“This is your emergency?” He could hear the creak of Steve’s office chair as the man leaned back. One of these days he was going to fall and crack his head wide open.
“Dave. Gay Pride Week. Help, man.” He ignored the snickers of the Luna behind him as he began typing the email to Rick informing him he’d be gone for a couple of weeks unexpectedly. There was no way he’d allow Dave to find another mate.
The Beta already had one.
“I thought you wanted nothing to do with him.”
“Let’s just say I was dead wrong. Need to grovel over broken glass wrong. Bamboo shoots shoved in my…okay, not that wrong, but you get the idea.”
“Ah.” Steve’s chair creaked again. “Tell me everything.”
And Ben did, except for the part about him and Dave being Wolves and mates. Steve still didn’t know his best friend was a Wolf, and Ben couldn’t tell him. Not yet, anyway. “And now I’m afraid he’s given up on me, just as I’m ready to try and win him.”
“You owe me. I was planning on going myself on Friday.”
“Yeah. I know.” Ben grinned and brought up the Southwest Airlines website. He knew it was okay to book his flight. Steve hadn’t said if I do this. The timeshare was Ben’s.
“Big time. I was going babe watching.”
“During Gay Pride Week.”
Steven clucked his tongue. “Hate to tell you this, but those of us of the straight persuasion tend not to notice little things like that until our asses get groped.”
“I told you not to wear those shorts.”
“How about next time you just warn me that it’s a gay bar?”
Ben winced. He hadn’t wanted to go into the bar in the first place and hadn’t been in another one since. “Yeah, yeah. Let me know how much I owe you for tickets, ’cause I know you have to arrange things through the timeshare people.”
“Will do. By the way, I expect roaring fires, pretty ski instructors and Tia Maria-laced hot chocolate.”
Ben snorted. “Are you sure you’re not gay?”
“Don’t make me hurt you.” Ben grinned at the sound of another creak. “You win over your lady-love and you can consider this your wedding present, okay?”
“Thanks.”
“But I’m still taking those rooms at the Lodge.”
“Fine.”
“For a month.”
“A…what?” Ben blinked, shocked. “You. A month off. When did the sky turn pink?”
“Don’t you think I’ve earned it?”
“Yeah, but…” There was something Steve wasn’t telling him.
“Ben. You want the room or not? Think about it. Dave, all alone in Florida. Hot guys in bathing suits wandering around shirtless sucking on dripping—”
“Deal.”
Chapter Five
Dave stepped off the plane and into the Orlando airport, a huge grin on his face. The brightly colored mosaic tile on the floor, the sunshine pouring in through the windows, the flip-flops and grins on the faces of those around him let him know he was no longer in Pennsylvania.
He was in the House of Mouse and, damn it, he was going to have fun.
Dave followed the rest of the passengers down the long hallway to the—was that a monorail running through the airport? Holy shit! Dave grinned like a kid given the keys to the toy store. He’d never been to Florida, never had the opportunity to come to Disney World. Rick’s grandfather had refused all requests to leave the Lodge, believing the only way to protect his Pack from outsiders was to keep them isolationist. Dave had hated it, and when Rick challenged the old goat and won, Dave had been right at his side.
He knew Rick missed his grandfather, but the old Wolf had been wrong.
He watched a man walk by in tight jeans and a T-shirt that read Clap If You Believe in Fairies.
He was totally psyched about this. It was going to be great.
“Hey, when do we have to be at our hotel?”
Dave stopped at the monorail doors and grinned at his friend Charlie. “Check-in’s around three.”
“Dude, I still can’t believe you scored us the Contemporary. What did you do, rob a bank?”
Nope. He’d spent the money he’d been saving toward a honeymoon, finally realizing he’d never get the happily-ever-after he’d always dreamed of. Staying in one of the deluxe resorts at Disney with one of his best friends seemed like a good alternative.
All right. It was an okay alternative. Dave would much rather be pounding his mate through the mattress than sleeping a few feet away from his friend. If he succeeded and found a second mate in the ten days he was here, he might just get to do that. “Something like that.”
Bright blue eyes rose heavenward. “Uh-huh. This has nothing to do with the hunka-hunka you’ve been sending me pictures of over the years, does it?”
Dave winced. Charlie was a friend of his from his online college days, and damn if the Lion didn’t have a huge fucking mouth. He couldn’t let himself think of Ben, not when he was hunting a second mate. It made him feel oddly like he was cheating on the Marshall. “Just get on the goddamn train.”
Charlie’s laughter flowed over him. Dave followed his friend to baggage claim, eager to start his vacation.
It was going to be a fun time, whether his wolf liked it or not.
Ben scented his mate and prayed the other man didn’t scent him. He wasn’t ready yet for Dave to know he’d followed him to Florida. Ben grinned, knowing how feral it must look.
Dave could run, but he couldn’t hide. By this time tomorrow, he’d have the man mated and in his bed or he’d die trying. He threw away his cup of coffee and headed for baggage claim, knowing he had to stay far away from Dave until he was ready to show the man that he was here to claim him.
If Dave thought he was going to enjoy himself at Gay Pride Week with anyone other than his mate, he was sorely mistaken.
Dave stepped out of the hotel room and breathed deep. Below him, the monorail rumbled by, shaking the soles of his feet. He could barely hear it, but the knowledge that it, and Magic Kingdom, were mere steps away was worth it.
The hotel room rocked. The flat-screen TV was bolted to a faux fireplace, and when Charlie had flipped a switch the glass tile in the center of that fireplace had lit up. The beds were both queen size, giving him and Charlie plenty of room. The entire room was done in chocolate browns, pale tans and greens in a contemporary style. Dave loved it. It was modern, but it was far from the cold, sterile look many people associated with contemporary design. It was warm and inviting without being kitschy. The bathroom had double sinks with modern, farmhouse-style bowls and a private, enclosed toilet. The brown and white marble tile was cool underfoot.
And best of all, he’d gotten the Magic Kingdom view. He’d be able to sit out on his balcony and watch the fireworks every night if he chose. No lines, no squealing kids, no trying to see over other people’s heads.
Charlie was enchanted. He was going to have a hard time getting the Lion out of the room. When Charlie declared it was time to test the shower, Dave had bolted, knowing how long a Lion could spend washing their “mane”. He breathed in the rich smells of the three restaurants just a level or two below him. The whole center of the hotel was open, giving a hell of a view over the dark brown railing of the restaurants and the lounge below. The place had three stores on the fourth floor, including two gift shops and a small grocery.