Without Reservations

he looked like a goober, but he couldn’t help it. Chay had zapped the energy right out of him. He would have asked if that was a trick question, but he wasn’t sure he remembered how to talk, hence he only nodded.
    Chay let go of him long enough to grab the shower gel and the mesh sponge, then he came back, washing him.
    Keaton sighed and closed his eyes, relaxing into Chay’s ministrations.
    He should probably protest but he didn’t feel like it. Chay could do whatever the hell he wanted to him and he didn’t care. He felt too good.
    Too relaxed.
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    He was washed and rinsed and then there were fingers in his hair massaging shampoo into his scalp. “Ahh…” That was nice.
    Chay lathered his hair and kissed Keaton’s forehead.
    He tilted his head up, offering his lips, puckering.
    Chay chuckled again, dropped a chaste kiss against his mouth and moved him up against the tile. Cold.
    “Think you can stay right here without falling over, while I wash?”
    Keaton leaned on the wall and nodded.
    A pair of lips pressed against his forehead. “Pretty baby.”
    He opened his eyes, looking into Chay’s. Chay’s eyes were once again brown, human. Chay smiled and raised an eyebrow. Dickhead.
    Keaton shrugged and closed his eyes again. Life was good. He just had a mind-numbing orgasm. His mate was physically attracted to him even though he was a guy. He had a new pack and a new puppy. Yup, life was good. Chay could call him whatever he wanted.

    Û

    Chay idly combed through Keaton’s hair. “Keaton?”
    The scalp message felt so good he was almost asleep, but Chay must have something on his mind if he was calling him Keaton instead of Bit.
    “Huh?” Keaton raised his head off Chay’s chest and looked at him.
    “What’s up?”
    “How come I didn’t know you have three forms?”
    Uh-oh! Was Chay mad about it? “I’m sorry. I didn’t think it was that big a deal. It’s not like I actually use my third form.”
    “Sorry? Why are you sorry?”
    “You’re upset?”
    “What? No, I’m not upset, just confused. I can’t believe I didn’t realize how powerful you are. You don’t exactly act like some major badass 76 www.samhainpublishing.com

    Without Reservations
    around me. Why do you play it down? Hell you play it down so damn well I didn’t even realize it.”
    Keaton grinned. “I hate fighting. And I’m not a badass.”
    Chay grinned and shook his head. “You’re a lover not a fighter, huh?”
    Oh yeah, especially where Chay was concerned. He chuckled.
    “Something like that.”
    “You said you were next in line for leader of your birth pack. How’d you end up being next in line anyway? Don’t you have to fight for the position?”
    Keaton moved to Chay’s side, resting his head on his arm so he could see Chay’s face more easily. “I sort of did fight, in a roundabout way.
    When I came out, my older brother and his friends took exception to having a queer in the pack. They jumped me at a pack meeting on one of my breaks from college.”
    Chay’s eyes widened. He turned to his side facing Keaton, resting his head on his arm too. “Damn. Your own brother?”
    “Yeah.” It had really hurt at the time, but he’d long since written his family off.
    “How old were you?”
    “Sixteen.”
    “How many jumped you?”
    “Five, including my brother.”
    “Holy shit, Keaton. You beat all of them?”
    He nodded. “Yup. I took all of them down. After that…” He shrugged.
    “No one messed with me. The pack realized that I was stronger than my brother and sort of assumed I’d be the next pack Alpha after my dad.”
    “Your brother doesn’t have three forms?”
    Keaton shook his head. “My dad does though.”
    “Then why did you leave? It sounds like you had it made. You obviously earned the respect of your pack.”
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    He’d thought so too at the time. He’d even thought his father was proud of him. “My parents thought I was rebelling when I told them I was gay. I graduated high school at fifteen and was going into my first year of college. I guess they thought I’d outgrow it. I didn’t. I made the mistake of bringing my college boyfriend home with me the spring break I was studying for my doctorate. My parents freaked. They pretty much disowned me, or would have if I’d stuck around. My father tried to throw my trust fund in my face. I wadded up the account info from the trust fund that he