Bitten By Mistake (10 page)

It took thirty-five minutes to get to Jared’s apartment because a removal van held them up for a bit. Nathan had a death grip on the steering wheel by the time they pulled up outside.

“Nice.” He gave a low whistle of approval. It turned out Jared owned the first-floor apartment in a period semi. The street was quiet and well maintained, and in Nathan’s estimation, it must have set him back at least four hundred and fifty thousand pounds.

Jared blushed and smiled. “Thanks.”

“What exactly do you do for a living? Because that must have cost you a fair bit.”

“It’s only a one-bed flat.”

Nathan raised an eyebrow. It was a one-bed flat in
Camden
, in a pretty little street with parking. As though that was ever going to be cheap.

“I’m a graphic designer.”

“And that pays enough to afford this place?” Nathan nodded in the direction of Jared’s flat. Assuming he lived on his own—and maybe he should have double-checked before—the mortgage alone must cost him over two thousand a month. He glanced back when Jared didn’t answer.

Jared sighed and looked out of the window. “I don’t have a mortgage to pay, so….”

Oh. Well, that would explain it.

Jared looked all kinds of uncomfortable; maybe he didn’t like people knowing he had money. Nathan was in no position to judge. “Hey, I don’t have one either.”

That got Jared’s attention. “How come?”

“The buildings are pack-owned. Have been for as long as I can remember.” Nathan had been a member of the Regent’s Park pack since birth. He hadn’t always lived in that apartment building—families got houses or bigger apartments elsewhere—but every home had been pack-owned. It was just the way things were. Nathan was curious as to how Jared got his money, and from the expression on his face, Jared had some questions of his own.

A car drove past, too slowly for Nathan’s liking, and he remembered why they were there in the first place. All that could wait for later. “Come on, we’re wasting time.”

“You were the one who started talking.” Jared huffed as he got out of the van and walked up the path to the front door, Nathan close behind him scanning the street and scenting the air.

They were safe for now.

The inside of Jared’s apartment was as well maintained as the outside—cream walls and beige carpets throughout, with tasteful furnishings. The first thing that struck Nathan was the light. The living room, where it seemed Jared did all his work, was so bright and airy. It made the room seem bigger than it was.

“Get what you need, and let’s go.” Nathan stood to the side of the biggest window, keeping an eye on his van and the street below.

Jared went from room to room, fussing with things. Fifteen minutes later he came out of his bedroom with a large holdall slung over his shoulder and a laptop bag in his hand. “Done.”

“Is that all you need to get your work done?” Nathan gestured to Jared’s laptop.

“Yeah, both my projects are almost complete. I haven’t started any new ones as I’d planned to take a couple of weeks’ holiday at the beginning of May.”

“Sorry.” Nathan winced. Another thing Jared had neglected to mention.

Jared waved him away. “It’s fine. I hadn’t booked anything. I was going to go and see my parents for a few days, but nothing was confirmed.”

Good. The less plans Jared had to change the better. Maybe this would work out, after all. Nathan urged Jared to hurry up as he locked his door, cautiously optimistic.

No sooner had they put Jared’s bags in the back of the van, than an all-too-familiar scent had Nathan’s hackles rising.

When will I learn?

A car door slammed farther down the road. “Shit.”

“What’s wr—”

Nathan pinned Jared against the side of the van and pressed his face into the crook of Jared’s neck. “Trust me.” Nathan whispered the words against Jared’s skin and hoped he’d heard. And was willing to do as Nathan wanted.

The footsteps were getting closer: two shifters, Primrose Hill pack. Nathan pulled back enough to slide one hand up over Jared’s neck and the other into his hair. Meeting his gaze, he tried to convey the severity of the situation and telegraph what he was about to do. The last thing he needed was for Jared to struggle.

He kissed him.

A soft press of lips to start off with, letting Jared get used to the feel of him. As Nathan expected, Jared tensed immediately and gripped Nathan’s waist, and Nathan prayed he wouldn’t push him away. They needed to be convincing.

He kissed Jared again, putting more pressure behind it, stroking his neck at the same time and urging him to relax with each sweep of his thumb. The tension eased in Jared’s body, he sagged against the van door, and parted his lips on a soft sigh.

Thank fuck.

Nathan took the opening, deepening the kiss and pressing his whole body flush against Jared. They needed to appear caught up in the moment, too hot for each other to wait until they got inside.

And it was all too easy. Nathan breathed in, the faint scent of Jared’s arousal caught him unawares and he thrust forward with a soft moan.

Jared tightened his grip; his fingers dug into the skin above Nathan’s jeans as he pulled him closer. Their scents mixed, a potent blend that would fool any shifter into thinking they were together, and Nathan struggled to remember it was just for show. He was hard, his cock pushed into Jared’s belly, and when he rolled his hips, he felt Jared in the same state.

He wanted to take him back inside the flat, push him down on the bed, and—

“Jesus, Nathan, take it inside. This is a respectable neighbourhood.”

Nathan jumped back as though he’d been burned but kept one hand on Jared’s neck.

Shit.
He couldn’t afford to lose focus like that. Glancing at Jared where he leant against the van, hair a mess, lips red and wet, was a bad move. Nathan wanted nothing more than to kiss him again. “Sorry.” He shrugged at the newcomers. “We got caught up in the moment.”

One of the shifters laughed. “Yeah, we noticed.” They knew who he was, and Nathan recognised them but couldn’t put a name to their faces. “What are you doing around here?” He gestured at the logo on the van door. “I didn’t think this part of Camden was on your delivery route.”

Nathan tensed, the mention of delivery routes like a slap. “What makes you say that?” He flexed his free hand and cracked his neck, readying himself for a fight.

“God, calm down. What the hell’s wrong with you? I just meant Alpha Harley usually lets us know when you’re going to be near our territory.”

That sounded like Cameron. Relations between Nathan’s pack and the Primrose Hill pack were genial for the most part these days. It wouldn’t come as a surprise if Cameron gave them a heads-up. Nathan forced himself to relax. A fight was the opposite of what he wanted. “Sorry. We had a recent incident on a delivery run. I’m a bit jumpy.”

Instead of being surprised, the two glanced at each other, then back at Nathan. “That’s interesting. Us too.”

Nathan wanted to know more, but they were all too low in the rankings to divulge that much information. “I just came to pick Jared up. We’re heading back to my place, so….”

They held up their hands and backed away grinning. “Don’t let us keep you.”

Nathan stayed in the same spot, one hand on Jared’s neck, the other by his side, until the two shifters were in their car and driving in the opposite direction. As soon as he let out a sigh of relief signalling the all-clear, Jared slapped his hand away and stalked around to the passenger side. The door slammed shut moments later, and Nathan grimaced.

Fuck.

He looked up at the sky, taking a moment to prepare for the irate human awaiting him inside the van.

When he opened the door and climbed into the driver’s seat, Jared sat facing forward, jaw set. “I’m sorry I kissed you, but it was the only way to—”

Jared’s head snapped round. “I’m not mad about the fucking kiss! I get that it was necessary for whatever show you wanted to put on for them.”

He sneered and Nathan swallowed down his rising anger. “Then what’s your fucking problem?” He’d been fully prepared to apologise for kissing him, given how Jared felt about shifters, but Nathan had no idea what he could have done wrong now. He squeezed the keys in the palm of his hand, hoping to take the edge off his temper. “Well?”

“Fine, since you’re so fucking clueless, I’ll tell you exactly what the problem is.” Jared shuffled around until his body was angled towards Nathan. “You pushed me up against the van and kissed me like you meant it, as though
I
meant something to you. And then the three of you talked about me as though I wasn’t even there!”

What?
“It wasn’t real, though.” He flinched as soon as he said it.

Jared stared at him, and Nathan saw the flash of something in his eyes, too quick to know what it meant. “I know that, but they sure as fuck didn’t. Is that how you treat humans? As though they’re beneath you?”

“What? No, I—”

“Not worth introducing or even acknowledging?” Jared pointed at him. “I was right about you. You’re just like all the other arrogant arsehole shifters. Big fucking surprise.”

He turned to look out the side window, and Nathan sat there, stunned.

What the hell just happened?

These days he controlled his shift, never changing as a result of heightened emotions, but the level of frustration and anger inside him now threatened his control. Christ he was tempted to shift just to scare Jared. He’d been focused on saving their arses, for fuck’s sake, not on acceptable
date
etiquette. Those two shifters might have been from another pack, but if they’d found out Jared was bitten, they wouldn’t hesitate to tell their alpha. Who in turn would tell Cam and probably report them to the police. Inter-pack relations were good, but not good enough to miss an opportunity like that. There were those on both sides who still harboured grudges from the pack war. If anything happened to Cam, the pack would be in turmoil and vulnerable to attack. Nathan didn’t think the Primrose pack would turn against them, but he wasn’t certain they wouldn’t, given the chance.

Again his shoulder sagged under the guilt of his actions, but he’d come too far down the road not to see it through. Twenty-four more days, and then hopefully it would all be over: Jared would stay human, and he and Nathan could part ways.

The alternative made his head hurt, so he continued to ignore it.

His anger had waned while he’d been lost in thought, but one glance at Jared—with all his pissed-off vibes easy to see—dialled it right back up again. Might as well give him something real to be pissed off about. With a swift glance out the windscreen and in his side mirrors, he checked the street was clear of pedestrians. Anyone looking out their windows might see something, but Nathan intended to be quick. He let a low growl rumble up through his chest, and as expected, Jared’s head snapped round to face him, eyes wide.

Inside, Nathan was all smug smiles, but on the outside he kept his expression serious, verging on menacing. Slower than he’d normally shift, Nathan let his control slip enough for his jaw to stretch out and his teeth to lengthen. Fuck, it hurt doing it like that, but he wanted to prove a point. It wasn’t some game they were playing. Shifters were real and dangerous, and Jared needed to understand how much trouble they’d be in if things went wrong.

“Stop.” Jared’s voice cut through the silence inside the van, clear and strong. Nathan heard the slight tremble in it, but only because his hearing was so sensitive. Jared’s expression was one of fear, yes, but not shock or surprise. It couldn’t be the first time he’d seen someone shift, and that realisation stopped Nathan cold. With a shake of his head, he snapped his features back into place and relaxed into his seat.

Jared swallowed, the hatred in his eyes clear to see. He hadn’t looked at Nathan like that before, not even in the club when they first met, and Nathan didn’t care to see it again. Sitting in the passenger seat staring back at him, Jared looked as though he would condemn Nathan to death given the opportunity, and he’d be fucking happy to do it.

“Please don’t do that again.” Jared’s hands were balled into fists either side of his thighs, his whole body tense. “If you were trying to scare me, then consider it a job well done. Thank you for reminding me what you are. I’ll make sure not to forget again.” He held Nathan’s gaze for a moment longer, then turned and faced out the window again.

Whatever progress they’d made, Nathan had just ruined it with a serious error in judgement. He’d let his temper and pride get the better of him and fucked up big time.

Damn it!

“I’m sorry.”

Jared ignored him, but Nathan forged ahead for all the good it would do. “Jared, would you look at me, please?” Nothing. Nathan hated talking to the back of his head. “Look, that was stupid and cruel. I shouldn’t have done it.”

More silence, then Jared surprised him by responding. “Then why did you?” His tone might be scathing, and he still wouldn’t look at Nathan, but it was better than silence.

“You pissed me off.”

That got a reaction. Jared turned back and glared at him, seeming like he’d leap across the seat and strangle him any second. “
I
pissed
you
off?”

Nathan would take angry kitten over being ignored any day. He liked his men feisty. Biting back a grin—Jared would definitely try to kill him if he laughed—Nathan attempted to look sorry, when really his emotions had done a one-eighty. Anger and frustration still bubbled under the surface, but with Jared opposite him looking mad as hell, and
hot
, they’d taken a back seat to the heat working its way out from his groin. Outraged was a good look for Jared, so much better than hate, and flashes of the kiss they’d shared minutes earlier assaulted his mind. God, he was sorely tempted to grab Jared by his T-shirt and haul him in for another.

Unfortunately he needed to set a few things straight first. Fuck, he hated apologising. Especially when there were better things they could be doing. “Yes. You did. Those two shifters would happily have reported us both if they knew I’d bitten you. The outcome probably resulting in your death and most likely mine too. So forgive me if I was too busy trying to save our lives to introduce you and make you feel special.”