“Relax, baby . Theyknow we’re mates. Todd…” he nodded toward the driver, “…is newly mated himself, and can’t wait to get home. Christian is still looking for his mate, so if anything, he’s envious. ”
Tucker wasn’t convinced, and Gavin chuckled in his ear . “If you’re worried about the fact that we’re both men, don’t be. Wolves don’t have the same prejudices humans do—it would be prettydumb if we did when we have little say in the person we’ll be mated to. The bloodmatch chooses for us. ”
“So it’s not that you find me attractiv e then. Your blood compels you to want to be with me. ” “No, baby. I find you incredibly attractive. You may have noticed I can’t keep my hands off you. But yeah, the blood signals to us when we meet our mate. Then once I touched you, and caught your scent, I was totally enthralled. I’ll love you for the rest of our lives, and nothing will ever change that. The bloodmatch is forever, baby, even death can’t end it. Your father, for example, still grieves terribly for your mother and always will. ”
“It seems cruel to tie him to someone who’s been dead and gone for over twenty years. ” “Well, he’s not tied exactly. It’s in the realm of possibility for him to have a love match, and some—a few—wolves have managed to love again. It’s rare, though, because our devotion to our mates is so intense. It’s one reason why we’re a little overprotective and jealous of our mates, I guess. ”
“Yeah, I’ve witnessed some of that—the other night at the Nightstick with Chase. ” Tucker arched a look up at Gavin, and he actually blushed.
“I-uhI’m sorry about that, baby. I guess I get a little carried away when it comes to you. ”
“You think?”
Gavin turned his face toward the window and was quiet for a long moment. “Of course, you shouldn’t have let him put his hands on you that way. From now on, no wolf, except your father, of course, will ever lay hands on you again, unless your safety is in doubt. No human males, either, unless they’re already mated. ”
“Oh really?” Tucker leaned f
urther away from Gavin, glaring at him. “And just who makes these rules, Gavin? Oh and by the way, I haven’t agreed to this mating thing yet, just to keep the record straight. I’m only going to Tennessee with you to meet my father. ”
Gavin shot him a dark look and turned his face toward the window again, without saying another word. His lips thinned to a grim line, though, and Tucker could almost see the thoughts tumbling around in his head. Tucker thought about trying to tease him out of his bad mood, but decided to let him stew over it for a while. He hadn’t decided yet about staying with Gavin, though the idea of leaving him made his stomach clench like a closed fist. Tucker closed his eyes and tried to relax, letting his head fall back against Gavin’s arm.
The SUV’s slowing had Tucker’s eyes opening and he straightened in the seat as they took an exit ramp. He glanced over at Gavin who nodded toward a gas station. “We need to stop for gas and something to eat. This might be a good time to call your partner too. ”
Tucker nodded, not looking forward to the conversation with Bryson. He’d already had his ass chewed out pretty thoroughly by the chief when he called from the condo before they left, not that he’d expected any other response, really. He was, after all, one of the leads in the murder investigation, and once the chief was satisfied Tucker hadn’t been coerced, he’d been, quite rightly, furious.
“Two weeks! You want to take two fucking weeks off to go to Tennessee to meet your longlost father? In the middle of the most important case of your career? Why not just make it a month? Hell, take the whole summer, Tucker. As a matter of fact, take the rest of your life!” The slamming of the phone in his ear had ended the excruciating conversation, and Tucker groaned as he took the phone from his ear.
“Didn’t go well?”
“Oh, yeah, it went great. Totally fine. If you like train wrecks! I think it’s safe to say I’m pretty much fired. ”
Gavin stared down at his feet, but Tucker knew he didn’t consider that to be much of a hardship. If he had his way, Tucker would never go back to Florida to reclaim his former life. Hell, he wasn’t even sure if he wanted to, really. Of course, the murder investigation had already been solved if he could believe the evidence of his own eyes, always considering the fact that he hadn’t had a complete psychotic break, but the chief didn’t know that, and he couldn’t very well give him the information.
The SUV pulled into the lot of a gas station that had a fast food restaurant attached. Gavin turned to Tucker. “Todd and I are going inside to get us something to eat while Christian fills the tank. What do you want, honey?”
“Nothing,” Tucker said, realizing he was being sulky but was completely unable to stop himself. “I’m not hungry right now. I’m just going to make my call. ”
Gavin hesitated, his lips tightening a little. “Okay, but stay close by where Christian can see you. ” He turned and went into the store, along with one of the gammas. Gavin had said Todd was going with him. To Tucker both gammas were almost interchangeable, big and tanned, with regular, handsome features, usually unsmiling and stern when they happened to look at him.
Tucker glared atGavin’s back for a moment before getting out of the back seat and walking to the side of the building to find some bit of privacy for his call. He didn’t particularly give a shit if Christian could still see him or not. He was sick and tired of Gavin treating him like some not-very-bright child. Leaning against the building, hefound Bryson’s name in his contacts and listened to the ring for a few seconds before Bryson picked up.
Bryson’s first words to him let him know exactly where Bryson stood on Tucker’s decision to go with Gavin. “You stupid asshole. ”
“Well, nice to hear your voice too, Bryson. ”
“What the fuck are you doing, Tuck?”
Bryson’s voice was low and urgent. Tucker figured he was still at work. He sighed heavily into the phone. “Look, man, I know this is hard for you to understand…”
“No, it’s not hard to understand, Tucker. It’s fucking impossible! It may not be too late if you come back now and throw yourself on the chief’s mercy—claim temporary insanity or something. Tucker, don’t throw away your career like this!”
Tucker shuffled his feet uncomfortably and glanced back toward the SUV, where Christian was pumping gas and leaning against the back of the vehicle, staring at him. Tucker gave him the dirtiest look he could muster and turned his back on him again. “Bryson, just listen to me for a minute. One minute! This is something I have to do, and I am coming back. ”
“It’ll be too late, Tucker. The chief is furious—I’ve never seen him so pissed off. He’s going to assign me a new partner, and he told me to clean out your desk. ”
Tucker’s stomach clenched. He knew the chief was angry, but this was moving fast even for him. “Do what you have to do, man. Just put everything in a box and leave it in my apartment, will you? I left a key for you in your parents’ condo. I’ll be in touch soon, I promise. ”
A tense silence fell and Tucker could picture him at his desk, rubbing his hands over his face like he always did when he was upset. “What about the case, Tuck? Don’t you care about what’s been happening in the least?”