“Uh, thanks?” A little unnerved at this direct approach, he looked over at Tucker for help, but Tucker was carrying on a conversation with someone on the other side of him.

“I understand you haven’t been spoken for yet…Maybe later this evening you’d have a cup of coffee with me?”

Kevin stared up at him as his mouth dropped open. Spoken for? Was he kidding? He was saved from having to answer that question when a warm hand dropped on his shoulder.

“Do you need something, Derek?” Richard was standing right behind him, gripping him hard enough that Kevin thought he might be leaving the mark of his fingerprints. Kevin glanced up at Richard in irritation as Derek dropped his hand and took a quick backward step.

“No. No, sir, nothing at all. I was only saying hello to Kevin.”

“Very friendly of you. I appreciate your making him welcome, Derek. Thanks.”

The young man’s gaze traveled from Kevin back up to Richard and back down again, and his eyes changed. He gave a stiff little nod and backed away to rejoin his friends.

Kevin sat in stunned surprise. What the hell was that about? Had Richard just staked some kind of claim on him? He’d thanked the guy in a very proprietary way. I appreciate your making him welcome, Derek. Fuck.

How in the hell had this happened in the span of two days? Richard had stormed into his life, turned him inside out and left him craving his touch. If the truth were told, he’d been sitting here pouting over the fact that Richard was nowhere to be seen, when he was probably talking with Gavin or doing whatever it was he did all day. Kevin was the one sitting here mooning over the guy like a love-sick idiot. He needed to put a stop to this and right damn now. And why was his cock so hard at just the sound of Richard’s voice and his hand on his shoulder? Damn it. This was getting out of hand.

He leaned forward to put his coffee mug on the table in front of him, dislodging Richard’s hand. Richard came around to stand in front of Kevin. “Why was Derek talking to you?”

“Who? Oh, that guy. Why don’t you ask him? Is talking not allowed for the prisoner? He said he thought I was nice-looking and wants to drink coffee.”

“He was holding your hand and staring at you like he was about to take you to his room. What did you say to him to cause a look like that?” Richard’s face was stern and cold, the red patches on his cheeks the only sign that he was angry.

“What did I… Are you kidding me? I was sitting here minding my own business when your boy over there came up and grabbed my hand, talking about me not being spoken for, or some shit.” Kevin raised an eyebrow. “Why? How does whatever I do have anything to do with you?”

Richard stared down at him, clearly furious. “Everything you do has to do with me. And don’t you forget it again.”

He turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Kevin staring after him, angry and frustrated. His heart beat a rapid tattoo in his chest. Tucker leaned over and whispered to him. “What the heck was that about?”

“Damned if I know,” Kevin said, not bothering to hide his irritation. “Arrogant prick.”

Tucker drew back as if offended. “No, he isn’t. He’s probably only concerned about you. And you told me about your feelings for each other, so don’t try to deny them now. He’s probably a little jealous. Besides, Richard takes his job very seriously, and one of those jobs is the welfare of the people in his pack.”

“I’m not in his fucking pack, Tucker.”

“If he’s chosen you for his mate, you are. The most important member to him.” Tucker frowned and turned away.

Great, alienate the only friend I have here, that’s the ticket. Kevin dropped his head on the back cushion of the sofa again, hating feeling so lost and hating the idea that he’d put himself in this stupid situation in the first place. He realized he was beginning to care—too much—about what Richard thought, and that frightened him and pissed him off in equal measure. Richard’s presence in the same room made him want him more than he’d ever wanted anybody in his whole life. He had to put a stop to this and fast. Maybe if he played along, he could get them to let their guard down so he could escape.

He moved closer to Tucker and put a hand on his arm. “I’m sorry, Tucker. I know you like the guy. All this is getting on my nerves, I guess.”

Tucker patted his knee. “It’s okay. I understand. We’ll have dinner, and then I’ll walk up to your room with you. Maybe we can watch a movie or something. Or I could bring you a book? It might be a long evening.”

“Yeah, I am pretty tired.”

Kevin wearily glanced around the room, looking for Richard. He was nowhere to be seen, and he felt a little pang in his chest. He felt like he had disappointed the man in some way and it was messing with his head. That had to be all it was. Hell, he had plenty of experience disappointing people. He’d been doing it all his life.

Kevin’s parents were wealthy, and his father had a thriving law practice. He made it clear that he fully expected Kevin to join the firm after college. College was, in fact, where the relationship with his parents had begun to unravel. First, his father had pushed him to join his old fraternity. The fact that they were the fraternity on campus with the reputation for hard drinking and even harder partying had certainly not put Kevin off too much. He was young, and liked to drink and have a good time with the best of them, but the fact that the fraternity brothers were also homophobic assholes had definitely not counted in their favor.

The boy who roomed across the hall from him in campus housing was a nice guy from a small town in south Florida. They had met the first day in their new dorms and had a few casual conversations when they saw each other in the following days. He also had a legacy from his father, and was being pushed to join the same fraternity, so they had that in common. The boy was a slight figure, very shy, a cello player, who wanted to major in music, but his jerk father was pushing him into a business career. At the first recruitment party for the fraternity, it was made clear to all of the potential pledges that although they could not deny a first invitation to the legatees, it was by no means a sure thing that person would be offered a bid. The brothers made that clear by pretty much aiming their remarks at Kevin’s friend from across the hall.

Of course, the boy hadn’t received any further invitations and one of the brothers had confided to Kevin at the next recruitment party that some of the members had decided he looked like a fag. They didn’t want any of his kind in their house.

The funny thing was that he said this to Kevin, who had known he was gay since he was fifteen years old, while the boy from the dorm was straight as an arrow, with a girlfriend he was serious about.

That was the last recruitment party Kevin had attended, and shortly afterward, he had come out to his parents. They were shocked, and his mother cried, but eventually they came around. He was their only son, and they loved him. It simply became a topic not to be discussed.

In his junior year, he had told his long-suffering parents he would not be attending law school or becoming a lawyer either. He had neither the grades nor the aptitude for it. Instead he switched his major from Pre-Law to Criminal Justice, with the vague idea of becoming an FBI agent someday. Another pipe dream that his solid C average kept him from, but he was honestly fine with going back home after graduation and joining the local police force. He loved the job and within a few years had worked his way up to detective and fallen in love with his gorgeous partner, who made it clear that he wanted only friendship from Kevin.

So he’d been drifting, it seemed, for a long time. He had a job he liked, though truthfully, he’d come to like it less in the last few years. But he had a nice home, plenty of men to warm his bed, even if the one he’d really wanted had gotten away. He knew he was good-looking enough. People had been telling him that all his life, and he was always cruised hard when he entered a club. Having enough men was not a problem. So everything was good enough in his life. Maybe not ideal, but good enough. And if he ever felt like something was missing, he shrugged it off.

Nobody’s life was perfect, after all, but his was damn close. He lived in a tropical paradise, for God’s sake, and he brought men home from the clubs from time to time who were eminently fuckable. The fact that he never felt quite satisfied after fucking them was stupid and his own damn problem. He figured maybe he wasn’t capable of any real feeling beyond the superficial. He enjoyed the men he brought home, fucking them into the mattress most nights, but up to now hadn’t made a real connection. Something was always missing, always leaving him wanting more.

It was different with Tucker, of course, but they’d never had sex, never really connected in an intimate way. Tucker was more like an unattainable goal. Something to strive for, but not anything he ever thought he’d really have. Over the years, their relationship had become more about friendship, in fact.

Not like the connection he had with Richard. ‘If you want me to stop, I will. But I don’t think that’s what you want, is it? I think you want my cock buried deep in your ass.’ Why did those words keep resonating in his head? ‘Before I finish with you, you’re going to tell me you’re my baby.’ Damn it, he hated the way Richard treated him. He wasn’t anybody’s little bitch, and he was going to make that clear the next time he saw him.

After dinner, he followed Tucker upstairs, deciding that what he needed more than anything was a good night’s sleep. He left Tucker in the hallway and went inside his room without even turning on the lights, collapsing on his bed in exhaustion. He desperately needed a shower, but he was too tired right this minute. He remembered how Richard had shot off all over his ass and thighs and then smeared cum on him. God knows he needed a shower after that, but a small part of him liked the idea that Richard had marked him with his cum. Hell with it, he’d get a shower when he woke up in the morning. He stripped off his clothes and got in under the covers naked. He hoped Richard would stay away from his room, though, and leave him the fuck alone. He needed rest and distance from the man and not necessarily in that order. He needed to turn his mind off for a little while and get off this crazy emotional merry-go-round that his life had somehow become. It was only about seven o’clock but it was already getting dark outside. He wondered where Richard was, and then blew out a frustrated breath. Damn it, why can’t I stop thinking about him? Why can’t I turn off these thoughts in my head?