distinctively, he could hear music playing in the distance. Dominance’s music—Bo recognized any song they played. This one was called Angel on His Knees, written by Mick Badder, the lead singer.
“No way.” The sound of his voice startled him. This couldn’t be happening. Did Steel rescue him, along with other members of the band? He thought back to that scary-ass moment in the alleyway. Bo remembered reading from somewhere that in wolf form, Steel had black fur. His mouth went dry.
Applause went off. Was he backstage, in Dominance’s dressing room?
Dazed, Bo looked around him, but the lounge wouldn’t give him a clue. The wall clock to the right of him read it was almost eleven. The concert started at nine, which meant he’d been knocked out for nearly two hours.
The show was about to come to an end. Bo sat back down, unsure of what to do next. If he waited here, would Steel come visit him? Crazy thoughts, besides what would a popular guy like Steel want with him?
Steel was a player. Everyone knew that.
A nervous giggle escaped Bo. Still, he couldn’t shake away the image of Steel running to his rescue just now, but, it could be anything. Everyone knew werewolves were attracted to the smell of blood. However, none of it explained why Steel went berserk.
The werewolf could have killed Mike and his friends, but Steel didn’t go for their throats instantly. Of course, killing anyone would mean serious jail time, but...that wasn’t the most important question.
Hearing footsteps outside, Bo straightened his spine. He winced as pain flared. It hurt especially across his ribs, where Mike repeatedly kicked at him.
“How is he?” came a man’s deep voice. Steel, Bo knew. He religiously watched every interview that featured Steel.
“Last I checked the human was sleeping soundly. That was half an hour ago. The doc said to let him sleep it off.”
Apprehensive, Bo glanced at the room, seeking any exit points. Screw meeting Steel in person, he wasn’t ready. Oh, a day ago Bo would die if he could meet the man of his dreams. But Steel was supposed to be a fantasy, someone he jerked off to at night. Heck, Bo couldn’t remember the number of times he stared at the rocker’s poster on his wall, right across his bed.
In the poster, Steel didn’t wear his shirt. Being shirtless displayed all of the rock star Alpha’s muscle, every scar, and ink. Bo didn’t know how accurate the poster was, but he was about to find out. Why was he panicking?
There were no windows in the room.
“Great,” Bo muttered to himself.
Outside, Steel’s voice froze his entire body. “Oh, he’s awake now.”
“Steel, are you sure you want to be alone with this human?” Another voice asked. Mick’s, Bo was certain of it. The band members were frequently interviewed together. Bo was only interested in Steel, but he recognized Mick and Korey’s voices.
“Of course I’m sure.”
“Go easy on him,” came Korey’s voice.
“What the fuck do you guys think I am, a monster?”
“No, we’d never think that, but you forget. We’ve seen you nearly tear apart two humans to get to this one. Do you know why you went out of control like that?” Mick asked.
“None of your fucking business, so fuck off,” Steel replied tersely.
“Let’s go, Mick,” Korey said.
Bo heard footsteps fading. On his feet now, he began walking around the room. He might be mistaken and there might be a way out...or he was being delusional. Why was he so terrified of meeting Steel? Most fans would die to get this close to Steel and other members of Dominance. Except...the same rules that applied to humans didn’t apply to dominant Alpha werewolves, right?
Bo wouldn’t know. He hadn’t dated a lot of shifters. To be honest, he’d stuck to his sorry kind and the men he’d dated didn’t leave him with much of an impression. Always, Bo held himself back when things turned too hot. A couple of kisses, blow jobs, nothing more. That was the reason why at twenty-three, he was still a virgin.
The door swung open. Bo froze, feeling incredibly stupid back against the wall, as if terrified of the door, or rather the man he’d jerked himself off to at night. In real life, Steel looked bigger, certainly more imposing.
Bo’s poster did the rock star Alpha a disservice. Having come from a concert, Steel still wore his costume—if one could call a pair of leather pants and steel-edged boots that. Steel had no shirt on, drawing Bo’s attention to the drummer’s defined and sweat-slicked chest.
“What’s your name, little human?”
Oh, Lord. The sound of Steel’s deep voice lit every nerve in his body. Bo became tongue-tied as Steel neared him. The guard outside closed the door, giving them ultimate privacy, so why did Bo feel like a caged animal? No, that wasn’t right. His skin felt hot and one or both of his legs were about to fail him. Steel reached him now and placed a steady hand on his shoulder.
The Alpha’s lips curled to a frown. Concern appeared on his handsome features. “Are you unwell? Let me call for the medic again.”
“No, it’s not that,” Bo said quickly. Steel’s gaze dropped to the woody Bo spotted. Shit. Bo wished he could disappear from the face of the earth, except his gaze inadvertently looked down to see Steel sporting an erection through his skin-tight leather pants.
“I smelled your arousal even before I entered the room, little human. You’re so fucking hard for me, it’s cute.”
Bo managed to get a hold of his wits. Steel’s presence overwhelmed him but if Steel thought he was like any other horny groupie that would throw themselves without a second thought at Steel and his bandmates, then well. Steel had another thing coming.
“No.” Bo pressed a hand against Steel’s chest. Enormous mistake, because he felt the cool touch of metal and sweat-slicked muscle under his hand. He swallowed, suddenly realizing Steel had his nipples pierced. Oh hell. When did that happen?
“No?” Steel repeated, raising an eyebrow. Suddenly, the Alpha had a hand around Bo’s wrist, his fingers rough and callused. Bo’s pulse leaped to the surface of his skin. It didn’t help Steel thumbed the sensitive bit of skin. “Are you going to deny this, little human? The heat between our bodies?”
Were werewolves able to tell if a human was lying? Bo couldn’t remember. All he could think of was how hot the room was and all he wanted to do was rub himself against Steel. What the hell was happening to him? Bo was usually shy. Reserved. Tonight though, all kinds of wicked thoughts entered his mind. He could expire from pleasure, thinking about Steel being in control, demanding Bo take whatever the Alpha decided to give.
“I won’t deny there’s chemistry.” Bo didn’t know how he could keep talking, although his voice sounded strained. What did it matter? Some people would never say no to a rock god. Fuck tomorrow. When would Bo ever get an opportunity like this again? Mike screwed him up, but if this was the consolation prize...
Bo lifted his chin and met the werewolf’s gaze. “I know you. You fuck whomever you want, whenever you want. I’m not that easy.”
Steel tightened his grip on his wrist, took that last step so their bodies touched. The feel of Steel’s bare skin against his shirt—oh God, it was happening again. Bo had trouble gathering his thoughts.
“Are you sure? What if I took those tempting lips of yours? Are you going to bite my tongue and shove me away?”
“Don’t,” Bo whispered, although he was pretty certain most of him was screaming ‘hell yes!’
What did it matter if Steel fucked him senseless, drilled him so hard Bo could hardly walk the next morning? How many people did the walk of shame after spending the night with a rock god?
“First thing you should know about me, little human. No one tells me what to do.” Steel gripped the back of his neck and suddenly, the Alpha’s mouth was on his.
* * * *
It didn’t take long for resistance to turn to acquiescence. Jesus Christ. The sweet taste of the human exploded in his mouth and Steel didn’t even know the tasty little morsel’s name. The old him wouldn’t give a damn as long as he got a nice piece of ass, but this man wasn’t just a hookup. He was more. Steel kissed him the way he fucked—rough and without pretension.
The human responded—all heat and eagerness despite his feisty attitude earlier. When Steel pulled away, the human panted, staring.
“What’s your name, little human?”
“Bo,” the other man whispered. “I can’t believe that just happened. You kissed me.”
“Now, now, pet. Why does that sound like an accusation?” Steel asked.
“I,” Bo faltered. “I can’t think with you standing so near me.”
“Is that a compliment or another accusation?” Nonetheless, Steel complied. He circled the tasty human, eyeing him from top to bottom. That seemed to make Bo even more nervous.
“What are you doing?”
“Appraising what’s mine.”
Bo let out a laugh. “Do you look at all your conquests like that, like shiny new toys you’d throw away the following day?”
The wolf inside Steel stirred. He snarled, making Bo jump. Damn. What a feisty little human he had on his hands. Steel would never have expected that from a victim, from someone who went through a traumatic incident like that.
Bo’s defiance didn’t stop him though. Instead, it riled him up and made him eager and curious to find out more about this human. Steel didn’t merely want to own Bo’s body, but he wanted to find out what went on in that delightful mind of his.
“You’re forgetting who saved you in the first place, little human.”
At those words, Bo bit his lip and hung his head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make it sound like you’re a monster.”
“That’s exactly what you’re painting me as. You know jack shit about me, little human. So don’t go tossing meaningless accusations at me.”