Dark Wolf (Spirit Wild) - By Kate Douglas Page 0,82
Alex and then planted a long, lazy one on Sebastian. He glanced at Alex, who merely shrugged.
“Your loss, boys.” Lily headed for the bedroom.
Alex grinned at Sebastian and then batted his eyelashes. “Actually, before we go in and fuck, I’d really prefer to get to know you better.”
Laughing, Sebastian grabbed the wine bottle and refilled his glass. “I agree. I’m not that kind of guy. Besides, I want to hear more about Lily.” He glanced toward the doorway. “She’s absolutely amazing. I’ve never felt like this about any woman before, and I have a feeling that’s not going to change.”
Alex smiled at him and laughed softly. “It’s not. And believe it or not, I know how you feel about her. Part of me is jealous as hell that the two of you fit so well because I always wanted that with Lily, but I didn’t really understand what she and I lacked until Annie came back into my life.”
“Lily truly loves you.”
Alex cocked an eyebrow. “And that doesn’t bother you?”
Sebastian laughed. “Hell no, because as much as she loves you, half the time she’s thinking about killing you.”
“Unfortunately, you’re right.” Alex got up and grabbed another beer. “Let’s go outside. The cottage is small, and I don’t want to keep her awake. She’s had a damned long day.”
“Me too.” Sebastian grabbed the wine bottle and his glass. “But I’m too keyed up to sleep.”
“Who’s talking about sleep?” Alex grinned as he opened the door. The two of them walked out on the deck, but Alex continued on down the steps, into the darkness.
The night didn’t seem as dark as it usually was. Could Anton’s pills already be working? No way. Not this soon. Sebastian followed Alex along a stone path that led to a small pond in the meadow. Alex took a seat on a stone bench and patted the spot beside him. Sebastian sat.
“So Anton’s given you the first of the nutrients. Notice anything yet?”
Sebastian glanced about, but dark was dark. “What’s to notice ? It’s only been a few hours. Did you ever take them?”
“Didn’t have to.” Alex took a swallow of his beer. “I was born to Chanku parents, and since my mother took them during her pregnancy, I was fully Chanku at birth. I’ve never needed them, though on occasion my body will crave the grasses and I find myself nibbling on them. Keisha, Lily’s mom, is a landscape architect, which explains the gorgeous gardens here, but she’s got the Tibetan grasses scattered all over the property.”
“You’ll have to show me which ones.”
“That’s the odd thing.” Alex’s teeth glinted in the darkness. “If you’re Chanku, you’ll recognize them. It’s like our bodies are geared to know what they are and how much we need to get the full benefit.”
“I’ll have to remember that.” All this talk of grasses, and yet Sebastian wasn’t thinking of them at all. He was thinking of Alex close beside him, the way his bare chest was so finely cut, his sharply defined muscles a pattern of dark and light.
He’d never been so aware of a man before.
So aware, or so curious. And for some reason, the fact that Lily loved this man, that she and Alex had made love throughout their lives, made Alex even more attractive to him.
He stared at the empty wineglass in his hand.
“More?” Alex held the bottle.
Sebastian shook his head. “No. I don’t think so. I’ve had two glasses; not enough to feel it.” He raised his head and stared into Alex’s amber eyes. “I know what you and I are going to do, and I don’t want to blame it on the wine. I don’t want to dull the experience.” He glanced away, embarrassed.
“Look at me, Sebastian.”
He slowly turned at Alex’s soft command. “Why?”
“Because you’re a pretty amazing guy. I don’t want you to think you can’t look me in the eye. You’re too good a man to look away. It’s a wolf thing.”
“Shit, Alex. How can you say that? My father may be a murderer, he may be trying to use me to get at your people. How can you stand to be near me?”
“You’re obviously not your father. Damn it, Sebastian, even in the very short time I’ve known you, I can tell that. You know nothing of our kind beyond what you’ve learned from Lily. Only what the media says and what you’ve heard from your father, who is obviously a bigot. You don’t know if you’re one of us or not, but