Long Road Home (7 page)

“Lord knows I rub up on you often enough.” He winked. “Guess it was only a matter of time.”

Thom’s heart sped, and his cock twitched at the flirtatious innuendo. “Rubbing sounds good. Too bad we’ve got plans today.”

“If we focus, we can be done with our meetings and finish our chores by lunch.” Hank looked down at his watch. “I think I might be able to talk my boss into letting me have the afternoon off.”

“Your boss? Who would that be?”

Hank tipped his head back in a full laugh. The rich bark of merriment made him smile even though he didn’t understand the joke. “You are.” Hank got up and came around the table to steal a passionate kiss. His head swam with desire by the time Hank released him.

“Damn.”

“Yeah.” The other man took a ragged breath before taking a step away. “Unless you want to reschedule your whole morning, I suggest you go get ready.”

“Is rescheduling and option?” he teased. In his heart he knew he couldn’t miss his PT appointment. He needed to get better—stronger.

Hank shook his head. “Nope. What we do might be classified as cardio, but it’s no replacement for your therapy.”

“Fine.” He stood up and stepped away from the table. “The only reason I’m not fighting you on this one, though, is because I happen to agree with you.”

“Of course you do.” Hank slapped his ass as he walked by. “Because I’m right. Can’t argue with that.”

When he stood under the warm spray of water from the shower, he realized he only had a week of therapy left. One week and he wouldn’t need the other man. Why did everything about the statement hit him wrong? He’d never needed him to do the chores. He could’ve checked the crops and had his farm hands patch the fence and replace the damaged areas of the barn this morning. Hank enjoyed helping out, so he let the man do some of the work.

After having the man live with him for the past week, however, he found he needed him in other ways. He slept better with Hank’s warm, strong body pressed against his. He woke with a smile on his face when he smelled coffee brewing. Before, his farm had been his life. Since Hank had been here, however, he rushed through his work in order to get home and spend time with the man. He wouldn’t be able to forget their nights together for some time.

His hand froze. In one week, the man would be free. He would move on. Thom’s stomach pitched and rolled. There would be nothing left to hold Hank to the farm. Whatever sense of obligation he felt toward Thom would be gone once he got the all clear from the doctor.

What would he do then?

“Then again. We do have some time to kill before your doctor’s appointment.” Hank’s voice startled him as the man opened the shower door. “I’m sure we can find some way to put each and every minute to good use.”

His cock went hard despite the conflicted emotions filling him. He hadn’t needed Hank to do any of the chores and jobs he constantly offered to do. He needed the man for all the things he had never once alluded to. He needed the man because he’d somehow fallen in love with him.

“Are you okay? You feel tense.” Hank pulled Thom to him until their bodies were snuggled together under the hot spray of water.

“I’m a little nervous.”

The soft sound of Hank sniffing followed Thom’s words. “A little nervous? It seems like you’re really upset about something.”

He shook his head. “I’m worried about the physical therapy. It always leaves me sore and tired.”

“Maybe you should be more relaxed when you go to visit the doctor.” Hank nipped his shoulder. A wave of hunger slammed into him at the thought of relaxing with Hank.

All other thoughts were drowned out by his need for the man. Nothing else mattered. He would face what next week brought when next week came around. Until then, he determined to enjoy every second he had with him.

Warm water slid over his face as he knelt in front of the other man’s swollen cock. “You have the best ideas.”

Hank pulled on Thom’s hair as he took the trucker’s dick deep into his throat. The sting of his scalp made his head light with desire. One week. He promised himself this week. Then he’d let the man go. Even if it killed him.

Hank took a drink of the beer and then put the glass back on the bar. He should be going back home. He shook his head at the thought. He’d started referring to the farm as his home, but Thom hadn’t invited him to stay past the next week.

“Haven’t seen you around much since you got back.” Gee put a drying towel over his shoulder as he spoke.

His stomach tightened with nerves. So far nobody had made any mention of his time with the farmer but he kept waiting. There had to be rumors. “Been keeping Thom safe.”

Gee nodded. “The pack appreciates his produce.”

“I only came back to talk to Drew about the next order.” He waited for the were-bear to say something but when Gee held his silence, he continued. “Hey, have you seen any large cats around here lately?”

“Mountain lions usually start coming closer to civilization this time of year in the search for food.”

He shook his head. “Doesn’t smell like mountain lion.”

Gee sniffed the air. “You smelling cat in here?”

Hank shook his head and took another drink of the beer. “No. Near the farm. I’ve been scouting a bit at night and noticed some cat prints. Couldn’t place the scent.”

“Did you mention it to Drew?”

“Yeah. He didn’t seem very concerned.” The lack of interest he’d had shown had irritated Hank. Yes, the Alpha had promised to look into it and he had put a couple of pack members on patrol around the farm. He had smelled them when he picked up the scent of the cat. Drew should be doing more, though.

“There you have it. If it doesn’t bother Drew, it shouldn’t bother you.”

The words made him defensive. Nobody took Thom’s safety seriously except him. “He has already been shot once, and nobody has any leads.”

“Oh. I see. You think a shifter is responsible?”

“I’m keeping my eyes open.”

Gee nodded. “Good idea. One I think several pack members share. None of us wants anything else to happen to the human.”

“Because he sells food to the pack.” He couldn’t keep all of his anger out of his words. The other man had come to mean so much to him over the past week but nobody else cared about him other than the service he provided for the pack.

“We’re concerned about more than his crops. He’s a good guy. Too few of those left in the world if you ask me.” Gee folded his arms over his chest. “You think he doesn’t matter to Drew because he’s not pack. Right?”

Looking into the amber depths of his drink, he let his silence answer for him.

“Yes, pack is important. It’s not the only thing Drew cares about, though. He cares about me, and I’m not pack, am I?”

He refused to look up.

“He cares about you, too, despite the fact you haven’t taken the blood oath to him.”

Hank hadn’t thought about it that way. “He doesn’t take me seriously when I talk to him about the danger Thom is in. He’s sent a handful of Wolves to patrol the farmland at night, but hasn’t done anything else.”

“How do you know he hasn’t done anything else? Because he’s not running around half-cocked screaming orders and burning down houses?”

He blushed with embarrassment. The were-bear’s words hit a little too close to home. “I’d like to see him do something.”

“Has there been another attempt on the farmer’s life? Have there been any issues with his land since the attack?”

He shook his head. “No, but—”

“Stop right there. There are no exceptions with trust. You came to Drew and alerted him to a problem. Either you trust him to take care of it or you don’t.”

His heart sank under the weight of the fear and guilt pressing against him. “I’ve been on my own for a long time. Maybe too long. I don’t remember what it’s like to be able to trust someone completely. Even if I did figure out it out, I’m not sure why Drew would care. He doesn’t need me. Nobody does.”

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard a Werewolf say.” He snorted. “And I’ve heard my fair share of ridiculous things around here lately. Trust isn’t something we run out of. It’s not something we forget. It’s a choice—a series of choices. Those choices lead to a series of actions. You proved you stull trust us by showing up here. Drew proved worthy by taking you back and giving you purpose in the pack. What happens next is up to you. Are you going to take the oath and keep moving on your current path, or are you going to leave?”

Returning to his pack—making this life permanent seemed so simple when Gee explained it. “Are you telling me it’s time to shit or get off the pot?”

“Aren’t you eloquent?” Gee shook his head. “What I’m saying is it’s time to get out of your own way. The only person keeping you from happiness is you.”

He had to say the words. The secret he’d fought so hard to keep all these years. It weighed too much for him to carry alone any longer. “I’m gay.” It was the softest of whispers, but everybody in the bar heard it. Werewolves had amazing hearing.

“And?”

He looked around to find everybody exactly as they had been. Nobody had jumped up and demanded he leave. Nobody had demanded his head. Nobody seemed to care. Or, if they did, they were doing an admirable job not showing it. “Can a member of the pack be gay?” His stomach turned and pitched so rapidly he feared he’d be sick, but he’d put his cards on the table. He needed to know.

“I can’t answer for every pack. There are a lot of idiots out there.” Gee put his hand on his. He took comfort in the simple gesture. “They can be in this pack, however. We actually have several members who are gay. Drew’s asked a lot of all of us, and he’ll ask a lot of you if you take the oath, but he’s always accepted us for who we are.”

Needing the liquid courage the drink would provide him, he gulped down the rest of his beer. “Thanks, Gee.”

“No need to thank me. I’m happy to call you an idiot any time the situation warrants it.” He took the glass and put it in a tub of dirty dishes. “Did you decide what you’re going to do?”

“I’m going to go swear an oath to a Tao.” He shook his head when he heard the words out loud. He never thought he’d swear an oath to anybody let alone another Tao. “Then I’m going to figure out how to convince Ryker we can trust Thom with our secret. I’m done standing in the way of what I want.”

Gee smiled. “I knew you were hiding an intelligent Wolf in there somewhere. Glad to see you found him.”

***

Thom looked at the clock again. Hank should’ve been home hours ago. His stomach rumbled for the fifth time in as many minutes. As the clock struck three, he wondered if he should call his cell phone. He hated to seem needy. Appearing desperate would only push the man away quicker.

When he heard the truck pull up, he breathed a sigh of relief. When Drew got out of the cab as well, though, his earlier tension returned. They’d decided Drew would come over next week. Why would Hank change the plan without talking to him?

“Anybody home?” Hank’s voice echoed around the house. He though he picked up a touch of nervousness in the words.

“In the kitchen. I’m making myself a sandwich. Would you like one?” He hurried to the fridge to pull out the required items to make lunch. He didn’t want Hank to know he’d been waiting for him to pull up, and he most certainly didn’t want him to know Drew made him nervous.

There were heavy footsteps on the hardwood floors as the men made their way to the kitchen. “Nah. I—we need to talk to you for a second.” He glanced over at Drew as he spoke.

“Is it about the order? I thought we were going to go over it tonight and then finalize it next week.” He had to pull his gaze away from Drew to address Hank. The man always appeared intimidating but today he wore an especially dark expression. The man terrified him.

“Are you sure about this, Hank? You’ve only known him for a week,” Drew said. “Once it’s done, it can’t be undone.”

“I’m sure.”

His stomach tightened. “I’m not. What’s going on?”

“How do you feel about me?” Hank asked.

Such a simple question, yet it wreaked havoc deep inside him. “I like you.”

“You like me?” he repeated. “Anything more?”

His heart raced. He didn’t want to come clean. “I appreciate you helping me.”

“I love you, Thom. I need to know, do you feel the same?”

The words washed over him like a wave. Of course he loved Hank. The thought of him walking away in a week ate him up inside like a slow-moving cancer. Did he want to tell him, though? “What’s going on? You and Drew are kind of freaking me out.”

“Do you love me?”

Now or never. He took a deep breath. “Yes.” He should offer some caveat or explanation but none came. He loved the man.

Hank took a deep breath and wobbled a little as if he’d lost his balance momentarily. “Good. I have something to tell you and I need you to hear me out.”

“Okay.” Things were about to get strange. His whole body vibrated with the weird currents of energy being given off by the other men.

He held up his hand. A bloodstained bandage rested on his palm. “I’ve joined Drew’s group—officially.”

He pulled a chair out to catch himself as his knees gave. Of everything Hank might have said or done, he had never imagined he’d joined the cult. He’d told Hank he’d hear him out, however, and he planned to keep his word. “Why?”

“Last chance to walk away, Hank,” Drew said.

He kept his attention focused on Thom. “I’m one of them. I always have been.”

“I don’t understand.”

“What I’m about to tell you—show you—you can’t tell anyone. If you hate me, never want to ever see me again, I’ll understand.”

Drew made a sound. He would’ve sworn the noise had been a stifled laugh if the situation weren’t so serious. “Okay.”

“You can never tell anyone, though. If you do, Drew will kill me.”

Drew cleared his throat. “More likely Ryker would, but we’re splitting hairs.”

He stared planning the quickest route to his handgun. “I don’t think I want to hear any more. I love you, but I don’t want anything to do with a cult who kills their members.”