Lewis's Dream [Brac Pack 10] (6 page)

“Gunnar.”

Evan was relieved his best friend was watching over his mate. He knew Gunnar would look out for him and make sure nothing
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happened. The wolf was good at what he did. Lewis would never even know he was there.

“Hang in there, big guy. You’ll get to see him tomorrow.” George squeezed his shoulder.

* * * *

Lewis stumbled to the counter and poured his fourth glass of whiskey and then stumbled back to the couch and dropped down onto it.

“He’ll betray me.” Lewis talked to the glass in his hand.

“Who?” Gunnar asked as he watched Lewis drink his life away.

Arguing with the cop to step away from the bottle had been useless.

He wouldn’t touch another’s mate, but the urge to throttle Lewis was there when he had struggled with him to wrestle the bottle out of his hands. For a human, the fucker was strong. Gunnar could only hope Evan would help him. He hadn’t put all of his effort into it, deciding to let Lewis’s mate handle this, though it was sad to see such a smart man drown his life away.

“Evan. He’ll betray me like all the rest, cheat on me. No man can be trusted.” Lewis scrubbed his face. “Don’t go running your mouth either. This is between you and me.” Lewis pointed a finger at Gunnar. His eyes slanted to slits as he took another swallow of the amber liquid.

“He won’t betray you, Lewis. It’s not in him to do that.” So now he was getting to the root of Lewis’s problems. The human guarded his feelings well. He had tried to pry, but it was like trying to get a steak out of a lion’s mouth.

“They all do.” Lewis curled up onto the couch.

Gunnar walked over to the balcony, watching as the cars drove by.

He had a good time this week with Lewis. The man was funny, intelligent, and handsome as hell. His best friend had done well with this one. Fate smiled on Evan with Lewis. It was a shame the two
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couldn’t get along for five minutes in the same room together. They both were control freaks. Gunnar had figured that much out on his own. Now he knew a small part of the reason Lewis needed control in his life. To give your trust over to someone who abused it was a crushing blow. The human needed control to rationalize the act.

Controlling everything now made him feel as though he was the one who walked away with his heart intact, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

Lewis was jaded against love now and thought the concept didn’t exist. Evan had his work cut out for him. The alcoholism would only add to the existing problem. Why was he telling Gunnar all this now?

Maybe Lewis was finally telling because he was going to see Evan tomorrow. The fear of facing him once again may be the catalyst in telling all his dark secrets. Whatever the case may be, Gunnar was glad Lewis was letting some of his demons out.

“Why can’t I get him off of my mind? It’s like a deep need to be near him,” Lewis mumbled from the couch. “Why? I don’t understand why I want to be with him and want to turn around and walk away at the same time.”

Gunnar turned around, watching as Lewis fell asleep, snoring lightly. He reminded Gunnar of a little lost pup, always so sad.

* * * *

Lewis poured a small amount of whiskey into the flask he was holding, screwing the cap on as his hands shook. He shoved it into the inside pocket of his leather. Downing a large swallow from the bottle before setting it onto his dresser. Lewis opened the bedroom door.

“Ready.” He called out as he took a deep breath to steady his nerves and walked into the living room.

He saw Gunnar scrunch his nose up. He must smell the alcohol.

Lewis didn’t care. He was going somewhere he didn’t want to be, yet he couldn’t wait to be there. The mixed feeling had been with him all
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week. He closed the door behind him as he followed Gunnar to his truck.

“I’m going to follow you.” Lewis walked over to his car and opened the door.

“Nope, you’re riding shotgun.” Gunnar opened the passenger door and waited. Lewis grunted his displeasure as he slammed his car door shut and climbed into the waiting vehicle.

His fingers itched to take the flask out and have a small sip, but he knew Gunnar would say something. Did he care at this point? Not really. The only thing stopping him was the disapproving look Gunnar was shooting at him as he drove. He had enough on his mind without hearing a lecture about his drinking habit.

They pulled into the drive, and Lewis’s palms began to sweat. He rubbed them on his jeans as he got out of the truck. Why was he here?

He really didn’t have to come. It was a request, not a demand. Lewis had the urge to tell Gunnar to take him home. The only thing that stopped him was the need to see Evan once again.

Although they didn’t seem to get along, Lewis wanted another glance at the man, another chance to look at that gorgeous face.

Gunnar led him up the walkway. They passed the foyer and entered what Lewis remembered from his previous visit as Maverick's office.

Lewis’s heart rate picked up. Evan was even more gorgeous than the last time he saw him. The need to reach out, to touch him and be touched, was overwhelming.

“Please have a seat, gentlemen.” Maverick waved his hand at the leather couch.

“Why am I here?” Lewis asked no one in particular. Lewis looked around to see a few more men standing in the office. He couldn’t understand why they were going to have an audience, but at this point, he didn’t care.

“To settle things between you and Evan,” Maverick stated like it should have been obvious.

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“There’s nothing to settle. He doesn’t like me, and I don’t like him,” Lewis snapped childishly. It was the only thing he could think of to say. Evan was standing there so confident that it pissed Lewis off. Why should he be the only one affected by all of this?

Evan turned to him. “That’s not true, Lewis. Why would you think that? I know I have been a prick, but I tried to apologize for that.

I can’t figure out for the life of me why you hate me so much. What have I done?” Evan pleaded. He must have tossed his pride out of the window in Lewis’s opinion. The man sat there looking stunned.

Lewis hadn’t a clue how to answer that. He thought Evan was unflappable. To see the vulnerability in Evan’s eyes unnerved him.

“I don’t have to listen to this.” Lewis stood, wanting to get as far away as possible from the man chipping away at his armor. Lewis didn’t like the way Evan was making him feel. He felt his resolve slowly crumble, and he couldn’t allow that. Evan was just another Patrick. He had to be. No man could be trusted. Not even when they looked at Lewis as though he were their entire world. How could Evan look that way at him? Lewis was becoming confused.

No, he couldn’t trust him.

“Go ahead and tell him, Lewis.” Gunnar spoke softly.

Anger the likes of which Lewis hadn’t felt in a very long time surfaced at those words. He forgot there was a room full of people as his anger took over. “Don’t you dare!” Lewis turned and shouted at Gunnar.

“He thinks you’ll betray him, cheat on him,” Gunnar told Evan.

Lewis wanted to reach over and throttle Gunnar. He was seething at those words. How dare he reveal what was spoken in private. Lewis stood there with no clue how to react. His anger was boiling inside of him.

“Is that what you think?” Evan looked dumbfounded. “You think I would betray such a sacred trust?”

Lewis couldn’t deal with this. He stormed to the office door, Tank blocking his exit. All the years of bottled up resentment toward his
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father and the betrayal Patrick had shown him came to the forefront.

He didn’t care who was in the room. Lewis exploded.

He spun, shouting at the top of his lungs, “I trusted you, Gunnar.

Trusted you with that, and just like everyone one else, you betrayed me! I should have known better than to trust anyone, especially a man. The only thing you managed to do was confirm my belief.”

“We don’t keep secrets here. You need to tell him.” Gunnar blew out a breath. “If you and Evan are to have a fighting chance, things needed to be out in the open. I would have preferred you two worked it out in private, but you became tight-lipped when alone with Evan or sarcastic as hell, which doesn’t help the situation.” Was Gunnar serious? Lewis was too enraged to listen to what he had to say. Why in the fuck did he trust someone? Once again it came back to bite him in the ass. When was he going to learn?

“I won’t betray you, Lewis. Ever,” Evan said. ”How could you even think a thing like that?”

“They all do. Everyone does, and just when you think you’re safe, they twist the knife in your heart. The pieces slowly reveal themselves. Once put together, do you know what that puzzle reveals?

What the picture shows? It shows my fucking lover in another man’s arms!” Lewis shouted at Evan, his finger pointing at him accusingly.

The injustice of what Patrick had done to him was making his insides twist. How could he trust Evan?

“You need to sit down and talk about this like an adult,” Gunnar advised Lewis.

Maverick held his hand up, speaking up for the first time since Lewis’s tirade began. “Let him get it all out.” Lewis turned toward Maverick, some survival instinct deep down inside of him warned him not to lash out against the man sitting behind the desk.

“You’re just like my father.” Lewis spun around and decided to take it out on Evan instead. “Controlling, manipulative, and a cheating
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bastard. She killed herself because of his betrayal. I won’t go down that road. I won’t allow you that power!”

“Who killed herself?” Evan pushed.

Lewis grabbed the front of Evan’s shirt. “That’s none of your damn business. Just let me the fuck out of here!” Lewis shouted inches from Evan’s face, pushing him further back. Evan grabbed Lewis and wrestled him to the floor.

“Let me go! I won’t let you in. I won’t let you hurt me.” Lewis cried the last part, the floodgates finally bursting after so many years of pushing it down, forcing it behind a door in his soul and never allowing it to see the light of day. Evan just held him, cradled him.

Lewis never knew how much he needed those strong arms, the tenderness this man was sheltering him with.

“My mother killed herself. She couldn’t take the betrayal anymore. I can’t. I can’t allow you that much power,” Lewis whispered. “Patrick betrayed me. I let my guard down, and he betrayed that trust. Never again.” Lewis went stock still when the weight holding him down changed. There was no way he felt fur under his hands. This had to all be a dream. He closed his eyes, wishing the wolf away. “You were just a dream. Not real.” Maverick stood, walking slowly around his desk, kneeling at Lewis’s side. “He’s real, as are we. This is the reason he will never betray you, Lewis. We are Timber wolves, granted only one mate per lifetime. You are his mate. He will desire no other, never leave you, and will put your health and happiness above his. We are not human.

We do not have that treacherous trait in us. Not when it comes to our mates.”

“So the vampire was real, too?” Lewis’s head was in a swirl over this news. How?

“Yes,” Maverick stated.

“I need a drink.” Lewis just lay there. The warmth of the wolf lying on top of him was comforting. He felt like a small child, so damn frightened. The weight shifted again, and a naked Evan was
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lying on him. No one else in the room seemed to care about his nudity. The rabbit hole just seemed to go deeper and deeper.

“You don’t need a drink, love.” Evan smoothed his hands over Lewis’s hair, as he kissed his temple.

“Yes, I do.” Lewis tried to push Evan off of him, wanting to go to a bar and lose himself. This was all too much to wrap his head around.

“You’re an alcoholic. You need help.” Remi knelt in front of him.

“My mate is a recovering drug addict. He attends meetings once a week, more if it gets too bad. I sit with him, but I can honestly say I don’t understand. I’ve never been an addict. You are. You would understand him. Will you go with him? I’d feel better knowing someone who knew what he was fighting was there to watch over him.”

Lewis nodded. He had come to the realization that his drinking was out of control, and he needed help. It was no longer a thing of Ican-stop-when-I-want-to. He couldn’t stop. The call of the bottle was taking over his life. Lewis swallowed. “I’ll go with him.” He didn’t want to end up like his mother. He didn’t want to lose who he was, the potential of what he could have. Lewis slid his hand into his jacket, extracting the flask and handing it over to Remi with trembling hands.

“Thank you.” Remi stood, leaving him with Evan.

A soft kiss caressed his neck. “Thank you.” Lewis heard the others leaving, closing the door behind them. He rolled over, staring into those deep amber eyes. “A wolf, huh?”

“Not exactly how I wanted to tell you.” Evan chuckled.

God, that smile. It was breathtakingly beautiful. Lewis lowered his eyes. “I have a long road ahead of me. Are you sure you’re prepared for it?”

“Baby, nothing will stop me from being there for you. Your pain is my pain, and your grief mine. Whatever you need, I’ll provide.”
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Lewis bit his bottom lip, struggling with himself to let a small part of Evan in. Trust wasn’t something he was used to giving so freely.

His eyelids lowered and a groan escaped his lips when warm lips touched his neck. Lewis let all thoughts go as Evan kissed his way down, pulling his T-shirt from his waistband and shoving it up under his arms, as he circled one taut nipple with his moist tongue. There, on the floor of Maverick’s office, Lewis gave himself over to Evan, mind, body, and soul. He moved his hips around as Evan settled his weight between Lewis’s legs.

Lewis grabbed Evan’s hair, pulling him up so he could get lost in those deep amber eyes, eyes that had haunted him all week. “Kiss me.”