Rescuing His Heart [Wolves of Desire 13] (The Lynn Hagen ManLove Collection) Read online

  “I forgot to wipe my prints off the tub faucet!”

  Chapter Two

  “You seriously don’t want to push me on this.” Xander glared at Cage as they stood at the island in the kitchen.

  “And you seriously want to remove your fucking hands.” Cage took off his cowboy hat and set it on the counter. “Don’t make me hurt you, Xander.”

  “It’s one goddamn cookie.” Xander gripped the Oreo package and snatched it away from Cage. “The mates and Shaylee ate all the rest of the snacks. I just want one damn cookie.”

  Cage smirked. “What’s it worth to you?”

  “It’s a fucking cookie,” Xander snapped. “It’s not worth shit.”

  “You keep cursing like that and Blake’ll have your ass,” Cage reminded him. “Now let go of the package.”

  Xander growled as he released the pack of Oreos. “You better hope you never need me to save you.”

  Cage chuckled as Xander stormed from the kitchen. He had one hell of a sweet tooth right now and was pissed that he had to drive all the way to town.

  “Hey.” Sebastian stepped from his office and headed Xander’s way. “I need a favor from you.”

  If it had been anyone else, Xander would’ve told them to piss off. But since he was standing in front of his alpha, Xander stopped and listened.

  “What’s up?”

  “I need you to pick something up from The Lucky Clover for me.”

  Great. Now Xander had to drive even farther. Fine, but he was stopping at Beans and Buns before he headed out of town. “What am I picking up and who is giving it to me?”

  “Go see Diablo,” Sebastian said. “He’ll give you an envelope. What’s inside isn’t important. Don’t open it, Xander. That’s an order. Just bring it to me.”

  A secret mission. His day had just gotten very interesting. “Yeah, sure.”

  “Thanks.” Sebastian turned and went back to his office.

  Xander got into his brand-new Mustang and made the drive, forgoing the coffeehouse. He’d stop at Sweet Delights in Brac Village. They had a way better selection of treats.

  Xander decided to stop at the bakery first. But before he walked inside, he turned at the sound of a car backfiring. The car pulled to the curb, making some weird rattling noise before the driver cut the engine.

  “I swear it’s a deathtrap,” the passenger said as he got out and slammed the door. “You can’t pay me to get back into it.”

  “Stop your complaining,” the driver said as he got out, too. “I got us out of the city, didn’t I? There’s gotta be a motel or something in this town where we can lie low.”

  That piqued Xander’s interest. He pulled his phone out and pretended to scroll through it as he moved slowly back to his car. He was also intrigued with the passenger. The guy wasn’t very tall, but damn if he wasn’t sexy. Xander wouldn’t mind getting to know him better, preferably in bed with both of them naked.

  “A motel is the last place I wanna be,” the passenger said in a loud whisper. “I’d rather sleep in your deathtrap.”

  “I promise there won’t be a dead body in this motel room,” the driver said. “I’ll check the place out myself just to make sure.”

  A dead body? Just what in the hell had these two gotten into? Xander raised his phone slightly and snapped a picture of both men, then leaned against his car, pressing the phone to his ear as he called his pack member, Aldrich. “Sebastian sent me on an errand. I need you to handle it instead.” He explained to Aldrich what their alpha wanted him to do.

  “You’re in luck,” Aldrich said. “I’m already in town.”

  “Thanks.” Xander hung up and directed his attention to the humans and their conversation.

  “You better check every inch of that room,” the sexy passenger said.

  The two men walked past him, and Xander made sure not to stare. His attempt failed when his wolf went apeshit and the sweetest, most succulent scent of jasmine wafted toward him.

  He stood up straight, staring at their backs as he tried to figure out which human was his mate. Xander tucked his phone into his pocket and followed a few steps back, his exceptional hearing picking up their conversation.

  “See?” the driver said as he waved a hand. “There’s a bed-and-breakfast here.”

  “I still don’t know,” the passenger said. “Though I need a shower. I feel like I got that guy’s blood all over me.”

  Whatever was going on, these two were apparently in some deep shit, and Xander had to figure out a way to get them out of it. But first, he had to figure out which human was his.

  The two walked up the pathway to the bed-and-breakfast, then went inside. Xander hung back for a second before he opened the door and followed.

  Mrs. Briar greeted the humans with a warm and friendly smile. “Will you boys be needing a room?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” the passenger said. “For the night, please.”

  “One bed or two?” she asked.

  “Two,” the driver quickly said. “We’re not a couple. Sylvester is my brother.”

  That made Xander feel better. He wasn’t sure what he would’ve done if they’d been lovers. The sweet scent hadn’t been strong enough to belong to both men, which told him only one of the humans was his.

  Mrs. Briar waved them toward the counter. “Just one night?”

  “For now,” the driver said.

  Mrs. Briar glanced past them and smiled at Xander. “I’ll be with you in a moment.”

  The driver looked over his shoulder and gave Xander a worried stare before he turned back around. If they were trying to lie low, they were doing a piss-poor job because the driver handed over a credit card. He should’ve used cash.

  Mrs. Briar looked at the paperwork the driver had filled out. “Okay, Sario, you and Sylvester will have the honeymoon suite.”

  “But I just said we were brothers,” Sario protested.

  “I’m sorry, but it’s the only room I have available.” She handed Sario the key. “I have a guest checking out tomorrow and I can switch your room then if you like.”

  “Do you have a restroom?” Sylvester asked. “I don’t think I’ll make it upstairs.”

  Mrs. Briar pointed to the hallway. “First door on your right.”

  Xander moved closer when Sylvester took off down the hall. He covertly inhaled Sario’s scent and knew this one wasn’t his mate.

  So it was Sylvester.

  “Dude, can you back up?” Sario glared at him.

  “My bad.” Xander moved toward the sofa and took a seat. Mrs. Briar gave Xander a questioning look, but he simply shrugged.

  “Let me show you to your room,” she said when Sylvester returned. The two followed Mrs. Briar, and Xander waited a heartbeat, then left the inn.

  He would have to call someone else to take care of the mysterious envelope. There was no way in hell he was leaving his mate.

  Sylvester was wrapped up in some kind of trouble, and that worried Xander. What if his mate really had killed someone? Regardless to whether he did or didn’t, Xander would help Sylvester out of this situation.

  But first, he had to find a way to introduce himself so he could figure out what dead body the two were talking about.

  “Did you see that guy downstairs?” Sylvester asked as he dropped onto the bed. “Was he hot or what?”

  Sario crinkled his nose. “I’m not into pretty boys.”

  Sylvester sighed as he tucked his hands behind his head. “I hope he’s staying here so I can run into him again.”

  “Dude, we’re on the lam because of your dead body. I think you need to be worried about that instead of getting laid.”

  As usual, Sario was right. Still, Sylvester couldn’t stop thinking about the handsome stranger. He had the dreamiest hazel eyes and he really was a pretty boy. The stranger also had an aquiline nose and well-defined cheekbones. But it had been his intense gaze that had caught his attention.

  Sylvester had noticed that when he’d gotten back from the bathroom. The man had stared at him as if he knew Sylvester’s secret, which was impossible. He shook himself out of his thoughts of the stranger and turned back to the problem at hand.

  “How can I solve anything when I don’t remember what happened to me?”

  “Did you drink something at the party?”

  “Are you asking if I was roofied?” Sylvester glared at Sario. “I’m not an idiot. I had a single beer, and I opened it myself. I didn’t leave it unattended, either.”

  Sario dropped into the cushioned chair by the dresser. He looked as exhausted as Sylvester felt, and Sylvester felt bad for dragging his brother into this, but he’d had no one else to turn to. “Did you feel a pinch when someone bumped into you?”

  “No one drugged me, Sario.”

  Sario waved his hands around. “Hey, I’m trying here. I don’t see you coming up with any ideas.”

  As Sylvester lay there, a fuzzy image popped into his head. He sat up, trying his best to hold on to the memory, but it was just out of his reach. “I think someone passed me on the street.”

  Hope sparked in Sario’s blue eyes. “Did he attack you?”

  Sylvester squeezed his eyes shut, grasping at the fading memory. It was like trying to grab smoke as the image slipped from his grasp. “I don’t think he did.” He opened his eyes and looked at his brother. “But I can’t be sure.”

  “Okay, okay.” Sario held up his hands. “Stop straining. It’ll come to you.”

  Sylvester wished it would. Waking up with a corpse in the bathroom had scared the shit out of him. He still wasn’t positive that he wasn’t the one to kill the guy, though he seriously doubted it. He didn’t feel like a killer. Shouldn’t he feel like one if he’d put a hole in a guy’s chest?

  “I’
ll check my phone to see if there’s anything on the news about a dead guy in a motel.” Sario scanned through his phone as Sylvester stared at the ceiling, thinking about the stranger with dreamy eyes. The guy had been tall and lean with muscles.

  Just the way Sylvester liked his men.

  “Nothing so far.” Sario tossed his phone onto the dresser. “Come on. Let’s go find something to eat. I’m starving.”

  Sylvester hopped up, ready to get out of the honeymoon suite. His day had already been wrecked, and he didn’t need anyone thinking he was married to his brother.

  When they exited the inn, Sylvester spotted the sexy stranger leaning against a black Mustang. Damn, the car was as hot as the guy who owned it.

  “Oh Lord.” Sario rolled his eyes. “Don’t even think about flirting with him.”

  “I’m in hiding, not dead.” Sylvester shot a glance toward his brother. “I think I need to rephrase that.”

  “Ya think?” Sario said. “Poor choice of words, idiot.”

  Sylvester bit his lower lip as he gazed at the stranger. He couldn’t let an opportunity to talk to the guy pass him by. “Do you know where we can get something cheap to eat around here?” he called out.

  Sario smacked Sylvester’s arm. “You don’t listen for shit.”

  Sylvester waved Sario away as he stepped closer to the stranger. “Hi, I’m Sylvester.”

  The guy shook his hand as a wicked smile curved the side of his mouth. “Xander.”

  The shake was longer than it should’ve been, but Sylvester wasn’t going to complain. Xander might be a pretty boy, but his hands were strong and calloused. His mind went there, and he began to imagine what those rough hands would feel like stroking his cock.

  Or holding him down as Xander fucked him into oblivion.

  “There’s a diner down the street.” Xander finally let Sylvester’s hand go. “I was heading there myself. I can show you two the way.”

  “No thanks,” Sario said.

  “Okay,” Sylvester answered at the same time.

  Sario glared at him. “We don’t need a damn tour guide.”

  Sylvester wanted to shove Sario into the trunk of his car. His brother was being a major cockblocker. Sylvester knew he had a major problem he needed to be thinking about, but…he couldn’t explain it, but he felt an overpowering attraction to Xander.

  An attraction that went deeper than just wanting to have sex with the guy.

  “He’s just walking with us,” Sylvester argued. “It’s not like we’ll be sitting with him.”

  “This way.” Xander started down the street.

  Sario grabbed Sylvester’s arm. “Are you nuts? The fewer people we interact with, the better. You left your prints behind. It won’t take long for a lab to match them to you. What’re we gonna do when your face is splashed all over the news? Think, Sylvester.”

  Sylvester frowned. “Then why are we going someplace to eat instead of ordering a pizza and staying inside?”

  Sario waved a hand at Sylvester. “Because I’m craving a burger. Come on. We might as well follow your guide.”

  Sylvester hurried to catch up to Xander. The man had long strides, and Sylvester was out of breath by the time they reached the diner.

  Xander waited at the door. When Sylvester approached, Xander opened it for him. What a gentleman.

  “Thanks.” Sylvester gave Xander his best come-hither smile. He just couldn’t seem to stop flirting with the man.

  “You’re quite welcome.” Xander winked at him, and Sylvester wanted to melt into the floor. Brad was handsome, but he had nothing on Xander.

  That thought froze Sylvester. If Brad wouldn’t give him the time of day, why would someone twice as good-looking bat an eye at him?

  But Xander was being nice, and flirting back, so Sylvester ate it up. “You wanna sit with us?”

  Sario shoved Sylvester in his back. “Dude, seriously?”

  “I’d love to.” Xander crossed the diner and took a seat at a booth close to the bathrooms.

  “Be nice,” Sylvester said as he glared at Sario. “Just because we’re in hiding doesn’t mean we have to be pricks.”

  “Fine, but if you get lucky, you’re not using our honeymoon suite.” Sario stomped toward the table where Xander was seated.

  Sylvester only wished someone like Xander wanted him, but the guy was just being nice. He didn’t look as though he had an ulterior motive, but then again, Sylvester was horrible at reading people. For all he knew, Xander was looking for a hookup while he was in town.

  That was fine with Sylvester. He wouldn’t mind being deliciously used. It might even help him take his mind off the trouble he was in.

  Sylvester scooted in next to Sario and grabbed a menu from the holder.

  Xander smiled at him. “So tell me about this dead body of yours.”

  A waiter with tattoos of flames around his neck approached their table. It was the worst timing, but Xander waved a hand at the brothers. “They can go first.”

  Xander studied Sylvester as his mate picked up the menu and looked it over. He held the menu in front of him, but was unable to hide his look of shock and fear. Sario simply glared at Xander as the server waited for them to order.

  They both ordered sodas, and Xander ordered a coffee, then the waiter wandered to the counter.

  “You guys gonna ignore what I said?” Xander threw an arm over the back of the booth, staring from Sylvester to Sario.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Sylvester’s blue gaze slid to the counter, as though looking at Xander would make him tell the truth.

  “Dude, you’re three cans short of a six-pack,” Sario said. “We’re just passing through town on our way to…somewhere. There ain’t no dead body.”

  The waiter brought their drinks to the table and set a small bowl of creamers in front of Xander. “Do you guys know what you want?”

  “We’ll need a minute,” Xander said.

  “Okay, just wave me over when you’re ready.” The waiter went to another occupied table as Xander leaned his arms on the scuffed tabletop.

  “You both are lying through your teeth.” He wanted to help his mate, and maybe the direct approach wasn’t the way, but he couldn’t help them if neither man would talk.

  Sario shoved at Sylvester’s arm. “Come on, we’re getting another table. I told you not to flirt with his guy.”

  Xander kicked his boot onto the seat, stopping Sylvester from scooting out. “I’m not gonna let you guys run. I’m here to help.”

  Sario narrowed his eyes. “We don’t know you. And even if we did, there is no dead body.”

  Sylvester’s gaze snapped from Xander to Sario. “Let’s just eat.”

  “You want to eat with a crazy person?” Sario asked.

  “I just want to eat,” Sylvester said. “I’m starving.”

  Sario jabbed a finger at Xander. “Fine, but no more crazy talk.”

  Had Xander really thought they’d fess up to whatever had happened? It had been worth a try, but he saw these guys were street-savvy. At least, Sario had that hard glint in his eyes that said he didn’t trust anyone.

  Sylvester just looked scared. Xander could tell from their interaction that Sario was the one who led and Sylvester followed.

  Sario picked up the menu and looked it over. Sylvester’s gaze bounced all over the diner, but kept going right back to Xander before it bounced away again.

  His mate felt the pull.

  Xander wanted nothing more than to grab Sylvester and take him home where he could claim the little human. He had a gut feeling that Sylvester would go. But Sario would protest their leaving.

  He had to find a way to occupy Sario so he could talk to Sylvester. Xander pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Aldrich. Maybe his pack member could come to the diner and keep Sario company.

  When Aldrich sent a text saying he was on his way, Xander smiled. He owed Aldrich big time for helping him out.

  “I saw a cat smile like that once,” Sario said.

  “Right before he ate the mouse?” Xander teased.

  “No, he was just evil. I had to get rid of him because he kept tearing my shit up and clawing me.”