Fighting Temptation [Brac Village 11] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic ManLove) (8 page)

* * * *

Turi was fascinated by the way he could make Carmine run. Never before had he openly flirted with someone and it totally amazed him that he had sent such a powerful and masculine guy heading toward the snack bar with a full erection.

He had purposefully gotten in the man’s way, just to see if he had
any
effect on the guy. He had begun to think that his mate wasn’t interested in him. Boy, was he wrong. If the hard outline in the man’s pants was anything to go by, the guy was very interested.

Turi hadn’t been out to toy with Carmine. He really wasn’t. But the way his mate kept him at bay was getting frustrating. He was an adult and knew what should be happening between mates, but Carmine was acting as if Turi had the plague.

When Carmine returned, Turi purposefully bent over to grab the bowling ball. His ass wiggled a bit before he straightened and cut his eyes over toward his mate’s groin. Yep, it was still hard as ever.

He was being a shit and he knew it. But Turi was really tired of being ignored. He wanted to be claimed, to be loved by this man, and he had decided on the way here that he was going to do whatever it took to get his mate to claim him.

He had seen flirting before and knew what to do. The mechanics of batting his eyes and wiggling his ass were very basic. Even Turi could handle that.

“I brought you some nachos and cheese.” Carmine set the tray down, refusing to look Turi’s way. Making sure his hips swayed gently from side to side, Turi walked over to the end of the lane and took his turn.

When he spun back around, Carmine’s eyes were riveted to his ass. Now they were riveted to Turi’s groin. He could feel himself getting hard, his breathing becoming labored as he remembered how to walk and headed back to Carmine.

His mate pulled his gaze away and Turi could see his Adam’s apple bobbing rapidly. The tension between them seemed to build as they both took turns, playing out their game—a game of bowling and flirting.

If Turi wasn’t mistaken, Carmine was peacocking. The man flexed his biceps, strutted over to the end of the lane, and moved in ways that had Turi practically drooling. He wondered if Carmine made those same moves in bed.

The friendly game had turned into a competition. But the competiveness wasn’t about who could get the highest score. It was about who could flirt the most, and how provocative they could make themselves.

He wasn’t sure how he had gotten Carmine to lower his guard, but Turi was enjoying every second of the attention his mate was giving him. Those café-brown eyes continually slipped over to Turi, making him blush before he glanced away.

This game was much more fun. Turi liked feeling as if he were the center of Carmine’s attention. When Carmine wasn’t closed off to him, he excelled at seducing. The man wasn't overt. It was the small, subtle things that he was doing that were driving Turi crazy.

“Looks like I won,” Carmine said as he sat down and grabbed his bottle of root beer, his lips wrapping around the end so seductively that Turi nearly whimpered.

“I guess we should head back to your house.” Turi bent over to remove his shoes, knowing the back of his shirt was sliding up, exposing his skin to Carmine’s perusing eyes.

When the guy didn’t say anything, Turi glanced toward Carmine. The playfulness was gone from the man’s eyes, replaced once again by the guarded expression.

What was it going to take to keep that guard down? Turi was at a loss of how to get Carmine back into his playful mood. He slid the socks off and then jammed his feet into his sandals, frustrated as hell.

Carmine reached over and grabbed Turi’s bowling shoes, heading toward the counter without a word. Turi wanted to punch something. It seemed the two got along, when they were acting like friends. But Turi wanted something more than friendship. He wanted something more meaningful than batting eyes and flexing biceps.

Turi cleaned up the area, and then met Carmine by the door. Once they were out in the parking lot, Turi grabbed Carmine by his arm. “Is it me?”

He could see the war in Carmine’s eyes. His mate’s expression was tense before Carmine let out a long breath. “It’s not you, Turi.”

“Then tell me what’s going on. Why do you keep pushing me away?”

Carmine leaned against the car, twirling his keys around his finger as he stared off into the bordering woods. “My father was a very strong man. I didn’t think anything could take him down. In my eyes, he was a rock-solid pillar. But a few years ago, my mother was killed in a freak train wreck.”

Turi stood frozen to the spot, absorbing everything Carmine was saying.

“They still don’t know how her train derailed, but ever since her death, my father just exists. He’s practically withered away to nothing. Almost every time I go over there, he’s just sitting by the window, staring off into space.”

Turi’s heart went out to Carmine. He could see the pain in the man’s eyes. He could also see that Carmine truly loved his father and it was tearing him up inside to see his dad going through something like this.

Carmine stopped twirling the keys, curling his fingers around the set as his eyes dropped down to his feet. “I don’t ever want to go through something like that, Turi. I don’t ever want to know what it feels like to lose my mate.”

Turi blinked a few times, turning his head toward the back of the car. He wasn’t sure what to say. He could hear the fear in Carmine’s tone. The man was truly afraid to love. “I don’t plan on dying, Carmine,” Turi said, because he had no clue what else to say.

“Nobody plans on dying.” Carmine’s jaw clenched as he crossed his arms over his chest. “It just happens.”

Moving closer, Turi laid his hand on Carmine’s arm. “So, you’re just going to shut the world out? You are going to leave me unclaimed because you’re afraid of being hurt?”

Running his hands over his hair, Carmine’s eyes flickered down toward Turi. Turi held back the sob when he saw the truth in the man’s café-brown eyes. That was exactly what his mate had planned on doing.

Turi balled up his hand and punched Carmine in his chest. His mate looked stunned, but Turi was beyond mad and didn’t care. “You selfish bastard!” He punched Carmine again. “You refuse to claim me because you’re afraid of being hurt. What the hell do you think your refusal is doing to me? Don’t you think it hurts to know that my mate doesn’t want me?”

Before Carmine could answer, Turi stormed away. He was glad that Carmine wasn’t refusing him because he wasn’t attracted to Turi. But the truth still stung like a bitch.

“You said you didn’t want a mate,” Carmine shouted at him as Turi kept walking. “You said your life was complicated enough.”

Turi spun around, glaring at the man. His anger boiled over when he heard thunder and then the rain began to fall.
Just great.
“At least I’m trying to make this work. You on the other hand are too chickenshit to take a chance.” He turned and began walking again, unsure of where he was going as the rain began to soak through his clothes.

All he knew was that he had to get away before Carmine said something that would turn what Turi was starting to feel toward the guy into something vile. He didn’t want to hate Carmine. But what was he supposed to do when his mate was practically throwing him away?

It was going to be one long walk, but he decided to go back to the ranch. It wasn’t safe there, but staying with Carmine wasn’t an option. If only he could get the damn bracelet off of his wrist. Shimmering would be so freaking handy right now.

“You shouldn’t be wandering these roads by yourself.” Carmine had caught up to him, matching Turi’s quick strides.

Turi was so mad that he shoved at Carmine’s chest. “You don’t have to worry about your obligation to me any longer, Carmine. Just go back to your miserable life and leave mine alone.” He was starting to wish he had never met Detective Carmine Bianchi.

“You don’t know what it’s like,” Carmine argued.

“What, to lose my mate? I’m losing him now.”

“What if you die!” Carmine shouted at him. “What if I invest myself in you and then you are killed?”

Pushing his wet hair from his face, Turi let go of his anger. He could see the genuine fear in Carmine’s eyes. “What if you invest in me and I don’t die?”

From the expression on Carmine’s face, he could tell that the man hadn’t thought of that option. “You can’t push life away because you are afraid of being hurt, Carmine. You have to take a chance and enjoy the time you do have with the person you love.”

Carmine’s eyes slightly widened. “Love?”

Turi groaned. It was like talking to a brick wall. “Yes, love. Eventually that is going to happen if we stay together. At least I hope it will. I’m already starting to fall in love with you. Why do you think your rejection is like a knife in my heart?”

“But we just met.”

“Your point?”

The rain started coming down harder, but Turi refused to run for shelter. He wasn’t going anywhere until he knew where he stood with Carmine.

His mate’s eyes bore into his, the intensity almost overwhelming. “I’m scared shitless, Turi.”

It was more than Turi thought the man would say. Just hearing Carmine confess his fear made the man more reachable. Turi took a step closer, reaching up and brushing his hand over Carmine’s wet cheek. “So am I, but we can be scared together. I don’t want to live without the other half of my soul, Carmine.”

Turi sucked in a deep breath when Carmine grabbed him, pulling Turi into his strong arms as he lowered his head and captured Turi’s lips. It was their first kiss and Turi felt like his entire body had just caught fire.

His arms snaked around Carmine’s shoulders, pulling the man closer and praying his mate never let him go. Carmine seemed to be pouring all his emotions into that one kiss, giving Turi his fear, his joy, and everything else the man had been holding back.

His mate’s rough whiskers scraped across Turi’s face as he deepened the kiss, his arms tightening around Turi’s body. His mouth opened wider when Carmine’s tongue plunged in, sweeping and exploring.

Turi’s body became pliant as Carmine claimed his mouth, his hands pressing into Turi’s back. Unfortunately, Turi needed to breathe. His lungs were burning for oxygen. He reluctantly pulled back, but Carmine didn’t release him.

“Give me a chance, Carmine. Please don’t walk away from me.”

Carmine searched Turi’s face and he could see the walls continuing to crumble. But that didn’t mean his mate would relent in his feelings to guard his heart. Turi stood there praying.

To his surprise, Carmine hugged Turi close, almost strangling the air from his lungs. “Please don’t ever leave me,” his mate whispered in Turi’s ear.

Turi kissed the side of Carmine’s jaw. “Never.”

The promise was made. Turi just hoped fate didn’t have other plans as he thought about his father and uncle.

“Have you found him yet?” Delyn asked the men he had sent looking for Turi. “He shouldn’t be that hard to find. I highly doubt he strayed too far with that bracelet on.”

He could see his brother, Egon, watching from across the room. His brother wanted Turi and Delyn wanted the goddamn money he was promised for his son. He was tired of living in this godforsaken village and was ready to live like a king in the modern world.

But he couldn’t do that until he found his son.

“We haven’t found him yet,” one of the men said. “He isn’t at the ranch.”

For one split second Delyn had become weak, staring into his son’s eyes in that barn. That had been one second too long. Someone had shot at him and Delyn had taken off. He cursed his conscience. Turi had been nothing but a burden since the day he was born and if he hadn’t hesitated, Delyn would be out of this place already.

“Expand your search. He hasn’t gotten that far.” Delyn watched as the men left the hut.

“Turi better still be a virgin when you find him or the deal is off,” Egon said as he walked slowly around Delyn. “I haven’t kept watch over him for nothing. It was you who allowed him to escape so I am holding you responsible. Find him.” Egon swept from the hut and Delyn ground his teeth.

One way or another, he was going to find Turi. And when he did, he just might give the man a beating before handing him over to Egon. Delyn walked out of the hut in search of his nephew. If anyone could trick Turi into a false sense of comfort, it was Kiki. Turi would trust his cousin and Kiki would bring Turi back home.

* * * *

“You should get out of those wet clothes.” Carmine walked through the door behind Turi, feeling nervous for the first time in a very long time. His mate had made a point. Whether Carmine had wanted to claim Turi or not, he had developed feelings for the man. And from Turi’s confession, so had his mate.

Trying to keep the man at arm’s length was only going to hurt them both. So why fight this any longer? If truth be told, Carmine was tired of running, tired of fighting against what he was feeling. He prayed to the gods above that he never went through what his dad was going through, but Carmine couldn’t stop living because his father was in mourning. He was about to give up the best thing to ever happen to him and fuck if Carmine was going to be that stupid.