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“What the hell, Nicky? You had to know what that would do.”
Nicky passed a hand over his face. “Would you believe me if I said I honestly have no idea why I did it? Gabe’s just a friend—that’s all he’s ever been. But there was something about him just then…I can’t put my finger on it. I was so drawn to him.” He turned to look at Jax. “Look, I love Marco. Always have, always will. I love him, Jax. God, what must he be thinking?” He covered his face with both hands and turned back to the window. Jax was silent behind him and Nicky felt tears prickling the backs of his eyes. He knuckled them away ruthlessly and jumped when he felt a heavy hand land on his shoulder.
“I think you’re just feeling a little mixed up, that’s all.” Marco turned him around and drew him into his arms. “Are you okay, baby?” Marco, as usual with the wolves, had moved behind him so quietly Nicky never heard him come up. He held Nicky in his arms gently and brushed his lips over Nicky’s.
“I’m fine, but I guess Zack is furious.” Nicky started to pull away. “I should go back in there and apologize.”
“No, you shouldn’t,” Marco said firmly, catching his arm.
Jax, standing beside them, agreed. “Not right now, Nicky. Give him a chance to calm down.”
Nicky shoved his hands in his pockets. “It was just an innocent kiss. I think he overreacted.”
“It wasn’t just the kiss, Nicky,” Jax said, glancing nervously over at Marco. “You had this look in your eye like you were challenging Zack. There was…” Another quick glance at Marco. “There was a scent in the air. It was pretty strong.”
Nicky frowned and glanced up at Marco. “A scent? Like what?”
Marco nodded. “Arousal, Nicky. We could all smell it. You wanted Gabe, and you were about ten seconds from throwing him down on the floor in there and fucking him.”
Chapter Four
“That’s ridiculous,” Nicky said for the tenth time that evening as he plopped down on the king-sized bed in Cade and Jax’s guest room. The weather had grown progressively worse outside, with the rain coming down in sheets. Fording the streams on the way home would be impossible in this weather, so Jax had shown them to one of the spare rooms upstairs, well away, he said, from the room he’d put Zack and Gabe into.
“I was not about to fuck Gabe, as you so elegantly put it. I simply gave him a little kiss. This jealousy of the wolves is plain stupid, and you know I’ve always thought so.”
“Nicky,” Marco said, his voice quiet and more patient than he had any right to be. “We could all smell the cum dripping from your damn cock. I believe you’ll agree that I’m in a good position to be familiar with that smell. There’s no denying it.”
Nicky skinned off his shirt and threw it violently down on the floor. “Damn it, stop saying that. I would have known if I wanted him that way, and I never have and never will. You and I have a bloodlust, remember? You’re the only man I’ll ever want.”
“I’m relieved to hear it, but you were aroused.”
Nicky got to his feet and started pacing. “Then why are you acting so damn calm? Zack was ready to kill me and you’re suddenly Dr. Phil? You’ve always been the most jealous asshole I ever met.”
Marco glared across the bed at him. “I have no idea who this Dr. Phil is, but I was jealous, damn it. I still am, but I’m trying to remember that you’ve been through a hard time, and you’ve been confused about a lot of things. So rather than storm around and put my fist through a wall like I want to, I’ve decided to act mature about the situation. I won’t even tell you that you embarrassed the hell out of me.”
“Oh really? Well, guess what? You just did. Why don’t you say what you really mean? You don’t want to hit a wall, you want to hit me, don’t you? So why don’t you bring it? I’m right here.”
Marco stood up and came over to stand in front of Nicky, who put up his fists and took a fighting stance. Marco looked him up and down and took a deep breath. “Hit you?” A look of disgust crossed his face. “We’re an alpha pair now, Nicky and at least one of us has to stay in control if the other one isn’t. Besides, I would never deliberately hurt you, and you know that, if you’ll stop acting like a dick for five minutes.”
“Oh yeah, well, it wouldn’t exactly be the first time you hurt me. You almost ripped my throat out on the trail that time when you thought I was collaborating with the rogues.”
Marco’s pained expression almost made Nicky take back the words—almost.
“All right. You made your point.” He lifted his gaze to Nicky’s. “But after that day I vowed never to hurt you again, and I’ve tried very hard to keep my word.”
“C’mon, Marco, you’ve swatted my ass any number of times. Now that I can actually fight you, you’re backing off?”
Marco shook his head and gazed at him steadily. “That was different and you know it. I don’t want to fight you, Nicky. What the hell will that prove?” Marco sighed and turned his back on him, unbuttoning his shirt. “I think you’re trying to start something to avoid the real issue.”
“Oh really? And what’s the real issue?”
Marco hung up his shirt in the closet—they hadn’t brought any clothes with them, so they’d be wearing these same clothes home in the morning. He turned, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He had an expression of hurt and worry on his face that tore at Nicky’s heart. “The fact that you seem to be falling in love with Gabe.”
Nicky inhaled sharply and threw his arms around Marco. “No. I love you, Marco and you know that. How can you even say such a thing?”
“Nicky…” Marco tried to pull away but Nicky tightened his hold.
“No, listen to me. I don’t know what’s happening with Gabe. From the moment I saw him tonight, I felt strange, different. Normally, I would have teased him about his slutty clothes. That constant chattering of his would have just annoyed me after a while. But tonight, it was like I saw him in a whole new light. At the same time, it felt like it wasn’t me—it was a part of me, yeah, but the real me was detached. Like I was looking on, watching myself flirt with him and knowing I was making Zack furious. But I didn’t care. In fact, I enjoyed it.”
