“A little, yeah. ”
A loud female laugh nearby drew their attention, and Tucker’s eyes widened at the sight of Gavin being practically molested by a tall, attractive woman with gleaming, straight black hair streaming down her back. He was at the foot of the stairs, and as Tucker watched, the woman threw her arms around Gavin’s neck and kissed him right on the lips, moving her body way too suggestively against him. What really pissed Tucker off the most, however, was the way Gavin was kissing her back.
“What the hell? She obviously has no problems with touching,” Tucker said irritably.
Richard followed Tucker’s surprised gaze. “That’s Marissa. She and Gavin are very close…uh…friends. ”
“Yeah? What happened to the no touching rule? It doesn’t seem to apply to her. ”
“Well,” Richard said, clearing his throat in embarrassment. “No, the rule doesn’t apply to her. Marissa’s a wolf. ”
“Oh really?” Tucker said, surprised by how much it bothered him to see Gavin holding her in his arms, his head lowered to whisper something in her ear. “Okay,” Tucker said. “That shit’s about to change. ”
Tuck
er stood up and walked over to where they were standing, a little mollified to see how quickly Gavin pushed her away, pulling her arms down from where they draped around his neck. “Tucker! Hi, honey. I was just saying hello to a friend of mine. Marissa, this is Tucker, Richard’s son. ”
Tucker raised an eyebrow at the introduction. Richard’s son? Oh,we’re having a talk about that soon. Up closer to her, Tucker could see that she was a little older than he’d first thought, looking to be in her late twenties, but with the wolves, who could tell? She had to be at least six feet one or so, with a muscular frame, but she was beautiful, turning to regard him with cold dark eyes. God knew Gavin was fucking beautiful too, and it would be hard to keep your hands away from him, especially if they’d had a fling or whatever in the past. And maybe she didn’t know that Gavin had found his bloodmate. He turned toward the woman with an outstretched hand, determined to try to be polite and give her the benefit of the doubt. She glanced down at his hand pointedly and took a step back from him, settling herself firmly against Gavin’s side and leaning into him.
“Didn’t your father explain about pets touching unmated wolves, little man?”
Little Man? Really? Oh hell no.
Dropping his hand, he gave her a winning, totally fake smile. “Why yes, he did tell me, but I figured that at your age, you had to be mated to someone. I mean, you look as though you’ve been around for a long time—that broken-in look, you know? Sorry, my mistake. ”
Marissa tightened her lips and almost snarled at him. “It seems this boy has a lot to learn, Gavin, but then Richard’s a good teacher. He’ll have you whipped into shape in no time, I’m sure. If he needs any help finishing your behavior training, though, please let me know. I’ll be glad to lend a hand. ”
“Thanks. It would be interesting to see someone so ambidextrous at work. One hand to use the whip and the other to hold onto that strap-on you must wearwhile you’re wielding it. ”
Gavin and Marissaboth recoiled as if he’d struck her. “You little asshole,” she said through clenched teeth, straightening up and stepping toward Tucker. “I’ll break both your legs, you arrogant little man. Then we’ll see if your manners improve. ”
“Well, you look as though you spend a lot of time flat on your back. It doesn’t seem to have helped your manners any. ”
Her dark eyes flashed in anger and a sound like a growl came out of her throat as she moved toward him so quickly he barely registered the movement. She had a hand wrapped tightly around his throat and pulled him up on his toes before he could move so much as a step away. Gavin brought his hand down on her arm quickly, knocking her away from Tucker and pushing her backward to step in front of him.
“Marissa! What the hell are you thinking? Please leave now before I have to do something both of us will regret. I’m sure Tucker apologizes for the things he said. ”
She looked up at Gavin with smoldering eyes and then turned on her heel and walked rapidly from the room, disappearing through the front door.
Gavin whirled around to put his hands on Tucker’s shoulders. “Are you all right? Did she hurt you?”
Tucker shrugged him off. “What do you care?Don’t apologize for me!” he said, pulling down his shirt. “I’m not the least bit sorry for anything I said. The bitch started it herself. Oh, I am sorry to have interrupted your little reunion there, Gavin. You seemed to be enjoying it so much. ” He turned around and strode back to the table where his father was still sitting, looking alarmed.
Tucker sat down, wondering if, like a cartoon character, steam was rising from his ears. His chest was heaving a little, and he was hyper-aware of Gavin following him to take a seat at their table.
“Gavin,” Richard said worriedly, “What was that all about with Marissa?”
“Nothingmuch,” Gavin said tightly. “Tucker’s just been making friends again. ”
“Not nearly so friendly as you, though, right?” Tucker glared across the table at him, watching with satisfaction as his cheeks turned red.
“Marissa and I used to date a little. She was welcoming me home, that’s all. ”
“Yeah, right. If she’d had her tongue any further down your throat she’d have given you a tonsillectomy. ”
“Tucker!” Richard said reprovingly. “Please, Tucker, show respect to your alpha. ”
“Sorry, but I’m not a member of his pack, Dad, so he’s not my alpha. Apparently, he’s not my anything. ” Tucker stood up, his hands shaking. He could feel the stares of the others around him, but damn it, he felt like having a full-blown meltdown. He’d come up here with Gavin, abandoning his job and his friends, trusting him, believing him when he said he wanted him for his mate. Not that he’d made any decisions about it, but that was totally beside the point. Then to find him on his first morning there making out with a woman right in front of him! He was so furious, he was shaking. Realizing he was probably channeling Shannen Doherty in her worst diva moment, but beyond caring, he flung his napkin down on the table and would have swept from the room except for a firm hand on his arm, yanking him back down into his seat.