Heat Rising: A KinKaid Wolf Pack Story (7 page)

Inside, the music slammed into Kaleb’s chest, the deep bass vibrating his sternum. Lady GaGa’s voice rang inside his ears, her lyrics preaching something about Money, Honey. After handing over a twenty for a cover charge, Kaleb strolled deeper into the club.

Swinging his head right then left, Kaleb’s gaze was immediately drawn to the cages hanging from diagonal corners of the room. The men behind the bars writhed in time to the beat of the music, wearing nothing but tan muscle and gold thongs, their faces hidden by masks.
Damn…

On the small dance floor, the patrons, most with their chests bare, mimicked the show above with their partners. Kaleb swallowed hard, his pulse racing from the erotic heat wave bouncing off his senses.

He scanned the crowd, seeking out the familiar dark head and broad shoulders belonging to his friend. Rumors placed about half the club’s clientele as shifters. Based on the scents hitting his nostrils, they weren’t far off the mark. Out of the corner of his eye, Kaleb spotted a man wearing a studded leather collar, its leash attached to the palm of another shirtless, muscle-bound man behind him. His owner yanked the guy’s chain, spinning him around for a fast, hard kiss. Next, he shoved his pet to his knees right before rubbing the leather-clad bulge in his crotch in his sub’s face. Is that what Landry liked from his males? Did he chain his lovers and force them to their knees?

Kaleb’s cock kicked at the thought, going rock hard.
Fuck!
He shook his head. Kaleb had to get out of there soon. All the PDA’s were messing with his brain cells.

Finding a discreet spot at the far corner of the bar that allowed him a decent view of the club and its surrounding tables, Kaleb signaled for the bartender. This definitely called for a drink. Maybe more than one depending on how the night went.

The barkeep, wearing not much more than twin nipple rings, stopped in front of him and leaned in.

“Beer. Whatever you have cold and bottled.”

The guy nodded and headed off. Kaleb scanned the room once more, noting more than once a procession of men entering and exiting in pairs down a guarded hallway. The bartender returned and plopped down a Heineken in front of Kaleb.

“Open a tab, sweetie?” Nipple Rings cocked his hip and winked. The fake lashes and heavy black eyeliner exaggerated the almond shape of his eye. From the chin up, the guy was completely androgynous with long dark hair and a full pouty mouth. He really was quite…pretty.

“Yeah.” Kaleb sighed. He hadn’t spotted Landry yet anyway. “Why the hell not?” At least while he waited, the scenery around the place was pretty entertaining to watch.

The bartender started to turn away. “Hey, wait a sec.” He leaned back in and Kaleb eased in a little closer so he didn’t have to shout over the music. “What exactly happens in that area of the club?” Kaleb pointed a thumb over his shoulder, indicating what appeared to be an exclusive corridor.

Nipple Rings flashed him a provocative grin. “Sweetie, that section is for those who want privacy when they want to do more than dance with their partner.”

“I see.” Kaleb nodded.

“I get off in twenty if you really want to…see,” he said with another flap of his butterfly wing lashes.

Umm…no, he really didn’t. “Thanks. Not tonight.” Not with him. The mental image of Landry tugging him down that hallway, though, flashed inside his head, sending his heart thudding against his sternum, blood slamming into Kaleb’s cock. His balls tightened.
Holy hell.
Why did the very thought of his partner dragging him back there like some badass Dom wanting to rock Kaleb’s world have him on the edge of blowing one right there inside his jeans?

“Your loss, sweetie,” the bartended muttered and moved away.

Shit.
He really did need to get laid. Kaleb glanced around the room, catching sight of a St. Andrew’s Cross in the back of the large space. Some guy was strapped to the wood, his bare back glistening with sweat under a row of halogens while his Dom worked him over with what looked like a flogger.

Maybe that’s what Kaleb needed to get rid of all his extra energy: a Dom to whale on his ass with one of those straps? Kaleb grinned to himself. Perhaps then the idea of Landry’s large hands, and whatever else he wanted to place on Kaleb’s rear end, wouldn’t seem so fucking appealing.

The DJ switched tracks, turning back the years to the pulse-pounding sound of Nine Inch Nail’s
Closer
.

How appropriate.

At that moment, Landry’s profile came into sight. He stood outside the private corridor with a man Kaleb had never seen before. The stranger had long dark hair and was wearing a black leather vest and pants. Suddenly, Landry closed the distance between them, spearing his fingers into the hair at the other man’s nape, tugging the stranger’s head back. Was he pissed, or was this a part of a game Landry liked to play?

Risking detection, Kaleb slipped from his spot at the bar. He couldn’t hear a damn thing or even read their lips at his current distance. But before he could get a better look, both men turned and disappeared down the hall.
Fuck!

Kaleb reversed his steps, found a seat back at the bar, and motioned at the bartender for another round. Picking at the curling label on his Heineken, Kaleb couldn’t help but hit rewind inside his head on what he’d just witnessed. Landry’s face inches from the other man’s mouth. Were they kissing right about now? Kaleb squirmed on the stool, his gut tightening at the thought.
Stop it!
Kaleb squeezed his eyes shut, forcing the visual replay to shut down. It wasn’t like he’d never been around when Landry had scored a hook-up in the past, and Christ, it wasn’t like he’d considered for one minute the male was living like a monk.
Then what the hell is the problem?

“You okay, sweetie?” The bartender’s voice cut through another loop of the song’s chorus. Kaleb lifted his lids, then grabbed the new icy bottle of beer in front of him.

“I will be in just a few minutes.” Kaleb sneered and downed a gulp of the chilled brew.

Fifteen minutes later and halfway through his third bottle, Kaleb’s brain and limbs were on the cusp of that sweet, numb
don’t really give a shit anymore
mode when the hard feel of another male’s chest pressed against his back. Kaleb eased his brew down onto the wood.

“I want you,” a deep voice stated all matter-of-fact at his ear.

You gotta be kidding me.

With a quirk of a smile on his face, Kaleb glanced over his shoulder. “Is that all you got?” He narrowed his gaze on the bald guy determined to meld his skin to Kaleb’s. “That’s your line?” Kaleb wagged his index finger at the other dude. This was too funny. Or maybe it was freaky? Kaleb wasn’t quite sure what he should be feeling at the moment other than the nice buzz spinning inside his skull.

“That’s all I need.” Baldy reached up, and with one beefy hand, palmed Kaleb’s neck. He pulled him in, his nostrils flaring. “I know a sub when I see one. And, pup, I can tell you’re just itching for someone to call Daddy.”

Kaleb didn’t know how it was even possible, but the other guy inched in closer, making sure Kaleb knew exactly what he was packing behind the leather.
Fuck.
Awkward much?

“And I’ve got everything you need to have you screaming for your papa right here,” the big guy added with a flex of his hips against Kaleb’s lower back for emphasis.

Okay… Buzz kill.

Baldy had to give it a rest.

“Listen…” Kaleb said, about to tell the Dom what he could do with that dick of his when another set of hands landed on the guy’s shoulders.

“Back. The. Hell. Off,” a dark voice stated, each word uttered with lethal intensity. Baldy stiffened, then slowly turned, revealing the intruder standing behind him. For a split-second, hazel eyes flashing with heat met Kaleb’s gaze, then flicked back to the guy between them.

Landry.

“And who the fuck are you to tell me to do anything?” Baldy jutted his chin and stuck his face in Landry’s.

“He’s mine,” Landry snarled, not giving an inch.

A shiver ran down Kaleb’s spine at the declaration. Holy hell, he liked the way those two words sounded on Landry’s lips. Way too damn much.

What the fuck was Kaleb doing there?

Landry had nearly lost it when he’d walked away from Arick only to spot Kaleb sitting at the bar, his thick auburn hair bound at the nape and brushing the leather of his black biker jacket. No way those broad shoulders belonged to anyone other than Dalton.

The fact alone that the male must have followed him to the club was enough to piss Landry off, but to find him with another man draped over his shoulder… Then the guy had possessed the actual fucking balls to rub his dick against Kaleb. Yeah, his thermostat was pegged out and about to blow.

Beads of sweat popped on Landry’s brow, driven out by the murderous rage coursing through his veins. But he wasn’t about to even blink in front of the shifter Dom known around there as Brick and give him the slightest impression Landry was anything other than unflinching when it came to the male at the bar.

“Yours, huh?” The corner of Brick’s mouth twitched. “I don’t see a collar.”

“Yet,” Landry stated with an extra sharp “t” and lifted a brow.

Brick’s gaze narrowed, then a slow nod finally formed. “All right, then.” He gave Kaleb a final once over. “I suggest you mark your property a little better next time.” He pivoted away and sauntered out into the crowd.

That’s when Kaleb popped and weaved off the barstool. “Your property?” His lip curled in disgust. “Seriously?” He sidled up to Landry’s chest, inches from his face. “In your fucking dreams.”

Deep breaths. You can’t kill him here, Michaels. Too many witnesses.

“Outside,” Landry snapped, his voice hushed, yet leaving no doubt he meant for Kaleb to obey.

“The moment you drove off our lands tonight, you lost the right to give me orders.” Kaleb sneered.

Landry leaned in, his lips nearly brushing Kaleb’s. “You either leave with me right now or be dragged away on your ass.” For a moment, neither of them twitched. And honestly, Landry didn’t give a shit who came out on top because the outcome would still be the same. Kaleb would be exiting the place. The mode of transportation was up to him.

“Fine,” Kaleb spat. “I’m sick of the scenery anyway.”

“Good.” Maybe Kaleb hadn’t completely lost his mind.

At the bottom of the two steps outside the club’s door, Kaleb’s boots hit the gravel with Landry on his heels. The other male headed in a direction opposite Landry’s vehicle. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Kaleb ground to a halt, but made no effort to turn around. “My bike,” he said, his words clipped. “Where the hell else?”

“You’re not driving.”

His partner whipped around. “I’m sure as hell not riding back with you.”

“What’s your damn problem? I’m the only one here that has any right to be pissed off.” Landry stabbed a finger at Kaleb’s chest. “You were the one spying on me.”

“Whatever.” Kaleb turned. “I’m out of here.”

“No. You’re not.” Landry grabbed Kaleb’s arm, and the other male spun.

“Fuck you,” Kaleb spat.

And Landry swung.

His knuckles impacted his friend’s jaw with a
crack
of bone on bone. Kaleb’s head snapped to the right, and before he had a chance to recover and complain, Landry snagged the other male’s arm and hauled him toward his SUV. Kaleb stumbled along beside him. This time, wisely keeping his trap shut for the short trip.

At his vehicle, Landry hit the button on the key fob and the lights blinked. Uncurling his fingers from the male’s biceps, he stepped away. “Get in.”

Kaleb did as instructed, but his stiff movements implied he barely held his anger in check.

Landry climbed in behind the wheel and pulled his door closed a second before the passenger door slammed shut.

“I’ll need to get back down here at some point tomorrow for my bike,” Kaleb muttered.

“That’s your problem.” Out of the corner of his eye, Landry didn’t miss the tightening of Kaleb’s right fist. “You wanting to hit me with that?”

“You’re being such an asshole,” Kaleb chewed out between his teeth.

“I’m the ass here?” Where the fuck did he get off? Landry twisted in his seat, facing Kaleb. “I have every right to crawl all over your ass.
You had no damn business following me, and I think I’m being a pretty damn nice guy for leaving you with some of your face recognizable.”

“What the hell was I supposed to do?” Kaleb whipped his head around. “You wouldn’t tell me what’s going on, and I know you’re hiding something.”

“And I told you to leave it alone.” Landry turned, shoved the key into the ignition, and the engine busted off with a throaty roar. Dammit. He wasn’t ready to get into this shit with Kaleb. His talk with Arick had only succeeded in reinforcing his suspicions. Landry was confident his fuck up with the Gregorson enforcer had played a part in instigating the aggression from the other side. His mind flashed back to Arick and himself in the private room the other shifter had arranged in hopes Landry would show tonight. Behind the closed door, the dark male had dropped to his knees, his hands going to Landry’s belt.

“I knew you would return.” Arick
had stared up at him, a smug glimmer in his blue eyes. “Let me take care of you, Sir. I remember exactly how you like it.”

Landry’s gut had lurched, and he’d slapped his palm over Arick’s, stilling him. During their brief encounters, Arick had never been subtle. So Landry hadn’t played any games either and went straight to the point.

“I have to ask, Arick, was part of your motivation behind the cullings on our land retribution for how I reacted to the news of who I’d been fucking?”

At first, Arick had only smiled in response, the expression chilling.

“You are a suspicious wolf, aren’t you” Arick drawled. “No wonder Evin made you his lead.” The male’s palms traveled down Landry’s thighs, and it was all he could do to stomach the minute exploration. “That…along with your other natural strengths.” Arick’s gaze flicked back up, settling on Landry’s. “You’re a warrior. An alpha would be a fool to risk losing a male like you from his side—or his bed.”

God, Landry had been such an idiot. Since his last mistake with Arick, he hadn’t been with anyone else, not because those encounters had been so spectacular nothing else could compare. Hardly. In fact, it was the exact opposite. Afterward, it had finally occurred to him the peace and satisfaction he’d been searching for couldn’t be found with the strings of anonymous one-night stands.

Landry wanted more. Fuck. He
needed
more. His chest ached for it. But what he needed or wanted was irrelevant, wasn’t it? The two people on the planet who owned a piece of his soul and could make him whole deserved better than what he had to offer in return, which was nothing but pain and disappointment. His entire life had been one mistake after another. He only ended up hurting the ones he loved. Landry risked a glance at the sullen profile of his best friend—a prime example.

A little over an hour later, Landry pulled up in Kaleb’s driveway. The other shifter hadn’t spoken since they’d left The Scene. Landry popped the lever into park and cut the engine.

“So, was that him?” Kaleb cranked his head in Landry’s direction.

“Him?” Did he know? How the hell had he figured it out?

“I don’t know.” Kaleb shrugged. “I saw you with some guy right before you two went down that hall. Is that male a part of what you’ve been keeping from me?”

Son of a…
A low growl rumbled in Landry’s throat, and he forced his glare out the front windshield. He had to. He couldn’t look Kaleb in the eye and talk about what he’d done at the same time.

“Did you fuck him?”

The question hammered into Landry with the force of a mallet. So not what he’d been expecting out of Kaleb’s mouth.

“That’s none of your damn business.” Still, he couldn’t bring himself to meet the other male’s glare.

“I don’t really give a shit. It’s a simple question. Did. You. Fuck. Him?”

Landry’s pulse surged. What the hell did Kaleb want him to say?
Yes, I fucked him like the dog he was. No, I didn’t because my head’s too messed up with wanting to fuck you. Dear God, between Kaleb and Rosa they kept him so tied up in knots it amazed Landry he could even form a coherent thought that went beyond his dick.

His cock swelled, hard, aching, and ready. His chest heaved with each breath. And like a twig that had finally bore more than it could handle, Landry snapped. With preternatural speed, Landry launched out of his seatbelt, ramming himself into Kaleb so hard and fast, the SUV rocked.

The back of Kaleb’s head banged into the headrest from the impact. “What the hell are you doing?”

Landry had moved so quickly, Kaleb’s arms were trapped at his sides. Reaching low beside the seat, Landry tapped the electric controls, taking them in reverse and lowering them back at the same time.

“Is that what this is all about, Dalton?” Landry shoved the hard ridge of his shaft against Kaleb’s groin. Kaleb’s breath hitched, and he stiffened. “You want to know more about my sex life? Want to know what it’s like when I take a man?”

Silence.

“What’s the problem?” Landry palmed Kaleb’s face, forcing those blue eyes to lock on him. “You didn’t seem to mind when Brick dry humped you.” Landry was too far gone and couldn’t pull back now if he’d wanted to. Again, he thrust his hips, but this time Landry’s cock nudged another thick and hardened ridge, and the sensation tilted his world on its axis. Landry froze.

Impossible.

No way in hell Kaleb was aroused… The drum of Landry’s racing pulse whirred inside his head. Kaleb stared up at him as if mesmerized, drinking in every detail of Landry’s face. Then his lips parted, and the pink tip of Kaleb’s tongue appeared, beckoning him like a siren’s dance.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.
He shouldn’t. Landry groaned, the sound agonized, as if torn from his soul. He dipped closer to the male beneath him, drawn like polar opposites who couldn’t resist their nature. God help him, he really shouldn’t. Kaleb’s breath stuttered from his chest, the small puffs of air skating over Landry’s lips. He hovered there, suspended in time, his gut trembling.

“Kaleb…?” he croaked. Whether it was a plea for permission or for Kaleb to knock his ass off him, Landry wasn’t sure.

Suddenly, the other male’s fingertips dug into Landry’s shirt and yanked hard, holding him tight.

And Landry crashed.

He slammed his mouth onto Kaleb’s in a fevered rush. Hot. Hard. Straining. Kaleb’s moan ricocheted within the walls of Landry’s mind. Then his partner opened, and holy hell… Landry drove his tongue inside, licking, stroking, sucking. His hips surged, seeking more. More of Kaleb.

Landry’s hands were everywhere, yet not anywhere close to where he wanted them. He speared his fingers into Kaleb’s hair. Not enough. On his face, then neck. He followed their trail, kissing Kaleb’s flesh, needing the other male’s taste as much as he craved the contact. Kaleb squirmed under him, gasped, his fingertips kneading into Landry’s side as if urging him on.

Harder. Faster.

Landry ground his shaft into Kaleb’s. Christ, his cock throbbed. His lungs burned. Searching for another dose of the other male’s lips, Landry lifted his head, dragging his cheek over Kaleb’s rough five o’clock shadow. Damn, he loved the way the other male felt against his skin: hot, wild, as if he were straddling a beast yet to be tamed. Gripping the shifter’s chin, Landry’s mouth found Kaleb’s once more.

“Taste so good,” Kaleb mumbled and rolled his hips. “Fuck. Yes.” He hissed.

Yeah. So good.
The flavor of hops and barley rolled over Landry’s tongue.
Beer.

As if someone had yanked hard on his brake, Landry ground to halt. His eyelids sank. He’d been so consumed with his own lust for the other male, the alcohol on Kaleb’s breath hadn’t registered. Landry groaned. So fucking stupid.

Kaleb was drunk.

His response had nothing to do with a true desire for Landry. It was the booze tearing down his inhibitions. In his right mind, Kaleb wouldn’t be returning his kisses. His friend wouldn’t want him like this.

As quickly as he’d launched to the other side of the SUV’s cabin, Landry flipped himself over onto the driver’s seat.

Swearing under his breath, Kaleb pulled himself upright, fumbling for the seat controls.

Air sawed in and out of Landry’s nostrils. He seized the steering wheel, tightening his fingers around the hard surface.
Hands off.
An invisible band around his chest cinched down until Landry could barely suck in his next breath. This was the right thing to do… So why did it fucking hurt so damn bad?

“You never did answer my question…” Kaleb said, shattering the tension between them.

God, why wouldn’t he give it a rest already? “Leave it alone, Kaleb,” Landry growled. “You’re drunk.”

“Or was that your way of deflecting?” The leather squeaked and Landry couldn’t help but notice the repositioning action going on between the male’s legs. “Serving up a little payback for me following you by screwing with my…head.”

“Yeah. That’s precisely what I was doing.” Landry twisted, facing Kaleb. “I was playing you. Giving you a taste of the rabbit hole you were about to throw yourself down back there.”